http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/sassoon-grigorian/ Sassoon Grigorian works in the technology sector. He was senior adviser to a former NSW Premier and worked in the NSW Government for nearly a decade. Sassoon has worked for the Sydney Olympic Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG), and was senior consultant for Australia’s largest public affairs firm. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-arab-worlds-christian-minority-needs-protecting/ As the Arab Spring continues its momentum throughout the Middle East engulfing Syria, and with it the hope of greater democracy, it’s also worth reflecting on the consequences such as the ancient Christian communities which are becoming a disappearing minority. Syria’s Christians, represent no more than ten per cent of the country’s 22 million people, tracing their origins two millennia to the beginnings of the faith. Apostle Paul is said to have converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, from which he went on to spread the religion across the Roman Empire. Christianity has its origin in the Middle East from the fourth century. Covering communities speaking Greek, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, Georgian, and Arabic. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-arab-worlds-christian-minority-needs-protecting/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-arab-worlds-christian-minority-needs-protecting/#item8124 Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:35:05 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hes-smart-and-he-knows-his-qing-from-his-ming/ It’s not often in Australian politics when a Prime Minister can go beyond Parliament, and select the best possible candidate in Australia for a Ministerial position. Not so in the United States, where the President selects his Cabinet Secretaries not on the premise whether they are in Congress or Senate, but whether they are the best possible candidate for high office. Prime Minister Gillard selected one of Australia’s best candidates to the Ministry, not the best candidate in Parliament (at the time of the appointment). Let me clear, Australia is the beneficiary by having Bob Carr installed as Minister for Foreign Affairs. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hes-smart-and-he-knows-his-qing-from-his-ming/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Hes-smart-and-he-knows-his-qing-from-his-ming/#item7922 Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:00:26 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/deniers-of-genocide-should-taste-their-own-medicine/ In Australia, there has been a vocal debate whether we require a bill of rights, although each of Australia’s states have various laws governing anti discrimination. Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, have been tested in the courts on numerous occasions and found people contravening the Act, for saying what they think. It has been argued a charter would increase litigation, not rights. Well this is something which could occur in France. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/deniers-of-genocide-should-taste-their-own-medicine/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/deniers-of-genocide-should-taste-their-own-medicine/#item7666 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:25:53 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/victims-of-one-vile-holocaust-must-recognise-another/ For the first time, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recip Tayipp Erdogan, has apologised for the killings of 14,000 people in Dersim - a town in south-eastern part of the country now known as Tunceli - between 1936 and 1939. The apology came after a war of words between Erdogan and the leader of the main opposition party. Turkey has finally realised that it will not be able to end the Kurdish rebel war through military measures alone. Why is this important? Well this is not Turkey’s only historical dilemma, and many will be wondering if this could be applied to other minorities. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/victims-of-one-vile-holocaust-must-recognise-another/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/victims-of-one-vile-holocaust-must-recognise-another/#item7243 Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:50:58 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/access-to-the-internet-is-a-human-right/ The right to digital access, should be a right we expect like a right to equality, or accessibility. Recent debate about the price households will pay for their broadband as the National Broadband Network (NBN) is rolled out, has raised issues such as affordability. As that debate continues, it is important to also focus on the need for digital inclusion to improve quality of life, and on extending opportunities - particularly in employment. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/access-to-the-internet-is-a-human-right/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/access-to-the-internet-is-a-human-right/#item6768 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:35:55 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-might-follow-leaders-we-got-to-pick-ourselves/ Should other than Caucus members of Parliament determine the leadership of an Australian political party? We have all known that despite all the talk, the leadership of political parties are not determined solely by Caucus members of Parliament, they are influenced by a range of factors including public sentiment and in the case of the Labor party, the leaders of relevant trade unions. The release of Paul Howes’ book, In Confessions Of a Faceless Man, does not diminish those assertions. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-might-follow-leaders-we-got-to-pick-ourselves/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-might-follow-leaders-we-got-to-pick-ourselves/#item4466 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:55:05 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-i-learned-from-meeting-the-ground-zero-imam/ The Clash of Civilizations is a theory, proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. With plans underway to build an Islamic centre and mosque near Ground Zero, New York, where the September 11 attacks took place, many are once again are questioning this theory. A recent poll by Quinnipiac University showed 67 per cent of voters across New York state want the mosque and community centre to be moved further away from Ground Zero than currently proposed (which is two blocks away). The poll also found 80 per cent agreed the project was legally allowed to go ahead. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-i-learned-from-meeting-the-ground-zero-imam/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-i-learned-from-meeting-the-ground-zero-imam/#item4124 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:00:03 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/leaders-should-confront-voters-with-a-full-web-debate/ We are all familiar with the television debates between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition that occur in the lead up to a Federal election - but are Australians ready for online election debates? Last month, NSW held what was billed as the first election debate on Twitter between NSW Premier Kristina Keneally and NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell with mixed results including descriptions of it being chaotic, and confusing. The increasing “US Presidential” style elections in Australia, with the focus almost entirely on the personality of the leader, suggests that other important developments in the US will be taking place here. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Sassoon Grigorian) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/leaders-should-confront-voters-with-a-full-web-debate/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/leaders-should-confront-voters-with-a-full-web-debate/#item3579 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:45:33 +0000 Sassoon Grigorian | Author bios | The Punch