Random Reads (16/04/2023)

 I have read a number of interesting articles lately on an eclectic range of subjects.

The May 2023 Vanity Fair cover story 'Inside Rupert Murdoch's Succession Drama' by Gabriel Sherman is a fascinating look at the aging media baron's decline and the in-fighting among his children for his empire. At age 92, Rupert Murdoch outwardly projects an image of virile leader, holding on to the reins of his corporation. But the last decade has been rough as he divorced two wives, battled injuries and illnesses, and became estranged from his youngest son. The article explores Rupert's lurch to the far-right, backing of Trump, and the trouble he is in with the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit. 

The Monthly magazine has an excellent April 2023 cover story on Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Written by Hugh White,  'Penny Wong's next big fight' explores the path she navigates between China and America in a contest for the Pacific. The threat of nuclear war is real. White argues that it may be easy to support America due to our history and alignment of values, and the AUKUS program, but is it good policy? Wong is an intelligent leader who understands the global economic shift and can see a non-binary path in which power in the Asia-Pacific is shared in a 'strategic equilibrium'. Wong spoke more freely when in Opposition, but has toned down her messaging since the election. As White argues, 'Penny Wong is uniquely placed to lead' in a debate about whether we would go to war, but it will be a serious test of her political capital. Given the stakes, I am glad we have someone as wise and considered as Penny Wong at the forefront of this issue.

The Guardian has been running a fascinating series on slavery as part of their 'Cotton Capital' project investigating the paper's founders' links to slavery. One of the articles is about the act of wilful forgetting that has taken place, to whitewash history and eradicate the legacy of racism and colonialism. In 'Lest we Remember: How Britain Buried its History of Slavery' author Gary Younge writes 'The transatlantic trade in human beings for profit doesn't slop one's mind, momentarily like an elusive name or date. A nation does not forget centuries of slavery as a person might forget an umbrella. The nation sets about the task with great prejudice.' Demand for cotton in the Manchester mills helped fuel the slave trade. This is a thought provoking series exploring various aspects of the slave trade and its historic and modern consequences.

With a nation-wide workforce shortage efforts to attract, develop and retain staff are essential for every business. I have been watching with interest the push for a four-day work week. On many levels I am attracted to the idea (personally and professionally) but I also have conflicted thoughts about the practicalities of making it work. The article published by The Ethics Centre on 12 April 2023 'The Ethical Dilemma of the 4 day Work Week' highlighted the trust reciprocation needed to make it work. What was missing for me is how to counter the potential of a further divide between knowledge workers (for whom flexible work is more straightforward) and those who have more hands-on work (e.g. manual labourers, care workers). The article briefly mentioned a trial at Unilever in Australia but factory workers were not able to take part due to union agreements, but I would be keen to see how it can work for shift-workers and how productivity would be measured.

Finally, I loved the article in the New York Times by Doosie Morris 'Hot Cross Buns are the Pumpkin Spice Latte of Australia' published on 3 April 2023. In our house we regularly lament about the premature release of seasonal products, but the early availability of hot cross buns is excused and we are glad these can be obtained pretty much year round. The article explores why Australians have become obsessed with these tasty treats and our terrible efforts to diversify with gross flavour combos and bizarre aligned products. Worth a read with a cup of tea and a hot cross bun.

Planning for 2020

I am someone who likes to plan ahead and be purposeful in my decision making. At the end of each year I spend time reflecting on my past reading habits, and forward planning for the year ahead. Generally I gather books I want to read and stack them up in an accessible pile. I comb my bookshelves for forgotten titles, peruse lists of books that will be published in the coming year, and lodge reserve requests with my local library.

My real problem is when it comes to executing the plan. Because reading is so personal I find I am susceptible to falling off course. If I am busy at my day job with a lot of high-intensity thought work, I look for novels to escape in. I will often pick up a book and find that the time is not right to read that title. Or I may be reading something and then I head in a different direction when my library reserve becomes available, or I purchase something new.

My 'To Be Read' stack is high, and there are plenty of options there to keep me engaged. So rather than prepare a long list of books that I am going to read - only to wind up disappointed at the end of the year that I never read half of them - I am going to be free this year to follow wherever my reading takes me.

I want to remain diverse in my reading and will still focus on fiction. I have set myself an achievable target of 30 books to keep me on track. I have also set up another book Bingo board for a bit of fun.

B	I	N	G	O
19th Century Classic	First Novel in a Series	Lesser known Book  by a Famous Author	Features Strong  Female Protagonist	Short Story Collection
Essay Collection	Pre-19th Century Classic	Banned Book	Fiction Based on a True Story	Australian Literary  Prize Longlister
Book on the 1001 List	Women's Prize  Longlister	20th Century Classic	Set in the Future	New York Times Bestseller
Set in Space or at Sea	Mystery or Crime Novel	Booker Prize  Longlister	Published in 2020	Book with a  colour in title
Current Affairs / Politics	Biography  or Memoir	Set during Wartime	Poetry  Collection	Adapted into a Film/TV Show

As I plan my 2020 overseas travels, I will look for authors from those locations to deepen my understanding. As literary award longlists are released, I will choose from those titles the ones that most interest me. As new books become published, I will seek them out (yeah, I am talking about you Maggie O'Farrell) and have already put reserves on many. 

