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If you aren't reading Margo's book now, you're missing out. I'm happy to report that this book launch was not sexed up Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Green Valley: Once a Beauty, now a Beast? Mark's selection signalled that Labour insiders thought this election will be decided on personality. I know a female political journalist or two who regard Mark as charismatic. Most women see him as younger and more telegenic than John Howard. His round, baby face has something of the abstraction of a tribal mask. However, does Mark have enough Elvis in him to beat John; enough excitement factor, enough charisma, enough likeability? I first practiced my broken English on impatient Mark at my maiden parliamentary Christmas party back in 1982. At the time Mark used the NSW Parliamentary Library on regular basis as the researcher (biographer) for Gough Whitlam. Only Garry Sturgess would match the level of dedication and hard work displayed by Mark. The way he managed to capture the media imagination with the list of broken promises by Greiner made other people on the opposite side of politics such as the bar regulars of Ken Hooper, Bryce Osmond stature just shake their heads. At the Library, Mark would bounce ideas, with minds great and small. It was a real pleasure listening to his approaches on solving problems in the communities living in the public housing stricken areas of Western Sydney. It would come as a great surprise to many, especially Greig Tillotson and David Clune, who are long time admirers of Gough and Bob Carr, that their heros would employ someone who would actually hit king (sic) anybody. I personally find it very hard to believe the allegation even though I have participated at a number of late night drinking sessions when Peter Anderson and Brian Langton added guitar fire to the already jolly atmosphere by singing revolutionary songs. Somehow I suspect that the Sunday program by Ross Coulhart might actually work in favour of the subject of the unauthorised biography as most Australians prefer the bare fist to the backstabbing knife. I certainly do! · The voters don't mind a Liverpool larrikin: the blowtorch applied to the belly of Mark Latham · Dirty tricks department [Today is only Road to Surfdom's tomorrow Australian prime minister John Howard finally put all the rumours to rest and announced that the next federal election was held yesterday ] · · Domestic Bliss: 7 Questions to a Better Social-Policy ((Rock the Cold River Rock the Vote)) · · · See Also TraCCC: Transnational Crime & Corruption Center: corruption in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe · · · · See Also U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Civil Rights Act of 1964: 40th Anniversary · · · · · See Also The revolutions of 1989 revisited: In contrast to 1789, the events of 1989 demonstrated that new beginnings are possible without a radical break with the past ((Elsewhere Czechs report how the president is in the position of playing puppeteer to the government, and that is a position a political animal like Klaus must be savoring )) · · · · · · See Also Guantanamo men seek release