The Onion: This little piggy took the net down

Libyans to Gaddafi: All your tanks are belong to us

From ArabRevolution

A Helpful Venn Diagram

From Joey Fernandez

Shervin Pishovar: Twitter and Facebook as Antibodies of Genocide

And I'm a Mormon!

UPDATE: Report on this incident from CHINAYOUREN:

Get out of Here, Your Excellency!

Written by Julen Madariaga on February 24th, 2011

I was very disappointed when I read this story about the US ambassador in Beijing taking part in the so-called “Jasmine” protests last Sunday. This is very bad news for Chinese supporters of democracy (yet again).

First of all, let’s be serious. The idea that the ambassador didn’t know what was going on is an insult to intelligence, his appearing on camera lying to a Chinese passer-by only makes things worse. You might argue he was casually walking around, but in a stroll protest walking around is precisely the way to participate. You might believe he was saying the truth, but that would mean he is an incompetent officer, ignorant of the situation on the ground. Clearly that is not the case.

No, the ambassador of the USA has openly and consciously joined a minority protest against the Chinese government in Beijing. Mr. Huntsman’s action is clearly not due to incompetence, but to careful calculation, based on Western vanity and political ambition.

Don’t American politicians understand that democracy can only win if it is seen as homegrown? What would happen if the French ambassador was seen joining a protest for, say, the health reform in the US, would this help further the Democrats’ agenda? Does this kind of action help the millions of real, anonymous Chinese who hope for a more open system? Certainly not.

And of course politicians understand this. They know full well these actions are undermining the democratic movement in China, feeding the nationalistic tide that is the CCP’s most powerful weapon. The problem is they don’t care. Because their priority is not *Democracy in China*, but rather *to be the promoters of Democracy in China*. To publicly score a goal on the enemies of the faith, the intolerable leaders who have dared take China to international success without paying respect to our democratic sensibilities.

I know I am reading too much into this single event, it is unfair to single out American politicians. This is just the natural result of a misconception that the mainstream media establishment in the West has promoted for years: that believing in democracy is in itself a source of legitimacy. That we always know better.

Yes, most of us think that democracy is a better system of government than the CCP rule, and we wish the Chinese people could enjoy it as well. But somehow, in the West, we have come to imagine that our being born in such a system — without having done anything for it in most cases — automatically gives us the moral superiority to decide for others, to smugly disregard fairness and basic respect, and to discount the opinions of those pawns who don’t even know what is good for themselves.

Quite apart from its foolishness, this mindset has to be the number one factor destroying the credibility of democracy supporters worldwide.

Just to avoid misunderstandings: I don’t agree at all those Chinese nationalistic websites. I believe that Human Rights are above any political consideration, and that freedom of speech should be promoted regardless of borders and political systems. I even strongly support direct action to unblock the information channels. We all have the right and the duty to point our fingers where a government has trampled human rights — just as we accept others to point it out when our own own governments do the same.

But we need to understand this is a very different thing from telling the Chinese people how they should think, which minority political action they should join, or even to directly draft for them a political Charter and tell them which elite political figure they should regard as their moral leader.

Revolution not an armchair sport

Here is a very excellent and sobering article:

Reserving judgment about other peoples revolutions

#Bahrain #lulu

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."

Deja Vu

Haven't we been here before?



You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money
for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Ah

ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, all right

Libyan Independence flag raised @ London Embassy

Message from a friend in Tripoli few minutes ago: - Twitzer.com

Message from a friend in Tripoli few minutes ago: - Twitzer.com

On his way out?

Shortest political speech in history. Short enough to tweet! Looks like he's on his way to a bunker or the airport.

Ambassador calls for Gaddafi to step down

From AlJazeerah: Libya's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, condemns the violence in Libya and calls for Gaddafi to step down.

The MENA Revolution Curated

http://arabrevolution.posterous.com/

That's Solidarity!

Someone In Egypt Ordered a Pizza
For the Protesters in Wisconsin

High Level debate about WikiLeaks

C. Scott Young: The VRML Knight

A brilliant, shining light of a young man. I was introduced to his work, and had the opportunity to meet this Scott at Siggraph 97. He left an indelible impression on me. Still an inspiration to me, I recently did a search for him after wondering "where is he now?"

Sadly, I have learned that he passed on in 2008. Thankfully, his spirit and work have been preserved by friends who, like myself, were touched by his creativity and his passion.

Here is an archived video I discovered of his presentation at The Contact Consortium's Avatars97 conference.

Like we didn't know already?

Hmmm . . . Maybe this has something to do with why we have so many hungry sharks - ya think??????

Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily

Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist's video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn't degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.

The view from China

For more background on this video, click here.
And for an article on how the Jasmine revolution played out, read:

The Revolution That Wasn't

"It was just a group of people standing around photographing each other."

I suspect there was more to #cn220 than meets the eye. The Chinese have their own style. It's not unusual for their subtle ways to go right beyond the comprehension of Westerners.