Their merry dance still opens doors and warms hearts

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

Nervous Watch As Neighbours Run Into Trouble

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.

Food Makers To Junk Bad Ads

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.

Watch Festival At Home

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.

Tourism's Unsung Hero Stands Tall For Region

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. GREG ELLIS reports.

Grief And Joy In The Suburbs

A father-son drama mines its makers' origins, writes Kylie Northover.

Networking

If you're an actor, read no further. Actors are banned (even though we've used their pictures for the purpose of this exercise) from Theatreworks' Speed Dating For Artists, which it describes as "a fun series of events where you might find your new creative partner" in a night of networking for artists and theatre makers "hungry to join you on your next creative endeavour". And the only rule: "no actors".

Toddler Tube

Letting your youngsters watch the box might improve their communication and social skills.

Storm Rejects 'boring' Label

MELBOURNE Storm believes Peter Sterling is a great of the game who has earned his right to voice his opinion - but yesterday three of its top decision-makers believed on this occasion the rugby league legend could keep it.

Remember Why They Went, And Never Forget Their Sacrifice

In delivering his "say no to war" message, Stephen Alomes ("Saying no to war should mean just that", April 25) fails to deliver the king hit. In the case of most of the wars remembered on Anzac Day, Australia's young were sacrificed serving someone else's interests, and by and large history has let the decision-makers off the hook.

Watch This Space

Family Guy moves to a neighbourhood far, far away, writes Michael Idato.

Industry And Competitors Fear Steel Stranglehold

STEEL makers fearing a global pricing stranglehold on iron ore are preparing to intensify their fight against BHP's proposed $165 billion takeover of Rio Tinto.

Highlights

THE CHOPPING BLOCK NBN, 7.30PM FROM the makers of The Block comes this restaurant equivalent of a WWF SmackDown!

Missing Element In Rudd's War On Inflation

WE CAN'T say we haven't been warned. Yesterday's speech in Perth by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Friday's speech in London by the governor of the Reserve Bank, Glenn Stevens, both make it clear that inflationary pressures in the Australian economy are the main worry of policy-makers rather than a credit crunch feeding through from the subprime home lending collapse in the United States.

Green & Mean

US makers may have embraced the electric car but horsepower also had a share of the limelight at the 2008 Detroit MOTOR show, reports Joshua Dowling.

Lots Of League Action Coming To A Screen Near You Soon

RUGBY league's centenary year is almost upon us and, accordingly, filmmakers in Sydney are hard at work preparing documentaries about the game that we'll be able to watch on TV a few months from now.

Market Spotlight May Shift To China

THE market spotlight may soon focus on a Chinese stake in the world's fourth-largest iron ore producer, as investors watch how China will respond to BHP Billiton's bid for Rio Tinto.

Spin Doctors Are Moving In Cricketing Circles

IT'S fun to watch the marketing teams try to bring a little culture to Australian cricket.

Now Is The Time Of Discontent

The Content Makers: Understanding the Media in Australia By Margaret Simons Penguin, $35 The Media We Deserve: Underachievement in the Fourth Estate By David Salter Melbourne University Publishing, $34.95

The Media's Scrutineer Still Has Value

What form Media Watch will take next year is anyone's guess.