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.

CitizenU scores!

The "Two Teachers" (Andy Conneen, formerly of WV and Dan Larsen) are once again doing a great job of given AP govt students tools to prepare to score on May 10. Linked at right is the CitizenU site, which has video reviews of all aspects of key categories on the US test, including the Civics TERM-ament. Knowing how much you enjoyed our Bracketology last month, now its time to get after it again).

(From CitizenU.org)

Link below and vote for your favorite AP Government and Politics words. Played just like the NCAA Tournament, 64 words have qualified and been seeded into 4 regions.

In each round winners will be tabulated, based upon most votes, and moved on to face their next opponent. Before the AP Government and Politics Exam on May 10 our 2011 Civics Term-ament winner will be crowned.

What government and politics word would you like to see win the 2011 Civics Term-ament?

Vote NOW in the SWEET 16.

Check out the East Regional Bracket

Check out the West Regional Bracket

Check out the Southwest Regional Bracket

Check out the Southeast Regional Bracket

The Home Stretch

As we hit the home stretch to the May 10 high stakes tests, the first one to answer in the comment section the answer to the question: "What is Horse Race Journalism?" will win a prize to be presented on Tuesday.

As you work on your take-home exam, you may want to check out the College Board Briefing papers on Nigeria and Iran.....also the Mexico briefing paper for next week would be a good idea.

Briefing Paper - Nigeria PDF document

Briefing Paper - Iran PDF document

Briefing Paper - Mexico PDF document

Practice Exams (10 EC points a piece) will be given on the following dates/times:

US #1 -- Tuesday, 4/26 -- 6 pm
Comp #1 -- Friday, 4/29 -- 2:45 pm
US #2 -- Tuesday, 5/3 -- 2:45 pm
Comp #2 -- Wednesday, 5/4 -- 6 pm

Entitlement Reform

Here's a multiple choice stumper from one of the practice tests that await you the week after next:

Which of the following programs are entitlements?
I. Medicaid
II. Medicare
III. food stamps
IV. Social Security

(A) I and II
(B) I, II, and III
(C) II and IV
(D) I and IV
(E) II, III, and IV

C is the correct answer because Medicaid and Food Stamps are means-tested programs whereas entitlements are not.

Entitlement (also called social insurance) - Gov't benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled to by law, regardless of need.

Means-tested - Gov't programs available only to individuals who qualify based on specific needs.

Here's how this can get real confusing, even when entitlement reform is a huge part of the current budget/deficit battles on Capitol Hill. From Susan Milligan of US News & World Report:

"For long-term fiscal health, the nation needs to do entitlement reform. But first, there has to be sense-of-entitlement reform.

Entitlements, of course, are those popular federal programs meant to address basic human needs and maintain basic human dignity. Social Security keeps senior citizens from crippling poverty. Medicaid provides healthcare to the poor and disabled. Medicare is a federal healthcare plan for the over-65 crowd. The cost of the programs represents a huge chunk of the federal budget, and there is really no way to balance the budget without addressing those long-term costs. Certainly, the budget cannot be balanced merely by cutting spending that is not part of the entitlement programs. The idea that this can be done without cutting defense spending, either, is just laughable." [Check out a roundup of political cartoons on the budget and deficit.]

Sounds like she wasn't reading her Patterson text. Make sure you review it.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/susan-milligan/2011/04/18/reform-tax-entitlement-before-gutting-medicare

Goodluck, Jonathan

Here's the text of Jonathan's acceptance speech. What issues does he outline for his new term? What obstacles does he foresee? What promises does he make?

Acceptance speech by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

My dear Country men and women,

This is a new dawn!



Our nation has spoken. At the end of intense and hard fought campaigns by all the political parties, our people spoke through the ballot. In every city, town, village, ward and voting unit, Nigerians stood in the sun, some in the rain, some walked long distances and all waited patiently, to vote.

With a heart full of gratitude to Almighty God, I want to thank Nigerians for the great sacrifice and overwhelming national mandate you have just given to me, to preside over the affairs of this nation for the next four years…

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5691039-146/acceptance_speech_by_president_goodluck_ebele.csp

For more:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/west/Nigerian-Senator-Elect-Says-Strongest-Presidential-Candidate-Won-120216774.html

Federal Tax Payer Reciept

(From US Government Teachers Blog)

The White House just released this tool to see where the money you pay in taxes actually goes. You can put in your actual numbers or choose an income level.

