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Editor's note
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In case you missed it (we imagine it would have been hard to) here at The Conversation has been going hard promoting our 2018 donations campaign. Surely you can’t blame us - we need to raise a quarter of our annual budget in a fortnight to continue the important work we’re doing.
But it’s Saturday and you deserve a break from our hassling, so let’s take a look at some of the stories from the week that may have gone unnoticed. Say, did you know we launched an exciting new series this week for all you floraphiles out there. Beating Around the Bush profiles the wonderful, winsome and weird plants of Australia. So far we’ve looked at the Bunya Pine (hot tip, don’t leave your car under one) and the Sandpaper Fig.
In arts news, this week our Friday Essay looked at The William Ricketts Sanctuary, a curious and somewhat disturbing anachronism that remains a popular drawcard at Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. There’s little doubt, according to author Mitchell Rolls, that the space is a racist anachronism, but can it foster empathy?
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Molly Glassey
Newsletter Editor
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Top story
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Chanting: plants plants PLANTS PLANTS PLANTS.
Rexness/Flickr
Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation
Are you stressed? Of course you are. Read about awesome plants instead.
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Environment + Energy
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Don Driscoll, Deakin University
Failing to cull feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park may end up promoting environmental destruction while actually increasing the horses' suffering.
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Manu Saunders, University of New England
Many fruits, nuts and other crops rely on bees to pollinate their flowers at just the right time of year. Many farmers rent bees to get the job done at pollination time.
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Ian Wright, Western Sydney University
The Bunya pine is a unique and majestic Australian tree that commands respect.
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Health + Medicine
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Forbes McGain, University of Sydney
Health care produces 7% of Australia's carbon emissions. And hospitals produce about half of this. Not to mention all the single-use items thrown away every day.
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Mark Schier, Swinburne University of Technology; Yossi Rathner, Swinburne University of Technology
We don't have evidence that can point us to the exact purpose of yawning. But there are several theories.
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Arts + Culture
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Mitchell Rolls, University of Tasmania
A mossy sanctuary in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges houses 92 sculptures, mostly of Arrernte and Pitjantjatjara men, women and children. They are steeped in primitivism, yet the park is a popular tourist attraction.
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John Attridge, UNSW
In our ongoing Guide to the Classics series, we look at Heart of Darkness: the product of dark historical energies that continue to shape our contemporary world.
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Mike Witcombe, Bath Spa University
His recent death will lead to some old debates about his work returning – but are they still valid?
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Education
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Wendy Boyd, Southern Cross University
Children aged three to five don't need to do formal academic assignments in early childhood education to hit their milestones.
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John Munro, Australian Catholic University
To assess problem-solving, creative and critical thinking skills on NAPLAN would fit with broader movements in education internationally, but there are some questions to address first.
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Business + Economy
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James Morley, University of Sydney; Beth Webster, Swinburne University of Technology
Two experts argue for and against government intervention when it comes to fixing low wage growth.
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Antony Ting, University of Sydney
It is well known that modern multinationals such as Google can derive substantial revenue and profits from Australia without significant physical presence here.
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Sara Niner, Monash University
If programs don’t challenge the structural causes of gender inequality, microfinance will just continue to reinforce poverty and inequality.
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Science + Technology
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Chris Firth, Macquarie University
The current eruption of Kilauea on Hawai'is big island can tell us a lot about what is going on beneath the volcano and may provide lessons for future eruptions.
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Vincent Mitchell, University of Sydney
By choosing to deal with companies with better data protection policies, Australian consumers can create pressure for change in how personal data is handled across the board.
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Politics + Society
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Laura Dales, University of Western Australia; Emma Dalton, RMIT University
An MP from Japan's governing party recently commented that single women were a burden on the state. But many young women, and men, are rethinking the lure of married life.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The ALP just has to suck it up and throw itself into battle, because the stakes are very high.
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Anika Gauja, University of Sydney; Fiona Buckley, University College Cork; Jennifer Curtin
Examples from Ireland and New Zealand show that, unless determined measures are taken, masculine political cultures will ensure the gender imbalance remains.
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Cities
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Richard Hu, University of Canberra
Xiong’an is called China’s No.1 urban project. Orchestrated by President Xi Jinping, the mega-city to be built just over 100 kilometres south of Beijing is also very much a political project.
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Tooran Alizadeh, University of Sydney; Reza Farid, Griffith University; Somwrita Sarkar, University of Sydney
The patterns of Airbnb listings in Australia's biggest cities suggest impacts on rental housing are likely to be biggest in high-end areas that appeal to tourists. Low-income areas are less affected.
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From the editor
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The Conversation has a monthly readership of over 35 million people through republishing.
Misha Ketchell, The Conversation
We need your help to raise a quarter of our annual budget over the next two weeks.
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Swinburne University of Technology — Hawthorn, Victoria
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Western Sydney University — Parramatta, New South Wales
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Featured events
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55 Elizabeth Street , Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia — University of Newcastle
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Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton Campus, Victoria, 3800, Australia — Monash University
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