As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes.
Peter Eckersley Electronic Frontier Foundation Introduction
The Internet remains one of the most powerful means ever created to give voice to repressed people around the world. Unfortunately, new technologies have also given authoritarian regimes new means to identify and retaliate against those who speak out despite censorship and surveillance. Below are six basic ideas for those attempting to speak without falling victim to authoritarian surveillance and censorship, and four ideas for the rest of us who want to help support them...
Glad to see 2 million admitted by the press in Cairo yesterday. This is what we've been waiting for. They are taking to the streets in Jordan as well. Perhaps this March on the anniversary of the Iraq war we can get Americans to do the same in DC. It's a foothold presenting itself. The man named by President Hosni Mubarak as his first ever deputy, Egyptian spy chief Omar Suleiman, reportedly orchestrated the brutal interrogation of terror suspects abducted by the CIA in a secret program condemned by rights groups. His role in the controversial "war on terror" illustrates the ties that bind the United States and the Egyptian regime, as an unprecedented wave of protests against Mubarak's rule presents Washington with a difficult dilemma.
Google is in hot water again -- or it will be if Consumer Watchdog can persuade the public to ask Congress to take action over the Google "Wi-Spy scandal." Additionally, Consumer Watchdog published a report, Lost in the Cloud: Google and the US Government [PDF], that highlights Google's relationship with NSA and claims the search giant has also "inappropriately benefited" from close and secretive relationships with other government agencies.
Attorney General Beau Biden's office, along with police investigators, have sought to keep information about the case from the public. Biden's office asked a judge to seal a search warrant for Wheeler's home, and three search warrants for Wheeler's cell phone and his 1993 Oldsmobile were sealed at the request of Newark police.
"This is why the northern hemisphere has had such a cold winter" - Al Bore
Browse this page for all of the latest live audio messages coming in from our correspondents and producers on the ground in Egypt.
Aardvark had a bet with another blogger than before the week was out, someone, somewhere would blame the unrest in Egypt on Anthropogenic Global Warming, a bet that will now pay out.
The ecomentalists at Climate Progress are linking food prices to extreme weather and an increase in the price of oil, as the cause of the riots. Of course it’s nothing to do with years of repressive and brutal government
Al Arabiya TV reported that Egypt's embattled president will address protesters on Tuesday to tell them he intends to stay in office until next elections to enforce reforms.
Activist Post Clearly, our socio-economic system is broken, unjust, and unsustainable. Everyone knows it, yet many still choose to ignore it. However, because of the great work of alternative news leaders, more and more people are finding a map to the treasure trove of truth. So, if we collectively recognize that the "system" is heading for a cliff, what will it take to unify the masses for genuine solutions?
This is only the first scene of the first act of a drama that is to be played out' Kissinger on Bloomberg.
Reporters Sans Frontieres(RSF) points out Chinese journalists and bloggers are to undergo six-month training courses that will teach them how to eradicate false news, improve the feeling of social responsibility and reinforce journalistic ethics. In short, to make journalists and bloggers themselves actors in censorship. The initiative comes from the Propaganda department, directly linked to the Communist Party, and follows its announcement of 10 directives relating to the press in 2011.
Fuel retailers are profiteering by refusing to pass on to drivers falls in the price they pay for petrol. The average wholesale price paid by fuel companies has fallen by 2p since January 11, from 41p to just above 39p. But prices at the pump have climbed to all-time highs. And in a further slap in the face for British motorists, almost every other European country has seen fuel prices fall. In Britain, one industry insider admitted last night that some retailers are choosing to bank their profits now because they had been suffering from poorer than expected sales in the run-up to Christmas.
As the people's revolution unfolds in Egypt, Alan Hart argues that now is crunch time for Washington: to decide whether the USA's own real interests are best protected by the Arabs or Israel, whether to be on the right side of history or to open the door to the forces of violent extremism.
So you thought it was only the wackos on the neocon right who support Mubarak? Wrong! I’m listening right now to Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s resident ultra-liberal, attack Rand Paul for being “offshore” because he calls for ending the $1.5 billion in “aid” to the Egyptian military.
Christopher King views the structurally-corrupt British political and financial systems. He argues that the upheavals in the Arab world should be instructive to British politicians and the British public because the "same factors underlying the desire for reform in the Arab world are operating in Britain".
In order to justify staying in power until elections are held in September, President Mubarak said on tv that the people had to choose between him and "chaos". Soon after Mubarak's speech was broadcast, clashes broke out between pro- and anti-Mubarak forces in Alexandria. Reports on the ground say that the pro-Mubarak protesters tried to break into the peaceful protest to start a riot, chanting "We want Mubarak!". But the anti-Mubarak protesters did not take the bait.
Nobel Peace Laureate and leader of Burmese democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, told the Egyptian protesters: People all over the world who want freedom, somehow or the other feel connected to other people who are struggling for freedom.
