Egy Diva

mona nincompoop

2009-11-05T07:52:00.001-08:00

i was very upset when I googled the above term and found no result. Now, I hope, when I google "mona nincompoop" I will not be disappointed.

love and pokes.

Will everyone just calm down for a sec.... seventy-what??

2009-09-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

Im really losing patience with the world's contemptuous attitude towards Libyan president, "the king of african kings", Muammar Gaddafi. He is neither more ruthless nor has he caused more damage to the world and its inhabitants than any other world leader- why does everyone resent him for at least being original? Even his face is entertaining. So he made a ridiculously long speech at the UN, who cares.
We're all happy to think he's some kind of devil when he receives back Abdel Baset al-Megrahi the blood thirsty terrorist, but its all fun and games for Italy to make use of his inhumane policies when they need to send back dozens of migrants on the brink of death. Italy's new deal with Libya wherein the former can send back anyone it doesnt want on its soil to Libya (where they will spend the rest of their days in unthinkable detention centers) is understandable, apparently, while receivig the Lockerbie terrorist to die in his home land after doing jail time is out of this world. If anyone could be described as "a sad commentary that he is granted presence in civilized society" its the assholes who would let 73 people die on a dinghy on the way to italy (including two pregnant women who were raped on the way). Please click here.

لكل مواطن ماك

2009-06-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

No, not a bigMac, a macbook. I just bought a macbook at last and it feels fantistilicious...

حملة لكل مواطن ماك
because everyone desires this level of sexiness in their life and technology should be this soothing

When I become Governess/President/ruler queen, I will implement the glorious campaign of "likol mowatin Mac" which kicks "wa2fa masreya" in the ass swiftly and will be a truly sensual climax to its "ilqera2a lilgamee3" predecessor. My nationwide legislative changes would also include guaranteeing optional mid-day showers in all full time jobs (because you can never do anything after six without going ALL the way home to shower which gives salaried labor control on your free hours even AFTER 9-5. That is not right.) Macs and mid-day showers for all citizens, hail the Chieffette!

on an unrelated note

2009-06-11T06:15:00.001-07:00

why am i the last to know that Washington D.C has a hot young mayor?

Change is not the only constant and other useless ponderings

2009-06-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

Its funny how things play out. sometimes, most times, its quite tragically- but as consistently it is with deep, almost comic irony.

Yes, this is sort-of about the Obama speech in a convulted sort-of logic. Let me delay my conceptual qualms with dichotomies such as "america can co-exist with islam" (where can i get islamic citizenship by the way?) and let me overlook my dismay with his complicity with the Mubarak regime. For philosophical and other concerns, i'd rather refer you to this very insightful article. But about Palestine, I was still thinking you know, its a good thing what Obama said, about Israel being an occupying power, and about Palestinians suffering untolerable daily humilation. But with equal scrutiny I wondered about why he asks Muslims to not get trapped in the history of colonialism, but lists the atrocities of the holocaust. why he tells Palestinians to abandon violence but doesnt mention the devestating cast lead operation. Then i tell myself, well, he's a politician, and he's getting enough of an ass kicking in America for even just being here, from all sorts of paranoics and crackpots. But I wasnt too forgiving on that point. But the act of Abdulhakim Muhammad brought something home: America is chucked full of lunatics with no degree of sense or reason. Please see here.And unlike the crazy crackpots in Egypt, these ones have voting power.gak! I had just written my response, here to this guy, and had just managed to retrieve my eyeballs from how far back they had rolled to the back of my head after reading the rants of this loser here. Although I'd always thought Obama was an adventurous and brave man, sometimes I forget what he's up against. But then, things never stay in one way. Against this intense rhetorical whopping that Obama was getting, being questioned as to how he would "justify this one", came the most startling statement, that could outshine any retort I could have tried to tell some of these bloggers. A crazy supremacist senile white man, shoots a black security guard at the national holocaust museum. Obama was lecturing us about the wrongs of denying the holocaust, but few are bigger critics than whats his face,James W. von Brunn. Id like to see the haters try to pin that one on the Muslim world. Or scarily run away from the whole thing. I feel really sorry for the family of the deceased guard but I absoultely have to admit that I chirped and clapped my hands when I clicked on the story and realised it was a white american who dun it.

