My reading life

The year has started well book wise, I've managed to read four books through January so far. Going away has helped. This year, at least so far, I've been reading a lot of sports books.

• Gideon Haigh - Crossing the line
• Pete Sampras, with Peter Bobo - A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis
• Dan Carter with Duncan Grieve - My Story

Haigh's book is a look at the culture of the Australian Cricket team in the lead-up to and following 'Sandpaper-gate' last year. I found it quite informative, even though it didn't really offer much in the way of solutions to improve the fortunes of the team on the field. Nothing in the team selected for Sri Lanka has clarified the philosophy the team selectors are taking. 

To me, the scheduling of the Sheffield Shield has to be looked at. It does seem that there are fewer players banging to the door to selection with bags full of wickets or runs. 

I'm certainly happier with the spirit the Australian team is now playing the game in, and also don't think good results are too far away. 

Pete Sampras, was one the first male tennis players I really took notice of.  I really loved how he played the game, how he conducted himself both on and off the court. His book is filled with great comments on some of his contemporaries and the younger players coming through as he ended his career. Along with Federer and Agassi, he is among my favourite male players to watch. 

I also enjoyed reading Dan Carter's book too - I'm not getting into the greatest of all time conversation, but I'll just say I enjoyed watching him play. He was a unique talent.  The book has certainly made me look forward to the start of the Rugby Season this year with the 'Super-Rugby' competition, Rugby Championship and World Cup to look forward to. 

Next on the list - is Paul Roos book 'Here it is'. The book is both a sporting memoir and a look at leadership. 

I am really taken with reading autobiographies, they give great insight into how people act and behave, and tell the stories behind events that have happened within my lifetime. Given I've moved to sports stars, these biographies are slightly less heavy :) 

Hard Choices / Becoming - Hilary Clinton & Michelle Obama

During my hospital stay this time around I slowly worked my way through Hilary Clinton’s book ‘Hard Choices’ which is a memoir detailing her time as US Secretary of State under former President Obama. I have to say after reading through the book my respect for her has grown immeasurably. She has the grace to admit she may have got some things wrong and has a remarkable ability to work across the aisle of US politics which may not have clearly been evident at the time.

It certainly reinforced my disappointment that she did not win the US Presidential Election. Funnily enough her book also reassured me a little about even with Trump in the Whitehouse there is hope good decisions can and will be made. Yes, I would probably sleep easier with Trump out of the Whitehouse, but the book served as a reminder there is lots of hope.

I’m now really looking forward to reading ‘What Happened’ which details her experience running for President in 2016, I’m sure it will leave me more disappointed thinking about what might have been had Ms Clinton been elected President. I’m intrigued as at this point there’s no clear idea as to who might challenge the presumptive nominee in President Trump. I think the Democrats have got to be very careful in how they approach the election and campaign over the course of 2019-2020.

The final book I read in 2018 was Michelle Obama’s Becoming. I certainly miss both her and her husband’s class from the White House. It was a great read detailing her life before and during her time as First Lady of the United States

Of course, closer to home we have our own election to look forward to. But for mine, both Labour and the Coalition have limited moral authority to govern, both are compromised by their treatment of refugees, but nothing like an actual election to cause the parties to come up with a narrative about who we are, where we are going and what we should look like as a nation.

I know it will concern some, but I’m leaning to vote Green, and most likely will be swayed from that by the other minor parties standing. I’ll certainly be writing to my local Liberal and Labour candidates once the election is called.

I’m equally concerned by our State Government especially when they can make reckless decisions about knocking down stadiums which are still fit for purpose.

Boys will be boys - Clementine Ford

Just finished reading Clementine Ford’s ‘Boys will be Boys’, it certainly wasn’t an easy read. It’s certainly left me a little emotional and unsettled once I finished. It’s in part because I know what Clementine writes about the lived experience of women in our society scratches the surface of reality, and that anyone could be subjected to what women and girls are subject to is difficult to deal with. Secondly as a father of both a boy and girl the reality of my responsibility and weight of my failings has really hit me.

