In a word: you. You are what men want. If you are talkative and opinionated, there are men who like that. If you are quiet and easy-going, there are men who like that. There are so many articles and conversations trying to figure out “what men want” (and “what women want”). They are all f’ing ridiculous. They seem to have the idea that all men want the same thing. That would mean that all men like the same things. Well here’s some earth-shattering news: different men like different things....

There are a lot of harsh things said on JU about people with little money or no job. People often say it’s because they’re lazy or stupid or other such ideas. The poor are poor because they’re stupid and lazy, is the conservatives’ cry. There are probably some cases where this is the case, but as far as I can see it’s far more complicated than this. There are plenty of fat, rich bastards and lazy members of the middle class. And that is why I believe that Bourdieu’s theory about ‘cultural cap...

This is my 100th article, so I thought I should do something spesh. Some of you will be aware that I, the Champ, recently went through a middle-aged crisis*, where I stopped writing about politics and started coming over all peaceful and at one with the world. But before I went on this wanky, peaceful path to enlightenment, I was a relatively popular blogger. Correction: I was a widely-read political blogger. No one liked me, but a fair few read my uninformed twaddle. In that time, I ...

This is my 100th article, so I thought I should do something spesh. Some of you will be aware that I, the Champ, recently went through a middle-aged crisis*, where I stopped writing about politics and started coming over all peaceful and at one with the world. But before I went on this wanky, peaceful path to enlightenment, I was a relatively popular blogger. Correction: I was a widely-read political blogger. No one liked me, but a fair few read my uninformed twaddle. In that time, I ...

This is my 100th article, so I thought I should do something spesh. Some of you will be aware that I, the Champ, recently went through a middle-aged crisis*, where I stopped writing about politics and started coming over all peaceful and at one with the world. But before I went on this wanky, peaceful path to enlightenment, I was a relatively popular blogger. Correction: I was a widely-read political blogger. No one liked me, but a fair few read my uninformed twaddle. In that time, I ...

I’ve always been obsessed by politics. My blog has long been testament to that. But upon returning from my holiday in Kanaky, I changed the title of my blog and started being all “nice” as FishHead said. I learned something about life when I was in New Caledonia. Before I went I had never been able to understand people who don’t inform themselves about politics. Politics can change your way of life and I think that is so important. I still believe that. But I was shown something more impor...

I would like to share a story with you from my recent trip to New Caledonia (or Kanaky as the indigenous people call it). I passed a group of drunks sitting in the midday sun with red cask wine and a joint. I sat down and said hello, a little nervous because of the money in my bumbag. We started conversing and one of the guys told me about how he had just lost his job because he had had no sick leave entitlements. When he called in sick, the boss told him to get to work or he would find so...

When Johnny Howard abolished ATSIC and replaced it with a board of coconuts, I expressed scepticism. The Labor Party still maintains the Aboriginal board should be democratically elected. I argued at the time that ATSIC should have been reformed rather than abolished. Let’s have a look at how “practical reconciliation” is going, as it is the issue most dear to my heart. The new board got off to a bad start with the petrol bowser initiative Link . It was quite clearly a case of the coconut...

You may not know that I do some work teaching in primary schools. Of course, children are blessed with the ability to say the funniest of things without realising they have done so. I would like to share with you some of my favourite recent classroom moments (the names have been changed for the purposes of our anonymity). • I was teaching a Year 6 class when I discovered a future ACTU (Unions) President. The regular teacher has a system where for every correct answer on class exercises the...

I don't really have time for a full article at the moment, but something astonishing has happened that I have to comment on: In the past 2 weeks I have agreed with 3 of the most Right wing people in the country on politics. Yes this includes my sworn enemies, John Howard, Andrew Bolt (columnist) and Channel Nine's Sunday programme. So inspired was I by their comments I have written to each of them to tell them what a spelndid job they did. Andrew Bolt's criticisms of Australia's xenophobia...

A couple of weeks ago, 60 Minutes ran a story about the riots in Sydney’s working class western suburbs. They interviewed some of the teenagers and young adults who had been involved in taking revenge on the police. One week after the story aired, 60 Minutes aired several letters from their viewers, all along the same line: “These kids have no respect for the good and noble people paid to protect them” “What a lazy bunch of excuse-making adolescents, put them in military service!” “Why don’t ...

The other week I spent several hours chatting with 4 refugees. 3 are Afghanistani, 1 is from Eritrea. This is the story of the third person. Before I start though, I just want to say, I have not written this series of articles as political articles (I know I put them in the politics category, but that was because I couldn't find another one that fitted). I don’t watch the news since I got back from my trip in January. Recently, I’ve let myself get distracted in a couple of my forums by le...

Assume Nothing. Expect Anything. Because this year.....There’s a Twist. Again. Like they had last summer. It will change the face of Big Brother. Not even the new housemates will be told about the secret. But my sources have revealed what Big Brother has up his sleeve to me. Here it is. The Twist. At the end of each week, instead of someone just being evicted from the house, they get ... Shot Dead. As the first point-earning activity of the following week, the remaining housemates have ...

Assume Nothing. Expect Anything. Because this year.....There’s a Twist. Again. Like they had last summer. It will change the face of Big Brother. Not even the new housemates will be told about the secret. But my sources have revealed what Big Brother has up his sleeve to me. Here it is. The Twist. At the end of each week, instead of someone just being evicted from the house, they get ... Shot Dead. As the first point-earning activity of the following week, the remaining housemates have ...

I grew up a very proud Australian. I learned Aussie slang terms that are becoming obsolete, I deliberately developed a broad Aussie accent and I became one of the very few who knows the 2nd verse to the national anthem. I grew up under the Hawke-Keating Government. Although I’m old enough now to recognise the emptiness of some of their words, it was largely their example that made me proud. They spoke of reconciling our differences, of breaking down the barriers and tensions that exist bet...