links for 2011-02-28

"Six months later, many Swedes are still in shock. The country — proud of its reputation for tolerance — can no longer say it stands apart from the growing anti-immigrant sentiment that has changed European parliaments elsewhere, leading to the banning of burqas in France and minarets in Switzerland."

"Muslim neighbourhoods are being transformed by rising affluence, a result that supports the claim by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen that multiculturalism in Australia is working.

"The Muslim heartlands in our major cities are thriving places — surprisingly so. Unlike in Britain and Europe, the migrants allowed into Australia have skills that enable them to make the most of our strong economy, says Oliver Marc Hartwich from the Centre for Independent Studies."

"Dave Singleton with the California Native American Heritage Commission, which advises local, state and federal agencies on issues involving indigenous communities, said he's heard from at least 10 tribes in the Colorado River area concerned about various renewable projects. The problem is in part cultural: while a site may not be registered as historic, some tribal leaders say they know it's sacred because of oral history accounts.

"'The tribes are saying you've consulted us, we've identified sites and you're saying it doesn't matter,' Singleton said. 'There's a rising anger that they're being treated with disrespect.'"

"Harjo v. Pro-Football, Inc. (and now Blackhorse v. Pro-Football) represents a rare intersection between intellectual property law and human rights concerns. Though the claims presented in these lawsuits are purely trademark-based, there are certainly 'human rights' implications in a broad sense. It will be interesting to see how the new lawsuit plays out and whether the right of the 'invisible population' of the United States to not be disparaged by words and symbols will prevail."

"Sheryll Cashin, who teaches constitutional law and race and American law at Georgetown University, says it would be a shame if black flight from the city set off black flight from the near suburbs.

"Some blacks just don't want to live near other blacks, she says: 'There is classism within the black community. The foreclosure crisis may be accelerating it.' But she says middle-class blacks, like middle-class whites, are also put off by behavior of impoverished blacks who 'have developed their own culture, one that is very different from mainstream America.'"