President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, paid $453,770 in federal income taxes in 2010 on $1.7 million in income, according to tax returns the White House released on Monday to coincide with the national income-tax filing deadline.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704004004576271151230600960.html


Rachel Maddow did a long segment on her show last night about the waining influence of the Tea Party, the group that had previously drawn thousands to their tax day rallies, but could barely get hundreds to show up at most of them this year.

"I'm not saying that the Tea Party has never been strong, that is had always been a weak movement, that they never had any energetic political mojo, but judging by their public events, which is what we used to judge them by when we said they were strong, the Tea Party seems to have peaked. It seems to be over.

"Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/rachel-maddow-tea-party-kardashians-2011-4#ixzz1JzW1eLVA

Would you have guessed...

(From APGov.org)

Nationalism and its discontents

The BBC reports on a Nationalistic party movements throughout Europe. Remember at the start of this course when we considered Nationalism as a hurdle to globalization:

"The eurosceptic and anti-immigration True Finns have taken nearly a fifth of votes in Finland's general election, reflecting a trend across Nordic and Western European countries.

The phrase "rise of the far-right" has been used - though in each country the parties concerned have their own characteristics and do not necessarily fit the conventional "far-right" description.
Here we record the electoral status - and political influence - of some of the most succesful nationalist/ anti-immigrant parties in Europe."

For more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13115454

So what's the deal?

Question: What is the difference between fiscal and monetary policy?

Answer: Fiscal = budgetary choices of taxing and spending

Monetary = federal reserve decisions on interest rates and monetary supply.

Question: Where are the cuts in last week's government 'saving' budget agreement?

Answer: Spelled out in the middle of the night budget bill, PBS reports:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3tLgzzJk7A&feature=player_embedded

The ONE issue.....

Before Bono started the ONE campaign in the United States, the oranization formed was called DATA: D ebt A ids/hiv T rade A id effectiveness, development assistance https://www.one.org/us/issues/ In your group, you will take ONE of these issues a prepare a short presentation on why this is the number ONE issue facing Sub-Saharan Africa. Crumbs From Your Table -- Poverty Assignment Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqMxAw49-sc Poverty Message, One, at United Center 2005 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6SSjAny7_M&feature=related

Facebook a political obsession in Youdia Age

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=1752879649&startTime=1804&endTime=2591 What do Barack Obama, George W. bush, David Cameron, Mir Mushavi and Goodluck Jonathan have in common? Lots of Facebook friends. In this segment of CNBC's "Facebook Obsession," Lester Holt examines the political influence of Facebook from Obama's historic "Facebook Election," to the challenge authoritarian regimes in Iran and China will have trying to contain the emerging Poltical Warrior.

Judicial Review....by the Nigerian Senate

(A re-run from a 2008 post, this week's results may show that the Nigerian voters did not approve of this legislative judicial review, as the ruling party appears to have lost seats)

In the US, by stare decisis we have the constitutional principle of judicial review. In Nigeria, it is the Constitution that once again is being reviewed -- by the Senate.

There are many people in Nigeria who argue that the 1994 constitution was undemocratically imposed on the country by military and political leaders. Critics argue that it's illegitimate and flawed. The reasons for dissatisfaction vary widely, but the coalition of reformers has enough clout to "study the problem" nearly every year.

So far, efforts at constitutional reform have stalled because of political differences among the constitution's critics.The newspaper Leadership in Abuja reported on the latest review. The billion Naria budget for the study would be about $120,000 US. http://allafrica.com/stories/200805020399.html

Review the Nigerian Constitution here. Notice its Federal system, with provisions for Sharia State Court law.

http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm

Shutdown approval ratings

Although the government shutdown has been averted, the crisis allowed us all to take a look back at the two shutdowns during the Clinton administration. Here is an article that looks at how the shutdowns impacted approval ratings. Nate Silver at it again, testing and maybe debunking a popular political science myth of the Bill Clinton "Comeback Kid" legacy.

So far, so good in Nigerian elections?

(From Comparative Government and APGov.org blogs

Nigerian Elections: UPDATE UPDATE: The INEC bumped back all elections by a week.

