Feb 21 2011

On This Day in History February 21

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 313 days remaining until the end of the year (314 in leap years).

On this day in 1965, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights in New York City.

Assassination

Malcolm X began to speak to a meeting of the Organization of Afro-American Unity when a disturbance broke out in the crowd of 400. A man yelled, “Nigger! Get your hand outta my pocket!” As Malcolm X and his bodyguards moved to quiet the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot him in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men charged the stage and fired handguns, hitting him 16 times. Furious onlookers caught and beat one of the assassins as the others fled the ballroom. Malcolm X was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m., shortly after he arrived at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Talmadge Hayer, a Nation of Islam member also known as Thomas Hagan, was arrested on the scene. Eyewitnesses identified two more suspects, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, also members of the Nation. All three were charged in the case. At first Hayer denied involvement, but during the trial he confessed to having fired shots at Malcolm X. He testified that Butler and Johnson were not present and were not involved in the assassination, but he declined to name the men who had joined him in the shooting. All three men were convicted.

Butler, now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was paroled in 1985. He became the head of the Nation of Islam’s Harlem mosque in New York in 1998. He continues to maintain his innocence. Johnson, now known as Khalil Islam, was released from prison in 1987. During his time in prison, he rejected the teachings of the Nation of Islam and converted to Sunni Islam. He, too, maintains his innocence. Hayer, now known as Mujahid Halim, was paroled in 2010.

Funeral

The number of mourners who came to the public viewing in Harlem’s Unity Funeral Home from February 23 through February 26 was estimated to be between 14,000 and 30,000. The funeral of Malcolm X was held on February 27 at the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem. The Church was filled to capacity with more than 1,000 people. Loudspeakers were set up outside the Temple so the overflowing crowd could listen and a local television station broadcast the funeral live.

Among the civil rights leaders in attendance were John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, James Forman, James Farmer, Jesse Gray, and Andrew Young. Actor and activist Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy, describing Malcolm X as “our shining black prince”.

   There are those who will consider it their duty, as friends of the Negro people, to tell us to revile him, to flee, even from the presence of his memory, to save ourselves by writing him out of the history of our turbulent times. Many will ask what Harlem finds to honor in this stormy, controversial and bold young captain-and we will smile. Many will say turn away-away from this man, for he is not a man but a demon, a monster, a subverter and an enemy of the black man-and we will smile. They will say that he is of hate-a fanatic, a racist-who can only bring evil to the cause for which you struggle! And we will answer and say to them: Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him, or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him? Did he ever do a mean thing? Was he ever himself associated with violence or any public disturbance? For if you did you would know him. And if you knew him you would know why we must honor him.

Malcolm X was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. At the gravesite after the ceremony, friends took the shovels away from the waiting gravediggers and completed the burial themselves. Actor and activist Ruby Dee (wife of Ossie Davis) and Juanita Poitier (wife of Sidney Poitier) established the Committee of Concerned Mothers to raise funds to buy a house and pay educational expenses for Malcolm X’s family.

 362 – Athanasius returns to Alexandria.

1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery.

1440 – The Prussian Confederation is formed.

1543 – Battle of Wayna Daga – A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeats a Muslim army led by Ahmed Gragn.

1613 – Mikhail I is elected unanimously as Tsar by a national assembly, beginning the Romanov dynasty of Imperial Russia.

1804 – The first self-propelling steam locomotive makes its outing at the Pen-y-Darren Ironworks in Wales.

1842 – John Greenough is granted the first U.S. patent for the sewing machine.

1848 – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the The Communist Manifesto.

1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Valverde fought near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory.

1874 – The Oakland Daily Tribune publishes its first newspaper.

1878 – The first telephone book is issued in New Haven, Connecticut.

1885 – The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.

1913 – Ioannina is incorporated into the Greek state after the Balkan Wars.

1916 – World War I: In France, the Battle of Verdun begins.

1918 – The last Carolina Parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.

1919 – Kurt Eisner, German socialist, is assassinated. His death results in the establishment of the Bavarian Soviet Republic and parliament and government fleeing Munich, Germany.

1921 – Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia adopts the country’s first constitution.

1925 – The New Yorker publishes its first issue.

1937 – Initial flight of the first successful flying car, Waldo Waterman’s Arrowbile.

1937 – The League of Nations bans foreign national “volunteers” in the Spanish Civil War.

1945 – World War II: Japanese Kamikaze planes sink the escort carrier Bismarck Sea and damage the Saratoga.

1947 – In New York City, Edwin Land demonstrates the first “instant camera”, the Polaroid Land Camera, to a meeting of the Optical Society of America.

1948 – NASCAR is incorporated.

1952 – The British government, under Winston Churchill, abolishes identity cards in the UK to “set the people free”.

1952 – In Dhaka, East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) police open fire on a procession of students that was demanding the establishment of Bengali as the official language, killing four people and starting a country-wide protest which led to the recognition of Bengali as one of the national languages of Pakistan. The day is later declared as “International Mother Language Day” by UNESCO.

1958 – The Peace symbol is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.

1965 – Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by members of the Nation of Islam.

1970 – Swissair Flight 330: A mid-air bomb explosion and subsequent crash kills 38 passengers and nine crew members near Zürich, Switzerland.

1971 – The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.

1972 – President Richard Nixon visits the People’s Republic of China to normalize Sino-American relations.

1972 – The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.

1973 – Over the Sinai Desert, Israeli fighter aircraft shoot down Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 jet killing 108.

1974 – The last Israeli soldiers leave the west bank of the Suez Canal pursuant to a truce with Egypt.

1975 – Watergate scandal: Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.

1995 – Steve Fossett lands in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.

2004 – The first European political party organization, the European Greens, is established in Rome.

2007 – Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigns from office. His resignation is rejected by the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

Holidays and observances

   * Christian Feast Day:

         o Pepin of Landen

         o Peter Damian

         o Randoald

         o February 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

   * International Mother Language Day (UNESCO)

   * Language Movement Day, celebrated by Bengali speaking people for gaining right of mother tongue. (Bangladesh)

   * The first day of Musikahan Festival, celebrated until February 27. (Tagum City)

Feb 21 2011

Six In The Morning

Gaddafi regime: We will fight to the end

 

Dictator’s son warns of civil war during rambling TV address as violent protests spread to Libyan capital

By Catrina Stewart and Kim Sengupta  Monday, 21 February 2011

In a a sign that the first cracks are starting to show in the Libyan regime, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son warned in a lengthy and rambling address broadcast live last night that the overthrow of the regime would lead to civil war and the break-up of the country.

The address by Saif Gaddafi, who is viewed as reform-minded in the West, came as the first major anti-government protests spread to the capital, Tripoli, striking at the heart of the regime and making Colonel Gaddafi’s 42-year hold on power appear increasingly precarious.

She Simply Chose Too Speak Out  



Chinese mother imprisoned for taking part in peaceful protest



AS YOU read  this Mao Hengfeng, a Chinese mother of three and a former factory worker, is being held in what the Chinese government calls a Re-education Through Labour (RTL) facility. Others would simply call it a labour camp. Her 18-month sentence is for taking part in a peaceful protest in support of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo last March.

But this is not the first time Mao Hengfeng has been behind bars. In 1988 she was working in a soap factory when she became pregnant with her third child, violating China’s family planning regulations. She was ordered by officials at the factory to have an abortion but she refused, determined to continue her pregnancy and give birth.

Don’t Be One of The…..  

 

Sheep aren’t stupid after all? That’s something to ruminate on



SHEEP are a byword  for stupidity and mindlessly following the crowd. But they are far more intelligent than they are given credit for.

Researchers have found that sheep have the brainpower to equal monkeys and, in some tests, even humans. They have advanced learning capabilities, are adaptable, can map out their surroundings mentally and may even be able to plan ahead.

Jenny Morton, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, said the intelligence of sheep was greatly underestimated.

We Really Don’t Want You Back

 

Madagascar blocks return of president

 

Marc Ravalomanana said  aviation authorities in Madagascar had written to South African Airways to say he was not welcome.

