& “ “ Rebellion features
APRIL 8, 2011
Revolution
6
My VMC teacher takes off participation points and marks you late. So instead of coming late, I just don’t go. Anonymous
The Tunisian Revolution started with the immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi and his story, starting a fire on Facebook. From there, over 200 people were killed until President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resigned on January 14, 2011. There is still civil unrest with the new government, and a state of emergency has been issued for the time being.
The quietest of the lot, the Bahrain Revolution focuses on equality between Sunnis and Shiites and the eviction of the Bahraini President. The government however, issued a three month state of emergency and 24 protesters were killed in a clash at the Pearl Roundabout, the home of the protests. For now, it seems that this revolution has been silenced by the Bahraini regime.
A silence louder than words Day of Silence raises awareness against anti-LGBT bullying ALYSSA WILLIAMS copy editor
Current revolutions around the world
Egypt Libya
The Libyan Revolution holds the record for highest casualties amongst all other revolutions. Still ongoing, it is a protest led by the Libyans against their leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who has controlled the country for 41 years. After internal strife, France, the United Kingdom and the United States intervened with military force due to the ghastly nature of Gaddafi’s regime. The latest death report stands at nearly 2,000 people as the battle wages on.
Bahrain
With minimal casualties, the Egyptian Revolution successfully removed the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, from his post on February 11, 2011. The price for his removal was nearly 400 deaths and Cairo becoming a battlefield for nearly three weeks. Finally, though, a new government is in place with former Transport Minister Essam Sharaf in charge.
Tunisia
senior
An innocent community, totaling to approximately 20 million in the U.S. alone, is oppressed on a daily basis, so why does nobody notice? A blow, a cruel remark or even a disgusted look is a common occurrence. Meanwhile, the threat of death constantly hangs above the victims’ own heads as others go about their business unaware. And it is all because one out of twenty people love a little differently. Anti-lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transsexual (LGBT) abuse happens, but nobody says a word when it might mean being ostracized by the community. Even though a victim’s muteness goes unnoticed under the volume of the normal bustle in life, an annual movement called Day of Silence builds upon the silence and turns it against anti-LGBT bullying. This year, on April 15, the Day of Silence will pervade the hallways through the silence of teachers and students of all sexual orientations. With the Gay-Straight Alliance Club (GSA) at its forefront, the Day of Silence will spread awareness of the anti-LGBT bullying that still occurs. GSA’s involvement revolves around posters, ‘safe space’ stickers (anti-bullying zones), announcements weeks in advance and members’ silence on April 15. A new theme this year will distinguish the event from last year’s symbolic duct tape over the mouth. The tape was a safety issue, though, so as an alternative, this year’s silence
The Power of vegetarianism Students utilize their resources for the vegetarian cause
NIKHIL KANTHI in-depth assistant
Like bombs falling on Tripoli, forks dive down on rosy meatballs. Like the Tunisian Revolution that started from a Facebook group, leaf-eaters assert their opinions across various social networking platforms. It is with equal ferocity and passion that a new revolution is taking center stage in our society: a revolution against the meat industry. On campus, sophomores Aditya Gande and Ganesh Datta are fierce supporters of vegetarianism, and they inform people of their cause through various forms of media, such as Facebook and Gmail. Both offer various documentaries and links to activist groups from their profile pages and statuses. Datta said, “By posting videos and facts about the injustices the animals suffer, I have been trying to change the views of people who follow such social networking websites.” They measure their success in terms of comments and buzz they get on their videos or statuses, regardless of whether it is positive or n e g at i v e. Their purpose is to shed light on the brutality taking place behind our kitchens and fast-food restaurants. Gande said, “Not that many people
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