It was time to end the disconnect in Australian politics: the disconnect between our political dialogue and our real needs. Too much of the public debate was about gesture rather than answers. The challenge was to identify broadly agreed principles for a new and different reform agenda. In April 2002 the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, at the University of Melbourne, and The Australian rose to this challenge. The upshot was a national conversation, Towards Opportunity and Prosperity, between leading thinkers from academia, politics, public service, business, unions and community groups. Topics covered included: * Unemployment, Joblessness and Welfare Reform * Education and Innovation * Population Policy * Work and Family * Ageing and Retirement * Health Policy * The Environment and the Kyoto Protocol * Are We Becoming a Branch Office Economy? * Microeconomic Reform Peter Dawkins and Paul Kelly, two of Australia s leading policy analysts and commentators, draw out the main threads of the policy debates in these areas, and plot the outlines of the new reform agenda which emerged from this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation. , but placing more emphasis on the human dimension-a 'hard heads, soft hearts' approach.

Kreeft considers all the fundamental elements of Christianity and Catholicism, explaining, defending and showing their relevance to our life and the world's yearnings. Here is a book to help you understand your faith more fully and to explain it to others more winningly. Like every religion, this faith has three aspects, corresponding to the three parts of the soul and filling the innate needs of all three parts. Kreeft uses these three divisions as the basic outline for his Christian apologetics. First, every religion has some beliefs, whether expressed in creeds or not, something for the intellect to know. Second, every religion has some duty or deed, some practice of program, some moral or ethical code, something for the will to choose. Finally, every religion has some liturgy, some worship, some "church", something for the body and the concrete imagination and the aesthetic sense to work at. Creed, Code and Cult; Words, Works and Worship, are a most useful way of outlining any religious faith, including the Catholic Faith of Christians. "These essays were written for Catholics by a Catholic. But I believe that nearly everything I say here will be found by the orthodox Biblical Protestant reader to be his faith as well: That solid and substantial core that C.S. Lewis called "mere Christianity" Peter Kreeft

The heroine, Lori Lew, begins her journey as a doormat. This 5’12” Chinese woman, with flaming red hair, is oblivious to the hurtful antics of her family, job, and boyfriend. Her life does not work! Her life report card would have straight Ds with a few Fs. Lori like Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect from her parents and siblings. She is accosted by street kids. She has a bait-and-switch, spy operative boyfriend. She has a racist boss. She is constantly stopped by a policeman at every turn. Being Lori is no fun. Running an errand her parents starts Lori’s epiphany. She notices a shop that seemingly sells fine wine. However, keeping with the quirky nature of this novel, the “h” has fallen from the sign. It is really a whine studio. Signing up for an Art of Fine Whining Workshop, Lori learns to punctuate her communication with effective shrill tones, commanding body postures, and plaintive words. In hilarious scenes, Lori transforms her life. She strikes back with whining vengeance at all who have mistreated her. Her life report card magically turns to As. School is finally out.

The New Messiah is a novel of personal discovery set in the 1970's. Neal Shelley is an idealistic poet who falls in love with a woman he meets while hitchhiking across America during the Bicentennial summer of 1976. But despite the storybook beginning, the love affair soon fades and Neal is left disillusioned and searching for answers in his life. In his disheartened state, he conceives a utopian plan to launch a new messiah movement which he hopes will end his and everyone else's unhappiness. He enlists his charismatic friend, Andrew Moore, to pose as a modern-day savior. They begin their mission with a sermon on the Venice Boardwalk. The initial sermon succeeds brilliantly but then Neal's plan takes an unexpected turn as Andrew starts to truly believe he is the Chosen One. Inspired by actual events, The New Messiah shows how American youth culture in the mid-1970's-characterized by a quest for higher consciousness; pre-AIDS sexual promiscuity; recreational drug use; pop mysticism; irreverent humor; and cynicism and alienation in the post-Watergate "malaise" era-was the soil out of which a messiah movement could grow. One of the most striking features of The New Messiah is its play-like format. The story is told through the conversations of the characters. The authenticity of the dialogue in the party scenes, street scenes, and intimate one-on-one scenes will no doubt be appreciated by readers who lived through that time period. College-age readers today may also find much to identify with in the novel's depiction of 70's youth culture.

Meditating with Character invites the reader to get really curious about what goes on in their meditation practice, through understanding their embodying and disembodying habits. These habits and patterns are explored through the lens of character positions, a body of knowledge taken from post-Reichian psychotherapy. This book breaks new ground in weaving together important threads from meditation, body psychotherapy, and Buddhism, encouraging the reader to be more present with their experience of being an integrated body-mind. The tone is warm, immediate and accessible, reflecting the enthusiasm of the author for meditation and life. Reflection exercises are included, supporting the reader to make sense of their unique approach to being a body with their particular history and life strategies. These reflections can help both new and seasoned meditators to either deepen or revive their connection with their practice. Meditating with Character is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in meditation or being more at home in their own skin, both on and off the meditation cushion.