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19 Feb 2011 16:32

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World: Libyan violence: The painful scenes journalists can’t directly report

  • Many of the dead and the injured are relatives of doctors here. They are crying, and I keep telling them to please stand up and help us.
  • A Libyan medical official • Describing the scene at a poorly-equipped hospital in the country. The official reported fifteen dead. As painful as this quote is, this one is nearly as gut-wrenching: “The blood of our martyrs is still leaking from coffins over the shoulders of the mourners,” said a protester in Benghazi, the epicenter of the current crisis, in the wake of an attack on protesters who were mourning during a funeral. Libya is a hard country to get accurate information from, because journalists are not allowed to freely work in the country. In other words, much of this information is coming from phone calls and informants and can’t be independently confirmed. Libyan protesters are facing a very tough road; stand with them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Feb 2011 14:49

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World: A tale of two conflicts: Bahrain, Libya seem headed in different ways

  • Bahrain In a major symbolic victory for protesters, the military has pulled out of Pearl Square in Manama, allowing the protesters to re-enter amidst much international anger over the violence against the peaceful protests.
  • Libya As fresh violence continues to break, at least 84 have died at the hands of the Libyan military, according to Human Rights Watch. “We’ve never heard of anything like this before. It’s horrible,” one eyewitness said to Al Jazeera. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 12:55

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World: Things get even worse – and deadly – for protesters in Bahrain

The AP is reporting that at least 50 people have been injured in attacks on protesters in Bahrain. “People started running in all directions and bullets were flying,” one person said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 11:18

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World: Muammar Gaddafi loyalists: We’ll snuff out any fresh protests

  • The response of the people and the Revolutionary Forces to any adventure by these small groups will be sharp and violent.
  • A message from the Libyan Revolutionary Committees • Suggesting that the Gaddafi loyalists will attack protesters who dare show their face in the country. This message was released after a particularly deadly day in the country – when 24 protesters were reportedly killed, according to Human Rights Watch. Ugh. We hate humanity sometimes and wish it’d take a good look at itself in the mirror. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 00:26

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World: Defense Secretary puts the kibosh on closing Gitmo

  • Frankly, the prospects for closing Guantanamo, the best I can tell, are very, very low.
  • Secretary of Defense Robert Gates • At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. The problem, Gates says, is that just about nobody in Congress actually wants to close the controversial detainment facility, and Congressional approval would be required to shut it down. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Feb 2011 15:16

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World: And now in Libya, the beat goes on…

  • Today the Libyans broke the barrier of fear, it is a new dawn.
  • Faiz Jibril, exiled Libyan opposition figure • Commenting on the raucous protests which have recently turned violent, with reports of unarmed protesters being shot (at times shot dead) by the police. Reports are that hospitals are swamped, as well, with people needing treatment for critical gunshot wounds. A lot of ink was devoted after the Tunisian revolt, as to whether it would serve as a catalyst for other uprisings, whether the factors that existed in Tunisia could be sensibly said to exist in other dictatorial states in the region. Those factors, it seems, are no longer relevant. The uprisings themselves are the reason for more uprisings. What we’re witnessing is a geopolitical domino effect unlike anything we’ve seen before. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Feb 2011 10:53

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World: Same-sex civil unions about to become legal in Hawaii

  • YES Neil Abercrombie plans to sign the successful bill source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Feb 2011 10:40

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World: Middle East update: What’s happening in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya?

  • » Journalists still in danger: Reporting from Bahrain, ABC News reporter Miguel Marquez found himself in the middle of the worst of it. “I just got beat rather badly by a gang of thugs,” he said in a phone call, as he was attempting to hide from his attackers.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2011 14:03

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World: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni plays the robocall game

  • This is Y.K. Museveni. I greet you. Vote for the old man with a hat.
  • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni • In a phone call to potential voters. With elections looming on Friday, the longtime President’s voice was racing across phone lines everywhere as robocalls, unheard of in African politics, went out to the Ugandan citizenry, referencing his iconic hat. A win Friday would mean his fourth term in office (with no limits), amidst concerns about repression of democratic opposition. Of additional note, as it’s probably what Uganda is most known for internationally right now, the American evangelical group “The Family,” heinously tied to Uganda’s anti-gay (seriously) legislation, is led by a man named Doug Coe. As reported by Jeff Sharlet, Coe has referred to President Museveni as the group’s “key man in Africa.” Take that for what you will. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2011 13:13

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World: Another year, another absurdly lavish party for Kim Jong-Il

  • yay birthday For Kim Jong-Il, that is. The “1984”-esque ruler was feted with figure skating, an elaborate festival, and blossoming “Kimjongilia” flowers, which are seeded to bloom on his birthday every year. Of course, North Korea is one of the world’s foremost users of concentration camps, so perhaps the party lacked spontaneity.
  • boo birthday In one of the rare South Korean rituals of open antagonism to the North, balloons were released into the sky, drifting into North Korea bearing anti-Kim Jong-Il messages, and information about the uprising in Egypt. But with a society literally focused entirely around reverence of the Dear Leader, Hosni Mubarak never had it so good. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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