Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 18 (or 20*), Part 2

[Catherina]

Libyan Revolution Tweets, Day 18 (or 20*), Part 2

Today's threads: Part 1,

#Feb17 Youth organizers invite Gaddafi's collaborators to stand under his umbrella ella ella ella ella ella http://bit.ly/faa34E

"We have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya."
- Saif Islam Qaddafi during interview

*I called this Day 18 because the official start date was #Feb17 but events kicked off 2 days earlier.

Previous Day 17 threads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, , Part 8, Part 9

The world’s 100 largest arms dealers, excluding Chinese vendors, sold weapons for $401 billion in 2009, with US vendors in first place

Threads for Days 1-16 are in my journal

"I was born in Tunisia, I persevered in Egypt, I sacrificed myself in Libya, I have fought in Yemen&Bahrain. I am Freedom, I will not die."
- Libyan4life Jeel Ghathub

LibyanThinker The Libyan Thinker
New video of Soldiers Executed for Refusing to Shoot Protesters in #Libya

MAP of Protests across the Middle East


Military Installations

Oil Map

Click here for updated and interactive map
Google Earth DL here to see positions of army and patrolling route of mercenaries

Please rec if you read these so I know if the effort here is worth it.

[Catherina]

1. #Gadaffi will never defeat 6 million Che Guevaras

MilitantNews Stephen Morgan
#Libya #Gadaffi will never defeat 6 million Che Guevaras #feb17
17 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

[CommonSensePLZ]

65. I wouldn't say he's a good example

Che reminds me of Qaddafi: A hero of the people BEFORE power, an enemy after. I don't like the idea of comparing millions of people who want democracy for a change to him. No offense to you even though you're a fan of his.

[Catherina]

2. Ukrainian nurse who worked for Gaddafi says he is a great psychologist

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Ukrainian nurse who worked for Gaddafi says he is a great psychologist - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaki…
16 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

13:42 Reuters A Ukrainian nurse who worked for Gaddafi for over two years is secretly filmed by a Ukrainian journalist as saying that the Libyan leader is in good health and is a “great psychologist”

Posted for comic relief. Zenga Zenga!

[Catherina]

3. Reuters Article: Gaddafi's nurse says he is in good health

Gaddafi's nurse says he is in good health

Sun Mar 6, 2011 11:20am GMT

KIEV, March 6 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is in good health and is a "great psychologist", one of his Ukrainian nurses told a local television channel.

...

"The man is not 20-years old, sometimes he needs his (blood) pressure checked. He is probably in better health than you," she told the TVI reporter.

Oksana, who lives in a village outside Kiev, there were a number myths about Gaddafi such as him living in a tent while on foreign trips.

"He does not live or sleep there (in the tent). And we don't sleep with him there," she said, dismissing reports he had romantic liasons with his nurses.

(Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE72508T20110306

[pinboy3niner]

5. "Just lie down on the rack...er, I mean the couch." :) nt

[pinboy3niner]

4. K&R

[madmax]

6. K&R

[pinboy3niner]

7. Pope prays for victims of Libyan fighting and urges aid for growing humanitarian crisis.

From AJE blogs.

[Catherina]

8. #G holed up in BabAlAziza while he imports foreign mercs #thataintwinning

Libyan4life Jeel Ghathub
#Gaddafi holed up in BabAlAziza while he imports foreign mercenaries to fight his battle #thataintwinning
21 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

9. we would like to see Gaddafi march into his so called regained cities of Tobrog Zawia or Misrata

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
we would like to see Gaddafi march into his so called regained cities of Tobrog Zawia or Misrata #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes
20 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[pinboy3niner]

10. LOL! Tweeps have good sensel of humor! nt

[Catherina]

11. AFP: Gaddafi tanks shell Misrata | LA Times: Libyan State TV reports significant >

SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
AFP: Gaddafi tanks shell Misrata http://bit.ly/g0rOwj | LA Times: Libyan State TV reports significant gains for Gaddafi forces #Libya
19 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Gaddafi tanks shell Libya's third city Misrata
Fears of further bloodshed as regime forces launch heavy artillery attack on rebel stronghold
AFP , Sunday 6 Mar 2011

Tanks shelled the centre of rebel-held Misrata on Sunday, a resident of Libya's third biggest city said, warning of "carnage" if the international community did not intervene.

