Vol 21 No 10

23 May 2011

AUSTRALIA

Why Mabo deserves a holiday
- Paul W. Newbury
- 03 June 2011
12 Comments
The anniversary of the Mabo decision is significant enough to be made a public holiday. If it replaced the Queen's Birthday, this would reflect our maturation as a nation, as we grow away from Britain, and grow up by owning the past and our mistreatment of Indigenous Australians.
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EUREKA STREET TV

Islam without billboards
- Peter Kirkwood
- 03 June 2011
10 Comments
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EUREKA STREET TV

Islam without billboards
- Peter Kirkwood
- 03 June 2011
This week a series of billboards proclaiming 'Jesus: a prophet of Islam' and other pro-Muslim slogans have stirred controversy in Sydney. Andrew Harvey, a devotee of the mystical strand of Islam, the Sufi tradition, has a much subtler message about the basics of Islam.
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RELIGION

Clergy sex abuse blame game
- Andrew Hamilton
- 02 June 2011
21 Comments
The media said the US Catholic Bishops' John Jay report blamed the 1960s sexual revolution for church sex abuse. More significantly, it implied that the roots of the sexual abuse crisis instead lie in the shallow Catholic culture of earlier decades.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Chris Lilley's juvenile justice role model
- Tim Kroenert
- 02 June 2011
7 Comments
'Gran' from ABC1's Angry Boys is irreverent enough to be her charges' friend, authoritative enough to demand respect, compassionate enough to earn real affection. Australian comedian Chris Lilley differs from other satirists such as The Chaser. Their humour is often nasty. His is marked by warmth.
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AUSTRALIA

How Islamic law can protect Australian cows
- Fatima Measham
- 02 June 2011
11 Comments
On Monday evening, Four Corners viewers reeled at images of Australian cattle being slaughtered in Indonesia. Since Indonesians are predominantly Muslim, perhaps an appeal to change their inhumane practices can begin with an appeal to the concept of halal: that which is permissible under Islamic law.
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RELIGION

Indonesian and Australian justice
- Frank Brennan
- 01 June 2011
5 Comments
At a gallery opening in Bali, the Australia-Indonesia relationship was compared to a rope with many strands, with art and culture the most resilient. In the audience were Australian lawyers who have supported members of the Bali Nine, and lawyers acting for Indonesian minors still held in long term detention in Australia without charge.
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CARTOON

Coalition circus
- Fiona Katauskas
- 01 June 2011
1 Comment
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Coastal communion
- Gregory Day
- 01 June 2011
6 Comments
In the tiny church built of ecumenical brick, with barely any aesthetic pleasure to distract from the humility of the message, Patrick and his cohort in both the earlier football match and in the communion to come, sat quietly, though with the telltale legs of novices swinging restlessly under the front pew.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Prodigal father
- Various
- 31 May 2011
2 Comments
All day, every day since you have gone, I stand on the road shading my eyes from daylight's harsh reality — you are gone, too far away for me to see. How harsh is your reality?
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ENVIRONMENT

Cate Blanchett and carbon tax plunder
- Binoy Kampmark
- 31 May 2011
25 Comments
Actors specialise in image making, an imitation of life rather than life itself. While the carbon tax being spruiked by Cate Blanchett and other celebrities is ostensibly designed to target polluters, in truth the Gillard Government is simply finding another avenue for raising revenue.
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AUSTRALIA

O'Farrell makes a sham of government guarantees
- Michael Mullins
- 30 May 2011
13 Comments
Earlier this month, NSW premier Barry O'Farrell announced he would dishonour the guarantee made to those who signed up to the previous Labor Government's Solar Bonus Scheme. Undermining the 'sacred' bond of a guarantee can seriously damage the spirit of public trust.
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AUSTRALIA

Labor's poor political antennae
- John Warhurst
- 30 May 2011
10 Comments
The Government's free set-top box scheme is facing community and Opposition claims that it is wasteful and will tempt rorters and shysters. What should be a feel-good scheme has become a cavalcade of the disgruntled. This tells us a lot about politics and policy-making.
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MEDIA

Politics of Slutwalk
- Ellena Savage
- 27 May 2011
9 Comments
Slutwalk is an international feminist movement in response to victim-blaming in cases of sexual violence. Detractors argue that supporters are mistaking their sexual subjugation for liberation. That assumption entirely misses the point.
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MEDIA

Sex education in Pornland
- Lyn Bender
- 27 May 2011
15 Comments
British sociologist Gail Dines argues that porn shapes young people's expectations of how sex should be, at the cost of healthy intimacy. Positive erotic portrayals can inspire and guide us by enhancing our perceptions and extending our narrow world view. Dines argues that the hardcore porn industry promotes a damaging view of sex that shapes young men's (and women's) fantasies and expectations of how sex should be, at the cost of healthy intimacy.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Lives of urban Aboriginal women
- Tim Kroenert
- 26 May 2011
Karen has just been released from prison and is determined to make a fresh start. This means finding an honest job and reconnecting with her toddler daughter. No easy task for an Aboriginal ex-con whose own mother can't forgive her.
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AUSTRALIA

When 'sorry' is not enough
- Mark Green
- 26 May 2011
The US Catholic Bishops' pastoral letter 'Economic Justice for All' says the extent of the suffering of the poor 'is a measure of how far we are from being a true community'. It is difficult to imagine how justice can be done for the Stolen Generations without compensation, redress and reparation.
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AUSTRALIA

The moral challenge of accepting an apology
- Binoy Kampmark
- 26 May 2011
6 Comments
Often the reconciliation debate is framed around matters of the perpetrator's reaction, rather than that of the victim, who holds a superior moral currency. Could it be ever feasible for Australia's Indigenous community to countenance unconditional forgiveness?
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AUSTRALIA

Quitting Afghanistan cold turkey
- Shahram Akbarzadeh
- 25 May 2011
7 Comments
President Obama appears to have given in to domestic pressure for prompt withdrawal from Afghanistan. But a complete withdrawal could have major ramifications for the region and ultimately for US interests.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Stories from the Struggletown Library
- John Falzon
- 25 May 2011
10 Comments
There was a liberal use of corporal punishment in my school. We were seen as a loutish bunch of lads who needed a firm hand. It did nothing to help my education. You don't create a smart and confident Australia by taking to people with a stick.
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CARTOON

Smokes and mirrors
- Fiona Katauskas
- 25 May 2011
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Churches where no wheelchairs go
- Moira Byrne Garton
- 24 May 2011
11 Comments
Upon seeing the steps in front of one big city Catholic cathedral, we looked for disability access. We followed a sign uphill to find the side entrance also had steps. So we made our way to the back of the church, where we discovered a long ramp and a door. We rang the bell and waited. And waited.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Despite dementia
- Various
- 24 May 2011
When you tried to walk through the wall you were still living at home. What did you see beyond the opacity of brick? You were so sure it would absorb you that moments passed before reality kicked in ...
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AUSTRALIA

School chaplains and pink batts
- Michael Mullins
- 23 May 2011
32 Comments
One religious group has described the National School Chaplaincy Program as a ‘God-given opportunity to go and make disciples’. Religious agnostics with a broad knowledge of religion could be better suited as mentors for young people coming to terms with their spiritual identity.
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AUSTRALIA

Labor worse than Howard on asylum seekers
- Andrew Hamilton
- 23 May 2011
43 Comments
Labor has gone beyond the worst features of the Howard Government by betraying the central principle underlying any ethical refugee policy. One can only imagine what the Coalition Government that will most likely follow the next election will build on this abrogation of principle.
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Vol 21 No 10