The grey voteThe ‘Depression Era’ vote is the most electorally significant demographic for the Coalition, says Possum Comitatus. Without it, Howard would have lost in 1998, lost in 2001 and it would have been line ball in 2004. But when they die off, where will the votes come from?
October, 2009
WWW creator apologises for the forwardslash backlash
World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee says he regrets including the two forwardslashes in Web URLs (“http://www”), admitting he could have designed it without the punctuation marks. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Desperation weakens Tamils’ roar
So, the Tamil Tigers aren’t as mischievous as they once were, Mr Ruddock? As Jake Lynch explains, Tamil refugees are still being persecuted and living in horrific camp conditions.
The Simpsons laid bare
John Ortved wrote an unauthorised history of The Simpson, dishing the dirt on all the goings-on behind the scenes of America’s favourite family. The show’s creators weren’t happy. He tells the whole sordid tale.
gross 
How giant sea snot blobs will kill us all
Does climate change scare you enough already? If not, check out these sea mucus blobs, which are creepy proof of water temperatures rising in the Mediterranean.
Why Islam needs a sexual revolution
German-Turkish writer Seyran Ates reckons what Islam needs is a good sexual revolution: young Muslims are too sexually repressed, and parents consider their daughters’ in-tact hymens as “capital”.
Meghan McCain: why are people so unkind?
An interesting little Twitter fight is brewing after Meghan “daughter of John now Daily Beast columnist” McCain ‘innocently’ posted a twitpic of herself after tweeting about her “spontaneous night in”…
Getting infected with refugee hysteria
Pushing refugees back to countries that have inadequate protection shouldn’t be our immigration stance. Let’s not start raving unnecessarily over boat people and treat asylum seekers with dignity, writes Kerry Murphy.
Crikey Says: When will our nation’s “oh shit” moment come?
Yesterday on Crikey’s environment blog Rooted we began a discussion looking at that moment when it dawns that climate change is a problem of pressing, desperate urgency. When will Australia get there?
Painkiller side effects that come without warning
Current warnings on packs of non-prescription painkillers fail to mention the risk of life-threatening kidney damage, writes Ron Batagol.
US economy blows another bubble
The great market bubble goes on as cheap credit, blinkered managements and greedy investors continue to power markets higher to unsustainable levels.
Political snippets: Queenslanders love themselves
What happened to Australia’s Attorneys-General being defenders of the system rather than public attackers? Plus, Queenslanders really like the word Queensland.
China, the dollar and feds’ stimulus the shape of things to come
The shaping factors for the Australian economy and business over the next year were seen yesterday: China, the strength of the Aussie dollar and the federal government’s stimulus spending produced good and bad news for some leading companies and the economy generally.
Harsh US airline penalties highlight lack of them here
Aviation safety regulation in this country is incompetent and ethically corrupt, and significant ministerial oversight hasn’t existed for at least 50 years.
Never mind the oil slick, what about the detergent?
About three million litres of oil have been spilt in the Timor Sea but the 100,000 litres of detergent that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority threw at it don’t appear to have fixed it, writes Glen Fergus.
Crikey Clarifier: Has Rudd really made it easier for refugees?
How has Australia’s refugee processing system changed recently? And are those changes really significant enough to have invited a “surge” of boat people to our shores?
Walkleys schmalkleys: excuse us while we dine on these sour grapes
It seems that one of the major criteria for winning a Walkley is already having won one. This year is no different with a list of the usual suspects fronting up for another gong.
Ghosts of SIEV X still shadow the corridors of power
John Howard was full of dark xenophobic attitudes which Kevin Rudd does not share, writes Tony Kevin. But concerned Australians will need to remain vigilant about the future of Australian immigration policies.
Boat people: driven by Rudd or war?
Has the Rudd Government’s bleeding heart softness encouraged refugees to head to our shores? Or are external factors at play?
My ‘Oh Shit’ Moment: Crikey readers tell
We asked Crikey readers if they’ve ever experienced an “Oh Shit” moment on climate change. You know, when suddenly all the science becomes clear and the future seems quite scary.
Morning Market Report: Market hits a fresh yearly high
The market hit a fresh yearly high today, up 55, while the Dow cracked 10,000 for the first time in over a year and the Aussie dollar’s rise continues.
