Latest Opinons on The Punch
Overnight, the Federal Government issued a review of existing research into whether people who play violent computer games are at greater risk of aggression. Their conclusion? The same as mine. There is no link.
I’m not violent at all. Though I guess I am a murderer.
I’ve ruthlessly ended roughly 500 lives this week. Tall. Short. Loud. Quiet. Hairy. Fast. Slow. I’ve knocked ’em all off. It was mostly in self defence. A few were just for kicks, though. But seriously - you should have seen them. They were asking for it.
Continue reading "Killer by night, mild-mannered toiler by day" »
In the increasingly likely scenario that Australia fails to secure the necessary votes to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup, soccer in this country will be booted back to sport’s second tier with the thundering force of a John Aloisi penalty.
That’s no doomsday scenario. It’s reality as cold as the snow currently blanketing Zurich, where the bid announcement takes place at 2am eastern standard time tomorrow morning.
In many simple, reassuring ways, it’ll be business as usual for soccer if our bid fails. The half million registered soccer players will still rock up at training. The A-League will probably still exist. And Australians will still go mad for the FIFA World Cup every four years, and to a lesser extent the Asian Cup and other Socceroos matches of consequence. But soccer won’t come close to displacing the oval ball codes in terms of mass popularity for a generation or more. If ever.
Latest 2 of 55 comments
-
Razor says:
What do you mean “booted back to the second tier”. It never left, thank goodness. Read more »
-
Kika says:
Fact is that it would be unprofitable for them. End of story. Not only does 1% of the population here like soccer (though 99% jump on the bandwagon for the world cup and then complain that we don’t make it through the first round - like we are entitled to… Read more »
Ban the bomb, no new mines, the three mines policy, additional mines, street marches, fear of nuclear terrorism and the existence of rogue states with nuclear power or weaponry have all been elements in the debate about uranium mining, processing or nuclear power for a long time.
Perhaps its time to get past emotion fear and inconsistency and concentrate on rational debate in a coherent manner.
We are a blessed continent with more than adequate supplies of coal, gas and oil. We are major exporters to the rest of the world in each of these commodities. As I write new sources of energy like coal seam gas, costing tens of billions of dollars have become mainstream in Australia.
Continue reading "Clinging to old nuclear fears stifles the power debate" »
Latest 2 of 72 comments
-
persephone says:
No, Tim. Look, thinking works like this: 1. First you identify a problem - in this case, climate change. 2. Then you think of solutions. 3. Then you evaluate whether or not the solutions will fix the problem without creating even bigger problems. So to work through this process for… Read more »
-
Jim says:
The Pu-238 isotope used in reactors is only about 88 years. It becomes Americium then with a half life of about 400 years, emitting gamma rays which are the easiest to contain. Pu-239 is 24,000 years and is what weapons are made of. That aside, new reactors these days use… Read more »
U2’s 360 degrees tour has touched down in Australia and is in full swing. Much like the main feature of the tour, stories have been coming from every direction on how extravagant the concert is. How the big scale, big vision, and big cost have lead to the biggest concert event ever.
You have to admit, the numbers are pretty impressive.
U2’s two year world tour has run up an $850,000 dollars daily running cost, and last year took $123 million as the highest grossing tour of 2009. ‘The claw’ stage that dominates the band as they play towers at an impressive height of 164 feet. It is so large that it took six 747 jets to get it to Australia.
Continue reading "U2 isn’t exactly practicing what it preaches" »
Latest 2 of 62 comments
-
majid says:
The ego grows only bigger but never goes smaller… Next year, U2 will use the A380 to get to Australia… By the way, it’s a long time ago that I stopped believing in the sincerity of these pseudo/good/cause preachers, who at the end of day are only about making money,… Read more »
-
Condoseres says:
The global scale issues such as HIV and poverty that Bono champions (and for some reason he gets criticised for this) are worth making a loud nosie over. Furthermore, such is the scale of these issues, that if U2 donated every cent raised from the 360 world tour they would… Read more »
The latest Wikileaks disaster for the U.S. government may centre on the actions of its diplomats rather than its soldiers, but Cablegate and the Afghan and Iraq War Diary data dumps are all crises of information control and management.
In a press briefing on Monday U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary P. J. Crowley was quizzed about the government’s policies and practices of storing information.
There is, as Crowley said, tension between “the need to protect or the need to know” when it comes to information – and this is true in all spheres, not just government bureaucracies.
Continue reading "The Wiki leaks are not the end of all secrets" »
Latest 2 of 12 comments
-
Jack says:
Uhm, it’s the headline story on huffpo. Read more »
-
Traxster says:
Damn !,I thought that they were gonna dish the dirt on Berlosconi the Italian PM, was I disappointed or was I disappointed ? Read more »
So Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal have stripped off for the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Surprised?
