As the century’s first decade comes to an end, a look at how various Australian sporting codes are faring, and where they might be in another ten year’s time.
November, 2009
Kohler: Why China won’t save the world
China’s economic growth will not be a panacea to the world’s financial woes so long as it remains a largely undemocratic state, says Alan Kohler: it isn’t a consumer society, and the export dollars just aren’t there.
Making the most of failure in Copenhagen
Next month’s climate summit in Copenhagen is doomed to failure, says Philip Stephens. But if scientists and world leaders are going to go anyway, there are a few more realistic goals they achieve to at least make it a successful failure.
Why New Zealand should become our seventh state
MP Kelvin Thomson’s call for Australia to shut the door shut on New Zealand migrants is way off the mark, says Bernard Lagan: we’ve done enormously well by plundering their best and brightest. Let them join the Federation, and everyone wins.
What they’re fleeing in Sri Lanka
Matt Wade visits Sri Lanka and discovers why the Australian government faces such a difficult battle persuading asylum seekers to return there: war-torn villages surrounded by landmines, a lack of jobs, medical care and education.
Just a ripple in the global refugee crisis
Australia does not have refugee “crisis”: 78 asylum seekers is just a drop in the ocean of the world’s displaced people, explains Peter Mares in this excellent overview of global refugee movements and our (relatively minor) within it.
Australia’s $1m asylum bill
Australia has spent more than $1 million in its stand-off with asylum seekers aboard the Oceanic Viking, with each additional day costing $42,500.
Which News Corp sites are “stealing” content?
Rupert Murdoch has been a vociferous opponent of news aggregation sites “stealing” his News Corp content for profit — but are News websites just as guilty? Tech Dirt lists all of Murdoch’s sites currently aggregating other sites’ news and articles.
“Hello, Rupert? This is Gordon…”
British PM Gordon Brown personally phoned Rupert Murdoch over his paper the Sun’s increasingly hostile criticism of his government.
Brown gets revenge on Murdoch: Sky loses Ashes
Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Sports will lose its exclusive rights to live coverage of The Ashes, in a move insiders say is “revenge” over the Sun’s criticism of PM Gordon Brown.
Inflation: a dummy’s guide
It’s the threat that keeps on giving: Mike Shedlock puts inflation under the microscope: what is it, and how do we measure it?
Will the real President of Mexico please stand up?
Andrés Manuel López Obrador narrowly lost the 2006 Mexican president election. But instead of bowing out gracefully, he formed a fake government, declared himself the “Legitimate President of Mexico” and now tours the giving presidential speeches. But the truly bizarre bit: many Mexicans take him seriously.
graph pr0n 
Crunching the unemployment data
Possum Comitatus charts the latest ABS Labour Force Survey, with a state-by-state, gender and age breakdown of the data.
When I grow up, I want to be a man …
Crikey put our career counsellor hat on to check out which careers have caught up with the 21st century, and which sectors are the worst offenders when it comes to the wage gap, writes Crikey intern Michelle Loh.
graph pr0n 
Charting Nouriel Roubini’s horrible stockmarket calls
Nouriel Roubini is usually credited with predicting the Global Financial Crisis. However, the rest of his prognostications have been all over the place, as this handy graph shows.
Andrew Ross-Sorkin: the journalist king of Wall Street
Andrew Ross-Sorkin has built a business journalism empire around his New York Times column, but many of his colleagues think his reputation is undeserved. New York Magazine meets the man behind the column inches.
PHOTO GALLERY: Sporting triumphs and tragedies — as seen by the players
See eye-to-eye, toe-to-toe, fist-to-fist, and wheel-to-wheel with the world’s sportspeople as they experience the highs and lows of sporting glory.
Australia’s wine industry at tipping point
Australia has a surplus of 100 million cases of wine — and no-one wants to drink it, either at home or abroad. With wine exports falling by 8 million cases over the last two years, the industry is now in crisis.
Brown pelicans are back, baby: birds defy extinction
Thirty years ago, the brown pelican was on the brink of extinction. Thanks to a ban on DDT and preservation of nesting sites, they’re back.
Rev. Sun Myung Moon and the crisis at the Washington Times
Everything is breaking down at US paper the Washington Times: top execs have been fired, one has disappeared, armed guards are patrolling the offices — and it’s all thanks to cultists the Moonies.
The cannabis classification wars spark up in the US
The real dangers (or lack thereof) of cannabis use are being hotly debated in the UK, and now the issue has hit the US, with the American Medical Association pushing for a review into the drug’s status as a Schedule I drug.
Media Watch goes behind the nudes on Twitter
Two months ago, Scott Bridges joked on Twitter that he would do a “nudie run” if Jonathan Holmes ever said “pwned” on Media Watch. Three nights ago, Holmes said it.
The Vatican discovers LOLcats, Rick Astley and hax0rz
Ambassadors from the Web 2.0 — aka execs from Google, Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia — are headed to the Vatican to introduce Catholic bishops to the mysterious ways of the internet. We think the Pope and his pals will fit riiiight in.
Crikey Says: Fairfax MIA on book imports
While The Australian afforded the issue of book reform appropriate and extensive coverage this morning, the Fairfax broadsheets were missing in action. It’s an absence Australian public life can ill-afford.
