Why do old books smell like chocolate, vanilla, grass clippings and old socks? There's a scientific explanation.

The wooden jetty and Whyalla catches fire, sending black smoke into the sky.

A couple charged with the criminal neglect of their baby boy fails to explain what happened to the child who was taken to hospital "close to death", a court hears.

One phone call closed a popular waterfront camp that has hosted thousands of children over 75 years but documents obtained by the ABC show that a NSW Government office went against the advice of experts.

The NSW regional electorate of Cowper has the largest number of voters in the country, the latest Australian Electoral Commission elector count reveals.

Rare audio recordings reveal Aboriginal people may have worked out how Wolfe Creek Crater was formed, years before scientists arrived and it become a destination for fans of the eponymous horror movie.

Before you approach someone you don't know and start interviewing them about their disability, there's something you need to ask yourself.

A police officer helps save a worker who jumped into the ocean for his own safety when the Whyalla jetty caught fire on Wednesday afternoon.

We're so bad at controlling our dogs that researchers are calling for no-dog zones to replace on-leash areas in close proximity to native animals.

As the distressing CCTV footage of Tanya Day's death in police custody is released, all eyes turn to the coroner who will provide a determination on some of the key questions surrounding the Yorta Yorta woman's death.

Recognised as "the last frontier" and the land of opportunity, Darwin has always occupied a special fascination for the rest of Australia. So many of you asked what attracts people to the Top End, and what the residents are like. Here's a snapshot.

Territorians will not benefit from a government dominated by independent candidates, insists CLP hopeful Tracey Hayes as she starts her challenge against Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

Despite objections from Aboriginal traditional owners, thousands of Australians have flocked to Uluru to climb the rock before it officially closes this week. We travelled to Uluru to ask a few of them why they decided to make the journey.

The child protection case officer responsible for murdered Canberra boy Bradyn Dillon is unable to say why she did not carry out more thorough checks on his abusive father when she was looking after the case in 2014.

From marking out garden beds to meeting the Queen, there is one man who has been planting tulips at Floriade for 32 years and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Of the almost 3,000 magpie attacks reported in Australia this year, only one was in Tasmania. So why are these notoriously angry birds so much more relaxed on the Apple Isle?

Also known as huffing, sniffing or rexing, chroming is the practice of inhaling solvents or other household chemicals to get high. It's caused the death of several children across the country and happens often on public transport but it's not illegal and this is why.

These police know bull sharks and crocodiles are around, and "you can't even see your hand in front of your face", but the challenge is the reward in a job that requires grit.

Last-minute injunctions have stalled the deportation of a Tamil family who have spent years fighting to stay in Australia. Here's what we know about the case.

Review systems in sport are always controversial but Central Coast Mariners' coach Paul Okon's broadside against the Video Assistant Referee this weekend should not be dismissed out of hand, Richard Hinds writes.

ABC Rural asks a group of industry leaders at this year's NT Cattlemen's Association conference to share their views on challenges and opportunities in 2019.

A Victorian dairy lobby group calls for the New South Wales Government to stop subsidising the cost of transporting fodder.

Planning to get rich quick by investing one day? Before you jump in, let Gen Fricker explain some of the risks involved with different types of investments. Then test yourself with ASIC Moneysmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

Think credit cards are basically free money? Gen Fricker will make you think again. Learn how interest rates and fees affect the money you borrow, and why they may be more expensive in the long run. Oh dear! Then test yourself with ASIC Moneysmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

“I get asked a lot, ‘Do you feel vindicated? Are you happy that people believe you now?’ Honestly, I don't give a s***."

It's been a pretty great week for Morphic Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORF) shareholders, with its shares surging 16% to...

Many collectors and enthusiasts continue to travel aboard gas-guzzling airplane to see art.

In an age of trolls, economic insecurity and social isolation, mixed martial arts gives fans a rush of harsh reality.

Joan Wong On March 27, as the U.S. topped 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Donald Trump stood at the lectern of the White House press-briefing room and was asked what he’d say about the pandemic to a child.

(California Court of Appeal) - Refused to quash service of a summons on a company in Hong Kong. The company contended that the service did not adhere to proper Hong Kong procedures and was invalid under international law. Disagreeing, the California Court of Appeal denied writ relief.

Fair treatment for Christians by secular journalists

I read and listen to a lot of news. NPR plays in the background as I’m making breakfast and dinner. We subscribe to Time, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker (as well as to Christianity Today, Books and Culture, and Critique). I scroll through The New York Times’ headlines and most-emailed list on my phone every day, and most days I check TheWall Street Journal and TheAtlantic as well. And that’s not to mention the podcasts and books. Both explicitly Christian content and content from avowedly secular sources inform my take on our world every day.

