Archive for April, 2005
Saturday, April 30th, 2005
The Observer has produced a useful and surprisingly accurate summary of the legal advice Blair got before the attack on Iraq. A summary of the summary: you may get away with going to war, but it'll be stretching it, as long as regime change isn't the aim. Ho, hum.
Posted in International Affairs | Comments Off on Blair’s legal advice
Saturday, April 30th, 2005
There is very little to say.
Posted in Society and culture | Comments Off on And they talk about activist judges
Thursday, April 28th, 2005
I've mentioned before some of the minor cultural differences that only become apparent to me as I spend more time here in Urbana. One is the definition of when the seasons begin. Late this February I was surprised to hear people speak of the coming start of Spring. As far ...
Posted in Trivia | Comments Off on Defining the seasons
Thursday, April 28th, 2005
I spent Tuesday evening at my College Honors Banquet and had an interesting conversation with one of the staff at the student-run radio station, WPGU. The station is owned by the Illini Media Company, who also own The Daily Illini, so I was somewhat surprised to learn that the station ...
Posted in Radio | Comments Off on Alt.rock, student radio and listeners
Wednesday, April 27th, 2005
The Nation has just published a leaked memo by Columbia Provost Alan Brinkley from last February in which he proposes various sanctions that should be used against Graduate Employees if they go on strike, as they now have. The sanction would include forcing them to teach an extra semester (without ...
Posted in Education | Comments Off on Columbia university plans blacklisting
Wednesday, April 27th, 2005
Wired currently has a story on the world's first all-podcast station. At first I thought this meant all shows would be available for download, enabling time-shifting by listeners. But no, just like Gore's plans for Current it means that the content will be produced by listeners/viewers but scheduled by professionals. ...
Posted in Radio | Comments Off on “Podcast” radio will not be podcast
Monday, April 25th, 2005
So Kalle Lasn of AdBusters - who are currently running another 'TV Turnoff Week' - has entered sports bars in order to turn off the televisions in them (using the TV-B-Gone). Seems to be taking things a little too far - and giving people another reason to dismiss the activities ...
Posted in Freedom of the press | Comments Off on The ethics of TV-B-Gone
Monday, April 25th, 2005
Much behind-the-scenes wrangling over the future of TG4 is taking place at the moment, with RTÉ arguing that TG4 is underestimating the cost of its plan for full independence from RTÉ. The final decision rests with the Department of Communications, but from the looks of the Foinse story it may ...
Posted in Public Service Media | Comments Off on TG4 to become independent entity?
Monday, April 25th, 2005
A survey out today on third level students in Ireland is being reported as very worrying by RTÉ. Among the reported issues are that one in ten students have engaged in unsafe sexual beahviour and that:Similar amounts of money were spent on food, an essential and on alcohol, a non-essential.To ...
Posted in Education | Comments Off on Students and health
Monday, April 25th, 2005
No comment needed:A woman has been stoned to death in Afghanistan for allegedly committing adultery. She was sentenced to death by a local religious scholar. However Afghan law stipulates that such cases should be heard in local courts. The wife had asked for a separation on the grounds that her ...
Posted in Society and culture | Comments Off on Stoning in Afghanistan