http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/paul-colgan/ Paul is the editor of news.com.au. He started in journalism writing music reviews for The Drogheda Independent, his local newspaper in Ireland. After training there as reporter and sub-editor and freelancing for Irish music mag Hot Press, Paul joined the Dublin bureau of The Sunday Times as a news reporter in 1999, where he enjoyed a few short weeks of smoking at his desk before it was banned, and over the following years covered transport, health, and legal affairs for the paper. Paul arrived in Sydney in 2003 and joined news.com.au, working as a reporter and later chief of staff before being appointed Deputy Editor, leading coverage of major stories and developing journalism innovations. He was part of the launch team of The Punch, as managing editor between January 2009 and October 2010. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/ There are some top 10 lists that should never be written because they will always start a fight. This is one of them. With reports that The Beatles are about to release their catalogue on iTunes, here is the list of what are incontestably the top 10 songs by the greatest band that ever played together. It’s so definitive it could be carved in stone and hung on Abbey Road. It’s not a list of the songs you should download, just a list of their best songs. And no, Yesterday isn’t on it, being possibly the most depressing song ever written. Nor does it include Let It Be which should be correctly titled Let It Be Over. So, in order of brilliance: 10. All Together Now I’ve kept the left-field choice for number 10. This runs with the credits on Yellow Submarine, the movie, and every song on that film is a potential inclusion on this list. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/#item4490 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:40:35 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-it-time-to-put-the-brakes-on-remote-working/ In another study from the University of Obvious Research Findings, research out today finds people are increasingly working away from the office. And it’s perhaps it’s even more predictable given that the survey was commissioned by Telstra. Surprise! Telecommunications technology is all the rage says a study - from a telecommunications technology company. Although once you get past saying “well, duh” and grab your pinch of salt, some details in the findings might just twitch your eyebrow. It says a quarter of Australian workers are spending five hours working outside of the workplace each week, and 15 per cent are doing it 10 hours a week. These are pretty significant numbers and signal a real shift in the nature of Australian work. The question is whether a society of always-on workers is a Good Thing. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-it-time-to-put-the-brakes-on-remote-working/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/is-it-time-to-put-the-brakes-on-remote-working/#item4262 Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:45:43 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/zen-and-ricky-pontings-art-of-morale-maintenance/ (Update, Thursday): Ricky Ponting is at it again. The Australian captain is master of understating the negatives in a losing performance whilst always finding something good to say about his team. And today, here’s a headline from the Times of India - and OK, it is just a summary headline, but it encapsulates Ponting’s piercing analytical style.  For all his success as a batsman and captain the loss against India has seen the Aussies slide to an unconscionable fifth in the world rankings. Ponting’s leadership was publicly questioned during the game when Shane Warne tweeted: “How the hell can hauritz bowl to this field ?? Feeling for hauritz , terrible !! What are these tactics ? Sorry Ricky but what are you doing”. It’s not often this happens, but Warney was probably speaking for the whole country. There’s more from Ponting here at Fox Sports. To be fair the skipper did say last night that the Australians have “got to be harsh on ourselves”. Though his preceding sentence was: “If I had’ve made 200 in the first innings, the result might have been different.” No kidding. The original column follows below. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/zen-and-ricky-pontings-art-of-morale-maintenance/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/zen-and-ricky-pontings-art-of-morale-maintenance/#item4202 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 03:11:47 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hitting-journos-where-it-really-hurts-a-handy-guide/ Dope, ignoramus, racist, communist, queen-kisser, Nazi, apologist, shill. Dunderhead, knucklebrain, fantasist, doofus, conspirator, idiot, and twit. If you recognise these as terms applied to you before you’ve had breakfast on any given working day, then I hope your blog is going well. The internet has turned insulting journalists into an art form. Now, why waste time on amateur, blunderbuss-style sprays of death threats and comparing a writer to animal genitalia, when you could make a cutting remark every time? In order to help make your sledging as effective as possible, The Punch asked some of Australia’s most widely-read online writers to share the one thing readers say in comments or feedback that makes them want to quit blogging. Their answers may surprise. