(1 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

This is a Live Blog and will be updated as the news is available. You can follow the latest reports from AL Jazeera English and though Mishima’s live blog, our news editor.

The Guardian has a Live Blog that refreshes automatically every minute

This is actually the sixth day of protests in Egypt against the repressive, brutal regime of President Hosni Mubarak. As Mubarak struggles to maintain control, the Egyptian army is doing little to stop the protesters who have defied curfews to demonstrated against Mubarak’s 30 year rule. The appointment of former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, as his vice president and Ahmed Shafik, another general and Mubarak insider, prime minister, have only fueled the protesters’ fervor for Mubarak’s ouster. Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Egypt on Thursday and has called for Mubarak to step down. He has also plead with the demonstrators and the army to use restraint and avoid violence.

The Guardian reports that Al Jazeera’s Cairo office has been shut down by the Mubarak regime. It’s license’s revoked early this morning:

“The information minister ordered … suspension of operations of al-Jazeera, cancelling of its licences and withdrawing accreditation to all its staff as of today,” a statement said.

Al Jazeera has released this statement:

Al-Jazeera sees this as an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists. In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard; the closing of our bureau by the Egyptian government is aimed at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people…

Al Jazeera Network is appalled at this latest attack by the Egyptian regime to strike at its freedom to report independently on the unprecedented events in Egypt

You can still follow Al Jazeera’s reports here and through Twitter. This is a list of their reporters that can be followed on Twitter. For now Evan Hill reports:

Yes, Al Jazeera is still broadcasting live despite apparent shutdown order. No one knows who would enforce it.

The team is working on a plan if the shutdown does occur. For obvious reasons, won’t be tweeting the details here

The Stars Hollow Gazette will be following this list.

President Obama has refrained calling for Mubarak to step down but has called for him to institute real reforms and not just shuffle the players.

This morning reports coming from the Guardian‘s live up dates are saying that the military will take harder line against the protesters but doubt they will carry it out. Even though the military is patrolling the streets, they are doing little to stop the looting. Due to the absence of the security police, residents are trying to maintain order and protect themselves and their property.

Already today there are several thousand protesters are in Tahrir square, chanting they will not leave until Mubarak quits and in the center of Alexandria chanting: “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak”. Some also shouted slogans in support of the army and shook hands with soldiers.

From Reuters this morning:

• Thousands of protesters have gathered in Ishmalia, east of Cairo. Police have fired teargas and rubber bullets at the crowds.

• Dozens have gathered in the central areas of Suez chanting: “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak”. About 100 people gathered outside the morgue in the city, saying it was holding the bodies of 12 protesters.

• Thousands have taken to the streets in the Nile Delta city of Damanhour, chanting anti-government slogans and calling on Mubarak to quit.

This is going to be a long day.

Up Dates are below the fold.

Up Date #1 1300 hrs EST: Al-Jazeera has been taken off air in Egypt, in move that has been widely condemned as an attack on free speech. The network was also banned from showing live footage in Cairo. (It appears they are defying that ban and are still broadcasting live pictures). Thye are receiving reports from their reporters via phone and twitter

Protesters continue to defy the curfew which is now from 4 PM to 8 AM.

ElBaradei is in Tahrir Square in Cairo, using a loud speaker, tells protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that ‘what we have begun cannot go back’.

AL Masry Al Youm reports:

  National opposition groups demanded that reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei form a transitional government, according to a statement issued by the Democratic Front Party.

   The statement said that following President Hosni Mubarak’s imminent departure, ElBaradei should be in charge of negotiating the next steps-including devising economic and social reforms, releasing all detainees, and lifting emergency rule-towards constructing an interim government.

   ElBaradei demands Mubarak’s Immediate Departure

   If Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wants to “save his skin,” he should leave today, said prominent opposition fiigure Mohamed ElBaradei on Sunday in an interview with CNN.

   “Leave in dignity before things get out of hand,” he said, in implicit warning that chaos would intensify in the country if Mubarak refused to leave.

Egypt police to return to the streets on Monday, Reuters news agency reports citing security sources.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has called on President Mubarak to hold free and fair elections – but said Washington was not considering a cutoff of aid to Cairo for now.

Many are saying that the US and European governments must accept the reality that Mubarak is finished.

Simon Tisdall, the Guardian’s foreign affairs columnist, has this report on the mass prison breakouts, which security officials said took place at four jails overnight.

   Hundreds of members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s leading Islamist political party, were among thousands of prisoners who escaped during overnight mass breakouts from four jails, security officials said today.

   Armed gangs took advantage of the chaos in Cairo and other cities to free the prisoners, starting fires and engaging prison guards in gun battles, officials said. Several inmates were reportedly killed during the fighting and some were recaptured.

Up Date #2 1400 hrs EST: From the Guardian:

Army tanks joined the march in Alexandria. The tank commander has stated that the army had “no intention of stopping this march”.

That does not sound llike the Mubarak government has the control of the situation or the military.

This is a clip of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from this AM on MTP.

Up Date #3 1500 hrs EST:

I am certain the oil companies will use this unrest to immediately raise the prices at the pumps.

Reports from the Guardian:

The curfew for tomorrow has been extended form 3 PM to 8 AM the next morning and will be promptly ignored.

There are several thousand protesters still in Tahrir Square. They have vowed to stay there until Mubarak is gone from office.

State TV broadcasts pictures of recaptured prisoners as well as Molotov cocktails, machetes and other weapons said to have been taken from demonstrators.

Al-Masry Al-Youm reports:

Hospitals are saying that the police are shooting to kill.

Some protesters have started a hunger strike.

(Today is the anniversary of the Gandhi’s assassination.)

Vandals have damaged some artifacts at the Antiquities Museum in Cairo. Nothing was taken ans six vandals were arrested.  

Up Date #4 1600 hrs EST:

From the Guardian:

Downing Street says that David Cameron supports President Obama’s call for an “orderly transition” in Egypt. The statement from No 10 said:

   

“The prime minister made clear that restrictions on the media and internet were unacceptable and should be lifted immediately.

