Ode to the poem: why memorising poetry still matters for human connection
Committing poetry to memory is so much more than a rote exercise.Taylor Ann Wright/UnsplashMemorising poetry was once common in classrooms. But it has, for the most part, gone out of style. There are ...
Veronica Alfano, Research Fellow, Australian Catholic University
From Donald Glover to Phoebe Waller-Bridge: what exactly does a showrunner do?
Donald Glover is the showrunner on Atlanta, 'perhaps the most curious credit in the history of the small screen'. imdb/FX NetworksWhat do J.J. Abrams, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Shonda Rhimes, David Lynch...
Darren Paul Fisher, Head of Directing, Department of Film, Screen and Creative Media, Bond University
Surge in pre-poll numbers at 2019 federal election changes the relationship between voters and parties
Another issue is that pre-polling gives an advantage to the major parties over the smaller ones, due to the latter having fewer resources.AAP/Bianca de MarchiOn the morning of the last Monday in April...
Stephen Mills, Hon Senior Lecturer, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney
How many people have eating disorders? We don't really know, and that's a worry
Eating disorders disproportionately affect females and young people.From shutterstock.comLast week, federal health minister Greg Hunt announced that more than 60,000 Australians will be asked about th...
Laura Hart, Senior Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
Scott Morrison tells public servants: keep in mind the 'bacon and eggs' principle
Morrison describes the “the bacon and eggs principle" where "the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed".AAP/Shutterstock/The ConversationScott Morrison has a sharp lecture for bureaucrat...
Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Frydenberg outlines financial sector reform timetable
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has issued a timetable for the government’s dealing with the recommendations from the royal commission into banking, superannuation and financial services, which aims t...
Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
For the first time in centuries, we're setting up a generation to be worse off than the one before it
The avocado latte is indeed a thing, but young Australians are spending less on luxuries than they used to, while older Australians are spending more. ShutterstockEach new generation of Australians si...
Kate Griffiths, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute
Frydenberg outlines financial sector reform timetable
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has issued a timetable for the government’s dealing with the recommendations from the royal commission into banking, superannuation and financial services, which aims t...
The Conversation
For the first time in centuries, we're setting up a generation to be worse off than the one before it
The avocado latte is indeed a thing, but young Australians are spending less on luxuries than they used to, while older Australians are spending more. ShutterstockEach new generation of Australians si...
The Conversation
Before Trump eyed Greenland: Here’s what happened last time the US bought a large chunk of the Arctic
Most of Greenland is covered by Arctic ice. AP Photo/John McConnicoEditor’s note: Reports that President Donald Trump has urged aides to look into buying Greenland make us think of the last time...
William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, Visiting Distinguished Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the Pacific Islands Forum wash-up, media freedom and the public service
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu.AAP/Mick TsikasMichelle Grattan talks to University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deep Sa...
Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Pacific Island nations will no longer stand for Australia's inaction on climate change
The Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Tuvalu this week has ended in open division over climate change. Australia ensured its official communique watered down commitments to respond to climate change, g...
Michael O'Keefe, Head of Department, Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University
Glamorising violent offenders with 'true crime' shows and podcasts needs to stop
Even in death, the voice of Carl Williams is louder than that of his victims. Intimate prison letters written by the convicted murderer and drug trafficker to his ex-wife, Roberta – herself arre...
Xanthe Mallett, Forensic Criminologist, University of Newcastle
Case in Victoria could set new legal precedent for stealthing, or removing condom during sex
A surgeon has been committed to stand trial next year in a case involving stealthing, believed to be the first of its kind in Australia.ShutterstockIn September 2018, a prominent Melbourne surgeon an...
Brianna Chesser, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Justice, RMIT University
The exquisite blotched butterfly orchid is an airy jewel of the Australian landscape
The butterfly orchid grows beautifully.The Conversation/John DearlarneyThe blotched butterfly orchid (Sarcochilus weinthalii) looks fairly unremarkable when it’s not flowering, generally resembl…
No, eating chocolate won't cure depression
If you're depressed, the headlines might tempt you to reach out for a chocolate bar. But don't believe the hype.from www.shutterstock.comA recent study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety …
Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the constellations?
The Milky Way: a pattern of stars, or a pattern of gaps?Luke Busellato/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SAAlmost every person throughout the existence of humankind has looked up at the night sky and seen more…
What is an inverted yield curve? Why is it panicking markets, and why is there talk of recession?
Markets know what has happens each time the yield curve turns negative. The idea of rates falling over time without a a recession will take getting used to.ShutterstockSince President Trump tweeted ab…
The regions can take more migrants and refugees, with a little help
Attraction and retention: the key issues to get more immigrants to settle in regional Australia.Flickr/Toowoomba Region, CC BY-NC-NDThe federal government wants to boost the number of migrants moving…
The latest action plan to tackle violence against women isn’t perfect, but it takes a much-needed holistic approach
On average, one woman every week is killed in Australia. There needs to be more focus on both response to gender violence and prevention. Jean Gerber/UnsplashThere can be no doubt violence against wom…
Sydney stabbing shows reporters should not censor what they report on Twitter - as long as it's verified
A Twittter storm erupted after journalist Laura Hayes tweeted the alleged assailant had shouted "Allahu Akhbar".AAP/Steven SaphoreWhen news of the stabbings in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon came through…
Who is responsible when an inmate commits suicide?
