Teary Helen Thomas slams ObamaFormer White House correspondent Helen Thomas breaks down on radio discussing how president Obama agreed with her resigning over controversial comments over Israel. “You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive,” says Thomas.
October, 2010
Interview with Omar Musa at the Ubud Writers Festival
Queanbeyan rapper/poet Omar Musa has released critically acclaimed hip hop records and a book of poetry entitled The Clocks. At the Ubud Writers Festival Bob Gosford quizzed Musa with ten questions - including “what do you sing in the shower?”
I’m on a cow: how a Spice-splashed Grover became a hit
Riding off the back of the phenomenally successful Old Spice “I’m on a horse” ads, Sesame Street’s Grover spoof generated more than two and a half million hits in five days. Here’s how they did it.
Why Americans should take a pay cut
With nearly 20% of US workers currently unemployed, the best way for workers to protect their current struggling employers is to agree to a drop in wages, writes Derek Thompson. Better to pay workers less than having the government pay unemployment benefits
US fat cats – not workers – should take wage cuts
The GFC bailout in America resulted in big biz fat cats getting paid hefty bonuses at the expense of the rest of the economy. On the subject of economic adjustment their wages need to be cut, not the wages of workers, writes Dean Baker.
Perez turns positive
Bitchy celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton vows to drop his standard insulting attacks — like dubbing actress Kirsten Dunst, Kirsten Drunkst — after the spate of gay bullying resulting in suicides recently.
Big politics and loose tongues in Moscow
Former Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhov, who was sacked last month by President Dmity Medvedev, has spoken out against the Dmity administration despite threats that it would “go after” him and his wife, reports Amy Knight.
GOP advocacy groups spend big on ad blitz
An alliance of Republican groups have responded to the financial advantages Democrat incumbents have in many close seats by launching a massive spend blitz - one of the biggest of its kind in history, writes Brody Mullins and Danny Yadron.
Our pollies need to go back to spin school
The public understand that a certain degree of truth bending is part and parcel with politics, but our current crop of pollies too often present themselves as rude and obnoxious gas bags. They need to go back to spin school, writes Jane Fynes-Clinton.
Murray Darling murmurings
The Murray Darling Basin Plan continues to loom as a massive political and environment issue. The guide to the draft plan was released last Friday and Amber Jamieson put together a reading list for those who want to get up to speed.
He’s ba-ack: the return of Dick Cheney
Having recovered from an “unusual” heart operation Dick Cheney has announced that he will soon return to the campaign trail. Bizarrely, instead of shying away from his image as a bogeyman Cheney is running with it, writes Matt Latimer.
The uncontrollable lure of the MSM
Gen Y journalism students aren’t actually reading newspapers — most of their news comes from online — but they are still expecting to be employed by traditional media organisations. Roy Greenslade contemplates this conundrum.
rumour 
The Girl of the Lost Larsson Book
There are two written but unpublished books in the successful Millenium series by Stieg Larsson, revealed the deceased Swedish author’s brother in an interview last week. Will they ever be released?
graph pr0n 
Debunking gay stereotypes
A fascinating look at gay dating profiles from the OK Cupid site. That whole “gays are promiscuous” stereotype seems largely a myth, with statistics showing sexuality doesn’t affect a person’s number of sexual partners.
The wind beneath Google’s wings
Example #82732 of how Google is taking over the world: it’s now invested in wind farms. Specifically, a wind farm in the US with a projected capacity of 6,000 megawatts. But why is a search engine giant getting into the wind energy game?
LIVE: Trapped Chilean miners get rescued
Watch as the 33 Chilean miners are brought above ground after 68 days of being trapped in a collapsed mine shaft. Chilean president Sebastian Pinera has promised to hug every miner as they are freed and so far, so good.
Congo: still the rape capital
The mass rape of 300 women, men and children in a village in Congo has sparked a UN investigation into the incident. Even government troops sent to protect the victims have been accused of raping and looting.
Tale of a ping-pong hustler
Howard Jacobson recently won the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Finkler Question, here in a terrific profile piece for Table Tennis News in 1999 he profiles American ping-pong great Marty Reisman.
Obama’s iPod choices a bit off-key
In an interview with Rolling Stone, President Obama mentioned that hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Lil Wayne were on his iPod. Obama needs to realise that his listening choices are sending a dangerous message, writes Stanley Crouch.
Time to mention the war
What exactly are we — and the rest of the NATO/ISAF mission — wanting to achieve in Afghanistan? Democracy is a complex issue in a fraught nation like Afghanistan and it’s time to question whether Aussie troops are helping or hindering, says Benedict Coleridge.
Chileans brought together by mine rescue
Today, 33 miners trapped in a collapsed mine in Chile will be brought to the surface after more than a month underground. It will be an emotional day and may just help to continue the unification of a geographically disparate, class-conscious, and often individualistic country.
More Music of the Night…if you can stand it
Love never dies. Nor, apparently, does Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thirst for fortune. The Victorian government will line his pockets again to bring his nervously-awaited sequel to The Phantom Of The Opera to Melbourne next May, writes Jason Whittaker.
Context the key when punishing racial vilification
Words of race aren’t just words. They are loaded with history, writes Malcom Knox of Back Page Lead.
Ben Bernanke’s greatest gamble
Financial markets may be cheering on US Fed Reserve boss Ben Bernanke as he gets set to unleash a fresh round of monetary stimulus, but some are worried that his actions will further jeopardise the reputation of the US central bank, along with its future independence, writes Karen Maley of Business Spectator.
The AFL and police: a co-op for years, says Guthrie
The Australian Football League and Victoria Police were sharing covert criminal information well before they hatched a secret cooperation deal in 2009, according to former Herald Sun editor-in-chief Bruce Guthrie.
