We Are the New Media

Videos appeared at an exponential rate through all manner of web sites. The thread was handed from continent to continent, time zone to time zone over 36 hours the Tunisian revolution unfolded heralding a new methodology of internet revolution.

Tunisia – Internet revolution

Over the last three weeks it has become obvious that “the new media” have become the agents for world political change. Never before has an example of how public internet activity could bring down a government.The Tunisian revolution and the subsequent following revolutions in Algeria, Libya and Egypt are the direct result of information sharing and on-line activism. The Tunisian revolution is one of the  first direct results of the Wikileaks U.S Embassy Cablegate being used as  validation for the people of Tunisia and the subsequent over throw of the Ben Ali government.

The internet has been transformed into a minute by minute source that is refered to for world issues over the traditional media outlets.

Unprecedented change has percolated through the Arab nations and the Red Sea geography as never before seen . For the first time an Arab leader was pressured from office by public opinion.

Mainstream media were slow to take up the thread of the Tunisian revolution, and even today have still not reported on some of the incidents, such as the Kasserine massacre.

Bloggers and vloggers from all over the world filled sites with videos taken from mobile phones. Tweets by the second buzzed through optic fibre fuelling a rage which consumed the portals of popular video sites.

Along with this were the Wikileaks U.S Embassy cables which ultimately validated the protesters claims.

The cables from the Tunisian American Embassy showed how the U.S  and the European countries knew about the Ben Ali regimes appalling human rights violations.



Systemic corruption and  bribery  were outlined in the Tunis cables, unrest and the people’s suffering were also conveyed.

However the cable does not offer a possible solution but belies support for the Ben Ali regime as gate-keeper of the economic status quo in the region.

The U.S  and European countries had 100% knowledge of the conditions that the Tunisian people were suffering under, but valued its own economic status quo in the region over the Tunisian people’s rights of self-determination.

The next video shows how Ben Ali made constitutional changes which are now causing consternation amongst the Tunisian people. Ben Ali actively sought to create a vacuum of political opposition, so any  leadership for the Tunisian people is hardly represented. This is the first test that the Tunisian people will have to overcome.

Tunisians want a complete purge of the Ben Ali legacy from their constitutional proceedings. The military have embraced the protesters as have the police.

Like an inland Tsunami the people’s media revolution  spread to Algeria, Egypt and Libya….

In Egypt the 25th January 2011 will be known as “revolution day”

Your plane is waiting Mubarak……..and Hilary…..STFU!!!

From Tiananmen Square to Liberation Square (Midan Tahrir)

The 2011 Egyptian protests are a continuing series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Egypt from January 2011 onwards, with organizers counting on the Tunisian uprising to inspire the crowds to mobilize.

The demonstrations and riots were reported to have started over police brutality, State of Emergency laws, unemployment, desire to raise the minimum wage, lack of housing, food inflation, corruption, lack of freedom of speech, and poor living conditions.

The protests main goal is to oust President Hosni Mubarak who has been in power for more than 30 years.

While localized protests were already commonplace in previous years, major protests and riots erupted all over the country starting on January 25th, known as the “Day of Anger”, the date set by Egyptian opposition groups and others for a major demonstration. The 2011 protests have been called “unprecedented” for Egypt, and “some of the most serious civil unrest in recent memory” in the country.

Thousands were protesting in the capital of Cairo on the January 25th, with 15,000 alone occupying Liberation Square (Midan Tahrir), and 20,000 in various locations across Alexandria. 200 demonstrators were in the southern city of Aswan, 2000 in the eastern city of Ismailiya, and about 3000 in the northern city of Mahallah.

Related Links:

Egyptian Discontent…Mubarak Out!

Egypt Blocks Twitter After Political Unrest

Protest at Egyptian Embassy in Washington

Egypt Revolution Facebook Page

Taco Bell Lawsuit: Where’s the Beef?

WFSA.com:

What’s in a name? That’s the question at the heart of a class action lawsuit Montgomery, Alabama law firm Beasley Allen filed targeting fast food giant Taco Bell. The lawsuit claims the company uses “false advertising” on its menu and in its advertisements.

CLICK HERE TO READ LAWSUIT

“The complaint alleges that what Taco Bell calls “beef” doesn’t meet the minimum requirements set by the USDA to be called “beef” or “seasoned ground beef” or anything of the kind.

“Rather than beef, these food items are actually made with a substance known as “taco meat filling,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that Taco Bell should refer to its product as “taco meat filling” because it contains mostly “extenders” and other non-meat substances.

What are these substances? The document lists water, “Isolated Oat Product,” wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate as well as beef and seasonings.

The USDA defines “beef” as “flesh of cattle.”

The definition as read in the lawsuit states “Ground beef” “shall consist of chopped fresh and/or frozen beef with or without seasoning and without the addition of beef fat as such, shall not contain more than 30 percent fat, and shall not contain added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders.”

The USDA policy book requires food labeled as “taco filling” to contain “at least 40 percent fresh meat,” and the label must show the true product name.

In containers shipped to Taco Bell stores, not seen by consumers, the label reads: “Taco Meat Filling.”

Beasley Allen law firm adds that what Taco Bell is marketing as beef only contains 36% meat.

WSFA 12 News contacted the Taco Bell Corporation for a response to the lawsuit. Company spokesman Rob Poetsch issued this statement:

“At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later — and got their “facts” absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food.”

Related Links:

Taco Bell Lawsuit

Taco Bell Statement Regarding Class Action Lawsuit

Taco Bell Ingredients List

U.S. Unable to Link Manning to Assange

In an NBC News report dated January 24, US military officials reportedly confessed that they have been unable to find any direct connections between Bradley Manning, suspected of leaking secret documents, and Julian Assange:

Officials with the U.S. military, say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents onto his own computer and passed them to an unauthorized person, there is apparently no evidence he passed the files directly to Assange, or had any direct contact with the controversial WikiLeaks figure.

Further, in the same briefing, the Defense Department officially denied the mistreatment of Bradley Manning, while admitting that:

Brig Commander James Averhart did not have the authority to place Manning on suicide watch for two days last week, and that only medical personnel are allowed to make that call.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41241414/ns/us_news-wikileaks_in_security/?ocid=twitter

Protest at Egyptian Embassy in Washington

PressTV.com:

A demonstration was held outside the Egyptian Embassy in Washington as part of Egypt’s ‘Day of Revolt’ to protest state repression, corruption, and economic hardships.

Tens of thousands of people have also poured into the streets of cities throughout Egypt to call for a Tunisia-like revolution and were met with tear gas and water hoses by law enforcement forcers. According to protesters, government reactions to dissent
are yet another example of the brutal police state run by President Hosni Mubarak.

Hana Elhattab of the Egyptian Association for Change says the Tunisian revolution was a catalyst for the mass demonstrations taking place throughout Egypt and around the world against the Egyptian government.

Senior Program Officer Sherif Mansour of Freedom House shed light on U.S. relations with the Mubarak regime and what role they would like the U.S. to play in Egypt’s future.

For now, protesters have hope that the momentum of Tunisia’s revolution will continue to influence the Egyptian people and perhaps lead to similar changes.

Related Links:

Egyptian Americans Protest at White House

More Anti-Mubarak Protests Around the World