   “The prime minister and President Obama were united in their view that Egypt now needed a comprehensive process of political reform, with an orderly, Egyptian-led transition leading to a government that responded to the grievances of the Egyptian people and to their aspirations for a democratic future.”

Some videos from earlier today

Anti-government protests continue in Egypt

From Al Jazeera English

From a blogger in Cairo

jet fighters over tahrir square

praying beside the tanks

armoured army vehicles roaming downtown cairo

Up Date #5 1700 hrs EST:

From the NYT The Lede:

Even before the protests started in Egypt, several observers suggested that the popular uprising that toppled the autocratic regime in Tunisia this month might spread to similar Arab states in the region, in an echo of the collapse of one Communist regime after another in Europe in late 1989.

Nicholas Kristof, a former Times bureau chief in Bejing who is in Cairo today as an opinion columnist, has cast his mind back a few months further, to the pro-democracy movement that failed in China in June of 1989. He just posted this observation on Twitter about the atmosphere in Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square:

Fabulous giddy mood in Tahrir. Love the campfires. But 1 troubling thought: Tiananmin was the same before the shooting.

From Al Jazeera: Where is Gamal Mubarak?

There has been a great deal of speculation over the man who was widely expected to succeed Hosni Mubarak.

Gamal Mubarak, the president’s younger son, is thought to have fled to London after protests began in Egypt.

At the Egyptian Embassy in London, protesters have been demonstrating for a third day.

Gamal has not been seen in England, but he would not be welcome if he did appear.

Figure Skating.  Austin City Limits– Lyle Lovett and Bob Schneider.  Dreamgirls.

You and I are such similar creatures Vivian. We both screw people for money.

• ABC Family– The Game Plan, Remember the Titans
• AMC– Jeremiah Johnson
• Animal Planet– Pit Boss (Season 3 Premier)
• Bravo– House marathon
• Comedy– Standup marathon (all premiers)
• Disney– Phineas and Ferb Rollercoaster: The Musical, Fish Hooks (premiers)
• E!– Knocked Up x 2
• ESPN– College Hoopies, Kansas State @ Kansas; Winter X Games
• ESPN2– College Hoopies, Pittsburgh @ Rutgers; Autralian Open (Women’s Finals repeat)
• Food– Tailgate Warriors With Guy Fieri marathon (Season Finale premier)
• FX– Iron Man
• History– We’re Doomed!  DOOOOOMED I tells ya.
• Lifetime– Management, Picture Perfect
• Oxygen– Pretty Woman x 2
• Sci Fi– Mega Piranha, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (World Premier)
• Speed– 24 Hours at Daytona
• Spike– Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo
• Turner Classic– Bad Day at Black Rock, The Dirty Dozen (Ernest Borgnine night)
• TLC– Cake Boss (Season Finale repeat)
• TNT– Training Day, The Bourne Supremacy
• Toon– Underdog, God, the Devil and Bob
• USA– Crank x 2, The Bourne Ultimatum
• Vs.– NHL All-Star SuperSkills, Bullriding

You know, when you wear this badge, you’re the law. And when somebody does something against the law, then you’re supposed to do something about it. I did nothing. And that’s what’s eating me. What kind of prescription do you got for that?

Later-

Vision? What do you know about my vision? My vision would turn your world upside-down, tear asunder your illusions and the sanctuary of your own ignorance crashing down around you. Ask yourself… are you really ready to see that vision?

• AMC– Wyatt Earp
• Disney– Phineas and Ferb Rollercoaster: The Musical (Instapeat)
• E!– The Soup (this week’s)
• Lifetime– No Reservations (no Anthony Bourdain either)
• Oxygen– Beaches
• Sci Fi– Lake Placid 2, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (Instapeat)
• Spike– First Blood, Cobra
• TBS– Men in Black
• Turner Classic– Marty
• TNT– Mission: Impossible III

SNL– Jesse Eisenberg and Nicki Minaj

Boondocks– A Huey Freeman Christmas, Return of the King

GitS: SAC 2nd Gig– Nuclear Power, This Side of Justice (Episodes 24 and 25 of 26)

Dr. King looked out at his people and saw they were in great need. So he did what all great leaders do: he told them the truth.

…

And now I’d like to talk about “Soul Plane“.

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

In 1991 Sheldon L. Richman at The CATO Institute virtually gave away the US Foreign Policy game for anyone who hadn’t already seen through the long years of the “spreading freedom and democracy” smoke and mirror show emanating from every US administration since Eisenhower’s warning about the Military Industrial Complex, in a long and very detailed policy analysis article titled  “Ancient History”: U.S. Conduct in the Middle East Since World War II and the Folly of Intervention:

After 70 years of broken Western promises regarding Arab independence, it should not be surprising that the West is viewed with suspicion and hostility by the populations (as opposed to some of the political regimes) of the Middle East.[3] The United States, as the heir to British imperialism in the region, has been a frequent object of suspicion. Since the end of World War II, the United States, like the European colonial powers before it, has been unable to resist becoming entangled in the region’s political conflicts. Driven by a desire to keep the vast oil reserves in hands friendly to the United States, a wish to keep out potential rivals (such as the Soviet Union), opposition to neutrality in the cold war, and domestic political considerations, the United States has compiled a record of tragedy in the Middle East.