Ravalomanana had been booked on the carrier’s regular Saturday flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital.

“I’m very, very upset,” Ravalomanana told reporters shortly after South African Airways said he could not board the plane. “I’m very disappointed right now because many Malagasy people are at the airport waiting for my arrival. But I’m still here – I’m stuck here.”

Republicans Blinded By Ideology  

 

As Republicans See a Mandate on Budget Cuts, Others See Risk



WASHINGTON – In Congress and in statehouses, Republican lawmakers and governors are claiming a broad mandate from last year’s elections as they embark on an aggressive campaign of cutting government spending and taking on public unions. Their agenda echoes in its ambition what President Obama and Democrats tried after winning office in their own electoral wave in 2008.

In Washington, the House approved more than $60 billion in spending cuts before dawn on Saturday that would hit virtually every area of government, setting up a showdown with Senate Democrats and the White House.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie, who is embroiled in a political fight with the teachers’ union, is expected to call for drastic steps on Tuesday to close a roughly $10 billion budget gap.

The Silence Is Finally Broken

Former medical school site in Tokyo is connected to Unit 731, which used prisoners in germ and biological warfare programme

Japan unearths site linked to human experiments



Authorities in Japan have begun excavating the former site of a medical school that may contain the remains of victims of the country’s wartime germ and biological warfare programme.

The school has links to Unit 731, a branch of the imperial Japanese army that conducted lethal experiments on prisoners as part of efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The Japanese government has never officially acknowledged the unit’s existence, despite testimony from former members and a growing volume of documentary evidence.

Feb 21 2011

from firefly-dreaming 20.2.11

(midnight. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Regular Daily Features:

Essays Featured Sunday, February 20th:

come firefly-dreaming with me….

Feb 21 2011

From Egypt to Wisconsin with Love

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Michael Moore has asked that we spread this message from the trade unions and workers in Egypt to the unions and workers in Wisconsin. Also, wear something RED today in support of the Wisconsin state workers.

‘We Stand With You as You Stood With Us’

The poster in the background shows photographs of some of the recent young victims of the Mubarak government. The writing says they are among the martyrs of the 25 January Revolution.

KAMAL ABBAS: I am speaking to you from a place very close to Tahrir Square in Cairo, “Liberation Square”, which was the heart of the Revolution in Egypt. This is the place were many of our youth paid with their lives and blood in the struggle for our just rights.

From this place, I want you to know that we stand with you as you stood with us.

I want you to know that no power can challenge the will of the people when they believe in their rights. When they raise their voices loud and clear and struggle against exploitation.

No one believed that our revolution could succeed against the strongest dictatorship in the region. But in 18 days the revolution achieved the victory of the people. When the working class of Egypt joined the revolution on 9 and 10 February, the dictatorship was doomed and the victory of the people became inevitable.

We want you to know that we stand on your side. Stand firm and don’t waiver. Don’t give up on your rights. Victory always belongs to the people who stand firm and demand their just rights.

We and all the people of the world stand on your side and give you our full support.

As our just struggle for freedom, democracy and justice succeeded, your struggle will succeed. Victory belongs to you when you stand firm and remain steadfast in demanding your just rights.

We support you. we support the struggle of the peoples of Libya, Bahrain and Algeria, who are fighting for their just rights and falling martyrs in the face of the autocratic regimes. The peoples are determined to succeed no matter the sacrifices and they will be victorious.

Today is the day of the American workers. We salute you American workers! You will be victorious. Victory belongs to all the people of the world, who are fighting against exploitation, and for their just rights.

Feb 21 2011

DocuDharma Digest

Regular Features-

Featured Essays for February 20, 2011-

DocuDharma

Feb 21 2011

Pique the Geek 20110220: Phase Transitions

Everyone is familiar with phase transitions even it they are not familiar with the term.  Amongst the most familiar is the melting of ice and the boiling of water to form steam.  Technically, these transitions are called fusion and vaporization, respectively.  There are more and we shall discuss some of them later.

All phase transitions are accompanied by changes in the free energy of the substance undergoing the transition, and this free energy has two components, the enthalpy of the transition and the entropy of the transition.  Unless very careful work is being done, the entropy change is often ignored because it, in many cases, is the lesser contributor.  However, it is never zero (except at absolute zero) and sometimes is the dominant factor.

For now we shall just focus on the enthalpy.  This the amount of energy (heat) required to melt a given amount of a material.  For example, to melt ice requires almost exactly 6 kilojoules per mole (18 g).  That is why ice cools drinks, not so much because it is cold, but that it absorbs energy from its surroundings when it melts.  The process also requires that the ice melts at 0 degrees C, its melting point.  At normal pressures, ice can never be warmer than its melting point.  By the way, only one other common substance has a larger enthalpy of fusion, ammonia.

If you take a sensitive thermometer and place it in container of water mixed with ice and stir it well, you will see that the temperature of the system will not exceed 0 degrees C until all of the ice has melted, regardless of the amount of heat that you add to the system.  Once all of the ice has melted, the temperature will rise until the boiling point is reached, at sea level 100 degrees C.  It takes 40.7 kJ/mol to vaporize water at its boiling point, quite a bit more than to melt the ice.  Then the temperature levels out once again until all of the water has boilt away, and the water vapor begins to increase in temperature.

The fact that even though energy is being added but that the temperature stays the same during the phase transitions has led to those quantities being called the latent heats of fusion and vaporization, respectively.

Now, when the process is reversed, the same amounts of heat are released from the water as it condenses back from steam to liquid water, and from liquid water to ice.  This is one of the reasons that steam cooks things fairly rapidly, because as the steam condenses on the food, 40.7 kJ/mol is released onto the food, thus heating it.

Now, water has more phases than just ice, liquid, and steam.  Under enough pressure, ice itself undergoes phase transitions that change its crystal structure and its volume.  Unlike normal ice, these forms are more dense than liquid water, so those ice cubes would sink in a glass!  Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.  actually wrote a novel based on that fact called Ice Nine.   In his novel, ice IX was created in a laboratory and was found to be stable once the pressure was released, and it became very popular for drinks because the cubes did not float.

Unfortunately, in the book at least, it turned out that ice IX was thermodynamically more stable than normal ice, so once freezing water was exposed to ice IX, normal ice did not form.  The ramifications of this are actually quite grave.  Once seeded, all bodies of water would freeze from the bottom up, rather than from the top down.  Eventually the oceans would freeze solid and the planet would no longer support life, because the floating layer of normal ice actually insulates the water under it from the cold, keeping it liquid.  Fortunately, at atmospheric pressures only normal ice is in fact stable.

Ice IX was actually discovered many years after the novel, and it is indeed more dense than liquid water, but is less, not more stable than normal ice Ih, the h standing for hexagonal, the crystal structure of ordinary ice.  Actually over a dozen different phases of ice are known, but almost all of them require pressures of millions or billions of pascals of pressure to form.  Normal atmospheric pressure is about 101325 pascals, so there is little chance of encountering most of the other phases.

But there is yet another phase of water!  If you heat it to 374 degrees C or higher, at a pressure of 22.1 MP (about 218 atmospheres) it becomes a supercritical fluid, with the density near that of liquid water but with almost no viscosity, much like a gas.  Its solvent properties are also very different than liquid water, in that things like salt are no longer soluble in it.  On the other hand, organic materials like oils and such become soluble it supercritical water.  This gives rise to the supercritical water oxidation process wherein things like hazardous waste can be put into a reactor, brought up to temperature and pressure, and then be treated with oxygen, thus “burning” the waste.  This process is being used more and more, but obviously involves significant costs and technology.  However, it is sometimes an alternative to incineration, particularly for extremely hazardous materials because all of the effluent can be retained rather than going into the atmosphere.

