top five

SINGLES 1. On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull

Dream deal too good to pass up

THE most difficult thing to get your head around may be the belief that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.

Dust flies on licensing

THE NSW Minerals Council has rejected claims that the introduction of load-based licensing at Upper Hunter mine sites would reduce dust pollution.

Crime body powers go under the microscope

THE way the secretive NSW Crime Commission uses its powers will be examined as part of a review by the state government to ensure appropriate "checks and balances" are in place.

Morris Minor memory

I'VE stood looking blankly into the engine bay of a great many cars, and almost always they've been very old cars, so I can't explain my confusion when I looked into the engine bay of a Morris Minor at the weekend.

Dissent in Coalition on school funding model

ACT Liberal senator Gary Humphries has broken ranks with his Coalition colleagues to argue for changes to the controversial school funding model introduced by the Howard government.

Blood ties tested by time on the inside

THE BROTHERS SIZE Stables Theatre, March 24 Until April 16 Reviewed by Jason Blake

Dissent on school funding model

ACT Liberal senator Gary Humphries has broken ranks with his Coalition colleagues to argue for changes to the controversial school funding model introduced by the Howard government.

Budget black hole could tie new Premier's hands

THE $800 million deterioration in the state's finances disclosed yesterday by NSW Treasury to the incoming state government has cast a cloud over the financial flexibility of the O'Farrell government in its early years.

Funding model unsatisfactory, says Lib senator

THE Liberal senator Gary Humphries has broken ranks with his colleagues to argue for changes to the controversial school funding model the Howard government introduced in 2001.

Rehearsals starting for Love Never Dies

Rehersals starting for Love never dies

Science opportunity at Knox

Knox Grammar School is a leading Australian day and boarding school for boys, located in Sydney. Knox, a Uniting Church school for boys from Kindergarten to Year 12, aims to develop, within a caring environment, young men of integrity, wisdom, compassion and faith.

Abbott declares carbon tax 'toxic'

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has refused to back away from his assertion that some of the claims about climate change are "absolute crap" while contending the NSW election result shows "carbon tax is toxic."

movies

Unknown World Sounds of Sand

Hot Button

Last week's guest, Danny Schwarz ��� chief executive of Youth Connect ��� argued that we were limiting the options of our children by failing to insist on vocational training in schools. The following are excerpts from his live chat session.

A spanner in the works

DIRECTOR Simon West engineers The Mechanic with the precision of stainless steel instruments as he brings to the screen this action thriller, a genre that Hollywood has perfected. It's not on the scale of a Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer production but it's every bit as hard-edged and efficient: it goes in for the kill, with little time for character exposition or sightseeing, either in New Orleans or Chicago, two of its key locations.

The Nadal factor

"The tennis champ has been the 'test pilot' for an exclusive watch, reports Janice Breen Burns.

Young and restless

A startling array of gigs, workshops and activities will fill Youth Week 2011, writes Wendy Preston.

The walk-in pantry

The preparation room is making a comeback, reports Gina Morris.

Watching Lotus flower

Martin Boulton joins a Lotus team minus a hurt Robert Kubica in the lead-up to today's race.

Carbon price witch-hunt heats up MPs

Australia's debate over carbon pricing hotted up. Julia Gillard was cheered by a petition containing 12,000 names in favour, but received a Productivity Commission report highlighting difficulties in comparing a carbon price burden on Australian industries with those overseas, and was forced to head off a scare campaign by industry leaders.

Counting the cost of carbon

OWNING a high-rated green building has become a priority for property developers and landlords in order to keep and attract tenants.

Electronica

SEEKAE +Dome (Rice Is Nice) Rating: 4/5

Rebirth of a Vespa classic

BACK in 1946, when Italy was struggling to get back on its feet following the devastation of World War Two, someone invented the motor scooter and named the thing the Vespa.

Try it on for size

Internships can paint a good picture of a job before you commit, writes Jim Bright.

MSO tackles Mahler with stamina and finesse

MAHLER'S SEVENTH, SONG OF THE NIGHT RATING: 4.5/5 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Melbourne Town Hall, March 24

Coalition vows to axe 'hated' planning laws

UP TO 500 of the state's most controversial developments, including high-rise towers, shopping centres and marinas, would be determined by a revamped planning commission instead of the planning minister, the opposition has promised.

behind closed doors

Behind the scenes at the Docklands headquarters of the Creature Technology Company, the brains behind the hit show Walking with Dinosaurs.

$100,000 bill to relieve ambulances stuck outside

NSW HEALTH is spending an average of $100,000 a month to send out relief teams to ambulances stuck outside emergency departments for hours.

EDITORIAL Why Labor must go and we need a new mix

WHEN this Labor government was first elected in 1995, it promised hope, vision and a new path for the people of NSW.

Meccano character

REALLY, an action film by the guy who directed Con Air and Tomb Raider should be a whole lot more fun than this generic shoot-em-up.

Users put back in control: a few clicks to opt out of online ads

It's almost a week now since the Australian Digital Advertising Alliance launched its Australian Best Practice Guideline for Online Behavioural Advertising, and in the ensuing days the questions and comments have come thick and fast. We said at the time of launching it that we wanted to gather a wide range of views, so we welcome the debate and this opportunity to comment.

