The brutal reality about halls of higher earning
The university, says John Ralston Saul, is "where civilisation's
knowledge is divided up into exclusive territories", where
academics daily invent "dialects sufficiently hermetic" to preclude
internecine seepage, writes Elizabeth Farrelly.
Tiny difference for a super loss
You are going to hate me for saying this, but one big side benefit of being an accountant-turned-economic journalist is that I've always found superannuation interesting, writes Ross Gittins.
A nasty bout of wind chimes
Heckler: I'VE made a pilgrimage to the Central Coast to get away from World Youth Day. The cottage I've rented is a perfect place for a week's peaceful reflection, writes Tim Miles.
Where now, for bogans to be bogans
The Big Bluff: WITH Big Brother set to come to an end after
its glorious, genital-slapping eight-year run, the time has come to
celebrate the show for what it has given us: bogans. A lot of them,
writes Aaron Timms.
A victory only until the next time
The Federal Court has shown how our freedom of speech rests upon a convoluted legal fiction. There is little doubt the NSW Parliament meant to allow the Iemma Government to make the World Youth Day anti-annoyance regulation, writes George Williams and Nicola McGarrity.
Iraqi minorities' long wait for freedom
If you have never been to a party thrown by Iraqis, I'd recommend it. They sing, dance and make sure everyone enjoys themselves, writes Chris Bowen.
The sorry sport of Pope bashing
The new sectarianism is quite different from the old sectarianism.
Yet it is real enough, writes Gerard Henderson.
Guided by love: portrait of a young Catholic
I am a young Catholic and I would like to apologise for my faith. By apology I do not mean an expression of regret. Rather, I am referring to the Greek origin of the word, meaning to defend, writes Rachel Patterson.
Cultural change part of stopping the bullies
The reported suicide of ambulance officer Christine Hodder after
she was allegedly bullied at work is, sadly, only the latest in a
string of disturbing reports on the escalation of workplace
bullying, writes Carlo Caponecchia.
Primaries reveal true colours
The Labor parliamentarian Belinda Neal was never tested by an ordinary rank-and-file preselection. She was chosen by a cabal of about 20 people on the Labor Party's national executive, writes Julian Lesser.
Back in the saddle of slow torture
Heckler: ARE we there yet? The Tour de France's interminable 3500kilometre, 26-day bike odyssey over 21 stages through two countries is not the tour de force it should be, writes Andrew Woodhouse.
The MP for awkward silences
It took almost a month before John Della Bosca gave an interview to
police about the incident at Iguanas Waterfront Brasserie, but
there is another event we have been waiting nearly 15 years to hear
his version, writes Paul Sheehan.
Rudd steps out into the world with elan
Living abroad can be a useful exercise for an analyst, not only for the insight it gives you into the world but for the line of sight it provides back to your own country, writes Michael Fullilove.
Nelson ditches fence sitting for confusion
Last Tuesday, Julie Bishop prepared for her news conference on the
minimum-wage decision. Before facing reporters, she rang her
leader, Brendan Nelson, to check once more exactly what was the
Coalition's policy on climate change, writes Phillip Coorey.
Future will lead us a merry dance
The Way It Should Be: The future is a mysterious place, populated with people unborn, problems unforeseen, and predictions found wanting, writes Pat Sheil.
A star is Bourne thanks to DVD sales
The Tribal Mind: Australians are changing the way they enjoy their DVDs.
Sorry was the easy part
The next items on the Government's agenda of indigenous concerns
include native title and an effective representative body, writes
Michelle Grattan.
Anger management all the rage
THE Sydney Swans have taken the unprecedented step of telling Barry Hall not to come back to work until he has changed his nickname, writes Simon Webster.
Iemma isn't pleasing anyone
Finally, the NSW Premier is showing some resolve, but could it be too little, too late?, writes Lisa Carty.
Get to know your neighbours
Let's take this chance to strengthen the fabric of our communities,
writes Andrew Scipione.
