Nostalgia and resentment walk hand in hand through the picturesque amusement park known to local Lithuanians as ‘Grūtas Park,’ where a bizarre collection of Soviet statues and artwork attract tourists, writes Laura Soderline.
April, 2011
film reviews 
Scream 4 movie review, with artwork by Liam Mills
The Scream franchise is back, 15 years after it sliced open the slasher genre and stuffed it full of smug self-referential postmodernism, writes Luke Buckmaster.
The best letter to the editor ever
In October an articleran in the New York Times about the death of picture books for children. The children at Birch Lane Elementary School, California were so outraged they created an entire month to celebrate picture books.
Free speech fight at RMIT uni: sacked lecturer beats the bureaucracy
It was a court case pitting the might of Melbourne’s RMIT university bureaucracy against the artists that lend them credibility, and for once the creative community came up trumps.
Sydney’s sparkling elite gather to hear Julia kick the bludgers
Let’s get those horrible dole-bludgers back to work! That was theme from Julia Gillard’s address at the Sydney Institute’s annual dinner lecture, where Sydney’s business and political elite gathered.
Twiggy’s legal team: native title video ‘incites racial hatred’
In an email from Fortescue’s legal team to Vimeo, FMG says a controversial native title video is defamatory, misleading and “designed to intimidate”.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: Stephen Smith’s week not one out of the Wayne Bennett playbook
Stephen Smith and the ADFA scandal totally dominated broadcast coverage of politics this week.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Nuclear crisis, geiger counters and Crikey’s counting
Crikey readers have their say on nuclear disasters and carbon tax compensation.
Morning Market Report: US markets rebound as Obama pledges deficit cut
Both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 have failed to break February’s resistance levels.
Video of the Day: Terry Pratchett on 7:30
Prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease, was interviewed by Leigh Sales on 7.30 last night and discussed his views on assisted death and the right to die debate.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Della’s still wielding power in NSW. John Della Bosca is busy trying to gain control over more of the failed Central Coast ALP branches… Hatches and dispatches in Baillieu band. Regarding your story on Tuesday highlighting the Baillieu government’s tardiness in employing staffers and spin doctors. Mary Wooldridge’s temporary chief of staff Terry Barnes is no longer […]
Political snippets: Luna Park an appropriate location
Laughter is the best policy when you hear a politician talking about dole bludgers even when they disguise their meaning with different words as Prime Minister Julia Gillard did last night.
Smoking out The Australian
The Australian has run a series of articles attacking the Federal Government’s cigarette packaging reforms. However, evidence suggests it will be a boost for public health, writes Dr Ross MacKenzie.
Crikey Says: The prime minister’s policy agenda
Many people have wondered where Julia Gillard’s sudden focus on getting up early, working hard and enjoying the personal value of labour has come from.
Richardson: is Donald Trump a serious GOP presidential hope?
Two new developments this week in the race for next year’s Republican presidential nomination. Mitt Romney joined the list of semi-declared candidates and Donald Trump became a semi-serious contender.
Will social media bring an end to gender stereotypes?
Media and advertising businesses understand the importance of targeting online communities, which are formed largely through common interests rather than age, class or gender. This will help end gender stereotypes perpetuated by the media, writes Johanna Blakley.
Carbon price compo for business v households: not the same thing
Labor would like us to think businesses will act just like households when it comes to carbon price compensation. Experience suggests otherwise.
Media briefs: 7PM Project uncut … NY Times pay wall fail …
Behind the scenes at The 7PM Project, US cinemas threaten not to show films in video-on-demand dispute, how Al-Qaeda is using online game theory to recruit the masses. Plus NY Times page views fall after paywall and what does Sidney Harman’s death mean for Newsweek?
Daily Proposition: The best from Melbourne’s giggle-fest
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is in full and funny swing. So which comedians are drawing the biggest laughs? Crikey’s festival blog Laugh Track has been reviewing the shows and talking to the stars. Here’s their two picks so far…
How Steve Fielding helped billionaires dominate media ownership
Steve Fielding retires from the Senate on June 30, but one of his lasting legacies will be the continuing flow of media deals triggered by John Howard’s liberalisation of foreign and cross-media ownership laws in 2005.
The house bubble is popping, even the AFR agrees
Even the Australian Financial Review appears to have taken an entirely somber view about the Australian residential property sector. It seems to be cool to be a bear.
How the sale of Australian police guns threatens public health in the USA
If Canberra follows precedent, around 10,000 surplus Australian police firearms will soon be for sale in pawn shops and gun shops across the USA. Should we be contributing to the gun toll? asks Philip Alpers.
