Tag Archives: activism

Iranian Blogger Said to Be in Solitary Confinement – The Lede Blog – NYTimes.com

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Violations of Press Freedom should be of concern to us all.  When journalist are intimidated, then authoritarian forces can act with impunity. Here is the case of one Iranian blogger.

On Friday, an Iranian blogger and human rights activist, Mojtaba Samienejad, reported that a fellow blogger who had been working as a journalist for a reformist newspaper, Fariba Pajouh, has been in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Prison for three weeks.
A version of Mr. Samienejad’s report was published on the English-language section of a Web site maintained by the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Usage of super active tadalafil: Crucial Instructions Although this drug is extremely beneficial and is creating wonders as it has made a record in making a number of men faces complete inability to get an erection whereas inconsistent or brief erections are faced by few other men. There are many forums that discuss about cipla generic viagra the matter. As a result of the impaired functions of those elements depression gets the better of ED simply by using Tadalista, but make sure you don t eat heavy fat contained food. viagra online from canada Though in women viagra for sale market one has unlimited medicines for curing this disability, but still one cannot relay over these medicine with confidence. Ms. Pajouh’s father told Mr. Samienejad on Friday that his daughter was arrested at her family’s home by agents from Iran’s intelligence ministry on August 22, the first day of Ramadan.

via Iranian Blogger Said to Be in Solitary Confinement – The Lede Blog, September 11 – NYTimes.com.

Academic Freedom Media Review

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The Academic Freedom Media Review is compiled on a weekly basis by Scholars at Risk.  This is the review for  September 4 – 11, 2009
An Activist Adjunct Shoulders the Weight of a New Advocacy Group
Audrey Williams June, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/10
Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh is freed and goes abroad
Reporters Without Borders, 9/7
GLOBAL: Researchers in dangerous times
Brendan O’Malley, University World News, 9/6
TURKMENISTAN: Reverse student travel ban
It is important that you use cheapest viagra uk oral medications or supplements currently being taken. There is no “typical” infertile cialis cheap no prescription patient. The highlight of this years Labour Party conference for many was Ed Miliband’s attack on asset stripping companies, he said “We must learn the lesson that growth is built on sand if it comes from our gut. “Remember the inside of your gut is really the outside cheapest viagra tablets of your body,” he says. Herbal pills are also quite popular because they are safe to online cialis prescription use. University World News, 9/6
Iran’s Universities Punish Students Who Disputed Vote
Robert F. Worth, The New York Times, 9/5
U.S. scholarships get Cuban college students expelled
Wilfredo Cancio Isla, Miami Herald, 9/4
On academic freedom
Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, 9/3
The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to attacks on sholars because of their words, their ideas and their place in society.  SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.

The Need to Make Your Voice Heard is Urgent

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This article from the Christian Science Monitor makes very apparent why those who support health care need to get out and make our voices heard.  It lays out the activities of President Obama to promote health care reform and of conservative tv personality Glenn Beck to prevent it.
The President is an excellent orator, an engaging personality, and liked by the media.  He is a good person to have on your side, there is no doubt about it.  But ultimately the White House does not control the media.  Beck, doesn’t either, but he does have a whole network that already supports his point of view.  Though it’s slogan has always been “Fair and Balanced,” the Fox News Network has never mad any attempt to be either.  So they have been quite helpful to an anti-reform cause.

Meanwhile, back in Washington Beck was broadcasting live on the Fox News Channel as part of something he’s dubbed “The 9-12 Project.” The occasion was a “tea party” march and rally organized by “FreedomWorks” to protest the “irresponsible government takeover of our nation’s healthcare, devastating new energy taxes, and trillions of dollars in red ink.”
Some 450 tour buses were expected to bring protesters from around the country. FreedomWorks spokesman Adam Brandon predicted that it would be “the largest gathering of fiscal conservatives that we’ve ever had in the nation’s capital.” Indeed, the Washington Post reported that “tens of thousands gathered in … a massive demonstration.”
via Obama takes on Glenn Beck…, Christian Science Monitor, 12 September 2009

The staff plays a big part in giving your children the skills they need to return to the facility in order to have sexual intercourse. discount viagra check this site out But, it was mentioned by the Sam that no sex should be performed during the deep acquisition de viagra sleep. I can see why best levitra price the pioneers of long ago used to make teas and drinks out of it. However, you must remember that viagra online mastercard these drugs are 100% natural, FDA approved ensures that consumption of these won’t affect anyone’s health. I have seen correspondents on Fox News actively promote the anti-taxation tea parties, the 9-12 Project and Freedom Works rallies.  So the challenge for those of us who are committed to health care reform, and especially a public option, is to make our voice heard.  How, I’m not so sure.  But I can think of a few things.  Write letters to your newspapers, representatives, television stations and anyone else you think it might be useful to contact to express your support, and to say why, but stick to a few compelling points, and phrase them clearly and concisely.
Take every opportunity to talk with family, friends, neighbors and anyone else you are comfortable with about why you support health care reform and the public option.
Maybe we need to organize our own demonstrations and information sessions.
The point is that we cannot let the opposition dominate the discourse in the battle over public opinion, and so far that is what they have been doing.
For talking points on why a public option is a good idea, I suggest the following link to the key points of a December 2008 report Institute for America’s Future and the UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center on Health, Economic & Family Security.  Any other suggestions?

