March, 2011
Video 
Call that an Opera House? This is an Opera House
Sydney Opera House appears to have been trumped by the stunning avant-garde architecture on display at China’s new Guangzhou Opera House, the latest materialization of the bold blueprints of designer Zaha Hadid.
Croakey keeps on croaking
Melissa Sweet from the Croakey health blog explains the hybrid funding model of the blog, where a consortium of health agencies contribute financially but have no say in editorial content. It’s an interest look at new pay models for online media.
Twitter 
Looking for a job? Try using Twitter
Twitter can provide a kind of online Rolodex. It’s useful for networking and relationship building and, if you’re looking for a job, here are five ways the Twitterverse may be able to help.
Not quite a gay marriage victory
The Australian has framed news that the Commonwealth will have less power over vetoing state and territory laws as a win for Greens’ Leader Bob Brown on gay marriage. But it goes far beyond whatever power Brown yields in parliament, writes Amber Jamieson.
Introducing Natalie Portman, the neuroscientist
Most people know the now Oscar-winning Natalie Portman is an actor, but did you know she’s also a gifted scientist? Natalie Angier takes a look at the career of a quintessential overachiever.
The tricks and secrets of the self-help industry
Existing largely in book shops and daytime TV sets, the self-help industry feeds off the needy and vulnerable. But how does it manage to survive when its products aren’t actually useful? Dave Gaukroger explains.
Alcohol in the Alice: the drink destroying a city
In Alice Springs, locals drink double the national average of alcohol per year. Therefore it’s no surprise that 70-90% of the assaults in the town are alcohol-related. How do we stop the grog? asks Russell Goldflam.
Stars who perform for dictators
Singer Nelly Furtado recently admitted that she got paid US$1 million to perform for Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s family a few years ago. Furtado isn’t alone: Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Usher have all performed for the Gaddafi clan.
Carbon tax debate heats up
Crikey Media Wrap: Talking carbon tax is all the rage in Canberra at the moment, and the temperature of the debate is steadily rising.
One long continuous game of dodgem cars
Driving in the Caribbean means massive SUVs and sleek BMWs jostle for space alongside ubiquitous Jeeps — generally accepted as the ultimate island car — and worn-out vehicles spewing black smoke. It’s chaos, with little regard for road rules, writes India Lloyd.
Melbourne’s ‘exclusive’ airport getting busier
Next time you are using Melbourne’s main airport at Tullamarine take a closer look at Essendon Airport which is about seven kilometres down the freeway while heading into the city. It’s the airport where the planes leave on time, writes Ben Sandilands.
Re. “Tips and rumours” (28 February 2011)
The original tip suggested Greg Combet attended a lunch that he was in fact not present at.
Garnaut details the potential of ‘green carbon’ — but we need a price
Ross Garnaut has returned to the issue of biosequestration, and shows a carbon price, not “direct action” is needed to realise its benefits.
Did internet ‘quip culture’ kill the Oscars?
The mechanisms built into social networking sites funnel our responses in one direction or another, much as railway switches direct fast-moving trains. The Oscars tried to capture that — so why didn’t it work?
Cravats in a granny knot over male-only Savage Club’s staircase spat
Esteemed members of the exclusive men-only Melbourne Savage Club have their cravats in a granny knot over a proposed change to the height of the club’s internal balustrade.
Rundle: deconstructing Gaddafi from the left and right
By now, as the revolution in Libya overtakes all the Arabian uprisings so far in its importance and power, it has presented both right and left in the West with a dual challenge — the politics of military support and intervention.
Xenophon: Queensland’s no-insurance policy costs us all
Queensland is not “self-insured”. If it was, it wouldn’t need $5.8 billion from Commonwealth taxpayers, writes Senator Nick Xenophon.
Suspending disbelief in the carbon debate
There may be less to the current brawl over carbon pricing than meets the eye, given how close, and inconsistent, both the major parties are on the issue.
Gottliebsen: how Swan gave our banks a hot flush
This month big banks have more money to lend than they ever dreamed of, which is a hidden force behind the banking price war, writes Robert Gottliebsen, of Business Spectator.
Bernanke printing money … now there’s food for thought
Perhaps Ben Bernanke isn’t as stupid as he seems and realises that his monetary stance is causing destruction but believes that protecting banks and maintaining an image of US solvency is more important than affordable food.
How a sacked Seven reporter found himself in Charlie Sheen’s bathroom
It was the tell-all celebrity interview everyone wanted. So how did Australian gossip hack Dylan Howard, sacked from local television before launching a glittering online gossip career in Hollywood, get the global scoop? Jason Whittaker and Tom Cowie explain.
Guy Rundle: Churchill’s Holocaust link to leave Winnie further in the poo
After a new book on Churchill, it is unlikely that Winnie’s reputation will survive at all, or our idea of World War II with it.