The book also touches on domestic labour and the mental load of running a house, and while I feel I could fairly say I carry my weight in terms of domestic labour, it would be fair to say I don’t do my fair share in terms of carrying the mental load of running our household.

The book talks a little about stereotypes and how we socialise boys and girls differently. I want my son to know its okay to be sensitive, it is okay to cry, gentleness is appropriate and not weak. Likewise, I want my daughter to chase her dreams – whatever they are. I want her to be free to assert her opinion without being labelled bossy or coping abuse.

I’ve quite often flipped pronouns as I’ve been reading books to the kids, and It is difficult finding good books and TV shows to show the kids in terms of gender representation. The way women are portrayed in film is concerning to me. How women are represented on TV matters.

I’m longing for more stories written by women, featuring well developed female characters that aren’t simply a love interest or tack-on.

I found the section about ‘rape’ the most confronting. I’ve started trying to teach my kids about consent now and will continue to do that as they grow.

I think what I have found confronting about the book is that I’ve been reminded that the standard I walk past is the standard I accept. I need to acknowledge how is the past I’ve stayed silent when I should have called out sexist behaviour. I also know that I haven’t always given my son a great example of how to treat women.

I’m thankful to Clementine Ford for writing the book. The letter she writes to her son to conclude is beautiful and captures many of the things I need to understand and pass on to my son.

Yes, I would recommend that all men, fathers read this book. Like I said it won't be an easy read, but I think it is an important read.

Follow the leader ....

As I mentioned in my last blog post I was going to look at reading Laura Tingle’s Quarterly Essay on Leadership next. I’ve now done that. It is quite an interesting read. It certainly makes me reflect on the absence of political leadership in our country. I look at both our major parties and I see no vision for what Australia can or should be. To me, Abbott was defined by what he was against, Turnbull never fought for his beliefs but yielded ground on everything and it isn’t really fair to judge Morrison yet, but I’m not hearing a narrative from him about what he believes Australia can (or should) be, so I will be listening out for that  as we get closer to our election. What I’m yearning for is big ideas about where we should be going as a nation, new ways to handle complex issues like immigration and refugees and taking some steps on improving how we treat our first peoples.

I certainly agree with Tingle that we haven’t seen a Prime Minister guide and lead a discussion on a difficult and complex policy issue we face. We need a Prime Minister who makes it their role to reshape and recast how political discussions happen. To me it seems Howard was the last Prime Minister who embraced tough reform and sought to explain it to the electorate.

The essay also talks about Obama, Merkel Marcon and Trump and how they differ from what we’ve seen in Australia to date. She talks about how Merkel leads from ‘behind’, waiting to the last moment to communicate her position and decision, for Marcon is about creating a new grand narrative, giving people direction and vision. The interesting point she makes about Obama is did he use his oratory ability to persuade, lead or drive change in the electorate. The danger of Trump is that when he’s criticised he doubles down on his position and creates a twitter-storm. He appears unwilling to listen to advice.  

I would encourage you to read the essay and think about the sort of leadership you want, then let that influence your political action, beginning with your vote.

Any Ordinary Day – Leigh Sales.

So, after going to the Leigh Sales talk about her book earlier in the week, I finally finished reading it. It’s just a wonderfully written book. I have an immense amount of respect for Leigh in terms of the work she does on the 7.30 report. She’s certainly one of the many reasons I respect and trust the work of the ABC.

Leigh’s professionalism is clear for all to see in how open and candidly she discusses some of the mistakes she has made in her career.

The book is an open and honest look at how people cope when their lives are turned upside down when life throws you a 'curveball'. Can help but say I'd been very interested in reading some of the academic papers she came across in preparing the book. 

I wasn’t really expecting a big or detailed conversation about religion in the book, but that came out clearly, particularly in the interviews with Michael Spence and Louise Hope. Lousie Hope who was one of the many held captive during the Lindt Coffee shop siege during 2014. 

