Nation Now Alerts | The Nation

Our media coverage is often dominated by one big story that crowds out nearly everything else. As an antidote, every week, Nation interns try to cut through the echo chamber and choose one good article in their area of interest that they feel should receive more attention. Please check out their favorite stories below, watch for this feature each week and use the comments section below to alert us to any important articles you feel warrant broader attention.

Laura Bolt focuses on human rights and revolution.

“Russia's Protest Movement Shows Staying Power, Despite Today's Dispersal,” by Fred Weir. The Christian Science Monitor, May 16, 2012. 

Russia's protest movement is alive and well in Moscow, where a group of dissenters relocated their "democracy preserve" after police broke up their ten-day encampment this week. While anti-Putin activists have been clashing with police and local residents, as this article shows, they remain committed to their Occupy-style tactics. Russia's young protestors have proven to be adept at using social media to further their cause, which is how this camp was able to reorganize so quickly. In the words of one protestor: "Resistance can take a lot of forms."

Zoë Carpenter focuses on the intersection of economics, health and the environment.

“How Your College Is Selling Out to Big Ag,” by Tim Philpott. Mother Jones, May 9, 2012.

Corporations increasingly co-opt national scientific research infrastructure to their own ends, notably in the pharmaceutical, medical and environmental fields. Tom Philpott turns his attention to agrichemical giant Monsanto's takeover of America's agricultural research universities, which effectively allows the company to set the national agenda when it comes to agriculture policy. Money in science is like money in politics: it corrupts, and in the case of agriculture, it is small-scale farmers and consumers around the world who pay the price.

Umar Farooq focuses on the worldwide movement for democracy.

“National and International Campign for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Chiapas Presses On,” by Jessica Davies. Upside Down World, May 11, 2012.

More than a decade after the EZLN uprising in Chiapas, activists associated with the rebellion continue to be falsely imprisoned. Two cases of prominent activists being jailed on what are likely trumped up charges are highlighted here.

Loren focuses on peace, power and political culture. 

“Committee Overwhelmingly Passes the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act.” House Armed Services Committee, May 10, 2012.

Last week, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) passed the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and approved $554 billion in specific expenditures for next year’s Department of Defense base budget and $88.5 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations—i.e. war-fighting. The bill is now being considered and debated by the full House of Representatives and is chock full of spending on defense programs and projects that scarcely endorse the notion of a constrained budgetary environment. One provision, offered by Representative Michael Turner, who is the Chairman of the HASC's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, would spend $100 million on a study of possible locations for East Coast missile defense interceptors that don’t work and that the US Missile Defense Agency hasn’t requested. Representative Buck McKeon, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the NDAA “the gold standard for Congressional bipartisanship.”

Connor Guy focuses on racism and race relations.

“WATCH: Strategist Behind Proposed Reverend Wright Attack Ad Has Long History Of Race-Baiting,” by Annie-Rose Strasser. ThinkProgress, May 17, 2012.

With this, Think Progress provides the necessary back story to the New York Times story out today about the race-baiting GOP media consultant Fred Davis's plan to exploit an angle that even McCain wouldn't touch in 2008—President Obama's supposed "connection" to Reverend Jeremiah Wright. (Yes, this is the proposal that calls Obama "a metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln.") Davis has a long history of making race-baiting that speak to conservative fears, and his distorted messaging should be followed closely.

Ebtihal Mubarak focuses on human rights.

“Saudi Feminism: Between Mama Amreeka and Baba Abdullah,” by Nora Abdulkarim. Jadaliyya, May 14, 2012.

Women's rights activists in Saudi should listen carefully to this sincere advice from Saudi blogger Nora Abdulkarim: “Saudi feminism does not have to be a story of ‘Mama Amreeka’ coming to the rescue, or ‘Baba Abdullah’ choosing to ‘grant’ her rights. Feminism based on pride in its demand for civil rights, not pity, is worthy of praise. Feminism based on Power in the face of an oppressive state, not timidness, is the aim.”

Hannah Murphy focuses on sex and gender.

“4 Worst Media Misrepresentations of North Carolina's Anti-Gay Amendment One,” by Kristin Rawls. AlterNet, May 13, 2012.

In the wake of Obama's announcement in support of gay marriage, the passage of North Carolina's Amendment One was construed in the media as a decision made by “poor inbred” southerners. AlterNet deconstructed the coverage, showing how it was misrepresented, and what, in fact, led to the passage of Amendment One—reflecting on what it could mean for similar amendments to come.

James Murphy focuses on migration in the 21st century.

“The Lovable Ms Lee.” The Economist, May 12, 2012.

