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Editor's note
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It may feel like a new buzzword, but it was 13 years ago that US TV host Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness”. In the years since the word, which captures the slippery world inhabited by those unencumbered by facts, has become increasingly apt, or even inadequate.
As Julianne Schultz writes, the problems are not limited to the US. It is time, she argues, to turn up the level of civilisation.
And there are still a handful of tickets available for our end of year reader event in Melbourne on Wednesday. Come and join Michelle Grattan and Misha Ketchell In Conversation discussing the year in politics. Tickets are $20 and nearly sold out. We’re delighted to also be launching our annual Yearbook at the event.
Can’t make it Melbourne? We’re also running events in Perth, Canberra and Brisbane (sorry, rest of Australia – hopefully next year!), or you can buy a copy of the 2018 Yearbook here.
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James Whitmore
Deputy Editor: Arts + Culture
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Top story
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Donald and Melania Trump in Paris last week. According to the Washington Post, the president has made 6,420 false or misleading comments in 649 days.
Ian Langsdon/EPA
Julianne Schultz, Griffith University
US president Donald Trump's industrial scale deception has dangerous implications everywhere. What then, can we do to foster a more civilised society?
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Environment + Energy
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David Bowman, University of Tasmania
The California fires are just the most recent in a series of major wildfires. Together, they suggest we need to look at alternative ways of living with fire.
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Helen Phillips, University of Tasmania; Benoit Legresy, CSIRO; Nathan Bindoff, University of Tasmania
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current provides a barrier to heat that keeps warm subtropical waters away from Antarctica. Yet, there are a few places where the heat gets through.
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Science + Technology
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Steven Tingay, Curtin University
We will never see 'Oumuamua again, and we may never know exactly what it is. But with the right kind of media coverage it could inspire some kids to take up a career in science.
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Jay Sanjayan, Swinburne University of Technology
Pouring concrete into formwork limits the creativity of architects to build unique shapes. 3D printing could change that.
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Health + Medicine
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Garry Jennings, University of Sydney
A new study has found one type of concentrated fish oil supplement reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke among people with heart disease. But these findings apply to a certain group of people.
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Philippa Middleton, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Jamie De Seymour, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Lucy Simmonds, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Maria Makrides, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute
A new review of 70 studies involving nearly 20,000 women found taking omega-3 supplements in pregnancy reduces the risk of premature labour.
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Politics + Society
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Jagannath Adhikari, Curtin University
Sri Lanka has become the cautionary tale when it comes to Belt and Road investment with China. Can Nepal avoid a similar fate?
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George Rennie, University of Melbourne
SIFA claims it wants to 'simplify, not weaken' gun control laws in Australia. But it's following the same playbook as the NRA in America – and hoping for similar results.
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Business + Economy
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Cameron Murray, The University of Queensland
The conventional case for swapping stamp duty for land tax will boost the economy has weak underpinnings.
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Warren Hogan, University of Technology Sydney; Gordon Menzies, University of Technology Sydney
The best way to get bankers to behave well might be to bind them to a code of ethics, like doctors. We've tried ever tighter rules.
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Arts + Culture
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Katharine Gelber, The University of Queensland
There's no evidence we have a problem with free speech on our campuses. The free speech inquiry is expensive and unnecessary.
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David McCooey, Deakin University
Remixing a Beatles album might be seen as both artistically redundant and cynically commercial. But this remixed classic allows us to experience the album in a new way.
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Cities
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Julie Lawson, RMIT University; Hal Pawson, UNSW; Laurence Troy, UNSW; Ryan van den Nouwelant, Western Sydney University
A tenfold increase in building is needed to overcome the current social housing shortfall and cover projected growth in need. But it can be done, and direct public investment is the cheapest way.
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Lisa Wood, University of Western Australia
Life on the street is no place to recover from a stay in hospital, but that's what happens to many people who are homeless. But there's a proven model to provide care that also cuts healthcare costs.
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Education
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Linda J. Graham, Queensland University of Technology
There is conclusive evidence that in most cases, suspension only reinforces negative behaviour.
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Katharine Gelber, The University of Queensland
There's no evidence we have a problem with free speech on our campuses. The free speech inquiry is expensive and unnecessary.
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FactCheck
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Ray Markey, Macquarie University
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said "you can’t reflect society if 90% of your members of parliament were chosen from trade unions and worked in trade unions". Let's take a look at the numbers.
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Featured jobs
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La Trobe University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Griffith University — Mount Gravatt, Queensland
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Auckland University of Technology — Auckland, Auckland
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Featured events
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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) 1 Convention Centre Place , South Wharf, Victoria, 3000, Australia — The Conversation
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Deakin Burwood Corporate Centre (BCC), Level 2, Building BC, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria, 3215, Australia — Deakin University
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Level 8, Building H, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East, Victoria, 3145, Australia — Monash University
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Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street , Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Monash University
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