Woman rushes, stops Assad’s car after speech

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Quite stunning video: Brought to you by Al Jazeera English, a video taken just following Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s defiant and surprising speech yesterday. There’s a bit to follow, here: Assad waves to the crowd, then gets into his car which begins slowly driving, flanked by personnel on all sides. A woman rushes over, brandishing what what appears to be a paper that is snatched away by one of the personnel, but this interruption causes a chaotic reaction of people surging towards the car. Then, the feed cuts out, and instead shows jarringly contrasted overhead shots of a city with jaunty music, presumably to prevent this from inflaming the citizenry. source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2011 11:10

» Still not a sure thing: Joe Biden, who has been negotiating a budget with the Republicans, says that he and Republicans are now “working off the same number” in their talks. However, John Boehner’s spokesman made it clear that “there is no deal until everything is settled.” If this budget passes, the cuts will fall drastically short of the $100 billion Republicans pledged to cut during last November’s elections. If it doesn’t, a government shutdown will become a near-certainty.

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

yes under the leadership of Alassane Ouattara, opposition forces in Ivory Coast now control the country’s administrative capital
“hours” resignation deadline given to Laurent Gbagbo, who has so far refused to step down as President, by Ouattara’s Prime Minister source

» Quick recap: Gbagbo lost November’s presidential elections, but has refused to cede power to Ouattara, the victor. The taking of the administrative capital, Yamoussoukro, has symbolic significance, as it was the birthplace of the area’s first President and ultra-popular reformer, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. It’s not a done-deal yet; Abidjan, the city from which the country’s government is actually run, is still controlled by Gbagbo forces, and will present a much more difficult challenge to the opposition.

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

are cia operatives on the ground in libya? Yes, according to an anonymous American official and former US intelligence officer. It’s unclear, however, what type of operatives they are, and what exactly they’re doing. Details are sketchy at this point, but they apparently helped rescue one of the American soldiers who had to eject from his F-15 on day one of the engagement. We’re going to hold off on drawing any conclusions here until more solid information comes in. source

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If you thought, as we did, that anti-DUI laws were more or less non-controversial, State Rep. Alan Hale of Montana has a few words for you. Hale launched into a stirring speech on the floor of the state House, defending the right of Montanans to operate motor vehicles after downing a couple Vodka tonics. Anti-DUI laws, Hale claims, are “destroying a way of life that’s been in Montana for years,” and hurting small businesses in the process (primarily bars and taverns, like the one Hale himself owns). We’re all for supporting local businesses as a means of maintaining communities, but we’re not sure legalizing drunk driving is the best way to accomplish this. On the upside, we do like the tie he’s wearing. source

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink