In The News Mar 24

CELEBRATIONS
Covenant Day                      Northern Marianas
National Tree Planting Day      Uganda
Hola Mohalla                      Sikhism
Purim                              Judaism
World Tuberculosis Day   https://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/
International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
                                             https://www.un.org/en/events/righttotruthday/
More about Mar 24                 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_24

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
One Mile Dam leader Mr Timber dies amid uncertainty over camp future
Residents of a tiny Aboriginal community on the edge of Darwin's CBD mourn the death of one of their strongest advocates.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/one-mile-dam-community-leader-mr-timber-dies/7271900

Indigenous elder Bes Murray remembered as important custodian
Indigenous elder Bes Murray dies at the age of 87 and is remembered by his community as the "link and common thread between the past, the present and the future" of Indigenous and white culture.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/bes-murray-community-mourns-important-elder/7271494

Abbott 'crucial' to gaining conservative support for Indigenous referendum
Former prime minister Tony Abbott to be conscripted to work on the referendum to acknowledge Indigenous Australians in an effort to get strong conservative support.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/abbott-key-to-gaining-conservative-support-indigenous-referendum/7271602

'They got to answer to us' - Ms Dhu's family calls for justice after police testimony
As the final officer who had custody of Ms Dhu testifies at the inquest into her death in custody, her family rallies with supporters outside
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/23/they-got-to-answer-to-us-ms-dhus-family-calls-for-justice-after-police-testimony

ASYLUM SEEKERS
Manus detainee flown off island for medical treatment
Refugee advocates say a 39-year-old Iranian man was flown off Manus Island after collapsing while playing soccer.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/manus-detainee-flown-off-island-for-medical-treatment/7272196

Turnbull says Brussels attacks highlight Europe's porous borders
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warns Islamic State militants are using the refugee crisis to send terrorist operatives into Europe.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/europe's-porous-borders-to-blame-for-brussels-attack-pm-says/7271726

Government putting Iraqi and Syrian Christians lives at risk by delay, says refugee group
Australian Iraqi and Syrian Christians say the Australian Government is moving too slowly and lives are being put at risk by delays in bringing their relatives into Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/govt-putting-iraqi-and-syrian-christians-lives-at-risk-by-delay/7270560

Some refugees refused asylum over security concerns, says Keenan
Some people wanting to come to Australia under the expanded refugee program have been flagged as security risks, Justice Minister Michael Keenan says, as 9,000 would-be refugees continue through the checks process.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/several-refugees-seeking-asylum-a-security-risk-to-australia/7270704

‘Must never happen again’
The Rohingya refugee crisis of last May in which 370 people died at sea “must not happen again”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bali-partners-decide-rohingya-crisis-must-never-happen-again/news-story/2e24b4fdd80cc96862903ebd6ccf0d4a

CHARITY AND WELFARE
Generosity and commitment to causes improve when giving is personal
Giving something personal increases people's self-perception of generosity and commitment to charitable causes.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/sfpa-gac032316.php

CHILD ABUSE
Elite Melbourne school removes name of teacher over abuse claims
Private Jesuit school Xavier College will remove the name of Father Paddy Stephenson from its sports centre after claims emerged that he abused students.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/xavier-college-removes-name-of-teacher-over-abuse-claims/7270876

DEATH AND DYING
Prolonged daily sitting linked to 3.8 percent of all-cause deaths
Investigators estimate limiting sitting to less than 3 hours per day could increase life expectancy, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/ehs-pds032316.php

Eleni Pinnow: I told the truth in my sister's obituary, so that others might choose to live
The most alone I have ever felt was standing on my front porch on a chilly February evening. My sister had taped a note to the front door that said "Eleni, if you're the ...
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/i-told-the-truth-in-my-sisters-obituary-so-that-others-might-choose-to-live-20160323-gnpx1s.html

Simon Smart: How do we find joy at a funeral?
As the roll call of those departing gets longer people these days are neither fearing nor denying but are accepting death
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/how-do-we-find-joy-at-a-funeral-20160323-gnp9da.html

