Girl With a Satchel: September 2011

Aesthete: Bright, sunshiny day

Aesthete: Bright, sunshiny day

Country Style, October 2011; turning hessian sacks into stylist homewares.

Stunning tree with yellow flowers (really? how observant!), Mount Tamborine.

A new book, out October, by Pip Lincolne. Hurrah! Whack it on the Christmas wish list!

Girl With a satchel

Satchelnomics: Enhanced customer experience of the essence

While the nation is aGASP over the customer relations practises of one Melbourne-based "playful couture" retailer, the incident couldn't have come at a worse time for bricks and mortar stores already ailing under pressures of pricing, a strong Aussie dollar (albeit now 98 cents to one US dollar), rising rents and a global shopping mentality, all eating into profit margins.

"We're not caught up in the discounting mindset." Jodie Adams, owner, Last Tango boutique.

In a climate where the customer is king, even the strongest brands are being forced to look at the way they do business. From the shop floor to the web interface; from the postbox to the inbox, in these super-competitive, social-media times, the whole brand experience must be up to scratch.

"No matter how strong the brand is, of a traditional retailer such as Woolworths or David Jones, there are larger forces at play that alter consumer perceptions and behavior and have an impact on the way that the business must operate to remain viable," says Dr Liz Ferrier, head of advertising at the University of Queensland School of Business.

While the cautionary tale of GASP will make many retailers recoil, as stories of bad in-store experiences are circulated via Facebook and Twitter, the incident also brings to the fore the idea that, especially for women, shopping is an emotional and relational experience. Give a woman a positive experience – whether online or off – and she is more likely to return, with her friends in tow.

"Women are always going to love shopping and the launch of Zara really proved that, given a good reason, we can absolutely still get excited about shopping and we will back it up by spending," says Justine Cullen, editor of SHOP Til You Drop.

"Retailers just need to offer experiences in-store that you can't get online – great service, knowledge, personal shopping and styling, for example. Discounting has lost its appeal for most savvy customers."

Media: Achievements, accolades, appointments (applause!)

Media: Achievements, accolades, appointments

Australian actress Maggie Dence has been awarded a 2011 Equity Lifetime Achievement Award. In a career spanning more than four decades, Dence has played TV characters Rose Sullivan (The Sullivans) and Mavis Bramston (The Mavis Brampton Show), as well as starring in some of our most successful TV series, including Prisoner, A Country Practice, All Saints, Neighbours, Flying Doctors and Blue Heelers, and the AFI Award-winning film Look Both Ways. She has also been a long-term supporter of the Actors Benevolent Fund, which raises money for performers who are unable to work due to injury, illness or disability. The Award, sponsored by FOXTEL, will be presented to Dence at a ceremony in Sydney next month.

Susan Muldowney has been appointed editor of architecture and design magazine Monument, published by Pacific Magazines. Prior to joining Monument, Muldowney held the position of editorial director within the Pacific+ Melbourne office. Her career in magazine publishing spans 15 years. "I’m excited to be working on a magazine that celebrates and supports some of Australia’s most creative minds," says Muldowney. "I have big shoes to fill and I look forward to taking Monument to new heights." Helen Morassut, Publisher, Monument said: "Susan brings a wealth of experience and passion to one of Australia’s leading magazines of architecture and design – and we’re delighted to have her on board at Monument." Monument has enjoyed much success, winning a gold FOLIO award earlier this year and celebrating 100 editions in print in 2010.

The Bill Bryson of economics writing, The Sydney Morning Herald's Ross Gittins has received a Doctor of Letters from Macquarie University. One of the country's most respected economics writers and authors, Gittins has been the paper's economics editor since 1978 and is also a columnist for The Age. "He is known for his ability to make dry, hard-to-understand economics and economic policy relevant to ordinary Australians," reported Nicky Phillips for SMH.

Michael Stutchbury, economics editor for The Australian, has been made editor-in-chief of The Australian Financial Review. "We are very pleased to have Michael joining us," said Brett Clegg, CEO and publisher of the Financial Review Group. "He has a unique combination of professional experience and intellectual gravitas making him the ideal candidate to assume one of the most important roles in Australian journalism. Michael and I share a vision and passion to revitalise the Financial Review Group offerings and to advance the participation and place of our quality journalism in the national discourse."

Stutchbury graduated with first class honours in economics from the University of Adelaide while completing a cadetship with The Advertiser, before moving into the public service, then working as a journalist at AFR for 16 years. He has also held the positions of Deputy Editor – Business, and Editor at The Australian (2001-2006). The AFR Magazine's annual Power Issue is out today.

