On Facebook, we’ve been compiling a list of demonstrations in support of the protests in the Arab world. This is the same information, for those without facebook

Please go to the list on facebook if possible — the version here will go out-of-date quickly.

MONDAY (21st)

——————-

Boston, MA – Libya

…http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185352221505381

London, UK – Libyan Embassy

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494

Cairo, Egypt – Libya

http://twitter.com/#!/SultanAlQassemi/status/39429405340082177

Manchester, UK – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131959340208250

Berlin, Germany – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192616717425685

Paris, France – Libya

http://www.demosphere.eu/node/22927

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=190459450986797

Lyon, France – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165054680210039

Brussels, Belgium – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199904060020563

Tunisia

http://www.mosaiquefm.net/index/a/ActuDetail/Element/13310-Manifestation-de-soutien-au-peuple-Libyen-devant-l-ambassade.html

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201680616509063

Sacramento, CA – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110998615645366

Amman, Jordan – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189905307707931

Seattle, WA – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204806872866343

TUESDAY (22nd)

———————-

New York, US – Bahrain

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202224233128244

London, UK – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494 (Libyan Embassy)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131240333612231 (Downing Street)

Glasgow, UK – Arab Solidarity

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135386309861565

Berlin, Germany – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192616717425685

Bonn, Germany – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191396744226496&index=1

Tunisia – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200387639988338

Rabat, Morocco – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181209048588995

Montreal, Canada

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185800944792021

Melbourne, Australia

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136206069778177

Alger, Algeria – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203131753034942

Minneapolis, USA – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152930121431194

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181973065177856

Alexandria, Egypt – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104070656339318

WEDNESDAY (23rd)

————————

London, UK – Libyan Embassy

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494

Geneva – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164994166886344

New York, USA

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133883690011027

THURSDAY (24th)

———————-

London, UK – Libyan Embassy

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494

FRIDAY (25th)

———————-

New York, US – Libya, Yemen & Bahrain

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202227446461128

London, UK –

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494 (at Libyan embassy)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169885193058579 (Bahrain embassy, to Libyan embassy, to Downing Street)

Nottingham, UK

4pm onwards, Old Market Square

Lake Eola, Orlando, USA

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157201641001407

London, UK – Iran

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165285383522107

SATURDAY (26th)

———————-

London, UK – Iraq Reform Demo

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192937684059227

Toronto, Canada – Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193043330720427

London, UK – Libyan Embassy

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494

26th March

———-

London, UK – Egypt

http://socialisimo.tumblr.com/post/3364674148/stay-4-one-day-turn-hyde-park-into-tahrir-square-for

On Going

————

More lists of Libyan protests.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185352221505381

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103799509699530

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178395958872261 (embassy protests)

Manchester, UK – Libya (daily protests)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194916707193449

Freeze Mubarak’s Assets

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178077995570504

Human Rights for Libya

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111867918891103

Bahrain Petition

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5904/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5615

Notes

——–

Please be sure to post videos of any protests you attend.

Archive

———————-

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178220665555569

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185352221505381

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186889371343992

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152559051466719

http://twitter.com/#!/Palaestina/status/38354404482482176

http://twitter.com/#!/sara055/status/38766411249614848

http://twitter.com/#!/LamiaMoussa/status/38721362717720576

http://twitter.com/#!/Sandmonkey/status/38932651502993408

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110998615645366

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107198712691545

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187343441305362

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193043330720427

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155547864499863

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195945897101494

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154050244653491

It’s intriguing how often we, as consumers, are willing to believe (without evidence) that something originates in our own country. Somehow, in the back of my head, I had the idea of Father Ted coming from England. I mean — a more Irish setup would be hard to imagine. Yet somehow I choose to belive in the home-origin.

ETA

: I’m doubly an idiot. Father Ted was, in fact, made for Channel 4

The Efficient Markets Hypothesis may be looking a bit shabby after the financial crisis. But it’s still looking pretty damn good compared to any other area of public life. Where’s the Efficient Media Hypothesis? The Efficient Academia Hypotheis? The Efficient Politics Hypothesis? The Efficient Courts Hypothesis? Anybody eve proposing them would be laughed out of the room.

