· June, 2008

Stories about LANGUAGES from June, 2008

Palestine: She Shoots, She Scores

Muna Nawajaa has scored a victory for social justice. Using a camera given to her by B'Tselem's Shooting Back project, Palestinian Nawajaa recorded the masked beating of members of her family, resulting in an investigation and arrest of suspects by Israeli police. In a post entitled “Cameras as Weapons,” Uriel...

Morocco: Shutting down Al Jazeera?

After a clash between protestors and police in Sidi Ifni lead to injuries and possible deaths, Al Jazeera issued a report at a news conference held by the Moroccan Human Rights Centre that several protestors had been killed. The Moroccan authorities, angered by the report, charged Al Jazeera's Rabat bureau...

Israel: Drinking Tap Water Good For Your Health

“Drink tap water, trust me,” Amir Mizroch of Forecast Highs urges. “The desalination plant in Ashkelon… is one of the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world… But there seems to be a vast disconnect between the contention by experts that desalinated tap water is clean and...

Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis

Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...

Cuba: Waiting in Miami

  26 June 2008

Ninety miles away….in another country points readers to an article about the cultural milieu of Miami's Little Havana, where old men eat Cuban sandwiches and dream of regime change in the island of their birth.

Cuba: The Church and Gay Rights

  26 June 2008

The Cuban government's growing support for gay rights is drawing criticism from the island's Roman Catholic Church. Protest is good, says Uncommon Sense, but the Church has it all wrong on this issue.

Cambodia: Riding the Wave of Change

  26 June 2008

In a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin. Sopheap Chak is another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions. The 23-year-old, originally from Kampong Cham province, is a prominent human rights activist. When she talks about changes she believes in it's as if she's a new hopeful inspirational leader.

Cuba: Above average

  25 June 2008

The Cuban Triangle comments on the astonishing results of a UNESCO education study on third and sixth graders, in which Cuban students did so much better than the rest of Latin America.

Barbados: New laws

  25 June 2008

The Barbados Free Press is cautiously encouraged by news that the government promises final drafts of Integrity, Freedom of Information and Defamation laws by the end of the year.

Azerbaijan: Media Concerns

Writing on AFP's Correspondent blog, the news organization's Caucasus Bureau Chief, Michael Mainville, laments the state of the media in Azerbaijan. The post recognizes the pressures and restrictions in place on local journalists in the oil-rich country and comments on the case of Agil Khalil who has been recognized by...

Caucasus: Religious Practices Update

Social Science in the Caucasus provides an update on its survey of religious practices in the South Caucasus. The blog of the Caucasus Resource Research Centers (CRRC) says that women place more significance on the importance of religion in their lives than men.

Armenia: Eurovision Metal

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on rumors that Armenian-American rock band System of a Down (SOAD) are interested in representing Armenia in next year's Eurovision Song Contest. However, there is also speculation that the band are interested in using the contest to gain exposure to campaign for Genocide recognition. The blog...

Armenia: European Media Demands

Following last week's landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, Unzipped comments on the importance of the judgment for the embattled A1 Plus TV station which was deprived of its broadcasting frequency by the authorities in 2002. The blog says that pressure on the government to allow it...

Ecuador: Constituent Assembly President Steps Down

  25 June 2008

The president of the Ecuadoran Constituent Assembly, Alberto Acosta, recently stepped down. Many local bloggers are wondering the role that President Rafael Correa and his political party had in this resignation. Others wonder about the future of the new Constitution and whether articles will be passed through without much discussion, now that a person considered to be fair is no longer presiding over the debate.

Trinidad & Tobago: Glass Towers

  24 June 2008

A Trinidadian blogger fears that what sets the island apart is being lost among the tall buildings going up in Port of Spain. Why does the glass have to be half empty or half full? asks why do “we deny our people the right to our waterfront? Where is the...

Cuba: Exploring Oil

  24 June 2008

The Cuban Triangle is puzzled by a Florida Congressional delegation's idea that Cuba should be blocked from drilling for oil in its own Gulf waters. He says comments by Senator Mel Martinez, reported in El Nuevo Herald, must sound to Cuban readers, “as if he thinks he is in charge...