December violence used as stick to beat government critics who complained about it. By Dina Tokbaeva The United States government and international rights groups have expressed concern about a crackdown on opposition activists and journalists in Kazakstan followiDecember’s bloodshed in the western town of Janaozen. Fourteen demonstrators were killed and more than 100 injured in […]
Piracy “Business” is Booming – for pirates, navies and merchenaries
From the SMCM (Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor): (and with a view on news with an impact on Somalia) The continuing plight of the sailors Efforts must be stepped up to free them (DailyStar) The state of uncertainty over the fate of the crew of MV Jahan Moni continues. There is little sign of […]
We Are The World, Part II
reprint from www.backupamerica.org As the mainstream media and Hollywood musicians gear up for another fundraiser for the relief efforts in Haiti with the release now of a recycled "We Are The World" video that was featured during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, there are some that have been heavily involved in questioning once again […]
SuperBowl Sunday Then and Now: The Saints Go Marching In
As a boomer who remembers the first SuperBowl back in the ’60s and the Steelers/Cowboys/Jets/Colts/Redskins eras, it has been interesting also "politically" to see just how this one game has changed from its inception to last Sunday’s SuperBowl and all the hoopla leading up to it. Especially those commercial breaks, and the half time entertainment. What started out […]
Insurgents Taking Charge in Kunduz Region of Afghanistan
The vehicle is marked Kunduz provincial police headquarters, but the occupants are not necessarily servants of the state. The Taleban in Kunduz recently captured eight police Ford Ranger pickups in Chahr Dara district, and they use them to move around. It is not hard to tell the difference, however. When the Taleban are behind the […]
Conference Faces Journalism’s Revolution
Almost 2400 educators and practitioners of journalism and mass communication in the US came to Boston on August 5th to a conference with uncharacteristic urgency. According to some long time attenders, the 97 year old Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is about as unchanging as a denominational church convention, but this […]