[snip]

If the chief natural resource of the Middle East were bananas, the region would not have attracted the attention of U.S. policymakers as it has for decades. Americans became interested in the oil riches of the region in the 1920s, and two U.S. companies, Standard Oil of California and Texaco, won the first concession to explore for oil in Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. They discovered oil there in 1938, just after Standard Oil of California found it in Bahrain. The same year Gulf Oil (along with its British partner Anglo-Persian Oil) found oil in Kuwait. During and after World War II, the region became a primary object of U.S. foreign policy. It was then that policymakers realized that the Middle East was “a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history.“[4]

Subsequently, as a result of cooperation between the U.S. government and several American oil companies, the United States replaced Great Britain as the chief Western power in the region.[5] In Iran and Saudi Arabia, American gains were British (and French) losses.[6] Originally, the dominant American oil interests had had limited access to Iraqi oil only (through the Iraq Petroleum Company, under the 1928 Red Line Agreement). In 1946, however, Standard Oil of New Jersey and Mobil Oil Corp., seeing the irresistible opportunities in Saudi Arabia, had the agreement voided.[7] When the awakening countries of the Middle East asserted control over their oil resources, the United States found ways to protect its access to the oil. Nearly everything the United States has done in the Middle East can be understood as contributing to the protection of its long-term access to Middle Eastern oil and, through that control, Washington’s claim to world leadership. The U.S. build-up of Israel and Iran as powerful gendarmeries beholden to the United States, and U.S. aid given to “moderate,” pro-Western Arab regimes, such as those in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan, were intended to keep the region in friendly hands. That was always the meaning of the term “regional stability.“[8]

Erin Isabelle Burnett, notes Wikipedia, began her career as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division working on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance.

Burnett is now “a business news anchor, reporter and interviewer for CNBC television. She is the co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street program and the host of CNBC’s Street Signs program. She also appears on NBC’s Meet the Press, Today, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and NBC Nightly News, as well as occasional appearances on The Apprentice as an advisor to Donald Trump. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.”

Appearing on a Friday broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Burnett said that the ongoing revolution in Egypt could threaten US interests in the region due to Egypt’s history as an ally on matters pertaining to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, noted David Edwards and Stephen Webster at RawStory January 28th:

[Burnett] added that as one of the most developed economies in the Middle East, it was surprising to see many of the society’s wealthiest individuals supporting regime change. Tens of thousands of protesters across the country have taken to the streets the last few days, demanding President Mubarak resign.

“One more thing,” Burnett remarked. “If this spreads, the United States could take a huge hit because democracy in a place like Saudi Arabia, you’ve talked about who might come in power, what that means for oil prices. They’re going to go stratospheric.”

“There’s no doubt about it,’ MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said. “No doubt about it!”

The RawStory article also notes that “While the White House has been unusually quiet on the situation in Egypt, President Barack Obama said yesterday that Egypt’s leaders must be more “responsive” to their people.”

Mubarak has held power in Egypt for more than thirty years. Vice President Joe Biden, in what The Harford Courant referred to as “a Gerald Ford moment” during an appearance Thursday night on PBS claimed that President Mubarak was not a dictator and should not step down.

Here is Burnett’s appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, broadcast Jan. 28, 2011:

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 35 Top Stories.

1 Afghan suicide bomber kills Kandahar deputy governor

AFP

Sat Jan 29, 2:01 pm ET

2 Pakistan rebuffs call for US gunman’s quick release

by Nasir Jaffry, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 1:56 pm ET

3 Irish senate passes bailout bill ahead of election

by Andrew Bushe, AFP

7 mins ago

4 Mubarak names VP, new PM as deadly protests continue

by Jailan Zayan, AFP

2 hrs 23 mins ago

5 Mubarak defiant as Egypt death toll mounts

by Jailan Zayan, AFP

Fri Jan 28, 6:40 pm ET

6 Clashes in Tunisia as new cabinet sworn in

by Ines Bel Aiba, AFP

Fri Jan 28, 4:47 pm ET

7 Tears and joy as Tunisia’s revolution rap debuts

by Dario Thuburn and Najeh Mouelhi, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:15 am ET

8 Flu epidemic shuts all Moscow schools

by Dmitry Zaks, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:13 am ET

9 Doha trade deal deadline fixed ‘for July’

by Alexandra Troubnikoff, AFP

Sat Jan 29, 11:25 am ET

10 Haiti to release election results Wednesday

AFP

Sat Jan 29, 3:19 am ET

11 Mubarak names deputy, protesters defy curfew

By Edmund Blair and Dina Zayed, Reuters

19 mins ago

12 U.S. says can’t just "reshuffle the deck"

By Arshad Mohammed and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

48 mins ago

13 Egypt’s Mubarak defies demands for him to go

By Edmund Blair, Reuters

Sat Jan 29, 4:50 am ET

14 Chaos and calm, fury and rejoicing mark Egypt protests

By Dina Zayed and Marwa Awad, Reuters

Fri Jan 28, 6:16 pm ET

15 Euro zone crisis seen turning corner

By Paul Taylor, Reuters

Sat Jan 29, 8:11 am ET

16 Chaos engulfs Cairo as Mubarak points to successor

By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press

54 mins ago

17 Obama calls for restraint, reform in Egypt

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

30 mins ago

18 Analysis: Tough balancing act for Obama on Egypt

By BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 12:59 pm ET

19 Tourists besiege Cairo airport, but flights halt

By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, AP Business Writer

1 hr 7 mins ago

20 In turnabout, Dems say GOP has dropped job focus

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

27 mins ago

21 Comcast takes control of NBC Universal

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer

28 mins ago

22 Miss. gov. juggles White House hopes, state’s past

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press

58 mins ago

23 Public optimism but little progress on Doha deal

By FRANK JORDANS and MATT MOORE, Associated Press

2 hrs 44 mins ago

24 In future, cars might decide if driver is drunk

By BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 2:04 am ET

25 Hurricanes G Ward goes No. 1 in NHL All-Star draft

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer

Sat Jan 29, 2:18 am ET

26 At midterm, Obama tries can-do slogan, details TBD

By NANCY BENAC, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 1:13 pm ET

27 NASA marks 25th anniversary of Challenger accident

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

Sat Jan 29, 2:03 am ET

28 In Obama’s reorganization plan, is Commerce first?

By JIM KUHNHNEN, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 11:57 am ET

29 Bomber kills deputy governor in south Afghanistan

By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 12:40 pm ET

30 San Fran considers parking permits for nannies

By ROBIN HINDERY, Associated Press

1 hr 37 mins ago

31 AP Interview: Pilot recalls Nazi leader’s capture

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press

1 hr 46 mins ago

32 Va. man’s abuse story moves legislators to act

By DENA POTTER, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 3:06 pm ET

33 An uncertain future after jobless benefits expire

By CRISTINA SILVA, Associated Press

Sat Jan 29, 2:58 pm ET

A must read.