Michael Spence is the Chancellor of Sydney University and his wife died suddenly from cancer. The Spence family are deeply religious and there was a lot which resonated from their comments about their experiences.

The section which perhaps caught me the most by surprise was Sales discussion with former Prime Minister John Howard. Howard ]created a reputation for himself as 'mourner in chief'. He was Prime Minister after Port Arthur (1996), September 11 (2001) and the Bali Bombing (2002). He certainly spoke of our nation’s grief during these times. 

As an aside I do miss a Prime Minister like Howard (or Keating for that matter), where you knew what you were going to get, and they stayed in the job long enough to make a difference. 

In many ways the book tapped into how I’m approaching life with cancer, and how my faith interplays with the fact that I have cancer. The overarching theme I want to have or live by is why not me. Why not me, in the sense of how I can redeem the season I’m in. Thinking about how people find resilience and hope when the world the knew is turned upside down.

A reading life - lament.

Over the past little while I had been thinking about the place of lament within Church life. Certainly the season of life I'm walking through has made this resurface for me.

I just finished reading Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times by Soong-Chan Rah. The book examines the church's relationship with a suffering world. It does this through looking at the book of Lamentations. The book talks a bit about race-relations in the United States, which I found interesting and recognise while its perhaps not directly applicable to Australia, there are certainly lesson to take in how we approach our own history.

Soong-Chan also critiques the churches focus on success, (and American excecptionalism), and it does seem to me that we have the same issue here.

The book reinforced for me the importance lament has alongside praise in our Christian life. Given the above, it is not an easy read, but it is a necessary read.  It provides a great discussion of what lament is, and the place it can occupy in our faith.

I am now reading Finding Lost Words: The Church's Right to Lament, which has also been a really helpful read about this topic.  The chapter I have read highlighted why lament may not be practiced as much, suggesting lament may not be practiced as much because the understanding of God's sovereignty was eroded by ability to acquire and use knowledge, our ability to control and understand our world and our fear that expressing lament shows a lack of trust or faith in God. Rachel Ciano (the author of the first chapter) argues that biblical criticism played a role too as how the book of Psalms was understood and studied changed. The second section highlighted how some church leaders (including John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon) had understood the place of lament in the Christian life.  I'll write more about this book as I work my way through it.

We certainly do need to find space in our corporate gatherings for lament, recognising the world is not as it should be, recognising the hurt in each other's lives and recognising the church is not as it should be either. In honestly expressing all our thoughts we can then move to praise.

There's a great chapter in Sarah Bessey's book Out of Sorts: Making peace with an evolving faith which also deals with lament, and the point which struck me, was how she wrote we should leave space for silence, space for grief, and simply sit with the truth that sometimes life doesn't make sense, sometimes life is crap, and we just don't understand. In these moments, it is just being alongside people that matters.

Book review - The Fictional Woman - Tara Moss

Last year the Lieutenant General David Morrison give a speech about the investigation into the Australian Army - one line especially resonated with me - 'the standard you walk past is the standard you set'. It has certainly given me pause to think about the world in which we live, and especially how our society portrays woman. Coupled with this, is that I am now raising a son, and it matters what I say and how I behave. The greatest influences will be what I do and what I leave unsaid (implicit approval).

I think I first heard Tara Moss on ABC's Q&A program during 2012, and my recollection is that she was one of the more articulate panelists - bringing a great perspective to the issues. The work she did to bring to light what was happening on Manus Island earlier this year was impressive.

With both those points in mind, when I heard she was writing her first non-fiction book, I was intrigued and looking forward to reading the book. Even more when I hear her on QandA & at Stanton Library recently.

Her book, The Fictional Woman begins with a series of powerful statistics, about the number of women in parliament, in cabinet, number of female story-tellers, in our papers and in popular culture (books, films, art). I don't recall the book talking about music, but I suspect similar stats would be found (any top 100 list, music hall of fame of inductees).

