Latest comment and opinion
International food aid can actually make conditions worse for starving Syrians
Brent Eng and Jose Ciro Martinez 7:29 PM In Syria's conflict, humanitarian groups have become implicated in shifting political orders despite their efforts to the contrary.
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz, stop using Australian rape victims to get yourself elected
Josephine Tovey 7:16 PM Australian women don't want Ted Cruz's fake concern. Most are relieved and proud to live in a country where access to firearms is heavily regulated and our lives are infrequently, if ever, touched by gun violence.
The ATAR alone isn't the best judge of student potential
Iain Martin 7:16 PM Reducing six years of education to a single ranking is simplistic. We believe NSW should move away from the ATAR alone as quickly as possible.
Is our Australian identity a matter for pride or shame?
Elizabeth Farrelly 8:00 PM Why would like-mindedness be necessary or even desirable in that catch-all we call a nation?
Adventurer's answer to stress was needlework
8:00 PM Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Worsley was the only person to complete the two classic routes to the South Pole established by his Edwardian predecessors Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton.
Diminutive Iranian princess dubbed the 'Black Panther' loved luxury
8:00 PM Princess Ashraf Pahlavi of Iran was compared with Imelda Marcos and Madame Chiang Kai-shek for her acquisitiveness and love of luxury, a diminutive but dazzling envoy and a glamorous presence on the world's stage.
View from the Street: So we DON'T need that marriage plebiscite, then?
Andrew P Street 4:43 PM And how's Clive Palmer planning to spend his last days in politics? Your news of the day, reduced to a snarky rant.
Why the push for a republic is doomed to fail
Paul Sheehan 4:14 PM What passes for a new debate about a republic is a shallow fraud built on zero substance.
In the Herald: January 27, 1913
Harry Hollinsworth 9:43 AM NSW batsmen Victor Trumper and Robert Barbour set a national record of 243 for the eighth wicket on this day in 1913.
The stupidity of surfwear chain's 'beer bongs'
Bill O'Chee 6:27 AM The last thing you expect to see being sold by a surfwear retailer is a product designed to encourage force-feeding of alcohol.
View from the Street: Happy Austravasionvival Day, nation!
Andrew P Street And we're back for 2016, friends! Your news of the last little bit, reduced to a snarky rant.
Ignore the gloom: the Australian economy isn't in bad shape
Ross Gittins Gloomy news from abroad is making people worried about the economy here, but the pessimism is unfounded. Here's why.
Pregnancy police
It's my choice to drink caffeine, not a barista's
Alexandra Smith I had been looking forward to a coffee for hours. That was until the barista looked at my 27-week bump over his counter and shook his head.
Holocaust remembrance teaches lessons for humanity
Ruth Barson 11:00 PM If Australia is serious about protecting human rights, it should codify and enforce them.
Merging councils isn't enough
Christopher Brown Amalgamations won't show lasting benefits until corruption is weeded out at municipal level.
Hang on tight, a new school year is starting
Sarah Gill 11:00 PM Students with learning differences struggle in an education system that values conformity and efficiency over excellence and understanding.
No one-size-fits-all solution to EU migration
Roger Bootle 10:45 PM It is clear that the institutions of the EU and its driving force – the push towards ever closer union – are out of step with contemporary conditions. Just what is the problem to which the EU is the solution?
I quit: why do so many young teachers abandon the profession?
Ahmet Latifoglu 11:00 PM Heavy workloads, inadequate professional support, violent students - all contribute to teachers' early departures.
Millennials make full use of their summer of discontent
Xavier Symons This summer, I went on a low-cost holiday to Vietnam. It was enlightening.
Cyclists are climate-change heroes but we are often treated as villains
Patrick Jones There should be incentives and rewards for cycling commuters and travellers, not abuse.
Turnbull has two very different messages on the US alliance
Peter Hartcher In the republic debate, Australia is not truly debating its independence from Britain. It's not an argument we're having over the influence of the once-mighty master; it's a struggle over our own identity.
Nobody cares about Australia Day, so why not change it?
John Birmingham Disconnect with date should be reason enough to change it.
Australia Day: Pride and prejudice
Hugh Mackay Rather than draping ourselves in spurious displays of patriotism, Australia Day should be a time for honest reflection on who we are as a nation.
In the Herald: January 26, 1981
Harry Hollinsworth "Statistically, a 1971-72 Holden Kingswood sedan, parked in a back street within a kilometre of Sydney on a Friday or Saturday night is the ideal target for a car thief," the Herald reported on this day in 1981.
The least dramatic prime ministerial exit
Norman Abjorensen Australia Day 1966, 50 years ago, was a momentous day in the history of post-war Australia, as the ill-fated Harold Holt assumed the prime ministership.To a whole generation of Australians, the writer among them, there had only ever been one prime minister in memory, Bob Menzies, and on this day a fresh face would take his place.
Sarah Palin saves feminism
Maureen Dowd It's a tough call to figure out which place is more benighted, Hollywood or Saudi Arabia.
An Australian republic is too important to wait
Peter FitzSimons In my address to the National Press Club in August of last year I stated that, "Never before have the stars of the Southern Cross been so aligned as now, pointing to the dawn of the Australian republic."
On the stage, classical actor was as comfortable as a fish in water
Bruce Weber Brian Bedford was a brilliant actor, understated and perhaps undersung.
Students with disability shouldn't be underestimated
Chris Varney As school goes back for the year, the Senate report into the systemic failings of the education system for students with disability is very timely. In the myriad emails principals will see in their inbox, I hope mention of this report is one of them.
