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WJEC AS Media Studies Representation of Issues: Immigration
vikiwalden | Monday March 24, 2014
Categories: A Level, Eduqas (WJEC) A Level, WJEC AS, WJEC AS Media Studies, Key Concepts, Ideology, Media Language, Hot Entries, News, Newspapers
Immigration is a rich representation topic for WJEC AS Media Studies because it can allow us to explore ethnicity, nationality, events and issues simultaneously. It can be quite a sensitive topic in the classroom, so it is important that students understand some of the key terminology that is often misinterpreted or conflated in the Media.
Immigration: Coming to live in a country different to your birth-place.
Immigrant: Someone arriving in a country (other than their place of birth) hoping to live there.
Emigrate: To leave one's country of birth to take residency in another country.
Migrant: Someone who moves from one place to another.
Economic Migrant: Someone who moves to a country specifically for financial reasons - in order to improve their standard of living.
Illegal Immigrant: Someone who moves to a country without the correct paperwork, i.e. Visas and a work permit. They are often smuggled into a country in terrible conditions in an attempt to escape problems in their home country. This group of people are often the most exploited.
Asylum Seeker: Someone who has fled his or her home country as a political refugee and is seeking refugee status in another place. They are often kept in holding camps while the Home Office considered their case and while here have limited rights including not being able to work.
Often all of these terms are conflated in the press identifying people who are not White British, or anyone who is 'new' to the UK as an 'Other' by identifying them as "immigrant" or "second/ third-generation immigrant". Such construction of Otherness is used to create binary opposites in news narratives.
History of Immigration in the UK
Immigration is not a new topic, however it is continuously perpetuated as a problem by the national press who provoke mass hysteria and moral panics about immigration, particularly at times when there is social crisis, i.e. recession.
After World War Two,...


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Image courtesy of Panos Pictures
Presidential contenders, ministerial hopefuls and errant state governors are all caught up in the capital's political paralysis
Three groups of ambitious politicians stalk Abuja's corridors of power, hoping for events to unfold in their favour. There are the men who would be king: former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida, former Chief of Military Intelligence, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau and former Secretary to the Federation Babagana Kingibe. All stand ready to make their bid should President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua relinquish power before 2011, as many of the capital's pundits confidently predict.
Among the survivors
After months of speculation, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has sacked half his cabinet but retained several of his old associates and surprisingly kept on a few of the worst-perfor...
Changes ahead for UN forces
Africa's crises may prompt radical reform of the mandates and structures of peacekeeping operations
United Nations' peacekeeping faces its biggest crisis since it started some 60 years ago in Palestine. This month, over a million lives are at risk in Congo-Kinshasa as rival facti...
THE INSIDE VIEW
Nelson Mandela has been pulled out of retirement twice since his 90th birthday, both within the last week. First, to congratulate United States President-elect Barack Obama on his election victory: 'Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place,' wrote Mandela. It does not get much better for a serious politician than to be called an inspiration by Nelson Mandela.
The more reserved expre...
The more reserved expressions of support for Obama by other senior members of the ruling ANC were consistent with the poor state of US-South African relations. Improving them will be a priority for Obama's Africa policy.
Mandela's other mission this week was the sad one of paying tribute to Mama Afrika. Zenzile Miriam Makeba died of a heart attack, aged 76, on 10 November. 'Her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us,' Mandela said. After a 1954 tour with the Manhattan Brothers helped her leave South Africa, Makeba became a cultural force against apartheid and a star, singing with Harry Belafonte and then at President John F. Kennedy's birthday party in 1962 alongside Marilyn Monroe.
Some Americans were less happy with her marriage to black power leader Stokely Carmichael and her sojourn in Guinea under Sékou Touré. But Makeba campaigned to the end: hours before she died she was singing at a concert near Naples, organised to fight racism and the mafia.
Banda, the successor
The new President Banda will have to tackle rising inflation and falling export revenue
Zambia's new President, Rupiah Bwezani Banda, 71, will rule for only three years. The next election is already scheduled for 2011. In that brief period, he must convince Zambians t...
The man who says no
Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda likes to compare his relentless campaign against the Kinshasa government with the military resistance of General Charles de Gaulle, 'the man who said no'. Taking the parallels further, Nkunda has announced the formation of a provisional government in eastern Congo and threatens to march on the Kabila government. Without substantial back-up for the UN peacekeepers and a turnaround by the government forces, Nkunda's wild ambitions will face few obstacles.
The strategic blunders of both the Kinshasa government and the Kivu rebels leave Congo's government facing military defeat, the rebels facing political isolation and the people of ...
The aid debate: good, bad or misplaced
Some say that all aid is good aid. British Premier Gordon Brown, as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2005 said: 'Let us double aid to halve poverty.' Irish campaigner Bob Geldof in 2...
A kidnapped colonel
Who kidnapped a presidential nephew in Yaounde; and why the neighbours disagree so often
A row has broken out between Cameroon and its neighbour Equatorial Guinea after the abduction on 7 October in Yaounde of Cipriano Nguema Mba, apparently by Cameroonian police offic...
Banda boxes clever
Once the promoter of Lottie Mwale, Zambia's Commonwealth boxing champion (1974-83), President Rupiah Bwezani Banda rolls with the punches in Southern Africa's difficult politics. I...
How smuggling pays for killing
Most of the Kivu belligerents profit, one way or another, from the two provinces' precious reserves of gold, cassiterite and colombo-tantalite (coltan). Gold and coffee smuggling h...
