The year was 1996 and I was transfixed to the TV, spurring on the kiwi hopeful Danyon Loader, in the 200m Freestyle at the Atlanta Olympics. In the space of 1 minute and 47 seconds, Danyon won the gold medal (and three days later clinched the 400m Freestyle title as well), inspiring me, along with … More The Olympics: Selfish or Inspirational?
The first time I consciously remember realising there was a difference between boys and girls (apart from the obvious differences in appearance and body parts) was when as child I questioned why girl’s bikes were shaped differently to boy’s. I was curious to understand why the cross bar was slanted on a girl’s bike, but horizontal on a boy’s. I don’t recall the exact response, but it was something to do with the contrasting ways girls and boys supposedly mounted and dismounted bikes. Boys were to swing their legs round the back wheel, whereas girls could hitch their leg across the front of the seat, which was apparently easier. … More Gender Equality: International Women’s Day Reflections
A week ago I was feeling fairly blasé about coronavirus. We were laughing at the stupidity of people panic buying toilet paper and hand sanitiser. Since then, I’ve been realising the scale and seriousness of this pandemic. I’ve been devouring information from the World Health Organisation, discovering why we should approach the pandemic with a systems-thinking lens and curiously analysing interactive maps showing confirmed cases throughout the world. … More Why Coronavirus is an Opportunity
Last week, in the world of climate activism, an estimated 6 million people globally took to the streets (including a whopping 3.5% of New Zealand’s population marching); Greta Thurberg delivered her emotionally charged ‘How Dare You?’ speech to world leaders at the UN Climate Summit in New York; and 16 teenage activists filed a law suit against Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey for contravening the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by not sufficiently reducing their carbon emissions. … More Climate Strikes: Their Impact
As a Farang in Thailand, I definitely felt like
‘the other’. Being blonde and fair skinned, people often stared at me in the
street; they talked about me on the bus (“…… Farang…… …… Farang…..”);
they rudely pushed in front of me at checkout lines at 7-Eleven; I often had to pay higher prices than locals or was sometimes not served at food outlets (I attributed this predominantly to shyness or embarrassment at not being able speak English – even though I could speak enough Thai to order food). … More Being The Other: A White Kiwi’s Experience
An Ethical Yarn 