Crikey readers are up on their soapbox on Afghanistan, Rupert’s paywall and Conroy’s filter.
January, 2010
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The AfPak conundrum
Qantas walks on the mild side while pressure mounts from Hanoi
Qantas is still trying to play the low-key, meek and mild cards in what is turning into a tense battle of wills over the future of its 27% stake in Jetstar Pacific domestic airline in Vietnam.
US hasn’t dodged the banking bullet … yet
The revolutionary war fought by the Americans was rooted in part in the overthrow of a banking order imposed on the colonies. That war continues to this day, writes David Hirst.
Executive pay: gravy train still stopping all stations
Until company directors start to realise that money doesn’t necessarily buy quality executives, don’t expect the gravy train to dry up any time soon.
News Limited, deep in the Myer, says g’day US A-listers
As most of the United States struggles under a blanket of crippling snow, the media spotlight has been shining brightly on Aussie expats in sunny LA preparing to attend the annual ‘G’day USA’ circus in downtown Hollywood on Saturday.
Google’s China move: fresh pressure to heed human rights wrongs
Internet and media companies desperate to gain a share of the massive Chinese market are now facing fresh pressure to heed human rights concerns, following Google’s announcement that it will cease to censor search engine results in China.
Datapig: Banks just go on giving … less, that is
Reward points from the Big Four banks are costing us more every year, as the banks move the goalposts away as fast as we run towards them.
Abbott braving the rapids over Wild Rivers legislation
Tony Abbott should spend more time pondering the rest of his days in the wilderness — the political wilderness, that is, given he seems no lover of nature based on his Wild Rivers campaign, writes The Wilderness Society’s Dr Tim Seelig.
Sparrow misses the point about ASIO, screening asylum seekers
Even if people disagree with ASIO, some security screening of those entering Australia, whether as refugees, immigrants or visitors, is clearly required, writes Neil James of the Australian Defence Association.
Political snippets: Interest for interest rate’s sake
Australians’ working hours have (ever so slightly) declined, a look at the figures of Australian media coverage of boat people, some sloppy sub-editing at the Daily Tele and more.
Crikey wrap: Haitian earthquake could mean up to 100,000 dead
As rescuers from around the world begin to pick through the rubble, Crikey picks through the media coverage.
Google: a goldmine for authoritarian governments
The recent hacking attack on Google in China is proof of what privacy activists have been worrying about for years: that Google has created a “honey pot” of information, bound to attract the interests of authoritarian governments.
A snapshot of the neighbourhood where Nitin Garg was killed
The park in which Indian accounting graduate Nitin Garg was stabbed is bordered by some of the poorest and most poorly educated suburbs in Australia, writes Rob Burgess.
Comitatus: Andrew Bolt, knowledge weight and flagship media
Andrew Bolt is not a statistician, he’s not an econometrician and he’s not a climate scientist. But it’s OK. He “studies” it.
Video of the Day: Sarah Palin’s Fox News debut
Never has a marriage between a pundit and a TV station been so perfect: watch Sarah Palin as she makes her debut as Fox’s latest “Friend”.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: The Age staffers drop their pens and walk out
What’s caused staffers at The Age to protest in front of their fancy new building? Plus, the sneaky relationship between Stephen Conroy, his religious right constituents and the internet filter.
Crikey Says: Google means business in China, not the thwarting of evil
Don’t think for a minute that Google are defying China out of the goodness of their own heart.
You know, like, whatever: the fiasco of filler words
Whether it’s used instead of um, a pause or just while you grasp around for something witty to say, Christopher Hitchen explores how the grammar battle was lost with uptalk and filler words. And it’s not just teens who are to blame.
Wall St bankers explain their stuff ups
The NY Times has a nifty interactive feature on the four big bankers who headed to Capitol Hill to testify at the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Hear in their own words how hurricanes, regulators, risk and overspending of mortgages all contributed to causing the GFC.
Hello Qantas, Hanoi really does want Jetstar to go away
How much clearer does the message from Hanoi to Qantas need to be? They’ve told them they can’t be Jetstar Pacific anymore, they are responsible for losing tens of millions of dollars, and they’re unsafe, writes Ben Sandilands.
Death, destruction and devastation: follow the Haiti trauma online
From videos of the earthquake, to traumatic images of dead bodies left in the street and politicians’ comments, The Lede wraps all the latest online information pouring in about the Haitian earthquake.
From the kitchen to Asia: a fresh-faced take on business
One mistake can hit a young small business hard, as organic skincare business Lily loves Pearl learnt when its first lot of products, worth $10,000, was destroyed on arrival. But that wasn’t enough to turn entrepreneur Samantha Molineux off the joys of running her own business.
Gawker: We’ll pay $100k for an Apple Tablet
Media gossip site Gawker is sick of the endless speculation and rumours about Apple’s Jesus Reader, and is offering $100,000 for a chance to play with one for an hour.
