“Get rid of stuff you don’t need”, “throw out extra sheets”, “I threw out 90% of my stuff and you should too,” some people are saying on social networks, as though there were a black hole in the sky where stuff goes, and no environmental consequences to landfill. As though, for some, destressing were as... Continue Reading →
That time 6,000 workers were massacred in Mexico
The people were shot down in the streets with no regard for age or sex, many women and children being among the slain. They were pursued to their homes, dragged from their hiding places and shot to death.
Gallery: Wonderful and current Mexican resistance posters
Mexican movements create artistic, poetic, powerful, and creative posters to build events and support causes. A lot of symbolism and references to Indigenous culture are used. Below are just a few of some of the awesome posters used by organizations over the past year. No fearful, nor obedient, nor submissive - It's women's time Unity... Continue Reading →
Losing a revolution, and learning to trust again
I think the big mistake Chavez made at the end of his life was not trusting the people – the millions who had spent the past 15 or so years participating in the Bolivarian revolution. After all those years, all those meetings and marches, he could have left it to the people to choose someone... Continue Reading →
Urgent: Mexican national guard take over Indigenous community centre
At 1:20am this morning around 300 National Guard and state security officers entered an Indigenous community centre in Puebla, Mexico and violently removed the environmental activists from the space. Known as Altepemecalli, the buildings were previously owned by Bonafont, a water bottling company that was stealing local water. French transnational Danone is the parent company... Continue Reading →
The two big things missing from self worth content
Most self worth advice is useful. But most of it puts all the responsibility on us, rather than also looking at the social and economic patterns generating such rampant low self worth among the global population.
The serious consequences of not paying for creative work or care work
When we’re talking about what sort of creativity and care work should be paid, the starting point has to be a better definition of work.
La ausencia del derecho al aborto está privando a Latinoamérica de su voluntad y de su derecho a vivir plenamente
Foto: Tamara Pearson No puedo mencionar su nombre porque es una niña. Tenía doce años en ese momento, era demasiado joven para trabajar legalmente, pero no demasiado joven para ser obligada a ser madre. Era mi alumna, y recuerdo que, hace unos años, jugaba al puente con ella. Se reía con deleite infinito mientras yo... Continue Reading →
11 ways creativity is important in life and struggle
We typically associate creativity with art, writing, and music. And while that is spot on, creativity is also a life skill. In essence, it is the ability to think beyond the obvious, outside the box, and to use one’s imagination to create new, good, ideas and things. So, practising creativity through the expressive arts can... Continue Reading →
Using distance to increase creativity
When I was living in Venezuela, I struggled to write creatively about it. Instead, my first novel was set in my home country of Australia. The novel I’m working on now is set in nearby Mexico City rather than Puebla, where I live. It’s a great set up, because I visit Mexico City enough to... Continue Reading →
The importance of making up stories for kids
The benefits of reading books to children are well known, but making up stories for and with them is the pinnacle of care and teaching. The good news is, it isn't about telling a perfect story. Instead, it's about giving interactive attention to the children, creating memories, passing on morals and culture that are important... Continue Reading →
In the Netflix / social media era, is it really necessary to read fiction books?
When I can settle down into a book, I feel like someone who has been running frantically for days and is finally home. Reading is one of the most fulfilling things I do, and it is easy – no transport or planning necessary. Yet after a long, exhausting day of work, I often find that... Continue Reading →
The destructive myth of the objective journalist
The existence of objective or neutral journalists is a myth, and those who claim to revere such journalism are only attempting to justify an absence of context and depth in coverage and are elevating pro-status-quo journalism. Male sports journalists tend to know the sport they cover well and feel passionate about it, but when it... Continue Reading →
How to rid your search results of unreliable and low-grade content + list of sites to block
Sometimes you have to click through to the forth of fifth page of Google results to get past the content-farmed sites and unhelpful Quora pages, and it's starting to get really annoying. What's particularly concerning is that the average web user won't go past the first five search results – meaning that corporate sponsored content... Continue Reading →
Writing to sell or please others limits creativity
How many mind-blowing, thought-provoking and beautiful books or films can you think of that were created while trying to please others? Doesn't the most impactful, memorable writing boldly challenge the status quo, play with aesthetics, and startle us instead? Here are some reasons why writers should steer clear of pleasing others: 1) When a writer... Continue Reading →
The Vivid Dangers of Our Indifference to a Hellish World
Obligatory apathy: We live in a society that despises any sign of caring about just how bad things are for most people. The planet is corroding and smoldering, and time and resources are going into nuclear weapons and sending humanity into its own carefully prepared hell. The unequal global economy is efficiently stimulating the starvation... Continue Reading →
PSA to men: Stop insisting
He asked me if I wanted to go out and get wine and look at the stars. I said, politely and honestly, no thanks – I was tired and it was really cold out. He came back with, “How about wine somewhere closer?” so I had to find a way to say no, again, politely.... Continue Reading →
Iran in photos: These are the people the US won’t let in
In the giant main square of Isfahan, two women eating saffron ice-cream came up to myself and a friend and asked us where we're from. We replied, and with huge smiles they said "Welcome to Iran!" then walked off. Over the next week this sort of thing happened frequently, and sometimes extended into questions about... Continue Reading →
Revolutionary gems on mothering, survival, rebellion, and war
I read Mai’a Williams' book like some one starved for word gems and insights. I want to cover this book for this blog because no one talks about mothers like they are the key protagonists in this world. They (and women and people of colour and people in poor countries and..) are portrayed as being... Continue Reading →
Why non-plated food epitomises everything that is wrong with the world.
Non-plated food is lacking in imagination and a symptom of societal stupidity. In rich countries and the wealthier areas of poor countries it has become trendy for restaurants to serve food on cutting boards and slates, as well as “deconstructed” meals in cups, juice in watering cans, sausages in skulls and hanging from branches (seriously),... Continue Reading →