These statistics matter, because they are the voices we hear, and the voices that shape how we understand the world. It is sad to read the stats around the number of female characters in film, novels, and TV who are in positions of influence and power.

That 80 % of working characters in G rated films are males matters, that not one had a female working in medical science, law or politics matters.  One show, I was put onto recently, which challenges this, is the Danish TV show Borgen, I suspect West Wing (and Newsroom) would too.

In summary, I can't recommend this book highly enough, for everybody to read. In some ways, there's nothing new in this book, but sadly, it does reflect the world we are living in, and understanding this point is the first step to change.

Review: A Country too far - Writings on asylum seekers (ed Rosie Scott & Tom Keneally)

This anthology of writing is an act of imagining the lives of others, and as such is an act of compassion as holy as any. It is an act designed to make sure we do not stop ourselves from imagining , properly and in every human detail, the plight of asylum-seekers in this country.  And it is an act designed to make sure that we do not stop there: that we do something. We need to honour our obligations to them, and to ourselves. (Anne Funder)

I've just finished reading 'A Country too far' a collection of of short stories, memoirs, poetry and essays ... including contributions from some of  Australia's best known writers; Les Murray, Christos Tsiolkas, Anne Funder and Elliot Perlman (to name a few), which challenge some of the assumptions held about the world of asylum seekers.

The book adds a different perspective and language to the debate around asylum seekers. A number of the inclusions highlight their own family stories, for example Les Murray's contribution highlights his Wife's journey from Hungry to Australia.  The threads which tie the collection together are love and compassion.

The collection certainly highlights for me the contribution fiction can bring to our social and political debates. It is a collection that is worth reading (rereading and passing on), whatever your views on this issue. I know I'll be reading through it again.

Bewitched & Bedevilled: Women Write the Gillard Years - Review

While I was visiting the library recently, I saw this book on the "new books" stand. I was instantly attracted to it, given that I have a great deal of difficultly understand the public reaction to her time as Prime Minister. The book features a collection of essay from women about Gillard. The book certainly does reinforce Gillard's comment that her gender 'doesn't explain everything, it doesn't explain nothing - it explains some things. And it is for the nation to think in a sophisticated way about those shades of grey.'

Emily Maguire's essay, explores #everydaysexism.  I was challenged by this essay, perhaps more so than I would have been in the past. As a father, I am responsible for how my son views and treats people and responsible for teaching him how he should treat women - so "the standard I  am prepared to walk past matters". And this is why I have been sharing a number of pieces around #yesallwomen, partly as a reminder to myself.

Tanya Plibersek's essay is a great exploration from a member of the ALP about the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years.  It is such a shame that Gillard was not able to lead a united party - she faced a divided party and divided house and inspite of both she was able to pass some ambitious & needed reform.

The book contains transcripts of the former PM's 'Misogyny' speech & the lecture given by Dr Anne Summers - Her Rights at Work (detailing some of the former PM's treatment - which I see as a must read).

Worth noting that - The Hon Clive Palmer MP's comments about Peta Credlin were out of line - and were also condemned by the ALP, and Palmer has apologised for them.

Whether or not you are, or were, a fan of former Prime Minister, the collection is worth reading. It provides a great exploration of attitudes to women in power. I am looking forward to reading Gillard's autobiography which is due out later this year (also on my reading list is Rob Oakeshot's book)

Evolving in Monkey Town - Review

I was pleasantly surprised recently, when I got an email from the local library, telling me I had a book waiting for me. The book was Rachel Held Evan's Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions. I was surprised as I only recently asked the library to think about buying it. Not only did they buy it, but they also placed a hold on it, for me.

The book is the story of Rachel's faith journey, from certainty through doubt to faith, and in that sense, the book is exactly what I expected. At the same time though, there are confronting truths in there. I have always valued certainty, knowing what I believe, knowing why I believe it, and knowing how to talk to others about it. The book reminded me that it is not that simple. It reminded me & challenged me, that we need to find a place in our churches for questions, for growth, and not see the person who does not know, or who has questions as having a crisis.  Another interesting point is that doubt (leading to thoughtful questions) is the mechanism by which faith grows.

