We have a word for the conscious slaughter of a racial or ethnic group: genocide. And one for the conscious destruction of aspects of the environment: ecocide. But we don't have a word for the conscious act of destroying the planet we live on, the world as humanity had known it until, historically speaking, late last night. A possibility might be "terracide" from the Latin word for earth. It has the right ring, given its similarity to the commonplace danger word of our era: terrorist.

As Ford calls it quits Australia today (shutting shop in 2016), no matter who would get the gig to govern this country in September (note: the Liberals/conservatives have gone completely bonkers) , one needs to be a lateral thinker in order to improve urban transport of people — improve our air quality and mitigate global warming at the same time. 

Sloppy Joe Hockey’s 15 biggest Press Club furphies

Once upon a time, animal sacrifice was an important part of Hindu life, Catholic priests weren't celibate and visual depictions of the Prophet Muhammad were part of Islamic art. And soon some churches in the UK may be marrying gay couples. How do religions manage to change their mind?

In 1889, Wilford Woodruff became the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - more commonly known as the Mormon Church.

As president, he was seen as a living prophet, someone who could receive wisdom and advice from Jesus Christ. And he was certainly in need of advice - his church was in crisis.

Lie to me...

Even as Apple became the nation’s most profitable technology company, it avoided billions in taxes in the United States and around the world through a web of subsidiaries so complex it spanned continents and went beyond anything most experts had ever seen, Congressional investigators disclosed on Monday.

The much vaunted mining sector, often credited with getting Australia through the global financial crisis, is ripping us off. That's the message from last week's budget.

And the message from the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott’s Budget reply is that he will help it continue to do so.

Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says it is up to the states and territories to make a case for changes to the goods and services tax (GST), after NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell called for an overhaul.

Four nights ago, when a nervous Wayne Swan rose to deliver the budget that was crafted to create a ''stronger, smarter, fairer Australia'', the public galleries were sparsely populated and unanimated, his colleagues were stoic, sullen and stern, and the mood almost funereal.

Picture by Gus: Like an oil film on a street, opinions can show different colours depending on the slant (or place) of our observation...

Computers could take some tough decisions out of our hands, if we let them. Is there still a place for human judgement?