Many Christians worry that the mainstream media demonstrates a persistent bias against Christianity, and certainly examples of this type of bias exist. But recently I have been struck by the number of mainstream outlets in which an evangelical Christian perspective (not to mention mainline Protestant and Catholic positions) is given fair treatment and earnest engagement. Some of this writing comes from Christians writing for those publications—Ross Douthat for The New York Times, for example, or Rod Dreher in Time this week. But just as often, it comes from writers who aren’t Christians and who are simply doing their jobs with integrity.

In the past week alone, I’ve noted Time's cover article—with equal space given to “The Attack on Gay Rights” and “The Attack on Believers.” Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic, has once again defended the religious freedom of Christians who feel morally obligated not to participate in gay weddings (although he personally supports gay marriage). Not only that, he has argued that such Christians are not bigots but that they are often loving and lovely people who are following ...

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Giving thanks for God’s work throughout the church universal.

I hope that if I counted myself as a member of a “liberal” denomination, I would be writing a post about my gratitude for the contributions of evangelicals to proclaiming God’s glory in the church and in the world. Instead, as an evangelical, I am here to say thank you to the Catholics and Episcopalians, to the feminist theologians and the pastors focused on social justice, to the whole host of people past and present who witness to the breadth and depth of God’s character and glory.

Here’s a bit of the backstory: I sometimes say that I am “denominationally confused.” I was baptized Episcopalian, confirmed Presbyterian, and married in the Congregational church I attended through college. Over the fifteen years of our marriage (which has included moving to four different towns), my husband and I have worshiped in an Episcopal church, a non-denominational church, a Vineyard church, and a Covenant church. Each of these churches has offered distinct gifts to us—the lofty liturgy of an Episcopal cathedral, the emphasis on global missions at the non-denominational church, the healing prayer at the Vineyard, the solid preaching and welcoming community at the Covenant. It would be easy to critique any of these churches, but overall I am grateful for them each in their own way, and I’m grateful for their variety. It has shown me so much more about the diversity of God’s healing work in the world.

Perhaps I’m so willing to move from denomination to denomination because of the role para-church ministries played in my growth as a Christian. I first experienced the power of the Holy Spirit at a Young Life camp, and I grew even more through ministries on my high ...

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The possibilities and limitations of logging life on the Internet.

“Blog” is a word that was coined nearly two decades ago as a shortened version of “web log.” As the word suggests, blogs originated as online spaces in which individuals or groups log their experiences in something approaching real time, much as a sailor would record the daily weather conditions onboard hundreds of years ago. “Blog” can be used as a noun or a verb, but in either case this compact word almost describes itself. Not poetic or thought-provoking or nuanced. Rather— short, efficient, straightforward.

So the word “blog” itself pretty much sums up the promise and perils of the genre. On the one hand, blogging offers a wealth of opportunity, especially for writers like me who are trying to figure out topics of interest to readers, or work through new ideas, or build an audience of people interested in those topics and ideas. Over the past few years, I have been blogging about faith, family, and disability here at Thin Places (and elsewhere), and I’m grateful for what that opportunity has afforded me. I’ve been able to provide a space for conversation by curating guest posts around topics like racial reconciliation or rest or contraception. I’ve been able to offer my own thoughts about a whole host of topics, from advances in prenatal testing to reflections on quiet times and church attendance, from sexuality to the Oscars. I’ve been able to highlight some of the good work happening within the church, especially when it comes to disability, and I’ve been able to participate in some online conversations about events within the news.

Blogging offers a terrific forum for pushing ideas out into the world for immediate consumption ...

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Stock Broker-turned-entrepreneur Alan Chan Sets Sights On Investing In Not Just Kpop, But The "Asian Pop" Entertainment Business

Pastors often loathe to weigh in on controversial topics. There are reasons.

I have never considered myself a very political person. As a proudly evangelical pastor, for a long time I possessed a somewhat bemused and distant attitude towards politics, focusing my attention instead on my calling to teach and preach the Word, which was above all worldly concerns. But that changed a few years ago. After my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and our insurance company tried to terminate her coverage using the dreaded “pre-existing condition” clause, I became a vocal advocate for health care reform. Shortly after that, as a resident of a city wracked with racial tensions, I timidly called for greater understanding between Korean and African-American communities.

