A couple of articles on The Drum

The Drum has a couple of interesting articles:

Ben Eltham writes in Common sense is in the eye of the beholder:

Common sense is a proxy, in a way, of all the things that seem self-evident in your own worldview. Much like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately, those with a different view aren't likely to agree.

In When the boat people were welcome Marion Diamond discusses moves in the 19th century to encourage fishermen from Indonesia to visit and trade with settlements in northern Australia.

Singapore was an immediate success. So in 1824 the British decided to try to develop "another Singapore" in northern Australia – another multi-lingual, multi-ethnic port that would tap into existing trade routes between Makassar and northern Australia.

Anitra Nelson in The global equation: Growth = Debt argues that not only is debt not always bad, but our economic system depends on for growth.

However, income and expenditure accounts include several layers of obligations. It is easy to see the very temporary debts and credits created by working and receiving wages. Similarly buying materials to use immediately in production are generally quickly remunerated investments. The more complicated networks of obligations arise with very expensive equipment and other assets necessary for production, such as offices, storage and vehicles for transport. Many capitalist enterprises today represent considerable ongoing investments dependent on the system of stocks and shares, which in Australia involve workers through compulsory superannuation. It is significant that we tend to think of such investments, and all the risks they entail, as 'savings', even though they are not like gold or any real store of durable consumables. In fact they are debts/credits.

I'm not sure I agree with Anitra's conclusion, but her article is in many ways insightful.

Tammi Jonas in Intellectual honesty and an open mind writes:

Academics are trained to research a topic until they know it inside and out. That doesn't mean there can't be new data at any time, that may shift the scholar's position once uncovered. It does, however, mean the scholar is considered 'an expert' who has authority to speak on the topic. This authority has come with years of work and constantly challenging assertions and so-called common sense beliefs. It has not come from reading an article in the newspaper and then citing that article for the next year as authoritative.

Newspapers are not authoritative. Research is, as carried out by academics and other knowledge workers across many sectors who read widely, ask questions, observe, and engage in constant discussion and debate on a topic.

What you read in The Australian about climate change is not authoritative. What you read from the Union of Concerned Scientists is.