A critically important tie-up between Qantas/Jetstar and Air Asia is about to be announced, with a press conference tomorrow with all of the CEOs. What’s the big news? asks Ben Sandilands.
January, 2010
Meat sits in your colon for 40 years and other celebrity myths
From Roger Moore claiming that foie gras gives you Alzheimers, to claims that chemotherapy poisoned Patrick Swayze to death, The Telegraph debunks the crazy scientific myths that celebrities spout.
Why aren’t we furious when Indian students are killed?
An alarming number of Indian students have been killed and injured in presumably racist attacks in the last year in Melbourne. But why doesn’t the Australian media rage against our society’s racism? asks Gautam Gupta.
Warning to the US: tip toe softly, softly into Yemen
It’s still not clear exactly what US military intervention is going to occur in Yemen, but Barack Obama needs to be careful of the ripple effect that intervention will have in the Horn of Africa, writes Simon Tisdall.
Mickey mouse in a war zone: the power of war photography
Photography in a war zone can have a strong impact on how foreigners view a war. Erroll Morris talks with Middle East AP photographer Ben Curtis about manipulating and posing photos and the popularity of mangled toys amongst war debris.
Cunning Conroy makes a weasel move
The feared Great Firewall of Australia, Stephen Conroy’s planned internet filter, will not be implemented until after the next federal election. A cynical move by a government fearing public uproar, writes Duncan Riley.
revealed Brace yourself Apple nerds: iSlate set for Feb launch in Oz?
With announcements by the WSJ that the long awaited Apple tablet (either dubbed iSlate or Macbook Touch) will be unveiled later this month, an Aussie blogger is told the tablet will be in Oz this February.
Our latest cultural cringe: dancing to Aussie R&B
So we don’t have Beyonce, but many Aussie R&B and pop artists have released pretty great tracks in the last few years. Do they need a thumbs up by the US market before we’ll admit to loving them? asks Clem Bastow.
HuffPo and Politico prove the net does pay
While many newspapers are struggling, online news organisations HuffPo and Politico are reporting multimillion dollar revenue and new jobs. Can companies like Yahoo learn from them?
Rush Limbaugh loves socialised medicine?
Conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh has been outspoken in his repulsion of recent US health care reforms. But following a recent hospital visit of his own, did he enjoy the benefits of socialised medicine and unions without realising?
Crime reporting, Indian style
Not every country views the newspaper as form of restrained reporting with non-emotive language. Scott Bridges examines the crime reporting from newspapers in India.
Business as usual in our boardrooms, just don’t ask the man in the street
What a difference a year makes, where suddenly the economic woes are long forgotten, executive pay is rising again, banks are as greedy as ever and the politicians continue to do nothing about it, writes John Sutton.
Fat cat shareholders continue to bask in capitalism
The fury by shareholders over executives high salaries is hypocrisy at its finest, writes Mirko Bagaric. Let’s remember, shareholders are just in it for the money too.
Who’s smoking da online hookah?
More and more marketing tidbits for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland pop up hither and thither on this ‘ere internet, says Luke Buckmaster. Like a hookah smoking caterpillar with its own Facebook page.
Give the power back to the people of NSW
It’s not fair or warranted to sack the NSW government or call an early election. But we should introduce US style primaries so that voters get a bigger say in their political candidates, writes Barry Cohen.
How NOT to do local gov reform
Bob Gosford investigates the local government reforms recently undertaken in the Northern Territory, finding incompetence and confusion clouding the implementation of a new IT system.
The greatest lies we’ve been told about terrorism
It’s highly unlikely terrorists kill you and border control is not really making us any safer from terrorist attacks anyway. The Washington Post debunks the five biggest myths about keeping citizens safe from terrorism.
How at risk is your local member?
Now that we have the full spectrum of quarterly polling data from Newspoll and Nielsen, we can take a closer look at which seats would have been most likely to fall were an election held sometime over the last 3 months. Possum Comitatus crunches the numbers.
Film Review: The Princess and the Frog — Play it again, Sam
The Princess and the Frog is Disney’s first hand drawn animated feature in five years, but directors Ron Clements and John Musker seem intent on making that gap feel a lot longer. It’s very old hat and that’s precisely the point, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Revolution and punk rock: Bono’s ten ideas for the next ten years
Bono from U2 indulges “in the spirit of rock star excess” in his own Top 10 list, offering ten ideas that might make the next decade a bit more interesting. Like, a return of the automobile as a sexual object. Um…
Jennifer Hawkins is naked but don’t blame the government
Marie Claire’s latest cover, part of a positive body image campaign, is a naked, unretouched Jennifer Hawkins. But why is the editor trying to claim the government isn’t doing enough to fix the body image crisis? asks ex-Cosmo editor Mia Freedman.
Japan’s terrible two decades
When the bubble burst in Japan’s economy 20 years ago, it turned Japan into a land of savers, amidst dropping wages and fear of banks. Will the next decade be even more difficult financially as the growth of savings slows?
Formspring.Me: The latest cracklike platform for over sharing
Ahhh, the internet. It provides us with endless opportunities for self promoting and over sharing via verbal diarrhoea. And the latest tool, Formspring.Me, is even more addictive — and entertaining! — than most other social media platforms, says Gawker.
More secretive than the Budget: the mischievous tales of Abby and Jasper
PM Kevin Rudd has penned a children’s book about his pets, titled Jasper and Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle. Surely First Dog on the Moon is the true owner of Kevin Rudd’s pets?!
Downer: Stop looking to the government to fix things
Residents need to stop thinking that the State Government can solve their problems, writes Alexander Downer. State governments do not have the resources, therefore it’s up to locals to take action with issues like water.
