vol 17 no 23

29 November 2007

AUSTRALIA

War on terror fosters US anti-immigrant hysteria
- David Rosen
- 13 December 2007
4 Comments
A recent series of raids by the US Department of Homeland Security signals a new era of anti-immigrant sentiment in the country. This is rationalised by a false association of undocumented immigrants with the 'war on terror'.
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RELIGION

The hard life of Christians in Bethlehem
- Abe Ata
- 13 December 2007
3 Comments
The situation of Christians in Bethlehem is difficult, and many are leaving. It is hard to shed tears for Jewish victims of the Holocaust while living under Israeli military occupation, and it is equally difficult being part of a Christian minority in a predominately Middle Eastern Muslim society.
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AUSTRALIA

Bare-chested footballer Cousins and well-dressed thief Pratt
- Braham Dabscheck
- 13 December 2007
3 Comments
It seems the AFL has a double standard when it comes to its treatment of players and club executives. While the AFL was announcing its charge against Ben Cousins, Carlton Football Club was saying the price-fixing conviction of its executive Richard Pratt was not a relevant concern.
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MEDIA

Al-Jazeera suffers both US and Arab hostility
- Michael Mehr
- 13 December 2007
3 Comments
At al-Jazeera's Doha newsroom, employees are reminded that the channel must show 'the opinion and the opposite opinion'. Arab governments are not amused, and many have closed its bases in their territories. Yet Foxtel and other major providers in Australia and the US still decline to carry al-Jazeera.
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AUSTRALIA

Quick shift required in foreign policy
- Tony Kevin
- 13 December 2007
8 Comments
Both the Bali Kyoto meeting and the Iran war risk scenario require immediate foreign policy attention. The new Rudd administration cannot afford to let itself be positioned in a similar public frame as its predecessor.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Good music becomes great business
- Tim Kroenert
- 13 December 2007
In the world of popular music, the transition from intimate theatre or festival gigs, to stadium rock shows, indicates the move from an authentic emphasis on great music, to 'music as spectacle', or pure commerce. It appears Missy Higgins has reached this point.
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AUSTRALIA

Short changing working mothers
- Jen Vuk
- 13 December 2007
1 Comment
The leaders' election promises of more child care and tax breaks for private school fees were simply icing on a non-existent cake. And while the baby bonus is undoubtedly a welcome addition to the family purse, it's just that — a bonus. A 'generous' package filled not only with promise but problems.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Young and full of juice
- Rochelle Siemienowicz
- 13 December 2007
The bright eyes of youth often see clearly the things that are wrong with society. 22-year-old Christopher McCandless donates his life savings to Oxfam and sets off on a two-year journey concluding in the isolated wilds of tooth-and-claw Alaska.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

'Best' essays merit book title's reckless superlative
- Alexandra Coghlan
- 13 December 2007
The recurrence of the ‘big' issues of politics, religion, and sexuality in Best Australian Essays 2007 is predictable enough. But the essays become more interesting when we see particular trends, such as surveillance and the individual's right to privacy, emerge in each.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Two people in a garage
- Debbie Lustig
- 13 December 2007
1 Comment
I nearly drowned in fulfilment, surfacing like a batfish gaping at scraps. No words only our breathing – two people in a garage. Workbenched, love-bolted.
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AUSTRALIA

The ears have it for Maxine
- Michael Mullins
- 13 December 2007
4 Comments
Maxine McKew knows that the best TV and radio interviewers are those with the greatest ability to listen to their guest. Listening was her winning strategy against the former prime minister in Bennelong.
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MARGARET DOOLEY AWARD

Meeting the moral cost of recreational travel
- Sophie Rudolph
- 13 December 2007
International travel requires ethical justification. This can be achieved through a traveller's deliberate attempt to enter into conversation with those whose land is visited.
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RELIGION

The 'me first' election
- Andrew Hamilton
- 13 December 2007
In the election campaign the peoples' choice and their sovereignty often seemed to be defined simply as an arbitrary power to choose, with self-interest the only motivation. In the first week of the campaign, tax cuts trumped tax cuts.
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ENVIRONMENT

Bangladesh climate under the weather
- Ben Fraser
- 13 December 2007
Bangladesh is perhaps the most disaster prone country on earth, with seasonal monsoons and cyclones among its most destructive phenomena. The cyclical nature of these disasters has led the Bangladesh government to pursue a more holistic approach to disaster management.
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vol 17 no 23