Libya Roundup, March 9, 2011

Gaddafi's scorched earth: Libya's skies turn black as desperate dictator blows up oil pipes and turns his tanks on civilians


Colonel Gaddafi's forces today blasted an oil terminal to smithereens as Libya's bloody civil war entered its blackest day.


Rebels retaliated by firing back with rockets as a fireball exploded from one of the oil tanks and the sky above the Es Sider terminal, in the east of the country, filled with hideous smoke.


A witness said one of the smoke plumes was the biggest he had seen in the conflict so far.


The fresh onslaught came as Gaddafi deployed tanks and snipers to 'shoot anything that moves'.



Forces loyal to the Libyan dictator poured into the city of Zawiyah in a desperate bid to oust the hardcore band of protesters and army defectors who have taken control.
 
 Unrest in Libya has cut oil output to about half a million barrels per day from 1.6 million bpd as many foreign and local workers left the oil fields, the country's top oil official said on Wednesday.


Rebels and Gaddafi forces battle in eastern and western Libya  Excerpts:


BENGHAZI, LIBYA - Rebel forces in Libya engaged in intense fighting on two fronts Wednesday, claiming to break through a three-day standoff with government fighters in the town of Bin Jawwad but suffering another day of heavy casualties in the besieged western city of Zawiyah.


In Zawiyah, government forces were heavily shelling the main square, residents said, with airstrikes, tank and mortar fire, machine guns and artillery.


"We need some international aid here," said Mohammed, an opposition spokesman in the city, which was bombed for a sixth consecutive day by forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi. "At least stop them from having airplanes fly over us."

The Libyan paradox

Most likely he is desperate and over the years he must have been haunted by the fantasy that he really created a country of his own and therefore no one has the right to challenge his ownership of Libya. He must believe what he keeps repeating: that he is neither a president nor a king to resign; he is an uncontested leader of a revolution, who possesses nothing but his gun and he will use it to regain control. He also claimed that he turned power to the people to govern themselves, a form of democracy superior in his view to any other system of government yet devised. If he is truly insane, it is just because he believes this hallucination.

Libyan rebels' mood darkens amid fears revolution has stalled

Nearly three weeks after Libyans surprised themselves by revolting against Muammar Gaddafi's brutal 42-year rule, euphoria at the prospect of swiftly deposing the dictator has given way in the rebel capital, Benghazi, to the grim prospect of a popular uprising evolving into a drawn-out military conflict.

That is stoking fears about the consequences of losing, as Gaddafi's forces use tanks and artillery to crush the revolutionaries' takeover of the city of Zawiyah, near Tripoli, and stall the rebel advance from Benghazi hundreds of miles short of the Libyan capital.

Western powers exploit Libyan crisis to step up intervention plans

Inside Libya, Gaddafi’s former justice minister, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who now heads the opposition National Libyan Council in Benghazi, called for foreign air strikes and a no-fly zone. Citing sources within the council, the New York Times reported that this stance was adopted at a heated council meeting where “others strongly disagreed”. There has been deep opposition to such a call within popular protests against Gaddafi, because of fears of a return to neo-colonial rule—fears that Gaddafi is exploiting to posture as a defender of Libyan sovereignty.

No-Fly Or Nothing At All? What About Door Number 3?

As America and the U.N. take some time deciding on a response to Libya, I am troubled by the two directions/ reactions offered as "solutions" to Libya's accelerating spiral into chaos.  Establishing a No-Fly Zone involves Western troops and, more importantly, Western troops attacking another Arab country.  All that militarism (not to mention explosions) plays into negative perception  of all things American/ Western, all around the region. 

Do nothing at all?  Hell, NO.  Something must be done.  The Libyan people MUST be helped.  Is this, really, the best the government can do?  Could the West help the Libyan People organize, change the direction of the revolution, and accomplish all this from a distance?

