Imf
Bill Kelty made a memorable speech last week. Addressing the ACTU Congress Dinner in Sydney, the legendary ACTU Secretary who helped shape the Accord in the 1980s and 1990s, explained why he became a unionist.
“It was the underdog you always sided with in our family,” he told a hushed audience that included former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.
“The Aboriginal on death row, the Gurindji people, women not getting equal pay. It was Australia of whom you were proud, but not the Australia who sang God Save the Queen.
Continue reading "Deep down we’re all unionists, even the haters" »
The US debt crisis has raised some very serious questions, and the answers floating around range from crazy to impenetrable. So we talked to Scott Pape, The Barefoot Investor, to shed some light on what’s going on.
Q. How the HELL did the US get into this mess?
A. Even though it’s the biggest economy on the planet, and it’s a really complex beast, they got to this point the same way that Tom from Townsville’s credit card got out of control – the US Government consistently spent more than they made.
And now they’re broke – and like Tom, that means they can’t pay for the basics.
Latest 2 of 168 comments
View all comments-
hootlyimpelty says:
vY3d 8sO s5n wXm 8kR j8h6 dEo 9gF u2f 5kZv 63sC k5d1 qIl 4eH j7v nDj 79yQ g2p zCt 4cD b0l nO3lB o2k http://www.stivaliaustralia.info stivali ugg http://www.australiabottespascher.com come here http://www.bootsonlinenederland.com uggs bestellen 2kLg 9uJ p2 pY9q 2xN y3b lPu8 1oV c2a zJx 6nG i7l fZ2d 4zW x0v uIy 9q2O c0… Read more »
-
Joycladdy says:
sDp 7pZ q9j tSo 1cV t4c hCm 0dG j0h nTe 2fI t5o jCc 9xS e0e nGz 1sR h2i sEm 6uM t6r oVw 0iZ l4r http://www.60day-workout.info look at here http://www.kate-spade-outlet.info [url=http://www.kate-spade-outlet.info /#102]kate spade outlet[/url nJw 1gZ a3z iNi 8nH q5c iOe 5yA l6i nNr 9iB i9z nKp 5mY i6m nQb 7rQ… Read more »
Tell-all interviews usually reek of sex. Mostly adulterous, always complicated, sometimes violent and just like an old-school western – with the “goodie” and “baddie” laid out plain for all to see.
Tragedy, celebrity, victory, great wealth or misfortunes get a look in too. Ditto multiple childbirth, homosexual offspring and gender transformation surgery.
They’re trashy, melodramatic, addictive and moving. They can be tragic. But the best tell-alls give us something else as well.
Continue reading "Landmark interviews that changed the game" »
Latest 2 of 46 comments
View all comments-
Glen says:
Oh come on, the classic interview of our times is Katie Couric and Sarah Palin. One extended interview and there was Palin caught cold in her lack of suitability for one of the highest offices in the USA. It’s hard to think of any other interview unsupported by reportage which… Read more »
-
graham says:
Joel b1 asks and I’ll answer. He looked like nothing I’ve ever seen, but in your world, yes, one of your “real” people. And Nafe, you should really copyright your post even if only for its literary value. Where did you learn to write like that? It’s magnificent, and more… Read more »
EUROPE: the IMF asks for EU members to share in a 78 billion euro bailout of Portugal. EU Finance Ministers unanimously agree.
NEW YORK: Head of the IMF offers to have his wife post $1million bail to get him out of Harlem police Cell. Judge refuses.
The most minute details concerning the incident that lead to Dominique Strauss-Kahn missing his flight this weekend will no doubt become common knowledge over the next few weeks.
Continue reading "How you see le scandal rests beaucoup on your politics" »
Latest 2 of 76 comments
View all comments-
Tata says:
Delighted to see that John is so hale and htreay. He produced my first Saturday Night Theatre for Radio 4 back in ’79, and set the bar of professionalism so high that I’ve never forgotten the experience nor the lessons I drew from it. It’s only looking back that I… Read more »
-
james says:
Well, here I was thinking that John was the craziest person on the punch but I think we have a new winner, well done Wolfie! Your parents must be so proud. Read more »
A hotel worker’s allegations of sexual assault by International Monetary Fund chief and possible French presidential candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn are disturbing. But also disturbing is the way the case is being reported in some sections of the media.
Strauss-Kahn has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a woman at his expensive hotel suite in New York. This is a summary of the story from the New York Times:
According to the law enforcement official, the woman entered Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s suite early Saturday afternoon by saying “housekeeping”. She heard no answer and believed that the suite was unoccupied. She left the door open behind her, as is hotel policy.
Continue reading "Not a tale of a charmer and a sexy French maid" »
Latest 2 of 114 comments
View all comments-
L H says:
My figures come from American legal journals and the Australian Bureau of Statistics; “The False Rape Society” is hardly an unbiased academic source. Read more »
-
Adam says:
@ Fiona - Are you suggesting bias and the truth are somehow mutually exclusive? Which would means victims of crime (automatically biased as to what happened to them) are also automatically untruthful. A pretty weak argument by any stretch of the imagination, but one you seem to be trying to… Read more »
YOU’D expect the World Bank to employ some pretty top-notch economists. The body and its 10,000 staff - including a fair smattering of economists - are charged with spending tens of billions of dollars donated by member countries to lift the developing world out of poverty.
And to do that effectively, I suspect, you would need to have a pretty good grasp on what the world economy is actually doing.
In reality, however, the bank doesn’t seem to have a clue. Earlier this week the World Bank ``revised’’ its forecast for global GDP this year from a fall of 1.7 per cent to a fall of 2.9 per cent. With global economy worth roughly $85 trillion, that’s a $1 trillion ``revision’‘. It’s the equivalent of forgetting to include Australia - the world’s 14th biggest economy.
Continue reading "Economists are full of it and the IMF doesn’t have a clue" »
Latest 2 of 7 comments
View all comments-
Paul G says:
Apparently the seeds to the GFC were sown back in mid 2007 in the form of warning signs coming out of the US. However, I came across an article I read in May 2008 on the Australian “runaway economy”. Economists predicted double digit interest rates by the end of 2008,… Read more »
-
ANDIKA says:
Clive, The World Bank, like all the other roosters, wouldn’t know if their ass was on fire let alone be able to provide any reliable economic forecasts. None of them saw the Sub Prime crisis and when the penny did drop, they under estimated its significance. Now if the media… Read more »
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
Found a TV meteorologist on Twitter with the last name Piotrowski. There's a whole newsroom of Piotrowskis out there
RT @businessinsider: Man Being Questioned For Boston Bombing Connection Shot And Killed By FBI by @paulszoldrahttp://t.co/OtypP2PRgI
This is a must read @TheAtlantic. Whether you think you know everything or think you know nothing http://t.co/naoUutCoWF
RT @JoshuaWithers: Have you seen the Australian version of Breaking bad? He get's cancer and Medicare covers his costs and the series ends.
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
Latest 2 of 150 comments
View all commentsAdd your comment