What I do know, is that I am looking forward to my adventures in reading this year! 

Random Reads (5/10/17)

I have read a number of fascinating articles lately which are worth sharing.

• "The Dying Art of Disagreement" by Bret Stephens, published in the New York Times, is the text of a lecture Stephens delivered in September at the Lowy Institute in Australia. It is a powerful speech and one which I have thought about many times since I read it. Stephens talks about the polarization of viewpoints and the demise of liberal education in which we are taught to have an open mind. He talks about the rise of identity politics and the role of the media in speaking truth. One paragraph that really resonated with me is when Stephens says 

'...to disagree well, you must first understand well. You have to read deeply, listen carefully, watch closely. You need to grant your adversary moral respect; give him the intellectual benefit of the doubt; have sympathy for his motives and participate empathically with his line of reasoning. And you need to allow for the possibility that you might yet be persuaded of what he has to say.'

• The Cincinnati Enquirer sent over 60 journalists out into the city to cover a week in the life of its citizens to explore the impact of drugs. The result is an incredible "Seven Days of Heroin: This is what an epidemic looks like" and how one July week resulted in 18 deaths, 180+ overdoses, 200+ incarcerations, and 15 babies born with heroin-related conditions. In this compelling piece we meet the addicts, their distraught family members, the first responders, the police officers and others who are impacted by the heroin epidemic. It is a powerful portrait of a city in crisis and the images are astounding. 

• I love Joni Mitchell. She is a music pioneer and legend. So I was drawn to an article in The Atlantic by Jack Hamilton called "The Unknowable Joni Mitchell". Hamilton reviews many of the biographies written about the singer and talks about the intimacy of her music. Reading the article reminded me of many of her songs from early albums and encouraged me to put my Joni playlist on repeat. Here is a live performance from 1974 of 'A Case of You', perhaps my favourite Mitchell song.

• The mass shooting in Las Vegas on 1 October 2017 has produced countless column inches of coverage. It is a horrible, devastating crime that should be a wake up call to the gun loving Americans about the need for restraint. Perhaps I have become numb to the inevitability of the aftermath commentary in which the white perpetrator will be called a lone wolf rather than a homegrown terrorist, his owning a ridiculous amount of semi-automatic weapons is not questioned, and there is no action on gun control. There are plenty of articles covering this story and asking why it is allowed to happen. One of the best is by Roxane Gay's "No More Shootings That Follow The Rules" writing in the New York Times.  Also, Jimmy Kimmel opened his show on Monday 2 October with a moving plea for change which I found really powerful.

• Finally, there was an interesting piece in the New York Times by John Herman called "What if platforms like Facebook are too big to regulate?" in which he explores the recent eviction of Uber from London and Facebook's attempts to 'strengthen the democratic process'. Many of the  big tech players - Google, Facebook, Twitter - see themselves as democratic tools, giving voice to the disenfranchised and bringing about connectivity and community. These platforms are now part of the modern infrastructure and yet these tools can be used with malicious intent as seen in last year's American election. So should they be regulated? And if so, how? Much to think about...

Listening and Learning (12/08/17)

My daily commute to and from work takes about 30-40 minutes each way, with a ten minute train ride and the remainder on foot. This relaxing journey allows me the opportunity to reflect on the day ahead, or the day that has passed, and to learn.

Most of my travel time in recent weeks has been taken up with various podcasts, many of which I have stumbled across from my Random Reads. Many of these podcasts have also inspired me to further reading.

So here (hear!) are some of the podcasts I have been listening to lately.

S-Town
I loved the first season of Serial, and I occasionally listen to This American Life, so I was intrigued by their latest podcast, S-Town.

John B McLemore is an erudite restorer of antique clocks living in 'Shit-town Alabama', his name for Woodstock in Bibb Country. He lives with his elderly mother on a property out of town, and is full of despair about the plight of modern America and the impending doom of climate change. John contacts journalist Brian Reed to tell him there is an unsolved murder in his hometown and he is worried about police corruption and a cover up. Reed corresponds with McLemore, talks with him and eventually visits S-Town to investigate this crime. While McLemore was wrong about the murder, he provides Reed with an entirely different story which is absolutely fascinating.

This was a remarkable podcast, the equivalent of a page-turning thriller, as I continually wanted to know more about John, Bibb County and where the story would lead. In parts it made me uncomfortable, thinking about privacy, ethics and journalism, as Reed digs deeper into the life of John B McLemore. Sad, poignant, funny, and intelligent, this podcast is literary and compelling. The way the story was told reminded me of John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994) and also JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy (2016).

Be prepared to binge on the seven episodes, as you will be hooked. Learn more about on the S-Town  website.

Trace
Another Serial-esque podcast is ABC's Trace. In June 1980 Maria James was brutally stabbed to death in the bookshop she owned in Melbourne. Journalist Rachael Brown investigates this unsolved murder with the help of James' sons, detectives that worked on the case, and others.

