More pandemics, old and new, are in the wind. A war is raging on Europe’s doorstep. And joy of joys, Donald Trump has secured a second term in the Failed Sate of the US. It seems the only thing we learn from history is how to repeat it.
Humanity has never previously been in a position of sustained, structural contraction. We must get used to the idea, and position ourselves to take advantage of it.
This is quite possibly the fastest car I’ve ever driven – at least in a straight line – which makes it a useful tool for impressing and occasionally terrifying other people. But it does not make it my favourite vehicle ever.
I believe the Second Coming has already come, and occurred in Elizabethan England.
Where are the windmills? These giant steel flowers on their Eiffel struts dotted our stock routes and paddocks for a century and a half.
If you’re looking for a proper off-road vehicle, the options are limited. So no wonder there’s a buzz around the new Toyota LandCruiser.
The recently departed, singular filmmaker David Lynch had the strength to be exactly himself. Parts of the world venerate independent thinkers like him but our nation is not one of them.
We’re used to female PMs and Premiers. We’ve even survived a few queens and women as GG. Even the Ancient Egyptians had a female Pharaoh. It’s time for change at the Vatican.
With ageing parents and adult kids requiring support for longer many of us are finding ourselves aged 50 and being squeezed into caring for two generations of family.
Mobile phones and the internet have delivered greater connectivity, yet I’m not convinced this makes us feel happier and more secure than we did a generation ago.
For all his trillions and SpaceX toys under development, Elon cannot escape the gravitational pull of mortality or the feeling of dread that fills the soul when contemplating the cold mechanics of the universe.
In this sleekly automated modern world everything, actually, seems to be taking longer, with more grunt and grumble along the way.
Between the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria there can only be one winner – and by ‘winner’ I mean one which I hated significantly less than I expected to.
Ever wondered how this beautiful tropical fruit is grown? The answer will astonish you.
The best way to consider how we might live a thousand years from now is to go back a millennia to 1025, a time that predates the Norman Conquest of Britain.
I told my four children if they made it to 25 years old with no tattoos then they’d earn themselves a generous cash prize. But I fear at least one of them will be disqualified.
I can only liken this Ferrari 296 GTS – a plug-in hybrid – to what happens when you ask the world’s best chef to make supper using only a turnip and dog food.
The Third Man takes us from the top of Vienna’s ferris wheel to deep in its sewers. It has the finest final scene in cinema history – only one comes close.
Why do older men persist at ABC radio when whip-smart women are let go? The witches are up to their elbows in watchfulness as a new political reality dawns.
In the 21st Century, Australia’s direction has been largely shaped by global events – take the GFC and the Covid pandemic. What would a regional conflict do to the nation?
For years I’ve pretended to dislike the Porsche 911, if only to wind up my Top Gear colleagues. But now I’m coming clean.
My favourite place to go is where I’ve never been. It’s a rule of thumb out bush, if we have the time, and it drives the tin lids bananas if they’re with me.
I was raised by grandparents on a tiny farm where our daily fare was simple. Working-class tucker. Nanna was a crook cook, but to be fair, she had one pièce de résistance.
With all these developments in Australia’s retail landscape, I wonder if we haven’t lost something along the way.
Are you a possibly quite unpleasant person on the road? In the supermarket queue? Boardroom? Office kitchen, or, perhaps, at a commercial TV station? This applies to you.
Having been in the news business since the age of 12, I fear the end of the newspaper. Who now gets their news, if that’s what you call it, from the traditional chip-wrapper type?
Godlessness has gained ground in the 21st century, it seems. But I wonder if this isn’t a temporary shift, a tidal flow, that will change in due course.
This holiday season, if you’re considering buying a book, think about supporting your local independent bookshop. They may well need it.
For some people the greatest dread of all is public speaking. Not even the prospect of death comes close. But there is hope.
An 80-year old today is only two lifetimes separated from the start of European settlement in Australia, which raises some interesting questions.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/columnists/page/2