The Philip Ruddock story
October, 2009
Fairfax board: what happened to the other three candidates?
The papers are full of news and views about the elevation of Roger Corbett as chairman of the Fairfax Media Board. But what has happened to the three candidates who have already nominated?
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Why is the media so unKindle?
Crikey readers give some Kindle love, suggest Ruddock climbs back in his coffin, raise spew-rious questions about choking on vomit, and defend Sand Gropers: they’re not all luddites and nanny-staters — just most of them.
Growing profit on the fat of the unfortunate
A new trial intending to fit 30 overweight indigenous Australians with lap-bands to lose weight is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to open up a brand new government-funded gold mine for the surgery’s creator, Allergan.
Crikey Clarifier: Why do all these celebrities keep ‘dying’ in New Zealand?
Zach Braff is not the only celebrity to have been the subject of death rumours in recent times. He is also not the only one who has supposedly fallen to their death from the Kauri Cliffs. So what’s going on here? Elly Keating investigates.
Comitatus: Getting out the youth vote: why it will be a new ALP priority
What would have happened in the 2007 election if those missing from the electoral roll actually enrolled, turned up and voted? Possum Comitatus crunches the numbers.
David Epstein’s spin won’t save Qantas
Former ALP hack David Epstein has avoided providing any illumination on the sensitive issues for Qantas shareholders — like why is Perth hosting their next AGM? — but spinning a line is his favourite game.
Australia Post stamps out raunchy Penguins
The retail arm of Australia Post has banned the sale of three literature classics amid concern over racy passages and graphic sex scenes.
Texas Governor Rick Perry stalls investigation into an innocent man’s execution
In 2004, prison guards carried Todd Willingham into the death chamber, strapped him onto a gurney and injected him with sodium thiopental to paralyse him, pancuronium bromide to collapse his lungs, and potassium chloride to stop his heart. One problem: Willingham was probably innocent.
Facebook stalk your way to your dream job
Stop stalking your ex, start stalking your potential employers. The more information you know about them — from Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc — the more you can use that info to your own advantage in an interview.
Afghanistan: Get nasty or get out
Obama’s “soft” approach in Afghanistan is a joke, says Michael Scheuer. It’s time to start making some unpleasant choices: get tough with half-a-million more troops, landmines and loads of civilians casualties, or get out.
Reports of email’s death are greatly exaggerated
On Monday, the WSJ declared that the era of email is coming to an end, as people increasingly turn to social media to communicate. But a slew of commentators have hit back, arguing email isn’t going anywhere soon.
Dragon roars ahead
China isn’t shrinking away into economic oblivion with the GFC but instead now holds the title of the world’s biggest exporter. Seems the love for small crappy ‘Made in China’ trinkets by migrant workers isn’t ceasing yet.
50 ways to stop wasting good food
Australians throw away $5b worth of food every year — despite our mothers’ protestations that there are “children starving in Africa”. Here’s 50 ways to cut down on the waste and enjoy some good meals in the process.
Journalists flee Iran — and they’re the lucky ones
Iranian journalists who reported on the country’s post-election riots are now fleeing the country en masse after being “intimidated and terrorized” by the government — and they’re the lucky ones: some are still being held prisoner.
Major typo for NBC: a font fight
NBC has been slapped with a “no less than 2 million” lawsuit from Font Bureau for allegedly misusing trademarked fonts when flogging their TV shows. The typefaces in question? Bureau Grotesque, Interstate and Antenna.
graph pr0n 
Visualising 50 years of space travel
An amazing interactive infographic displaying every mission into space for the last 50 years. Poor lonely Pluto.
Food fight: Rachael Ray carves a chunk out of Martha Stewart
Mumsy celebrity chef (and convicted felon!) Martha Stewart is the queen bee of the cooking world. But bubbly up-and-comer Rachael “Yummers!” Ray’s Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine is closing in on ad figures for Stewart’s rag, Martha Stewart Living.
Why the ALP should mobilise unenrolled voters
What would have happened in the 2007 election if those missing from the electoral roll actually enrolled, turned up and voted? wonders Possum Comitatus. At least another four seats to the ALP, by his calculations.
The sexiest heads of state
Which heads of state are the biggest babes? The blonde vixen Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine grabs top spot, while sexy Barack Obama ranks at 15th. Our smiling Kevin ‘Mr Sheen’ Rudd comes in at a lousy 93rd.
Hi, I’m First Dog on the Moon, but you can call me Penelope
This morning’s Crikey editorial meeting turned into a fun game of “What Would You Be Called If You Were Born a Boy/Girl?”. Pretend you’re in the newsroom and join in the shenanigans.
Are crappy magazine cover gifts getting out of control?
Covermounts — the dodgy free gifts magazines attach to the front of their covers to entice you to buy — are a sure-fire way for publishers to lift sales. But are mags now relying on lazy freebies to attract readers instead of quality editorial? And just how many pedometers does one person need?
French Vogue does blackface
What, is everybody doing it now? The latest edition of French Vogue magazine features supermodel Lara Stone in blackface. Stay tuned for next month’s spread, featuring a man in a duck suit and a guest appearance by Farnsy.
News Ltd’s hypocrisy: Don’t aggregate us (but do Digg, Reddit and Tweet us…)
According to Rupert Murdoch, Google and other content “kleptomaniacs” are stealing and profiting from his content. But what do you find at the end of the every News article? A “Share This” request for readera to promote the story on the very sites that Murdoch decries.
