WRITE DIRECTION: Is this how democracy works?
THE front-page story for many of the world’s news sources recently reported that Donald Trump had threatened to ‘bomb the shit’ out of US ally Oman if it got in the way of US efforts to broker a deal on the Straits of Hormuz. I wonder: how is that being received by the rest of […]
Tomaree Headland deserves a visionary plan
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE in reply to Jennifer Indsto’s letter (‘Tomaree Headland master plan a ‘dog’s breakfast’’, NOTA, 7/8/26) where Ms Indsto labelled the Department of Communities and Justice Master Plan for the future of the Tomaree Lodge as a “dog’s breakfast of confected, artificial concepts, which is trying to be all […]
JASMINDA: It’s annoying – know what I mean?
DEAR Jasminda, I’VE started dating a man named Reece. Everything is great but he ends a lot of sentences with ‘do you know what I mean?’ Now I’m attuned to it. It’s all I can hear. Is there a way I can break this irritating habit? Carly F. DEAR Carly, IT is quite common for […]
LETTER: Petty squabbling won’t fix human-caused warming
DEAR News Of The Area, I WRITE in reply to Wayne Duesbury (‘Facts speak louder than a Google search’, NOTA, 4/9/26). Judging by the figures presented by Mr Duesbury, he is touting the views of a particular, long-discredited geologist, whose first book is one of the two in my long life (the other was ‘Mein […]
LETTER: Minimum tide records show a clear trend up
DEAR News Of The Area, THANK you for putting the information in the paper (‘Are our seas really rising?’, NOTA, 2/9/26) about how to find the tidal records in the paper. As someone who lives right next to an estuary and sees how varied the timing of low and high tides are each day, I […]
LETTER: Two readings from a century-long database are inadequate
DEAR News Of The Area I WRITE with reference to the opinion of Mr Michael Ferris (‘Are our seas really rising?’, NOTA, 27/8/26) and the comments made by Mr Iain Watt, may not be correct and that the seas are not rising. Mr Ferris cites his opinion and information is backed by a registered Oceanographer […]
WRITE DIRECTION: Prediction for our political future
I HAVE just finished watching my favourite Sunday morning TV program, the ABC’s Insiders, hosted by David Speers. It was the 25-year celebration show featuring its original instigators, especially its first host Barry Cassidy. Conceived while they were working as overseas media correspondents, it was my choice as the “must-watch” show for its impressive lineup […]
STARGAZING: With a universe full of mysteries we don’t need invented ones
SPACE has always been fertile ground for myths, perhaps because the night sky is so enormous, mysterious and difficult to visit that humans have filled the gaps in our knowledge with stories, guesses and the occasional piece of complete nonsense. Some are harmless fun, while others are so persistent that they deserve a gentle blast […]
Nuclear subs questions remain unanswered in push for Newcastle base
DEAR News Of The Area, I AM appalled that lobbyists at Hunter Defence Conference (NBN News, 26 August) are pushing for a nuclear submarine base in Newcastle. There has been no community consultation and no opportunity for Newcastle and Port Stephens residents to ask important questions about the proposal. Firstly, nuclear-propelled submarines carry tonnes of […]