The new schedule: Legislative: April 9
Presidential: April 16
Regional: April 23

You can "like" Goodluck Jonathan's campaign for president on Facebook

Pleased and hopeful

Those seem to be the initial words used in reporting on the Nigerian election. Early reports of results indicate that the PDP's dominance may be weakening. Inec Expresses Delight Over Large Turnout of Voters

The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Kogi, Plateau and Nasarawa States, Dr Abdulkadir Oniyangi, has expressed delight over the massive turnout of voters for Saturday's National Assembly polls.

Oniyangi who spoke to newsmen after monitoring the election in Lokoja, Okene, Ogaminana, Adavi, Itakpe and Osara on Saturday, was particularly happy over the peaceful and orderly conduct of voters at all the polling centres visited… Imnakoya, a Nigerian living in the US, expresses optimism about Nigerian elections based on reports from friends and family in Africa. This is from his blog, Grandiose Parlor.Elections 2011: Is the tide turning?

From the Oyinbo-land I live in Upper Midwestern U.S, one could easily be made to believe that the election in Nigeria on Saturday April 9 may not be any different from previous ones marred with widespread violence and electoral fraud. This may not be the case this year. It does appear the violence is limited to just few areas, and the election has been relatively free and fair.Earlier today, I did get word from the home country that many polling stations in Ondo State that recorded blatant fraud and violent disturbances were peaceful. People came out to vote, voted, and even waited for the votes to be counted, without being intimidated by gun-trotting hoodlums, as was the case 2007.

This appears to be the case across most South-western region of the country. This is a significant shift from the last election… [T]he ground may have shifted, positively, in greater parts of Nigeria. And I must say also that this is expected, given the intense efforts that went into sensitizing the public, intellectually and psychologically. It is a delight to see at last the use of social media in election process. Several of the candidates featured pages on Facebook and authored blogs. Perhaps, the most significant of these efforts, is the use participatory media and crowd-sourcing in news reports and election monitoring… Are these activities traces of a new dawn for Nigeria? I do hope so, and I’m excited. While the few evil–mongers may want to throw all the bombs they can, in Nigeria, the tide will certainly turn for the better, just a couple of elections to go…

Comic relief for those with some Nigerian knowledge

In The Know: Situation In Nigeria Seems Pretty Complex


On his blog, Ken Wedding found this clip from the Onion News Network in 2007. I'm posting it here for any of you who feel unsure about anything about Nigeria before we get started next week, know that you are not alone.

I hope you enjoy the humor, and understand that you will be more knowledgeable than most Americans -- at least about one topic by the time we get done

It's a satire of Sunday morning panel discussion shows where the panelists who have no idea what's going on in Nigeria, are expected to carry on a discussion anyway. One of the panelists quickly looks up Niger on his Blackberry and proceeds to describe Nigeria as a country whose economy is dependent on cattle exports. Later, panelists begin to argue about the merits of Nigerian leaders they've never heard of. (The moderator isn't always much more knowledgeable than the panelists.)

Unfortunately, electoral complexities continue in Nigeria currrently with elections, originally scheduled for April 4 being delayed until this past weekend amid concerns of fraud and violence (See above post).

Blogs: A Revolution within a Revolution in Iran?

Thanks to Anu for finding this insightful video. When considering Iran's regime and the media, not that the regime is authoritarian on traditional media sources, but is seemingly unable at this point to supress the Youdia.

Iran video links from Thursday

Post Election Protests June 2009: http://tinyurl.com/y8vjk7k Iranian Dress code: http://tinyurl.com/y8w7j9u Right after the disputed election 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcHT8-ps64w&feature=related Neda, Martyr of the Protest, clips from BBC documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kamDi6GkNoM

If Government Closes, What will stay open?

If Government shuts down, without a budget approved tonight, what will stay open? ABC News Reports: As Democrats and Republicans bicker over $30 billion, thousands of government employees fret over whether they can go to work on Monday. After the current continuing budget resolution expires at 12:01 a.m. Friday, all "nonessential" government employees will be sent home until Congress passes and the president signs a budget for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. The problem is, no one knows exactly who is considered "essential." A senior administration official said about 800,000 federal employees would be prevented from working in the event of a shutdown. These furloughed workers would not be paid during the shutdown, zapping $1.1 billion out of the economy in unpaid wages for a week-long shutdown. ABC News has rounded up information from as many agencies as possible to find out who stays home who goes to work, and how it might affect you. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/government-shutdown-agencies-stay-open-close/story?id=13309873