"Butler University has dropped [the] lawsuit against Jess Zimmerman. The student was accused of defaming the university in his blog 'TrueBU.' "

Indiana Daily Student says:

“He (Zimmerman) was critical of Butler and two administrators: Peter Alexander, dean of Butler’s College of Fine Arts, and Jamie Comstock, Butler’s provost.

He wrote things like 'Peter Alexander … is power-hungry and afraid of his own shadow. … He drives away talented administrators. He frustrates students within the departments. He hurts the ability of the school to recruit talented students and faculty members. He announces to the campus that the Butler Way, the ideals for which the school and everyone at it stands, mean nothing.'

The university has deemed statements like this to be libelous and in January filed a libel and defamation lawsuit against 'Soodo Nym,' the pseudonym used by Zimmerman on the anonymous blog.”

 

True, case against Zimmerman has been dropped but his struggle is not over yet. Couple of days back he sent me updates about this case and Butler University's actions subsequent to the case being dropped is really troubling.

Jess was "disciplined" by the University(for what? exercising his free speech rights?) and then had to post a bond of $10,000 to make sure that he gets a fair on campus disciplinary proceeding.  You can get more on this at Jess' blog.

 What is going on at Butler University is outrageous violation of Jess Zimmerman's First Amendment rights. Surprisingly, media outlets-limited outlets-who covered this case before the University dropped the lawsuit are showing no interest now. They have to know that the University is continuing its campaign against Jess Zimmerman.

Bhumika Ghimire

You are encouraged to think, for a change. In the Indian education system I suffered through for three years (my high school years), I was pushed to learn everything "by heart" and not to think about why and how. You are essentially trained to be a mirror, just showing the world what your text book shows to you.

But not all is bad with the Indian education system. Math and pure science education is much better than in the U.S. or Europe (at least at the high school level). The labs and equipment, however, are a different story. At the college level, because of the emphasis on being a mirror, the quality of math and science training falls. That is why, despite having thousands of very hardworking and diligent students, India is not a powerhouse when it comes to research and development.

In light of these facts, it is quite surprising that the U.S. government is not promoting its universities as universal talent magnets. Look at how Australia markets itself as the place to be for international students. With tough rules on employment limitations, U.S. universities are actually losing talent to Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Fore more on Australia's efforts to attract foreign students, check out this website. Why can't the U.S. do the same?

Bhumika Ghimire

At Change.org, there is an honest look into "The Myth of Public Education" by Megan Greenwell:

"But that notion of public universities increasingly belies a less-attractive truth: many public colleges are too expensive for even middle-class students, and they're not providing enough financial aid. A study out this month from advocacy group The Education Trust underscores the growing problem: rising tuition and changing priorities for financial aid have priced many poor students out of their states' flagship public universities. As Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, wrote in the report, 'No longer widely accessible, their treasure is bestowed disproportionately on the children of America's economic and political elites.'"

 At the same site, there is also an article about America's drop-out epidemic. Marian Wright Edelman says:

"One-size-fits-all school zero tolerance disciplinary policies are responsible for the growth in the number of school-based arrests of poor and minority children, funneling them into the juvenile and criminal justice systems at younger and younger ages. So many are suspended, expelled, even arrested, for nonviolent infractions such as being 'disruptive' or 'disrespectful.' In the past, many of these problems would have been resolved in the principal's office or referred to a pastor or social worker or by calling the parent (who may no longer be in the house). Too many children today end up with an arrest record and are labeled a troublemaker, increasing the likelihood of dropping out of school."

No surprise that some professors and scientists routinely say that kids in India and China will take over America in the next decade. Next week we will look into Indian and Chinese education systems and why so many foreign students want to attend U.S. universities.

Bhumika Ghimire

Bhumika Ghimire

It is not all about money, folks. When it comes to international disaster relief, yes, money is the big thing, but it is not the only thing. If you cannot send money, then please spread the word around among your friends, family, and co-workers; maybe someone will be able to. Right now aid agencies are saying that they are not looking for money more than relief materials from the public.