I can promise you, that while you may not agree with some of the answers to the questions Rachel has, there are lessons you can take from her journey, approach, and attitude. The book ends which a great account of why kids ask questions - it is not because they want _the answer_ its because they want the relationship - (Alan Greene).

Held Evan's book is well worth reading and pondering (I know I'm going to read it again before I return it).

+++

As an aside, I have to admit, I have really enjoyed reading her blog (I'm not sure I agree with everything there, but the posts always give me food for thought.

February Reads

February has been a quiet month for reading to date I've read the below two books..

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English: A Novel - Natasha Solomons
Don't actually remember too much of this one. I enjoyed the characters, and the manner in which Jack and Rose's relationship was described. Guess I'd describe it as a light and fun read.

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance - Edmund de Waal
Really enjoyed it. It is exactly my type of book. The story of his family is told through the what happens to the netsuke. Brings quite a bit of European and Japanesse history to life, and a very interesting and original way to tell the history of your family.

Next on the to read list:
Teju Cole - Open City
Jack Kerouac - The sea is my brother : the lost novel

2011 - Books

The full list of books I read during 2011 is below. I do think its probable that a few of have been left off. I'll be aiming to break 50 books during 2012. I broke the list down into various categories, and in each grouping I've listed a few of the books which stood out:

Novels:

Victor Hugo's Last Day of the Condemned Man, Gabrielle Ambrosio's Before We Said Goodbye, Yannick Haenel's The Messenger and Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife were the standouts.  Not surprisingly, the novels which have stood out to me, are those which have some political historical angle.  Last Day, is an impassioned plea from the 19th Century, for the abolition of the death penalty. Before We Said Goodbye is set on the Gaza, and without taking sides, focuses on a suicide bombing. I found The Tiger's Wife to be a beautiful and original read.

Biography:

The two that really stood out to me, were Malcolm Fraser's Political Memoirs and Goodbye Sarejevo. Prior to reading Malcolm Fraser's book, I hadn't read too much about Australian History, but my respect for Fraser grew through reading the book. Goodbye Sarajevo, is one of those must read books -  set in the middle of the Balkan Conflict, it is a moving and compelling true story of courage,  and hope. 

Political 

One of the highlights, was George Negus' The World From Down Under, which drew on his interviews with a wide range of world leaders. The books by Rebecca Hamilton and Samantha Power were eye openers to America's responses to genocide since the beginning of the 20th Century.

And in the other categories, I found Nicholas Carr's book on how Google is changing the way we think, to largely ring true, as does a bit of Andrew Keen's thesis in The Cult of the Amatuer.

So, I'm looking for more books to read this year, so let me know what you're reading.

Full List:
Novels:
Ernst Hemmingway - Farewell to Arms
Alain Robbe-Gilbert - In the Labyrinth
Mirza Waheed - The Collaborator
Tea Obreht- The Tiger's Wife
Jack Kersh - Hotel Sarajevo
Jessica Rudd - Campaign Ruby
Colm Tobin - Brooklyn
Victor Hugo - Last Day of a Condemned Man
Gabrielle Ambrosio - Before we Said Goodbye
Louis de Bernières - Captian Corelli's Mandolin
Freedom (Collection of Short Stories)
Chimamjanda Ngozi Adichie - The Thing Around my Neck
Phillip Roth - Everyman
Phillip Roth - The American Pastoral
Jonathan Franzen - Freedom
Yannick Haenel - The Messenger: A Novel
Biography / Autobiography
James Hird - Reading the play
Wayne Bennett - The Man in the Mirror
Kevin Sheedy - Stand Your Ground
Michael Chugg - Hey You in the Black Tee-Shirt
Malcolm Fraser - The Political Memiors
Izzeldin Abuelaish - I Shall Not Hate
Peter Fitzsimmons - Beazley
Hana Schofield & Atka Reid - Goodbye Sarajevo
Edward Kennedy - True Compass
Anh Do - The Happiest Refugee
Politics / Sociology / History / Psychology / Religion
Samantha Power - A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
Rebecca Hamilton - Fighting for Darfur: Public Action and the Struggle to Stop Genocide
Laurie Oakes - On the Record
Dambisa Moyo - Dead Aid
Hugh Mackay - What Makes Us Tick
George Negus - The World From Down Under
Lindsay Tanner - Sideshow
Paul & Tania Roos - Life is Sport & Sport is Life
Andrew Leigh - Disconnected

