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.

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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

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Is it Safe to Drive a Bus?

Bus Drivers sustain more on the job injuries than any other workers.  They sustain 735 injuries per 10,000 workers according to Bureau of Labor Statistics as reported by Seth Fiegerman.  Not surprisingly, the Police are on the list, as are EMTs and Paramedics, but the police sustain only 603 injuries and EMTs/Paramedics 510 on the job injuries per 10,000 workers.  Surprisingly, it is more dangerous to be a Nurses Aide (4th most dangerous) than it is Corrections Officer (5th), or a Fire Fighter (6th).  And Garbage Collectors (7th) are more at risk than Truck Drivers (8th) , Laborers and Movers(9th) and Construction Workers (10th).

I was curious how this correlated with salaries, so I did a bit of research on SimplyHired.com.  This is by no means scientific, and I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the statistics on that site, but it’s interesting.  The average salary for most of the jobs I searched ranged from $38,000 to 45,000, hardly rolling in money, especially for the most dangerous professions.  The average salary for the police and fire fighters also varies a great deal according to rank.  The cop walking the beat is keeping that figure low.  He’s by no means rolling in money.

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Why I love the Postman

I always have a soft spot for the mail carrier, but it’s not what you might think. It’s not the uniform, and I tend of become obsessed with the letter carrier regardless of race, sex, religion, height, weight, sexual preference, etc. I like mail carriers because I think of them as real, personal agents of communication that transcends miles and oceans. They physically bring the things our friends and loved ones have written or simply touched to us no matter where we are.

Of course, they bring bills and junk, too. But they don’t forward your junk mail from place to place to place. They do forward personal mail. A letter from my parents once followed me through four countries when I was traveling in Europe and not staying long anywhere, finally catching up to me on my last stop, all with a regular air mail stamp. They forward bills too, but bills are a fact of life. Better they reach you than go unpaid until a collection agency knocks.

Yes, I am a big fan of the United States Postal Service. I always have been. I’ve moved around a lot in my life and the Post Office has always been extraordinary at making sure my letters reach me. For years I’ve done my Christmas shopping online and they get my gifts to my family every year. I have sustained some of my deepest and most important relationships with the aid of real mail delivered by postal carriers. Sure they are not perfect. Things have been delayed, lost or damaged, but its been rare, extraordinarily rare given the number of pieces that have passed through the USPS to and from me and the number of pieces they handle in general. Check out their stats. There you’ll find out things like the fact that the USPS processes 24 million pieces of mail each hour, on average.

More check-ins at Wellesley US Post Office

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Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review

October 9 – 15, 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.

Arrest and mistreatment of US Professor of Anthropology
Network for Education & Academic Rights, 10/15

Call for Urgent Action for Detained Mechanical Engineering Professor Abdul Jalil Al-Singace of Bahrain
Scholars at Risk, 10/14

Research Contracts Sponsored by Big Oil Companies Fail to Protect Academic Interests
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/14

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American Educational System Increasingly Appealing to Chinese Students

This is just an interesting story from BBC News with implications for the face of American education. It is interesting that so many in this rising economic power value our educational system.

In China, rising incomes and the cheap dollar are increasingly making an American university education affordable. Many U.S. schools, including small liberal arts colleges, are reaching out to Chinese families in the hope of establishing their brand in a region rich with promising young students.

“They look at an education in the United States as something valuable,” said Penny Johnston, the director of international admissions at Franklin & Marshall College. “It is different than the education they would get in China.”
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Johnston, along with her colleagues, is now travelling to China regularly to learn about geography and culture.

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