Girl With a Satchel

Profile: Sonya Driver, creator, Eco Tan

Profile: Sonya Driver, creator, Eco Tan

After Sonya Driver's then 30-year-old sister was diagnosed with melanoma, she turned her energies to developing an organic self-tan; when her marriage collapsed, she hauled herself off to East Timor to wash women's hair. This is a woman who knows how to turn painful situations into positive outcomes.

"I wasn't eating or sleeping and lost all my life plan, so I started having anxiety attacks," says Driver of the time after her pilot husband called to say it was over. "I'd given up my job, as an international Qantas attendant, to look after my girls. I was a single mother living in a tiny house, broke. My self-esteem really suffered. I thought I was unlovable, unvaluable. You get divorced and a lot of nasty things get said and people talk about you. I thought I was dumb; a stupid person. Everything about me was wrong."

When the opportunity to join 12 male builders from her church who were travelling to East Timor came up, she was quite sure God had got the wrong girl, but was still willing to give it a go. "I was thinking, 'God, I don't do camping!', and God was going, 'I know!'."

Covers: Sandra Sully for The Women's Weekly

Covers: Sandra Sully for The Women's Weekly

After first flicking to newsreader Sandra Sully's story, which is tinged with sadness despite her great beauty, career success and now a sparkly new marriage, I turned back to the 'Dear Me...' page featuring fellow journalist Caroline Jones who advises her younger self:

"Don't do what anyone else wants just to be popular. It's right to say, 'No', in any situation where you feel unsafe or uncomfortable... Take care of your body [and] stop worrying that you are not beautiful. You are loveable and valuable. Believe in yourself... Remember that every choice you make affects the integrity of your soul."

Review: My Child, nice choice for new mums

Review: My Child, nice choice for new mums

My Child magazine editor Lise Taylor was 41 when she had her first baby. "I was a typical 'older' woman who was used to being in control of her life – and control flies out the window with kids!" she says. "I receive letters all the time from readers thanking me for helping them."

It's little wonder. My Child is a nurturing, caring companion magazine for expectant and new mums with no "Get Your Hot Body Back!" motives, nor motherhood-is-a-dream fantasies within: just informative, expert advice and women's stories that cut through the clutter of medical and scientific knowledge with old-fashioned common sense and real-life anecdotes. It paints motherhood as a challenging but delightful endeavour and ultimately has the best interests of mother and child (and dad) at heart.

The book is evenly paced with longer-form features interspersed with one-page news pages and product showcases (what would a commercially viable mum's magazine be without the latest and greatest in nappies, prams and other nifty childhood product innovations? Motherhood is an industry onto itself). Its colour palette is one of soft, muted tones (yellows, blues, greens, beige, orange, lilac) and a gentle tone permeates throughout the content.

Faith: Change comes (un)easily for some

Faith: Change comes (un)easily for some

"For most of us, knowledge is not the bridge to growth – pain is. No matter how much you love someone, don't try to rescue them from God's dealings. The worst thing you could have done for the Prodigal Son was go down to the pigsty, clean it up and make it comfortable for him. That's called 'enabling'. Let the refiner do His work! For much of his life Jacob didn't think he needed God. He'd probably have told you, 'I'm doing just fine, thank you!' But the time came when he had to go home, stand before his father and face the wrath of his brother Esau whom he'd wronged... Change usually comes when it hurts so much that you have to change, when you learn so much that you want to change, and when you receive so much that you welcome change."

- The Word for Today, September 28, 2011.
"So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 10:12

Bulletin Board: World Vision Christmas Promoters

Bulletin Board: World Vision Christmas Promoters

As the hustle and bustle of Christmas approaches, World Vision's promoters will be taking to shopping malls to remind us all that many children will be going without necessities, let alone gifts.

If you'd like to join the World Vision team this year in driving the Christmas Campaign, and you are available to work casual shifts, please see full details for Sydney, South East Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia at the World Vision website.

Girl With a Satchel

The Media Satchel - September 26

The 2012 desk diaries are starting to hit the newsagents, including Country Style magazine's 144-page hardcover and calendar.

A new television series, New Idea Test Kitchen, will air on 7TWO and Seven from November. Bringing the magazine's cookery and craft sections to life, the show – which will be on air for six weeks – will focus on Christmas and summer entertaining.

Pacific Magazines' The Outdoor Room with Jamie Durie has been closed despite healthy sales of 50,000+ owing to a conflict of interest between Jamie Durie and the Seven Network. The Spring issue will be the last. Commiserations to the team.

Grand Designs Australia Magazine will debut in April 2012. The quarterly Universal Magazines publication, spawned by the popular TV series of the same name, will cost $9.95 and target 35 to 50-year-old readers. Grand Designs Australia Live will be hosted at the Sydney Exhibition Centre from October 21 to 23.