Ravi Zacharias - Has Christianity Failed You

Kevin Lenman - Have a New You By Friday
Technology
Andrew Keen - The Cult of the Amatuer
Nicholas Carr - The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brain
Humour
Richard Glover - Why Men are Necessary
Sport
Jim Main - Shake Down the Thunder
Duncan Hamilton - The Last Summer

The problem of genocide

Just finished Samantha Power's A Problem from Hell - America and the Age of Genocide. The book is a detailed analysis of the last century of American Foreign Policy - from President Wilson through to George Bush (Junior).  The book highlights American (and perhaps - the worlds) indifference and courage in the face of genocide. The book clearly establishes, how much was known and when, and how difficult it was of people to believe the stories they have heard.  (Read more about Samantha here)

Power writes that 'no US president has suffered politically for his indifference ... it is thus no coincidence that genocide rages on'.  She talks from the Armenian Genocide of 1915 through to Rwanda and the Balkans. It would be interesting to read her thoughts about Sudan.

I noted down a coupe of thoughts I had flowing from her conclusion.

• Knowledge: we are more aware of what is occurring, as it happens
• Influence: we possibly have more means of influence than ever; (and politician do listen, if enough noise is made (but as per my previous post, politicians should be seeking to lead, or drive public opinion)
• Will: this is perhaps the key - we and our governments lack the will to act (perhaps, at least in part, because we understand the cost of action. 
• Accountability: Given the awareness we have, we are accountable for how we respond. 

In summary, the book is well worth reading, and after reading we are witnesses of history and must be changed. After reading this book, its worth having a look at the material surrounding the 'responsibility to protect'. )

Recollections of a bleeding heart...

Tonight I went to hear Don Watson give the 2011 National Biography Award Lecture, about his biography of former Prime Minister Paul Keating "Recollections of a Bleeding Heart", which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. The book is based on diaries kept during Watson's time as Keating's speechwriter and advisor. I haven't read it yet, but after tonight, I'd definitely recommend it.

Some points that I jotted down during his talk.

• Vsion doesn't win elections, the current Australia is one without a vision or narrative,
• Polls tie you to the immediate and the present, not what the future can be,
• With the defeat of Keating, Australian politics lost "language"
• Governing is about leading and changing public opinion, not just listening to polls; we have lost the language of change and leadership
• speech-writers - the work of the author & speaker, the author writes the words and convictions of the speaker (and the speaker brings life to these words)
• speech writing is about the putting people into the story of the nation

Ater tonight, I am missing Keating, would love see more people with his vision in politics; and I'm missing Watson too, would love to have more people like him working and writing for our politicians.

Freedom.

Found a collection of Short Stories celebrating the Declaration of Human Rights (Published by Amnesty International), in the local library, and have been reading it on my way into work over the past few weeks.

Like most collections, its a little bit uneven, but the premise is fantastic, give each author one of the Rights as a base or inspiration for their short story. The collection is quite eclectic due to the diversity of the authors.  You can't help be moved be the stories, as its clear they illuminate the lives of millions. But i think its a great way to get people to look beyond the words of the Declaration as they are illuminated, illustrated, and expanded through the stories.

