Xan Rice meets rebels in the city, where an uneasy calm has descended since Gaddafi’s forces were kicked out The young men of the Black Car Brigade were sprawled across the living room, chessboard on the table, guitar on the sofa, guns leaning against the wall. For the first time in weeks they had enjoyed a full night’s sleep, a shave and a shower. Coffee had been brewed, and bread rolls delivered. Muammar Gaddafi’s forces had been kicked out of the city centre in Misrata, allowing them a rest – and a chance to act their age. “This is Mr al-Qaida,” said Abdulfatah Shaka, 22, a student of refrigeration engineering, Pink Floyd aficionado, tank destroyer and leader of the small rebel cell, pointing to his cousin and classmate Mohamed, 21. Next he gestured towards Alsallabi, 20, whose university studies have also been interrupted by the revolution in February. “That is the Taliban.” The joke was on Gaddafi, who has blamed the uprising on Islamist terror groups. Everyone laughed: Bashir the seaman, unemployed Ahmed, Abdulmajid the floor tile salesman and Bassam the student. At 23, he was the oldest in the room – until 30-year-old Abdulhamid strolled in after a 10-hour sleep: “My best in two months.” In better times he was a chef. “I swapped my spoon for a Kalashnikov,” he said. The uneasy calm that descended over Misrata on Tuesday – the first such day in more than a month – was a consequence of the resounding defeat suffered by Gaddafi’s forces inside the city. The remaining troops and artillery are now concentrated in the southern outskirts, leaving as much as 90% of the city free. The rain of missiles launched from up to 10 miles outside the city has also slowed, with some rebels saying Nato warplanes had destroyed some of Gaddafi’s armoury overnight. But there have been few celebrations among the people here. A battle has been won, not a war. And the conflict will soon resume, from one side or the other. “We are getting ready, resting, fixing our machines,” said Ibrahim “Grande” Shiniba, 39, a senior rebel who once played football for Libya. “We have our men watching Gaddafi’s forces, seeing what they are doing. Maybe we will attack them later today, or tomorrow.” In defending the city, the rebels have suffered heavy losses. The Black Car Brigade, as Gaddafi’s forces called them because of the colour of their battlewagons, originally had about 200 men. About 30 were killed and 100 injured. Others have taken their places. The rebels say they are still waiting for more weapons and ammunition, but will fight on with what they have, most of it scavenged from Gaddafi’s forces. Mohamed Shaka, “Mr al-Qaida”, examined the 14.5mm machinegun he had welded on to the back of his pickup, complete with a custom-built firing chair made from metal and a hospital mattress. The car was reinforced with thick steel plates in front and back. There was no bonnet. On the dashboard were three books: a biography of Martin Luther King, Oscar’s Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and Thomas Hardy’s Tales from Longpuddle. Shaka shrugged. “When there’s a break in fighting I like to read.” The cell was based near Tripoli Street, the city’s main thoroughfare and the scene of its heaviest gunbattles. For several blocks on either side the houses bear the scars of bullets, grenades or shells. Virtually everyone living here fled when Gaddafi’s forces came in, though some were too late. Abdulfatah Shaka’s father was one of those unlucky people, kidnapped from the living room where his son and the other young rebels were now relaxing. Like hundreds of other abducted civilians in Misrata, he has not been seen for more than a month. Across the road, Salah Sadawi stood outside her house, cradling one of her five-month-old twins. It was the first time in weeks she had been back to her home, and she was surveying the damage. The lock of the gate was riddled with bullet holes where Gaddafi’s soldiers had forced their way in. Sadawi said a Mauritanian soldier – one of Gaddafi’s mercenaries – had ordered her husband, Hana Siddig, an English translator, to shave his beard. “They said he was a terrorist and then they took him away. When they came back they said he had confessed and that I must show them the weapons. But we have no weapons. They said I should forget about my husband, as he would be killed. Just forget about him.” Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
