Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

This well researched book is meant to help labour activists rediscover history, not, Mason says, “to piously learn lessons” but to see where activism leads, what reactions various patterns of revolt bring. He notes that when work becomes humane, fair and representative, the red fire tends to be quashed. If only more would listen.

It seems our ex Prime Miniature is now a cult hero amongst born again Aryans. Readers of Webdiary may be interested to see some of the interchange. ADDED: It should be noted that there is no evidence that ex-Prime Minister Howard actually said any of these things attributed to him, and some are clearly extracted from other sources.

Australians have a fear of Indonesia that is only equalled by Indonesian’s fear about Australia. The major difference is that Indonesians know far more about Australian politics than Australians know about Indonesia.

“India has been planning its nuclear program even before independence period of the 1950’s, after some Indian graduates from Berkeley ordered critical parts to build a cyclotron before they could return home ” said Sreedhar Ramamurthi. And he should know. He was employed as a Scientific Officer with India’s Department of Atomic Energy.

The real killers of people all over the world are small arms, rudimentary explosives, and the ubiquitous Kalashnikov, known as the AK47. However, what many people in the West do not understand is that the symbolism of an AK to a beleaguered people is like that of a crucifix to underground Christians.

The tin roof is rusty and festooned with debris. The colonnades are cracked, and the rendering fallen in places to reveal the low fired red brick beneath. But it is still as elegant a building as you can find. One of Vientiane’s hidden gems. And due for demolition.

As the Sydney APEC meeting draws closer and and the city closed to its citizens, it is becoming alarmingly clear that Australians are giving away the rights that they have fought for and subsequently taken for granted. So when I received this from my friends in the exiled Burmese trade union movement, I was taken aback. It reminded me that we are not much different from all those in the world who awake and find their lives monitored, their phones tapped, their movements and travel restricted.

Several months ago I wrote about a 17th Century That threatened by the construction of the new Australian Embassy in Vientiane. Here's an update.

In the old days, this type of nationalist and corporatist state with lashings of social control was called fascism. Now it's called security.

The fight to save Lao's environment is being quietly lost and the disappearance of a significant local environmental advocate may have just drawn the line in the forest.

I will now go and ‘download’ a glass of wine and be a ‘key stakeholder’ in watching a fabulous Mekong sunset.

"Heavy sighs and teeth sucking have become commonplace in Washington and UN circles as diplomats and hard heads consider what to do about North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Burma, whose secretive and murderous government recently literally headed for the hills, seems to have escaped the hard laser beam of disapproval, despite its own leading role, and nuclear objectives.": Melody Kemp

"This might be become a reality if ElefantAsia Laos launch a elephant time sharing arrangement. Before you raise your hands in horror and contact your local PETA branch, consider this. Stress and overwork are not just affecting your average downsized worker. Shrinking elephant populations afford little time to rest and recreate, or to be more precise, procreate. Too many elephants are suffering headaches and ‘not tonight-ism’.": Melody Kemp

"What is it about a bit of cloth that has archbishops, senators and prime ministers getting their knickers in a twist?": Melody Kemp

"It's probably older than European settlement in Australia, but a new Australian settlement next door threatens to destroy it. One of Vientiane's oldest relics, an ancient That (stupa) which reputedly contains the remains of a wayward prince, is being threatened by earthworks on the site for the new Australian embassy in Lao.": Melody Kemp

"On Saturday I had sat with my friend Bounthanh and we watched Thai TV, all the reporters in the mandatory acid yellow that indicates deep and abiding love for the Thai king. It must be particularly unnerving for the old boys and girls of the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic whose one party police state is run with an iron fist and an eye to the borders. The police presence in Vientiane yesterday was probably more closely linked to the Politburo having a feeling in their collective water about what was to come over the river and wanted to show the Lao people that a similar party was not theirs to have.": Melody Kemp

"The Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, Minister is currently stirring the regional political pot with his repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine. TV news readers allude to the temple as housing the spirits of war criminals. Most Australians probably are wondering what all the fuss is about. After all John Howard is a shrine junkie, visiting any war shrine he can be photographed at.": Melody Kemp

"Some days ago I received a photo of a young Israeli loading a DU shell into a tank, somewhere near the Lebanese border. To be exact it was a M829A3 120 mm APFSDS-T (High Explosive Anti Tank Multipurpose Shell with Tracer). While it looked as if it had been modified in Israel, it is one listed by ATK, with 10kg of DU as the warhead. ATK used to be known as Honeywell. The shells are fired from tanks, for instance the American supplied Abrams M1, usually against other armour plated vehicles. But interestingly neither Hamas nor Hezbollah have tanks ... the shells are being used to blast buildings like those in Qana - of which Beiruti artist and musician Mazen Kerbaj sighed: 'Qana was where Jesus turned water into wine. Now they are turning children into ash.'": Melody Kemp

"In the years of the American war in Indochina, the tiny landlocked country of Laos became the most heavily bombed country on earth. Some 30 million tonnes of bombs rained down on the population of Lao in a deluge of death and destruction. And still, each year at least 400 Laos are killed by Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). Not mines, as in Cambodia, but unexploded bombs, missiles, and bombies - brightly coloured anti personnel cluster bombs particularly attractive to children. It is fitting in a time of media dominance of events like war, and our increasingly short term memory for horror, to remind ourselves that long after CNN packs its cameras, BBC reporters take off their flak jackets, and the ABC has filed the footage, the aftermath of war goes on. And on. And on." Melody Kemp