Vol 18 No 3

04 February 2008

AUSTRALIA

The case for a people's choice Governor-General
- John Warhurst
- 15 February 2008
9 Comments
Kevin Rudd should move quickly to open up the appointment process by involving the public and the parliament, just as he is doing in the Australia 2020 exercise. There is a lot of talent to choose from, and it will enhance our democracy.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Green consumerism counterproductive
- Jen Vuk
- 15 February 2008
4 Comments
It's time to scrutinise the rapid rise of the 'shopping green' movement in the US and elsewhere, and assess the sum total of its effect on the environment. By buying bottled water, organic food, or sunscreen, consumers are arguably shutting the healthy individual in and the threatening world out.
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RELIGION

Stolen Generations apology 'about right'
- Frank Brennan
- 14 February 2008
17 Comments
Most indigenous Australians appreciated Labor's wide consultation. Some were angered by elements of Brendan Nelson's speech. But he did well do bring the Liberal and National Parties with him, ensuring they did not rain on the national parade as they had in 1988 and 1997.
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RELIGION

Apology a reminder that sin is social
- Andrew Hamilton
- 13 February 2008
15 Comments
Some Australians still believe it unreasonable for anybody to expect them to take responsibility for the wrongdoing of past generations. In the Christian tradition, the prophets did not simply sheet home blame to officials responsible, but imputed it to the whole people, who would also suffer the consequences.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

End of innings for Nine's weird world of cricket
- Brian Matthews
- 13 February 2008
1 Comment
This week we heard that the Ten Network has snared the rights to the forthcoming Indian Premier League series from Channel Nine. For three decades, broadcast cricket has been synonymous with Nine, which has delivered many advances including 'stump cam'.
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AUSTRALIA

Legal fusion the way forward
- Binoy Kampmark
- 12 February 2008
7 Comments
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams might have tread more carefully when he suggested Britons might learn to live with some form of Sharia law in their midst. He was simply reiterating the obvious: thatlegal systems and obligations often have mutually sustaining andre-enforcing values.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

The business of unbirth
- Peter Lach-Newinsky
- 12 February 2008
1 Comment
candles and candle holders for funeral ceremony.. hand bouquet for the deceased.. coffin storage fee at cemetery cool room.. technical cremation fee
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AUSTRALIA

Lent is about relationships
- Andrew Hamilton
- 11 February 2008
4 Comments
The February Fast is a new movement that contracts young people to swear off alcohol for a month. It's an initiative that makes drink a servant of sociability and not its master. It's a good form of abstinence. Lent goes even further.
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AUSTRALIA

Citizenship test is no joke
- Tony Smith
- 11 February 2008
3 Comments
The Minister for Immigration insists Labor will retain the citizenship test. Prime Minister Rudd jokes about the need to retain questions on mid-20th century cricket. The new government's credibility on issues of social inclusion is damaged.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Champion of slow but steady shift in gender relations
- Sophie Rudolph
- 08 February 2008
1 Comment
The new biography of former South Australian Governor Dame Roma Mitchell paints a picture of a tenacious, committed woman, supported by her strong Catholic faith, but willing to challenge and explore any doctrine that stifled people's (and particularly women's) right to make choices about their lives.
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AUSTRALIA

Hyundai man set to work magic on South Korea profile
- Bruno de Paiva
- 08 February 2008
1 Comment
South Korea's new Prime Minister Lee Myung-Bak is credited with turning a tiny fruitless company into the international household name Hyundai. Surrounded by headline-grabbing nations of Japan, China and North Korea, South Korea may be relatively unnoticed no longer.
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AUSTRALIA

Peace process perspective from Nahr el-Bared
- Kylie Baxter
- 07 February 2008
The view of the peace process in the West Bank is bleak, but the outlook from the refugee camps of Lebanon is even darker. Palestinians generally believe there is a deliberate Lebanese campaign to destroy the camp.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Sex workers' drama transcends soap opera frivolity
- Tim Kroenert
- 07 February 2008
4 Comments
Satisfaction takes place in a high-class city brothel, where demand is high and prices are higher. But it's more a matter of 'normalise' than 'glamorise'. The workers' everyday conflicts are exacerbated by the nature of their profession.
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RELIGION

Now is the moment for political leadership
- Frank Brennan
- 06 February 2008
8 Comments
Even senior traditional hard men of the Liberal Party like Bill Heffernan and Shane Stone have indicated that it is time to act. It is time for Brendan Nelson to draw the line so that we can move on, committed to reconciliation and improvement in Aboriginal health, education, and life expectancy.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Reconciliation accepts indigenous Australians are unique
- Patrick Dodson
- 06 February 2008
4 Comments
Many Australians want to go into the next century feeling we've done our bit to contribute to reconciliation. But there are some who would dash it to the ground, or turn it into something else. [Eureka Street December 1997]
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AUSTRALIA

The cultural heritage cost of Kakadu tourism
- Colin Long
- 05 February 2008
2 Comments
From Ubirr, the wetlands, verdant and abundant with birdlife, stretch to the fringing escarpment. In a place so full of the beauties of nature, one feels keenly the absence of its traditional owners. For Australian and overseas visitors to experience this view, they lost their land.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Crack troops of one mortgaged dream
- P. S. Cottier
- 05 February 2008
3 Comments
Seven kids and a parrot in a small terrace house.. One sudden day, they spread wings.. Better those times than the perfect couple's renovating din..
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Confessions of a rogue library book buyer
- Malcolm King
- 04 February 2008
11 Comments
In October 1998, the writer raided departmental library budgets in order to place in his university library, $27,000 worth of books he believed it should own. Before leaving his job, he inspected the books in the library and was convinced he had "done good by doing bad".
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AUSTRALIA

Young people hard-wired to please adults
- Michael Mullins
- 04 February 2008
4 Comments
Child protection is about entire adult communities connecting with young people to take on a nurturing role. In Native American communities, where every adult takes responsibility for every child, the guiding principle is that 'it takes a village to raise a child'.
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Vol 18 No 3