Kaz Cooke

It's flap your caftan weather in Melbourne, that's for sure.

It was depraved, wasn't it, teaching white kids that Aboriginal kids must be taken from their families and trained as white people's 'servants'? You understand now: whereas people like Howard, Hanson and Abbott still defend the indefensible for reasons religiously stupid or stupidly religious.

They tried to make sure she became a 'domestic servant', the forced fate of so many other Aboriginal girls. Her achievements were all won as part of a lifelong, hard fight against ignorant policies, racism and heartless discrimination. An honourable woman.

Prof Alice moved to suggest the latest research might not prove humans descend from doe-eyed Neanderthal Fabio & Disney Cinderella-Torpedo-Bosoom. (And surely 'Credit: Chat GPT' should read 'Illustration blame: Chat GPT)

Mate, this sort of comment is useless. If I point out something is wrong, I don't need a bloke saying I shouldn't be surprised. As it happens, I don't sound surprised. Because I'm not surprised. The people who have nothing to add except 'it's not a surprise' are, unsurprisingly, exhausting.

And every one of the owners of the biggest platforms has allowed or ensured the severe enshittification of its service, & in many cases an increase in the abuse and disrespect of women & the endangerment of children. Boy billionaires, making the world worse for everyone else as fast as they can.

Black and white photo staged in a home. A man in a suit braces with an extended back leg against a woman standing straight in a long gown (neck to wrists, and ankles) and holding an open umbrella. The curved handle of the umbrella in the pic is marked A, the gentleman's hand at the top of the handle shaft under the canopy is B and the lady's hand in the centre of the handle shaft is C. There is an aspidistra and curtains in the background.

Please enjoy this instructional photo from Lulu Hurst, one of the Georgia Magnet stage performers, preventing a gentleman from being able to furl her open umbrella due to her ... mysterious electro-strength, late 1800s.

I hope the students are humble and not all, 'OUT of my way, sirrah, for I am a SOUTHERN BEEF & LAMB SCHOOL DELEGATE!'

Picture of Jane Goodall as an older woman with one of her quotes and the source: It actually doesn't take much to be considered a difficult woman. That's why there are so many of us. Jane Goodall @fema quotient

“It actually doesn't take much to be considered a difficult woman.

That's why there are so many of us.”

Jane Goodall #AusPol

ABC journalists are doing some proper hard yards already this year. (Doffs millinery.)

I'm so glad for you. x

Israel is responsible for two in three journalist killings across the globe in 2024 and 2025. The Israeli military has committed more targeted killings of journalists than any other government’s military since CPJ began documentation in 1992.

Read more in CPJ’s #2025KilledReport: cpj.org?p=553549

If only it were that simple. We need better training, more experienced specialists available to everyone, effective regulation & staff reports protected from retaliation. More women in medicine makes a diff, but I've had skilled & compassionate vs not-good-enough doctors, regardless of gender.

Endo is a mofo. Took about 6 ops, hefty medication and a commitment to never have another period again for me to get out the other side. So many women have been through so much. I'm grateful for all the good doctoring I've had - and still resent the bad and the cavalier, even decades ago.

Suffered inappropriate treatment for endometriosis? Here's what to do If allegations that a surgeon performed surgery for "severe" endometriosis on women with little or no sign of the disease have you questioning your own treatment, here is where you can voice your conc...

What to do if you've been operated on by Simon Gordon, thanks to the ABC. If you're concerned about endometriosis symptoms, diagnosis or treatment: I recommend reading the info on endometriosis by the jean hailes organisation. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

Hundreds join support group in wake of claims against gynaecologist More former patients of Melbourne gynaecologist Simon Gordon have come forward to express distress over their treatment with many joining a newly-formed private support group.

Love & strength to all women dealing with the aftermath of another possible medical scandal. We MUST end the 'surgeon is god' syndrome & build proper whistle-blowing pathways. The medical regulation system is a failure & it's women who bear almost all the consequences. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...

The obit on Margaret Tighe in The Age is revisionist history & fawning evangelism, not journalism. It uses phrases like 'unborn children' & 'pro-life', without acknowledging they're the dishonest propaganda slogans of zealots who want to force girls & women to give birth. A disservice to readers.

Thanks for noticing!

This reminds of the watershed moment after which I never again watched the ABC's Q and A program when author Kate Grenville, asked point-blank about Afghan politics said, unimprovably, something like, 'I don't know, why don't you ask the Afghan woman expert who's on the panel?'

I think you may be underestimating the floridity of the venality & that's a new sentence for me, Nici.

'Twas a long day but didn't expect to burst slightly into actual tears on seeing my doctor clinic's website announce matter-of-factly it has 'post exposure prophylaxis' treatment for HIV prevention. In the '80s pandemic this was what we dreamed of: new, simple, reliable treatments. A moment of joy.

News report confirming that Epstein paid for an 'osteopathy course' for Peter Mandelson's boyf, and also sent Mandelson $75k which the recipient says he entirely forgot about.

The entitled & smug Mandelson brain's version of 'not guilty' seems to be, 'Any fule no I'm FAR too haughty to be 'swayed' by a pedophile sending my boyf a mere $10,000!'. Possibly not the unassailable endorsement of his character that he thinks it is.

The Australian phrase for this is Der Fred policy-making. #obvs #nobrainer #goeswithoutsaying

A 'trad wife' movement icon (the mother of 8 at 'Ballerina Farm', named after her former career) has stopped selling any raw milk at all after regulators found e-coli (poo) in some. Marketing is now heavy on the - hey but we didn't sell THAT batch of milk. Marketing has ramped up accordingly.

For women, one of the very difficult things about the Epstein emails is having all our worst professional suspicions confirmed.

You wonder in darker moments if men say this kind of awful stuff about us (individually, and as a class) to each other, and here it is all confirmed in writing.

AI race runs into political risk Ambitions for Australia to be a regional hub for data centres are being tested by what’s needed to join the global boom.

Now is the time to start banging a pot about *no new data centre builds* without social license and environmental accountability

www.afr.com/politics/fed...

Oh dear, I have woken up without an erection approximately 23,000 times ...

South Carolina Superheroes: Septima Poinsette Clark Civil rights champion Septima Poinsette Clark was a real-life South Carolina Superhero. Read on to learn more about her amazing life.

For #BlackHistoryMonth today my focus is: Septima Poinsette Clark.
You might not know her name, but you’ve felt her impact if you’ve ever heard “education is power” and actually believed it.
scmuseum.org/learn/deeper...

Red-tailed black cockatoos.
Menindee, New South Wales.