Now, if the materials being oxidized form salts, there can be a problem in that since they are not soluble and can clog the reactor.  To solve this, solutions of other salts are introduced into the reactor to form eutectic mixtures with the salts being formed during the oxidation.  Whilst still insoluble, the melting point of the mixtures is lower than the supercritical water, so they remain liquid and can thus flow through the reactor.  Once the temperature and pressure is let down, through a complex valving system, the now ordinary water dissolves the salts.

You have probably seen supercritical water on TeeVee.  In very deep seawater in some places there are hydrothermal vents, and the temperature and pressure is sufficient to cause the water escaping from the vents to be supercritical.  If you look very carefully at the images, you can see a disturbance caused by the change in the index of refraction of the supercritical water versus the normal seawater nearby.

Solids can undergo phase changes other than melting.  We already talked about the different phases of ice, but a very common material that all of us exhale undergoes an interesting one.  Carbon dioxide, when subjected to pressure, condenses to a liquid.  It the pressure is suddenly released, it evaporates, and some of it gets cold enough to solidify because of the expansive cooling.  This carbon dioxide “snow” is them compressed to a solid called dry ice.  At atmospheric pressure, liquid carbon dioxide can not exist, so dry ice is converted directly from the solid phase to the gaseous phase, a process called sublimation.  That is why dry ice is dry.  It is also cold enough to freeze tissue, so always use tongs or wear heavy gloves when handling it, since you can get frostbite quickly.

Carbon dioxide also forms a supercritical fluid (most things do), and it is fairly commonly used.  Years ago, the standard EPA method for determining oil and grease in samples involved dissolving the oil in grease in a chlorofluorcarbon, one of the Freons, and then evaporating the Freon away, leaving the oil and grease.  Because of the limitations of producing Freon because of its ozone depleting potential, supercritical carbon dioxide is now the standard material for extracting oil and grease in laboratories.

Supercritical carbon dioxide also finds use in the food and beverage industry.  In the old days, decaffeinated coffee and tea were made by extracting coffee beans or tea leaves with chlorinated solvents, like dichloromethane or chloroform.  Because of health concerns involved with ingestion of trace residues of the solvents, a new process was developed that replaces those solvents with carbon dioxide.  Most of the caffeine used in medicine and in energy drinks is derived from the decaffeinated coffee and tea industry.

It is easy to see a phase change like melting or boiling, but ones that take place betwixt to solid phases are more difficult to detect.  There is a way, however.  A technique called differential scanning calorimetry measures the flow of heat through a sample and a reference material using a pair of matched thermocouples.  The reference material is chosen to be one that does not have any phase transition along the temperature range being investigated.  As both materials are heated, the temperature changes are measured.  At a phase change in the sample, say a change from one crystal structure to another, heat will either be released (an exotherm) or absorbed (an endotherm depending on whether energy is released or absorbed in the process.  For example, if you were to perform DSC of a piece of ice, you would see flat line until the melting point is reached, then an endotherm, because it takes energy to melt the ice.  If you were cooling water, at the freezing point (just the same as the melting point) you would see an exotherm because energy is released during freezing.

Two final, and related points.  Sometimes it is possible to cool a liquid below its freezing point without it freezing.  This is called supercooling and usually occurs with pure liquids in very smooth containers.  An alternate process, called superheating can occur when a liquid is brought to a temperature above its boiling point without boiling.  Once again, this usually has to do with pure liquids and very smooth containers.  This can actually be quite dangerous, as when a new, and thus not scratched, tea cup is put into the microwave oven to heat the water for a tea bag.  As soon as the cup is removed or the tea bag added, all of the water erupts out of the cup and can cause a bad scalding.  I have witnessed this happen.  So, always use an old cup to heat water.  Both of these things happen because there are no nucleation sites where the liquid can either start freezing or boiling.  But bump the container or add nucleation sites and the water, already over its boiling point, erupts out of the cup.

In chemistry laboratories it is common practice to add boiling chips to liquids being heated in glassware to prevent this from happening.  In the laboratory this effect is called bumping.

Well, you have done it again!  You have wasted many perfectly good einsteins of photons reading this transitional piece.  And even though Ted Nugent acts like a normal person when he reads me say it, I always learn much more than I could possibly hope to teach by writing this series, so keep those comments, questions, corrections, and other feedback coming.  I will stay for Comment Time and come back around 9:00 PM Eastern tomorrow for Review Time.

Warmest regards,

Doc

Crossposted at Dailykos.com, Antemedius.com, and Docudharma.com

Feb 21 2011

Prime Time

A new season of Amazing Race.  Animation dominaton on Faux (all premiers).  SNL marathon.  Nature has a very sad premier about Tigers.  Masterpiece Theater spins a yarn about Ian Fleming.

And the NBA All Star Game on TNT.

Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There’s no escape. I’m God’s lonely man… June 8th. My life has taken another turn again. The days can go on with regularity over and over, one day indistinguishable from the next. A long continuous chain. Then suddenly, there is a change.

I’ll tell you why. I think you’re a lonely person. I drive by this place a lot and I see you here. I see a lot of people around you. And I see all these phones and all this stuff on your desk. It means nothing. Then when I came inside and I met you, I saw in your eyes and I saw the way you carried yourself that you’re not a happy person. And I think you need something. And if you want to call it a friend, you can call it a friend.

Later-

Child, how can you see with all that light?

Widdicome, Gutterman, Applewhite, Bibberman and Black. You want to talk to Mr. Gutterman? One moment, sir. I’ll connect you. Widdicome, Gutterman, Applewhite, Bibberman and Black. Oh, yes Mr. Bibberman. You’d like to talk with Mr. Applewhite? Oh, yes, sir, he’s in. I’ll connect you. Widdicome, Gutterman, Applewhite, Bib-bib-bib-blib-bibman and Black? Oh yes, long distance, how are you? Oh. Mr Widdecome? I have your San Francisco call for you. Yes, Mr. Bibberman? Oh. Did I connect you to Mr. Gutterman instead of Mr. Applewhite? I’m sorry Mr. Bibbicome, Bibbibibbib. Oh Mr. Applewhite, what are you doing in that hole with Mr. Gutterman? Yes Mr. Widdicome? Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I’ll try to reconnect you again with San Francisco. Let me see, Mr. Bibibib is in there talking to Mr. Bubbawhite. Where on earth is Mr. Applewhite? Oh, there you are Mr. Applewhite! Mr. Widdicome, there’s no such place as San Francisco. Please! Mr. Bibibib? Mr. Widdicome?

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

Feb 21 2011

Reporting the Revolution: They Will Not Be Silenced (Up Date)

(8 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

class=”BrightcoveExperience”>From mishima‘s Ignoring Asia: Libyan Uprising Live Blog

This is The Guardian Live Blog from Libya

The protests against repressive regimes has taken a violent turn over the last three days with police, the military and some armed counter protesters shooting and beating the unarmed, peaceful demonstrators in Bahrain, Libya and other countries in the region. Yesterday Human Rights Watch has reported at 173 protesters have been killed over the last five days in Libya and reports from hospitals there say 20 more were killed on Sunday. Other sources are putting the death toll at over 200. Reporting is hampered because journalists and the news media has been barred.  The US is relying on reports from the HRW and other observers. News coming in from CNN say that [Benghazi now in the hands of Libyan protesters and that some of the military has now gone over to supporting the protest. CNN has reports coming from citizens, on the ground in Libya, calling the network.

Saif el Islam, Gaddafi’s son spoke on Libyan state TV. It is unknown if the telecast was live or taped.

Gaddafi’s son talks of conspiracy

Clashes between anti-government protesters and Gaddafi supporters escalate, as army unit ‘defects’ in Benghazi

Saif el Islam, Gaddafi’s son speaking live on Libyan television says there is a plot to break Libya into small Islamic states.

While admitting that the army and police made mistakes during protests, he said reported death tolls were exaggerated.

He warned of a civil war that will burn Libya’s oil wealth and of a “foreign conspiracy by fellow Arabs” set in motion against Libya.

He said protesters have seized control of some military bases and tanks.

Appearing on Libyan state television Sunday night, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi warned of civil war in the country that would burn its oil wealth.

