The Western media’s blaring contempt for SingaporeThe Western media’s slanted coverage of the Singapore election was sprayed with descriptions of the country’s “quasi-democracy” but conspicuously ignored its superb economic credentials, says China Daily.
May, 2011
climate change 
CCS is doomed, yet we’ve pumped millions in to it
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is often seen as coal’s redeeming feature and saviour, and governments have spent millions on it. But if it’s so effective, why did the last budget cut over $600 million from CCS projects? asks Dan Cass.
Is social media eroding our humanity?
Patience, consideration, wisdom, intimacy — these are not values encouraged by Twitter and Facebook. Social media is an amazingly powerful platform but it may be forcing us to unlearn important things, says NYT editor Bill Keller.
Obama’s Middle East speech: broad, cautious, ho-hum
Barack Obama’s Middle East speech, littered with platitudes and light on specifics, was far from his best and he was noticeably elusive on the subject of Israeli-Palestinian relations, says Andrew J. Bacevich.
W H Chong’s prize-winning book jacket
Crikey’s Culture Mulcher blogger W H Chong this week won two Australian Publishers Association book design awards. The winning piece was his stunning jacket for Lloyd Jones’s novel Hand Me Down World.
Parallels between mental health initiatives and portrayals in Australian film
This year there has been a striking — but completely unnoticed — correlation between the federal government’s mental health initiatives and the dominant theme in Australian films. Luke Buckmaster explains.
The end is nigh. Again.
According to Californian preacher Harold Camping, the world will end on May 21. A Spanish Jesuit invented the doctrine of the Rapture and this is the latest of many armageddon predictions, writes Andrew Brown.
How will literature survive in the age of the iPhone?
The attention spans of readers appears to be getting shorter and shorter, with innumerable technological distractions vying for our attention. W H Chong discusses a range of views on how literature will survive in the modern media landscape.
Wishful thinking for News Limited?
In its coverage of Bob Brown’s spat against News Limited, The Australian ran a boo-boo in an online headline that may have indicated wishful thinking, writes Richard Farmer. It may also indicate the beginning of a vote winning campaign for the Greens.
Morgan: 51.5-48.5 to Coalition
The latest Morgan face-to-face poll, conducted last weekend from 942 respondents, is somewhat better for Labor than last week’s shocker but hardly great news for the government, writes William Bowe.
News’ revenge: editorial pages rain down on Brown’s crusade
News Limited has struck back against claims by Bob Brown it is misrepresenting the climate change debate, accusing the Greens leader on its editorial pages of cracking under the pressure of increased media scrutiny.
infographic 
Transparency vs anonymity
If you’ll indulge in a moment of oversimplification, the internet can be whittled down into two groups: those who believe in transparency and those who believe in anonymity. Mashable’s’s infographic weighs the pros and cons of both sides of the online divide.
Movies that make you weep
It takes a special kind of movie to make audiences reach for the tissue box. Sophie Robehmed selects five classic cinematic tearjerkers, including Ghost and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Media briefs: All Chinese to The Age …French debate DSK … Libya releases journos …
In today’s Media Briefs: It’s all Chinese to The Age … Front page of the Day … Strauss-Kahn case sparks debate about French media’s deference to power and more …
Fairfax staff revolt: ‘subs are still in fashion’
As hundreds of revved-up Fairfax staff move en-masse to rallying points in Sydney and Melbourne in their fight over CEO Greg Hywood’s planned sacking of 300 comrades, the anecdotes have have been flowing thick and fast.
Hockey’s budget reply fails to grease the gallery wheels
Yesterday Joe Hockey made electoral bribery a key component of the Coalition’s response to the mining boom. Eeconomic debate in Australia reached its lowest point in 30 years yesterday when he addressed the Press Club.
Life’s rosy at AAP: fruit and flu injections for disgruntled staff
Stressed staff at wire service AAP are in uproar over two bizarre emails sent by chief executive Tony Gillies during the company’s current enterprise bargaining round, reminding them of the “benefits” of working at the organisation.
Post-Fukushima, Loy Yang plant may be sold in fire sale
There is speculation inside the corridors of Victoria’s largest power generator that it could be forced to a sale as a result of the nuclear disaster in Japan.
How do you halve emissions by 2025? Look to the UK…
The United Kingdom is set to become a world leader on clean energy and climate policy, after announcing an ambitious plan to halve carbon emissions by 2025.
Hunt’s climate policy just blew out 30%
With exquisite timing, while Malcolm Turnbull was criticising the Coalition’s climate policy, Greg Hunt was confirming his warnings about its budget impact.
Maley: are we heading for a post-QE2 collapse?
Are we about to see a collapse in global share and commodity prices as QE2 draws to a close? asks Karen Maley, of Business Spectator.
Journo arrest: recipe for clicks turns into a recipe for disaster
The Queensland Police Service’s heavy-handed approach towards a journalist trying to do his job should ring alarm bells for the media, writes Charis Palmer, editor of Technology Spectator.
Despite tickets on himself, Berlusconi takes a poll blow
Silvio Berlusconi has nothing to celebrate after this week’s local elections delivered a devastating blow to his leadership, writes Jo McKenna, a freelance journalist in Rome.
Denmark has second thoughts about open borders
Denmark remains outside the eurozone and there are good reasons for it.