It’s becoming a trend in Hollywood to gain attention through everything but their actual profession -acting.
It doesn’t shock me though that these two got partially naked to promote their new film, Love & Other Drugs. Hathaway, 27, plays liberal artist Maggie Murdock in the movie, opposite Gyllenhaal’s commitment-phobic Viagra salesman Jamie Randall.
Continue reading "Lacking a bit of attention? Get your gear off" »
Latest 2 of 25 comments
-
John Smythe says:
@fairsx2 Nice comment! Reading it made me think of that earlier commentary on the suit advertising with the guy lifting up the woman’s skirt with a disinterested look on his face. Were some pretty funny comments about it too. Read more »
-
Davida says:
So you enjoy unwrapping vast amounts of cloth…...is it a Mummy Complex? Read more »
Monica Seles was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia today in 1973.
It’s Thursday at The Punch. What’s on your mind? Share it here.
Latest 2 of 40 comments
-
Jim says:
I’ll pack an egg and lettuce sandwich each for them Read more »
-
fairsfair says:
Thanks Nicole Maybe it is Rosso? That guy does a mean Rusty impression Crack up. You should head down there with a blank cheque and see if Greg Inglis takes it… Read more »
As the whiskers of tens of thousands of Aussie blokes wash down the drains of homes today, thousands of nubile young women are rejoicing.
It is the end of “Movember”, the month formerly known as November which raises money for prostate cancer research and initiatives to combat male depression.
While the charity is one of the most brilliant health campaigns ever enacted, women around Australia are ecstatic we no longer have to give Aussie men some lip about their top lip.
Continue reading "Thank God there’s no such thing as “Mocember”" »
Latest 2 of 73 comments
-
no judgements says:
What about the guys that work in corporations where facial hair is not accepted… are they not allowed to donate to the great cause, and stay clean shaven? Just because you’re able to gro a mo, don’t be so judgemental of those without.. Read more »
-
magnum would be proud... says:
I love Movember! It is genius. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve, these brave blokes wear their cause on their face! Alison, thanks for talking about it (like or not) for it is all in the name of preventing and treating something even more sinister than a daggy… Read more »
Ho! Ho! Ho! Yes, it’s that time of year again, when political correctness rears its ugly head and the majority of us are gifted the opportunity for a little righteous indignation with our eggnog.
Except nobody told new Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. In a bold and somewhat surprising display of common sense for a politician, he has made an effort to bring the spirit of the season back into Australian schools, insisting children “have the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas”.
Praise the Lord indeed.
Continue reading "It’s called Christmas folks, with a capital C" »
Latest 2 of 97 comments
-
NicoleG says:
Excuse me nosthow, but we actually have 13 members now. We’re still waiting for TC to join. Rosie, hahahaha. I like that one Read more »
-
Steely Dan says:
@ Wayne “I could just picture you on Christmas day running around confiscating the kids Christmas gifts and shouting ” Bah Humbug ! “ Why on earth would I intrude on people’s personal lives like that? And I love that (incidentally non-religious) tradition! “Get your left leaning attitudes and political… Read more »
It’s not entirely clear when the political momentum to consider allowing gay marriage in Australia suddenly became so noticeable. The Greens certainly helped pushed it along in Canberra with its Bill to compel MPs to consult their constituents on the topic over the summer break.
But for an issue that really doesn’t have the slightest impact on the vast majority of the population, the tide does seem to be heading in a direction that could leave the two major political parties stuck on a sandbar somewhere wondering how to get off. Maybe its a sign things are travelling better than we thought, what with everyone having time to think about a social issue beyond their hip pockets.
According to a huge poll reported on News.com.au this morning, two thirds of Australians have no problem with gay marriage. Of the 150,000 people who took part nationally, 46 per cent were in favour, 35 per cent were opposed and 19 per cent couldn’t care either way. This is good news for the gay marriage lobby, but there’s a big catch.
