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Posted on 04.12.08 by Stephen Covington @ 6:18 am
As many people may have heard, the Newseum - a museum dedicated to journalism and the media - has recently opened in Washington, D.C. It has exhibits concerning the First Amendment, an area where visitors can be anchors, various newspaper and media clips, and so on. The facility has been widely touted as a “new museum”. Actually, the truth has not been accurately reported. Ironically, the media has screwed up a story about a museum dedicated to the media. Here’s one such article from the Washington Post. Here’s another from ABC News. All media reports I have seen so far - both on television and in print - make no mention of the fact that the Newseum actually goes back to 1997. It was in a different location and it was much smaller, but it did exist and had many visitors. I vividly recall going there myself in 1999. The original location closed in 2002 as work commenced on the new facility. The reports as of late have been about the new location, but it’s important to realize that this does have some history behind it, and the Newseum is not just something that sprang to life as of April of 2008. The media might be good at getting the word out on something, but they’re terrible at showing context. Filed under: Breaking News and Media Comments: 3 Comments |
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Posted on 04.11.08 by Stephen Covington @ 1:36 am
It looks like the chair of the IOC has finally admitted that China may need to clean up its act…
…a criticism which the Chinese government quickly reacted with denial…
The NPC and party CMC have had this bad PR coming for a long time now. It’s a telling reminder of the Chinese government’s complete inability to accept criticism that they’re incredibly touchy about anyone saying that their policies might be causing problems. While the US hasn’t been angelic in thought and deed, government attempts at image control are usually not heavy-handed, and when they are, those attempts fail spectacularly by bringing even more attention to the issue. Why is the Chinese government so paralyzed at the idea of letting anyone have a discussion concerning Tibet policy? Below: Although it looks like a bookmobile, that’s actually a Chinese mobile execution unit.
Filed under: Breaking News and Foreign affairs Comments: None |
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Posted on 04.09.08 by Stephen Covington @ 8:07 pm
The 2008 Summer Olympic torch relay, in anticipation of the games which will be held in Beijing this year, met stiff protest in San Francisco over China’s bloody human rights record in Tibet. The presence of the torch has been protested in virtually every world city that it has traveled to, both by citizens, local government officials, and the athletes carrying the torch.
Below: A Tibetan woman is led to be killed in a makeshift “field execution”.
Filed under: Breaking News and Foreign affairs Comments: 4 Comments |
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Posted on 04.08.08 by Stephen Covington @ 12:54 am
The recent protests along the route of the Olympic flame have involved Tibetans, citizens of the respective countries, local and national officials, and even the torch-bearers themselves. In London, Konnie Huq both carried the flame and voiced her opposition to Chinese policy; San Francisco is scheduled to receive the torch on April 9, but in possibly the only backbone-requiring task committed in decades, the Board of Supervisors has expressed their disdain for China’s disgraceful human rights record. These disruptions will almost certainly continue and may increase, and will likely occlude the importance of the Olympics as a sporting event. Chinese officials have repeatedly expressed that the Olympics are an athletic event for international peace as an excuse for why Tibet should not be an issue. What has not been discussed is that the Chinese government itself is responsible for tainting the Olympics - not Tibet. Communist Party officials have committed egregious acts both against their own people, and against people in areas that they consider their own. Holding an international sporting event in such a place would be somewhat akin to having daycare in a whorehouse. Since the Maoists took over, official Chinese government policy has completely gone against the spirit of the Olympics and anything resembling a free society. Capitalism has unfortunately not brought China any closer to democracy, although it has helped to bring about a more slick image. China has worked carefully for the last decade to sculpt an international image as a benign giant, becoming a significant trading partner in many areas and obtaining leadership roles in intergovernmental organizations. Hopefully the 2008 Summer Olympics will serve as a wakeup call to the world to see the pig behind the lipstick. Related links: Filed under: Breaking News and Foreign affairs and Opinion Comments: 5 Comments |
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Posted on 04.06.08 by Stephen Covington @ 7:09 am
Actor and former National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston has died today at the age of 84. Heston played a number of historical figures in his life, from Andrew Jackson to Marc Antony, and of course his famous roles as Moses and Ben-Hur. Heston was also active in politics as a civil rights proponent, opposed McCarthyism, and supported various Republican candidates and causes. In later life, he served as president of the NRA from 2000 to 2003, and is well-known for saying that presidential candidate Al Gore would take his Second Amendment rights “from my cold, dead hands.” Heston is survived by his wife, Lydia and their two children, Fraser and Holly. Filed under: Breaking News and Second Amendment Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 03.02.08 by Stephen Covington @ 8:57 pm