Visualize two men facing each other, fighting. Another man dives onto all fours behind one man, and the other man pushes.  The man on all fours gets up and walks away, and is not involved further.  The UN is the man on all fours.  Here's how that would work:

Deliver thousands of units of satellite phones, batteries, and chargers to safe areas (or safer, the closer to Tripoli) controlled by the opposition.  Now, rather than having the Libyans have to set them up and charge them and establish networks, those tasks are already done.  In fact, the Libyans are much less tech savvy than other parts of the region, so not only will the phones be networked with Internet, text, pictures, everything, the IT Support on the whole project would be massive, the likes of which not seen in customer service, not to mention in any military application!  Technological cave men could pick up the phone, dial 0, and accomplish functions(sending mass text/emails, surfing the web, teleconferencing, uploading pictures and documents, and tracking the Gaddafi family/ government by picture and GPS) by telling the agent on the other end!

This undertaking would require some logistics.  A lot of fucking logistics..  Creating groups of components, systems, and applications into a network, and then fostering the most user friendly service environment for optimum organization and efficiency during an armed conflict will be of some expense(No idea.  A Lot., I'm sure), but less expense than any military action would require, and the human cost would be much lower, too. Note:  There might *Might* be a scenario where popular opinion wouldn't be against a U.N.  "targeted missile strike," if it were accurate.  The GPS application helps minimize the risk of missing the target.  If it boiled down to action, a quick, powerful, accurate, one time only response is the preferred response.

Several upsides: 

If this network idea actually worked, it would put an end to the armed part of the revolution.

When Gaddafi's gone, the Libyans can use this network to jump start into technological society.  Techno-literacy would be a great compliment to Libya's rising prominence as a Middle Eastern agricultural powerhouse.

No troops from either Iraq, Afghanistan, or Reserve would have to be used in armed conflict.  The military still might be used for delivery or support, but major operations would be unaffected.

Could be used in future crisis situations that require action, but not necessarily military action..

"Al Queda," whatever that is, wouldn't have a lot of propaganda to work with, as American forces weren't involved.

And coolest of all, the West got in and helped without getting in and "helping" by "destroying."  If this undertaking were performed well and we did help and we didn't stay, the entire region's stance might soften on us, not much, but maybe just enough upon which to start building trust, which has to start somewhere..

To end on a pessimistic note:  This scenario is not likely to happen:  Not at all.  It's probably too unconventional for conventional minds to embrace.

Libya Roundup, March 4, 2011

Reality leads US to temper its tough talk on Libya

The Obama administration is tempering its tough talk on Libya with a dose of reality, explaining that even a no-fly zone over the country would require a military attack on Moammar Gadhafi's regime. Two leading senators on defense matters responded Thursday by urging a strong U.S. stance aiding Gadhafi's opposition.

The Pentagon is making it clear that it doesn't want war.

Statements Wednesday by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton illustrated the administration's effort to rein in "loose talk" about military options to force Gadhafi from power. It was an acknowledgement that, short of an unlikely military offensive by a U.S.-led coalition, the options for international action to stem the violence appeared highly limited, even as armed rebels pressed their fight against troops still loyal to the Gadhafi regime.

Report: Gadhafi's warplanes attack Libya rebels

Moammar Gadhafi's forces renewed air attacks on rebels in Libya Friday as both sides struggled for control of a strategic coastal road and oil industry facilities.


Bombs were dropped on the oil terminal town of Brega in the east of the country, the Al-Arabiya news network reported.

And rebel volunteers guarding a military base in the eastern town of Ajdabiya told Reuters that a Libyan warplane had dropped bombs just beyond the walls of the base Friday but did not hit it. 

"We were sat here, heard the jet, then the explosion and the earth shook. They fell outside the walls," said Hassan Faraj, who was guarding an ammunitions store at the Haniyeh base.

Uh-Huh..  Libya bombings were only to 'frighten' rebels: Gadhafi son

Bomb attacks on Brega harbour were intended to scare rebels fighting Moamer Gadhafi into leaving Libya's oil and gas hub, his son Seif Al-Islam said late Thursday.


"The bombs were just to frighten them to go away," Gadhafi told Britain's Sky News. "There is no city there, the city of Brega is miles away. I am talking about the harbour, only oil refinery there."

Libyan rebels braced for attacks ahead of anti-Gaddafi protests

Tripoli/Cairo - Libyan rebels were braced for more attacks by forces loyal to leader Moamar Gaddafi on Friday as they prepared for mass protests across the country.



