All those stars reminded me – it’s nearly September equinox time (it’s becoming more common to no longer refer to vernal/autumnal equinoxes or summer/winter solstices because it gives the wrong impression that it’s the same season simultaneously around the world). The equinox falls on tomorrow, September 23rd at 1:09 pm Sydney time.
Culture
The milieu through which we swim
The callous cruelty of mandatory detention of asylum seekers
On this day after a detained asylum seeker threw himself off a detention centre roof to his death rather than be deported back to persecution in Fiji, this terrible yet fantastic post from Pamela Curr at the Drum should be required reading for all Australians with a social conscience:
Wins and losses – the prosecution of sexual violence
A tale of two legal systems.
In each legal system, there is a woman has been sexually assaulted.
Each woman is subjected to some sort of abuse by the person who is supposed to be prosecuting the sexual assault.
The similarities end there.
Friday Hoydens: That’s a pretty big teaspoon
Some Israeli women wield the teaspoon of civil disobedience and smuggle Palestinian women out of the West Bank for a day at the beach.
It’s not censorship when it’s a personal decision over privately owned space
aka One More Time For The Clueless! “Free speech” has never meant that individuals or corporations are obliged to provide a forum for speech they find obnoxious on their own private property.
Sexting and Slut-Shaming
Announcing the release of this particular video, he commented “The launch of this new video comes on White Balloon Day – a time to break the silence on child sexual assault and raise awareness that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
Everyone’s responsibility. Everyone’s. Shall we take a quick peek at the video in question?
Quote for the Day: on narratives
A narrative is determined as much by what is omitted as by what is included.
Wednesday Wow: Sea fort
…took me to one of those old posts, and I thought “hey, I miss this idea”, because I usually ended up finding out something interesting as I looked into the backstory behind various intriguing photos.
Quote of the Day: institutions vs amateur critics
What the internet means for the old-fashioned print critic is the end of institutional authority. That so many of these critics mistake institutional authority for critical authority says everything you need to know.
Gillard ministry reshuffle and readjustments
It certainly looks like something else was on their mind beyond just filling portfolios according to factional balances and policy goals, given yesterday’s gaffes regarding the omission of the Ministries for the Status of Women and Indigenous Health.
Hoyden About Town 