Colombia reports that they have killed Raul Reyes, a leader within the FARC terrorist group. Part of Reyes’ role has been to direct FARC’s cocaine-related activities, which is a major source of fundraising. The United States has given billions of dollars to the Colombian government to fight FARC, largely because of the group’s effectiveness in generating and distributing cocaine, much of which ends up in the US. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez sharply criticized the killing, calling it “a cowardly murder,” although Reyes was killed at a military encampment. The operation consisted of Colombian aircraft striking the targets in Ecuador while still within Colombian airspace. Military personnel then crossed the border to confirm that Reyes, along with at least 16 others, was among the dead. Chavez has ordered a number of battalions to the Colombian border in response to the attack, further raising tensions in an already difficult situation. Chavez’s aggressive gesture towards Colombia may motivate the US to further back the South American nation. However, any actual military conflict would likely complicate matters as it would further raise the price of oil in an area that has so far seen a relatively low level of conflict (compared to the Mideast). Filed under: Breaking News and Foreign affairs Comments: 40 Comments |
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Posted on 03.02.08 by Stephen Covington @ 1:13 am
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be making a trip to Iraq on Sunday, at the invitation of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Although formerly rivals, the governments of Iran and Iraq have put aside some of their differences in recent years. The US occupation has diminished the formerly powerful Sunni majority, leaving Shiites to gain a larger proportion of power. Ahmadinejad’s trip is likely to be a dangerous one, as elements of the Sunni resistance are still very active in the country, and his convoy’s movement is likely to require at least some cooperation from US forces. Iran’s backing of Shiite militias in Iraq may spur a backlash resulting in attempts against the Iranian leader.
Filed under: Breaking News and Iran and Iraq Comments: None |
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Posted on 02.07.08 by Stephen Covington @ 5:53 pm
Officials with the campaign have said that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will suspend his run for the Republican primary nomination, following a disappointing series of state and district-wide losses on February 5. He currently controls only 270 delegates, approximately one-third the number held by Arizona Senator John McCain. The original story has been released by CNN and is still developing. This would put McCain as the definite frontrunner, and likely nominee, in this contest. Romney’s departure from the race might also increase Huckabee’s prospects for winning additional delegates. Filed under: Breaking News and Campaign 2008 and John McCain and Mitt Romney and Super Tuesday Comments: None |
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Posted on 01.30.08 by Austin Cassidy @ 5:58 pm
Rudy Giuliani’s third place showing in Florida and John Edwards’ third place finish in South Carolina have ended the White House dreams of both hopefuls. Giuliani’s departure was widely expected, but in a bit of a surprise, Edwards announced he would be leaving the Democratic race before next Tuesday’s burst of national primary contests. Giuliani is expected to quickly endorse John McCain’s campaign, while John Edwards has said he will make no official announcement. Edwards can directly swing a couple dozen delegates to whichever candidate he backs, in addition to the organizational and momentum boosts that he backing would offer. “You don’t always win, but you can always try to do it right … that’s what the American people deserve, a return to honesty and substance in our political discussion,” Giuliani said. Both Edwards and Giuliani would probably be top contenders for the role of Attorney General if their party’s nominee were to become President. Filed under: Breaking News and Campaign 2008 and Rudy Giuliani Comments: None |
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Posted on 01.30.08 by Stephen Covington @ 4:44 pm
North Carolina’s former senator John Edwards will be announcing his decision to drop out of the Democratic presidential primary race later today at 1 PM in New Orleans, where the originally kicked off his bid to be the nominee. Although Edwards hasn’t announced who, if anyone, he will be endorsing, he did call both Clinton and Obama earlier to let them know his intentions. Edwards has repeatedly said he would take his campaign all the way to the convention, and may have proven to be a significant influence in the balance of delegates between his two leading colleagues. His dismal showing in his home state of South Carolina next to Obama, and later his distant third in Florida highlighted significant weaknesses within the strategy towards approaching mainstream voters. Edwards’ main message was one of populist economics, focusing on poverty, an idea that is not always popular among majority voters. The reality of the upcoming Super Tuesday also loomed over Edwards’ campaign, as he faced the prospect of campaigning in a large number of states, although lacking the cash and mobility of his competitors. Filed under: Breaking News and Campaign 2008 and Democrats Comments: None |
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