To date only four episodes have aired, but they have been intriguing. Along the way, listeners have been aiding in the investigation, coming forward to tell what they know of the events that took place almost forty years ago. There are many theories of the case, and several possible suspects.

The good news is that Victoria Police have now reopened the investigation, and there are real possibilities that this murder may be solved (whether justice is done is another matter!). I have really enjoyed this podcast but I admit to being totally frustrated that Trace is currently on hold while it awaits actions by the Police and to see whether there will be a Coronial Inquest. I want to know who killed Maria James and to see her family get the closure they deserve. For more on Trace, see the website.

Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History

I have always enjoyed the writing of my fellow Trinity alumni Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point (2000) Outliers (2008), Blink (2005) and What the Dog Saw (2009). He is a curious man who finds new and interesting ways of looking at things. His podcast began in 2016 and he describes it as a way of looking at the past and exploring 'something overlooked or misunderstood'. 

I started listening to it 2016 as the first episode focussed on a little known painter names Elizabeth Thompson, who Gladwell compared to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, in the way they both broke through the glass ceiling only to be greeted with hostility and contempt. Thompson's painting 'The Roll Call' caused a stir in 1874 when it was exhibited in London to hype. Gladwell's theory is that when one lone individual cracks the status quo, the response is often to perpetuate the status quo rather than change it.

Other interesting episodes explore satire and social protest, civil rights, terrorism, genius, music and more. I recently listened to a two-parter on Civil Rights lawyers Donald Hollowell and Vernon Jordon and their attempts to find justice in the segregated American south. Another episode I loved was about golf - yes golf! - and how there are very few public parks in Los Angeles, but lots of private (often exclusive) golf courses and the tax concessions that allow them to thrive. 

Gladwell is a fascinating storyteller. Learn more by visiting the Revisionist History website.

Slate Political Gabfest

Every Friday I listen to David Plotz (Atlas Obscura), Emily Bazelon (New York Times Magazine) and John Dickerson (Face the Nation) discuss US politics on the Slate Political Gabfest. This podcast was essential during the election, and even more so now as I try and get my head around the madness in Washington: what is happening on Capitol Hill, inside the Supreme Court and its impact on the wider world.

It is humourous and intelligent and I love the way the panelists play off each other. This podcast has also introduced me to some interesting articles as they discuss what is making news. One recent article that I read as a spin off from this podcast is Bazelon's story about Noura Jackson, a teenager convicted of her mother's murder, and how prosecutors withheld evidence that would have exonerated her. 

I also appreciate that the Gabfest website contains references to what they have been talking about and ideas for further reading.

Chat 10 Looks 3
I have previously written about my fondness for Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales and their podcast on what they are reading, watching and eating. They say this podcast is 'time well -wasted' and I heartily agree. For me it is like sitting down with old friends across the kitchen table and having a good natter about tv, books and movies.

This podcast has lead me to discover many books, articles and tv shows. As a regular listener to this irregular podcast, I know the in-jokes, expect the sometimes dodgy audio, and don't get annoyed when they occasionally talk about something they mentioned many months ago.

The perfect antidote to a stressful day, the only downside of this podcast for me is I have bought far too many books as a result of hearing about them here. So if you like banter, books, and baked goods, check out Chat 10 Looks 3.

Rest assured, I have not given up books for podcasts. I have actually been reading a lot lately and have several blog posts in the works. So stay tuned....

Random Reads (16/07/2017)

My reading continues to be eclectic. World politics, technology, organisational development, literature and more have been filling my spare time. Also, now that I am a commuter I have been enjoying a range of podcasts. So here's a bit of what I have been up to.

With the G20 meeting in Germany and the recent revelations from Donald Trump Jr, politics and diplomacy have dominated my reading in the past fortnight. Highlights include:

• David Brooks wrote a piece on the 'Moral Vacuum in the House of Trump' for the New York Times  in which he explores the Trump philosophy of winning at any cost. Of Jr he writes, "he seems to be simply oblivious to the idea that ethical concerns could possibly play a role in everyday life". This got me thinking about how someone can become "incapable of even entertaining any moral consideration". When does personal/familial ambition override morals and ethics?

• The NYTimes Editorial Board wrote an opinion on 'Mr Trump, the Climate Change Loner' about how Trump has isolated himself by withdrawing from the Paris Accord, evident at the G20 (G19?) and in his recent meeting with President Macron. They write that it is unlikely that Trump will awaken to the evidence of climate science, or take on board the economic arguments favouring renewables. Rather, they hope that "someday Mr Trump will awaken to the fact that the leaders of the world, who again and again have demonstratively turned their backs on him, regard him with astonishment and dismay." I am not so sure. Trump seems to view the world in binaries and his ego is perhaps immune to opinions he does not subscribe to.

• Time Magazine took the step of putting Jr on the cover to accompany David Von Drehle's article 'How Donald Trump Jr's Emails Have Cranked Up the Heat on His Family'. Drehle explores the question many people are asking - how bad is it? He goes on to explore the legal, political and reputation stakes as this saga unfolds. So while Drehle doesn't answer outright, I'm going to go with pretty bad, and there is no doubt more to come...

