Eureka Street

Author: Ben

AUSTRALIA

The roots of Obama's Afghanistan strategy
- Ben Coleridge
- 10 July 2009
4 Comments
The current strategy is underpinned by a consensus on counter-insurgency that has gained ground since 2007. Marine Brigadier General Nicholson advocates drinking tea and eating goat with the locals, over and above firing bullets.
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AUSTRALIA

Rehabilitation of a failed state
- Ben Fraser
- 21 May 2009
2 Comments
Perhaps it's an omen: election day in Somalia, and the first voter to approach the polling station wears an Obama t-shirt. Elections, and the act of voting, are a powerful affirmation of one's ability to stand and be counted. For refugees, it is all the more significant.
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AUSTRALIA

Confronting housing inequality
- Ben O'Mara
- 04 May 2009
5 Comments
The Australian dream of home ownership is bound up in a process of gentrification. As interest rates drop and economies weaken, we need to ensure everyone can afford a place to live, not just those looking for a bargain during tough times.
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AUSTRALIA

Rehabilitating Stalin
- Ben Coleridge
- 31 March 2009
4 Comments
The Russian language has two words for whisperer: one who whispers behind others' backs, and one who whispers for fear of being heard. Government forces wish emphasise Stalin's achievements as the builder of the country's glorious Soviet past.
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AUSTRALIA

Eyewitness to Pakistan turmoil
- Reuben Brand
- 23 March 2009
5 Comments
The streets of Rawalpindi were now relatively empty, an eerie feeling in a usually bustling city. After slipping past police checkpoints I noticed the city was not completely still. Groups of men roamed the streets, patiently waiting for the call to action.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Asylum for an exile at home
- Kevin Gillam and Ben Hession
- 10 February 2009
your community is at call and liberty ... stands o'er an alien harbour ... the land of promise wherein thou art a stranger
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Poems about Gaza
- Anne Benjamin and Deborah Ruiz Wall
- 03 February 2009
1 Comment
phosphorus .. above empty streets .. politicians promise .. vengeance will bring peace
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AUSTRALIA

National pride revives Russian soul
- Ben Coleridge
- 16 January 2009
2 Comments
When it comes to political debate, being a foreigner can be difficult. Former president Vladimir Putin's recent State of the Nation address, made on the eve of his departure from the presidency, called for national unity and 'stable development' to the exclusion of foreign influence. (March 2008)
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INTERNATIONAL

Gaza conversations
- Ben Coleridge
- 08 January 2009
1 Comment
We were invited to share a meal with a Jewish family in Haifa. They welcomed us, and conversation was happy and inviting. Inevitably, the topic of conflict between Israel and Palestine reared its head. The atmosphere was transformed.
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ENVIRONMENT

Confessions of a videogame junkie
- Ben O'Mara
- 15 December 2008
2 Comments
I spent untold hours playing on my Commodore 64. I upgraded to a PC, to fight the beasties of Duke Nukem 3D as I chugged too many coffees and Mars bars. Interactivity is videogames' strength, and can be applied in socially constructive ways for marginalised communities.
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EDUCATION

Why the Melbourne Model is failing students
- Ben Coleridge
- 12 December 2008
5 Comments
Widespread subject cuts and reductions in staff numbers have eaten away at students' plans and rendered the new breadth component impotent. Horizons seem to be shrinking, which makes it increasingly difficult to 'dream large'.
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AUSTRALIA

Uganda's aggressive peace
- Ben Fraser
- 14 October 2008
1 Comment
'Supernatural' rebel leader Alice Lakwena told her fighters that bullets would bounce off them and stones would become grenades when pitched at the enemy. For many Ugandans, religion was ballast against violence. For others it was an instrument of war.
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Author: Ben