Is Sarah Palin a bigger diva than the Rolling Stones?After Sarah Palin’s private jet and bendy straws contract got leaked, The Week decided to compare Palin’s diva antics. How does she stack up against Jennifer “everything must be white” Lopez and Barbara “metal detectors for all” Streisand?
April, 2010
PHOTO GALLERY: The day Einstein died
Unseen for 55 years, LIFE has finally released a stunning series of photos taken by Ralph Morse of Albert Einstein’s funeral and his hauntingly empty office.
Album review: The John Butler Trio’s April Uprising
The latest album from Aussie local-lad-made-good John Butler isn’t quite the masterpiece some reviewers are suggesting, says Tim Dunlop, but it has its moments and will sell a motza anyway.
Women go the biff in the Alice
Boxing made a welcome return to central Australia this weekend, with fighters from all over the country and a contingent from Ireland descending on Alice Springs to slug it out. Bob Gosford reports from ringside.
PHOTO GALLERY: Poland mourns its president
The sorry sight of a nation forced to bury its president, with the coffins of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife being led through the packed streets of Krakow, filled with flag waving mourners.
Don’t choke: the science behind stuffing-up
Why do we “choke” when under pressure — and how can you prevent it from happening to you? Jonah Lehrer explains how and why our brains let us down, and the surprisingly simple ways they can be rewired for success.
Why athletes are geniuses
It’s not just a superhuman body that sets elite athletes ahead of the pack: their brains need to be just as exceptional. Which means the likes of Brendan Fevola and David Beckham are actually geniuses — despite all evidence to the contrary.
Yellow Pages cooks up a social media FAIL with “Hidden Pizza”
A campaign by Yellow Pages to create social media hype with the promise of free pizza has backfired spectacularly, proving just how irrelevant the clunky old book — and its online arm — is in the age of Google, Twitter and Foursquare, explains Lachy Warton.
The end of the Goldman-plated excuses
Goldman Sachs has been charged with fraud by the SEC. Which is not surprising, banks do dodgy things all the time and get fined and everyone moves on. But Goldman’s attempts to justify the fraud may be its death warrant, writes Steve Waldman.
ABC’s Project Bluebird: the mystery is whether anyone will care
The ABC has launched an online “alternate reality” game called Project Bluebird, where participants use services like Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube to track down clues and solve a mystery. But will da yoof actually play? asks Dan Barrett.
How do you pronounce Eyjafjallajökull?
Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano spews out consonants and vowels in its impossible-to-pronounce 16 letter name. Listen to a bunch of New Yorkers attempt to say it. The correct pronunciation is more like “Hey, ya fergot La Yogurt”.
revealed 
The enormous bribes of the Rio Tinto Four
The trial of the Rio Tinto Four is providing damning evidence of extensive bribery, involving huge sums of cash, watches and Stern Hu skimming a 30% personal commission, reports John Garnaut.
Will premiers vote against the PM and the people?
Daily media wrap: The fight between Kevin Rudd and state leaders over public reform enters its final round today, when the two sides butt heads at the COAG talks. But a new Nielsen poll has revealed voters are backing Rudd. Will it prove a last-minute game changer?
Asylum seekers: is it a vote changer?
Political party strategists — perhaps due to Tampa and the 2001 election — consider asylum seekers to be a vote-changer issue for “middle Australia”. But is it? asks Peter Brent.
Goward: More traumatised people means more gut-wrenching social issues
The population debate isn’t just about economics. Pru Goward explains the social issues of Sudanese refugees — men losing their social status, rebellious children — that communities are struggling with.
A history of the ALP’s hatred of the Greens in Tasmania
The latest animosity between Tasmanian Labor Premier David Bartlett and Greens leader Nick McKim is nothing new: the ALP has been loudly and proudly hating on the Greens in the Apple Isle for decades. Sue Neales explains the full bitchy backstory.
Milne: Who is the next heir to the Liberal throne?
The Liberal Party isn’t convinced Joe Hockey has what it takes to be Tony Abbott’s heir apparent. So who else has it got? asks Glenn Milne: Pyne? Dutton?
Richardson: Tassie Greens avoid the poisoned chalice
Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim made the right decision to turn down a seat in David Bartlett’s cabinet. If you’re contributing half as many MPs as the senior partner, it’s reasonable to expect more than one ministry out of nine, writes Charles Richardson.
UK ’10: How Nick Clegg changed the game overnight
In only one night of televised debate, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has turned this year’s UK election on its head. Is Britain about to become a three-party system?
Nielsen: Voters back Rudd on health (even in the States don’t)
The latest Nielsen poll has Labor’s lead slipping to just 51-49. But it’s not all bad news for the PM: with state premiers in Canberra today to vote on (and against) Rudd’s hospital reforms, the poll reveals the majority of voters actually back the Federal plans.
rumour 
Will Turnbull stay?
Rumblings from the halls of Parliament are that the Liberal Party is desperate to hang on to Malcolm Turnbull (and his seat of Wentworth), and he may yet be convinced to reverse his decision to retire from Federal Parliament.
UK ’10: Nick Clegg: the new Winston Chuchill?
In the space of a week, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has gone from relative political obscurity to being the most popular British party leader since Winston Churchill.
revealed US has “no plan” for Iran
A secret internal memo from US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says America has no long-term policy to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to White House insiders.
ABC News 24 line-up announced
The ABC has announced a predictable line-up of familiar faces for its new 24-hour news channel. The only real surprise is the absence of “Australia’s Anderson Cooper”, Tony Jones, and ties, says Dan Barrett.
Northumberland: where the racism and kebabs fly
I got into a fistfight in a kebab shop in Northumberland, says Rafiq Copeland, as he explains the racism and racial violence he encounters in Britain after a night at the Hairy Lemon.