In jail, suicides occur for 50 deaths per 100,000 inmates. Dan Henson/Shutterstock.comJeffrey Epstein’s alleged suicide in New York’s Metropolitan Correction Center on Aug. 10 has brought …
Too many people think satirical news is real
In a news cycle full of clownish characters and outrageous rhetoric, it's no wonder satire isn't fully registering with a lot of readers.Ozger Sarikaya/Shutterstock.comIn July, the website Snopes pub…
Free college proposals should include private colleges
Private college students graduate at higher rates, government statistics show.4 PM production/Shutterstock.comStudents can use federal financial aid to attend any college they want, whether public or …
A cyberattack could wreak destruction comparable to a nuclear weapon
Digital attacks can cause havoc in different places all at the same time.Pushish Images/Shutterstock.comPeople around the world may be worried about nuclear tensions rising, but I think they’re …
How Democrats can win back workers in 2020
Labor unions and the workers they represent were once the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. The 2016 presidential election revealed just how much that has changed. Hillary Clinton lost in key ba…
Why are people still dying from Legionnaires' disease?
Inhaling mist contaminated with _Legionella pneumophila_ can lead to Legionnaires' disease.Denis Klimov 3000/Shutterstock.comIn the nearly 50 years since epidemiologists first discovered Legionnaires…
'Christian left' is reviving in America, appalled by treatment of migrants
Citing scripture and church teachings, ever more Christians are pushing progressive policy positions based in their faith.ShutterstockHolding pictures of migrant children who have died in U.S. custody…
Organic food health benefits have been hard to assess, but that could change
Freshly harvested organic foods such as these radishes may seem to be healthier, but it is difficult to say for sureFedorovacz/Shutterstock.com“Organic” is more than just a passing fad. Or…
What is an inverted yield curve? Why is it panicking markets, and why is there talk of recession?
Markets know what has happens each time the yield curve turns negative. The idea of rates falling over time without a a recession will take getting used to.ShutterstockSince President Trump tweeted ab…
Supermarkets put junk food on special twice as often as healthy food, and that's a problem
Supermarkets may discount junk foods to capitalise on the 'impulse buy'.From shutterstock.comHalf-price chips, “two for one” chocolates, “buy one get one free” soft drinks: Aus…
Should school uniforms be compulsory? We asked five experts
People have different views when it comes to school uniforms.from shutterstock.comWhether schools should mandate a uniform is a controversial issue. Some believe wearing the same clothes smooths out i…
Friday essay: my brush with Susan Sontag and other tales from the gay 'golden age'
Dennis Altman in Santa Cruz California in 1984,Author providedThe years between the gay liberation movement at the beginning of the 1970s and the onset of AIDS a decade later are viewed in a certain s…
It'll be hard, but we can feed the world with plant protein
A UN report released last week found a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions come from the food chain, particularly meat farming. This has prompted calls to sharply reduce emissions from agric…
Logged out: farmers in Far North Queensland are being left behind by the digital economy
Connecting with the digital economy is a trickier prospect out here.NGRMG, Author providedFarming families and communities in Queensland’s remote north are being left behind by the digital econo…
Grattan on Friday: How 'guaranteed' is a rise in the superannuation guarantee?
Failure to further strengthen the compulsory super system would be disadvantageous to many future retirees and be an added burden on a later generation of taxpayers. ShutterstockSoon after the electio…
Beijing is moving to stamp out the Hong Kong protests – but it may have already lost the city for…
Beijing has a long-term Hong Kong challenge on its hands, one that in many ways is of its own making.Miguel Candela/EPASince the start of mass demonstrations in Hong Kong in early June, there has been…
Vital Signs: Amid talk of recessions, our progress on wages and unemployment is almost non-existent
The ASX 200 slid 2.9% on Thursday amid less than completely encouraging news at home, and awful news from abroad. ShutterstockLegend has it that, when asked by US President Richard Nixon in 1972 what …
Trump Works For US
While the Theater of the Absurd that is the modern American political scene tries to turn the “swing and a miss” collusion conspiracy into a do-over in the best Congress money can buy, President Don…
What's behind the protests in Kashmir?
Kashmiri Muslims shout slogans during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar.AP Photo/ Dar YasinIndia recently enacted a law which will end a special autonomous status given to the state of Jammu and…
Grattan on Friday: How 'guaranteed' is a rise in the superannuation guarantee?
Failure to further strengthen the compulsory super system would be disadvantageous to many future retirees and be an added burden on a later generation of taxpayers. ShutterstockSoon after the electio…
Why building community – even through discomfort – could help stressed college students
A sense of belonging can enhance the college experience. ShutterstockIt is a growing problem on campuses across America. Students entering college are reporting levels of anxiety, depression and socia…
Shouldn’t there be a law against reckless opioid sales? Turns out, there is
Protests and lawsuits against opioid manufacturers are growing more common, but drug distributors are also facing scrutiny.AP Photo/Charles KrupaThe massive scale of prescription opioid shipments as t…