In 2003, days before the Allied invasion of Iraq, Natalie Maine was performing on a London stage as lead singer of the Dixie Chicks. She is quoted as saying to the audience, “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that … More Blackened Swans
If I had to pick a pivotal milestone during my daily experiences in Cambodia, I would probably pinpoint the boat trip with Mum and Ruth in January 2014. It was my first holiday, three months into my assignment with Medecins sans Frontieres. Since landing in Phnom Penh I’d been bombarded by sights which did not … More Rocks and Hard Places
In 1843 a survey was conducted in London which found that only 26 of the city’s 2,400 hospitalised patients were children. Yet in the same year, of 51,000 deaths recorded in London, 21,000 were children under the age of ten and one third of London’s children died before their first birthday. Clearly there was a … More A Tale of Two Cities
Earlier this year on a trip to the city, I drove through inner-suburb tree-lined boulevards, marveling at the rows of sandstone and bluestone villas with their manicured gardens. I once spent a happy few years living and working in this city. At that time I did not consider that it was an especially opulent lifestyle. … More One Degree of Separation
Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high There’s a land that I dreamed of Once in a lullaby A few weeks ago I saw the recent NZ film Hunt for the Wilderpeople at the cinema with Karen. An indigenous teenager from one of Australia’s most remote communities, she laughed loudly and often, sometimes at inappropriate … More The Magic is Always There
In 2013 Angelina Jolie won a humanitarian award at the Governor’s Awards, which celebrate lifetime achievement in film, and form a part of the Academy Awards in Hollywood. Her heartfelt, at times tearful, utterly inspiring speech, started out acknowledging various people including friends and family. She then went on to honour her mother, who had … More The Definition of Success
Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey made this phrase famous in a film of the same name some years ago. The concept involves the recipient of a favour, instead of paying the favour back, paying it forward to three new recipients. Each recipient is then asked to pay it forward, to three more recipients. The favour … More Pay It Forward
Darwin mentioned the word love 95 times in the Descent of Man. He mentioned survival of the fittest twice. Five months ago, days after Paula’s major corrective surgery, Samantha and I left Seattle, bound for Phnom Penh. A week later I returned home to Australia. The last time Samantha or I saw her, Paula was … More Our Fields of Gold
Amazing hugs at Seattle airport from one mom to another who both had sick children. We come from different parts of the world. I am atheist and she is Muslim but the feelings are the same. Take that Donald! These words of elation captioned a very happy photograph the other night just after Karen touched … More Happiness Is….
In 2013 a wealthy American teenager killed four people in a drink-drive accident. His defence lawyers argued that he was ill-equipped for real life due to his wealthy lifestyle. The judge agreed and he was sentenced to ten years probation, with no jail time. One of his defence team coined the phrase “affluenza” to describe … More Affluenza
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