The Pearls and Irritations platform, with its commitment to fact-driven critique, exemplifies dissent as a profound act of civic engagement. Immanuel Kant, the renowned Enlightenment philosopher, offered a powerful defence of this kind of loyal, evidence-based dissent. Kant argued that the free public use of reason is essential for societal progress. The mission of Pearls Continue reading »
politics
Public polls and what I have heard of private polls suggest we may be facing a very new political ball game after the next federal election. At the last election, the Albanese Government secured a two-seat majority. The large swing to the ALP in WA was a surprise. And the ‘Chinese vote’ was critical in Continue reading »
ACT Police have today announced that they will launch an investigation into the mysterious stab wounds that have appeared in the back of the current vice chancellor of Canberra University. The investigation was announced on the same day that former... Read More ›
Temporary graduate visas are for overseas students who complete their study and wish to undertake work in Australia, often as a pathway to permanent residence. These visas work best when the bulk of temporary graduates seeking permanent residence are able to secure skilled work and eventually a permanent residence employer sponsored (or other) permanent visa. Continue reading »
The outcome of the latest conflagration pitting Israel against the indigenous population it has sought to displace, but failed to subdue since long before 1948, remains impossible to predict. As the semi-official death toll in Gaza approaches 41,000 — more than a third of them children or infants — and the Israel Defence Forces extend Continue reading »
The fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh has been described as a strategic loss for India and a potential gain for China. But various obstacles may hinder China from gaining greater influence in the region. Political instability, economic challenges, and India’s enduring importance to Bangladesh will limit the extent of China’s influential inroads. The Continue reading »
Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that these corridors will stay in Israeli
military control and that “ Israel will not under any circumstances leave the Philadelphi corridor nor the Netzarim axis...these are strategic principles, both militarily and politically.” Continue reading »
Peter Hehir, in his article “Good science has no bias”, asserts that climate scientists should not, and will not, participate in the climate debate. Before reviewing Peter’s reasoning, it would be helpful to outline the current situation. Climate scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that atmospheric pollution from the emission of greenhouse gases is the prime Continue reading »
Prof Wang Gungwu, who is now 94, is an historian without equal. When someone alerted me that he would be giving an online lecture at HELP University in Kuala Lumpur on 10 August, I lost no time in signing up for a seat at the university’s Damansara auditorium. Well before the present US-China tensions, Prof Continue reading »