Monday 19^th July 1999

Is Taiwan a part of China? Did Kennedy Junior know the answer?

Then we have a program by Four Corners on the ABC about the goings on in West Papua. Allegations involving the Indonesians and The Red Cross.

Meanwhile, ofcourse, the problems in East Timor continue.

I read the papers everyday. The amount of space devoted to the issues in our region as well as the style of coverage do not bear witness to the importance of that news. Much better to have pages and pages of photos and cliched "reportage" about yet another Kennedy dropping off the twig.

I have heard there are many other people in the USA who have suffered ongoing family tragedies for generations, because of the colour of their skin.

There are people here in Australia who also have generations of pain because of the colour of their skin.

But there is a difference. Reading and pondering about the Kennedy family tragedies is not political. It is theatrical. The powerful "wow" factor can come into play, and we can finally have something to say to those people we maintain equally anonymous connections with in our daily affairs. Makes a change from talking about the weather.

end of rant.

(C)opyright Sylvano Lucchetti.