How hard is it to find a job in America?One journo finds out, applying for 300 jobs… and getting eight interviews.
June, 2009
IRANdecision 09: ShamWow
Jon Stewart on Iran’s election “decision”.
500th astronaut blasts off
Former naval commander Chris Cassidy will become the 500th person to go into space this week.
weird Video of the Day: The comfort wipe — because toilet paper is “archaic”
You’ll never need to touch your bum again. Introducing the comfort wipe.
Typography in the recession
Faced with rising costs and falling ad revenue, The New York Times Magazine is saving money and paper by subtly changing their typeface to fit more words on a page.
White House still woos the NYT
The media landscape may be evolving beyond mainstream dailies, but Obama and his team still crave the validation that comes from being written about by the New York Times.
Peeing outside: is it green?
It seems to me that a discreet pee behind a bush is in many ways more sensible than spoiling perfectly good drinking water. But is it environmentally sound? asks Sami Grover.
China’s long, gay march
Shanghai played host to China’s first ever Gay Pride Festival last week, featuring films, panels, and drag shows — but no parade. You can now be gay in China, but you still can’t be political.
Koogle: the kosher search engine
A new search engine, Koogle, has been created to allow ultra-Orthodox Jews to surf the Internet without encountering material such as news and pictures of “immodest” women, and stops users from making any online purchases on the Sabbath.
The rich list of Australian politics
Almost all of Australia’s extremely wealthy sit on one side of the political divide, but that doesn’t make for a one-sided political scene. Interesting, says John Warhurst.
Coercion not necessary to save planet
There is a virtual cascade of technological advances that have been spurred by the widely accepted public policy imperative to reduce greennhouse gas emissions. Wendell Cox lists “just a few”.
Carney: Thwarted in his singular goal, golden boy opts to write finis
Costello’s frustrated and failed leadership ambitions will always at least partially obscure the historical assessment of his time as Treasurer, says Shaun Carney.
Megalogenis: Boom, then Peter Costello’s gone from politics
Costello’s greatest failure was not to make more of the opportunity of prosperity, writes George Megalogenis.
Colebatch: Dr Peter and Mr Costello
It is hard to define how much governments influence economic activity, says Tim Colebatch, but Costello kept Australia on track.
Abbott: The nation’s loss is the Liberal’s gain
Peter Costello leaving the parliament is his country’s loss, but his party’s gain, writes Tony Abbott, in a eulogy for his colleague.
Coorey: End of an era as Costello goes
Costello’s departure draws a line under a political era, says Phillip Coorey.
Farr: Big smiles as Cossie gives them what they want
They lined up with beaming smiles to say pleasant things about Peter Costello because he did what everyone had wanted — quit, says Malcolm Farr.
5 reasons to question Iran’s election outcome
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the Iran election with 63.29% of the vote — in other words, a landslide. But with no independent election monitors, many questions are being asked.
Atkins: Sweet ‘n’ sour ending to Peter Costello’s career
Wayne Swan’s goodbye to Costello acknowledged his “considerable contribution” to public life and described him as formidable. John Howard’s statement couldn’t have been more different. It was a sour note for a truly significant event, writes Dennis Atkins.
Wright: Dancing his last fandango, he still had star quality
Costello, having played come-hither for so long, artfully choreographed his own delicious exit, says Tony Wright.
Kelly: Regret, relief for right decision
Costello’s retirement is the right decision, writes Paul Kelly, but his career failed to ever reach its potential.
Melbourne’s most-feared crime family now extinct
A Melbourne crime dynasty died when Desmond “Tuppence” Moran breathed his last in the suburb where he had been a recognised rogue for decades, writes John Silvester.
Grattan: The almost-leader bows out from his half-world
Costello made a sensible decision, says Michelle Grattan; his colleagues were becoming impatient and the political teasing had lost its excitement.
Crabb: greatest hypothetical in Australian politics is over
And like that, Peter Costello was gone, writes Annabel Crabb. Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull meanwhile “floated into question time looking beatific”.
Gazard: Costello’s faith and decency did not suit brutal times
Peter Costello suffered because of his refusal to stoop to the level of the political machine, writes his former political advisor David Gazard.