The Gono hot air balloon
The Reserve Bank Governor has declared war on the currency with disastrous results
Wresting the Finance Ministry from Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) may prove a Pyrrhic victory for Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for ...
Nujoma's grasp
The ex-President's loyalists obstruct and may destroy his successor's gentler government
The intolerance is wider, as indicated by calls to oust suspected RDP members from their jobs, in or outside the public sector. During the recent election campaign for the new Omut...
Bringing in the harvest
An African food-production triumph raises questions about the purpose and value of Western aid
The big idea of a development push in Africa, to be part-financed by Western aid, has been propagated by rock stars and given intellectual credibility by United States' economist J...
A mysterious US$100 million
Vital questions emerge from the US dollarisation of Zimbabwe: where have all the US bills come from? How long can the supply continue? How will they be replaced once they become ta...
Anonymous commerce
Suspicion hangs over Norway's oil major Statoil Hydro after an internal audit published last month flagged as suspicious a joint venture with a mystery Angolan company, signed in S...
Espion embarrassant
The leaked diaries of former French intelligence chief Yves Bertrand have enraged and amused the political establishment in Paris, which is already intrigued by the accusations of ...
President Robert Mugabe initially responded to the world's financial crisis with more than a touch of Schadenfreude. This has given way to panic as the implications become clear. F...
Towards Mali
Last week's discovery of a consignment of weapons in a car en route to Mali raises yet more questions about corruption and divisions within Guinea's security forces. A team of gend...
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How to avoid cooked pasta soaking up sauce when stored?
I often make up a box of pasta (dried) with some sauce that I make from leftover ingredients for work the next day. The sauce is always either tomato or cream cheese based.
By lunch the next day, the pasta has soaked up a good amount of the excess sauce that was previously filling the base of the box. Aside from storing the pasta and sauce in two separate boxes, is there anything I can do when cooking to avoid this happening? It does not appear to be a problem in supermarket ready meals.
If I plan on storing my pasta in the fridge with the sauce, I take the pasta out of the boiling water and immediately rinse it in cold water. I rinse until the pasta has cooled completely. Make sure to drain it well. Afterwards, I either mix a little sauce in the pasta to help keep it from sticking or just put the sauce on top. Basically I'm trying to stop the pasta from continuing to "Cook" in the sauce.
Adding a little milk (to the creamy pasta) or water before reheating cooked, wet pasta is a good idea because pasta will continue to absorb the moisture in the sauce and 'cook', leaving it dry and overcooked.
You can compensate for this in large quantities (like supermarket meals) by slightly under cooking the pasta and relying on this process of moisture absorption and reheating to finish the cooking process.
The problem might also be caused by the fact that cooked pasta releases gluten, which thickens your sauce. "Washing" your pasta before putting the sauce in it, as suggested, is a good method, but probably the most simple thing to do in general is to keep your sauce a bit more liquid, and mixing your pasta with a bit of olive oil just before you add your sauce. This way your pasta is somehow "coated" with oil which could prevent a bit the soaking of your sauce.
I've started pulling out the leftovers before finishing cooking a pot of pasta, so that the leftover portion is only partially cooked, rinsing them and letting them cool before adding any sauce. This works best if you know the portions that work for your family/guests, but is especially handy when trying to enforce measured portion sizes.
I found an extra-yummy recipe for mac and cheese where you put the hot pasta in the casserole, add some butter, mix until it melts, then add the sauce. It's the first recipe I've found where the sauce didn't soaked into the pasta. I wonder if the butter makes a barrier.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged sauce pasta or ask your own question.
Why is there liquid in my macaroni salad, potato salad and tuna salad the day after making them?
How long will spaghetti and meat sauce last in the refrigerator?
When should or shouldn't you toss pasta with sauce?
How much does fresh pasta yield when cooked?


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Clayton: All the ways Russell Wilson's deal helps Seahawks going forward
Kenny Hampton
According to a number of sources, including the National Football League network and ESPN, the deal is for four years at a whopping $140 million - the most lucrative in National Football League history.
Wilson's average salary will be $35 million per season, which passes Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' $33.5 million for the highest yearly pay.
Wilson's annual average tops Aaron Rodgers' average annual salary of $33.5 million as part of the $134 million extension he signed previous year with the Green Bay Packers. The contract extension will include a $65 million signing bonus. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback and undeniably odd dude commemorated the life event by posting a dark video from bed next to his wife, Ciara. "Go Hawks! But, I'm gonna see y'all in the morning".
The five-time Pro Bowl selection is coming off arguably his best season as Seattle went a surprising 10-6 and earned an NFC wild card before losing to Dallas in the opening round of the playoffs.
MacKinnon's OT winner nudges Avalanche past Flames to tie series
We're a good team - we all believe in each other. "We're going to learn our lesson and play Game 3 with a lot more urgency". The Flames took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs first round matchup Thursday, 4-0.
As you all know, I said it would be insanely stupid if the Seahawks didn't lock up Wilson for a long time.
When asked about the possible deal during an interview with ET last month, Ciara said she'd be proud of Wilson "no matter what".
"You're getting Russell Wilson his prime now", Danny Kanell said on Tuesday's "Off the Bench". "Loves this town and its fans", agent Mark Rodgers told ESPN.com of the deal reached after midnight PT.
