the list of now

Graph Visualizes Egypt’s Internet Blackout (via Huffington Post). The chart is by tech journalist and civil liberties activist Danny O’Brien

Visualizing things always helps me grasp perspective, so I’m grateful for this and reblogging to get it circulating.

This is not ok. Not ok at all.

A roundup of recent Boing Boing posts related to ongoing events in Egypt, and throughout the region:

• Egypt turns off internet, Lieberman wants same option for US
• Joe Biden says Mubarak isn’t a dictator, questions legitimacy of protesters’ demands
• Egypt: to thwart protests, government attempts to leave the internet
• NYT: Wikileaks cables reveal details of US-Egypt diplomacy
• After Egypt, Tunisia unrest, Syria cranks up the ‘net censorship
• What is happening in Egypt, explained
• Egyptian activists’ protest plan, translated to English
• Guardian reporter beaten, detained at Egypt protests; records audio throughout
• Egypt: Protests inspired by Tunisia and fanned by social media break out all over

For continuing live coverage, we recommend following Global Voices’ coverage of Egypt, with eyewitness reports throughout the region. (RSS feed here).

Al Jazeera has live streaming video coverage here, and a liveblog of today’s events here.
Their Creative Commons-licensed Flickr stream of images is here.

The Guardian’s live blog is here.

Salon’s live blog is here.

More updated sources in the comments.  Huffington Post is also updating fast and furiously, and streaming Egypt-related tweets from all over. 

(I’m trying to stay informed from wherever I can steal an update, at work, so in case any of you out there are also trying to find the latest….)

thehumorlessfeminist:

House Republicans announced Thursday that they are taking a step back from a particularly controversial passage of a piece of anti-abortion legislation that many had criticized as a dangerous redefinition of the acts that constituted “rape.”

A small and swift victory.

Keep in mind, however, that this bill still keeps the original language from the Hyde Amendment. Make no mistake—they let us win this one, but at its core, the anti-choice movement still relies on widespread, deep-seated misogyny.

fuck yes. 

I know there is still a lot wrong with how much ground the anti-choice movement is claiming/gaining in our country right now. but that doesn’t stop me from being absolutely jubilant that they didn’t get away with this!  that there was enough outrage (and rightfully so) over this, that they were forced to back off.

(via robot-heart-politics)

According to a government source in Malta, two Libyan Air Force pilots today defected to the tiny island nation after being ordered to drop bombs on fellow Libyans, who have been protesting against the 40-year rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The pilots refused, at which point they escaped to Malta.

Since the Libyan protests began on February 15, soldiers have killed 233 protesters, a number that almost certainly increased today, as the air force and foot soldiers clashed violently with demonstrations around the capital city of Tripoli.

Besides the two pilots, Libya’s minister of justice, Mustafa Mohamed Abud Al Jeleil, and two of its diplomats have quit in response to the government-led violence. Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, said today there would be “rivers of blood” if the protests against his father didn’t end.

Wow. The people resigning/defecting are very brave. This is a small piece of heartening news amongst the waves of really really terrible reports coming out of Libya right now.  I hope their actions will help to inspire/empower others to refuse to be part of the murdering of their fellow citizens.

And Junior there can fuck right off. No amount of rivers will be able to wash the blood off your hands, sir.

Brilliant that they caught him on tape being the outwardly greedy, corrupt AssHat that he is!

Brilliant that the mainstream media is actually picking up on this.  I’m hoping the cards will start falling in the favor of the protesters and Democrats in Wisconsin that are working around the clock to defeat his plans!

motherjones:

A flash mob of pro-union demonstrators gathered yesterday in the Wisconsin State Capitol to lead a rendition of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Miserables. Right-wingers have been alternately mocking and decrying it. (Yeah, yeah, we know: French Revolution blah blah blah.) We think those right-wingers’ hearts must be made of stone.

Above is the video; below are the lyrics. Pass it on:

Enjolras
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Combeferre
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?

Courfeyrac
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!!

Fuck YES, musical theatre protest music.  I’m down.

bohemianarthouse:

Excuse me while I go hit my head against the wall. Stay classy Ohio

Something this ridiculous deserves an equally ridiculous response. So who wants to go with me to the courthouse to protest the fetus? I’m gonna make signs that say that “the Fetus is a Socialist!”  Signs that show Fetuses (Feti?) with Hitler mustaches! Signs that say “Where’s the birth certificate?” (oh wait… that one actually would make SENSE!)

Who’s with me?