Microsoft has issued a 'critical' security alert that affects 900million people using its Internet Explorer web browser. The computer giant warned of a newly-discovered flaw in Windows that could be exploited by hackers to steal personal details or take over computers. The glitch is so severe it potentially affects every user of Internet Explorer.
It's always a difficult task, telling your friend that he no longer has the support of the United States government. Harder still when your friend has been a stalwart ally across three decades and done a lot of messy "rendition" work that your country wanted done but didn't want to do.
Images of the thousands of Egyptian protesters taken throughout the week.
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has announced he is quitting politics and will not contest the next election. He made the announcement before a selection convention for his party’s election candidates in County Offaly. His brother Barry will replace him on the ticket.
It didn’t take long for American politicians to try to capitalize on the crisis in Egypt. While there may be no partisan gain in gaming the chaos, the political class is using the turmoil to advance issues like oil drilling in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico and higher taxes in California. Sen. Mark Begich (R-Alaska) called on the leaders of the Armed Services Committee to convene a hearing on the potential impact of oil production disruption on the armed forces and American interests in the Middle East.
“As a senator from one of America’s leading energy-producing states, I believe the instability in Egypt underscores our need to expand our domestic energy production,”
Rep. Hal Wick, R-Sioux Falls, is sponsoring the bill and knows it will be killed. But he said he is introducing it to prove a point that the federal health care reform mandate passed last year is unconstitutional.
“Do I or the other cosponsors believe that the State of South Dakota can require citizens to buy firearms? Of course not. But at the same time, we do not believe the federal government can order every citizen to buy health insurance,” he said.
Video - Warning - Disturbing Images...
2nd Video - Thousands of political prisoners escape Egyptian prisons...
King Abdullah II of Jordan has sacked his government in the wake of street protests and has asked an ex-army general to form a new cabinet, Jordan's Royal Palace has announced. King Abdullah's move on Tuesday comes after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets, inspired by anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt. Jordanians had been calling for the resignation of prime minister Samir Rifai who is blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and slowed political reforms. A Jordanian official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet.
In a public statement issued today (see below), members of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee demanded a prompt response from the former Chairman and Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission regarding Former FBI Language Specialist Behrooz Sarshar’s censored testimony to the Commission. The press release was prompted by recently released documents related to the interviews conducted by the 9/11 Commission published at Cryptome.org, in particular the “Memorandum for the Record” containing the Commission’s interview with Mr. Sarshar.
NPR takes a look at the Egyptian elections that were held November 28, 2010.
Link - Washington Post looks at the 2005 Egyptian election fraud.
Today 2:48 PM Mubarak Will NOT Seek Re-Election: CNN
Those Americans and others who cheer the mobs in the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, who clamor for more robust anti-Mubarak statements from the Obama administration, would be wise to let Washington proceed slowly.
A coterie of well-connected Afghan businessmen and politicians may have plundered as much as $900m from the country's biggest commercial bank, three times the amount of earlier estimates, and the equivalent of about 7 per cent of Afghanistan's total gross domestic product.
Kabul Bank's funds were treated like personal accounts, it is claimed by several well-known members of Afghan society. Mahmoud Karzai, a brother of the Afghan President and prominent shareholder in Kabul Bank, told The New York Times that the bank's former chairman lent himself about $98m (£62m) to buy one of Afghanistan's airlines, and then used deposits to subsidize the carrier in an attempt to drive rivals out of business. Yet so difficult has the hunt for the missing millions become that the very same man, Sherkhan Farnood, had been brought in to help trace the missing cash.
---Comment---
Chump change compared to what American banks have stolen. -- kdtroxel
ST. LOUIS — A monster storm was bearing down on the middle of the United States on Tuesday, with freezing rain and sleet pelting several states from Texas through Ohio ahead of blizzard conditions expected overnight. Parts of nine states — Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio — were covered by a blizzard warning Tuesday morning, TODAY's Al Roker reported.
White-outs paralyzed Oklahoma City and the Tulsa area, where snowpack caused the partial collapse of a roof at the Hard Rock Casino. Blowing snow created drifts up to 4 feet high and trucks, city buses, snowplows and at least one ambulance had trouble navigating the treacherous roads.
A celebration breaks out among the revolutionaries...
Videos were shot from within the rioting crowds... Revolution and tear gas...
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- While the center of a huge snowstorm is expected to miss the Kansas City metro, the area is still expected to see 8 to 14 inches of snow and blizzard conditions Tuesday.
Video - Whalen says banks will NOT take possession in certain cities
2nd Video - Whalen & Ratigan - "The Fed Let The Real Economy Go To Hell"
Alan Hart observes, in reality there is no evidence to suggest that change brought about by people power in Arab states would lead inevitably to rule by, or even popular support for, extremist and violent forces which use and abuse Islam in much the same way as Zionists use and abuse Judaism. From Tunisia and Eygpt in particular there is a great deal of evidence to the contrary (but as I will indicate later, everything will ultimately depend on whether or not policy makers in Washington D.C. put America on the right side of history).
