Science deniers reject authority and facts
Patrick Stokes 12:00 AM Many people who choose to ignore accepted scientific conclusions are making emotional rather than rational decisions.
Challenge male stereotypes to stop violence
![For young boys in particular, hearing and seeing men they look up to conveys a positive image of masculinity can help reframe their thinking, including breaking free of the gender stereotypes they associate with what it means to be a man.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/q/2/z/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glq2gh.11nabt.png/1450401438715.jpg)
Marcus Bontempelli 12:17 PM To change the horrifying statistics on violence against women in this country, we must change our culture.
I hate my ethnic surname: that's got to stop
![Children who inherit non-Anglo surnames should not have to feel troubled by it.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/n/r/e/o/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnoe9.11nabt.png/1450353614978.jpg)
Peter Papathanasiou 12:00 AM In this day and age, why should someone be embarrassed about their name?
Turnbull, Thucydides and all that
![<i></i>](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/q/3/j/l/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glputw.11nabt.png/1450336000500.jpg)
Christopher Mackie 11:45 PM One has to read Athenian historian Thucydides and think about what he has to say. Not many do, which is a great pity
Americans in thrall of conspiracy theorists
![The ascension of Donald Trump has left Washington in a state of shock.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/p/e/5/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glpobg.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Ben Judah 11:08 AM Paranoia continues to power the rise of Donald Trump, writes Ben Judah.
New Islamic anti-terrorism link: will it work?
![Amin Saikal.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/g/5/p/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glpkzq.11nabt.png/1450335864583.jpg)
Amin Saikal Saudi Arabia's announcement of a new military alliance of 34 Muslim countries to fight terrorism is unprecedented.
Paris deal could herald new era for diplomacy
![The climate goals agreed to in Paris will require significant economic changes in Australia, industry leaders say.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/m/k/v/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glp9me.11nabt.png/1450347059829.jpg)
Phil Ireland This time six years ago I found myself with other campaigners and politicians (including Kevin Rudd) from around the world in the depths of despair after the Copenhagen climate negotiations.
Turnbull will resist poll temptation
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/o/k/2/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glpcma.11nabt.png/1450418373032.jpg)
Mark Kenny An early election would carry the risk of being perceived by voters as opportunistic and a breach of faith.
The young white male has lost his advantage
![Paul Sheehan.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/g/2/2/f/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glp2j6.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Paul Sheehan Their once dominant position is being eroded incrementally, in measurable ways, with each passing year.
The silent fury women feel
![A "No Catcall Zone" sign installed in New York for End Street Harassment Week.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/m/3/9/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glomep.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Jill Stark How are women meant to know the difference between the nice guy and the monster?
Jihadists' religious faith is real if misguided
![Former Roxburgh Park man Suhan Raham, aka Abu Jihad al Australi. The notion that religion and politics have separate roles in our personal and social lives is a distinctively Western idea.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/2/k/c/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnw15.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Jonathan Cole Most Muslims disagree with the extremist interpretation of Islam.
Ignorance fuels anti-vaccination parents
![Julie Szego](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/1/s/k/z/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glojrk.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Julie Szego The movement reflects an underlying disease that makes us susceptible to the notion that truth is an ever-negotiable, relative concept.
The Australian fair go is dead
![Elizabeth Farrelly dinkus](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/8/j/v/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gloqm8.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Elizabeth Farrelly Why are we OK with this? How did the fair go slip so seamlessly into tooth and claw? Or was it always thus?
Perils of competitive grandparenting
![Santa, we don't want to wait and wait and wait for grandkids to arrive before we get to see you again.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/b/v/3/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gloj6o.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Cari Rosen Christmas can be one of the most stressful times of the year. And if you're a grandparent or an in-law, deciding who spends dinner where can easily spiral into a war of the (Cadbury's) Roses.
Domestic violence: Don't forget children
![The home, where one expects to be safe, can be the most dangerous place of all for some women and children.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/a/p/g/n/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glo9js.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Kim Oates Our awareness of the extent of domestic violence has been slow in coming. But we must remember children are victims too.
Supersized consumer appetites must change
![Average living space per person in new US homes has almost doubled in the past 40 years.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/o/w/q/y/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glotkm.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Christopher Flavelle Our love of big homes, big cars and long-distance travel may need to be curtailed if we're to meet the Paris targets.
The heart-rending morning I can never forget
![The stress and trauma of dealing with the aftermath of violence take a heavy toll on aid workers.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/x/v/6/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnn6t.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Christoph Hensch Aid workers put their life on the line for others, but then often suffer residual trauma.
Charlie Brown speaks: Let kids be kids!
![Charlie Brown and Lucy in <i>Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie.</i>](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/r/p/n/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnj38.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Alan Stokes Charlie Brown's new film transports us back to a time when children were free to confront life for what it brings.
Assisted dying: Sorting the facts
![<i></i>](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/1/n/q/z/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnyi9.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Ross Fitzgerald These days it is increasingly difficult to have a reasoned and thorough public debate about government policy.
Hillary: is she unbeatable?
![Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a town hall meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Clinton will unveil proposals to deter U.S. companies from shifting profits overseas, including an "exit tax" to penalize companies that perform so-called tax inversions, a campaign official said. Photographer: Scott Morgan/Bloomberg](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/k/z/g/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnoor.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Lesley Russell Donald Trump's bid to secure the Republican presidential nomination has taken attention away from the other half of the political equation – the Democrats' candidates.
Stuff the VCE, I just wanted babies
![The power suit was no match for bringin up a family.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/n/n/u/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnnjz.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Jean Flynn They made me dux of year 12, but I wanted to go to uni to find a husband, not a career.
Marriage: no longer an economic institution
![Illustration: Andrew Dyson](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/n/y/4/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnoh9.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Ross Gittins
Economists declare marriage has evolved from just a reproductive or financial deal – these days we are tying the knot for love.
Do we need IVF for minke whales?
![TRA 17 NOV. Minke whale in the Great Barrier Reef. CREDIT EYE TO EYE MARINE ENCOUNTERS.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/6/t/1/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glneo3.11nabt.png/1450331729392.jpg)
Denise Russell Japanese and Sea Shepherd boats are steaming towards the Antarctic. Will there be violent conflict? It's possible.
A toothless treaty can't stop climate change
![The international agreement struck in Paris acknowledges climate change but it does not oblige countries to do anything about it.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/m/k/v/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glnk0x.11nabt.png/1450347059829.jpg)
Leonid Bershidsky Our success in dealing with climate change depends on scientists and markets, not political leaders and diplomats.
More hot air won't save us from oblivion
![Peter Hartcher dinkus](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/p/b/c/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gln38t.11nabt.png/1450427472980.jpg)
Peter Hartcher The rhetoric from the Paris climate deal is reassuring, but the atmosphere can't read press releases.
George Pell's no-show is farcical
![Cardinal George Pell was due to appear at the royal commission but asked to be excused, citing blood pressure problems.](/web/20151218121935im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/t/9/t/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glmp01.11nabt.png/1450349000366.jpg)
Judy Courtin The Catholic Church continues to harm sex abuse victims by its failure to acknowledge the extent to which it covered-up sex crimes against children.