http://www.alp.org.au/people/qld/rudd_kevin.php

It's December before an election year. That can mean only one thing. It's time for the ALP to panic about its leader.

Kim Beazley should never have been allowed back into the Leader's seat in 2005. A two-time loser of federal elections (1998 and 2001), a two-time loser of leadership ballots (June 2003 to Simon Crean, December 2003 to Mark Latham). His successes have been akin to Steven Bradbury's gold medal at Salt Lake City 2002.

My lack of updates over the weekend is not a sign of dismay over England's superb performance at the Adelaide Oval - my feelings about England are indeed quite the opposite. I've just been either too busy or too tired.

Australia suddenly looks brittle. Did I mention 2005 revisited?

Midwinter-Midwinter points for Saturday: Paul Collingwood 3 pts; Kevin Pietersen 2 pts; Stuart Clark 1 pt.

Midwinter-Midwinters for Sunday: Matthew Hoggard 3 pts; Ricky Ponting 2 pts; Michael Hussey 1 pt.

The Official Song of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 has been unveiled. Listen to the attached file (in Windows Media format, and yes it is attached now) and do your best karaoke to the lyrics:

Play, in this beautiful game
Where the rules and aim
Remain the same
It's the game of love unity

Play, in this beautiful game
Where the rules and aim
Will never change
It's the game of love unity

We run the place
We set the pace
We lead the chase
Everybody participate and…

I think this Test is going to be a draw already.

Midwinter-Midwinter points for Day One: Paul Collingwood 3 pts, Ian Bell 2 pts, Kevin Pietersen 1 pt.

Please note: the official pronounciation of XSPF is "spif", even though it stands for "XML Shareable Playlist Format". About eighty minutes of poddage from the ABC, BBC, Guardian, CricInfo, Telegraph and Daily Mail.

Looking at the teams that Australia and England have fielded for the First and Second Tests, it is obvious where the real experience lies.

Australia has seven players with one or more books published. England has just two.

The teams, with links to their books as listed on Abebooks.com:

Australia:
Justin Langer
Matthew Hayden

December 1 is World AIDS Day. The ICC, a solid supporter of the UNAIDS program, has issued the following statement:

Cricket world unites for AIDS

Dubai, Nov.30 (ICC press release): The leading teams and players from across the cricket world will unite together this week in support of people living with HIV/AIDS for the fourth consecutive year.

World Aids Day, which is on the 1st December, will be marked with a series of activities on or around the day at major Test and ODI matches, while the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Development Program will also run a number of events aimed at providing education on HIV/AIDS for young people on cricket programmes.

What John Winston Howard has been up to this morning.

It's the retirement announcement Australia has been dreading even more than Thorpey's.

The United Nations is usurping the sovereignty of the United States of America. It is taking over large tracts of US land by means of a sinister device called the "World Heritage Listing".

Last Saturday's edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an interview with Nathan Tabor, who explains all.