It will come as no surprise to anyone that Christmas is on its way again. Every shop, it seems, is advertising the fact that there are only so many shopping days until Christmas, almost as hard as they're advertising the presents you can buy.
Well, please spare a thought for Green Left at this time. The summer break is perhaps the only real break that the Green Left team has all year. And not just the people.
The computer equipment that it takes to put out Green Left is modest by the standards of most newspapers. Nevertheless, the work that the equipment has to do is massive.
At times it seems the computers at Green Left are so run down, that they're only held together with string and sealing wax. And then at times, they're not held together by anything at all: they break.
That's why we were delighted a few months ago when some friends in Melbourne, upgrading their equipment, gave us nine (yes, nine!) XTs.
After a windfall like that, do we still need more computers? Yes. Between old equipment breaking down — when old equipment fails, it often fails forever — and writers not only in the Green Left office but also in cities across the country, more are always needed.
Christmas of course is a time for giving. It's a time for presents, a time when some of our readers may receive new, updated models, to replace their old computers.
Green Left can give those old computers a good home. No matter how old or dishevelled, they'll be sympathetically cared for.
This season, please remember Green Left. Any computer equipment you no longer need will find a good home at Green Left. If you can help, please ring the business office on (02) 690 1230. Green Left Weekly — it's your newspaper. n