Just how close is Mia Freedman and her husband Jason Lavigne to selling their website Mamamia? Freedman and Lavigne are closer to News than they are letting on.
October, 2011
theatre reviews 
Bloodland — Wharf 1, Sydney
Bloodland, from one of the country’s most distinguished indigenous artists, explores people who find themselves torn between the Western way and the Aboriginal cultures from whey they derive, writes Lloyd Bradford Skye.
Tony Crook gets his time in the spotlight
Tony Crook, the most low-profile crossbencher in the House of Reps, is finally getting his first real taste of power – but don’t think that he’s enjoying it, writes Matthew Knott.
The Chaser’s war on the ABC budget
Isn’t it ironic how the ABC unions and luvvies are leaking confidential information to The Australian, like yesterday’s report about the budget for The Chaser’s The Hamster Wheel?
Bloggers contradict government on Cairo violence
At least 24 people were killed yesterday in Cairo after a protest by Christians turned into a clash with the military. Did the military use excessive force? The official narrative says no, but social media tells a different story…
What happened to the vision for primary healthcare reform?
Many proponents of community health models are less than overjoyed by the way the proposed health reform changes have taken shape, even though some are potentially very valuable, writes Lyn Morgain.
Qantas strikes go weird as spokesperson denounces union
It’s possible that the general media might start to notice how weird the Qantas strike situation really is. Onlookers can be excused for asking “what is going on?” writes Ben Sandilands.
film reviews The Cup: slumping over the finishing line
Luke Buckmaster was hobnobbing with the rich and the horses at the premiere of new Aussie film The Cup. Sadly the free booze beforehand was the best bit of the movie…
Newspoll: 57-43 to Coalition
The latest Newspoll has Labor recovering three points from their record low primary vote last time, but continuing to languish on 29%, reports William Bowe.
travel The blood, sweat and fears in riding an elephant
Deep within Thailand, north of the city of Chiang Mai and near the Burmese border, is a Mahout Training School. Matt Smith recounts his adventures riding an elephant with his wife Justine.
The controversial Bolt profile
It’s the Andrew Bolt profile everyone’s been talking about. Anne Summers wrote nearly 7000 words on the Herald Sun’s most notorious columnist. Check it out while the paywall is still down.
A smorgasboard of legislation hits the hill this week
Crikey is bracing for possibly the biggest week of federal politics in years as the government faces a crucial votes on asylum seeker legislation that has the potential to erode confidence in the Gillard government.
Putin apologists line up to justify the ruling tandem’s bitch slap to democracy
Commentators and analysts have been lining up, not only to explain the ruling tandem’s bitch-slap to democracy with Putin’s return to the Kremlin, but also, worse, to justify and excuse it.
Blow-ups aplenty At Home With The Bolts
If the makers of At Home With Julia are looking for a sequel, then the last few days would provide plenty of illuminating material for a comedy called At Home With The Bolts.
Qantas v unions: a last minute reprieve for passengers
There are three sets of actions underway at Qantas authorized by Fair Work Australia after the respective unions met all of the tests of negotiating in good faith with management in seeking timely negotiated enterprise bargaining outcomes.
Tony Nahal deserves to stay — whatever the tabloids say
Antoun (Tony) Nahal, his wife, mother-in-law and six-year-old daughter face deportation to Egypt as early as this week — despite the fact that daughter Rita was born here and the others have lived in Australia since 2004.
Economic rationalism hits the homelands
Outstations/homelands (the terms can be used interchangeably) represent a service delivery headache for the state, but this is mainly due to unimaginative policy approaches, writes Professor Jon Altman.
Pokies lobby lets the cat out of the bag
Regardless of the merits of the Deutsch Bank report, the cat’s out of the bag now when it comes to the real cost of pokies reform, writes Charles Livingstone.
Sex slavery revelations show anyone can run a brothel
Fairfax and Four Corners are exposing the brutal offshoot of the sex industry — sexual slavery. Chris Seage, an industry lobbyist who worked with researchers on the story, says regulation is the problem.
Maley: doubt on Merkel’s recapitalisation plans
Those hoping last week’s rally will carry through into this week will be somewhat disappointed that plans for a massive recapitalisation of the fragile European banking sector remain extremely hazy, writes Karen Maley.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: A new voice for America
Crikey readers weigh in on Brand Labor, Occupy Wall Street and circumcision.
Morning Market Report: European markets up despite Fitch downgrading
The Dow ended the week up 1.7% after hitting 13 month lows on Tuesday then rebounding about 5% from its lows. European markets were up despite Fitch Ratings downgrading Italy and Spain and putting Portugal on under review (after the markets closed).