34 A final judgment in notorious police abuse scandal

By SHARON COHEN, AP National Writer

Sat Jan 29, 11:09 am ET

35 Taco Bell takes its beef with lawsuit to public

By SARAH SKIDMORE and BRUCE SCHREINER, AP Business Writers

Fri Jan 28, 11:02 pm ET

This is a Live Blog and will be updated as the news is available. You can follow the latest reports from AL Jazeera English and though Mishima’s live blog, our news editor.

A second day of protests have taken to the streets across Egypt and conditions have deteriorated considerably. Protests, dissatisfied with a reshuffling of the “deck chairs”, have intensified calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak has appointed a Vice President for the first time and a new Prime Minister, both government insiders who are close to Mubarak. Omar Suleiman, 71 years old, head of intelligence and former spy, has been named Vice President. Mubarak had promised to do this some years ago but never did to Suleiman’s disappointment. He, however remained loyal to Mubarak. The new Prime Minister is another military man, Ahmad Shafiq.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the opposion party that has no seats in the current parliament, has called for Mubarak to step down and a unity government formed without the ruling party, NDP. Al Jazeera is now reporting that the head of the Muslim Brotherhood have been detained by the Mubarak government.

In a statement this evening (Egyptain time), Mohamed Elbaradei has called once again for Mubarak to step down and the formation of a unity government that represents all the Egyptian people. The people will be satisfied with nothing less. (I will have the video with the simultaneous translation as soon as Al Jazeera makes it available on You Tube)(Up date #2: Video of Elbaradei’s statement with simultaneous translation by AL Jazeera)

The curfew, 6 PM to 7 AM local time, continues but is being ignored. There are reports of looting and vandalism of shops, the museums and hospitals. There are no signs of the security police from the Ministry of Interior. The army is unable to contain any of the protests and is calling for private citizens to protect themselves and their property. There are also reports that the “thugs” who are looting may be police from  police Egypt’s Central Security. Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin is reporting that thugs in one neighborhood were seized and found to have state security id and carrying state issued weapons.

7:38pm Ayman Mohyeldin reports that eyewitnesses have said “party thugs” associated with the Egyptian regime’s Central Security Services – in plainclothes but bearing government-issued weapons – have been looting in Cairo. Ayman says the reports started off as isolated accounts but are now growing in number.

Al-Masry Al-Youm has reported that protesters have been trying to organize to protect neighborhoods in the absence of the police.

Also a h/t to Siun at FDL for her fine reporting.

Up Date #1: Mubarak’s new Vice President, Omar Suleiman, ran the US secret rendition program in Egypt.

From Jane Mayer’s book The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War (pp113), Suleiman negotiated directly with top US officials and personally approved of the renditions. Edward S. Walker, former US Ambassador to Egypt, described Suleiman as “very bright, very realistic” and very aware of the  downside of the “negative things that Egyptians engaged in, torture and so on. But he was not squeamish, by the way.”

Egyptian Americans protested outside the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, DC this today

Up Date #3: Al Jareera TV reporting:

Mubarak’s two sons, Gamal and Aala, reportedly arrived in London a few hours ago.

19 private jet carrying business men affiliated with the Mubarak regime have landed in Dubai.

Police are absent from the streets of Alexandria amid reports of violence.

American media still not reporting the new vice president’s involvement in the US rendition and torture program that still continues. Obama met with his security advisors today.

Up Date #4: There are reports Huffington Post of a huge prison break of 700 prisoners escaping from a prison near Cairo. CNN reports 1000 prisoners have escaped who are looting and may have blown up a bank.

From Time:

(a) prominent Bedouin smuggler in the Sinai peninsula told TIME that Bedouin are now in control of the two towns closest to the Gaza Strip, and that they planned to press on to attack the Suez Canal if Mubarak does not step down. He also said that police stations in the south Sinai would be attacked if Bedouin prisoners were not released.

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.

Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.

You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.

By sweet potatoes, I mean the orange-fleshed tubers with brownish skin that growers and supermarkets often mislabel as “yams.” The two varieties at my local farmers’ market are jewel yams and the darker-skinned garnet yams, both sweet and moist.

   In fact, actual yams have starchier, light yellow flesh and a rough, brown skin; they are native to Africa and Asia, and an important staple in the Caribbean and in parts of Africa. But they don’t have the impressive nutritional profile of real sweet potatoes.

Celiac, Crohn’s Disease Share Common Genetic Links

Scientists Key in on Genetic Variants That Cause Inflammation in the Gut

Jan. 27, 2011 — An international team of researchers has identified four genetic variants common to celiac disease and Crohn’s disease.

The research may help to explain why people who have celiac disease appear to have a higher rate of Crohn’s disease than the general population. It may one day lead to new treatments that address the underlying inflammation involved in both conditions.

Want to Sleep Better? Make Your Bed

Bedroom Comfort Affects Sleep, Survey Suggests

Jan. 26, 2011 — Spending too many nights tossing and turning? You may want to vacuum your bedroom, wash your sheets, and throw out that lumpy mattress before you reach for a sleeping pill.

Results from a survey commissioned by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) suggest that people sleep much better when their bedrooms are comfortable and clean.

Obesity Rates Weigh Down Cities’ Budgets

Trimming Obesity Would Save U.S. Cities Billions in Health Care Costs, Study Finds

Jan. 28, 2011 — Cities searching for ways to trim the fat and stretch their budget dollars may want to start looking at residents’ waistlines.

A new study suggests that trimming high obesity rates in the nation’s most overweight cities could help local governments save more than $32 billion annually nationwide in associated health care costs.

