http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/history/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +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/shakespeare-a-fake-what-fools-these-mortals-be/ My name’s Lucy and I’m a Stratfordian. Okay, not really. That’s just a fancy way of saying that I think William Shakespeare was real. That even though he was born to a middle class family, went to the local school and never set foot in a university - that he wrote every single one of his approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 epic narrative poems, with an unrivalled creativity, a wicked sense of humour and a serious passion for documenting the world around him. It means that I think Shakespeare’s humble beginnings did not define him. That his quick wit drove his talent and his natural curiosity made him a star. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shakespeare-a-fake-what-fools-these-mortals-be/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/shakespeare-a-fake-what-fools-these-mortals-be/#item7099 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-politics-its-all-just-a-little-bit-of-history-repeating/ For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-politics-its-all-just-a-little-bit-of-history-repeating/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-politics-its-all-just-a-little-bit-of-history-repeating/#item6964 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australian-cycling-has-a-rich-and-exciting-history/ The Herald-Sun Tour is Australia’s oldest cycling stage race. As a child, I recall watching the Tour riders travel through the small country town of Rosedale in Gippsland where I grew-up. Sometimes there would be an intermediate sprint in the town. On other occasions we would watch the riders racing up the ridge adjoining our property. The Tour marked the revival of competitive cycling after the Second World War. For the first half of last century, track racing and one-day endurance events dominated the cycling calendar. Track racing was extremely popular, as thousands of people flocked to the wooden velodromes to witness closely fought races. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australian-cycling-has-a-rich-and-exciting-history/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/australian-cycling-has-a-rich-and-exciting-history/#item6924 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Symbols-of-dignity-and-humanity-long-before-911/ For the vast majority of people, images of the World Trade Centre in New York, and in particular its destruction, are permanently etched into their psyche.  While we understand a great deal about why the towers collapsed structurally, and the political motivations behind the attack, curiously very little is known about their architect and architecture. So who was the architect of New York’s World Trade Centre, and what did his building represent at the time it was built? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Symbols-of-dignity-and-humanity-long-before-911/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Symbols-of-dignity-and-humanity-long-before-911/#item6688 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-day-america-said-no-to-god/ It’s a brave or foolish American who turns his back on God. But that’s what New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has done. He’s told security at the official 9/11 Ground Zero ceremony, on Sunday morning, to watch for an eccentric yet convincing bearded gent, possibly wearing flowing robes, who’ll be looking to crash the party. It is a strange day when God is not invited or invoked at a day of national mourning or celebration in the US. But Bloomberg has decreed that no religious leaders will attend the ceremony, where the names of the 2,983 who were killed on September 11 will be read aloud by family members. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-day-america-said-no-to-god/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-day-america-said-no-to-god/#item6686 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-dead-people-who-stubbornly-refuse-to-die/ Apparently they found Ned Kelly’s remains today. Move along, nothing to see here. While the discovery of a national legend’s leftovers would ordinarily be huge news, we’re not sold in this case. Why not? Because Ned has rarely been out of the news for the 130 years he’s been dead, that’s why not. And Ned’s not alone. Many people in public life do their most productive and newsworthy work years after slipping from this mortal coil. We’ve come up with 10, but we invite you to add your suggestions. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-dead-people-who-stubbornly-refuse-to-die/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-dead-people-who-stubbornly-refuse-to-die/#item6619 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-cemeteries-bringing-alive-the-dead/ When we think about the story of our nation and the way in which it is preserved and recorded, we rarely give a thought to the rich resource in our cemeteries. In my home town of Geelong the Geelong CemeteriesTrust manages 13 cemeteries in Geelong and the Surf Coast and each are special and significant, not just as places of burial and solemnity, but as places to remember those who came before us and helped make our city what it is today. For instance, the Eastern Cemetery is, in fact, Victoria’s oldest working cemetery. Its earliest burials date from 1839 when Geelong was barely a town. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-cemeteries-bringing-alive-the-dead/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-cemeteries-bringing-alive-the-dead/#item6587 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Australia-should-lead-a-global-nuclear-weapons-ban/ Sixty-six years ago today the face of civilization was changed forever, when a nuclear bomb almost incinerated the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing tens of thousands of people. By the end of the decade that bomb – and another bomb dropped on nearby Nagasaki – had claimed the lives of half a million people. This year on Hiroshima Day, 6 August 2011, Australian Red Cross begins a campaign to re-ignite the push for a ban on the use of nuclear weapons – calling on young Australians from all walks of life to finish what their parents started. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Australia-should-lead-a-global-nuclear-weapons-ban/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Australia-should-lead-a-global-nuclear-weapons-ban/#item6445 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Cool-heads-are-needed-when-horror-is-writ-large/ It was not until I recently heard an art historian visiting Australia to talk about Guernica – the iconic anti-war painting by Pablo Picasso – that I connected the dots of why the 9/11 attacks had such a penetrating impact on the global community. Art historian Professor Timothy J Clark was explaining in a Sydney Ideas lecture why Picasso’s depiction of the world’s first terrorist air-raid continues to have political currency in the post-9/11 era, despite the existence of more “real” forms of media than existed in 1937. Clark said that in essence Picasso managed to communicate what it is really like to be bombed. He told me after the speech that “Guernica wouldn’t have its continuing political relevance if it didn’t somehow manage to wrench the material reality of suffering out of that black and white virtual world”. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Cool-heads-are-needed-when-horror-is-writ-large/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Cool-heads-are-needed-when-horror-is-writ-large/#item6291 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-bibles-old-stuff-way-funnier-than-the-new-stuff/ The Bible is renowned for many reasons, but its capacity to elicit laughter isn’t one of them.  Profound, boring, thought-provoking, out-moded, terrifying, censorious … take your pick.  But funny it is not. The American intellectual Jack Miles claimed recently that the Bible “is morally serious to the virtual exclusion of charm”. Such sentiments are understandable. There’s no disputing that the Bible’s concerns are, at core, as deep and weighty as they come.  Even so, there is humour to be found within its pages.  For the most part, however, it’s not of the side-splitting or slapstick variety. Almost all the intentional humour is in the Old Testament. Sarcasm, irony, punning, wordplay, humorous imagery and exaggeration – each were liberally employed by the ancient Hebrew authors. Like all the best communicators today, they appreciated that humour is an excellent way to win over an audience. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-bibles-old-stuff-way-funnier-than-the-new-stuff/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-bibles-old-stuff-way-funnier-than-the-new-stuff/#item5840 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 For SA Premier Mike Rann, “school” ends today, and from 9am tomorrow, he is on holidays. This is earlier than he wanted, but the right-wing “shoppies” union gave him no choice. No wonder he has spent much of his last days railing against factional influence in the Labor party. Mr Rann has had a long innings since taking over the Premier’s job on March 5, 2002. Not a record, by a long way. The Liberal and Country League government of Tom Playford set the record, from 1938 to 1965, a longevity which will probably never be beaten. Of course, he did have a heavily biased election system in his favour. That long Liberal reign was followed by a Labor domination. Of the 46 years from 1965 until now, Labor has been in office for 35. And that period has been dominated by three Labor Premiers: Don Dunstan (1967 – 79), John Bannon (1982 – 92), and Mike Rann (2002 – 11). In those data is one reason for the Rann angst at being pushed out of the job early – he could have achieved the record of being the longest serving Labor Premier.