The United States' military expenditures today account for about 40 percent of the world total. In 2012, the US spent some $682bn on its military - an amount more than what was spent by the next 13 countries combined.

We all can have a different view about Anzac day, including this date taking too much importance in the Australian psyche... but there are points at which trespass is unwelcome...

From the Sydney Gazette,

Saturday April 27, 1850.

Late last month, a woman stood alone on the forecourt of Canberra's Parliament House, inhaling gulps of cigarette smoke. ''All very nice,'' she said. ''Too late. Tomorrow it'll be wrapping chips.''

She was, in her knowing bitterness, more prescient than she could have guessed.

So far, Bush has been pursuing the brilliant PR strategy of saying absolutely nothing and never appearing in Major National News. It’s worked remarkably well. It’s the only surefire way to avoid gaffes.

Genuine council reform will fail unless the NSW government takes a plan for forced mergers to the next election, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett says.

Po$tcard by Gu$

Every time Alan Kohler opens his trap at the ABC "finance report" it's to bash Labor's economic credentials...

I may be wrong here, but that's the impression he gives... In the process he promotes the loopy lying clowns on the other side of politics... Let me say this here again: capitalism in the hands of conservatives is dangerous. 

A FLEDGLING political party may have scuttled the hopes of Queensland's richest man Clive Palmer of creating an alternative political outfit under the name "United Australia Party".

Truth in politics can take quite some time to emerge. And sometimes it takes a little help from WikiLeaks. On February 27, 1976, opposition leader Gough Whitlam sat down in his Parliament House office with the United States ambassador to Australia, James Hargrove.

Bring it in tight, Tom Waterhouse. Yes, yes, yes, it is me again, and no, I don't have particularly hard feelings because you're suing me for defamation at the moment. Nothing personal, what?

Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like Bill Maher, Muslims are not more violent than people of other religions. Murder rates in most of the Muslim world are very low compared to the United States.