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Weekly feature
iPhone mums take the lead
by Drew Taylor
 With sexy, user-friendly devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Apple appears to be succeeding at creating 'human' technology that changes lives and connects them to others.
It should come as no surprise that women are one of the fastest growing consumer groups of Apple products.
Read more
From the vault
Popular
Tony Abbott and the price of virginity
Catherine Marshall 29-Jan-2010
 Tony Abbott and I have something in common: we've both been having the sex talk with our teenage daughters.
The bizarre glorification of virginity and the latent distaste of our
daughters' sexuality removes the very power with which we strive to arm
them.
Churches confused on Human Rights Act
Frank Brennan 28-Jan-2010
 Cardinal Pell thinks Church positions
on contested moral issues have a better chance of being reflected in law and policy if parliaments are not constrained by a
Human Rights Act. I would beg to differ. Gone are the days when church leaders can do deals with politicians behind closed doors.
Prince William vs the Republic of Australia
John Warhurst 25-Jan-2010
 William's visit laid bare
the weaknesses of members of the Royal Family as
candidates for our head of state. The package represented by William should be anathema to
modern Australia's constitutional future, whatever he might have
to offer as a person.
Empathy for the Haiti I know
Kent Rosenthal 18-Jan-2010
 In 2006 while living in Haiti I wrote about the plight
of human trafficking victims. But the same issue of justice doesn't
enter the picture when talking about an earthquake. What light could I shed on the enormity of suffering and destruction with my slight contribution?
Haiti faces the best and worst of Christianity
Beth Doherty 20-Jan-2010
 Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti's 'pact with the devil' are unhelpful, when deeply religious Haitians are themselves wondering about God's role in the earthquake. A more welcome image of Christianity is visible in the aid agencies that are assisting in the relief efforts.
Google in China should have known better
Thomas Bartlett 22-Jan-2010
 Did Google really think their entering China could exert a force for China's
'opening up'? If so, they have deceived
themselves.
First and foremost, Chinese government is about control, and the more it changes, the more it stays the same.
'Hysterical' Indian media speak the truth
Michael Mullins 25-Jan-2010
 Before Australia's racism can be dealt with, political leaders must follow General Peter Cosgrove in acknowledging its existence. Their reluctance to support his remarks could reflect
their fear of speaking hard truths in a year of multiple elections.
Martyrdom and other revolutionary miracles
Andrew Hamilton 04-Feb-2010
 Reports regarding Mary MacKillop's miracles have provoked the ire of those who see miracles as
evidence of the irrational character of
religious faith. Another angle on this debate may be found in an apparent oddity in the processes of saint making.
Australian Open's soul is in its tail
Michael Visontay 19-Jan-2010
 Everyone from Roger Federer to Kim Clijsters would know that when you're in the top 100, tennis is a mental contest. It's when you walk around the outside courts at the Australian Open that you discover the players who really set tennis apart from other sports.
China turns tables on Australia's Indian racism
Peter Hodge 27-Jan-2010
 When western campaigners used the Beijing Olympics to promote
the Tibet issue, the Chinese felt the attention was sensationalist and unfair. So it's no surprise the Chinese media took notice when violence against foreign students in Australia came to prominence.
Most Commented
Tony Abbott and the price of virginity
Catherine Marshall 29-Jan-2010
Tony Abbott and I have something in common: we've both been having the sex talk with our teenage daughters.
The bizarre glorification of virginity and the latent distaste of our
daughters' sexuality removes the very power with which we strive to arm
them.
Churches confused on Human Rights Act
Frank Brennan 28-Jan-2010
Cardinal Pell thinks Church positions
on contested moral issues have a better chance of being reflected in law and policy if parliaments are not constrained by a
Human Rights Act. I would beg to differ. Gone are the days when church leaders can do deals with politicians behind closed doors.
Prince William vs the Republic of Australia
John Warhurst 25-Jan-2010
William's visit laid bare
the weaknesses of members of the Royal Family as
candidates for our head of state. The package represented by William should be anathema to
modern Australia's constitutional future, whatever he might have
to offer as a person.
Abbott blinded by Howard's brutal immigration principle
Andrew Hamilton 25-Jan-2010
 Tony Abbott has declared John Howard's statement, 'We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come', to be 'self-evidently and robustly true'. The Australian people deserve a better basis for policy than an appeal to self-interest.
'Hysterical' Indian media speak the truth
Michael Mullins 25-Jan-2010
Before Australia's racism can be dealt with, political leaders must follow General Peter Cosgrove in acknowledging its existence. Their reluctance to support his remarks could reflect
their fear of speaking hard truths in a year of multiple elections.
Martyrdom and other revolutionary miracles
Andrew Hamilton 04-Feb-2010
Reports regarding Mary MacKillop's miracles have provoked the ire of those who see miracles as
evidence of the irrational character of
religious faith. Another angle on this debate may be found in an apparent oddity in the processes of saint making.
