“Jasmine Revolution”
Symbol of peace: Flowers placed on the barrel of a tank
in very much calmer protests than in recent days in Tunisia

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011
Mannoubia Bouazizi, the mother of Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi. "Mohammed suffered a lot. He worked hard. but when he set fire to himself, it wasn’t about his scales being confiscated. It was about his dignity." (Peter Hapak for TIME)

1 - TUNISIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


How eyepatches became a symbol of Egypt's revolution - Graffiti depicting a high ranking army officer with an eye patch Photograph: Nasser Nasser/ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 - EGYPT Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


''17 February Revolution"

3 - LIBYA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

5 - SYRIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

"25 January Youth Revolution"
Muslim and Christian shoulder-to-shoulder in Tahrir Square
"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) -
(Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)
"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)
(Subjects:Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

"If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening."


“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."



African Union (AU)

African Union (AU)
African Heads of State pose for a group photo ahead of the start of the 28th African Union summit in Addis Ababa on January 30, 2017 (AFP Photo/ Zacharias ABUBEKER)

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
Few words can describe Nelson Mandela, so we let him speak for himself. Happy birthday, Madiba.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Saudi Comics Poke Fun At Mubarak, Arab World

NPR, by Deborah Amos, February 6, 2011

Deborah Amos /NPR

A comedy show, with government approval, takes place 80 miles outside Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

So far, the street protests demanding political change in the Arab world have not reached Saudi Arabia — and most analysts agree that they're not likely to come.

The country has the largest economy in the region and plenty of oil wealth to cushion discontent. But in a place usually known for oil, camels and veiled women, add one more image of Saudi Arabia: stand-up comics. These young Saudis are taking on Egypt's protests as a source of material, far into the Saudi desert.

On a recent day, young Saudis drove 80 miles outside of the capital, past remote villages and Bedouin tents, to sit under the midday sun for a stand-up comedy festival.

As he waits to go onstage, the host of the show jokes about Saudis who usually don't show up anywhere on time.

"It's an act of God," says comedian Fahad Albutairi. "Ninety-five percent full, and it's 10 minutes before the show. It's not exactly typically Saudi, but OK."

Fahad Albutairi, 25, is a geologist and stand-up
comedian.
Deborah Amos/NPR
Albutairi, 25, is a part-time comic and a full-time geologist. He warms up the crowd with comments on Egypt's unrest and the lack of coverage in the Saudi media.

"In light of recent events, I don't read the newspaper anymore," he says. "I'm on Twitter. I don't watch TV anymore — I'm on YouTube."

Albutairi says the youth-driven uprising has resonance with this audience.

"The news is so big, it's almost impossible to contain; you must have an opinion, otherwise you're not human. I'll be very honest with you. The issue in Egypt — it's all about the people; there are millions who agree on one thing," he says. "You got to listen to them."

This comedy show in the desert — approved by the government — is an example of an experiment in freedom of expression that began when King Abdullah came to power in 2005. But how far does it go? The Americans who are part of the show are not sure.

New York-based comedian Dean Obeidallah checked out his jokes with the organizers. One joke about looting at the Egyptian museum — OK. One about Iraqis fleeing Cairo for the safety of Baghdad — sure. And a joke about Saudi Arabia:

"I think I'll talk about how in Saudi, the only way you'll ever have protests is if there's a VIP section, because Saudis won't want it for regular protest," Obeidallah jokes. "It has to be VIP, VIP — it's around, sort of touching on it without getting into the details of the uprising."

The Saudi comics take on Egypt in a more direct way.

Ibraheem al Khairallah is the most daring of the Saudi comedians here. He delivers his jokes in English, heavily mixed with Arabic — and hits home with barbed remarks about Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"Egypt — big problem," he begins. And then he jokes that Mubarak may soon visit the Saudi city of Jeddah, where Tunisia's now former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali took refuge when street protesters ended his rule in January.

D.J. Tazlee performs with the comedians as part
of the tour.
Deborah Amos /NPR
Khairallah gets the biggest laughs when he says that Mubarak will have to travel around Jeddah on jet skis. It's a very local joke: In the past week, the Saudi port city has been hit with damaging floods. Saudi Facebook groups have expressed anger with an inept government response.

Onstage, Albutairi congratulates the audience for its appreciation: "Give yourself a round of applause. You get stand-up. You get jokes. Because a lot in Saudi, they don't get stand-up comedy irony. They think irony is something you do at the laundry."

Of course, this desert camp of young people — men and women enjoying an afternoon of entertainment — is far from the world of the conservative capital, where there are no movies or theaters. The real Saudi Arabia, says Albutairi, is somewhere in between.

"Saudi Arabia, right now, because of the population — they are so young — it's best represented by the youth themselves," Albutairi says. "So, if you meet enough young Saudis, you will get a better picture of Saudi Arabia."

The youth population there now represents the majority of the country.

"And we're changing things little by little, but we are changing, and it's happening — the youth is the future," Albutairi says from the stage — to whistles and cheers from the crowd.


Related Articles:

Restrained by religious, family and tribal traditions that dictate who a woman
may marry, many are choosing to appeal to Saudi Arabia’s courts in order to
overturn what many women see as unfair or illogical opposition to marriage by
fathers and other male relatives. (AFP Photo/ Amer Hilabi)



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