American society is about to change about as momentously as is possible within the fractured, corrupt system of government they’re saddled with, writes Guy Rundle.
March, 2010
Essential Research: Hospitals plan popular, and Gillard will have to wait
Kevin Rudd may have already won the policy debate on health reform ahead of tomorrow’s leaders’ debate, with new polling revealing more than half of voters back the government’s hospital plan.
Has the fat lady sung on ABC’s live arts coverage?
After ABC2’s live opera broadcast failed to take Australian television by storm, with only 6000 tuning in, is it curtains for the classics on Auntie, asks David Knox.
Apology to Morry Schwartz
Apology to Morry Schwartz.
Daily Proposition: Bong smoking and bestiality at taxpayers’ expense
Family First Senator Steve Fielding slammed SBS TV show Wilfred because he didn’t “think taxpayers’ money should be used to finance film projects that display acts of bestiality”. Now I had to watch it.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Overloading on election night
The South Australian Electoral Commission’s website was gone for most of election night, and apparently played havoc with News Limited’s coverage. It may explain the ABC’s graphics problems as well.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bedrooms of America’s war dead
A haunting look inside the still-made bedrooms of young fallen American soldiers: sports trophies, home-made quilts and teddy bears. And don’t miss the story behind the project.
AP: Correction to a caption (68 years too late)
The Associated Press issues a correction to a photo caption from 1942 of an image previously thought to be of the Bataan Death March during WWII.
The history of the WSJ hedcut
The Wall Street Journal takes you through the history and evolution of its iconic hedcut drawings. Each is still hand-drawn by an army of artists and can take up to five hours to complete.
Happy Birthday, Twitter!
Twitter has just turned four. It seems like only yesterday we were scoffing “Pfft, that’s the stupidest thing we’ve ever heard of…” and now it’s all grown up. The Next Web has a great round-up of Twitter history, including videos, the first ever Tweet and the notebook that started it all.
The Jock Wrap: Newtball — Made up or fantasy?
First Dog on the Moon and Leigh Josey continue their ridiculous weekly sporting commentary of morbidly obese corgis with wooden legs, the sport of newtball and the power of Max Markson.
leaked The Chinese government’s censorship guidelines
A list of the Chinese government’s censorship guidelines has been posted online and the NYT has translated and annotated them. See what the Chinese don’t want you to know.
How Paul Krugman will bring down the US economy
Economist Paul Krugman reckons the US should impose a 25% surcharge on Chinese goods until the country caves in and floats its currency. It’s a dangerous proposition, warns Jeremy Warner: it would simply ruin both economies.
History’s greatest sex lives
From Genghis Khan — a direct ancestor of 8% of Central Asia — to the LA basketballer who claims to have slept with 20,000 women, Nerve uncovers the most influential sex lives in history.
Don’t underestimate how screwed-up SA Labor is
The swing against Labor in SA may have been smaller than in Tasmania, but the latter was just the rotting corpse of the “old” ALP further decomposing. More troubling for Rudd is how weak the “new” ALP has proven in SA, says The Piping Shrike.
Is China breeding tigers for their parts?
Eleven tigers died of starvation in China’s Shenyang Zoo last year. So why are their carcasses still being preserved? Probably because their bones are worth $250,000 a set, says China expert Gordon Chang. And then there’s their fur, eyeballs, whiskers, penises…
Putting out an SOS for SBS
SBS may be an interesting broadcaster of multicultural programs, but it just doesn’t connect with the mainstream Australian consciousness. It needs to lift its game before it disappears, writes Tim Burrowes.
How blogs are becoming more like newspapers
Now that blogs and online news sites have become Serious Business, lax fact-checking, vague headlines and poor sub-editing just won’t cut it. To defeat newspapers, they have had to become them, says Ravi Somaiya.
The US healthcare bill for dummies
So you want to get all outraged about the US healthcare bill and whether it passes or not, but are perhaps slightly unsure of exactly what it means? Salon provides the ten facts you need to know.
Rio Tinto and China are friends again?
After last year’s Rio Tinto-Chinalco deal fell through, it seemed China had cracked it at the mining giant. But with the pair announcing a joint venture into Africa last week, has the frosty relationship thawed?
How much for the Hollywood sign?
The iconic Hollywood sign is at risk of being surrounded by new developments and a star studded cast are attempting a US$12.5 million public buyout. But will a mega-graphic ad company beat them to it?
Kennett: Why NSW should be more like Victoria
Well, this won’t inflame the NSW-Vic tensions at all: former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett says the answers to NSW’s economic woes lie in becoming more like Victoria. Lane-ways bars for all!
David now much richer after dentist: “Is this real life?”
Being a YouTube star can pay some serious dough. David After Dentist, the hilarious video of a drugged 7 year old, has net David’s family more than US$100,000 and enabled David’s dad to quit his job.
Iraqi police: a $6-billion black hole
The US has invested $6 billion into training Iraq’s police force — yet most are barely trained, can’t operate on their own, and the organisation is rife with corruption.