These brief forays into the public sphere have taught me a lot, and have given me a lot more compassion on the plight of pastors. Evangelical pastors are often lambasted for their lack of engagement with society and politics. We accuse evangelical leaders of being too passive and silent on the most pressing issues of the day, and wonder if this is due to a lack of conviction, or a lack of courage. We call them cowards, dinosaurs, unbiblical, irrelevant. And I hate to admit that I have often joined that chorus of criticism. But the truth is not nearly so simple. Although I don't seek to totally exonerate myself from wrongdoing, here are five reasons why I personally hesitate to speak out on controversial issues:

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The Separation of Church and State

This might seem like something of a cop-out explanation, but you should remember that one of the foundational principles of American culture and government is the separation between church and state. It's an idea that ...

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Black history month is not just for black people. It's for all people.

Note: I use the term “Black History Month” rather than “African-American History Month” because a friend informed me that there are individuals who would not be considered African-American, but still very much are considered part of Black history, like Marcus Garvey and others. In general, I tend to use the terms "black" and "African-American" interchangeably, and I apologize in advance if anyone finds this offensive.

Every February is Black History Month. I have to admit that before a few years ago, I didn’t really celebrate it in any real way, besides some cursory acknowledgement. But now, I actively celebrate Black History Month, both in my personal life as well as in the life of the church. I don’t do so because it’s the right thing for an educated person to do, or in an attempt to pander to political correctness. Nor do I do this because I consider myself anything close to an expert on black history and culture. The reason I unapologetically celebrate Black History Month is because the past couple of years of my life have made me realize that, even as a Korean-American, it was only appropriate that I do so.

The first event that brought me to this realization was that whole “Make Me Asian” and "Make Me Indian" thing. Two years ago, there was an app on the Android market called “Make Me Asian”, which took photos from your phone or mobile device and digitally altered them. This seems benign enough, but the manner in which they altered them was that they made your skin tone yellow, your eyes slanted, slapped a fu-manchu mustache on your face, as well as a rice paddy hat on your head. Of if you wanted to pretend to be a Native ...

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It's easy to hate on Christian music, but Christian musicians often find themselves in impossible terrain.

I have a confession to make. I really dislike Christian music.

Now, Christian music is a very broad term, so I think some defining is in order. I don't mean music that is written expressly for use in the church for praise and worship. I'm talking about Christian music that does not exactly fit in church, but has an unmistakable Christian theme in its lyrics and content, what I think is commonly referred to as CCM, or Christian Contemporary Music. It tries to cleave to some of the lyrical and theological orthodoxy of worship music, but with the musical sensibilities of pop and rock (and sometimes even hip hop), and somehow manages to mangle both. I don't like this kind of Christian music, and I know I'm not alone.

I listen to it everyday on the radio, partially because I find the lyrical content that's broadcast on other stations repugnant ("Cuz your sex takes me to paradise, yeah your sex takes me to paradise..."), and partially because as a pastor, I feel somewhat guilty if I don't. But I regularly grit my teeth while listening to the local Christian radio station. My beef is that even though the music has such high production values and is performed by such high caliber musicians, it often lacks realness and authenticity. Amazingly, it manages to sound shallow even when talking about ideas of incredible depth. The lyrics are prosaic and affected, and the themes that it covers are shockingly narrow. There are the "I'm a bad person but you love me anyway" songs, the "Teach me to love like you songs", and the "Don't give up" songs. Aaaand, that's about it. Of course, I'm being facetious and stupid, which comes as no surprise to those of ...

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Although sometimes frowned upon, experience with other Christian traditions may be just what we need right now.

Sometimes, I’m a little embarrassed to be identified as an American Christian because it feels like we fall into one of two camps: either we hate everything that we are not familiar with, or hate everything that we used to like.

A good example of the former is a controversy that recently sprang up at Gordon College, where undergraduates were scandalized at the introduction of a strange and foreign type of worship experience during their chapel services: gospel music. Yes, GOSPEL MUSIC, one of the oldest and richest liturgical traditions in American faith.

Examples of the latter are too numerous to count. The Christian blogosphere and publishing industry are filled with memoirs of people ranting about how terrible their church experience was growing up, and how their current place and style of worship is what Jesus had in mind all along. When cast in this adversarial light, what should have been personal stories of finding one’s home in faith instead read like a harrowing escape from a doomsday cult, and serve as yet another salvo in our nation’s already raging cultural wars.

These two tendencies have unfortunately come to define Christians in this country, that we either despise everything with which we are unfamiliar, or the exact opposite. But personally, I have never had much of a problem with either, and it’s not because I’m all that great of a person – just ask my wife. It’s probably because I have spent so much time in diverse kinds of churches.

I grew up in the Roman Catholic church, and can still remember the cathedral in which Sunday mass took place. The entire building was constructed in a cruciform shape, the main entrance located at the foot of the cross, and ...

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Along with howling every night at 8 p.m., Denverites are encouraged to decorate their homes with lights to support health care workers as part of the city's #KeepCalmDenverOn initiative.