The deal ends the debate about Wilson's future with the Seahawks, although there seemed to be little doubt he would remain in Seattle for a while. (Stafford, by comparison, ranks 22nd at 88.4.) Wilson won a Super Bowl ring back in 2014 and his team is 75-36-1 with him under center, so extending him at 30 years old merely keeps a good thing going. If the Cowboys think life gets easier as their quarterback gains experience, it's nearly like they've forgotten the oldest rule in the book. The Seahawks have reportedly asked for an absurd three or four first-round draft picks, but we know a few teams in this league desperate enough to pull the trigger. "Your dedication, consistency, and commitment to the game never wavers".
New 'Avengers: Endgame' teaser shows that the survivors will split into teams
If the advertisement correctly shows which teams are splitting up, then we have a good arrangement of heroes to work with. Want to discuss a possible story?
SpaceX loses Falcon Heavy's center booster to the sea
Thursday's flight was only the second of a Falcon Heavy rocket and the first with a paying customer's cargo aboard. The Dragon spacecraft are used as the final stage of SpaceX missions to resupply the International Space Station.
Microsoft Confirms Hackers Could Read Outlook, MSN and Hotmail Emails
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"I'm a big fan": 'Emotional' Nadal inspired by Woods' Masters triumph
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Pelosi says Barr comments undermine his role
Steele's dossier was indirectly funded by the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton , the 2016 Democratic nominee for President, through a law firm named Perkins Coie.
Is Nazem Kadri the Next Tom Wilson?
Kadri travelled to NY for an in-person hearing, meaning the league had the option to suspend the player for more than five games. Despite Avery's endorsement, Kadri faces a suspension for the second straight postseason. "Just happy we got the win".
Exhausted dog rescued while swimming 220km from shore
The dog was picked up by an oil rig crew after being rescued in the Gulf of Thailand more than 220 kilometers from shore. Vitisak Payalaw , a worker on the rig, has shared the harrowing story on Facebook .
Republican Bill Weld announces primary campaign against Donald Trump
John Kerry in 1996, mounted a failed bid for governor of NY in 2006 and served as the US attorney for MA between 1981 and 1986. Weld made the announcement Monday evening in a more than three-minute video, which can be viewed below.
South Africa Blitzboks win Singapore Sevens
Fiji hoisted the Cup last weekend in Hong Kong. "We got into another final, so we're doing something right" Baber said. Fiji still progressed as runners-up to unbeaten South Africa in Pool A.
Microsoft to Answer Apple's AirPods With Surface Buds Wireless Earbuds
Sams believes a 2019 launch is plausible but not guaranteed; we'll have to wait and see. Microsoft could be entering the wireless headphone market.
Sanders Leads Biden in New Poll of Democratic 2020 Contenders
At the time Jane Sanders said they used profits from the sale of her share of a family property in ME to purchase the summer home. But he maintains that his wealth has not changed his stance that richer Americans should shoulder more of the tax burden.
Ex-Lakers Head Coach Luke Walton Finds New NBA Team
The Kings and Walton started talks on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the coach's exit from the Lakers. Should Willams take up the offer of coaching the Lakers, he would bring an excellent resumé with him.
Apple spending over $500 million for Apple Arcade games
Meanwhile, the Apple App Store needs users to purchase specific games and find the ones that aren't clones of the popular apps. They can download and play as many as they want across multiple Apple devices, either online or offline.
It would be kind of cool to just keep acting and then one day, 'Hey, surprise twist, I'm pregnant.' . Fightful is reporting that Ronda Rousey is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday.
Two Yale faculty members, alumnus honored with 2019 Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzers, U.S. journalism's highest honor, reflected a year when journalism increasingly came under attack in other ways. The Capital Gazette was given a special citation for its coverage and courage in the face of a massacre in its own newsroom.
Eberle, Islanders put Penguins on brink of elimination
NY secured a 3-1 victory and a 2-0 series lead over Pittsburgh Friday night with a home victory. Only four teams have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series to win the round.
TikTok Removed From Google Play Store In India Following Court's Orders
The Government has stated the reason for the ban as the abuse of the app to distribute child pornography and illegal content. While the app is now not available to download on the Google Play Store, existing users can still use it.
Israel's lunar landing attempt receives much praise
According to the live stream, the spacecraft had to travel only 10 kilometres left to go (6.2 miles). The spacecraft, called Beresheet, was in pieces scattered at the landing site, he said .
Jedi: Fallen Order Has Just Saved EA's Star Wars
While we don't know the exact reasons yet, it's a move that makes a lot of sense for EA. The game would get a sequel in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords .
New Pixel devices coming on May 7, Google suggests
Google has set up a page on its online store promoting the upcoming Avengers: Endgame movie. A teaser available on the Google Store hints at the launch of the new Pixel phones.
Freshman Democrat Ocasio-Cortez says cutting aid to Israel 'on the table'
Increased isolation, depression, anxiety, addiction, escapism". "And I said don't talk like the Founding Fathers on Twitter". Ocasio-Cortez also spoke highly of Sanders, who she campaigned for in 2016.
Amazon reportedly exploring free, ad-supported music streaming service, Spotify shares slip
As it stands, Spotify is now the only big-name music streaming provider to offer an ad-supported free tier. However, the service would not be expected to have as extensive a catalogue as a service like Spotify.
Extinction Rebellion smash Shell office and superglue themselves to things
They also smashed windows at the... "Met Police say three men have been arrested so far on suspicion of criminal damage". Earlier this month, activists exposed the "naked truth" on climate change by stripping in the UK's House of Commons.
