Profile: Andrea Popkes - Breast Success

Profile: Andrea Popkes - Breast Success
By Emma Plant

Andrea Popkes happy in Australia; a visit to celebrate her journey
There are a plethora of breast cancer foundations actively doing good for sufferers everywhere. Many of the initiatives raise awareness, provide funding, organise support and firmly seek to alleviate the symptoms breast cancer brings. Not only medical symptoms, but psychological, familial, emotional and practical.

All these foundations and organisations serve as integral puzzle pieces in the fight against breast cancer. However, as a consequence of frequent high exposure, as virtuous as intentions may be, desensitization occurs with the general public. It is almost as if marketing trumps compassion for instigating support.

That is until we are touched by an incident or case that is close to our hearts. The sheer proximity of having someone in your life affected invites all kinds of overwhelming emotions into your daily existence. The seriousness of this rampant cancer is widely understood. What isn’t comprehended, and often neglected, are the number of young people that are diagnosed.

Snapshot: Tazza Café, Brooklyn, NY

Snapshot: Tazza Café, Brooklyn, NY
Cory and Ahmed, Tazza Cafe, 311 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY
When seven of us bailed into Tazza on Henry Street Monday morning, the little cafe hardly knew what to do with itself. This is the sort of place where locals come in through a side door, where there are 'No Computers' (between 11am and 4pm, thank you) and 'Please limit your cell phone use' signs; where the emphasis is on fine food between two over friendly morning Seven Dwarfs revelry. Oops.

Sensing this mutual discomfort, I pulled out the "My sister worked here" card and hoped for the best. We were met with a pleasant response, a nice consolation given the overriding sense of affectation; is this a Brooklyn thing? A morning thing? Or are we Aussies a bit precious – love us and we, in turn, will love you; and if not, poo to you!

Nevertheless, our orders were filled and we were satiated in full with good coffee and wholesome fare. The menu is expansive, covering off breakfast and lunch (the pièce de résistance) options, including Steel Cut Oatmeal with brown sugar, almonds and raisins, $5.25, which I ordered, House Made Granola with Fresh Fruit, $4.75, and the Goat Cheese Salad with Apricot and Pecans ($8.95) my sister recommended.

The Satchelist: Emma, Sweden

The Satchelist: Emma, Sweden
Spotted near the Empire State Building, New York City - Monday December 5, 2011.

Girl With a Satchel

Satchelnomics: New York's Uneasy Dichotomy


A Christmas display at Macy's
Over dinner at John's Pizzeria (best in town, we were told, and they're not wrong), after coming in from the madness of Times Square, with Macy's illuminated window installations, a 50ft high Tommy Hilfiger advertisement staring down at us from above in a Michelangelo-like configuration mirroring the Sistine Chapel, and shoppers from South America, Italy and everywhere in between crowding the streets with locals until well after dark (nothing shuts here, ever; it's 24 hours of shop, shop, shop!), we got to talking about consumerism. 

Is it right to buy a counterfeit Rolex watch? Should you undermine big business – and therefore its employees – by lining the pockets of the poor streetside merchant? Or is big business to blame for letting quality, customer service and craftmanship slide to the point that we don't truly care where the stuff comes from, so long as it bears a brand name or functions just the same?

Pop Talk: Top of the lady pops (Swift to Gaga)

Pop Talk: Top of the lady pops (Swift to Gaga)

By Emma Plant
Cat-eyed heroine Taylor Swift is labeled ‘Woman of the Year’ by the American Billboard Charts. That’s a whole lot of woman for such a young songstress. Swift started off as a petite 16-year-old with a voice that soared in popularity upon the release of “Love Story”. More than five years on, she is still petite and her voice is more powerful than ever. Swift has grown up, at least gone through those hard existential crisis years, under the merciless eye of the media. Snaps to Taylor, she has done a dignified job.

A Very GWAS Christmas: Corny December

A Very GWAS Christmas: Corny December
By Emma Plant

A wee 20 sleeps and Yule time is upon us. As everything winds down for the year, or up, depending on your schedule, one thing remains constant every December. It is ‘December of Corny’. All things kitsch, cheesy and family-friendly reveal their breadth this time of the year. While the tinsel extends onto streets with a felicitous bling, cheese-eaters everywhere are catching Christmas fever. Christmas time serves as a platform to exhibit that inherent desire many have to play Captain Corny.

Just quietly, we say, 'Why not?'.

Holiday season looks different for everyone. For many, it looks like watching old movies and eating home baked goodies. For others, it is a time to embrace your loved ones (and your obligatory not-so-loved-ones too). Yet for most, it is a time to unleash, dare I say it, your ‘inner child’. Yes, embarrassingly passé, but that is the whole point! Embrace it. Be a Christmas dork. Act like a Holiday Hackney. Get your groove back like Stella. Keep your eyes open for playful merriment. Perhaps one cheesy thing a day this silly season is just what we need.

