Crime
Martin McKenzie-Murray
Our unhealthy obsession with mass killers
Martin McKenzie-Murray Giving murderers the buzz of attention may only encourage others.
Richard Ackland
Australia debarked once again as US tells its lapdog to heel
Richard Ackland Is Julian Assange to Julia Gillard what David Hicks was to John Howard? In other words, will Assange be the patsy that a lapdog nation offers to its great and powerful friend, in the same way Howard...
Kathy Lette
Brits a sporting chance in Stiff Upper Lip events
Kathy Lette A new report has described the British as even more slothful than the Americans and twice as sedentary as the French.
Annabel Crabb
To the witless go the spoils: chasing fool's gold in the Prank Olympics
Annabel Crabb Watching human beings attempt to cope with insane levels of bureaucracy is one of the most entertaining occupations on Earth.
Gary Nunn
Graffiti clean-ups break the Banksy
Gary Nunn RailCorp spent $40 million removing graffiti in 2010-11, with Central Station's longest underpass the main victim.
Annabel Crabb
Guns'n'poses: we Lycra like that
Annabel Crabb Watching human beings attempt to cope with insane levels of bureaucracy is one of the most entertaining occupations on earth. It's why the Olympics are such a reliable ratings hit.
Masha Gessen
Pussy Riot punks may determine Russia's future
Masha Gessen The shock female band might just provide a path away from Putin's stifling rule.
Barney Zwartz
More power than glory for combative cardinal
Barney Zwartz George Pell has been a beacon attracting criticism, over the years and especially this week.
Michelle Grattan
Thinking outside the box: apply the same rules to all
Michelle Grattan A decade ago Father Frank Brennan, a high-profile Jesuit priest who is now professor of law at the Australian Catholic University, had a woman confess to him that she was a murderess.
Peter FitzSimons
By Flaubert - I'm flabbergasted!
Peter FitzSimons My extremely strong suspicion is that Craig Thomson was lying through his teeth in his performance in Parliament.
Michelle Grattan
The tricky business of rights and risk
Michelle Grattan Refugee lawyer David Manne is on the legal hunt again.
The Loaded Dog
Should the federal government negotiate prisoner exchanges?
Should the federal government negotiate prisoner exchanges to secure the return of Australians jailed overseas, such as trading Schapelle Corby for Indonesian teenagers accused of people smuggling?
Peter Dutton
Soft stance on drugs a dangerous catalyst
Peter Dutton As the opposition health spokesman, I am acutely aware of the harm caused by illicit drugs. As a former police officer, I contributed to this difficult fight in the real world.
Richard Di Natale
It's high time for leadership at frontline in war on drugs
Richard Di Natale The arguments for changing our approach to illicit drugs are well worn. Over successive decades, drug production and consumption have soared and drugs are now purer and cheaper than ever before.
Julia Baird
Blame game a one-sided affair
Julia Baird Is General David Petraeus's liaison with his biographer really worth so much attention? Wasn't this just two adults having consensual, if illicit sex? It should hardly be surprising if one of...
Richard Glover
How advertisers make us eat their words
Richard Glover I'm still not clear what ''professional'' gum chewing might entail.
Heckler
Pests need to be shown the door
Heckler NOBODY likes a door-to-door salesperson knocking on their door, so what's with the increase in this irritating activity? Door-to-door selling is illegal on Sundays, yet they still knock, catching...
Adele Horin
Hard heart tarnishes El Dorado
Adele Horin From all quarters I hear the cry: ''Go west and seek your fortune.'' Why linger in the eastern seaboard slow lane when El Dorado lies across the Nullarbor? To those attracted by the lure of filthy...
Suzy Freeman-Greene
Brave irony for Humane Society
Suzy Freeman-Greene Should a man who blinded his partner in one eye after kicking her in the head have been honoured for a one-off act of bravery? It's a question many were asking this week after the Governor-General...
Catharine Lumby
Sex is not dirty work
Catharine Lumby I thank Craig Thomson for one thing, he's a walking ethics lesson for my two young sons, writes Catharine Lumby.
