Media Watch

Recently, several amazing stories have aired on ABC Radio National. I thought I would send the links to the site so you could have a listen. As well, the last episode of "The Farmer Wants a Wife" is on tonight. This is the 3rd time round for this particular series ... lonely farmers from around Australia apply to the program to participate in a nationally aired meet/choose/decide on your life partner show. It has its cringe moments, but it's quite sweet. It's been fun for us to see another side of Australian life.

First...a great show aired today on ABC's All in the Mind, one of the sessions at Adelaide's Festival of Ideas. Called "Sex, Knowledge and Science", it explores how we do science. Does gender matter? Does it affect how we create scientific fact? Why are we called mammals? Give it a listen:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind
I am more than intrigued because I spent some time during my pre-master's courses trying to figure out the ideas of one particular professor, and I never could. I would not have managed an A in that course if I had sold my soul. So now I know why... he was promoting a philosophical scientific view that was misogynist at its core.

If you are interested in the importance of maintaining language and culture (remember German School?), you will be intrigued by the story of the Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges of modern South Australia. To transcent the horrors of the past, to teach new generations a history and lore and belief that transcends the white invasion, check out this show. Through song and story telling the Adnyamathanha are able to keep their songlines alive. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/awaye/


The Farmer Wants a Wife is a commercial mainstream television venture, if you can call a nationally aired dating show a mainstream event. We watch a few of these shows, to get the flavour of non-American television... early on I said to Tom that the last thing I wanted to do in Australia is watch American television. American in the U.S. category, that is, because everyone here refers to the U.S. as "America". It's almost a waste of breath to point out that Canada is also "American"... our kids have tried, at school, and they usually get blank looks. And many kids refer to Canada as "Canadia", as in Australia! So we do try to view a bit of Aussie television, and the Farmer series has been fun.


http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/thefarmerwantsawife/