Beyond the Text: "Uninstalling Mubarak."

This past Friday I attended the "Anti-Mubarak" rally in front of JustUs. The reasoning of the younger people addressing the crowd that I heard was basically the same as this cartoon: uninstall Mubarak and then the obstacle blocking freedom in Egypt will be gone. Whoa, hold on. Didn't Omar Suleiman accept the Muslim Brotherhood as part of the ongoing negotiations? The same group that is known to be associated with the the assassination of Anwar Sadat? Perhaps what Egypt needs to do is wipe its hard drive.

Question of the Week-For Dr. Adamson.

Dr. Adamson,

You exhorted those of us who want to teach Political Science to keep our politics out of the classroom. How did you accomplish this while you were "going after" your Tory students?

Reflective Journal-Dr. Agar Adamson

This lecture was very interesting for me personally. During his preliminary remarks about how the internet has facilitated the revolution in Egypt I found myself thinking about how in 1517 the printing press facilitated the revolution we call the Protestant Revolution. Without the ability to print and distribute literature quickly and cheaply the Reformation would have been quashed before it began. One wonders how the revolution in Egypt would have lasted without the ability to publish news, photos and plans for demonstrations online?

I was encouraged to hear that in his career Dr. Adamson tried to separate his own political views from what he taught in the classroom. This is admirable. However two minutes later he said that he tried to cause his students to be able to see the other side of the issue, "especially if he [note the lack of gender neutrality] was a died-in-the-wool Tory." So, am I to understand that he lacked this separation when dealing with Conservatives/conservatives? He also went on to say tell the class that Ronald Reagan [who turns 100 today!] was a puppet of the Neo-Conservatives and praised the virtues of the state-funded media in Canada at length, even suggesting that the CBC is a politically-neutral force in the media. I'm happy Dr. Alexander isn't the same way with us.

Research Discovery-Al Jazzera, CBC, BBC, etc.

I Googled this for about half an hour and I didn't find anything substantial except something about journalists being fired from Al Jazeera Cairo and getting jobs with the BBC and CBC. I don't really know what we're supposed to be looking for here, I'm quite confused.

Media Analysis

A Major News story...

I a Canadian of strong, blue collar stock so naturally I am excited about Tim Hortons being exported around the globe. The Middle East is an up-and-coming region economically, the millions of people there who are already swimming in cash notwithstanding. I think the reason this story is being featured prominantly in the media is easy to understand. In the past few years Tim Hortons had been criticized for the fact that it had no plan to deal with the fact that is was nearing market saturation in Canada. I wouldn't be surprised if these stores are opened with much fanfare in the Canadian Media.

A not so major news story...

Poverty in PEI costs over $240, 000,000. I find it interesting that this article basically makes the case that a "comprehensive" program of poverty elimination needs to be undertaken but the only specific action it mentions is more government spending. I think the best reason this story is under-reported is simply this: the solution is so banal and oft-repeated that no one would listen.

Beyond the Text: Snow in Toronto

As a Torontonian, cartoons like this annoy me to no end.

In January of 1998 there was a major snow and ice storm that hit Southern and Eastern Ontario. I was there and I can testify to the fact that it was scary. The military was called in and ever since then Toronto has borne the brunt of all kinds of jokes about how we can't cope with snow (apparently). I honestly think that this has little to do with the weather in Toronto and how the media presents the city. Toronto is colder than the average Canadian city during the winter because of the lake effect. Although it snows less in Toronto it's a bigger problem because there's fewer places to put the snow. Oftentimes the result of this is that days after a major storm commuting is still dangerous.

It's not a huge issue but it's still interesting.

Media Analysis-Tide of Public Opinion finally turning in the US

According to this poll done by Fox news, thirty-eight years after Roe v. Wade, the tide is turning against legalized abortion. With numbers like this I believe it is possible for Roe v. Wade to be overturned in five years, providing of course President Obama is defeated in 2012. The poll shows that between 1997 and 2010 the number of Americans identifying themselves as "Pro-life" has gone up from 40% to 50% while the number of those who identify themselves has decreased from 50% to 42%. The importance of these figures for the abortion debate can hardly be understated (provided, of course that they are accurate).

Even more telling than this, in my opinion, is this note from New Jersey. If you don't have time to read the whole thing read this quote from it:

After watching Gov. Chris Christie try to burnish a reputation as a fiscal conservative, political analysts said the New Jersey governor on Monday significantly broadened his national credentials as a social conservative by joining abortion protesters at a rally and encouraging them to "stand up and speak strongly in favor for the protection of every human life."Christie spoke to the crowd from the top step outside the Statehouse, with the temperatures in the teens and the governor not in a topcoat. But there were other reasons why the five-minute speech was unusual.

Marie E. Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said it was the first time a New Jersey governor had addressed a pro-life rally. The event marked the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.

Christie had been silent on abortion during his first year in office and didn't refer to social views when he slashed funding for family planning from the state budget, saying that was a fiscal decision.

A state governor unabashedly lending his support for the Pro-Life movement. In New Jersey. If we thought the debates of the past surrounding this issue were heated it looks like we haven't seen anything yet.