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Showing posts from April, 2014

Beseeching Rupert Murdoch to keep letting Fox rescue the GOP and other news and views for Wednesday 30 April

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This Is How Fox News “Saved” The GOP?  - From Government Shutdown To The Bundy Debacle, Fox Keeps Damaging The GOP Brand – “If Fox News really “saved” the Republican Party, as Murdoch insists, it’s possible Democrats are so pleased with the results they’ll beseech the media chairman to keep letting Fox rescue the GOP for many years to come.” Window Dressing — China’s Massive Trade Union Isn’t Standing Up for Worker Rights Excerpt from The Battle for Justice in Palestine  - By Glenn Greenwald “Like most of what he writes and says, Ali Abunimah’s new book,  The Battle for Justice in Palestine , is provocative, erudite, impassioned, aggressive, and certain to make even some political allies uncomfortable with their tacitly held beliefs (beginning with the book’s very first sentence: ‘The Palestinians are winning’).” Chinese journalist disappears ahead of June  – “The disappearance of a renowned Chinese journalist ahead of the 25th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Massacre is no c

An opinion about China to frighten Australians

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It is only an opinion so let's hope it's wrong: But then, London's  Financial Times  is no tabloid scare monger. Just another little something to think about when studying all those budget forecasts and projections out into the distant never-never on Tuesday week. Prasenjit Basu is founder of RealEconomics.com, an independent economic research firm. His rather frightening conclusion : In a country that already accounts for half of all capital-intensive production globally, and nearly a fifth of all US imports, the growth of manufacturing will inevitably slow. A thriving service sector could pick up some of the slack. But building more houses and railways is not the way to encourage it. China’s economy is in an unbalanced state. It can stay that way for some time – but the longer it does, the worse the eventual outcome will be. The industrial sector is already plagued by falling prices. To avert a wider deflationary spiral, the country needs to wean itself off t

The Sydney Daily Tele just confuses me further

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From page one of the Sydney  Daily Telegraph  yesterday: From page one of the Sydney  Daily Telegraph  today: Is that clear then? As  I wrote yesterday , d on’t ask me. I can’t explain it. I should have stuck to my promise and just turned over the page when I saw a mention of the forthcoming budget and kept patiently waiting for Tuesday week.

Obama acting like his mother's son in foreign policy?

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The question posed Tuesday morning on page one of the  LA Times  clearly puzzles many as, no doubt,  did his response at a press conference in Manila at the end of his latest Asian tour as he answered with a couple of questions of his own: “Why is it that everybody is so eager to use military force after we’ve just gone through a decade of war at enormous costs? And what is it exactly that these critics think would have been accomplished?” Quite by accident I stumbled recently on an article published in the  Asian Times online  back in January 2010 that perhaps helps explain why Barack Obama is the least belligerent US President at least since Dwight Eisenhower.  She had a dream   is a review of a book by Obama’s mother S Ann Dunham that a  group of economic and cultural anthropologists, who worked with her for more than 30 years, published after her death from cancer. Notes the reviewer Dinesh Sharma: Caught between the Beat generation and the hippies, Dunham was a pro

Should the devil sell Prada? Retail rejection increases aspiring consumers' desire for the brand and other news and views for Tuesday 29 April

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Snobby staff can boost luxury retail sales  – ‘When it comes to luxury brands, the ruder the sales staff the better the sales, according to new research from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. The forthcoming Journal of Consumer Research study [Should the Devil Sell Prada? Retail Rejection Increases Aspiring Consumers' Desire for the Brand] reveals that consumers who get the brush-off at a high-end retailer can become more willing to purchase and wear pricey togs.” A Fundamental Fight  – “When Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or death sentence, on Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses, 25 years ago, the novel became more than literature. Talking to Rushdie and those who stood beside him—Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, E. L. Doctorow, and others—Paul Elie assesses the extraordinary impact of a prophetic, provocative book, which turned its author into a hunted man, divided the cultural elite, and presaged a new era.” Populism is a dangero

Spinning out of control? Budget scene setting confusion

Reading the papers these last few days has left me utterly confused about what to expect in next week's federal budget. The inspired leaks - at least I presume the stories have some foundation with someone pretending to know telling journalists something - seem to be so contradictory. I mean, what are we to make of a budget deficit that will take many years to be rid off with the thought bubble that there will be tax cuts before the surplus is reached? And what's all this about higher taxes on the risk so that the pain is shared by all? Don't ask me. I can't explain it. I'll just turn over the page when I come to a pre-budget piece and wait until Tuesday night.

