Headlines Tuesday 20th January 2009

Swan admits China slowdown will hurt, dodges recession question
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan won't say whether the slowing Chinese economy will push Australia into recession or the budget into deficit.
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Rees govt 'stupidity' shattering NSW economy: O'Farrell
A poor report by an economic forecaster should serve as a "wake up call" for NSW Labor to end its infighting and focus on creating jobs and attracting investment, the opposition says.
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Aussie author admits insulting Thai king
An Australian writer has pleaded guilty to insulting Thailand's widely revered royal family in a self-published novel - and may face up to 15 years in jail.
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Gaza truce holding - Israelis to exit
A tenuous ceasefire held in Gaza on Monday as Israeli troops began withdrawing from the enclave after their deadliest offensive on the Palestinian territory.
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Sacrifice to overcome war, crisis: Obama
Barack Obama has called for a new spirit of sacrifice to overcome war and the economic crisis.
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Things will get worse: Rudd 'steely' on economy
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has warned economic conditions will worsen this year while Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says the economy is not 'buggered' as some forecasters have claimed.
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Men survive 25 days floating in icebox
Two Burmese fishermen have miraculously survived 25 days at sea floating in a giant icebox after their boat sank Southeast of Indoneasia.
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Investigators in 'Maddie' case uncover paedophile ring
Private detectives investigating the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann have uncovered an Internet paedophile ring, El Mundo reported in its online edition on Monday.
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Women less able to suppress hunger
Faced with their favourite foods, women are less able than men to suppress their hunger, accoring to new research that may help explain the higher obesity rate for females.
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Qualifications, not background, the key to fat pay packets
It doesn't matter what your background is, the key to earning big bucks at work is having a university degree or apprenticeship under your belt, a new report reveals.
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Nancy Bird Walton: an inspiration to generations
Alan Jones pays tribute to a pioneer for Australian pilots and women everywhere, Nancy Bird Walton, ahead of her state funeral tomorrow.
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86-yr-old mugged, knocked down by women
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(from News.com.au)
Posh nosh raided by SWAT team
DINERS were forced to freeze as SWAT agents carrying machineguns, stormed an upmarket cafe to arrest two men.
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Pay rise ban as crisis 'beggars belief'
KEVIN Rudd has issued an unprecedented call for pay rise claims to be put on hold
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Library shelves packed with incest porn
MAJOR city libraries admit they have been stocking graphic books about incest after staff failed to evaluate them properly.
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Time for reality not just rhetoric from Obama
Piers Akerman
TO paraphrase Winston Churchill, never before in the history of mankind has so much hope been invested in the election of one man as it has been in Barack Obama.
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CHILDREN TAUGHT WELL
Tim Blair
“Amazing,” writes BackSpin. “The Washington Post‘s feature for children, KidsPost, explains the issue of proportionate response more clearly for children than most material online for adults.” Indeed it does:
Palestinians say the large number of dead and wounded shows that Israel is attacking them with too much force. Israel says a big reason so many Palestinians have died is that Hamas puts fighters and military equipment in the middle of areas packed with innocent people. So when Israel targets those fighters, civilians get caught in the fighting.
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BACKMAN OUTMARKED
Tim Blair
Age columnist Michael Backman: “The world’s Muslims have no head ...”

Australian writer Caroline Overington: “Actually, it’s Daniel Pearl who has no head, but go on Mr Backman …”
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SLIM CHANCE
Tim Blair
The Atlantic‘s Michael Hirschorn on the future of old media:
Virtually all the predictions about the death of old media have assumed a comfortingly long time frame for the end of print—the moment when, amid a panoply of flashing lights, press conferences, and elegiac reminiscences, the newspaper presses stop rolling and news goes entirely digital …

But what if the old media dies much more quickly? What if a hurricane comes along and obliterates the dunes entirely?

Specifically, what if The New York Times goes out of business—like, this May?
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MAKES PEOPLE THINK
Tim Blair
A Michael Backman line – “But what must Melbourne have done to Bendigo to make them do such a thing?” – is now routine chat for reader DB:
I’ve already started using this phrase in everyday conversation for no good reason at all.
It works best when spoken sadly. To a parking officer who is booking your car, for example.
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SENSITIVE COMEDIENNE
Tim Blair
Tina Fey doesn’t like it when people make fun of her.