• David Remnick writes a thoughtful piece in The New Yorker on 'Trump Family Values'. He considers how close the family is and how morally bankrupt they appear. He turns his attention to the Republicans, who will soon have to make a choice about whether to continue to back Trump and risk the 2018 mid-term elections. Remnick writes:

"The Republicans, the self-proclaimed party of family values, remain squarely behind a family and a Presidency whose most salient features are amorality, greed, demagoguery, deception, vulgarity, race-baiting, misogyny, and, potentially - only time and further investigation will tell - a murky relationship with a hostile foreign government."

Besides the Trump saga, I have been reading quite a bit about digital disruption, attention spans and learning. Here are some of the articles that drew my interest:

• The rise of the robots has attracted my attention a few times this week. The Independent published an article by May Bulman suggesting that workers in lower socioeconomic groups may be disadvantaged by automation causing job loss and that a greater class disparity may arise from labour market changes. Likewise, an article by Fergus Hanson in The Australian spoke of the coming robot revolution.

• Dr Patti Shank wrote an interesting piece on attention span, busting the myth that our attention span is getting smaller. Shank gets behind the 'research' and shows that the oft-cited statistics about attention have no merit and how learning designers can support memory and retention. It is available on the elearning industry website.

• Lea Waters wrote in The Atlantic how 'Goofing Off Helps Kids Learn'. She writes about strength-based parenting and the need for children to pause and not be overly scheduled. Advocating play-based learning, and a 'less-is-more' approach, Waters prescribes free time to reboot young brains. I feel for those kids that have so many extra-curricular activities that they have no free time. 

Random Reads (15/05/17)

It has been a while since I posted about my random reads. I have definitely been doing the reading, but the processing and sharing has been put on hold as work took up a lot of my time in the last two months. But now I can get back at it.

This week I have been reading a lot about US politics. I was shocked (but not surprised) when Trump sacked FBI Director James Comey, and then threatened him on Twitter with 'tapes' of their conversations. Some interesting pieces that cover this saga are:

• James Fallows writing in The Atlantic, "Five Reasons the Comey Affair is Worse Than Watergate". Fallows details the circumstances that allowed for Watergate and compares them to today. He argues that Trump is "impulsive, and ignorant, and apparently beyond the reach of any control, even his own."
• Nicolas Kristof's op-ed for The New York Times, "Is President Trump Obstructing Justice?" points to how Trump has "challenged and evaded the ethics rules that traditionally constrain administration officials."
• Jeffrey Toobin in The New Yorker writes "Firing Comey was a Grave Abuse of Power". He argues that "Trump has proved himself temperamentally and intellectually unfit for the Presidency". 
• The New York Times Editorial Board have published "The Republican's Guide to Presidential Behaviour" which offers a scathing indictment of the new low standards to which Trump has sunk. No longer is the President to be admired as a role model to the world. 
• David Frum published an interesting piece for The Atlantic on why "A Special Prosecutor is Not the Answer". Many have been calling for an independent investigation into the alleged Trump-Russia connections. Frum argues that the role of the special prosecutor is to investigate crimes, so if there is something uncovered that is wrong but not prosecutable, the prosecutor is supposed to look away. 
• David Frum has also done an interesting short video on public indifference which is leading to Trump's autocracy. Much to think about.

Beyond politics, here are some of the other things I have been reading lately:

• Christopher Orr wrote an interesting piece in The Atlantic titled "How Pixar Lost Its Way" in which he dissects what happened to the most innovative animation company once bought by Disney. The creativity and quality Pixar was renowned for gave way to pressure for sequels and merchandising. A cautionary tale serving as a reminder to hold true to your values.
• Alice Bolin wrote an interesting piece for Electric Lit called "Miss Marple vs the Mansplainers: Agatha Christie's Feminist Detective Hero". In it she explores spinster stereotypes and women's  intuition. It contains an interesting contrast of the urban noir stories of Chandler and Hammett to the domestic village mysteries of Christie, Marsh and Sayers.
• Erin Kodicek has published a post in Omnivoracious about Margaret Atwood and her favourite works of speculative fiction. As a lover of both Atwood and the genre, this was a great insight and many of her faves make my list too. 
• Joanna Robinson's article for Vanity Fair on "Why the 1980s Anne of Green Gables is such a Hard Act to Follow" brought back many fond memories. As a child I devoured LM Montgomery's Anne books and when the tv series came out my obsession grew. This article nails it - highlighting all the various reasons to love Anne and the lessons she taught us. Time to revisit again I think...

Random Reads (05/02/17)

Another week has passed and yet it seems so much longer, with Trump's Executive Orders and actions banning refugees, cutting funding to women's health, repealing affordable health care, facilitating the construction of pipelines through native land, lessening regulations on Wall Street, building a wall along the Mexican border, reorganising security councils to put Steve Bannon in the mix, and withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And then he picked a fight with Australia!