He also acknowledged that the army made mistakes during protests because troops were not prepared to battle demonstrators.

Address comes as security forces have shot dead scores of protesters in Libya’s second largest city, where residents said a military unit had joined their cause.

.

The Guardian has Live Blogs covering Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Morocco.

Al Jazeera English also has a Live Blog of Libya

Up Date: 2/21 @ 0200hrs EST:

Rights Advocate Warns Massacre Looming in Libya

An official of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said her organization is increasingly concerned and seriously alarmed about what she described as the ongoing murder of unarmed protesters who are demanding reforms in Libya.

Heba Fatma Morayef, researcher for the Rights Organization for Egypt and Libya, told VOA it appears is behind the shootings deaths of the unarmed protesters since the Tunisian and Egyptian-inspired protests in the North African country.

“The overall death toll now is at 223 and that is just in the previous days. Regardless of who is doing the shooting, in this case, whether its mercenaries, whether its plainclothes individuals with weapons, the responsibility remains (for) the state to protect the demonstrators,” said Morayef.

Oil Rises as Libya Violence Prompts Middle East Supply Concern

Oil for April delivery rose for a fourth day in New York as violence escalated in Libya, bolstering concern supplies will be disrupted as turmoil spreads through the Middle East and North Africa.

Crude gained as much as 2.2 percent after Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s son warned that a civil war would risk the country’s oil wealth. Security forces have launched attacks on anti-government protesters, killing more than 200 people, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch. The North African nation, holder of the largest crude reserves on the continent, pumped 1.6 million barrels a day of oil in January, equivalent of about 8 percent of U.S. consumption.

US condemns Libya crackdown

Top US and EU diplomats denounce violence against protesters but stop short of calling for a change of government.

Western countries have expressed concern at the rising violence against demonstrators in Libya.

The United States said it was deeply concerned by credible reports of hundreds of deaths and injuries during protests in Libya, and urged the government to allow demonstrators to protest peacefully.

“The United States is gravely concerned with disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. “We have raised to a number of Libyan officials … our strong objections to the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators.”

The State Department said US embassy dependents were being encouraged to leave Libya and US citizens were urged to defer nonessential travel to the country.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice spoke out against brutal crackdowns on protesters in Libya and Bahrain but stopped short of calling for a change of government in any of the countries facing large protests.

Gaddafi’s son warns of civil war

Appearing on Libyan state television, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi says his father is in the country and has support of army.

A son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has promised a programme of reforms after bloody protests against his father’s rule reached the capital, Tripoli.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi also hit out at those behind the violence. He said protests against his father’s rule, which have been concentrated in the east of the country, threatened to sink Libya into civil war and split the country up into several small states.

Gaddafi’s turbulent US relations

Libya has become a key player despite decades-long image of political pariah.

A weedy, overgrown backyard in Englewood, New Jersey seemed likely for a time last week to become the scene of the latest flashpoint in Libyan-US relations.

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, is planning his first visit to the US since he seized power in a military coup 40 years ago. He is set to address the yearly UN General Assembly in September.

Now, wherever the long-time Libyan leader goes, he likes to take a little bit of Libya with him – in the form of a huge, air-conditioned Bedouin-style tent. He pitched his pavilion in the Kremlin during a visit to Moscow. In Rome, the tent sat prominently in a public park.

Gaddafi initially planned to set up camp in Manhattan’s Central Park, but Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, said no dice.  So a squadron of gardeners and construction workers descended on the dilapidated estate of Libya’s UN ambassador in lovely Englewood, a suburb of 30,000 people with a large Orthodox Jewish community.

You can guess what happened next. Protests were organised. Petitions were passed around. Lawsuits flew hither and yon.

Perhaps unexpectedly, Gaddafi backed down. There will be no tent party in Englewood, and the Colonel will stick to Manhattan on his visit.

Tunisia seeks Ben Ali’s extradition

Officials have formally requested the extradition of former president from Saudi Arabia, where he fled last month.

The 74-year-old former leader is reportedly very ill in hospital after suffering a stroke. Rumours are rife that the former leader might be dead.

Moroccans march to seek change

Demonstrators demand large-scale political and economic reforms in the North African kingdom.

Calls for change sweeping the Arab world have now spread to the kingdom of Morocco, where thousands of people have taken to the streets in the capital to demand a new constitution.

The demonstrators shouted slogans calling for economic opportunity, educational reform, better health services and help in coping with rising living costs during the march on central Hassan II Avenue in Rabat on Sunday.

A protest organiser said the turnout at the rally was more than 5,000. But police said fewer than 3,000 people had marched.

Many in the crowd waved Tunisian and Egyptian flags, in recognition of the uprisings that toppled the two country’s long-standing rulers.

Algerian police break up protest

Several people are injured and others are arrested as police thwart pro-democracy rally in capital Algiers, reports say.

Algerian police in riot gear have used batons to break up a crowd of hundreds of opposition supporters trying to take part in a protest march inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.

Police brandishing clubs, but no firearms, weaved their way through the crowd in central Algiers on Saturday, banging their shields, tackling some protesters and keeping traffic flowing through the planned march route.

Reports of new protests in Iran

Security forces clashed with anti-government protesters and briefly detained the daughter of Iran’s former president.

There are reports of renewed anti-government protests in Iran, with demonstrators taking to the streets in several cities across the country.

There have also been clashes between protesters and security forces, posts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter said on Sunday. There were also reports of one protester being shot dead in Tehran, a story denied by government official in state media.

The official IRNA reported that Faezeh Rafsanjani, the daughter of ex-president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been among those arrested for particiapting in the protest. Fars news agency reported that she was released shortly thereafter.

Shots fired at Yemen demonstration

Leader of Yemen’s separatist movement arrested in Aden amid countrywide protests against President Saleh.

Shots have been fired at a demonstration in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as anti-government protests in the impoverished Arab country entered their 11th consecutive day.

Thousands of people also staged sit-ins in the cities of Ibb and Taiz on Sunday, demanding the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who renewed his call for opposition parties to pursue a dialogue with the government.

Some of the latest news from the region and China:

China is concerned

Chinese security officials questioned or detained scores of activists at the weekend and warned others against staging protests after an online call was made for demonstrations in 13 cities, campaigners said.

The message, posted on an overseas website on Saturday, was titled: “The jasmine revolution in China”. The swift crackdown underlined the anxiety of authorities in the wake of the Egypt uprising and protests across the Middle East.

The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy estimated that more than 100 activists across the country were taken away by police, prevented from leaving home or were missing.

Wang Songlian, of the Chinese Human Rights Defenders network, said more than 40 campaigners or dissidents had been summoned or questioned by police or placed under “soft detention” at home or elsewhere. In many more cases, police had visited people to ask them what they were doing or warn them not to take part, she said.

From CNN:

Libya’s ambassador to the Arab League said Sunday he resigned his position on Saturday over “the killing of innocent people.” Abdel Ehuni said the protesters are asking for “normal things” and that Gadhafi is “over, finished.” He speculated that the Libyan leader has only a day or two left in power because “he lost the people.”

Libya defiant as protests spread to Tripoli amid rising death toll

Reports of clashes in Libyan capital, with protesters said to be preparing to march on Gaddafi’s compound

Libya is defying international condemnation of a bloody crackdown that saw troops and mercenaries shooting unarmed demonstrators as the crisis spread to Tripoli and the death toll rose to more than 200.

The most violent scenes so far of the wave of protests sweeping the Arab world were seen in its most repressive country, as Muammar Gaddafi resorted to force to crush what began last week as peaceful protests but may now threaten his 41-year rule.

Libya protests: gunshots, screams and talk of revolution

Benghazi student says fear of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime is ebbing away

Afraid to leave her barricaded home on the outskirts of Benghazi, a student blogger and member of Libya’s youth protest movement sat shaking as she described the violence unleashed on the Mediterranean city in five days of demonstrations against the Libyan regime.

