"Say what you want about the 70's and 80's and their bad policies but at least the experts had actual knowledge of the region and knew how to speak Arabic," he said.
"Look at Jeffrey Feltman (the current Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs), in all his years I think he's learned how to say shukran (thank you) and Ramadan Kareem (Ramadan is generous)...just like how former Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America Elliot Abrams didn't know any Spanish...
More public statements, or even the imposition of sanctions, are of absolutely no use at this point. Much more urgent action is needed. The United States should be seeking U.N. approval for:
— Recognition of a provisional authority in liberated areas (or even a Provisional Government of Free Libya if the Libyans can organize a credible one), initially in Benghazi in the east and Misurata in the west, which seem to be liberated, although are still under threat of air attack;
— Provision by member countries, including specifically Egypt and Tunisia, of any support requested by these provisional authorities;
— Imposition of a NATO-supported “no fly” zone over Libya to halt further bombing by Qaddafi’s forces;
— Urgent supply of food and medical supplies to any point in Libya that is accessible by road or by military transport aircraft;
— Provision of arms to the provisional authorities.
The reality is that workers in many industries are having to choose between givebacks and massive layoffs. Public employees should not be uniquely sheltered from the ill winds buffeting the U.S. economy.
Yes, workers must have their wages cut so that the billionaires running this country can maintain their power and international status as richest-of-the-rich. And cutting public sector wages does nothing for the non-union private sector. It won't lower taxes, that game is rigged by those aforementioned billionaires. It just drives down the 'market rate' for wages, which are set in comparison to each other. The London School of Economics says it has suspended a study program partly funded by a charity run by the son of Moammar Gadhafi after the "distressing" violence in Libya over the past few days.
The university says that in 2009 it accepted a gift of 1.5 million pounds (2.4 million) from the Gadhafi International Charity and Development Foundation, which is chaired by the Libyan leader's son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, an LSE graduate.
The school said the money was used to fund a North African research program, which has now been suspended.
The LSE also said it was reconsidering other links with Libya in light of the "highly distressing" violence there.1
The regime, once treated as a pariah, has been embraced by western countries hungry for oil and lucrative business opportunities since Gaddafi abandoned his support for terrorism but there has been very little easing of domestic repression.(1)
Students with at least four unexcused absences will be given a handheld device with a GPS signal to verify their location, which officials hope will cut down on truancies.
The US is a particularly unfree society, masking as a free one. A stratospheric incarceration rate, multiple wars, kids under constant surveilance.The Latino growth accounted for two-thirds of the state's population gains between 2000 and 2010, and Latinos now make up 38 percent of the population. Non-Hispanic whites dropped to 45.3 percent and blacks make up 11.5 percent of the population. Hispanics make up 48.3 percent of the under-18 population.(1)
Calfornia was once the state of Ronald Reagan.President Barack Obama will visit the Bay Area Thursday to meet with high tech business leaders -- a session that will stress jobs, innovation, green tech and education themes...(1)
The attitude goes hand in hand with dismissing education as a profession, and the desire for a servant class of educators who do the bidding of business.Dear Western Governments, You've been silent for 30 years supporting the regime that was oppressing us. Please don't get involved now #Jan25 7:53 AM Feb 11th
An Egyptian army officer who joined protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square told the Reuters news agency that 15 other middle-ranking officers had also gone over to the demonstrators.
"The armed forces' solidarity movement with the people has begun," Major Ahmed Ali Shouman said. "Some 15 officers … have joined the people's revolution," he said, listing their ranks ranging from captain to lieutenant colonel. Our goals and the people's are one."
Another army major walked up to Shouman while he was talking with the Reuters reporter in Tahrir and introduced himself, saying: "I have also joined the cause."(1)
Researchers from the United Kingdom and Canada found an association between foods high in fat and sugar and slightly reduced IQ. Using questionnaires that asked how often parents fed their children junk food, the researchers found that children whose dietary patterns consisted of fatty, sugary foods at age 3 had a lower IQ at age 8-1/2 than their peers who ate a lot more nutritious foods.
So it turns out IQ is a measure of the experiences one has had in life. Telling us a fact we already knew, that enriching life experiences and education makes you smarter. Wow.Human rights groups have vowed to track George W Bush round the world after their success in forcing him to cancel a trip to Switzerland amid concerns over protests and a threatened arrest warrant.
Katherine Gallagher, a lawyer with the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights, said: "The reach of the convention against torture is wide. This case is prepared and will be waiting for him wherever he travels next.(1)
“These strikes can be the first step in politicization,” says a socialist activist, who has been trying to link up labor movements with the democracy protesters. “If it starts to spread, it can catch like fire.”(1)
“One of my chief goals right now it to make sure we keep the lines of communications open, I have talked to my counterpart a couple of times. And also that we’ve got our military ready, should any kind of response or support be required.”
The general secretary of the ruling NDP, Ibrahim Kamel, has accused the West of betraying Egypt.
He vowed that President Mubarak would not step down and that soon millions of Egyptians - "the silent majority" - would come out on to the streets to protest because "enough is enough".(1)
McCain said the logical way out of the crisis was for Mubarak to announce he would not run for president, to turn over power to a caretaker government, and for that interim regime to proceed with elections in September.
“This is a narrow window of opportunity. The longer the unrest exists, the more likely it is to become extreme."
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“There's all kind of bad scenarios here, and really only one good one,” he said.
“My great fear is obviously a radical Islamic extremist (regime) — the Iran scenario…” he said. “The longer this unrest, the more likely the radicals see openings to take power – the Lenin scenario.”(1)
