Monthly Archives: January 2015

Vox pop journalism as a system of domination: Syriza edition

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Nicholas Gruen

[The BBC, in its wisdom removed the video I first linked to. I found another that works, and it’s linked to above. However in searching for it, I came upon the BBC’s version which is on this link and which … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Philosophy, Political theory, Politics - international | 11 Comments

Crikey Subscription

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Nicholas Gruen

Yes folks it’s on again. The Annual Crikey Group Subscription. It’s from this modest beginning that we funded Troppo’s now world renowned garage of vehicles from the famed “Dave Sorenson” Mercedes Benz Sports which seems to spend more time at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargains | Comments Off on Crikey Subscription

Domestic Violence

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Chris Lloyd

Domestic violence is constantly in the news these days which can lead to the impression that the problem is increasing. To the extent that scrutiny and public discussion shines light in dark places, we might have expected the real underlying … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Gender, Politics - national, Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Ratings on Airbnb

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Nicholas Gruen

As readers will know, I’ve been a fan of the way in which the internet generates reputational information which greatly improves the efficiency of markets. Still it’s surprising how tricky these things are, something I’ve been pondering while using Airbnb for quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Innovation, IT and Internet | 4 Comments

Contraception and the ‘underclass’ debate: from Keith Joseph to Gary Johns

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Don Arthur

When The Australian published Gary Johns’ opinion piece ‘No contraception, no dole‘ nobody should have been surprised by what happened next. On 7’s Sunrise program commentators described Johns’ proposal as "off the planet" and "outrageous and backwards" while One Nation … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Two films to see, one to miss

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Nicholas Gruen

On any trip one takes in a bunch of movies, at least on the plane. I’ve seen two that I heartily recommend. Belle dramatises (meladramatises?) the true story of a girl who was the product of a British military seaman in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Films and TV | 19 Comments

Being me

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Nicholas Gruen

I meant to put this up earlier, but it’s sat in ‘drafts’ for a month or more. Now it can be a new year’s present to yourself. If you missed it last year, make this Four Corners doco on transgender kids … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Being me