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Opposition activists report attacks in Deraa and mass arrests in Douma as Sarkozy and Berlusconi call for end to the violence European Union states are discussing imposing sanctions on Syria if the regime continues its violent suppression of pro-democracy protests. William Hague, Britain’s foreign secretary, said Damascus faced “a fork in the road” as opposition activists reported continuing government attacks in the southern town of Deraa and mass arrests and tanks in areas including Douma near the capital and Baniyas on the coast. In Rome, Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi issued a joint call for an end to violence against the demonstrators. The French president described the situation as “unacceptable” but also made it clear that he was not contemplating direct intervention of the sort he championed against Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. “We are not going to intervene everywhere in the world and not all situations are necessarily the same,” Sarkozy said. Possible EU sanctions would probably include travel bans and asset freezes targetting members of President Bashar al-Assad’s family and other senior regime figures, and would be co-ordinated with US punitive measures being prepared by the Obama administration. “Syria is now at a fork in the road,” Hague told MPs. “Its government can still choose to bring about the radical reform which alone can provide peace and stability in Syria and for the long term, and we urge it to do so. Or it can choose ever more violent repression, which can only bring short-term security for the authorities there. If it does so we will work with our European partners and others to take measures, including sanctions, that will have an impact on the regime.” But the difficulties of concerted international action were illustrated when members of the UN security council debated a statement criticising Syria as Russian diplomats sought to water down a European draft. The statement would not have the legal force or direct impact of earlier resolutions against Libya. Diplomats said the Syrian government had more defenders on the international stage, and – having endured years of US sanctions already – was less vulnerable to new pressure. The Syrian human rights organisation Sawasiah said at least 400 civilians had been killed during a month of protests. It said 500 people had been arrested in the past few days after the abrogation of the country’s decades-old emergency law – one of several concessions by Assad widely dismissed as too little and too late. Despite an attempted media blackout, reports from Syria described more troops, snipers and armoured vehicles in Deraa, where the uprising erupted last month. Al-Jazeera Arabic quoted residents as saying shelling had killed 20 victims, including women and children. Water, electricity and phone lines had all been cut but information was filtering out via locals using Jordanian mobile phones. Amnesty International said at least 23 people had been killed by tank fire. “Sometimes you hear a burst of heavy machine-gun fire coming in all directions as though to just scare people,” one resident told Reuters. The central city of Homs was also described by opposition sources as “under siege”, as was the northern town of Baniyas, where Sunnis live in the heart of an area dominated by the minority Alawite sect, to which the Assad family belong. Violence peaked at the weekend with 150 people killed in just three days. Opposition supporters abroad said on Tuesday that there were now fewer videos emerging of the violence, apparently reflecting the arrest of activists and a more effective security crackdown. Arab media also highlighted claims of defections from the Syrian army, but it was hard to assess the scale and significance of this. Views of the situation have hardened since last Friday’s violence and the storming of Deraa on Monday showed Assad had decided to use brute force, not further reforms, to deal with the protests. But for all the talk of sanctions, the emphasis in Europe was still on offering Damascus an opportunity to change its behaviour. Hague said he had been in regular contact with the Turkish government over Syria, most recently on Monday night with its foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. The Foreign Office sees Turkey as the most important intermediary in contacts with Damascus, a role that Ankara has sought to cultivate over recent years. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, telephoned Assad to urge “restraint”, while Turkey’s ambassador to Syria expressed his country’s “deep concern and sorrow over the loss of many lives,” in a meeting with the Syrian prime minister, Adel Safar. Syria Nicolas Sarkozy William Hague Foreign policy Silvio Berlusconi Middle East Julian Borger Ian Black guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …As I was knee-deep in researching our book Over The Cliff , where we examine how the Tea Party was created and by who, I came to understand how vitally important it was to understand our political history. I’ve written some pieces on C&L that reflect some of what I found out . I also learned which historical politician had the strongest influence among modern-day conservative operatives. You might think it was Barry Goldwater, since