Hopefully, some nimble-footed researchers are gearing up to seize the opportunity (perhaps not quite the right word) afforded by the flooding that is now devastating Queensland and parts of NSW and WA.
January, 2011
Rockhampton flood crisis: attack of the blood suckers
The flood peak looks to have finally made it here into Rockhampton city, and fortunately, it only made it to 9.2 metres, writes Anton Lang (writing as TonyfromOz) from flood-affected Rockhampton.
Will America’s banking wells dry up?
The woes of the troubled US housing market have just increased following a decision by the highest court in Massachusetts which will likely make it more difficult for banks to foreclose on delinquent home loans, writes Karen Maley.
Business: your handy guide to railing against the internet
Here’s a handy how-to guide for wealthy, powerful industries that want to respond to the fact that people are using the internet to avoid giving them money.
A wick-ed lightning strike for Qld Premier’s plane
The lightning strike on the Queensland’s Premier’s turbo-prop King Air yesterday could have been serious but for two thin metal wicks no longer attached to the King Air 350 in which she had been visiting towns devastated by the floods.
Sunrise climate expert dabbles in clowning, magic and reading cat’s paws
So you’re the news producer on a prime time Australian television breakfast show that’s been breathlessly covering the devastating affects of the Queensland floods and you’re looking for a new angle. How about a crack at climate change? writes journalist Graham Readfearn.
Smart summer reading: George Megalogenis’ ‘Trivial Pursuit’
One of the strongest impressions that Megalogenis’s Quarterly Essay Trivial Pursuit conveys is that no one in the current parliament is motivated by anything resembling a political idea, as opposed to, say, a vague sense that ideas are … probably a good thing, writes Bryan Cooke.
Arizona shooting Arizona shooting puts political rhetoric in the crosshairs
Crikey media wrap: Is the accused Arizona shooter simply a crazed individual or was his violent act a product of increasingly violent political rhetoric in the US?
How PR became the art of imitating the art of journalism
New evidence shows that arts journalism in Melbourne’s newspapers is saturated by PR content, writes Lucinda Strahan, lecturer in media and communication at RMIT University.
The idiocy that is the retail billionaire tax champions
The recent $200,000 PR blitz by retailers has fallen as flat as their pre-Christmas sales.
Mungo MacCallum: For Gillard and Abbott, it’s storm clouds at 20 paces
For the first couple of weeks of 2011 the big story has been the weather — it well and truly pushed politics off the front pages.
Sudan referendum mood buoyant, George Clooney notwithstanding
Despite the result of the Sudanese referendum seemingly almost certain before it began, it appears likely that this buoyant mood may soon be replaced with tension and impatience, writes freelance writer Rafiq Copeland in Nairobi.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Labor’s demise
Crikey readers have their say.
Daily Proposition: Spend a night with Wong Kar Wai
Elegant women in elegant dresses, their dark hair pinned into perfect chignons. Men with slicked-back hair smoke thin cigarettes. Sultry glances are cast across hotel hallways. It must be a Wong Kar Wai film. Alexandra Patrikios watches the back-catalogue.
Media briefs: The rain-soaked celeb party … make a difference at The Oz … Eleven is born …
In today’s Media Briefs the phones went dead but the celebrities went drinking at the Queensland flood telethon, the Oz names on a new iPad team and more….
Political snippets: Still no sign of runaway growth
Retail sales figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the construction performance survey by the Australian Industry Group and Housing Industry Association released today both show a restrained performance by the Australian economy.
Video of the Day: Keith Olbermann on gun rhetoric in America
Responding to the weekend shooting in Tuscon, Arizona, American political commentator Keith Olbermann gives an impassioned speech about gun rhetoric, calling for an apology from all those who intentionally or otherwise have used violence inciting language for sloganeering and sound bytes.
Political snippets: Tips and rumours
Government hits Facebook for job checks. A friend who has worked for several Australian government agencies says that federal and state governments use Facebook as part of the reference checks when hiring. Apparently they have “FULL” access to everyone’s Facebook profiles, regardless of what your privacy settings are. They have denied jobs to people not […]
Crikey Says: Words do matter
Details are still coming to hand about the alleged Arizona shooter, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation, especially when you throw Sarah Palin’s now infamous crosshairs map in the mix.
Rockhampton flood crisis: attack of the blood suckers
It’s not the saltwater crocs or the deadly brown snakes that are the most troublesome wildlife in flooded Queensland. It’s the sandflies, tiny insects that leave itchy bites that last for weeks. And the supermarket is sold out of insect repellent, says Anton Lang from Rockhampton.
Bill Daley and the tick-tick-tick of America’s economic time bomb
The appointment of Obama’s new Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, speaks volumes about how the President views the American economy. However, nobody at the White House seems to understand that they’re sitting on a time bomb, writes Simon Johnson.
Cards, cork boards and all-nighters: inside the genius of Aaron Sorkin
Despite the widespread acclaim veteran West Wing and The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin has accrued over the years, he says writing never comes easy and employs some unusual techniques to assist him throughout the process, reports Christy Grosz.
Samsung’s lukewarm Tweeting refrigerator
At American electronics convention CES 2011 Samsung has shown off a super-duper new fridge that not only plays music and loads Google Calendar but also Tweets, which might be a bit too much, writes Charlie White. As an added bonus, the fridge can also store food.