“And now, the end is near. And so I face, the final curtain.” Somewhere new for the last edition of my immigration series—South Korea, the “world's most rapidly aging country.” The subject of this Economist article is Ms. Jasmine Lee, the first foreign-born South Korean to win a seat in the National Assembly. Her story is an important first chapter in that country's demographically-forced acceptance of immigration. 

Erin Schikowski focuses on the politics and business of healthcare.

Note: To read a "replay" of the chat, click the CoveritLive box above. You can also access an edited transcript here.

With the the rise of the standards-and-accountability education reform movement, schools and teachers have found their fate increasingly tied to students’ scores on standardized tests. The practice has sparked debate on issues from the effects of “teaching to the test” on students' education to the fairness of judging teachers by their students' test scores.

On May 17^th at 5 PM, Nation readers are invited to participate in a live chat with our education reporter Dana Goldstein on the role of testing in education reform. Dana will be joined by Mark Anderson, a New York City public school special-education teacher and contributor to the blog Schools as Ecosystems, and by Tara Brancato, a member of Educators 4 Excellence and a New York City public school International Baccaluareate teacher at X374—Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy (KAPPA) International.

Readers are welcome to post questions prior to the chat using the comment section below. Educators, parents and students are warmly invited to participate.

Our media coverage is often dominated by one big story that crowds out nearly everything else. As an antidote, every week, Nation interns try to cut through the echo chamber and choose one good article in their area of interest that they feel should receive more attention. Please check out their favorite stories below, watch for this feature each week and use the comments section below to alert us to any important articles you feel warrant broader attention.

Laura Bolt focuses on human rights and revolution.

“How a 5-Year-Old Foreign Film Sparked a Free-Speech Fight in Tunisia,” by Massoud Hayoun. The Atlantic, April 30, 2012. 

This article highlights the tension between the State and the arts in Tunisia, where recent revolutionary efforts underscore a battle of censorship and free speech. The subject of the piece is Nabil Karoui, who is being prosecuted for allowing the broadcast of Persepolis, a popular and critically acclaimed 2007 film about a young girl growing up and testing her freedom in Iran.

Zoë Carpenter focuses on the intersection of economics, health and the environment.

“What Money Can’t Buy,” Tana Wojczuk Interviews Michael Sandel. Guernica, May 1, 2012.

Sandel makes the compelling argument that we have undergone a transformation from a market economy to a "market society," in which markets and market-based thinking increasingly govern social spheres once organized around other values. Sandel summarizes key historical changes in economic thinking and explains how certain economic models have risen to the forefront. The importance and challenge of having a debate about market triumphalism are that doing so would raise "big and controversial ethical questions" about "the moral limits of the role of markets in our society" and their impact on health, education, the environment and democracy.

Umar Farooq focuses on the world-wide movement for democracy.

“Mexico Weighs Law to Compensate Victims of Drug Violence,” by Hannah Stone. The Christian Science Monitor, April 27, 2012. 

50,000 people have been killed in Mexico since 2006, when President Calderon deployed the army to combat drug violence. This law (now approved by legislators) sets up a national body to track drug-war related deaths, which will include representation from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and compensate relatives of victims with up to $70,000. Most crimes in the drug war are thought to remain unreported though, so it is unclear what impact this law would have. Nevertheless, it could represent a major shift in the political landscape of Mexico, as it looks for a pragmatic way to end the violence.

Loren Fogel focuses on peace, power and political culture.

“Torture Isn't Fair Game, and It Isn't Effective Method,” by Retired Maj. Gen. Walter L. Stewart Jr. PennLive.com, May 2, 2012.

On the first anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the debate over torture—which is a crime—has once again reared its ugly head. It has been reignited by a new book by the former Director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, Jose Rodriguez, who claims that torturing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri worked—not in gaining reliable intelligence, but in breaking these men as a means of getting them to acquiesce to the control of their interrogators. Thankfully, people of character and strategic wisdom, like Retired Major General Walter L. Stewart Jr., are responding to this dangerous and reprehensible argument. For more, read Senators Diane Feinstein and Carl Levin’s Statement on CIA’s Coercive Interrogation Techniques and watch this US Army film on the Geneva Conventions and Counterinsurgency from 1965.

Connor Guy focuses on racism and race relations. 

“The Stalking of Korean Hip Hop Superstar Daniel Lee,” by Joshua Davis. Wired, April 24, 2012.

