In order to save his skin, the Prime Minister must avoid the micro and start focusing on the positives.
May, 2010
Crikey Says: Accentuate the positive
comedy gold 
Illustrations of my haunted house
An absolutely delightful story about the little goblins haunting illustrator Christoph Niemann’s house. Like the devilish last piece of spaghetti and the trouble making mystery key.
How to become a film critic
So you want to be a film critic? Who doesn’t? The dream isn’t nearly as pie-in-the-sky as it once was. Veteran film writer Jack Mathews explains how the web is giving every armchair critic a shot at being the next David Stratton or Rogert Ebert.
Why big business will never kill independents
Reports of the death of independent retailers greatly are greatly exaggerated. Weird little micro niche, mum and dad businesses with great customer service are enjoying a renaissance.
great read 
How to overthrow Kim Jong Il
A four-part manifesto by lawyer Joshua Stanton on how and why the West must help fuel an uprising in North Korea. It will be painful, expensive, and long, but if the country’s only hope is to break it down and rebuild from scratch.
The forgivable follies of Fergie
Fergie, the Duchess of York, has been a massive embarrassment to the UK royal family for nearly 20 years and the latest “cash for access” scandal is a shocker. But can you blame her?
Book review: Benjamin Law’s The Family Law
Raili Simojoki reviews Australian writer Benjamin Law’s debut book — an enjoyable, easy-reading collection of essays about his eccentric yet endearing family.
Cox: The fairy tales being told of the RSPT
Sure, I’d like the big bad miners to pay more tax, writes Eva Cox. Who wouldn’t like some extra funds in the public kitty to spend on socially useful ends? But, that’s not what the RSPT is about.
Is Jamaica facing a civil war?
Jamaica’s capital Kingston is in a state of emergency, with at least 30 dead in bloody street battles as police hunt for local drug kingpin Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Things will likely get a lot worse before they get better.
From the doors: Keep it above the belt, pleads Robb
With Malcolm Fraser quitting the Libs and Julie Bishop shooting herself in a foot firmly jammed in her mouth, it was a busy morning for Crikey< Doorsman Tiernan Kelly, reporting from a cold, wet House of Reps entrance.
leaked BP’s secret memo: a history of corner cutting
BP is taking its time mopping up the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In 2005, an explosion at a BP refinery killed 15 workers and revealed documentation that BP knew workers were at risk. Are there parallels between the two disasters?
The 10 big lessons of the GFC
Nobody understands the global economy, rogue states are parasites, the old left is dead and seven other things Walter Russell Mead learned from the global financial meltdown.
Meet the mugs behind the BP oil spill
Gawker has put together a rogues gallery of the “idiots” responsible for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — from BP CEO Tony Hayward to Samuel Brown, the inventor of the fuel-powered internal combustion engine.
Obama vs. the Wall Street bigwigs
Wall Street thinks Barack Obama is an anti-capitalist, Obama thinks he’s saving Wall Street from itself. Check out this fascinating article into the tumultuous relationship between Obama and the banks.
Google: How we’re saving the US economy
Google has released a report boasting that it generated $54 billion of economic activity for American businesses last year. Naturally, it has also Google Mapped it and created a YouTube video about it.
great read 
Gittins: Australia is no longer a miner player
Australia has a long history of brilliant political ideas — preferential voting, HECs system — yet lately we wimp out on big ideas that have international repercussions. We’re not as small as we think we are, writes Ross Gittins.
How to write an attention-grabbing email
Need to snare that great job or scoop interview? Copyblogger has six simple but smart tips for making your emails stand out from the pack, so they get read and get a response.
The top 100 Aussie foodies on Twitter
Chefs, critics, sommeliers and garden-variety gourmands: a list of the most influential food fanatics in the Aussie Twittersphere to follow for scoops on the latest flavour-of-the-month in dining down under.
Reasons why Rudd’s been alright
The Rudd government is a very good government, achieving more than expected in the first term and with plenty of initiatives on the go. So why is it down in the polls? Blame the media.
Cheers TV: Episode #6: Five Rieslings in five minutes
Riesling is the wine geek’s favourite white wine. Learn why as independent sommeliers Ben Edwards and Dan Sims conduct Riesling speed-dating with five gold medal wines.
Kelly: If Labor wins the miner battle, it loses the financial war
Labor’s caught in a catch-22 and they only have themselves to blame. The mining tax has moved from being about miners to proving the government’s economic credentials, writes Paul Kelly.
Carney: Who knows the real Rudd?
Novelty can only take you so far and Kevin Rudd’s coating of shiny newness is tarnished. It’s no surprise that poll numbers have dropped for Rudd since he’s still a mystery to voters, writes Shaun Carney
leaked The Pentagon’s 26-page brownie recipe
Document MIL-C-44072C, a highly important Pentagon manual has been leaked online. It’s contents? Twenty-six pages on how to make military standard cookies and brownies. They must not exceed 3.5”x2.5”x5/8”. Download the entire recipe here.
Megalogenis: Mining the tax boom
Miners doubled the company tax they paid over the first four years of the resources boom, but paid a lower effective tax rate than other industries. George Megalogenis explains the new fascinating data.