One paragraph that struck me today was an answer to a question posed about what Education means and the character's response really struck me:

Education, whether brief, or just memories of it, creates the anchors that prevent us from losing our humanity completely, as a society and as individuals .... Education is the most powerful medicine that cures violence. It strengthens the mind to resist violence, to transform the elements of violence, which are fear and loss of self. Of course, one has to have some basic understanding of reality. In general, education can reawaken the mind and spirit after it has been broken.  Ishmael Beah - ABC Antidote

There's more about the anthology here and here.

more on connecting ...

I looked at Andrew Leigh's book on social capital again this morning, and he makes about trying to increase our social capital are: reclaiming the footpath by saying hello to people as you walk down the street; using your local stores; donating time (and/or money); using social media to supplement (not replace) connections; reviving organisations you are part of; writing to politicians; breaking bread with each other; and to trying new activities.

So, I'm going to try and do some of these; I will try to engage with my State and Federal representative more this year, and when I get back into the habit of walking I'll try and say 'Hello' as I pass people. Given there are a few great shops in this area, I'll try and regularly shop there.

(re) connecting

I've just finished reading Andrew Leigh's book Disconnected about how "community engagement in Australia has declined. Organisational membership is down. We are less likely to attend church. Political parties and unions are struggling to keep their members. Sporting participation and cultural attendance is down. We have fewer friends and are less connected with our neighbours". In his book he also explores things we can do to reconnect with people. I also found it good to see that in his capacity as Member for Fraser he is seeking to encourage his constituents to reconnect with each other by hosting street parties. There's something there I think .. but I'd find it hard to actually take that step. The book is definitely worth have a look at, his writing is very engaging, and thought provoking. It would definitely be interesting to hear more of his thoughts around religion.

Links... Loneliness and Childhood..

UNICEF recently released a report the state of children in the world, and a read a piece in the Guardian asked who is the best placed to bring up children.. And how now in developed countries the "majority of parents in the developed world are farming out the care of their children to paid workers. At the same time, neuroscientific research shows - surprise, surprise - that the architecture of the brain is formed largely through the interactions of the early years; love, it turns out, is as important for intellectual as for emotional development." Its interesting looking at how this is changed, and what it means.

Also from the UK, a few pieces about loneliness and the state of solitude. An interesting one about a teacher who was sacked for saying Santa Claus doesn't exist. While I am sure that its not the wisest thing to do in a class-room, I doubt making the same claim about Jesus Christ would have the same result.

Kids…

Was down in Wollongong (a while ago now) and my mother drew my attention to an article in the Good Weekend; based on an excerpt from the book Adult themes: rewriting the rules of adulthood (Kate Crawford). The article talked about attitudes to the cultural landscape around us. It was quite a fascinating read, and I am now quite looking forward to reading the book.

Staying on culture a little longer, I am quite fond of the modern adaptions of Shakespeare’s plays, even if they have their flaws. I’m looking forward to watching Shakespeare Retold (Modern interpretations of four Shakespearian plays produced by the BBC). I saw one (Much ado about Nothing) while I was in the UK last year and really enjoyed it. From memory it will be on our ABC this year too, it is worth keeping an eye out for.

March of the Penguins

One of the more interesting films I have seen. March of the penguins shows the viewers a breathtaking part of God’s creation (that we may not be blessed to see).

The Emperor Penguins are beautiful birds, and their breeding ritual would be one of the more treacherous on earth, featuring a role-reversal where the male nurses and protects the egg//chick, while the mother goes and finds food). The film is wonderfully narrated by Morgan Freeman.

I really enjoyed the film, while I marveled at the bird’s ability to survive in these extreme conditions year in and year out. I pondered the fact that people also were there to shot this footage (who you see through the end credits).

++

I read a really interesting book review in the ALD last week. Apparently the least visited memorial in Washington is a waterfront statue commemorating the men who died on the Titanic. Seventy-four per cent of the women passengers survived while 80 per cent of the men perished in the disaster; I’m not so sure the numbers would be the same today. It is interesting thinking thought about the place of gallantry and trying to understand what it means to be a man.