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Keywords: Column

  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Escaping expectations

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 15 April 2024

    What is so desirable about erasing our experiences from our faces? After all, they’re not called character lines for nothing. Shaw may have said youth is wasted on the young, but really youth is wasted on the aged.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Dressing up, down and all around

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 14 March 2024
    1 Comment

    There just doesn’t seem to be anywhere that demands a consistent standard of dress. Even a trip to the theatre, once an occasion to dress up, has become a place of anything goes. Has the casualisation of dress gone too far? 

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  • EDUCATION

    Declining staff-to-student ratios reveal sorry state of higher ed

    • Erica Cervini
    • 06 March 2024
    2 Comments

    By 2012, when the federal government first started reporting on staff-to-student ratios in universities, there was one academic for every 20 students. The most recent data, from 2021, shows that figure had increased to 23. As Australian students return for the new academic year, it will surely come as no surprise to find that ratio has worsened.

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  • RELIGION

    What is the purpose of the RE classroom in a secular world?

    • Ann Rennie, Bernadette Mercieca
    • 09 February 2024
    5 Comments

    Today, the claims of Christianity are no longer common knowledge among a Catholic student cohort that comes from many faith traditions and none, but the Catholic school has a place for them all. Has the classroom become the ecclesial face of the Catholic Church in the 21st Century?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Shades of grey

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 05 February 2024
    1 Comment

    With large moral and ethical questions, I find myself slipping and sliding along a continuum of 'always yes' to 'definitely no', and never fully landing on either. Am I kidding myself? Is this inability to take a side lack of moral clarity or fibre? Or should I make a decision and stick to it?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    After Christianity, what is Australia's civil religion?

    • Michael Jensen
    • 19 January 2024
    4 Comments

    In contrast to the United States, we in Australia ‘don’t do God’, and we rarely acknowledge the religious dimension of our national identity. In an age of declining adherence to the Christian faith, has Australia found a new civil religion? And will it serve us well? 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The card is in the mail

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 11 December 2023
    1 Comment

    Despite all the reasons not to send Christmas cards, this year I decided to revive my card-sending custom. What appeals most about card sending is it has the attraction of being almost rebellious; a small gesture of maintaining personal connections in a world that can sometimes appear downright hostile to human interaction.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The pain of shopping

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 14 November 2023

    As Christmas (aka for many the season of shopping) fast approaches, it’s perhaps time to articulate an unpleasant truth: shopping is not a relaxing or pleasurable experience. In fact, it can be downright masochistic. Somehow as consumers we’ve been conned into accepting that all large stores need to do is be the repository for goods for sale.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Stories of yes

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 02 October 2023

    From cherished family anecdotes to narratives that divide societies, stories have a way of bonding groups and affecting our thinking on the challenges facing our nation. It is our stories that either draw people closer or keep us from recognising the humanity in each other. 

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Being disinterested in Djokovic

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 20 September 2023
    3 Comments

    Novak Djokovic's on-court triumphs are undeniable, yet off-court controversies spark widespread debate. Navigating the complex interplay of admiration, critique, and understanding becomes essential in grasping the narrative of this unparalleled yet enigmatic champion. Can we disentangle his sporting prowess from off-court controversies?

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Navigating privilege

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 23 August 2023
    2 Comments

    In the rich tapestry of the English language, 'privilege' stands out as a term both celebrated and debated. While its roots may be diverse, its modern interpretation often overlooks personal effort and journey. Amidst the vast lexicon, is there a term capturing life's effort without diminishing individual experiences? 

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  • MEDIA

    Public, private or personal?

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 15 August 2023

    In an age where social media revels in candid snapshots of daily life, where is the line between what is private, personal, and public? As media columns increasingly hinge on intimate, unabashed tales, some view this as a poignant evolution, while others see a reckless blurring of boundaries. This exploration challenges our understanding of self-disclosure in a world ever-urging us to share.

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