DEAR Jasminda, I’ve been invited to the staff Christmas party but the people going are hard partiers and I always end up being the designated driver. I’m aware there’s an expectation for me to remain under-the-limit to ferry all the guests home. I’m thinking I might not go for this reason. Harriet L. Dear Harriet, […]
ONE of the more famous political statements of our lifetime – “It’s the economy, stupid” – was delivered by political strategist James Carville, who was working on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 Presidential Election campaign. The catchphrase meant that the key concern of US voters in the election was the state of the economy. I think […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THE likely demise of the Tomago Aluminium facility without government subsidy is due to rising electricity costs with the increasing proportion of renewables (actually weather-dependent intermittents) in the electricity grid. The mantra: ‘renewables are the cheapest form of energy’ is a delusion of the energy-illiterates. Sunbeams and breezes are there […]
IT IS great to see the Wingham Cedar Party Creek Bridge opened to traffic from early this month. It was a $39 million project and a huge job. I urge MidCoast residents to take a weekend drive to Wingham, check out the new bridge and support this fantastic little town. The Wingham and surrounding communities […]
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 […]
GOVERNMENTS here and overseas are extolling the virtues of owning and operating electric vehicles (EVs), but a strong pushback is coming from rural and regional proponents who are against this idea. I am reminded of the saying that “none are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”. This seems to be part of the […]
A bird's eye view of the extraction plant on the beach north of Hawks Nest. From the collection of Dr Pacy.
WITH our Prime Minister visiting the United States to do deals with rare earths, it took me back to a time when some of our local sand minerals were in demand. The Mineral Deposits Company, 80 percent American owned, began operations here in 1967. My American husband and I were having a working visit to […]
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 […]