I have decided to donate my one-week online earnings to Save the Children for their work in Haiti. You know during times like this, it is the children, women, and people with disabilities who suffer the most. As a mother, I was drawn toward children.

Here is a list of organizations now accepting online financial donations:

Save the Children

 Yéle Haiti

SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts 

You can also visit Google's Haiti crises page for more. And here is part of a  press release I received from Tampa, Florida, just to show that every bit helps:

Spinelli, president of the Association to Conserve Tampa Water, and Aquafree Toothbrush will be joined with Kalos International and the Haitian Association Foundation of Tampa in a major press conference today with emergency officials announcing local efforts by Tampa residents to assist in the earthquake that caused a major disaster in Haiti. The press conference will take place today, Thursday, January 14th at 12:00 p.m., Hillsborough County-John F. Germany Library, 900 North Ashley Drive  in Tampa. The city of Tampa recently went through a water shortage, which is happening in Haiti right now. Over 100,000 water-less Aquafree toothbrushes invented by a local resident will be handed out to children and families in Haiti.

Bhumika Ghimire

According to Reporters Without Borders

"Arrested in December 2008, Liu spent nearly a year in prison before being formally charged with subversion on 12 December. His trial on 23 December was accompanied by a high degree of police surveillance. Dozens of foreign journalists, foreign diplomats and Liu supporters were kept away from the courthouse. Liu’s wife, who had wanted to attend, was prevented from leaving her home.

This is not the first time that the Christmas period has proved to be particularly dangerous for Chinese human rights activists."

 

Jonathan Fryer, a freelance writer who writes for the BBC and The Guardian, has also commented about Xiaobo's sentence in his blog. He calls the whole episode shameful.

"Shameless governments have a habit of doing nasty things over Christmas, when they hope most of the world’s journalists aren’t looking — or are on holiday. Think the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Israel’s Operation Cast Lead and now China’s disgraceful sentencing of the dissident writer Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for his political and human rights activities. Perhaps best known abroad as the founder of Charter 08, the Chinese group calling for constitutional reform, Mr Liu has been a sturdy champion of fundamental rights since he took part in the quashed 1989 pro-democracy movement. His jailing, for an unusually long time, is a moral outrage which should be protested most strongly by all decent politicians and NGOs around the world."

Here is Xiaobo, speaking to the PEN American Center about free press and freedom of speech. This video is at YouTube.

With all China has achieved in last decade, it is really shameful that they chose to end it by sentencing for eleven years a man whose only mistake was advocating for freedom. China has successfully integrated capitalism into its communist structure; how long will take for the country to embrace and integrate democratic values too?

Bhumika Ghimire

The New York Times has a very interesting account of Sami al-Hajj, a Sudanese man who spent seven years in Gitmo.

"The journalist, Sami al-Hajj, was working for Al Jazeera as a cameraman when he was stopped by Pakistani forces on the border with Afghanistan in late 2001. The United States military accused Mr. Hajj of, among other things, falsifying documents and delivering money to Chechen rebels, although he was never charged with a crime during his years in custody.

Now, more than a year after his release, Mr. Hajj, a 40-year-old native of Sudan, is back at work at the Arabic satellite news network, leading a new desk devoted to human rights and public liberties. The captive has become the correspondent."

Here is what Al Jazeera said about al-Hajj's arrest and subsequent release in 2008.

"Despite holding a legitimate visa to work for Al Jazeera's Arabic channel in Afghanistan, he was handed to the U.S. military in January 2002 and sent to Guantanamo Bay.

Al-Hajj, who is originally from Sudan, was held as an "enemy combatant" without ever facing trial or charges.

Al-Hajj was never prosecuted at Guantanamo so the U.S. did not make public its full allegations against him.