Abdulhakeem takes one for the team

2009-06-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, every once in a while, or rarely than that, I try to comment on posts like this one. I think its more out of a feeling that I have to say something to protect from being reduced into spontaneous convulsions from sheer irritation.
I dont always know what to say, or where to start, and I have no moral feeling of intellectual responsibility to really make a valid point. but i cant just sit there convulsing, so here's what i said to the Vienna gate-keepers:
its funny when a new school shoot out happens no one calls it yet another "sudden columbine syndrome" or chronic murder disease, rather they try to understand what may have caused this act of anger. its a little too convenient that sporadic acts of seneless violence are only a real threat when a Muslim (and a convert, no less so it cant be a genetic prone-ness to violence) does it..and what, couldnt he be violent just because he's black? or is that political incorrect in this day and age...? On an unrelated note, did you know that the fastest growing rate of conversions in the U.s is African Americans turning to Islam? Better watch out.

My comment was duly ignored, of course. But really, what is that Vienna siege line?what new phase? what old war? im just so confused.

India: fastest growing cell phone market

2009-06-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

from globalpost.com (highly recommended site)

Now we're getting a taste of Hilary Clinton

2009-06-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

these are my initial reactions, but im ready to hear yours....

Here's what Hilary has to say to Iran, very much in line with obama's lets-all-get-along and keep the world safe rhetoric...

pre-emptive from what? ?is the very existence of an iranian nuclear program a declaration of war? not everything is about israel..im not discounting the political and strategic concerns of iran, but its also true that some people need to be self sufficient in energy sources because they're alienated from the rest of the world..walla eh? is anyone really dumb enough to nuclear bomb israel? i really dont think so. and being next door to israel, i can honestly say i trust a nuclear bomb in the hands of the iranians just as much as in the french, the british or the israelis. north korea im not so sure about, they're just plain crazy. and the japanese might be holding a grudge..who was it that bombed them again? ok, ok that was a low blow.

Mrs Clinton appeared ready to unnerve the Iranian leadership with talk of a pre-emptive strike “the way that we did attack Iraq”. ;
what a bullying B-i-t-c-h

Oh..bam(again)

2009-06-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

On the eve of the obama visit, son sejour, lest you get caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all, even if you eventually choose to be more optimistic about the state of the world than old Fiskilicious here, whose massive intake of whisky per day is bound to make him a little aggressive...

sectarian flu, achoo achoo achoo (and other nasty things)

2009-05-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

While almost all governments have taken some degree of precaution to protect from the "H1N1" influenza, most have limited preventive action to increasing medicinal stockpiles and raising awareness, the Egyptian government stands alone in its decisions to confiscate and kill all of the 300,000 Egyptian pigs. dumb, you say? Well yes, partly, but its much more evil and idiotic than that..

"Sectarian Flu" and Economic and Social Rights

With almost a quarter of a million Egyptians, primarily Christians, involved pig farming, and by extension garbage collection (pig farmers also act as the major garbage collectors in the city, relying on the animals to eat what cant be recycled of the collected refuse) - the move to slaughter hundreds of thousands pigs will in turn leave hundreds of thousands of Egyptians without their source of livelihood and without compensation.

It is difficult to separate the flagrant disregard by the Egyptian parliament who pushed for and passed this decision, to the fates of the affected citizens, from the fact that the overwhelming majority of those citizens are Egyptian Christians. While some see this as a convenient opportunity for the advancement of forced Islamization in Egypt, the fact that Egypt took similar measures when cases of the bird flu were reported, a move which resulted in the extinction of the "farkha fayoumi" breed, also severely damaging the economic prosperity of the many Muslim families who raised them serves as a somewhat disturbing redemption for the Egyptian government.

While it is undeniable that the "precaution" has gained some support from pro-Islamic or simply disinterested parts of society, in effect, those who see the move as production also stand a lot to lose. The fact that all sectors of the Egyptian society are equally vulnerable to such degradation of economic rights is alarming. Girgis Youssef Boulis, the head of pork producer Ramsis Meats, said pork accounts for about 30 percent of the country's total meat production. Although he is a Christian involved in the pork industry, Boulis is far from the image of impoverished families surviving in the slums by driving donkey-carts around the city collecting garbage. Having invested millions of Egyptian pounds in his prestigious farms (in the country- far from the "hygiene" concerns used as justification by the government), Boulis gives a different picture of the effects of killing all the pigs in Egypt.

"If this continues, one of the first things that I will think about is layoffs," he said. "But more than that, there are the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people at stake in this industry, from the farmers, to the producers, to the workers and the drivers who deliver the meat."

"I've invested millions of pounds in equipment, including buildings, fridges, etc. Who will compensate me for these millions in investments?"

The move is already having an impact on the market for other meats, he said. Domestic fish prices have surged about 100 percent as people turn to other lean, protein-rich meats in place of pork.

"If beef prices haven't gone up now, they will in a week," Boulis predicted

Whether Muslim or Christian, rich or poor, this severe whip to the food market comes at a time where the WFP already estimates food will become the most challenging obstacle for all countries, especially developing states, in the coming years.

