Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction; it got invaded. North Korea tested a nuclear bomb three years ago; it got a mixture of bribes and angry rhetoric. That explains everything.
May, 2009
Breeding the next Sri Lankan insurgency behind razor wire
With hundreds of thousands of Tamils being held in detention, the seeds of future bloodshed are now being sown on a massive scale, writes Jeff Sparrow.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: Nicola Roxon bests Wayne Swan
If anyone had any doubts that swine flu was the preferred broadcast media issue to debt debates and endless infrastructure lists, figures from this week’s battle for political airspace should erase them.
Some strange conclusions drawn in the Borrowman case
What’s going on with the head of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s International Division? Bernard Keane investigates.
The new culture wars: Melbourne vs Brisbane, pincers Sydney
Battle lines are drawn in the fight for domestic cultural tourism with Melbourne and Brisbane going mano a mano to attract visitors, writes Ned Keene.
The Chaser lads v Sam Newman: media commentator hypocrisy
The media decides what to get in a huff about, and what not to, writes Ralphy Horowitz with a few cases in point.
Media briefs: The Punch may contravene Spam Act
News’s new site The Punch may be getting a little spammy, and the Iraqi national intelligence service launched a court action to sue the Guardian, saying they’ve been defamed.
Wesfarmers pulls up short on executive pay
The sorry state of executive pay has been exemplified by the press coverage allocated to Wesfarmers’ decision to freeze the pay and cut the bonuses of its top executives, writes Adam Schwab.
Australian banking system showing signs of stress
There’s growing evidence that the much vaunted strength of the Australian banking system is starting to fray around the edges, writes Glenn Dyer.
Resources boom has well and truly gone kaput
The resources boom has gone well and truly kaput as the main driver of the Australian economy for the past five years takes a huge hit from the recession and credit crunch.
Crikey Says: Unions’ GFC response stuck in the 70s
Australia’s union movement has not developed intellectually in the past 30 years. And it shows.
Morning Market Report: Market down 45, Dow down 173
The market is down 45, but ANZ is holding up well after its $2.5bn institutional placement at 1440c.
US stockmarket zombies snap out of it
Rising US bond yields have finally got the attention of stockmarket investors, triggering a reversal of Tuesday’s mindless surge in optimism and share prices, writes Glenn Dyer.
Magazines and TV shows just love a list!
A snapshot of our politicians in the current crop of exciting list journalism.
Media ignores Congo, focuses on Darfur
Why is the Congo so neglected? Some of the usual explanations—the victims are black, the conflict zone is somewhat inaccessible—are overly simplistic. Darfur is similar but has spurred far more coverage.
Gender divide is bad for Iraqis’ health
There’s a shortage of female nurses in some areas of Iraq. And some husbands won’t let male physicians touch their pregnant wives, letting them die rather than be touched by another man.
ouch! 
Christian Bale ruinsTerminator Salvation
There were warning signs that actor Christian Bale was taking Terminator Salvation a wee bit seriously. And it’s exactly what’s wrong with the movie.
The crowd has spoken: what Boyle and Werbeloff have in common
Australia’s chk-chk-boom girl and Britain’s frumpy singing sensation Susan Boyle are two bookends of the same phenomenon, argues Miranda Devine.
Photo essay: the problem with printing money
After World War I, Germany started printing money to try and climb out of financial trouble. Here’s what the result looked like at ground level.
Tips for authors on how to get words on the page
One of the challenges of writing is … writing. Here are some tips that I’ve found most useful for myself, says Gretchen Rubin.
Could ‘Mine’ magazine save the glossies?
Mine is a Frankenstein’s monster of Time magazine, a personalised publication cobbling together articles only on topics that interest you… could it save the magazine industry?
Why? The meaning of North Korea’s nuclear threat
With the renegade nation continuing to up the ante, including a signal that it will tear up the 1953 armistice that ended war with South Korea, pundits analyse what it all means.
Can Moscow stop North Korea?
In Moscow, where North Korea’s oddball Stalinist dynasty was born and and nurtured for decades, officials appear perplexed and even scared over the Pyongyang regime’s increasingly wayward behavior.
