Archive for July, 2003
Wednesday, July 30th, 2003
From Interworld Radio:Starving Malawians are selling their daughters to pay for food, say human rights campaigners in the country. The traditional practice is called kupimbira, and has resurfaced in the past two years during the country's devastating famine. In one example a family parted with their 13-year-old girl in exchange ...
Posted in Income and poverty | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 29th, 2003
Meant to blog this a while back. A group in the UK is developing an online directory of journalists who happen to be refugees or asylum seekers. Interesting development, and I hope it goes well - could be a very useful way for media outlets to source workers from niche ...
Posted in Computing Technology | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 29th, 2003
From Interworld Radio:Europe and the United States' controversial deal on farm subsidies is in jeopardy. The two economies want to extend this so-called peace clause, which effectively allows them to carry on hugely subsidising their producers. But Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and Canada say they've had enough of the ...
Posted in International law and structures | Comments Off on Agricultural subsidies
Monday, July 28th, 2003
I've just seen the sad news that the Galway street entertainer Johnny Massacre died last week. He managed to make himself a true part of the Galway streetscape, regularly attracting crowds to fill the Shop St/High St/Mainguard St junction.
He was proud of being a fulltime street entertainer - who made ...
Posted in Alternative Media, Personal | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 28th, 2003
The Pew Center for the People and the Press has a report out today looking at the religious attitudes of the US population. Seems an atheist would be even less popular as president than a Muslim (52% wouldn't vote for an otherwise qualified Atheist, as opposed to 38% for a ...
Posted in Society and culture | Comments Off on Religion in the USA
Monday, July 28th, 2003
An excerpt from Democracy Now:
Attorneys for the Republican Party are warning TV stations not to air a new commercial by the Democratic National Committee that charges President Bush misled the country in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. The video shows Bush saying, "Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities ...
Posted in Freedom of the press | Comments Off on GOP warn stations on responsibilities
Monday, July 28th, 2003
Greetings and Salutations,
I'm back in the US for about a month now, having enjoyed a relaxing, if all too short, break in Galway (apologies to all those I didn't manage to meet during my visit). A compendium of short items this time:
Posted in Personal, Trivia | Comments Off on Thoughts From the midwest #5 – summer, sun, and the Flirt FM alumni list
Monday, July 28th, 2003
From InterWorld Radio:
The war in Indonesia's Aceh province claimed more lives on Saturday. The government says it killed eight separatist rebels, but observers say actual figures are impossible to verify as journalists are banned from the region. There are no figures available for civilian deaths. The authorities mounted their assault ...
Posted in International Affairs | Comments Off on More from Aceh
Saturday, July 26th, 2003
I recently got an email from a Dutch email address asking for my assistance. The writer, whose name I did not recognise, promised to pay me 15 Euro for each letter I would forward to him, claiming a need for (but presumed lack of) a postal address in Ireland. I ...
Posted in Computing Technology | Comments Off on Unusual emails
Saturday, July 26th, 2003
Via Prometheus' Stubblefield mailing list, I see that Radio World's News Bytes for yesterday reported that John "McCain also intends to look at how many LPFMs should be allowed in light of the Mitre interference study results." Seemingly McCain sees LPFM as providing "a means of providing the public with ...
Posted in Radio | Comments Off on McCain to respond to Mitre study