2009 has shaped up to be a bright and eclectic year for Australian cinema, showcasing the fruits of a rare period of creative oomph. And now there’s news of a sequel to The Wog Boy.
August, 2009
Guardian recreates Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath
The Guardian are recreating the Route 66 journey from John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, to examine the differences in this modern day Depression, where Mexicans have become the new Okies and suspicion of government is high.
Dreamliner in 2010? Boeing’s eyebrow-raising schedule
Boeing announced today that the first of the belated Dreamliner 787s will be delivered next year. But that makes for a pretty crunched test flight period, says an unconvinced Ben Sandilands.
IBM’s radical research plan: collaboration
Companies are usually secretive about their R&D. IBM is breaking away from this mould, scouting the globe to set up what it’s calling “collaboratories” with unis and governments. Will this marriage of minds end in divorce?
Criticism for school signs plan
The government is extracting every political mileage out of their school infrastructure program possible, with schools forced to place government advertising signs outside new buildings until 2011.
Poor lose out in stimulus changes
Schools have taken priority over public housing and the homeless with the latest changes to the economic stimulus package.
Good judgement shown on stimulus
The government has been pragmatic and willing to make appropriate changes to the economic stimulus package, once criticism of the school buildings program emerged, writes The Australian.
Stutchbury: economy doesn’t need stimulus
The Australian economy doesn’t need a rush of government spending to stave off recession. Stimulus spending by the government is reckless, dangerous and a blatant political exercise, writes Michael Stutchbury.
Replacing Ted: the rocky road ahead
Filling Ted Kennedy’s US Senate seat looks set to be a complicated business. It could require legislative change and upset Obama’s health reform plans in the process. Tim Reid explains.
Australia needs left-wing patriots
Patriots and progressives have been suspicious of each other in Australia, ever since the Howard years. It’s time for the Left to realise that anti-patriotism alienates potential voters, writes Tim Soutphommasane.
Australians and the death penalty: 50 years of public opinion
A new Roy Morgan poll tracks public opinion on death penalty and imprisonment all the way back to 1947. Have we softened in our views, or capitulated to a climate of fear? Possum Comitatus crunches the numbers.
Grattan: Keeping the faith
The problems that continue to face indigenous communities, despite repeated government attempts — and failures — to address them doesn’t bode well for the latest plan, says Michelle Grattan, but both sides must retain hope.
US complains to Karzai of Afghan election fraud
The Afghanistan election is still undecided, with news that computer software has delayed results and the US special envoy to Afghanistan having an ‘explosive’ meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai about fraud and ballot stuffing in the election.
UN envoy: NT intervention racist
The UN’s special rapporteur on indigenous rights Professor James Anaya has delivered a damning report card on the NT intervention, labeling it “discriminatory”, “demeaning” and “racist”. Read his full statement here.
Breakfast Media Wrap: Swine flu makes a newsy comeback over vaccine doubts
The pick of this morning’s media
Brumby’s ALP in turmoil as rats run rampant
The Victorian Branch of the ALP has descended into high farce after Stephen Newnham retained his state secretary position at last night’s meeting of the state administrative committee.
The psychology of broken dreams
Researchers have found just how strongly people will cling to their unrealistic career dreams, finding it’s not enough just to know you don’t have the skills or qualifications.
Google, YouTube and you
When it comes to making money from YouTube, Google is showing some finesse (and sharing the wealth with users), says Anders Bylund. Now how about a way to stop copyright issues and cash in at the same time?
Watermelon powered cars
Watermelons aren’t just a tasty snack, they can also be converted into ethanol fuel. Watermelon fuel requires less water and has more nitrogen then ethanol fuel created by corn, sugar cane or molasses.
Alternative uses for cake stands
Dear readers, we were too delighted by this blog post not to use it. The ever resourceful Apartment Therapy suggests some ways to put those surplus cake stands to work.
Geolocation: will it make Twitter soar?
Twitter is about to turn on a function that locates where tweets are coming from. This extra data will go a long way. Here three developers muse on how they’ll use it (and further monetise Twitter).
Spain’s stolen generation
During General Franco’s dictatorship, an estimated 30,000 Spanish children ‘disappeared’, taken from their families and sent to live in orphanages or with Franco supporters.
Tales from inside the modern-day slave trade
There are more slaves today than at any time in human history, says writer and journalist Benjamin Skinner, who spent four years undercover inside the world of human trafficking, from mines in Haiti to underground brothels in Romania.
Rethinking gravity: a dark matter
The Milky Way’s satellite galaxies — or lack thereof — is causing some in the scientific community to completely reassess everything we think we know about gravity.
