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Racism

Why Adam Goodes IS a magnificent Australian of the Year

January 30, 2014July 29, 2015 / gonzomeetsthepress / Leave a comment

UPDATE: I am really upset about the way Adam Goodes has been treated by AFL fans who have been booing him ever since he pointed at a 13-year-old girl who called him an "ape," at a match in 2013. He did it to educate her because she did not know that what she was saying … Continue reading Why Adam Goodes IS a magnificent Australian of the Year

Being White in Philly, Black in Sydney

March 25, 2013 / gonzomeetsthepress / 5 Comments

It’s time to talk about racism. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about Parliament passing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act and an ABC presenter who was racially abused in front of his two-year-old daughter on a Sydney bus http://wp.me/p1Ytmx-bq The former was the good news about racism in Australia, … Continue reading Being White in Philly, Black in Sydney

Gun control: It’s all about Grace

January 17, 2013January 18, 2013 / gonzomeetsthepress / 8 Comments

I was going to write about racism in Australia, following alleged race riots in the Brisbane satellite city of Logan this week, but I decided to wait. Racism is a very difficult topic, and this is a complex situation. Upcoming soon, I promise. As I was mulling over alternatives for this post, Barack Obama made … Continue reading Gun control: It’s all about Grace

Fear and loathing behind the gates

April 13, 2012June 28, 2012 / gonzomeetsthepress / Leave a comment

I was reluctant to write about the Trayvon Martin shooting in the US because regular readers of this blog know that I have often focussed on racism in America and Australia, and I didn’t want to be accused of having an obsession. But the reaction to the decision to charge George Zimmerman (pictured left this morning), … Continue reading Fear and loathing behind the gates

This is not a racist country, but …

January 11, 2012August 28, 2014 / gonzomeetsthepress / 2 Comments

I’d like to thank the Coalition citizenship spokeswoman, Teresa Gambaro, for giving me a reason to write about racism this week. The issue really blew up at the end of last week when two white men were convicted of being part of a gang of youths who had stabbed a black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, to … Continue reading This is not a racist country, but …

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My Favourite Quotes

“When you publish a book it’s the world’s book. The world edits it.” 

Those were the words of Philip Roth who died last week at the age of 85. A great American novelist. My favorite Roth novel is Goodbye Columbus, though his best is probably American Pastoral. Stephen Romei chose the quote above in his blog: A Pair of Ragged Claws. I like this one from The Counterlife from his character Nathan Zuckerman (Roth used it as his opening quote in his 1988 autobiography,  The Facts):

“And as he spoke I was thinking, the kind of stories that people turn life into, the kind of lives that people turn stories into.”

— The Facts: A Novelist’s Autobiography

“People were playing dead and they were so scared — a great reason so many were killed was because so many people wouldn’t leave their friends. So many people put themselves in front of people.”
Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes tells VICE News about the terror attack on their concert at the Bataclan in Paris. The courage of the concertgoers contrasts with the cowardice of the terrorists.
“I now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others in these islands, of whatever faith, denomination or political tradition.”
Prince Charles speaking on a pilgrimage to Mullaghmore, Ireland where 36 years ago his much-loved, great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA. The murder had helped him understand the pain suffered by the people of Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
“I was born with a reading list I will never finish.”
Maud Casey, novelist, Associate Professor of English and teacher of creative writing at University of Maryland, quoted at the beginning of a BuzzFeed story on Trove. My sentiments exactly!
“And to Luke, my little man, you will not die in vain and will not be forgotten. You are the reason I have found my voice and am able to be here. You are beside me on this journey and with me every step of the way … there remains a serious epidemic across our nation. No matter where you live, family violence exists in every pocket of every neighbourhood.”
Rosie Batty, named 2015 Australian of the Year, dedicating her award to her 11-year-old son Luke, killed last year by his father.
“I see Laurie Oakes had a scoop the other day posited on my dying. It will happen sometime, but as you know, I plan for the ages not just for this life.”
Gough Whitlam speaking at his 80th birthday party celebrations, expressing his belief that he had a few more years left.
“When someone asked him who would lead the party if he fell under a bus, Gough said that would be unlikely to happen with the improvements my government has initiated in urban transport.”
The Nine Network’s political editor, Laurie Oakes, remembering Gough Whitlam on the Today Show, adding: “I knew Gough well and liked him, and I’ll miss him.”
“He was a great parliamentarian, he was a great leader, he was a great Australian, and for so many of us, and this is what makes it so hard, he was a great friend and mentor.”
Senator John Faulkner, speaking to the members of the Labor Caucus, paying tribute to his friend and former Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, who has died, aged 98.
“No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for our children, for Mo, for Evvie, for Otis. No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for Grandad Nick. No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for each other. This is a revelation that gives us some comfort.”
An excerpt of “a message to the soldiers in the Ukraine, the politicians, the media, our friends and family,” from the Maslins, the Perth parents of the children, along with their grandfather, who were among those killed in the shooting down of Flight MH17.

Blogs I Follow

  • stanroria in the world
  • The Arc
  • Deidra Alexander's Blog
  • Tom Gannon Art
  • JPlanet
  • Lucy Kate Hinton
  • Leo D'Angelo Fisher
  • Adventures in Winterland
  • The White Stuff
  • the exploratrix
  • this is... The Neighborhood
  • rachelbuchanan100
  • artgland
  • Damyanti Biswas
  • Luanne Castle's Writer Site
  • Mint Mocha Musings
  • Snowflake's Hope
  • The WordPress.com Blog
  • BookPeople
  • Reflections of a Book Addict

Goodreads

Blog at WordPress.com.
stanroria in the world

A blog by an Australian writer who lived in New York, then came home.

The Arc

AFL footy, graphed.

Deidra Alexander's Blog

I have people to kill, lives to ruin, plagues to bring, and worlds to destroy. I am not the Angel of Death. I'm a fiction writer.

Tom Gannon Art

Poems, Prints, Paintings

JPlanet

Stories of iterative humanity

Lucy Kate Hinton

Aspiring journo // 21 // Hates bananas

Leo D'Angelo Fisher

I have a column and I'm not afraid to use it

Adventures in Winterland

A chronicle of Sharon's food adventures and travels

The White Stuff

Just another WordPress.com site

the exploratrix

travels and travails

this is... The Neighborhood

the Story within the Story

rachelbuchanan100

Anything that's fit for print

artgland

the secretion of art by Rhian Ferrer

Damyanti Biswas

For lovers of reading, writing, travel, humanity

Luanne Castle's Writer Site

Memoir, poetry, & writing theory

Mint Mocha Musings

The Hotelier's Wife: An Expat Affair Around the Globe

Snowflake's Hope

The WordPress.com Blog

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.

BookPeople

Howdy! We're the largest independent bookstore in Texas. This is our blog.

Reflections of a Book Addict