Wikipedia deleted the page about Rahm Emanuel's father in 2008. Makes you wonder.
The Western-backed Palestinian government in the West Bank said Tuesday it will hold local council elections "as soon as possible" — a surprise move reflecting fears that massive anti-government protests in Egypt could inspire unrest here, too.
I think most of you are familiar with AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Well, I certainly can’t think of a more appropriate theme song to accompany the mass murder being perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Israeli government and their co-conspirators here in the United States. Perhaps this should be Israel’s new national anthem, or perhaps used as the openning theme to the next Christians United for Israel conference. You be the judge.
Human Rights Watch confirmed several cases of undercover police loyal to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime committing acts of violence and looting in an attempt to stoke fear of instability as demonstrations grew stronger Tuesday against the autocratic leader.
Almost 30 years ago, my father employed a computer programmer who was an early and prominent support of Rabbi Meir Kahane's Kach party. Innocently, I once asked him how an educated man, an accomplished linguist and mathematician, could support racism. "Jews can't be racist," he answered. "We allow anyone to convert and become a Jew and once he is a Jew, he is equal to us in every way. So how can anyone say we are racists?"
Amid public outrage at his government's handling of the devastating economic crisis, Cowen is to seek the dissolution of parliament from President Mary McAleese and call a general election widely expected on February 25.
Fianna Fail is heading for its worst-ever electoral defeat after a brutal recession which forced Ireland in November to agree to loans worth 67.5 billion euros ($92 billion) from the EU and IMF as part of a rescue package. Cowen, who has been the target of much public anger for his government's handling of the crisis, was also forced to step down as head of his party, although he has remained prime minister.
At around 3:20 pm Egyptians reached their one million protesters target in Midan square, and hours later they have over-achieved their target of "march of a million" as more than one million Egyptians thronged Midan square in central Cairo on Tuesday, and hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protested in other Egyptian cities including Alexandria, Mansoura, Kafr al-Shaikh, al-Mahala, Seuz and Bour Saeed.
People have demonstrated despite internet and mobile phones services being unavailable in the country, and train services are still stopped from working. They announced an indefinite general strike and called for a "march of a million" in the capital on Tuesday, the eighth day of an uprising that has claimed up to 140 lives in clashes between demonstrators and police.
Jordan's powerful opposition Islamic Action Front on Tuesday sharply criticised King Abdullah II's choice of Bakhit as new prime minister, saying he is not a reformist. Jordan's Islamist opposition said on Monday that it had started a dialogue with the state, saying that unlike the situation in Egypt, it did not seek regime change. Opposition demands included "the resignation of the government, the amendment of the electoral law and the formation of a national salvation government headed by an elected prime minister," a member of the Islamic Action Front's executive council, Zaki Bani Rsheid, told AFP.
Do not read this article if you do not want to get angry. The health care industry in the United States has become one gigantic money making scam, and tens of millions of American families now live in great fear of illness and disease. Why are they so afraid? It is not because they fear the illnesses and diseases. Rather, the prospect of racking up tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars in medical debt is enough to deeply frighten just about anyone. Today, virtually every single American is one really bad day from financial ruin. And Obama just gave them a big, fat blank check.
China has blocked searches for #Egypt on its State-approved, State-controlled version of Twitter. Searches for #Egypt on Sina (with over 50 million users) returns the message, “According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the search results are not shown.”
The developments came following the January 12 collapse of outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's cabinet and amid efforts by new Lebanese Premier-designate Najib Mikati aimed at forming a new government. Tel Aviv has launched several wars on Lebanon, killing around 1,200 Lebanese -- mostly civilians -- in the most recent round of offensives in 2006.
Taliban commanders in Afghanistan have told the BBC that they are willing to explore peace talks. They say they will do so if they can have more solid guarantees about their own future and safety. The Afghan government and its foreign allies say they are making contact with members of the Taliban - but no formal talks are under way.
The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion a decade ago hit record levels last year, according to a new report. Some 2,421 civilians were killed, most at the hands of insurgents, the Kabul-based Afghanistan Rights Monitor said. Foreign troops were to blame for about a fifth of all deaths - a slight fall on the previous year, the report says. Correspondents say most officials are expecting at least the same level of violence, if not higher, this year.
The president of Cyprus has announced that his country recognizes a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders after several South American states made the similar move.
It didn’t take long….. but it happened! Israel has sent crowd dispersal weapons to Egypt. If the Egyptian Army won’t attack the people, it looks like Israel might have to do it for them….
Following in the footsteps of other likely GOP presidential candidates, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is headed to Israel next week.
