Sunday, July 03, 2005



Today we hold this truth to be self-evident: We are all in this together. Are you ready, are you ready to make poverty history! We're not looking for charity, we're looking for justice. We cannot fix every problem but the ones we can, we must. Annihilating poverty is Live 8’s signature tune Rockin' all over the world: Making history to end poverty - Indeed, this was the night when the world rocked for justice. No Escape as Live 8 Saturates Google: No more excuses, cry concerts

Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Mourn on the Fourth of July
Am I the only U.S. citizen who finds the annual Fourth rituals to be cloying and deceptive? Yeah -- just me and probably tens of millions of other people.

Ever since the Vietnam War, the Fourth of July has seemed to be a celebration of the past in the midst of a distinctly un-glorious present. In 2005, as in 1965, lyrical appreciation of "bombs bursting in air" is chilling in the context of current realities ... The nation is defined as a way of life that externalizes enemies and asserts that its survival—whether economic, social or political—must expand lest the nation contract and die


A July 4th Covenant: After more than two centuries, you'd hope that more journalists would be willing to set aside fawning myths about the founding fathers. If that ever happens, the emergence of candor might even help shed some light on the ruling fathers of today
• Democracy for the Few Protecting the haves from the have-nots [Are We There Yet? 1984: The Two Georges, Orwell And Bush ; Public TV is already sinking, so why not rock the boat?Rocking Mainstream ]
• · A nation's success or failure in achieving democracy is judged in part by how well it responds to those at the bottom and the margins of the social order... The very problems that democratic change brings -- social tension, heightened expectations, political unrest -- are also strengths. Discord is a sign of progress afoot; unease is an indication that a society has let go of what it knows and is working out something better and new Court Fight: It's More Than Left-v-Right ; Was there ever a time when Congressional tax cuts for multi-millionaires were more unseemly? Millionaires and War
• · · The US war in Iraq increasingly mirrors the Vietnam tragedy Waist Deep in the Big Muddy ; The fifties were the height of the Cold War. Cold War thinking shaped the debate on and contours of even such seemingly “domestic” matters as urban and intercity transportation Cold War at a deeper cultural level
• · · · For political observers and operatives, a key benefit of blogwatching is the capacity to spot trends days, weeks, or even months in advance. One theme beginning a slow ascent to the upper echelons of the 'sphere is the invocation of the 'I' word O'Connor Retires From Supreme Court ; via Peter Daou
• · · · · The Australian economy has had an unprecedented period of uninterrupted growth since 1992, surviving disruptions from the Asian crisis of 1997, the stock market collapse of 1999, and the war in Iraq. Who is better at managing the Australian economy: Labor or the Coalition? ; Carr stands firm against Costello's GST threats ; Dreading return time? At least you don't have to factor sex into your equations Tax antics laid bare ; Editorial. 30/06/2005. The Australian Financial Review. The Australian Taxation Office doesn't know when it's onto a good thing. The new tax system took about two years to bed down but in the three years since 2002, federal tax receipts have risen by one-quarter to $203 billion, not counting the swelling goods and services tax revenue. Taxpayers have rights as well
• · · · · · Amid the vitriol there’s a potent message for Labor. If only Shakespeare had lived in the age of emai Method in his madness ; In many ways, Mark Latham was seen as a potential Messiah who would lead the Australian Labor Party out of the political wilderness and to victory in the 2004 Federal election Mark Latham: Labor’s loner ; Beazley handing junkets to mates ; A lesson we should relearn - Stephen Loosley