chuck kottke

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Rangoon (Yangon) Burma

Punta Arenas, located off the Straits of Magellan in Chile, and it's a commune!:hippy::sunny:

The extremely unequal distribution of wealth is mind boggling; Mubarak should be tried in international court for crimes against humanity, and have his assets confiscated & returned to the Egyptian people, as compensation for putting up with his dictatorial ways for 30 years plus. I hope the Egyptian people never let up, until they get what they want and shape their own futures! What I heard on Tahrir square sounded a little like this: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaOlfmX8rQ&feature=related]YouTube - we will rock you by QUEEN with lyrics[/ame]

:laugh3: The Official Language of San Marcos will, from now on, be Swedish! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkYfmRwryQo&feature=related]YouTube - El Presidente[/ame] (G)

Egyptians need change, and if the cost of change is time lost with their economy for a few days, but they gain a free country with free and fair elections, guarantees of rights, and a more prosperous long-term economy, then that seems like a change worth making. Washington's inner circle is finding this transition in Egypt difficult because the U.S. can no longer control Egypt (for both business interests and political interests), and there is the concern of what this might mean for Egypt's peace with Israel. But I think this Egyptian revolution is a good thing for Egyptians, Americans, and Israelis in the long run - because it allows for the possibility of a prosperous Egyptian economy, unhampered by leadership that both skims the profits off the top & makes unfair trade deals that swamp Egypt's farm economy. Just imagine if the U.S., instead of sending billions in military aid to Egypt and bribes to Mubarak would help the Egyptian people establish civic institutions, wind and solar farms in the desert (with employment and profits going to the Egyptians), and provide a huge boost to the educational system there, what that could do for Egypt and the world would be amazing! People in Egypt could start to work for livable wages, and the Egyptian farmers, unhampered by trying to compete with subsidized American food staples, could earn a decent living too. With that economic boost might then arise in time desalination plants to provide more fresh water for Egyptians, and a blooming of the desert. Egypt could become the leader in a solar revolution that would change the whole of the Middle East, if the not the world! I believe the Egyptian people will continue their struggle, and that many moderate voices will become more visible, to form a new constitution, and a new government. Taking a breather is not losing hope but waiting for the next Tuesday and Friday to regain momentum. Egyptians are committed to changing their country for the better I believe.

I've had lemon garlic chicken baked, but slow cooking in the crock sounds good too. >time for some squash slices with chili powder and a little salt, if I'm careful they'll microwave without burning.. (nose getting better at detecting that 'caramel smell'..

(I see... all Middle East tonight then;)) Rumania (closest country with an R to the Middle East that I could pull out of a hat)

Thanks Cheerful! :) I probably ought to doze off too, but I was thinking about Tahrir Square and the images today - and One came to mind.

Papua New Guinea

Sounds good Nick! Carrot cake is excellent, no doubt a fantastic recipe. Here, just some tea (Forrelli Organic Orange Pekoe Tea) with a wild plum from the freezer to chill it.

This is so relevant it's undeniable: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNOLuOnJwQo&feature=related]YouTube - U2 - One[/ame]

World Wide Tahrir Square!! worldwidetahrir :sunny: We are One

Being too careful may be the biggest risk of all; imagine if the U.S. supported democratic movements, moderates, and allowed people to develop or learn about civic institutions from a variety of sources - how different might the world be! If we stood on principle, we may be living in a completely different kind of world

Unfortunately, the U.S. government tries to play it "safe", which really isn't safe in the end, nor progressive in promoting human rights and democracy. It's foolish, but yes, Obama seems to do that - placate existing powers, and only in the end does he come around to supporting citizen movements. But as he said, we will have to "make him do the right thing" - referring to the need to put pressure, so he can justify his actions which may run against the business interests wishes. I believe the Egyptian people need to be in charge of their own country, but inputs from people from other countries needn't be a bad thing - indeed, if not for Thomas Paine, the U.S. may never have occurred - when one thinks of Paine, one sees someone who wasn't American, but passionately believed in the potential of a new democratic nation, and got the citizen's passion roused for revolution and success against a global superpower.