Witnesses in Libya's third largest city, Misurata, said they aimed to have a 1-million-strong march and that some of them would head for Tripoli, where Gaddafi remains in control.


Opposition forces in the capital have also called for mass protests, set to begin at the city's mosques after traditional Friday prayers.

Gadaffi faces investigation over killings..  From the I.C.C...

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has decided to investigate Libya’s leader over the killings of hundreds of civilians during uprisings across the country. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor at the ICC, concluded there was enough evidence to warrant and investigation of Gadaffi and his closest allies.

It doesn't really have to, but Oil rises to near $103 as Libya conflict escalates

 Oil prices rose to near $103 a barrel Friday in Asia as Libyan government and rebel forces dug in amid fierce fighting, raising investor fears of protracted oil output cuts in the OPEC nation.

Again:  The price of oil doesn't have to change, but Speculators can't control their greed.  Time to reign 'em in..   

Libya's 'Love Revolution': Muslim Dating Site Seeds Protest

Sweet..  Gaddafi's thugs were zigging, so naturally, the Libyan people zagged..  Excerpts:

To avoid detection by Libyan secret police, who monitor Facebook and Twitter, Mahmoudi, the leader of the Ekhtalef ("Difference") Movement, used what's considered the Match.com of the Middle East to send coded love letters to rally the revolution.
..
So he created a Mawada profile called "Where Is Miriam?" and pretended to be on the hunt for a wife.

The conservative site doesn't allow men to communicate with other men, so other revolutionaries posed as women to contact him, assuming aliases like "Sweet Butterfly," "Opener of the Mountain," "Girl of the Desert" and "Melody of Torture."
..
On the site, the revolutionaries used poetry laced with revolutionary references to gauge support and make initial contact. Then they had detailed follow-up conversations via text message and Yahoo Messenger.

Nice.  So far, when the game changes, The People are the ones changing it;  Not The Oppressors.

Looks Like Gaddafi's Doing Some Last Minute Shopping For His Extended Vacation In Hell..

1000s die in Libya, reports of poison gas

Libya's deputy ambassador to the UN says thousands of people have been killed during protests, as unconfirmed reports have come in claiming the regime has used poison gas on demonstrators.

Ibrahim Dabbashi, who has turned against the Gaddafi regime, said the death toll is expected to rise as Muammar Gaddafi continues his bloody crackdown against the opposition.

"There are already thousands of people who have been killed, we expect more. They are gathering all the bodies and they are taking them to the desert or somewhere. No one knows where are the bodies of the victims," AFP quoted Dabbashi as saying.
And:
Meanwhile, there are reports that forces loyal to Gaddafi's crumbling regime have mounted attacks in towns west of Tripoli.



The regime has already lost control of Misurata and Zuara in the west. Opposition protesters are now in control of major cities in the east, including Benghazi.

According to reports, security forces loyal to Gaddafi have stormed hospitals in Tripoli and murdered protesters who were being treated.


There are also unconfirmed reports that the regime has used poison gas against demonstrators in Misarata (Misurata).

Karma, babies..  Gaddafi's really generating some massive negativity right before his upcoming violent and probably recorded death.  Personally, I'd like to see him captured alive and sent before the I.C.C..  But I just don't see that in the cards for any of them, really..  If the focused hatred of Libya towards Gaddafi and his family and inner circle doesn't manifest in him/them being torn to shreds on camera and the videos posted on You Tube; if he is indeed, captured alive, he/they won't make it to trial.  Gaddafi and his core group know too much, and can't be allowed to talk.  Therefore, they'll be killed.

Not that this is entirely bad.  Maybe the only way Libya can move forward is to bear witness to the lifeless carcasses of the cabal that previously commanded them. Their dead bodies, the evidence needed that their murderous spirits have moved on, and The People don't have to be afraid anymore. 

After this bullshit, I have no idea what it would take for the people of Libya to be able to move on, process the collective wounds still being inflicted, and not live in fear.  It feels strange to write this while Gaddafi is still alive..  But it really doesn't feel like he is.  Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like he's already gone, and damn, was that video gross.. 

Global Events: File Under: What You Might Have Missed..

