Dr Cole has a good background piece, Egypt’s Class Conflict, up today, that everyone should read.

After you’ve read it, consider what has been going on in the US for the last three decades and then read it again.

Maybe Americans should be out in the street demanding the ouster of all government officials who have ever worked for the “too big to fail” banks, and the other criminals who have been given government jobs instead of indictments.

On an old-guy’s note, being “anti-terrorist” is the replacement excuse for being “anti-Communist”, that convinces the US to support dictators through out the world. Once again: “the enemy of your enemy” does not equal “your friend”.

Position: 13.6S 164.4E [ 9 PM CST 0300 UTC 1PM AEST].
Movement: West [260°] near 18 mph [30 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 75 mph [120 kph].
Wind Gusts: 90 mph [150 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 85 miles [140 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 35 miles [ 55 km].
Minimum central pressure: 975 mb ↓.

Currently about 1265 miles [2040 km] East of Cairne, Australia in the Coral Sea.

A Cyclone Watch is in effect for coastal and island communities from Cooktown to Yeppoon in Queensland.

The forecast is for Yasi to continue to intensify as it approaches the East coast of Australia. The Australians currently classify it as a Category 2 Cyclone.

Check the Australian BoM Cyclone page for the most current information.

The ABC reports Cyclone crosses coast near Bowen

Tropical Cyclone Anthony has crossed the north Queensland coast near Bowen, bringing with it strong winds and flooding rain.

Areas between Ayr and Mackay have experienced wind gusts of up to 155 kilometres an hour [95 MPH].

Power has been cut to about 10,000 properties in areas including Bowen, Airlie Beach and Sarina.

Cyclone Anthony, which crossed the coast shortly before 10:00pm (AEST)[6AM CST 1200 UTC], has since been downgraded to a category one system [tropical storm] and is expected to weaken into a tropical low as it moves further inland.

Forecaster Ben Annells says heavy rainfall has been recorded.

“[The] highest falls being around the Clarke Range, 171 millimetres [6.73 inches],” he said.

Damaging wind gusts are continuing along coastal and island communities between Ayr and Proserpine.

I inserted the conversions in square brackets [].

It intensified and came ashore as the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane. Of course, rainfall in soggy Queensland is the real danger. The dams are at capacity, but river levels have fallen, so it is a matter of how much rain and where it falls that will determine the damage level.

There is the possibility of another cyclone hitting Queensland latter in the week, so it is going to be a long season.

Al Jazeera English reports that Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

The Egyptian authorities are revoking the Al Jazeera Network’s licence to broadcast from the country, and will be shutting down its bureau office in Cairo, state television has said.

“The information minister [Anas al-Fikki] ordered … suspension of operations of Al Jazeera, cancelling of its licences and withdrawing accreditation to all its staff as of today,” a statement on the official Mena news agency said on Sunday.

In a statement, Al Jazeera said it strongly denounces and condemns the closure of its bureau in Cairo by the Egyptian government. The network received notification from the Egyptian authorities on Sunday morning.

“Al Jazeera has received widespread global acclaim for their coverage on the ground across the length and breadth of Egypt,” the statement said.

An Al Jazeera spokesman said that the company would continue its strong coverage regardless.

There is nothing dictatorships dislike more than the truth, so this wasn’t unexpected, especially following the Internet and cell phone shut downs. The excuse is always to prevent the “terrorists” from organizing, but the reason is to prevent people from finding out what is actually occurring.

I would note that all of the international media I read have mentioned this shut down, but the US corporate media do not seem to have noticed.