Continue reading "The handful of seats dictating the political agenda" »
Latest 2 of 148 comments
-
Steely Dan says:
@ Eddy But don’t you see? If we let gays get married, then it opens the door for people to be forced to marry cats! Whoa. Sorry, I think the bad arguments are rubbing off on me. In all seriousness the ‘harming the institution’ people are nonsensical. A gay marriage… Read more »
-
Steely Dan says:
@ Captain Crunch “It seems to me to be all about a “word”. This “word” is marriage. It is defined as a union between a “man and a woman”.” So we change the definition. Just like we changed the legal definition of ‘voter’ to include women and aborigines. No more… Read more »
- I, for one, welcome our new bogan overlords 169
- Instead of paying them to Tweet, let’s pay them not to 14
- We’re fooling ourselves if we think we’re real foodies 49
- Who’s teaching the ethics teachers getting their ethics? 200
- But seriously, where will the NBN cables go? 197
- Punch on: Open thread 01/12/10 56
- Australian secrets we’d love to see on Wikileaks 71
- Gillard’s long-term bid to overcome a damaged brand 56
- Generation fame: when a real job just isn’t enough 210
- Zapped in the hip pocket by the bright sparks at AGL 113
Ten rounds
All the news that's fit to click
- Julian Assange's mum defends her son [News.com.au]
- Paul Hogan pulled out for World Cup bid [ABC]
- 60, 000 turn up for U2 gig in the round [The Age]
- Obama extends oil rigging ban [The Courier Mail]
- Charities win tax ruling on lobbying [The Australian]
- Swan plans to create a fifth bank [The Age]
- Tax breaks to boost shipping industry [The Australian]
- 4WD occupants nearly become croc food [ABC]
- Air India bosses overweight staff their jobs back [News.com.au]
- Ashes: Aussies drop Johnson [Fox Sports]
Opinion from everywhere
- We're in good shape for second round [Ricky Ponting, The Australian]
- One key player is missing from the World Cup bid [Liz Hannan, National Times]
- Gillard charts course for workplace disaster [Jamie Briggs, The Australian]
- The shambles of Australian water management [Andrew Dragun, The Drum]
- When words aren't enough, language can get ugly [Michael Shmith, National Times]
- Nuclear power era is well overdue [Miranda Devine, The Daily Telegraph]
- Australian complicity in stifling Assange [Greg Barnes, ABC Unleashed]
- Great demos of my life, from Franco to Vietnam [Duncan Campbell, The Guardian]
- Our date with cup destiny [The Daily Telegraph]
- Nine unhealthiest take away foods [Divya Gugnani, The Daily Beast]
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
![David Penberthy](http://web.archive.org./web/20101202022330im_/http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/207836947/penberthy-large_normal.jpg)
RT: @thepunchcomau Ant Sharwood on our World Cup bid - Australian soccer's last stand http://fb.me/N8zNd2FH
![Lucy Kippist](http://web.archive.org./web/20101202022330im_/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/241164520/avatar_34_normal.jpg)
RT @brainpicker: "There is no one to follow, there is nothing to copy." 10 life lessons from Sir Richard Branson http://bit.ly/gGwwrE (via @DanielPink)
![Lucy Kippist](http://web.archive.org./web/20101202022330im_/http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/241164520/avatar_34_normal.jpg)
U2 could be much better at practicing what they preach, says Matt Smith: http://bit.ly/fLzVWL#thepunch
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Push poll
Vote early, vote often
Loading poll...
Most commented
The talk of the town
- The songs remain the same: the best lyrics of all time 513
- Confessions of a young anti-feminist 430
- Generation fame: when a real job just isn't enough 210
- Who's teaching the ethics teachers getting their ethics? 200
- But seriously, where will the NBN cables go? 197
- The NBN still hasn't brought the promised sunshine 196
- I, for one, welcome our new bogan overlords 169
- Land of no hope and vainglory 168
- No power in the boardroom? Try the bedroom instead 150
- The handful of seats dictating the political agenda 148
Gentle jabs to the ribs
Priceless ABC blooper
This comes courtesy of Alison Piotrowski on Twitter. The gold is at 40 second mark when Virginia Trioli… Read more
The story behind the picture
A Keneally masterclass in political body language
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has had enough. According to this morning’s Daily Telegraph: “Ms… Read more
Explore
Most popular topics
- Politics (986)
- Election 2010 (508)
- Society (425)
Blog roll
Our web survival guide
- Fark
- The Daily Beast
- Andrew Bolt
- Joe Hildebrand
- On Line Opinion
- The Huffington Post
- Guido Fawkes
- Larvatus Prodeo
- Ask Bossy
- Crikey
- Drudge Report
- The Daily Show
- Sam de Brito
- Breakfast Politics
- House Rules | The Australian
- Politico
- New Matilda
- The Sartorialist
- Mamamia - Mia Freedman
- Despatch box| The Australian
- Phil Rothfield | Buzzwords
- Tim Blair
- ABC Unleashed
- The Unspun
- Slate
- Arts and Letters Daily
- The Economist
- The Scrivener's Fancy
- Schott's Vocab | New York Times
- The Onion
Latest 2 of 53 comments