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September 2010

Out, damned spot!

Pakistan's tour of England is set to stagger across the line to complete everyone's contractual obligations this week. Though it is, inside a further realm of contractual fantasy, actually England's tour of Pakistan being staged in England.

The tour has been damaged by allegations of spot-fixing in the form of deliberate front-foot no-balls intended to defraud bookmakers engaging in the astonishingly greedy practice of spot-betting. For the first time ever, the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit has laid charges against a number of Pakistani international players.

Youtube do dia: More from Jimi

As we pay tribute this weekend on the 40th anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix, I've embedded a video of probably his most famous live performance, from Woodstock, NY in 1969, his rendition of John Stafford Smith's 1778 composition "To Anacreon In Heaven".

You may know it better as that song about Bombs Bursting In Air. I blogged more about its history on the occasion of May Day 2006, but for now, take it away Jimi:

Yes, ministers

It was all so much simpler back in the days when I did my school assignment on the Gorton Ministry. The most complex part then was having separate ministers for Army, Navy and Air Force. Even the Minister for Munitions was long gone by then.

All matters relating to communications were handled by the Postmaster-General. We had (and indeed, still do) an Attorney-General, although never a Surgeon-General - and alas, no Witchfinder-General.

People:: 

Building Bridges, with Warren Truss

Welcome to the premiere of Sky News Australia's kinder, gentler, interactive political talk show and weekly engineering tutorial all wrapped in one, "Building Bridges with Warren Truss".

This week's special guests:

Tony Abbott.

"we will hold them ferociously to account because that is what the Australian people will expect of us." *

Barnaby Joyce.