Tony Abbott has made the Government’s new mining tax the centerpiece of his election strategy. Given how poorly Kevin Rudd has sold the proposal so far, could it be a winner? asks Bernard Keane.
May, 2010
Pour your ants a latte
Ants are pests, sneaking into cupboards and getting into jars. But there are greener ways to kill ants than chemical sprays: like coffee beans, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
How fast should an ambulance drive?
Speed can both a life saver and a killer when it comes to ambulances attending to patients, by either arriving too late or speeding and crashing. Do ambulances need to hurry?
The link between airports and herpes
The travel bug is kind of like the herpes virus. And there’s just something about being surrounded by travellers at the airport that seems to bring on the worst cold sores, writes Matt de Neef.
Ant’s Analysis: NRL Predictions Round 10
Suggesting a player strike is a horrendous idea, says Ant Halstead, as he offers up his tips for the weekend ahead in NRL. Will Melbourne Storm kill the Canberra Raiders home game advantage?
Pat’s super Super 14 selections: Week 14
If you’ve got friends who think that rugby is a stupid, boring game where they kick all the time and spend the rest of the game with their heads up each others bums, then Patrick Baume has some advice for you.
My dad, Warren Buffett, the tightwad
Peter Buffett’s dad, Warren Buffet, may be worth US$47 billion, but Peter sold his inheritance years ago and instead writes folk songs. He also lectures company execs on how not to raise spoilt brats.
must read 
Inside the world of White House dinners
Air out the tuxedo and polish the pearls, Vanity Fair goes behind the scenes of White House state dinners. From protocol to presidents and promoting the Obama brand, they’re complicated affairs.
An open letter to climate sceptics from scientists
250 members of the National Academies of Science have published a letter hitting back against the assaults and “McCarthy-like threats of criminal prosecution” against climate scientists over the Climategate scandal.
Short people of the world unite!
All the assumptions about being on the minuscule side of the height scale — short people earn less, can’t be professional basketballers, etc — are total bull. Being short isn’t a negative, says “petite” Jane E. Brody.
Why we can no longer trust the WSJ
On Tuesday, the Wall St Journal ran a front-page photo of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan playing softball. It was clearly implying she is a lesbian, says Ryan Chittum: this never would have happened at the pre-Murdoch Journal.
Morning Market Report: Markets enjoying a good run
US stocks have had their best three days in 10 weeks
Stewart-OPI case enters a new phase
The Australian and the Victorian Office of Police Integrity are conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations over a report critical of the newspaper and journalist Cameron Stewart.
Jetstar in for the long haul … out of Asia
Jetstar becoming Singapore’s first long-haul, low-cost carrier has far more serious ramifications than the scant press coverage intimated.
Political snippets: Rude? Provocative? Take it as red(head), Kevin
Rudd’s 7.30 Report appearance wasn’t his finest moment, but probably won’t do too much harm; Consumer confidence down — as is China’s — Manny Pacquiao takes a slug at politics.
Ziggy’s VCA Review fails to impress
VCA activists have slammed a report into the organisation’s future, describing the 16-page prescription as “impotent” because it fails to tackle the core concerns raised by staff and students.
Come in Spinner: Shrieking hysteria won’t stop the mining tax
It’s the end of the world as we know it, a permanent blow to the Australian economy and the Treasurer is a communist… looks like someone in the mining lobby has suddenly remembered the first anti-land-rights campaigns, writes Noel Turnbull.
Lessons in History: Leaders who have ‘fallen on their sword’
With Gordon Brown’s resignation following the UK Election, there’s much talk of the man having “fallen on his sword”. But Brown got off lightly compared to samurai days, writes Mike Stuchbery.
Budget 2010: renewable energy gets peanut money, spread thin
This year’s Budget is smoke and mirrors on the renewable energy front. Everyone gets a share, but this is all peanut money, writes Tony Kevin.
The government’s strange flip flops on nuclear
This government has an extraordinarily inconsistent attitude toward nuclear issues. It refuses to countenance an Australian nuclear power industry and launched the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Newspaper and mag sales spiral
There’s word going around newsrooms and media buyers that the March quarter newspaper and magazine circulation audits are very bad. a buyers that the March quarter newspaper and magazine circulation audits are very bad.
The China question: are we too reliant on mineral exports?
This year the Budget was delivered against a backdrop of international uncertainty, reliance on China and a local boom. Any bets on what the outcomes will be in a year’s time?
Business As Usual: Inpex LNG project on hold … Greece shrinks as Europe grows … Transurban upsets Canadians …
The Greek economy shrunk (surprise, surprise) while the rest of Europe grew, the deficit in the US continues to escalate, Transurban upsets the Canadians and other business bits from around the globe.