“I’ve seen violent movies and video games that are nothing compared to this. I can hear gunshots, helicopters circling overhead, then I hear the voices screaming. I can hear the screeching of four-by-fours in the street. No one has that type of car except his (Gaddafi’s) people,” she told the Guardian by phone, occasionally crying. “My brother went to get bread, he’s not back; we don’t know if he’ll get back. The family is up all night every night, keeping watch, no one can sleep.”

Libya protests analysis: ‘For Muammar Gaddafi it’s kill or be killed’

Libya’s leader faces the worst unrest since he seized power, but no-one expects him to give up peacefully

Libya’s official name is the Jamahiriya, or “state of the masses”, but 41 years after seizing power, a defiant Muammar Gaddafi still rules through secretive decision-making and as a family enterprise in which his sons play leading roles.

Now facing the worst unrest since the revolution, Gaddafi’s moves are as opaque as ever. Amid feverish speculation about the future, everything he has ever done suggests he will not relinquish power voluntarily. “We will all die on Libyan soil,” sources close to his family told the Saudi paper al-Sharq al-Awsat.

Bahrain protesters reclaim Pearl roundabout in central Manama

The standoff in central Manama ends with troops moving out and the return of jubilant demonstrators demanding change

Protesters have reclaimed Pearl roundabout in central Manama as a hub of anti-government dissent after security forces abruptly surrendered the site they had violently seized three days ago.

Bahrain’s crown prince yesterday ordered troops and riot police to withdraw from the site they had blockaded since Thursday morning. He announced a day of mourning for the seven protesters killed during a week of clashes between the tiny nation’s Shia majority and forces loyal to the ruling Sunni dynasty. Around 200 more people have been wounded.

By nightfall, one of the biggest public gatherings in Manama in more than 20 years had swelled to around 40,000 people, with thousands more streaming towards the roundabout that has taken on Tahrir Square-like significance in Bahrain’s anti-government movement.

U.S. Offered Rosy View Before Bahrain Crackdown

At a town-hall-style meeting in Bahrain two months ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton got a pointed question from a member of Bahrain’s Parliament: was the United States letting Bahrain, a Persian Gulf ally, off the hook for a string of arrests of lawyers and human rights activists?

The moderator rebuked the questioner for “hijacking the mike,” but Mrs. Clinton replied anyway. “I see the glass as half full,” she said, pointing to Bahrain’s recent elections. “I think the changes that are happening in Bahrain are much greater than what I see in many other countries in the region and beyond.”

British government approved sale of crowd control equipment to Libya

Foreign Office figures show export licences were valued at more than £200m over the first nine months of last year

The British government has approved the sale to Libya of a wide range of equipment for use against civilians, including teargas and “crowd control ammunition”, official reports show.

Export licences increased significantly and were valued at more than £200m over the first nine months of last year, according to the latest figures compiled by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for the Foreign Office.

The military government in Egypt took more steps toward a handover of power. State television reported that that within six months, the government would end the so-called emergency law which, for 30 years, has allowed detentions without charges or trial. The judge heading the effort to draft constitutional amendments said his panel might produce recommendations as early as Sunday, for a referendum in the coming weeks. And the government recognized the first new political party formed since the revolution, a moderate Islamist group that has sought recognition for 15 years.

Confusion over Suez ship crossing

Iran media says two warships used the waterway to reach Mediterranean, a claim dismissed by an Egyptian official.

Iranian media has reported that two Iranian warships were in the Mediterranean, in the first such passage since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution and on their way to a Syrian port.

However, a senior Suez Canal official denied the report on Sunday, saying that the warships had yet to reach Egypt’s waterway to cross into the Mediterranean.

“No Iranian ships have passed. Not today, not yesterday, not the day before,” Ahmed al-Manakhly, the head of the canal’s operations room, told AFP news agency.

Feb 21 2011

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 More Libya fighting amid fears of ‘catastrophe’

AFP

58 mins ago

CAIRO (AFP) – Anti-regime protests spread closer to the Libyan capital on Sunday and new fighting erupted in the flashpoint city of Benghazi, as Human Rights Watch said it feared a catastrophe with more than 170 people dead in an iron-fisted crackdown.

France called the government response “unacceptable” and “totally disproportionate,” and people in London and Cairo protested against Moamer Kadhafi who has ruled the oil-rich North African country for four decades.

In the face of outside criticism, Libya warned Europe it would stop cooperating in the fight against illegal immigration if the European Union does not stop encouraging pro-democracy protests.

AFP

2 Libya follows deadly crackdown with mass arrests

AFP

Sat Feb 19, 7:21 pm ET

TRIPOLI (AFP) – Libyan authorities arrested dozens of foreign Arab nationals for allegedly stoking anti-regime protests amid reports that security forces had killed more than 80 people in a deadly crackdown.

Those detained in several Libyan cities were members of a “foreign network (and were) trained to damage Libya’s stability, the safety of its citizens and national unity,” the official Jana news agency said, hinting that Israel was behind the alleged plot.

Sources close to the investigation, quoted by the agency late Saturday, said the group included Tunisian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Turkish citizens.

3 Libya death toll tops 100: Human Rights Watch

AFP

Sun Feb 20, 7:49 am ET

CAIRO (AFP) – More than 100 people have died in an iron-fisted security crackdown in unrest-swept eastern Libya, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday, fearing a “catastrophe” as protests spread closer to the capital.

Witnesses told AFP by telephone that security forces clashed with anti-regime demonstrators in the Mediterranean city of Misrata, 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Tripoli.

Demonstrators were out on the streets of Misrata in a show of support for residents of Benghazi who have endured the brunt of a violent crackdown in eastern Libya, they said.

4 Bahrain reform urged as protesters stand firm

by Taieb Mahjoub, AFP

1 hr 45 mins ago

MANAMA (AFP) – Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim ruling family came under increased pressure to open in-depth negotiations with the Shiite-led opposition on Sunday, as protesters erected more tents on the capital’s Pearl Square.

Dozens of workers also joined the protesters, and more than 1,000 medics marched on the square to demand the resignation of the health minister, whom they accused of slowing aid to protesters during a deadly police crackdown.

After nightfall, an AFP correspondent reported thousands more people converging on the roundabout, which has been the focal point of demonstrations that have rocked the small but strategic Gulf kingdom since February 14.

5 Bahrain protesters back in square as troops leave

by Taieb Mahjoub, AFP

Sat Feb 19, 4:41 pm ET

MANAMA (AFP) – Thousands of jubilant Bahrainis returned on Saturday to Manama’s Pearl Square, the focal point of bloody anti-regime demonstrations, after police and troops withdrew in an apparently conciliatory move.

After the security force pull-out, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa ordered that they were to stay away.

Salman, deputy commander of the armed forces, ordered “all security forces to immediately withdraw from assembly areas,” the BNA state news agency reported.

6 Huge police presence blocks large demos in Tehran

AFP

1 hr 16 mins ago

TEHRAN (AFP) – A massive police deployment in Tehran prevented largescale protests on Sunday although Iranian opposition websites reported stray clashes but officials said the capital remained calm.

Iran’s Fars news agency, meanwhile, said Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was briefly arrested while “leading anti-revolutionaries and rioters” in Tehran.

Witnesses said a heavy deployment of riot police and Basij militiamen in key squares of Tehran such as Haft-e Tir ensured that anti-government demonstrators were unable to stage significant protests.

7 China cracks down after calls for protests

by Robert Saiget, AFP

Sun Feb 20, 7:07 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – China has detained top activists and deployed heavy security in large cities after the launch of a web campaign calling for protests echoing popular uprisings in the Arab world, campaigners said on Sunday.

Up to 100 leading Chinese rights lawyers and activists have disappeared since Saturday with police also descending onto protest sites around the nation, ready to put down any unrest, campaigners said.

The government appeared to be censoring Internet and text messages calling for the demonstrations, revealing deep-seated concerns among Chinese leaders over the possibility of Arab-style protests spreading to China.