The articles Mubarak is proposing to amend:

Article.76***:(Amended, Not present in the Constitution any longer) The People’s Assembly shall nominate the President of the Republic . The nomination shall be referred to the people for a plebiscite. The nomination for the President of the Republic shall be made in the People’ Assembly upon the proposal of at least one third of its members. The candidate who obtains two thirds of the votes of the members of the People’s Assembly shall be referred to the people for a plebiscite . If he does not obtain the said majority the nomination process shall be repeated two days after the first vote. The candidate obtaining an absolute majority of the votes of the Assembly members shall be referred to the citizens for a plebiscite. The candidate shall be considered President of the Republic when he obtains an absolute majority of votes cast in the plebiscite. If the candidate does not obtain this majority, the Assembly shall propose the nomination of another candidate and the same procedure shall follow concerning his candidature and election.

Article.77**: The term of the presidency shall be six Gregorian years starting from the date of the announcement of result of the plebiscite. The President of the Republic may be re-elected for other successive terms.

Article.88: The Law shall determine the conditions which members of the Assembly must fulfil as well as the rules of election and referendum, while the ballot shall be conducted under the supervision of the members of a judiciary organ.

Article.93: The People’s Assembly shall be competent to decide upon the validity of the membership of its members. The Court of Cassation shall be competent to investigate the validity of contestations on membership presented to the Assembly after referring them to the Court by the Speaker of the Assembly. The contestation shall be referred to the Court of Cassation within fifteen days as from the date on which the Assembly has been informed thereof while the investigation shall be completed within ninety days from the date on which the contestation is referred to the Court of Cassation. The result of the investigation and the decision reached by the Court shall be submitted to the Assembly to decide upon the validity of the contestation within sixty days from the date of submission of the result of the investigation to the Assembly. Memberships shall not be deemed invalid expect by a decision taken by a majority of two-thirds of the Assembly members

Article.178: The judgments issued by the Supreme Constitutional Court in constitutional cases, and its decisions concerning the interpretation of legislative texts shall be published in the Official Gazette. The law shall organize the effects subsequent to a decision concerning the unconstitutionality of a legislative text.

Article.189: The President of the Republic as well as the People’s Assembly may request the amendment of one or more of the articles of the Constitution. The articles to be amended and the reasons justifying such amendments shall be mentioned in the request for amendment . If the request emanates from the People’s Assembly, it should be signed by at least one third of the Assembly members . In all cases, the Assembly shall discuss the amendment in principle, and the decision in this respect shall be taken by the majority of its members. If the request is rejected, the amendment of the same particular articles may not be requested again before the expiration of one year from the date of such rejection. If the People’s Assembly approves an amendment, in principle, the articles requested to be amended shall be discussed two months after the date of the said approval. If the amendment is approved by two thirds of the members of the Assembly, it shall be referred to the people for a plebiscite. If it is approved by the people it shall be considered in force from the date of the announcement of the result of the plebiscite.

Source: Wikisource

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Dijkstra:

The Buxton Index of an entity, i.e. person or organization, is defined as the length of the period, measured in years, over which the entity makes its plans. For the little grocery shop around the corner it is about 1/2,for the true Christian it is infinity, and for most other entities it is in between: about 4 for the average politician who aims at his re-election, slightly more for most industries, but much less for the managers who have to write quarterly reports. The Buxton Index is an important concept because close co-operation between entities with very different Buxton Indices invariably fails and leads to moral complaints about the partner. The party with the smaller Buxton Index is accused of being superficial and short-sighted, while the party with the larger Buxton Index is accused of neglect of duty, of backing out of its responsibility, of freewheeling, etc.. In addition, each party accuses the other one of being stupid. The great advantage of the Buxton Index is that, as a simple numerical notion, it is morally neutral and lifts the difference above the plane of moral concerns.

Worrying what’s going to happen in Egypt today. Still think that, without anybody for Mubarak to talk to, it’s most likely to end in a

really

nasty way.

Some people have been suggesting phoning random Egyptian numbers with encouragement. There’s something appealing about that, however much it smells of “

let’s you and him fight

“. I suspect I’d only do it if I had some longstanding connection with Egypt, but then I’m not a big fan of the phone in the first place

Other than that, I imagine the only useful thing to do is bug our own politicians. Ideally, asking them for something concrete — like threatening specific responses if Mubarak starts seriously shooting people later today.

Anybody else have smarter ideas? Since I imagine any spare attention I have tomorrow will float towards Egypt anyway, I may as well try to do something semi-useful with it.

The organized opposition don’t matter much to the protests in Egypt. Everything is being arranged online, and through informal networks.

