How do you define youth? Is it an attitude? An age? A generation?
Often ‘yoof’s’ have a hopeful look in their eye. It’s a wide eyed demeanor, unsullied by disappointment or situations too difficult to easily categorize. Youth is still fresh and tender.
You can spy youth in the little kids who tear around fountains in their undies, tweens awkwardly tripping over themselves while smiling in their braces, the teenager looking scornfully at those who went before and plan how they’re like, totally going to do it differently and those in their twenties start building their new lives on their own on their first solo trips to Ikea.
Less obviously, you can also get a whiff of youth from the Grandma with the cheeky attitude, the Dad who gets down on the floor to play with his kids and when grown ups let their dignity drop for a brief moment to have some fun.
If we can identify and appreciate a young attitude maybe we’ll be able to do what the songs says and stay forever young.
When does doing the wrong thing mean doing the right thing? According to four Christian activists, when times are desperate, action is needed.
On Wednesday, 31 March, 2010, the group who call themselves the Bonhoeffer Peace Collective took their passion for peace into action when they broke into a highly secret military base used by the Army’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), on Swan Island, Victoria.
Right on time for Refugee Week, MTV has created “Labels”, an anti-discrimination ad on behalf of Red Cross with the message “Discrimination sux”. The idea is simple, the message is powerful. Click here to read more about Refugee Week.
It was just few months after our family arrived in Australia on humanitarian entrance from Sri Lanka. I went to the bank in Strathfield for a transaction. I had to go pass a man who was blocking the way to join the queue (real queue!). I politely said “excuse me” and walked passed him. He started abusing me saying that I did not use the word ‘please’ and went on with his verbal abuse. I was embarrassed and humiliated in front of the people. What did I do wrong? In my language and culture if you say ‘excuse me’ or ‘sit down’ in a polite and kind way with a correct grammatical ending, that is enough. We do not have to say ‘please.’ I was confused but it was long after experiencing a few more rude behaviours and abrupt response from ‘others’ who were not like me, I realized it was racism in some form or another. I started to realize that it was more than ‘polite language’ but something to do with my skin colour.
It had been a long day. I had been to Melbourne meeting with people. I caught a taxi to the airport in plenty of time for my flight home only to discover the plane was delayed. When I got to Sydney 1 ½ hours later than I expected, it was raining. I caught the train and was glad to be met at Westmead station by my wife and finally get home to our place.
When I lived and studied in the USA I was very conscious of not being an American. I was an Australian and Australia was home.
What does ‘home’ mean especially for those of us who call ourselves Christian, followers of Jesus who calls us to leave home and family for his sake and the sake of the gospel (Mark 10:29).
World cup fanatics were dealt a bitter blow with the Socceroos abysmal performance against Germany. Here's hoping a lego recreation of England vs the US can soften the blow.
Street style photographers and ‘man-on-the-street’ bloggers are usurping traditional arbiters of taste. For those of us playing at home, the authenticity, idiosyncrasies and imperfections on offer are a warm alternative to the occasionally scary editorials in the ‘cool’ magazines. The bloggers who provide the snaps; Garance Dore, Scott Schuman in The Satorialist, Jak and Jil and Bryanboy, are the new guard of style. The Selby can be counted amoung this number but is a little different. Todd Selby takes pictures of the homes of the quirky and stylish. For the creative people he shoots, the home is an extension of self. These intimate and unstyled shots of unique homes offer a little window into the soul of their owners.
My part-time occupation for the last few weeks has been to find a new place to live. Although the old place (a lovely converted terrace house) was much loved, various circumstances presented and proved to me that it was indeed time to move on. Part of the search for a new place was the requisite ‘list-making’. I quite like lists – I like to be able to get all my thoughts down on paper for future reflection, but most of all, I like to be able to tick off each item once the task is complete. Those ticks are the 30-year-old’s equivalent of an eight-year-old’s gold star received at the end of a school homework project. They scream ‘ACCOMPLISHED’!
Does your house mock your housecleaning efforts? Do the sock goblins steal your best socks? Dust monster colonise the underside of your tables and chairs? Artist Christoph Niemann knows the feeling and has adorably illustrated it on his Abstract City blog for the New York Times.
When does doing the wrong thing mean doing the right thing? According to four Christian activists, when times are desperate, action is needed.
It was just few months after our family arrived in 
It had been a long day. I had been to 
This weekend, why don’t you save your pennies and stay in and get busy in the kitchen?
My part-time occupation for the last few weeks has been to find a new place to live. Although the old place (a lovely converted terrace house) was much loved, various circumstances presented and proved to me that it was indeed time to move on. Part of the search for a new place was the requisite ‘list-making’. I quite like lists – I like to be able to get all my thoughts down on paper for future reflection, but most of all, I like to be able to tick off each item once the task is complete. Those ticks are the 30-year-old’s equivalent of an eight-year-old’s gold star received at the end of a school homework project. They scream ‘ACCOMPLISHED’!
Does your house mock your housecleaning efforts? Do the sock goblins steal your best socks? Dust monster colonise the underside of your tables and chairs? Artist Christoph Niemann knows the feeling and has adorably illustrated it on his 
