From the GUARDIAN: There is a lot more behind Hosni Mubarak digging in his heels and setting his thugs on the peaceful protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square than pure politics. This is also about money. Mubarak and the clique surrounding him have long treated Egypt as their fiefdom and its resources as spoils to be divided among them.

Earlier generations of Americans believed in Horatio Alger’s stories that talent, ambition and hard work with some good fortune would a propel a person from poverty to riches.

“Winner-Take-All Politics” provides statistics indicating that the likelihood of a significant rise on the American prosperity ladder has become unlikely.

From the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Sometimes you can’t win for losing. That must be how Lancaster County school officials feel after being accused of racism for trying to bridge the achievement gap between black and white students. This isn’t a problem limited to that Southeastern Pennsylvania community.

From the PATRIOT NEWS: Less than three weeks after taking office, Gov. Tom Corbett is swinging the budget axe at public schools.

Homeowners could see substantial property tax increases…

From NEWSMAX: Israel is bracing for the establishment of an Iranian proxy-state in Egypt should the Muslim Brother take over control of the government, as appears increasingly likely. A Muslim Brotherhood takeover could lead to the imposition of sharia law, with far-reaching implications for the rights of women, Christians and minorities, and dramatic changes in Egypt’s relationships to its neighbors…

Egypt is an alarm that highlights the urgent need for change in U.S. foreign policy. It provides President Obama an opportunity to transform a foreign policy that has often had the opposite effect that was sought and is undermining U.S. economic and national security. The list of recent policy failures in the Middle East is quite astounding:

It was informative and disturbing yesterday to hear a ‘talking head’ on CNN make the following point which we paraphrase hear: “Al Jazeera is not only the most popular Arab news web site, but it is watched by journalist, government officials including the White House, and others as the most important source of information concerning the current disturbances in Egypt.

From ALJAZEERA: At least one person has been killed and another 600 injured in continuing clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Earlier, witnesses said the military allowed thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters, armed with sticks and knives, to enter the square. Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in thugs to suppress anti-government protests…

The Watchdog has long maintained that many English teachers do far more harm than good when they endeavor to teach writing, starting from the earlier grades and continuing through college! There is a world of variation between the writing styles of Ernest Hemingway and Marchel Proust. Yet teachers too often try to teach a certain way of writing, a certain structure.

From ALJAZEERA: Unimpressed by president Hosni Mubarak’s speech on Tuesday night, in which he vowed not to renew his rule, thousands of Egyptian protesters remain holed up in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, adamant in their demand that the president must step down…

NEWSMAX: Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev remembers Ronald Reagan as a great president and partner in ending the Cold War — even though the two initially labeled each other with distinctly unflattering terms….

Gorbachev credited Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, with laying the groundwork for the summit when he traveled to Moscow for the funeral of his predecessor, Konstantin Chernenko. Despite the need for a meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers, there was opposition in both countries that had to be overcome.

Already, by many estimates, the most prolific political fund-raiser in state history, the former governor added $1.4 million to his coffers last year, according to a report filed Monday with the state. He did it in classic Rendell style: with four- and five-figure checks from longtime supporters, familiar names in Pennsylvania business and Democratic politics – plus a few that defied obvious explanation.

From USA TODAY: Women don’t hesitate to call 911 emergency help — for someone else. But when they’re the ones having a heart attack, only about half will make the call that could save their own lives… A decade-long effort to raise awareness of women’s heart disease risks has been successful, Haynes says. But results of a survey by the American Heart Association last year caught health officials by surprise. It showed “a huge decline in the percentage of women who would call 911, down from 79% in 2006 to 50% in 2009,” Haynes says.