Ruffling Feathers
Colorado College in Colorado Springs is under fire for its plan to kickoff a commemoration of the one year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The school selected Hanan Ashrawi as the keynote speaker for its conference: "September 11: One Year Later." Ashrawi's best known as Yasser Arafat's spokesperson.
The college's president, Richard Celeste, who served as U.S. Ambassador to India during the Clinton years, defended the school's choice by pointing out that the president of the Israeli Political Science Association will be the keynote speaker on day two of the conference.
Teed Off!
The National Council of Women's Organizations decided to put pressure on sponsors of the Masters golf tournament because Augusta National, the home of the Masters, does not admit female members. But before the group could gain any leverage with the sponsors, Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson announced that television coverage of the 2003 event would be commercial free.
Mr. Johnson said the club would not be "bullied, threatened or intimidated". There is no word on whether the National Council of Women's Organizations will seek to pressure the tournament's American television networks: CBS and USA.
Not Must See TV
CNN apparently got in hot water with the White House over those controversial Al Qaeda training tapes. According to the current edition of US News and World Report, some executives at CNN wanted to show the tapes to President Bush and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and tape their reaction to, among other things, a dog supposedly being gassed.
In refusing the request, a senior White House aide said, "The president is not a prop for some reality show."
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