Western Angst (and the Sole of the Middle East)

Looking at Belgian’s in the non-profit sector, particularly nurses and social workers, hurling shoes at their stock exchange, it’s hard not to think about the wave surging through the Middle East, and the inspiration of that democracy movement.

(photo: Thierry Roge/Reuters. caption: A worker in the non-profit sector, which includes nurses and social workers, throws his shoes onto the steps of the stock exchange building, during a protest in Brussels, March 29, 2011. The non-profit sector, numbering some 450,000 people, is complaining about the absence of a new working agreement, partly the result of Belgium lacking a fully fledged government.)