he got the ball rolling as the New Right was born to follow him, but in reality it was Richard Nixon who set the tone for our current state of politics with his ‘dirty tricks” and “the ends justify the means” tactics. If you need an example of his influence and how far it goes back, just read up on Karl Rove and Alan Dixon back in 1970 : In the fall of 1970, Karl Rove , current Bush Administration Deputy Chief of Staff, used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Alan J. Dixon, who was running for Illinois State Treasurer, and stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead. Rove then printed fake campaign rally fliers promising “free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing,” and distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon’s rally (Dixon eventually won the election). Rove’s role would not become publicly known until August 1973. Rove told the Dallas Morning News in 1999, “It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it.” Rove has continued on this path of ratf*&king his opponents ever since. By extension we then had the Lee Atwater-Willie Horton ad, Swift Voters For Truth’s smear of John Kerry, and the latest version, the O’Keefe videos. The slime continues along on its merry way to destroy people. Rick Perlstein writes an excellent piece for Mother Jones which outlines the history of the GOP’s Fact Free Nation : Reagan rode into office accompanied by a generation of conservative professional janissaries convinced they were defending civilization against the forces of barbarism. And like many revolutionaries, they possessed an instrumental relationship to the truth: Lies could be necessary and proper, so long as they served the right side of history. “We ought to see clearly that the end does justify the means,” wrote evangelist C. Peter Wagner in 1981. “If the method I am using accomplishes the goal I am aiming at, it is for that reason a good method.” This virulent strain of political utilitarianism was already well apparent by the time the Plumbers were breaking into the Democratic National Committee: “Although I was aware they were illegal,” White House staffer Jeb Stuart Magruder told the Watergate investigating committee, “we had become somewhat inured to using some activities that would help us in accomplishing what we thought was a legitimate cause.” Even conservatives who were not allied with the White House had learned to think like Watergate conspirators. To them, the takeaway from the scandal was that Nixon had been willing to bend the rules for the cause. The New Right pioneer M. Stanton Evans once told me, “I didn’t like Nixon until Watergate.” Though many in the New Right proclaimed their contempt for Richard Nixon, a number of its key operatives and spokesmen in fact came directly from the Watergate milieu. Two minor Watergate figures, bagman Kenneth Rietz (who ran Fred Thompson’s 2008 presidential campaign) and saboteur Roger Stone (last seen promoting a gubernatorial bid by the woman who claimed to have been Eliot Spitzer’s madam) were rehabilitated into politics through staff positions in Ronald Reagan’s 1976 presidential campaign. G. Gordon Liddy became a right-wing radio superstar. “We ought to see clearly that the end does justify the means,” wrote evangelist C. Peter Wagner in 1981. “If the method I am using accomplishes the goal I am aiming at, it is for that reason a good method.” Jerry Falwell once said his goal was to destroy the public schools. In 1998, confronted with the quote, he denied making it by claiming he’d had nothing to do with the book in which it appeared. The author of the book was Jerry Falwell. Direct-mail guru Richard Viguerie made a fortune bombarding grassroots activists with letters shrieking things like “Babies are being harvested and sold on the black market by Planned Parenthood.” As Richard Nixon told his chief of staff on Easter Sunday, 1973, “Remember, you’re doing the right thing. That’s what I used to think when I killed some innocent children in Hanoi.”… read on And so the lying liars were born. Today they continue on their path of corruption — one sanctioned even by their supposed men of God, because their hearts were in the right place when they lied. Most Americans don’t live their lives this way, so it’s kind of foreign to them to even think about such things, but there is no excuse for the Beltway media being as complicit as they are. Then again, they do love their access. But the corrosive nature of the right wing oppo-men has had a truly corrosive affect on our entire political system. Digby writes: This history provides an important foundation for my ongoing quest to understand the right’s ability to operate without the constraints of hypocrisy or consistency in an environment of epistemic relativism so extreme that we end up believing that wrong is right. It’s literally mind-boggling.