Whether Muslim or Christian, rich or poor, individuals who have been directly affected by this widely criticized (even ridiculed) action will receive no compensation given instead justifications like that, since the meat will still be sold- there is no need to compensate the farmers (even though purchases have gone down dramatically). There have even been some allegations that farmers have even been charged by the slaughterhouse for the occupancy of their livestock. Meanwhile, other types of farmers, beef and veal, who have been forced to vacate the slaughter houses, will also find themselves in precarious economic situations.

The violence of the decision, and the lack of foresight associated with the move (from massive inflation of food prices to massive mounds of rotting garbage with no pigs to eat them, to massive discontent from diverse segments of the population) is paralleled by a violent and shocking method of implementation. Farmers who resisted the confiscation of their pigs were allegedly beaten and intimidated into compliance. The cruelty suffered by the pigs themselves is also entirely unacceptable. Mass burial sites often included still live piglets, carelessly thrown in with their slaughtered parents to meet the same fate- but slower.

On the issue of "mass graves", to add insult to injury, the government's total ill-preparedness for crises, demonstrated in its failure to effectively contain the bird flu and the resulting related deaths, was not only displayed but even paraded by recent statements: the government's request of municipal authorities to prepare mass graves- for humans this time- in preparation for the fatalities of the epidemic. The fact that before a single case has been reported in Egypt, and no parallel statement has been made about, for example, preparing hospital capacities and medicinal stockpiles in case the flu hits- has further traumatized the Egyptians' faith in the competence and frankly, concern, their government actually has. The Egyptian Minister of Health, Dr. Hatem Al Gabaly who has become a recent superstar, is quoted as saying that when the swine flu hits Egypt the government will "hit a great mess at first, but will eventually get things under control". Meanwhile, Egyptians will remain in disbelief that such a "mess" as is already underway may only be the calm before the storm.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/01/swine-flu-egypts-plan-to-_n_194394.html

http://www.cnsnews.com/PUBLIC/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=47597

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/30/1915246.aspx

http://www.copts-united.com/article.php?I=90&A=3125

http://www.cnsnews.com/PUBLIC/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=47597

http://www.lahona.com/show_files.aspx?fid=258251

Class Act

2009-03-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I got this instead of my regular Washington Post newsletter. Seriously just lost some respect for the publication...scurrying to get facebook points!

pocket full of bullets, pockets full of cash

2009-03-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

does anyone else think its ****ed that the only country not expected to contribute anything to the reconstruction of gaza is the one that did all the gallavanting destruction to begin with?

jaded/ You gotch yo mama's style But you're yesterday's child to me

2009-02-04T04:35:00.000-08:00

http://miloflamingo.blogspot.com/2009/01/very-bad-math.html

Poof! No wait, he's still there...

2009-02-04T02:56:00.000-08:00

Its hard living in Egypt to gather a coherent thought sometimes, because just as you give yourself a moment to complete a ponderance, or pontification, whatever you fancy, you're hit on the head with 12 other things that just make your head spin around.
Sinai for example, is a case in point, the relations between the security authorities and the widely acknowledge drug culture that runs amuck freely right behind each security check point has often caused to me to wonder how anything actually functions here, and what are the dynamics behind it.
But because the aforementioned idiosyncracy i just mentioned would require more of a dissertation and thesis than a blog entry ill limit myself to this little thing i noticed this morning (amongst 20,000 other thingies).
Reading Al Masry Al Youm this morning, I wondered more about the amusements and motivations of the Egyptian reader. Front Page, Top Right, Font Bold, a story about Ahmed Nazif. But did the largest post focus on the content of his speech? the fact that unemployment rate is a festering epidemic eating out the economic stability of Egypt? No, not really, surely it was mentioned of course, but right underneath the headline that starkly spat out "Nazif's Speech to the Shura council occurs during 4 Electricity Power Cuts" and then in smaller fonr "the government isnt worried about inflation and can get past the financial crisis"...
Perhaps it is indeed more fruitful to bemusingly chuckle at Nazif speeching in the dark (I assure you I couldnt hold it in either when i read the caption) than to poke holes in the conviction anyone actually has that the egyptian government (who cant ensure constant power supply for the prime minister) has any real reason to show no concern for our impending economic doom. tee-hee.

forcibly articulated inevitably conflicted initial responses to the exciting obama era.

