Ask Steph

#PrintChat ... That incredible weekly event that I am thoroughly addicted For a brief overview - here's my 40 second snap of what it is ... I've listed Print Chat times for the AU and NZ cities below the video , hope to see you there !

Caster Semenya is in the news again.  Again.  And not because she is a blistering athlete, who runs world record times. Not because she is a champion competing in the Olympics.  Nope. That ugly part of humanity has reared up again as she whooshes past the spectators on the running track.  That part of humanity , the one thinks it's OK to dehumanise and humiliate a young women in public by discussing her gentialia and body parts .  Funny how all the armchair experts are more annoyed by this young lady than they are by actual drug cheats.  Funny that.  There is something more important that taking a side in the Caster Semenya debate, and that is choosing not to participate in the debate at all. Especially if you have daughters.  Because what you say about Caster Semenya, will do more damage to your daughter and her self image than anything any other person or the media can throw at you.  Caster Semenya was subjected to humiliating reports on he...

Yeah That ugly 'something has happened back home' experience has reared up again this week.  My mom had a fall, and has broken her wrist . It's a clean break, but a bad one, and she may need surgery.  *speechless*  So it's on the mend , and the doctors are trying something to help it heal without surgery first , she will go back in a week for more X-rays to see if it's working, and if not, then into theatre she will go.  The most frustrating part of all of this - is that there is absolutely nothing I can do . Nothing.  Helplessness is not a feeling that sits well in my Type A , fixer, doer , go-getter mentality.  Sigh.  I can let go of many things ...my family, my friends and those I love being in pain isn't usually one of them.  Human emotions are such raw things, and it constantly amazes me how they smack us down so completely whenever we feel like we have a handle on this thing called Life. 

I woke up this morning to the news that a gorgeous women,  an Instagram celebrity in Pakistan had been murdered in cold blood by her brother.  The headlines screaming out about honour killings and so forth.  So how about this, collective Bad-Ass women of the world, how about we collectively refuse to call these things Honour killings.  It demeans and degrades the word Honour to do so, it implies that there is some kind of twisted honour in being a sociopath whose worth is determined by the behaviour of the property of your family. Girls are property in certain parts of the world let's not forget.  How about we all call it what it is , a murder that's all about male shame. A great big shame for the family for harbouring and promoting murder. Shame for the family because they think women and females belong to them.   Shame for the brother who right now looks sub-human to me, in my angry raging feminist tirade.  Can we stop implying there is something goo...

Oh my , it's tomorrow ! Following on from my previous 2 posts as I attempted to get some info on the smaller parties in my area : Candidate for the AJP , Summary of Twitter Kerfuffle This is my final pre-election post, chock full of last minute important info you will need to know. And a brief overview of the Science Party ( who really seem to have caught my eye )  As you go in to vote tomorrow remember the following  - Preferences do matter, especially if you're not swayed by the scaremongering campaigns.  -Voting for minor parties will not cause instability ( because of the beautiful aforementioned preference voting system) - Please for the love of God, DON'T Donkey vote ( seriously ...don't be a lazy eejot) - You must number ALL the candidates on the green ballot  - you must EITHER pick 6 parties (above the line) , or 12 candidates (below the line) on the white ballot   - You can get a fresh ballot if you make a mistake - just ask...

Ok then, so I'm still waiting for Lee Kavanagh from the Drug Law Reform Party to reply , and haven't managed to track down contact details for Trevor Bishop from Family First. I did leave a request on the Family First website , but they haven't responded. I could probably guess most of Trev's replies though, especially on his party's policies on treating the LGBTQI community with fairness and human decency. My inclination to defend your right of religious freedom strains when you start using your religion as an excuse to enforce your view of how other should live their lives, when it has no effect on you. I can only feel desperately sorry for you, that your marriage and relationship with your children is so fragile that the mere thought of 2 men getting married is sufficient to lay waste to those relationships completely. Also there are several studies , from people without any religious agenda, that backup the reality that children who are loved by their pare...

Righty oh . So I eventually tracked down some candidates from the lists that are available : there are 6 candidates standing for Goldtstein (the electorate where I live.) I've reached out via email to the people that get no airtime from the media, probably because they don't have the same budget as the big parties . Which is weird, because I could have sworn I lived in a democratic country with an independent media ... But never mind.  Below is the responses of Naren , from the  Animal Justice Party.  Naren's profile on the ABC's  website : http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2016/guide/gold/ What are your parties policies in supporting small local businesses to expand interstate, and internationally.  I am a small business owner myself Stephanie. My office is in Elsternwick and I employ three people. I'm in support of policies to help small businesses grow. What is your personal stance on tax incentives to promote local employme...