There is something supremely unsettling about Glenn Close’s performance as a cross-dressing butler in director Rodrigo Garcia’s excruciating Dublin-set period piece, writes Luke Buckmaster.
December, 2011
Summer reading: 
Albert Nobbs movie review — Glenn Close, from far away
Summer reading: earworm’s top 8 albums of the year
Tired of end-of-year top 10s? Here’s the eight best albums earworm reviewed in 2011. Think of it as the eight-track of end-of-year best album lists, writes Neil Walker.
The legacy of a Tunisian fruit-seller who rocked the world
Last year Tunisian fruit-seller Mohamed Bouazizi kick-started the Arab Spring after setting himself on fire. How lasting is his legacy, and how much more empowered are Arab nations? asks Cobus de Swardt.
2011: the year of the cameraphone
Movements such as Occupy and the Arab uprisings would never have ‘gone viral’ without cameraphones, which have cemented an importance place in mainstream photojournalismm, writes David Batty.
Why Google must take responsibiity for defamatory content
The recent case of a hate blog targetted at celebrity writer Marieke Hardy demonstrates it’s time internet giants such as Google take responsibility for republished content, writes Richard Ackland.
Summer reading: earworm’s top 10 songs of 2011
What were the best songs that wormed their way into earworm’s ears this year? Neil Walker picks ten of the best.
War Horse movie review — Spielberg’s semi-inspirational equine
Steven Spielberg’s lastest glossily produced middle of the road fare is essentially a collection of seven or eight handsomely shot World War I short films stuck together with a bit of salt lick, writes Luke Buckmaster.
PHOTO GALLERY 
The Crying Game — North Korean style
They wept and wept and wept: those who attended Kim Jong-il’s funeral were careful not to be out-wailed by their companions. Daily Mail has compiled striking photographs from the tightly stage managed event and the disparate reactions from across the border.
From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Facebook
Occupy movement computer geeks are turning their attention away from the street and onto the creation of a new social media platform designed to encourage and facillitate protests, writes Sean Captain.
Adventures in Vaughanuatu
A superhouse surrounded by beautiful gardens, views of a vast green valley, three sleeping dogs, a pig called Jeffrey and…a hangover. Michael Vaughn recounts his holiday in Vaughanuatu.
Branson: the war on drugs must end, and Portugal proves why
In 2001 Portugal became the first European country to abolish criminal penalties for drugs. The results — including significant reduction of drug use and crime — demonstrates why the war on drugs needs to end, says Richard Branson.
Australia’s climate change ‘debate’ a fact-free brawl c/o Murdoch media
Gutter press, shock tactics, spin and misinformation characterize the ‘debate’ about climate change in many of Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers including its flagship, The Australian, writes Stephan Lewandowsky.
aviation industry Jetstar Japan and Air Australia in financial trouble
Jetstar Japan couldn’t fail if it tried, could it? And Air Australia is right as roses, right? Well, no. Both need more money, writes Ben Sandilands.
Summer reading: Hugo — Scorsese’s cinematic love letter trips the light fantastic
70-year-old film industry veteran Martin Scorsese turns his hand to family entertainment in Hugo, an inspiring and beautiful love letter to the power and reach of cinema, writes Luke Buckmaster.
10 excellent economics blogs
Economics obsessors alert! Constantine von Hoffman of Inc.com has sifted through the dozens of business blogs to whittle down a list of ten of the very best.
Who says porn stars can’t be smart?
They work in an industry not exactly celebrated for intellectual achievements. Nevertheless it is incorrect, according to Ranker, to assume porn stars (they list 13 of the smartest) can’t be entrepreneurs or Oxford debaters.
The most complained about TV ads of 2011
What were the TV ads of 2011 that drew the most ire from the general public? Mumbrella lists the biggest offenders, ranging from a condom ad to a lewd commercial for The Tool Shop.
How Twitter has changed indie filmmaking
Drawing a correlation between Twitter and the revolution of indie cinema may seem like a long bow, but low budget filmmaker Edward Burns is convinced that social media has led to a revitalised film movement, writes Christina Warren.
How Ron Paul will change the GOP forever
Ferociously eloquent small L liberal Ron Paul is often painted as an extreme ideologue. He won’t become president, and he won’t win the GOP nomination, but he will expose profound divisions within the party, writes Peter Beinart.
Pilot skills and safety regulation the big aviation issues for 2012
Whatever else happens to the business of airlines in 2012, the big issues than can be seen in advance are pilot training and safety regulation, writes Ben Sandilands.
A deaf ear to China’s dangerous dip
Chinese shares are plumbing their lowest levels since March 2009, as investors fret that the country’s central bank is failing to act aggressively enough to boost faltering economic activity.
Shame — a film about the degeneracy of high-end capitalist life
Shame is a disturbing, much admired Steve McQueen film that has been misleadingly reviewed but deserves our serious attention, writes Richard A. Falk.
In review: LG Smart TV Upgrader
The LG Smart TV Upgrader is supposed to deliver the functionality of the LG Smart TV to those with older televisions. But buyer beware: it’s a shoddy product, writes Dan Barrett.
Rocky Road: the challenges of returning to your hometown
There are certain situations in life that force you to take stock. Sitting at your parents dining room table, alone, on a Friday night at age 30, is one such situation, writes Anna Daniels.
