Decolonizing the BART

Kenji Liu of the Occupy Oakland movement just decolonized the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).

“Decolonized Area Rapid Transit map. Open 24 hrs. Fully subsidized. Physically accessible. Accessible to people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.”

He created this map pretty amazingly by Facebook committee (which included Rebecca Solnit who recently compiled Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas, UC Press 2010). Check out the the new DART map’s Facebook comments. Version 1 of the map above. There’s an equally cool Version 2 here.

Egypt in Movement

Pambazuka has a good interview with Samir Amin conducted by Chinese intellectuals Wang Hui and Lau Kin Chi. The piece is entitled, “Egypt: How to overthrow a dictator.”

In it, Amin helps sort out the different movements in Egypt’s political landscape during the revolution. While the interview was published last week, it took place while Mubarak was still in power. Still, I think it’s useful for the background information and analysis it provides.

It discusses the four components of the opposition: (youth, radical left, middle class, Muslim Brotherhood). It also clarifies for the record how the trajectory of the revolution unfolded: it began with the youth, then the radical left joined, then the bourgeois democrats. This latter group includes El Baradei. The Muslim Brotherhood was last, and Amin provides some insights for why that was.

He also discusses the strategy of the US, which includes dividing the opposition and working with the least revolutionary (the middle class and the MB).

Finally, he provides some background to the labor strikes from three years ago and the establishment of an independent (rather than state-controlled) union.

There is also brief discussion on what’s going on with the peasants, and their class divisions. The poorest peasants are pissed: they looked at a Google Earth map of Egyptian land distribution and are ready to revolt.

Kidding on that last one.

It’s a good read: “Egypt: How to overthrow a dictator”

Military police clear out Tahrir Square

“This is where all our tents used to be. It’s kind of sad really #Jan25″
@monasosh

PA reshuffle & Al Jazeera’s new superpowers

• Yesterday Saeb Erekat resigned his position as Chief Negotiator, following the fallout of the Palestine Papers. After an investigation by the PA, it emerged that the leaked files came from Erekat’s office. Abbas has yet to accept his resignation.
• This news was coupled with the announcement that that presidential and parliamentary elections would take place in September. Last week it was announced that local elections would take place on July 9. Hamas has rejected both plans.
• This morning I received confirmed news through Ma’an and CNN correspondents that the NSU, which Erekat headed, would disband. Here is the Reuters story.
• Salam Fayyad also tendered his government’s resignation today, however, Abbas immediately assigned him to reshuffle a new cabinet.
• On Sunday, Abbas issued a decree banning local media and officials from abuse and slander of the emir of Qatar and the emirate’s government. I think I’ll miss the rumors of Tzipi’s sordid love affair with the Emir most.

Welcome to the Republic of Tahrir

The BBC has just published a clickable photo-map of what the autonomous Tahrir Square looks like on the ground. Once Tahrir was liberated on bloody Wednesday, protesters made sure they secured and kept it. This meant not only sleeping there but also living there.

The people quickly organized to install clinics, water points, bathrooms, an artists corner, a campsite, a wall dedicated to the martyrs, and a kindergarten for the many mothers who want to attend the demonstration but whose children’s schools were closed. A

As the “We are all Khalid Said” Facebook page communicated earlier this week:

“Welcome to the Republic of Tahrir: In addition to Freedom of speech & Democracy for all, we have the following FREE services: hospital, daily newspaper, kitchen for hot meals, security, artists corner, singing & slogans club, poetry competitions, border control, signs exhibition & political brainstorming sessions. Not only that, a free school has just started where several languages are taught.”