Ex PM John Howard rewrote history with the claims of his and Downer’s secret support of East Timor’s independence, says Bruce Haigh. What about public opinion and the actions of the US?
September, 2009
VIDEO: Incredible, amazing, awesome Apple
Pride in your product is important for any business, but Apple’s bosses seem to not only have drunk their own Kool-Aid, they’re mainlining it on an IV drip. A montage of the company’s recent keynote address. See if you can pick up on a theme.
Hydrogen cars: dead in the water?
Is the hydrogen-powered car market over before it even got started? Manufacturers have switched their focus towards the more cost-effective electric cars, leaving the possibility of water-powered vehicles looking increasingly like a pipe dream.
Why the company that owns Mr Happy is smiling
The UK company that owns the rights to Mr Men, Noddy and Miss Marple has seen sales rise by a third. It’s a lesson in what’s hot even in a downturn: kids’ merchandise (fueled by a baby boom) and Mr Men t-shirts.
Crabb: Is the Coalition a bunch of union bigwigs?
The Opposition is like a “crumbly old trade union”, writes Annabel Crabb. The evidence? Tony Abbott declared an industrial dispute on Question Time and threatened to strike.
PHOTO GALLERY: From Russia with love: Putin and Medvedev
A hilarious yet surprisingly revealing photo gallery, featuring candid moments between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and PM Vladimir Putin. Is their bro-mance on on the skids?
Oakes: Robb’s Black Dog fight
In a rare case of political honesty, Lib MP Andrew Robb opens up to Laurie Oakes about the depressive illness that’s forced him off the front bench.
Behind the veil of Afghanistan’s women
Despite the billions pumped into the war in Afghanistan, women’s rights have barely changed since the rule of the Taliban, claims Globe and Mail, in an in-depth report on women in the conservative city of Kandahar.
The sketchy science of carbon footprints
Measuring the carbon footprint of your business/travel/lifestyle is So Hot Right Now, but the maths and methodologies involved are so imprecise and subjective, a “low carbon” label may soon be as meaningless as a “low fat” one.
PROCRASTINATION: 2009 Emmys live blog
Don’t blame Crikey if you don’t have enough self-discipline not to take a look. All the winners can be found here.
The rise and rise of Amazon.com
Online retailer Amazon.com has long been the go-to site for cheap books, but the company has now sprawled into just about every product and market imaginable — and smaller stores, both real and virtual, just can’t compete. But is it a win for consumers or a loss for the free market?
Now showing: the 2009 Emmy Awards
The Emmys are on Australian TV tonight at 10pm. In real time, it’s kicking off about … now. Live blogging of the red carpet has already begun at Go Fug Yourself. The LA Times has a more TV-centriclive blog. For the money-minded, The Live Feed has betting odds for the biggest awards while TV critic Alan Sepinwall casts his predictions here.
Foodie wankers back on the front pages
Australia’s economy must be recovering, says Nick Leys: the papers are once again filled with the pretentious pontificating of our pompous food critics.
The Ikea Billy Bookshelf Index
The Economist has the Big Mac Index. Now Bloomberg takes another global phenomenon and prices it worldwide: the Ikea “Billy” bookshelf. Our question: why do Australians pay so much?
Kevin Rude: F*#^ing tough on perks
Our honourable PM Kevin Rudd drops the F bomb in Labor meetings. Shock horror! Rudd turns rude when it comes to pollies’ perks, quips Katharine Murphy.
The empire strikes back: Bush’s Star Wars plan was wrong
US Defense Secretary and Republican Robert Gates has written an op-ed for the NYT, arguing Obama was right to quash Bush’s plans for a missile shield in Eastern Europe for a more “pragmatic” approach.
Davidson: Why Telstra has every right to feel peeved
The Rudd government’s decision to force Telstra to split its wholesale and retail arms is little more than a $43 billion protection racket designed to keep its competitors in business, says Kenneth Davidson.
UN prepares for climate clash: the players and problems
A global climate change treaty will be one of the biggest issues at this week’s UN General Assembly, but with a range of agendas, targets and hot-headed players set to clash, it won’t just be the planet heating up.
Copenhagen heats up with Wong’s big plan
The boiling point for climate change reform is Copenhagen, and today Penny Wong announces a radical plan for developing countries: they submit their own national targets and schedules.
schadenfreude 
Luxury market loses its lustre
Faberge has returned with a new collection and they’re asking an ambitious $US7 million for a brooch. But how’s the luxury market doing more generally in the downturn? Poorly, says James Thomson.
US scrubs up nicely for UN talks
America’s global image is looking a lot shiner since President Barack Obama took the reigns of power — but that doesn’t mean other world leaders are actually listening to him.
Inside the inner Rudd sanctum
The design of the parliamentary office of PM Kevin Rudd’s inner circle says much about the power factions of the Rudd government. Mark Davis examines who sits where.
Rudd and Clinton chew the fat
Kevin Rudd and former US President Bill Clinton shared a fruit salad and a chat yesterday, with the Aussie PM packing his social and diplomatic schedule while in the US for the UN General Assembly.
New York, New York: UN hits the big apple
Jintao, Ahmadinejad, Gadaffi, Brown, Obama — the biggest and most controversial names in world politics (and also Kevin Rudd) have hit New York for this year’s UN General Assembly.
