DEAR Jasminda, LAST night (when I was sound asleep) my husband woke me about the mosquitoes in the room. He then searched (unsuccessfully) for the flyspray before trying other tactics. By the time he’d killed them, I was wide awake and stayed that way. What do I do to avoid this in the future, Katie […]
A bird's eye view of the extraction plant on the beach north of Hawks Nest. From the collection of Dr Pacy.
WITH our Prime Minister visiting the United States to do deals with rare earths, it took me back to a time when some of our local sand minerals were in demand. The Mineral Deposits Company, 80 percent American owned, began operations here in 1967. My American husband and I were having a working visit to […]
DEAR Jasminda, I’VE started going to a gym and there’s a man there that leaves various personal items on the equipment I want to use. His drink bottle is on one, his towel is on another and then he leaves his backpack on a third machine. What is the gym etiquette around this? I only […]
AS Australia’s social media ban for under-16s edges closer, children are already worried about losing touch with their friends. But while the onus is on social media platforms to act, researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) say the real battle will be at home – where parents must enforce the rules, manage their […]
HOUSING remains one of our biggest challenges in Port Stephens. For the past few years, we’ve known that the lack of diverse and affordable housing has been impacting our local community. The NSW Government has predicted that another 20,000 people will call Port Stephens home over the next 20 years. That’s why we adopted the […]
DEAR News Of The Area, IAIN Watt’s recent opinion piece (“Where are all our beaches going?”) paints a dramatic picture of doom for Port Stephens’ coastline, but as usual, it’s heavy on climate alarmism and light on facts. Let’s start with the obvious: beaches have been changing shape, size, and location for thousands of years. […]
DEAR Jasminda, I was recently being led to my medical appointment by a young intern when I accidentally broke wind. It was loud and it was pretty clear that I was the culprit. I am in my mid-fifties. I was mortified. Should I have said something to him? Brook S. Dear Brook, First of all, […]