BTS Performs 'Boy with Luv' & 'Mic Drop' on SNL
BTS made history on Saturday night, becoming the first K-pop group to perform as a musical guest on " Saturday Night Live ". On Saturday night, YouTube confirmed the official record, which is now set at 78 million.
Forza Street Launches on Windows 10, is Coming to Mobile
If you're feeling totally turned off, rest easy knowing that more mainline Forza entries await us. Unlike previous Forza titles, Forza Street does not require you to steer your auto to victory.
Fordham student critically injured in fall from clock tower
Students say sneaking into the university's most recognizable building at night has always been a tradition for Fordham seniors. While the entrances to the tower are supposed to be locked, thrill-seeking students often find a way inside, the Times reports.
Trump blasts Omar as 'anti-Semitic' and 'anti
But, she added: "It's absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and (Democrats) look the other way". Patrick Carlineo Jr. of Addison, New York, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, the U.S.
Finland's Social Democrats on top in partial vote result
The anti-immigration Finns Party also decries the "climate hysteria" of other parties seeking action against global warming . Earlier, he had urged people to "vote for some borders" during the general election campaign.
'The Mandalorian': First Look at 'Star Wars' Series Revealed by Jon Favreau
When asked how The Mandalorian would be different from other Star Wars properties, Filoni was hesitant to get into details. From the desert of Tatooine to the forest moon of Endor, we all have different places that we love to visit in the films.
Duke star Zion Williamson declares for 2019 NBA Draft
Wooden Award , while also AP Player of the Year, the Naismith Award and the Karl Malone Award as the nation's top power forward. Zion Williamson has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft , he today announced on his Instagram .
'Mary Tyler Moore Show' actress Georgia Engel dies at 70
According to a close friend, her cause of death will remain unknown without an autopsy because she was Christian Scientist. Funeral services for Engel, whose survivors include her sisters Robin Engel and Penny Lusk, will be private, Quilty said.
QB Wilson won't sign after deadline
And he did just that, as the Seahawks made clear in one of a series of photos released on their official website, Seahawks.com. Per a league source, the Seahawks think that Wilson would like to play elsewhere, even if he hasn't and wouldn't ever say it.
Cheika won't pick 'disrespectful' Folau after anti-gay row
At Saracens , we are one family, open to all with the firm view that everyone should be treated equally with respect and humility. When asked if the fallout has made him reconsider his comments, though, Folau replied: "Absolutely not".
Rep. Ilhan Omar says she has experienced increase in death threats
But, she added: "It's absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and (Democrats) look the other way". House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday criticized the president for using the "sacred" memory of 9/11 for a political attack.
IOS 13 to Reportedly Include Dark Mode, Multitasking Improvements
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Sudan protesters block attempt to break up sit
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Arsenal manager Unai Emery reveals real reason why he replaced Arsene Wenger
It's not easy for him after he signed for Juventus but his focus is to help us and his attitude is a very fantastic attitude towards each training session.


A 60-year-old man has been charged with identity theft after allegedly parading around the Italian island of Ischia as a priest and hosting mass in private homes.
The man, from Salerno, called himself Father Flavio, and was trusted by the faithful of the community of Forio, a town in the Bay of Naples island, Tele Ischia reported.
His faithful flock regularly invited him to perform religious ceremonies in their homes, the news website said.
But after a tip-off from priests in the area, who suspected him to be a fake, the police surprised him as he celebrated mass in a private home in Forio.
The man was reportedly a "serial" fake priest, having also posed as one in Benevento, Campania and L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.


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What does this chart tell us? It tells us that, at least within this random sample of 1874 voters (1777 after weighting)…
Most of those who voted for the two right-wing parties in 2017 had voted Leave in 2016, while most of those who voted for the two liberal-left wing parties in 2017 had voted Remain – and this is true whether we focus on voters retained or on new voters gained
However, the Remainer proportion of the 2017 Conservative vote is substantially greater than the Leaver proportion of the 2017 Labour vote
The Conservative Party picked up most of the (Leave-voting) UKIP vote from 2015
But it picked up more votes from Labour Remainers than it did from Labour Leavers
And so (less surprisingly) did the Liberal Democrats
In fact, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats both picked up far more votes from Remainers than from Leavers – both from the Conservatives and from each other
Those 2017 voters who did not vote in the 2016 referendum mostly ended up voting Labour
Every party except UKIP both gained and lost a substantial proportion of voters between 2015 and 2017
UKIP definitely lost voters, but you have to zoom into the chart to see its minuscule gains
To summarise: on the evidence of these data, the only really notable movement among Leavers seems to have been the metamorphosis of most 2015 UKIP voters into 2017 Conservative voters. Those voters are unlikely to go back to UKIP because, on the brink of financial ruin and with no credible leadership, UKIP is in no position to win them back. Otherwise, the movement that has taken place appears to have been largely among Remain voters: more Remainers than Leavers would seem to have gone in both directions between Labour and the Conservatives and between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, while the Liberal Democrats picked up a not inconsiderable number of formerly Conservative Remainers and while a larger block of Remain voters who had not voted for any of the four main parties in 2015 simultaneously fell into orbit around Labour.
The Labour and Conservative Parties did nothing to court the Remain vote last year, and have done nothing to court it since. But it looks like it's the Remain vote that is volatile now.
