The indispensable internet--no turning back

Notes 40

Governments stuck with internet

Net-less Egypt may face economic doom Monday
By Wilson Rothman
Egypt's government must return Internet access to the country by Monday or perhaps suffer massive economic damage, as banks and other economic institutions return to work without the ability to conduct commerce.
"If you go beyond the weekend, real damage is done to capital flow and banking," Neil Hicks, international policy analyst for Human Rights First told msnbc.com, citing a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Egypt is part of the world's financial infrastructure, he said. "That's probably why most governments don't do this — it hurts the state and hurts the economy."

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It’s people power, stupid

Jon Stewart questions Egypt's 'Twitter revolution'
By Helen A.S. Popkin
"If two speeches and a social media site is all we needed to spread democracy then why did we invade Iraq, why didn’t we just, I don’t know, poke them," Jon Stewart quipped on last night's "Daily Show."
It's funny, and also a valid dig at U.S. citizens whose social activism ends at joining a Facebook page or retweeting #Twitterrevolution. Revolutions are brought about by the people on the ground who can‘t put up with it anymore.

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Palestinian losers in this manage a trois

Dozens of Israelis flee Egypt on emergency flight
By Press Daniel Estrin, Associated Press –
JERUSALEM (AP) — Officials speaking anonymously expressed concern violence could threaten ties with Egypt and spread to the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday called Mubarak, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Abbas told the Egyptian leader that he is eager to see Egypt stable and secure, the agency said.
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Putting things in perspective. A reader writes

Egyptians know better than to look to the US for support. In the midst of the Iran uprising, Michael Jackson died and the entire nation forgot Iran and mooned over a tapdancing pedophile. The Super Bowl is in a few days so Egypt will be forgotten too.

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The answer is not gutting social services. It is raising taxes. We CAN pay our bills if government stops issuing credit vouchers to banks and businesses and the super wealthy. Free lunches are over.

New York City may have to lay off 15,000 teachers: mayor
Reuters – Fri Jan 28,
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City might have to lay off 15,000 teachers if the state, grappling with a $10 billion deficit, cuts the city's education budget by $1 billion, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Friday.

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Seems like small change after international violations of torture, killing of non combatants, aggressive war etc. What happenes when laws are followed selectively.
Pakistan rebuffs call for US gunman's quick release
by Nasir Jaffry –
ISLAMABAD (AFP)
"When detained, the US diplomat identified himself to police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the American Embassy said.
"Local police and senior authorities failed to observe their legal obligation to verify his status with either the US consulate general in Lahore or the US embassy in Islamabad.
"Furthermore, the diplomat was formally arrested and remanded into custody, which is a violation of international norms and the Vienna Convention, to which Pakistan is a signatory."