civil society
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde, in Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) It has been fascinating to watch the progress of the various revolutions in north Africa and the middle east, in particular the travails of
civil society
I was completely appalled to hear how a well known radio personality in Sydney spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia on air. The details are outlined well by Barrie Cassidy on The Drum in Liar, liar, shock jocks on fire; and you can listen to the entire interview here.
civil society
Even though it was once said ironically, it has always seemed to me that Australia really is the lucky country. Our national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, sums it up: We've golden soil and wealth for toil... Our land abounds in nature's gifts... We've boundless
civil society
Source: The Crisis, 23 December 1776, Thomas Paine As the wave of people's uprisings sweep across North Africa and the Middle East it is fascinating to watch from afar in Australia. We are safely ensconced in our comfortable homes distant from the terrible decisions that people are making
civil society
There is a lot of talk about revolution happening now in online communities given the unfolding events in Tunisia and Egypt. This has got me thinking about the nature of revolutions. There's a rather nice list of revolutions and rebellions on Wikipedia for those who are not up
civil society
A friend invited me along to his citizenship ceremony the other day. He's terribly excited about becoming an Aussie after living here for a number of years. We went to the newly refurbished Sydney Town Hall and the Lord Mayor, wearing her Lord Mayoral bling, gave a lovely
civil society
Last year with the launch of Social Innovation Sydney I was inspired by the idea of rebooting capitalism. I had become depressed about the nature of business in our world today and wanted to do something practical about changing things. Then I went off to Paris for LeWeb 2010 Conference
civil society
Source: The Failure of the Human Potential Movement: From Self-Actualization to Experientialism (c) 1998 Geoffrey Hill This is a relatively old essay but it gives a good critique of the Human Potential Movement and the impact that this and related ideologies have had on modern western society. The focus
civil society
Why. Let's face it, politics is confusing. Sometimes it's difficult to know who to believe, who to listen to and who to support. We're here to help. Posting on a regular basis are editors representing each major party. Stay informed. " Source: WatchBlog: 2004
civil society
Source: "Warning to problem gamblers: clock off", John Stapleton, The Australian, Sat 24 Jul 2004, p. 111 At the very least every measure like this that reduces the responsibility of an individual to make their own life choices & creates a dependent individual. Over time this increasing regulation
civil society
The Left Behind series by Tim La Haye & Jerry Jenkins is a phenomenon that has just recently been noticed by some in the mainstream press. It is a 12 book series commencing with Left Behind (ISBN: 0842329129) and culminating with Glorious Appearing: The End of Days (ISBN: 0842332375). But
civil society
It is not always apparent to the casual observer how significant the cultural differences between Australia and the United States really are. One particular difference that really strikes me is the respect for authority. Americans seem to have a high level of respect for authority & for the apparatus of