2009-01-28T05:29:00.000-08:00

There is a notable shift in U.S diplomatic/political discourse with the advent of Obama's presidency, surely, overnight almost, there is a remarkable change of tone, one that is less hostile, more humane, or rather, humanizing. The fact that Obama realizes that arab news/media outlets even exist, i suppose, is noteworthy, as is his messages of "listening rather than dictating" which he described as having been previous U.S methodology. Granted, it is a great achievment to hear that we are finally being conceived as creatures with voices, rather than the condescending paternalism we've all gotten used to the past, oh, decade or so. However, as an egyptian, im getting really tired of being so grateful for the west's tiny little favors such as "listening" or "recognizing" our existence as humans. Sure, Obama is making some great gestures, but they are only as great as their predecossrs were miniscule, and as person with a mind, thinking, assessing, i refuse to be so grateful over something i should by all means take for granted. I guess we should resort to "optimism" about this discourse, but i cant bring myself to diminish my optimism to such grotesquely diminshed standards as small as being consulted in the course of my own destiny and that of my region and people.
(but then again why should we expect more from the U.S than our own leaders ever conceived of giving.back and forth, back and forth.)

Pee at the end of the line, please.

2009-01-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today was a peculiar day, much like any other day, such as yesterday.
It started out with tragedy in the office, which I wont get into, seeing as- well- I dont feel like it.
I had to do some errands, mundane. I went to pay the phone bill in a central "Egypt Telecom" office, in the heart of downtown Cairo and that's where I noticed one striking peculiaritiy. Lo and behold, we have developed, sexually segregated lines. What the hell? Thought I. There were actually two windows, one said "women" and one said "men" I wondered if I was going to pay my bill at the end of line or strip down and take a pee on the counter.
When did this become normal protocol, wondered I. and why? I wonder if this was a real decision made by the highest telecommunications authorities or whether it was just one of those loopholes where a mid-level employee sees the opportunity to take an initiative and can identify only one problem: unisex lines. the horror. I really hate it when people take protocol into their own hands, it happens way too often in this country and its always related to boy-girl proximity, pathetically enough. Receptionists in hotels who refuse to check in mixed gender groups even in DIFFERENT rooms. What dicks. . I've seen some spontaneous sexually seperated lines form in the metro when it gets crowded- people just feel more comfortable rubbing up on the same sex in those circumstances, that I can understand. But why are we spurting out signs to prohibit inter-genital queues now? And FYI the place was totally deserted. So when this thing spreads like cancer, in the railway stations and the mogamaa' and the airports, you can say the diva said it first!

غزه تحت النيران

2009-01-12T02:55:00.001-08:00

I've seen the image before but I loved the caption.

Another Qualm

2009-01-06T03:34:00.000-08:00

Yes I have been engulfed by the bloodbath in Gaza, I have been invested, I have been following and thinking, assessing, and stopping and cursing.
Yet there is a conflict that never resolves itself (no, not the Israeli-Palestinian one...) and its a convuluted debate that always emerges when Egyptians get together and talk about "Palestine" and how much you do/should/want to care and what your priorities as an Arab/Muslim/Christian/Agnostic/Egyptian should be/are.

Most recently, I was reading the Badeel coverage of Gaza. But it would be deceptive to say that while I was reading, it was Gaza that dominated my thoughts. Of course it was when I read numbers and figures; 100 children dead, over 2000 injured. I think of Gaza.
But when I read of 40 Egyptian religious scholars writing a press release stating that armed resistance is the way to get back Gaza, I think of Egypt, I think of our academic institutions, I think of our scholars. And when I read about the statement made by the "Egyptian people's Committee for Solidarity with the Intifada of the Palestinian People" I think of Egyptian activism, of the Palestinian diaspora in Cairo, of refugees, of legislature, of civil society and of the (in)competence of the opposition. When I read this : http://www.israel-vs-palestine.com/gz/ I think: thats disgusting and retarded. When I read about Amr Khaled's campaign for blood donation I am contradictor: yay for blood, ew for Amr Khaled.

And when I read about thousands of demonstrations going on all over Egypt, spreading outside of Cairo, to Domyat to Sohag to Alexandria, I am impressed and I think I am wondering if I am filled with hope. But then I read that the Egyptian police dispersed these demonstrations with tear gas and electric batons, they beat the demonstrations apart, i dont think of Gaza. I think what the fuck? and i think did anyone just notice that? And I think it should have its own article, it should be every article in every national newspaper. No, I think, in this convulated debate, Egyptian brutality in repressing demonstrations about Gaza shouldnt be engulfed in a piece about Gaza, and again I am pressed to think: so what about Gaza.....and it keeps. spirals, and spirals away.

Lili's post

2009-01-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

About Gaza. Well, generally I am filled with disgust, followed by frustration, and then I disguise it with indifference. Some solidarity, some militant desires, some fire. Some ashes. We're going a little crazy here in the office, but its even more frustrating to see the futility of an entire band of international human rights lobbyists, who were told by partners in Brussels to "forget about pressuring the EU" or the EU itself, whose new presidency (czech just took over EU presidency with 2009) who originally made the statement that what Israel is doing is self defense...