There have been many fascinating articles to read this week about the downfall of American democracy. Here is a sample:

• Benjamin Wallace Wells writes in The New Yorker about A Dangerously Isolated President which highlights the way in which he is ruling with little thought for Congress and its legislative powers. 
• David Frum has an excellent piece in The Atlantic about How to Build an Autocracy. He highlights how Hungary has ceased to become a free country in the last ten years through a non-violent campaign of intimidation and pressure. He writes that the US is not immune to corruption, and there will be little opportunity to stop Trump from excess: 

A British prime minister can lose power in minutes if he or she forfeits the confidence of the majority in Parliament. The president of the United States, on the other hand, is restrained first and foremost by his own ethics and public spirit. What happens if somebody comes to the high office lacking those qualities?

• Nicolas Kristof writes in the New York Times about the funding cuts to Planned Parenthood, Marie Stopes International and numerous other health care facilities in President Trump's War on Women Begins. 
• In The New Yorker Jeffrey Frank writes about the meta-bullying of Trump in Speechless: The Trump Effect
• Jonathan Alter writes in The Daily Beast - Donald Trump, Our 'America First' President, is Profoundly Un-American - because he has forgone the values and ideals that America's Founding Fathers enshrined into the Declaration of Independence.
• Time Magazine published an interesting piece on puppetmaster Steve Bannon - Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?
• There is a humourous piece in the Washington Post by Dana Milbank called It's about Time Someone Picked a Fight with Australia! 

But it is not all terrible. Some of the more interesting Trump-related pieces are:

• The Independent published 2017 isn't 1984 - it's stranger than imagined. Apparently sales of George Orwell's 1984 have skyrocketed. I am reckoning they are being used by the Trump administration as instruction manuals on how to create the Ministry of Truth (for the Alternative Facts), the Ministry of Peace and the Ministry of Love.
• Likewise, Electric Literature writes that Dystopian Novels are All the Rage. Literature as resistance!
• Legendary JK Rowling has taken to Twitter to respond to people who do not like that she does not like Trump. There is a good summary of her takedowns on Bookriot.

But enough about Trump!

This week I enjoyed reading Jane Bozarth, Crystal Balling with Learnnovators. In this interview with Dr Bozarth, she talks about how she became a learning and organisational development thought leader. I really enjoyed her book Show Your Work (2014) about how to capture knowledge within an organisation through working out loud. She talks about how you can use Snapchat and Pinterest for learning.

I was saddened to hear that Bharati Mukherjee passed away on 28 Jan 2017. I remember reading Jasmine (1989) as part of my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. Jasmine was a young widow who moved from India to Iowa and has to recreate herself with each move she makes to adapt, assimilate and find her own identity. I haven't thought of that book in over 20 years, but it may be worth reading again.

My first feminist hero, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away this week too. I remember watching the Mary Tyler Moore Show (in rerun) as a tween, admiring character Mary Richards' pluck and independence. I loved her joyous hat-tossing and have often sung the theme song in my head when I felt satisfied with professional accomplishments. Sarah Larson writes a wonderful article about MTM in The New Yorker. Thank you Mary!

Random Reads (20/01/17)

As the end of the world draws nigh... er... On the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump, there have been many column inches published on the confirmations of his Cabinet, the conflicts of interest his Presidency presents, and many reflections on the Obama administration.

Some of the more interesting articles are:

• NY Times Editorial Donald Trump Keeps It In The Family - which explores Trump's appointment of his son-in-law Jared Kushner and how it may be a violation of anti-nepotism laws. Not only is Kushner's role in the administration unclear, but it will make it difficult for White House employees who are not family members.
• Andrew Rosenthal writes in the NY Times about Republican Hypocrisy on Trump's Nominees - which highlights how Republicans are rushing through the confirmation hearings of Trump's nominees prior to comprehensive vetting by the Office of Government Ethics. This is a stark contrast to the way Obama's nominees were treated. It is especially concerning given the individuals Trump has appointed. Bad precedent.
• David Remnick in the New Yorker writes about John Lewis, Donald Trump, and the Meaning of Legitimacy - Representative Lewis is a civil rights hero who has served his constituents and his country well for decades. Trump engaged in a Twitter war with Lewis because Lewis said he would not attend the inauguration of an illegitimate President who only got the job because of Russia's interference. 
• Leonard Downie Jr writes in the NY Times about Donald Trump's Dangerous Attacks on the Press. Having watched the circus that was Trump's press conference in which he declared himself unable to have a conflict of interest and decided that some news outlets were invalid "Fake News". This article talks about the danger legitimate journalists are in and how difficult it will be to hold Trump accountable. Downie calls for news media to be 'fair but aggressive' in its coverage and to scrutinise those journalists/media outlets that lack standards.
• In The Atlantic, Peter Beinart writes about Trump's New Foreign-Policy Direction. American Presidents have historically delivered inaugural addresses that have positioned America as committed to bringing freedom to the world. What will Trump's message be given his disinterest in NATO and the UN, commitment to ripping up trade agreements, wall building, and his isolationist views?

