Course Over, News Goes On

And the blog will go on, too, though postings won't pick up until after the spring semester starts. Feel free to visit -- and comment. The pirates played a big part in the fall semester, so it's only fitting to to post the latest news: Some of the pirates drowned with their loot after releasing the Sirius-Star crew. Just deserts, some would say.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian

Abu Dhabi Grabs Headlines in 2008

2008 was the defining year for Abu Dhabi media says this story in The National today. How much reported in this retrospective is news to you? What names do you recognize in the article that you might not have known in September? And do note -- in case you just happen to meet him sometime -- that Edward Borgerding, named chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) in March, previously was a top Disney executive. Just so you know, formerly he was Executive Vice President of Walt Disney International in Hong Kong and Senior Vice President of Walt Disney International Television in Hong Kong and London. His cross-media duties included overseeing operating units for television, home video, consumer products, digital media, theatrical distribution and Disney Channels. He was the one who started the Disney Channel in Taiwan-- the first outside the US -- and the Disney Channel in Dubai and in Australia. And now ADMC has launched Imagenation Abu Dhabi, to make feature films here. See how it all connects!

What's Wrong With Vogue?

That's what the fashion critic of the New York Times is asking this first day of 2009. An international news story? you ask. Yes, in the sense that Vogue is an international brand and published in 18 countries. Yes, in the sense that many of its stories go far beyond fashion. Yes, in the sense that it has been called "the world's most influential fashion magazine." Yet even Vogue is challenged by the Internet. The median age of readers is around 34, but "you don't feel that the magazine has considered how changes in the social networks and Web-subcultures have influenced women's ideas about themselves." Hmmmm, now there's a thought....