US general: Afghan war 'winnable without Pakistan help'

Oh that's so cute. He probably still believes in the Easter Bunny too. Whether Pakistan helps or not, Afghanistan is not winnable. Time to move on and at least save lives and money. BBC News:

The US can win the Afghan war even if Pakistan does not shut down militant safe havens on its side of the border, a top US commander has said.

Deputy commander of US forces in Afghanistan Lt Gen David Rodriguez said Pakistan had launched effective operations along the north-west border.

But Islamabad needed to do more in North Waziristan, he said.

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Searing images of Mubarak's thugs attacking on horseback

There were many shocking images from Cairo today when the pro-Mubarak forces attacked the pro-Democracy protesters. One of the most shocking was to see the thugs attacking the crowd on horse and camels. The whole world saw the brutal regime that Egyptians have live with for so long and have been protesting against.

Doesn't it make you proud to know that this thug, Mubarak, is one of our best allies?

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Video: Demon Russian cat speaks in tongues

(H/t Huff Post Hill) Read the rest of this post...

Canada goes to usage-based billing for internet

This is going in the wrong direction. Even worse, it's happening next door to the US so don't be surprised if it arrives in the future. Washington has been a good friend to Comcast and the other ISPs who manage to deliver poor services with high prices compared to other industrialist countries. When there's so little competition, this is what happens.

Starting on March 1, Ontario TekSavvy members who subscribed to the 5Mbps plan have a new usage cap of 25GB, "substantially down from the 200GB or unlimited deals TekSavvy was able to offer before the CRTC's decision to impose usage based billing," the message added.

By way of comparison, Comcast here in the United States has a 250GB data cap. Looks like lots of Canadians can kiss that kind of high ceiling goodbye. And going over will cost you: according to TekSavvy, the CRTC put data overage rates at CAN $1.90 per gigabyte for most of Canada, and $2.35 for the country's French-speaking region.

Bottom line: no more unlimited buffet. TekSavvy users who bought the "High Speed Internet Premium" plan at $31.95 now get 175GB less per month.

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Senate defeats amendment to repeal health care law: 47 - 51

The Senate just voted down, by a margin of 47 - 51, Mitch McConnell's legislation to repeal the health insurance reform law. This time, the GOPers needed 60 votes. All the Democrats who were present voted against McConnell (Lieberman and Mark Warner weren't there for the vote.) All the GOPers voted with their leader -- like they usually do. McConnell offered his bill in the form of an amendment to the FAA Authorization. Yeah, that's relevant to the FAA, huh?

Republicans are just obsessed with this health care law. They promised to create jobs, but they're too busy trying to aid and abet their insurance company benefactors. Read the rest of this post...

40% of sunscreen lotion may aid tumor growth

It's the form of Vitamin A they add to it. And 40% of sunscreens add the Vitamin A. SF Chronicle:

Some 40 percent of sunscreens contain retinyl palmitate, including popular brands Coppertone, Banana Boat, Panama Jack, Hawaiian Tropic, and Neutrogena.

Here's the study abstract. And more here. (Yes, the story came out a week ago, I didn't see and feel it's important, so there you go.) Read the rest of this post...

South Dakota Republicans propose bill that requires all adults to own a gun

Requiring health insurance is obviously socialism but requiring everyone to own a gun is freedom loving democracy. Is that how it works?

The bill, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2012, would give people six months to acquire a firearm after turning 21. The provision does not apply to people who are barred from owning a firearm.

Nor does the measure specify what type of firearm. Instead, residents would pick one “suitable to their temperament, physical capacity, and preference.”

The measure is known as an act “to provide for an individual mandate to adult citizens to provide for the self defense of themselves and others.”

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Egypt: Hosni Mubarak & Omar Suleiman

The situation in Egypt is fluid, to say the least. Mubarak is clearly clinging to every scrap of power he can. The news has clashes in Cairo, and stories of government provocateurs.

If you'd like a smart take on the internal factions (Mubarak, various military sub-elites, newly-appointed VP Omar Suleiman, and Elbaradei), Juan Cole is your best bet. This discusses those factions. And a comparison of Egypt to Iran 1979 is here.

A fluid situation; a drama with many actors. Joe is right to point you to Al Jazeera; the U.S. press has performed less well.