Before I move on from Trump, two of the best things on the internet this past week have been Meryl Streep's takedown at the Golden Globe Awards. Amazing!

And, I also love Huw Parkinson's Life Accordion to Trump! Hilarity!

Now, for Obama. I cannot express how sad I have been feeling these past few weeks as Obama prepares to leave the White House. It is too early to know what his legacy will be, but his dignity and class will be missed as he hands the keys over to a megalomaniac frat boy. Some articles worth reading are:

• Michiko Kakutani, chief book critic for NY Times, interviewed Obama about literature. The article Obama's Secret to Surviving the White House Years: Books is a fascinating piece for book nerds/policy wonks like me. What is even more interesting is to read the transcript from their discussion, and how it informs the article.
• Time Magazine asked historians to weigh in on Obama's Legacy. Other than the obvious - the first African-American becoming President - there are many achievements. His stable economic management, Affordable Care Act, opening of Cuba, ordering the raid on Osama Bin Laden etc. But perhaps he also ushered in an era when Trump could happen...
• Politico also looks at Obama's Hidden Legacy. This article explores things Obama did that I had no idea about - such as closing the diaper gap in recognising that these essential products were costing poor people too much, Obama launched an initiative to get reduced-cost diapers to non-profits around America. Very interesting.

I love Michelle Obama - a smart, sassy, compassionate woman who has served her country well. 

• The Montreal Gazette opinion piece - With flair and substance, Michelle Obama leaves her mark - talks about how she has used her time as FLOTUS to be a role model. 
• The Guardian also writes about her being More than 'mom-in-chief' and how she has championed causes that are important to her.  
• ABC News also did a great piece on Michelle Obama's Legacy highlighting her history. It also includes a link to her incredible speech at the Democratic National Convention.

• And, there has been much commentary on her wardrobe. Normally I hate that sort of thing which diminishes a woman's achievements to what she wears, but nothing can detract from Michelle's fabulousness and it is worth being reminded of her incredible style.

Finally, if you have an hour to spare, read Obama's article in the Harvard Law Review about The President's Role in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform. He highlights incarceration rates, sentencing reform, clemency and other concerns. He talks about the work he has left unfinished - reducing gun violence, opioid addiction as a public health issue, improving forensics to overturn wrongful convictions, improving data collection, restoring the vote for felons who have served their time, engendering trust in law enforcement - and more. Powerful stuff.

While the Obamas move on to life after the White House, I look forward to seeing what they do next. They will be greatly missed, but I expect they will find new ways to contribute to world affairs.

Obama Out!

My reading year - 2016

2016 has come and gone. Before I commence my planning for the coming year, I will reflect on the year that has gone by. In 2016 I set myself a goal of reading 24 books - two a month - and blogging in equal measure. I managed to write 47 blog posts this year, but fell short of the 24 books, completing only 22 by 31 December 2016.

At the start of the year I wrote a post about what I had planned to read in 2016, in which I announced my goal of the year and some of the books I wanted to read.

At the outset I wanted to finish some of the books that I had already started but never finished. I managed to complete several of them, including:

• H is for Hawk (2015) by Helen Macdonald
• Career of Evil (2015) by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)
• The Learning Challenge (2014) by Nigel Paine
• Quarterly Essay QE60 - Political Amnesia (2015) by Laura Tingle

But somehow I never finished other books I am midway through - Not My Father's Son (Alan Cumming), Executioner's Song (Norman Mailer) and My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferante) - all of which I enjoy while reading but never seem to hold my attention long enough to finish.

I also read a lot of things that are not books, and late in 2016 I decided to add "Random Reads" posts to my blog to account for some of the articles I was reading.

My reads in 2016 can be roughly clustered as follows:

Fiction

I read some great Australian fiction in 2016, including my favourite read the year - Charlotte Wood's The Natural Way of Things (2015) which has lingered long after I finished the book. Winner of the Stella Prize and countless other accolades, Wood has a remarkable voice and I look forward to reading whatever she publishes next.

I also greatly enjoyed Emily Maguire's An Isolated Incident (2016), and Anna Funder's brief novella The Girl with the Dogs (2015).

A new author I found and admired is Graeme Macrae Burnet with His Bloody Project (2015), a Booker prize shortlisted novel which has taken the publishing world by storm. It was a terrific novel and I am thrilled to have found this new author.

Other fiction included Tegan Bennet Daylight's short story collection Six Bedrooms (2015), Fleur Ferris' Risk (2015), JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016) and her alter-ego Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil (2015).

Non-Fiction

For a second year running, I read a lot of biographies this year which told the life stories of remarkable women. I really enjoyed reading Gloria Steinem's recollection of her years travelling in My Life on the Road (2016). Meeting her at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May 2016 was one of the highlights of my year. She has long been a hero of mine and to hear her speak in person and have her sign a copy of her book, was a real treat.

I also enjoyed Jeannette Winterson's bio Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? (2012) which I read after hearing her speak at the Sydney Writers' Festival this year. Clementine Ford's memoir Fight Like a Girl (2016) was another interesting read.

