Strewth: pals with paddles

Maybe Turnbull and Trump can grab a kayak and paddle on the Hudson.

Peta Credlin helpfully reminded us yesterday that her old boss Tony Abbott made an impression on Barack Obama before the pair’s first Washington meeting by taking part in an early morning workout with wounded Marines. So, Credlin notes with an exquisitely arched eyebrow, Malcolm Turnbull had better find a way to “build rapport” with Donald Trump when the pair meet on Thursday.

At Strewth, we’re happy to help. Trump loves golf, but we’re not sure if Thursday’s powwow aboard USS Intrepid at Pier 86 in New York will leave enough time to play a few holes. Malcolm’s in luck though. A few blocks away on Pier 96, he and Donald can grab a kayak and take a paddle on the Hudson River. You may remember Turnbull kayaking with John Key on Sydney Harbour last year, and what better way to strengthen bilateral relations? A trip down the Thames with Theresa May, a splash on the Spree with Angela Merkel. Plus it looks great on Instagram.

Malcolm Turnbull and John Key on Sydney Harbour.

Kardashians flick Koi

While in New York, Turnbull may want to swing by the Trump Soho hotel and try their up-market sushi joint, Koi. It’s closing soon, blaming anti-Trump sentiment for the marked downturn in patronage since the presidential election. One former waiter told food blog Grub Street that staff knew things were bad when “the Kardashians stopped coming.” Yikes.

Blog needs a new dog

Back in Point Piper, things have been eerily quiet on Turnbull’s Dog Blog — a section on his website previously devoted to the musings of Maltese/Sydney silky crosses Mellie and JoJo. Mellie died in 2011 and was the subject of a beautiful eulogy by Turnbull at the time. The next entry was headed “JoJo returns to blogging”, but inquiries by Strewth have confirmed JoJo has been in doggie heaven for some time. The dog blog mysteriously remains open — perhaps the Turnbulls need a new furry friend.

Paucity of press

Sadly these are tough times in the media industry, and now even the pollies are feeling the pinch. Last month, Labor’s Brendan O’Connor was forced to front a press conference with no journalists (it turned out his media alert had just gotten waylaid in the internet ether). Yesterday South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis held a doorstop where one television reporter was firing off the questions by phone from Canberra. Kouts responded by repeatedly asking the reporter if she was still in her pyjamas or out of bed yet. We’re all being told to do more with less, Treasurer. Still in SA, things are a wee bit frosty between Christopher Pyne and Cory Bernardi at the moment. On Sky yesterday, Bernardi took the opportunity to rather unkindly accuse Pyne of not knowing if he was Arthur or Martha. “He just jumps on whatever bandwagon is going past,” Bernardi said, charging Pyne with flip-flopping on a range of issues. Makes things a bit awks on the Sunday night Canberra flight from Adelaide.

No appetite for strike

Student protests just ain’t what they used to be. Yale grad students pushing for better union benefits have camped outside the university president’s home and announced they will go on a hunger strike until the administration meets them. There are now reports it’s a “symbolic” hunger strike — if one of the protesters gets hungry or sick, someone else can come and switch places with them. Yale Republicans have shown their solidarity by holding a sausage sizzle near the protest.

Turkey’s TV turnoff

More alarming developments in Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Fresh from the referendum victory which enhanced his powers, the president has now blocked all access to Wikipedia and banned television dating shows on the basis they do not fit in with Turkish traditions and customs. If Australia followed suit, it would be a grave day indeed for SBS, where wacky foreign dating shows (usually involving a bit of nudity) appear to be a station staple.

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