The thinking in Brussels, I am told, is that it should be possible to meet his demands with a legally binding declaration or summit conclusions from the assembled heads of government, stating that nothing in the Lisbon treaty or the Charter of Fundamental Rights changes the historical settlements on property claims by the descendants of expelled Germans.

ECONOMIST: European politics

Historical changes to the inflation basket give a fascinating insight into changing fashions over the decades.

BBC: Inflation basket: E-books added by ONS

But none of Mr Rudd's changes matches the historical resonance of a statement he plans to make on February 13th: a formal apology to Australia's indigenous people for past injustices under European settlement.

ECONOMIST: An apology but no compensation

Tellingly, the man whom Rupert Murdoch selected to replace Rebekah Brooks as the chief executive of News International in London was Tom Mockridge, a former press adviser to Paul Keating. (As an historical aside, the changes in media ownership rules that enabled Rupert Murdoch to build up his share of the Australian market came into effect under Paul Keating).

BBC: Murdoch in Australia: The fallout

It provided him with a psychological framework for answering the old art-historical puzzle of why art in some cultures stays the same while in others it changes.

ECONOMIST: Look and learn

They offered no cost estimate, don't have funding, and would need voluminous regulatory approvals to make changes to the bridge, which has numerous historical landmark designations.

WSJ: Bridge Traffic On Walkway Stirs Concern

In the case of absent year-over-year sales price changes, there were certain historical pricing data that were incomplete or that First American CoreLogic deemed unreliable.

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