Australia: home of the McMansionAustralians live in the largest homes on earth, according to new ABS data, which has found the average new Aussie home now has a floor space of 214.6 square metres — 7% bigger than in the US and triple the UK.
November, 2009
AOL to replace human editors with robots
AOL — owner of big-name websites like TMZ, Politics Daily and Popeater — is creating an algorithm to automatically assign stories and pay rates to freelancers, based on web searchers and stats.
Dubai was already bankrupt: morally and financially
Dubai may have Western fast food chains, impressive skyscrapers and designer fashions, but beneath its modern facade, it is a dictatorship built by slaves, with the highest per capita carbon emissions on Earth says Johann Hari.
Two of Tuesday’s candidates are competent public administrators. The third is Joe Hockey.
Peter Martin looks at the lowlights from Joe Hockey’s chequered history in politics: AWAs and the “fairness test” that wasn’t, the Access Card, rigged economic modelling…
How to pick a cereal: the flowchart
How to pick a cereal: the flowchartStruggling to pick a cereal from Cheerios to Coco-Pops to Corn Flakes? This very funny (and surprisingly accurate!) flow-chart does the hard work for you.
Take the scenic route: the 50 best road-trips in the world
For a holiday where the journey is the destination, National Geographic details the world’s (well, there is a slight US bias) “most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat” road-trips
Sheehan: Minchin has been planning this since August
Nick Minchin could see the the CPRS train wreck coming months before it really blew up, says Paul Sheehan. This is just the latest installment of his ongoing battles with Malcolm Turnbull.
Possum’s Spillwatch liveblog
Possum Comitatus keeps track of all the latest in the Liberal Party leadership spill.
Did Sarkozy secure Roman Polanski’s release?
Roman Polanski’s sister-in-law says French President Nicolas Sarkozy was “super” and “very effective” in helping to win the film director’s release from prison in Switzerland.
Why journalists are being slaughtered in the Philippines
The Philippines may technically be a democratic country, but its deeply entrenched government corruption has made it one of the most deadly places on Earth for journalists, with reporters who attempt to uncover the truth being routinely killed off.
China’s workers of the world
As China invests billions of dollars in industry overseas, Chinese workers are spreading around the globe. But their presence is often not welcome in other developing countries, where disgruntled locals are lashing out at the intrusion on their labour market and environment.
Tiger Woods’ crash: Airtime, innuendo and bad headlines
Tiger Woods’ car crash should be a goldmine for subeditors looking to make some cheap and easy golfing puns — rough, crash, drive: the headlines virtually write themselves. But subbies of the world have come in well over par on this one, says Leigh Josey.
New SBS arts channel in the works
Pay-TV arts channel, Ovation, has been given the flick by Foxtel and Austar to make way for a new arts channel from SBS, which hopes to attract a younger and more male demographic.
Is Glenn Beck leading the Obama opposition?
Fox is no longer a wing of the Republican party, as many have accused: the Republican party is now a wing of Fox, and its conservative commentators like Glenn Beck, are becoming the new voices and leaders of the American Right.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: A Maurice Sendak-led recovery for Turnbull?
A Crikey reader finds parallels between Malcolm Turnbull and Where the Wild Things Are, plus some clarification on NSW Health, sexing up data on climate change and more.
Beijing gets some elbow room
China isn’t changing its economic policies for 2010, but it looks as though it is giving itself the room to make subtle changes to handle a different growth outlook, writes Glenn Dyer.
RBA chief: we have our house(s) in order
Australia has a new high-profile property spruiker … the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, Ric Battellino, writes >Adam Schwab.
Switzerland sticks its head in the sand
The Swiss have voted to ban the construction of new Minarets — the prayer towers on Islamic mosques — in the country. It will achieve nothing except further European intolerance towards Muslim migrants, says the WSJ.
AGMs: let the minutes show it’s a last-minute thing
It’s a peak time for companies large and small to hold meetings, with Harvey Norman, Goodman Group and Valad Group taking their good time to get their AGMs organised.
Morning Market Report: Market recovers due to a tea cup sandstorm
According to the United Arab Emirates’ central bank, the Dubai issue was “Sandstorm in a tea cup”.
Foxtel’s Kim Williams responds to Margaret Simons
Margaret Simons oversimplifies my suggestions about future models for publicly funded broadcasting and the role of the ABC, writes Foxtel CEO Kim Williams.
Seven wins: click go its (audience) shares
The Seven Network has won the metro TV ratings battle for the third year running, writes Glenn Dyer, but Ten boasted it was the biggest winner with the best increase in audience and the highest rating TV events of the year, MasterChef Australia and the AFL grand final.
Media briefs: Seven wins ratings … Obama gatecrashers cash in …
Channel Seven wins the ratings … again, meanwhile the couple who infamously crashed President Barack Obama’s first state dinner are cashing in on their new found infamy, and SBS is set to launch a digital arts channel in 2010.
Crikey Competition: The John Howard-Joe Hockey caption competition
A picture might tell 1000 words, but sometimes that’s not enough. Add your own to this priceless image and win a selection of prized First Dog On The Moon Crikey merchandise! What did Mr Howard say when he saw that nice young Joe Hockey off the premises at the weekend? Send your thoughts to boss@crikey.com.au […]
