Already this ANZAC day I have seen people on twitter making cheap shots just so as they can get a hit of dopamine. The fundamentalist toing and froing does us all a disservice. We are no longer in an environment where we can have reasoned discussion about whether we should commemorate the fallen in the frontier wars.
Read MoreWe were told to go away, in the spirit of self-determination, and come up with a proposal to forward the constitutional change agenda. Invited to participate, to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from across the land to form a position, both leaders from our major political parties declined, didn’t want to impose themselves on the machinations of our important work.
Read MoreAs some of you may be aware, I have a little podcast network over at simpletonpodcasts.com. It’s just a little comedy network meant to be fun and give people some entertainment as they go about their daily lives.
We want to take it to the next level, so to help us do that, we’ve set up a Patreon account patreon.com/simpletonpodcasts. Go and have a look. There are a number of options you can select to make a small financial contribution to help us mainain the website, upgrade our equipment and to buy us some more time to produce more content more often.
We really enjoy doing it and we get great feedback from our small but ever increasing audience. Any support you can provide would be greatly appreciated my friends.
DJ
This weekend marked three years without my father, Billy. In a combination of coincidence and homage I also found myself in my old hometown of Euroa. Every visit evokes memories of days past, the streets full of ghosts, each crossroad has a memory if I search deep enough into the recesses of my memory.
Read MoreLast week we had the 9th annual Prime Minister’s Close the Gap report to parliament. The stark reality is that the close the gap policy agenda is failing.
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Finally I'm in pre-production for the recording of my new album. I have a bagful of songs, ideas and lived experience to put into this next effort. It's going to be a cathartic, exhilarating and at times emotional but aren't those the main elements that anyone should have in their life for it to be full and rich.
I will most likely keep a recording diary or some such and in the coming weeks I hope to start performing at some open mic nights to hone my performance and craft my songs.
I’ve found myself travelling around the country in recent weeks and i have to say that it is truly inspiring to see the dozens of people I have met who strive to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people. They go about their work with care, passion and without glory.
Read MoreI’ve listened to this powerful genre since my teen years and seeing a legendary exponent of this somewhat mystical art has given me pause to reflect on why I’m so attached to the blues. What better way to reflect than to share with you my favourite blues songs! It is by no means a definitive list and I realise that there are probably readers out there who have more knowledge in there little toe than I do in my entire body, however I know what I like and this is them.
Read MoreI live a pretty exotic life. Over the years I have refined my tastes and have educated myself in the ways of art, music, cinema, literature and of course world cuisine. So the other day when I was in Red Rooster having just ordered a classic quarter with a rooster roll on the side I was contemplating the fact that the city I live in has made it so much easier for one to gain such knowledge when residing in a truly multicultural society. As a Melbournian I think it’s reasonable to say that I do indeed live in a resoundingly successful multicultural metropolis, a point that was just about to be reiterated as I dined on what I believed to be some sort of bird, most likely chicken with some chips that were almost undeniably made with real potato extract.
Read MoreFor over fifty years Bob Dylan has been honing his craft, not afraid to turn his back on his audience physically and metaphorically to follow the path and to remain inspired. He has sat at the knee of folk and blues giants to give voice to the human condition in a way few others have, in fact too few to mention over such a sustained period of time.
Read MoreMy name is Daniel. I’m 5 ft 11” and enjoy sailing and bush walking. I love cooking and long romantic walks along the beach at sunset. I enjoy cinema and spending time with friends and when time permits in my hard working life I take time out to write poetry and paint oil landscapes.
Read MoreDespite my Koori, Welsh, Scottish, Tamil/Mauritius and English lineage, I quite often get mistaken as being of Greek or Italian heritage depending on my weight and BMI. If I am a few kilos heavier than recommended I am Greek, if I’m the recommended BMI then I’m Italian. Don’t know why this happens but it does. Me no complain.
Read MoreJeff Beck returned to Melbourne last night just over 12 months after his previous appearance in this city and fresh from winning a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental for his moving version of the Beatles classic A Day in the Life. The Palais Theatre was the perfect venue to see Beck and his band of funky virtuosos entertain a packed house of mainly youthful baby boomers. Beck has a reputation for pushing the envelope in his live performances sometimes with mixed results, this was not one of those nights.
Read MoreBeen reading some Australian history recently and it’s really quite interesting. I mean, when I say interesting, I don’t mean good or enjoyable. The basic two tenets of European/Australian history seem to be racism and incompetence. Racism intended, incompetence unintended and then denied. There is no more prime example than the story of Burke and Wills. For those of you who are fortunate enough to reside in Melbourne, you can see a giant erection of the two pricks at the corner of Swanston and Collins.
Read MoreEver since I was a young boy I’ve been known as Daniel James. In fact to this very day I go by the same name, like many others, it was decided that I shall have two first names. It’s a not so exclusive club however I am among the likes of Daniel Craig, Steve Martin, Cliff Richard and Alexander Bunyip. I don’t have a problem with having two first names or anyone that is in the same club, except for one person – Daniel James!
Read MoreIs class a major issue in Australia? Unlike the “mother country” (England not America) where class is irrevocably needled into your forehead at birth, where you are a marvel of society if you’re dad was a chimney sweep and you’ve dusted the soot to ascend class and become a quiz show master.
Read MoreWhen my doctor told me a few months ago that I had to make some drastic changes to my lifestyle otherwise I would be dead by the age of forty, I took this advice with a grain of salt sprinkled over the fish and chips I was eating at the time. I was told that my bad cholesterol level (LDL) was twice as high as it should be and that my good cholesterol (HDL) was through the floor. “Fuck that’s no good”, I thought to myself, a very Australian response you’ll understand.
I wondered why I had reached this point, “Why I have I reached this point?’ I wondered to myself.
I needed a stiff whiskey and a lay down, “I need a stiff whiskey and a lay down”, I said to myself and then I remembered what the doctor had told me ten minutes earlier. “Daniel, Daniel you need to change your ways otherwise you’ll be dead by the age of forty, this is serious Daniel forty Daniel forrtyyyy…I am your father Daniel”.
Hmmm, what else does one drink besides whiskey with a lager chaser? That was when it hit me, oh yes of course green tea, I had heard about the various health benefits of this mystical leaf and had liked it on the odd occasion I had been in the company of alternative people.
I decided to do some research, could this become a core element of the lifestyle change that my physician pleaded?
Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea, Camellia Senesis. It is even made from the same leaves as the black tea. The difference is that green tea does not go through a fermenting process. Instead the leaves are steamed after they are dried. Green tea has a grassy flavor.
This is the list of benefits of green tea which I’ve found during my research.
It is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
It is used for treatment and prevention of cancer.
It is used to stop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
It is used to raise the metabolism and increase fat oxidation.
It reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks by reducing the risk of trombosis.
It reduces the risk of esophageal cancer.
Drinking green tea inhibits the growth of certain cancer cells, reduces the level of cholesterol in blood, improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases
It is used to treat impaired immune function.
improves the condition of the intestines by blocking bad bacteria and increasing levels of good bacteria
Some researches show that, drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque.
Can assist in weight loss
Slows the ageing process
Helps to strengthen the immune system
Green tea is able to provide people with these benefits because it contains certain vitamins in which it is particularly rich in EGCG or epigallocatechil gallate. This is a powerful anti-oxidant that inhibits cancer cell growth and kills present cancer cells without harming the rest of the healthy tissues in the body.
I now see the world through a completely different lens and can now smugly categorise people into two categories, those who drink green tea and those who do not. Actually there’s a third category known as those who drink green tea and have an iPhone, but that’s such a specialised category that it’s not even worth mentioning.
