Protests EVERYWHERE

[Left]

Note, I'm not trying to make a one liner there, just show that it's probably not a concern for them. Will also see if I can read this a bit after the boss man goes home. (I'm leaving for work shortly).

This.  I've seen similar views from up-scale housing colonies in India.  Worse, actually - Indian slums are fucking horrifying, and the horror is compounded by the fact that they are everywhere.  And yet, the middle and upper classes who live in those colonies can't, or won't, see it.  They actually get angry when foreigners come to India and talk about all the poverty.

The fuck? Is this kind of like the "I don't see race" thing, but "I don't see poverty"?

It may be that the wealth divide is not that drastic in the UK, and I've seen relatively little of non-western countries but I really doubt I could sleep with that as my view. From either direction. Fuck no.

I think much of the reason rampant poverty is so tolerated/ignored in India is the caste system.  It's such a rigid hierarchy, and so huge, that there's almost always going to be someone below you and someone above you, and the culture really enforces the belief that that's how it should be.  And caste is something you're born into - no matter what you do, even if you manage to make it big somehow, your caste never changes.  It cannot change.  BIP, indeed.

As (little)as I understand it, changing one's station was considered to be bad Karma, so rather like a sin.

[Cain]

The protests in Rio:

[President Television]

The protests in Rio:

Shit, that's incredible.

I live in Canada, and I hadn't heard about the EI protests. All the ones here seem to be over shale gas drilling and the oil pipeline. In New Brunswick, judging by the papers, there seems to be a general attitude that we're too poor for fancy government services like a social safety net, and all we need is to cut the fat and whore out our natural resources to bring in business. A while ago, there were some Idle No More protests, but those seem to have died out over the winter. It's really depressing. I get the impression that the spirit of the province has been utterly broken.

[Left]

The protests in Rio:

WOW...

[The Johnny]

'Murica ?

[Junkenstein]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22992410

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Rubber bullet. They shot it at the kid's face through the mask.

[Doktor Howl]

Rubber bullet. They shot it at the kid's face through the mask.

He's lucky to be alive.

[Junkenstein]

Very lucky. I've seen a ton of injury reports including lost eyes. Fatalities are unconfirmed but it sounds like 10+ so far.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Massive corruption in Portland's public transportation system has recently been uncovered (I keep telling people that Portland city agencies are corrupt as hell, nobody listens) and what's happening here?

Marches against GMO.

[Junkenstein]

Protests in Egypt:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23115821

Huge protests across Egypt calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi have taken place through the night, with some outbreaks of violence.

In the capital, Cairo, tens of thousands of people massed in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace in the biggest demonstration there since the 2011 revolution.

At least one person was killed in clashes at Cairo's headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Four others died in clashes elsewhere.

As darkness fell, the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) released what it called "Revolution Statement 1", calling on protesters across Egypt to "maintain their peaceful [rallies] in all the squares and streets and villages and hamlets of the country... until the last of this dictatorial regime falls".

The NSF is among liberal and secular opposition groups which have endorsed a petition organised by the grassroots movement Tamarod (Rebellion), which calls for a snap election. Opposition activists say more than 22 million people have signed it.

There was also some evidence of anti-American and anti-Israeli feeling among the protesters, with one flag portraying President Morsi inside a Star of David.

Not looking to settle in the near future I'd guess. Egyptians know that this shit can work if kept up long enough. The problem is now finding someone who can carry popular sentiment and get enough time to enact meaningful change. This guy didn't do himself many favours either on some occasions so the writing was on the wall either way, I just doubt he thought it was coming this quickly. 

[Cain]

The BBC is, of course, only giving half the story here.

The NSF is an umbrella group of secular "liberals", many of whom are openly yearing for a secular military dictatorship.  Their funding and support comes from media tycoons who made their fortunes under Murbarak and are his cronies...a fact that has caused some of the socialist groups and many of the youth groups to shy away from the NSF.

Said media tycoons are responsible for the identification of Morsi with US and Israeli interests - painting the Muslim Brotherhood as the handpicked successor of Mubarak (it wasn't) and Morsi himself as an Israeli sympathizer (he prefers Hamas).

No doubt there are still serious problems in Egypt, but the leading opposition are hardly the solution.

[Cain]

Anti-government protesters in Egypt have stormed the national headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the capital, Cairo.

People ransacked the building in the Moqattam area and set parts on fire

Well, shit.

[Left]

Anti-government protesters in Egypt have stormed the national headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the capital, Cairo.

People ransacked the building in the Moqattam area and set parts on fire

Well, shit.

...FUN!

[Doktor Howl]

Anti-government protesters in Egypt have stormed the national headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the capital, Cairo.

People ransacked the building in the Moqattam area and set parts on fire

Well, shit.

I am beginning to develop a serious soft spot for Egyptians.