Walk in the wind
It’s that time of year again when public events come thinck and fast. For Sydneysiders who live around the eastern suburbs, Sculptures By The Sea, the annual outdoor exhibit that features hard art inspired by connection to the sea or coast, is on again along Bondi. Bring a jacket, it’ll be windy.
Petition for another go at SSM
Ah, the Greens. Good on ya. Please sign the petition (sign it, whether you think marriage is a good idea or not is irrelevant in this case).
Reintroducing the Marriage (Equality) Amendment Bill
This afternoon I reintroduced my Marriage (Equality) Amendment Bill into the Senate.
The Bill seeks to remove discrimination from the Marriage Act and give same-sex couples the right to marry.
The Greens believe that same-sex couples should have the same rights as other couples to celebrate their love and commitment through marriage. A majority of Australians support this.
Countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Mexico and many states in the United States now recognise same-sex marriage. The sky hasn’t fallen in there and we know it won’t here in Australia.
While both major parties continue to be opposed to marriage equality, a majority of the Australian community are not. It is time for the community to have its voice heard on this important issue in our Federal Parliament.
Please add your name to this petition calling on Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to give the members of the Labor and Liberal parties a conscience vote on marriage equality.
You can also download a copy of the petition to print out and get additional signatures for us to send to Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott.
To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives, and the Honourable President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled. The Petition of the undersigned draws to the attention of the Parliament the overwhelming public support for marriage equality. We believe that Australians should not be discriminated against in marrying the person they love on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We note that countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Mexico and many states in the United States now recognise same-sex marriage. The sky hasn’t fallen in there and we know it won’t here in Australia. Your petitioners therefore request the Parliament to urge the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to grant their members a conscience vote on this important issue.
Food goddesses
After our recent holiday which wasn’t short of gastronomical delights, I returned to a, well, more appreciative and laissez faire embrace of “stuff that happens” aka life. One of the things I discovered is that food will always hold a wonderment for me, and travel and eating is a truly enjoyable way to experience any country.
So here I am, catching up on cooking shows on telly while I sort photos. On the box is a colourful but rather insipid series that makes me want to tell the presenter to get some coffee. While I’m here, let me say I detest cooking shows that are set in sterile, blank super neat kitchen studios. They are totally not relatable as a ‘food’ environment for me. At the same time, they shouldn’t have silly stuff in the way of workspace. There’s a time for stylists and designers and a time for the real cook. Speaking of cooks, I prefer recipes from them and not chefs because while the latter are better at presentation, cooks’ recipes are more original (they aren’t restricted by classical training) and totally doable.
There’s still heaps of space for women on kitchen tv that shows them as more than apron-wearers. For lesbians, check out the shops and books of Allegra McEvedy, Cat Cora, Christine Mansfield and Kylie Kwong for a start (I’d love to see this list grow more). Locally, the cooks I respect are Maggie Beer, Anna Gare, Stephanie Alexander and more. With the great resource of the internet, I’m discovering new archives of my cultural cuisine which I thought would be lost, and of the women who are sharing their cooking heritage. Many of these women are first generation english speakers. It is through them that cuisine cultures are being preserved, and with that, the cultural heritage that accompanies them.
Imbibing the blue
While clearing out my desk locker, I found a can of Pepsi Blue, years old (wee fyi, I have a fascination with blue coloured food). Pepsi Blue was a new flavour and it was yummier than regular Pepsi methinks. Blue was only available for a short period and I mourned when supply ended. I even wrote to the producers in Australia. Oops, internet sources say the blue colouring agent could be hazardous to health. Perhaps that’s why they pulled it.
Hmmm, it looks like the can leaked its contents, although it looks fine to me – no holes and dry to the touch. There’s still a splash inside. I think I’ll keep it.
