From WikiLeaks to Underbelly, the common theme of the rise of the internet is that it connects people. And interconnectedness threatens the powerful.
December, 2010
Mungo MacCallum: Mungo: Chris Mitchell and The Oz … it just ain’t cricket
The Australian again has become a haven for sceptics, deniers and downright nutters.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Crikey’s top end tall story
Crikey readers have their say.
At last, the NBN Business Plan
The government has finally released the NBN Corporate Plan that caused so much fuss while Parliament was sitting. It unveils a 7% rate of return and lower-than-expected wholesale prices as part of a set of conservative projections over the next 30 years.
Daily Proposition: Read Goop and die
Every age has a great savant — someone whose enhanced understanding of the world and its mysteries is so uniquely lucid they alone can divine the answers to life’s big questions. For us, that is Gywneth Paltrow, writes Alexandra Patrikios.
Media briefs: It’s an iPad app, in print! … King crippled …
Time for newspaper readers in Queensland and South Australia to get more intimate in their News Limited experience. Plus, Larry King left his CNN desk last week. Our friends at NMA TV, naturally, pretty much summed it up …
Political snippets: Boat people sympathy seems to be winning
Perhaps I mix in the wrong circles but I have not yet noticed any surge in anti-boat people feeling.
Video of the Day: Assange the Outsider
Director Michael Mann’s whistleblower epic The Insider featured a rousing portrayal of cigarette company dib dobber Jeffrey Wigand from Russel Crowe, who now — at least according to this faux trailer — plays Julian Assange in The Outsider. Not, we assume, coming soon to a cinema near you.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Government knew about the boat. The Australian government had detected the sunk vessel lost off Christmas Islands, contrary to statements made by the minister for border protection. The boat was detected by Coast Watch and the vessel’s course confirmed as heading to Christmas Island. Official logs and communications will confirm this. Strike at Macquarie grows bitter. The strike at […]
Crikey Says: Crikey says: the public mood on WikiLeaks
Proof that Prime Minister Julia Gillard has misjudged the public mood on WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks cable 09CANBERRA1123
241344 12/23/2009 6:11 09CANBERRA1123 Embassy Canberra CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXRO3612PP RUEHPTDE RUEHBY #1123/01 3570611ZNY CCCCC ZZHP 230611Z DEC 09FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRATO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2460INFO RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE PRIORITY 6860RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH PRIORITY 5124RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY PRIORITY 5129 C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CANBERRA 001123 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: […]
Where technology and hipsters unite: bicycles
Hipsters are rarely associated with gadgetry and machinery but they are awfully fond of bicycles, a transportation mode that has seen various outrageous reinventions that smack of hipster through and through - including an irony-rich “treadmill bike” and a goofy looking “walking bike.”
Floor bed of Gulf oil could cause long term harm
A recently released US federal report claims oil spilled from BP’s Gulf of Mexico well has seeped into sediment deep into the Gulf, where it is impossible to be removed and may harm marine life, writes Jeffrey Ball.
cricket 
The Ashes: ladies and gentlemen, we have a contest
The sporting world turned on its axis on the weekend after Australia convincingly beat England and drew level for the Ashes series. The English have a fight on their hands…and they know it, writes Leigh Josey.
You ruined Ruddgate: The Australian savages Canberra press
The Australian embarked on a savage round of finger pointing on the weekend, accusing pre-eminent Canberra journalists of fudging the biggest story of the year: the downfall of Kevin Rudd. It was largely an attack on Fairfax and Fairfax unsurprisingly returned fire, reports Mumbrella.
Are congressman taking their cues from opinion polls?
Perhaps the Congressmen and Senators who on Saturday repealed the ban against gays serving openly in the military have been reading opinion polls. This issue also had the support of a clear majority of Americans while the public opinion of Congress had reached an all time low, writes Richard Farmer.
Carr: Mao may have been much worse than Hitler and Stalin
A new book from Hong Kong based historian Frank Dikotter estimates the number of deaths incurred by Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ totaled at least 45 million, a somber reminder that Mao’s devastating impact was at least comparable to Hitler and Stalin, writes Bob Carr.
End of the Dream: a major setback for Obama immigration policy
The Obama administration’s carrot and stick approach to immigration, which produced a record number of deportations and opened the doors to around 11 million illegal immigrants, has been left with only the stick, after the defeat on the weekend of the Dream Act bill, writes Julia Preston.
Sending out your books for review: a few tips
If you’re an author, publicist, small publisher or someone else trying to get your book/s to an intermediary who may influence sales or opinion there are certain techniques you can employ to increase your likelihood. Crikey book blogger Angela Meyer compiles a list of tips.
film reviews Tron: Legacy — eye-boggling souped-up SCI-FI
Nearly three decades after Disney’s junky classic Tron torpedoed into cinemas the time has arrived for audiences to once again trip the neon light fantastic in director Joseph Kosinski’s belated sequel Tron: Legacy, which packs one hell of an atmospheric punch, writes Luke Buckmaster.
How social media is connecting people in public health: some lessons from WA
In WA, a micro-blogging tool called Yammer is proving useful for internal communications within the public health workforce and more broadly, reports Lizanne Sivapalan and Tarun Weeramanthri, from the WA Health Department.
Rising Afghanistan death toll
The death toll for foreign troops in Afghanistan hit 700 for the year this weekend making 2010 the deadliest year of the nearly decade-long war. At least in Iraq foreign troop deaths are declining, explains Richard Farmer.
Newspoll quarterly
breakdown
Newspoll have distributed its quarterly geographic and demographic breakdowns, combining results from its six post-election surveys to obtain samples big enough for state, gender and metropolitan/regional breakdowns, writes William Bowe.
