News photographers naturally descend on disaster areas and conflict zones like moths to a flame. But do we really need hundreds of images of the same tragedy? Some of the world’s top photojournalists weigh in.
February, 2010
Possum: Don’t believe everything you read about Nielsen and NSW
Much is being made of the news from today’s Nielsen poll that NSW voters are supporting the Coalition over Labor by 45-39. But be careful of reading too much into such a small sample size, warns Possum Comitatus.
What do vaccine sceptics have in common with climate change deniers?
The climate change issue could learn a lot from immunisation debates. Both have a pressing need for action, a minority element attempting to stymie progress and a scientific community looking on in dismay, writes Dr Julie Leask.
Levi Johnston goes rogue (and naked) for Playgirl
The much anticipated (by some) Levi Johnston in Playgirl shoot is here. He’s naked, but not flashing everything — just some Hasselhoff hair and lots of bronzer. Gawker plays around with some alternative cover headlines.
Economist: Is Australia getting too crowded?
Australia’s predicted “population explosion” is a worry for both the economy and the environment, says the Economist. Can there be too many Australians?
How to feed the entire world
Britain’s chief scientific adviser and a team of experts have come up with a plan for feeding the world’s 9 billion people. It can be done; but it will require some pretty “radical” changes.t
Australia: an egotistical and greedy nation?
Last week Barnaby Joyce called for cuts to foreign aid. But, Australia already gives less than many and we focus foreign aid on countries beneficial to our self-interest. Should we really become an even more selfish country?
How Goldman killed AIG
The NYT reveals how a dispute between Goldman Sachs and AIG, which it calls “one of the most momentous in Wall Street history”, bled the embattled insurer dry, ultimately forcing the US government to bail it out to the tune of $180b.
How strong are the bonds of the European Union?
With the possibility of sovereign default by Greece on its debt and the drop of the Euro, the GFC has really tested the strength of the EU bond for the very first time. Will it hold and what is its future? asks Sam Wylie.
Just what is Sarah Palin up to?
Despite leaving politics in July, Alaska’s favourite hockey mom, Sarah Palin, is possibly more visible now than ever. Is she preparing to challenge Obama in 2012, or just riding high on the wave of kooky conservatism sweeping through the States?
Let’s never guarantee the banks again
Yesterday Wayne Swan finally abolished bank guarantees for new borrowings, put in place at the height of the GFC. It’s a policy we never needed to have, writes Peter Swan.
Davidson: ETS stands for Environmentally Terrible Scheme
Kevin Rudd’s decision to stand by the ETS plan is both politically and environmentally flawed, argues Kenneth Davidson. We need a climate policy, not a perfect scare campaign for the Opposition.
Coorey: We’re all losers with these dud climate policies
It’s nearly time for embattled ex-leader and ETS supporter Malcolm Turnbull to cross the floor to vote with the ETS or abstain from voting. Philip Coorey weighs up the options in a policy that seems determined to fail.
McClelland, Macklin get an “F” on indigenous housing reforms
Jenny Macklin’s FaHCSIA staff have faced an absolute grilling over a new Bill that was supposed to improve housing in Indigenous communities, but fails to deliver any of the “vital” reforms it was created to address, reports Bob Gosford.
Hartcher: Abbott’s kamikaze mission
Tony Abbott probably can’t win the next Federal election, says Peter Hartcher, but he can still deal a lot of damage to Kevin Rudd trying.
Nielsen: Abbott deals a blow to Rudd, ETS
The latest Nielsen poll, the first since Tony Abbott became Liberal leader, has Labor’s two-party lead at 54-46, down from 56-44. Rudd’s approval approval is down six and disapproval up four, while support for the government’s ETS is down 10.
North Korea: a nation of racist dwarves
By keeping North Koreans in the dark — both literally and figuratively — Kim Jong Il has created a nation of hysterically nationalistic, xeonophobic, physically stunted slaves, says Christopher Hitchens.
Pecking holes in the Men At Work vs. Kookaburra case
Have you ever actually listened to Land Down Under and thought: “Ah yes, the flute part is the kookaburra song”? asks Leaping Larry L. In fact, have you ever even noticed there was a flute before?
scandal Todd Palin’s real power revealed
It turns out Todd Palin was more than just the snow-mobile racing dude in the background: msnbc has emails that reveal he was deeply involved in running Alaska during Sarah’s stint as governor.
Jon Stewart vs. Bill O’Reilly: uncensored
Fox News has put the full, unedited clip of Jon Stewart’s appearance on the O’Reilly Factor. Gawker rounds up everything that was cut out of the version you got to see.
Help nickname Europe’s financial crisis
Europe’s economies are in meltdown and financial journalists need a catchy and simplistic nickname for the crisis. The WSJ is running a poll: “Panicopita” is the clear stand-out, but “The Straits of Defaulters” is currently in the lead.
Roy Greenslade tears shreds off London’s new newspaper — via liveblog
Roy Greenslade mercilessly (and hilariously) rips into new London freesheet The London Weekly, mocking the excessive typos, amateurish writing and tabloid content.
graph pr0n Creating “smart school” heat-maps with My School data
Joel Pobar has done some impressively nerdy things with data from the My Schools website to create heat-maps of where Australia’s top schools are located.
China: Confucian or Cartman?
The Chinese government likes to use Confucianism as a justification for its authoritarianism, but in reality, it subscribes far more to the ideology of Cartman’s “Respect mah authorithay!” than anything ever written by Confucius, says Dave Bath.