DRUGS
Self-treating with cannabis 'fraught with risk'
The country's peak medical body has warned self-treating with cannabis oil is "fraught with danger", in the wake of a Queensland man escaping conviction in a landmark Supreme Court Case.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/selftreating-with-cannabis-oil-fraught-with-risk-20160323-gnptro.html

ENVIRONMENT
International trade damages tropical nature, NUS study finds
Tropical countries incur annual economic losses totalling US$1.7 trillion through destruction of ecosystem services
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/nuos-itd032316.php

UN report to guide wilderness tourism
STRICT criteria for tourism development in Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area will be adopted in light of a recent UNESCO report.
https://www.themercury.com.au/lifestyle/un-report-to-guide-tourism-ventures-in-states-wilderness-world-heritage-areas/news-story/b435e19d8b10b6195355954d8226a453

Drivers take note - cycling has benefits
Motorists who get annoyed at cyclists slowing them down should keep in mind that riding a bike means fewer cars are on the roads, resulting in less congestion and pollution, a researcher says.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31175747/drivers-take-note-cycling-has-benefits/

Cabinet reverses Abbott-era cuts to renewables bodies
The Turnbull Government has agreed to keep ARENA and the CEFC under a new funding arrangement, reversing Abbott government policy.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-23/government-reverses-decision-to-dump-renewable-energy-agencies/7269568

The Australia Institute: Digging for answers
This report finds that the business case for a nuclear waste storage facility in South Australia is exaggerated. The project is risky, and a loss overall is well within the range of possible...
https://apo.org.au/resource/digging-answers

Stephen Stromberg: Trump is not just a risk to the country. He is also a risk to the planet.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump spent an hour with The Post’s editorial board on Monday, and he made at least three points that show why he is not just a risk to the country — but also to the planet.
https://www.dailyclimate.org/t/2243729126751409161

Chelsea Harvey: How exploiting the Earth can fuel violent conflict.
Exploitation of natural resources can be the driver or the consequence of war.
https://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-1569566190918511710

Katrin Meissner and Kaitlin Alexander: Mass extinctions and climate change - why the speed of rising greenhouse gases matters
Carbon dioxide is rising faster than any time in the past 66 million years. Rapid rises in the past have been linked to mass extinctions.
https://theconversation.com/mass-extinctions-and-climate-change-why-the-speed-of-rising-greenhouse-gases-matters-56675

Bill McKibben: Global warming’s terrifying new chemistry.
Our leaders thought fracking would save our climate. They were wrong. Very wrong.
https://www.dailyclimate.org/t/-1569566190918510609

Elizabeth Farrelly: Our most deadly sin
I've never been strong on belief. Sin, virtue, damnation, eternity; none of it has had me altogether persuaded. But one question I can't walk round. Is climate change proof of sin? Not punishment; evidence. Is it final, irreducible proof (for us diehard boneheads) that that the Seven Deadly Sins are exactly that?
https://www.smh.com.au/comment/easter-is-a-reminder-that-climate-change-may-be-our-deadliest-sin-20160322-gnp3tk.html

FAMILY
Married people are the most satisfied in the UK, according to new report
Married people are the most satisfied people in the United Kingdom, while those who are separated or divorced are the most dissatisfied, according to new figures released today.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/married.people.are.the.most.satisfied.in.the.uk.according.to.new.report/82538.htm

Amanda Sheehan: Why I turned off my son's Xbox
If I had known what I was getting myself and my son into when I bought him an X-Box and the Minecraft game for his 8th birthday, I would have put it right back on the shelf.
https://www.smh.com.au/comment/i-turned-off-my-sons-xbox-to-regain-his-childhood-20160323-gnpl27.html

FINANCE AND INEQUALITY
WEstjustice Sunshine Youth Office: Fare go - Myki, transport poverty and access to education in Melbourne’s west.
This report argues that travel to and from school on the Victorian public transport system is too costly for a significant proportion of students in the west of Melbourne, which is creating...
https://apo.org.au/resource/fare-go-myki-transport-poverty-and-access-education-melbournes-west