On the other hand, its inspiring (if you overlook that while im watching my colleagues in action ambulances and mosque are getting bombed indiscriminantely)- to see how creative their initiatives are becoming. Again, though, its disullisioning to see how SLOW the process is, if only because, for example, the strikes began (very calculatedly) during xmas and new years holidays. Ugh.

I wrote a few posts about it on my blog, lacking most coherency. Israel Palestine has always been an issue wherein i cant gather enough energy, or repress enough rage to actually go into detangling geo-political or strategic theories or whatever. its usually my cue to start dreaming of dematerializing and travelling as molecules of energy to another universe and a prettier existence. But I'd miss my family and chocolate too much. And then I feel bad about having unlimited access to chocolate, while others havent had access to heating oil in over a year and that while their plight evokes escapist fantasies in me, for them, there is hardly means for escape. And it goes on, you see..so if anything, if you've been there, you should be the one telling ME more balancing insights.

Who's going to make it?

2009-01-06T01:19:00.000-08:00

I've always had a particular qualm about spreading pictures of bloodshed. Mostly because in this part of the world, in this particular conflict, the images have been exploited and compromised, repeatedly, mutilating the mutilated twice over.

This picture on the left resonated with me, the man reportedly screaming over his two sons and nephew and wailing "they've killed my family. Im an orphan"...

Again, its deceptive to reproduce his words and pretend that that deepends my understanding of his strife, or makes my sympathy more authentic. I've seen men on their knees for their children, I've seen them held back by their relatives, I've seen it in funerals, I've seen it after accidents, I've seen it underneath my own house, and inside other people's houses. but I havent' seen this. And I couldnt shake the image, I couldnt turn away from a father who is rendered an orphan while his babies lay lifeless on a cold hospital floor. And I can't blink while the number's still rising.

"Shake and Bake"

2009-01-05T05:16:00.000-08:00

Israel denies the use of illegal phosphorus shells in Gaza...even though it admits to using it two years ago in Lebanon..then its also very convincing when they say that they use "only weapons allowed for under international law" and clearly, they are very stringent about the non violation of international law.. and war crimes and above all: PROPORTIONALITY, of course...so there's really no reason to doubt their word. Well who am I to complain? The Security Council seems to think that both parties should end military activities and meanwhile, the first week of the new EU presidency by the Czechs (France never looked so good) has already managed to cause conflicting statements and misunderstandings after the EU came out looking like it was condoing the attacks as actions of "self defense". Egypt, on the hand, steadfast in protest about having international observors sharing its gaza borders, probably because then they'll see all the African migrants the border police shoot dead trying to cross over to Israel. Other Arabs took more drastic measures such as cancelling new years parties leaving Nancy Agram with an unexpectedly free evening, and playing Quran instead of back-to-back old episodes of Friends. When the UAE takes away your sitcoms, you know the international community is in shambles.

http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/

Evil Exists (call me simplistic)

2009-01-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

On Gaza. Al Ahram Weekly and The Independent let the experts do the talking

A disturbing mix: deceptive electioneering in Israel and dispicable inaction from the lack the Egyptian government's need to gather votes.

Mustafa Barghouti cuts down the myths Israel spins in the media to justify its most recent campaign of slaughter:
With these myths understood, let us ponder the real reasons behind these air strikes; what we find may be even more disgusting than the act itself.

Robert Fisk: The rotten state of Egypt is too powerless and corrupt to act

Why do I like HMLC?

2009-01-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

this .
is.
what.
I.
like.

Facebook gives you a shorter life.

2009-01-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

In re-learning the rules of keeping a blog, trying to preserve a free flowing discursive practise, im trying to tell myself that theres not some things i "should" blog about and others not. whatever's up is up i guess.
My latest inspiration, my latest meditation, my latest acheivement, has been reading a complete book. i wont lie, its been a while since ive conjured up enough energy to relax with a book. its so much easier to remain distracted, facebook helps- and was severely stressful, i was unable to continue an attention span longer than the time it took to click from one profile picture to the next wall post.
Of course, it helps to read a great book; I just finished a book by Tom Robbins, called Jitterbug Perfume.
If the book, as Robbins himself described, is "meditation for the hyperactive" then thats exactly what I needed. As the book will tell you, prolonged breathing cycles, and deep inhalation, will immortalize you. I had just deactivated facebook and since then i swear i think ive even been taking deeper breaths.Well, thats one down. Next element: Water.

Ive also decided to stop being drunk on love.