"Tanks are shelling the centre of the city, near the radio headquarters. We are also hearing heavy automatic weapon fire," the resident said on condition of anonymity. Firing was clearly audible over the telephone.

...

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/7092/World/Region/Gaddafi-tanks-shell-Libyas-third-city-Misrata-.aspx

[Catherina]

12. 1 woman named among other 8 as members of libyan transition council

libi4ever Soliman Albrassi
1 woman named among other 8 as members of libyan transition council #libya
19 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

13. Dr Salwa El-Deghali representing women in the national transition council

libi4ever Soliman Albrassi
Dr Salwa El-Deghali representing women in the national transition council #libya
18 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

14. BREAKING: Gaddafi forces still attacking Misratah with tanks and heavy artillery

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Gaddafi forces still attacking Misratah with tanks and heavy artillery - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaki…
18 minutes ago

13:56 Reuters Libyan government forces are attacking the revolution-held town of Misrata using tanks and artillery, destroying everything in their path as they try to reach the town’s centre, a resident tells Reuters by telephone

13:56 Al JazeeraEyewitness confirms that one tank has been destroyed in Misratah. Revolutionaries led them in and have now surrounded them from all directions.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-revolutionaries-attacked-at-bin-jawad/

[Catherina]

15. current time in Tripoli is 2:19 PM on Sunday, 6 March

TimeInLibya Time In Libya
#Libya The current time in Tripoli is 2:00 PM on Sunday, 6 March 2011
18 minutes ago

[Iterate]

16. Audio from Tripoli, Peter Beaumont

http://audioboo.fm/boos/295105-tripoli-peter-beaumont

Gunfire and tank carriers near Tripoli.

[Catherina]

17. Libyan helis strike rebel force advancing toward Tripoli, heavy ground fighting reported -AP

fieldproducer Neal Mann
Libyan helicopters strike rebel force advancing toward capital Tripoli, heavy ground fighting reported -AP #Libya
17 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

18. LPC from Misurata on Aljazeera: Shelling continues, some tanks have rolled in. One tank disabled

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
Live call from Misurata on Aljazeera: Shelling continues, some tanks have rolled in. One tank disabled so far. #Libya
14 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

19. LPC from Misurata on AJ: Calling upon the ppl of Al-Khoms, Zliten, Msillata, Bani Walid 2 rise& move

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
Live call from Misurata on Aljazeera: Calling upon the people of Al-Khoms, Zliten, Msillata, Bani Walid to rise and move. #Libya
14 minutes ago

[Catherina]

20. UK Govt confirms captured diplomatic team. No comment on SAS soldiers

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: British Govt confirms captured diplomatic team. No comment on SAS soldiers - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaki…
15 minutes ago

13:56 BBC The British government confirms it has a diplomatic team in Libya, but will not comment on reports that SAS members have been seized by rebel forces

As posted in last thread

martinchulov Martin Chulov
Rebel leaders in benghazi confirm they're holding 8 britons who parachuted in 30km west 4 days ago. Won't be freed without contact from ...


martinchulov Martin Chulov
The brits were carrying 'espionage and reconnaisance kit & multiple weapons & passports' a rebel boss says. Being treated as mercenaries ...


martinchulov Martin Chulov
The rebels say they'll free the captured britons if the UK Govt vouches for them #libya #feb17.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=569253&mesg_id=569358

[pinboy3niner]

22. CNN: UK negotiating to free captured troops, Libya rebels say

UK negotiating to free captured troops, Libya rebels say
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 6, 2011 6:40 a.m. EST


Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- Negotiations between senior British officials and senior opposition leaders in Libya were underway Sunday to secure the release of eight British special forces troops detained in eastern Libya by opposition forces, two sources close to the opposition told CNN.

In an interview with BBC, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox would not confirm that British troops were detained.

