Links of the Day

New Zealand Struck by 6.3 EarthquakeAround 1pm yesterday downtown Christchurch, New Zealand was struck by a 6.3 earthquake that has devastated the city. Reports indicate that 75 have died with many more injured. Rescue operations continue to find people trapped in buildings. The earthquake "toppled buildings onto buses, buckled streets, forced the collapse of a cathedral spire and cut power for most of the city." The city also experienced 33 aftershocks with range of magnitudes of 4 to 6. Condolences to all those that lost family and friends.

R.I.P. Dwayne McDuffie
The name may not be familiar but if you enjoy cartoons or comics you are probably familiar with his work even if don't know it. He started in comics working for both Marvel and DC. He eventually created Milestone Media in an attempt to create a more diversified super hero world which included the hero Static. Later he moved onto animation where he wrote stories for acclaimed cartoon series Justice League, was story editor and producer of Justice League Unlimited. He also worked on Ben 10 and Static Shock cartoon series. He later returned to write comics but never stepped far from his animation with his most recent work, All-Star Superman just hitting DVD and Blu-ray shelves today. Thanks to his DC animated efforts and Ben 10; I have a feeling that many generations of children (and adults like me) will enjoy his legacy for years to come. (image from aalbc.com)

Links of the Week - Mubarak Resigns

Dictator Mubarak Era Ends in ResignationAfter 18 days of protests, Egyptian "President" Hosni Mubarak resigned turning the government over to the military's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. In theory this could lead to democracy returning to the country with open elections instead of the essentially fake elections of the last few decades. It is also possible that the military simply decides to overthrow the country and install a dictator. Currently Egypt is in celebration mode so doesn't seem "What next?" has been considered just yet. The military has mostly taken a neutral position on the protests and attempted to maintain the peace and disrupt attempts at violence. What violence that occurred was mostly against pro and anti-Mubarak protestors. The net result is the military leadership clearly does not want to interfere with the wishes of the Egyptian people. A lesson the US could learn as Mubarak was a creation of the Reagan administration and supported by all that followed. Congratulations to the people of Egypt! The road ahead is long but may it be glorious.

FBI Investigating Scientology
Finally after decades of reports, the FBI has finally decided to do its job and investigate the Church of Scientology. The church has long been accused of essentially treating many of members, especially those in "Sea Org" as virtual slaves, abusing children and engaging in practices that you would expect to read about from a dictatorship instead of a so-called church. The cult, of course, denies the allegations and probably even now using its full legal and lobbying efforts to end the investigation as soon as possible. While I expect nothing will truly come of this, it is hopefully one of many small steps needed to end this dangerous and greedy cult. Hit the link for the details.

Egyptian Revolution

For the last eight days, the youth of Egypt (about 30% of the population) has been protesting against the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Dictator is actually more accurate as the elections are often fixed and opposition is often threatened, beaten, jailed, or killed. Mubarak took over after Anwar Sadat was murdered in 1981, using a then emergency decree to maintain his power. Technically there are elections, but the last person to run against him spent four years in jail. Also, there have been indications that he was really trying to establish a dynasty by having his son succeed him.

For the Egyptians people the goal of the protests is a move to a real democracy where they vote for those in power. The goal for Mubarak was to maintain his power. The goal for the United States? Hard to tell. On one hand Mubarak has been a friend of the US and a strong stabilizing force in the Middle East. He is a known and predictable quantity. On the other hand, generally when elections occur in Middle Eastern countries, it rarely is for a government that loves the United States. So Obama, as the voice of the United States, is in a rock and a hard place.

This country vocally supports democracy while happy propping up dictators and terrorists whenever it seemed to support the United States (usually for business) interests. See history of Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and how they came into power as two of many examples. This rock and hard place is why Obama and company have been very careful in how they handle this situation. They are desperately trying to avoid angering the current government if somehow Mubarak is able to maintain power but also trying to avoid accusations of interference or worse, trying to prop up the new government. For Obama, it’s a careful dance of supporting all sides while offending no sides. It is unlikely to work at it seems the situation has reached a point where declaration of support for the people of Egypt is a needed next step.

As citizens of the United States, of claiming to cherish freedom, the choice seems clear - support the removal of a dictator and freedom for the Egyptian people if even the government that comes into power may become our enemy. Generally speaking, Americans often give lip service to ideals but when confronted with taking action they take the path of least resistance and hate (see gay marriage, hatred of gays, Patriot Act and so many more examples). I hope that doesn't occur here.

Today there has been some pseudo-movement in the question for democracy in Egypt. Mubarak has pledged to step down and hand over power to a successor in September. The problem is, as a dictator he can change his mind at any time. Even more important, he can use the time to get the full faith and support of the military. So goes the military, so goes the government. As expected, the protesters did not like this "concession" as they chanted "Down with Mubarak." What comes next is unknown but this seems far from over.

Links of the Day

Fox News' Black Panthers Video Faked by GOP
An investigation into the "New Black Panther" video that Fox News, especially Megyn Kelly, spent months used as "proof" of some grand country wide "voter intimidation" conspiracy has turned out to be a complete fake. The video was actually the creation of GOP attorneys and the full video proves it (at the link). Something that Fox News probably is completely aware of but edited for their narrative of fear. After all the only party historically to engage in tactics to prevent people from voting is the Republican Party. They often support any initiatives that would restrict voting to white Republicans. However, "they do it too!" is a great way to warp the conversation is even there is only one example to hundreds and even if that one example turns out to be a fabrication.

Sony's PSP2, NGP Announcement Video
Hit the link to watch Sony's entire press conference where it announced its Next Generation Portable device as a successor to the PSP. The device is expected to have the near graphic power of the PS2 and probably cost twice as much when released around this Christmas.

John Barry Dead at 77
Oscar-winning composer John Barry died Monday of a heart attack in New York. He won five Oscars over his career for Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa, and Dances with Wolves. He also scored almost all of the James Bond films and is responsible for pretty much ever musical queue that makes you think "007". Condolences to his friends and family.