Is Vodafone responsible?Vodafone: Egypt Forced Us to Spread Propaganda - CBS News

Indeed Mubarak had done just that. However the ploy he's tried has been disclosed in the media, though Hannity and Coulter seem unable to spot the obvious. I find it interesting that, according to one source from GritTV, the internet service in Egypt was cut simply by Mubarak contacting the U.S. firms with operations in Egypt (Comcast, ATT, and I think Verizon were mentioned, but recollection is a bit imperfect).. Who needs to go to the place where the cables come up out of the ocean and shut down the main, or ask the U.S. heads of state, when you can just phone up the big companies and tell them you want the internet turned off? Not surprising to see big U.S. corporations collaborating with Mubarak - with a U.S. policy that works for the big multinational corporations and against the will of the people, propping up dictators and monarchs all over the world. I just hope the Egyptian people can differentiate between what we here as citizens want, and what these big powerful corporations do.

Direct comment line for the White House is: 1-202-456-1111 Some comments from Robert Fisk, on the ground in Tahrir Square:Egypt crisis: 'Fighting was so terrible we could smell the blood' - Robert Fisk, Columnists - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Time to put some pressure on our elected representatives - President Obama, your Senator, and your Representative in the House need to hear from you right now! Contact Elected Officials: USA.gov Contact the White House | The White House And if you are lucky enough to have a Senator or Representative on the Defense Committees, please contact them now about stopping military aid to Egypt, unless Mubarak steps down immediately and open & fair elections are held in Egypt: Subcommittee on Defense Armed Services Republicans We put these people in office, we need to send the message loud-and-clear that we want action taken against the despotic Mubarak regime, and full support of the Egyptian citizens in their quest for democracy in Egypt. Follow up with contacting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, if you like: Contact Us at the U.S. State Department

Al Jazeera reported that what the Egyptian people see on TV is quite different, since they are only allowed to watch Egyptian State TV. Sounds quite Orwellian, being limited to only one news source, and no doubt one with an agenda! (edit)- I certainly hope Obama is sending his message loud and clear to the Egyptian military! Thanks Briggins ;-)

Interesting that the Haitian government is allowing Aristide to visit, odd that his party was barred from participating in the last election though.. Perhaps Aristide's visit signals a change in Haiti's government, allowing international vote monitors in was a refreshing thing as well - hopefully their findings will be upheld. Corruption must be held in check for progress to occur; some habits are hard to change though! And since the U.S. has meddled so much in Haiti's affairs in the past (I think Aristide was forced out in 2004 by a U.S. backed coup) , I have to wonder if our secret policy of supporting dictators will begin to change in favor of popularly elected leaders. One would hope so, for in the long run, that is what truly improves business and humanity's future.

I like that - Egyptian state TV, Nile, for humor! :laugh3: I can just imagine what they're broadcasting.. What I am hearing from Democracy Now is that the generals may side with Mubarak, but people in the military are neutral. Mubarak's security forces and paid thugs have arrived to create chaos and threaten the demonstrators as we have all seen - one might only expect as much from a dictator who still clings to power even when the broad majority of Egyptians have given him notice to leave ASAP. Wrestling control from the global corporate plutocracy is another matter; but with enough pushing, the U.S. and European Countries will have to accept that the era of supporting dictators for favorable deals is over and corporate interests must take a back seat to our highest ideals as democratic nations. For we the people support the Egyptian people wholeheartedly, and stand firm in our solidarity with those fighting for democracy and liberty in Egypt at this very hour.

I watch LinkTV, FreeSpeechTV, and others here through satellite TV = wider views on the world @ Large (or check it out on the web: Connecting You to the World | Link TV Thinking about music videos from North African Countries, I remembered U2's Moroccan filming of Magnificent! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tDEPeySqHU&feature=related]YouTube - U2 - Magnificent - Vídeo Clipe[/ame] Keep the pressure up in Egypt for real Democracy!!! :egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt::egypt:

What have I been up to? Oh, this and that, not much really! How about you?:) Some really great things happening with 100 MPG+ cars: Progressive Automotive X PRIZE A tour around the X-Prize winning Edison2 Very Light Car (video) -- Engadget

307 miles or 494KM, that is from Amman Jordan to Cairo Egypt. I think Mubarak is gone already, just clinging to his last moments in power; This revolution is truly a sea-change in the world, and I hope that whoever becomes Egypt's next president, that they have the fortitude to throw off the yolk of U.S. corporate dominance, and get a fair deal economically for all citizens of Egypt. But the future is what the citizens of Egypt forge from the metal in the crucible of revolution right now. Viva La Revolution! :biker::army: In Solidarity, Chuck.