Microlog
83 Microlog entries tagged with ‘currentaffairs’
Martha Raddatz and the faux objectivity of journalists
It’s easy to ignore these subtle (and not so subtle) biases because we’re too focused on the big picture, but obviously we need to pay closer attention. Permalink ·
Paul Krugman: ‘I’m sick of being Cassandra. I’d like to win for once’
You know we’re going to revisit voices like his some day and think ‘Why didn’t we listen?’ even though we know exactly why, for the same reasons why people have never listened, ever, in all recorded history and millennia before. Permalink ·
Hero inflation
“Calling “hero” everyone killed in war, no matter the circumstances of their death, not only helps sustain the ethos of martial glory that keeps young men and women signing up to kill and die for the state, no matter the justice of the cause, but also saps the word of meaning, dishonouring the men and women of exceptional courage and valour actually worthy of the title.” Damn straight. Permalink ·
The Euro Is Still Doomed: Why Most of the News Out of Europe Doesn’t Matter
This is from two months ago, but the point still basically applies today. And it applies to more than just Europe. Permalink ·
There’s Always A Better Answer
An Irish woman with direct experience of abortion responds to those disgusting Youth Defence billboards, which reflect a general lack of understanding or even empathy among the Irish populace as a whole. Permalink ·
Paul Krugman: ‘I’m sick of being Cassandra. I’d like to win for once’
Krugman’s voice isn’t a lone one, but we’ve reached a situation where those making the decisions are so invested in their failures that they can’t admit how much they messed up. Permalink ·
Sherlock agrees to attend debate with organiser of anti-’SOPA’ petition
That’s after he initially refused to attend if Simon McGarr wasn’t removed from the panel, accusing him of “causing some reputational damage to this country by deliberately misinterpreting the [new legislation] as SOPA” (which wasn’t the case, and he knows it, but howandever). Shame I can’t attend the debate this afternoon; seems like the hashtag is #DRF2012 so I can follow things on Twitter later. Permalink ·
Barack Obama’s presidency, three years on - is it time to give up hope?
The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland on the diminishing expectations for change. I’m reserving judgement till next year, if/when Obama gets re-elected; then we’ll know if he can forgo political expediency and show his ‘stomach for a fight’. Permalink ·
Ireland has done what the IMF wanted, but where is the reward?
It’s lovely that the bureaucrats and politicians think of Ireland as some kind of grand economic experiment. But, y’know, there are real people here, a few million of us actually… Permalink ·
As it happened: The Dáil debate on the ‘Irish SOPA’
In which Junior Minister Sean Sherlock attempts to defend his proposed through-the-back-door copyright legislation. “The best way of dealing with copyright infringement issues is on a case-by-case basis by means of a judicial process,” says the minister. Alas, if only the judgements made so far weren’t fundamentally flawed… Permalink ·
Marco Ament on ‘the next SOPA’
The web censorship bills might be shelved for now, but will no doubt return in this or some other form — unless there is an aggressive push for campaign finance reform, and a recognition that unless we stop giving money to the MPAA et al, they will keep coming back. Permalink ·
Why SOPA and PIPA Must Die
Waxy.org’s Andy Baio on his personal reasons for opposing the web censorship bills. Also: Matt Haughey outlines how they could be used to silence important web resources such as MetaFilter with a chilling story. Permalink ·
Dan Gillmor: Stop Sopa or the web really will go dark
The journalist and author of We the Media fame makes the case in The Guardian for net neutrality and electronic freedom (be sure also to check The Guardian’s SOPA page). Permalink ·
A SOPA/PIPA Blackout Explainer
Wired’s Threat Level blog lays it all out in point-by-point form. Permalink ·
Dimensions
A simple way to put distant things or events in a more local, easily comprehended perspective. Cue a thousand school projects! Permalink ·
Howard Zinn: America’s Blinders
The radical historial tells it like it is. Permalink ·
Photos from the scene of the Boxing Day shooting in Toronto
It happened at one of the busiest downtown sections of Yonge Street, outside Sam the Record Man. I’ve been there. Pardon my self-absorption, but it’s scary to think that my own path in life crossed with a gang shooting, however many years separate. (Joey DeVilla has more background on the event, with related statistics.) Permalink ·
US troops seize award-winning Iraqi journalist
War zone or not, there’s no excuse for this. Hell, in any other context it’d be attempted murder. Good luck getting an apology out of ‘em. Permalink ·
How planespotters turned into the scourge of the CIA
This is a great story. Makes my heart warm, so it does. Permalink ·
Mo Mowlam: A moderniser, but never an apparatchik
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This page lists all Microlog entries by MacDara Conroy tagged with ‘currentaffairs’. You will find many more entries sorted by month and by category in the Archives.
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