Double volcanic eruption in Kamchatka

Markets get jitters as oil price heads for the sky

Fears that the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East could seriously disrupt oil supplies and throttle the world economy turned to reality yesterday and propelled the price of oil to more than $108 a barrel during trading, the highest since September 2008. It was $85 at the start of the year. The region supplies a third of the world's oil needs.



Analysts said that if the unrest in Libya, a major oil exporter, spread to more important powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia then "the sky's the limit" for oil prices and $150 a barrel could be reached "without breaking a sweat", with grim implications for economic recovery, inflation and living standards worldwide.

Supposedly quake-proof buildings collapsed

Technically any new structure built in New Zealand has to be able to withstand intense quakes but footage has shown that, although older buildings in Christchurch seem to have been hit the hardest, plenty of newer ones that should have been able to survive a 6.3 quake have also collapsed.

Earthquake Shakes Up Suez Canal as Iran Warships Approach

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook up residents at the entrance to the Suez Canal early Monday morning, 48 hours before two Iranian ships, a frigate and a supply vessel, are expected to enter the canal.

The National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research reported that tremors from the 3 a.m. quake lasted for 27 minutes, but caused no damage.

The ships had originally been expected to enter the Suez today (Monday), but Egyptian officials announced the delay this morning, without explanation.
And:
Egypt’s agreeing to allow Iranian ships to pass through the Suez is seen by many analysts as a signal that the new regime in Egypt is leaning towards ties with Iran, but Suez Canal officials have pointed out that an international convention requires it allow passage to all ships.  Egypt has reportedly agreed to allow the Iranian boats to pass through the canal en route to Syria. The Obama administration is concerned about “what’s the cargo on board, where is it going, to whom, for what benefit," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. Iran has said that the ships are headed for Syria for training, Crowley commented, as laughter was heard in the audience: “My initial response to that would be that we’re highly skeptical of that claim.”

Does a cat's purr hold holistic powers?

Which brings me back to that mystical side of a cat’s purr: it’s been suggested that one of the function of the purr is to enable natural healing of the cat’s own body. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. Various investigators have suggested that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

THE DUBAI WASTELAND: 40% Of Buildings Are Vacant And Prices Keep Falling

Forty percent of the buildings in Dubai are vacant, according to Arabian Business.

For comparison only 28 percent of homes are vacant in America's ghost town, Detroit.

Now here's the scary part. Dubai hasn't stopped building:
And:
Real estate values have already fallen by over 60 percent

10 American Cities That Are Dead Forever

A city does not die when its last resident moves away.  Death happens when municipalities lose the industries and vital populations that made them important cities.

The economy has evolved so much since the middle of the 20th Century that many cities that were among the largest and most vibrant in America have  collapsed. Some have lost more than half of their residents. Others have lost the businesses that made them important centers of finance, manufacturing, and commerce.

Global community isolates Gaddafi

EU calls for investigation into possible crimes against humanity while US says "all options" are on the table.

Police, protesters clash again in Greece amid budget strike

Police fired tear gas near the Greek parliament on Wednesday as clashes broke out with protesters throwing stones and firebombs during a demonstration against austerity measures, an AFP reporter said.

The confrontation occurred near the finance ministry on central Syntagma Square with police seeking to block protesters from approaching the building as thousands marched in Athens and other major cities in this year's first general strike against wage and pension cuts.
..
At least 36,000 people according to police demonstrated on Wednesday in Athens, Thessaloniki and the port of Piraeus ..  Union sources put the Athens turnout at over 60,000 people.

Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Mississippi – Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Some 17 baby dolphin corpses have been found along the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi in the past two weeks, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said.

"The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17, and February isn't even over yet," said Moby Solangi, director of the Gulfport, Mississippi-based institute.

"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born."
And:
Adult dolphin deaths tripled last year to 89 from a norm of about 30.

CIA Agent Caught Red-Handed Aiding Pakistani Terrorism?

The U.S. at first falsely claimed that Davis was a diplomat with the State Department and should therefore be granted diplomatic immunity:

But the deeper story is that Davis allegedly actively aided and abetted terrorism.