First silly thing we like: Petite Tiara's take on Magazines...

Short & Sweet: The American Itinerary

Let's catch up: It's been a whirlwind but fantastic few days of flying and driving and thriving en route to New York City with the crew from Planet Blue Tours (that's our fearless leader, Michael, to the left). Thanks to a "misplaced" (there's still hope!) bag, I have now worn the same outfit THREE days in a row, with makeup limited to one berry lipgloss (great for lips and cheeks!) – thank God I thought to pack underwear and socks in my carry-on, and thank God for the generosity of my room buddy Ruth who has provided me with makeup wipes and a tee to sleep in when we overnighted in Washington D.C.

At 10pm last night, I gave in and hit up Target to procure a frock to wear to church (I figured leggings – no pants! – wouldn't cut it) and one mascara. I located a purple number (how liturgical!) only to find my credit card declined at the checkout. How embarrassing. The bank followed through with a, 'We're sorry, we thought you were being defrauded' phone call, then I was lost trying to walk back to the hotel. BUT this allowed for exploration of all the festive lights. Americans really know how to do Christmas! Also, this morning I was witness to the Grammy award winning choir at the Brooklyn Tabernacle (a glimpse at heaven) and listened to a sermon by pastor Tim Dilena ("God sees, God knows, God rewards"), which was just what I needed to hear! I'm currently in a SoHo cafe called Ground Support with a bunch of New Yorkers on their laptops. Like this girl...
This week's agenda: After dinner in Chinatown tonight, tomorrow (Monday) we're exploring mid-town NYC and ice-skating at the Rockefeller Centre. I may also have to procure a new wardrobe for the trip. We're hoping to catch Wicked on Broadway, though I'm also keen to see the ballet and catch up with a dear friend. Tuesday, it's Manhattan again, returning to spend the night at our hotel in Brooklyn, then we're off to Niagra on Wednesday, L.A. on Thursday and Disneyland on Friday. Cut to Sunday and we're in L.A. for the day before dinner in the city and checking out for our return to Sydney, losing a day in the process (I will not be experiencing a Tuesday 13th December this year!).
The Word for the Week: "Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." (1 Samuel 14:6)
Quote of the Week: "The path to womanhood is strewn with enchantment, but it is also rife with thickets and thorns, and a Big Bad Culture that threatens to consume them even as they consume it." (Peggy Orenstein, author, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, The Australian Women's Weekly December edition.
Dictionary.com word for the week: serry \SER-ee\, verb: To crowd closely together.
"A crowd of health practitioners and students serry in a stream of vocal protest in Lower Manhattan with a common aim: to give a voice to the 99% who want quality healthcare for all, affordable education, jobs with dignity and security for the future. I was there and took the flyer."
Reading: The entire New York Times Sunday edition (including T The New York Times Style and The New York Times magazine, a glimpse of the sections (and my bagel) below!
Girl With a Satchel

Aesthete: New York Red

Aesthete: New York Red
From top to bottom: Taking my New York dressing cue from What I Wore's Jessica Quirk; Natalie Holbrook from Nat The Fat Rat; and Jamie Beck of From Me To You... I think I need to pack some red (lipstick, shoes, top... check!). Did I mention I was flying to New York? Yep, I am bound for Manhattan (via Washington and Philadelphia) with Planet Blue Tours. Yippee!

Girl With a Satchel

Guest Post: Pleasure and Pain in Paris

Guest Post: Pleasure and Pain in Paris
By Shannon Guy
In Paris, like most major cities around the world, there are homeless people. Homeless people sleeping in tattered, unwashed sleeping bags outside the bottom of buildings where apartments cost upwards of a million euros. The contrast between the differing experiences of the human condition is something that guide books never write about.

A recent weekend in Paris with a friend prompted plenty of discussion, extending into a broader discussion on the state of humanity. Superficiality. Violence. Greed. Poverty. What can we do to change things? How can we live with a clean conscience while others can't feed themselves, their families, protect them from war and violence?

I guess there is no easy answer to this. The solution probably starts with little acts of kindness. Checking in on a neighbour. Helping an elderly person cross the road safely or putting their groceries in the car. Talking to someone doing it tough on the street. Giving your time to someone, to listen to their problems, without judgement. Writing a letter to a prisoner. Smiling at a checkout assistant. Thanking someone.

Arts, Media & Culture Update - December 1

Arts, Media & Culture Update - December 1 
Authors Sloane Crossley and Joan Didion took to the stage at the New York Public Library to discuss mortality, iPads, "memoir", Hemingway, The Year of Magical Thinking, being side-swiped by tragedy while making a tuna fish sandwich, pathological bereavement, finding her writing rhythm and moral responsibility.

Meanwhile, Aussie author Geraldine Brooks (Year of Wonders, March, People of the Book and Caleb's Crossing) has given the Boyer lectures for ABC Radio, taking the theme of home, which you can listen to here.

