Which bank’s under the Tax Office gun? The Tax Office is looking to bounce back from the Hoges debacle by hitting a certain high-profile Australian financial institution with the full court press in order to get them to pay millions in back taxes. The bank in question is under continual audit and so has been […]
January, 2011
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Political snippets: Heavy medal band … that’s Labor for you
Labor’s attempt to milk a national disaster to its own advantage knows no bounds.
Crikey Says: Rethinking the Middle East
Amid another day and night of widespread protests in Egypt, and rumours of a massacre of protesters in Suez, Western governments’ policy toward the Middle East is tottering and is now one dictator’s plane flight away from collapsing altogether.
Why I created the Singles’ Survival Guide
Single blokes need all the help they can get, so Crikey subeditor Mick Vaughan decided to create the Singles’ Survival Guide. Vaughan explains all in a ruminative piece encompassing epiphanies and motivations, gardening, home decoration and a badly botched casserole.
What old British masters can teach contemporary politicians
They didn’t back down. They gave epic speeches. They fought tooth and nail for decades. Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were two 19th century party leaders who defined British politics, and their legacies can teach the current lot in Canberra some valuable lessons, writes Bob Carr.
theatre reviews 
Open For Inspection – Darlinghurst Theatre, Sydney
If there’s an industry long overdue for a completely kicking, it’s the dreadful disease that is real estate. This sharp-shootin’ musical is a full-on production with great music and engaging performances, writes Lloyd Bradford Skye.
Christopher Hitchens on The King’s Speech: a gross falsification of history
Director Tom Hooper’s crowd pleasing drama The King’s Speech may have been nominated for 12 Oscars, but how historically accurate is it? Not very, scoffs Christopher Hitchens.
Wikileaks 
NYT to publish WikiLeaks e-book
The New York Times announced this week it will enter the e-book industry with a document detailing how and why they published WikiLeaks cables last year. Shortly after, WikiLeaks accused the newspaper of “self-serving smear.”
Achieving the stagflation double
The UK Coalition government can be thankful for five year parliaments because it looks like it will achieve the stagflation double in its first year – rising inflation combined with a fall in gross domestic product, writes Richard Farmer.
Facebook gets secure, with a little help from HTTPS
Facebook accounts are exposed to serious security flaws that enable hackers to tap into accounts through open wireless networks. Facebook has finally found a solution but the catch is you’ve got to enable it yourself, explains Ryan Tate.
Cameron vs the Downing Street rats
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has taken dramatic action against the Downing Street rats in his ranks, after this week his aides denied that action was necessary. So a cat is being brought to 10 Downing Street, reports Richard Farmer.
travel The unfortunate art of transit zen
Over the past year or so traveller Scott Bridges has endured eleven extended sit-ins at international airports around the world. Many bouts of exhaustion and boredom have taught Bridges the importance of embracing “the art of transit zen.”
protests in egypt 
How Facebook fanned the fires of political unrest in Egypt
This week’s riots in Egypt began as a campaign on a Facebook page before evolving into a protest movement of the scale the country hasn’t seen for many decades, writes Mike Giglio.
How can the health portfolio contribute to the floods recovery?
It’s likely that the federal health portfolio will be under pressure to make cuts for the Queensland floods recovery, which is expected to make a multi-billion dollar dint to government revenues. Croakey asked members of the Crikey Health and Medical Panel (CHAMP) where possible savings could be made.
Qantas loses another engine – and the plot
There is something grievously wrong with how Qantas has responded to the frequency with which Rolls-Royce engines fitted to its Boeing 747-400 fleet are failing. Incredibly, the company says the failures have nothing to do with their outsourcing of heavy maintenance to Hong Kong, writes Ben Sandilands.
Oscars 2011 news and analysis: and the nominees are…
The 2011 Oscar nominations give Australian film buffs good reason to crack a celebratory drink or two, with Jacki Weaver nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in Animal Kingdom. A bunch of other Aussies were also nominated, reports Luke Buckmaster.
Why the Palestine Papers matter to the peace process
Why do al-Jazeera’s Palestine Papers matter so much? Well, because they puncture the central fictions upon which the so-called peace process has always depended.
Morning Market Report: Dow up to a two year high
The Dow set a new 2 year high and closed only 20 points below the 12,000 mark.
Strong dollar, shy consumers = inflation on the downside
Thanks to the strong dollar and shy consumers, plus the growing price war between Coles and Woolies, Australian inflation surprised on the downside in the December quarter.
Wikileaks WikiLeaks, hackers and conspiracy
theories
Even if there’s no conspiracy against Wikileaks, there’s a persistent effort to portray it as an unethical or even illegal organisation, rather than a media outlet.
Hobart’s new gallery/freak show: quintessentially Aussie, if a little absurd
Over the Bass Strait, and up the Derwent River, lies Australia’s newest experiment in art curatorship. MONA, the new $150 million museum carved out of a sandstone cliff, offers a unique museum experience, says Paulina Olszanka.
Another Qantas hiccup pushes back terror attack news
A cabin decompression on Qantas flight QF670 between Adelaide and Melbourne this morning pushed the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport off the top of this morning’s radio bulletins.
VMIA bullying scandal: staff press management, government to act
The Victorian Managed Insurance Authority will conduct an internal probe into disturbing allegations of bullying raised by Crikey last week, after a 3pm all-staff crisis meeting was called yesterday to respond to the claims.
