Dear Media,
Please stop marveling at how anything is happening in Egypt even though the internet is shut down and people can’t get on Twitter or Facebook. You do realize that there were popular revolts before social media, don’t you? In the latter half of the 20th century we had the Prague Spring in 1968, the Soweto uprising in 1976, the Paris riots in 1968, and even Tiananmen Square in 89. How do you think people coordinated the labor demonstrations of the 30s, the anti-colonial revolts of the developing world in the decades following World War II. What about the French Revolution in 1789? OMG? How did they get anything done. They didn’t even have land lines!
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Tag Archives: democracy
The President is Correct about the Health Care Reform Law
President Barack Obama delivers his state of the union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Photograph: Pool/Reuters
In the State of the Union Address tonight, President Barack Obama welcomed serious efforts fix aspects of the new health care law, but rejected efforts to overturn it and start over. He is right. The law is Constitutional and the apocalyptic scenarios regarding its impact on our health care system are absurd.
Most importantly, it is a good law protecting us from abuses by insurance companies and the health care industry. Here are a few of the most interesting provisions, as summarized in an article from Reuters that came out in March when the legislation was passed. I’ve selected some of the provisions that will have the most impact and inserted my comments in parentheses.
Already in effect are the following provisions. See the article for a fuller summary.
Insurance companies will be barred from dropping people from coverage when they get sick. Lifetime coverage limits will be eliminated and annual limits are to be restricted. (Note: If you, a friend or family member has every had a chronic condition, or an illness or injury that is difficulty that is expensive to treat, you will really be grateful for this provision.) Insurers will be barred from excluding children for coverage because of pre-existing conditions. (If you’ve ever changed jobs in a state that doesn’t prohibit this, this is good news, too.) Young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ health plans until the age of 26. Many health plans currently drop dependents from coverage when they turn 19 or finish college. (The job market it tough out there! A lot of young people and their worried parents will appreciate this.)… A tax credit becomes available for some small businesses to help provide coverage for workers.
Academic Freedom Media Review, January 15 – 21, 2011
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available at here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Protecting academic freedom seen as key
Jimmy Walsh, Irish Times, 1/21
U.S. Bishops Begin 10-Year Review of ‘Ex Corde’
Beckie Supiano, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/21
Scholars at Risk calls for letters on behalf of Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian legal scholar sentenced to 11 years in prison
Scholars at Risk, 1/19
And freedom for all includes undergraduates
Bruce Macfarlane, The Australian, 1/19
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The President v. The Pundit
Daniel Hernandez, President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama at the memorial event, 'Together We Thrive: Tucson and America', at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Arizona, on 12 January 2011. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Barack Obama in the President of the United States. He has to triangulate the demands of Congress and its opposing parties, the international obligations of the United States to its foreign allies, national security, and many more concerns. The decisions of the President have real consequences, and he has to make sure things happen.
Sarah Palin was, briefly, a governor. Now, however, she is a pundit and nominal leader of an ill-formed political movement. Furnaces and air conditioning already work under pressure depending on the temperature. buy viagra without rx The generic india levitra US government does not regulate the prices of medicines. And the historic such as the Grosvenor Museum and the Museum purchase cialis online purchasing here of Contemporary Art have quite a delightful surprise that are sure to enchant you and come back for more. Ayurveda recommends the consumption of urad dal contains 189 calories, 13 gm of protein, 12 gm cialis online of fibre and just 1gm of fat. It is easy to snipe and criticize, when you don’t have to provide solutions. It so happens that her videotaped speech was highly criticized and damaged her popularity rating, whereas the Presidents speech was well received, but who cares how they compare. If the President’s comments are to be compared to anyone’s, it ought to be to John Boehner, Mitch NcConnell, or a prominent Senator. Essentially any national figure from the Republican party in a policy making role would be more appropriate, not Sarah Palin, whose opinions have no real consequences.
