Popular Posts
-
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576242923804770968.html?ru=yahoo&mod=yahoo_hs GBT
-
Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa -- country by country Two months ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor lit a match, starting a fire that...
-
Qaddafi’s Grip Falters as His Forces Take On Protesters A conference hall in Tripoli, Libya, was among the government buildings still smold...
-
Greetings! The "MUSICIANS AIDE SOCIETY" from here on referred to as [M. A. S.] , would like to invite you to experience the ...
-
BAYDA, Libya — The signs in Bayda still read the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab State of the Masses. It was never much of a state,...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Free of Qaddafi, a City Tries to Build a New Order
BAYDA, Libya — The signs in Bayda still read the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab State of the Masses. It was never much of a state, nor did the people have much say. Now two weeks after its liberation, residents of this highland town have the task of making it so, a challenge that may prove pivotal to the course of Libya’s revolt.
Multimedia
Related
-
Rebel Advance in Libya Set Back by Heavy Assault (March 7, 2011)
-
U.S. Senators Call for No-Flight Zone Over Libya (March 7, 2011)
-
Times Topic: Middle East Protests (2010-11)
The rebellion here has proven far more violent, chaotic and unpredictable than the uprisings in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, some of the consequences of an utterly unrepentant leader and a lot of men with a lot of guns.
Far from the front, in mood and reality, Bayda, an eastern city that was one of the first to embrace the anti-Qaddafi revolution, has now also embraced the work of what might follow: building a state on a landscape riven by divisions of tribe, piety and class in a country whose leader spent four decades in power dismantling anything that might contest his rule.
The new police chief has less than a third of his officers and worries vigilantes might not surrender their weapons. He has no prison. Hundreds have volunteered for work, but on Sunday, many sat under a tent watching the news channelAl Jazeera. With revolutionary fervor, and a resurgence of pride in running their own lives, residents have set up a slew of committees to impose order, distribute charity and run schools, but even its own members admit they have more enthusiasm than experience.
That it has gone as well as it has is testament to the strength of the society in a place like Bayda, where Col.Moammar Qaddafi conquered but could not divide.
“Our task isn’t easy,” said Mahmoud Bousalloum, a graduate student and one of the committees’ organizers. “We don’t have parties, we don’t have a constitution, we don’t have political organizations, we don’t have an effective civil society. We have to create a completely new state and we have to do it in the middle of a war and revolution.”
A city of roughly 250,000, Bayda spills across a plateau in northeast Libya called the Green Mountain, which takes its name from the pine, juniper and wild olives that are native here. It was one of the first cities to fall after two youths were killed in a clash on Feb. 16, and the graffiti of the moment still washes over walls and government buildings.
The slogans borrow from the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, but are more personal. There is no call for the overthrow of the government; only Colonel Qaddafi is mentioned, as lackey, tyrant and the man with really bad hair. The graffiti also hints at the anxiety in a city where tribal elders still hold sway and religious currents have cultivated a following.
“No to destruction and violence, no to corruption and tribalism,” reads one. “There’s no difference between East and West, we’re all Libyan,” intones another.
For decades, Bayda was run by the pretenses of Colonel Qaddafi’s Green Book, his supposed blueprint for a revolutionary state. There were Popular Committees that carried out the orders of the Popular Conference, but as Tawfiq Bughrara, a cleric here put it, “The head of it didn’t have the power to pick up a glass and set it back down.”
In reality, power was exercised by the security forces — internal security, external security and military intelligence — along with a more traditional police agency known as the security directorate. The loathed and feared head of internal security was Ali Saad al-Majaab, who residents say sought protection from his tribe soon after the uprising began.
Then there was Colonel Qaddafi’s second wife, Safiya Farqash, who was born in Bayda and whose family, from the city’s largest tribe, Birasa, acted as mediators between the city and the colonel himself. Her uncle, Jarah, long ran Bayda’s sole army battalion.
“No one in charge did anything without their permission,” Mr. Bughrara said.
