Vol 34 No 9

06 May 2024

ARTS AND CULTURE

Taller when prone: The contradictions of Les Murray
- Paul Mitchell
- 10 May 2024
Les Murray once confessed it was his mission to 'irritate the hell out of the eloquent who would oppress my people,' by being a paradox that their categories can’t assimilate: the Subhuman Redneck who writes poems. And therein lies the ‘poem’ of Les Murray: complex, contradictory, sublime, and sometimes ready to whip his enemies with a scorpion’s tail.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Sixty-five South
- Geoff Page
- 09 May 2024
Today we leave Antarctic proper; /we’ve seen the penguins and the whales, /the icebergs in their convolutions /and thought about the Age of Sail /whose heroes nosed around down here /sniffing out a sort of fame. /Or was it just the golden oil /that burned with such a lambent flame?
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ECONOMICS

War is bad economics but very good business
- David James
- 09 May 2024
There is money to be made in war, especially from making weapons, and what we are witnessing at the moment in Ukraine and the Middle East is simply the latest episode in a story that goes back centuries.
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AUSTRALIA

Advocating against the wind
- Andrew Hamilton
- 08 May 2024
With the Queensland Government changing the Youth Justice Act, detention of children will no longer be seen as a last resort, causing widespread dismay among youth justice advocates. It invites reflection on what we should expect when we advocate for a cause, ranging from climate change to perceived injustice, and how we should evaluate our efforts.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Courtship rivalry
- Eddie Hampson
- 08 May 2024
What at first appears to be a light-hearted romantic comedy glosses over the dark intensity of Challengers. The tangled and obsessive nature of the relationships within a love triangle mirrors the sport at the centre of Luca Guadagnino's latest.
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EDUCATION

When does a protest become intimidation?
- Erica Cervini
- 08 May 2024
Echoing their US counterparts, many Australian universities have also set up Gaza solidarity encampments with flags and signs like ‘From the River to The Sea Palestine Will Be Free’. Jewish students and staff have begun telling stories about feeling intimidated on campus.
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AUSTRALIA

Thoughts and prayers
- Warwick McFadyen
- 08 May 2024
'Thoughts and prayers': Is it now a tired, worn-out cliché, its usefulness questionable? It is now used so many times to render its meaning, its core message, void. Sometimes more than words are needed.
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AUSTRALIA

An old problem, a new conversation
- David Halliday
- 06 May 2024
The national conversation is very much spotlighting domestic violence and violence towards women. As a nation, we need to consider hard questions around the abundant factors within our society with connections to violence. Over three decades, we have made gains, but there’s more work to be done.
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Vol 34 No 9