8 Uganda’s Museveni cruises to re-election

by Francois Ausseill, AFP

Sun Feb 20, 11:23 am ET

KAMPALA (AFP) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni cruised to a new five-year term Sunday, taking more than two thirds of the vote in elections the opposition said were marred by fraud.

Museveni, 66, was comfortably re-elected at the helm of the east African country, soon to become an oil-producing nation, with 68.38 percent of Friday’s vote, according to full provisional results.

“The commission declares the candidate Yoweri Museveni elected president of the Republic of Uganda,” commission chairman Badru Kiggundu said.

9 Iceland president calls referendum on new Icesave deal

by Agnes Valdimarsdottir, AFP

57 mins ago

REYKJAVIK (AFP) – Iceland’s president on Sunday called a referendum on a new deal reached with Britain and The Netherlands to repay money lost in the collapse of the Icesave bank.

“The citizens of Iceland will get to vote on these new Icesave contracts,” President Olafur Grimsson told reporters in Reykjavik.

His announcement came after Iceland’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favour of the new Icesave deal and voted down by a slim majority the idea of putting the issue to a referendum.

10 Lawmakers downplay risk of US government shutdown

AFP

28 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – American lawmakers, battling over spending cuts, minimized the risk Sunday that the fierce debate between Republicans and Democrats would lead to a shutdown of the US government.

“We’re not looking for a government shutdown, but at the same time we’re also not looking at rubber stamping these really high elevated spending levels that Congress blew through the joint two years ago,” said Representative Paul Ryan, chairman of the House budget committee, told CBS News.

“We don’t want to accept these extremely high levels of spending while we negotiate how to continue funding the government.”

11 House budget cuts raise spectre of US govt shutdown

by Ken Maguire, AFP

Sun Feb 20, 6:25 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Historic spending cuts approved by the US House of Representatives face a grim future in the Senate, raising prospects of a government shutdown and ramping up the public relations blame game.

After a marathon floor debate running well past midnight, the Republican-controlled House voted Saturday to cut about $61 billion in government spending.

US President Barack Obama’s administration and leaders in the Senate, controlled by Democrats, immediately criticized the move.

12 Kiwis maul Kenya, Sri Lanka thrash Canada at W.Cup

by John Weaver, AFP

2 hrs 55 mins ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) – New Zealand crushed Kenya Sunday in an embarrassingly one-sided World Cup mismatch and joint hosts Sri Lanka destroyed Canada on a sobering day for the minnows of the game.

Kenya were beaten by 10 wickets after being dismissed for just 69 — their lowest ever World Cup total and the fifth worst in tournament history as the 2003 semi-finalists looked out of their depth in Chennai.

Kenya’s pallid showing came at the worst possible time for the smaller nations, who are fighting for their future at the event, with international cricket chiefs planning to cut participants from 14 to 10 in 2015.

13 Global warming could spur toxic algae, bacteria in seas

by Karin Zeitvogel, AFP

Sat Feb 19, 5:01 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Global warming could spur the growth of toxic algae and bacteria in the world’s seas and lakes, with an impact that could be felt in 10 years, US scientists said Saturday.

Studies have shown that shifts brought about by climate change make ocean and freshwater environments more susceptible to toxic algae blooms and allow harmful microbes and bacteria to proliferate, according to researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In one study, NOAA scientists modeled future ocean and weather patterns to predict the effect on blooms of Alexandrium catenella, or the toxic “red tide,” which can accumulate in shellfish and cause severe symptoms, including paralysis, in humans who eat the contaminated seafood.

14 Deadliest Afghan attack in months kills 38

AFP

Sun Feb 20, 8:27 am ET

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AFP) – A Taliban attack on a bank in eastern Afghanistan killed 38 people and wounded more than 70 others, officials said on Sunday, in the deadliest attack since June last year.

Five suicide bombers dressed in police and army uniforms and armed with machine guns stormed a branch of Kabul Bank in Jalalabad on Saturday, initiating a stand off with security forces that lasted several hours.

Also in the restive east, NATO announced it would sent an assessment team to Kunar province to investigate allegations by the governor that coalition forces killed more than 50 civilians during operations over the past few days.

15 Bank scandal highlights Afghan corruption

by Katherine Haddon, AFP

Sat Feb 19, 9:41 pm ET

KABUL (AFP) – Featuring a world-class poker player, a brother of the president and a reported $900 million in missing cash, the poisonous scandal over Afghanistan’s Kabul Bank could be straight out of a thriller.

But the near-collapse of the impoverished war-torn country’s biggest commercial lender is very real, highlighting endemic corruption among Kabul’s elite and threatening major losses for thousands of ordinary people.

As President Hamid Karzai’s government and Western officials trade fresh accusations over the affair, it also underlines stormy relations between the two sides, five months before a limited withdrawal of international troops starts.

16 Poland’s cassock-clad priests vie in "papal" ski race

by Maja Czarnecka, AFP

Sun Feb 20, 3:00 am ET

WISLA, Poland (AFP) – Slaloming down the slopes in billowing cassocks in the tracks of their late compatriot Pope John Paul II, Polish priests vie for the “papal cup” prize in the annual clergy ski championships.

Each year ski-mad priests flock to Poland’s southern Beskid Slaski mountain range bordering the Czech Republic to indulge their passion, as bemused fellow skiers watch them whiz by in their priestly garb.

“Each year, this is how we kick-off the competition for the John Paul II cup,” explained Father Damian, one of the organizers of the recent event that first started 14 years ago.

Reuters

17 Libya protesters seize streets as Bahrain mood eases

Reuters

1 hr 36 mins ago

TRIPOLI/MANAMA (Reuters) – Libyans protesting against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule appeared to control the streets of Benghazi on Sunday, even though the security forces have killed scores in the bloodiest of multiple revolts now rocking the Arab world.

Witnesses said Libya’s second city was in chaos, with government buildings ransacked and troops and police forced to retreat to a fortified compound, from where they picked off demonstrators with sniper and heavy-weapons fire.

“The security forces are in their barracks and the city is in a state of civil mutiny,” one witness told Reuters.

18 Berlusconi under fire for not "disturbing" Gaddafi

By Deepa Babington, Reuters

52 mins ago

ROME (Reuters) – Opposition lawmakers criticised Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for failing to condemn violence in Libya and saying he did not want to “disturb” Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during the revolt in his country.

Berlusconi’s government, which has aggressively courted Libyan petrodollars and rolled out the red carpet during Gaddafi’s multiple visits to Italy, has said little on Libya’s crackdown on protesters that has killed more than 170 people.

Pressed by reporters on whether he had spoken to Gaddafi since the uprising began, Berlusconi said on Saturday: “No, I haven’t been in contact with him. The situation is still in flux and so I will not allow myself to disturb anyone.”

19 Yemen separatist leader arrested, protests draw fire

By Mohammed Mukhashaf and Mohammed Ghobari, Reuters

Sun Feb 20, 7:51 am ET

ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) – The leader of Yemen’s secessionist Southern Movement was arrested in Aden and shots were fired at a demonstration in Sanaa on Sunday as unrest hit the impoverished Arab country for a ninth consecutive day.

Thousands of people also staged sit-ins in the cities of Ibb and Taiz, demanding the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who renewed his call for opposition parties to pursue a dialogue with the government.

Saleh, a U.S. ally battling a resurgent al Qaeda wing based in Yemen, has held power for 32 years in an Arabian Peninsula state that faces soaring unemployment, dwindling oil and water reserves, and chronic unrest in northern and southern provinces.

20 Pause in U.S. Pakistan strikes seen linked to U.S. prisoner

By Missy Ryan, Reuters

1 hr 55 mins ago

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The United States has halted drone attacks on militants along Pakistan’s western border in a development analysts believe is linked to U.S. attempts to secure the release of a jailed U.S. consular employee.

After months of frequent strikes from unmanned U.S. aircraft on militant hideouts in tribal areas on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, where bloodshed has hit record levels, reports of covert strikes have gone quiet for over three weeks.

