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POLITICS

How G-G weakened monarchists' case  
March 13, 2009
John Warhurst

Governors-General are appointed under a system that freezes out the Parliament, the Opposition and the people. The controversy over Quentin Bryce's trip to Africa has again revealed the office's vulnerability to partisan politics.

BOOKS

Adelaide's 'pivotal' bishop  
March 13, 2009
Greg O'Kelly
The decades spanning the 1920s–1970s were times of intense change for Australia and the Church. Post war immigration, the Labor split, the Vietnam War and Vatican II all occurred during 'Matty' Beovich's time as Archbishop of Adelaide.

APPLICATION

Non-believer drawn by the sacred  
March 12, 2009
James McEvoy
Irish poet Seamus Heaney's spiritual journey could be seen as a casualty of the so-called secularising effect of the '60s and '70s. Heaney describes a shift from faith as external and ritualistic, to something more personal.

FILMS

The trouble with free speech  
March 12, 2009
Tim Kroenert
A French satirical paper was sued for portraying Muslims as terrorists and labelling them 'jerks'. The editors would have us believe it's a case of free speech versus censorship. But there's more to it than that.

POLITICS

ICC's dubious Darfur justice  
March 11, 2009
Kimberley Layton
President Omar al-Bashir stands accused of two counts of war crimes and five of crimes against humanity. But prosecuting him will not deliver justice to the people of Darfur. What seems like the beginning of the end of the tragedy may be the end of the beginning.

BY THE WAY

How to survive committee meetings  
March 11, 2009
Brian Matthews
Some rules of thumb: always say 'prior to' instead of 'before', 'in excess of' instead of 'more than' and 'in the approximate vicinity of' instead of 'about'. It's good to say things like, 'We'll have to real-time this to impact on the offshore numbers'.

SPORT

What price our sporting soul  
March 10, 2009
Edwina Byrne
Members Equity Stadium, ACER Arena, Suncorp Stadium, Etihad Stadium; corporations think they own a lot of our stuff. These buildings, and the events they house, constitute our cultural and urban landscapes. They should be sources of community pride.

POETRY

God of the empty image  
March 10, 2009
Peter Lach-Newinsky
To attain God everything must go: will, self, knowledge, word, God Himself ... Their faith is words. Mine unspeakable.

THE AGENDA

Gain from pain  
March 09, 2009
Michael Mullins
The Victorian bushfires occurred during a time of financial uncertainty, but Australians gave their money generously. It was as if they were consciously and calculatingly investing their funds in the solidarity of the community.

EULOGY

East Timor's digger friend  
March 09, 2009
Paul Cleary

When East Timor was struggling to get a fair deal in negotiations over Timor Sea oil, Kenneally rallied his mates to fight. Appearing on national television, he told Prime Minister Howard: 'I'd rather you did not come to my ANZAC Day parade.'

MEDIA

Religion lives on in the ABC's shallow pool  
March 06, 2009
Peter Kirkwood
This week Compass celebrates its 21st birthday. In the fickle, faddish world of television that's quite an achievement. It's ironic that serious coverage of religion is being celebrated on ABC TV, while being purged from radio.

BOOKS

Why humans rule the world  
March 06, 2009
Jen Vuk
Science journalist Hannah Holmes turns a cool, scientific eye back on us, reminding us of our mammalian origins and bringing us down to size. 'Knobby', pink-skinned and ludicrously top heavy, our peculiarity is also the key to our success.

FILMS

Loving George W. Bush  
March 05, 2009
Tim Kroenert
Those who expect a portrait of a monster will be disappointed. Stone's Bush is not exactly sympathetic. But he is human. He is even likeable.

RELIGION

How to 'green' your church  
March 05, 2009
Steven Douglas
Catholic and Anglican Churches are relatively recent converts to religious environmentalism. The rhetoric of the Catholic Church on Creation-care remains largely an optional extra for its organisations; economic and institutional gains take precedence.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The logic of the Bali death machine  
March 04, 2009
Peter Hodge

In Kafka's 'The Penal Colony', a brutal, archaic killing device is valued more highly than the law it enforces. As members of the Bali 9 continue to languish, we ask whether 'because the law says so' is sufficient reason for them to die.

NON-FICTION

The human face of a 'metaphorical' poet  
March 04, 2009
Garry Kinnane

In 1972 Auden abandoned New York to live at Christ Church College, Oxford. He was given a cottage in the grounds, and was expected to give occasional talks and be available to students. It turned out not to be the success everyone had hoped for.

POETRY

Miscellaneous notes on Rwanda  
March 03, 2009
Shu Cai
Poor Armadu .. His sixth son is crying .. his wife is pregnant with his seventh .. Armadu's belly must be full of a poor man's joy.

EDUCATION

How to teach 'vampire' students  
March 03, 2009
Eleanor Massey
The student teacher is doing his best, trying to teach abstract ideas in a difficult play about a postmodern world. A girl in the front row is discussing her new 'vampire' boyfriend. 'He's in 12B,' she says. 'I can't take my eyes off him.'

THE AGENDA

Burger buggers' price hike spin  
March 02, 2009
Michael Mullins
McDonald's is increasing prices for those in lower socio-economic areas, and claiming the moral high ground at the same time. But it's rising star food chain Aldi that is showing the way with its uniform pricing policy.

ARTS

Art and the Piss Christ umbrella  
March 02, 2009
Jessica Frawley
Paintings that once would have once sparked controversy now adorn biscuit tins, umbrellas, notebooks and a range of other merchandise. We have killed the controversy and challenges faced in the past by branding it to death.