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This just in: New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is a raging hypocrite. You'll be shocked to find out, I'm sure. In the ongoing debate over entitlement reform, one relatively modest proposal for saving a bit of money is to raise the retirement age by two or three years. But in a recent blog post , Krugman dismissed the proposal, saying it “shows how disconnected [its proponents] are from the way the other half lives (and dies).” It's only the plutocrats, “the judges – and the politicians, who are similar – who think it's a great idea to raise the retirement age.” Yes, the only people who think it's a good idea are judges or politicians…or Paul Krugman, as it turns out. Back in 1996, Krugman lauded the policy as a “sensible” way to pre-empt what he then described as the looming entitlement crisis. As quoted by Michelle Malkin , who dug up Krugman's 1996 review of a pair of books, one by Peter G. Peterson and the other by Charles R. Morris, Krugman wrote: Both Mr. Morris and Mr. Peterson offer plans to avert the crisis ahead. The details differ, and Mr. Peterson’s proposal is more completely fleshed out, but the general thrust is clear: slow the growth in benefit levels, gradually raise the retirement age, impose limits on expensive terminal medical care that prolongs life for only weeks or days and — last but not least — raise taxes moderately now, rather than massively later. We need not dwell on their sensible proposals, however, because there is not the slightest prospect that they will be put into effect — or indeed that we will do anything serious about the looming crisis until it is almost upon us. Click here for the rest of Krugman's review. As Malkin noted, his discussion of the looming fiscal crisis brought on by entitlement spending sounds like “Paul Ryan circa 2011.” But this is all true to form for Krugman. He routinely changes his position on major economic issues in order to maximize the rhetorical benefit for his political allies. In fact, one peer-reviewed study found that Krugman often – more than any other economist measured – changed his position on deficit spending depending on the president's political party. So as one might expect, it's not too difficult to find examples of Krugman contradicting himself for purely political reasons. “What Democrats believe,” Krugman wrote last March , “is what textbook economics says.” But that's not how Republicans see it. Here's what Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, had to say when defending Mr. Bunning's position (although not joining his blockade): unemployment relief “doesn't create new jobs. In fact, if anything, continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work.” That position, Krugman claimed, is contrary to textbook economics. And he would know – he has written economics textbooks. In fact, scanning through “Macroeconomics” by Paul Krugman, one might find this passage : Public policy designed to help workers who lose their jobs can lead to structural unemployment as an unintended side effect… In other countries, particularly in Europe, benefits are more generous and last longer. The drawback to this generosity is that it reduces a worker's incentive to quickly find a new job. Generous unemployment benefits in some European countries are widely believed to be one of the main causes of “Eurosclerosis,” the persistent high unemployment that affects a number of European countries. So do unemployment benefits keep people from finding work, or not? Well, that depends: does extending those benefits comport with Krugman's political agenda? And of course the hypocrisy extends to the wisdom of deficit spending generally. Here's Paul Krugman in 2004: Well, basically we have a world-class budget deficit not just as in absolute terms of course – it’s the biggest budget deficit in the history of the world – but it’s a budget deficit that as a share of GDP is right up there. It’s comparable to the worst we’ve ever seen in this country. It’s biggest than Argentina in 2001. Which is not cyclical, there’s only a little bit that’s because the economy is depressed. Mostly it’s because, fundamentally, the Government isn’t taking in enough money to pay for the programs and we have no strategy of dealing with it. So, if you take a look, the only thing that sustains