Blame it on the vuzuvela, but we haven't blown it yet
There's no-one having less fun than us so far. You could make the case Australia's 4-0 loss to Germany has been the least interesting moment of this World Cup. But there's more to see at this sporting carnival than our navels, and some of it is truely inspiring. How I longed to be New Zealandish on Tuesday; you could do nothing but smile at their good fortune.
Well-readhead: give and take of celebrity interviews
In The Wizard of Oz, the Wizard is exposed as a fraud when Dorothy discovers him hiding behind a curtain manipulating levers and pulleys. That moment reminds me of making television. What viewers see on the screen is only a fraction of what's really happening behind the scenes. A recent Lateline interview with the former British prime minister Tony Blair was a good demonstration of the compromises involved with celebrity interviewing.
Pragmatic about political convictions
Is Julia Gillard a conviction politician or simply a political pragmatist? While recent media commentary has centred on what motivates Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the Deputy Prime Minister has escaped analysis. Given that Minister Gillard is a heart's beat from the top job and being spruiked as the next leader of the ALP, it's timely to throw the spotlight on the member for Lalor.
Eating meat isn't natural: it's carnism
Eating meat isn't natural, it's carnism. Carnism allows people to eat animals without thinking about what they are doing or why. But just because an ideology is so entrenched and widespread doesn't mean it's natural or true. Meat eaters are all complicit in an ideology which has violence at its core.
Palm Island investigators avoid charges
After years of apparent weakness in its oversight role, Queensland's CMC has finally decided to take on the Queensland Police Force - but only in a limited sense. It's infuriated people on Palm Island. In an unprecedented move, the CMC Chairman, Martin Moynihan QC, has handed the state's Police Commissioner, Bob Atkinson, a sort of ultimatum. On the surface, it sounds strident.
