The article also mentions Albania (along with Kosovo and Cyprus) as having the lowest TOEFL scores in the continent.
05 shtator 2009
A Jab at the French
According to statistics reported in Le Monde, TOEFL scores rank French students 69th (out of 109) worldwide, and 25th (out of 43) among their European peers.
Moda Harvardiana
A Harvard-inspired preppy (and not so preppy) line of clothes is hitting the market under the 'Harvard Yard' label. Apparently, no logo, no 'Veritas,' no 'Harvard;' just crimson details.
The New York Times's accompanying slideshow can be found here.
Living Architecture
Patrick Blanc is a botanist with a possible latent desire to become an architect. He uses his knowledge of botany to construct 'living' structures with plants of all sorts, spaced and situated at appropriate positions for their living demands. His latest project is the Athanaeum in London and his previous projects are found all over the world, such as the one below, in Aix-en-Provence, France.
The C-Word Not What It Used to Be
I'll give you a clue: it rhymes with 'runt.'
I must say, it is a very harsh word to use, though I also cannot deny having used it myself on a few occasions.
According to this Newsweek article, it is apparently not as bad as it used to be, though still quite unacceptable, mostly by virtue of the shock effect it produces.
Paris en transition
Libération published a slideshow of a few photos of Paris during the time of the Haussmann projects. They portray Paris under a light that most of us are not accustomed to seeing.
Avenue de l'Opéra then:
Avenue de l'Opéra now:
Catholic Bishops Against Healthcare
A number of Catholic bishops have expressed their opposition to the proposed healthcare reform bill, stating as primary reason its coverage of abortion.
Although Catholic officials have repeatedly pushed for healthcare coverage until very recently, some of them now seem eager to drop that support for healthcare that would cover millions of people over their closed-minded, out-of-date doctrine that does not make room for abortion... even if that means savings millions of others.
Get over yourselves!
On Iran
I haven't posted much on the situation in Iran, because things have been relatively 'quiet' for a number of weeks now. This past week, though, I did see a few interesting articles and would like to share here.
The New York Times's Roger Cohen writes a very good editorial on the flip-flopping politics of Ayatollah Khamenei. He beautifully illustrates his diverging stances and statements on numerous issues since the elections, showing that, as he puts it, the Iran régime is becoming 'inwardly consumed.'
Meanwhile, a senior ayatollah and former contender for the position of the Supreme Leader, has called the current régime and its practices 'a dictatorship,' highlighting as evidence the violent crackdown on protesters, as well as the show trials, which he considers, 'ridiculed Islamic justice.'
Ahmadinejad secured a strong backing for his cabinet from the Iranian parliament, which approved 18 out of his 21 proposed cabinet members. The driving force was apparently the Supreme Leader, Khamenei, showing once again that the sham that is the Iranian government is one and the same, despite its many faces.
On the other side, Mousavi who purportedly lost the June presidential election to Ahmadinejad, has called for more civil disobedience, despite being faced with the chance of being labeled an 'enemy of the state.' He also requested once again that the government launch an independent investigation on election violations.
As this article shows us, civil disobedience is not taken lightly in Iran. University officials have begun repercussions on students who participated in the post-election uprisings. Retaliatory measures include suspensions, barring from dormitories, and extensive questioning. At the same time, a panel is investigating the curricula in the humanities for possible secular indoctrination, which they believe are, in part, to blame for the anti-government uprisings.
Gjendja e ekonomisë
Leku shqiptar ka pësuar rënie gjatë stinës së verës në krahasim me një vit më parë. Ekspertët ia vënë fajin një turizmi më të ulët në krahasim me 2008-n.
Një tjetër burim bën të ditur se ky zhvlerësim i lekut do të çojë në rritje të çmimeve të mallrave në Shqipëri (padyshim pa rritje të rrogave) në muajt në vazhdim. Kjo gjendje pritet të çojë në një thellim të mëtejshëm e më të shpejtë të varfërisë.
04 shtator 2009
California in the News
Pot growers in the California mountains are a two-fold problem: they grow illegal marijuana and are also blamed for causing forest fires.
Prisons are extremely problematic in California. The legislature had, for a long time, failed to ease repercussions on parole violations, which would reduce the number of prisoners in California. On 1 September, however, the legislature did approve the prison legislation, although as a much weaker version of what it used to be and with a slim majority along party lines. At the same time, the Schwarzenegger administration filed for a delay on the order to reduce the prison population, which was denied by a special judicial panel.
On a similar note, Los Angeles County prosecutors are doing their 'best' to help prison overcrowding by asking for cruel and unusual punishment—the death penalty—in a gang-related murder.
As the economy weakens and California suffers in this recession, a migration is taking place. Many Californians are now looking eastward... ironically enough. Nevada is now a popular destination for migrating Californians looking for jobs and other opportunities.
Last week California, like most financially ailing families, cleared its 'state attic' and held a 'yard sale' in Sacramento. The items sold came mostly from surplus equipment or cutbacks in objects such as police cars.
Sacramento is also asking the federal government to ease its restrictions on water use in California, despite the drought, citing the farming economy as its reason.
A congressional district near San Francisco held its elections and it became obvious during the campaign that healthcare reform is the forefront issue among the Democratic candidates. They were all supporting it. Republicans, on the other side, had family values and trade policy on their platform, and were attacking healthcare reform. Election results require a runoff between the leading Democrat (26%) and leading Republican (21%).
California also serves as one example and reason out of fifty for why we need a national healthcare reform: As part of its budget cuts approved a couple of months ago, healthcare for the poor is suffering in California, prompting Schwarzenegger and California Democrats to levy a new tax on insurance companies.
Finally, California can now say, 'IOU nothing,' as it begins to replace previously issued IOUs with checks.
Fidel Castro is Right
The American right wing does hate Obama because he is black.
Its representatives have tried and are still trying to portray him as an outsider from the moment he became a serious contender for the presidency. We had Sarah Palin and her nutty followers who screamed 'terrorist,' 'muslim,' and 'Arab,' disregarding both facts and geography and thereby showing their ignorance and bigotry. Nowadays many others, so-called 'birthers,' are questioning his status as a natural-born citizen of the United States.
All those who still propagate these rumors and promulgate the idea that he is not a natural-born citizen, un-american, a terrorist, a muslim, or a socialist are simply racists and demagogues who are coping very badly with their fears of a more equal-opportunity America.
03 shtator 2009
Women in the News
In light of the latest gender scandal in sports, BuzzFeed has compiled a list of famous disputed/questionable genders in Olympic history. They are all interesting, I must say.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made the news thanks to her way of doing diplomacy around the world. NPR audio below.
On the other side of the spectrum, Sarah Palin remains in the news, this time thanks to the Huffington Posts, which posted some of the most memorable videos of her from this past year in the national arena.
On two separate articles, the BBC reports that England and Wales have made it possible for lesbian couples to have each of their names put on birth certificates of their children. Criticism, no doubt, followed.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, women's rights have suffered, as fewer women showed up at the polls, reminding the world that progress is too distant for Afghani women.
Newsweek has an interesting article on women's efforts to break the glass ceiling. Apparently, their success depends on their ceasing to be 'good girls' and becoming 'bitches.'
Abonohu te:
Postimet (Atom)