Masterpiece: Larry Kramer — "The idea of a judicious Larry Kramer is an oxymoron ... I would like there to be a gay Malcolm X, a gay Martin Luther King ... but until there is, Larry is the best we've got," says Christopher Bram, critic and writer.
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Lisa Macdonald (GLW, #139 and #146) has warned, with reason, of aspects of postmodernism which make it a weapon for right-wing ideologues. She also shows that social theories must be challenged on how they work out in practice
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More suited to the job Are women taking men's jobs? Recent statistics being bounced around on the state of the job market have been hinting that this is the case. More women are employed now than ever before in Australia. The majority of
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ADELAIDE — Single women are "going around getting pregnant to rort the system", according to state Liberal backbencher Joe Rossi. He has also been quoted by a suburban newspaper as saying that single women should be sterilised after their third
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It's a wonderful life Introducing, the one and only mother of us all — perpetually purveying provisions. The lady who gave us life itself — your mum and mine ... yes, it's Gaia! Let's give the old girl a round of applause. Where would
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'Pure' science and Marxism In Ron Guignard's reply to Doug Lorimer (GLW #150) he makes the claim that the social sciences were "soft-pseudo sciences" (what is wrong with being soft by the way). Presumably the implication is that the "hard"
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Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo, has condemned the Australian government for its soft stance on human rights in East Timor. He has been joined by church leaders and human rights activists in Australia who
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Democracy and Nation — The White Australia Policy — The period 1890 to 1940, marked the high-point of racial determinism in the West. The response in Australia was the formulation of the racist White Australia Policy. Prominent union, Labour
News
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SA plan to isolate 'disruptive' studentsADELAIDE — The Liberal state government has introduced a new disciplinary code for state schools for next year. The new code includes measures ostensibly aimed at creating a more
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Forestry workers exploitedPERTH — As part of the logging blockade in the old growth forests south west of here, environmental activists have been talking to residents and workers in the local community. They
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Getting lost "Australia is, technically speaking, in Oceania." — Alexander Downer denying geography after Liberal polling has revealed concerns about Australia becoming "Asianised" and losing its European culture. Gone off "There is
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Hospital beds face the chopMELBOURNE — The state minister for health, Marie Tehan, and the federal minister for veterans affairs, Con Sciacca have announced the amalgamation of three hospitals in the northern suburbs.
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ADELAIDE — One thousand Electricity Trust of South Australia workers began three days of rolling stoppages on July 20. The stoppages were directed against ETSA management who are moving to employ contract labour. Martin Gibson, from the Electrical
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How does the community react to seeing national sporting heroes on posters declaring, "Real men don't bash", or the backs of buses adorned with "Read my lips — No means No"? These messages form part of a campaign aimed at
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Toxic vapors threatBRISBANE — Despite a legally binding notice of improvement being served on the Royal Brisbane Hospital (RBH) by the division of workplace health and safety, the spills of liquid mercury coming from
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Report justifies military noiseDARWIN — Following a high profile visit by a senior department of defence official in May, a 34-page report has been released which allows deafening foreign military exercises to take place
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PERTH — Environmentalists trying to protect old growth Karri\Marri forest south west of here have been taking action against the clear-felling since July 1. This phase of the blockade will conclude on July 30 to
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BRIBIE ISLAND — Queensland environmentalists have been alerted to a possible attempt by the Goss Labour government to fast-track legislation to replace the current Queensland Local Government (Planning and Environment) Act.
