The Tunisia Effect - Continuing Coverage of the Revolutions of 2011

[Ajidica]

Christ.
I just saw this on the BBC.

 

[amadeus]

Wikipedia now has an article of all of the people who've stepped down: the justice minister and ambassadors to the Arab League, Bangladesh, China, Britain, India, Indonesia, Poland, and the deputy to the UN. The talk page also says two colonels defected.

 

[Ajidica]

I thought I read one of the Generals in Benghazi joined the protesters.

 

[Karalysia]

Well that's it then. When you bomb your own capital it's over.

 

[Rashiminos]

We can add Wisconsin to the list:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49888.html#ixzz1EXkqdxcu

From Cairo to Madison, some pizza
By: Meredith Shiner
February 20, 2011 04:05 PM EST

MADISON, Wis. — Someone in Egypt has been paying attention to what’s happening in Madison and wanted to send a message of solidarity from across the globe — so they ordered a pizza.

It might seem like a small gesture, but it’s overwhelming to the staff at Ian’s on State Street — a campus staple mere blocks from the Capitol — where in the last few days, they’ve fielded calls from concerned citizens of 12 countries, and 38 out of 50 states looking to donate money to provide free pizza to the Wisconsinites who have congregated here.

On Saturday alone, Ian’s gave away 1,057 free slices in their store and delivered more than 300 pizzas to the Capitol itself.

By 2 p.m. local time Sunday, they’d given away 351 slices and sent countless other full pies to the rotunda, where protesters have been gathering since well before noon. As a few locals stood waiting for their slices, an Ian’s staffer went to the chalkboard hanging behind the register and wrote, “Turkey” in big block letters and co-workers expressed a sense of disbelief.

“I don’t think we started it,” said Ryan O’Connor, a sophomore at a local technical school who works the register at Ian’s. “We made a post to our Facebook page because of the volume of calls we already had been getting unprompted.”

O’Connor said Ian’s got its first call Thursday when a mother of a University of Wisconsin student called and offered to donate $200 to help feed the people her daughter told her had flooded the Capitol. Since then, the outpouring of money from all over the world has put the pizza-makers into overdrive.

The blackboard behind the counter lists the “countries donating” as “Korea, Finland, Egypt, Denmark, Australia, US, Canada, Germany, China, London, Netherlands, Turkey” and has the abbreviations for all 50 states listed below, with donating states circled. As of Sunday afternoon, 38 states had been marked as contributors.

The small pizza chain with locations in Madison and Chicago has been using Facebook and Twitter to take what started as one phone call and make it into an international movement. Saturday night, the State Street location was so overwhelmed by orders it had to cease its delivery operations. But employees still are finding time to update the restaurant’s social media pages to keep the pizza revolution going and share with the world their chalkboard progress.

“This is astounding!” Ian’s posted Saturday to twitter.

 

[Newbunkle]

OK, Gaddafi just appeared on State TV and said "I'm in Tripoli and want to speak to protesters."

The End.

Shortest speech ever?

 

[DroopyTofu]

This is incredible to me. It's the first time in my life that a major world event that will be taught to generations of children has happened since I've been old enough to really know what was going on. I remember 9/11, but never really understood the importance of it. The Iraq War never really interested me that much. This time, I'm staying on top of everything. I'm just amazed that I can set at my computer and follow something like this as it unfolds, instead of reading about it as an afterfact. Is this a full scale civil war yet?

EDIT: I meant to post this in the Libya-bombing thread, but it fits here too.

 

[Labtec600]

What would have happened to Iraq?

 

[Defiant47]

Probably the same thing that's happening to Libya.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

This is incredible to me. It's the first time in my life that a major world event that will be taught to generations of children has happened since I've been old enough to really know what was going on. I remember 9/11, but never really understood the importance of it. The Iraq War never really interested me that much. This time, I'm staying on top of everything. I'm just amazed that I can set at my computer and follow something like this as it unfolds, instead of reading about it as an afterfact. Is this a full scale civil war yet?

That sounds like you were happy if it were. I understand your excitement, and maybe I misunderstand you, but try to wrap your head around what is happening to the people there. Not just factually, emotionally too.

 

[DroopyTofu]

It's not so much excitement as shock that I am seeing something like this unfold. It's one thing to read about civil wars history class or hear vague reference to them on the news, and another for something like this to be on the forefront of the world's attention. This is the first time I've followed something like this, and it's just a weird feeling to be reading all of it. Surreal almost.

 

[W|M]

For me, that feeling came during the Egyptian Revolution.

 

[mangxema]

It's not so much excitement as shock that I am seeing something like this unfold. It's one thing to read about civil wars history class or hear vague reference to them on the news, and another for something like this to be on the forefront of the world's attention. This is the first time I've followed something like this, and it's just a weird feeling to be reading all of it. Surreal almost.

I'm a little older than you, but I know what you mean. I think it is difficult for those of us with 'kind' governments to really imagine the scene down there. I think in my case the feeling is a little more pronounced, as my first 'historical moment' was 9/11. For a lot of people in the US, the only thing they've seen about Muslims and the Middle East is that some of them attacked us, and they really seemed to like burning our flag. It is encouraging to see a mass event that puts them in a positive light.

For me, that feeling came during the Egyptian Revolution.

Well, yes. That was the 'good' outcome. Libya is more of the 'bad' outcome, which I've never before witnessed. I've never seen anyone try to bomb their own country before. That's just nuts.

 

[Defiant47]

That sounds like you were happy if it were. I understand your excitement, and maybe I misunderstand you, but try to wrap your head around what is happening to the people there. Not just factually, emotionally too.

I am not happy that a power-hungry demagogue has unleashed the military on his own people. I am happy that the people are fighting back. I want a civil war to happen until Gaddafi and every one of his side's murderers are dead.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I've yet to see any footage of jets or helicopter gunships attacking protestors in Libya. But I have seen reports that they were deployed to protect arms depots which were supposedly under attack. That is not to say it hasn't happened, but it would be nice to see at least some proof that it was actually occurring.

These are brutal regimes whose secret police have tortured and killed thousands. Did people really think that protestors would simply be allowed to overthrow these governments supported by the US without any retaliation from those in power? What I actually find amazing is how few have died so far.

 

[amadeus]

Gadhafi... supported by the U.S.?

 

[DroopyTofu]

I've yet to see any footage of jets or helicopter gunships attacking protestors in Libya. But I have seen reports that they were deployed to protect arms depots which were apparently under attack. That is not to say it hasn't happened, but it would be nice to see at least some proof that it was actually occurring.

I might be wrong, but I believe I heard that two Libyan military planes flew to Malta seeking political assylum. The pilots said they had been ordered to attack citizens and were fleeing the country. I'll try and find the article later.

 

[madviking]

 

[Formaldehyde]

Gadhafi... supported by the U.S.?

Egypt...Supported by the US?

Bahrain...Supported by the US?

Tunisia...Supported by the US?

Yemen...Supported by the US?

Libya...Now friendly with the US, apparently for their oil?

I might be wrong, but I believe I heard that two Libyan military planes flew to Malta seeking political assylum. The pilots said they had been ordered to attack citizens and were fleeing the country. I'll try and find the article later.

Actually, the pilots claimed their base in Eastern Libya was under attack by protestors. That it was no longer safe for them to be there. But they may have also just been trying to cover their own asses seeing that they could have likely flown to a Libyan airbase which wasn't under attack...

 

[Formaldehyde]

Plz delete.