Under House Bill 1202, one of a number of proposed Texas bills that addresses illegal immigration, anyone who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” hires an illegal immigrant would face up to two years in jail and a fine as high as $10,000 … unless, of course, he or she is just…
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Amr Moussa is very popular with Egyptians and is ready to stand. The problem is, he’s part of a discredited past After years in the political wilderness heading up the glorified talking shop known as the Arab League, Amr Moussa is back on the national scene in Egypt. Following weeks of public speculation and private deliberation, the popular and charismatic one-time foreign minister has announced his intention to run for Egypt’s recently vacated top job. “I am ready to nominate myself for the presidency. I see this as a duty and a responsibility,” he told the independent Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm . Long slated as a possible replacement for Hosni Mubarak by opposition figures seeking a bridge to democracy, Moussa’s candidacy seems to chime with the public mood. A recent poll revealed that almost half of Egyptians support the idea of him becoming Egypt’s next president. Although the vast majority of Egyptians aspire to transparency and good governance, the instability of recent weeks has created a certain amount of anxiety and apprehension, leading many to cite their immediate priorities as being “political stability” and “security for the masses”. And as my wife argued in a debate in which I expressed my doubts about Moussa’s credentials, the Arab League chief and former foreign minister could well be the best candidate to engineer a stable transition to democracy. Although he is a member of the old guard, Moussa somehow kept himself immune to the rampant corruption and rot which surrounded him, and his decade at the Arab League has kept him at a safe distance from one of the most unpopular governments in Egypt’s recent history, the so-called “businessmen’s cabinet” of ousted prime minister Ahmed Nazif .. During his decade-long tenure as foreign minister (1991-2001), Moussa was indisputably the most popular politician in Egypt and he was even described by Time magazine as “perhaps the most adored public servant in the Arab world”. And in a country where public servants act like masters and are generally despised, being popular is a rare commodity indeed. So rare, in fact, that many Egyptians strongly believe Amr Moussa was “kicked upstairs” to the Arab League by Mubarak who was envious of and feared his popularity. On a personal level, Moussa exudes charisma and gravitas, as I experienced on the one occasion I was in the same room as him, and has both the refinement of the polished career diplomat and a natural “common touch” – two hugely important ingredients for success, according to Rudyard Kipling . As foreign minister, he was admired for his dexterous management of Egypt’s international relations, particularly with the Arab world, and his perceived straight talking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite his obvious strengths, I cannot help but conclude that Moussa’s weaknesses are far more troubling. Although he never personally indulged in the excesses of the former regime, he has been and remains a Mubarak loyalist. While opposition figures have risked life and limb, or at least their reputations and security, to push for reform, Moussa has never openly criticised the old regime nor was he involved in any meaningful manner in the revolution. During the 18 days it took to topple Mubarak, Moussa sounded more like Catherine Ashton expressing the EU’s dithering position when he urged all sides “to show restraint”, rather than a possible people’s choice as their future leader. Moussa as president could well provide the stable bridge to democracy that his supporters desire, and he has reassuringly suggested that he would only serve a single term: “The coming president of Egypt, whoever he is, must, in my opinion, stay for one term only … to lead the process of reform and put the country on the road to stability.” Nevertheless, there is the chance, though he is not popular with the army, that his popularity with the people and loyalty to the past would be used by the military to provide a democratic facade without real democracy. Personally, I would back Amr Moussa as transitional president if the presidency was stripped of its power and transformed into a ceremonial position to provide Egypt with a unifying figure during its democratic transformation and a recognisable face to the outside world. But Moussa himself is opposed to Egypt becoming a full parliamentary democracy, at least for the time being. Well, if not Amr Moussa, then who? Other names doing the rounds include former IAEA chief Mohamed Elbardei and the head of the al-Ghad party Ayman Nour . Though neither are popular candidates according to the poll cited above, Elbaradei has the advantage of being a non-partisan figure around whom the opposition have rallied, especially prior to the revolution, while Nour is young and has the credibility of having been at the forefront