the US right now is the fact that people say, ‘Well America’s a mature, advanced country and mature, advanced countries always, you know, get their financial house in order,’ but there’s not a hint that that’s on the political horizon, so I think we’re looking for a collapse of confidence some time in the not-too-distant future. Got that? The federal budget deficit, at the time about 3.5 percent of GDP, represented a potential catastrophe. In 2010, the deficit was about 9 percent of GDP. Here's Krugman last summer : Many economists, myself included, regard this turn to austerity as a huge mistake. It raises memories of 1937, when F.D.R.’s premature attempt to balance the budget helped plunge a recovering economy back into severe recession. And here in Germany, a few scholars see parallels to the policies of Heinrich Br
Continue reading …Airpiano on sale now, conduct a symphony of soft synths with the wave of a hand (video)
April 26, 2011 No Comment
When last we saw the Airpiano way back in 2008 (ah, the halcyon days when people still cared about Spore ) it was just a proof of concept, hacked together by interface design student Omer Yosha. Now you can finally order your own online for €1,099 (about $1,607) if you’re in Europe, or €1,149 (about $1,680) if you dwell anywhere else on this little, blue marble we call Earth. The theremin-like Airpiano doesn’t actually produce any sounds itself, instead it uses proximity sensors to feed MIDI and OSC (open sound control) signals to a computer over USB, allowing musicians and non-musicians alike to command soft synths with only the majestic wave of a hand. It may land you some confused stares from people who still play instruments with strings and keys (you know, Luddites), but it’s certainly more dignified than planting yourself in front of a Beamz laser harp . A trio of videos awaits after the break. Continue reading Airpiano on sale now, conduct a symphony of soft synths with the wave of a hand (video) Airpiano on sale now, conduct a symphony of soft synths with the wave of a hand (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Christopher Columbus, prepare to be blown away. Thanks to satellite imagery, scientists have discovered swaths of new islands scattered across the world. (More on NewsFeed: Read about Dubai’s sinking islands.) Thanks to high-resolution images, Duke University and Meredith College geoscientists were able to add 657 new barrier islands to the total count, adding 30 percent more
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Weather News at 3 pm the weather news forcast!!!! Weather Report at 06 pm Northstate Forecast: Mostly Sunny And Warmer Tuesday – Weather … Monday was a mixed bag of weather all across the Nothstate with scattered showers, hail and even reports of some snow in the higher elevations. Monday, April 25, 2011. Morning News 4/26/11 – Smithtown Radio – News, Weather, Traffic … Smithtown News · Smithtown Schools · Long Island News · Technology News · Weather News · Radio Transcripts. Listen Live 24/7; Current Weather Forecast · Real-Time Roads & Rails · About Smithtown Radio · Contact Smithtown Radio … Coca-Cola 1Q net income rises on overseas growth (AP) :Yahoo! News Yahoo! News was ranked second among global news online in the U.S. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news. Entries RSS | Comments RSS … Sony challenges iPad in tablet war (AFP) :Yahoo! News Yahoo! News was ranked second among global news online in the U.S. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news. Entries RSS | Comments RSS … “Grey Escort” shortlisted for royal wedding parade (Reuters … Yahoo! News was ranked second among global news online in the U.S. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news. Entries RSS | Comments RSS … HILLARYFOREVER1 says: RT @WeatherChannel : SPC issues a moderate risk for severe storms for AR, western TN & northern MS. Forecast maps, latest TOR:CON http://wxch.nl/hiv4Yq #severe
