from the the Sydney Morning Herald …..

‘Families will be the focus of tomorrow's federal budget, which will also increase defence spending and deliver tax benefits skewed towards those on middle and low incomes.

Mr Costello confirmed the separate child-care rebate which repays couples 30 per cent of child care costs after the benefit has been received will be paid back more quickly.

from Alan Ramsay …..

from the New York Times …..

For Queen and First Lady, Bush Will Try White Tie

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jim Rutenberg

Published: May 5, 2007

from the BBC …..

Climate change 'can be tackled'

While the Queen waited 15 minutes for her red carpet to be unrolled ….

While the New York Times is not mentioning her visit to the US state of Virginia ….

I wrote this piece a year ago. Gerard's land-clearing made the papers yesterday..

Sometimes clearing local land dwellers out for business purposes is quite successful. The British managed to evict many Highland Scots from potential sheep pastures by religious trickery. The children of some of those evicted ended up poisoning the flour in Aboriginal workers' rations to clear Australian land for similar purposes. I've got a strong feeling that something similar almost happened to my family.

pentagon told it must give up oil …..

May 2, 2007

‘Canadian-owned Barrick Gold, the world's largest gold producer, is exploring, building and operating huge, open-pit gold mines on nearly every continent on the planet.

‘President George W. Bush vetoed legislation on Tuesday that would have required him to begin withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq this year, setting up a new showdown with Democratic leaders over funding the war, the White House said.

The long phase of the game seems to have started already. Yabber, yabber, yabber and a load of debate scoring bullsh*t. Christ I am so over it.. watching stuff just keep on rolling out and all sides just point-scoring without giving a tinkers's toss about the ethics of a situation. The trouble is that if I'm "into" politics and I'm feeling like this, how does the generally apolitical bloke or blokette feel?

from the ABC’s Lateline …..

from the New York Times …..

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: April 30, 2007

Quiet Bush Aide Seeks Iraq Czar, Creating a Stir

‘Whether we leave or stay, the fighting will go on until one faction or another attains dominance. That means there will be no democracy in Iraq. And President Bush is wrong when he claims that all people desire freedom. They first desire survival and security.