The latest global happiness index sees Australia up near the top in fourth place and just behind three Scandinavian nations.
January, 2011
Video of the Day: An angry voice behind the veil
This April, France will ban Muslim women from wearing face-covering veils. But one French woman Kenza Drider explains why she refuses to take off her niqab and why she’ll take her fight to the European Court of Human Rights if she gets fined.
Vintage First Dog: look out! Massive telecommunications customer service nightmare cartoon tantrum!
Today’s cartoon is from 29 April, 2009.
The Palestine Papers: inside the peace process
Secret Palestinian documents reveal insights into Israel-Palestine peace meetings, including news that Palestinian negotiators would concede all but one of the East Jerusalem contested settlements. Al-Jazeera and The Guardian share the scoop.
Don’t put the brake on electric vehicles in Oz
The wheels aren’t just turning on the electric vehicle; the whole industry is accelerating thanks to a major new initiative by the Chinese government. Why is Australia getting left behind while China gets 10 million new electric vehicle car spaces? asks Alice Body.
The dream factory’s obsession with reality
Hollywood history may be coated in references to dream factories and imagination houses, but this year’s leading Oscars contenders are inspired by reality. This is a trend that has been gathering momentum for some time, but why? asks William Skidelsky.
Serialising narratives, social media style
Serialised narratives have been prevalent in popular culture for eons, from silent films to TV shows and news bulletins. Roy Peter Clark used his 40 year marriage anniversary as the storytelling impetus to document how well the format can engage Facebook users.
Crikey Says: Crikey says: celebs to the rescue
The resignation of David Cameron’s chief spinner and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has ensured the News Ltd phone hacking saga doesn’t just refuse to die, it’s chewing away at the credibility of David Cameron, News Ltd and Scotland Yard.
The Wolstencroft dilemma: where freedom of speech and defamation collide
Freedom of speech champion and film festival director Richard Wolstencroft has launched legal action against a blogger for alleged defamation. The case raises interesting issues due to Wolstencroft’s history of anti-censorship campaigning, says slackbastard.
Journalists: now just hyped-up lazy typists
How easy it has become for journalists to fail to mention the source in the headline in order to keep the story juicy, or to rely on an Opposition press release to say a government is ‘under pressure’. Time to fix journalism, one active voice at a time, says Mr Denmore.
Tunisia: new government, dirty tactics
Despite pledging to respect freedom of expression after ousting Tunisia’s authoritarian former administration, the interim government have shut down one of the country’s oldest and most popular private TV channels, reports David D. Kirkpatrick.
Listen to the Televised Revolution podcast
On the final week of the low-news volume summer season Televised Revolution discuss Roger Ebert’s prosthetic chin, Angry Birds: The TV Series and Kelli Underwood is bounced from Ch 10′s football call.
book reviews Ink, dust & darkness: Magpie Hall by Rachael King
Richael King’s novel about a vintage-dress-wearing tattooed taxidermist writing a thesis about gothic literature cleverly pays homage to the gothic tradition, with hints of romance and dark and complex things, writes Angela Meyer.
Boeing’s boo-boo: we didn’t think it through
With only four days to go before a major regularly scheduled investor briefing in the US, Boeing is rolling out more admissions of failure about the 787 Dreamliner program, reports Ben Sandilands.
bird of the week A Cooper’s Hawk keeps an eye on the culture vultures
We’ve all seen birds hanging around inside buildings. But none quite like the impressive Cooper’s Hawk turning up inside the iconic Library of Congress in Washington D.C, with the delightful combination of beautiful bird and beautiful building, says Bob Gosford.
Maguire the favourite for Broadmeadows
by-election
The by-election to replace former Victorian Premier John Brumby has been set for February 19. Labor’s state administrative committee will meet next week, presumably to smooth the path for property developer (and brother of Eddie) Frank McGuire, writes William Bowe.
The bank debate pollies keep avoiding
There has been little real debate yet in Australia about the changes that may be necessary to ensure that our banks do not fall victim in the future to creating the kind of financial crisis that involved costly bail-outs in other part of the world, writes Richard Farmer.
Exit Bartlett, enter Giddings
Labor is about to have another leader whose work experience is limited to being a political operative, with Lara Giddings expected to take over as Tasmanian Premier following David Bartlett’s resignation, writes Richard Farmer.
Tasmanian politics: David Bartlett’s shock resignation
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett has dropped a bombshell by announcing on Facebook that he will relinquish the leadership, citing family reasons, reports William Bowe.
Hallejuiah! Aussie films generating healthy BO
The Australian film industry is regularly bogged down in bad press for reasons real or imagined. So it’s nice to report that last year nine Australian films earned more than $2 million at the national box office, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Baillieu government to probe VMIA’s ‘culture of fear’
The Baillieu Government will flex its muscle in dealing with a “culture of fear” that has engulfed the troubled Victorian Managed Insurance Authority, following a raft of bullying complaints and an exodus of eight senior staff in the last two months.
Air NZ in no-lose situation after move on Virgin
If the Air NZ purchase of 14.9% of Virgin Blue is a blocking move to prevent, say, Etihad from acquiring a significant interest in the carrier, it may well be thwarted by “unintended consequences”.
Not much of a contest in Broadmeadows
Australia’s first election for the year will be a rather sedate affair.
