He was often seen issuing his $1m challenge on Larry King – a cash prize for anyone who could demonstrate psychic or paranormal ability under scientific conditions agreed to by both parties. Many tried, and all failed.
This industry started its modern transformation more than 50 years ago – but I occasionally miss the quixotic inefficiencies of yesteryear.
There’s a sense of seismic shifting in so many arenas at the moment. The agonising wrench of great change, and what feels like a quickening into catastrophe.
The Kia Cerato sold a remarkable 200,000+ units in Australia but the carmaker has benched it for a new and novel petrol-powered sedan, the K4.
I always thought the electric Ford Mustang was an idiotic idea, which is why this proper Mustang – big V8, rear-wheel drive – is such a joy to drive.
Here’s to all those teachers of generosity who make pupils believe they can actually do it; who give them the gift of confidence.
Forget Howard Carter. The polymath Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie was the greatest Egyptologist and is rightly deemed the Father of Egyptology.
Some argue that 80 years since the end of World War II, we are no longer prepared to make the sacrifices war demands. I can see the logic of this argument; I disagree with its conclusion.
Mazda’s seven-seater CX-80 is boring to look at, terrible to drive, and it’s interior is crap. Why are car companies serving up this kind of soul-crushing homogeneity?
Women often make the decision to separate by the age of 47, but why does it happen for men five years later?
I tried cocaine but am totally addicted to this. At the end of every episode I am older and wiser.
In the frenzy of a screen-bombed life, the antidote was under my nose all along.
When I was a teenager in a small country town in western Victoria in the early 1970s, I attended a talk hosted by the local historical society. It changed everything.
To live with left-handedness is an obstacle to continually surmount. Power tools, musical instruments, kitchen implements, ink pens, golf clubs: all are layered with an extra degree of difficulty.
We are in era of Netflix, the major disruptor in the movie and telly businesses. And today I wish to plug a few of its shows – safely assuming you’ve got a subscription.
The Australia of 1966 – the time of ‘peak house’ – is almost unrecognisable today.
There’s no need to attend seances where, in artfully darkened rooms, fraudulent mediums spew ectoplasm and implore ghosts to levitate tables.
It’s a confession from the deepest, darkest underbelly of motherhood yet no person, ever, will know which child it is.
Noah could overfill his ark at Elmswood. And given the threat of climate change, we’d like to provide more passengers for his cruise ship.
It’s popular in some quarters to be critical, even cynical, of the political class. And to be fair, there are times when the misdoings of politicians warrant criticism. But the older I get, the more sanguine I’ve become.
I came away from a recent dinner party thinking wow, not a single question from any male about my work, life, what I’ve been doing, who I am. What does this say about them?
The Yippies packed a wallop, mainly through the originality of their approach. They threatened to pour LSD into US dams so that everyone would get high … and they tried to elect a pig to the White House.
Each generation rebels. Perhaps this is an anti-older generation movement. A pushing back against a Boomer realm that’s messing up the planet and possibly galloping us into World War III.
There is a lot going on with this Audi – including, to my horror, Car Karaoke. Reviewing it did start to make me feel more like a nerdy technologist than a revered motoring expert. But here’s my verdict.
Something came out of leftfield early this decade to downgrade the café from its position of prominence in our national consciousness.
Two years since Haddow + Dineen’s pinot noir grapes were devoured by a gaggle of geese, the winemaker has bounced back with a riesling masterclass.
BMW coupes are meant to be fast, sleek, and sexy – the paragon of ultimate-driving-machine excellence. What on Earth happened with this one?
Our story begins in 1903, when an American lady named Lizzie Magie, an ardent anti-monopolist (and follower of Henry George’s views on taxation), created The Landlord’s Game.
There has been a lot of frothing excitement about BYD bringing this, the first-ever PHEV ute, to market. Prepare to be surprised by what this ‘quiet giant’ has to offer.
I wasn’t interested in Lamborghini’s new hybrid supercar – until they loaned me one for a week. God, driving this car is exciting. It’s like you’re in charge of a solar system.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/columnists