Omar Suleiman's appointment as VP adds an interesting aspect to this. For years, the presumed heir apparent was Mubarak's son Gamal. (Interesting isn't it, the notion of inherited power in a "democracy".) Gamal is widely opposed, however, and Suleiman provides an odd alternative. (Gamal is reported in some circles to have already fled to England, but this is so far unsubstantiated.)

Jane Mayer provides more on Suleiman in this recent New Yorker profile:

One of the “new” names being mentioned as a possible alternative to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is actually not so new to anyone who has followed the American policy of renditions for terror suspects. After dissolving his cabinet yesterday, Mubarak appointed Suleiman vice-president, and according to many commentators he is poised to be a potential successor, and an alternative to Mubarak’s son and intended heir until now, Gamal Mubarak. Suleiman is a well-known quantity in Washington. Suave, sophisticated, and fluent in English, he has served for years as the main conduit between the United States and Mubarak. While he has a reputation for loyalty and effectiveness, he also carries some controversial baggage from the standpoint of those looking for a clean slate on human rights. As I described in my book “The Dark Side,” since 1993 Suleiman has headed the feared Egyptian general intelligence service. In that capacity, he was the C.I.A.’s point man in Egypt for renditions—the covert program in which the C.I.A. snatched terror suspects from around the world and returned them to Egypt and elsewhere for interrogation, often under brutal circumstances. ...

Further documentation of Suleiman’s role in the rendition program appears in Ron Suskind’s book, “The One Percent Doctrine.” Katherine Hawkins, a sharp-eyed human-rights lawyer who did legal research for my book, points out that, according to Suskind, Suleiman was the C.I.A.’s liaison for the rendition of an Al Qaeda suspect known as Ibn Sheikh al-Libi. The Libi case is particularly controversial, in large part because it played a role in the building of the case for the American invasion of Iraq.

There's more in this short, excellent piece.

Many actors, many scenes. Some are playing out abroad, others in the U.S. Is Omar Suleiman "our man in Cairo"?

GP Read the rest of this post...

VIDEO: Anderson Cooper on being attacked by Mubarak thugs in Cairo

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Stunning photo of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, cars buried in snow

This is a huge street in Chicago, busy as hell, 45 mph limit I believe, and it never closes. Check out this photo from today's blizzard.
(h/t Rex Wockner) Read the rest of this post...

More evidence that pro-Mubarak protests are phony

RT @bencnn: All day CNN Cairo phone, cell phone ringing, people urging us to cover pro-Mubarak demonstrations. All same phrases. #Jan25 #Egypt

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Egyptian protests threaten Al Qaeda

Shhhh, don't tell Fox News. They think anyone who opposes Mubarak must be al Qaeda. A very interesting analysis on why the protests are good for the war on terror and how Mubarak played a role in promoting extremists. Read the rest of this post...

'Just saw a foreign journalist being chased by a mob with weapons. He was alone. They got him. God help him.'

CBS reports on Twitter updates about Egypt. Read the rest of this post...

Former Asst Sec of State: Violence caused by 'rent-a-crowds,' Mubarak supporters obviously hired

Jamie Rubin just said on CNN that the violent crowds in Egypt are clearly 'rent-a-crowds,' and that Mubarak's supporters who are now amassing publicly have clearly been hired.

Egypt is on the verge of exploding today, and everyone agrees that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak started it, likely with the intent of freaking out the world and forcing them to accept a violent crackdown. Guess what? All it's doing is convincing people that Mubarak has to resign now. Read the rest of this post...

Michele Bachmann: Naked pictures of me could show up on the Internet

Mother of God, no.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently announced her opposition to the federal Transportation Security Administration's full-body scanners due to worries that "naked pictures" of herself could somehow end up on the internet for the world to see after being screened.

According to MinnPost, Bachamann told patrons at an Iowa coffee shop that she planned on opting out of such security procedures in order to avoid the possibility that such exposing images could end up online.

Nor is groping Michele Bachmann a prettier picture. Read the rest of this post...

ADP reports 187,000 new jobs in January

Though December was revised downward, January was above forecasts. The unemployment hole that the Bush economy created is going to take years to fill, but growth is growth.

