Sudan president Omar al-Bashir may be accused of international war crimes and genocide in Darfur, but isn’t as evil as progressives like to claim, declares Simon Tisdall, as he explains al-Bashir’s role in the Sudanese elections.
December, 2010
The worst tech gadgets of 2010
It might have been the year of the iPad, but Wired looks back on the worst tech products of 2010. From the $500 JooJoo, an iPad wannabe with no apps and no internet, to the wearable videocamera that didn’t stay on the head, there were some tech shockers.
Concert sales hit a low note
The one saving grace for the embattled music industry in recent years has been concert and festival tickets. But 2010 has seen global ticket sales fall by 12%.
Bend it like a heavily-edited Beckham
And the honour of the first Western film ever shown in censorship-loving North Korea goes to…envelope please… Bend it like Beckham! Sure, it was edited from 112 minutes down to just 60, but no other film can claim that title.
travel 
Selling communism for tourism
Red is far from dead in China. Instead, entrepreneurs in Yan’an are cashing in on the novelty and historical value of communism for tourists, from battle recreations to museums on Mao.
The top 5 shows on telly in 2010
Quality TV is becoming more difficult to find each year. And not because there is so little of it, but rather it is coming from so many different sources. Dan Barrett offers his top picks for the silver screen.
Not so icy in the northern hemisphere at all really
We’ve seen all those pictures of snow bound New York, all those travellers stranded at airports. Must be a really cold snap in the northern hemisphere, right? Well, no, actually, explains Richard Farmer.
Ask a climate scientist How does water vapor cause global warming?
As part of your summer reading, delve into these questions on CO2, global warming and what levels of CO2 are “safe” or “traditional”, the latest by Amber Jamieson and Rooted’s ‘Ask a climate scientist’ series.
Cut, print, that’s a wrap: 2010 in books
Angela Meyer, of Crikey’s book blog Literary Minded looks back at the year that was, from speaking at writers’ festivals, to publishing articles in magazines and commissioning guest book reviews via Twitter.
PHOTO GALLERY Fire in the Great Sandy Desert
Photographer Steven Rhall lives up in the tiny NT town of Balgo. He writes of the first big fire of the season up his way, where fires can sometimes run for weeks — if not months — and burn-out huge tracts of land.
Newspoll: the ALP fall spreads to WA
From an already parlous position in July-September, WA Labor is down a point in the latest Newspoll on both the primary vote, now at 29%, and two-party preferred, with the Coalition now leading 58-42, reports William Bowe.
Blue Valentine – warming, unsettling, unforgettable
It’s rare for a film to employ a non-linear multi timeline narrative as effectively as director Derek Cianfrance’s equal parts heart warming and heart wrenching story about a couple meeting and falling in love in one time period and enduring a bitter falling out in another, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Vale to a sharp-suited, bushy-sideburned political maverick
Twice president of Venezuela, the victim of political coups, misuser of millions of dollars in public funds and mortal enemy of current president Hugo Chavez, Carlos Andrés Pérez died aged 88 on Christmas Day.
Burma’s First Lady of freedom
Read this intriguing indepth profile on recently released Aung San Suu Kyi, Crikey’s person of the decade. Interviewer Hannah Beech dodges government spies trailing her taxi in order to interview the famous Burmese political leader.
Should Ponting get the boot?
This year’s Ashes are proving an absolute embarrassment for Australia, particularly for captain Ricky Ponting. Jonathan Howcroft picks who should stay and which players should leave forever.
Danish newspaper still draws terror controversy
It might have been five years since a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Mohamed the Prophet, but five suspects have been arrested in a suspected foiled terror plot against its offices.
A serious discussion wiht my pit bull about Obama
My dog and I have been in serious discussion over dinner about this Barack Obama fellow, says Richard Farmer. And the verdict, he says, is not good. The dog has put him under considerable pressure to be advocating a Republican vote in 2012.
Sky’s the limit in broadcasting Australia to the world
If Australia is serious about having a satellite television service that reflects the country — unique in the region and vitally important to Indonesia — it needs to resource the project properly. A$20 million a year won’t do the job, declares Richard Laidlaw.
travel How the Gold Coast lost its shine
Queensland’s Gold Coast is a magical place where beautiful men and women do nothing but tan their perfectly sculpted bodies, and children run amok the beaches in theme parks. Well, that’s how Caroline Zielinski remembered it, but the latest trip showed something different.
A gift from Qantas to Virgin Blue
Ben Sandilands got his hands on a leaked photo of the new Qantas A330-200 domestic business class, with middle seats and crummy legroom. Why, it must be a present for new Virgin Blue boss John Borghetti, the former Qantas executive general manager.
Rewinding 2010: a year in Cinetology
From gay zombie porn to film reviews in Zambia and calling bullsh*t on The Room creator Tommy Wiseau, it’s been a blockbuster year for Crikey film blog Cinetology. Director Luke Buckmaster explains.
Shooting but not killing: the war photographer who lost his legs
Joao Silva was a NY Times photographer in Iraq and Afghanistan until a recent incident where he stepped on a landmine and lost both his legs. As Silva recovers in hospital, his replacement, Michael Kamber, tells of the undeniable pull felt by the war photographer.
Child abuse: the new Taliban tactic
There’s a rising number of domestic abuse cases in Afghanistan and the US military wonders if it is a new Taliban technique to help gain access to US military bases and gather intelligence, since military hospitals care for the wounded.
How to green your dead Christmas tree
Christmas is officially over, the turkey is eaten and all the leftover ham sandwiches eaten. But what to do with the rotting Christmas tree still sitting in a bucket of water in the lounge room? Crikey intern Grace Ryan explains which councils do Christmas tree recycling.
The global festival of Festivus
Seinfeld’s Festivus for the rest of us, a Christmas celebration involving a pole with no decorations, an airing of grievances and feats of physical strength, is no longer just a mock holiday found only on TV screens.