While not strictly a biography, Helen Garner's Everywhere I Look (2016) is a wonderful collection of essays which gives great insight into Garner's thinking on a range of topics. It was a delightful read, so crisply written.

Two tales of loss bookended my reading this year: Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk (2015) and Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) both explored grief and the aftermath of losing a loved one. Didion's book had long been on my list to be read and I am so pleased to have read it.



I read a lot of other non-fiction in 2016 including Nikki Savva's expose on Tony Abbott in The Road to Ruin (2016).  This juicy account of the downfall of the Abbott government was a real page-turner.




I also really enjoy the Quarterly Essay which arrives every three months in my mailbox. In 2016 I read:

• QE64: The Australian Dream (2016) by Stan Grant
• QE63: Enemy Within (2016) by Don Watson
• QE62: Firing Line (2016) by James Brown
• QE61: Balancing Act (2016) by George Megalogenis
• QE60: Political Amnesia (2015) by Laura Tingle

Bits and Pieces

In 2016 I also read some poetry, completing Kate Tempest's Brand New Ancients, starting (although not finishing) Clive James' latest collection, re-reading the inimitable Dorothy Parker. I enjoy poetry and have quite a lot of it, but I don't always make the time to enjoy it.

I blogged about many of the events I attended, like the Sydney Writers' Festival, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and All About Women. I also wrote about plays like All My Sons, Speed The Plow and The Literati and about various literary awards that crop up throughout the year.

Favourites of 2016

If I had to chose, I would select as my favourites of 2016, Charlotte Wood, Gloria Steinem and Helen Garner would be my choices. But I would give an honourable mention to Emily Maguire and Graeme Macrae Burnet. 

All in all it was a good year of reading. I tackled some new authors (Wood, Maguire, Burnett, Paine, Savva), and enjoyed some old favourites (Rowling, Steinem, Winterson, Garner). I also managed to complete some books that were lingering on my "To Be Read" pile (Macdonald, Galbraith, Didion). Looking forward to new adventures in reading in 2017! 

Random Reads (13/11/16)

This has been the worst week I have had in a long time. Like many people I had lulled myself into believing that hope would triumph over hate; that the voters' remorse expressed after Brexit would encourage a greater voter turnout; that this long, bitterly divisive campaign would end in a celebration of the shattering of the glass ceiling and the building of bridges not walls. But alas, hate won.

As a consequence much of my reading this week has been a postmortem. Some of the highlights are:

• An American Tragedy by David Remnick in the New Yorker wrote about the despair felt by those who did not vote for Trump. Remnick writes "That the electorate has, in its plurality, decided to live in Trump’s world of vanity, hate, arrogance, untruth, and recklessness, his disdain for democratic norms, is a fact that will lead, inevitably, to all manner of national decline and suffering." 
• Economist Paul Krugman wrote about The Economic Fallout for the New York Times. He writes "under any circumstances, putting an irresponsible, ignorant man who takes his advice from all the wrong people in charge of the nation would be very bad news." He predicts the Federal Reserve will come under increased pressure and that a global recession is now looming.
• In The Guardian there was an article by Jonathan Freedland called "The US has elected its most dangerous leader. We all have plenty to fear." Freedland pulls no punches calling Trump "an unstable bigot, sexual predator and compulsive liar." He puts the election of Trump in a  global context and expresses concern for minorities in America.
• Sarah Churchwell writes "Hillary Clinton didn't fail us. We failed her" in The Guardian. This is a great article about misogyny in America, as Chuchwell picks apart what happened to Clinton and links it back to fiction about women in politics. 
• I also read an article that was published back in May 2016. Andrew Sullivan wrote for New York Magazine "America has never been so ripe for Tyranny" in which he predicted the election of Trump. I loved this article as Sullivan goes back to Plato's Republic and sees the rise of a populist showman in response to too much democracy. This brilliant article concludes with an unheeded warning:  For Trump is not just a wacky politician of the far right, or a riveting television spectacle, or a Twitter phenom and bizarre working-class hero. He is not just another candidate to be parsed and analyzed by TV pundits in the same breath as all the others. In terms of our liberal democracy and constitutional order, Trump is an extinction-level event. It’s long past time we started treating him as such.

Naomi Klein receiving Sydney Peace prize
from Prof Gillian Triggs

On Friday 11 November I had the pleasure of attending the Sydney Peace Prize presentation at Sydney Town Hall. The prize was awarded to Naomi Klein for her work on the environment. Klein spoke about the election of Trump and what it could mean for the planet - especially given that he is surrounded by climate change deniers. Klein's message was one of hope - of small acts of resistance and heroism, of listening to our indigenous peoples who have cared for the land for centuries, and of caring for our planet.

In the room were other heroes of mine: Aboriginal activist Senator Pat Dodson introduced Klein, and Human Rights Commissioner Professor Gillian Triggs, a woman of tremendous conviction and integrity, presented Klein with the award. Triggs received a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.  The video of this event is now on YouTube and it is well worth a watch.

