One Memory My grandfather had a model sailing-ship In a case in the arcade outside his shop. The ship was made of matches, the glass case Had a slot for dropping coins in at the top. I spent a good while gazing at it, Making up stories, first of the ship and then Of whoever glued the matches, tied the rigging, Painted ship…

  86 genders too many to get into one’s head Peter Westmore’s article, “The issue, Bill, is transgender marriage” (News Weekly, August 26, 2017) left me, a woman of reasonable intelligence, confused. It also reminded me of a leaflet I read recently which spoke of 86 different genders and still more to come. While I was confused, the article also left me bemused,…

CRY FROM THE FRIDGE: Live at Casey Base, Antarctica CRYOGENIC HEADS Brass Monkey D121-2 $42.95 CD: $35.95 download from brassmonkey.con.au Reviewed by Sebastian Gunlighter This two-CD set really captures the warmth and intimacy of the venue, a tin shed under two metres of snow and ice on the world’s thickest ice-cap. The guitar-drums-comb outfit comprising the Centric brothers, Phalo and…

THE GREAT HUMAN DIGNITY HEIST: How Bioethicists Are Trashing the Foundations of Western Civilisation by Michael Cook   Connor Court, Redland Bay Paperback: 254 pages Price: AUD$29.59 Reviewed by Margaret Somerville   First some background. Let’s start with Michael Cook’s condensed bio, which gives you a hint of his wicked sense of humour, which, as I will explain, is highly…