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songs of the birds John James Audubon honor JOHN JAMES AUDOBON-ORNITOLOG SI PICTOR TwtTwt 2011-0426 John James Audubon Bird Paintings on Stamps Google doodles John James Audubon's birthday – Tech News – IBNLive The doodle in place of the usual Google logo on Tuesday is inspired by the paintings of the famous French-American ornithologist John James Audubon . The doodle celebrating Audubon’s birthday has, like many other Google doodles, … John James Audubon Birthday Celebrated by Google Doodle #SEWatch Google is celebrating the 226th birthday of John James Audubon , the French-American ornithologist, artist, and naturalist with a special logo. Fitting that Google is honoring Audubon, considering that in his day Audubon had a … John James Audubon Painting And Biography ~ breaking news today … American artist and ornithologist (one who studies birds) John James Audubon was a leading natural history artist who made drawings of birds directly from nature. He is mainly remembered for his Birds of America series. … John James Audubon's 226th Birthday John James Audubon’s 226th birthday celebrated by Google doodles: John James Audubon was born this day 226 years ago. Unlike past Google doodles, such as submarines interactive, which celebrated the birth of Jules Verne, … Google doodles John James Audubon's Birthday: Google Doodle with … Google doodles John James Audubon’s Birthday: Google Doodle with Birds’ The theme was the 226th birthday of John James Audubon . Recently, in December 2010, a copy of Audubon’s “Birds of America” was auctioned by Sotheby’s £ 7321250, … nwalkup says: Google doodles John James Audubon 's birthday – Tech News – IBNLive http://t.co/uCC7UUP
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Ronnie Coleman Best of Dungeon.avi Ronnie Coleman curls ronnie coleman, the O dvd, 2000, the pixbookpixclip.wmv Miss Bikini Diva 2008 & Mr Olympia .JNL meets Ronnie Coleman | The … jennifernicole.mariakaran.com How ToLook Like a Fitness Model, Without Being One !!! Give me just 45 minutes 4 times a week. The biggest UK line up of champion bodybuilders! – Anabolicminds.com See a brilliant show on May 21st and 22nd at BodyPower, the NEC, Birmingham, from the likes of; * Jay Cutler * Ronnie Coleman * Zack Khan * Roelly. The biggest UK line up of champion bodybuilders! See a brilliant show on May 21st and 22nd at BodyPower, the NEC, Birmingham, from the likes of; Jay Cutler Ronnie Coleman Zack Khan Roelly Winklaar. Best Muscle Builder – body building- ronnie coleman – | Best Muscle … watch the biggest and best body building produced by (ibrahim haider), Kevin Levrone tribute (REUPLOAD) | NYCPPL.COM it’s a joke that kevin never won the O, when ronnie coleman (aka – the biggest gut on stage) won it 8 times… Reply. SR4LosersIsMYBITCH says: April 26, 2011 at 3:03 pm. @OutofThisUsername First song.. Adema – Planets … Jack__Dent says: I look like Ronnie Coleman today, the way I've done my hair.
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ITW Raphael Varane après Lens Montpellier Résumé lens – montpellier ( 0- 2 ) ITW Raphaël Varane après PSG Lens Manchester United beat Arsenal in race to sign Raphael Varane … Manchester United are on the verge of signing 18-year-old French defender Raphael Varane . Sir Alex Ferguson has been keeping tabs on the £3.7million man. Manchester United to beat Arsenal to signature of young French … Manchester United to beat Arsenal to signature of young French star Raphael Varane – report. Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson is supposedly close to signing 18-year-old centre-back from Ligue 1 side Lens, with £3 million thought to be … Manchester United: Fergie to beat Wenger to 'new Lolo' – ClubCall.com Manchester United are in pole position to sign £3.5m-rated teenage sweeper Raphael Varane from French club Lens. Reports in France claim Sir Alex Ferguson will infuriate his rival Arsene Wenger again by beating the Arsenal boss to the … HELLO & WELCOME: Fergie beats Wenger to French starlet Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson looks to have beaten Arsenal in the race to sign French youngster Raphael Varane . Fergie is close to tying up a £3million deal for the Lens defender who turned 18 yesterday. … Man United secure French defender ahead of Arsenal « Arsenal News According to reports lately, the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was closing in on the big French defender Raphael Varane . It seems Wenger has had his eye on him as he can cover the defensive midfield as w… harkous says: http://bit.ly/gCd8tf Who Is United’s New ‘Signing’ Raphael Varane ? @moe_anabtawi @lawanhawizy #utd #19 #manchesterisred #whatfuckingwhat
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