Previous Previous post: Non-voters from the 2015 general election and what they did next
Next Next post: How many 'centrists' are there? (On Twitter and off it)


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Encyclia thienii är en orkidéart som beskrevs av Dodson. Encyclia thienii ingår i släktet Encyclia och familjen orkidéer. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Orkidéer
thienii

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HomeNews RADIO FREE EUROPE – "Report Says Decline In Freedom Continues Across Former Soviet Union"
RADIO FREE EUROPE – "Report Says Decline In Freedom Continues Across Former Soviet Union"
Prev [e-news] The Ukrainian Museum [January, 2011]13 January 2011Next UCCLA calls for review of Museum for Human Rights' funding, management17 January 2011
January 13, 2011in News 0 Likes
http://www.rferl.org/content/freedom_house_freedom_in_the_world_report/2275173.html
http://www.rferl.org
RADIO FREE EUROPE -RADIO LIBRARY
Report Says Decline In Freedom Continues Across Former Soviet Union
by Nikola Krastev
There is only one region in the world where political rights and civil liberties have been in continuous decline since 2001 — the wide swath of territory made up of countries of the former Soviet Union, with the exception of the Baltic states.
That's according to Arch Puddington and Christopher Walker, the principal authors of the latest "Freedom in The World" report compiled annually by the U.S.-based rights watchdog Freedom House.
The authors say there is no general explanation for the region's downward trend. But Puddington, Freedom House's director of research, lists a handful of possible factors.
One is the legacy of the Soviet Union; the other is Russia's undemocratic influence; and the third is the economic power attained by regimes in gas- and oil-rich countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.
"The former Soviet Union [excluding the Baltic states] over the past five years, over the past decade, basically has gone from one decline to another decline. And Russia has led the way," Puddington says. "But you have one of the most repressive regions in the world in Central Asia, where Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are right at the bottom of our Freedom Index. And Tajikistan also has very low scores, as does Azerbaijan."
'Disappointing Declines'
The two major negative developments in the former Soviet space, according to the report, is the disputed presidential election in Belarus in December, which was followed by a violent crackdown on protesters, and the overall decline in freedom in Ukraine.
"Ukraine was the one country in the non-Baltic former Soviet Union that we had ranked as 'free' — as a free country — the only country in that region," he says. "And after last year's developments, we now rank Ukraine as 'partly free.' And we can say that this is for a single country one of the most important and disappointing declines for 2010."
Walker, Freedom House's director of studies, says the negative trends in Ukraine include curbs on press freedom, the intimidation of civil society, and greater government influence on the judiciary.
"Ironically, President [Viktor] Yanukovych's election victory last year was, in many ways, an unexpected democratic inheritance of the Orange Revolution," Walker says. "The areas that we saw improvements from the end of 2004 until [2010] were precisely the areas that have come under greatest stress during the last year. So this would be the election process, media openness, and civil society."
With Ukraine's slide to the "partly free" category, there are now no countries ranked "free" in the former Soviet Union, with the notable exception of the three Baltic states.
'Increased Brazenness'
But even in the Baltic states, Walker says, the picture is far from rosy, with Latvia deserving special attention. Controversy surrounds the ownership change in 2010 of "Diena," Latvia's main daily newspapers, which has raised serious concerns about the coverage of meaningful political events in the country. This media transparency issue negatively affects the overall democratic process in Latvia, according to the report.
Russia and Belarus were listed among the world's most powerful authoritarian regimes, along with Iran, China, and Venezuela. These countries, according to Freedom House, acted with "increased brazenness" in 2010.
In the former Soviet space, Walker says Russia, which was named "not free," continued to set the tone.
"[The] cases of [laywer] Sergei Magnitsky and [jailed oil tycoon] Mikhail Khodorkovsky at the end of the year in many ways exemplified the depths of the corruption not only of the judicial system in Russia but of the wider systemic challenges that the country faces," Walker says. "Because what you've seen in both of these cases is the intersection of interests that come together to prevent any sort of rule of law being exercised."
The media sector in Russia, according to Freedom House, has been unable to examine important issues in a meaningful and ongoing basis; the judiciary is subjected to heavy interference and is unable to operate in an independent manner; and political activities are strictly sanctioned and devised in a way that there is no meaningful accountability across institutions.
Despite the grim overall picture, Paddington and Walker say there were bright spots in 2010, notably in Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Georgia.
"Kyrgyzstan showed some gains after all the commotion early in the year when [President Kurmanbek] Bakiev was forced out," Puddington says. "You've had a new constitution, and you've had elections that were pretty good, and you've had a new government that seems superior to the old Bakiev government."
Iran's Slide
Iran was identified as being on a downward trend and received the "not free" label. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' rising economic and political clout was singled out as a reason for Iran's slide, as was the "sentencing of the entire leadership of the Baha'i community to lengthy prison terms."
Across the globe, a total of 25 countries showed significant declines in 2010, more than double the 11 countries exhibiting noteworthy gains. The number of countries designated as "free" fell from 89 to 87, and the number of electoral democracies dropped to 115, far below the 2005 figure of 123.
Other significant developments include the downgrading of Mexico from "free" to "partly free" due to the developments related to the drug wars and resulting violence and intimidation. The other negative development regarding freedom was China's vigorous campaign against the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty © 2011 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved.http://www.rferl.org/content/freedom_house_freedom_in_the_world_report/2275173.html


As homeowners, landlords or renters, you try your best to keep your houses clean and take all the preventive measures to keep the pests at bay. But some of the persistent pests are difficult to handle and need the services of some good pest control company.