Allergy Pill Allegra to Be Sold Over the Counter

FDA OK’s OTC Sale of Popular Antihistamine

Jan. 25, 2011 — The FDA today approved over-the-counter sale of Allegra, the best-selling antihistamine also sold generically as fexofenadine.

Allegra maker Sanofi-aventis says Allegra will be on retail shelves on March 4, in plenty of time for spring allergy season.

U.S. Smoking Rates Keep Life Expectancy Down

Study Shows High Smoking Rates in Earlier Decades Affects Life Spans in U.S.

Jan. 25, 2011 — Life expectancies in the U.S. are now lower than for many other industrialized countries, and the nation’s past love affair with tobacco is largely to blame, government officials say.

In a report released Tuesday, a panel commissioned by the National Research Council sought to explain why the U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation, yet Americans are dying younger than some of their counterparts in other high-income countries.

Fewer Strokes After Heart Bypass Surgery

Researchers Say Improvement in Surgery Techniques Contribute to Decline in Stroke Rate

Jan. 25, 2011 — Fewer patients are suffering strokes following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), even though there are more instances of older and sicker patients having the surgery than in the past, new research suggests.

The study, published in the Jan. 26 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, tracked more than 45,000 patients who had heart bypass surgeries over the past three decades at the Cleveland Clinic.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Stubborn Hypertension

Case Study Suggests Stimulating Brain With Electrical Impulses May Treat High Blood Pressure

Jan. 24, 2011 — Using electrical pulses to stimulate nerve centers deep within the brain may reduce high blood pressure that can’t be controlled with medication, a case report shows.

Doctors in the U.K. made the discovery after implanting a device that works as an electric stimulator of a region of the brain in a 55-year-old man who had developed chronic pain on the left side of his body following a stroke.

Tamoxifen May Cut Lung Cancer Deaths

Study Suggests Hormones Influence Some Lung Cancers

Jan. 24, 2011 — Tamoxifen, the medication long used to prevent the growth of breast cancer tumors, also appears to reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer, research suggests.

If the link bears out in future studies, giving tamoxifen for lung cancer may become another option for doctors, the researchers say.

Heart Disease Treatment Costs May Triple in Next 20 Years

Aging Baby Boomers Could Push Costs Up to $545 Billion by 2030, Group Says

Jan. 24, 2011 — The costs of treating heart disease are expected to triple by the year 2030, creating an “enormous financial burden” for millions of Americans, the American Heart Association says in a new policy statement.

The tab for treating heart disease will rise to $545 billion over the next 20 years, in large part because of the aging of the baby boom population, the oldest of which will be in their mid-80s by then.

The policy statement is published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Animal Farms May Produce Superbugs

Flies, Roaches on Pig Farms May Spread Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria to Humans

an. 25, 2011– Superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics, long known to create life-threatening infections in hospital patients, could also be originating from animal farms where antibiotics are used to promote growth, potentially threatening human health, new research suggests.

It’s not the pigs causing the potential problem, but rather the insects commonly found on these pig farms, including flies and cockroaches, says Ludek Zurek, PhD, an associate professor of microbial ecology at Kansas State University, who led the study.

Most People With Flu Don’t Stay Home

Survey Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Stick to Their Routines Despite Flu Symptoms

Jan. 25, 2011 — Staying home when you have the flu helps reduce the risk of others catching the disease, yet a recent survey finds that 66% of Americans go about their daily activities even after flu symptoms set in.

The same survey, however, revealed a double standard: 59% said they feel annoyed when others show up with flu symptoms, jeopardizing their own health.

U.S. Has 7th Highest Cancer Rate in the World

Experts Say Lifestyle Changes Needed to Reduce Nation’s Cancer Rates

Jan 24, 2011 — About 300 of every 100,000 Americans develop cancer each year, which means the U.S. has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world.

“We are higher than we should be, and this is not the type of list you want to be on top of,” says Alice Bender, MS, RD, a nutrition communications manager at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in Washington, D.C.

CDC: 26 Million Americans Have Diabetes

Analysis Shows Many in U.S. Aren’t Even Aware They Have Diabetes

Jan. 26, 2011 — The CDC says about 26 million adult Americans have diabetes and that 79 million more have prediabetes, a condition that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not so high as to result in a diagnosis of diabetes.

Does Raising the Thermostat Increase Obesity?

Study Suggests Link Between Keeping Warm and the Obesity Epidemic

Jan. 25, 2011 — Baby, it’s cold outside, but keeping warm by cranking up the heat may play a role — albeit not a very big one — in the current obesity epidemic, a new study suggests.

“Changes in the way we eat and physical activity levels are the primary factors behind increases in obesity, [but] other aspects of our lifestyle can also make a contribution,” says study researcher Fiona Johnson, a research psychologist in the department of epidemiology and public Health at University College London.

Hot Flashes Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Study Suggests Hot Flashes in Menopause May Reduce Risk of 2 Types of Breast Cancer

Jan. 28, 2010 — A new study shows that having symptoms such as hot flashes during menopause appears to be tied to a lower risk of the most common kinds of breast cancer.

“There’s good news about hot flashes,” says Susan Love, MD, a breast cancer expert and author of Dr. Susan Love’s Menopause and Hormone Book.

Breast Implants Linked to Rare Cancer

FDA Links Both Saline and Silicone Breast Implants to Lymphoma, but Risk “Very Low”

Jan. 26, 2011 — Women with breast implants “may have a very small but increased risk” of a rare form of cancer, the FDA today warned.

The FDA is aware of some 60 reports — 34 in the medical literature and others from doctors, regulators, and implant makers — of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) in women with breast implants.

Heart Benefits for Women Who Cut Hypertension

Researchers Say Study Points Out ‘Missed Opportunities’ to Prevent Heart Disease

Jan. 24, 2011 — Middle-aged women who take steps to lower their blood pressure could reduce their risk of having a stroke, heart attack, or developing heart failure, a new study shows.

