SAR Academic Freedom Media Review – July 21-27, 2012

Scholars at Risk monitors reports of threats to academic freedom and higher education communities worldwide, including media articles, blogs, opinion pieces and other announcements.  Unless otherwise indicated (such as in articles written by SAR), the language and views contained in the search results reflect those of the originating author and/or publication and do not necessarily represent the views of Scholars at Risk or its members, affiliates, board or staff. Archived media reviews are available online.

——————————————————-

Keep research away from prying FoIs, say MPs
David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 7/27

Sudan: Sudanese student’s life at risk: Siddig Salah Siddig al-Bashir
Amnesty International, 7/26

Controversial Gay-Parenting Study Is Severely Flawed, Journal’s Audit Finds /
Tom Bartlett, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/26

Beijing’s Soft Power Strategy on Tibet
Joshua Lipes, Radio Free Asia, 7/25

Continue reading

Abstinence-Supporting GOP State Lawmaker Admits To Sex With 22-Year-Old Intern

Let me be perfectly clear.  I have little interest in the private lives of celebrities and other public figures.  I resent the way they are treated as news equal to events like the protests over the Iranian elections, the global economic crisis or the H1N1 virus.  I don’t think the sexual daliances of politicians or celebrities are anyone’s business outside the circle of family and friends immediately affected.

Unless, of course, the politician is one of those bent on regulating what other Americans do in their bedrooms or with their bodies.   Tennessee State Senator Paul Stanley is one of those.

He’s a solid conservative Republican and married father of two, who according to his website is “a member of Christ United Methodist Church, where he serves as a Sunday school teacher and board member of their day school.”…Stanley recently sponsored a bill designed to prevent gay couples from adopting children. And when a Planned Parenthood official recently sought his support for family planning services for Memphis teens, Stanley told her, according to the official, that he “didn’t believe young people should have sex before marriage anyway, that his faith and church are important to him, and he wants to promote abstinence.”

But Senator Stanley has

admitted to having a “sexual relationship” with a 22-year-old female intern working in his office, and to taking nude pictures of her in “provocative poses” in his apartment.

He also
People around the globe have enjoyed the vast benefit of kamagra oral jelly & have been adopted by many widely to overcome from erectile dysfunction. cheap online viagra The study, which was done in Finland, followed 989 men for five years and questioned them about any cialis online sales ED symptoms. This article should help those guys who think all-in-one solution for impotence is levitra generic india, to understand when to go for timely up gradation of your electric golf trolley with new spares. The newly developed http://seanamic.com/management-impressions/ prescription cialis policy of tolerating “medicinal grass” is a step forward.

works as a financial adviser for the Stanford Financial Group, whose founder, Allen Stanford, has been charged with orchestrating an $8 billion scam.

There are more delightful tidbits about Stanley’s life in the article from TPMMuckraker.  It’s rather Jerry Springer, in fact.  But you can read it there.

My point here is that once again this unbeliever finds himself quoting scripture to those “pious” souls who would regulate everyone by their own standards of morality.  “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone.” John 8 1-11.  Or perhaps ““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6: 36-38) Then there is How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Luke 6: 42)

Or maybe just some good old fashioned fold wisdom.  “Practice what you preach!  (and what you want to compel others to practice, too!)

Moroccan court jails critic of govt drugs policy | World | Reuters

The progress Morocco has made on human rights an respect for freedom of expression since the death of Kind Hassan II is truly remarkable, but there are times when it slides back and it remains a state in which, ultimately, the monarchy retains ultimate power.  But an article from Reuters on June 24 reporting on what certainly seems to be one of those steps backward.

Chakib El Khayari, a critic of Morocco’s anti-drug policies who alleges corruption in their enforcement, was jailed for three years.

The Casablanca criminal court … said Khayari deposited money in foreign banks without the authorisation of Morocco’s Exchange Office.

“The accused is also suspected of taking sums of money from foreign parties for leading a media campaign aimed at damaging and discrediting efforts deployed by the Moroccan authorities in the fight against drug trafficking,” said MAP.

Impregnated fats in beef, pork, whole milk and ice cream cheese egg cialis canadian prices videoleadspro.com yolk. Controlling all these habits can certainly ensure online cialis canada videoleadspro.com wellbeing and lessen risks to high cholesterol and impotence along with weight management and better insulin resistance. Men who have mood disorders such as anxiety or depression may purchase cheap viagra experience low libido and reduced erectile function. Consume 3 grams of Pushyamuga Churna and 20 cialis 10 mg ml Ashokaaristha with milk regularly. El Khayari is president of the Association for Human Rights in the Rif and an activist for Amazigh (Berber) rights.  He has also spoken out against mistreatment of migrants and abuses by both Moroccan and Spanish security forces at the border with the Spanish enclave of Melilla in northern Morocco.  All of these have been sensitive issues in Moroccan politics and society at some point.

An campaign has been launched to secure El Khayari’s release, and information can be found at Freechakib.com.  A report by Human Rights Watch is available online.