Like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee before him, Barbour will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will tour various energy-related sites in the country, according to the Republican Jewish Coalition, which is hosting the trip. At the end of the four-day visit, Barbour will address the Herzliya Conference, a gathering that focuses on Israel's global policy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly ordered his government not to comment on events in Egypt, but the headlines in the Sunday morning papers got the main point across well enough: "A 30-Year Step Backward," "What Frightens Us," "All Alone."
Jordan's prime minister has been replaced as the political shockwaves from Egypt continue to reverberate across the Arab world. King Abdullah asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new government following the resignation of Samir al-Rifai after weeks of protests by Jordanians calling on him to step down. Bakhit was asked to take "practical, swift and tangible steps to launch a real political reform process, in line with the king's vision of comprehensive reform, modernisation and development", said a statement from the royal palace.
As riots spread across the world, having started first in Europe and now engulfing the Middle East, most people in the U.S. outright reject the possibility that the same could happen right here at home. But the fact of the matter is that we remain in economic crisis and there is a real possibility of a total collapse of the system we have come to know.
When British troops in Helmand need air support, it doesn't only come from airfields within Afghanistan itself - it may come from a floating runway 500 miles away.
Map of Arabian Sea That runway is a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, currently the massive USS Abraham Lincoln. Over the last few months its 65 aircraft have undertaken up to 30 missions a day.
Among the many aspects of the U.S.-Egypt relationship, few have been as controversial as the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program, where the agency frequently handed over suspected terrorists to foreign governments with histories of torture and illegal detention.
This is one of those rulings and attorney reactions that make you go hhhmmm.........................
An Ohio Judge is requiring all attorneys for banks trying to foreclose on people, to sign and verify ALL foreclosure documents are valid and not fraud. Well, the Ohio bank foreclosing attorneys are not happy about that at all! They have filed suit in the Ohio Supreme court requesting a reversal of the Judges order. Now, I have a question, if everything was on the up and up and it was not fraud, why would bank attorneys be so upset, with having to only file valid paperwork? Jeez, isn't all their paperwork suppose to be legal, they are attorneys after all, who are suppose to go by the laws.
Right-wing activists have exploited Facebook's protocol that prohibits organizations from opening personal profiles to report and block the profiles of several leftist groups, Haaretz learned on Monday. The move, initiated by activists linked to the far-right leader Baruch Marzel, has thus far led to the blocking of the profile pages of left-wing groups including Machsom Watch, Yesh Gvul, and Anarchists against the Wall.
At least a million gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square as mass protests against President Mubarak are staged across country.
I guarantee that many of you that are reading this article know exactly what I am talking about.
One trip to the hospital can wipe out years of financial savings. But why should it cost so much? Often a doctor only spends a few minutes with you. Well, you find out the truth when you follow the money. There are a lot of people that this system really benefits, and unfortunately that does not include middle class Americans. The following are 18 ridiculous statistics about medical bills, medical debt and the health care industry that will make you so mad you will want to tear your hair out....
According to a report by Rickey Stokes of the Houston Newspaper Online, Houston County Sheriff Vice Deputy Phillip Small is being assisted in conducting traffic stops by a ski-mask wearing man wearing a bullet proof vest with the words “State Police” written on it. The mask covers the whole of the man’s face apart from his eyes. The man has also been seen carrying a large gun strapped to his back. Photos taken by Stokes confirm that the individual is helping police conduct arrests and warrantless searches of vehicles.
Breibart/AFP The International Monetary Fund stands ready to help riot-torn Egypt rebuild its economy, the IMF chief said Tuesday as he warned governments to tackle unemployment and income inequality or risk war...
This is a partial list of the attacked and banned sites. Someone who knows should complete it. Dictatorship Watch came back today after losing an entire month.
Vincenzo Viscuso, -URUKNET
Axis of Logic Axis of Logic-Les Blough
Michael Rivero – What Really Happened
Steve Amsel- DesertPeace
Mary Rizzo-PeacePalestine
Laila El-Haddad- A Mother From Gaza
Marc Parent CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS
Wake-up From Your Slumber
Layla Anwar
DictatorshipWatch.com
As a writer and contributor to most of these sites, I have experienced some of these cyber attacks myself, though most of them were before the current period of sabotage. The attacked sites should start to mirror each other’s sites, to complicate the task for them.
And now the Mubarak regime is in its final days. As one talking head after another has pointed out in recent days, it has been the linchpin of the U.S. strategy. The main function of the U.S. client state relationship with Egypt was to allow Israel to avoid coming to terms with Palestinian demands.
Attention Rangers: I have an assignment for you. Please post the following everywhere it is being reported that Mubarak will step down in September.
Big deal he won't run again. With four million people in the streets demanding his head, Mubarak couldn't win an honest election anyway! So he has not offered the people of Egypt anything they do not already have!