Fitzroyalty

Hyperlocal news about Melbourne's first suburb: Fitzroy 3065

Monthly archives: March 2007

marriage is irrelevant

31 March 2007 | 2 Comments

What’s the point of marriage? In our modern society, does it serve any useful purpose? Why do we define a romantic and sexual relationship with a legal contract?

In the past, marriage may have had a purpose. It defined women as the property of men, and allowed men to control women, their fertility and their children. It supposedly defined paternity and allowed for complex property law based on inheritance. It also defined the obligations of each partner to the other and supposedly made men responsible for providing for their children.…

measuring the moon

30 March 2007 | Comments Off

Today I decided I need to know more about the history of the metric system of measurement. The internet is such a helpful thing. Wikipedia publishes this very amusing world map, which shows the countries which are yet to completely adopt the metric system. In blue is the US, Liberia and Myanmar.

A separate entry records the progress of the metric system in the US. NASA is leading the way by deciding that future missions to the moon will be measured using the metric system.…

the beauty myth

29 March 2007 | Comments Off

The myth is that women perform their beauty rituals in order to please men, that they are oppressed in so doing, and that men will not accept them in a more ‘natural’ or less altered and adorned state.

I think the reality is far different. Here’s why:

  1. The idea that men expect women to groom and alter their bodies in particular ways rests on the false premise that all men want the same thing, and therefore that there is a clear goal for women to achieve: remove all body hair, starve yourself to become thin, grow your hair long and bleach it blond, and wear lots of makeup.

    2. …

Ganesh 1, robber 0

28 March 2007 | Comments Off

After my misanthropic rant yesterday I was cheered immensely when I read in the Age that an attempted robbery of an Indian take-away in Melbourne was thwarted when a worker threw a statue, thought to be of Ganesh, at the robber, who fled. Ganesh is my favourite mythological character (though I am also very fond of Thor). Ganesh is the god of problem solving, conflict resolution, education and wisdom. He certainly solved the robbery.…

uncommon courtesy

27 March 2007 | Comments Off

I am antisocial and misanthropic, but I strongly dislike having a negative effect on other people. I try always to be courteous and consider the impact of my behaviour on other people, particularly in public spaces. I consider myself to be ethical in my behaviour and I never beneft from this. In defence of my rights in public spaces, when other people are inconsiderate, I often make myself unpopular.

Here are a few examples:

On Friday March 16 at the F1 in Albert Park, it was not very crowded.…

free David Hicks

26 March 2007 | 1 Comment

Enough is enough. When John Howard looks back on his forced retirement in 2008 he’ll probably blame his unpopular Workchoices industrial relations for his failure in the federal election. He’ll completely fail to acknowledge his government’s policy on David Hicks as a reason for his loss. Most Australians want a Fair Go for David.

These are the facts as I see them:

  1. The Australian citizen David Hicks voluntarily became a Muslim. While I view religion as a form of mental illness, he has the right to choose his beliefs, regardless of their misogyny, stupidity or irrelevance to contemporary urban life.

    2. …

Lewis Hamilton on debut

23 March 2007 | Comments Off

Lewis Hamilton finished third on his debut in F1. My prediction is that he will win a race this year. I think I’m good at picking the winners in F1 – I correctly chose Giancarlo Fisichella as the winner of the 2005 Australian Grand Prix and no one believed me until it happened. Hamilton is the business, and he’ll make double world champion and teammate Fernando Alonso work very hard to beat him.

formula 1 australiaf1 …

getting traction

22 March 2007 | Comments Off

I spent Saturday and Sunday at the Australian F1 Grand Prix in a special hospitality area called Traction. This was something of an experiment. Traction occupies a fabulous position on the track, where a corporate stand used to be, on the inside of the track at the apex of turn 4. From there, viewers can see the cars enter turn 3, enter and exit turn 4 and enter turn 5.

Traction is a new concept in Grand Prix hospitality and entertainment.…