Video: Talking Obama, Putin and Ukraine on Al Jazeera America

Ukraine: Why Putin is Fracking Furious; Why Yulia is No Angel; and commentary on France 24

The Daily Beast: Why Putin is Fracking Furious, 26 February 2014

Hint: It's not about the environment

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/26/why-putin-hates-fracking.html

The Daily Beast: Yulia Tymoshenko: She's No Angel, 23 February 2104

Her record is allegedly as shady as any politician's in Ukraine, and that's saying something. But still she brings her people hope.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/23/yulia-tymoshenko-she-s-no-angel.html

France 24: The World This Week, 21 February 2014

Talking about Ukraine with Celestine Bohlen of The New York Times; Sylvie Kauffmann of Le Monde; and Anthony Bellanger of Les Inrockuptibles

http://www.france24.com/en/20142102-world-this-week-part-one/

On BBC World Service Weekend This Morning ...

On BBC talkin empathy & Syria; anti-Europe Swiss; madness & poetry; gay Sochi http://t.co/1oTbHNyj4r @romankrznaric @AlOraibi @thedailybeast
— csdickey (@csdickey) February 9, 2014

Israel's Next War Zone ... and more

USGS outline of Levant Basin Province

Are These Gas Fields Israel’s Next Warzone?
Rumors of war could become the reality as Israel vies with the other nations of the Levant for control of the huge riches beneath the sea.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/06/are-these-gas-fields-israel-s-next-warzone.html

Also:

The Daily Beast's @csdickey on how American evangelists have contributed to homophobia in Russia: http://t.co/fD6Jl9IDlG
— PRI's The World (@pritheworld) February 6, 2014

For foreign correspondents, a great fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC

One of the most productive years of my career was spent as a Murrow Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. I would strongly encourage any American correspondent, or any foreign correspondent with a work visa in the United States, to apply before the March 1 deadline. (If I could, I'd do it again myself.)


CFR 2014–2015 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship


Application Deadline: March 1, 2014

Program

Launched in 1949 with support from the Carnegie Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship seeks to promote the quality of responsible and discerning journalism that exemplified the work of Edward R. Murrow. In 1965, the program was renamed in his honor and is supported by the CBS Foundation and Ford Foundation. One CFR resident fellowship is awarded each year to a distinguished foreign correspondent or editor.

The Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow spends nine months full-time in residence at CFR’s headquarters in New York. The program enables the fellow to engage in sustained analysis and writing, expand his or her intellectual and professional horizons, and extensively participate in CFR’s active program of meetings and events. The fellow will be part of the David Rockefeller Studies Program, CFR’s think tank, alongside the program’s full-time, adjunct, and visiting fellows, whose expertise extends across the broad range of significant foreign policy issues facing the United States and the international community.

Eligibility

The program is only open to applicants who have distinguished credentials in the field of journalism and who have covered international news as a working journalist for print, broadcast, or online media widely available in the United States. Applicants are limited to those individuals who are authorized to work in the United States and who will continue to be authorized for the duration of the fellowship. CFR does not sponsor for visas.

Fellowship Award

The duration of the fellowship is nine months, preferably beginning in September. The program awards a stipend of $65,000 as well as a modest travel grant. The fellow is considered an independent contractor rather than an employee of CFR, and is not eligible for employment benefits, including health insurance.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the program’s eligibility requirements can Apply Online between January 1 and March 1 on an annual basis.

Contact Us

For more information, please visit www.cfr.org/fellowships, or contact fellowships@cfr.org or 212.434.9740.

Controversial Social Issues: America's Anti-Gay Ambassadors of Hate; The Dutch Debate Their Death Wish

America’s Ambassadors of Hate
The global battle for LGBT rights will not start, or end, with rainbow flags in Sochi. American activists are spreading anti-gay fear and anger around the world.

By Christopher Dickey
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/04/america-s-ambassadors-of-hate.html

Photos: Manif Pour Tous (or is it contre tous?) in Paris on Sunday
http://christopherdickey.blogspot.fr/2014/02/manif-pour-tous-or-is-it-contre-tous-in.html

The Dutch Debate Their Death Wish
A controversial new clinic that helps the chronically depressed end their lives has The Netherlands wrestling with state-mandated euthanasia.

By Nadette De Visser, with a contribution by Christopher Dickey
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/03/the-dutch-debate-doctor-assisted-suicide-for-depression.html-- 

Twitter and Instagram @csdickey

Manif Pour Tous (or is it contre tous?) in Paris Today

Populist anger against government, globalization, and just about anything else you can think of is coalescing around anger at gays and a supposed pro-gay anti-family agenda. We have heard the same diatribes in the USA, but they may prove more dangerous in Africa, the Caribbean, Russia, and, yes, even in France.

Crowds pouring into the Esplanade des Invalides as the Manif pour tous begins

Don't know if these two were for demo, against, or just trying to get away, but liked their style

Such excitement listening to the speakers at Denfert Rochereau

The faces and the flags. (The one in black and white is the flag of Brittany, a bastion of conservative Catholicism.)

The last French flag heads home along the banks of the Seine, with the Sacré Coeur in the background