July 14 – 20, 2018
News
Comment
Comment
Nyadol Nyuon
How racism diminishes humanity
“These are the stories of our lives and they are being written without any chance for us to control or influence them. We are pawns in a larger game. That is the shameful carelessness of racism – some people are viewed simply as a means to an end. For politicians, we are not people with lives, with children whose dignity and worth we seek to preserve, with loved ones who will be denied employment, with mothers who will be called “black dogs” while going to a shopping centre, with brothers who are afraid they will be mistaken for gang members when they are out with their friends. To these politicians we are not people. We are not even fellow citizens.”
Comment
Sean Kelly
Political attention seekers to the fore
“I have just returned to Australia from some months spent in London, and it was something of a shock to return to all this. Howard fighting culture wars, Hanson pulling stunts, Latham yelling – oh, and there was Abbott, too, trying to tear down a leader by talking about climate change. What was this hellish time machine that had somehow managed to gather together the worst bits of all recent eras? Beyond the generalised horror, two things struck me. The first was not a surprise but was more depressing for the recent distance: this is Australian politics now. A constant parade of novelty and spectacle; anything for attention.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Visual Art
French conceptual artist Daniel Buren
French conceptual artist Daniel Buren continues to charm and engage with his quiet, contagious ways of seeing the world in stripes. “My biography is very simple: Daniel Buren. Born 25 March, ’38. Works and lives in situ.”
Theatre
‘Gloria’ at MTC
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ much-hyped Gloria is well executed by MTC, but its pretensions outweigh its eminence.
Portrait
Musician Mojo Juju
“‘I grew up identifying mostly as Filipino–Australian, as our Wiradjuri history and culture felt slightly removed from us. We’ve had to fight to learn it,’ Mojo Juju tells me, cutting to the core of what this album means to her. ‘It’s important to me that I am not misunderstood or seen to be taking away the spotlight from anyone who has grown up deeply connected to their culture. I want to be respectful of other Indigenous voices.’”
Food
Gnocchi Parisienne with roasted pumpkin and sage butter
“I think the basic technique of choux pastry is a prime example of why cooking never loses its shine for me. It reminds me of the continuous mirror images that fascinated me as a child, a constantly repeating effect. But with choux it is always tumbling and turning and becoming something slightly different but equally delicious.”
Books
Life
Life
One chef’s battle to rebalance the scales
For one half of The Saturday Paper’s food editing team, the gruelling hours and stressful conditions of cooking for others eventually took its toll – both mentally and physically. Then she decided it was time to regain control.
The Quiz
Quotes
MINING
“You wouldn’t get approval to mine asbestos so why do State Governments approve of brothels?”
The former head of the Australian Christian Lobby confuses sex work with mesothelioma. In fairness, there’s little difference between sleeping with Lyle and rubbing yourself against a dusty piece of carcinogenic drywall.
PARENTING
“He is clearly a natural with the Glock 17.”
The South Australian senator shares a photo of his son’s shooting practice. This is the same man who worries that children might be taught sex education.
MUSIC
“Fucking private school stupid fuckhead motherfucker.”
The entertainer confronts a man who threw a beer can at him at the Duck Creek Picnic Races. If there is anything more toxically Australian than a talent quest runner-up threatening to “fuck your missus and your mum” over the opening strains of Daryl Braithwaite’s “The Horses”, it probably involves blackface.
DEATHS
“Vale.”
The Indigenous leader marks the death of a Japanese tourist who lost consciousness while climbing Uluru, against the wishes of its traditional owners. Later, she congratulated a pride of lions for eating a poacher #TeamLions.
POLITICS
“He was expecting a full breakfast and there were only pastries and cheese.”
The White House press secretary explains why chief of staff John Kelly looked so incredulous during a NATO speech by President Donald Trump. It was either that or the weird stuff about Germany.
TECHNOLOGY
“The fine sends a clear signal that I consider this a significant issue.”
Britain’s Information Commissioner threatens Facebook with a £500,000 ($A895,000) fine for failing to prevent data from up to 87 million people being misused by Cambridge Analytica. The fine is equivalent to about seven minutes’ revenue, or the time an average person spends trying to stop autoplay videos each day.
