National Times

Blunt Instrument

On stupidity, and why men should ignore Megan Gale

Blunt Instrument

JOHN BIRMINGHAM Call me stupid, but I think there's something really admirable about stupidity. In particular brutish, dopey masculine stupidity. This sort of stupidity which makes the

Comments 80

The Vulture

Quit grouching about Oscar

The Vulture

KARL QUINN So, the Oscars were terrible television? Not in my house, they weren't.

Comments 2

The Religious Write

By their fruit shall ye know them

The Religious Write

BARNEY ZWARTZ The jury is coming in on the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne last December: it has produced some good fruit, and may produce more.

Comments 188

Pinch of Basil

Torrents of abuse: of copy rights and copy wrongs

Pinch of Basil

BASIL HEGAZI Hallelujah! So Digital Dave slew Greedy Goliath and the kingdom is at peace.

Comments 44

Econogirl

A sorry state of affairs

econogirl

JESSICA IRVINE ''I sometimes smack my husband in the head when he’s snoring, then quickly roll over and pretend I’m sound asleep,'' confesses ''Jileen'' on

Comments 1

Balls

Why should Clarke place cricket first and romance second?

balls

DAN SILKSTONE Michael Clarke went home early from work to handle some personal business. So what?

Comments 8

EpisOdes

The Adventures of Tony the Unbelievable

Epis Odes

MICHAEL EPIS Having made the transition from Malcolm Turnbull to Tony Abbott, the Liberal Party has moved from tragi-comedy to straight out farce.

Comments 4

WorldView

Terms like jihadist terrorism are dangerous

WorldView

DANIEL FLITTON Kevin Rudd has failed to learn the old wartime truism — ‘‘loose lips sink ships’’.

Comments 26

Chutzpah

Israel has friends in Christian places

chutzpah

DVIR ABRAMOVICH Question: Who said the following: ''Israel has no better friends in the world than Christian Zionists. This is a friendship of the heart, a friendship of common roots, and a friendship of common ...

Comments 53

Godless Gross

Atheism - a fizzer or fantastic?

Godless Gross

DICK GROSS With the Global Atheist Conference about to kick off this weekend, it might be a good time to assess where atheism is at the moment.

Comments 111

The Economic Brumby

A house is a castle. Build it not upon sand

economic brumby

MARTIN FEIL My friend Freddy thinks that the expression ‘‘my first home’’ is a contradiction of terms. He remembers a time when your home was your home. It wasn’t your first, your second or your last. Your ...

Comments 2

The Airport Economist

The magic of the net: Turning yabbies into oysters

the airport economist

TIM HARCOURT For me, it all started with yabbies. When I first joined the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), I met a remarkable woman called Mary Nenke.

Comments 1

Modern Times

Rob Hulls, Kevin07 and the nodding heads

modern times

LAWRENCE MONEY Politicians are so obsessed with female votes they can’t see the wood for the bra straps.

Comments 9

Groucho

Seeing red

groucho

MICHAEL SHMITH Groucho, when he was a mere slip of a complaint, used to find himself attracted by the advertisements on the back of American comics.

Comments 1

Rocco Blog-Go

Tony Abbott's baby moment

Rocco BlogGo

ROCCO FAZZARI  Putting politics aside the most satisfying part of the current news cycle is the infrequent appearance and mention of Tony Abbott.

Comments 13

Greenlines

Selling Ivory and Hunting Polar Bears

Greenlines

TOM ARUP Selling ivory and hunting polar bears is just some of the lively issues up this month at a meeting on the trade of endangered species.

Comments 0

The Razor's Edge

Change may take time, but that doesn't mean it's not happening

The Razors Edge

LINDSAY TANNER It is one of the inevitable realities of government that you get criticised for consulting too much and for not consulting enough. In one breath you’re attacked for acting in haste and then you’re ...

Comments 0

Coonan's Comment

Labor cannot fix hospitals

Coonans Comment

HELEN COONAN The health system is no longer deteriorating – it has collapsed. At the hands of the bungled and bloated bureaucracies, run by hapless and disgraced ministers, the health system of our once great ...

Comments 10

The Small Print

Towards an artless society

The Small Print

ANDREW DYSON An Australia Council survey, waggishly entitled "More than Bums on Seats", has revealed that a healthy 30 per cent of Australians still believe the arts are elitist.

Comments 1

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