Vol 20 No 15

02 August 2010

Our man in the Vatican's inter-religious optimism
- Peter Kirkwood
- 13 August 2010
One of Australia's most eminent theologians, Redemptorist Anthony Kelly, believes that what currently feels like a global breakdown of beliefs and culture may actually be the beginnings of a breakthrough to new forms of belief.
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INTERNATIONAL

Asylum seekers are Australia's invisible homeless
- Greg Foyster
- 13 August 2010
11 Comments
Every day, Australians face north and scan the horizon. Has another boat arrived? But if our politicians and journalists want to see asylum seekers living in poor conditions, they need to look closer to home.
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EUREKA STREET TV

Our man in the Vatican's inter-religious optimism
- Peter Kirkwood
- 13 August 2010
2 Comments
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ARTS AND CULTURE

The gay Jewish butcher and other tales of Israeli conflict
- Tim Kroenert
- 12 August 2010
1 Comment
Aaron initially rationalises his sexuality as a test from God, a test that priveleges him, as it gives him an opportunity to prove his resilience. Ultimately his affair with a younger man is rather more serious than simply a rebellion against an oppressive ultra-orthodox society.
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AUSTRALIA

Bishops' voting advice needs grounding in dignity
- Andrew Hamilton
- 12 August 2010
18 Comments
In an election campaign characterised by the avoidance of commitment to any principle that might cost votes, the Bishops' advice avoided bagging particular political parties and enunciated broad humane criteria to guide voters. It could have offered more.
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AUSTRALIA

Tax pain is our gain
- Fatima Measham
- 11 August 2010
15 Comments
In Sunday's Liberal campaign launch, Tony Abbott repeated the phrase 'big new tax' five times. Through taxes, we invest in a civilised society that would provide for us in times of need. Taxes are therefore not a necessary evil. They are a necessary good.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Staking out our vampire fetish
- Brian Matthews
- 11 August 2010
1 Comment
For all our modern sophistication, refinement and technology, we remain in imaginative thrall to one of the most venerable and terrifying of folk figures. The vampire combines two of human kind's profoundly obsessive preoccupations: mortality and sex.
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CARTOON

Not all fun and games
- Fiona Katauskas
- 11 August 2010
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RELIGION

Why a conscientious Christian could vote for the Greens
- Frank Brennan
- 10 August 2010
123 Comments
It would be regrettable if an attack by Cardinal Pell and the Australian Christian Lobby on the 'anti-Christian' Greens could be construed as an indirect shot across the bows of the atheist Prime Minister. On some policy issues the Greens have a more Christian message than the major parties.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Power flowers
- Diane Fahey
- 10 August 2010
3 Comments
After I'd reached the Top .. why didn't they save me .. from Boardroom Rivals .. plotting to bring me down?
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AUSTRALIA

Atheist 'Real Julia' courts Christian vote
- Michael Mullins
- 09 August 2010
17 Comments
Gillard was photographed looking up to Cardinal George Pell with an admiring glance, and attended a fundraiser for expenses associated with October's Mary MacKillop canonisation in Rome. She offered $1.5 million in government money, but much more than that in flattery to Catholic electors.
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AUSTRALIA

Vote 1 bus 'bludger'
- Sarah Burnside
- 09 August 2010
12 Comments
'This election', says Tony Abbott, 'is about you.' Recently, passengers on a Perth bus found themselves involved in an impromptu social experiment. 'This guy has no money and tried to give me a ticket that's two days old,' the bus driver said, 'What do you reckon? Should I let him on?'
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Wren-Hardy stoush exposes sectarian bigotry
- Juliette Peers
- 06 August 2010
6 Comments
The Power Without Glory trial ought to be read as a high-profile and long lasting punishment meted out to traitors to a so-called Australian normality. Frank Hardy's acquittal and the campaign to defend his novel partly belong to mid 20th century Australia's strong anti-Catholic undertow.
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AUSTRALIA

Why harassment claimant wants to rock DJs
- Moira Rayner
- 06 August 2010
11 Comments
Kristy Fraser-Kirk has flabbergasted David Jones with her pursuit of $37 million in punitive damages after allegations of sexual harassment against the company's former CEO. The retail giant says it is still interested in settlement. She doesn't want to settle, mate. She wants to make a point.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Putting border protection into perspective
- Tim Kroenert
- 05 August 2010
6 Comments
Mother Fish recreates the journey by sea of a group of Vietnamese refugees. During an election campaign where both major parties are trying to win votes with prejudicial rhetoric about 'border protection', a bit of truth and humanity is just what's needed.
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RELIGION

Women's ordination and other crimes of passion
- Andrew Hamilton
- 05 August 2010
48 Comments
The naming of participating in women's ordination as a crime against faith os disconcerting. I recently attended the ordination of a woman friend in another church. The celebration was prayerful and joyful, and promised to be the prelude to a fruitful ministry by faithful and committed candidates.
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CARTOON

Double disillusion
- Fiona Katauskas
- 04 August 2010
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ENVIRONMENT

Bushfire blame misses the point
- Paul Collins
- 04 August 2010
16 Comments
Sadly the Commission played the blame game. This happens after every major fire and originates in the need to find scapegoats. Neither Christine Nixon nor the others who copped the blame could have known they were dealing with a whole new era of firestorm.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Ode to my mechanic
- Sasha Shtargot
- 04 August 2010
4 Comments
You don't get many words out of him, and when he does speak they always end in a question. 'It's gonna cost a lot to get new tyres, knowata mean? You're better off getting re-treads, knowata mean?' In our society there are hundreds of jobs that barely rate a mention, and armies of unsung workers who keep it functioning and well-oiled.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Massaging Himmler
- Anne M. Carson
- 03 August 2010
Two poems from a series about Heinrich Himmler's personal masseur, Felix Kersten. He used his influence over Himmler to secure the release of many prisoners — much like Oscar Schindler.
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AUSTRALIA

Getting intimate with Julia
- Ashleigh Green
- 03 August 2010
20 Comments
Since being sworn into power on 24 June, Gillard has faced questions regarding her unmarried status, her decision to remain childless and her physical appearance. It is possible that our obsession with the private lives of celebrities and politicians stems from the lack of real intimacy in today's society.
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AUSTRALIA

Gillard's atheism belongs in the closet
- Michael Mullins
- 02 August 2010
43 Comments
It could have been a mistake for Gillard to 'come out' as an atheist, as if giving witness to a firmly held religious belief. Abbott did better by declaring candidates' religious views a private matter that should not distract from voters' judgment of their policies.
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AUSTRALIA

Jews fenced in by Aussie intolerance
- Catherine Marshall
- 02 August 2010
27 Comments
Given that eruvs are inconspicuous, and religious freedom in Australia is a fait accompli, there can be only one explanation for the prevailing sentiment, and that is a subtle prejudice which represents the great big elephant in the room for anyone living on Sydney's North Shore.
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Vol 20 No 15