August 2011
24 posts
“I saw with my own eyes one young boy on a motorcycle who was carrying vegetables...”
– Hama resident
Are the days numbered for the Syrian President?
President Assad has already blamed all violence and the 2000 claimed deaths on “armed gangs backed by unspecified foreign powers” and now according to Syrian state television that the besieged Hama is now under Syrian military control, what will come next?
Well the UN has already issued a severe warning to the Assad regime to stop its crackdown on the people. The US is rumoured to soon demand...
“they were using antiaircraft to shoot the...
After weeks of circling Hama the Syrian army has attacked the city from all sides, targeting the Hospital and residential areas. There is currently no information coming from Hama due to restrictions on international journalists’ movements in the country. However a stream of pictures of dead children, tanks charging civilians and people blown to pieces is flowing into the offices of news...
“The hospital is shut down, completely. There is no electricity, there is no food”
– BBC quote from a Hama refugee. (Syrian uprising)
The Libyan rebels
When we hear the term “Libyan rebels” most of us assume that this is one or a few groups of heroic freedom fighters. This could not be further from the truth, according to Reuters News agency, there are around 40 different groups fighting to be rid Gaddafi of his 41 year dictatorship. This number may seem suiting but Gaddafi’s, LSE educated son, Ali Sallabi has made it his priority to break up the...
Mubarak pleads innocent?
Hosni Mubarak, the Ex-President of Egypt resigned on the 11th February after 18 days of protests. In these 18 days around 850 protestors were killed in Cairo’s main Tahrir Square. Mubarak is accused of conspiring to kill protestors and corruption of power for personal gain. However Mubarak pleads innocent saying, “All these accusations, I deny them all.” Somehow this doesn’t work in my mind. And...
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the...”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Men with Stones against Men with Tanks
The anti-government protests in Syria were inspired by the events in Tunisia and Egypt. They first started in March with the arrests of teenagers who spray painted anti-government slogans. After these arrests the protests soon grew. The protests have now spread across Syria to areas such as Hama, Latakia and Baniyas. The demonstrators are demanding more freedom, and for an end to corruption in...
“It’s Better to burn out, than to fade away.”
– Neil Young
New Media
On Saturday, the first day of Young Journalists Academy (YJA) we were lucky enough to be visited by Joanna Geary, the community editor for The Times. It was very interesting to hear her story about how she got to where she is. Her life has been entwined with social media as it has made her career and she is a prime example of the potential of blogging helping to get you recognized.
She...
Al Jazeera English
I attended Young Journalists Academy to aquire a broader knowledge of different aspects of journalism. Already after the first day of YJA, I have my eyes fixed on a goal, after meeting Alan Fisher who is a foreign correspndant for Al Jazeera English. Before this I have always had an almost “romantic” (for the lack of a better word) idea of being a foreign reporter/correspondant, but...
“Be the change you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi
YJA entry piece
Should London adopt a zero-tolerance policy on graffiti and street art?
There is a fine line between vandalism, graffiti and street art. While the state must act to prevent damage to personal and public property, street art and graffiti are here to stay.
In 2003 the Anti-social Behavior Act made graffiti punishable with heavy fines, even prison sentences of up to two years. On top of this...
