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The Age has an article on Islam-inspired comic book series The 99. Thrilled to read it will be aired on ABC3 next year. Muslims are going mainstream!

Wham! Bam! Drawing on Islam.

Because I’m in it.

Just joking. Well, yes I’ve written for it (‘Has Multiculturalism Failed Us? Time for Kaleidoculture!’), but I’m joking you should subscribe just because of that–rather it’s a thoroughly enjoyable magazine.

The King’s Tribune is one of those rare beasts, a magazine that appears in hard-copy in your post when you subscribe. There is online access, but to be honest I enjoy the tactile experience of sitting down with a cuppa and flicking through scanning which articles I want to read first, and then slowly meandering my way through piecemeal, until I’ve finished the entire thing. Certain relatives enjoy it as privy-time reading.

There are regular authors who contribute pieces, some of them laugh-out-loud funny, others more serious. And there are blow-ins too. If you’re interested in writing for KT, I suggest you give a hoi to @janetribune.

More importantly, though, here is The King’s Tribune subscription details. It’s $25 for three months worth of issues (you can buy single issues, or online access only too). I know, I know. Who has money to spend on magazine subscriptions these days? Well remember, before the Internet, when you would sit down with a printed sheef of pages and thoroughly enjoy the news and views of the day? You’re paying for that slow-down-from-the-rush experience my friend: a cuppa, a KT, and a bit of quiet time.

Please ignore the typo in the opening credits:

Susanna Latham, an adjunct research associate at Curtin University’s Centre for Human Rights education, has published a post in the ABC’s The Drum Opinion looking at how the Islamophobic discourse as exemplified in the article by ‘human rights activist’ Dr Durie puts Muslim human rights at peril. Being selective in which humans for whom you are willing to advocate, strips the title of genuine meaning.

I was very excited to see the launch of the new media website: The Conversation, and particularly liked this line: “The website focuses on providing expert commentary to the public on issues and topics out in the public forum without bias or interpretation from journalists.”

My initial response was, ‘finally!’ I’ve been on the wrong end of an over-zealous editor who turned my writing into something unrecognisable (which is why you won’t find THAT piece listed anywhere on my website here), and other times have sighed with frustration that with such limited space in your average piece, there’s only room to express a thought or two, let alone the deep nuances required for complex topics.

Furthermore, in my particular field it is difficult to combat the levels of prejudice and xenophobia that are routinely expressed by media commentators and politicians, to wade through all of that in order to illuminate the science… it feels like bashing your head against a brick wall.

So, here’s to a new opportunity of a direct conduit between academia and the public at large: watch out Fairfax and Murdoch, the academics are striking back!