2,398 words
Protesters march on Avenue Habib Bourguiba in downtown Tunis, 14 Jan 2011
One spark can ignite the whole world, or at least one part of it. It was December 17, 2010, when a young man named Mohamed Bouazizi pushed his handcart down to the market in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. Police approached him and accused him of violating regulations he hadn’t. They demanded money, and when he had none, they humiliated him and took his vegetable scales. Bouazizi went to the town office to complain, but was refused. Read more …
Gene Sharp’s seminal work on nonviolent strategy and tactics for regime change, also looks at how the opposition to Halal and Kosher slaughter that began with tiny groups of Identitarians and Animal Rights activists whose combined strengths became a transnational issue throughout Europe. The final three chapters of From Dictatorship to Democracy focus on Sharp’s three phases of nonviolent revolution: Selective Resistance, Mass Defiance, and Consolidation. 
Bait Bricks
1,518 words
There is a fascination with seemingly random piles of bricks showing up at
riots unlawful assemblies protestsbenefit balls in major cities across the United States. To the eagle-eyed observer, pallets of blunt objects appearing in the line of planned marches and gatherings is just a little too convenient — and concerning — to brush away as a coincidence. Read more …