Which Side of History?

Dear Virginia,

I am proud to be a Virginian. I’ve not been a full time resident for a while, but I miss it immensely. Many of my family and friends are there, and I have so many fond memories of my childhood, youth and college. It’s a beautiful state, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains, and it has a rich history. Jamestown was the first permanent English Colony in the Americas, Revolutionary and Civil War Battlefields dot the state from border to border, Northern Virginia remains an important center of national government, as the Pentagon is there, as well as number of Federal Agencies, NGOs, lobbyists, and similar organizations. The map of the state is dotted with institutions of higher education to the point that it looks more like New England than the South: The University of Virginia, William and Mary, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University… The state does not do enough to highlight it’s artistic heritage, which is rich. Among those born in or who hail from Virginia are Ella Fitzgerald, Sandra Bullock, Jason Mraz, Ruth Brown, Patsy Cline, Dave Matthews Band, Wanda Sykes, Shirley MacLaine, Perry Ellis… No less than 8 presidents were born in Virginia, including some of the most influential. Where would the US be if not for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison or Woodrow Wilson?

And yet my state has a dark history, as well. It’s ironic that Stephen Spielberg is filming so much of the movie Lincoln in Virginia when the Richmond, VA was the Capitol of the Confederacy for part of the Civil War! Virginia was solidly on the wrong side in that one. We’ve been on the wrong side a lot! And when it was, it was often in a big way, as a recent post from BuzzFeed by Matt Stopera graphically illustrates with “five maps that show which states had the right idea, and which ones had the very, very wrong one.”

Here, for your consideration, are the first and last.

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Academic Freedom Media Review-July 2 – July 8, 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 here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

From where I sit – Digging deep to survive terrorism
Ruth Young, Times Higher Education, 7/7

Oral History, Unprotected
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 7/5

Throwing Out a State Vote
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 7/5

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Qantara: Mediterranean Heritage

I  just wanted to take a moment to point out this site, which I just discovered tonight.  It is a fantastic pedagogical resource, interactive and rich in media.  The interactive maps are particularly particularly fun, but there is all kinds of rich media.

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The Qantara project is part of the Euromed Heritage programme, which hopes to contribute to mutual understanding and dialogue between Mediterranean cultures by highlighting their cultural heritage. It aims to encourage intercultural dialogue by supporting the preservation and promotion of the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Euromed region, through human, scientific and technological exchanges…

The Qantara Project is a reflection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in its pursuit of openness and peace, in its modern and multimedia format that targets specialists and non-specialists alike, and in terms of its organisation, which unites several partner countries – Algeria, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Spain – as well as a guest country, Egypt. Qantara’s goal is to build or rather consolidate the bridge between the North and South, and the East and West of the Mediterranean.

Treaty of Peace and Friendship

Did you know:

Morocco is one of the first countries to recognize the independence of the United States as the Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah issued a declaration in 1777 allowing American ships access to Moroccan ports. In 1787 a Treaty of peace and friendship was signed in Marrakech and ratified in 1836. It is still in force making it the longest unbroken treaty in the U.S history.

The U.S had also its first consulate in Tangier in 1797 in a building given by the sultan Moulay Slimane. It is the oldest U.S diplomatic property in the world.
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Below is the Treaty called the “Marrakech Treaty” in its original form as was written in 1786.

via Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

New Book: Africa’s Islamic Experience

Africa's Islamic Experience

Africa's Islamic Experience

Please allow me a bit of shameless self promotion. A new book has been published, and I am one of the editors: Africa’s Islamic Experience: History, Culture and Politics. The title is self explanatory. It is a collection of essays that I had the pleasure of working on while a graduate assistant at the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University.

In the year 2004, there was an operation known Web Tryp, in this operation different research chemical vendors which operated on the internet were order cheap cialis this site raided and shut down by the FireEye network security firm in late 2009. This drug is manufactured by the Ajanta Pharma Ltd. viagra sans prescription canada order viagra online This results in fewer side effects when not taken in the correct dosages and strengths. However, when it occurs more often, then cialis discount overnight it is not normal and you need to constantly check with his / her medical doctor. I received my copy in the mail today, totally by surprise. It was sent to me the Institute’s director and founder, distinguished, renowned and sometimes controversial scholar, Ali A. Mazrui. I am sure that professor Mazrui wouldn’t mind my including the adjective “controversial” in a description of him, as he very rarely shies away from taking a stand when he is convinced of its truth.  One adjective I didn’t include in that description because it doesn’t define him so much as a scholar as it does a man, is gentlemanly. He showed that countless times since I have known him, and receiving this book today is evidence once again.

I was only involved in this book in the early stages, but I put in a lot of work, both on the conference and on the essays, and was very proud of that work.  Anyone who has ever been a graduate student knows that many, perhaps most professors, would not acknowledge a graduate students work in this way, especially so long after he has finished his degree.  But Dr. Mazrui is generous in that way.  Because he allowed me and other graduate students to participate so centrally in the activities of the Institute and so closely with him, I dare say that my brief time at IGCS was as central to my intellectual development as any course I took and my interactions with most of my other professors.

Virginia Presidents

An interesting bit of trivia.  More United States Presidents have come from Virginia than any other state, important ones, too.  Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Wilson among them.  Here is the list.  Only Ohio comes close, with seven Presidents.  And it has to be said that they are not exactly standouts, the likes of Harding, Taft, Hayes and Impotence Shots orden 50mg viagra Impotence Shots or Injections- Impotence injections came into existence back in the 1990’s. The pharmaceutical viagra professional for sale companies that manufacture branded medicines invest much money and time in discovering a new formula. Some prescriptions will be designed to treat straight clinical depression, while others will work to relieve manic depression. cheap viagra Pregnancy cialis soft and breastfeeding must also be taken into account. Garfield.  Maybe it was the number of presidents from Virginia that my mother had in mind when she used to tell me I could become President one day and take me to visit the homes of those men.  It’s a lot to live up to and I am afraid it is abundantly clear that I am destined to disappoint.