The Arab First Ladies

2009-01-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite, and most perceptive, moments, was came in a previous post
wherein I concluded that, (unlike a theory related to the first ladies of the West), the first ladies of the Arab and Muslim world are consistently, conspicuosly, and curiously HOT. After honoring the luciousness of the Egyptian Suzie and Khadija, Jordan's Rania and Syrian Asma, it is with great pleasure and joy that I had to the mix of mozzaz Her Highness, Sheikha Mozza. (I didnt actually notice the pun till I finished typing that sentence). Sheikha Mozza, in the heart stopping white suit, is simply, bangin'- she floats with men around her like she conjured them into existence on a whim.

And just like any other picturesque sight to lay your eyes on, one glimpse is not enough. It wasnt enough for me at least. Going through Sheikha Mozza's pictures makes me proud to succumb to my overwhelming admiration of damn good taste.

Going to Blog

2009-01-01T03:17:00.000-08:00

I have yet to decipher my own feelings toward blogging. Evidently, there is animosity, from the fact that I havent posted on this particular blog for two months, and for the other one for a month.
Ive come to realise that blogging often times feels like a great, looming, responsibility as well as a challenge, in fact: I struggle to blog. Im not doing it by force, clearly, i wanted to keep a blog, but the truth is, when I do see/hear/think of sometihng blog-worthy, I often feel a weight in my chest, an obstruction, its the web of emotion that hinders the translation of impulse and ideology into written, fathomable, words. For example, I have never been able to blog about Palestine, even now with the calamities in Gaza. I would be inclined not to write but to cite entire historical texts, reproduce treaties, broadcast their violations and generate their tears. But that just means I still havent found the angle that comforts me.

To become a narrator, that is at ease, and at peace, is the lurking feat.
So. here I am, trying again, to see if it works out better this time.

U.S- diva?

2008-09-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

im off to the U.S tomorrow for 2 weeks for a collective blogging expedition. im going to be sort of US-focused so if I dont manage to post here often, come and take a looksie at what me and 7 other egyptian bloggers are saying on : egyptblogsamerica.blogspot.com

Shanty Town 2

2008-09-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

They were given nothing, they lost everything, and the police, in this police state, in this "regional powerhouse", in this arrogant regime, still in its ruthless form, was motionless, handicapped, irritating, authoritative, and talking shit.

all pictures are lifeted from elbadeel.net

Shanty Town 1

2008-09-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say. It's one thing to see total, utter lack of management and complete incompetence when its the parliament thats enflamed, and no one really cares much, at least on any humanitarian level (although its disturbing- not surprising- to confirm that no one cares about the parliament burning to a crisp)..
But its quite another thing to see a 15 ton slab of mountain dislocate from Moqattam and crash onto the heads of hudreds of families in their sleep. And its yet another thing to read the stories of the survivor's who were forbidden from trying to rescue their relatives caught somewhere beneath the rockslide. In one report, one man's brother was calling him consistently for three hours, confirming that he's still alive, begging for help, suffocating. On the other side, his brother was stopped by the police from going in. And they all just stood there. Because the authorities could do nothing. as usual.

The level of bullshit we are being asked to swallow about the Al Doweqa incident is massive. From the very beginning, the fact that several reports were submittied warning precisely of this sort of natural disaster were entirely overlooked. Actually, lets take it a step further and wonder WHY such an enormous area of shanty's, slums, were left completely ignored, with not a single amenity and now, we see, not the slightest concern for the safety of the people's lives. I guess its not surprising, we're not really big on human life. I dont have it in me to explain what is wrong, what is so messed up about having a government that not only is unable to protect the most vulnerable of its citizens pre-emptively, but is so careless and paralysed when the shit does actually hit the fan.

For facts and figures and a complete report: http://www.elbadeel.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30870&Itemid=1
(el badeel is also accessible in english)

Egypt Blogs America

2008-09-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

Starting Next Week EgyDiva will also be a contributor to a collective blogging project called:

egyptblogsamerica.blogspot.com

its not operative yet, but keep an eye out...

مسيحية بنت إية؟؟؟؟

2008-09-04T03:20:00.000-07:00

In creating this blog ive discovered some things about inspiration and writing, at least as far as I am concerned. often, if i really want to say something on my blog, i cant because i feel overwhelmed and pressured, and i cant bring myself to articulate the multitude of emotions and impressions i have about an instance, or moment or phenomenon. but i cant just ignore it and move on. im blocked. i cant write about anything else until i find a way to write about whatever it is that last caught my attention. so here it is, because its been too long and i need to move on. sorry if someone doesnt understand the parts in arabic . this happened about a week and a half ago-strange relationship one develops with one's blog......:

"I left my dad's house to go to work feeling great. wonderful mood this morning! got into a cab, Garden city? Garden City, no problems. He took another lady in, she was going to zamalek, I told him, Im going downtown! He said, dont worry, dont worry, Ill take you. So I thought, OK, he'll take me first.