Rescuing altruism from the Barnaby rubble
Michael Mullins 08-Feb-2010
 That Senator Joyce's arguments for reducing foreign aid make little sense does not stop them from winning
popular support. Many voters decide on the basis of emotion rather than
rationality. And tapping voter greed is likely to be more successful
than appealing to altruism.
China turns tables on Australia's Indian racism
Peter Hodge 27-Jan-2010
When western campaigners used the Beijing Olympics to promote
the Tibet issue, the Chinese felt the attention was sensationalist and unfair. So it's no surprise the Chinese media took notice when violence against foreign students in Australia came to prominence.
Australians aspire to lift their climate game
Frank Brennan 25-Jan-2010
 For a while we were leading the world on climate change. But once Copenhagen collapsed Rudd assured us 'Australia will do no more and no less than the rest of
the world'. The lowest common denominator is not usually the solution to the great moral challenges.
Empathy for the Haiti I know
Kent Rosenthal 18-Jan-2010
In 2006 while living in Haiti I wrote about the plight
of human trafficking victims. But the same issue of justice doesn't
enter the picture when talking about an earthquake. What light could I shed on the enormity of suffering and destruction with my slight contribution?
Retrospective
Best of 2009: Rudd faces ugly story of abused innocence
John Honner 13-Jan-2010
 The Prime Minister offered his apology to those who spent their childhood in care, via a carefully crafted speech. He said it is an 'ugly story' that must be told without fear or favour. Some who worked in or were associated with these children's homes may not like this judgement. November 2009
Pope skips language of love in Anglicans manifesto
Charles Sherlock 20-Nov-2009
 Pope Benedict XVI's recent Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (‘Groups of Anglicans’) moves the pastoral openness of Vatican II
towards a ‘Rome is right’ mentality. This is disturbing and dangerous,
not only for Anglicans, but for Roman Catholics themselves.
Rudd faces ugly story of abused innocence
John Honner 17-Nov-2009
The Prime Minister offered his apology to those who spent their childhood in care, via a carefully crafted speech. He said it is an 'ugly story' that must be told without fear or favour. Some who worked in or were associated with these children's homes may not like this judgement.
Bud Tingwell and I
Andrew Hamilton 20-May-2009
 I only met Bud Tingwell once. Like so many others, I went away the
better for the brief encounter. But the meeting also led me to ask
questions about what matters, and how we should nurture it in
Australian society.
East Timor's digger friend
Paul Cleary 09-Mar-2009
 When East Timor was struggling to get a fair deal in negotiations over Timor Sea oil, Kenneally rallied his mates to fight. Appearing on national television, he told Prime Minister Howard: 'I'd rather you did not come to my ANZAC Day parade.'
Obama's challenge to the Church
Andrew Hamilton 26-Feb-2009
 The standard by which the most vocal Catholic Bishops judged Obama was his position on abortion, same sex marriages, and on the use of embryos for
research.
Obama has done the churches a favour by stealing their clothing.
Who cares about students
Fatima Measham 10-Feb-2009
 Many of the things that impact upon a teacher's efficacy are beyond their control - the quality of a child's homelife, the politicisation of the curriculum. One thing they can control is much they care, though this may bring new teachers little comfort in the months ahead.
Humanity endures in bushfire tragedy
Andrew Hamilton 09-Feb-2009
During the financial turmoil this summer, images of fire have abounded.
The economy is 'going into meltdown'. Shareholdings 'turn to
ashes'. This weekend's bushfires make us ask instinctively what really matters.
My friend Justice Kirby
Frank Brennan 03-Feb-2009
 Prior to convening his own farewell ceremony yesterday, Kirby published his last dissenting judgment, stating Aborigines
should have their day in court over the Intervention. Though respecting tradition, Kirby has long thrived on conflict and change.
Glamour returns to post-war Australia
Madeleine Hamilton 09-Jan-2009
 This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first showing of Christian Dior's New Look fashion designs in Sydney. After years of wartime material restraints the New Look offered Australian women a fresh way of expressing their individuality and sensuality through fashion. (March 2008)
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Today's lead
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
iPhone mums take the lead
Drew Taylor
With sexy, user-friendly devices such as the iPhone and iPad, Apple appears to be succeeding at creating 'human' technology that changes lives and connects them to others.
It should come as no surprise that women are one of the fastest growing consumer groups of Apple products.
1 comment(s) about this article.
Recent leads
ENVIRONMENT
Smart taxing solutions to global warming
Peter Hodge
 Between Rudd's ETS and Abbott's 'climate con job', Australians concerned about climate change have little to cheer about. A growing acceptance of the failings of our market based economy has put
wind in the sails of an idea becalmed for a decade.
2 comment(s) about this article.