If you've ever been the new kid, you know how rough those first days in an unfamiliar school can be. For the subjects of Brooke Hauser's The New Kids (Free Press), high school is even more of a challenge than usual.

This book follows a year in the life of students who attend International High School in Brooklyn, and all of them are recent immigrants learning their way in a new country. They deal with homework, hallway gossip and the mysterious tradition of Prom, but they also face bigger issues.

Yasmeen is an orphaned Yemeni girl who wants to go to college, but feels duty-bound to get married so she can care for her younger siblings. Mohamed is a diamond miner's son from Sierra Leone who may or may not be in the country illegally; Ngawang spent a full day zipped up in a suitcase to escape from Tibet. The fascinating journeys of these and other students Hauser follows come to life in this work of detailed immersion reporting.

Read an excerpt about Chit Su's first day, and you'll be hooked on The New Kids, a fascinating narrative about high school students trying to find their own American Dream.

See more I Heart Daily YA book recommendations here.

Melissa @ I Heart Daily

Girl Talk: The detestable self

Girl Talk: The detestable self

We are all familiar with the recommendation of wearing clean underpants just in case we get hit by a bus. But what if our very beings are soiled?

Have you ever said something out loud so utterly revolting that you have cringed at your own words? Or indulged in an interior monologue you are grateful no one else heard because it would have spoiled your reputation well and good. Or have you found yourself in a mood so abhorrent that it might be best to lock yourself in a room so as not to infect those around you?

I have experienced all of the above within a single week.

Last week, merry in the thought that I would soon be seeing my husband after a period of being apart, I sent a deplorable text message to a friend who had just lost her job. It was something along the lines of, "That's way harsh, but don't worry, God's got your back." Big thumbs down. As if, in the aftermath of losing your employment, you want to hear something as flip as that. Sensing my faux pas, a total lack of empathy, I immediately texted her back.

"I am so sorry - I didn't even think to ask how you are doing!". And then we had a dialogue.

Oftentimes, we react or act without checking in with our Better Selves, leaving our lesser selves – The Detestable Self – to run ruin over our relationships or daily social interactions. For those who try to abide in their conscience, according to whatever moral parameters you have chosen, this giving into The Detestable Self can lead to unnecessary feelings of guilt and shame, or, worse, strained friendships, frazzled family or strangers who hope not to see you again.

Covers: A Slow take on Grand Designs

Covers: A Slow take on Grand Designs

Urban artist Jane Hall for issue nine of Slow magazine ($8.90)

"Don't get me wrong," writes Slow magazine's Jeffrey Booth in the introduction to his irregular 'Not So Grand Designs' series, "I like the program, I think Kevin McCloud is a terrific presenter. But every time I watch an episode, I can't help thinking he's making the wrong series. With a few notable exceptions, every house he profiles is too big, too expensive and too hard on our dwindling resources."

Digital: Are scare tactics the answer for safer social media?

Digital: Are scare tactics the answer for safer social media?

"Knowledge is dropping from the tongue of the wise; but from the mouth of the foolish comes a stream of foolish words," says the Proverb. And yet, like moths to the flame, the siren call of blogs and MySpace (remember that?) and Facebook and Tumblr now, too, have tempted us into sending every thought into the digital ether that knows no bounds. Until now.

Older, wiser, but reeling from the repercussions, those of us who dared to air all and sundry (and stupidity) while other, wiser, souls sat back and watched the train careening off the track, can now tell the cautionary tale and help younger people to see the error in the compulsion to tattle (rattle and troll) on the internet.

Two new short films for teens address the social media minefield, with mixed results. Cyber Sin, which is being screened in schools, has attracted negative press for its shock tactics and the implication that a cyber-bullying victim commits suicide.

Girl Culture – Showing your face

Girl Culture - Showing your face
by Emma Plant

A makeup-free Gisele Bundchen

This month’s Cleo magazine has a very relevant little article about makeup addiction. You may know you are proven addict when you irreverently deny it out loud. Psychological Ink Blot tests reveal pictures of mascara, lip balm and blush. Semi-blind, uber-rouged grandmas advise you to lay off the blush, and your iphone screen is as moisturised as an oilrig. N’est-ce pas? Read on, cosmetic queens.

The article in September’s Cleo observes makeup addiction and the ill effect it can have on a women’s right to esteem. This is not new gospel to any western lady – has any woman ever fist-pumped the air in celebration of an addiction to anything? To the writer’s credit, the feature provides strategies for liberating yourself from this addiction; emancipating the necessity for value add-ons to our faces (add-ons we ultimately begin to think of as our "normal faces").

Faith: Growing in grace

Faith: Growing in grace

"We often think, as on our way we go,

That we are wasting time;

We see ourselves worthy of better things,

The hourly strive and the dull daily round

Seem commonplace and slow.