Denmark wins the world's best restaurant title with Melbourne's Attica high up the list

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Goodness knows how you can judge such a contest but for what it is worth the Danish restaurant Noma has regained its title as   The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant . The judges declared that Noma chef-owner René Redzepi is recognised for his highly original, sometimes visceral version of new Nordic cuisine. Having been on the list for nine years Redzepi won the best restaurant award in 2010, 2011 and 2012 before Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca had its moment of glory last year. The food of the restored champion is described as striving to reflect the Danish landscape and culture with signature dishes such as ‘Blackcurrant Berries and Roses’. Redzepi’s meticulous attention to detail, innovative approach to foraging and experimentation with fermentation – all driven by passion and a relentless curiosity - has once again brought his restaurant to the pinnacle.  Attica in Melbourne takes the title of Best Restaurant in Australasia, sponsored by Acqua Panna, for the second year r

Looting and pillaging for my ticket clippers collection

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I stumbled across this on my Facebook page. A kind soul found it on John Pilger’s  The War you Don’t See  site . Just had to steal if for my t icket clippers selection.

Murdoch columnist Terry McCrann calls Sydney Daily Telegraph "silly and venal"

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This morning's Terry McCrann column in the  Daily Terror: And today's editorial from the same paper: Who said there was no room tfordiverse opinion at News Corp?

The US campaign ads begin and other news and views for Monday 28 April 2014

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Politicians Get Personal With Memorable Early Campaign Ads  - "Ready or not, here come the 2014 campaign ads. As you'd expect, there are lots of attack ads about Democrats who backed Obamacare, and Republicans who are backed by the Koch brothers. But it's not all punch and counterpunch. Some notable biographical ads stand out." How A Public Corruption Scandal Became A Fight Over Free Speech  - "The current conservative Supreme Court majority has a well-earned reputation for protecting the First Amendment right to free speech, whether in the form of campaign spending or protests at military funerals. But in one area — the first amendment rights of public employees — the conservative majority has been far less protective of the right to speak out. Now the court is revisiting the issue, and the result could have far-reaching consequences for public corruption investigations." The rich are dominating campaigns. Here’s why that’s about to get worse. Everybo

Leave him in the sin bin - Abbott should not reinstate Arthur Sinodinos

It's not so much what Arthur Sinodinos told ICAC that he knew. Or even that he proved to have one of the worst memories ever to speak on oath. It is just that the whole business of the New South Wales Liberal Party and its web of influences and fund raising gets worse and worse. Tony Abbott needs to take decisive action to stop the affair smearing himself. Making the temporary ousting of assistant Treasurer Sinodinos permanent is a necessary step in doing that. If he wants to be kind to an old friend then the perfect excuse is to say that the ICAC enquiries are taking too long and that the needs of economic management mean the post must be filled. So, reluctantly, Arthur has agreed to step down. And quickly.

Whose ally is Putin in another ridiculous attack by the Oz on the ABC?

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And just when you thought the attacks by  The Oz  on the ABC could not get more ridiculous, along comes a Sharri Markson item with the added support of a Nicholson cartoon.

