opinion

Went to a most inspiring talk last night entitled "Holy War, Religion and Violence" given by Keith Ward at Gresham College. I hope to get a copy of the transcript to post here but I learnt a lot and had a lot of thoughts implanted in my head including : <br>The Byzantine Empire was a remnant of the Roman Empire (which I knew) but far from being the glorious, free civilised image it liked to portray, the empire was in fact a dictatorship and when the Turks (Muslims) attacked they were seen by ma...

The latest instalment of my series, featuring Folk Music from the 70's onwards can be found <a href="https://www.indieoma.com/public_journal.php?d=d395771085aab05244a4fb8fd91bf4ee" target="_blank">here</a> Enjoy!

Cycling is experiencing a worldwide renaissance and Melbourne is no exception with sales of bikes out stripping cars by a scale of six. Wether it be environmental, health or practical reasons, cyclists are rapidly becoming a consumer and user group large enough to start making some demands. So here's a short wish list to make any keen Melbourne cyclists life a little better, and frankly, in these days of environmental crisis, a little more valued in the part we play in doing the world a favour....

One bright sunny day I stepped out on to Sydney rd in Brunswick to be greeted by a surprising and pleasurable sight, no cars! It was Moreland Council's first [Cyclovia](www.cyclovia.org), with one of Melbourne's busiest, cramped and most hectic roads open only to bikes, pedestrians and public transport for several hours. The previous night I had cycled up Sydney road into the wild lands of Coburg experiencing a more typical journey including reckless drivers attempting to take my life, hollers, shouts, honks and...

I finally got my fist experience(s) of Australian festivals this summer, albeit a gentle one-day only festival introduction and I hate to say I wasn't greatly impressed. Whilst most of my festival encounters were a couple of years ago and who knows what might have changed since then I have been to festivals all over Europe so have a fair amount of experience in the matter, from a performer, staff and punter's perspective. My biggest problem with Australian festivals (and this based purely on...

A license is not required to ride a bike on Melbourne's (and most other cities in the world as far as I know) streets and sometimes knowing quite what you are allowed and not allowed to do or indeed what others should be doing around you is difficult to ascertain. The fact is that when you are on a bike you should be obeying the rules of the road, but a lot of rules and regulations are squarely aimed at car drivers and if you haven't taken a license test, how are you supposed to know what they...

Coffee is a very personal business. My own personal journey started fairly late in life, coffee culture in England (where I spent most of my adult life) being somewhat behind Australia's. Up until several years ago the main coffee I drank was some form of frothy monster from Starbucks, full of caramel, copious amounts of milk and very little coffee flavour. Then I spent some time in Italy and was introduced to a far more simple way of enjoying coffee, pure, plain and uncluttered. Just dark, ho...

That time of year is upon us, whether it be Christmas, 'The Holidays', Festivus, or whatever else you decide to call it. It's here, loud, everywhere and in your face. Over the past years and have liked this time of year less and less, with increasing passion, and sick of people calling me 'grumpy', 'a Grinch', 'Scrooge' and other sorted insults, it felt like time to explain my point of view and problems with this time of the year. ## What's it about? Is it about the birth of Christ? Supposed...

I am a thirty-something white, English speaking male working in tech. I feel like this simultaneously gives me every right and no right to discuss privilege.