While looking for a good pest control Singapore, you should follow the same criteria that you normally do while looking for any good services. The company should do quality work at very reasonable cost. The company should be competent and use good quality pesticides that should not harm your health. Ikari is one such company in Singapore that works sincerely and perfectly.


text:
1,460 days, give or take
I've kept this blog for almost 4 years. I started it to force myself to write something - anything - assuming that if the text was going out into the universe (or the 8 or so regular readers), I'd at least be compelled to write something coherent.
The jury's out on that one. I've resisted the urge to go back and edit old entries - call it penance. If I read something and cringe at a mistake, I won't make that mistake again.
And the jury's out on that one as well. Let's just say that over 4 years, a few pieces actually managed to do what I wanted them to do. I have no idea if that makes them good, legitimate or worth reading, but they're the ones I remember. More than a few were pounded out at 1am simply to get them out of my head, and there are plenty of cringe-worthy typos and awkward phrases. Not a surprise for anyone who reads this regularly.
So, as part of the very small anniversary celebrations (I am, as we speak, eating a small cinnamon bun to fete the occasion), here are the entries that I think were worth the effort:
- Two brief pieces about dealing with the minefield of Christmas, one after the death of my father (Happening), one dreading the death of my uncle (Epilogue, written in April yet). Hey, I never said these were cheery entries...
- A piece that tried to figure out the motivation behind an allegation of rape (A story and a volume of Auden) from somebody I tried to take care of.
- An multi-part account of being seduced and abandoned (which is rather overstating the case) 8 years or so after a high-school makeout session (High jumping, gold hatted). The duration of the event and the general slow-motion weirdness struck me as an interesting story.
- Laying Down in 2003. Fun and wackiness intering a box of ashes. In the words of my cousin, said with a sweet smile, "It's been a perfectly morbid day."
- My meeting with Gene Simmons or a reasonable facsimile (Knights in Santa's Service), and I really hope it was just a tall guy from the states with a good make-up kit.
- The danger and inevitability of somebody's well-intended or false Promises and Apologies.
- Suicide, a media circus, a few unpleasant personal connections and the accompanying awkwardness (Fallen Away). It was launched by a comment from Kim on the West Coast, talking about a classmate. Tapped into something. Thanks, Kim.
- Food and revenge? At the same time? Why not? Eating.
- And a weird bit of fiction based on an even weirder story heard over a beer (April fifth, two thousand and two)
Even if only for my own peace of mind (and what is a blog, if not self-indulgent), the above entries were worth the time and effort. I think. Comments welcome. Signing it off with Ta, followed by Da.
From MSNBC.com
Powell...said he was "troubled" by Republican personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and Republicans' recent focus on Obama's alleged connections to William Ayers, the founder of the radical '60 Weather Underground.
Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to to Obama but also to Muslims.
"The really right answer is what if he is?" Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society.
"I look at these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me," Powell said. "Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower."
Good for him. The fallout's going to be incendiary.
Posted Unrepentantly
From around 1989 to '99 or so, one of my most prized posessions was a live bootleg CD of Springsteen's Nebraska tour. The sound quality was dreadful. But the arrangements were different enough from the studio album that it felt like a true catch, theme and variation of an underrated mood piece.
This clip is post-Nebraska, but it's more or less the same arrangement and I'd never known there was footage of the song. An acquired taste maybe, but for the faithful, here's the melancholy Man at the Top. Enjoy. Or at least don't complain.
Irrational and in progress
I'm in a west-end Costco on a mission for my company. I detest spending other people's money, especially my employers, and have volunteered a Costco run to buy large boxes of cookies straight from their bakery rather than buying overpriced stale pastries from one of Canada's favourite donut chains. I'm also insane enough to voluntarily do this at noon on a Friday before the kind of holiday that most people require vast amounts of food to enjoy properly. I've done my Thanksgiving duty for the year in a filial, come-to-dinner sense (attended a meal out of town with cousins I've known since we were all assigned to a kiddy table). Any spiritual responsibilities of the count-your-blessings variety are too esoteric to outline in this forum, and I wouldn't know how to address those half-murmured, half-heard voices at the best of times.
The noon-hour rush at Costco is not the best of times. The place is its usual zoo, and since it's never too early to encourage people to drain their disposable income, there are a few shelves stocked with assorted Christmas items and general ephemera. The aisle isn't decorated for the occasion, it's just a reminder that seasons change and if you're going the way of material goods, why not start with a sale? I'm not going that direction myself, but at least the Costco floor plan isn't offering me a few jolly (and compulsory) carols or compelling me to feel warm and fuzzy. It's just a fact of life. We've all got to make a buck, here's our scratching at the matter.
None of this interests me. The 600 cookies for my company doesn't interest me. The rectangular box of oversize Christmas tree ornaments does interest me, only in that I'd be much happier if I hadn't seen it. The ornaments feature a small colour screen and a discreet USB port at the back. It probably runs on triple A's or watch batteries. You can upload JPGs into it and set a duration for the image display. The ghosts of Christmas past will be displayed at whatever rate you want, from wistful meandering to blink and they're gone.