Private employers added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a revised gain of 247,000 jobs in December, a report by a payrolls processor showed Wednesday.

The December figure was originally reported as a gain of 297,000 jobs.

The median of estimates from 29 economists surveyed by Reuters for the ADP Employer Services report, jointly developed with Macroeconomic Advisers, was for a rise of 145,000 private-sector jobs in January.

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Violence has erupted in Cairo, initiated by pro-Mubarak forces

UPDATE @ 9:38 AM: CNN Is reporting that the Egyptian Army has entered Tahrir Square and tear gas has been fired. Also, men on horses and camels have been attacking the pro-democracy protesters.
_____________
The situation in Cairo has turned ugly. Sounds like Mubarak has sent his thugs to wreak havoc. Al Jazeera's live blog is providing up-to-date coverage here. This is one of the latest updates:

3:27pm Al Jazeera reporting that more than 100 people have been injured in the past hour after suspected government supporters, including plain clothed policemen, entered Tahrir Square and attacked anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

And, here's the article from Al Jazeera:

Earlier, witnesses said thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters had entered the square. Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in thugs to suppress the protest.

Also in Cairo, Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, said that "hundreds of anti-government supporters were running from the square, including many women and children".

Fighting took place around army tanks deployed around the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. Soldiers did not intervene.

Several groups were involved in fist fights, and some were using clubs. The opposition also said many among the pro-Mubarak crowd were policemen in plainclothes.

"Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement.

CNN's Anderson Cooper was in the middle of the mayhem. He also reported that the military is just standing by, not doing anything. And, Anderson reported he got punched in the head "ten times or so."

Mubarak chose to attack his own people. He's been doing that for decades. But, this time, the whole world is watching. Read the rest of this post...

BP has only managed to pay one final claim out of 91,000

It helps when you have friends in high places. Maybe we need our own street protests to push for real change.

BP's compensation fund for Gulf oil spill victims has issued a final settlement payment to just one of the thousands of people and businesses waiting for checks, records show, and that $10 million payout went to a company after the oil giant intervened on its behalf.

BP won't identify the business, citing confidentiality, but acknowledges it lobbied for the settlement. The amount far exceeds smaller stopgap payments that some individuals and businesses have received while they wait for their own final settlements.

The Gulf Coast Claims Facility was set up in August to independently administer BP's $20 billion compensation fund in the aftermath of its April 20 oil well blowout off Louisiana.

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Jordan shuffles government, Yemen president to retire in 2013

When all of this started, it hardly seemed possible that the region could respond so quickly. Now we're wondering whether leaders can stay for another few weeks. We still have to see what change (or not) will actually occur but even forcing governments to shuffle is amazing. Related to these changes, you have to wonder if Israel is now wishing they had locked down a plan for peace with the people they know. It certainly can't get any easier in the near term as any regional power will be sensitive to the recent protests and much less interested in cooperating with Israel. CNN:

The dismissal follows several protests calling for change in Jordan -- protests that echo demonstrations that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East in the last few weeks.

King Abdullah II asked Marouf Al Bakhit to form a government in Jordan that will implement "genuine political reform," the Royal Court said in a statement.

The government will "take practical steps, quick and concrete, to launch a process of genuine political reform" and "comprehensive development," according to a letter from the king to Al Bakhit. It also will act to strengthen democracy, the letter said.

More on the Yemen situation from Al Jazeera. Read the rest of this post...

Aristide may also be arriving in Haiti

The last thing Haiti needs at this time is another former ruler arriving in the middle of a chaotic situation.

This follows the reappearance in Haiti last month of former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier.

But there may yet be bureaucratic wrangling about when Aristide can travel. Ira Kurzban, his American lawyer, said he sent a letter to Haitian authorities on Sunday requesting a passport on Aristide's behalf. Officials publicly denied receiving any such request. "If the government of Haiti is serious about it, the steps are very clear," Kurzban said. "This cat and mouse game should stop. I suggested they could give the passport to the government of South Africa."

Haiti should begin talks with South Africa, he added, and ensure that security measures will be in place for Aristide's return, as stipulated by law for ex-presidents. "I'm certain that if all the appropriate steps are taken, the former president will leave immediately. He's ready and anxious."

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