Researchers say they found that high systolic pressure — the blood pressure when the heart contracts — is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and its complications in middle-aged and older women.

Women Who Smoke May Raise Breast Cancer Risk

Study Shows Link Between Smoking Before Having Children and Breast Cancer

an. 24, 2011 — Smoking early in life may raise a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to research that adds new evidence on the link between cigarettes and breast cancer.

The study showed smoking before menopause, especially before having children, slightly increased the risk of breast cancer among a large group of women who participated in the Nurses Health Study.

How to Use Pills to Prevent HIV

CDC: HIV Prevention Pills Only for Men Having Sex With Men

Jan. 27, 2011 — The CDC has issued early recommendations for the use of AIDS drugs to prevent HIV infection of men who have high-risk sex with men.

The preliminary guidelines follow last November’s groundbreaking report that daily use of the AIDS drug Truvada lowers men’s risk of HIV infection. This strategy, called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, can cut HIV risk by as much as 92% in men who take the pill every day.

Secondhand Smoke Raises Kids’ Ear Infection Risk

Study Shows Higher Risk of Middle Ear Infection for Children in Homes Where Parents Smoke

Jan. 28, 2011 — Children who live in homes where parents or others smoke have a higher risk of developing middle ear infections than kids whose houses are smoke-free, a new study shows.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society in the Republic of Ireland say they found that a reduction in secondhand smoke in American homes was associated with fewer cases of otitis media, or what most people refer to as middle ear infections.

Childhood Leukemia, Brain Cancer on the Rise

Experts Say Exposure to Toxic Chemicals May Be Partially Behind the Increase

an. 26, 2011 — Childhood leukemia and brain cancer are on the rise, and exposure to chemicals in our environment such as chlorinated solvents and the head lice treatment lindane may be partially to blame, according to experts speaking at a conference call sponsored by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.

Weekend ‘Catch-Up’ Sleep May Help Kids’ Weight

Study: Children Who Don’t Get Enough Sleep Have Higher Risk of Obesity, but Sleeping in on the Weekends May Help

Jan. 24, 2011 — Children who get too little sleep and have irregular school-day sleep schedules are more likely to be obese, especially if they don’t make up for lost sleep on the weekends, a new study finds.

When researchers monitored the sleep patterns of about 300 children between the ages of 4 and 10 for a week, they found that very few slept the recommended amount. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that preschoolers aged 3-5 sleep 11 to 13 hours daily and children aged 5-10 sleep 10 to 11 hours.

Traffic Noise Raises Stroke Risk

As Traffic Noise Rises, So Does Risk of Stroke in Older People, Study Finds

Jan. 25, 2011 — The noises generated by road traffic may increase the risk of stroke, especially in older people, new research indicates.

In a new study, which its authors say is the first to investigate links between road traffic noise and stroke risk, researchers found that for every 10 decibel increase in noise, the risk of having a stroke increased 14% overall in a participant pool of 51,485 people.

Electroconvulsive Therapy Under New Scrutiny

Advisory Panel Says FDA Should Not Ease Restrictions on Treatment for Severe Depression

Jan. 28, 2011 — The recommendations of an FDA advisory panel could mean new restrictions on electroconvulsive therapy — a controversial treatment used by tens of thousands of U.S. patients with severe depression and other mental disorders.

The experts urged the FDA not to ease restrictions on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for many patients. The agency is reviewing the safety of the treatment and could now require companies to prove to the government that their products are safe.

Depression Lurks for Low-Income RA Patients

Lower Socioeconomic Status Associated With Increased Risk of Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, Study Finds

Jan. 28, 2011 — Rheumatoid arthritis patients from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to develop symptoms of depression than people who have higher incomes and better access to health care services, a new study indicates.

Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco examined data on 824 clinic visits by 466 rheumatoid arthritis patients and found that 37% were rated as having moderate to severe depression.

Eating Trans Fats Linked to Depression

But Study Shows a Diet That Includes Olive Oil Can Cut Risk of Depression

Eating too much trans fat, long known to raise heart disease risk, can also boost your risk of depression, new research suggests.

Eating a heart-healthy diet with olive oil can lower the risk of depression, says researcher Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, PhD, associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas, Spain. The study included more than 12,000 people.

(10 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

For the past five days, Egyptians have been in the streets protesting, calling for President Mubarak, who has served for thirty years, to step down.  It is a very big story.  Print media, understandably have trouble keeping up with it because so much is happening so quickly in so many places.  Putting up a written story takes time, time to write, time to edit, time to post.  Even if you’re lightning fast, print media (and the part of them that is on the Internet) aren’t built for this kind of speed.  But what about television?

The mythic, American news gathering organizations have apparently disappeared.  They are no more.  Go now to your television.  Look at CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and the major networks.  What are they showing?  If they’re showing Egypt at all, they’re showing loops of film from Egypt, most of which comes from other sources, and the loops repeat and repeat and repeat.  And while they’re showing that, there is a long string of analysts, going on and on and on about the meaning of the loop, about their opinions about the news (virtually all of it from other sources), about what it all means for the US and/or Obama and/or Mubarak and/or Israel and/or the Middle East generally.  It’s all opinion; it’s not news.  It’s all “analysis”; it’s not the facts.  It’s not about what is actually happening.  Put simply, US television is making noise, but that doesn’t belie the fact that it is clueless.  And that it is telling its viewers all kinds of things, but it’s not telling them what’s happening.  And why is that?  Because these legendary news agencies don’t have the people to report from Cairo, and Alexandria, and from Suez, and from other places throughout Egypt.  They have people to cover Mubarak’s speech (announced in advance) and Obama’s speech (announced in advance), but that’s about it.  Put another way, they have lots of people working on “the story” but they’re doing exactly the same thing as me, finding out what is happening and stating my views about it.  They are doing bloggers work, but they represent themselves as News Organizations.  As journalists.  They are virtually worthless as a source of what is actually happening in Egypt.

