My neatly (or so I may think) combining my established love of gender issues with my fledgling political education has produced a interesting statistic that I cannot help but share. The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an annual meeting among CEO’s of the world's richest corporations, national political leaders (presidents, prime ministers, etc), selected intellectuals and ‘respected’ journalists. (Around 2000 people). Until 2001, the main WEF decision making boards, the Forum Board of Dir...

Ladies and Gentleman, my life-long hero and 'rock', my stepdad Denis, has just composed his very first email. And the recipient of that email was me !. My stepdad and I are chalk and cheese in regards to behaviour. But he loves and understands me like nobody on earth. Here is my email: >hi honey,it looks like there was no dot after vanessa, i think belindas >went through okay, your mother had a good time with you and meathead, your >birthday went ok plenty of phone calls that...

In Australia it is 12.30am, Tuesday, September 21, 2004, which means that, for exactly 30 minutes, I have been aged 35 . I should feel a sense of loss, I suppose. Perhaps even a touch of 'the life is half-empty' dramatics would be appropriate. Yet, try as I might, all I seem able to rouse is overwhelming relief that I got here . Two years ago, this was the birthday we weren't even sure that I'd live to see, so, I don't care how many candles my cake has, or how many lines my face has. I...

I can recall being aged around 24 and telling my grandmother that I wasn't certain I ever wanted to marry. She had not, until that point, even considered that I wasn't 'looking' for a husband. She had just assumed I hadn't been able to find one . My not wanting to get married was inconceivable to her. I was aged 30 when I did marry my husband, and despite the fact that I had been perfectly happy until then, several older female members of my family still heaved huge sighs of relief that...

I once had the misfortune to be seated on a very full plane next to a big, hairy man with a fear of flying. Being that Neanderthals are not in my target demographic, (and I women minus obvious upfront attractions were outside his ), we did not initially engage in conversation. Instead, big hairy man attempted to gain himself the attention of a more brightly-plumed member of the fairer sex seated across the aisle, and I happily immersed myself in my book. Then the plane took off . ...

The ‘proper’ terms for the ‘detailed causes of death’ that are recorded on official paperwork are, despite their morbid subject matter, actually kind of funny. It stands to reason that a vague “motor vehicle accident” or “gunshot wound” is not enough information for statisticians, courts or government records. The death certificates issued for public record contain brief factual descriptions on a need-to-know basis, yet there exists an expanded list of ‘detailed causes of death’ that ...

My hubby and I sometimes like to substitute like-sounding words in conversation, and we find it very amusing that nobody ever notices. He spilled a drink on my leg recently, and when I said "you did that on porpoise", my (visiting) mother didn't bat an eyelid. People for the most part just hear what they expect to hear. When we say "don't be shellfish" people hear "don't be selfish", and if we tell people we live near (what we think is) "the most beautiful bitch (beach) in Australia" they...

My hubby and I sometimes like to substitute like-sounding words in conversation, and we find it very amusing that nobody ever notices. He spilled a drink on my leg recently, and when I said "you did that on porpoise", my (visiting) mother didn't bat an eyelid. People for the most part just hear what they expect to hear. When we say "don't be shellfish" people hear "don't be selfish", and if we tell people we live near (what we think is) "the most beautiful bitch (beach) in Australia" they...

For those of you who are wondering who is this mystery 'imajinit', he is none other than the fabulous, amazing, darling, dishy, debonair and all round Mr Wonderful, Michael, aka mj, aka the man who shares my brain. Imajinit and I have a theory that we somehow inhabit the same brainspace or some other equally vague blah to explain the fact that we agree on almost everything. Well, we did until he started stalking me in my blog ! Woo Hoo ! ... mj, you had me going for a while. I thought...

*Number of people in my immediate family: 4 *Number of current marriages in my immediate family: 4 *Percentage of my immediate family who are either themselves divorced, or are married to a previously divorced partner: 100% *Total number of (past and present) marriages between the members of the 4 current couples: 16 *Average length of these marriages: 6.5 years *Percentage of these divorces caused by infidelity/new love interest: 100% *Percentage of these divo...

So, what is Victoria's Secret ? ... is it bulimia ?. There is a parody site based on the women's underwear label 'Victorias Secret'. It's completely disgusting, and features photographs of scantily-clad women puking whilst parading their 'perfect' bodies in glamorous underwear. But it's more than just a visual affront. It sends a powerful message about how ugly bulimia really is, and as shocking as I found this webpage, if it gets its' message across then I'm all for it. The ima...

Time Travel Fund is a real company. Their concept is that people living far into the future will be one day able to ‘retrieve’ you from your current frame of reference ( their past - your present ) and bring you into the future ( their present - your future ). For the nominal fee of $10, an unspecified ‘percentage’ is placed into the fund, and the remainder is used for “website overheads, covering legal fees, paying for your certificate, and maintaining the database of members” . Acc...

The World Health Organisation is warning that suicide kills more people each year than road traffic accidents in most European countries, and globally, suicide takes more lives than murder and war put together. The world annual death toll from suicide is approximately one million people per year . This accounts for half of all violent deaths worldwide, says the WHO, warning that estimates say fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. "Suicide is a tragic global public health prob...

We were driving late Saturday morning when we were stopped by roadworks right next to a bus shelter. Gazing bored out the window, I noticed a girl of around 20 seated in the shelter and clad in what was obviously her clothing from the night before. Her high heeled shoes sat on the bench next to her. A beaded evening purse sat in her lap. The day was cold and her very short sequined dress wasn't offering much protection. But by far the most striking thing was the look on her face. Sha...

In my garden today, something bit me right on the ass . There I was, just minding my own business, when some vile bug launched its' nasty little teeth square into my left butt cheek. Stunned, I threw myself around the garden in a frenzy, slapping my own ass trying to kill the perpetrator, and trampling the garden bed I had just planted in the process. My husband, who has been rendered unflappable via many such a crisis involving nature and myself since we moved here, merely look...