Brown study
Here at the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) we pride ourselves on the laser-like scrutiny we give to…
Business/Robbery etc.
Bully in China cries foul Bullies always cry foul when the tables are turned. While a bullying China imposes its…
The Investigation
Slowly, after what seemed like infinite, malingering delays, virus-driven, the world of arts and entertainment is starting to open again…
Masked opera
We were all excited to be there. You would have thought that we hadn’t been to an opera performance. Well,…
Kiwi Life
When I dice a chilled cucumber along with a couple of tomatoes, toss them together in a bowl with a…
Aussie Lingo
Have we flogged the word ‘spirit’ to death? Or, rather have politicians, emptied it of all meaning and turned it…
Diary
Monday started with me opening my bedroom windows to let what little light there is come through, only to find…
Barometer
Bad service Economic growth fell by 2.6% in November, the month of the second lockdown, compared with falls of 7.3%…
The Spectator’s Notes
‘Postcode lottery!’ people scream when one area feels less well treated than another in a public service — in this…
Puzzle no. 637
White to play. Howell — Adams, Caplin Hastings Online 2021. Adams’s last move, 35…Ba4-b3, gave Howell the chance for a…
My vaccine approval process
Has the coup happened yet? You have the advantage over me. It was supposed to have taken place on Sunday.…
Polari
In discussing the German low-life cant called Rotwelsch, Mark Glanville (Books, 9 January) referred in passing to Polari, ‘the language…
Paul McCartney: McCartney III
Grade: A- The greatest songwriter of the 20th century, or just one of the top two or three? Who…
King of chat
In my parents’ house, the radio is always tuned to one of two stations: Magic FM and LBC. When Magic…
Over to the dark side
In Competition No. 3182 you were invited to rewrite a famous piece of light verse with a dirge-like, hieratic tone…
