University Diversity Of Michigan

Kate | Thursday, November 9, 2006

One day after the state’s voters approved Proposal 2, a Constitutional amendment banning affirmative action programs, President Mary Sue Coleman vows to devote her efforts to finding a way around the ban. In a statement that has a promising second career as a college drinking game, the word “diversity” appears 21 times;

I will not stand by while the very heart and soul of this great university is threatened.

We are Michigan and we are diversity.

I am joined on these steps by the executive officers and deans of our university. We are united on this. You have my word as president that we will fight for what we believe in, and that is holding open the doors of this university to all people.

Today, I have directed our General Counsel to consider every legal option available to us.

In the short term, we will seek confirmation from the courts to complete this year’s admissions cycle under our current guidelines. We believe we have the right, indeed the obligation, to complete this process using our existing policies. It would be unfair and wrong for us to review students’ applications using two sets of criteria, and we will ask the courts to affirm that we may finish this process using the policies we currently have in place.

This is our first step, but only our first step.

[...]

Of course the University of Michigan will comply with the laws of the state.

At the same time, I guarantee my complete and unyielding commitment to increasing diversity at our institution.

Let me say that again: I am fully and completely committed to building diversity at Michigan, and I will do whatever it takes.

I will need your help. As individuals and as a University, we absolutely must continue to think creatively about how to elevate Michigan’s role as a national model for diversity in higher education.

The words “merit”, “achievement”, and “academic standards” do not make an appearance.

Tags | Campaign 2006, Education, Kate McMillan, US Politics

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The Would-Be Prime Minister Of Canada

Kate | Thursday, November 2, 2006

Or, at least, one of them.

Liberal Member of Parliament (and critic for the environment) Scott Brison is one of eight remaining candidates to take over leadership of “Canada’s natural governing party”.

Perhaps he was just trying to keep up with the frontrunners.

Tags | Kate McMillan, World Politics Canada

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BC Teachers Federation suing Google

Kate | Monday, October 30, 2006

Via Dust My Broom;

The B.C. Teachers Federation and its president, Jinny Sims, are suing Google Inc. over allegedly defamatory comments and images posted on a blog hosted by Google.

A statement of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court says the defamation by two unnamed contributors or authors on the blog at “bcpolyblog.blogspot.com” occurred between April 5 and June 28 this year. The remarks on the blog, which is devoted to commentary on B.C. politics, are “false and untrue,” says the court document.

The blog named in the action has more;

In the statement of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Sims indicates she “…did not kidnap beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird and threaten to kill him/her in response to the Functional Skills Assessment test.”

Tags | Blogosphere, Humor, Kate McMillan Canada

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Suspicious Substance Reported In Clinton’s NYC Office

Kate | Saturday, October 28, 2006

From the comments at SDA;

Tags | Humor, Kate McMillan, Politicians, US Politics

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• Cowards

Canadian Military Valour Decorations Awarded For First Time

Kate | Saturday, October 28, 2006

For service in Afghanistan;

OTTAWA—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, announced today the awarding of the first four Military Valour Decorations to members of the Canadian Forces who have displayed gallantry and devotion to duty in combat.

The recipients will be invited to receive their decoration from the Governor General at a presentation ceremony to be held at a later date.

Military Valour Decorations are national honours awarded to recognize acts of valour, self-sacrifice or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. They consist of the Victoria Cross, the Star of Military Valour and the Medal of Military Valour. This marks the first time that these decorations, which were created in 1993, have been awarded.

[...]

Sergeant Patrick Tower, S.M.V., C.D.
Edmonton, Alberta, and Victoria, British Columbia
Star of Military Valour

Sergeant Tower is recognized for valiant actions taken on August 3, 2006, in the Pashmul region of Afghanistan. Following an enemy strike against an outlying friendly position that resulted in numerous casualties, Sergeant Tower assembled the platoon medic and a third soldier and led them across 150 metres of open terrain, under heavy enemy fire, to render assistance. On learning that the acting platoon commander had perished, Sergeant Tower assumed command and led the successful extraction of the force under continuous small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Sergeant Tower’s courage and selfless devotion to duty contributed directly to the survival of the remaining platoon members.