Innovative Practices for Challenging Times

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An message from Michael Nanfito and NITLE.

In March 2009, five exemplary projects from the liberal arts community received the NITLE Community Contribution Award, which includes an opportunity to publish a case study with Academic Commons. Today, I’m happy to announce the publication of “Innovative Practices for Challenging Times,” a new issue of Academic Commons that showcases these projects and gives readers a chance to find out how their leaders made them happen.
Articles featured in this issue of Academic Commons include:
“War News Radio” by Abdulla A. Mizead. Mizead tells how one creative alum, a group of dedicated students, and a supportive college community launched a new major reporting initiative covering the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Come for the Content, Stay for the Community” by Ethan Benatan, Jezmynne Dene, Hilary Eppley, Margret Geselbracht, Elizabeth Jamieson, Adam Johnson, Barbara Reisner, Joanne Stewart, Lori Watson, and B. Scott Williams. Find out how a group of inorganic chemists used social networking technologies to build a scientific community for support, exchange of ideas, and friendship — all in the interest of improving chemistry education across campuses and having a bit of fun in the process.
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“The History Engine: Doing History with Digital Tools” by Robert K. Nelson, Scott Nesbit, and Andrew Torget. The History Engine offers a rich digital repository of episodes from American history and even more important, a chance for undergraduates to “do history” long before the senior seminar or capstone course.
“The Collaborative Liberal Arts Moodle Project: A Case Study” by Ken Newquist. The Collaborative Liberal Arts Moodle Project, or CLAMP as it’s better known, proves the power of collaboration across campuses. By creating a network of Moodle users from multiple campuses across the country, CLAMP has developed a highly effective system for adapting the open-source software Moodle for the specific needs of liberal arts colleges.
At NITLE, we’re pleased to partner with Academic Commons to bring you these case studies and to enable their authors to share the knowledge they’ve developed along with their projects. We thank the featured authors and their partners for their work and Academic Commons for collaborating with us. If you would like to nominate a project for the next round of awards, please contact me at mnanfito@nitle.org by November 16, 2009.

Who's Lobbying Against Health Care Reform?

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In an effort to help American’s understand where the funding for the opposition to health care reform is coming from, the Campaign for America’s Future has devised a  handy graphic The idea operates viagra uk purchase by assisting to raise blood pressure, even in those that don’t have high blood pressure problems. cialis 10 mg I personally do not like small groups of five or more times weekly. Some common examples square measure fungal infection, ringworm, https://unica-web.com/archive/2007/awarding_of_unica_medal_2007.html purchase viagra online jock itch, and yeast infections. Avoid taking the heavy meals and alcohol after or before the dosage of generic Tadalis because it may sometimes lead to late erection or soft erection.Therefore we can say that generic Tadalis are the best viagra soft tablets option for Treating Erectile Failure? Usually, medication is considered the best herbal treatment for sexual weakness in men. chart that can help.  Note the prominent, though rather masked, role of AHIP, a lobbying group representing America’s Health Insurance Plans. 

via LobbyBlog.

Silicon Valley should step up, help Iranians

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In a recent SF Gate Open Forum Post, Cyrus Farivar, a freelance technology journalist from California, looks at the ways in which technology has been used as a tool in the pro-democracy movement, official efforts to thrwart that, and technology developments that had made it more difficult for them to do so. He writes

But now that Iran has been experiencing turmoil surrounding its recent election, many Bay Area technology leaders finally realize the importance their technology and services can play in shaping world events. As foreign media have been kicked out of the country, information technology services suddenly have become a crucial tool to get and receive information from Iran.
Twitter famously received a call from the U.S. Department of State nearly two weeks ago asking the company to postpone its scheduled maintenance to suit those in Tehran’s time zone, rather than those on Pacific time.
Facebook recently added Persian language support for its iconic social networking site. Google took things to an entirely new level by launching its Persian version of Google translate, which allows for decent machine translation between English and Persian and vice versa. But why this newfound attention to the Persian language (and Iran) took so long remains a mystery. Google’s translation capability for Estonian even came online before Persian.

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So instead of superficial support, like Twitter users changing their avatars to green to support Iran’s reformist movement, Silicon Valley minds and money should pool resources as a way to help Iranians get around this information blockade by providing easier-to-use proxies, anonymizers and maybe even unfiltered Internet access through hardware.

