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Keywords: Fatima Measham

  • MEDIA

    Uprooting fake online activism

    • Fatima Measham
    • 03 October 2011
    7 Comments

    Much marketing deceives. The problem with the fake grassroots activism known as astroturfing is that it artificially inflates numbers to provide a semblance of legitimacy. This is why it has become the strategy of choice for propagating fringe views such as climate denialism.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The reluctant Australian citizen

    • Fatima Measham
    • 05 September 2011
    16 Comments

    2001: Two planes slammed into the World Trade Centre. A Pakistani refugee self-immolated in front of the Australian Parliament. Asylum seekers were accused of throwing children overboard. These events had nothing to do with me, but I absorbed them. I am brown-skinned. I have an Arabic name.

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  • EDUCATION

    Religious education ceasefire

    • Fatima Measham
    • 29 July 2011
    7 Comments

    The stoush over school ethics classes recalls the war in US schools over 'creation science' and its place in the curriculum. Christians should support programs that give students opportunities to think deeply about what it means to be a human among other humans.

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  • ENVIRONMENT

    Gillard's carbon tax sales pitch

    • Fatima Measham
    • 08 July 2011
    18 Comments

    There is nothing radical about fixing a carbon price. While our politicians and pundits quibble, the rest of the world is already implementing its commitments. Gillard's greatest challenge in selling her carbon scheme is in normalising it in the public mind.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Reclaiming Labor's lost soul

    • Fatima Measham
    • 15 June 2011
    18 Comments

    Voters who'd otherwise position themselves between the conservative Liberals and radical Greens are stranded. They are looking for leaders who would rather lose big on matters of principle than win by a margin on compromised policy. History has shown Labor to be the natural home for such leaders.

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  • MEDIA

    Blogs and monsters

    • Fatima Measham
    • 10 June 2011
    2 Comments

    In declaring internet access a human right, the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression insisted that the internet must be maintained at all times 'including during times of political unrest'. He could have said 'especially'.

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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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  • AUSTRALIA

    Philippines bishops' contraception conundrum

    • Fatima Measham
    • 18 May 2011
    30 Comments

    While Catholic bishops in the Philippines have opposed modern forms of birth control, the public paralysis this has engendered over sexual health care has led to high rates of abortion. The Philippine Catholic Church can thus be seen to be at odds with its ministry for the poor.

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  • EDUCATION

    How to measure a teacher

    • Fatima Measham
    • 09 May 2011
    17 Comments

    One in ten primary and secondary teachers will be entitled to extra pay as acknowledgement of their performance. While this is positive, the evaluation criteria seems biased against teachers in disadvantaged suburbs or those who voluntarily teach in remote regions.

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  • EDUCATION

    Education in a post-WikiLeaks world

    • Fatima Measham
    • 15 December 2010
    6 Comments

    The National Curriculum has sparked passionate debate. An enlightened society upholds that its young people are more than just future workers; they are human beings first. Unfortunately, it is easier to generate data for the knowledge and skills that we expect of future workers.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Send in the clowns

    • Fatima Measham
    • 05 November 2010
    3 Comments

    For the most part, last weekend's Rally for Sanity in the USA is a stellar piece of theatre. Featuring  satirists Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, it was staged as a counterpoint to the Tea Party rallies. When people are being massaged by politicians and media personalities to be fearful and angry, humour often flips back the covers concealing truth.

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  • EDUCATION

    Tokenistic action against homophobic bullies

    • Fatima Measham
    • 01 November 2010
    16 Comments

    Principals and teachers can keep gay young people safe at school only to the extent that they are also safe in the wider community. While ticking boxes on ‘teacher training, resources and consultancy’ may not adequately address the source of the behaviour of homophobic bullies, such programs remain important.

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