Inequality and social well-being
From Understanding Society authors Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, income inequalities as such are a source of a variety of social problems in any society. They find that there is a strong negative relationship between income inequalities and social well-being, [...]
Weekly Whimsy
This week’s whimsy is brought to you by a beautifully edited fan video montage of Hollywood dance scenes. Please share any bits and pieces you have come across recently that have surprised, delighted, intrigued or otherwise positively engaged you.
Tipping points, politics, NotW and the longer view
As the Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks prepare to appear before the House of Commons, we may have reached a tipping point where the noise machine’s days are numbered.
Quick link: air pollution and infant mortality
Harry Clarke links to a statistical study of the effects of air pollution on infant mortality in California. While some pollutants have been reduced to levels at which it is no longer possible to detect any effect on infant mortality, [...]
Qanda, faith and reason, Fred Nile and ethics classes
Fred Nile today is threatening to torpedo Barry O’Farrell’s public sector wages squeeze if ethics classes aren’t abolished. I can’t even begin to list the ironies. But I’ll try.
Health and hospital reform: just “cute sounding schemes?”
We’re often told that there are massive shortages of health professionals. But since the increase in medical places, we have more graduate doctors than health departments know what to do with. The actual problems go to how and where health professionals work.
Hairspray the Musical: Cultural politics of the 60s, now, and race
What interests me in this post is the cultural politics of Hairspray. One of its marketing themes is 60s nostalgia. That nostalgia is by necessity a collective re-imagining of what the 60s ‘meant’, whether or not we were around to form our own judgements.
Culture Vulture: Harry Potter movie finale
So who’s seen it already? Did you dress up and do the whole midnight screening thing, or were you a little more relaxed about it all? Did you go because you just couldn’t wait, or were you more keen to be part of a group event?
Yes, the polls are diabolical for Labor
Nielsen has the Coalition leading 61-39 2PP, with the primaries 51 Coalition-26 ALP. Greens primaries down a point to 11%. Michelle Grattan’s accompanying article points to other poll questions showing large fractions of the electorate hate the carbon tax. I [...]
Spotlight the Spin
Ooh look! A Big Distracting Thing!
Our weekly (mostly) look at media spin tactics.
Le Tour – 2 weeks in
Well, we’re now 14 stages in to the Tour de France, and it’s been quite the soap opera so far.
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