"We have a small British diplomatic team in Benghazi," Fox said. "We are in touch with them. I can't say more."

He refused to elaborate when questioned repeatedly by the BBC's Andrew Marr about the reported capture of the British troops.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/06/libya.british.troops/

[Catherina]

21. electricity is shutdown on #Misrata city , news about attacking Misrata hospital today

hamzamu hamzamu
electricity is shutdown on #Misrata city, news about attacking Misrata hospital today #libya #feb17
18 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

hamzamu is a Medical Doctor on the ground

[Catherina]

33. ocal doctor in Misrata tells the BBC that four government tanks have entered the city firing >>

2:09pm: A local doctor in Misrata tells the BBC that four government tanks have entered the city firing on people indiscriminately – even shooting at an ambulance. He says the situation is “very bad”; at least three people are dead and scores more have been injured – he says people are being treated for gunshot wounds to the arms, shoulders and legs.

http://feb17.info/general/live-libyan-uprest-reports-of-helicopter-shot-down/

I really wish they'd post links. Sorry for not having one

[Ghost Dog]

45. On the BBC live updates page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

#
1209: A local doctor in Misrata tells the BBC that four government tanks have entered the city firing on people indiscriminately - even shooting at an ambulance. He says the situation is "very bad"; at least three people are dead and scores more have been injured - he says people are being treated for gunshot wounds to the arms, shoulders and legs.


Follow @BBCWorld on Twitter

[Catherina]

23. #G forces attacking revolutionary-held Misratah

feb17libya Feb17Libya
LIVE – Libyan Uprest: Gaddafi forces are attacking revolutionary-held Misratah http://bit.ly/eu5Zhm #feb17@libya
19 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

2:18pm: The BBC’s John Simpson in Ras Lanuf says rebel troops are heading westwards and are about 45km west of Ras Lanuf but he says they are running into stiffer resistance than they were expecting and have experienced so far. Libyan State TV claims that Gaddafi’s forces have re-captured Ras Lanuf but this is clearly not true, our correspondent says.

[Ghost Dog]

46. On the BBC live updates page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

Follow @BBCWorld on Twitter

[Catherina]

24. LPC from Misurata on AJ: 3-4 tanks and 1-2 APCs cut off & surrounded by revols within the city

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
Live call from Misurata on Aljazeera: 3-4 tanks and 1-2 APCs cut off & surrounded by revolutionaries within the city. #Libya
26 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

25. Gaddafi forces surrounded in central Misratah

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Gaddafi forces surrounded in central Misratah - #feb17 #libya -
25 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
BREAKING: Gaddafi forces let into central Misrata and surrounded by the Anti Gaddafi forces #Libya #Feb17 (AJ Caller)
23 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

26. Misrata & Zawaia women said we will die beside our men to bring freedom

libi4ever Soliman Albrassi
Misrata & Zawaia women said we will die beside our men to bring freedom 2#libya
19 minutes ago

[pinboy3niner]

27. AJE: Az Zawiyah under heavy artillery and armor attack; all electricity and commo down

2:12pm

Residents in Az Zawiyah say that the city is under heavy artillery attacks from the West and tanks are trying to enter the city. Also, electricity, communication lines, and internet are reported to have been cut.

Abdel Fatah, a political activist, says that in Misurata, Gaddafi's tanks attacked the city, supported by armored vehicles - some tanks are now under siege by rebels inside a main square in the city.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-6-0

[Catherina]

28. urging satellite companies to cut off broadcasts by state TV to block #G issuing instructions

4libya Jeanie Abdullah
“@AlmanaraMedia: We are urging satellite companies to cut off broadcasts by state TV to block Col Gaddafi issuing instructions @egypt_25_jan
17 minutes ago

[Catherina]

29. Plz call & ask AJE to PLEASE stop using ''rebels''. Telephone number here

Libyan4life Jeel Ghathub
This is @AJEnglish 's #. Call them ask them to PLEASE stop using ''rebels'' #Libya #Feb17 Tel: [phone]
17 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


I totally agree. That word doesn't frame things properly.

