Today is World Poetry Day. On Facebook this morning I made a comment that W.H. Auden was one of, say, ten people with whom I'd like to have had a long literary dinner party. This got others thinking (along the lines of "Rod Benson reads literature?!!", and possibly also "pffft"), and Mike Frost asked me who, …
Free Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani
Last week I mentioned Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, arrested and sentenced to death in Iran for changing his religion and telling Muslims the truth about Jesus. Support and advocacy for the pastor is growing around the world as people realise the brutal truth about religious freedom in some Muslim-dominated nations. Pastor Nadarkhani is under constant pressure …
Too sexy, too soon
Opponents of the sexualisation of women applauded news this week that men’s magazine FHM is to cease publication. Meanwhile, leading psychiatrist Professor Louise Newman has warned that the emphasis on “sexiness” among children (linked to self-esteem and the ability to make friends) can cause emotional damage. “I have seen young children becoming quite confused about how …
Orwellian media inquiry recommendations
On March 2, Federal Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy released the findings of an independent inquiry into the regulation of Australia’s media. The Finkelston Report recommended the establishment of a News Media Council to oversee all print, radio, television and online media, including personal blogs and Twitter. The super-regulator would be empowered to impose a …
Ethics needs a strong philosophical foundation
The NSW Government is conducting an inquiry into the proposed repeal of legislation to allow ethics classes to be taught in state schools. The NSW Council of Churches has called for significant legislative reforms including an independent review of the controversial classes with a report to Parliament before the date of the next state election. …
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