Vol 34 No 13

01 July 2024

INFORMATION

Winter raffle winners announced
- Staff
- 15 July 2024
Society of Jesus in Victoria–Jesuit Communications Winter Raffle 2024. Raffle drawn on Wednesday 10 July 2024. All winners have been notified. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who supported our Winter raffle.
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ENVIRONMENT

Burning truths
- Julie Perrin
- 12 July 2024
1 Comment
In her new Quarterly Essay Highway to Hell, Australian climate scientist Joëlle Gergis pleads in language beyond the careful neutrality of traditional science-speak: ‘We need you to stare into the abyss with us and not turn away.’
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AUSTRALIA

All the deadly women
- Juliette Hughes
- 12 July 2024
4 Comments
Are women truly the villains that modern crime dramas portray them to be? Despite the sensationalised 'evil woman' trope, real-life statistics tell a different story. It’s a cruel irony that the way to really victimise a woman is to tell her that she is the perp when she really is overwhelmingly more likely to be the victim of violent crime.
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INTERNATIONAL

Old men for an old order
- Ken Haley
- 11 July 2024
Whatever the outcome in the United States elections, the most powerful countries are ruled by elderly men. This fundamental and ominous failure of a new generation to supplant its elders bodes ill for the future.
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RELIGION

The Bishop of Rome and universal jurisdiction: An ecumenical obstacle?
- Bill Uren
- 11 July 2024
5 Comments
The recent Vatican instruction terminating the celebration of the Tridentine Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral is a prime example of Vatican officialdom overriding local episcopal authority. Let us hope that in a more decentralized Church some traditional obstacles to ecumenism may be removed without respective ecclesiastical loss of face on the part of the contributing Churches.
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AUSTRALIA

Is property investment our greatest vulnerability?
- David James
- 10 July 2024
2 Comments
With soaring Australian house prices creating a generational wealth divide, the increasing inequity of the property bubble is damaging to Australian society. Could diversifying investment options, like industry super funds, lure people away from property and cool the market?
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AUSTRALIA

When a friend writes a controversial post, how should you respond?
- Barry Gittins
- 10 July 2024
4 Comments
How do you respond, when members of your own tribe share their distaste towards those who rub them up the wrong way? Do you ‘unfollow’? Do you engage? And if you vent against those who who offend with their own dearth of tolerance, are you guilty of doing the same?
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AUSTRALIA

NAIDOC Week is about shared pride
- Andrew Hamilton
- 08 July 2024
1 Comment
A failed referendum leaves many Indigenous Australians feeling unheard, but hope remains. This year's NAIDOC Week takes on even greater significance. This celebration, born from a desire for recognition, is a time to reflect on how to build a more just Australia.
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AUSTRALIA

Seeking refuge, finding red tape
- Kerry Murphy
- 05 July 2024
There is no doubt that laws for determining refugee status and onshore protection are complex. The cases of NZYQ and ASF17 demonstrate that when laws regarding asylum and protection intersect with laws regarding character and protection of the community, the results can be extremely messy.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

John Grisham and the Camino literary caper
- Peter Craven
- 05 July 2024
For a long time now, John Grisham has been part of the air we breathe. He's one of those writers who’s all things to all people. His latest Camino books are books about books; a form of meta crime writing and you have to admire the move on the chessboard they represent. Can John Grisham be self-reflexive?
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INTERNATIONAL

Digital discrimination
- Gillian Bouras
- 04 July 2024
9 Comments
Digital dominance and the disappearance of print newspapers leaves older generations grappling with endless new tech. I still seek the tactile experience of newsprint — a challenge as publications move online. In an increasingly automated world, I’m not alone in reminiscing about the days when personal interactions were the norm.
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RELIGION

Is another Catholic school shutdown on the horizon?
- John Warhurst
- 03 July 2024
8 Comments
In 1962, Goulburn was the centre of national attention when Catholic schools closed in protest over a lack of government funding and control. Students overwhelmed public schools. Could this happen again? An Australian archbishop suggests it as an option if religious freedom in Catholic schools is threatened.
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RELIGION

Everyone agrees we should protect the vulnerable, but who exactly are they?
- Justin Glyn
- 03 July 2024
3 Comments
None of us — even those experiencing vulnerability, whether temporary or resulting from a permanent infirmity of some kind — should be perceived as an object of protection; instead, each one of us is a collaborator in our own care, and in the care of others.
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AUSTRALIA

Bruise-free ministry
- Michael McVeigh
- 01 July 2024
1 Comment
Last month, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released a pastoral statement on religion and sport. And while commending sport’s ability to promote growth in individuals and foster healthy communities, if sport is to be a field of mission, it should be more willing to dive into those places where the 'bruises' occur.
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INTERNATIONAL

Globalizing the US Espionage Act: The Assange plea deal
- Binoy Kampmark
- 01 July 2024
Julian Assange, once confined to Britain’s most forbidding maximum-security prison, is now free after pleading guilty to a single conspiracy charge. This unexpected twist in the WikiLeaks saga, involving complex negotiations and political maneuvering, could have profound implications for press freedom and the future of journalism worldwide.
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Vol 34 No 13