Hitchens: The Olympics brings out the worst in humanityFar from being the bastion of unity, sportsmanship, multiculturalism, rainbows and puppies it’s touted as, the Olympic Games is, as George Orwell put it, an “orgy of hatred”, says Christopher Hitchens.
February, 2010
Rudd’s a conservative?! Colour us shocked
Why do the left continue to support Kevin Rudd when he makes socially conservative and anti-feminist statements? asks Viv Smyth. Because they knew going in he was a white, middle-class Catholic, and he’s still better than Abbott or Howard.
Did Abbott kick Pauline Hanson out of the country?
The Aussie political blogs are a flutter over Pauline Hanson’s plans to emigrate to England. Did Tony Abbott’s personal crusade against her help to push her over to the motherland? Was she really a super threat to Aussie politics?
The confusing creator of cult classic The Room speaks
Actor/writer/director/producer Tommy Wiseau’s independent film The Room has been famously dubbed “the Citizen Kane of bad movies”, yet has developed a cult following on the indie film circuit. Luke Buckmaster interviews the elusive star.
Google refuses to show its true colours
Google — along with 14 other large Silicon Valley employers — has been fighting hard to keep data on the diversity (or lack thereof) of its workforce a secret. Could it be that behind the multi-coloured logo is a glaring shade of white?
John Pilger turns film critic
Professional cranky-pants John Pilger takes a rest from railing against capitalism for a sec to rail against an arguably bigger evil: Hollywood movies. The Hurt Locker? Sexist. Avatar? Racist. And don’t start him on Invictus…
Why we need to stop saying the word ‘retarded’
We need a new civil rights movement, writes chairman of the Special Olympics, Timothy Shriver, and this time its to crush the rampant prejudices held against people with mental illness. ‘Retard’ shouldn’t be a hilarious insult for your friends.
Stacks-on Q and A
Discussion on last night’s Q&A was hijacked by a group of diggers banging on about pensions in a fairly blatant stitch-up. Is this a green light for every lobby group with a large email list to astroturf the show? asks Dave Gaukroger.
Should banks profit off Greek deception?
After news that Goldman Sachs and J.P Morgan helped Greece cover up their debt, Floyd Norris asks if the banks who aided Greece’s lies made any money and if so, should they be allowed to keep it?
IKEA product or Swedish Olympian?
If there’s two things Sweden is great at, it’s functional-yet-affordable DIY furniture and sports involving beanies and subzero temperatures. But can you tell their lounge suites from their luge competitors?
How much dough can you make off a political memoir?
Sarah Palin’s made millions from Going Rogue and Bill Clinton got a US$15m advance for his memoir. Boston Globe examines just how many big ones penning a political book can bring US pollies — doubtful that Battlelines brought in that much.
George Brandis: A love letter to my boss, Tony Abbott
MP George Brandis does some serious sucking up to his leader Tony Abbott, in a deep piece in The Oz about Abbott the “intellectual warrior”, a pragmatic and straight talking man of the people.
Grattan: WorkChoices back from the dead
Let the scaremongering begin. Tony Abbott’s new workplace relations reforms aren’t dissimilar to the much hated WorkChoices. It’s a risky move by Abbott to bring IR laws back into the spotlight, writes Michelle Grattan.
How many people has Toyota killed?
Since Toyota started recalling its cars due to dodgy accelerators and brakes, an increasing number of road deaths have been linked to the problems. The alleged US death toll now stands at 34, and complaints continue to mount.
Microsoft unveils its iPhone killer
Microsoft has uncovered its Windows Phone 7 Series, and Gizmodo declares it “groundbreaking”. With Apple, Google and Microsoft now ruling the smartphone market, “Phones are officially computers that happen to fit in your pocket.”
Barnaby loses his balls
Barnaby Joyce appeared on Q & A last night, a shadow of his former self. The maverick has been reigned in, simply because he now has nothing to rebel against with the Abbott-led Liberals.
Shanahan: The trends are turning on Labor
It’s not just today’s Newspoll results — down in the primaries, down in satisfaction and preferred PM — that Kevin Rudd needs to worry about, says Dennis Shanahan: it’s the long-term trends that foreshadow trouble.
Read the full Newspoll results Newspoll: Rudd becomes a political mortal
Kevin Rudd’s personal ratings in the latest Newspoll are now those of a political mortal: his approval is steady on 50%, but his disapproval has crept up another two points to 40%, and his lead as preferred PM has dropped from 58-26 to 55-27. William Bowe has all the figures.
Newspoll: Rudd losing his appeal
Today’s Newspoll comes in with a two party preferred of 53-47 to Labor -– a one-point gain to the ALP, but that’s mostly thanks to Greens preferences, says Possum Comitatus: the government is down in the primaries and Rudd’s net satisfaction rate has dropped to a new low.
Nate Silver projects the Vancouver Olympics medal count
Psepho Nate Silver compiles betting odds and pundits’ predictions to project the winners (and losers) for the Winter Olympics. According to his figures, Australia should pick up a couple.
Property boom could get ugly for buyers … and the government
The Australian property market has continued its merry march skywards. If the music stops, it will get very ugly for taxpayers and young buyers sucked into purchasing their first property.
Lies, damned lies and asylum seeker statistics
For more than a week, the Coalition has been hawking a story around the press gallery about how UNHCR figures contradict the Government’s figures on asylum seekers. Today, Glenn Milne finally bit.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Who’s at fault for Garrettgate?
Crikey supporters weigh in on Peter Garrett’s roofing insulation scheme. Should he shoulder all the ministerial responsibility for the deaths or is that unfair?
Larvartus Prodeo / Monday, 15 February 2010
From Shanahan to Grattan, Australia’s pundits have turned into “commentariat-bots”, says Mark Bahnisch, constructing a political narrative based on their own random musings instead of hard data.