POLITICS
Haiti needs to be free
Aurelien Mondon
 The Haitians need help, but are not a failed people. Two hundred years ago, Haiti became a beacon of light and freedom for
all oppressed people. Colonialism was defeated, and the myth of white supremacy dealt a mortal blow. For this, the little country would pay.
6 comment(s) about this article.
RELIGION
Martyrdom and other revolutionary miracles
Andrew Hamilton
Reports regarding Mary MacKillop's miracles have provoked the ire of those who see miracles as
evidence of the irrational character of
religious faith. Another angle on this debate may be found in an apparent oddity in the processes of saint making.
11 comment(s) about this article.
POLITICS
MySchool: helping rich schools get richer
Tony Kevin
 It is disingenuous for Labor education ministers' to say MySchool will create political pressure to boost 'under-performing' schools. Meanwhile parents, voting with their feet, may foster the very outcomes they fear: underprivileged, low-morale schools breeding a
generation of alienated, under-achieving kids.
7 comment(s) about this article.
ENVIRONMENT
Corruption fuels crisis in water-poor Yemen
James Dorsey
 Like much of the Gulf, Yemen faces a reduced water supply
compounded by climate change and poor management.
The crisis plays into the hands of the Al Qa'ida offshoot that claimed responsibility
for the failed Christmas Day bombing of a USA airliner.
POLITICS
Tony Abbott and the price of virginity
Catherine Marshall
Tony Abbott and I have something in common: we've both been having the sex talk with our teenage daughters.
The bizarre glorification of virginity and the latent distaste of our
daughters' sexuality removes the very power with which we strive to arm
them.
46 comment(s) about this article.
THE MEDDLING PRIEST
Churches confused on Human Rights Act
Frank Brennan
Cardinal Pell thinks Church positions
on contested moral issues have a better chance of being reflected in law and policy if parliaments are not constrained by a
Human Rights Act. I would beg to differ. Gone are the days when church leaders can do deals with politicians behind closed doors.
21 comment(s) about this article.
MEDIA
China turns tables on Australia's Indian racism
Peter Hodge
When western campaigners used the Beijing Olympics to promote
the Tibet issue, the Chinese felt the attention was sensationalist and unfair. So it's no surprise the Chinese media took notice when violence against foreign students in Australia came to prominence.
10 comment(s) about this article.
POLITICS
Prince William vs the Republic of Australia
John Warhurst
William's visit laid bare
the weaknesses of members of the Royal Family as
candidates for our head of state. The package represented by William should be anathema to
modern Australia's constitutional future, whatever he might have
to offer as a person.
18 comment(s) about this article.
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Today's extra
POETRY
One year after Kinglake burned
Susan Fealy
 Black stumps, capped with snow — no, capped with lime, beside the road, tree ferns, fanning their wing in the sun. A sign: children crossing. The road is so large. The CFA building, those three letters almost the three sides of a cross.
RECENT EXTRA
EDITORIAL
Rescuing altruism from the Barnaby rubble
Michael Mullins
That Senator Joyce's arguments for reducing foreign aid make little sense does not stop them from winning
popular support. Many voters decide on the basis of emotion rather than
rationality. And tapping voter greed is likely to be more successful
than appealing to altruism.
10 comment(s) about this article.
BOOKS
Debunking the myth of Jewish communism
Philip Mendes
 The myth of an international Jewish communist conspiracy has long been a central diet of anti-Semitic agendas. Dutch academic Andre Gerrits provides a dispassionate an balanced account of this contentious topic.
2 comment(s) about this article.
FILMS
Fatherhood after the apocalypse
Tim Kroenert
 The blurring of right and wrong in a world where civil
structures have disintegrated, is
seen in the Man's escalating wildness; his desperation to preserve the life of his son, and his conviction that
the end of survival justifies a growing list of dubious means.
5 comment(s) about this article.
EULOGY
The allure of J. D. Salinger and Shane Warne
Brian Doyle
Just as Brits were more absorbed by Byron's life than his work, and Australians were absorbed by Shane Warne's antics more than his artistry, J. D. Salinger grew more famous for retreating from public life, than for his masterpieces.
6 comment(s) about this article.
POETRY
City of steel and jaded bricks
Cassandra O'Loughlin
 the sweat-shiny, blackened men .. whose households were regulated by the whistle .. they woke or slept by. The BHP, like a bulker tethered .. amidst chimney stacks and luffing cranes .. to a bollard on the Hunter
2 comment(s) about this article.
EDITORIAL
Apple angels and MySchool demons
Michael Mullins
 Both the Apple iPad and the MySchool website will improve our lives if we overcome the urge to deify or demonise. The iPad is priced to appeal to the mass market rather than an elite, and it could hold the key to a manageable large-scale transition from printed books and newspapers.
2 comment(s) about this article.
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