Prof. presents empirical support for nonviolence:

Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Wesleyan University, said Friday that nonviolent insurgency attracts “agents of change.” Chenoweth’s lecture — the final installment of the College’s annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — focused on the notion that nonviolent resistance is statistically more effective than violent insurgency and leads to more democratic and peaceful countries in the long term. According to the research, violent campaigns are more than twice as likely to fail in their objectives as nonviolent ones.

http://thedartmouth.com/2012/02/06/news/chenoweth

Here’s one of Dr Chenoweth’s lectures

The first City Commission meeting after the election didn’t even have enough attendance for a quorum. New mayor James Hightower wanted to get a financial plan in place for taking back control of the city, but most of the commission didn’t show up: http://www.abc57.com/home/top-stories/Mass-protests-scheduled—136706378.html.

Several commissioners are planning protests to disrupt the Senior PGA to be played at Harbor Shores in May. http://www.abc57.com/home/top-stories/Mass-protests-scheduled—136706378.html The tournament is expected to have a $20 million dollar economic impact on the community.

This is the kind of opportunity Benton Harbor needs. Energies spent on sabotaging it are a waste of time and energy that could be spent getting ready to help the city capitalize on the opportunity.

Following Tunisia’s elections a few days ago, democracy is bringing more political Islam in the countries of the Arab Spring.

The strong showing of Tunisia’s moderate Islamists in Sunday’s election and a promise by Libyan National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil to uphold “Sharia Law” have highlighted the bigger role Islamists will play after the fall of the autocrats who opposed them.

To talk about Sharia law and the concerns it raises, Eric Chaumont, of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, speaks on Euronews

Tunisia elections seen as litmus test for Arab Spring

Tunisia’s revolution, which kicked-off in December 2010 under a wave of discontent over poor economic conditions and unemployment, sparked protests across North Africa toppling dictators in both Egypt and Libya. This weekend, enthusiasm if building for their first free elections

Muammar Gaddafi, 7 June 1942 – 20 October 2011

Excerpt from “The Solution to the Problems of Democracy; The Social Basis to the Third Universal Theory” aka, Gaddafi’s Green Book.

“If a community of people wears white on a mournful occasion and another dresses in black, then one community would like white and dislike black and the other would like black and dislike white. Moreover, this attitude leaves a physical effect on the cells as well as on the genes in the body.”

So, today, in “honor” of Gaddafi, I’m wearing black AND white.

Arab Spring faces crucial test in Tunisia elections:

As the land that launched the Arab Spring heads into historic elections next week, all eyes are on the long-repressed Islamists - and whether a big victory for them will irrevocably change this North African nation and inspire similar conservative movements around the region. Many fear that despite vows to uphold democracy, Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda Party is bent on imposing a theocracy that would roll back hard-won secularism and women’s rights.

Great video coverage by France 24

Some kids enjoy a jazz concert on Jean Klock Beach.

“Italy has one of the lowest levels of press freedom in Europe. A 2009 report by Freedom House classified Italy as “partly free”, the only country in western Europe, also ranking it behind most former communist states of eastern Europe. Censorship is applied in television such as in press for several reasons.” - wikipedia

Benton Harbor is turning a new page.

Dan Wang, a leader in 1989 Tiananmen Protest, opens Internet school: Dan Wang, the leader of 1989 protest in China’s Tiananmen Square, has established a New School for Democracy. He hopes to promote democracy in Chinese society through the influence of the Internet. Wang emphasizes that he hopes to break through blockades set up by Chinese authorities to bring the seeds of democracy to teenagers in China via the Internet.

The New School for Democracy is registered in Hong Kong and Wang is chairman of the board. He explains that the idea for recreating the New School for Democracy had been fermenting in his mind for a long time until he saw how the issue of the “Arab Spring” gained power through the Internet. He believes that Internet is a way to advance Chinese democracy in the future.