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hitting-journos-where-it-really-hurts-a-handy-guide/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hitting-journos-where-it-really-hurts-a-handy-guide/#item4172 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:00:52 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-playlist-songs-to-get-back-at-wowsers/ Wowsers sure had some great wins this week. The mid-life crisis now hits people in their mid-30s. The march of over-parenting continues. The Heart Foundation wants us eating margarine instead of butter. Bikini races were cancelled on the Gold Coast (OK perhaps that’s a win for decency, but the reaction to it was way over the top).  And if all that wasn’t enough to make you cry, one of the most authoritative voices in world music, Britain’s NME, released a list of songs that is guaranteed to do so, at least if you’re a bloke. It’s a list of songs that make men cry the most. Top of the list is REM’s Everybody Hurts, which I would guess doesn’t make people cry because it’s sad, but because it’s so utterly rubbish. Enough. At least for Friday afternoon. Punchers make excellent music lists, so with Stevie Wonder above and a bit of Jackie Wilson and others below to kick us off, try make a playlist that sticks one in the eye of wowsers everywhere. The only rule is that the song is a happy one: no heartbreak, tales of woe, or laments for injustice against puppies. Add your suggestions in the comments and we’ll build out the list. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-playlist-songs-to-get-back-at-wowsers/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-playlist-songs-to-get-back-at-wowsers/#item4166 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:24:32 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oh-god-not-you-too/ What’s wrong with this picture? Hint: it’s something on the stage and we’re not talking about the President’s pants. The man who led one of the greatest campaigns in the history of western politics has resorted to this? Oh well, at least at the rally he was jamming on some other themes, such as: “Buck up, Democrats”. You can read about it here, here and here. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oh-god-not-you-too/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oh-god-not-you-too/#item4154 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:29:16 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/parliament-opening-day-in-photos-your-commentary/ After a bruising election campaign and an outbreak of acrimony over forming government and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, MPs and Senators combined yesterday for what looked like a cross between high colonial ceremony and a day of awkward team-building exercises. “Parliament: the day in pictures” isn’t always a theme for the most compelling set of images, which underlines just how hard the political photographers have to work to get something interesting to illustrate the news. But the pictures from yesterday’s opening of the 43rd Parliament merit it. Just take the first shot above of the new member for Bennelong, John Alexander, being sworn in with his mascot the youngest MP ever elected, the new member for Longman, Wyatt Roy. Below are some of the other choice shots from News Ltd photographers Ray Strange, Gary Ramage and Kym Smith from around Parliament House yesterday. They’re numbered for easy reference so you can add your captions and quote suggestions in the comments below. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/parliament-opening-day-in-photos-your-commentary/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/parliament-opening-day-in-photos-your-commentary/#item4135 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:47:11 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/virgin-blip-gives-a-glimpse-of-total-digital-chaos/ It’s a very first-world picture of human misery: a packed airport terminal filled with thousands of delayed travellers. There are frazzled parents at the limits of their patience, looking after bored kids giddy at being on their school holidays but frustrated at having nothing to do. Passengers milling around, trying to nap on a hard floor, anxious that the next announcement on the public address system will be the one that cancels their flight. And all because of a computer problem. colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/virgin-blip-gives-a-glimpse-of-total-digital-chaos/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/virgin-blip-gives-a-glimpse-of-total-digital-chaos/#item4122 Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:20:18 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/burqa-mural-say-no-to-crap-beards/ There are varying viewpoints on Sergio Redegalli’s “Say no to burqas” mural, but only one way to look at his facial hair. It’s unAustralian. There should be a law against this. Could the council make him get rid of it? colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/burqa-mural-say-no-to-crap-beards/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/burqa-mural-say-no-to-crap-beards/#item4111 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:08:33 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/should-this-mural-be-painted-over/ This mural has appeared in the trendy Sydney suburb of Newtown. It was painted by the owner of the property, shop owner Sergio Redegalli who also, apparently, has a ban-the-burqa bumper sticker. Locals have complained and council officials have visited the owner to talk to him about removing but have said in a statement that legally their hands are tied. There’s a pretty simple freedom of speech issue at play here: should it be painted over? colganp@thepunch.com.au (Paul Colgan) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/should-this-mural-be-painted-over/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/should-this-mural-be-painted-over/#item4100 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:54:44 +0000 Paul Colgan | Author bios | The Punch