Big Things can be a trick and a treat for small towns
From the Big Bogan to Larry the Lobster, why do towns build Big Things, asks AMY CLARKE.
Opinion
Views on the news from Canberra’s top columnists
Fifty years ago, Cyclone Tracy flattened Darwin – and Australia’s attitude to disasters changed forever, say MILAD HAGHANI & ARTHUR STUKAS.
"The unnecessary assault upon a defenceless, compliant prisoner, knowing there are three colleagues to back you up if the prisoner retaliates, should be called out as gutless bullying." HUGH SELBY reveals another shameful case at the AMC.
Fifty years ago, Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin. The lessons from it have still not been learnt, says STEVEN FARRAM.
Opinion
Air rage, what is it and why is it getting worse?
Flying this holiday season? MILAD HAGHANI explains why air travel makes us so cranky – and what to do about it
Opinion
Now for the main bout where truth versus fantasy
"Unfortunately, the human mind is a precision instrument of self-delusion. Its most fearsome power is its capacity to provide self-sustaining fables that support its natural desire to escape its own demise," writes columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.
Opinion
If the future is our children, why don’t we care?
"A therapeutic, whole-of-life approach to recovering a young life, must have as its focus interventions managed by well-trained, passionate staff and paid enough to want to stay," writes HUGH SELBY.
"Dr Hughes should have chosen his words more carefully as it gives the impression our elected representatives in 'backbencher' positions are in a job that's very easy and pleasant, requiring little effort," says letter writer TONY FALLA.
Columnist HUGH SELBY takes to poetry with a seasonal message of hope.
"Inadequate funding leads to inadequate preparation and piss-poor performance. That’s a disaster for the accused." HUGH SELBY puts the case for why the ACT needs a Public Defenders Office or increased Legal Aid funding, or both.
Big data has revolutionised research, honing sharper results across far greater fields of exploration, but it isn’t a fail-safe guarantor of accuracy, writes ANDREW LEIGH.
"This Christmas, I hope everybody who feels different or excluded, by dumb rules or social mores, gets a lifetime of joy and belonging," writes Kindness columnist ANTONIO DI DIO.
"The tableau became unhinged. Blue angels, sprawling shepherds, wise men and even the doll’s doting parents panicked. Theatrical chaos threatened," Gadfly columnist ROBERT MACKLIN fondly remembers when the school nativity play goes awry.
Rupert Murdoch has lost his legal battle, leaving the future of his media empire in the balance, says MATTHEW RICKETSON and ANDREW DODD.
ANDREW HUGHES explains why sports teams and leagues aren’t just competing on the field.
KEEPING UP THE ACT gets into the spirit of Christmas with a classic summary of life in Canberra...
"What efforts have been made to save these gentle wombats from being run over when they attempt to cross the highway in a country area near Canberra?" asks letter writer SUSAN CRUTTENDEN, of Dalmeny, NSW.
Complainants of sexual assault want to be believed, but that doesn’t always happen. HUGH SELBY takes a close look at possible reasons for non-acceptance.
"In so many ways we are returning to the botany that is our only hope to survive and prosper in the decades ahead," writes The Gadfly columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.