Book Shelf: The Briny Cafe by Susan Duncan

Book Shelf: The Briny Cafe by Susan Duncan

When young but burnt out financial journalist Kate Jackson buys a rundown shack in the idyllic Cook's Basin, the long-term "offshorers" speculate as to whether she'll survive. As it turns out, you shouldn't underestimate the capabilities of a girl reporter.

The first to Kate's doorstep is Ettie Brookbank, a long-term offshorer, divorcee and artist who is beginning to wonder if cheese, salami and wine are all there are to life. Both at a crossroads, the women find common ground as they unite to bring the ailing Briny Café back to life as its owner, the cantankerous but loving Bertie, faces the reality of his declining health.

Themes of community spirit and the sanctity of life, together with delicious descriptions of Ettie's signature dishes, blossoming romance, the beauty of the women's burgeoning business, the possibility of fresh new starts and the quest to rid Cook's Basin of a crook, make the book a pleasingly gratifying read, while Duncan's simple style makes the page turning all the more breezy.

Bulletin Board: Opportunity knocks (hello, come in!)

Bulletin Board: Opportunity knocks (hello, come in!)

Opportunity International's Food For Thought campaign encourages Australians to host a meal for friends and family during the month of October in support of microfinance. The money will help poor families in developing countries to set up their own businesses and thereby empower them, and their communities, to rise out of poverty.

"Opportunity International Australia does amazing and innovative work with incredibly vulnerable people," said recently appointed Opportunity International Australia ambassador and former NSW premier Kristina Keneally. "In particular, I’m proud to be associated and assist with an organisation that is making such a difference to women, who still make up a disproportionate share of the world’s extremely poor people."

Every so often, I get a rush of patriotism and feel the need to express this in a form of dress. This week I have felt patriotism for France (I am not loyal to my Aussie roots in this regard) along with a rush of state-based pride thanks to Darren Lockyer.

I have worn a nautical-chic look two days straight consisting of a swishy, navy-blue Country Road skirt I procured from my mother (via my sister) and a navy blue and white striped French Connection tee with a pair of Zara wedges I bought in Singapore (cross-continental dressing in this global age is all the rage).

Then I popped into my local RSPCA op-shop and found a brilliant navy tote bag featuring a floral print Jenny Kee would be proud to call her own on one side and a koala (I know!) on the other for $4. I also picked up some Review stilettos for $6 with little spots on them, the sort Coco Chanel might approve of, in keeping with the French patriotism theme (take a peek at Facebook if you care for a look).

Good for me, good for the local economy, good for creatures great and small.

Girl With a Satchel

Occupation: May Chi, child psychologist/creator Juky and Beatrix

Occupation: May Chi, Juky and Beatrix

"I secretly use my freaky psychology skills to hypnotize people and program them to spend money at my stall. Muahahaha. My evil plan is foolproof!"

So says May Chi, 23, child psychologist in training and owner of handmade stationery label Juky and Beatrix. I'm living proof her theory works. Since meeting the affable May, I've been smitten with the little, floral fabric covered notebook and illustrated bookmarks I procured at her market stall and took home in a small brown bag featuring a quirky illustration by May herself.

In 2009, May and her friend Rowan thought book binding might be a nice hobby to take up, and so Juky and Beatrix was born. Now Rowan has moved to Melbourne to pursue his career in photography, May is holding up the mantle, shifting her enchanting pop-up shop, which houses vintage-style journals and repurposed children's storybooks in little wooden shelves, between popular markets around Brisbane.

...with Julia Low

- Original Aussie content online? Oi oi oi. The Australian reports that the Convergence Review into the future communications landscape – including digital platforms YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, blogs and apps – should be subject to the same local content guidelines as traditional broadcast media, including film, television and radio. We need original Aussie voices and stories online, however, just because it's Aussie doesn't mean it's good, and good local content costs money to produce. We look forward to seeing how the review addresses economics and community standards in cyberspace. The review will release five discussion papers on Monday.

Aussie music festival Parklife has launched a brand new app that will help maximise your festival experience. The app features all the festival essentials such as artist info, set times, set time planner, stage locations, maps, and an augmented reality viewer to view chosen Parklife venues. You can also stay updated on set time changes and event updates by allowing automatic real-time notifications. The interactive Parklife app is available for free at the App Store and Android Market.

Christa Black is a violinist who toured with the Jonas Brothers and penned the awesome girl-anthem God Loves Ugly made popular by Jordin Sparks. But since I started following her on Twitter and reading her Tumblr religiously, I've discovered I love her for who she is more than her (enviable) job description. She has a book for girls due out next year, based on what she's shared on her blog – overcoming obstacles to get to where God wants you: forgiven, loving, thriving. Here she talks about leaving the past behind and bringing her book to life...

