M.I.A. & Freedom of Speech

M.I.A., the British rapper of Sri Lankan descent, has released a new video that tests our first amendment rights and speaks to issues including discrimination and war. This comes at a time when we are about eight years into an Iraqi war and Arizona has just passed laws that essentially enable racial profiling. Some media [...]

International News February 1-8

Nissan Reviews Morocco Project Nissan Motor Co. is currently in strained economical circumstances and the participation in a new factory in Morocco is under review, ZAWYA reports. Nissan’s cooperation with French partner Renault for the new factory was announced in 2007, but the Spanish newspaper El Pais reports Nissan will now take a step back [...]

International News January 12-18

Germany Mulls $135 Billion Emergency Fund The German government is going over an emergency fund of up to $135 billion for struggling companies, The Wall Street Journal reports. In December, unemployment grew for the first time after 2006, reaching 7.6% of the occupation force, as the established information revealed. Last month, 18,000 people became unemployed, [...]

Autumn Black HistoryEmerging Black Culture Artists What:October marks the fall’s Black History month, with many award shows paying tribute to existing and upcoming artists whose music taps global black culture.

The Dirt:Britain’s MOBO Awards show proves that Black culture, specifically music, touches all humans across the globe. The awards show that stands for Music of Black Origin began in 1996 and has been going strong ever since. On October 15, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) will air the 13th annual MOBO Awards with hosts Rev [...]

Soda Reincarnated Tea Meets Soda In This Healthy AlternativeWhat: The beverage industry responds to America’s health issues with tea-based soda drinks, but how do they stack up?

The Dirt: The Healthy Beverage Company entered the business of tea-based beverages ahead of the pack with its Steaz brand, before green tea was a household name. Releasing its first product in 2003, the company added a diet bottle soda to the mix in fall 2007 and this January, added a canned soda variety suitable [...]

Drugs, Arms & Human Trafficking April 28

Europe’s human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, confirmed that it will investigate allegations of organ trafficking made by Carla del Ponte in her new book, SwissInfo reports. Del Ponte, Switzerland’s ambassador to Argentina and the former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, made the accusations against Kosovar Albanian guerrillas [...]

Hip Hotelier Hits The Asian Tropics

Located in the Indian Ocean, south of India and west of Sri Lanka, the string of islands known for its natural beauty, biodiversity, and proximity to coral reefs, has long been a destination for Europeans. Now, one of the most renowned contemporary hotel networks, Germany’s Design Hotels, will have two properties in the region. Both [...]

News from the FCC, DHS and Veteran Affairs

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has adopted an order that bans carriers from inking exclusive telecommunications services contracts with residential buildings. The FCC thinks exclusive contracts block consumers from access to competitive plans such as multi-services packages including triple-play. The Department of Veteran Affairs announced plans to open 14 new outpatient clinics this year, in [...]