On the other hand, Al Jazeera, that’s right, Al Jazeera in English, has a live stream that is truly remarkable.  They have reporters and cameras on the ground, and they’ve been on the air for days, broadcasting from Egypt.  When they don’t know what’s going on, they say so.  When they do know what’s going on, they tell it.  They are performing exactly the function we would hope the US video media would perform.  They are broadcasting news.  And, in fact, I strongly suspect that the US video media are watching the same very same stream I’m watching, that they are downloading and looping the images, and are putting their opinions on top of this.

What a sad state for US video media.  Egypt is exploding, and the best the US video media can do is offer opinions.

————————

simultaneously posted from The Dream Antilles

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”.

Robert Naiman: Mohamed ElBaradei: ‘If Not Now, When?’

If Western leaders, who have backed the dictator Mubarak for 30 years, cannot stand before the Egyptian people today and say unequivocally, “we support your right of national self-determination,” when can they do it?

That’s the question that Egyptian democracy leader and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei has put before Western leaders today.

Speaking to the Guardian in Cairo, before the planned protests today, ElBaradei stepped up his calls for Western leaders to explicitly condemn Mubarak, who, as the Guardian noted, has been a close ally of the US.

Dana Milbank: Glenn Beck vs. the rabbis

After MSNBC let go Keith Olbermann last week, Glenn Beck couldn’t resist celebrating. “Keith Olbermann is the biggest pain in the ass in the world,” he judged.

But Olbermann’s departure really should give Beck pause: With political speech coming under new scrutiny, how much longer can Beck’s brutal routine continue at Fox News?

The latest omen of Beck’s end times came on Thursday — Holocaust Remembrance Day — when 400 rabbis representing all four branches of American Judaism took out an ad demanding that Beck be sanctioned for “monstrous” and “beyond repugnant” use of “anti-Semitic imagery” in going after Holocaust survivor George Soros.

A Fox News spokesman brushed off the complaint in the usual fashion, attributing it to a “Soros-backed left-wing political organization.” But that’s not going to fly: The statement’s signatories included the chief executive of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and his predecessor, the dean of the conservative Jewish Theological Seminary rabbinical school, and a number of orthodox rabbis.

John Nichols: Biden Stakes a Place on the Wrong Side of History: Vice President Denies Mubarak Is a Dictator

This has not been a good week for the Obama administration, at least when it comes to responses to the popular revolt that has swept Egypt

First, President Obama failed to make mention the mass street demonstrations in Cairo and other Egyptian Tuesday in his State of the Union Address. No one expected the president to declare his solidarity with the Egyptian people. . . . .

At least Obama’s silence allowed him to avoid saying something he would soon regret.

That’s not the case with Vice President Joe Biden.

Asked about developments in Egypt during a PBS NewsHour interview this week, Biden said Mubarak should retain his grip on power.

The vice president also rejected the use of the term “dictator” to describe the Egyptian strongman who has held power for three decades, banned political parties, jailed opponents, censored the press, groomed his son for dynastic succession and unilaterally dissolved and appointed governments.

Ari Berman: Egypt’s K Street Connections

Given that the repressive government of Egypt received $1.5 billion in military and economic aid from the US government in 2010, it’s not surprising that it is also well represented in Washington’s lobbying community on K Street.

Chris Good of TheAtlantic.com notes that since 2007 the Egyptian government has paid the DC-based lobbying firm PLM Group $1.1 million per year. PLM is run by Democratic powerbroker Tony Podesta (whose brother John is a former chief of staff to Bill Clinton and current head of the Center for American Progress), former Democratic Rep. Toby Moffett (who represented Connecticut’s 6th district from 1975-1983) and former Republican Speaker of the House Bob Livingston. According to their contract, PLM was hired to provide assistance in all facets to the Egyptian embassy and “identify, as early as possible, any weakness and/or problem areas in Egypt’s image within Congress or the Executive Branch and advise on ways to deal with such areas of concern.” Presumably that image makeover is kicking into high gear right now, as the Egyptian government attempts to downplay the images of tear gas being directed at pro-democracy protesters in the streets of Cairo.

Richard (RJ) EscowThe Wall Street Empire Strikes Back

It’s on.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission released its report today, and it’s already under attack by the Four Horsemen of the Economic Apocalypse: the Ideologue, the Lobbyist, the Think-Tanker, and the Politician. We’ve already seen the Maestro transformed into Edith Piaf, Phil Angelides cast as the info-terrorist from Australia, and two dissenting reports that do a great job of debunking … each other.

And this is just the first day.

Those of us who weren’t intrepid enough to get an advanced copy of the report are still reviewing it in detail, but many of its findings were foreshadowed by its interim reports and the testimony of witnesses. The Commission has concluded that the economic crisis was not “unavoidable,” as many have claimed. The report describes the housing bubble as the “spark” that ignited the crisis, but suggests it only became a firestorm because of a misguided philosophy of deregulation, years of regulatory irresponsibility, failed ratings agencies, and reckless and unethical banking behavior.

Richard Wolff and Max Fraad Wolff: The Consequences of Our Tax Cowardice

If we permit public-sector workers to be scapegoated for state and city budget crises, we all stand to lose

A national campaign is now fully launched to make local public-sector employees pick up a major share of the costs of economic crisis. Years of rising spending and falling revenue have carved a path of destruction through federal, state and local budgets. Deficits and debts have mounted eroding taxpayer support for government spending in general, and for public employees particularly. In response to deep economic pains in middle-class communities, major efforts are under way, from California to Maine, to balance budgets through major cuts in services, wages, benefits and employment.

Federal, state and local governments are staggering from reduced tax revenues because of unemployment, reduced production, lower investment and the housing collapse. Washington borrowed huge sums from foreign investors, domestic big business and the rich. These funds went to bailout select businesses and to help (partially and temporarily) broken state and local government budgets. Because Democrats and Republicans agreed last December not to increase income, estate and capital gains taxes, broken state and local budgets face declining federal support. This is driving governors, mayors and state legislatures to raise taxes and/or to slash payrolls and programmes.

