The Bogan Delusion, D Nicholls, Affirm press 2011 Great title, pity the contents don’t match up. After reading this book, and further perusal of parts of it, i’m still unclear what the author is trying to say. At times it seems like a paeon to the virtues of suburbia against the horrid ‘elites’ of the [...]
What’s Wrong with ANZAC?: The Militarisation of Australian History – published by the University of New South Wales in 2010. This marvellous work reviews the growing militarisation of Australian History. The renaissance of Anzac Day, and its changed nature seem only too obvious. Back in the 1920s and 1930s it was a solemn ceremony, as [...]
Blood, Sweat and Beers: Oz Rock from the Aztecs to Rose Tattoo by Murray Engledhart came out in late 2010 on Harper Collins. It talks about a halcyon era of music in Australia where Rock’n’Roll Is King, going back to the great period of the late 1960s until the 1990s, when pub rock was a [...]
Maryanne and i recently sawTrue Grit. As a Marxist I could do a review based on the approach of the Frankfurt School, or one of the great British cultural Marxists like Raymond Wiliams, but i will be a bit more low brow than that. We really enjoyed the film. The superb acting of Hailee Steinfeild [...]
Bad Characters: Sex, Crime, Mutiny, Murder and the Australian Imperial Force Just finished reading the above listed, marvellous book. After 20 years of the militirisation of Australian history by the right, and their acolytes, like Howard, etc, it’s good to see a book which challenges the nonsense. It shows the Australian troops as a brave [...]
Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series) Encourage the kids (eight and up) to get their hands dirty and actively connect with the environment. A great introduction to key environmental issues. The book itself is printed on “100% recycled paper” by a member of the Green Press Initiative and [...]