Disgruntled former News of the World deputy features editor Paul McMullen has seemingly lost his moral compass. "Circulation defines the public interest," he told the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics. "You have to appeal to what the reader wants. I was simply serving their need." McMullen expressed regret over the suicide of Jennifer Elliott, the daughter of the late actor Denholm Elliott whom he had exposed in the paper as a prostitute living on the street. Charlotte Church, Sienna Miller and J.K Rowling have all given testimony at the inquiry this week.

Fairfax Women's Network will launch a new website next year to be edited by Sarah Oakes, current editor of Sunday Life, reports AdNews. Your Daily Life will will provide a daily mix of news, opinion, food, people, style, beauty, health and relationship content. Oakes was previously the editor of ACP magazine's Cleo and Pacific Magazine's Girlfriend.

"We’re really excited to have Sarah on board," said Fairfax Women’s Network General Manager Melina Cruickshank. "She has a ton of energy around this space and will help us create a new and innovative multi-platform voice. Your Daily Life will be the best online source of news and lifestyle content for Australian women."

Zooey Deschanel, who has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Winnie the Pooh track "So Long" along with collaborator M. Ward, and her The New Girl co-star Hannah Simone took to Hello Giggles this week to chat about their show.

Kanye West and Adele topped the list of Grammy nominations with winners to be announced February 12, 2012. Adele has been nominated for six awards including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars also scored six nominations, while Rihanna scored four nominations.

Following our men's mag report on Monday, Aldo shoes has launched Gentlemen's Boutique Mr. B's while another men's magazine, PORT, is into its fourth issue.

The Australian Financial Review will cut online subscriptions prices by 40% from next Monday, allowing print subscribers full access to online content for free. "Monday will see the beginning of a new era for the Financial Review," the Financial Review Group’s chief executive and publisher Brett Clegg said in a statement. "We were one of the early movers in pricing content online and after five years we have a better understanding of how to get it right." The AFR will launch a marketing campaign on December 12, after deploying its new print and online subscription pricing plans on Monday. Under the new terms, a print and online subscription will cost $780 per year (previously $1140) and online-only will be $680 (previously $1140).

The Zine Society will be showcasing its wares at the Finder's Keepers markets in Sydney this weekend.

Three former Smash Hits magazine staff launched a book this week. Pop Life! Inside Smash Hits Australia 1984-2007 co-written by David Nichols, Marc Andrews and Claire Isaac launched last night. According to Andrews, "It's not just the currazy history of the magazine and the poptastic celebrities who appeared on the front (and back!) cover, but the inside story on what went on behind the scenes, plus our own personal background stories. There's celebs galore, controversy a-plenty, appalling puns, the dreaded "dumper", Black Type, Bitz and even a bonus Kylie Minogue badge. Possibly."

Just in case you missed it, fans of Spicks and Specks' Myf Warhurst will be happy to know she will be appearing in her own nostalgic six-part TV series next year. We will get to join Myf on a journey of pop-cultural proportions as we seek to find the things that have shaped her into the woman she is today. “I’m digging out the bedazzler, putting on my oversized koala wool knit jumper, and travelling the country to rediscover some of my favourite things, and meet some of my teenage heroes along the way," says Myf. The show, called Myf Warhurt's Nice, takes no shame in the naff and follows this year's Judith Lucy's Spiritual Journey in Kate Duthie's commissioning of documentary-style funny-lady-goes-searching series.
 And Pip Lincolne takes us into The Design Files' pop-up Open House at JUSTB (my other blogging hangout).

Girl With a Satchel

Faith: Dominos founder Tom Monaghan is an amazing man

Faith: Dominos founder Tom Monaghan

At the top of his game, Tom Monaghan gave his money away to deal with his pride after reading C.S. Lewis' The Case for Christianity. Growing up poor, his inadequacies were fed by stuff – something I think many of us can relate to, but few of us would dare to take a vow of poverty. Isn't that the way? God will point to your biggest obstacle and say, "Enough of that if you want to be closer to me", before he allows you to fully enjoy your true calling. What does Christ require of his followers?

Satchelnomics: To the market we go!

Last weekend, on a whim, I packed my car with boxes of old books, magazines and assorted things and did the early-morning market crawl with my bleary-eyed husband in tow. “Why on earth would you want to do that? I can’t think of anything worse!” he said to me, to which I replied, “There are few things on earth I like doing more than this, you twit!”. Well, I didn’t say, “You twit!” but maybe on the inside I did.

As a child, my favourite game was “Shops”. This involved my arranging my teddy bears, dolls and dressing table ornaments on my bed and attaching paper price tags to them. My one customer, my sweet young sister, would then peruse my goods. After about five minutes, I generally got bored. I think it was the process of setting-up-shop that I enjoyed most rather than the “selling” stuff: the busy hands, the organising of things, the seeing of it all come together.