TOYOTA ECHO 2001-05

Not without its foibles but choose carefully and it will take you far, writes David Morley. TOYOTA ECHO 2001-05 Rating: 3.5/5

Treasury boss plays down global effect

THE economic cost of a carbon price will not be affected in the short or medium term by the "failure" of international talks in Copenhagen or the shelving of an emissions trading scheme in the United States, says the new Treasury secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson.

Swan warns states over mining royalties

THE Gillard Government has warned the states they will be punished with less revenue if they move to jack up their mining royalties.

Critic's view - Wednesday, March 30

City Homicide: finale

Black Hawk down in St Kilda

A MECHANICAL fault grounded a Black Hawk helicopter in St Kilda yesterday at the end of a month-long exercise in which military helicopters buzzed between Melbourne's skyscrapers.

Macquarie feels Bluescope's blues

Bluescope Steel chairman Graham Kraehe's anguish was underlined in some research by Macquarie's economics group yesterday.

Slick-yet-modest remake

THE MECHANIC (MA) Rating: 2.5/5 General release (92 minutes)

Power struggle over effects of carbon plan

BLUESCOPE Steel chairman Graham Kraehe's anguish was underlined in some research by Macquarie's economics group yesterday.

SEVEN DAYS IN LEAGUE

Thursdee, March 17

Ling, Chapman may miss Saints clash

GEELONG'S awareness of the need for its older players to be in tip-top condition, married to an insistence that round one not be viewed as a "finish line", bodes ill for captain Cameron Ling and forward Paul Chapman as they strive to come up for Friday night's clash with St Kilda.

Green skills boost

Demand for training at TAFE in the Hunter is higher than the state average. And there are plenty of reasons why.

Sentence delay for two riders

MAGISTRATE Michael Stoddart has reserved sentencing judgments for two motorcyclists who pleaded guilty to negligent driving over a Corrimal accident, which left two men dead.

TELEVISION

POLICY LAUNCH: AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Terrorism victims in line for compo payout

BALI bombing survivor Paul Anicich has applauded a federal government plan to pay the victims of overseas terrorism as much as $75,000 each.

US fighter jet crash-lands

A US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed in Libya and the two crew members were rescued, the United States Africa Command said.

TELEVISION

WINNERS & LOSERS

Getting personal

The produce speaks for itself at the intimate Waku Ghin, writes Sue Bennett.

When school's out, the students are still in

Extracurricular activities have become an increasingly important element of Illawarra high schools, writes SAM HALL.

pay tv

Southern Cloud My Fake Baby Australians Exposed: Sami��s Baby

Winners & Losers, Seven, 8.30pm

It is a rare moment in television when the spark of pure creativity and the hard mechanics of audience analysis fuse into a potential hit but Seven's new drama Winners & Losers looks like it can do the impossible ��� serve both of those masters and disappoint neither.

A good death

Intensive care specialist William Silvester knows better than most that dying with dignity is as important as living with it.

Here we go again

Don't expect much to change at the top of the ladder in 2011, while the wooden spoon should be heading north.

A dose of danger

RIC Johnstone's first big dose of radiation came thick and fast. As a young, healthy mechanic with the Royal Australian Air Force in 1956, he was sent to the South Australian desert to help British soldiers test atomic bombs.

Alfa Romeo 156 2001-06

Alfa Romeo 156 2001-06

Devastated all the way to a tacky corgi

Earthquake. Tsunami. Radiation leaks. Blizzards and sub-zero temperatures. The longer the week went on, the more nightmarish the news became, as calamity piled upon calamity in Japan, turning crisis into international catastrophe.

Fiat Abarth 500 Esseesse

A beefier "Bambino" is taking on the Mini Cooper S, writes Jez Spinks.

PORSCHE PANAMERA V6

PORSCHE PANAMERA V6

LETTERS

Starkers contrast in reactions to baring it

Carbon tax won't cost jobs, says PM

JULIA Gillard has promised her carbon-pricing scheme will protect jobs in vulnerable industries, in a feisty speech that sharply distances Labor from the Greens, describing them as one of the "extremes" in Australian politics.

Campaign bus sabotage suspected

POLICE mechanics will examine the campaign bus of the independent Port Macquarie MP, Peter Besseling, to determine whether it had been tampered with after oil leaked from the bus and on to the Oxley Highway, causing a three-car accident.

Bid backtrack down to Russian blogger

It was only a few short weeks ago that a Pilbara iron ore hopeful made history. In the resources sector it was a significant event. This small company, capitalised at less than $350 million, managed to rail and ship its first load of iron ore to market in China.

Greens a party of extemists: PM

JULIA Gillard has promised her carbon-pricing scheme will protect jobs in vulnerable industries, in a feisty speech that sharply distances Labor from the Greens, describing them as one of the "extremes" in Australian politics.

Nursing gets a healthy dose of satire

COMEDY writer-actress Jo Brand thinks nursing stereotypes on TV are a joke. She should know. Before she became one of Britain's best-known comedians, she worked as a psychiatric nurse for 10 years.