Sergeant Michael Thomas Victor Denine, M.M.V., C.D.
Edmonton, Alberta
Medal of Military Valour

Sergeant Denine deployed with 8 Platoon, C Company, 1 PPCLI during Operation ARCHER in Afghanistan. On May 17, 2006, while sustaining concentrated rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun and small arms fire, the main cannon and the machine gun on his light armoured vehicle malfunctioned. Under intense enemy fire, he recognized the immediate need to suppress the enemy fire and exited the air sentry hatch to man the pintle-mounted machine gun. Completely exposed to enemy fire, he laid down a high volume of suppressive fire, forcing the enemy to withdraw. Sergeant Denine’s valiant action ensured mission success and likely saved the lives of his crew.

Master Corporal Collin Ryan Fitzgerald, M.M.V.
Shilo, Manitoba, and Morrisburg, Ontario
Medal of Military Valour

Master Corporal Fitzgerald deployed with 5 Platoon, B Company, 1 PPCLI Battle Group in Afghanistan. He is recognized for outstanding selfless and valiant actions carried out on May 24, 2006, during an ongoing enemy ambush involving intense, accurate enemy fire. Master Corporal Fitzgerald repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire by entering and re-entering a burning platoon vehicle and successfully driving it off the roadway, permitting the remaining vehicles trapped in the enemy zone to break free. Master Corporal Fitzgerald’s courageous and completely selfless actions were instrumental to his platoon’s successful egress and undoubtedly contributed to saving the lives of his fellow platoon members.

Private Jason Lamont, M.M.V.
Edmonton, Alberta, and Greenwood, Nova Scotia
Medal of Military Valour

Private Lamont deployed with the Health Support Services Company, 1 PPCLI Battle Group during Operation ARCHER. On July 13, 2006, an element of the reconnaissance platoon came under heavy enemy fire from a compound located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and was isolated from the rest of the platoon. During the firefight, another soldier was shot while attempting to withdraw back to the firing line and was unable to continue. Without regard for his personal safety, Private Lamont, under concentrated enemy fire and with no organized suppression by friendly forces, sprinted through open terrain to administer first aid. Private Lamont’s actions demonstrated tremendous courage, selflessness and devotion to duty.

Tags | Kate McMillan, National Security Canada

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Nyamko Sabuni

Kate | Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Sweden’s new Muslim immigration minister is making waves…

…arguing that all girls should be checked for evidence of female circumcision; arranged marriages should be criminalised; religious schools should receive no state funding; and immigrants should learn Swedish and find a job.

Supporters of the centre-right government that came to power last month believe that her bold rejection of cultural diversity may make her a force for change across Europe. Her critics are calling her a hardliner and even an Islamophobe.

(Where have we seen that before?)

Muslim groups in Sweden are already organising a petition to have her removed from government. “I regret that Muslims feel I am a threat to them,” she said. “Everybody has a right to practise their religion, but I will never accept religious oppression. And I represent the whole of society, not just the Muslims.”

Despite her ascendancy in her adopted country, Sabuni says that Sweden, where immigrants — half of them Muslims — make up nearly 12% of the population, has been only moderately successful at integration: “We have a whole underclass of people who don’t have jobs, who don’t speak the language and who are living on the fringes of society.”

Although fighting discrimination is one of her stated aims, she effectively closed down a Centre Against Racism last week by withdrawing its £400,000 state funding. By chance, the centre was run by her uncle.

“It didn’t achieve its aims,” she said bluntly. “It simply didn’t do what it set out to do, so I had to pull the plug.

Via Pieter Dorsman;

Again it is very often immigrants from outside Europe (Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Afshin Ellian) who are able to identify much better than native Europeans what is wrong and that drastic measures are needed to benefit both immigrants and their host nations. And somehow I am also beginning to sense that women are far better in delivering these blunt messages (witness Dutch immigration czar Rita Verdonk) than men.