Academic Freedom Media Review, January 1-7 2011
This review is compiled by Scholars at Risk and I re-post it regularly. If you are not familiar with the organization. Please visit their site. SAR is a international network of universities and colleges that defends academic freedom and responds to attacks on scholars and teachers, often by rescuing them from their situation, at least until the situation has improved. Their site is an interesting source of information on the status of academic freedom around the globe. Here now, is the review.
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Students and lecturer remain in prison following presidential elections
NEAR, 1/7
Economists’ Group Forms Panel to Consider Ethical Standards
David Glenn, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/7
Proposed university changes labeled “outrageous”
Pamela Duncan, Irish Times, 1/7
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Policy ≠ Politics
President Obama announces the compromise.
A couple days ago the White House and Congressional Republicans reached a compromise on issues that included extending the Bush tax cuts and unemployment benefits. It took a while. In the press conference announcing the agreement, President Obama commented that the agreement is not what he wanted, but said that Republicans were holding tax cuts for the Middle Class and an unemployment benefits extension “hostage.” Many in the Democratic base oppose the compromise, seeing it as capitulation rather than compromise, and are resistant to approval.
Mainstream media has been providing blow by blow coverage of this process. The tell us which side which wants what but not in a lot of detail and not why. For the most part they spend their time speculating about the impact that whatever compromise might be reached will have on the 2012 elections. Then they let party representatives and their surrogates in the punditry argue about what agreements might be better and for the nation and how.
It’s all very entertaining. There is drama, conflict, suspense. Who is winning the skirmish as the pundits argue? Who will win the battle when the legislation ultimately makes it out of Congress? Most importantly, who’s likely to win the war in 2012!
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Academic Freedom Media Review, November 20 – December 3, 2010
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here.
The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Russian prisoner of conscience: Amnesty letters were ‘connection to freedom’
Amnesty International, 12/3
ITALY: University reform bill passes amid protests
Lee Adendorff, University World News, 12/2
UK as a whole will suffer if a big mistake is made on student visas, v-c warns
John Morgan, Times Higher Education, 12/2
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Don't Take My Tax Cut! And Get a Job!
Petition: Tell Congress: Protect Workers, NOT Millionaires!
Senator Scott Brown made a fiery speech a couple of days ago as he blocked the Senate from considering an extension of unemployment benefits. He said that first we need to find a way to pay for those benefits without raising the deficit. At last report the unemployment rate in this country stands at 9.7% and Brown wants to put their ability to buy groceries, pay their bills, mortgage or rent payments in doubt while Congress turns its attention to the deficit.
I believe that Washington has finally turned its attention to the deficit in earnest, and that Brown’s theatrics are not necessary. The report that bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has just been released provides outstanding recommendations for debt reduction. Holding the unemployed hostage during the holiday season is little more than political theater. Brown needed an issue to distinguish himself on, and he chose this. Nice, Senator! Pick on the unemployed. They’re so busy job hunting they won’t be paying much attention!
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The Senator, the Unemployed and the Millionaires
Read: "Congress lets unemployment benefits expire: 'What now' and six other questions
Senator Scott Brown blocked the extension of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans.
About 8,400 Americans will see their unemployment benefits cut off by the end of this week, according to the Labor Department. By the end of the third week of December, aid to 1.36 million Americans will be interrupted, the agency said.
Brown says that we can’t afford the extension and that we need to start focusing on “what is important,” the federal deficit.
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Academic Freedom Media Review-November 13-19, 2010
photo: Chris Hildreth
Compiled by Scholars at Risk
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Second Azerbaijani ‘Donkey Blogger’ Freed
Claire Bigg, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11/19
Azerbaijani Activist Detained On Georgian Border
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11/19
Nobel Winner’s Absence May Delay Awarding of Prize
Andrew Jacobs and Alan Cowell, The New York Times, 11/18
Law students march to support UP professors
ABS-CBN News, 11/18
SINGAPORE: Yale partnership to go ahead, NUS says
Stanislaus Jude Chan, University World News, 11/18
Law clinics that go beyond theory face attacks
Sarah Cunnane, Times Higher Education, 11/18
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