Of course, I was wrong, he got to the 15 May bridge and went down straight ahead to 26th of July instead of taking a right for the corniche. So I told him "ana leh fil zamalek dilwa2ti?" and he said, ill take you, ill take you- so I said, ya3ni ana waraya shoghl we inta mayenfa3sh takhod qararat kida liwa7dak we te2akhar ilnas" so he just got really annoyed and angry and started saying inti 3ayza eh we 2oltilik hawadeeki, we heya nazla hinaho blaa blaa blaa..so i told him mish mawdoo3 hatwadeeni ana waraya ma3ad, you cant just decide to make me late without even informing me we mat3alish sotak. so he pulled over in 26th july and basically kicked me out saying, khalas, inzili hina we 7asbini. I was shocked, and i said, a7asbak leh wenta mawadetnish ilmakan illy ana 3ayzaah? Then he started cursing, so I cursed back at him the same tihng he said, and I told him ya3ni ghaltan we kaman 3ayez titbaltag we te2el 2adabak, as I was getting out. and then while i was slamming the door, takhayalo 2ali eh? "mese7eya bint weskha". yes. this translates to you dirty Christian.مسيحية بنت وسخة

Can you imagine this???? Begad I could not believe it. I mean, I know that cab drivers momkin yikoono watyeen, we weskheen, we khara. but really, mese7eya bint weskha? fe3lan e7na ba2ena kida? And I dont know what that means, that any non veiled girl is christian, or that christian dee lewa7daha ba2et shiteema momkin tit2al zay yel3an deenak masalan aw zay eh bilzabt. And I only feel the need to indicate here that im not christian because if i was the next part of the story would have been me climbing ontop of the car as it drove away and beating it in with my fists.

instead, because i didnt have time to answer before he drove away, I just got into another taxi and I just felt tired, and sad. past anger, I was just holding back my tears the whole ride. not because I was offended, I wasnt offended from this idiot, but I was sad and tired. Sad that people are really this way, such disgusting, low human beings. and tired because Im sick of dealing with them.
I cant start my day like this. I cant start my morning in work crying because of one piece of shit and probably meeting five others before I get home.

Luckily my boss had a meeting outside the office this morning and she's still not back so I could just release it and just cry a little bit in peace. Peace, thats all I want. I cant shoulder all of this. Its enough I always have to defend myself every time im in the street, but am I going to defend the dignity of Christians now too? How many battles can I get in in one day? I have already resigned myself to the fact that life in Egypt is hard, but then there are these shocking moments, these moments of pure hatred, simple misery when I am ashamed to be here, and when I feel truly, truly, overwhelmed and disgusted and tired and most of all confused. And they are always abrupt. Who is this man? Who is he? And how many of those do I have to meet in my day to day life here in this country? Do I have to escape to reserve my dignity or at least not to show up at work in tears? What if my boss comes now and my eyes are red, what should I say? Do I have to lie? Or am I forced to share with my boss that I am under constant attack in my own country. this is abnormal. The amount of hostility I feel thrown at me is unreasonable, the amount of sheilds, or of counter attacks, is inhuman. As if life isnt hard enough without having to enter into a war, a war with no clear enemy, faceless enemies and nameless faces.

I am tired. Im exhausted. and Im so sad. And im in disbelief from that taxi driver. and I hate him. I detest him. If I could see him again I would want to whack him in the face with my bag, I would kick him with my heels in the stomach. I would ask him if he thinks he is the Muslim. I would ask him how dare he speak to any human being this way.
And I hate him even more for bringing up these feelings in me, for bringing up this sense of loss, this loss of hope, this helplessness and at the time this disgust, this anger, this pure hatred. Both are feelings im not used to, I dont like, I dont need. So who are you? What made you like this? How do you justify this behavior?

When will apartheid fall?

2008-08-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

At times its hard to believe that pressure, protest, opposition, have the power to bring about real change. Its not always easy because you can't always see the result right away. In this case it took SEVEN years.

The Palestinian- Jewish Unity (PJU), a Montreal based group, have been organizing protests against Israel's apartheid policy every week since 2001, infront of Israel's consulate in downtown Montreal. Apparently, the bad publicity has finally embarrased the Israelis enough to move their consulate to a more discreet location where they wouldnt be publically criticized. Every week between 20 to 30 people got together in protest and pushing for international boycott of Israel.

