Almost three weeks after riots began in Egypt, protesters’ demands were met and President Mubarak stepped down. In what is being talked about as one of the most stunning revolutions in Arab history, hundreds of thousands of people descended on Tahrir Square in Cairo in protest of the president’s 30-year reign. Now, many of the same people who were involved in the riots have stuck around to help clean up- sweeping, painting and cleaning their home. Since Mubarak stepped down, the military has dissolved Parliament and taken control until elections take place in six months. The story in Egypt is far from over, so, like I said last week, stay tuned.

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The news event of the week: since last Tuesday, Egyptians unhappy with their authoritative government have taken to the streets in protest. Inspired by the week prior’s events in Tunisia, the protesters are calling for the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the in-statement of a democratic government. So far, though, American politicians have remained pretty quiet on their stance on the week’s riots. A well-known Egyptian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, even said that the U.S. appears to be “lending support to a dictator,” which is, of course, never a good thing. On Friday, the Internet in Egypt went dark, a response to the key organizing role the web has played.

On Tuesday night, President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address. If you know three words from his speech, know these: win the future. He mostly discussed how to make the U.S. competitive again as we become less and less of the superpower we once were. For a more complete summary of and response to the speech, read this. The more notable thing about the night was the bi-partisan seating arrangement of the audience. Usually, Congress sits exactly divided: Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other. This year, they were all mixed up, with politicians scrambling for the choicest seats much like high schoolers in a lunchroom. The power pair of the night may have been John Kerry (D- MA) and John McCain (R- AZ), chummily sitting side-by-side. Oh, and there was some not-that-funny joke about salmon.

A suicide bomber set off a deadly blast at an airport in Moscow, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100. The explosion happened last Monday, and the details as to who the bomber was and what his motivations were are as of yet unclear, though there have been reports that he was linked to a terrorist camp in Pakistan. The incident has made many anxious about airport security (more so than they already were); apparently, the bomber walked right through deactivated metal detectors to enter the arrivals section of Russia’s busiest airport.

Rahm Emanuel was taken off, then put back on, the ballot for Chicago’s mayoral election. Emanuel, Obama’s former chief of staff, stepped down from his position at the White House in order to run for mayor in his hometown. He is famous for his dirty, dirty mouth; some choice quotes include referring to D.C. as “f**knutsville” (creative, at the very least) and saying of the Obama’s un house-trained dog, Bo, “I’m going to kill that f**king dog” (awww, poor puppy!). He was thrown off the ballot because he was not a Chicago resident while working in D.C., but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned that ruling on Thursday, deciding he did meet the rules of residency. Watch out, Chicago!

In the words of Salt N Pepa, “the difference between a hooker and a ho ain’t nothin’ but a fee.”

Apparently, with today’s struggling economy, that ‘fee’ can come in many forms. Gas is well over $4 a gallon, and after a Kentucky woman sold her body for a full tank, a prosecutor commented that it’s sad when people are selling their bodies for gas. (Uh, duh?) Of course, there are plenty of other sexual behaviors out there that border the fine line between “hooker” and “ho.”

Look at aspiring “actress” Ranae Shrider, whose most prominent role to date is opposite Mini Me, Verne Troyer, in a scandalous sex tape. Reportedly, Shrider has been shopping the tape all over Hollywood, asking for $25,000 or more for the vid. What do you think, ladies? Hooker or Ho?

Of course, we also have the glamorized portrait of the “prostitute with a heart of gold.” You know, Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. We hate Jason Alexander for trying to solicit poor Julia, and we cheer when Richard Gere shows up in his limo to whisk her into the sunset. Then we call our ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend a “whore” behind her back. Read More »

According to the World Bank, global food prices have increased by 75% since 2005 and 45% in the last nine months. In the past two months, the cost of rice, a staple food for over half of the world’s population, rose by 75%. The price of wheat has risen 120% during the past year.

Deadly protests and rioting over these increasing costs are occurring throughout Africa and Asia.

In Haiti, where 80% of the population survives on less than $2 a day, mass demonstrations turned deadly. Rioting in Les Cayes killed 4 and wounded at least 20. A few days later Haitians attempted to storm the presidential palace in Port-au- Prince shouting “We are hungry!”

In Egypt, where over 33% of the population live on around $2 a day, police took over a textiles plant to prevent a widespread strike over rising food costs. The military has been enlisted to bake bread to curb the growing anger. Read More »

Most of the time, social networking sites are only discussed when devious, nasty, and vicious things occur. For instance, many parents have decried places like YouTube, and its variants, to be “evil,” and an infernal, virtual breeding ground that prey on teens’ desire for instant “web-celebrity” status – a type of immediate stardom in which individuals will even beat up others just to enjoy 15 minutes of fame.

There was the case in 2007 and most recently in 2008, in which teen girls were lured to a home and then beaten – all of it caught on camera. Indeed, it is easy to conclude that the transferal of information via the Internet is pernicious in so many ways.

That’s why this story about James Karl Buck is particularly refreshing, and points to the ways in which social networking sites can be useful in serious situations. Buck is a graduate student at the University of California-Berkeley. On April 10th, he was arrested in Egypt when covering an anti-government protest as a student reporter.

Buck had the wherewithal to text just one word – “Arrested” – on Twitter as soon as he was apprehended. Read More »