Lybia

Following in the wake of the Egypt's successful protests, the people of Lybia took to the streets to protest the rule of Moammar Gadhafi. He responded with violence.  The USA, in concern of its citizens evacuate their embassy. Obama, speaking on behafe of the United States, among others stated that he [Gadhafi] needs to step down.
This Tuesday, Obama addressed the nation to speak in support of the military action that the States took to suppress action in Lybia. This action was because of the advances that the Lybian forces were completing. It is slightly ......  that he had to state that he [Obama] only acted after full support of Congress. The main areas that were attacked military aspects as well as creating a no-fly zone. It seemed to be of importance that their were no use of ground troops. It was also mentioned that the US were not alone in this venture; NATO will be taking a more active role after this. While I do slightly understand the reasons, I found it slightly annoying that Obama mention alot of countries as our closest allies.

Speech Transcript
Video of Speech

Japan

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, which barely effected use here in Hawaii, had dramatic effects within Japan. The problem extends beyond the initial cost of life. While these death are unfortunate, more significant problems were caused for Japan as a whole. A broad general problem that can be broken down into more precise areas is the destruction caused. People lose there homes, business are destroyed, can transportation becomes a problem. With wide spread destruction, sanitation becomes a problem. It becomes hard for people to find clean water; disease are also able to spread more rapid. One particular problem in this situation is in regards to the nuclear plant. With the explosions at the Fukushima and Onagawa nuclear power plant, radiation is becoming a risk. The US government are urging the citizen to evacuted if they are within a 50mile of Fukushima. To view an interative photo of the of before and after photo one should visit: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?ref=world. If you want to help out people in need you can donate to the Red Cross: https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras happened Tuesday. At first the success of the venture was threatened by weather; there were a few scattered showers in the opening hours. However, as I got darker the weather still improved. While there were so locations that had free breads, a "welcome" stand and a booth that had some really good saute'd alligator, one would have to buy the beads from a vendor. While some people did have masks on which were interesting, some went further and had entire customs. Not all really fit the scene; one man was wearing  custom of the Flash in sandals. Of course there were alcoholic beverages, however they did do a good job of regulating it; people of age could get a wrist band which indicated such. There were at least three different stages that had live music playing. While it was not as noticeable as the evening progressed, there was a significant presence of security officials.

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Continuation of trouble

The weeks have rolled by and the is still news of turmoil and demonstrations in the Middle East.  In some locations there is still hope of progress. The Bahrain's crown prince did announce that there were plans to meet with the opposition. Of course, just because the two sides meet, does not say that anything will be down about it.

Libya's situation is not improving much; with little change expected in the near future. The violent repression of protest lead to its removal from the UN's human rights council. The situation inside Libya is also affecting its neighbors. Refugees are pouring out of Libya and into Egypt and Tunisia. If the people are leaving, it reflects on back on the faith they have for their country.

For more information please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/middleeast/middle-east-hub.html?ref=europe