Of course, some cutting and tax increases are required. The real social decisions involve what to cut, how much, for whom, and whose taxes to increase.

Bill Maher: New Rule: Americans Must Realize What Makes NFL Football So Great: Socialism

New Rule: With the Super Bowl only a week away, Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That’s right, for all the F-15 flyovers and flag waving, football is our most successful sport because the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives it to the poor teams… just like President Obama wants to do with his secret army of ACORN volunteers. Green Bay, Wisconsin has a population of 100,000. Yet this sleepy little town on the banks of the Fuck-if-I-know River has just as much of a chance of making it to the Super Bowl as the New York Jets – who next year need to just shut the hell up and play. . . . . .

So, you kind of have to laugh – the same angry white males who hate Obama because he’s “redistributing wealth” just love football, a sport that succeeds economically because it does exactly that. To them, the NFL is as American as hot dogs, Chevrolet, apple pie, and a second, giant helping of apple pie. But then again, they think they’re macho because their sport is football, when honestly – is there anything gayer than wearing another man’s shirt?

Something Very Serious People never talk about is how most of the complexity of the Tax Code is there specifically to provide monetary entitlements to the Extremely Wealthy and our Corporate Citizens.

This post by masaccio about Turn Left Racing caught my eye and is well worth reading in full even if it is a little technical and wonky at points.

Let’s Go Racing for Loopholes – Motorsports Tax Scam Wins a Grafty

By: masaccio, Firedog Lake

Friday January 28, 2011 2:28 pm

There is a special rule for Motorsports Entertainment Complexes, allowing their buildings, grandstands, parking lots and other improvements to be written off over 7 years. IRC § 168(e)(3)(c)(ii). To write the limitation so that it mainly affected auto race tracks, as opposed to dog tracks, took 213 words in IRC § 168(i)(15). The provision was set to expire December 31, 2009, but it was extended to 2011 by § 738 of the Obama Tax Capitulation Act of 2010, more politely known as Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.

One of the fun parts of tax issues is to see who benefits from a loophole. The obvious answer is International Speedway Corporation, the publicly held company that owns a bunch of NASCAR tracks, including Daytona, Talladega, Michigan International, Darlington and Watkins Glen.

Now the Very Serious People will tell you these Tax Breaks are stimulative, that they create economic demand and jobs and by the Miracle of the discredited Trickle Down Voodoo Supply Side Economics of the last 30 years they somehow benefit you.

This is a bald faced LIE!

I refuse to believe that the availability of this deduction made the slightest difference in the budgeting decisions of International Speedway Corporation. This budget was set with full knowledge that the loophole would expire at the end of 2009, and projects were going forward without the exemption. The loophole did not create a single job. The extension is a pure gift to the company.

I call it a Miracle because it’s supernatural.  There’s not one shred of evidence that supports it, it’s just one of those things you take on faith like any true believing Jihadi Fundamentalist.  No more scientific than burnt offerings to Mammon.

I also liked the editor’s note-

(A)nother post in Firedoglake’s semi-regular series exposing and exploring ways in which the federal government spends vast sums or forsakes vital revenue in a perpetual, profligate and pathetic quest to assure corporate America that the elected representatives of we the people are really, truly, madly, deeply “business friendly.” With each story, we hope to highlight another government giveaway, tax break, or loophole handcrafted by lawmakers and lobbyists to keep the powerful powerful and make the rich richer. If the reverse Robin Hoodism rises to special heights, we will present it with the FDL Wealthy Welfare Award-or, as we have taken to calling it back here, The Grafty.

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.

January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 336 days remaining until the end of the year (337 in leap years).

On this day in 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven,” beginning “Once upon a midnight dreary,” is published on this day in the New York Evening Mirror.

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven’s mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man’s slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word “Nevermore”. The poem makes use of a number of folk and classical references.

Poe claimed to have written the poem very logically and methodically, intending to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes, as he explained in his 1846 follow-up essay “The Philosophy of Composition”. The poem was inspired in part by a talking raven in the novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of ‘Eighty by Charles Dickens. Poe borrows the complex rhythm and meter of Elizabeth Barrett‘s poem “Lady Geraldine’s Courtship”, and makes use of internal rhyme as well as alliteration throughout.

 904 – Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.

1676 – Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia.

1814 – France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.

1834 – US President Andrew Jackson orders first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.

1845 – “The Raven” is published in the New York Evening Mirror, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe

1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.

1856 – Queen Victoria institutes the Victoria Cross.

1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.

1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

1891 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed Queen of Hawaii, its last monarch.

1900 – The American Legue is organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with 8 founding teams.

1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.

1918 – Ukrainian-Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.

1918 – Ukrainian-Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later.

1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.

1940 – Three trains on the Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. 181 people are killed.

1943 – The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, U.S. cruiser Chicago is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.

1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna takes place in central Italy.

1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 men, women, and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland.

1944 – In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio is destroyed in an air-raid.

1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.

1967 – The “ultimate high” of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco and features Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.

1979 – Brenda Spencer kills two people and wounds eight at the Grover Cleveland Elementary School shootings.

1985 – Final recording session of We Are The World, by the supergroup USA for Africa.

1989 – Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so

1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins.

1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a “definitive end” to French nuclear weapons testing.

1996 – La Fenice, Venice’s opera house, is destroyed by fire.

1998 – In Birmingham, Alabama, a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic, killing one and severely wounding another. Serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph is suspected as the culprit.

2001 – Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.

2002 – In his State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of Evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

2005 – The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing.

2009 – Egyptian identification card controversy: The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions are also eligible to receive government identity documents.

Holidays and observances

   * Christian Feast Day:

         o Juniper

         o Valerius of Treves

         o January 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

   * Constitution Day (Gibraltar)

   * Earliest day on which Fat Thursday can fall, while March 4 is the latest; celebrated on Thursday before Ash Wednesday. (Christianity)