Kate Ellis: Inequality in Australia's schools is growing and must be reversed
Disadvantaged pupils lag two years behind those from wealthier areas. This shows why Labor will reverse Coalition cuts and implement Gonski in full
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/23/inequality-in-australias-schools-is-growing-and-must-be-reversed

All hail the economic panacea of company tax cuts       
Advocates promise that company tax cuts will cure everything?—?but finding evidence to back that up is difficult at best, Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer write.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/03/23/all-hail-the-economic-panacea-of-company-tax-cuts/

HOUSING AND HOMELESS
Matthew Trigg: Why smaller towns matter to city dwellers
With tax reform debate falling further down the rabbit hole, discussion is shifting to areas less prone to brute partisanship: our cities.
https://www.theage.com.au/comment/regional-towns-should-matter-to-city-dwellers-20160322-gnoo5j.html

INTERNATIONAL AID
Famine threatens half of Yemen, says UN
Fighting over the past year has displaced about 2.3 million people in Yemen and left more than half the population in need of food aid, the UN says.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/famine-threatens-half-of-yemen-un/news-story/4cd957bcda3a9f81eb2d430929c4136e

Why is nobody talking about Africa's drought?
Millions in parts of eastern and southern Africa are facing the worst drought in three decades. Only 15 percent of the $155 million needed for relief aid has been funded to date.
https://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/-1569566190918511705

Ann Wigglesworth: Activism, aid and sovereign borders
East Timor claims it has lost some US$5 billion (nearly $6.6 billion) in royalties and tax revenue in the Timor Sea since independence, enough to fund its entire budget for three years.
https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=18126

MIND
Tooth loss increases the risk of diminished cognitive function
JDR CTR publishes systematic review that shows an association between tooth loss and reduced cognitive function in adults
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/iaa-tli032316.php

The conflict between science and religion lies in our brains
The conflict between science and religion may have its origins in the structure of our brains, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Babson College have found.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/cwru-tcb032116.php

RELIGION
What's the most common word in Scripture? Five facts you might not know about the Bible
Even Bible nerds need to kick back every now and again. But in case you're looking for some new trivia to use over the Easter weekend, here are some fun facts about the Bible, courtesy of Bluefield College, Virginia.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/whats.the.most.common.word.in.scripture.five.facts.you.might.not.know.about.the.bible/82535.htm

Rita Panahi: Terror has a religion — radical Islam
THE bodies of the victims of Islamic State’s latest atrocity were barely cold before apologists and deniers started preaching the familiar mantra that Islamist terror has nothing to do with Islam
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/rita-panahi-on-brussels-bombing-terror-has-a-religion-and-its-name-is-radical-islam/news-story/cb6bc31b14cbae2ce5b93a3e44565398

Peter Sellick: The cry from the cross
Thus Luke and John replace this terrible cry that would seem to sever the relationship between Jesus and God, with words that suggest that he was in complete control right to the end.
https://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=18124

Florence Taylor : Do you care enough to be a Christian?
The New Zealand Police Force filmed a child actor dressed as a homeless boy scavenging for food from a bin on a busy pavement for 35 minutes. In that time, about five hundred people had the opportunity to see the boy, yet just ten stopped to talk to him and offer help.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/do.you.care.enough.to.be.a.christian/82436.htm

WORK
FactCheck: has the level of casual employment in Australia stayed steady for the past 18 years?
The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) said that casual employment has not increased in Australia for the past 18 years. Is that right?
https://theconversation.com/factcheck-has-the-level-of-casual-employment-in-australia-stayed-steady-for-the-past-18-years-56212

Bernard Salt: Where jobs face biggest threat
What will be the forces to reshape labour markets, business and Australian society over the next generation?
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/bernard-salt-demographer/where-jobs-face-biggest-threat-from-digital-disruption/news-story/78352c3f40e1a5d21da7423b4a6ca879