On the surface, this is just an incredibly engaging, outrageous story of success, jealousy and cyberbullying: the saga of Daniel Kim, Korean hip hop star and frontman of the group Epik High—who was tormented by anonymous "antifans" until his career came crashing down around him. But underlying it all (in my opinion) is a bizarre, racially tinged tension: for many of these anonymous internet users, the worlds of commercial hip hop and Korean society were simply too far apart; to see them fused in Daniel Lee was so shocking to these people that they unleashed one of the most vicious cyber smear campaigns I have ever heard of.

Ebtihal Mubarak focuses on human rights.

“Riot Police Disperses Protest Violently and Arrests 15 Including a Journalist.” Bedoon Rights, May 1, 2012.

On May 1, in Kuwait, 200 Bedoon Kuwaitis—stateless citizens—protested for their right to full citizenship. Around 120,000 people in Kuwait are Bedoon jinsiyya (without nationality). They cannot legally obtain birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates, or even apply for driving licenses, identification cards or passports. Thousands of Bedoon in Gulf countries suffer similar discrimination, but only after the Arab Spring did Bedoon Kuwaitis dare to organize public protests.

Hannah Murphy focuses on sex and gender. 

“He-Men and Virginity Pledges? Obama Administration Quietly Endorses Absurd Anti-Sex Curriculum,” Debra Hauser, Monica Rodriguez, Elizabeth Schroeder and Danene Sorace. AlterNet, May 1, 2012.

The Department of Heath and Human Services updates its list of endorsed "evidence-based" teen pregnancy prevention programs with no notice or press release. Why? Because one of these programs is the old, detrimental and disproven "abstinence only until marriage" program. AlterNet walks through the impact on teen sexual health, and women's and LGBT rights.

James Murphy focuses on migration in the 21st century. 

“The Nativist Millstone.” The Economist, April 28, 2012.

With Latinos the predicted kingmakers in November, The Economist finds "Republicans’ obstreperousness on the issue" of immigration baffling. And with the Supreme Court set to rule on the controversial Arizona case later in the campaign, the issue of immigration is only going to get hotter.

Erin Schikowski focuses on the politics and business of healthcare. 

“Health Centers for Poor, Uninsured See Ranks Swell,” by David Morgan. Reuters, May 1, 2012.

According to a White House report, the number of patients served by community hospitals, which provide care for the poor and uninsured, increased by nearly 18 percent between 2008 and 2011. If the Supreme Court rules against the Affordable Care Act in June, it would halt the administration's plans to increase funding for these hospitals at a time when patient demand is still on the rise.

Elizabeth Whitman focuses on the Syrian uprising, its implications and the wildly varied domestic and international reactions.

“Inside Northern Syria—In Pictures,” photographs by Rodrigo Abd. The Guardian, March 9, 2012.

Although these photos date from about two months ago or earlier, they remain powerful and poignant as scenes of daily life in northern Syria. Their focus, not just on fighting and protesting but also on quieter scenes—children on calm streets, people prayer inside homes—shows the viewer what lies behind the scenes of strife frequently depicted in most media and as a result, serve as a sobering reminder of what's at stake in the Syrian conflict.

Our media coverage is often dominated by one big story that crowds out nearly everything else. As an antidote, every week, Nation interns try to cut through the echo chamber and choose one good article in their area of interest that they feel should receive more attention. Please check out their favorite stories below, watch for this feature each week and use the comments section below to alert us to any important articles you feel warrant broader attention.

Laura Bolt focuses on human rights and revolution.

“Why You Should Still Care About Chicago's NATO Summit,” by Allison Kilkenny. Truthout, April 24, 2012.

In this article for Truthout, Nation contributor Alison Kilkenny makes the case for why progressives shouldn't lose focus on the NATO Summit, even after many declared that the President moving it to Camp David signaled a victory for protestors. Totalitarian anti-protest measures are still on track to block free speech in Chicago, and when protestors arrive in May, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and a beefed up police force will be ready to greet them en force. As Kilkenny says, May will still present the opportunity to "witness to the clash between forces bearing wildly different styles of armor," which is why the eyes of the nation still need to be on Chicago.

Zoë Carpenter focuses on the intersection of economics, health and the environment.

“The World's Most Important Story,” by Jonathan Watts. China Dialogue, April 17, 2012.

With China as his example, Watts makes a strong case for multidisciplinary reporting: journalism that explores the connections between the big topics of politics, economics, and the environment. He pinpoints the environment and the economy as the “drivers of change,” not just in China, but globally. Watts makes the crucial point that the environment is not a topic but rather a "prism," and the basis for our economic and politic future. Our outputs—for example, greenhouse gas emissions or toxic waste—capture attention, but it is what we take in, our staggering levels of extraction and consumption, that lays the groundwork for the future.

Umar Farooq focuses on the world-wide movement for democracy.

