Albo gives Howard’s NRL dreams the bootThe SMH reveals how Labor MP Anthony Albanese played a key role in scrapping plans to give former PM John Howard a senior position administering the NRL.
October, 2009
The 10 worst dining trends of the last 10 years
Molecular gastronomy, foam, communal tables, deconstructed plating and fried freaking onion blossoms — if you’ve dined out in the naughties, chances are you’ve had your fill of these tired trends.
No. 1 with a bullet: which songs are on Guantanamo’s greatest hits list?
A coalition of musicians is calling on the US government to reveal which songs have been used to torture prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. One prisoner claims to have been subjected to 20 straight hours of “The Real Slim Shady”.
Iran and Israel’s secret nuclear meeting
Are Israel and Iran finally restoring diplomatic relations? The Israel Atomic Energy Commission says the two countries have met to discuss nuclear non-proliferation in the Middle East, but Iran says it never happened.
revealed 
How the Pentagon used PSYOPS on the US public
New evidence uncovered by Raw Story exposes how the US military’s propaganda arm used “psychological operations” tactics on the US public to sell them on the Iraq War.
Ethics on holiday for NYT and Newsweek writers’ Jamaica junket
Writers from the NY Times and Newsweek have been caught out skirting their companies’ ethics policies on an all-expenses-paid “swag orgy” junket to Jamaica , courtesy of Thrillist.
Breakfast Media Wrap: Former PM Howard features in a real political football story
The pick of the morning’s,media
How green is tofu?
It’s the culinary preference of hippies everywhere, but is eating tofu actually any better for the environment than eating meat? Apparently it all depends on what you’re not eating…
Chillax? Manscaping? Enough with the portmanteaus, already!
Simply taking two words and cramming them together isn’t clever; it’s insufferable. But portmanteaus have become such an epidemic in the media, we’re under a constant barrage of stupidity.
graph pr0n 
Left vs. Right politics: an amazing illustrated explanation
Check out the incredibly detailed graphics by Information is Beautiful, examining the policies, beliefs and characteristics of the average Leftie liberal or Right wing conservative.
Rundle: The asylum seeker debate isn’t over. It hasn’t even begun.
The left hasn’t won the asylum seeker debate — yet — but there have been some small victories, says Guy Rundle: for a start, the government is speaking of refugees as fellow human beings, not child-chucking martians.
The pop culture Halloween costumes that are best avoided
A Sarah Palin costume? So last year. Going as Michael Jackson for Halloween? Terribly obvious. Gawker has a roundup of the seven worst Halloween costumes — and some far funnier alternatives.
Vale Don Lane
Australian TV great Don Lane has died, age 75. In honour of his memory, a tribute — of sorts — from Paul Hogan.
China on track for 8% growth
More good news from China as the recovery gathers pace. The rebound in the economy, thanks to the $US585 billion stimulus package, is maturing well, with growth in the third quarter rising to an annual rate of 8.9%
Tuckey and the Tamil terrorists
Wilson Tuckey wasn’t over-stepping the mark to suggest that, if a large number of Tamils seek to enter Australia after the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, their ranks may contain former Tamil Tigers, says Bernard Keane. But of course, he had to take it that one step further…
Postcard from Gladstone, a small town in a big world
The Queensland town of Gladstone may seem sunny and laid back, but its future hangs on the precarious movements of the global commodities market, with thousands of jobs in danger. That’s if the environmentalists don’t get to them first.
Pursuit of economic growth is a failure
The pursuit of economic growth has failed. It has failed on its own terms, it has failed to deliver a good life for all, and it’s now in the process of destroying the planet, writes Professor Tim Jackson.
Nobel Prizes: the politics of language and literature
Who is Herta Müller, this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature? English-speaking audiences are baffled, because, surprise surprise, not of all the best literature is in English. Binoy Kampmark provides some answers.
WesTrac gives Stokes reason to smile
Kerry Stokes’ fortunes are looking up: not in the Australian media, but in his most important business, WesTrac, which is one of the world’s major distributors of Caterpillar products.
Needle syringe program a better investment than the stock market
A new study has found that every dollar spent on needle and syringe programs saved the states and the Commonwealth four dollars, writes Dr Alex Wodak.
Qantas report stands like a beacon of poor corporate governance
The Qantas 2009 Remuneration Report stands out like a beacon of poor corporate governance. That a majority of institutional shareholders could actually vote in favour of the resolution makes you wonder: exactly who is watching the watchers?
Media briefs: Beware the GIANT SEAGULL … Safran’s Racebook
Beware the GIANT SEAGULL taking over the Melbourne while Peter Hitchener read the evening news. And just a slight conflict of interest over at the SMH website.