[JanDutchy]

30. EU sends technical fact-finding mission to Libya

A technical fact-finding mission has been sent to Libya by the EU ahead of European Council.

It is the first international mission of its kind to the country since the recent violence.

The team will be led by Agostino Miozzo, managing director in the European External Action Service for Crisis Response and Operational Coordination.

Its aim will be to assess humanitarian and evacuation efforts on the ground in Libya to make an appraisal of what may be needed in terms of additional support.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said:

"I have decided to dispatch this high level mission to provide me with first-hand, real-time information to feed into the discussions leading up to Friday's extraordinary European Council when I will update heads of state and government on the situation.

"I would like to thank Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and the Italian government for helping the EEAS in facilitating this important mission," she said.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110306/local/eu-sends-technical-fact-finding-mission-to-libya

[Catherina]

31. SultanAlQassemi will be speaking on Al Jazeera English in one hour on reforms in the Gulf.

SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
I will be speaking on Al Jazeera English in one hour on reforms in the Gulf.
22 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

32. Ras Lanuf revolutionaries are heading west, into stiffer resistance

feb17libya Feb17Libya
LIVE – Libyan Uprest: Ras Lanuf revolutionaries are heading west, into stiffer resistance ... http://bit.ly/eu5Zhm #Libya #Feb17
23 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

2:30pm: The BBC’s John Simpson in Ras Lanuf says a helicopter from Gaddafi’s airforce has flown over as though trying to work out the strength of the rebel defences. The rebels are experiencing a shortage of fuel. All of this increases their anxiety, he says.

2:18pm: The BBC’s John Simpson in Ras Lanuf says rebel troops are heading westwards and are about 45km west of Ras Lanuf but he says they are running into stiffer resistance than they were expecting and have experienced so far. Libyan State TV claims that Gaddafi’s forces have re-captured Ras Lanuf but this is clearly not true, our correspondent says.

2:12pm: Residents in Zawiya say that the city is under heavy artillery attacks from the West and tanks are trying to enter the city. Also, electricity, communication lines, and internet are reported to have been cut.

Abdel Fatah, a political activist, says that in Misurata, Gaddafi’s tanks attacked the city, supported by armored vehicles – some tanks are now under siege by rebels inside a main square in the city.

http://feb17.info/general/live-libyan-uprest-reports-of-helicopter-shot-down/

[Catherina]

37. currently 45km west of Ras Lanuf

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
BBC: Freedom fighters are heading westwards, currently 45km west of Ras Lanuf #Libya #Feb17 #gaddaficrimes
26 minutes ago

[Catherina]

34. Bde that tried to enter #Misrata from #Tawargha area were prevented by people of #Tawargha

LibyanDictator The Dictator
Brigade that tried to enter #Misrata from #Tawargha area were prevented by people of #Tawargha. #Libya #Feb17
26 minutes ago

[Catherina]

35. Al Zawiya: defeated #G forces, killed 21 of them, looted 4 LCs carring AA weapons, tanks, jeeps

ShababLibya LibyanYouthMovement
Al Manara reports gaddafi forces defeated in Zawia, tanks jeeps and landcruisers carrying weapons also seized by anti gaddafi forces #Libya
24 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

14:39 Almanara Media Reports From Al Zawiya that the revolutionaries have defeated the forces of Gaddafi and killed 21 of them, looted 4 Land Cruiser carrying anti-aircraft weapons in addition to tanks and jeeps.

http://feb17.info/general/live-libyan-uprest-reports-of-helicopter-shot-down/

[pinboy3niner]

36. NYT: In Libya, Both Sides Gird for Long War as Civilian Toll Mounts

Posted in GD:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x569516

[Catherina]

38. BREAKING Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits northern Chile

fieldproducer Neal Mann
BREAKING Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits northern Chile - USGS
18 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

39. Revolutionaries regrouping in preparation to to liberate Al Wadi Al Ahmar west

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Revolutionaries regrouping in preparation to to liberate Al Wadi Al Ahmar west - #feb17 #libya
18 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

