Who was Kerry’s successor? So who did Kerry O’Brien want in his 7.30 hosting chair next year? Not necessarily the two chosen, we hear… Hear this: profiting from JobAccess. There is a national program called JobAccess which is funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). It is a thoroughly commendable program […]
December, 2010
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Crikey Says: Crikey says: command-and-control no longer works
The decision of the United States Air Force to ban access to many of the world’s media websites is illustrative of a type of governmental command-and-control attitude to information that has not merely been outdated by WikiLeaks, but has been rendered increasingly irrelevant by online media.
book reviews 
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, by Tim Burton
Comprised of 24 character cameos, this quirk-laden book is authored in simple poetical verse and illustrated in Tim Burton’s distinctive Edward Gorey-via-Quentin Blake linework. Like the best of his film work, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories finds universality through idiosyncrasy, writes Gerard Elson.
Wikileaks Media and trauma professionals urge Gillard Government to stick up for Assange
The Australian arm of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma has called on the Australian government to stick up for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
PHOTO GALLERY 
Super comfy crazy lookin’ coffins
How would you like a coffin shaped as a plane? Or a fish? Or a cocoa pod? Their residents might not be able to enjoy them, but the coffins on display at the Jack Bell Gallery in London look pretty impressive.
Symond hot under the collar on banking reform
At a Senate Inquiry into banking regulation, Aussie Home Loans front man John Symond lambasted the Treasurer for failing to consult with non-banks. Symond’s is right that Swan’s treatment of the sector contains a dark irony, but not exactly for the reasons he espouses, writes David Llewellyn-Smith.
exposed 
Top 50 Gawker Media passwords
American hackers have exposed the passwords and email addresses of more than one million users of the tech-savvy Gawker Media network. The Wall Street Journal has compiled the top 50 passwords, which include no-nos such as “password” and “123456.”
Skipping the facts on kangaroo harvesting
Fairfax have today provided space for animal rights activist Brian Sherman to spell out some of his objections to the harvesting of Kangaroos. Unfortunately Brian has decided to swamp us with emotive arguments and misinformation rather than addressing the issue honestly, writes Dave Gaukroger.
Michael Moore: Why I’m posting bail money for Assange
Film maker Michael Moore put up $20,000 of his own money for Julian Assange’s bail money overnight in London. Why? Because the Iraq War might never have happened if WikiLeaks was around back in 2002, says Moore.
Jacki Weaver snags Golden Globe nomination
Fresh from a win at the AFI Awards last weekend, veteran Australian actress Jacki Weaver has received a Golden Globe nomination for her frame chewing performance as a crime family matriarch in Melbourne-based drama Animal Kingdom. Three other Aussies were also nominated, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Disagree with Terry McCrann? Well, you’re stupid then
Terry McCrann angrily types that “Sunday December 12 2010 is a date which will live on in stupidity.” Why? Well, Treasurer Wayne Swan released his fairly mild rebuke to the banks, and the Climate Minister Greg Combet signed the Cancun agreement, reports Jeremy Sear.
Rundle live tweets Assange bail hearing
Despite being granted bail from a British court in London today, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains in prison where he will be held for at least another 48 hours. Crikey’s roving political correspondent Guy Rundle was there throughout the hearing, live-tweeting a blow-by-blow account of the day’s dramatic proceedings.
Don’t tell us the truth: we might not understand
So the Australian experts reckoned that the threat from Al-Qaeda was being overstated, according to the latest WikiLeaks cables from Fairfax. But Gillard keeps spinning the old line that Al-Qaeda is still a mighty threat, writes Richard Farmer.
Introducing… Crikey’s Platinum Arsehat
Think carefully and nominate wisely: their arsehats are in your hands.
Do more fast-food restaurants make the locals fat?
It’s commonly taken for granted that a disproportionately large number of fast-food stores in an area is a key reason why the local population often has high rates of obesity, writes Alan Davies of the Melbourne Urbanist.
Kohler: the carefree and the callous
Having forced austerity budgets on Europe, markets are now cheering American recklessness with its own budget and Chinese insouciance about inflation.
Clive Palmer’s magnificent flying machines
Forget WikiLeaks, Oprah and the Warne-Hurley saga, all eyes are on iorn ore baron Clive Palmer today, after the mining magnate made the surprising announcement yesterday that he was investing in the commercial viability of the Zeppelin.
Wikileaks The political problem of WikiLeaks
A backbench revolt over the stance on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange’s imprisonment is one thing. Julia Gillard’s government has a bigger problem with simple competence.
Rundle: Moss Cass backs WikiLeaks as community service, slams govt
Moss Cass, the Whitlam government minister who pioneered the creation of a community radio system in Australia, has been the latest senior Labor figure to hit out at the Gillard government’s handling of the Julian Assange case.
Bank reforms best described as minor but deliverable promises
The abolition of mortgage exit fees from mid-2011 will hurt smaller lenders far more than it will the larger ones, writes Tom Elliott, managing director of MM&E Capital Limited
Caffeine Watch: be cautious of stories spruiking coffee as health tonic
Croakey has a confession: marketing campaigns promoting the health benefits of particular foods, drinks or components thereof generally bring me out in a mood-threatening allergic reaction. I won’t go into all the whys and wherefores right now — there is probably a book to be written, if it hasn’t already been, about myriad reasons why such health […]