TGWAS: What was the key factor in deciding to turn your blog into a book?
Christa: The emails, Facebook and MySpace messages asking me for one! I had so many girls telling me they’d printed out my entire blog and how much of a drag it was to carry around. Hearing so many stories of healing, and weeping with so many stories of pain, made me realize… I’ve got to do this. And I’ve got to do it now. There’s too much brokenness in the hearts of everyday people not to. And if I can just help one, then everything I’ve been through has been worth it.

Covers: The New Yorker – style decision prison

Covers: The New Yorker – style decision prison

Suit and tie? Work shirt and King Gees? Hardly! From the moment a woman wakes up, she's faced with making choices; starting with her wardrobe. And it starts verrrrry early. No wonder so many of us have decision fatigue. But, there's hope! New Yorker illustrator Bruce Eric Kaplan's daughter is four. "This happens every day: my wife wants her to wear a dress, but she'll only wear the same two ugly sweats," he says.

Clearly, she's no Suri Cruise. Embrace the ugly sweats and let little girls play, I say. In fact, Michelle Obama says it too. She's supporting this year's Day of Play – an international event sponsored by kids' TV network Nickelodeon (part of its corporate responsibility efforts, the Day of Play is eight years running) that encourages kids and parents to be active, outdoors – to be held this Saturday.

For those concerned with their little girls' predilection for rampant materialism, at the expense of their state of play, outlook on life and overall wellbeing, I suggest a lovely educational film called Ruby Who, signing up to Compassion's Child Sponsorship program (kids get activity books through which they learn about the world and poverty) and reading 'Net Girls: Body image in the new media landscape'.

Girl With a Satchel

Faith: Working hard for the...gospel

Faith: Working hard for the...gospel

"The gospel motivates us to do work that matters; work that we can look on at the end of the day and say, “It was good.” This doesn’t just apply to the helping professions. All kinds of work “matters” - art, beautification, technological innovation, a good and fair deal, accurate books, roads, subways. . . In business we refer to “value-add.” Did we add value to something in our world today“[Work] is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God.”

- Katherine Leary Alsdorf, 'Crucible of Faith', Qideas

Essay: Creating successful little people

Essay: Creating successful little people

There is currently a lot of pressure on the education system in Queensland in particular with schools under instruction to lift the academic ante, chaplaincy in a state of contest and a new high-school grade structure to be fully implemented by 2015, which will see students finishing primary school in Grade Six and starting high school with Grade Seven, bringing them into alignment with other Australian states.

As someone who left primary school in Brisbane at the completion of Grade Seven, only to start high school in Sydney in the same grade resulting in some doubling up and some lapses in education (read: confusion!), it pleases me that there will soon be a national standard. But as someone whose parents divorced in Grade Nine, and whose grades dropped significantly at the same time, I worry about how kids are coping in schools, particularly those more vulnerable ones for whom home life is far from ideal, but who might rely on schooling as a place of refuge, structure and stability in addition to learning – all which can help a child develop into a functional adult.

"There is plenty of evidence that shows that students who are more socially and emotionally skilled do better academically and later fare better in careers and relationships," one private school counsellor tells me. "And in this world of ever shifting moral markers, it is becoming more and more imperative to give kids training in resilience, ethics, citizenship, and character. But I don't think it can be at the expense of the more traditional content. That begs the question, how do we fit it all in?"

Perspective: A (re)education for Great Britain?

Perspective: A (re)education for Great Britain?

Last week, I picked up a copy of Educating Rita, a text I studied in high school, after spotting it on the library's $1 book stack. The story is one of a working class, 26-year-old Liverpudlian hairdresser trying to better herself and her prospects by way of an education in English literature. [Her alcoholic tutor, Dr Frank Bryant, hides his bottles of liquor between his volumes of Milton, Wilde and Shakespeare.]

Rita is frustrated by her situation and the depressing state of life in Liverpool, telling Frank, "There's like this sort of disease, but no one mentions it; everyone behaves as though it's normal, y'know, inevitably that there's vandalism an' violence an' houses burnt out an' wrecked by the people they were built for. There's somethin' wrong. An' like the worst thing is that y'know the people who are supposed to like represent the people on our estate, y' know the Daily Mirror an' the Sun, an' ITV an' the Unions, what are they tellin' people to do? They just tell them to go out an' get more money, don't they? But they don't want more money."

It's timely to reflect on the play, particularly this week, as the UK Telegraph reports that UNICEF has found materialism has come to dominate family life in Britain to the detriment of children. While British parents work themselves silly, they are compensating for the long working hours spent away from their children by showering them with stuff, which is spoiling them rotten. The Telegraph reported:

Covers: Enhancing me (& the weight of expectation)

Covers: Enhancing me (& the weight of expectation)

Enhance magazine, spring 2011. And, yes, I know I sort of look like I'm sucking on a lemon. How apt!

