Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau  —  Network's licences cancelled and accreditation of staff in Cairo withdrawn by order of information minister.  —  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.

Comedy Gold!  Chris Matthews, who derides Palin as stupid, says Panama Canal is in... EGYPT!  —  Chris Matthews is in de Nile.  He has been deriding Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann as being a couple of bubble-headed idiots.  A flashback not from years but from mere days ago:

California man arrested with explosives outside Dearborn Islamic center  —  Dearborn - A California man, accused of being in possession of explosive materials outside the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road, has been charged with making a terrorist threat.

A Chicken Chain's Corporate Ethos Is Questioned by Gay Rights Advocates  —  ATLANTA — The Chick-fil-A sandwich — a hand-breaded chicken breast and a couple of pickles squished into a steamy, white buttered bun — is a staple of some Southern diets and a must-have for people …

Tea Party Gets Early Start on G.O.P. Targets for 2012  —  Leaders of more than 70 Tea Party groups in Indiana gathered last weekend to sign a proclamation saying they would all support one candidate — as yet undetermined — in a primary challenge to Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Republican who has represented the state since 1977.

Median-itis and The Great Stagnation  —  Here is my NYT column from today, on themes relevant to The Great Stagnation.  I won't rehash this entire discussion, but I would like to focus on this one column excerpt:  —  From 1947 to 1973 — a period of just 26 years — inflation-adjusted median income …

Obama taps aide to lead ‘reorganization’ of federal gov't  —  President Obama tapped an aide to lead a “reorganization” of the federal government, communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday.  —  Obama named Jeffrey Zients, a former CEO of the Advisory Board Company who serves …

The 5 Stupidest Things Right-Wingers Have Written about the Egyptian Uprising  —  Pictured: the staff of Commentary Magazine protests outside the White House.  (by Cubiyanqui)  —  Aside from the extremely popular “the protests in Cairo prove George W. Bush was right to kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis” …

NY Sen. Schumer wants ban on drug-like bath salts  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York says he wants the federal government to ban new designer drugs known as bath salts that pack as much punch as cocaine or methamphetamines.  —  The small, inexpensive packets of powder …

Israeli reports of ‘friendly atmosphere’ in Cairo  —  Tour guide Amos Abidov visits Egypt with 30 students, says no plan to come home early.  ‘We go to restaurants, take taxis, sit in cafes’  —  Ziv Reinstein  —  “We are in Cairo and have no plans to return to Israel sooner,” …

Outrageous teachings by new GZ mosque big  —  The new imam at the Ground Zero mosque and cultural center believes people who are gay were probably abused as children and that people who leave Islam and preach a new religion should be jailed.  —  Abdallah Adhami's remarks on homosexuals …