40. #G units are under heavily fire in #misrata after they fooled to get in from the west side

hamzamu hamzamu
#gaddafi units are under heavily fire in #misrata after they fooled to get in from the west side #libya #feb17 call confirmed
14 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

41. #bengawad is firing up now gun firing and fight between the revolu and the rest of #gaddafi units

hamzamu hamzamu
#bengawad is firing up now gun firing and fight between the revolu and the rest of #gaddafi units #libya #feb17
12 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

42. #Misurata, revos managed 2 hold 2 the city & now fighting in the streets

Gheblawi Ghazi Gheblawi
in #Misurata, revolutionaries managed to hold to the city, and now fighting in the streets and repel #Gaddafi forces #Libya
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

43. Brega victims in Bengazi March 3 from Brega explosion

hamzamu hamzamu
Brega victims in Bengazi March 3 http://j.mp/ejTErx #libya #feb17
6 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Repl

VIDEO
Brega explosion 3Marc in Bengazi Victims

http://blip.tv/file/4848871

[Catherina]

44. Helicopter spotted over Ras Lanuf, revolutionaries cope with fuel shortage

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Helicopter spotted over Ras Lanuf, revolutionaries cope with fuel shortage - #feb17 #libya - libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaki…
5 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

14:42 The BBC’s John Simpson in Ras Lanuf says a helicopter from Col Gaddafi’s airforce has flown over as though trying to work out the strength of the rebel defences. The rebels are experiencing a shortage of fuel. All of this increases their anxiety, he says.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-revolutionaries-attacked-at-bin-jawad/

[Catherina]

47. The Ali Seif Daily is out! "The Middle East feminist revolution"

BloggerSeif Ali Seif
The Ali Seif Daily is out! http://bit.ly/hQRmzO ▸ Top stories today via @samiaq @eskaff @catherina_guate @troutish @arabzy
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

The Middle East Feminist Revolution - Opinion
english.aljazeera.net - Among the most prevalent Western stereotypes about Muslim countries are those concerning Muslim women: doe-eyed, veiled, and submissive, exotically silent, gauzy inhabitants of imagined harems, clo...

http://paper.li/bloggerseif

The Middle East feminist revolution


Women supporting women inevitably leads to women supporting revolution. In Tunisia and Tahrir Square, women were at the front and centre of organising and leading protests, demanding social change

Naomi Wolf Last Modified: 04 Mar 2011 17:23 GMT

Among the most prevalent Western stereotypes about Muslim countries are those concerning Muslim women: doe-eyed, veiled, and submissive, exotically silent, gauzy inhabitants of imagined harems, closeted behind rigid gender roles. So where were these women in Tunisia and Egypt?

In both countries, women protesters were nothing like the Western stereotype: they were front and centre, in news clips and on Facebook forums, and even in the leadership. In Egypt's Tahrir Square, women volunteers, some accompanied by children, worked steadily to support the protests – helping with security, communications, and shelter. Many commentators credited the great numbers of women and children with the remarkable overall peacefulness of the protesters in the face of grave provocations.

...

Supporters, leaders

But women were not serving only as support workers, the habitual role to which they are relegated in protest movements, from those of the 1960s to the recent student riots in the United Kingdom. Egyptian women also organised, strategised, and reported the events. Bloggers such as Leil Zahra Mortada took grave risks to keep the world informed daily of the scene in Tahrir Square and elsewhere.

The role of women in the great upheaval in the Middle East has been woefully under-analysed. Women in Egypt did not just "join" the protests – they were a leading force behind the cultural evolution that made the protests inevitable. And what is true for Egypt is true, to a greater and lesser extent, throughout the Arab world. When women change, everything changes - and women in the Muslim world are changing radically.


Women are not merely joining protests to topple dictators, they are at the centre of demanding social change.
Naomi Wolf Last Modified: 04 Mar 2011 17:23 GMT

[Catherina]

48. #Ras Lanuf: airstrike hit the city gates ~20" ago, rebel forces "very jittery...shooting @shadows"

Tom_Rayner Tom Rayner
Our team nr #Ras Lanuf say airstrike hit the city gates 20 minutes ago. They describe rebel forces as "very jittery...shooting at shadows"
55 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply

I'd be jittery too. No sleep. Exhausted. All that death.