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BRISBANE — Cannabis users are disappointed that Queensland's Criminal Justice Commission recommended only minor changes to laws relating to cannabis use. The CJC's report released on July 13, called for a crub on police
Analysis
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End support for thugs The Australian government has announced that the Indonesian Armed Forces have been invited to participate in the next big Australian army war games, Kangaroo 95. This announcement was made in Darwin, a city where many East
World
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Indonesian opposition gets organisedThe campaign in Indonesia against the closures, in late June, of the country's three major news weeklies has spurred on discussion on how best to advance the development of an organised
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In the October 1993 issue of its World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund muses on the question, "Is the debt crisis over?" The answer is a qualified yes. It's become a commonplace in the business press that the Third World debt
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"With the president indicating that the military option is still there, we clearly need to be in a position to be ready, should he ask us," said Pentagon spokesperson Dennis Boxx, justifying the massive United States military
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July 26 is a special day in the history of the Cuban revolution. On this day in 1953, Fidel Castro led an attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The attack was crushed and Castro was tried and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
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The California Policy Seminar (CPS), a joint program of the University of California and the California state government, released in June "Pesticides in the Home and Community: Health Risks and Policy Alternatives", targeting the extensive use of
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US restricts military aid to Indonesia The United States Senate banned light arms sales to Indonesia on July 14 because of continuing human rights violations on East Timor. In a unanimous vote, the Senate added a provision to the Foreign
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JOHANNESBURG — In the midst of the euphoria and hopes generated by this country's historic first democratic elections, few trade unionists would have believed they would again see police opening fire on strikers with rubber
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British Labour moves further rightLONDON — Thirteen years ago the British Labour Party erupted with the most sustained and radical left-wing challenge since the 1920s. In September 1981, the leading figure of the Labour
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Mining takes its toll on West Papua In the shadow of glacier-capped Puncak Jaya in West Papua the US-owned Freeport Mining Company is extracting ore from the largest gold reserves and above-ground copper deposits in the world. The mine earns
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Greenpeace acts against asbestos exports ITALY — Eight Greenpeace activists blocked a convoy of four asbestos-contaminated passenger railcars ready for export to eastern Europe on July 4. At the small Casarsa railway station, near the
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"I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society. I reject the notion that the death penalty has any essential deterrent effect on potential
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MOSCOW — The election on June 23 for the newly created post of president of Belarus signalled dramatic changes in the political life of the former USSR. The ease with which anti-corruption campaigner Aleksandr Lukashenko
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Bougainvilleans to go to UNThe Bougainville Interim Government's representative to the United Nations, Mike Forster, has announced that it is considering taking the Papua New Guinea government to the International Court of
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Burma's repressive military junta has been invited as an observer to the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) foreign ministers' meeting on July 22-28 in Bangkok. Many observers see this as the first step towards
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Youth leagues support prisoners Youth organisations have backed calls by the South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights for amnesty for non-violent prisoners. On July 9, representatives of the youth leagues of the ANC, IFP, PAC and
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A number of activist groups, including the People's Coalition against Vat (KOMVAT) and Kill VAT are planning major protest actions against the Ramos governments' expanded value added tax (VAT) law. The actions are being timed
Culture
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Women, media and sportThe serious lack of media coverage allocated to women's sport continues to enforce the long-held belief that the sporting field is a masculine arena and that women are not as skilful nor as worthy
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Women push the boundariesBRISBANE — Fed up with the way mainstream media portray women and the fact that most women have little or no access to television and film production, a group of women have formed their own
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Paul Kelly plays Brisbane By Lynda Hansen. Paul Kelly played to a capacity audience at the Concert Hall at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex on July 15. Starting on time with his new band complete with double bass and keyboard, he
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Australia's Spies and Their Secrets ASIO after the Cold War In his important book, Australia's Spies and Their Secrets, author David McKnight takes the lid off the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), using never before
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Exciting the brain Arcadia Written by Tom Stoppard Performed by the Sydney Theatre Company Opera House Drama Theatre Reviewed by Minnie O'Shea and Helen Jarvis The celebrated playwright Tom Stoppard continues to excite the brain
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The regional and the global Energy By Stefo Nantsou Zeal Theatre Reviewed by Frank Razmovki. In the comfortable and informal surrounds of the Newcastle Leagues Club, Zeal Theatre premiered Energy, a documentary-style show about the
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Well summed up Directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton Starring Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe Reviewed by Tom Flanagan Set in inner suburban Sydney, Jeff (Russell Crowe) is a lonely young gay guy. Harry (Jack Thomson), Jeff's dad,
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Grunge meets gothic The Crow Directed by Alex Proyas Starts on July 21 The Crow soundtrack by various artists Reviewed by Nick Fredman The Crow is a black, humorous and violent grunge/gothic fable of true love and good versus
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Christina Stead: A Biography By Hazel Rowley Minerva, 1994, 646 pp., $24.95 (pb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon Christina Stead's novels are complex and difficult; they scale and fall artistic peaks and troughs, and are marked by a striking, if
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This Other Eden By Ben Elton Pocket Books, 344 pp, $13.95 Foetal Attraction By Kathy Lette Picador, 280 pp, $14.95 Reviewed by Dave Riley Ben Elton, in full flight, is a gab feast. Elton, aka "motor mouth", by trade is a stand up