We’ve previously reported on the austerity measure protests in Greece, and police are usually seen on the receiving side of protester frustration. It looks like things changed today.

The Associated Press reports Greece's government on Tuesday rushed to push through legislation detailing tough pension and salary cuts needed to secure access to the country's second international package of bailout loans.

The new wave of austerity measures, coming on top of two years of spending cuts and tax hikes, have sparked widespread anger among a public that has seen its income and living standards drop with no clear end to the crisis in sight.

On Tuesday, about 100 uniformed police, coast guard and fire service unionists protested pay cuts outside Parliament, with a small group burning a wartime military German flag used in the Nazi era in 1935-1945.

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WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com report that Groups seeking to recall Gov. Scott Walker submitted nearly twice as many signatures Tuesday as required to force an election, an overwhelming number that may make an election later this year inevitable. But Walker's opponents still must transform public outrage over his pushback against unions into actual votes to oust him from office.

If the governor is worried, he's not showing it: As petitions were delivered to election officials, he was out of state raising money to defend himself and the agenda that has made him a national conservative hero.

We’ve been covering the situation in Wisconsin for quite some time in PhotoBlog.

• Protesters pack the Wisconsin State Capitol in opposition to the elimination of collective bargaining for state workers
• Man stands on ledge at Wisconsin Capitol amid ongoing protest
• Wisconsin representatives set up desks outside Capitol
• Raucous crowds: Police remove protesters from Wis. Capitol
• Protesters spell out their grievances at the Wisconsin State Capitol
• After 40 hours of exhausting debate, Wisconsin representatives strike a deal

Msnbc.com’s Miranda Leitsinger reports that thousands of Occupy protesters from across the country are expected to converge Tuesday on Capitol Hill to take their message to the halls of Congress, in what some observers say is the movement’s overdue moment to engage the American political system.

For the most part Occupy protesters have shunned the political system, viewing it as beyond salvation. The congressional protest – which falls on the movement's four-month mark and the beginning of a new session of Congress – appears to represent a strategic shift aimed at winning support of the many Americans disillusioned with the legislative branch.

See more Occupy pictures in PhotoBlog.

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Yemeni protesters chant slogans during an anti-government rally in Sanaa on Dec. 25, 2011. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Yemen's capital calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to face trial, a day after his forces and loyalists killed 13 people at a similar demonstration.

Related story: Yemen leader urges truce after troops kill protesters

Sometimes my heart goes out to the long-suffering civil servants who work on the front lines of political protest. That goes for the workers in the Odessa City Hall and also for some of the police officers and sanitation workers who are forced to deal with the Occupy demonstrators. I’m pretty sure that many of them just want to do their job and go home at a reasonable time without causing or getting into trouble.

Reuters reports

In an event that was well covered by local media, a man dressed as the Star Wars villain visited the mayor's office this week to claim a free land plot citing Ukrainian legislation which grants every citizen the right to own 1,000 square meters of land.

His visit followed a decision by city authorities to grant attractive land plots along the sea coast to a group of people for free, prompting public concerns about corruption, according to local media. Read more...

Watch the youtube video below to see Vader’s visit to city hall.

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I’m deeply conflicted when I look at the Occupy protesters.

The part of me that bought into “the system” all those years ago wants to tell the demonstrators to quiet down. It’s the part of me that feels justifiably selfish. It’s the part of me that’s been chipping away at a mortgage, saving for college, and trying to squirrel something away in my 401k. It’s the part of me that’s quick to anger when I hear people complain about having to go through the “difficult years.” I never say it, but I always think, “Yeah! We all go through those times. It will get better!” It’s also that hopeful part of me that still wants to believe that hard work creates opportunity, and opportunity eventually allows each of us to build a better life if we don’t give up.

However, as the Occupy protests grow, I have to admit that some of what the demonstrators are saying is beginning to connect with another part of me. It’s the part of me that is scared about my kids’ futures. It’s the part of me that sees closed businesses in my town and foreclosed houses in my neighborhood. It’s the part of me that worries that America somehow slipped off the tracks during my watch.

What do you think? Will Occupy Wall Street demonstrations bring significant political and economic change, or will things settle down once winter sets in?

AP reports

JOHANNESBURG - Young South Africans brought their frustration over poverty and joblessness to the streets Thursday, responding to a call by the tough-talking youth leader of the governing African National Congress who has clashed with older party leaders over economic policy.

Julius Malema led the crowd in chants of "Down with white monopoly capital!" as it approached the Chamber of Mines headquarters.

The Chamber of Mines' chief executive, who is black, accepted a list of demands from the protesters, including nationalization of 60 percent of the country's lucrative mines. Bheki Sibaya later told reporters his industry group wanted to work with Malema to find solutions, including helping pay to educate black South Africans, but rejected the demands of nationalization to address the national economic crisis. Read more…

Deathandtaxesmag.com reported on Friday that there is a big difference between the Occupy movement in New York and the one in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis the mayor supports the cause.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says in his blog that he is sympathetic with the demonstrators.

“While middle-class and working families are still struggling to recover (when they’re not still falling behind), those at the very top are concentrating their wealth in ways that are nothing short of alarming for our economy, our society and our democracy.

We aren’t going to solve all the issues of the global economy in Minneapolis, but we have to do what we can to close the gaps and level the playing field.”

More Occupy Wall Street PhotoBlog coverage

• Taking it to the streets: Meet the Occupy Seattle protesters
• Anti-Wall Street protesters gain support nationwide
• Who is occupying Wall Street? Not just your average Joe
• Occupy Wall Street protests spread to Boston, L.A.
• Protesters march in Manhattan, criticizing Wall Street, getting arrested

It was easy to get excited about the protests in Cairo that toppled the Mubarak regime, but real change is hard. Let’s hope the protest and the reaction to it doesn’t turn violent.