At the height of Egypt’s uprising, Cairo exploded in fervor as popular committees sprung up to police neighborhoods and volunteers picked up trash and painted fences. It was largely symbolic, since the Egyptian military and bureaucracy remained intact. There was never that much bureaucracy in Bayda, where residents had to travel 750 miles to the capital Tripoli for something as simple as a housing loan or a business permit.
Days after authority collapsed, residents set up a local council. They said they avoided terms like popular and revolutionary because they smacked of Colonel Qaddafi’s statements. Of its six members, one is from a group called the Youth of February 17, the date people have given the uprising here. Two others are Muslim clerics, one a professor of agriculture and another a businessman. It is led by Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, a former justice minister from Bayda touted as a transitional leader who is now in Benghazi.
- 1
- 2
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
MUSICIANS AIDE SOCIETY aka 'M.A.S.'
Greetings! 
The "MUSICIANS AIDE SOCIETY" from here on referred to as [M. A. S.], would like to invite you to experience the 'ENTERTAINMENT 
INDUSTRY' and our 'WORLD AROUND US' with a new and exciting approach!
INDUSTRY' and our 'WORLD AROUND US' with a new and exciting approach!We are here as a support system for those persons/groups which are looking to be recognized for their efforts and attributions to the 'WORLD of ENTERTAINMENT' and its 'MUSIC INDUSTRY'!
Here you are INFAMOUS and will be recognized for any and all of your achievements, thus far and yet to come!
There is no ONE AMERICAN IDOL! At 'M. A. S.' EVERYONE IS A STAR! 
'M. A. S.' 
is only interested in the the following four (4) elements; EFFORT & ENTHUSIASM - PERSEVERANCE & PERSISTENCE!
is only interested in the the following four (4) elements; EFFORT & ENTHUSIASM - PERSEVERANCE & PERSISTENCE!For example maybe you, or someone you know, from age 1 to 150, are presently taking Piano Lessons and in anticipation of YOUR FIRST (1ST) RECITAL; or just maybe you, or someone you know, have been, is in the process of, or would like to become a RAP/HIP-HOP Artist, Composer, Arranger, Song Writer, Poet, Musician, Producer, Band, Vocalist, Jazz Ensemble, Manager, etc..., then the "MUSICIANS AIDE SOCIETY" is for you!
Whether you're a NOVICE to EXPERT, BEGINNER to PRO is of no concern here!
In order to become famous, one must first make oneself known! Here we do not CRITICIZE, we OPTIMIZE! We believe in the 'POWER of UNITY'...for "What GOES UP...must COME DOWN" as this is part of the 'BALANCE of NATURE'!
Well with that being said what are you waiting for? Remember "JUDGE NOT...LEST YE BE JUDGED"!
Therefore at 'M. A. S.' there are no WINNERS or LOSERS...because we are all on the same level of comfort comprised of the aforementioned FOUR (4) Elements;
ENTHUSIASM & EFFORT ~ PERSISTENCE & PERSEVERANCE
which brings us all together in unity on COMMON GROUNDS!
Please feel at liberty to furnish any information including, MEDIA-Videos, Pics etc or provide Websites or files pertaining to you or whomever you elect as candidate you believe fits the criteria and eligibility!
~THERE ARE NO JUDGES, CONTESTS etc..., EVERYONE IS THEIR OWN JUDGE~
Sincerely,
Your Business Partner
Frank Johnson
Founder/CEO
[MUSICIANS AIDE SOCIETY]
M. A. S.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Qaddafi’s Grip Falters
Qaddafi’s Grip Falters as His Forces Take On Protesters
A conference hall in Tripoli, Libya, was among the government buildings still smoldering in the capital on Monday.
