Know Prose has an excellent piece on the Negroponte $100 hype – sorry laptop.

"I suppose one could say that I’m not sold on the idea. It takes more than flashy marketing to impress me… and that’s all I’ve been seeing. All the supporters haven’t been able to answer the harder questions. I’d like to see every kid in the world with a computer – but I’d also like them to use a computer that anyone else has, every bit as powerful and customizable… and to do that, policies and so forth need to change. Cheaper laptops won’t circumvent those problems. We should know that by now"

The 3rd World View points out that outside of Iraq, Bangladesh is one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist.

Over the past few years, the government has been particularly critical of both domestic and foreign reporting about signs of Islamic extremists operating in the country. In reality journalists like Tipu Sultan and Hasan Imam were threatend and attacked physically for writing against lawmakers of both the recent regimes, Awami League and now the ruling BNP-Jamaat qualition. So journalism in Bangladesh is not easy job except those are corrupt.

These things are always relative but I believe most countries in the world are dangerous for journalists.

J’s theatre reports on the " NY African Diaspora Film Festival + Slavery Exhibit"

New York City is one of the major locations in the African Diaspora. In addition to having the largest Black population of any city in the United States (at well over 2 million people, totaling over a quarter of the city’s residents), it also boasts of one of the most diverse African and African-descended populaces as well, with large enclaves of Black natives of North and sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, and South Asia.

Dove’s Eye View has a few words to say about "Torture and the Good American"

I don’t understand how truth, justice and the American way are
furthered by attacking journalists who print things our government
doesn’t like. Would we want our opponents assassinating American
journalists for the same reason? Cuba or Al-Qaeda firebombing Robert
Novak? What kind of values are we promoting?…….
Or is it that Arab journalists aren’t "really" journalists and their
deaths don’t count? This last conclusion is the one that seems
inescapable to me, an Arab-American. Whether it’s torture or targeted
assassination, the message seems to be that Arab lives have no value.

Continuing in the same theme, Sabbah’s Blog reports on  the sanctioning of a reporter who "cried over Arafat".

Why shouldn’t the journalist cry at the condition of Arafat? It was sad. It was heartbreaking.

One
of the problems with 21st century news reporting is the rampant
hypocracy. Journalists are expected to be "impartial" which simply
defies human nature. On the other hand, there are constant impassioned
news reports of conditions throughout the world and we are expected to
react in an equally passionate and emotional way. So which is it?
Impartial or impassioned? It said the BBC responded to complaints about
the journalist’s expressing her feelings. Did it ever occur to them to
tell the complainers to fuck off?

Thanks to Sour Duck for including me in the "3rd Carnival of Feminists" last week.

Keith Boykin has a list of facts about Blacks and AIDS in America – World Aids Day is on 1st December.

Indian Writing reports on the possible end of children being used as camel jockeys in Qatar – instead robots" 

"Okay, so the little children are gone. But wait, isn’t it time to stop racing the camels now? Ugly, cruel practice".

World Changing has an excellent report "Global Warming, Global Health, Global Ethics"

"The nations that have been, and will be, hardest-hit by climate-related health effects are those least able to respond; they’re also the least responsible for the global temperature increases both over the past century and (with the arguable exceptions of India and China) likely over the next. This is not a happy article, or a study full of solutions; it does, however, underscore why global warming is so dangerous — and why the need to respond to environmental risks can’t be disconnected from the need to respond to global poverty."

Byron Crawford reports on a giant statue of Jesus somewhere in middle America – not very interestingly its white!

"Some have even claimed that MC 62ft Jesus watches over the highway"

Cooking Diva has a yummi giant cheese cake on display – well its a wedding cake actually – and lots more delicious.

Tags: Blogs

Snowblog is photo project to teach children how to  work with cameras  as a way to chronicle their lives.  The project is  spread across 4 schools in Palestine and Israel: one
in Gaza, one in Kfar Kasem (Israeli-Arab), one in Petach Tikva
(Jewish-Israeli) and one in Jaffa (Israeli-Arab), all situated in
Israel. 

The Moor Next Door continues discussing the riots in France.

These riots reveal the basic flaws in the "guest worker" system. In addition, the it shows the result of illiberal socio-economic policies on migrant communities and ethnic minorities. The idea of "assimilating" minorities is unacceptable. It creates a feeling of being under attack and identity crisis (as we see today). Instead, France and other European states much lay aside their petty ethno-linguistic pride in the "purity" of their nation-states and integrate minorities.

Negrophile remembers Ken Saro Wiwa by publishing part of Ken Wiwa’s Observer essay "In the name of my father".

Eldan points to "the disturbing similarity" between the homophobic propaganda of today and the anti-Jewish propaganda of 70 years ago.

Opinionated Voice reports on the recent defeat of Tony Blair’s 90 day anti-terrorists bill.

I’ve been thinking more about this throughout the day. We apparently live in a democracy where our designated leader now wants to pass laws to detain us for 90 days without charge. I do not see how such a move can be deemed acceptable

 Peace Palestine has a report that suggests Israel used "white phosphorus" in  populated areas of southern Lebanon.

During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the Israeli shelling of villages in southern Lebanon in July 1993, and subsequent shelling attacks, there have been numerous allegations of Israeli forces using phosphorus against civilians. The available circumstantial evidence of the illegal use of phosphorus, and/or other incendiaries, by Israel against Lebanese civilians during the 1993 events and afterwards is so compelling as to warrant serious investigation and a public response by the Israeli government.

Farid’s blog Algerian Cuisine has some great truly mouth watering recipes – excellent photos accompany all the recipes.

Personal Political  posts the  "2nd Carnival of Feminists"

It seems fitting to begin with a post which tackles a big issue,
namely, what exactly is feminism? Inspired by an entry from the first Carnival by Mind the Gap! in Wales which wondered why a lot of women still insist they are "not a feminist", Cristy, from Two Peas, No Pod in Laos, goes further and asks why so many women preface their remarks with "I’m not a feminist, but…"

KnowProse    -   "Guyanese Women Lured into Prostitution by Trinidad company?"

One of my Guyanese friends held out a newspaper to me today, and said, "Did you hear about these three girls?" Of course, I read his Guyana Chronicle, so I had not. But when I did, I was a bit shocked that something like this had surfaced in the media. Then I realized I was in Guyana, not Trinidad.

Black Diaspora – "I’m Leaving on the next train"

Then again, I think as Paul Robeson did "my people died to build this
country and no fascist-minded people will drive me out from it…."

Benin Dakar – "Doreen Ambrose: a poet you should know" -

"Poetry in the hood is all good"

Planet Greneda -"Links to "Paris is Burning"   

and Opinionated Voice "Islam didnt cause the French riots"

Tags: Blogs