Italians voted emphatically against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in four national referendums on Sunday. They’re fed up with the PM’s professional and personal behaviour, writes Jo McKenna from Rome.
June, 2011
Future Fund boss’ climate change views
The chair of the Future Fund’s controversial views on climate change wouldn’t have anything to do with the absence of climate change from the Fund’s investment strategy would it?
Funding cuts force closure of ‘occasional’ child care centres
Funding to neighbourhood-based occasional child care was cut in the last federal budget. While most states have picked up the slack, Victorian centres are set to close. Mothers and support groups are unhappy, writes Iona Salter.
Rundle on the GOP race: Coke or Pepsi, Palin or bust
Seven candidates for the Republican nomination for president assembled for the first debate in New Hampshire. But the most visible candidate — Sarah Palin — wasn’t there. And the rest were reduced to jokes.
Hanson hoax: how did the Rattner case ever get to court?
The “Rattner papers” — a 400-odd page file of affidavits, emails and court documents — suggest alarm bells over Pauline Hanson’s legal challenge should have been ringing months ago. Matthew Knott picks over the warning signs that went unheeded.
Daily Proposition: Daily Proposition: unbelievably good Aussie TV
Lawrence Leung’s Unbelievable sees the Australian comedian and self-admitted sceptic investigate the impossible. It will challenge your misconceptions and beliefs, says Matt Smith. And it’s bloody funny.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Banning wanky terms like referenda
Crikey readers have their say.
Morning Market Report: Positive US data pushes markets up
Retail sales fell in May but were better than expected.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: Gillard’s loss is Abbott’s gain
Tony Abbott now regularly getting more than half the coverage of the PM, who copped another bad couple of polls in the last couple of days
Media briefs: SMH, Age to ditch broadsheet? … Mother Murdoch defies News Ltd …
In today’s Media Briefs: Front Page of the Day … The Department of Corrections … The Age and 3AW buyout rejected … Mother Murdoch defies News Ltd stance on carbon tax …
Political snippets: Maybe it won’t be presidential next time
We have got so used to politics being personalised around the leaders of the major parties that is hard to imagine what an election would be like if they were not the centre of attention.
The GOP debate in New Hampshire
Yesterday seven GOP candidates took to the stage in New Hampshire to face off in a snitchy Republican debate for the 2012 presidential nomination. Watch the debate in full.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours
Qantas just saving fuel? Not likely. Rumours persist — we’ve had at least two — that Qantas’ decision to ground flights rather than fly around the gritty volcanic plume is more to do with costs and not safety. As one tipster, the imaginatively named “Top Gun”, explains: “It is no secret amongst pilots that the lower an aircraft flies […]
Crikey Says: Labor doesn’t need ‘business as usual’
The prime minister’s orchestrated slapdown in yesterday’s Caucus meeting of Senator Doug Cameron and other MPs who fail to keep their views sufficiently in-house reflects one of the very syndromes which John Faulkner complained about last week.
Insatiable appetite for conflict muddying important issues
The media’s determination to portray crisis and conflict has recently badly muddled the reportage of asylum seekers and mining tax legislation, writes Ken Parish.
Obfuscation, bigotry and deception: the GOP debate had it all
Trying desperately to outdo each other in the anti-Obama stakes, the participants at this week’s Republican debate contributed hollow, deceptive and bigoted rhetoric, says The New York Times editorial.
A real book with real hyperlinks?
German artist Maria Fischer has taken the concept of website hyperlinks and created a book that connects, with real coloured threads, keywords to related topics, writes Diana Adams.
Before there was Bradley Manning, there was Daniel Ellsberg
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, leaked by Daniel “the most dangerous man in America” Ellsberg. He and Bradley Manning share similarities but are also a study in contrasts, writes Rodney Tiffen.
travel 
Helping a displaced community in Andong, Cambodia
In the Cambodian community of Andong, Allan Soutaris joined an outreach team that visits youth and families to provide education on health and migration. Soutaris shares stories warming and heartbreaking stories from the road.
Newspoll: 55-45 to Coalition
The latest Newspoll is Labor’s equal worst since the Rudd government came to power: the Coalition lead is out to 55-45 from 52-48 a fortnight ago, reports William Bowe.
Classic album #1: Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Crikey’s new music blog Earworm today launches a book club style initiative in which readers share and discuss their favourite albums. First cab off the rank: the Beach Boys’ 1966 ripper Pet Sounds.
theatre reviews Terminus — Drama Theatre, Sydney
Three flawless actors strut their stuff in this well written and beautifully designed contemporary Irish production that presents a collection of fractured hyper-real anecdotes, writes Lloyd Bradford Skye.
