As it turns out, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard really DO take longer to answer questions than their predecessors.
September, 2009
Ad self-regulator says 72% sugar is a simple serve of fruit
The Advertising Standards Bureau has ruled on my complaint about Nestle’s Fruit Fix advertising. The upshot: it’s perfectly ok to advertise a product which is 72% sugar as being equivalent to one serve of fruit.
Crikey Clarifier: What caused Sydney CBD’s Telstra outage
Thousands of businesses and homes in the northeast of Sydney’s CBD spent a day or more without telephones and the internet yesterday. What happened? And what can you do if it happens to you?
Yes, the Afghan election was fraudulent. Now what?
Amid fraud allegations, Hamid Karzai has officially ‘won’ 54% of the votes in the Afghan election. Is it more important to maintain national stability or push for a vote recount?
Why households must save to save the economy
Keynes’ Paradox of Thrift says that if everyone starts saving during a recession then reduced demand can make things worse. So spending has traditionally been encouraged. But a new IMF paper challenges the theory.
VIDEO: Who is the Aussie Youtuber?
YouTube Australia has released its latest user research as a YouTube video (see what they did there?). So just who’s watching? You.
Jobs outlook bleak despite things being on the up
If the US recession is “likely over” as many Americans, led by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, seems to think, where are the jobs going to come from to power growth in sales and earnings?
Guilty feet got no rhythm: VCA demolishes tap-dancing studio
The Victorian College of the Arts is battling another public relations disaster after a much-loved tap-dancing studio was demolished because it was “ugly”.
Atlantic Wire: the new kid on the news aggregator block
It seems everyone is getting into the news aggregation game now: The Atlantic has just launched The Atlantic Wire, pulling together the best and most influential op-eds from around the media. Nicely done.
Howard govt: mad taxers or lazy and rich?
It’s standard fare for governments to come into power and deride their predecessors. Except PM Kevin Rudd seems to be unsure of exactly which Howard government history he’s pushing.
Mr Beazley goes to Washington
Kim Beazley will head to Washington as the next US ambassador. And in a smart nod to bipartisanship, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has also just announced Brendan Nelson as Australia’s new ambassador to the EU and NATO.
Meghan McCain: new media darling
Track your trash: where does rubbish go?
Do you know where that coffee cup and dirty tissue end up? Scientists in the US are tagging rubbish with electronic tracking devices to figure out exactly how many trash miles we’re using.
Climate Change Cage Match: 647 comments and counting…
Originally opened in Crikey in April, Crikey’s boxing ring for climate sceptics and Gaia lovers continues to draw comments. Enthusiasm, it seems, just isn’t waning — well for at least three readers.
‘$X per job saved’: the ultimate stimulus lie
When you dump a bucket of money into an economy like the government did, it has consequences. But to trot out the cliché that the stimulus has “cost $X for every projected job saved” is facile and dishonest, says Possum Comitatus.
Five things you should know about evolution — but probably don’t
Evolution is one of the most widely misunderstood areas of science, says science reporter John Timmer. Instead of focusing on evidence, there are a few things about the theory itself you should know.
Syndicated news goes A La Carte
CNN’s wire service, CNN Wire, is now offering newspaper editors the chance to buy individual stories for syndication — at $199 a pop. It’s like ordering off a menu instead of hiring a personal chef.
Kanye’s outburst gives MTV.com solid gold traffic
MTV.com has spun video footage of the Kanye West Video Music Awards meltdown into record web traffic figures. Significantly, they managed to keep the video off YouTube.
HuffShow? Arianna Huffington’s new TV show
Arianna Huffington, matriarch of the all-aggregating, all-blogging white hot mess that is The Huffington Post, is trying her hand at TV producing, with a new sitcom about congressmen… who are also housemates! Sounds like comedy gold.
Federer’s a nice guy — when he’s winning
Tennis’s “nice guy” Roger Federer lost his cool during the US Open final this week. What happened to the Grand Slam sweetheart? He’s always had a temper, says Neil Walker, it’s just the games that got harder.
Italian Mafia take out the trash. Literally.
Informants say the Calabrian Mafia have set up a lucrative radioactive waste disposal business — for a tidy fee, they will take a ship full of your toxic waste out to sea and blow it up.
Running a country? There’s an app for that!
The Obama administration has created its own “app store” for government employees, to make sure all public servants are up with the latest high-tech tools for running the country.
‘What is your perception of Nathan Rees?’: Labor polling begins
Secret polling is already under way in supposedly safe Labor seats in NSW, with fears that the next election may be an complete wipeout for the scandal ridden Rees government.
PHOTO GALLERY: Green cars of tomorrow
From sleek and sporty to funky and futuristic, check out next year’s batch of lean, green (or leaner and greener) cars from the world’s largest auto show in Germany.
