Infobescity and the Revolutionary Pregnancy of Tunisia

“There is an information war going on in Tunisia,” Adel explains to me one beautiful afternoon in a suburb of Tunis, “people are constantly consuming and waiting for that next message.”  In an unexpected podcast conversation my new friend began right away talking about the good news and the bad news when it comes to changes in Tunisia over the past 2 years. He also talks about the importance, now especially, to be an activist-cyclist in this nation in transition.  He guided us safely during our critical mass ride and in this conversation he guides us through how he lived the revolt of 2011.

bmtv106 Student Revolt in the US

After the mass student uprising all across Europe in late 2009, the movement has awoken all across the United States this month. Students, faculty, and staff began walking out of their classes and holding marches and rallies at University campuses across the nation.  With the lack of support and resources from the federal government, tuition hikes, staff layoffs, and massive budget cuts from state governments, millions of people are making their voices heard and refusing to go about their business as if nothing is wrong.

I was particularly excited and proud to have seen video footage (included in this video entry) from the school I graduated from in 2001, William Paterson University of New Jersey.  As you can see from the images, that spirit of resistance and dedication to a cause is alive and well at my alma mater. It is particularly wonderful to see the familiar faces and hear the passionate voices of faculty members who played and continue to play a big role in helping me find my voice and choose my path as an activist-journalist.

A Nice Coup of Soup

Much has been made of the announcement of a coup in Thailand. Some people use that word that I find hard to spell: pusch. Although at first I was a little concerned for Thai people, at the idea of military driving around and squashing their civil rights, I’ve since formed a more solid opinion based on observation.

I watched the fun today through various video sources, as the king appeared on TV and the military publicly apologized for carrying out a coup. What A Country! They apologized!

It is one of those moments where I’m glad to have Thai blogs to explain to me what is really going on. Of course, Thai friends also help, but a look at the blogs like Bangkok expat mama or Thai Blogs dot com, where this guy writes about the lighter side of the coup, it all helps me to better get the feel of things and reach my own conclusions.

The BBC just ran some footage where teenagers and coming up to soldiers and handing them flowers. Reminds me of Portugal 1974 in some ways. Not too many ways.. but some.