Eye on the Press
February 14, 2002 

Commentary
Change of tone?
Richard Cohen in The Washington Post joins a growing chorus of voices in The New York Times and elsewhere in mainstream US media bemoaning recent revelations of possible American brutalities against civilians in Afghanistan. For some reason Cohen's soul-searching brings to mind the countless columns during the war that were dedicated to discrediting reports originating from the region about civilian deaths. At the time, those reports -- coming out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and on Al-Jazeera -- were called fabrications and propaganda. The fact that they are now being discussed more civilly is a step I guess.

New developments
Run, don't walk...
You've got to read this interesting account of the preparations for the Olympic Games currently taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, if only for the part about the new crossing signals on the streets. A countdown now flashes as pedestrians cross the street, telling you how many seconds are left before the "traffic has its way with you," as the writer puts it. And people are panicking -- big time.

Commentary
Speaking in mother tongues
A Harvard University professor of Arab origin is highly critical of the state of education -- and universities in particular -- in the Arab world. He seems to be suggesting both a revamping of important universities like Cairo U, as well as the idea of branching these institutes of higher learning out to reach more people across the Arab and Muslim world. The professor thinks it is important that young people in the region be drenched in a liberal arts environment -- but in their mother tongue of Arabic, in order to provide a more home-grown counterbalance to that of the routinely English-trained Westernized Middle Eastern elite.

Miscellaneous
An African super-diplomat?
Naomi Campbell has a Gabonese diplomatic passport? That's just one of the many tidbits proffered by this look at a court case against the supermodel related to a run-in she had with a photographer who shot her sleeping on a plane.

Commentary
Please don't be my Valentine
A writer in Slate is harsh on the American school tradition of exchanging little Valentine's day cards and gifts. The writer says it's a massive waste of time, and that the kids themselves don't even get into (they think it's a mandatory school activity). The piece includes some astounding figures on how many Valentines are actually exchanged and how much money changes hands as a result. 

Check out these fun Valentine's Day activities for the little ones at cairokids.com

Plus, The Weekly Standard makes fun of columns just like this one in this amusing satire of webblogs.

"Crackpots on soap-boxes?": A US paper is exceedingly harsh on the Egyptian public and press. (February 8, 2002)
Soccer roundup: Gohari and Co.'s home-coming inspires the press (February 7, 2002)
"Allah versus the Almighty Dollah?": American writer Norman Mailer mixes it up on today's news links (February 6, 2002)
Symbolic strike ignored: Top Marlboro man born in Egypt, Al-Azhar sheikh in London, and more great links (January 31, 2002)
The "lion" of Egypt?: Links galore, starring Ashcroft in Saudi-mode, mosques in the spotlight, the Egyptian-American running for Congress, and cross-cultural Hobeika media. (January 30, 2002)
Osama's debut...Rapping pharaohs, smelly daddies, and Rumsfeld's Sinai wavering...Don't miss today's news links (January 23, 2002)
When common sense seems radical: Tales of media bias and radical cartoonists; plus, learn how the multiplexes took over (January 20, 2002)
The problems with big media, and an examination of bin Laden as an architecture critic... (January 3, 2002)

Browse our complete coverage of the attacks on the US and the war on Afghanistan

Disclaimer and Terms of Use
© Copyright 1996-2005 cairolive.com. All Rights Reserved

Read Tarek Atia's web log
Find out how the world media sees Egypt...

UPDATED DAILY!

The ultimate
East-West
world-view

 
Instant Arabic headlines