 

But in a hearing that determined that he was an enemy combatant, U.S. officials alleged that in the 1990s, al-Hajj was an executive assistant at a Qatar-based beverage company that provided support to Muslim fighters in Bosnia and Chechnya."

Al-Hajj is back at work at Al Jazeer. He is a correspondent for the Arabic language channel.

Here is my take:

Bhumika Ghimire

According to Kathmandu Post

"Rukum-based journalist Tika Bista was seriously injured in an attack by an unidentified group at Musikot on Tuesday. 

Bista was found unconscious with a severe head injury and cut wounds, apparently made by a razor blade, some 20 metres below a cliff.

Police recovered Bista’s laptop, radio and a mobile phone in wrecked state from the incident site.

Bista, a former district vice chairperson of Press Chautari Nepal, is a news coordinator for a local Sisne FM. "

Bista had been threatened by local Maoists for publishing a critical story. She has been admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu and the information minister has promised that the government will pay her medical bills.

It is important to note here that the Maoists signed a comprehensive peace agreement in 2006 and agreed to renounce violence and participate in Nepal's political process peacefully. But there have been a number of attacks against journalists and civil society leaders to show that the Maoists may not be serious about peace after all.

Bhumika Ghimire

According to the AP, the UN has voiced its concerns over the ban, calling it "discriminatory":

"U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday's referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of 'anti-foreigner scare-mongering.'

The criticism from Pillay, whose office is based in the Swiss city of Geneva, comes after an outcry from Muslim countries, Switzerland's European neighbors and human rights watchdogs since 57.5 percent of the Swiss population ratified the ban."

But the strong support for a minaret ban in Switzerland shows that the international community — overwhelmingly against the ban — is missing something. SiwssInfo says

"The party (right-wing Swiss People's Party) said the outcome of the minaret ballot showed that Swiss voters did not want parallel societies and special rights.

'Our laws apply to everybody. We have to control immigration. Those who break the law have to leave the country,' a statement said."

Isn't it time to start discussing openly and freely how to integrate various religious and ethnic groups in countries that welcome immigrants from around the world, rather than focusing on cosmetic procedures like the minaret ban? Where is the discussion and debate on why Muslims might feel compelled to live in a parallel society in Switzerland and elsewhere?

For more on the Swiss side of the debate, you can visit:

• Minaret debate at SwissInfo
• World Radio Switzerland on economic impact on minaret ban

Bhumika Ghimire

This is unacceptable and a serious black smear on the face of humanity. The world cannot sit still while 17,000 children die every day, yes every DAY, because they don't have enough to eat.

If you are reading this post, please do your part to end world hunger. Here is what you can do—easy simple steps to save the starving children.

• Donate to Feeding America: "Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunge."

• You can also donate through SOS Children's Villages, which benefits orphans and abandoned children. Children are often time the ones most affected by lack of food.Your donation can help a child here at home or in another country.

• And if you are really willing to go the extra mile, then organize a food drive in your local community, school, workplace or church, and donate the collections to local food bank.

This Thanksgiving, please be generous and do your part to end world hunger.

Bhumika Ghimire

 Kansas City Star says

Stupak’s amendment prohibits any public health insurance option from offering abortion coverage except for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. It also prohibits individuals from using tax credits and subsidies to buy private insurance with abortion coverage from companies taking part in new health insurance exchanges.

I am a pro-life mom but don't agree with the language here. Why shouldn't a woman be allowed to choose when she is not asking the government for help? I mean, women don't have the right to buy health insurance of their choice? Tax credits and subsidies are NOT handouts; you don't get them for nothing. So what right does the government have to dictate how a person can use these?

This is yet another example of how the "establishment" views women and their health. I bet if men were designed by nature to give birth, then abortion and reproductive health would be covered by ALL health plans, no exceptions. Because society sees women as meek beings, they think it is OK to boss us around and, yes, use religion to scare us.

I hope female members of Senate and House of Reps stand up against the Stupak Amendment. This attack against a woman's right to choose has to stop.

Bhumika Ghimire