Democracy & Civics

Strangers Embrace Kindness Club (Mostly)

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Kelsey Hertel, a high school senior and founder of her school’s Random Acts of Kindness Club, didn’t expect to be treated suspiciously by the targets of her kindness. The Register-Guard of Eugene, Oregon, reports that while Hertel and her group of more than 70 volunteers have successfully acted kindly in some public settings, they encountered resistance in others. In one instance, the group went into a local neighborhood to rake leaves for free. One woman told them to “do your random acts of kindness somewhere else,” while another thought they were burglars and called the police. At a local mall, security guards showed up to stop the club from handing out cards with positive messages and chocolate mints.

Democracy & Civics

Kenya: Protesting Reporters Arrested

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Seven journalists were arrested in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi last week, where they had joined activists gathered to protest against a controversial new media bill. The Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation said the Kenya Communications Bill, which recently passed in parliament, gives the government the power to raid media centers, confiscate broadcast equipment and shut down all media during national emergencies. Police broke up the peaceful protest outside the Nyayo Stadium, where President Mwai Kibaki was scheduled to lead celebrations marking Kenya’s 45th year of independence. The media bill, described by Reporters Without Borders as “draconian,” also allows Kenya’s information minister to control what, when and how media broadcasts can occur. Nairobi’s police say the protesters had gathered without giving them adequate warning, and were arrested for wearing T-shirts with slogans critical of the government, according to Agence France-Presse.

Democracy & Civics

Fake Drug Den Targets Texas Police

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Narcotics police in Odessa, Texas, were the unlikely subjects of an online reality show called Kop Busters that aims to expose police corruption. The show crew set up a fake drug den in an empty house with indoor-gardening equipment typically used to cultivate marijuana, but instead growing a pair of Christmas tree saplings. The video on the program’s site shows a group of police entering the house, then discovering the decoy Christmas trees — along with a message taped to the wall, informing officers that they were being recorded and asserting that their search warrant was illegally obtained without probable cause. The origins of the project date back to 2005, when an Odessa woman named Yolanda Madden was arrested and found guilty of methamphetamine possession with intent to sell. During her court trial, however, a police informant testified that he was asked by the Odessa narcotics department to plant the drugs on her, but that he unknowingly planted the drugs on the wrong woman.

Democracy & Civics

No Joy in Malawi Radio Closure

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Malawi has closed an independent radio station said to be lauded for its contribution to free speech and civic information. The Nyasa Times reports that the Joy FM radio station is accused of violating a federal law that prohibits broadcast licenses from being issued to any entity “which is of a party-political nature.” Although the newspaper claims that Joy FM lacks any party affiliation, a report in Malawi’s Daily Times newspaper notes that the station’s holding company, Atupele Properties, is owned by former President Bakili Muluzi and his wife. Although the Nyasa Times hailed Joy FM for exposing government corruption, failed policy and rights abuses, comments on the newspaper’s Web site questioned that claim, said other stations had greater credibility, and that political conflict between the current and former presidents was the real issue. Malawi’s private media sector is considered by many to be a valuable government watchdog.

Democracy & Civics

An American University in Iraq

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Around 150 miles north of Baghdad, the year-old American University of Iraq-Sulaimani is beginning to transform Iraq’s educational landscape by introducing its students to Western-style learning. Jane Arraf, writing for the Christian Science Monitor, said the 256 students, most of them undergraduate, are encouraged to debate, think freely and question critically, instead of sitting quietly and being lectured to. Officials and investors of the private school hope the students will become the educated, politically astute leaders the country will need throughout its reconstruction. Many of the students have never used a computer or written essays, the Monitor said. The school’s curriculum currently highlights topics that will have immediate practical consequences for Iraq’s economy and political stability.

Democracy & Civics

NSA: Total Information in Texas?

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The National Security Agency is creating a new data center in southern Texas that critics say will track the daily activities of all Americans, reports the San Antonio Current. The 470,000-square-foot data warehouse, formerly a Sony microchip facility and almost as large as the local football stadium, could help the government identify potential terrorist threats. Yet the lack of oversight of NSA activities has raised civil-rights questions — as has the proximity of a nearby Microsoft facility, which could provide access to the software company’s mass of stored email data. In particular, activists say that the NSA’s “watch list” of people who may be a threat to national security is not always accurate. The Current also cites an October report sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security that found data mining to be ineffective for identifying terrorists or potential attacks.

Democracy & Civics

Newspaper D-Day in 2010?

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Urban newspapers, which are facing a startlingly bleak selling environment, are in such decline that some cities may lose their local newspapers completely within a couple of years. Editor and Publisher magazine reports that low advertising revenue is a major factor driving huge debt among many newspapers. That may force some to default on payments and fold within the next year or two. Two major newspaper companies — the McClatchy Company and Tribune Company — already have dismal credit ratings. In a recent media outlook report, credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings said, “Fitch believes more newspapers and newspaper groups will default, be shut down and be liquidated in 2009 and several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010.”

Democracy & Civics

Nonprofits Brace for Economic Slump

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Nonprofit organizations across the United States are being hit hard by the economic crisis, as contributions from foundations, corporations and private donors diminish. Even as demand for social services increases, nonprofits are being forced to cut staff and reduce operations, according to Crain’s New York Business. Professor Paul Light of New York University projects that at least “100,000 nonprofits nationwide will be forced to close their doors in the next two years” due to the economic downturn, and called for foundations to increase their annual giving. As charitable donations decline, nonprofit groups may be forced to help each other survive through strategies like back-office consolidation, strategic alliances and health- care-plan mergers. Clara Miller, chief executive of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, which provides loans and financial services, said that a boost from foundations might not be enough given cuts in government spending.

Democracy & Civics

Gallows May See New Traffic in Jamaica

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Jamaica’s parliament voted this week to keep the death penalty, turning aside an attempt to ban capital punishment in the island nation. Although capital punishment — hanging, specifically — is currently legal in Jamaica, no executions have occurred for almost 20 years. The Jamaica Gleaner said members have been debating the issue for several weeks. Opponents such as Minister of State Andrew Gallimore say there is no proof the death penalty is an effective crime deterrent. “The fact of the matter is that hanging people five, six or eight years from now is not going to stop murder from happening again,” he said.

Democracy & Civics

Abortion Stirs Passions in Jamaica

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A committee of Jamaica’s Parliament is hearing both protest and advocacy around abortion. Although an advisory panel convened by former Health Minister John Junor called for legalization to lower the rate of maternal deaths, one doctor denounced the move as creating a “license to kill.” Currently, Jamaicans who aid or abet an abortion can receive a life sentence in prison; a reformist measure would provide medical training and facilities, as well as abortion counseling and education. The World Health Organization estimates that non-professionals perform 35 illegal abortions per 1,000 Jamaican women annually. In May, The Ministry of Health and Environment launched a campaign to reduce the maternal mortality rate by 75 percent births by 2015 — however, critics said there was no such data to warrant the group’s suggestions.