See more recent pictures of life in Egypt.

Even under the best conditions motorcycle riding can be a little dangerous. Wearing a long cape to the protest only complicates things.

This is one of those pictures that make you smile. Then you read the caption and realize the scene is a small part of a bigger, tragic story.

It's difficult to keep track of everything that's happening in the Mideast. We've been producing multiple  stories and slideshows to provide a record of what is being reported in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. See links to our slideshows below.

Hundreds of Syrians march from the Omayyed Mosque in the center of Damascus' Old City towards Souk Al-Hamadiyeh Street on March 25, 2011 chanting "Daraa is Syria" and "We will sacrifice ourselves for Syria," as protests spread in Syria from the opposition's southern epicenter of Daraa to Damascus and a town south of the capital, where authorities moved to arrest at least five demonstrators. Click here to read more.

Anti-government protesters shout slogans during a rally to demand the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh outside Sanaa University on March 25, 2011. Saleh said on Friday he was ready to cede power to prevent more bloodshed in Yemen but only to what he called "safe hands" as a massive "Day of Departure" street protest against him began. Click here to see our “Political unrest in Yemem” slideshow.

Libyans shout anti-government slogans during a protest following Friday prayers in Benghazi, Libya on March 25, 2011. NATO is planning to take control of all United Nations-mandated military operations against Libya, fully replacing the United States-led coalition that has carried out airstrikes so far, officials in Brussels said Friday. Click here to see our “Conflict in Libya” slideshow.

Hundreds of residents of the western Shiite Muslim village of Karzakan, Bahrain, march against the Bahraini government after Friday prayers on March 25, 2011. Opponents of the regime, most of them Shia, attempted coordinated large-scale protests Friday, but government forces were prepared with checkpoints around most villages and a heavy police and tank presence. Fighter jets were heard flying over villages. Click here to see our "Bahrain uprising" slideshow.

In interest of full disclosure -- I’m married to a teacher, and I’m willing to admit that might slant my perceptions.

I read stories about teachers and politicians at odds over money almost every week, and it makes me wonder what the end game is. It sometimes seems as if there is a war on public education.

I believe that the vast majority of public school educators are dedicated professionals who do a very difficult job every day, and that job doesn’t end when the kids go home. Many teachers work in advisory or coaching roles for school clubs, sports teams or student government. Most teachers face hours of homework and grading every night. They answer to co-workers, principals and parents every day. They are often required to stay current in their field by taking graduate-level classes during the summer.

It’s obvious to me that teachers are underpaid for what and how much they do. Most of them, at least the ones I know, do it out of dedication to and love for our children. However, love has limits and dedication can turn to cynicism when you feel unappreciated. It makes me worry about where all this is headed.

AP reports:
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's union-busting governor and fellow Republicans in the state legislature successfully pushed through a law Thursday that strips public workers of most collective bargaining rights, ending for now a three-week battle that saw all Democratic state senators flee to a neighboring state and as many as 80,000 protest at the Capitol building.

The extraordinarily contentious law passed the state Assembly, the lower house, on a 53-43 vote within hours of a Republican maneuver in the Senate on Wednesday night overcame a parliamentary logjam caused by the three-week self-exile of Democratic Senators. They had taken refuge in neighboring Illinois to prevent a vote on the larger budget measure to which the collective bargaining ban was attached.

See more coverage of the Wisconsin political struggle here.

Click here to see more coverage from the protests in Egypt.

It’s such a surreal scene -- blue skies, burning tires, and bananas for sale.

It's an interesting and funny way to voice their concerns.

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Reuters reports:
MOSCOW -- Several soccer fans were injured in Moscow on Saturday in clashes with Interior Ministry troops that broke out during a rally in memory of a Spartak Moscow supporter who was killed a week ago.

The protesters chanted nationalist slogans such as "Moscow is a Russian city" while facing troops wearing body armor and carrying batons.

Small-scale political protests are relatively common in Moscow, but a gathering on this scale so close to the seat of Russian power is highly unusual. There was no immediate comment from authorities.

More than 1,000 Spartak Moscow fans gathered earlier on Saturday at the bus stop where Sviridov was killed. They laid scarves with the phrase "Spartak Ultras Moscow" next to candles at a makeshift memorial on a bus stop bench.

Russian media have said Sviridov was a member of the Spartak Ultras, a group linked to fan violence in the past.

AP’s Jonathan M. Katz reports:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — An outbreak of cholera has killed more than 1,000 people, the Haitian government said Tuesday as it sent top officials to the country's north in hopes of quelling violent protests against U.N. peacekeepers accused of spreading the disease.

Read the full story: Haiti's cholera death toll grows, fueling riots

I support freedom of speech, but I struggle when I see these folks protesting at soldier funerals. It makes me wonder if a family’s grief should also be protected. This case is coming to the Supreme Court. How would you balance a family’s right to grieve in peace against this country’s need to protect political speech if you were a judge?

See Newsweek.com's coverage for more information.

msnbc.com story: Judge says California gay marriages can resume on Aug. 19, but opponents have several days to file an appeal.

I covered a lot of protests back when I was a daily newspaper photographer. I believed then, as I do now, that women protest because they have deeply held convictions, and they believe in trying to change the world. Most protesting men, on the other hand, do so because they want to be with those women. Maybe I'm wrong. What do you think?

Frank Franklin II did a good job of organizing his frame when he made this picture. Everything that needs to be there is there, and he didn’t include any unnecessary elements. If only banking was so clean.

MSNBC.com story: Bank profits rise, but so do bad loans

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