So despite the crappy week, I will choose optimism over fear. I will continue to support causes I believe in and to stand up for the disadvantaged. I will believe in a better America in years to come. 

Note: I had written much of this a week ago with the intention of publishing on 13 Nov. That I hadn't actually uploaded this post speaks to the malaise I have felt. Will post despite the lateness and post something happier next.

Random Reads (30/10/16)

In the lead up to the US Election and with Hallowe'en just around the corner, I have been reading some spooky stuff lately.

The tragic accident at Dreamworld in which four people died on a seemingly tame ride has lead the news all week. The event itself was horrific, but the handling of the aftermath by the company has been woeful. From seeking to reopen the park quickly (while still a crime scene), to the allocation of large bonuses to the executive, and the fact that CEO Deborah Thomas didn't know whether or not families had been contacted, resulted in a massive PR disaster. Advertising guru Dee Madigan penned an interesting article for the Guardian about how this crisis was managed so poorly.

New Yorker magazine has an article by Jeffrey Toobin about Justice Clarence Thomas, who has just served 25 years on the US Supreme Court. Toobin argues that Thomas has served on the fringes of the Court, having not authored landmark opinions on important cases.  I must admit I haven't thought much about Thomas in recent years, but I remember well his confirmation hearings in 1991 and the accusations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. I was outraged at the treatment of Hill and by Thomas' eventual appointment. I highly recommend Toni Morrison's collection of essays Race-ing Justice, En-gendering Power (1992) about this controversy. 

The World Economic Forum has published its's Global Gender Gap Report 2016 this week. Australia has moved down the rankings to 46th place (behind all of Europe, Scandinavia, New Zealand (9th)) so that we are now substantially lagging behind countries like Bolivia (23rd), Rwanda (5th), South Africa (15th) and elsewhere. Ten years ago we were 15th, so what has happened (or what has not being happening)?  Well, we have not done much to close the wage gap, reverse the decline in women's participation (through child care and paid parental leave), or to increase women in senior positions. While we have women attending university at equal numbers to men, once women hit the workforce they are disadvantaged. With our current lack of political will, we will likely continue to fall further as more countries realise the empowerment of women is the key to economic prosperity.

Finally, I love the article in the Atlantic this week by Siddharta Mahanta "Women in Movies Running in Heels" which uses the new movie Inferno as a catalyst for discussing how impractical it is for women in action films to run around in heels. Pointing to Jurassic World and other films in which women have to outrun dinosaurs, bullets or assassins in impractical footwear, Mahanta argues that if there had been more women involved in the production of blockbuster films women would likely be kicking butt in sensible shoes. Here, here!

Random Reads (16/10/16)

This week there has been so much in the news about Donald Trump and his attitude and behaviour against women that it has been almost overwhelming. As a feminist with a keen interest in political science, I have watched the events of the week unfold with anger and disappointment. Anger at the way in which Trump has defended himself (boys being boys, locker room banter) and disappointment at the way in which the Republican party has now responded. So many Republicans are now trying to distance themselves from Trump by saying they have daughters or granddaughters - as if they wouldn't know his behaviour was wrong if they didn't have female relations!

The thing is, none of this is new. The accusations against Trump span decades and his misogyny is just another element to a man who is fundamentally unfit to be President. Surely, the Republican Party would have vetted him before choosing him as their nominee. Surely, they would have looked for all the skeletons in all the closets and made sure there was nothing that would damage his (their) reputation. More likely it is a case of wilful blindness - they knew all about his behaviour and didn't see anything wrong with it at the time.

The good news is that Hillary will most likely become President. The Republicans will spend the next four years (a least) trying to figure out what they stand for and hopefully a leader will emerge who can see that divisive, anti-immigration, anti-women, politics is not what is needed to face the challenges in the world.

I have read some interesting articles this week about the whole Trump thing, including:

• Trump Goes to War by Molly Ball in the Atlantic reveals how the 'unshackled' Trump is now that Republicans have abandoned him.
• Burning Down The House by Timothy Egan in the New York Times, a powerful opinion piece on Trump's behaviour towards women.
• The Quiet Tragedy of Melania Trump by Emily Jane Fox in Vanity Fair. This is an interesting article about Melania and what she has had to put up with during her marriage. 

The triumph of the week was Michelle Obama's passionate, articulate smack down of Donald Trump. She spoke so well about Trump's misogyny and it's impact on women and men. There is a great article, Michelle Obama Schools Donald Trump by Maureen O'Dowd in the New York Times. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it on Youtube (below).

Meanwhile, her husband penned an interesting article for the Economist called The Way Ahead. In this article, President Barack Obama attempts to answer the question 'what is happening in the American political system?'. He makes a passionate case for restoring economic dynamism to build a stronger economy through jobs and growth. 

In other news, the new Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres (former Prime Minister of Portugal) was appointed. I must admit I was disappointed that Helen Clark was not selected.  Francoise Girard wrote an excellent blog post for Ms Magazine called, We Need a Feminist Secretary-General at the United Nations, which looks at Guterres' record on women's issues. We will have to wait and see if he lives up to his promise.