How did Wallace and Gromit turn from doodles into a comedy duo? The Times takes a look into the sketchbook of their creator Nick Park, including hints about his new feature film.
September, 2009
Iceland’s woes aren’t thawing yet
A year ago the Icelandic government seized control of the country’s big three banks following a run on their deposits. The designer fashion shops are still kicking — but the piper (in this case the IMF) must be paid.
The best Bloody Mary on the whole bloody planet?
With a whopping 17 ingredients — including Guinness, pickled okra and beetroot — bon appetit magazine reckons it’s landed upon the greatest Bloody Mary recipe in the world. The Bitten Word lads put it to the test.
The 10 most cuckoo crazy UN speeches ever
Muammar Gaddafi may be copping it for his UN tirade last week, but he’s not the first world leader to get controversial at the UN General Assembly. Like, when Castro labelled JFK a “millionaire, illiterate, and ignorant”.
Papa Clinton: What is Bill like as a dad?
The secret Clinton tapes have uncovered lots of tidbits about the Clinton presidency, but they also reveal Bill Clinton’s biggest political weakness: his daughter Chelsea.
Beijing builds the Wall Street of carbon trading
They may still be one of the biggest polluters in the world, but China is laying the groundwork to build an epic carbon trading market, which it claims will let Western companies offset their emissions faster and cheaper than in the US or the EU.
Studying constellations and archaeological digs: stories of a homeschool parent
People who homeschool their children aren’t “all conservative Christians who hate the government and wear denim jumpers”. Andrew O’Hehir dispels some homeschool myths.
Bill Maher: Whatever happened to “Yes we can”?
Ten months in, and Obama can’t get the US out of Iraq or Afghanistan, fix health care, close Gitmo or cap carbon emissions. When did America get so lazy? Maybe it’s something they’re putting in the country’s high-fat, high-sugar food. Possibly the fat and sugar.
PODCAST: Naomi Klein chats to Michael Moore on “capitalist madness”
It’s a left-wing wet dream. Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, interviews Moore about his latest film, tea parties — and how rage over the financial crisis might finally bubble over.
The 100 worst movies of the last 10 years
Another decade is almost over, and Rotten Tomatoes is looking back at the films that really stunk up the silver screen throughout the naughties, based on critics’ reviews.
Content isn’t king, growth isn’t always good: busting the media’s big myths
Newsflash, media moguls: your problems started well before the internet, say the authors of new book The Curse of the Mogul. A look at four big misconceptions that have been hurting the media industry far longer than the web.
India has a cow over tweeting pollie’s cattle call
There are few more sacred cows in India than, well, cows, as India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor learned the hard way after a throwaway cow-related pun on Twitter caused a nation-wide media storm.
Crikey Says: The lingering absurdity of the UN
This week we’ve had the world powers of the G20 and the UN General Assembly hitting the headlines. Except, only one of these two institutions is making any sense.
Mungo MacCallum: Make no mistake, this is a new world order
The acceptance of the G20 as a rule-maker for the conduct of the world’s financial systems quite literally ushers in a new world economic order: a genuine democratisation that directly includes two-thirds of the world’s population and indirectly gives a voice to the rest.
Dealing with Centrelink is a full-time job for some pensioners
Aged pensioners who supplement their pensions with paid employment, even occasionally, must now report their circumstances to Centrelink every fortnight, writes Ava Hubble.
It’s still hard being a bear: good alternative theory?
Neoclassical economics is dead, declares Steve Keen. If there is a “winning” economic theory out there, it must be one that argues that government action alone can help an economy recover from a crisis.
Carpenter moves on, MacTiernan calls his bluff
According to former WA planning minister Alannah MacTiernan, Labor might have won the last state election if not for its overtly negative election campaign strategy, writes Lawrence Apps.
Glenn Stevens alert but not alarmed
The RBA Governor basically reckons the economy is in good shape, the banks are fine, and rates will rise when we think the economy is good and ready.
Political snippets: Zen and the art of transdisciplinary studies
Richard Farmer meditates on some suspect climate change opinion polls in the SMH, some even more suspect ones in the Sunday Mail, the good news for Barnaby Joyce, and how St Kilda screwed over punters.
Germans vote peacefully, but not quite contentedly
The results of the German election indicate Germans are dissatisfied with what they have been offered for so long, and in their calm, orderly way, are saying they would like to try something a bit different.
Yes, they really called it that: Vegemite’s new name unites the internet in contempt
Kraft has finally found a name for its “new version” of Vegemite. And it’s horrible.
Why it’s easier to pick a school in the UK than Oz
Tony Taylor asked his third year education students to assess which school system was the more transparent and helpful: Australia’s or the UK’s. Their answer was unanimous — and lends support to Julia Gillard’s proposals.
