PICTURE this: somewhere out there in deep space, the universe has a few places where the rules just stop working. Gravity goes haywire, time slows down, and light itself gets trapped like a fly in honey. Welcome to the weirdest show in the cosmos – the world of black holes. A black hole is what’s […]
DEAR Jasminda, LAST night (when I was sound asleep) my husband woke me about the mosquitoes in the room. He then searched (unsuccessfully) for the flyspray before trying other tactics. By the time he’d killed them, I was wide awake and stayed that way. What do I do to avoid this in the future, Katie […]
SAM makes an enduring power of attorney (POA), appointing his two children as his attorneys. The appointment is drafted and witnessed by a solicitor. Sam’s children later sign their acceptances of the role and in doing so, declare that they will act in Sam’s best interests. The POA allows either of Sam’s children to immediately […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE recent decision by the National Party to abandon its commitment to net zero by 2050 has left many in regional Australia questioning what this means for our future. Net zero simply means balancing the greenhouse gases we produce with those we remove from the atmosphere, ensuring the world we […]
THE dismissal of the Whitlam Government in November 1975 highlighted the fragility of our parliamentary and constitutional system and the danger that, if the various constitutional norms that protect that system are ignored, the democratic system itself can be weakened. The real villains in the whole affair were two State Premiers who went against a […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE October 2025 Council meeting officially concluded the first 12 months of the current term of office for Port Macquarie-Hastings Councillors. At the meeting a new Deputy Mayor was selected to take over from Lauren Edwards, who had completed her 12-month appointment to the role. I would like to pause […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE Nationals have rejected ‘Net Zero’, the policy they signed up to when Barnaby Joyce was their leader. Net Zero has become a totemic symbol, a two-word slogan the Nationals hate. But Net Zero is much more than a slogan – it’s an ambitious investment, energy, jobs, industry and environment […]
DEAR Jasminda, I’VE started going to a gym and there’s a man there that leaves various personal items on the equipment I want to use. His drink bottle is on one, his towel is on another and then he leaves his backpack on a third machine. What is the gym etiquette around this? I only […]
