freedom in iran - a local connection

it's cool meeting local media types, and it's been awesome getting to know local reporter corin hoggard. we've become close enough that i get to do his wedding in a few months. and, i always try to pick his head on news stories, to see what's not being reported or if i'm too dense to understand a story or whatever else. last night, corin did a piece that is really worth checking out. it's worth a watch, as it's about a woman that was imprisoned in iran. there were a lot of questions about what she was doing there, why she was arrested, and what freedom means in a place like iran. check it.

freedom of the press?

adam, when you go to miami, don't take any pictures of the police. you may end up in trouble.

footloose 06

no, kevin bacon isn't making a new movie about how he liberates a town from john lithgo. but, don't get caught dancing in orange cove. it's nice to see a political race not about republicans and democrats, but about to dance or not.



(i guess i was wrong about not posting).

difficult transitions to freedom

as i skimmed the bbc's website this morning, i saw several articles that highlight the difficulties that exist in changing a repressive system to democracy.

south africa, twelve years out of apartheid, struggles with so much. crushing poverty, an increasing gap between rich and poor, aids, and racial strife are tremendous hurdles for this nation. nobel peace prize winner desmond tutu warns that this "powder keg" of unrest could soon explode.

in russia, contract killers are the latest sign that the transistion from communism to capitalism is a long, hard struggle. perhaps i shouldn't say latest, as they have been a problem since the fall of communism and rise of organized crime and easily available weaponry. the killers, which can be hired for as little as $100, are suspected in the recent high profile murder of a journalist.

and finally, in iraq, it remains apparent that the war is far from over. 51 tortured bodies have recently been found. the u.s. military, alongside the iraqi defense forces, are engaged in battle with militants.

the first two situations really make it difficult for me to have much hope for the third. they transitioned from difficult situations, but not through violent upheaval and war. both have had plenty of opportunity to change and develop, but haven't been able to excell. heck, they're barely making it work at all. of course, i'm not sure how idealic the u.s. was to live in during it's first 15 years. i think we can all see that it will be a long, hard road in iraq.