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As much as we live in a globalised world in terms of trade, economics and, increasingly culture- look at the polyglot collection of films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars-, we still are a hemispheric world dramatically divided by nature. In Australia, the Australian Open is being played on days of unbearable heat . Last Saturday, the tournament’s heat policy was implemented as the surface temperature on centre court reached 65 degrees Celsius. The ballboys and

Damn it all! Why is Newton’s third law always right? Barely a month after the Bondi massacre, Australia is witnessing a dispiriting inability to either politically or socially achieve an effective response to our worst ever terrorist attack. As a result of the Prime Minister’s initial anaemic reaction to the massacre, we have now had the Newtonian equal and opposite reaction , if not an overreaction. Suddenly, a Royal Commission is called, a national day of mourning is declar

In 1993, when tickets were somewhat affordable for the citizenry, I attended the Men’s Singles final at the Australian Open between Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg. Players and spectators took to Centre Court on a day when the temperature soared to 43 degrees in the shade. Today, the tournament’s heat policy would have seen the final played under a closed roof.  Even before Tik Tok, American broadcasters showed images of eggs being fried on the baking court. It was no surprise

Here’s the problem. No true democrat likes to see countries ravaged by the acts of dictators. Human rights and economies are inevitably destroyed. Will Zimbabwe ever truly recover after the excesses of Mugabe? Have either Russia or Germany emerged from the legacies of Stalin and Hitler? We know all too well what has been required to remove the world’s most evil leaders from countries.  In the shadows of World War 2, and even further since the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the

With the flick of his wrist, John McEnroe, who it is ridiculous to think will be 67 in February, would often execute a sublime half-volley, when the ball seemed past him. Crowds would gasp in disbelief. The impossible was made easy. If only the same could be said of entering a new secular year. The closing of one calendar and the opening of another is remarkably easy. However, the intractable problems of one year inevitably follow us into the next, leaving us wondering whethe

As Australia was moving towards its restful summer holiday period last Sunday, an antisemitic terrorist attack at its iconic Bondi Beach in Sydney, that claimed the lives of 15 innocent people, has recast so much. One is often told not to send an e-mail  or write in anger. Sleep on it. Consider calmer  communication in the morning. It is hard to sleep and write calmly after such a contaminating event. The productive, calm, and tolerant society that Australia has prided itself

Is it too early to make concluding observations about 2025? The tennis world is in its Christmas/New Year hiatus with Australia set to be its focus when it reawakens throughout January. For most Australians, tennis has momentarily surrendered its attention to the joys and agonies  of cricket and Formula One racing. Australia bestrides the cricketing world like a colossus against the visiting traditional bete noire  English team. For cricket fans, an irresistible pun- so far t

The tennis year is over after the finals of the Davis Cup in Bologna and the ATP finals in Turin. It’s been a triumphant few week for Italian tennis. Jannik Sinner continued his scorching run of indoor success by defeating Alcaraz 7-6(4) 7-5 in Turin, with Alcaraz’s compensation being to end the year ranked No.1. Alcaraz now leads their rivalry 10 matches to 6. Yesterday, Italy, for the first time in its history won a third consecutive Davis Cup title defeating Spain, with ne

Fifty years ago, this week the Australian political climate was beyond febrile. A constitutional crisis led to the dismissal of the Whitlam government with the Governor-General dissolving both houses of parliament and sending Australians to their third general election in three years. The conservative coalition of Liberal and National parties won an overwhelming victory in the 13 th  December election. Some political commentators predicted that Australian Labor Party would ne

Relationships have never been easy, whether they be personal, social, cultural, economic or international. Factors and elements shift. New influences intervene. Suddenly, what was is altered and the eternal process of adaptation and readjustment takes place. Look at how technology has reshaped just about every relationship of our life. Just when we thought we had mastered, well at least understood, the internet world, mobile phones, social media and the internet, along comes

Hold onto your hats! The bumpy ride continues! And it is a ride that has been centuries in the making! We may see a Prince of England formally stripped of his birthright as Prince Andrew, long considered the late Queen’s favourite child, has become the least favoured of his people. Allegations of aggressive sexual conduct with 0inors are bad enough. Throw in continued association with a pimp of paedophile sexual activity. Add accommodation arrangements that are generous to th

It is a week since I tackled the most challenging task of the year. We all know what it is: adjusting all the clocks in a residence when daylight saving/summertime is introduced. It is a straightforward procedure with older clocks. Head to the back of the device and turn the hands. Come the digital age devices, however, comes the drama, especially when resetting oven clocks. For me, achieving the desired goal is a fluky combination of reading an obscure manual five times, whi

How Carlos Alcaraz must love being 22! Everything seems to be aligning around the digits of his age. With his decisive victory against...

The US Open is all but finished, save for the presidential presence of Donald Trump at the ‘Sinnercaraz’ final tomorrow morning. He may...

The US Open. Often a scene of chaos and craziness. Sadly, for supporters of Australian tennis we seem caught in a static, predictable...

Only in America! You might have missed it, but last week the US Open changed Grand Slam tennis. Again. Remember the Americans, always...

Last week the tennis world provided a story that not even the most romantic scriptwriter could have concocted. The Women’s Title at the...

Wow! It almost does not bear thinking about, but we must. Lest we forget. Tomorrow, 4 th  August is the 111 th  anniversary of the...

It is truly funny how patterns once considered odd suddenly seem unexceptional. After the 0-6 0-6 defeat of Amanda Anisimova in last...

Strange things happen every 50 or 100 years   The Wimbledon Women’s final was played in the early hours of Sunday morning Australian...