of Egypt’s struggle for democracy which landed him in jail for having dared to run against Mubarak in the 2005 elections. On the downside, after decades walking the corridors of international diplomacy, Elbardei is something of a “Johnny-come-lately”, while many Egyptians fear that Nour and his liberal party will continue the neoliberal economic policies that have aggravated inequalities in Egypt. Who will become Egypt’s next president will, hopefully, be for all Egyptians to decide later this year. But with the range of established political figures being so uninspiring and in the spirit of the fundamental change awakened by the revolution, the conditions for running should be so eased that the young leaders of the revolution and even unknown citizens with well thought out platforms can run and perhaps become the next president. Some view the absence of clear presidential candidates as a problem which, at some levels, it is. But if Egyptians choose someone to lead them who is not part of the political class, then they may just create a true “government of the people, by the people, for the people” – and perhaps even reinvent democracy itself . Egypt Arab and Middle East protests Middle East Protest Khaled Diab guardian.co.uk
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This Is Funny, You Should Watch It of the Day: Sassy Gay Friend to the fictional stars Brian Gallivan returns to force Great Expectations ’ resident psychological pain addicted spinster Miss Havisham to look at her life, look at her choices. [ tscn .] Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily What Discovery Date : 02/03/2011 15:20 Number of articles : 4
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This Is Funny, You Should Watch It of the Day: Sassy Gay Friend to the fictional stars Brian Gallivan returns to force Great Expectations ’ resident psychological pain addicted spinster Miss Havisham to look at her life, look at her choices. [ tscn .] Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily What Discovery Date : 02/03/2011 15:20 Number of articles : 4
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It may not be the first time you’ve been able to snag a PSP Go for $150, but you can now rest assured that you’ll never pay anything more than that, as Sony has officially knocked another $50 off the handheld’s list price. That follows a similar $50 price drop back in October (not to mention a $40 price cut to the regular PSP just last week ), although that doesn’t seem to have done a whole lot to boost sales of the download-only device. Will this new low, low price make a bigger difference? And, if not, how much lower can it go before a certain quad-core monster really makes its presence felt? Sony’s PSP Go officially drops to $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …It may not be the first time you’ve been able to snag a PSP Go for $150, but you can now rest assured that you’ll never pay anything more than that, as Sony has officially knocked another $50 off the handheld’s list price. That follows a similar $50 price drop back in October (not to mention a $40 price cut to the regular PSP just last week ), although that doesn’t seem to have done a whole lot to boost sales of the download-only device. Will this new low, low price make a bigger difference? And, if not, how much lower can it go before a certain quad-core monster really makes its presence felt? Sony’s PSP Go officially drops to $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …World food prices climbed for the eighth straight month in February, hitting a record high, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization announced today. The organization’s price index climbed 2.2%, to an average of 236 points, according to the Wall Street Journal , the highest level since records began being kept…
Continue reading …Charlie Sheen, late-night tragedy: Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Fallon show some compassion: VIDEO It takes a strong late-night host to resist doing Charlie Sheen jokes , and that man is Craig Ferguson. He announced earlier this week that he wouldn’t be doing any Sheen-is-crazy humor. Ferguson has a greater frame of cultural reference than the other hosts, and he reached back to the ancient London hospital that gave us the term “ bedlam ” — a choice word for the media frenzy surrounding Sheen, but, to Ferguson’s point, an example of a place where mental patients were ridiculed by the public. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Charlie Sheen: Guinness World Record Breaker & ‘Hangover 2′ Star? It’s probably been about 20 minutes since that last you’ve heard of Charlie Sheen, but fear not as we’re here to give you your hourly update! According to Entertainment Weekly (via Mashable) Charlie’s infamous Twitter account is the fastest account to reach 1 million followers, with the actor doing so less than 24 hours from signing up. Maybe it has something to do with the tiger blood? Also happening in Sheen’s World: a possible Hangover 2 cameo? ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Charlie Sheen: Other celebrities weigh in CBS) Charlie Sheen’s antics are not only providing fodder for late-night hosts but they’re also eliciting comments from other celebs, including a few who have been burned by the spotlight themselves.. “Charlie Sheen told E! News that he plans to release his own fragrance,” said Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” “It combines the delightful aromas of sweat, cigarettes and denial.” ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) WATCH: Jimmy Fallon Take On Charlie Sheen’s “Winning” Cologne ( Video ) Jimmy Fallon nails Charlie Sheen’s erratic media appearances with a very funny parody of Sheen’s favorite phrase lately “Winning!” The “Late Night” host riffs on the Two and a Half Men star’s statement to E!News about a cologne he claims he wants to do and pairs it with some of the actor’s actual quotes. The impersonation is very very good. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Video: Jimmy Fallon Is ‘Winning’ in Charlie Sheen Parody Jimmy Fallon just couldn’t resist jumping on the Charlie Sheen bandwagon. The ‘ Late Night With Jimmy Fallon ‘ host portrayed the troubled actor Wednesday night in a clip for a fake cologne appropriately called Winning. Fallon delivers a near spot-on impersonation of Sheen, who has famously made the press rounds this week spewing out a mix of nonsensical ramblings. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon Channels Charlie Sheen In an Ad for “Winning” Cologne Charlie Sheen told E! on Monday that he’ll “do a cologne.” But, what would Sheen’s cologne be like? On Wednesday’s “ Late Night ,” Jimmy Fallon gave the public a peek at what a Charlie Sheen cologne would be like with a hilarious parody of fragrance ads, featuring the talk-show host impersonating the “Two and a Half Men” star. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon Channels Charlie Sheen, Sells His ‘Winning’ Cologne (VIDEO) Given all the hilariously outrageous comments Charlie Sheen has offered up over the last week, it was high time Jimmy Fallon put his stellar impressionist skills to work on the actor. On ‘ Late Night ‘ (weeknights, 12:37AM ET on NBC), the host fashioned himself after Sheen in his epic ‘ Piers Morgan Tonight ‘ interview (wearing NYC T-shirt, etc.), and channeled the TV star in an advertisement for his “cologne” called (very appropriately) Winning. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen Parody Video: Now THIS is Winning (Watch)! This video is the epitome of winning! After watching this video, you’ll quickly realize that no one – NO ONE – does Charlie Sheen better than Jimmy Fallon. Fallon portrays the “b-tchin’ dude’ himself as he absolutely nails the character in this video. Too bad it’s not actually a character – it’s 100 percent real life Charlie Sheen. In addition to quoting Sheen’s many outrageous comments over the past few weeks, Fallon offers the former Two and a Half Men star a little bit of advice: ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen : Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen Video The “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” host did his best with his “Adonis DNA” to impersonate the troubled actor last night using all the “winning” phrases. If you close your eyes, you will almost immediately think you are hearing this babble straight from Charlie’s own mouth and then you open your eyes to Winning For Men Cologne, and realize it is all just a joke… or is it, you may just see Winning For Men Cologne on shelves in the coming weeks. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres spoof Charlie Sheen Charlie Sheen is a boon for talk-show hosts. The self-destructive star of ” Two and a Half Men ” has been doing non-stop interviews, tweeting and landing on front pages. As bizarre and entertaining as those appearances have been, nothing beats a great Jimmy Fallon impersonation of Sheen. In a new video, the “Late Night” host lampoons Sheen’s crazed commentary recently by hawking Sheen’s new fragrance, “Winning For Men.” It’s made with tiger blood, of course. ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Jimmy Fallon as Charlie Sheen: “Winning” Jimmy Fallon is a total freakin’ rock star from Mars. The talk show host’s remarkable impersonation of Charlie Sheen (video below) is making the rounds on the Internet and television news– almost catching up with Sheen himself. In a mock ad for a cologne called “Winning,” Fallon puffs a cigarette and mixes some of the troubled “Two and a Half Men” actor’s crazy quotes with a few invented ones, like “What’s my name? Carlos Estevez? Come se dice ‘winning?’” ( Read Jimmy Fallon Charlie Sheen more… ) Related Searches : jimmy fallon, charlie sheen quotes, charlie sheen twitter, livethesheendream, charlie sheen soundboard Courtesy : EW , Celebuzz , CBS News , Back Seat Cuddler , POP Eater , Gossip Cop , TV Squad , Twirlit , Long Island Press , Kansas CW & NBC Philadelphia
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Angelina Jolie visits Afghanistan for a second time, calling on the international community to do more to support the large number of former refugees who have returned to the country in recent years. (March 3)
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