In the six months since I was first contacted by Enhance magazine to take part in a cover story and shoot, I have bounded and leaped like Tigger towards the life that I knew all along God was leading me to, and for that I will be eternally grateful, though it does make reading about oneself (a narcissistic activity if ever there was one!), in a past tense sense, awkward.

In the book of Genesis, we learn about Lot's wife, who, when fleeing the sinful city of Sodom turned into a pillar of salt. Her grave mistake was looking back, perhaps pining for her past life (or just to have a geezer at what was happening), when God's angels strictly told her to not do that; that she would be delivered from a sure death under their care. The temptation was too great. She looked back. And died.

I, friends, am Lot's wife... only, clearly, not dead! (Thank you, Jesus!)

One of the greatest temptations as a Christian is to hold onto our past lives, particularly if they are quite lovely or, conversely, conveniently habitual, and fail to step into the full life that God is leading you into. While it is healthy to have a sense of where we have come from, and our past mistakes, if we are not pressing forward in some way, then we too are at risk of becoming paralysed by what has been left behind in our wake – mistakes, regrets, hurts, relationships, dreams, what-could-have-beens.

Media: Inquiry terms of reference (think of the children)

Media: Inquiry terms of reference (think of the children)

Source: The Editorialiste

The wide-ranging terms of reference for Australia's Independent Media Inquiry are out with a particular emphasis on the migration of print media to digital and online platforms, as apposed to the investigation into bias that the Greens have called for, to the chagrin of Senator Bob Brown, though provisions have been made for addressing issues of privacy and ownership in terms of codes of practise and the public interest.

This is great. In an era when mastheads are considered "brands" and not as distinctly "print" and "online", when multimedia producers with degrees in computer science and/or more expertise in coding and video editing than factual story telling are being employed in newsrooms, when traditional mastheads are attracting more online users than paying readers and subscribers, when SEO is an editorial imperative, when "copy and paste" dissemination is de rigeur, when social media can land you in hot water (or an extensive readership base), when everyone is a publisher, and – significantly – when young people have greater access to online for education, information and socialising, the time has never been more ripe to consider the implications for digital news production within the media industry as it stands.

Snapshot: Tana Cafe, Hawthorn, Melbourne

Snapshot: Tana Cafe, Hawthorn, Melbourne

Sachi and Aaron, Tana Cafe, Hawthorn, Melbourne

Open just ten weeks, Tana Café is as humble and beautiful as co-proprietors Sachi and Yoshi Tanaka. A welcoming, warm little nook on Church Street, Hawthorn, the new business was born out of a love for the fusion of Japanese and Western food. It's a happy cohesion reflective of the couple's own union. Both natives of Osaka, Japan, it was in Australia that the couple met, though they arrived four years apart.

"It is a very big, busy city," says Sachi of Osaka. "Maybe if we stayed in Japan, we never would have met?" The couple married in 2005, with Yoshi working at the popular Yu-U Japanese restaurant on Flinder's Lane before they decided to open their own cafe. "I really wanted to support him and his dream to have his own shop," says Sachi. "He's worked very hard."

Pia Miranda and Miranda Otto at Vogue Fashion's Night Out

"The one thing I took away from Vogue magazine’s mega shopping initiative, Fashion's Night Out, (VFNO) is this: give the GP [general public] a great retail “experience” and they will come. In droves." So wrote fashion journalist Melissa Hoyer for Mediaweek in the aftermath of the global glossy brand's annual shopping event, which united 600 retailers for one night only with the premise of encouraging people to spend.

A sparkly glimmer of hope in the ongoing narrative of the Australian retail sector's woes, FNO is the sort of win-win(-win) initiative that capitalism is made of: while the Vogue brand benefits from its ostensibly benevolent endeavour to prop up the business of fashion retailers (and advertisers), the stores themselves benefit from the increased traffic and potential ongoing patronage, while shoppers walk away with bags stuffed with gift-with-attendance (GWA) goodies feeling chuffed over the whole experience.

Reminiscent of the bygone days when shopping was a real experience – when mothers, grandmothers and girlfriends accompanied us to the stores in pursuit of necessities such as new pantyhose and an outfit to wear on a special occasion, such as going to the ballet (a quaint notion in today's world of fast-fast-gimme-more fashion) – FNO, established in New York in 2009, is the new jewel in Vogue's fashion crown.

While there is evidence that retail is still teetering on precarious high heels, such as Deloitte Access Economics' forecasting a "bad to worse" scenario, today's Westpac/Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment data will give retailers (and their glossy friends) some welcome relief.

SBS Feast magazine.

