Features Archive

Colombian passion takes over Sydney

Colombian passion takes over Sydney

Andres Mejia still remembers the day when he arrived in Sydney in 2005, with just AUS $1200 and a lot of uncertainly about his future. “Now those days seem like a dream,” he said. Although Andres did not have money to spend …
The ‘free-range’ deception

The ‘free-range’ deception

Sophia Bashford investigates whether we’re getting our money’s worth for free-range eggs. I’m standing in Aisle 4 of the supermarket – the eggs section. Staring at the shelves in front of me, I’m met with a familiar dilemma. Do I pay the extra …
Tech-no-romance in the online era

Tech-no-romance in the online era

In my world, a teasing text message is a real turn-on. An innuendo-loaded Facebook status floats my boat. A frisky email? Totally hot. As many can relate, this is my twenty-something world of modern dating. Wooing in a technological era. Techno-romance has always been …
Red light on human trafficking

Red light on human trafficking

A staggering 2.4 million people are being trafficked around the globe at this very second, 80 per cent of them forced into sex slavery, according to the United Nations Crime-Fighting Office. Disturbingly, the heinous crime has infiltrated Australia, prompting a draft amendment …

Go big or go home

It was Saturday night. Having just arrived in Australia for the first time, walking down George Street at 2am was a fast and hard lesson in the female social standards of native nightlife writes Jessica Beder. Navigating a forest of staggering stilettos …
Keep Cycling Stay Alive

Keep Cycling Stay Alive

Steven Berveling is very tall and thin. The white shirt and dark pants make him look professional. “It’s very nice to meet you,” he greets me in a gentle voice, standing at attention and stretching his hand to shake mine. He has …
US military presence brings risks to the north

US military presence brings risks to the north

As Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives in Australia for talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard,  there is speculation that the increased US presence in Australia’s north, announced during President Barack Obama’s visit in November, may be another item up for discussion during the two-day leaders’ …
Patient privacy concerns ahead of E-Health unveiling

Patient privacy concerns ahead of E-Health unveiling

The personally controlled electronic health record system will go live tomorrow, but medical and security experts are voicing their unease. Brittany Cooper examines the privacy issues at stake for health consumers. There was an elderly customer in the pharmacy where I used to work …
Where words fail art speaks

Where words fail art speaks

They say a picture paints a thousand words. But as I fixed my gaze upon Kamalesh’s harrowing oil painting, I began to wonder whether the age-old idiom did this work enough justice, writes Anusha Menon. We’d talked about his time at Villawood …