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SHARON OTTERMAN
Published: February 22, 2011
CAIRO — Libya appeared to slip further from the grip of Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi on Tuesday, as opposition forces in eastern Libya moved to consolidate control of the region, arming themselves with weapons taken from security warehouses, and fighting continued in Tripoli, witnesses said. Multimedia
David D. Kirkpatrick Discusses Libya on The TakeawayRelated
Oil Companies Plan Evacuations From Libya (February 22, 2011)
Stocks Fall and Oil Spikes as Libya Grabs Attention(February 22, 2011)
In Yemen, Leader Says He’ll Talk, but Not Quit (February 22, 2011)
Egypt’s Leaders Signal Commitment to Civilian Rule(February 22, 2011)
Dim View of U.S. Posture Toward Bahraini Shiites Is Described(February 22, 2011)
Libya’s U.N. Diplomats Break With Qaddafi (February 22, 2011)
Times Topic: Middle East Protests (2010-11)
Alaguri/Associated Press
A resident holding a pre-Qaddafi-era national flag stood on a tank inside a security forces compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Monday.In Tripoli, the capital, the government was striking back at protesters challenging Colonel Qaddafi’s 40-year rule. Security forces and militiamen backed by helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of the city overnight, according to witnesses and news reports from Tripoli.Fighting was heavy at times overnight, witnesses said, and the streets were thick with special forces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi fighting alongside mercenaries. Roving the streets in trucks, they shot freely as planes dropped what witnesses described as “small bombs” and helicopters fired on protesters.Hundreds of Qaddafi supporters took over the central Green Square in the capital after truckloads of militiamen arrived and opened fire on protesters, scattering them. Residents said they now feared to leave their houses.“It was an obscene amount of gunfire,” said one witness. “They were strafing these people. People were running in every direction.”Colonel Qaddafi, whose whereabouts have been unknown, appeared for roughly 30 seconds on state television at 2 a.m. on Tuesday to signal his defiance and deny rumors he had left the country. “I want to show that I’m in Tripoli and not in Venezuela,” he said, holding a large white umbrella while getting into a vehicle.“I wanted to say something to the youths at Green Square and stay up late with them but it started raining,” he said, referring to his supporters. “Thank God, it’s a good thing.”With the Internet largely blocked, telephone service interrupted, and access to international journalists constrained, information remained limited. There were conflicting reports about the situation late Tuesday morning in Tripoli, with some witnesses reporting ongoing gunfire and renewed strafing by warplanes, and others saying the streets were momentarily quiet and being cleaned of debris from the night’s violence.With pro-government security forces either absent or defecting to join the opposition in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city and the center of the week-long rebellion, citizens armed with guns organized into informal security committees, a resident reached by telephone said. Supermarkets and warehouses were open, as were local hospitals, caring for hundreds of people wounded during the government crackdown of the weekend, before defections to the people from the military brought a lull in the violence.“There is collaboration between people like never before,” said Mohammed Abdul Rahman el Mahrek, 42, who has been living in the city for 15 years and said he supported the rebellion. The warehouses of security forces loyal to the government had been looted by the people with the help of the army, he said. “It is quiet,” he said, “but it is like the quiet before the storm.”Two warplanes, he said, landed at the Benghazi airport on Monday, apparently after refusing to fire against protesters. The Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said in Cairo on Tuesday that the runways there had since been destroyed. He gave no details, however.Large areas of eastern Libya along the Mediterranean coast also appeared to be under the opposition’s control, said Ben Wedeman, a CNN correspondent who entered the region late Monday. Citizens with guns were everywhere, he reported, the streets were quiet, and the Libyan security forces at the border of Egypt had largely evaporated.The border with Tunis in the western part of the country, however, was reinforced by Libyan security. People fleeing the country said they had their money and telephones confiscated, and were left “only with their clothes,” an Al Jazeera correspondent, Nazanine Moshiri, reported from the scene.The extent of the casualties remained unknown. Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that it was struggling to confirm the number of people killed in the uprising, saying it had confirmed 233 deaths, most in Benghazi. Another international group estimated that that at least 500 people had died.International condemnation of the violence continued to build. “Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a statement. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said Monday he had spoken to Colonel Qaddafi and urged him to immediately halt attacks on protesters.
CAIRO — Libya appeared to slip further from the grip of Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi on Tuesday, as opposition forces in eastern Libya moved to consolidate control of the region, arming themselves with weapons taken from security warehouses, and fighting continued in Tripoli, witnesses said.
