Is Kuala Lumpur the worst city in the world? It must come close, says Guy Rundle.
January, 2010
Political snippets: The shine is coming off Kevin Everywhere
If the hard slog of governing a country can take the gloss off Barack Obama within a year, Kevin Rudd has no reason to think he cannot suffer the same fate. Plus, the Copenhangen promise that last 33 days and other political snippets.
Shell-shocked Democrats navel gaze on Massachusetts
There are major potholes ahead for the Democratic Party; no-one could dispute that. The Left are complaining, the Right are mobilising and the middle class independents are seeing confusion where they expect results.
Rudd’s community cabinet hits the city of churches, Crean yawns
Federal Cabinet was on safari in Adelaide last night, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd went hunting votes in the outer suburb of Osborne, reports Hendrik Gout.
Beecher: NYT to join the paywall brigade
The New York Times will introduce a charge for readers to use its website next year, heralding the most important development so far in the agonising who-will-pay-for-quality-journalism debate. The world of free journalism will never be the same.
ABC v Sky News smackdown: it’s on!
The ABC’s announcement of a 24/7 news channel today just ramped up the battle between public broadcasters and commercial services. Let’s get it on, c’mon!
Daily Proposition: Rock out with great music and fat bastards
Seven Ages of Rock, currently showing on ABC TV, doesn’t just wallow in the glory days of the 1960s. There’s some genuinely wonderful footage — and it’s not too wanky or self-important either.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: the rotting SA government
Fixed four-year terms means that once you’ve decided to keep a stale government in place they will rot before your own eyes for the entire term. Plus, the cheap book prices hike and trouble in The Age advertising.
Crikey Says: Hermit and trickster Mark Latham putting on the blitz
The Financial Review works hard to preserve its reputation as the most boring newspaper in the southern hemisphere, but once every fortnight a hermit turns up on the op-ed page to provide some distraction. Mark Latham. Remember him?
Are people reading waaay too much into Avatar?
Feminists, the Vatican, neo-cons, the Chinese, environmentalists… is there any special interest group that hasn’t projected its own agenda onto sci-fi blockbuster Avatar?
Advice from Malcolm Tucker: here’s how to do it, Lachlan
The poisonous political strategist Malcolm Tucker from In The Loop puts his spin on some all too familiar Australian political scenarios. A pollie who screams at an air hostess? He’s a terrorist-fighting hero.
Meet Madoff’s minions
More than a year after Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff’s arrest, many of his offsiders and possible accomplices are still living it up on the outside. Mother Jones has a great (and wonderfully illustrated) guide to “Madoff’s minions”.
VIDEO: New senator pimps out his daughters
Newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown made his daughters cringe in his victory speech by thanking them, then saying “just in case anybody is watching throughout the country, yes, they’re both available.” Daaaaaad!
Crikey Wrap: Moving with the NY Times
The NY Times has announced that it will resurrect a paywall for its online content, sending media geeks and commentators’ fingers flying over whether it will work and What It All Means. Crikey intern Flint Duxfield takes a look at what they’re saying.
Who will be the next Bill Gates?
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sergey Brin or a bunch of rich Chinese guys you’ve probably never heard of: which young-gun tech tycoon will be the “next” Bill Gates? Forbes rounds up the contenders.
Crikey Clarifier: Will a fat tax for airline passengers work?
Will airlines be forced to charge excess baggage for beer guts, love handles and other bits on the cellulite-infused porkers? There’s no “fat controllers” yet, but how do we battle the bulge and the budget carrier?
The 2010 Aussie election bonanza: a form guide
It’s a bumper year for elections with Tassie, SA, Victoria and the main event — Tony vs. Kev — all set to get political wonks’ hearts racing. Peter Brent rounds up the different battles and gives his tips for election winners.
Apple’s legendary press parties
The most sought-after party invitations in the US aren’t coming out of Hollywood: they’re the golden tickets to Apple’s legendary press events. lalawag has a history of the company’s presser invites and how each event went down.
How I stopped being gay
Patrick Muirhead doesn’t want to be gay any more, so he’s giving heterosexuality a whirl. He explains why he’s no longer “a fully fledged homo”. No, really.
News aggregators really are killing newspapers
New research has found more and more people just skim the aggregated headlines on sites like Google News to get their daily news fix, and never click through to the original stories.
Political advertising is a joke, but no one’s laughing
The Vic government has spent over AU$1 billion on political advertising in a decade. Imagine if just half of that was used on education or hospitals or even the dreaded Myki. The tax-payer self promotion must end, demands John Watson.