Given that — how are they ever going to reach a compromise with the government?

In a movement with leaders, this follows an intuitive pattern. The authorities talk to the leaders, grant some of their demands, and persuade them to call off the protests. If needed, they can add some extra pressure with personal bribes or threats.

Without leaders, this just doesn’t work. The government can offer things to the protesters, but has no way of getting a halt to the protests in return. So any concessions they do make will just encourage the rebels to continue with further demands.

So: either the demonstrations gradually peter out, without being able to force any change. Or the government reacts with violence, terrifies people out of joining the protests. Or, just possibly, things escalate until the government falls, accompanied by who knows how much violence.

But I can’t see how the Jan25 movement — or any movement without an ability to negotiate — can end with some kind of moderate, limited success.

Am I wrong?

Issandr El Amrani on managing protest:

My own experience is that elite Egyptians tend to think in terms of getaway plans, because they are either deeply in bed with the regime or because they expect an uprising to become a class war

[doh: it’d be interesting to map the world in terms of how much consideration elites give to escape plans. You’d come out with some combination of physical insecurity, political insecurity, and paranoia. Who in Europe has a second passport ‘just in case’? Or realy, really wants one? Almost nobody. But in Egypt? In Israel? In China?]

There has been a dramatic state failure to maintain basic health services and deliver good education. This is perhaps Egypt’s biggest failure. And as in all Arab countries, autocratic political systems have de-intermediated citizens from their rulers. What I mean by this is that the channels to relay popular grievances to governments have been deeply eroded by money and power. This is dangerous, because in the end it blindsides the regimes to the popular mood, and means there are people at the local level who have the moral authority to calm the situation should there be an outburst of anger.

I know nothing about Egypt. Or Tunisia. Or Sudan. Or Lebanon. Or Albania. Or — there’s a

lot

of news happening at the moment, isn’t there?

But here are some of the articles I’ve found about Egypt that get beyond “

woo! riots!

“:

Al-ahram on the significance of the date:

Police Day [Jan 25] is meant to mark the day when the police forces took to the street in Ismailia to fight the British Occupation.

…

“The decision may be controversial but I think it was a good choice,” says Essam El Erian, the media spokesperson of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition group. “Six decades ago the police did their patriotic duty and fought the British occupation, now we ask them to also fight against a corrupt government that has rigged the elections.”

Marc Lynch on the Arabic media:

During the key period when the protests were picking up steam, Al Jazeera aired a documentary cultural program on a very nice seeming Egyptian novelist and musical groups, and then to sports. Now (10:30am EST) it is finally covering the protests in depth, but its early lack of coverage may hurt its credibility. I can’t remember another case of Al Jazeera simply punting on a major story in a political space which it has owned.

Simon Tisdall on protest tactics — how this is what happens when you don’t go through the same ritual demonstrations:

Egyptians have been here before. The so-called Cairo spring of 2005 briefly lifted hopes of peaceful reform and open elections

….

But Tuesday’s large-scale protests were different in significant ways, sending unsettling signals to a regime that has made complacency a way of life. “Day of Rage” demonstrators in Cairo did not merely stand and shout in small groups, as is usual. They did not remain in one place. They joined together – and they marched. And in some cases, the police could not, or would not, stop them.

….

an ad hoc coalition of students, unemployed youths, industrial workers, intellectuals, football fans and women, connected by social media such as Twitter and Facebook, instigated a series of fast-moving, rapidly shifting demos across half a dozen or more Egyptian cities. The police could not keep up – and predictably, resorted to violence.

And, since they seem to be mentioned almost nowhere else, Global voices lists the demonstrators’ demands

• To raise the minimum wage limit to LE 1200 and to get an unemployment aid.
• To cancel the emergency status in the country , to dismiss Habib El-Adly and to release all detainees without court orders.
• Disbanding the current parliament , to have a new free election and to amend the constitution in order to have two presidential limits only.

Also, Anonymous are in the thick of it. Again. They’ve apparently turned LOIC on Egyptian government websites. This is after Tunisia, where they were about the first outside group to get involved. Meanwhile in Spain, having contributed to the December protests which prevented passage of an anti-download law, they’re back at it as the government takes another shot at it.

It’s like the gang of bored teenagers on the street corner has turned into a politicised mob.

Obligatory riot porn: Stopping a water cannon, Tiananmen-style. And something less violent