Lawyer tells NRL to bow out as race abuse issue follows Tahu to Panthers

PENRITH's new signing, Timana Tahu, is refusing to apologise for allegedly calling a fellow Aboriginal footballer a "black c---".

Pay TV - Monday, March 21

My Fake Baby

Pressure tactics could crush bid

An amicable offer for BC Iron just got a bit less friendly, thanks to a chatty Russian blogger.

11 days to go

Rough ride for some

Pricey but bloody lovely

Jay Rayner ventures into Dinner ��� and isn't disappointed.

ask doug

Jeanette Bond wrote in search of VHS material to illuminate a scheduled talk on fantasy fiction and was, oddly, unable to find Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on videotape. A VHS of the Warner Bros release, of which the box says contains "never-before-seen footage", has arrived from M. Olsen of Fairfield, while lan Selkirk of South Grafton retrieved The Prisoner of Azkaban from the local op shop.

First bloke, Gillard both in need of playmates

While Julia Gillard was given the full treatment during her trip to Washington last week, her partner, Tim Mathieson, was not. Indeed, Mathieson, an affable and decent chap, was somewhat isolated. Snubbed, even.

Monster aftershock could strike within days

NORTH-EASTERN Japan can expect another monster earthquake large enough to trigger a tsunami within days, the head of the Australian Seismological Centre says.

Knock them dead

This dark comedy set in a geriatric ward makes a welcome return, writes Michael Idato.

Balance a key to great game

One of the standout features of football is its appeal to women.

Community

THE CORAL SEA

Spider-Man in a spin as director cut loose

Julie Taymor, the director and co- author of troubled musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, has been replaced, just before another mechanical glitch.

HELP DESK

MOODLE DATABASE

Barnstormer Rudd flies solo on Libya flight zone

ONE thing is clear, at least. Kevin Rudd won't be subject to a flight-exclusion zone ��� even though Julia Gillard would love to see him grounded.

Contorted body of work

The human form gets twisted in Shared Frequencies, writes Elissa Blake.

Bombers under no illusions over looming Magpies test

ESSENDON played Collingwood twice last year and lost by a combined 163 points. Hence the NAB Cup grand final tomorrow represents a major test of the new Essendon under James Hird.

Gillard captive to yet another great big tax headache

A tax summit is the last thing the PM wants, but she has little choice.

Looked at life through nature's keenest eyes

DAVID JOHN HUGH COCKAYNE SCIENTIST 19-3-1942 ��� 22-12-2010

Green Guide��s Critical View

FREE TO AIR

Twelve billion holes in plan to cut carbon

It's utter madness to try to curb emissions while subsidising fossil fuels.

Mine law shored up

JAPAN'S trade ministry plans to streamline a mining law for the first time since 1950 to develop seabed resources that could be worth 300 trillion yen ($3.6 trillion), amid competition from China, South Korea and Russia.

Catchment gas leak as coalmine cracks

METHANE is bubbling up through one of the key rivers in Sydney's drinking water catchment, after a coalmine cracked the rock underneath it.

To build consensus you need to listen

Julia Gillard was right the first time. It is worse than dangerous to introduce a carbon tax while someone like Tony Abbott is Leader of the Opposition.

Uncertainty is the killer

The political bunfight over a carbon price is the last thing the economy needs.

No leap in living costs: Combet

CLIMATE Change Minister Greg Combet has sought to reassure Australians that the cost of living will not soar under a carbon price and that low-income earners and pensioners will be able to cope.

Retirement plans swept away by floodwater

HE HAD planned to retire in February. A move that would have given him more time to travel around Australia with his wife in their four-wheel-drive motor home, paint the house and do the things that mechanically minded retired blokes do in their back shed.

Coalition's hunt for scheme supporters

THE Coalition is struggling to find clear backers for its "Direct Action" climate scheme, with another nominated supporter saying he was not offering a policy endorsement.

Self-published gems for collectors to covet

Niche artists' books are lapped up by an online target audience, writes Linda Morris.

Tax won't hurt families, says Combet

CLIMATE Change Minister Greg Combet has sought to reassure Australians that the cost of living will not soar under a carbon price and that low-income earners and pensioners will be able to cope.

Developers push to scrap 'tainted' planning law

ONE of the state's leading developer groups has called for the end of the Labor government's controversial part 3A planning laws under which the minister can approve big projects, including residential developments, worth more than $100 million.

Opinion leaders have no right to treat leaders with such rudeness

When the boatload of asylum seekers smashed into rocks off Christmas island just before Christmas, certain radio shock jocks went into a lather.

Wanted: EU-wide body for stability

The finance system is too interconnected ��� and also too weak, writes Daniel Gros.

Wedding of the week

It took a while to get started but a romance sparked by a car, and a mechanic, is motoring along.

A recipe for rehabilitation

IAN CURLEY will never forget the reaction expressed by his kitchen apprentices when faced with two of life's decadent fantasy foods ��� freshly shucked oysters and a round of perfectly ripened Camembert cheese.

THE FLYING COUPES

What financial crisis? It's well and truly over in Geneva, writes Jez Spinks.