Press Review of the week
May 30th 2011
Eli Pariser, interviewed in the last edition of DemocracyNow, is analyzing the “behavioral targeting” of Google links. In his book ”The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You“, he noticed that when you enter “Egypt” in your browser, Google suggests some links that fit your needs: you can find political informations about Arab uprisings or only informations about travel and tourism. Information is filtered or even concealed.
Ahmed Bassiouny, in his digital work, “30 Days of Running in Place,” Credits : Washington Post
On the contrary, digital art is a strong way to condemn repression like Ahmed Bassiouny in Egypt. The Washington Post says his work will describe in 30 days the 30 years wasted under Egyptian regime. “He attached sensors to his body and used computer manipulation to create a visual parable of kinetic stasis and a metaphor for his three decades of life under Mubarak“. An original understanding of Pariser’s book.
An UNICEF study reveals the wide social and geographical disparities (rural/urban) concerning the access to primary health care for children. Sudan and Yemen have the most alarming inequalities: ”in Yemen, a child born among the poorest 20 per cent of the population is three times more likely to die before the age of five than a child from the richest 20 per cent.” Vaccination and medication are higher in the richest quintile. ArabianBusiness reminds that Saudi Arabia will be confronted to a lack of health professionals in 2021 due to the rise of chronic diseases will need to recruit at least 7.000 doctors. Will the Internet and the digital be a solution to cut inequalities?
Also in the headlines the first Arab woman conquered the Everest: a 40 year old Palestinian, mother of two children. We hope that this conquest should the symbol of Arab women empowerment and the rise of tolerance: a recent study reveals that 64% of Emiratis don’t want to have non-Muslim neighbour, The NewYork Times deals with the Saudi women fight for drive, like Manal Al-Sharif, in jail during 1 week because she had driven her car and the Saudi blog SaudiJeans wonders if there is any hope…
It is a long and winding road.
