Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"I’ve been on some forums with Muslim “leaders” before. I remember a forum on Channel 9’s Today Show which took place some 20 days after the London bombing. I was on there with Sheik Fehmi, one of the few imams who can speak English. There was also a lady from the Muslim Women’s National Network of Australia (MWNNA) who sadly didn’t get much of a chance to speak. The rest of the crowd were an embarrassment." Irfan Yusuf

"What Lovelock and other climate scientists are saying is that we can’t expect a gradual process of warming. Instead the warming will start off gradually (like it has) and as various thresholds or trigger points are crossed, things will start to go ballistic and it could all happen in a few decades. And that is Lovelock’s dire prediction. That civilisation as we know it won’t last 100 years and much of the planet will become uninhabitable for humans in a relatively short time (like the time it takes you to pay off your mortgage.)" Susie Russell

"Institutions and governments, like people, make bold resolutions at the beginning of every year. But, for the millions who face the crushing burden of poverty, mere proclamations that help is on the way are not enough to create jobs or foster development. This year, the international community must move decisively from pledges to action in the effort to reduce poverty. What will this require?" Rodrigo de Rato,Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

"The US Army kept files on the fact that Parkin handed out peanut butter sandwiches in front of a Halliburton office. The Australian Government arrested and deported Parkin because the US Army had files on him. Does this mean that Parkin was kicked out of Australia for serving sandwiches in Texas? Sadly the answer is most likely 'yes'." Richard Tonkin

"Whilst Hamas has already taken tentative steps to achieve political legitimacy, there will be little point in their continuing that process if Israel refuses to engage them in constructive discussions in pursuit of the peace process and the ultimate achievement of self-determination by the Palestinian people." John Richardson

"It turns out that size really does matter. Or, to be more precise, it’s the size of matter that matters. Scientists are manipulating matter at the nano scale (one billionth of a metre) and finding that common materials assume radically different properties compared to their larger scale counterparts. The new nanotechnology is being heralded as the next industrial revolution that will redefine life as we know it. But who asked for their life to be redefined?" John Hepburn

"A close-circuit video camera in every bank, on every shop front, every shopping mall, every train station, every local government camera, any private business with a camera – from David Jones to the corner shop - centrally linked with live feeds to police command – not science fiction or a left-wing paranoia, but a reality in New South Wales." Dale Mills

"Cleanup efforts in New Orleans have a long way to go. There are ruined cars and trucks stored under freeway overpasses until they can be hauled away, and hundreds more left where the flood stranded them. There are boats literally stacked in the marina. There is an amazing amount of debris out in the open, and more still inside buildings that will have to be razed or at least gutted. And yet for all the mess remaining it is obvious that an impressive amount of work has been done. It must have been an enormous project to clear the streets. In some areas it must have been a challenge even to find the streets, as so few landmarks remain where they are supposed to be." Lorella Hess

"Long-term economic progress comes mainly from the invention and spread of improved technologies. The scientific revolution was made possible by the printing press, the industrial revolution by the steam engine, and India’s escape from famine by increased farm yields – the so-called “Green Revolution.” Today’s era of globalization emerged with the spread of computers and the Internet. Thus, when we seek solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, they, too, are likely to be found, at least in part, in new technologies that can resolve old and seemingly intractable problems." Jeffrey D Sachs

"If Australians think they are an open, multicultural and pluralistic society, they should understand that our multiculturalism is child's play compared to the multiculturalism we witness in this, the world's largest Muslim country." Irfan Yusuf

"The recent transfer to Christmas Island of a group of 43 West Papuan asylum seekers is a giant leap backwards for the Prime Minister." Kaye Bernard

"One immediate issue Democracy Watch is mobilising against is the federal government's attempts to raise the disclosure threshold from $1500 to $10,000. This effectively means an individual, corporation or union could donate $9,999 to every state, territory and federal branch of a major party without the source of any of these donations having to be disclosed. That would total $89,991. This proposal is appalling and it must be stopped." Democracy Watch President, Brad Pederson

"International counter-narcotics policy is currently driven by pressure for rapid and visible results. But eradication and alternative livelihood projects mainly affect the lowest end of the value-added chain, the farmers, with no real impact on those higher up, such as large landowners and local traffickers, not to mention the extremely powerful drug lords and the international cartels and mafias. Most landless farmers find it difficult to switch to different crops, being caught up as they are in the illegal opium-denominated market, which forces them to live at the mercy of the drug traffickers, who provide them with access to credit and market outlets." Emma Bonino

"The fall out from the riots on Sydney’s beaches continues amid accusations that the State government and police have ‘gone soft’ on Australians from Lebanese backgrounds." Dale Mills

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"I've just spent a few days down at Narrung, on the side of Lake Alexandrina near the Murray's Mouth. No telly, no net, no shops, no dogcatchers... just one of the world's most beautiful shorelines. One every few hours the soundscape is disturbed by a mechanical engine, but that's okay because it reminds you that the noise that you spend your city-life blotting out is not part of the nature you're now inhabiting." Richard Tonkin

"While a free society recognises limits to inequality, it also accepts that inequality exists, for it provides hope for many by showing what one might achieve with ability and luck – or perhaps even luck alone. Inequality adds color and variety to societies; it is one of the marks of lively, flexible, and innovative countries. It is thus not bad in itself, even if its excesses must be capped in the name of citizenship for all." Ralf Dahrendorf

"Today I have formally tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister from the position as Defence Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate." Senator Robert Hill

"Australia withdrew from an international tribunal which would have allowed objective assessment of each country’s merits as to where the border should be placed. Critics say the currently agreed border is in violation of international law, but Timorese had little choice but to agree to Australia’s terms. As both parties represent the richest and poorest countries in the region, the bargain is weighted heavily in Australia’s favour." Dale Mills

"One year after the Indian Ocean tsunami, what are the lessons? The biggest one is that it was the type of disaster to which policymakers pay too little attention – one that has a very low or unknown probability of occurring, but that creates enormous losses if it does occur. Great as the death toll, physical and emotional suffering of survivors, and property damage caused by the tsunami were, even greater losses could be inflicted by other disasters of low (but not negligible), or unknown, probability." Richard Posner