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ErinRiley.com.au

Sport. Politics. Baking.

Wednesday

4

September 2013

0

COMMENTS

Cut out the middle man

Written by , Posted in Australian Politics

Democracy is predicated on the idea that all votes are equal. Unfortunately, in Australia, that isn’t true. The problem is that we’ve built a system that ensures a small number of voters have a disproportionate sway over our politics, pushing both major parties in their direction. This Saturday, in the lower house, your vote will be weighted by where you live and how likely your vote is to swing. This election will effectively be decided by a small number of swinging voters in a small number of swinging seats. This is caused by a unique combination of factors: compulsory voting, […]

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Monday

13

May 2013

2

COMMENTS

Not going to sit well with feminists or footballers: Anna Krien’s Night Games

Written by , Posted in Gender, Gender and sport, Sport

Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe there is no common truth. The trial is black and white, Sarah and Justin are as one-dimensional as their competing story lines make out. You’ve got the rapist or the liar. A Law and Order version and, by trying to seek out a shade of grey I’m protecting one of them. There is not going to sit well with feminists or footballers, I think, a knot of dread in the pit of my stomach. I prepare myself for the accusations… Anna Krien, Night Games, 258 Anna Krien’s “Night Games” is many things, but black […]

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Wednesday

20

March 2013

0

COMMENTS

Recipe: Lime and Lady Grey Tea Biscuits

Written by , Posted in In The Kitchen

limeladygreytea

Back when I was a poor student, there was one luxury I allowed myself: these incredibly lime and lady grey shortbread biscuits sold at the markets at what was then Fox Studios. Sadly, though, the stall disappeared, and for years, I was without these delightful morsels of yumminess. Then, a few years ago, I went searching. And while I couldn’t find the exact recipe, I found this very similar one, for Orange and Earl Grey Tea biscuits, from Martha Stewart Weddings. Naturally, I adapted it, and these have been an absolute staple in my kitchen ever since- and are very […]

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Monday

4

March 2013

3

COMMENTS

Fair, good, better: improving the AFL’s cost-of-living allowance

Written by , Posted in Featured, Headline, Main, Sport

photo

With alarming predictability, the AFL’s cost-of-living allowance comes up every couple of months, usually during trade week, just before the season starts, and any time a team with the concession does well. As a Swans supporter with a pretty active twitter account, hardly a week goes by without someone making a sly comment, explicitly or implicitly suggesting we bought our premierships. So this weekend, when Greg Swann suggested the salary cap concession was inappropriate, the usual cycle of arguments started again. Richard Colless replied with the absurd suggestion that such questioning of the manner in which the League is administered […]

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Friday

1

March 2013

2

COMMENTS

Sunday

10

February 2013

1

COMMENTS

My life in sport, or how I learnt to think about sport

Written by , Posted in Featured, Gender and sport, Headline, Keepers, Main, Sport

It took a long time to recognise my love of sport, and longer still to acknowledge it. As it kid, I wasn’t remotely self-conscious about it. I loved Kieren Perkins from the minute I heard him tell his story on an ad during Saturday Morning Disney in the lead-up to the 1992 Olympics. I spent my pocket money on posters of him from Book Club. My 8th birthday party was Olympics themed. When he won his second gold, unexpected, from an outside lane, on my 12th birthday, it felt like it was just for me. I got a bit older, […]

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Sunday

3

February 2013

0

COMMENTS

New voices needed to solve an old problem

Written by , Posted in Gender and sport, Sport

You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before. – Rahm Emmanuel It appears Andrew Demitriou and the AFL have been listening to the advice of Emmanuel, using today’s Crime Commission announcement as a way to further extend their own power, rather than take the opportunity for reflection. It is a perfect example of why those currently in charge are not the ones we should trust to solve the problem. In reading the report, one sentence stood out to me: “This […]

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Friday

25

January 2013

1

COMMENTS

The exclusionary language of inclusion

Written by , Posted in Personal, Politics

I have this horrible, sinking feeling that much of the work that was done to encourage tolerance has backfired. Instead of actually encouraging inclusiveness, the language of tolerance is now used by many as an excuse to never reconsider their opinions. Language designed to encourage inclusiveness has become a way to justify exclusion. I’m glad that we’ve developed a more relativistic discourse. I’m glad that there isn’t a single source truth out there that can’t be challenged, a single authority that determines right from wrong. Pluralism is useful. A world in which ideas are being challenged is a great thing- […]

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Tuesday

15

January 2013

0

COMMENTS

Rethinking TV Award Ceremonies

Written by , Posted in Television

After watching the Golden Globes last night, Jonathan and I discussed our general discomfort with the award categories, so we brainstormed for a bit to come up with our ideal TV award design. Here are our suggestions: Get rid of the arbitrary drama/comedy distinction. Increasingly, it’s more difficult to say what’s what (see: Season 2 of Louis). Instead, have short form (30 minutes or less) and long form (more than 30 minutes) categories, plus a category for longer, one-off events, such as movies or mini-series. Get rid of the gendered actor/actress distinction. Have best performer in a lead role and […]

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Friday

11

January 2013

4

COMMENTS

On footy media…

Written by , Posted in Featured, Gender, Gender and sport, Sport

There are so many things that are great about footy. The game itself is unparalleled: it’s elegant and tough at the same time, and a game can turn in a moment. The atmosphere at games is incredible. And club membership is diverse: looking around at games, there are men and women, children and grandparents, people of all races and from all over the world.  You usually can’t actually see the diversity of sexuality, but it’s there too. But you’d never guess that from footy media. Footy media is primarily white, straight and male.  It’s focused on the players and coaches.  […]

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