The tyranny of experts and other news and views for Sunday 27 April

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Are tyrants good for your health?  - “Easterly argues that when it comes to reducing poverty and advancing development, human rights, freedom, and accountable systems of justice matter far more than plans, programmes, and policies… He also reveals how a century-old unholy alliance of development experts and autocratic leaders has hidden this reality under a heap of optimistic development plans that became costly mistakes in practice. In some cases, development aid has even supported tyrannical regimes that undermined the very development goals the aid was supposed to be for. Easterly’s book is unlikely to be popular with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Bill Clinton, or Tony Blair, all of whom have championed both the cause of poverty reduction and the policy acumen of such autocrats as China’s Deng Xiaoping and Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi.” Wise Controls on E-Cigarettes The battle for Lord’s cricket ground  -”Lord’s got its name simply because the ground was built, 200 years ago

The Sydney Tele and the wife of the boss

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How thoughtful of the  Daily Telegraph  team this morning to recognise the beauty of the boss’s wife. But what happened to Lachlan on the male list? And for a more serious comment on the media have a read of  Back to the future – the return of the partisan press

Back to the future - the return of the partisan press

An interesting interview on the  Quartz  website with University of Chicago economics professor Matthew Gentzkow who recently won the John Bates Clark Medal which the American Economic Association bestows on the American economist under the age of 40 who “who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.” Quartz described Gentzkow's work as "an interesting mix of the history and micro-economics of the media world." For instance, he’s studied the  drivers of political “slant”  in American newspapers. (Short version: Political slant tends to play to the views of readers, not owners.) Along with his frequent collaborator and University of Chicago colleague  Jesse Shapiro , he’s investigated tendencies among consumers  to read only online news sites  that square with their own ideological biases. (Short version: They found no evidence that segregation among consumers of online news was becoming more pronounced.) His research h

A Gordon's with a touch of elderflower and other news and views for Friday 25 April

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Gin Craze Returns to London With Small, Domestic Batches  - “Craft distillers like Sipsmith, Hendrick’s, and Sacred Spirits — produced in a north London living room — are changing all of that, inspiring even mass-market brands like Diageo Plc (DGE)’s Gordon’s gin to tweak their formulas. The domestic production revival brings the drink full circle from the 1700s, when a rash of homemade brews made it the favorite tipple of the city’s poor and earned it the nickname ‘mother’s ruin’.” Europe braces for first EU-wide vote since 2008 crash  – “Europe’s elections are just over a month away. Campaigns have started, but with a whimper. There are few signs, so far, that the European electorate is engaged. For the moment it is a ghost campaign – apart from the struggle for the top jobs in Brussels. Mainstream parties will argue over tax and spending and appeal to their traditional supporters, but in many countries this will be a referendum on the European project.” Climate policy targets r

Juanita Phillips and Greg Combet - the Tele sees a point but I can't

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Last April's gossip this April is the best I can say for this morning's offering by the Sydney  Daily Telegraph.  The story of a retired politician who took his partner on an approved trip when he was a Cabinet minister hardly seems news to me even if the partner was an ABC news reader. Yet the  Tele's  headline suggests there was something untoward about Greg Combet and Juanita Phillips doing what other ministerial couples do regularly. It has taken News Corp attacks on the ABC to a new low point.

Summer Arctic ice coverage well below the average for recent years

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The seasonal Arctic sea ice melt is well and truly underway and the early indications are that 2014 will be another one with summer ice coverage well below the average for recent years. The latest figure from  the National Snow and Ice Data Center  shows the area of ocean with at least 15% sea ice is less (solid purple line) than in what turned out to be the record low year of 2012 (the dotted line). The pattern for the whole of the summer period (from which the graph above is taken) is shown below. Click on graph to increase to a readable size

Free speech, capital in the 21st century and other news and views for Thursday 24 April

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Video: Piketty, Krugman, Stiglitz, and Durlauf on ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’  - “”The French economist Thomas Piketty discussed his new book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century at the Graduate Center. In this landmark work, Piketty argues that the main driver of inequality—the tendency of returns on capital to exceed the rate of economic growth—threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values. He calls for political action and policy intervention. Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, and Steven Durlauf participated in a panel moderated by Branko Milanovic.” The Red Line and the Rat Line  – Seymour M. Hersh on Obama, Erdoğan and the Syrian rebels John Menadue: This is about more than a bottle of wine  – “To mix my metaphors, the bottle of red wine that Barry O’Farrell received is only the tip of an iceberg – a sleezy world of lobbying, influence-peddling and corruption.” Forget Silicon Valley, meet Silicon Bali  – “Before I inte