This is our third Friday Digest! Each Friday, this weekly news round-up gives us the occasion to share with you news from various topics: politics to arts, entertainment, media, science, sports, fun and less fun news… This digest is a list of news published this week on the Internet (Friday to Friday), selected by the Sama Team, and it is by no means exhaustive.

If you want to suggest a news to be added in the next Friday Digest, contact us.

The list goes from oldest to newest news.  See you on Sunday, for our weekly Twitter Sunday!

Video games can never be art
Having once made the statement above, I have declined all opportunities to enlarge upon it or defend it. That seemed to be a fool’s errand, especially given the volume of messages I receive urging me to play this game or that and recant the error of my ways. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that in principle, video games cannot be art. Perhaps it is foolish of me to say “never,” because never, as Rick Wakeman informs us, is a long…
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html

Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley
Candace Fleming’s résumé boasts a double major in industrial engineering and English from Stanford, an M.B.A. from Harvard, a management position at Hewlett-Packard and experience as president of a small software company. But when she was raising money for Crimson Hexagon, a start-up company she co-founded in 2007, she recalls one venture capitalist telling her that it didn’t matter that she didn’t have business…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/technology/18women.html

YEMEN: Islamic lawmaker decries child marriage ban as part of ‘Western agenda’
The recent death of 13-year old Yemeni child bride Elham Assi, who reportedly bled to death last week after being tied down and forced to have sex with her 23-year-old husband, has sparked outrage among rights activists in Yemen. They are now stepping up their lobbying efforts to push for the implementation of a child marriage ban. But that may prove a daunting challenge since fierce opposition against a ban on child brides…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/04/yemen-fierce-opposition-to-child-marriage-ban-persists-among-conservatives.html

Photos show life in Zimbabwe after 30 years of independence
On Sunday, Zimbabwe commemorates 30 years since the end of colonial rule. However, the celebration of Zimbabwe’s independence is marred by the plight of hundreds of thousands of victims of human rights violations for whom freedom and dignity remain out of reach. To mark the 30-year anniversary, Amnesty International has released a series of exclusively commissioned photographs showing the effects on those who were evicted…
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/photos-show-life-zimbabwe-after-30-years-independence-2010-04-18

In Sudan, the World Is Changing
The elections in Sudan over the last week have given rise to the broadest and most public debate about the governance of the country since before the 1989 coup that brought Omar Al-Bashir and his regime to power. Opposition parties, civil society organizations, and a nascent youth movement have participated loudly in the process — despite ever-present threats of intimidation and repression. These important elements of…
http://humanrights.change.org/blog/view/in_sudan_the_world_is_changing

Mrzyk and Moriceau for Sebastian Teller’s Look
Conor Harrington shared with us this great new video by Mrzyk and Moriceau for Sebastian Teller’s Look. They do a fantastic job utilizing the simplest of line formations to create an evolving … female bottom. The song and accompanying imagery is mesmerizing, you actually forget you’re staring at a woman’s butt. Goes to show that sometimes less really is more…
http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/mrzyk-and-moriceau-for-sebastian-tellers-look

Africa Reboots
I SPENT March with a delegation of activists, entrepreneurs and policy wonks roaming western, southern and eastern Africa trying very hard to listen — always hard for a big-mouthed Irishman. With duct tape over my gob, I was able to pick up some interesting melody lines everywhere from palace to pavement. Despite the almost deafening roar of excitement about Africa’s hosting of soccer’s World Cup this summer, we managed to…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/opinion/18bono.html

Avatar director slams Alberta oilsands
Avatar director-turned-activist James Cameron says Alberta’s oilsands are a “black eye” to his native country’s image as an environmental leader. The Canadian-born filmmaker says he wants to learn more about the controversial Athabasca Oil Sands Project after being contacted by indigenous groups concerned by its impact. Calling it a “wrong solution” and a “dead-end paradigm,” Cameron questions why Canada is spending…
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/04/20/alberta-oilsands-avatar-cameron.html

54% Of Women More Likely To Date Men With iPhones, Says iPhone Retailer
Straight from the bullshit department: a recent survey of 1500 women has found that men who own an iPhone are more attractive than those who do not. Women were particularly repulsed by men who own a Palm Pre, the study also found. Ok, I made that second part up, but then again the first part was completely made up, too. According to the survey, which was held by Phones 4u, an online retailer of iPhones (and other phones) and…
http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/21/54-of-women-more-likely-to-date-men-with-iphones-says-iphone-retailer/

Representative Ros-Lehtinen responds to Congo campaign
With three days left to go of Enough’s week-long campaign to encourage members of Congress to sign onto the Conflict Minerals Trade Act, the equation for Congo is already beginning to change, thanks to the efforts of activists around the nation. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), one of the 10 representatives that the campaign is targeting, responded positively to the over 100 Facebook comments posted on her wall yesterday…
http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/representative-ros-lehtinen-responds-congo-campaign

A 100-year-old woman encounters the iPad
100 year old woman with impaired vision is thrilled with her new toy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndkIP7ec3O8

The Sama Team is talking about it since it’s been officially online last Friday: Avatar‘s international teaser trailer has arrived and it’s huge. James Cameron‘s newest creation takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. The trailer gives the world its first glimpse of the alien world dreamed up by the famous director. Synopsis:

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.

The much anticipated sci-fi movie is starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Peter Mensah… I was very impressed by the trailer and I can’t wait to see the movie when it opens in theaters (conventional 3D theaters and IMAX 3D) everywhere December 18, 2009.

Twentieth Century Fox announced that the Avatar teaser trailer has become the most-viewed trailer ever on the popular iTunes Movies Trailer section of apple.com. The teaser registered over four million streams in its first day on the site, shattering the previous record of 1.7 million. In case you missed the trailer (which I doubt), watch below. You can also visit Avatar’s Official Website.