January, 2011
The race to commercialize outer $pace
In December a rocket carrying Le Brouère cheese blasted off from a US Air Force base, marking the first time a company has successfully launched a rocket into space and landed it. Commercial enterprises are now playing a crucial role in space exploration, says Jerome Taylor.
The sickly stench of Oscars seasons scuttlebutt
Every year in the lead-up to the Academy Awards vicious smear campaigns take place between film PR companies. This year The King’s Speech has been attacked because of George VI’s alleged sympathy for the Third Reich, reports The Telegraph.
Origin of the North Atlantic Freeze
Global warming trends tracking toward 2100 are likely to be expressed by an increase in weather variability. Expect these to include a series of heat waves, fires, floods, hurricanes and cold fronts, writes Dr Andrew Glikson from the Australian National University.
Hoot today, hangover tomorrow: German police arrest inebriated owl
German police this week arrested a Brown Owl discovered drunk by the side of the road. The owl reportedly is partial to a drink of Schnapps, with two empty bottles found near it, reports Spiegel Online.
Facebook turns a new page in ad revenue
Facebook took in an estimated US$1.86 last year in worldwide advertising, marking a 151% increase from 2009. The social media giant achieved this by appealing to small and medium sized businesses, writes Edmund Lee.
Abbott’s dodgy correlation between floods and the NBN
Tony Abbott’s recent call for the government to scrap the National Broadband Network in order to fund floods recovery programs is oh so convenient, according to Group Think.
interactive map 
Drug trafficking routes in Mexico
Drug cartels in Mexico, which ruthlessly fight each other for a share of the market, also battle to control drug trafficking routes to the US worth billions of dollars. The Economist depicts the routes on an interactive map.
A study of the Young Expat (youngomys
expatamanesis)
A study of the sometimes misunderstood mammal that is the Young Expat, by Allan Soultaris. The Expat is a social creature, often found congregated around places known as ‘bars’ or ‘cafes’ in the cities of South East Asia.
The Bible according to Penbo: Bob Brown is just like Pauline Hanson
David Penberthy, editor-in-chief of news.com.au, decided to take his website’s verballing of Bob Brown seriously and has now compared Brown with Pauline Hanson, writes Jeremy Sear.
The Australian Open open thread
Now that Lleyton Hewitt has been knocked out, what chance do other Aussies have for Australian Open glory? Join in Crikey Sports’ unpredictable, unreliable and irreverent take on the Aussie Open, hosted by Leigh Josey.
Letting a first born female child become Queen of Australia
The Australian Government is being asked to approve changes in the law governing royal succession to allow the first born child of the sovereign, whether male or female, to become heir to the throne, reports Richard Farmer.
Ethics and defamation, Murdoch style
The stories about the apparent lack of knowledge by senior editorial executives at the Murdoch empire’s News of the World of how their paper obtained stories gets more remarkable by the day, writes Richard Farmer.
How Jesus explains Wikipedia
One of Wikipedia’s earliest entries was a page for Jesus. It serves as an excellent chronicle of the history of Wikipedia and how the site has changed over the last decade, from being vandalised, to few edits now being made.
The Cephalopods of Summer (Part 1) The arrival of Robert
First Dog on the Moon may be relaxing on a beach, but he doesn’t stop him working. Let him introduce you to his newest friend, Robert the stuffed squid.
Flood insurance PR wars
Julia Gillard’s pleas for the insurance industry to consider ex-gratia payments to Queensland and Victorian flood victims is threatening to shine a light on some of the dubious practices of an industry famous for its cold-heartedness.
Mirvac … millions at risk after the floods
One of Australia’s major property groups Mirvac stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars from the Brisbane flood, but so far there hasn’t been a peep from the company or a query from the ASX or ASIC.
Climate change … where it fits into the Queensland disaster
Premier Anna Bligh’s Royal Commission and media coverage appears to have given little, if any, explicit consideration of the role of climate change, writes journalist Graham Readfearn.
Keneally’s electricity sell-off a ‘short-term cash grab’
Explosive testimony at a parliamentary inquiry into the privatisation of NSW electricity assets has revealed that the original $5.3 billion profit promised by the Keneally Government was a gross over-estimate.
After under-performing decade, is it time for Rupert go?
With Rupert turning 80 in March, the independent directors led by Sir Rod Eddington will at some stage have to intervene.
Reading Steve Jobs’ entrails, is it time for Apple to come clean?
Here we are again: divining the future of the world’s biggest technology corporation, Apple Inc, by reading not the entrails of a chicken but the entrails of Steve Jobs. But this is as it must be, given Apple’s infamous culture of secrecy.
People feel richer, but the reality is they can afford less
If Australians are really richer now than 20 years ago, why, for many, is everything to unaffordable?
Bartholomeusz: AXA APH’s Asian wildcard
The $13 billion AMP/AXA SA bid for AXA Asia Pacific has generated a lot of debate about the value of AXA APH’s Asian businesses. The release of the independent expert’s report on the bid helps put that discussion into perspective.
WikiLeaks update: we could be doing this for another two decades
It began as a drip feed, it’s now been reduced to Chinese water torture. Just 165 US government cables have been published on the WikiLeaks website this year.
Murdoch takes a Shine to his daughter’s company
It’s been an odd old start to the new year for Rupert Murdoch and his family company, News Corp.