Beware the contenders
As long as the Liberal leadership is weak, Kevin Rudd can keep his current stance on climate change, writes Paul Daley.
Greed and bad management pay no heed
For five years, from 1995 to 2000, Wendy Craik, 58, was executive
director of the National Farmers' Federation, writes Alan Ramsey.
- Alan Ramsey: Honourable squabblers undeterred
Carbon warrior Rudd has found his version of Howard's way
Both the following speakers are Australian politicians. One is announcing an increase in the war effort in World War II. The other is talking about climate change. Spot who's who, writes Michael Duffy.
St Kevin smites global sinners
Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Kevin is at hand. Impending
apocalypse does funny things to people, doesn't it? As the climate
change debate runs to new heights of biblical frenzy, all the signs
of an imminent catastrophic event are visible to the naked eye
right here in Sydney.
A princely day in the British rain
Postcard from London: The gates outside Buckingham Palace are a delightful place to sit and people-watch, writes Paola Totaro.
Celibacy's stain will remain when the party is over
As crowds of fervent young Catholics descend on Sydney, up rises
Anthony Jones to remind us of the running sore of clerical sexual
abuse and the cover-ups by the church elite, writes Adele Horin.
Give the Fromelles diggers their dignity
I am the great nephew of Private Harry Willis. I grew up with stories about him. He was a good-looking boy, under-aged when he enlisted. He was killed in his first battle, disappearing forever. Well, not forever, writes Tim Whitford.
Yes, yes, stop nagging women of childbearing age - we know all about it
Beware the prophets of doom. These Cassandras, usually older women
who are mothers themselves, or wished they were but left it too
late, haunt younger women at rellie bashes and parties, in
supermarket queues and at hair salons, writes Lisa Pryor.
At last they come clean on eateries
What They Won't Tell You: It has taken two years and the turning of the public stomach at news of a rat plague in a Sydney sushi factory for the NSW Government to begin publishing details of fines imposed on food businesses caught breaching health laws.
Joint forces can work wonders
Brendan Nelson pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, oozing
gravitas from every pore, writes Mike Carlton.
Ageing disgracefully
Tomorrow morning I'll wake up and discover I've turned 50.
Reaping rewards for cheating
Mainstream debate about global warming has moved on from the
question of what needs to be done to when it needs to be done,
writes Peter Hartcher.
Call the batster for the big jobs
What Really Happened: With the new Batman movie The Dark Knight about to open in cinemas, here are other causes that Batman could champion.
Quick runaround in legal circles to stay on the spot
What must life be like for poor Morris Iemma? Does he want to stay
put in bed in the morning for fear of some fresh horror unfolding,
asks Richard Ackland.
Let the fear and loathing begin
Heckler: I have a chronic illness and it gets worse this time of year.
Bias ignores years of hard work on foreign policy
The tragedy of much public commentary in Australia is that it is
blatantly anti-conservative, fascinated with trivia and, when it
comes to conservatives, rich with personal abuse, writes Alexander
Downer.
Jarst you waaate, maaate
My Fair Lady is showing at the Opera House. It is the tale of a linguistics professor who turns the guttersnipe flower-seller Eliza Doolittle into a lady by changing the way she speaks, writes Siobhan Moylan.
Racist sport fans climb out on a limb
At The End Of The Day: Black monkey is an oldie but a goodie
when it comes to verbal hatred shouted by football fans around the
world, writes Paul Sheehan.
When sex comes out of the sin bin
A young Indian patient of mine has just come out. Overcoming his enormous fear of rejection, he has finally admitted to his conservative Hindu family that he is gay. For those who doubt the power of symbols, he was partly inspired by the first gay parade in Delhi last week, writes Tanveer Ahmed.
Rail productivity will have to rise for higher pay
The rail unions' original threat to strike during World Youth Day celebrations, the biggest event on Sydney's calendar this year, was deliberately provocative. I am pleased the unions conceded they got it wrong and we were able to come to a sensible outcome that will not disrupt the people of Sydney, writes John Watkins.
