http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/russell-emmerson/ Russell was an accountant for 10 years before he realised he was wrong. He moved from Melbourne to Adelaide to join The Advertiser as a cadet in 2006 and has settled into business journalism after stints in state politics, real estate and commercial property. He practices his serious business face in the mirror each morning but admits to being easily distracted by fascinating topics others insist are “nerdesque”. He disagrees. en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +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/they-didnt-get-kony-but-they-did-get-your-money/ 2012 was the year that Invisible Children went pro. You remember the viral campaign, right? Kony 2012? You should, because last year the outfit raised more than $32 million and they’re not too shy about admitting there’s been a bit of a windfall. At June 30, they had $15.5 million in cash sitting around, up from $6 million the previous year, a slightly embarrassing amount they confirmed they didn’t know what to do with. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Russell Emmerson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/they-didnt-get-kony-but-they-did-get-your-money/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/they-didnt-get-kony-but-they-did-get-your-money/#item10364 Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:00:37 +0000 Russell Emmerson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/higgs-boson-the-sexy-stuff-just-began-with-the-big-bang/ The world has changed. Yesterday’s announcement of the discovery of a new boson – in the right place and with the right energy expected for the fabled Higgs boson - is one of the most fundamental experimental results in decades. But, sure as an inflationary expansion follows a Big Bang, most of us won’t give a flying photon after the initial 10-second glance. But we should. And here is why. The existence of the Higgs boson was first postulated in the early 1960s as a fundamental element of the Standard Model. And if society has learned anything from that sensationally-stylised series Mad Men, anything with a connection to the 1960s carries an essence of chic lost to all subsequent decades. (And yes, I’m talking to YOU, 1980s. Really, tenor leads in every rock band? Overkill. The Higgs boson is on its way to being proven and has already notched up a place as an essential part of reality. Live and learn, screechy men in tight pants). In more direct terms, the Higgs boson is not only a fundamental particle, it is also fundamentally cool. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Russell Emmerson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/higgs-boson-the-sexy-stuff-just-began-with-the-big-bang/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/higgs-boson-the-sexy-stuff-just-began-with-the-big-bang/#item8899 Wed, 04 Jul 2012 20:00:26 +0000 Russell Emmerson | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/nasa-makes-a-failed-landing-on-junk-science/ The world’s top space agency had a recent, desperate attempt to tap into popular culture - by having a crack at bad Hollywood science. You really can’t fault NASA for trying. Last year it was told it must drop its dreams of replacing its dead Shuttle fleet and give up on its attempt to recapture the post Cold War frenzy of the world’s first Moon landing. After all, this is the agency that brought the world its first reusable space craft and created the world’s second “permanent” space orbiter, SkyLab - a feat which continued to bring joy to earth-bound enthusiasts as its fiery debris rained down across our land and oceans. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Russell Emmerson) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/nasa-makes-a-failed-landing-on-junk-science/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/nasa-makes-a-failed-landing-on-junk-science/#item4837 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 04:00:27 +0000 Russell Emmerson | Author bios | The Punch