News
We're in the midst of a tax forum here in Australia. It's the biggest story in the country. Because that is the sort of KNIFE-EDGE EXCITEMENT offered up by the Australian news scene. Which says a lot of nice things about Australian being a reasonably OK place to live, but doesn't make for the most enthralling daily news wrap-up. Especially given that, as Ken Henry put it
"'I could have written the script for this before coming in." Or could have until Barnaby Joyce got in blackface and did an interpretative dance about Family Tax Benefits. That almost definitely didn't happen. On the plus side,
everybody seems to be agreeing for once, which is a refreshing change.
The Nobel Prizes keep on coming (man, it must be a non-stop party up in Sweden this week), with
the Nobel Prize for Physics being split between three astrophysicists, including our very own Brian Schmidt. He is expected to sign a sponsorship contract with Nike within the week.
The Australian dollar is down to $US93.95 cents. Let it be said for the record that I do not approve.
Well, this is cheery.
Hispanics are currently fleeing Alabama, after a court upheld immigration rules that would render contracts with illegal immigrants unenforcable and prevent children from being enrolled in school if they couldn't prove their citizenship. In certain areas of the state, Hispanics are such a vital part of the social and economic fabric that towns are bilingual, so one does wonder whether the newly whitebread economy will be able to cope with the sudden absence of such a large part of its workforce.
Amanda Knox is on her way back to America after having rape and murder charges against a former roommate overturned earlier this week. She has spent four years in pirson in Italy while the justice system fumbled its way through the case, although as some consolation she is expected to earn around $1 million for her first interview. The whole thing has been very lurid and media friendly (and you can find a more complete explanation in the Features section below), but while we're in the mood for high calibre journalism,
the UK's Daily Mail managed to report that Knox had in fact had her appeal rejected, even going so far as to "find" "sources" that were willing to "speak" about the decision. Keep up the "good work".
Arab Watch! In Libya
NTC fighters have overrun Gaddafi's hometown, a tiny, partly tented down. This is not, it must be said, quite as triumphant as the fall of Tripoli. Meanwhile, a two day ceasefire in Sirte, designed to give residents a chance to leave before NTC and Gaddafi forces battle over its empty husk like dogs ripping a hunk of meat to shreds,
has seen thousands upon thousands of people queuing to get the hell out. Food is apparently running short in the city, so who knows? Things could be about to get a little Stalingrad-y. And
the UN continues to mull potential resolutions against Syria, recently downgrading the prospect of anti-regime sanctions to a loose hope that the UN will do what it can to protect the rights of protesters.
Features
Tired of excessively gloomy reading about the state of the Western world's economy? Nope, me neither. It's the new environmental catastrophe porn! Surely Hollywood film studios are working out ways to turn it into a Roland Emmerich extravaganza. Anyway, have some
New York Times analysis. IN YOUR FACE. And an investigation of American malaise, as
Michael Lewis plunges into the dysfunctional borderline tax haven that is California.
Puzzled by all the furore over the freeing of Amanda Knox? This Rolling Stone article sets out the history of the four year long catastrophe in pretty exhaustive detail. A fascinating and utterly strange tale.
Oddities/Curiosities
Points at which you know your video game habits are probably out of control #327:
when you track down the 13 year old boy who killed you in Call of Duty and choke him in front of his mother. Nobody died, but still that is some serious commitment.
Speaking of commitment, artist Roman Opalka spent every day from 1965 through to his death on August 6 this year
painting the numbers from 1 to infinity. He died on the number 5 607 249. Friends remember him as "lightly obsessed". Here is some his earlier work from the "Australian Postcode Series"
Video
And this cat has two faces. What of it? [NB. Definitely legitimate news as it comes directly from AP. I have no hesitations whatsoever about including it in News You Can Use.]