The World

There's a lot going on out there, if ya'll have been paying attention to the news. I just wanted to highlight to particular events that are taking place (forgive me if I say anything incorrect, this is just based on what I know so far).
First, Egypt. I haven't actually thought of Egypt in quite some time; it's so far away, it seems to stay out of the news most of the time. However, it would appear that the Egyptian President has been in office far too long, and rigged the elections so that he remains President (think Iran). He's said he's going to "allow his term to come to a peaceful end" or something of that sort, but this is a time for weakness in Egypt that other Middle Eastern (yes, Egypt is in Africa, but it's considered a part of the Middle East) countries could take advantage of. Or, well, extremists could take advantage of. One military strategist, when asked, said, "It takes exactly twenty minutes for an organized group of extremists to take over a country." I'm not entirely sure if he was joking, but it does make sense. If they've laid the ground work, and have people in the right places, Egypt could fall any day now. Or, this whole thing could blow over tomorrow.
Second (and I know a tad less about this), there is still an autocratic country left in Europe (meaning a country with one dictator who controls everything, generally because he or she has control of the military). I'm not sure if it's the only one, and I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but recently there's been quite a bit of opposition. In December, though, there was a huge uproar in response to the apparently rigged election, and Lukashenko (the "President" of Belarus) cracked down violently. The U.S. and EU have already placed many restrictions on the country as a result, and the rebellion continues. Most of those who are a part of the opposition are mainly inspired by Poland's break from dictatorship and communism in 1980, and Poland is, in fact, their greatest supporter. Tommorow, the EU and U.S. will convene to discuss funding for the opposition, which is based mainly in Warsaw, Poland, but has also gained refuge in Vilnius, Lithuania. Everyone is pushing for Belarus to finally become a democracy, and I think it's likely that will happen.
So, just some world events that are taking place at the moment.
~Tobi~
~If you want to read more about the Belarusian conflict (as I haven't seen it in the news just yet) this link leads to a site with consistent updates on the matter: Belarusian News and Analysis ~

Glad to know someone besides me keeps up with what's going on in the world! I know that there was a lady in Belarus who was supposed to win the Nobel Peace Prize and has been under house arrest for it for severel years. What's going on in Egypt is big. Rioting in the streets, fires, explosins, and all sorts of real nasty stuff. However, Pakistan is still having some problems, seeming as the governer of Punjab was killed a few weeks ago. Plus Australia is flooding fast. Here's a good look at how much of the island nation is underwater. Put the countries of France and Germany together, then add a little more. Yeah, that's alot. Lets just hope it doesn't spread. I'm pretty worried about all of this, seeming as the whole world is connected and such. Lets hope things don't get too much worse.
-Rachelle41

So many things effect other countries and what we don't know is that they effect the U.S too. Hooray for so many people standing up for whats right! "Presidents" shouldn't rig elections or come back violently as protests. But then again, people should rpotest peacefully. Look at Ghandi and MLK Jr. They protested peacefully and were rewarded. Egypt and that European country can both do that.

Belarus is the "European country". ;D It isn't very well known, aside from being dubbed "the last dictatorship in Europe". They did protest peacefully, though; then Lukashenko brought in military force and set them on the crowd. People were beaten and arrested for protesting the guy's rigged election, under the guy's orders. They've still got all kinds of people locked up, trying to get information out of them or use them as examples.
Russia refuses to support the sanctions or action against Lukashenko, despite the Russian President's personal dislike of the man. The EU is continuing to place new sanctions on Belarus, and I believe America is as well, but economic sanctions aren't going over so well due to our screwy economy (we're part of a system, so as in the Great Depression, when we have a jacked up economy, it messes with everybody else's). There are rumors (?) going around that Canada will throw in their support as well, as we have all apparently decided that ending the corrupted government in Belarus is no longer a lost cause, and requires immediate attention. Poland and Lithuania have continued with their strong support of the Belarusian people.
However, there are also a few problems there; many Belarusans are unwilling to protest for democracy, having been under the control of the Soviet Union far longer than their neighbors. But perhaps there will be another change in the flow that will finally erase all traces of dictatorship from Belarus (I believe it officially ended in 1991, but Lukashenko has been in office against the will of the people since 1994).

~Tobi~
~Once again, I am hardly an expert on this, so please look into it for yourselves. This is just a sort of status update.~
~EVERYONE, FEEL FREE TO POST ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AROUND THE WORLD. Particularly Egypt, as I'm not really sure what's going on over there, but it's big.~

I'm glad you want to know about Egypt, seeming as it's one of our allies. "President" Mubarik just resigned, handing power to the military, which was on the side of the people, so they're happy. You should have seen the people flooding into Tahrir Square when it was announced. The people wre waving giant egyptian flags, and the roar was so loud you couldn't even hear the news people. people were shouting "Egypt is free! Egypt is free!" They were filled with this pure, undescribable emotion. Everyone was thrilled.There was one man who said something like "You can no longer rule us, Mubarik!" and a bunch of stuff like that. I raised my glass and told the people of Egypt, "Good job," and then drank what was left in my cup. I couldn't help but celebrate with them for a moment. They've worked so hard, and been deprived of so much for so long, they are truly free.
-Rachelle41