“The Crisis of Big Science,” by Steven Weinberg. The New York Review of Books, May 10, 2012. 

Do publicly-funded science and engineering initiatives create jobs for those in America who most need them? Nobel-winning physicist Steven Weinberg has been party to debates on funding science experiments for some time, and in this piece he argues for re-funding major science projects in America. Instead of diverting funds from social services, as has been done in the past, Weinberg calls for targeted taxing. It is interesting to read his view on how, or if, public projects like war or science create jobs. As he says: “For promoting invention, big science in this sense is the technological equivalent of war, and it doesn’t kill anyone.”

Loren Fogel focuses on peace, power, and political culture.

“A Declaration of Conscience,” by Albert Schweitzer. Originally broadcast by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee via Quinnipiac University, April 24, 1957.

Marking the fifty-fifth anniversary of an historic event in nuclear non-proliferation history, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Rose Gottemoeller, tweeted: “Read Albert Schweitzer’s famous speech on ending nuclear testing, ‘A Declaration of Conscience,’ first given 4/24/57.” Gottemoeller could not have invoked this famous speech by Schweitzer, in which he explained the dangers that the radiation produced by atomic blasts imposes upon the human body and all of humanity through fallout, at a more ripe time. Debate over the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is once again heating up in the U.S. Senate following the release of a National Academy of Sciences report, in which it has been asserted that US nuclear stockpiles can be safely maintained without the need for testing. Additionally, it has been reported that North Korea could carry out a third nuclear test in the next few days. Though nuclear tests are now conducted underground to primarily contain fallout, Schweitzer’s words of conscience are timeless. He said, “The end of further experiments with atom bombs would be like the early sunrays of hope which suffering humanity is longing for.”

Connor Guy focuses on racism and race relations.

“Community Leaders in LA’s Chinatown Question if Wal-Mart Bribed City Officials,” by Jorge Rivas. Colorlines, April 24, 2012.

Coming on the heels of an excellent piece from the New York Times about Wal-Mart's systematic bribery in Mexico, this Colorlines report explores allegations that the company used similarly shady tactics to acquire building permits in LA's Chinatown.

Ebtihal Mubarak focuses on human rights.

“In Response to Mona Eltahawy’s Hate Argument,” by Mona Kareem. Al-Monitor via monakarrem.blogspot.com, April 23, 2012.

Listing gruesome violations against Arab women without giving the context nor a deeper analysis of each country's women rights conditions, and simply concluding that Arab men are women haters is a frivolous argument and a dangerous stereotype. Luckily, young Arab feminists, like blogger Mona Kareem, are quick to respond to Foreign Policy's racist, Islamophobic cover story.

Hannah Murphy focuses on sex and gender.

“Is the US Military Ready for Women on the Frontline?” by Katie Drummond. The Guardian, April 26, 2012.

While the U.S. Military is holding off on allowing women on the front lines, the Pentagon has announced plans to open 14,000 more jobs to women in the military—many of which are more dangerous, and closer to the front lines. The Department of Defense has acknowledged that their limitations on women in the military are archaic, and many women are eager to serve in the same capacity as men, but the Guardian asks, amidst institutionalized sexism and chronically overlooked sexual assault, is the military ready for them?

James Murphy focuses on migration in the 21st century.

“Diverse Streams: African Migration to the United States,” by Randy Capps, Kristen McCabe, and Michael Fix. Migration Policy Institute, April 2012.

Black Africans are among the fastest-growing groups of US immigrants. Overall, they are well educated, with college completion rates that greatly exceed those for most other immigrant groups and US natives. But with the African population projected to double by 2036, and U.S. immigration policy set to change, something's got to give. This paper, released by the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, assesses the future of African migration to the United States.

Erin Schikowski focuses on the politics and business of healthcare.

“Romney's Healthcare Plan May Be More Revolutionary Than Obama's,” by Noam Levey. The Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2012. 

With the general election season now underway, it is more important than ever for journalists to present the candidates' healthcare plans clearly and in historical context. In this article, the author does both as he explains that Romney's alternative to the Affordable Care Act would provide consumers with more choices but give employers an incentive to stop providing insurance for employees.

Elizabeth Whitman focuses on the Syrian uprising, its implications and the wildly varied domestic and international reactions.

“Syria: On Lockdown.” GlobalPost, April 24, 2012.

In Dara'a, where the Syrian uprising began, checkpoints, tanks, snipers and security forces make up the landscape in what is essentially a military occupation by Syrian security forces and armed troops. However, one effect, perhaps unintended, is that residents who once appeared apolitical are turning against the regime.