At first blush Grant Wood's painting American Gothic simply depicts a stoic mid-western farming couple.
Looking more closely you see the painting is suggesting something far more disturbing.
Australian politics can be like Wood's painting; you have to stare awhile to see it but, once you do, many political arguments boil down to competence and conviction. More
Weekly wrap
This week, we all got in touch with our feminine sides, and discovered what a bad idea it was. More
Education devolution
The NSW education budget must be a concern for teachers, parents and politicians. More
Did Australia hava a better relationship with Indonesia when it was a dictatorship? More
Michael Clarke has come under fire for leaving the NZ tour to be with his fiancee. More
Kevin Rudd's comments as a father, on bullying, have struck a chord with voters. More
Two of the world's oldest civilisations are facing serious financial troubles. More
Unemployment. It is one of the most watched, and perhaps least understood, economic figures. More
Is it worth having workers' retirement savings put at risk, and traded at the mercy of the market? More
Two of the world's oldest civilisations are facing serious financial troubles. More
Education is one of the strongest correlates of population health. Putting money into hospitals doesn't improve population health - all it does is apply bandaids to largely preventable health problems.
Trevor, on The education devolution (via story comment)
If Rudd has the numbers, then he can force his policy through. If he doesn't have the numbers, then he can change his policy to gain support. Or he can go to the next election, and try to explain to the public why he didn't do either of the above.
Anon, on All roads lead to the Senate (via story comment)
Abbott's new tax isn't a tax, it is an "investment in human capital".
Richard Dawkins hammers home what he sees as his key argument against the existence of God.
Cattle make their way through floodwaters near St George in southern Queensland on March 11, 2010. (Tim Perrottet)
Do you agree with China's view that man-made climate change denial is an extreme stance and out of touch with mainstream thought?
With the NRL and AFL seasons almost upon us, Anthony Sharwood shares some divine tips on, well, tipping.
"Never tip against thine own team...If your team’s going down, do the decent thing and go down with them."
The Greens seem like Labor's allies, but they are rivals, says Nick Dyrenfurth in The Australian.
"Labor needs to convince progressive voters that it is the party of practical environmentalism and the Greens are pantomime politicians intent upon moral grandstanding rather than addressing an existential threat to humanity..."
Blaming speculators for sovereign-debt woes is misguided. The Economist says banning them would be worse.
"The sovereign-CDS debate is a smokescreen to obscure an unpalatable truth."
Reihan Salam, in The Daily Beast, on Biden, Israel and America's waning influence abroad.
"...President Obama is presiding over an era of diminished American influence, in which allies and rivals alike feel comfortable thumbing their noses at a White House focused above all else on its domestic priorities."
Go behind the scenes with ABC news journalists as they cover the news agenda around Australia.
Share ABC psephologist Antony Green's expertise as he analyses all things electoral.
Articulate is ABC News Online's daily take on arts news and events in Australia and throughout the world.
Thoughts on the news agenda of the day from ABC News journalists and presenters.
The Shallow End is ABC News Online's way of casting a critical eye over entertainment news from Australia and the world.
ABC Sport Online's daily take on the world of sport.
Glenn Martin put his Jetsons-inspired childhood dream into action by inventing a jet ski for the skies.
Coalition policies are always fully costed but never involve a new tax.
Business savvy Australians can earn a substantial living online.
Scientists have discovered that our perception of pain is linked to our genes.
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AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Time which is 11 hours ahead of UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)
In ten years i can return to my bookcase and reread favourite books. Think about the technology you were using ten years ago and whether you could still use it today?
mik, on Well-readhead: e-reader vs the good old book (via story comment)