Must See TV: Royal Wedding Broadcast by 300 International Networks

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/royal-wedding-broadcast-by-300-183655

A $100 million wedding, and the British loved it. Why? Why was the Royal Wedding such an international celebration of pride in London? Blog your thoughts.




http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Wedding/royal-wedding-2011-prince-william-kate-middleton-kiss/story?id=13485553

Don't let the facts get in the way of a "good" opportunity

On Wednesday, the White House did it again -- released the President's birth certificate -- after "birthers" like Donald Trump continued to do it again, and again.

(From White House.gov)

In 2008, in response to media inquiries, the President’s campaign requested his birth certificate from the state of Hawaii. The state sent the campaign the President’s birth certificate, the same legal documentation provided to all Hawaiians as proof of birth in state, and the campaign immediately posted it on the internet. That birth certificate can be seen here (PDF).

That birth certificate can be seen here (PDF).

When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the President received. In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver’s license from the state and the document recognized by the Federal Government and the courts for all legal purposes. That’s because it is the birth certificate. This is not and should not be an open question.

The President believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country. It may have been good politics and good TV, but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country. Therefore, the President directed his counsel to review the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate and to request on that basis that the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. They granted that exception in part because of the tremendous volume of requests they had been getting.

____________

As I post this, some (mostly male) Americans question the legitimacy of the hoopla over the Royal Wedding.....the British just took cultural pride, no questioning the pomp and cirrcumstance.....I guess that makes us truly American -- we'll question anything even our President's birth certificate.

Finally, can this nonsense be over?

A Failing State?

With a handicap of not reading Spanish, one might think it difficult to find news of government and politics in Mexico. However, when looking at recent headlines from reports in the Los Angeles Times, there's a pattern that does not bode well for either government or politics in Mexico. (Even with the media tendency to report on conflict and violence before other things.)

Mexico City an unlikely draw for those fleeing drug war violence
Calderon replaces Mexico attorney general
Ciudad Juarez's top police official accused of rights abuses
Thousands across Mexico protest drug violence
Mexican officials find 59 bodies in mass graves
13 more bodies found in Mexico mass graves

The BBC reports:

The discovery of at least 116 bodies in mass graves in the north-eastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas has become the most gruesome incident in the country's four-year war against drug cartels.

The city of San Fernando, about 150km (93 miles) from the border with Texas, has previously been hit by drug-related violence on a massive scale and efforts to control the situation there appear futile.

Last August the bodies of 72 Central and South American migrants were found on the outskirts of the city.

The migrants, making their way to the border, were killed by drug gang members after they refused to work for them.'Haven for traffickers'
The federal government deployed hundreds more troops in the area and promised to improve the security situation.

But less than eight months later an even deadlier massacre has taken place in the same spot, allegedly after passengers on long distance buses were kidnapped by the Zetas, one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels.

Criminal groups are more effective at collecting 'taxes' than Tamaulipas' own government”End Quote Alberto Islas Security analyst, Mexico City. These tragedies, along with the targeted killings of top officials and members of the security forces, are fuelling thoughts of Tamaulipas as a possible "failed state" within Mexico - a haven for drug traffickers, people smugglers and criminals of all kinds.

The federal government strongly rejects this view.

But state governor Egidio Torre Cantu recently said the violence was not only a threat to the people of Tamaulipas, but also "a situation that affects Mexico's internal security."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13061452

Sanctifying the leadership

(From Nan Wright, St. Thomas' Episcopal in Houston & Teaching Comparative Blog)

When Ali Khamenei was chosen as supreme leader in Iran, he was not the first choice of the Assembly of Experts. Other, more renowned and revered ayatollahs did not want to be involved in politics. Most Shiite ayatollahs regard political involvement as beyond their religious duties.Khamenei, a secular politician and former president, was only named an ayatollah after the death of Khomeini. His choice as supreme leader was controversial. Now, it seems, his religious credentials are being polished.

Khamenei said ‘Ya Ali’ at birth

Unlike most babies who cry at birth, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei improbably voiced the name of the first Imam of the Shiites immediately after he left his mother’s womb, the Friday prayer leader of the Iranian holy city of Qom said. 

Ayatollah Mohammad Saeedi appeared in a video, circulated by the Iranian opposition, in which he is telling an audience that Ayatollah Khamenei’s half-sister said that the supreme leader said “Ya Ali” right at birth. The midwife responded saying, “May Ali protect you.”

Ali refers to Ali ibn Abi Taleb, a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Ali is believed to be the first Shiite Imam…

Ayatollah Saeedi was appointed as the leader of Friday prayer in Qom by Ayatollah Khamenei following the controversial presidential elections in 2009, which led to the country’s worst social unrest in three decades.Ayatollah Saeedi also leads Qom’s cultural council and the committee to revive “the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.”…

On scene reports from Nigeria

(From Teaching Comparative Blog)
Melody Dickison who teaches at Wayne HS in Ohio found a treasure trove of videos about the Nigerian elections and their aftermath. Thank you.

Storyful channel at YouTube
There are 131 videos (9 hours of video) "posted by Nigerian users and media outlets during the 2011 National Assembly, Governorship and Presidential elections…" The clips range from network news reports to amateur video. If each student looks at one and reports on it to your class, the class can attempt generalizations about the coverage and the events.

Here's a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/on5gKE6xJBU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Comparative Review on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72773040132

Study on Facebook (over 600 friends) for the AP Comparative Government & Politics exam.

2010 High School AP U.S. Government Exam Review

(From C-SPAN Classroom)
Andrew Conneen and Daniel Larsen, teachers from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, talked with high school student callers only who are preparing for the Advanced Placement Government Exam. They talked about the exam and previewed sample questions from the test. They also responded to electronic communications from students. This year's preview show will run on Saturday, May 7.