Tags | Europe, Kate McMillan, World Politics

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The Hiroshima Fallacy

Kate | Friday, September 8, 2006

A nuclear physicist shares his views on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons;

The most likely form of nuclear attack in the modern world is one carried out by terrorists. In carrying out such an attack, the attackers might well use a device quite different from the sophisticated weapon that military experts suggest it will take Iran “five to eight years” to develop. Current thought on this subject is often informed by what one might call the “Hiroshima fallacy,” the belief that terrorists would not consider the use of a nuclear weapon significantly less sophisticated than the first weapon used against Japan, or one with a yield significantly less than the yield of that weapon. This is simply not true. Terrorists could inflict tremendous damage in terms of both human life and economic disruption with much simpler devices. Another potentially dangerous fallacy is the notion that terrorists could not attack without transporting a complete weapon to the target. This, too, is nonsense.

The rest at Medienkritik

Tags | Kate McMillan, Middle East, Terrorism

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• » Gone Hollywood

Tony Blair’s Daddy State

Kate | Sunday, September 3, 2006

Facing the consequences of 30 years hard work by the left to break down societal taboos and redefine “family”;

LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday the state should intervene early - possibly even before birth - to stop the children of problem families growing up into troublemakers.

One think-tank said the idea, the latest step in Blair’s drive against crime and anti-social behaviour in Britain, verged on “genetic determinism”.

In his first interview since returning from a Caribbean holiday, Blair told the BBC that teenage mothers could be required to accept state assistance with bringing up their children and could face sanctions if they refused.

Intervention might even be needed “pre-birth”, he said.

“If we are not prepared to predict and intervene far more early then there are children that are going to grow up in families that we know perfectly well are completely dysfunctional, and the kids a few years down the line are going to be a menace to society and actually a threat to themselves,” Blair said.

Blair is seeking to put the focus on his policies to try to halt a slump in his Government’s popularity and shift media attention away from the question of when he will step down.

He said the Government could say to an unmarried teenage mother who was not in a stable relationship: “Here is the support we are prepared to offer you, but we do need to keep a careful watch on you and how your situation is developing because all the indicators are that your type of situation can lead to problems in the future.”

Anastasia de Waal, of social policy think-tank Civitas, said: “It is teetering on genetic determinism this kind of saying that before children are even born they are labelled as problematic.”

Oliver Letwin, policy director for the opposition Conservative Party, slammed Blair’s idea, saying more state intervention and bureaucracy were not the answer.

“The only realistic way forward lies with social enterprise, charities and voluntary groups. It is no good the Government simply trying to run peoples’ lives,” he said.

On the other hand, it’s not as though Blair’s Labour Party has been altogether reluctant to ferret out problems caused by irresponsible parenting - and then some. Flashback:

Mr Ternouth’s thriller flooded back to me this week when I read of the Government’s plan to spend £224million of your money and mine on setting up a database, recording details of the lives of all 12 million children in England and Wales.

Among other things, the Children’s Index will record whether a child’s parents are providing a ‘positive role model’, how the child is performing at school — and even whether youngsters are eating the daily five portions of fruit and vegetables recommended by the Government. Presumably, children will be questioned at school each morning on what their parents fed them the night before.

The database, we are told, will be made available to social workers, teachers and doctors, who will have the power to flag up ‘concerns’ when they think that children are not meeting the criteria laid down by the state.

Tags | Europe, General, Kate McMillan

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• Naked Villainy linked with Long Weekend Over......

Iraq Pipeline Blast: Root Causes

Kate | Thursday, August 31, 2006

At least 27 die as US occupation fails to ensure supply of sufficient flashlights;

“The looters seized the security vacuum yesterday as the police protecting the pipeline withdrew from their posts,” said Dr. Hussain al-Janabi, director of the Diwaniya hospital. He said he was told that the explosion took place when one of the looters “lit up his lighter to see if his jerry can was full or not.”

Tags | Iraq Conflict, Kate McMillan

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America’s Number 1 Source For National Security Secrets

Kate | Thursday, August 31, 2006

Is upholding a British court publication ban;

The New York Times said on Tuesday it had blocked British Internet readers from seeing a story detailing elements of the investigation into a suspected plot to blow up airliners between Britain and the United States.

The story was published in Monday’s paper. Under British laws, courts will punish media organizations that publish material that judges feel may influence jurors and prevent suspects receiving a fair trial.

