2005, an ecumenical commission of Catholics and Anglicans agreed, after decades of bickering,that the Virgin Mary was"the Lord's handmaiden and sinless, but not the source of eternal salvation".
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Backing Bush remained an imperative of the Australian Government in 2005. almost alone in the world, we voted with America to thwart interantional do-gooders and support Israel through thick and thin. But there was one great exception: this was the year of China. The people's republic is our friend but America's trade adversary. China is buying everything we can dig out of the ground. We don't fret much about human rights in China these days. We opened our doors(at last) but not our hearts to fugitive diplomat Chen Yonglin. China is making us rich. -- David Marr - Another year bites the dust
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Each year goes faster than the last. In January the months stretch far into the distance, then suddenly the jacarandas are out - not so good this year - and we're wondering about sending christmas cards again.