Iran not behind Mideast protests: Mullen

From SpaceWar. And no, Mike Mullen's no lefty freak Iran apologist.  He's the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Excerpts:

Iran foments instability in the Middle East but is not behind popular protests in Bahrain and other countries in the region, top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said Monday in Qatar.

"Iran, I still believe, is a country that continues to foment instability in the region, take advantage of every opportunity," But "from my perspective that has not been the principal focus of what happened in Egypt or what happened in Bahrain or any of these other countries,"

"Those are by and large internal issues, as opposed to issues fomented by some external forces," Mullen said, although "there's always concerns in this region with Iran and certainly the US has them as well as all the regional players."
..
"As far as Fifth Fleet operations, no, the demonstrations have not had any impact here -- we're continuing to conduct our regular business out here," a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet told AFP on Monday.

In the Qatari capital Doha, Mullen met with Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and army chief of staff General Hamad al-Attiyah.

He's right. Say what you want about Iran, but they didn't provide/provoke the tipping-point influence needed for either uprising in Tunisia or Egypt.  Tunisia fell after years of combination economic hardship, no jobs, a corrupt, nepotistic regime, and no future prospects for its citizens.  Tunisia reached its flash point when a 26 year old self-immolated(who was no revolutionary himself), frustration morphed into rage, and Revolution took hold within the Tunisian collective consciousness.

Egypt's revolution was not only a response to Mubarak's authoritarianism, but it was mostly a food riot extrapolated out to governmental overthrow, brought on by Ben Bernanke.  Thanks Ben!  The Washington Post's analysis is about half right:  Let's do some excerpts:

DOES BEN S. BERNANKE, the Federal Reserve chairman, deserve the blame - or the credit, depending on your point of view - for Hosni Mubarak's plight? Some seem to think so. Last August, Mr. Bernanke announced further Fed asset purchases known colloquially as "quantitative easing II," or "QEII" for short. The goal was to ease monetary conditions in the United States and fuel growth. But cheaper money lowered the costs and raised the rewards of speculating on food and energy, relative to some other investments. The latest rise in commodity prices began around the time of Mr. Bernanke's announcement; expensive food triggered unrest first in Tunisia and then in Egypt. Ergo, Mr. Bernanke undermined Mr. Mubarak - or so the argument goes.

Here's where The Post doesn't go far enough..

Still, Mr. Bernanke was probably right to deny that the Fed is "primarily responsible" for the current price run-up. The spike in wheat prices, which determines the price of bread in Cairo, began before QEII, when drought destroyed Russian crops. (Yes, but QEII exacerbated the crisis to boiling point. The absence of a single(or two, for that matter..)crop/commodity, even wheat, won't necessarily throw a society into chaos.  17 percent yearly inflation on people who make 2 dollars a day?  Now the promise of inevitable starvation, that's the kind of thing that freaks societies out.)  Subsequent floods in Australia have destroyed more wheat. As for other foodstuffs and oil, the continuing rapid growth of investment and middle-class consumption in China and India probably explains much recent inflation - just as it will probably drive future price increases in those goods. (Damn China and India for growing.  Just because their economy's are growing does not mean they're eating That Much More food to cause a significant Global agricultural distortion that would cause double digit inflation.  Yes, their populations are growing, but this cause/effect is too rapid for population increase to be a primary factor.).  Ugh.  Not a mention here as to how commodities traders influence global food prices, so when disaster does strike a crop, traders make much more money while doubling the effects of drought or flood on those who couldn't afford prices BEFORE said drought or flood happened..)

Reforming those misbegotten programs(Involving Sugar and Cotton--my clarification) would probably improve global commodity markets more than abolishing QEII, which ends in a few months anyway. (Bullshit.  The damage is done.  After QEII, will prices magically decrease, or will they stay at the same level/continue to rise as they do during inflationary periods?  My Unicorn says prices will decrease.)

Higher food prices do, indeed, hurt the poor. But the focus should be on alleviating their suffering - not on alleged political effects(Overthrowing their corrupt, misery causing governments IS Alleviating Their Suffering, ya big dumb douche!  Put differently:  Focus on the political effects of food inflation again, led to governmental overthrow, thereby alleviating the people's suffering.  Hey!  We ended up in the same place..). Costlier food all by itself is not destabilizing; there are no food riots in democratic India or the Philippines(Yet.  Yet.).  As Egypt and Tunisia prove, it's the combination of misery and tyranny that's combustible(At present.  Let's check back in December).