“There has not been a prosecution for contempt over anybody publishing outside this jurisdiction (Britain), but logically there is no reason why there should not be,” said Caroline Kean, partner at UK media law firm Wiggin.

While restricting what British media can report has been effective in the past, the Internet has made it far harder to stop information published by foreign outlets, which may breach Britain’s laws, from being seen by UK readers.

Because there’s no higher responsibility for today’s American journalism than that of ensuring a foreign accused terrorist gets a fair trial…. except for ensuring they first get a fair warning.

Tags | Kate McMillan, Media, National Security

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• Old War Dogs linked with Bill's 2006.08.31 Short Shorts (Updated throughout the day)...
• » Gone Hollywood
• The Discerning Texan

I Feel A Fatwa Coming On….

Kate | Sunday, August 27, 2006

Via Robot Guy who quips “This is going to piss off Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”

Spaceports on the first Iranian scheduled to fly to the International Space Station;

As a child, Anousheh Ansari begged her mother to let her sleep on the balcony of their home near Tehran, Iran. She would gaze into the velvety darkness, drift off to sleep and visit the stars. Most childhood dreams disappear when the sun rises on adulthood and people are blinded by responsibilities, time and money.

But it didn’t happen that way for Mrs. Ansari, a Texas businesswoman, who could not speak English when she immigrated to nothern Virginia as a teenager. In 2000, she sold her family’s telecommunications business for $750 million and she is now launching a new telecom business along with partnerships to build a suborbital space fleet complete with two commercial tourist spaceports. On the web: http://www.anoushehansari.com/.

Tags | Kate McMillan, Science & Technology Iran

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• » Gone Hollywood

Police Were Responding

Kate | Wednesday, July 26, 2006

“…to a ratings complaint from across the street”.

Tags | Entertainment, Humor, Kate McMillan, Media, Popular Culture

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“Hey Mom, We Got To Dance Right Next To A Dead Guy”

Kate | Monday, July 24, 2006

First, Saskatchewan Roughrider’s (CFL) defensive tackle Scott Schultz hammered Toronto Argonaut quarterback Spergon Wynn hard enough to rip off his helmet and lay him flat on the turf.

Then they sent in 200 little girls to finish him off… (video courtesy Dodosville.)

(More photos at SDA.)

Tags | Entertainment, Humor, Kate McMillan, Sports Video

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• Modulator

Throw The Journos From The Plane

Kate | Thursday, July 20, 2006

The first step was to tell Canadian media who accompanied him to find their own flight home from the G8 summit to free up seats on the Airbus;

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered his official plane to be diverted to Cyprus on Wednesday to pick up Canadians fleeing Israeli air strikes in Lebanon.

Harper was already in Europe at the end of a week-long official three-country tour and decided to divert the Canadian Forces Airbus he was flying in to take as many citizens as he could before returning to Canada.

The Canadian leader has been criticized for the speed the government has taken in arranging the evacuation and for having defended Israel’s actions in Lebanon even after a bomb Israel dropped on Sunday killed eight Canadians.

Harper rejected the idea he had ordered the diversion simply to generate good publicity.

“Criticism in this kind of situation given all the complexities is inevitable,” Harper told reporters before the plane took off.

“But one way or the other, we believe there’s a real need here, and we can make a more-than-symbolic contribution to helping with the situation.”

He expects to pick up 100 to 120 people of about 350 that his spokeswoman said were boarding a vessel in Lebanon for an overnight journey to Cyprus.

Those from that ship who could not fit on Harper’s plane would fly on another plane the Canadian government was chartering. Canada has chartered six other vessels as well.

Spokeswoman Sandra Buckler estimated Canada had 40,000 to 50,000 people in Lebanon, possibly the largest contingent of any western nation, and Harper said Canadian officials were working around the clock on evacuation plans.

While most of the Liberal-dominated Canadian media has been “going Katrina” with the critics and disgruntled evacuees - “we had to sleep on the floor.” - about all they’ve succeeded in doing so far is to raise awareness - and questions - about how the hell Canada came to have 50,000 “citizens” in Lebanon?.

One wag from the CBC went so far to explain them away as “snowbirds” - forgetting, presumably, that this is July.

Tags | Kate McMillan, World Politics Canada

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