WHEN the Merry Maker dancers Lucinda Bryant and Scott Martin take the stage together, something magical always happens.

THE new Obama administration installed in Washington; another yen shock for Japan's export machine; shutdowns and mass lay-offs across China's coastal factory belt; war threats between India and Pakistan; a Taliban resurgent in Afghanistan; new leaders in Thailand, Malaysia and maybe Indonesia.

AUSTRALIA'S $70 billion food industry is pledging to advertise only healthy food to children under 12, which could mean the disappearance of commercials for products such as Coca Cola and ice cream during children's viewing hours.

When Tom Subjak took over as festival director of the Illawarra's annual short film competition, Short Sited, he was determined to raise the event's profile.

Today we start the first in a series on Illawarra's Unsung Business Heroes where we focus on some of the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes. The first is someone who during the past decade became the face of Wollongong for hundreds of decision-makers in the international tourist industry...read more