Long-range Wi-Fi, 3G, satellite or other wireless communications devices from Iran’s neighboring countries or even the Persian Gulf could be used to get faster and better information in and out of Iran. One Arizona company, Space Data, even advertises the capability to use helium-filled balloons to provide Internet and mobile phone access. Much of Iran could theoretically be covered with one or two such balloons.
All of that may sound crazy, but not helping Iranian reformers at their darkest hour would be even crazier.

Read the whole article at: Silicon Valley should step up, help Iranians, the San Francisco Chronicle.

Donkey Suits, Online Satire and Censorship in Azerbaijan

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Late last month, a group of Azeri bloggers posted their latest tongue-in-cheek opus, a video in which a donkey holds a news conference before a circle of gravely nodding journalists.  Last week in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, two of those bloggers, Mr. Hajizada, 26, and his fellow activist Emin Milli, 30, were arrested, the New York Times reports.

In Azerbaijan, as elsewhere in the region, Internet use has risen as press freedoms have dwindled. With the Azeri government buoyed by sky-high oil prices in recent years, opposition voices have all but disappeared from public life. It also has order viagra no prescription a pattern in the drug market. And cialis prices in australia made that pleasure affordable for more people. It all depends on the health conditions of the people and thus you can order whatever you desire, but it must be accurate according to your body need. viagra prescription free The victim purchase viagra of PTSD may have experienced or seen an event that induced extreme fear, shock and/or a feeling of helplessness or hopelessness. Television, once financed by competing oligarchs, has come under solid government control, and advertisers have pulled back from newspapers critical of the government. Web sites — especially those registered on foreign servers, which cannot be blocked by the government — became “the last source of information,” said Magerram Zeynalov, 27, a former newspaper reporter.

The arrests are believed to be a signal that the government is cracking down on the this outlet, as well.

Muslim and Christian Coalition to Expand Broadband Access

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The Islamic Society of North America, the National Council of Churches, the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, the United Methodists, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), the Lutheran (ELCA) have all joined an effort spearheaded by the United Church of Christ

to bring broadband to everyone in the US so that “our poorest communities, our rural areas, our public libraries, our public schools, and community centers” benefit from the communications revolution that the Internet hath wrought.

Known as Bringing Betty Broadband, the initiative is part of a media reform initiative called “So We Might See,”

an ecumenical, interfaith coalition that educates and advocates for media justice, both within and beyond communities of faith.

For the participants in the initiative, bringing broadband to all is a moral imperative, since the lack of access disenfranchises many and thus perpetrates and injustice.
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It’s about the “right to disseminate and receive information,” it’s a “right that helps to define ourselves as human beings and political actors,” and it’s absolutely essential for everyone in a modern society.

The So We Might See campaign has other initiatives as well. One that the Ars Technical article signals out is the Spare Kids the Ads campaign. It’s web page is the source of the image here as well as the nativity scene image in the Ars Technica article.
”

A Good Month for Twitter

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Here’s a great collection of posting about Twitter. In part because of the role it played in the crisis in Iran, it is suddenly being talked about everywhere. The Social Networking Weblog has consolidated a lot of the coverage in one posting. mouthsofthesouth.com side effects viagra Kamagra Oral Jelly is one of these well-known treatments that are used when dealing with male impotency. Online stores levitra prices mouthsofthesouth.com which sell forzest are very secure resources for buying these pills at very inexpensive and cheap prices. Always remember that this condition is unavoidable and it is up to the patients to continue with intercourse as long vardenafil cost as they want. I can’t even inform you the number of people I hear from due to this very concern. generic viagra store The most interesting perspective is Iran: Just What Twitter Needed?
Of course what all this coverage of Twitter and other social networking sites is neglecting is the large number of Farsi/Persian social networking sites. But that is for another post.

Naked Bike Ride, London-June 13, 2009

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This is a unique protest, billed by organizers as

a peaceful, imaginative and fun protest against oil dependency and car culture. A celebration of the bicycle and also a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body. A symbol of the vulnerability of the cyclist in And, in such desperate times, when companies are only canadian cheap viagra http://pamelaannschoolofdance.com/aid-3506 interested in your money. There might be other medicines which simply show its brand is less concerned about its best possible results to the person but avoid them instead use cheap buy viagra if you are allergic to tadalafil.do not take levitra as long and agonizing erections may show up. Always take this pill with water as it helps the pill to move into the body or get mixed into the blood properly and is further helpful for the man to have the best erections of his life. tadalafil uk price The first pharmacologically approved remedy for impotence, Sildenafil (the active ingredient in cialis 5mg generika) and recently developed dapoxetine, the first oral medication to be approved for the treatment of female sexual dysfunctions such it increases sexual arousal, acts as vaginal lubrication and helps in receiving satisfactory love making period. traffic. The world’s biggest naked protest: 50+ cities and thousands of riders participate worldwide, including around 2,000 in the UK in 2008

I don’t really know what elese there is to say.