My response to the beast worked out as follows, and I'm not calling it sane, rational, or the mark of a man without issues. I'm just outlining what played out:
1. I looked at the thing and thought 'My mother would like that.' The year my father died, there were ornaments with a voice chip that you could drop sound file onto. My mother asked for one - we could look at some of the old tapes, maybe grab a few words, hear my dad's voice around the tree. It'd never go away.
I didn't bring myself to edit the tracks (or figure out how to do it on short notice) and couldn't figure out what few, scattered words from old videos would be appropriate for an on-the-tree, we-'ll-always-have-him-near gesture. The whole idea just wore me deeper into the all-purpose numb I was feeling at the time, so it never came together.
2. I realized that we could fill this new ornament with family photos.
3. I realized that most of the photos I would hold dear involved the recently deceased and this is a broad term. Let's call 'recently' anything with the last 5 years since that feels, right or wrong, like recent events. I realized that if I found myself gazing into a plastic ornament looking at tiny pixelated renditions of happier times (or at least formative times), that I would probably lose most control and fall to the floor as a mess.
4. Ergo and therefore, the ornaments were trying to ruin my life and remind me of mortality, and had ruined my Christmas. Which is 2 months away. And will, most likely, not take place in a Costco.
5. There's a happy ending to this - I realized that the previous 4 steps amounted to the kind of morbid self attention that DeNiro warned us against in Taxi Driver.
And if I could realize that the nice folks at Costco and whatever South Korean electronics firm developed the cheap ornament were not personally out to make me sad...then I could put on a facade of normality, buy the damn cookies, and get the hell out of Dodge City.
An odd overreaction to a relatively innocuous item. I have a beautiful, healthy and charming 3yr old son who is far happier to focus on during any holiday season. And Thanksgiving isn't Christmas, isn't even located near to it in the dictionary, there are spiritual, associative, and probably karmic apples and oranges getting re-arranged in short notice in a damn Costco for corn's sake. This is a corporate Amex expedition, not the long tea time of the soul.
And that said, triggers do what they do, without rationale or apology. I left the store. Delivered the cookies to a storeroom. Picked up my wife and son and got away from either things lost or the simple fear of remembering what is no longer with us. It's always odd what comes to the surface, and when.
I had a family friend who was a rare bird, a devout Baptist, social conservative, economic liberal. He wanted to distribute wealth to developing nations, set up micro loans, and compel corporations to put more of their proceeds to charity whether they wanted it or not. He also had a knee-jerk reaction against Hillary Clinton, who was going to steal the presidency and make abortion mandatory in the one-child-only Chinese model or some such.
The thing about this person was that, knee-jerked, he would back away from the more extreme aspects of his argument and provide an engaging debate. He'd listen to your points, find something to agree with, and somehow not come across as potentially frightening as he might appear here.
I did not agree with his politics. But in the wake of the US situation, I would very much like to have been discussing the election with him. I'd like to know what he would have thought about Harper (would probably have appreciated the family angle) and Dion (would have been a green shift fan). It would have been a respectful chat. The last time we spoke was in a restaurant 10 months ago. He'd held a Christmas party for years. Elections and thanksgiving and that damn ornament in a big box store. Triggers. Unrelated. Unrelenting.
Cheap Yin and Yang
I have a grudging respect for Peggy Noonan. I disagree with her politics 9.95 out of 10 times, but there's something fascinating in the way she delivers good news/bad news about her beliefs and her going-down-with-the-ship attitude about the Republicans as a whole. As one who feels herself to be keeper of the Reagan flame, she draws a weird line between boosting her party with a pat on the head or aiming disapproving glares in their direction.
Politics aside, the woman writes very well and makes compelling arguments (which I don't usually buy into, but I appreciate the thought). This doesn't mean that she writes in a consistent, logical, or less than patronizing fashion that's absent of contradictions. If she's trying to maintain a Yin/Yang balance been loving/hating the company she keeps, I guess it works. But it's got all the depth of a Yin/Yang symbol seen on a t-shirt of a novice Karate student in a strip mall Dojo.
When she was still supporting George W.'s ticket (she's since decided that he wasn't such a hot idea as President) she wrote stuff like this, which manages to be patronizing, partisan, exactly what George W. wanted people to think of him and exactly what's wrong about his Presidency and followers:
Mr. Bush is the triumph of the seemingly average American man. He's normal. He thinks in a sort of common-sense way. He speaks the language of business and sports and politics. You know him. He's not exotic. But if there's a fire on the block, he'll run out and help. He'll help direct the rig to the right house and count the kids coming out and say, "Where's Sally?" He's responsible. He's not an intellectual. Intellectuals start all the trouble in the world. And then when the fire comes they say, "I warned Joe about that furnace." And, "Does Joe have children?" And "I saw a fire once. It spreads like syrup. No, it spreads like explosive syrup. No, it's formidable and yet fleeting." When the fire comes they talk. Bush ain't that guy. Republicans love the guy who ain't that guy. Americans love the guy who ain't that guy.
Her summation of the Biden/Palin debate flips itself so many times to present the good news (Sarah Palin rocks sort of, maybe in Peg's estimation) and the bad (Sarah's attached to an old, patronizing, divisive lunkhead who's repeating the kind of garbage that George W. got tripped over). "A question is at what point shiny, happy populism becomes cheerful manipulation," asks Ms. Noonan, and she was Reagan's and Bush Sr.'s speechwriter. Think about this for a moment or two. Then, if brave, read Palin the Populist and figure out what she's trying to dance her way out of. Or into.
photo lifted from today's Star, Tom Hanson/Canadian Press
As for the debate that actually influences Canadians, I watched Layton and May have themselves a hootin' good time last night, watched Dion make a plea for fun, Duceppe riff on his usual 'At least I admit I'm not going to be Prime Minister, not like at last 3 of the rest of you' thing, and watched Harper say as little as possible with that Dave Foley-esque grin. Maybe nobody handed him any notes. Which might be a good thing, given the recent reputation of his people.
