U.S. to Host World Press Freedom Day in 2011!!

Ahhhh the supreme irony, any remark is superfluous:

"The United States is pleased to announce that it will host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from May 1 - May 3 in Washington, D.C. UNESCO is the only UN agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the press.

The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21^st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age."

(from the State Department web site)

Outlawing SLRs - the good use of freedom in Kuwait

Photographing in the Muslim world has always been a royal pain in the neck, but new extremes are coming: Kuwait has banned the use of DSLRs cameras in public, according to local media.

The English-language Kuwait Times says the country’s Ministry of Information, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance have ruled photography with digital reflex cameras should be done only by accredited journalists. There is currently no official confirmation of the decision, why it has been introduced or detail about how precise a definition of the term 'DSLR' will be applied.

History has proved that Iraq would be better under Saddam Hussein, maybe Saddam would also be better for Kuwait?

map of Iraq including Kuwait as a province