Many analysts believe Washington has stopped the attacks to avoid further inflaming anti-American fury in Pakistan just as it pressures a vulnerable Islamabad government to release Raymond Davis, a U.S. consulate employee imprisoned after shooting two Pakistanis last month during what he said was an attempted robbery.

21 Governor Walker says Dems failed to do their job

By James Kelleher, Reuters

59 mins ago

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, whose bid to reduce public employee union bargaining power has triggered mass public protest, said on Sunday he expects the Democrats who oppose his plan will concede to debate the issue early this week.

Fourteen state Democratic senators, who have left the state to deny the Wisconsin legislature a quorum needed to consider the controversial proposal, have “failed to do their jobs,” the Republican governor said on Fox Network’s “Fox News Sunday.”

“If you want to participate in democracy, you’ve got to be in the arena, and the arena is right here in Madison, Wisconsin,” he said.

22 In Madison, two sides in bitter fight agree over beers

By James Kelleher, Reuters

Sat Feb 19, 10:08 pm ET

MADISON (Reuters) – When the two sides in Wisconsin’s bitter battle over the future of the state’s unionized public employees converged on the Capitol on Saturday for dueling rallies, the fear was trouble would break out.

Instead, the day was marked by a surprising civility when the shouting stopped and the one-on-one conversations began.

The slogans they had chanted had highlighted the stark differences that separated them.

AP

23 Libyan forces fire on mourners at funeral again

By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press

1 hr 42 mins ago

CAIRO – Libyan forces fired machine-guns at thousands of mourners marching in a funeral for anti-government protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi Sunday, a day after commandos and foreign mercenaries loyal to longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi attacked demonstrators with assault rifles and other heavy weapons.

A doctor at one Benghazi hospital where many of the casualties are being taken said 20 people were killed Sunday. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said 173 people died – mostly in Benghazi – in three days of unrest from Thursday through Saturday. A Switzerland-based Libyan activist said 11 people were killed in the city of Beyida on Wednesday. The latest numbers brought the toll to at least 204 since Wednesday, although a precise count has been difficult because of Libya’s tight restrictions on reporting.

The crackdown in oil-rich Libya is shaping up to be the most brutal repression of anti-government protests that began with uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. The protests spread quickly around the region to Bahrain in the Gulf, impoverished Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, the North African neighbors of Tunisia – Libya, Algeria, Morocco – and outside the Middle East to places including the East African nation of Djibouti and even China.

24 Yemen president struggles to quell protests

AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press

1 hr 30 mins ago

SANAA, Yemen – Yemen’s embattled president on Sunday sought a way out of the political crisis gripping his impoverished Arab nation, offering to oversee a dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition to defuse the standoff with protesters demanding his ouster.

The offer by the U.S.-backed Ali Abdullah Saleh – which opposition groups swiftly rejected – came as protests calling for his ouster continued in at least four cities around the country for the 11th straight day.

A 17-year-old demonstrator was killed Sunday evening in the port city of Aden when the army opened fire to disperse a march there, bringing the death toll to nine since the protests began.

25 China tries to stamp out ‘Jasmine Revolution’

By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press

2 hrs 59 mins ago

BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities wary of any domestic dissent staged a show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a “Jasmine Revolution,” with only a handful of people joining protests apparently modeled on the pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.

Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some cell phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.

Police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to place white jasmine flowers on a planter while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald’s on the capital’s busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.

26 Bahrain opposition plots strategy before talks

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and BARBARA SURK, Associated Press

11 mins ago

MANAMA, Bahrain – Bahrain’s opposition wants the nation’s rulers to guarantee they will back up their conciliatory words with actions, a Shiite leader said Sunday as he and other activists weighed the regime’s offer for talks after nearly a week of protests and deadly clashes that have divided the Gulf nation.

The streets in the tiny but strategically important island kingdom were calmer as efforts shifted toward political haggling over demands the monarchy give up its near-absolute control over key policies and positions.

But bitterness and tensions still run deep after seesaw battles that saw riot police opening fire on protesters trying to reclaim landmark Pearl Square and then pulling back to allow them to occupy it. At least seven people have been killed and hundreds injured since the Arab wave for change reached the Gulf last Monday. The protesters were preparing to spend another night in the square by late Sunday.

27 Banks reopen in Egypt after week closure

By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP Business Writer

25 mins ago

CAIRO – Banks across Egypt threw open their doors Sunday, returning to business after an almost weeklong closure mandated by the central bank because of strikes and labor protests that have hampered efforts to reboot the nation’s economy.

It marked the second time in three weeks that Egypt’s banks have reopened after a state-ordered closure, highlighting the uncertainty that prevails in the country more than a week after mass demonstrations toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak. An earlier attempt to open the banks and establish a semblance of normalcy during the height of the anti-government protests lasted only a week before the lenders were ordered shut.

Reopening the banks is a critical step in returning to business as usual in a country where the sense of hope sparked by Mubarak’s ouster is tempered by the frustration that comes with crafting a new political framework while also trying to allow people to move on with their lives.

28 US condemns crackdowns on Mideast protests

By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press

52 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A senior U.S. diplomat on Sunday condemned the brutal crackdown on opposition protesters in Libya, saying Arab leaders facing pro-democracy protests need to lead the way rather than resist reform.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Obama administration was “very concerned” about reported armed attacks by Libyan security forces on peaceful protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi.

“We’ve condemned that violence,” Rice told “Meet the Press” on NBC. “Our view is that in Libya as throughout the region peaceful protests need to be respected.”

29 NATO disputes claims it killed 64 Afghan civilians

By DEB RIECHMANN and RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press

24 mins ago

KABUL, Afghanistan – Tribal elders in a remote part of northeastern Afghanistan claimed Sunday that NATO forces killed 64 civilians in air and ground strikes over the past four days. The international coalition denied the claim, saying video showed troops targeting and killing dozens of insurgents.

Coalition and Afghan officials plan to go to the Ghazi Abad district of Kunbar province, a hotbed of the insurgency, on Monday to investigate. Civilian casualties have been a constant source of friction between coalition troops and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Tribal elders told the provincial governor that air strikes hit a village in the area and that “women and children had been killed inside their houses,” said Nawrdin Safi, a member of the Kunar provincial council.

30 Memories of 1995 haunt GOP as shutdown talk grows

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

1 hr 56 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Few memories haunt Republicans more deeply than the 1995-96 partial shutdown of the federal government, which helped President Bill Clinton reverse his falling fortunes and recast House Republicans as stubborn partisans, not savvy insurgents.

Now, as Congress careens toward a budget impasse, government insiders wonder if another shutdown is imminent – and whether Republicans again would suffer the most blame.

Leaders of both parties say they are determined to avoid a shutdown. But they have not yielded on the amount of spending cuts they will demand or accept. Meanwhile, shutdown talk is rippling through Washington and beyond.

31 Wis. gov holds his ground as protests enter day 6

By RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press

10 mins ago

MADISON, Wis. – Gov. Scott Walker predicted Sunday that Wisconsin would lead states across the country in weakening unions that have negotiated compensation packages taxpayers can no longer afford while his opponents rallied for a sixth day in the Capitol in an attempt to avoid that fate.

Democratic lawmakers, union leaders and rank-and-file teachers and firefighters called on Walker to back off his plan to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for public employees. They argued the unions had already agreed to cuts in their health care and retirement benefits that could reduce take-home pay for many workers by about 8 percent, and it was time for the Republican governor to compromise.

In a Sunday morning interview from Madison with Fox News, Walker said he did not believe union leaders were really interested in giving up their benefits and cities, school districts and counties will need weakened unions to cut spending for years to come. With Democratic Senators still out of state to delay passage of the bill, Walker said he would not compromise and predicted that Wisconsin would pave the way for other states to follow suit, much like it did with welfare reform and school vouchers in the 1990s.

32 Wisconsin governor seizes chance to take on unions

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 9:31 am ET

MADISON, Wis. – It took Scott Walker only a few weeks to push the Capitol into political chaos.