Nobody walked away particularly proud, but there were enough points made and disputed that the voting public can focus on what they didn't hear and shape their votes accordingly. Hearing the moderator joke about losing audience to Biden/Palin showed a surprising level of candour, or maybe he was just bored. As for me, I'd like a good look at the transcripts. Anybody know where I can find them?


Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman discusses the Black Lives Matter movement and black-on-black violence at a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Seems to me Richard Sherman is intelligently expressing his thoughts for rising above the human ignorance of our past, and moving forward so all Americans can experience and enjoy a fairly happy American life with Safe Fun Streets for our kids to play in.
I am still waiting for Mr. Obama's answer.
I have no clue why the young man was being detained, though in this video I see a young person physically resisting arrest while failing to comply with lawful orders issued by a uniformed police officer.
I also hear a person loudly cursing and failing to tell the young man to comply with the officer's orders.
Regardless of whether or not the officer was justified in detaining the young man, failing to comply with an officer can result with a person sustaining injuries when the officer uses lawful force to gain compliance.
The truth be told, there is a substantial population of developing young children who are victims America's National Epidemic of Child Abuse & Neglect that often causes children to develop into depressed, frustrated, unpredictable teens and adults, often venting their anger and frustrations on their peaceful neighbors for being introduced to a life of pain and struggle by depressed, selfish, immature teen girls and young women who irresponsibly build families BEFORE acquiring the skills, PATIENCE and means to raise and nurture children who experience and enjoy a safe, fairly happy American kid childhood.
Mr. RingoTVRaw addresses this issue in many of his videos, including this one.


Pregnant, living with a brain tumour.
If you'd told me a year ago that my husband and I would be sat amongst other first-time parents, learning about the different stages of labour, how to 'top and tail' a baby (side note: that's midwife speak for giving them a daily wash) and you know, generally keep a little human alive (!) I wouldn't have believed you.
But here I am, back home after an antenatal class – a whole 34 weeks pregnant, and harboring backache and the increasing need to nap to prove it.
The thing is, as well as being pregnant, I'm living with a brain tumour.
My diagnosis in late 2016 led to more than 18 months of treatment. It included (unsuccessful) surgery, radiotherapy, and 12 cycles of chemotherapy – the latter of which posed a real risk of infertility.
The prospect of starting a family wasn't at the forefront of my mind given all the other things that were going on. What with my new-ish diagnosis, surgery (swiftly followed by news of inoperability) and needing neuro-rehabilitation to learn to walk again… with hindsight, I'm really grateful that my oncology team suggested (since I didn't already have any children) that I might want to go ahead with freezing some of my eggs.
Fresh out of hospital (post-surgery), and still unsteady on my feet, I signed the various consent forms, nodding along as the Gynaecologist quoted statistics on the chances of achieving a live birth from frozen eggs in the future, along with the various pros and cons. And then, we got started.
I found the experience super stressful, mostly because of the inherent unpredictability. It was all so iterative: would I have "enough eggs in the bank" to start with? Would the follicles respond? These were questions that could only be answered as we went along – during the time-limited 'one-shot' round I was given.
The fact it was sandwiched between brain surgery and the next "phase" of treatment meant there was little time to fully digest it.
On one hand, the treatment turned out to be a huge success – my ovaries responded well, producing enough eggs to warrant removal and storage (finally! Something's gone right my husband said!). But on the other, I developed Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome in the process. I'd put the severe bloating and tummy ache down to the general side-effects – only mentioning it in passing at my final check-up. Severe cases are rare but dangerous, and I was swiftly admitted for inpatient treatment.
By this point, the date for starting radiotherapy was really close and in the end, I travelled directly from the women's hospital (after being discharged) to The Christie; arriving just in time for my first dose of brain nuking.
My focus was soon on getting through each round of treatment. Ticking off weeks, and months as they passed, and celebrating every little milestone. I seldom thought about the eggs that were stored in some science lab up the road.
On a subconscious level at least, I guess I knew that making a decision about using my eggs would be challenging in itself. When would be a good time? With my uncertain prognosis – probably never!
Thankfully, in March 2018, after two stable MRI scans over the course of six months, I was able to finish chemotherapy. It was time to get back to normal (whatever that means) and most importantly, start recovering.
You can imagine my disbelief then, when I discovered I'd fallen pregnant just three months later. I was completely astonished!!!
For the first 18 weeks or so, I worried constantly. I couldn't believe that my body would be able to grow and sustain a new life after being subjected to months and months of gruelling treatment.
Having spent time in an IVF clinic myself – surrounded by other couples all hoping that they too would be starting a new chapter as a family, I've been very aware of just how precious this baby is.
After everything I've been through, I take nothing for granted. I love my growing bump, and how it acts as a daily reminder that even in the darkest times life can still surprise us.
I think I'd have to conclude now that miracles exist!
You can find out more about my life with a brain tumour on my blog: Upper Story Club and on Instagram.