September 16 – 22, 2017
News
Comment
Comment
Jane Caro
Women’s entrappings of high office
“In the past few years, almost a quarter of the small number of women who lead nations have either lost office because of charges of corruption or other criminal behaviour, or are fighting such accusations, or have members of their families who have been similarly accused. Could this be right? Could it possibly be true that so many female leaders are guilty of abusing their powers? Or is something else going on?”
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
Turnbull turns Chifley on energy
“The chutzpah of Turnbull strongarming Vesey can only be explained as desperation borne of diabolical politics within the government spilling over into the public’s perceptions of division and inertia. So, unable to enact the sort of energy policy recommended by his own Finkel report, the prime minister has begun a pantomime, hoping his finger-pointing and name-calling will fool the audience into thinking he’s doing something.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Artist Mikala Dwyer on ‘befriending’ chemotherapy
Recovering from chemotherapy, Mikala Dwyer is using her highly personal installations to reflect her own chemical journey towards healing. “It’s really weird stuff that pulls apart your DNA, and arranges things and puts it back together again. It did definitely creep into the work.”
Theatre
‘Angels in America’
Gary Abrahams’ production of Angels in America is stark and shrewd, and has in Helen Morse a virtuosic display of restrained acting.
Portrait
Author Melina Marchetta
“This year is the 25th anniversary of Looking for Alibrandi, and Melina is not sick of talking about it, ‘not quite’. The novel changed her life, she says. After leaving school at 15, she wrote the book in her early 20s, which gave her an “in” to teaching. ‘I remember thinking that if I’m smart enough to write a novel, then I’m smart enough to go to university.’”
Food
Lamb kebabs with eggplant & Turkish chilli
“A key flavour that makes a kebab a kebab is the coals it is cooked on. The wood infuses the meat with its greatest character. The concept of dicing the meat into two-centimetre cubes means there is more surface to take on the flavour of the coals and also of the marinade.”
Books
Life
Gardening
Cultivating native orchids
Intent on growing native orchids, the author finds the only club that she wants to have her as a member.
The Quiz
Quotes
MARRIAGE
“I just don’t want people standing on the corner yelling at me, telling me if I don’t agree with them then I’m somehow less than human.”
The deputy prime minister complains about the debate his party is forcing the country to have. It is especially tedious for the New Zealander, given his country legislated for same-sex marriage in 2013.
PORNOGRAPHY
“We’re dealing with it internally, but it was a mistake. It was not malicious.”
The conservative US senator, who once argued against a legal right to masturbation, blames a staff member for using his official Twitter account to “like” a short pornographic film some time around midnight on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. No one said it was malicious, Ted, just very funny.
RHETORIC
“18C on steroids, on a temporary course of steroids, to protect people from being upset.”
The conservative senator complains about a bill to limit vilification during the same-sex marriage debate. It’s rare for a former rower to be so honest about steroids, but this is a crazy parliament.
COURT
“This is a solicitation of assault in exchange for money. That is not protected by the First Amendment.”
The US district judge rescinds Martin Shkreli’s bail after the pharmaceutical speculator offered a $US5000 bounty for a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair. Similar bounties gave Bernie Sanders the skull he has today.
RACISM
“A lot of journalists aren’t my friends.”
The One Nation leader offers a brief moment of clarity. To be honest, Pauline, a lot of journalists are appalled by your impact on this country and its politics and think you are a disgrace to the parliament.
TECHNOLOGY
“Now, unlocking it is as easy as looking at it and swiping up… Y’know, let’s try that again.”
The senior vice-president of software engineering at Apple launches the iPhone X by showing how the $1579 device doesn’t actually work. Miraculously, the battery lasted all the way through his presentation.
