CNN : President Barack Obama's spokesman criticized the Egyptian government on Tuesday for arresting and harassing journalists and rights activists, and called comments by Vice President Omar Suleiman that Egypt is not ready for democracy "particularly unhelpful."
The remarks by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs reflected a growing U.S. dissatisfaction with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Suleiman, the intelligence officer Mubarak chose as his deputy to bring about reforms demanded by protesters who have convulsed Cairo and the Egyptian economy for more than two weeks.
In another sign of U.S. frustration with the pace of reform in Egypt, Vice President Joe Biden, in a phone call Tuesday with Suleiman, pushed for more progress, according to a White House statement.
Biden urged "that the transition produce immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," according to the White House statement.
It said the two vice presidents discussed "restraining the Ministry of Interior's conduct by immediately ending the arrests, harassment, beating and detention of journalists, and political and civil society activists, and by allowing freedom of assembly and expression; immediately rescinding the emergency law; broadening participation in the national dialogue to include a wide range of opposition members; and inviting the opposition as a partner in jointly developing a road map and timetable for transition."
So far, the Obama administration has been careful to call for democratic reforms in Egypt while also trying to maintain stability in a key Middle Eastern ally that is a vital Arab partner to Israel through the Camp David Accords of 1978.
With detentions, beatings and harassment of journalists and rights activists continuing, and the weekend comments by Suleiman that signaled a shaky commitment to the reforms offered by Mubarak, Gibbs made a point of directly criticizing both the vice president and the Egyptian government in a briefing with White House reporters.
"The government has got to stop arresting protesters and journalists, harassment, beatings, detentions of reporters, of activists, of those involved in civil society," Gibbs said. Previously, he and other U.S. officials, including Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called for a halt to the crackdown on journalists and activists without directly saying that the Egyptian government was responsible.
Asked about Suleiman's comment, made in an interview with ABC, that Egypt lacks the necessary "culture of democracy" for the changes demanded by protesters, such as freedom of speech and the right to organize opposition parties, Gibbs said the words went against what was happening on the streets of Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt.
Suleiman met Sunday with some Egyptian opposition figures in preliminary talks that symbolized concession on both sides.
Some opposition figures had rejected any discussions until Mubarak stepped down, while a government statement issued on state TV after Sunday's meeting outlined future steps resulting from the meeting.
In a brief informal exchange with reporters on Monday, Obama said: "Obviously Egypt has to negotiate a path and I think they are making progress."
Most people have a list of at least few things that they wish to experience or see in their life. People always make plans about something they find really exciting and they want to experience it at some point in their life. That might be a place they want to travel to, something extreme they've always wanted to do, or something else they want to achieve.
They may know someone who has done it, they may have seen it on the television or read about it. And if they liked it, that may become something like a dream, something that they want to do in their lifetime.
These things usually include a few activities that are amazing and extra enjoyable, a few places that they want to visit and something that they consider really extreme or dangerous but they want to experience it before they die.
This list has ideas that are different, also personal in nature.
If you're trying to create a variety of lifetime goals you want to achieve, of experience you want to have - look around, ther are plenty of opportunities out there.
A lot of people place skydiving among their most wanted activities. Parachuting is major adventure that will make your adrenaline level go up. It's very extreme, so it takes someone really brave to overbear his fears and jump from a plane.
Snorkeling and scuba diving are very popular adventures that people want to experience.
Maybe snorkeling is a little less adventorous than scuba diving. Because you simply breathe throught snorkel while you're exploring underwater.
Scuba diving takes you deeply into the water, so you can see what lies beneath the surface. That's why it requires some practise and training, so you may want to take a class or go with someone who has done this before.
Swimming with dolphins is another amazingly fun water activity. Dolphins are very clever creatures that relate to humans really well. They are very friendly, adorable and affectionate and they can easily communicate with people.
Grand Canyon is the place that you should visit at least one time in your life. You may think that Grand Canyon is just a giant hole in the earth, but actually it's a natural wonder with breathtaking view. It's located in the Southwestern part of the U.S. If you want to experience something spiritual, Grand Canyon is the place you should go to.
Last, but not least - a hot air ballon ride is a peaceful and serene activity. Seeing the sunrise from the sky is amazing and remarkable lifetime experience that everyone should have.
American consumers gave the economy a boost in the fourth quarter of 2010, as they loosened their purse strings.
Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation's economic activity, grew at an annual rate of 3.2% in the last three months of the year, a significant increase from a 2.6% rise in the previous quarter, the government said Friday.
The faster pace came mainly on the backs of American consumers, who headed back to the shopping malls during the holiday season. Personal consumption, a measure of consumer spending, jumped by 4.4% in the fourth quarter -- the strongest increase in that reading in at least four years.
Spending on so-called durable goods like cars and furniture rose a whopping 21.6%. Spending on nondurable goods like food and clothing was up 5%.
While the U.S. is struggling with a massive trade deficit, it improved slightly in the fourth quarter, lifting the overall GDP number. Exports increased at a rate of 8.5%, while imports decreased by 13.6% -- slightly narrowing the trade gap.
The government calculates GDP as a measure of goods and services produced in the United States. The number is backward looking and is often revised multiple times. This is the first reading for the fourth quarter.
For the year as a whole, real GDP was up 2.9%, a complete turnaround from the 2.6% decrease seen in 2009.
