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Politics in science

Arguments about Aborigines, Australia and the Evolution of Social AnthropologyBy L.H. HiattCambridge University Press, London.1996 $29.95 (pb)Reviewed by James Goodman Have you ever wondered why anthropologists have been obsessed with Australia's

Toning the yuletide flab

Get a GripBy Kaz CookePenguin, 1996. 245 pp., $16.95 (pb)Reviewed by Phil Shannon The festering season is near upon us, the peak season for suicides, domestic disharmony and political drought (no GLW!). May I prescribe a course of Kaz Cooke to cope

Loose cannons

Tough "Westpac looks to tougher times" — Financial Review headline on article reporting Westpac bank's $1.132 billion profit. Win some, lose some "The good news is that air bags work and air bags save lives. We also know air bags can cause

Who rules Russia? Business leader lets the cat out of the bag

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — What was it that replaced "communism" in Russia? Democracy, someone said? Journalists who value their reputations no longer make that claim, except with extensive reservations. But it is often asserted that with

And how is nature managing?

Nature's Keepers: The New Science of Nature ManagementBy Stephen BudianskyPhoenix Giants, 1996. 296 pp., $24.95Reviewed by Dot Tumney Budiansky's target is the semi-religious status of the balance of nature concept (idol of the well-fed ambience

Frogs give warning

By Peter Montague The Washington Post reports that frogs with severe birth defects have been discovered during the past two summers in 54 of Minnesota's 87 counties, across Wisconsin and up into the St Lawrence River Valley in Quebec. According to

Zaire: aid, not toops

By Norm Dixon Massive and immediate aid is needed to prevent starvation and disease among 500,000 refugees held captive by the genocidal Rwandan former regime and the interahamwe death squads in eastern Zaire. The western powers and most

The left and the anti-racism campaign

By Chris Spindler and Lisa Macdonald In the wake of Pauline Hanson's racist outbursts, there has been a flood of organisations and individuals claiming to oppose racism. Virtually everyone, even those who have been and are implementing policies

Opposition grows to genetically engineered soybeans

Last month, 300 consumer, health, trade and agricultural organisations from 48 countries announced the launch of a world-wide boycott of genetically engineered soy and corn produced in the US. Monsanto's glyphosate-tolerant soybeans and Ciba-Geigy's

and ain't i a woman?: Courts and injustice

Courts and injustice A two-year study, Heroines of Fortitude: the experiences of women in court as victims of sexual assault, was released on October 30 by the NSW Department for Women. The aim of the study was to assess women's experiences in the

Activists picket Malaysian diplomat

Activists picket Malaysian diplomat By Tim E. Stewart DARWIN — Following news on November 12 of a visit by the Malaysian high commissioner, the Democratic Socialist Party, Australians for a Free East Timor, the Territory Australian Greens and

Profits first, democracy last

On November 9 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, a peaceful conference discussing "Peace in East Timor" was attacked by a hundred thugs from the ruling National Front political parties. They smashed down the door to the function room and