Best Of 2012

07 January 2013

AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: My brush with Israeli militarism
- Lyn Bender
- 11 January 2013
5 Comments
Aged 18, during a period of great personal confusion, I considered volunteering for the Israeli Army. I had been indoctrinated within a community of holocaust survivors who had latched onto militant Zionism as a means to reclaim Jewish pride and safety. In the early adulthood when the brain is not fully matured, youth is particularly vulnerable to being captivated by idealism. Monday 10 December
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AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: If Clive Palmer was a High Court judge
- Patrick McCabe
- 11 January 2013
2 Comments
Imagine Attorney-General Nicola Roxon appoints Palmer as the newest High Court judge. Justice Palmer sets about rewriting the law in radical ways, freeing mining companies from regulation and approving disbanding the Australian Greens. Surely such an appointment could be challenged? Actually, no. Monday 21 May
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AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: Fear the politicians of the future
- Ellena Savage
- 11 January 2013
1 Comment
If my short tenure in university politics gave me anything, it is an appreciation for non-politicians. Not only did Barbara Ramjan's allegations against Tony Abbott not surprise me, the honest brutality of the act sounds preferable to the slow, steady harassment that sustains student politicians these days. Friday 28 September
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MARGARET DOOLEY AWARD

Best of 2012: Catholic and Aboriginal 'listening revolutions'
- Evan Ellis
- 10 January 2013
4 Comments
St Benedict of Nursia knew about living in a dying world. He was born 25 years after the Vandals sacked Rome and died months after the Ostrogoths had their turn. He watched as old certainties went up in flame. As existing institutions were hollowed out or winnowed completely, Benedict started a revolution. Wednesday 12 September
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RELIGION

Best of 2012: Who is the loudest and ugliest religious donkey?
- Irfan Yusuf
- 10 January 2013
2 Comments
Donkeys are gorgeous but make an ugly sound. Sadly, religious discussion in Australia too often sounds like donkeys competing to see whose braying is the loudest and ugliest. Recently Christian lobbyists spread misinformed messages about sexual orientation. Loud braying was heard on Saturday too when a group of louts hijacked what should have been a peaceful Muslim protest. Tuesday 18 September
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AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: Women chained to the human dairy farm
- Catherine Marshall
- 10 January 2013
Women have fought the long, hard fight, marching into battle with a baby tugging on one heel and a man hanging off the other. And while the man has largely loosened his grip, the baby never will. Many women are still forced to submit, if not to patriarchy then certainly to maternal instinct. Thursday 8 March
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CARTOON

Best of 2012: The not so good Samaritans
- Fiona Katauskas
- 09 January 2013
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ECONOMICS

Best of 2012: The upside down world of global capital
- David James
- 09 January 2013
1 Comment
Money is not like water, that 'flows' around the world, reaching 'equilibrium', or experiencing 'volatility'. It is transactions between people, based on trust. It enables the cooperation that forms the basis of social life. Human beings should be at the centre. Yet that is the opposite of what is happening. Monday 27 August
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Best of 2012: The beauty that was Peter Steele's mind
- Morag Fraser
- 09 January 2013
Peter Steele SJ – priest, poet, teacher, essayist, homilist, and friend – died on Wednesday 27 June 2012. During Eureka Street’s first months, in 1991, he gave its editor some riding instructions. Media magnate was not his style. ‘Publish the very best writing you can lay your hands on’, he said. That was it. But it was more than enough. Friday 29 June
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Best of 2012: Greek peasant's faithful fatalism
- Gillian Bouras
- 09 January 2013
4 Comments
Maria was born into poverty and did not have much luck in escaping it. Yet she was an unchallenged believer, who would say regularly, Oti thelei o Theos: Whatever God wants. This, while I would huff and puff and mutter that God helps those who help themselves. But part of me envied Maria her certainties. Wednesday 28 March
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AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: No lowly scapegoats in 'necessary' Royal Commission
- Moira Rayner
- 08 January 2013
14 Comments
One of the informing moments of my career as a lawyer came from the survivors of a family who disclosed that an authoritarian father had beaten and raped every one of his children — under the very eye of their mother. The Royal Commission isn't about punishing predators. It must find a way to institutionalise the right of every child to be heard. Tuesday 13 November
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AUSTRALIA

Best of 2012: Thoughts on democracy from a martial law baby
- Fatima Measham
- 08 January 2013
Today marks 40 years since martial law took effect in the Philippines. I was born during this time, part of a generation who grew up not knowing any other president. Given the numerous regressions that have occurred since, it is not surprising many Filipinos look back on the Marcos era with nostalgia. Friday 21 September
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EDUCATION

Best of 2012: Skating solutions to boys' education
- Tony Thompson
- 08 January 2013
4 Comments
My son goes to a friendly primary school and is making progress. But his handwriting is poor, he hates sitting for long periods, and doesn't understand why the girls are 'better at everything'. He likes sport and art, which involve 'doing stuff'. Schools have been battling with adolescent boys for centuries. Maybe it's time to give some ground. Monday 24 September
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EDUCATION

Best of 2012: Gonski's reductionist view of education
- Chris Middleton
- 07 January 2013
2 Comments
The report's argument that a base level of funding be established might lead to a lowest common denominator approach to determining what is an 'efficient' education, in both the state and private systems. Creativity, diversity and experimentation may be hindered in such a regime. Friday 24 February
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Best of 2012: The many sins of Brian Doyle
- Brian Doyle
- 07 January 2013
1 Comment
I missed my cousin's funeral because I had weekend plans with a girlfriend that I was not man enough to break; and this beloved cousin was a nun. Wednesday 16 May
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RELIGION

Best of 2012: Feminists and gay Christians who accept the Church
- Kristina Keneally
- 07 January 2013
35 Comments
Recently Catherine Deveny tweeted that my claim to be a Catholic and a feminist showed I was 'suffering serious cognitive dissonance'. Many gay Christians are confronted by a similar lack of understanding from non-believers who can't understand why they would embrace a Church that rejects them. Friday 8 June
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Best Of 2012