RIP Richard Pratt, one of a kindIt seems fitting that Pratt left us with this complex legacy that defies easy assessment. He was like a student who got an A plus for four subjects and an F for his fifth; a hyperactive maverick industrialist who could act, sing and play football.
April, 2009
Colbert study: Conservatives don’t get the joke
A study by Ohio State University has found that many conservatives don’t actually understand that Stephen Colbert is joking on The Colbert Report. *Facepalm*
Call to modernise NSW ALP grows desperate
The bureaucracy in Sussex Street, by its very nature, is impervious to change.
Political snippets: It is just a budget
A little perspective on Wayne Swan’s night of nights, Tasmania gambles and why it’s likely the RBA will leave interest rates where they are.
Banks emerge from overnight slumber
The recession might be upon us, but the credit crunch is becoming more of a horrid, distant echo.
Letter from...: San Jose, Mexico
People are standing well back from one another when walking, compared to the usual hustle and bustle that we have encountered in the town centre, says traveller Nick Campbell.
The lessons of Swine Flu history: beware the politics
Another pandemic flu scare. Is this The Big One, or another false alarm writes Hudson Birden.
The hipster’s eternal search for authenticity
Café Bustelo, a Cuban coffee company founded in the Bronx in 1928, is seeking new adherents and finding them at Sundance, Fashion Week and Coachella. Will the hipsters fall for it?
Now open, the Crikey angry flyers’ lounge
Tiger Airways had now said sorry three times in six days to angry customers and the RSL.
Relenza pioneer wants to create universal anti-viral
Professor Mark von Itzstein has told Crikey that he’s currently working on an anti-viral agent to shut down viruses like Swine Flu.
10 things to know about the NBA draft
The deadline to declare for the 2009 NBA draft came and went Sunday. We said this year’s freshman class was weak, and it shows in the draft.
Next generation Western Bulldogs rise up
Thomas Liberatore and Mitch Wallis are more than potential father-son choices for the Western Bulldogs next year, writes Caroline Wilson. They’re in a different league.
Germany: worst banking system ever
Most German banks are either broke or on life support.
First draft of history? Pretty bad.
As far as first attempts go, journalism’s first draft of history is pretty average. Especially when it comes to the GFC.
Tips and rumours: A new logo for NSW?
Is there a better way to bust a recession that pay a design team squillions to come up with a new logo?
The mystery of cricketers’ ducks
Explained at last: why almost every cricketer gets out for a duck many more times than he achieves any other score.
Number of men killed by women drops dramatically
Something I read in another blog sent me digging into the statistics on homicide between husbands and wives or other “intimates”, writes Jay Livingston. Fascinating.
Reviled John Elliott: the man who saved Carlton FC
Perhaps the time has come for the Blue Army to raise a glass in Big Jack Elliott’s honour.
Facebook’s missing fingers
Facebook is totally awesome except for the whole work/friends/family thing. Here are five things that the social networking site is missing.
Music journalism for dummies
Steps include doing no research on MySpace, scrawling incomprehensible notes and capturing the zeitgeist.
Front page spread: how the world awoke to Swine Flu
The spread of Swine Flu is big news.
Media briefs: Sam the Koala’s popularity has yet to wane
Sam the Koala, symbol of hope from Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires, is still as popular as ever, while the Bendigo Advertiser has an interesting editorial.
And now for some positive news about pandemics
It’s still unclear whether the new form of H1N1 influenza, first identified in Mexico, will spread easily around the world, writes Professor John D. Mathews.
