Heckler
From the controversial to the trivial, the universal to the everyday, no issue is too small. Readers can send pieces of about 400 words on what's got their goat to heckler@fairfaxmedia.com.au. Chosen submissions will be published online at smh.com.au/comment. Please include daytime phone details.
Wined and dined, O'Farrell comes up trumps
Mark Hawthorne The laughter, we are told, was infectious.
Is it that hard to redirect your mail?
Heckler Scrawling "return to sender" on past residents' mail is getting old, writes Meena Evers.
Public service flextime isn't fair
Heckler You don't know how easy you've got it until it's gone, writes Oliver Jacques
Mindfulness isn't about sitting cross-legged
Heckler Don't be put off by market-driven mantras because mindfulness is for everyone, writes Jamie Watson.
Dear Facebook, please stop being so creepy
Heckler The social network has crossed the line and needs to back off, writes Rebecca Lloyd.
Loved luggage lost: a traveller's lament
Heckler A suitcase is a traveller's best friend, until you're separated forever, as Penny McWhirter discovered.
No offence, but you really are causing offence
Heckler How is it that two words can suddenly make it OK to blatantly insult someone, asks Lexia Chilcott.
I'm a victim of the compost revolution
Heckler My attempts to be a good eco-citizen brought me to my knees, writes Paul Brennan.
The cardinal sins of bad online dating profiles
Heckler Sifting through online dating profiles can be depressing, if not downright terrifying, writes Christina Sexton.
Why can't airlines skip all the extras just give us one price?
Heckler Cheap airfares are great but watch out for the sting in the tail, writes Bruce Johnson.
Hockey needs more than rainbow warriors to fight homophobia
Mark Hawthorne This week: lifting the lid on homophobia, and guess who has re-emerged as a real estate agent?
You can’t understand what it means to be a parent until you are one
Heckler Parents are people too. Tired, sleep-obsessed, exhausted people, writes Tamara Sheward.
Enough of the baby talk
Heckler Not long after a friend gives birth, the recruitment campaign begins, writes Liz Raleigh.
Coffee addicts: it's time to switch to decaf
Heckler I accept that you love coffee. But this constant talk about coffee is becoming a grind, writes Margot Schoonmaker.
The frustration that unites all hotels
Heckler It's the contraption that ruins your morning no matter how many stars your accommodation has, writes Mary Watson.
Good news: we've all won the lottery
Heckler I can laugh at the scams dreamed up by cyber swindlers, but not everyone can, writes Meena Evers.
Why should pedestrians always come second to cars?
Heckler Traffic lights work in favour of cars and it doesn't always make sense, writes Nicholas Gordon.
Expensive school photos haven't caught up with the real world
Heckler Who really needs all the passport-sized photos of their kids anyway, asks Alex Damon.
I can't agree with background nodders
Heckler It's not only the public that nod off while listening to politicians, writes Jamie Watson.
Short-changing consumers is becoming all too common
Heckler John Tuckfield accepts change is inevitable but wishes those responsible for downsizing products would own up it.
The Ballad of Battling Telstra
Heckler Waiting for your internet connection to be fixed can drive you to poetry, as Helen Lalas discovered.
Call in the poop police
Heckler This particular crime is on the rise and it's one where police should encourage people to dispose of the evidence, writes Meena Evers.
Work kitchens are like a dungeon in hell
Heckler People show their worst side when they share a kitchen that's not in their home, writes Jasmin Douglas.
It's time to embrace loose change
Heckler If you want my two cents worth (rounded up to five cents), we shouldn't be so eager to ditch coins, argues Marion Joyce.
School enrolments: mother doesn't always know best
Heckler Knowing at what age to send your child to kindergarten is a minefield, writes Jess Skinner.
We should be free from discrimination based on sexuality
Heckler It's the 21st century. Why do we still not allow same-sex marriage, asks Eddie Toubia.
Where do lost school lunchboxes go?
Heckler They're bought with the best of intentions at the start of the school year, writes Belinda Keir. But their fate is sealed.
No electricity is the ultimate first-world problem
Heckler Not having power can make you do silly things, Thalia Rey Lescure found during this week's storms.
Imagine life for the fish out of water
Heckler Dinner is more complicated from the other side of the dinner plate, writes Michael Fox.
In praise of wrinkles
Heckler We should embrace our wrinkles, not try to make them disappear, argues Andrew Woodhouse.