no. 435
White to play. This is a position from Topalov-Caruana, St Louis 2016. Can you spot White’s crushing blow? Answers to…
Where the wild things are
‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him?’ asks the Psalmist. It’s a good question. God Himself doesn’t give…
The new normal
What was your favourite response from the liberals to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election? Actress Emma Watson…
Which side are you on?
Trump’s victory sets a test for conservatives, a test they are failing with embarrassing ineptitude. They are making the oldest…
Trump’s inside man
Let’s take stock. Donald Trump, until last week, had never done a government job or held an elected office. He…
The Breitbart conspiracy
Donald J. Trump always keeps everyone guessing. Is the president-elect ditching his crazy act in order to bring in a…
Italy’s Brexit moment
Though he is a big fan of the European Union, Barack Obama brings bad karma to it. So perhaps he…
Moscow rules
Moscow To the Union Jack pub on Potapovsky Lane for a US election night party. The jolly Muscovite Trump supporters…
London Notebook
The new government seems to be struggling with the logistical intricacies of removing Britain from the European Union. I can…
The perfect mismatch
“Is she really going out with him?’ asks the old Joe Jackson song about a mixed-attractiveness couple. ‘They say that…
The recasting of conservatism
Last month Paul Kelly wrote an interesting article about Britain’s future under its post-Brexit Prime Minister Theresa May, based on what he rightly called May’s “historic speech” to the then…
Wong’s fant-Asia
God only knows what Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Senator Penny Wong actually meant by her recent remarks regarding Australia realigning itself with…
Fight like a termagant
From time to time, I open the pages of Fairfax’s Daily Life, just to check that Clementine Ford still isn’t…
Tough luck, lefties. It’s Trump train time
So, lefties. It happened. In the biggest “f-ck you” to the establishment since the Colonies broke away from the Crown,…
Letter from the Caribbean #2
Jonathan Ray gets his head around how to create the perfect rum cocktail. I’ve lost count of the number of…
Letter from the Caribbean #1
Jonathan Ray gets a taste for rum but knows when it’s time to stop. Excitement in the Caribbean concerning Prince…
The Age. Again…
“Princess Mary, her husband Prince Frederik, Prince Harry and Justin Trudeau have all taken out the top honours in Vanity Fair’s fashion Oscars…
National Hunt racing
‘A more thrilling, uplifting, glorious way of living has yet to be invented,’ the jockey John Francome said of National…
Chigorin revived
The early games of the World Championship in New York between Magnus Carlsen and Sergei Karjakin did little to contribute…
no. 435
White to play. This is a position from Topalov-Caruana, St Louis 2016. Can you spot White’s crushing blow? Answers to…
I quit
In Competition No. 2974 you were invited to submit a resignation letter from God. Despite mankind’s attempts to kill…
Dear Mary
Q. Following a lavish house party I received a flood of effusive thank-you letters, the bulk of which praised the…
Autumn riches
A few days ago, on the Dorset/Somerset marches, autumn was still in orderly retreat. Although a pear tree’s leaves had…
Jail break
One of the stated objectives of this week’s brief strike by prison officers was to publicise the dire conditions in…