Bahrain might be the likeliest candidate for Iranian influence, or it might be the Shia majority is sick of the Sunni minority's oppressive rule.  This might be why:

"In Bahrain, you have the majority Shia, who are oppressed, and the minority Sunnis, who have all the money and all the power. That's a pretty volatile combination."



The extent of the economic divide between the Sunni ruling class and the Shiite majority is shocking, said Toby Jones, an assistant professor of history at Rutgers University and an editor at the Middle East Report political journal, who lived in Bahrain for several years in the mid-2000s.

"Nationally, Bahrain is a very poor country and the wealth that does get created is concentrated in the hands of the rulers and the influential," he said. "… I’ve never seen wretched poverty like I’ve seen in Bahrain."

Factors that spurred Libya's current bloodbath?  Inertia, and Gaddafi as mass murderer are two good guesses, for the moment..  Again, Iran just isn't a factor.  Iran's own protests have been squelched for the moment, so whether Revolution Inertia ultimately spread to Tehran remains to be seen. 

Until any credible evidence actually surfaces regarding Iran's influence on any effected country's problems, all narratives regarding factors should be assumed Internal, not due to External pressures from anyone in Iran.  If evidence points otherwise, I'll revisit my stance.  But right now, no such evidence seems to exist.  

 

Mid-East Uprising: Libya Edition

"Libya on the brink."

It's clear Qadafi's regime won't go quietly, and it seems like the tide is turning.. Moammar Gadhafi's son warns of civil war in Libya if father's leadership not recognized Excerpts:

After anti-government unrest spread to the Libyan capital and protesters seized military bases and weapons Sunday, Moammar Gadhafi’s son went on state television to proclaim that his father remained in charge with the army’s backing and would “fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet.”
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, in the regime’s first comments on the six days of demonstrations, warned the protesters that they risked igniting a civil war in which Libya’s oil wealth “will be burned.”
The speech followed a fierce crackdown by security forces who fired on thousands of demonstrators and funeral marchers in the eastern city of Benghazi in a bloody cycle of violence that killed 60 people on Sunday alone, according to a doctor in one city hospital. Since the six days of unrest began, more than 200 people have been killed, according to medical officials, human rights groups and exiled dissidents.
..
Although the elder Gadhafi did not appear, his son has often been put forward as the regime’s face of reform.
..
Protesters had seized some military bases, tanks and other weapons, he said, blaming Islamists, the media, thugs, drunks and drug abusers, foreigners — including Egyptians and Tunisians. (It's amazing the feats drug users are capable of, huh?)
He also admitted that the unrest had spread to Tripoli, with people firing in central Green Square before fleeing.
The rebellion by Libyans frustrated with Gadhafi’s more than 40 years of authoritarian rule has spread to more than a half-dozen eastern cities — but also to Tripoli, where secret police were heavily deployed on the streets of the city of 2 million.
And:
In other setbacks for Gadhafi’s regime, a major tribe in Libya was reported to have turned against him and Libya’s representative to the Arab League said he resigned his post to protest the government’s decision to fire on defiant demonstrators in Benghazi, the second-largest city.
Khaled Abu Bakr, a resident of Sabratha, an ancient Roman city to the west, said protesters besieged the local security headquarters, driving out police and setting it on fire. Abu Bakr said residents are in charge, have set up neighborhood committees to secure their city.
The Internet has been largely shut down, residents can no longer make international calls from land lines and journalists cannot work freely, but eyewitness reports trickling out of the country suggested that protesters were fighting back more forcefully against the Middle East’s longest-serving leader.
“We are not afraid. We won’t turn back,” said a teacher who identified herself only as Omneya. ..“If we don’t continue, this vile man would crush us with his tanks and bulldozers. If we don’t, we won’t ever be free,” she said.

The Renaissance of the Arab World?

It's never good when your country's diplomats resign in disgust..

And finally, is global unrest starting to effect China?