[Catherina]

49. state TV shows a family who ''lost'' their son...and how they luv #G and are happy he died 4 #G

ceoDanya Danya B Mohammed
LIBYA state TV is a lie!! they just showed a family who ''lost'' their son...and how they <3 #Gadaffi and are happy he died 4 #Gaddafi? #LIE
4 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

50. footage coming out of Tripoli is bizarre. Are the people of Tripoli really that brain-washed??

HendOfPalestine Hend
The footage coming out of Tripoli is bizarre. Are the people of Tripoli really that brain-washed?? #Libya #feb17 #Gaddafi is a sick killer!
4 minutes ago

Probably brought to you in technicolor. Don't pay much attention to it.

[Catherina]

51. really think the people on the #LIBYAN state TV are the ones on drugs

ceoDanya Danya B Mohammed
i really think the people on the #LIBYAN state TV are the ones on drugs, not us....
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[pinboy3niner]

64. Gotta be the Nescafe

Somebody should tell those State TV workers: "Just say 'No' to the Osama-spiked Nescafe." :)

[Catherina]

52. AP Summary of the clashes at Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: AP Summary of the clashes at Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad - #feb17 #libya - http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-revolutionaries-attacked-at-bin-jawad/
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

15:15 AP summarises what its reporters have seen of the fierce fighting between Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad: “The reporters witnessed air attacks by helicopters on the rebel forces and heavy fighting on the ground. A warplane also attacked a small military base at Ras Lanuf and destroyed three hangars and a small building. Regime forces shelled rebel positions at Ras Lanuf with rockets and artillery.”

The Guardian‘s Peter Beaumont writes: What is clear, however, is that a large military deployment appears to be under way in Tripoli and the surrounding areas, with ever more tanks visible both inside the city and in the countryside and more missile launchers seen on the roads. One column of BM-21 Grad launchers seen by the Guardian on Saturday included 11 vehicles.

http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-revolutionaries-attacked-at-bin-jawad/

[pinboy3niner]

55. Shows one thing: Gaddafi is desperate

If he's not afraid of a ragtag bunch of "rebels," why does he go to such pains to fortify defenses around Tripoli and around HIM?

Of course, the more forces he deploys to protect HIM, the fewer available for his offensives elsewhere. :)

[Catherina]

53. NYT is really pissing me off.

This started yesterday and was covered in yesterday's thread

NickKristof Nicholas Kristof
Is Islam the Problem? My column examines: Why is the Middle East backward? http://nyti.ms/gsf2jM
15 hours ago

NickKristof Nicholas Kristof
@
@Soraal Of course the Middle East is backward. Look at literacy rates, female labor force participation, political systems. Question is why.
14 hours ago

He sends this out today

NickKristof Nicholas Kristof
Sorry to those I've offended with my Islam column title--but it's what is on people's minds & we have new evidence. http://nyti.ms/e4BqxN
8 minutes ago

I went to the NYT, followed a link at 1 offensive article and went to his opinion page

March 5, 2011, 4:27 PM
Why is the Middle East Backward?
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

...

Read the column and post your comments on it here. Why do you think the Middle East lags, and can that change soon?

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/why-is-the-middle-east-backward/#more-8568

This comment sums up my feelings. Shame on him and shame on the NYT

It's amazing that someone can get away with such a blatantly racist column as this. The very premise on which it is based--"Arab 'backwardness'"--is as racist as you'll find on any white-supremacist or anti-Jewish fringe website. The following passage could have come straight from one of the 17th century texts that Edward Said quoted from in his monumental Orientalism:

"Many Arabs blame outsiders for their backwardness, and cope by rejecting modernity and the outside world. It’s a disgrace that an area that once produced outstanding science and culture (giving us words like algebra) now is an educational underachiever, especially for girls."