Walking along Chapel Street, Melbourne, on Saturday before partaking in Yum Cha and tea at The Oriental Tea House with cherished friends (which I highly recommend!), I spotted SBS Feast magazine on prominent display in a newsagent window and thought, "I wonder if it sells more copies in this foodie precinct than elsewhere?"

The second issue of the Pacific Magazines produced title gives us charismatic chef Guy Rossi who talks up Italian cuisine, family eatery Island Dreams Cafe and a trip to New Delhi. We also learn about Serbian Slava, the Orthodox Christian tradition which celebrates Jesus Christ and the baptism of family ancestors with traditional dishes and pastimes: “Slava defines our identity. It’s my heritage that was passed onto me and that I am passing onto my children,” Milica Radan tells the magazine.

Girl With a Satchel

Film School: Senna, cinematic tour de force

Film School: Senna, cinematic tour de force

"He thinks he can't kill himself, because he believes in God," sneers Frenchman Alain Prost when asked about his one-time arch-rival Ayrton Senna in a television interview cut into the glorious cinematic odyssey that is Senna.

Adored by women, celebrated by his countrymen, hailed as a sporting hero and "other-worldly superstar", three-time Formula One World Champion Senna died at age 34 doing what he loved, but he was keenly aware of his own mortality. "Just because I believe in God does not mean I’m immortal. I know I can get hurt," he said.

He truly believed that God empowered him to race, and through the documentary we see how this is possible: winning the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix with a car stuck in sixth gear? "Somehow I got closer to God and this was very important to me. I visualized and saw God who is a part of me," he said after winning one race.

But he also feared himself. "Suddenly, it frightened me," he said after qualifying in pole position for the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix and going on to crash in the final as he pushed the limits to better Prost in pursuit, "because I realised I was well beyond my conscious understanding. I drove back slowly to the pits and did not go out anymore that day."

Senna was a man of many admirable virtues. Beyond his technical skill, we find a humble, highly intelligent, introspective and eloquently spoken gentleman with a deep sense of justice. While he longs to experience the "purity" of racing, he finds himself immersed in a world that is highly political; he detests the corruption and self-interest that pervade the sport at its highest level.

Covers: Three reflections on September 11, 2001

Covers: Three reflections on September 11, 2001

TIME

New York magazine

The New Republic

Girl With a Satchel

Bulletin Board: World Vision Girls Night Out

Bulletin Board: World Vision Girls Night Out

Today the Satchel and I will be flying to Melbourne ("Pack the woollies!", I'm told) to take part in World Vision's Girls Night Out event along with violinist/pianist/singer Vita Adam and 200-500 other ladies with a passion for making the world a better place

If you live somewhere near St Hilary's Anglican Church, Kew, perhaps you should book a ticket and drop in?

Girl With a Satchel

Music: Worth your iTunes

Music: Worth your iTunes

By Emma Plant

Just a few little ditties to add some much needed good noise to your weekend...

Last week Florence and the Machine released the new single "What the Water Gave Me". Of course, you will already know of Florence and her beautiful machine. Enchanting, atmospheric music that coaxes your ear drums, the copper-haired lass can do no wrong and this song is ye evidence.

Essay: Work and iBeing

Essay: Work and iBeing

What a profound image we were confronted with recently: Steve Jobs, the instigator of Apple's millennial success, diminished in form and ill of health. The sight of this seemingly indestructible King of Technology forced into physical submission by the pancreatic cancer that has plagued his body represents not only a life story but one of the great paradoxes of our time.

Thanks to Jobs, Apple and its iProducts, we are more connected than ever, in a state of constant hyper-activity, reachability and productivity. But the health implications may yet prove to be akin to the once medically acceptable practise of smoking; not only in a cancer-causing sense, but for our overall wellbeing. With its capitalist overlord at the wheel, technology has given rise to lifestyles that we were simply not built to live, and in the frenzy, we are losing a sense of the purpose and value of work and human-being.

Anecdote: The book in the Apple store

Anecdote: The book in the Apple store

"I had to go to the Apple store a few weeks ago while my husband's daughter was staying with us. Because she's a reader, like us, she had a book with her and while we were being all techy, doing this, that and the other, she stood there next to us, quietly reading her book. I loved it. She was standing in the home of the iPad, seller of iBooks, reading a traditional paper book. So rebellious in such a quiet, unintentional way. I was probably the only one that noticed the dichotomy, but it made me giggle."

- Chelsea Hunter, editor, WellBeing magazine ($12; Universal Magazines), in response to 'Work and iBeing' on International National Literacy Day.

