a pirate's life - aaargh!

This weekend has been a relaxing one. After my Sede Boquer Thanksgiving trip, I locked myself in my apartment and had a peaceful Shabbat (traditionally supposed to be a time of rest). Unlike practicing Jews however, I did use electricity... and of course took advantage of my pirated internet connection (which I have historically been known to do). Even without a TV (which I generally do not watch anyway) I am able to keep up with the news on my computer, thanks to podcasting and media streaming. Back home I was glued to talk radio, but here I have not found any English-speaking radio stations (there are a few with cheezy American music in the mix). For my radio fix, I found a wonderful local Arab music channel playing all the Arabic hits, 99.2.

For my Arab-Israeli Conflict class, the professor suggested that I merge my background in Mass Communication and Media (1st MA) with some aspect of the conflict. Thus I am doing some research on the Al Jazeera network, its dissemination of information to Palestinians (and others) worldwide. They just recently started broadcasting in English, and claim "to seek out the areas neglected by the Western media." They've got a free video stream, whereas with CNN Pipeline you have to pay for the video. However CNN does have a few free video clips as well as the audio podcast (CNN News Update, American version), which I subscribe to, in addition to BBC's Breakfast Takeaway.

I rather enjoy (and prefer) the International newscasts over the US (and regional) ones I was stuck with back home (though Im sure I could get those too). I know there are a minority of US citizens who actually access the international feeds (BBC, etc), but challenge yourself to keep up with what is going on in the rest of the world, especially the Middle East. Honestly folks, America is just ONE of MANY countries. THINK GLOBAL.