Chronic Don
Member
we just jumped from 103.9/litre to 116.9/litre.
we're the cheapest up here or were.
we're the cheapest up here or were.
(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - The United States may consider sending troops into Libya with a possible international ground force that could aid the rebels, according to the general who led the military mission until NATO took over.
Army Gen. Carter Ham also told lawmakers Thursday that added American participation would not be ideal, and ground troops could erode the international coalition and make it more difficult to get Arab support for operations in Libya.
Ham said the operation was largely stalemated now and was more likely to remain that way since America has transferred control to NATO.
Complete coverage: Anger in the Arab World
He said NATO has done an effective job in an increasingly complex combat situation. But he noted that, in a new tactic, Muammar Qaddafi's forces are making airstrikes more difficult by staging military forces and vehicles near civilian areas such as schools and mosques.
The use of an international ground force is a possible plan to bolster rebels fighting forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Ham said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Asked if the U.S. would provide troops, Ham said, "I suspect there might be some consideration of that. My personal view at this point would be that that's probably not the ideal circumstance, again for the regional reaction that having American boots on the ground would entail."
I would not be the least bit surprised.$150 NYMEX Crude Fall by IMO. Easy.
Hundreds of protesters demanding that Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, be put on trial for alleged corruption, have retaken Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, hours after security forces attempted to disperse them, in a clash that killed at least one person.
By 7am (local time) on Saturday morning, army and central security troops appeared to have withdrawn, leaving the square to protesters who set vehicles on fire and began setting up barricades made of furniture and left-behind barbed wire.
"The number of protesters remaining in the square is swelling, as news [of the clashes] spreads through the city," reported Mike Hanna, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Cairo.
Hundreds of army and security forces troops had stormed the square earlier, in an attempt to disperse the thousands of protesters.
In scenes reminiscent of the violent 18-day uprising that ousted longtime President Mubarak in February, protesters and riot police threw rocks at each other, and security forces responded by firing tear gas, witnesses said.
Egypt's health ministry said that one person was killed and 71 injured after those clashes. The military had earlier denied that anyone was hurt or killed in the raid of the square.
Groups of protesters rallying around the southeast corner of the square threw bottles and possibly petrol firebombs at riot police, Michelle May, a freelance journalist, told Al Jazeera.
One of the main roads running east from Tahrir Square towards Talaat Harb Square was virtually empty, and gunfire seemed to have subsided, a witness said.
The military in a statement released through the state MENA news agency, said that security forces were attempting to enforce a 2am to 5am (local time) curfew.
"Elements from the interior ministry along with some noble citizens confronted the riotous actions and enforced the curfew without any losses," the statement read. "The armed forces stress that they will not tolerate any acts of rioting or any act that harms the interest of the country and the people."
A separate statement carried on the military's Facebook page blamed "remnants" of Mubarak's National Democratic Party for the clashes, and ordered the arrest of four party members it accused of "thuggery" during the sit-in.
Guns fired, rocks thrown
Most of the protesters retreated after the army entered the square, witnesses said. Bassiouny ran to the west side of the square, which leads to Kasr el-Nil Bridge, and found more troops entering from that direction.
On the road leading east into the central business district around Talaat Harb Square, protesters tore down the roof of a bus stop and dragged it down the road to protect themselves from gunfire and rocks, said Drew Storey, a neighbourhood resident.
Protesters and army soldiers threw rocks at each other, and at least four injured protesters had to be carried away, he said. Soldiers fired their guns into metal shopfronts, sending sparks flying and bullets ricocheting, apparently to scare away the protesters, Storey said.
At one point, he said, security forces clad in riot gear chanted, cheered and shook each others' hands after driving the protesters away.
Other central security and army forces had been stationed to the north of Tahrir Square next to the Egyptian Museum, which military police have turned into a makeshift detention centre.
If gas ever stays around $10/gallon in the US, expect milk to cost $11-14 per gallon. I'd expect us to look like the Middle East if that ever happens. People's disposable income is quickly evaporating.
When people have nothing else to lose, they lose it. Middle East and North Africa case in point. Europe is working it ways there and the US is following close behind.
Absolutely. Oil cost increases are going to affect the cost of about everything some directly like plastics and some indirectly. People are going to focus more on more on bare essentials. I've led a simple life for like ever so not making many changes but the changes the average American consumer will have to make...yikes!People's disposable income is quickly evaporating.
one post i saw a ways back stuck with me, the McMansions out there
heating those for a single family is going to get very pricey
so this poster speculated this will be the cheap housing of the future
they'll get repartitioned to fit 10 familes(or so)
I agreesigh...
Just wanted to add...When people have nothing else to lose, they lose it. Middle East and North Africa case in point. Europe is working it ways there and the US is following close behind.
Europe's problems will not just be financial. My last girlfriend was from Switzerland and she said there's a big problem with all of the immigrants and clashing cultures. At some point that will probably blow up.PARIS – France's new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance Monday, as several women appeared veiled in front of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral and two were detained for taking part in an unauthorized protest.
France on Monday became the first country to ban the veils anywhere in public, from outdoor marketplaces to the sidewalks and boutiques of the Champs-Elysees.
Gas Prices Reach Five Dollars a Gallon in the Nation's Capital
Forget about $4. Let's try $5! And the summer is just getting under way. Who knows what we will see here shortly. $7 or so by the end of summer, at least. Or will the SHTF by then??
Here comes the real pain. Everyone tell Uncle Bernanke thank you! Your Central Planner loves you.