The newly elected Republican governor of Wisconsin has set his sights on forcing public workers to pay more for benefits as he looks to balance the state’s budget – savings he needs to help cover the cost of tax cuts he demanded the day he took office.

Democrats, who are no longer in power, have likened Walker to a dictator, and demonstrators protesting a contentious Walker-backed labor bill have waived signs comparing him to ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. Even President Barack Obama has weighed in, calling the bill “an assault on unions.”

33 State budget fights fire up union; Obama involved

By SAM HANANEL and JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

Sat Feb 19, 10:30 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Organized labor is trying to re-energize and take advantage of the growing backlash from the wave of anti-union sentiment in Wisconsin and more than a dozen other states.

President Barack Obama and his political machine are offering tactical support, eager to repair strained relations with some union leaders upset over his recent overtures to business.

The potent combination has helped fan the huge protests in Wisconsin against a measure that would strip collective bargaining rights from state workers. The alliance also is sending a warning to other states that are considering the same tactic.

34 Military wants more global partnerships in space

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 10:20 am ET

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military needs to better protect its satellites and strengthen its ability to use them as weapons as the uncharted battlefield of space becomes increasingly crowded and dangerous, Pentagon leaders say.

A new military strategy for space, as mapped out by the Pentagon, calls for greater cooperation with other nations on space-based programs to improve America’s ability to deter enemies.

“It’s a domain, like air land and sea,” said Gen. Kevin Chilton, who led U.S. Strategic Command until he retired late last month. “Space is not just a convenience. It’s become a critical part in every other (battlefield) domain.”

35 Texas poised to pass bill allowing guns on campus

By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press

1 hr 16 mins ago

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas is preparing thttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/ap_on_re_us/us_solar_testing_collegeso give college students and professors the right to carry guns on campus, adding momentum to a national campaign to open this part of society to firearms.

More than half the members of the Texas House have signed on as co-authors of a measure directing universities to allow concealed handguns. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2009 and is expected to do so again. Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who sometimes packs a pistol when he jogs, has said he’s in favor of the idea.

Texas has become a prime battleground for the issue because of its gun culture and its size, with 38 public universities and more than 500,000 students. It would become the second state, following Utah, to pass such a broad-based law. Colorado gives colleges the option and several have allowed handguns.

36 Wagon smashed, horses dead, road ahead uncertain

By CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 10:13 am ET

The metronomic pulse of the ventilator, breathing for him in the intensive care unit, sounded nothing like horses’ hooves – but Bob Skelding heard little, anyway, numbed by a “whitewash” drug to help him recover.

A special collar immobilized his fractured neck vertebrae. Tubes drew blood from his chest cavity. IVs dripped to ease the healing of his lacerated spleen, his broken collarbone and ribs and other injuries he suffered when hurtled to the muddy shoulder of a Mississippi highway after a tanker truck smashed into his homemade wagon.

“Come as soon as you can!” a doctor at the Meridian hospital urged his far-flung family.

37 A horse-drawn trek toward a ‘do-over’ in life

By CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 12:01 am ET

Bridles jingle and heavy hooves tap a metronomic clip-clop as the ungainly wagon claims yet another mile.

It glides past a row of Main Street houses, past roadsigns touting this business, that fraternal group, the local team who were champions. Vehicles, horseless ones, slow to take in the outlandish muscles of the four giant draft horses, two white, one dark, and one dapple gray.

And up ahead, always, there’s someone on the shoulder or on a porch, or a family in a yard or driveway, stopping everything to shade eyes and squint, or just to listen to the clip-clop, steady as a heartbeat.

38 More LA schools convert to charters as funds dip

By CHRISTINA HOAG, Associated Press

13 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – El Camino Real High School has won six national academic quiz championships, boasts test scores that rank it as one of California’s top secondary schools, and offers two dozen college-level courses ranging from macroeconomics to human geography. Activities include a model United Nations and mock trials.

The school is a source of immense pride for the beleaguered Los Angeles Unified School District, but like other successful schools before it, El Camino is about to break off from the district to get more funding and flexibility in how it spends its dollars as a charter school.

“This is a huge loss for us,” said LAUSD school board member Nury Martinez at a recent meeting. “This feels like a divorce.”

39 Mass. banker to match immigrants’ college savings

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press

2 hrs 45 mins ago

CHELSEA, Mass. – It started with an immigration raid four years ago.

From his Melrose home, Bob Hildreth watched the aftermath of federal immigration agents storming a New Bedford, Mass., leather factory and netting 350 suspected illegal immigrant workers from Guatemala and El Salvador. The event drew national attention when news reports showed the small children of some the detainees being cared for by strangers.

It also motivated the Boston banker and philanthropist “into action.”

40 Maine lawmakers wade into lobster trap dock flap

By GLENN ADAMS, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 1:23 pm ET

AUGUSTA, Maine – A Maine seaside dock without a pile of lobster traps is like chowder without clams. But as down-home as a Down East scene can be, the state wanted to kick the traps off one lobsterman’s dock.

Now a bill’s working its way through the Legislature to make sure such iconic images will no longer get the regulatory heave-ho.

“Part of Maine is fishermen throwing lobster traps on docks,” said Rep. James Parker, who’s been lobstering since he was 12. “That’s what people come to see.”

41 Wicked clever: New Englanders market their word

KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 1:08 pm ET

CONCORD, N.H. – New Englanders like to talk sports, weather – and “wicked.”

Super Bowl or no, the New England Patriots are wicked awesome. It’s been wicked cold out. And people are feeling wicked good or bad, depending on the day.

The term, so affectionately used throughout the region, has become part of popular culture, whether it’s shown up in L.L. Bean advertising its “Wicked Good” slippers to the “Boston Teens” sketch on “Saturday Night Live.”

42 Philly exhibit reopens with Chinese mummies

By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 12:24 pm ET

PHILADELPHIA – “Return of the Mummies” may sound like a horror movie, but in this case there’s a happy ending.

The “Secrets of the Silk Road” exhibit reopened Friday at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology with a pair of show-stopping ancient mummies, now that a mysterious dispute with the Chinese government has been wrapped up.

The drama has passed that had museum officials fearing their biggest exhibit in decades was doomed. But if you want your mummy, there’s not much time. They’ll be on display only until March 15, and the remaining artifacts will be on view until March 28. The full exhibit was initially slated to run until June 5; the hastened departure has not been explained.

43 Solar products testing labs opening in Conn., NC

By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press

Sun Feb 20, 12:23 pm ET

MILFORD, Conn. – Long before they were installed, the flat panels collecting solar thermal energy on the roof of Glen Mirmina’s Milford home needed a laboratory’s assurance that they could fulfill their manufacturer’s promises.

With only five accredited testing labs in the U.S., though, manufacturers can wait up to two years for those “green” systems to reach the market – and without the certification, buyers like Mirmina can’t claim thousands of dollars in energy conservation tax credits.

Now, two new solar thermal products testing labs are in the works: one at North Carolina State University and the other at Mirmina’s alma mater, the University of New Haven.

44 GOP newcomers test mandate to shrink government

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

Sat Feb 19, 7:15 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Asked how long the House would need to finish legislation cutting $61 billion in government spending, the most powerful Republican in the land responded wryly. “I don’t know, I’m only the speaker.”

It was a candid acknowledgement from Ohio Rep. John Boehner that the 87 Republican first-term lawmakers who swept the party into power in the House are moving on a path – and at a pace – of their own choosing.

When the leadership brought a bill to the floor to renew parts of the anti-terrorist Patriot Act, it fell short. The leadership regrouped, and the rebels, their questions answered, helped pass the measure on a second try.

Feb 20 2011

Rant for the Week: David Goodfriend

The Rant of the Week is also an Open Thread.

A Cheese Head Perspective

Democratic strategist avid Goodfriend offers some advice to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. “Remember the Packers: When we all own the team and we all share the responsibilities, everyone wins.

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