On that note, literacy advocate Bronwyn Sheehan of The Pyjama Foundation told U on Sunday magazine: "Immerse your children in books. Surround them with books. Have them everywhere: car, bed, bath, toy room, in your nappy bag. (Never leave home without one). And dare I say it, in the toilet. The kids will soon start reading just by the volume of books around them...Join your local library and let the children have their own library cards. (This is very empowering for them). Take the family to the library once a week. They even have free kids' story time and activities, my kids always loved this."

This week, the Brisbane Writer's Festival is also in full swing.

Profile: Hazel Phillips, editor, Idealog

Profile: Hazel Phillips, editor, Idealog

Hazel Phillips

"I'm on a personal mission to save both the subjunctive and the adverb from a grisly death," says Hazel Phillips, editor of Idealog magazine and subbing sleuth. "The Oxford comma also needs a bit more love these days."

With a BA(Hons) in foreign languages, a post-graduate diploma in teaching and a PGDipArts in media studies in progress, New Zealand born Phillips' diverse career has included working in newspapers (Fairfax), New Idea NZ as associate editor, subbing on Australian titles NW and CLEO and freelancing for titles including Lucky Break, New Zealand's answer to Take 5.

"One of my favourite places to freelance was Lucky Break, not only because the people who work on it are awesome but also because the reader feedback is screamingly fantastic," she says.

Phillips' real career coup came when she returned to New Zealand after a stint working in Australia and took over writing a long-standing column called 'Ad Hoc' for the National Business Review covering the advertising and media industry winding up in June.

Perspective: Oh, happy day (here she goes again!)

Perspective: Oh, happy day (here she goes again!)

I was just going to post this in the comments section, in response to "I'm a Christian, get me outta here" but I rambled on for tooooooo long. For those interested, here goes...

Thank you for your comments with their varied mix of encouragement, enlightenment and criticism. All welcome, of course, and grit for the mind.

Bulletin Board: Piper, the end of polio and a world of possibility

Bulletin Board: Piper, the end of polio and possibility

We might be faced with a world of problems but within each there is endless possibility – isn't that a wonderful thought? This video comes care of the delightful Rachel Hills who is working with her fiance on promoting The End of Polio campaign, which is focused on building public support for polio eradication and part of the Global Poverty Project in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation, Rotary International and UNICEF.

Media & Faith: A Bible guide for journalists

Media & Faith: A Bible guide for journalists

The ABC has announced that Radio National will next year reinstate its religion and media programs, which will be essential listening around these parts, in addition to programs around food, pop culture and music (of interest to us, too) and an amalgamated arts and books show (we will never have reason to tune out), all part of the broadcaster's bid to attract younger listeners.

A draft schedule for 2012 "proposes moving specialist programs such as the health, law, media, religion and ethics reports from 8.30am to 5.30pm after the abbreviated 5 o'clock PM broadcast and before a 6-8pm drive show," reports The Australian.

"RN should never chase a mass market audience," Radio National manager Mr Mason said in a note to staff. "We should remain true to our principles of being a major leader in Australian thinking, ideas and debate, playing an important role in the advancement of a civil, contemporary Australian society."

Covers: Spoonful Issue #5

Covers: Spoonful Issue #5

"The issue aims to give you the courage you need to make the big decisions and the tools required to enrich your life and see it as the gorgeous thing that it is," says Spoonful zine editor Anthea Krook of issue numero five. "There's a gorgeous piece by a lady in Scotland called Christine Laennec that will bring beautiful happy tears to your eyes. Along with the writing, we have a forest of artists fill our 'Object of Affection' section with Oak trees, a gorgeous craft tutorial by Emma Lamb and a sumptuous quote illustration by Alyssa Nassner!" And then there's the sparkly-arkly shoes on the cover. Delightful.

Girl With a Satchel

Faith: I'm a Christian, get me outta here!

Faith: I'm a Christian, get me outta here!

The other night, I sat on my bed and sobbed to my husband, "I can't function in the world anymore!". We had just watched some awful action movie (I didn't make it to the end) and I felt a stirring within that wanted to scream, "Enough! I can't stand this – it's all so.... WORLDLY. We should be reading our Bibles. Or saving starving children! Why, why, why can't everything just be nice and Christian?!"

There's something very odd that happens when you sign on the dotted line that says, "I am now a follower of Jesus Christ." You become hyper-sensitive to anything around you that offends your new-found sensibility. You can't even watch a movie without getting all squeamish and breaking down in tears and resolving to become a missionary in some far-off field (there's a very funny song with seeds of truth about that called, "Please Don't Send Me to Africa").

Aesthete: Singing for your spring

Aesthete: Singing for your spring

Above: The September edition of Country Style, which features a story on two women who moved to a Victorian country town only to discover a mutual love of flowers; a page selected from Design*Sponge at Home (look out for your prize, lucky competition winner); and a postbox amongst the daisies spotted on a meandering walk in the fresh air.

Girl With a Satchel

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