Like so many orientalists of the English and French colonial days, Kristoff pretends that he actually admires Arabs (only, of course, those from hundreds of years ago) while at the same time making unsubstantiated and overly simplistic claims about the purported diametrical distinction between the "modern world" and the contemporary "Arab world." And it's not, of course, Western colonialism that has caused any of the problems of the Arab world; it's not the billions of dollars of American military aid that propped up so many dictators for so many years; it's not the bombs dropped by American, British, and Israeli planes on schools, houses, and mosques; it's not the pillaging of oil by European and American companies from Arab land; it's the Arabs' own fault. Kristoff tries to come off as intellectually sophisticated by not placing 100% of the blame on Islam but he nonetheless represents himself as both grossly ignorant and horribly racist. He should be ashamed of himself.

http://community.nytimes.com/comments/kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/why-is-the-middle-east-backward/?permid=4#comment4

[pinboy3niner]

63. Kristof may piss us off, but he's not the NYT--he's just a columnist

The Times has a stable of columnists crossing the political spectrum who express their personal opinions. And for every one who outrages us, there are plenty of right-wingers up in arms over a Liberal columnist's latest piece.

Kristoff is catching a LOT of flak over this--and his days with the Times may be numbered. :)

[Catherina]

54. Sky News correspondent @dominicwaghorn: sources say an air strike has taken place at Ras Lanuf

fieldproducer Neal Mann
Sky News correspondent @dominicwaghorn: sources say an air strike has taken place at Ras Lanuf #Libya
13 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

56. Fierce fighting between Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad. State TV? Tax cuts

feb17libya Feb17Libya
LIVE – Libyan Uprest: Fierce fighting between Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad http://bit.ly/eu5Zhm #Feb17 #Libya
13 minutes ago

3:23pm Zawiyah, just 40km west of capital Tripoli, is coming under renewed airstrikes, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

3:11pm: The city of Misurata, 200km east of Tripoli, has also been attacked – from three directions, Al Jazeera is told.

Further east, there have been deaths among anti-Gaddafi fighters in Bin Jawad, as they also came under renewed attack.

But the opposition forces have vehemently denied Libyan state TV reports that Gaddafi’s troops had re-taken control of Az Zawiyah, Misurata, Ras Lanuf and Tobruk.

The Guardian‘s Peter Beaumont writes: What is clear, however, is that a large military deployment appears to be under way in Tripoli and the surrounding areas, with ever more tanks visible both inside the city and in the countryside and more missile launchers seen on the roads. One column of BM-21 Grad launchers seen by the Guardian on Saturday included 11 vehicles.

3:15: AP summarises what its reporters have seen of the fierce fighting between Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad: “The reporters witnessed air attacks by helicopters on the rebel forces and heavy fighting on the ground. A warplane also attacked a small military base at Ras Lanuf and destroyed three hangars and a small building. Regime forces shelled rebel positions at Ras Lanuf with rockets and artillery.” (BBC)

3:05pm: Libyan state TV announces wide-ranging tax cuts. It says:

The general public committee has decided to reduce customs on basic commodities to zero per cent and to reduce customs on all other commodities to only five per cent. It also decided to remove all consumption and production taxes. The new changes were made on the occasion of the victory of our great people over the terrorist gangs.

(Al Jazeera)

http://feb17.info/general/live-libyan-uprest-reports-of-helicopter-shot-down/

[Catherina]

57. Al Jazeera reports that Az-Zawiyah is under renewed airstrikes

LibyaFeb17_com LibyaFeb17.com
BREAKING: Az-Zawiyah under renewed air strikes - #feb17 #libya - http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/03/breaking-revolutionaries-attacked-at-bin-jawad/
7 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

15:23 Al Jazeera reports that Az-Zawiyah is under renewed airstrikes

[JanDutchy]

58. 11-year-old boy steps in for revolution at Benghazi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6zJQiLR4lQA

[Catherina]

60. Good morning Jan. Love that video! n/t

[JanDutchy]

61. Good Morning Chatherine

He will stop Khadaffi's traffic.

[JanDutchy]

62. Good Morning Chatherine

He will stop Khadaffi's traffic.

[pinboy3niner]

66. Worth saying twice! :) nt

[Catherina]

59. Part 3 here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=569653&mesg_id=569653