Academic Freedom Media Review, October 30 – November 5, 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.

Singapore suppresses dissident
Drew Anderson, Yale Daily News, 11/5

Scholars at Risk Expresses Concern Over Professor Denied Entry to India
Scholars at Risk, 11/4

Iran Sets New Conditions For Employing Teachers
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11/4

News of Government Guidelines on ‘Pluralism’ Alarms Israeli Academics
Matthew Kalman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/4
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Hey Candidates! Just Anwer the Questions and Check Your Facts: Mid-terms 2010

Every election year since 1992 Project Vote Smart, CNN and prominent national leaders from both across the political spectrum survey candidates for U.S. House & Senate, governor and state legislatures on key issues facing the nation. Called the National Political Courage Test, in fact what it revealed was an appalling lack of courage and a complete unwillingness to take a stand.

Only 17% of all 2010 candidates for U.S. House, Senate, governor and state legislatures are willing to tell voters their positions on key issues facing the nation. The rest are afraid of exposing themselves to their opponents.

I was kind of bowled over by that number. Perhaps one way of looking at it would be the way that Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President did in a piece he wrote today. In fact this number demonstrates that candidates for office have a great deal of courage. It takes guts to stand in front of a non-partisan public interest group, journalists, and voters themselves, and refuse to take a position, a fortitude that is new in politics, enabled by developments in media. He writes sarcastically:

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Academic Freedom Media Review, October 23-29, 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.

Warning on Bologna
Hannah Fearn, Inside Higher Ed, 10/29

Iranian Scholar Accused of Acting against National Security
Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR), 10/28

Students say: new report recommending specialised universities would spell disaster for accessible education and academic choice
CNW, 10/27

Scholars at Risk calls for letters on behalf of Svyatoslav Bobyshev and Yevgeny Afanasyev, Russian scholars held in pretrial detention since March
Scholars at Risk, 10/26

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Thank You for Your Support! Maybe I Can Raise Just a Bit More!

For several months I’ve been working to raise funds for the Life is Good Kids Foundation to support children struggling to overcome life-threatening challenges.  I pledged to raise $1000 and have successfully met that goal, even slightly exceeded it.  Though I’ve not raised it to  $1500 and there is still time to help, I thought it a good time to publicly acknowledge those who’ve helped me so far!  The names below are listed according to the order in which I received their donations.  Those who were the earliest to support me at at the top, and it continues on through the most recent.

I hope all of you on this list know how much this means to me.  Thank you for supporting a good cause, but thank you, also, for responding so generously to my request.   Continue reading

Academic Freedom Media Review, August 21-27

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.

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Call for Urgent Action for Detained Mechanical Engineering Professor Abdul Jalil Al-Singace of Bahrain
Scholars at Risk, 8/27

A Recovery at Risk
David Moltz, Inside Higher Ed, 8/27

U. of Louisiana Board Postpones Vote on Tenure
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 8/27

Iran Launches New Crackdown On Universities
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 8/26

Vietnamese Professor Detained
NEAR International, 8/26

A straight case of discrimination? Lawsuits come in all shades for US institutions
Jon Marcus, Times Higher Education, 8/26

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Academic Freedom Media Review, August 14-20

Speak, by R. Baxter © All Rights Reserved

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
— from the Friends of Voltaire

When Laura Schlessinger quit her job this week, she made claims about violations of free speech and her first amendment rights. This is absurd. Her show is on commercial radio network. The First Amendment applies to the government infringing on free speech; a commercial network needs to think about the listeners or viewers, as well as the advertisers. Laura Schlessinger is free to use the “N-word” as much as she wants in the privacy of her own home, and speeches for organizations that share her views, or just out on the street if she’s prepared to deal with the consequences.

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Citizens Medal

President Barack Obama turns 49 today. Happy Birthday Mr. President! But the celebration at the White House that really deserves attention today is the announcement of the recipients of The Citizens Medal.

The Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian honor in our nation. For over 40 years, some of America’s most respected heroes and public figures like Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell and Bob Dole, and everyday heroes like Oseola McCarty, a washerwoman who left her entire life savings to establish a scholarship for students in need, have received this award.

This year the White House solicited nominations for the medal directly from the general public and narrowed them down to 13 recipients who have done great things in their community. See who they are and what they did here. Isn’t it wonderful to see people acknowledged for good works?

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High-Speed Rail. The US v. the World

Check out this video. It contains so really eye-opening information about the expansion of high speed rail in the US, particularly in relation to other countries. It’s not the most exciting presentation, but the chart lays out some surprising facts.

Below is a screen capture of the chart for reference. Now let me add some context. The US has a land mass of 3,717,813 sq.miles and Japan about 145,883. In spite of that vast difference in size, the US is literally many hundreds of miles behind the US in terms of the expansion of high speed rail. The US has an inconsequential amount of high speed rail currently in operation and it looks like less than 1,000 miles planned to be in operation by 2025. Japan has approximately twice that already in operation and is still planning modest expansion.

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Argentina Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

People protest same-sex marriage bill outside Argentina's Congress in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. (Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press) Read more: http://tinyurl.com/argentine-marriage

Argentina has just joined the club of nations that has legalized same-sex marriage. Yes, the nation that many stereotypically associate with overwrought machismo, and in which the Catholic Church still exerts considerable influence, has taken this radical move. It seems clear that the tide is turning, at least in the “West.” It’s turning here in the United States too, the setbacks like last year’s referendum in Maine and Prop 8 in California, or the large number of amendments to the constitutions of various states passed to protect the “sanctity of marriage” during the past 5-6 years.

I want to use this post to make a detached, rational argument why this is a good trend, based on fundamental American values about the nature of our government in relation to individual rights. It’s odd that someone with my political beliefs might make the argument on these terms, but ultimately it is a libertarian, perhaps even conservative argument. I’ll make no appeal to emotion, putting forth touching stories of nontraditional families or the devastation wrought by deeply held emotional ties are denied.

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Academic Freedom Review, July 3-9

Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review
July 3 – 9, 2010

News Alert: Reports suggest release from prison of Dr. Igor Sutyagin
Scholars at Risk, 7/9

ACLU accused UW police of spying on action group
Casey McNerthney, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/9

Oil-crisis research casts USF into political waters
Lindsay Peterson, Tampa Bay Online, 7/9

Adjunct Who Taught Catholicism at U. of Illinois Says Job Loss Violated Academic Freedom
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/9
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