Multimedia
David D. Kirkpatrick Discusses Libya on The Takeaway
Related
Oil Companies Plan Evacuations From Libya (February 22, 2011)
Stocks Fall and Oil Spikes as Libya Grabs Attention(February 22, 2011)
In Yemen, Leader Says He’ll Talk, but Not Quit (February 22, 2011)
Egypt’s Leaders Signal Commitment to Civilian Rule(February 22, 2011)
Dim View of U.S. Posture Toward Bahraini Shiites Is Described(February 22, 2011)
Libya’s U.N. Diplomats Break With Qaddafi (February 22, 2011)
Times Topic: Middle East Protests (2010-11)
Documents: 
Alaguri/Associated Press
A resident holding a pre-Qaddafi-era national flag stood on a tank inside a security forces compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Monday.
In Tripoli, the capital, the government was striking back at protesters challenging Colonel Qaddafi’s 40-year rule. Security forces and militiamen backed by helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of the city overnight, according to witnesses and news reports from Tripoli.
Fighting was heavy at times overnight, witnesses said, and the streets were thick with special forces loyal to Colonel Qaddafi fighting alongside mercenaries. Roving the streets in trucks, they shot freely as planes dropped what witnesses described as “small bombs” and helicopters fired on protesters.
Hundreds of Qaddafi supporters took over the central Green Square in the capital after truckloads of militiamen arrived and opened fire on protesters, scattering them. Residents said they now feared to leave their houses.
“It was an obscene amount of gunfire,” said one witness. “They were strafing these people. People were running in every direction.”
Colonel Qaddafi, whose whereabouts have been unknown, appeared for roughly 30 seconds on state television at 2 a.m. on Tuesday to signal his defiance and deny rumors he had left the country. “I want to show that I’m in Tripoli and not in Venezuela,” he said, holding a large white umbrella while getting into a vehicle.
“I wanted to say something to the youths at Green Square and stay up late with them but it started raining,” he said, referring to his supporters. “Thank God, it’s a good thing.”
With the Internet largely blocked, telephone service interrupted, and access to international journalists constrained, information remained limited. There were conflicting reports about the situation late Tuesday morning in Tripoli, with some witnesses reporting ongoing gunfire and renewed strafing by warplanes, and others saying the streets were momentarily quiet and being cleaned of debris from the night’s violence.
With pro-government security forces either absent or defecting to join the opposition in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city and the center of the week-long rebellion, citizens armed with guns organized into informal security committees, a resident reached by telephone said. Supermarkets and warehouses were open, as were local hospitals, caring for hundreds of people wounded during the government crackdown of the weekend, before defections to the people from the military brought a lull in the violence.
“There is collaboration between people like never before,” said Mohammed Abdul Rahman el Mahrek, 42, who has been living in the city for 15 years and said he supported the rebellion. The warehouses of security forces loyal to the government had been looted by the people with the help of the army, he said. “It is quiet,” he said, “but it is like the quiet before the storm.”
Two warplanes, he said, landed at the Benghazi airport on Monday, apparently after refusing to fire against protesters. The Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said in Cairo on Tuesday that the runways there had since been destroyed. He gave no details, however.
Large areas of eastern Libya along the Mediterranean coast also appeared to be under the opposition’s control, said Ben Wedeman, a CNN correspondent who entered the region late Monday. Citizens with guns were everywhere, he reported, the streets were quiet, and the Libyan security forces at the border of Egypt had largely evaporated.
The border with Tunis in the western part of the country, however, was reinforced by Libyan security. People fleeing the country said they had their money and telephones confiscated, and were left “only with their clothes,” an Al Jazeera correspondent, Nazanine Moshiri, reported from the scene.
The extent of the casualties remained unknown. Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that it was struggling to confirm the number of people killed in the uprising, saying it had confirmed 233 deaths, most in Benghazi. Another international group estimated that that at least 500 people had died.
International condemnation of the violence continued to build. “Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a statement. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said Monday he had spoken to Colonel Qaddafi and urged him to immediately halt attacks on protesters.
This Just In...
Two months ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor lit a match, starting a fire that has spread throughout the Arab world. Muhammad Bouazizi's self-immolation prompted anti-government protests that toppled the regime in Tunisia and then Egypt. The demonstrations have spread across a swath of the Middle East and North Africa. Here are the latest developments, including the roots of the unrest: |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)