Politicians lie. In other news, the sky is blue, and water is wet.
Lying in politics isn’t new, it’s expected. In fact, as Ralph Keyes wrote in The Post-Truth Era (2004), we live in a time where deception has become routine, not just among politicians but within the public itself. From Lenin’s infamous mantra, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth,” to Nixon’s refutation of Watergate, to Bill Clinton’s carefully crafted denial about his affair with Monica Lewinsky, the list goes on. Deception has always been a tool of power. It wins elections. It maintains control.

It’s hard to picture a world without the stunning landscapes of Antarctica and the Amazon rainforest. It’s even harder once you are aware of the many complex and vital roles these ecosystems play. They not only maintain the balance in the earth’s climate and systems, but also serve and protect human populations, even those who live thousands of kilometres away. In this essay, I will explore the vast quantity of reasons why both of these ecosystems are crucial to planet Earth and deliberate over the need of preserving both Antarctica and the Amazon.

It was 2008 when Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, issued an apology to the indigenous people of Australia for mistreatment towards them, particularly to the ‘Stolen Generation’. With deeply rooted racism in Australia, was an apology enough, or does the Australian government need to do more to compensate for the mistreatment of indigenous Australians?

Unpopular opinion—we don’t need to celebrate every milestone involving women as a ‘feminist achievement’. Especially when that “milestone” is a pop star and her fabulously rich companions riding a rocket for eleven minutes. Katy Perry’s much-hyped space excursion with her “girl gang”—featuring Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, and aerospace engineer-turned-entrepreneur Aisha Bowe—has been labelled by some as a landmark for women in space. But let’s call this what it really is: a commercial for space tourism, dressed up as ‘Girl Power’.

For many people, Disney Princess movies radiate with the essence of infancy, and make up a disturbingly solid part of everyone’s childhood memories. I’m sure we all, as eager, wide-eyed five-year-olds, sang along to Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, our young minds delighting at the pretty women in exquisite ball-gowns having dainty adventures, each one returning home to a handsome prince and eternal love. At their core, these movies were created to celebrate friendship, royalty, and womanhood; fantastical stories meant to empower the small girls watching them. However, as we grow too old for the confides of these magical realms, we start to wonder, do the Disney Princess movies we all know and love empower or objectify women?