The pain of sports journalists: footy clichés or one word answersIt’s being described as ‘footy’s worst interview ever’: NRL Dragons player Darius Boyd speaks just 28 words in response to eight questions. Naomi Toy imagines Boyd’s future footy cliché filled answers.
August, 2009
The turbulent history of Times New Roman
The humble and iconic Times New Roman typeface has a complex and controversial history, with debate over its origins still raging today.
The game is up for old-school sports writers
The days of the old-fashioned sports writer are over, says John Koblin, with general columnists on the way out and beat-specific analysts, who can Tweet and blog on one area of expertise, moving in.
Is Gardasil responsible for 32 deaths?
Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine developed by Australian scientist Ian Frazer, has come under fire by a new US government report linking the vaccine to 32 unconfirmed deaths and other health issues.
It’s a Jetstar a-rising at Qantas
The Jetstar ascendancy is now on in earnest at Qantas, says Ben Sandilands, starting with five flights daily between Melbourne’s main airport and Sydney in October that will compete directly with their own full-service Citiflyer flights.
Film review: The 10 Conditions of Love
Luke Buckmaster reviews the new film about the life, career and advocacy work of exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, that has caused so much controversy for the government and Melbourne International Film Festival. Whilst highly topical, he says, it’s a listless and un-enticing documentary.
Newspoll: 56-44 to Labor in Victoria
The latest bi-monthly Newspoll survey of Victorian state voting intention has Labor maintaining its formidable 56-44 lead on two-party preferred, though John Brumby’s approval rating is down two points.
What donkeys? Afghanistan elections get interactive
The Guardian have created a snazzy interactive map about the upcoming Afghanistan elections, showing region population breakdowns, who voted for Karzai in ‘04 and the top presidential contenders.
China faces an environmental uprising
Rapid industrial development in China has led to a raft of pollution and environment-related health and social problems. But the country’s citizens aren’t taking it lying down, with environmental demonstrations on the rise in recent years. Could the government be facing a green revolution?
Water authority would dampen business plans
Water management shouldn’t be a tug of war between private enterprise and government. Australia needs a national water authority to manage, regulate and allocate water, writes Bruce Haigh and Kellie Tranter.
In Afghanistan, a corrupt and violent election is better than none at all
For all the problems that have beset Afghanistan’s presidential election — and there are many — the event still offers a badly-needed glimmer of hope for the country, says Nick Meo.
Drought and GFC cause a hangover for wine industry
Poor rainfall combined with a shrinking export market is leading many Australian wine growers to abandon their vineyards, with an industry body estimating 2000 growers will be forced off their farms over the next two years
John McCain: the myth of the maverick
Republican John McCain may have branded himself ‘the maverick’ of Washington, except ever since he didn’t get the top job, he is siding with the Republicans more than ever before.
Why Twitter can’t trademark the tweet
Last month, Twitter founder Biz Stone announced that the company had applied to trademark the word “tweet”, causing much consternation in the blogosphere. But what he didn’t mention, explains Sam Johnston is that they’ve already tried — and failed.
Why Palin’s death panels are like Hitler’s testicles
Familiarity breeds belief, explains behavioral scientist Peter Ubel, and much like the myth of Adolf Hitler’s third testicle, the more people who hear Sarah Palin’s claim that the Democrats are advocating “death panels”, the more likely people are to believe it’s true — even if theyr’e told it’s not.
We took our eyes off Afghanistan
The media should stop fixating on the political conflict and focus on long term policy and systems in Afghanistan — not as headline grabbing, but more important for Australia’s future, writes Greg Sheridan.
The Rolling Stones’ Cocksucker Blues finally leaked online. What took so long?
The Rolling Stones’ banned 1972 documentary Cocksucker Blues has finally made its way on to the internet. A bizarre court order actually prevents the film from being shown unless director Robert Frank is physically present, but even so: it took 37 YEARS to leak?
The Ashes turgid ending
Crikey’s Jarrod Kimber just can’t see the Fifth Test being a classic. Despite desperately wanting one.
Don’t buy in to newspapers’ good news
Newspaper stocks may have been rallying in recent months, but don’t get too excited: it’s mainly due to heavy, heavy cost-cutting and a downturn in the newsprint and ink industries. Newspapers are still far from out of the woods — even if the trees are currently a bit cheaper.
ABC Armchair Expert: The Oval, a lovely place for cricket
I have played at the Oval, in 1989, the catering staff of the Oval, Graisons, vs. the ground staff of The Oval. I hope this next Test is a enjoyable as that game, writes ABC Melbourne’s Armchair expert Jason Evans.
Inglorious Basterds: unendurably, unbelievably tedious
Quentin Tarantino’s new flick Inglorious Basterds has been receiving accolades from all over — but not from The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, who calls it a “transcendentally disappointing dud”.
No comment for NSW Liberal twits
Want to tweet your office politics? Then don’t join the NSW Liberals, who’ve just passed new policy banning members from using blogs or social networking sites to make public statements about the party.
Gorgon: the little gas project that could
The Gorgon Gas project is the new golden child of the Rudd government, expected to create jobs, help Australia-China relations and further destroy the Opposition’s leadership, writes Annabel Crabb.
Larvartus Prodeo / Thursday, 20 August 2009
A blogger posts inflammatory comments online about a Vogue model. A court then insists the blogger be identified, so the model can sue for defamation. What if that happened in Australia? Would it change what people wrote online?