Return of the Zapatistas

Posted on Jun 14, 2011

The Zapatistas in Mexico mobilize against the drug war; the AOL-HuffPo merger is starting to lose its charm; and Google’s Internet monopoly is threatened by Facebook.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.

The Zapatistas Return Amid Failed Drug War
Mexico is caught in the grip of an escalating drug war, and the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) is mobilizing in response.

Think Outside the Bars: Why real justice means fewer prisons
... Poor people of color are swept into the criminal justice system by the millions for drug crimes that go largely ignored when committed by middle- or upper-class whites. And release from prison or jail marks just the beginning of punishment, not the end.

Four-Year-Old Artist Funds College Education with Three Paintings
At this point, the story of the pre-preschool art prodigy is hardly news, but it’s still crazy how the toddler Picasso cases keep getting younger.

The Honeymoon Is Over for AOL-Huffington Post
Four months after AOL’s $315 million acquisition of the Huffington Post, the wisdom of that purchase is coming under intensified scrutiny, as reports of dysfunction and stagnation trickle out about the media conglomerate.

WTF, Facebook Dept: BFF? Really?
A woman in the Netherlands tattoos 152 Facebook friends on her arm.

The Real Housewives of Muslim Malaysia
Over 800 Muslim women in Malaysia are members of the “Obedient Wives Club” that is generating controversy in one of the most modern and progressive Muslim-majority nations, where many Muslim Malaysian women hold high posts in the government and corporate world.

UN Report Says Internet Three Strikes Laws Violate International Law
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression has released an important new report that examines freedom of expression on the Internet.

TV execs admit Hollywood pushes liberal agenda
Marta Kauffman, co-creator of Friends, and David Shore, creator of House, said that Hollywood discriminates against conservatives, as well as belittles them.

Will Facebook Kill Google?
Google’s internet monopoly is certainly something to be envied but is its crucial search feature vulnerable to Facebook?

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