Benazir Bhutto should be remembered both for being a positive role-model for Muslim women and for championing the rights of the unborn, writes Babette Francis. All murders are tragic, but the assassination of Benazir Bhutto was particularly so because she was the last hope for some time for the emancipation of Muslim women. She was…
Musings of a cultural omnivore CULTURAL AMNESIA: Notes in the Margin of My Timeby Clive James(New York: Picador)Paperback: 852 pagesRec. price: AUD$32.95 Cultural Amnesia is dedicated to four female opponents of repressive regimes. They are: Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese military dictatorship; Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Islamism; Ingrid Betancourt and Colombian communism; and…
An honourable tradition THE TORCH AND THE SWORD: A History of the Army Cadet Movement in Australiaby Craig A.J. Stockings(Sydney: UNSW Press)Hardback: 328 pagesRec. price: $49.95 Like many Australians, entry into Form Three at school for the reviewer meant being issued with a uniform and commencing army cadet training. The following years were spent learning…
The new Rudd Labor Government is softening up the electorate for a “tough” Budget in May. Kevin Rudd knows the length of Labor’s hold on government will be determined by one measure above all others – how he manages or is seen to manage the Australian economy. Which is why his new team has done…