Sometimes I wonder how in the Arab world we could never get this amout of order and determination to protest anything on a weekly basis. Granted, that would also involve getting beat up by the police on a weekly basis too, but I imagine some national causes would be worth getting together once a week and saying something about it. Maybe I have an unrealistic understanding of the political context? Maybe. But more so, I think I have a realistic understanding of the mismanagement and disorder of Egyptian opposition and civil society movements. I think the main problem would be to get five or six NGO's to decide on one cause to support for a prolonged period of time and to sacrifice their name as THE organizer of that event. If it takes seven years to get ONE consulte in ONE country (Canada, no less) to MOVE, not even banished, then perhaps we should get started on our own problems now..

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

2008-08-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a fellow blogger's entry testing the argument that First Ladies are always uglier than thier presidential husbands, or at least they should be for the candidate to be successful,
I decided to move away from posts only about state security police and corrupt police, and throw out a"fashion police" for you..

In the spirit of poking holes in hypotheses, which is a fun past time, I argue that in the Arab world this theory is totally untrue. Behold, below, The First Ladies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria respectively (two for Egypt because we already know whats coming) . Its too bad we never even see the first ladies of some of the Arab states, but I assume the Saudi first lady is a sexy mama, all blinged out and manicured...

Mama Suzanne's back in the 80's- style! flair! poise!

Khadija's killer body and hair. Egypt 2- America zero.
Queen Rania of Jordan, absolutely gorgeous. Love the suit!
Asma Al Asad, not so much in the public eye, being married to the world's least popular leader, but definitely something to look at... (why is this turning into a celebrity gossip blog? )

So, it seems, the Middle East comes out ahead when it comes to hotness. Come to think of it, i think the presidents are hotter than the Western presidents as well. Ok, Ill say it: I'd much sooner hook up with Bashar Al Asad than Nicolas Sarkozy and I have no doubt that Ahmedinijad is a better date than George Bush.

لا يا شيخ؟

2008-08-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

نظيف: الحكومة تتحمل تكلفة إعادة بناء وترميم «الشوري» بالكامل

أمال كمان كان هيكون على حسابنا؟؟

Adding Insult to Injury

2008-08-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Now I'm not sure what bothers me more. No wait, I am sure. This bothers me more:

Not only did we see the dismal performance in putting out the fire, and the loss of the antique building, and the havoc created by police and officials trying to orchestrate the whole fiasco,but the efforts were directed more to repressing the opposition media from covering a very obvious disaster than to repressing the disaster itself and containing it. Once again, the police have no clear priorities, no clear mind and seem to comfort themselves using human punching bags whenever possible.

Al Masry Al Youm's Parliament correspondent, the official correspondent, who even has a press ID given from the shura council itself, was attacked by the police and his ID was torn. El Badeel, my favorite opposition paper at the moment was prohibited from issuing its paper today because the headlines claimed that "flames consume Ferry, contaminated blood, cancerous pesticides and Upper Egypt train files”. Instead they could only print their online version.

As for the state papers, the headline read "Mubarak closely follows the events of the fire and makes three phonecalls to Al Sharif"- who the fuck cares? They also, myteriously, counted ONE HUNDRED fire engines at the scene.

News flash to the news makers: the public is not blind, and most of us can count.

Liar, Liar, House on Fire

2008-08-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

The fire that started in the Shura Council (Parliament) yesterday early in the evening (and went on for a tumultous nine hourse) may have started because of a short circuit, but the reason it went on for so long was doubtlessly the complete incompetence and total lack of crisis management displayed by the Egyptian "action" taking bodies. The fire spun out of control and destroyed this gorgeous 19th century building despite the fact that over 30 fire trucks and a helicopter were part of the so-called "rescue" effort. Thankfully, the flames didnt spread to the nearby Geographic Institute which houses ancient and rare documents. Not that anyone was concerned about that anyways, rather the area was sealed of (in a clumsy, hectic fervor) to protect the U.S, British and Canadian embassies that neighbor it. Of course, if it had been Suzanne Mubarak passing through Kasr El Aini street, you would have seen the most impeccable coordination skills at making sure that she whizzes through unobstructed, you would have witnessed precision, skill, fearlessess. But when its a fire with some government workers who happened to be working in vacation season we cant aim a house at a flame right.

I really feel safer than ever. So we cant put out a fire in our own parliament. The important people were apparently only effective in making "phonecalls"- for some reason the headlines on the state media keep telling us that Mubarak made three phonecalls, Ahmed Ezz called his buddies and Fathy Serour, though he couldnt be there himself because he was in his summer home outside of Cairo, was very concerned. Concerned enough to pick up a cell phone.

It really makes me wonder what would happen to us if we were caught in a building Fathy Serour didnt even care about. If this is how they "save" their power house, then I expect to be burnt to a dark crisp if im ever near a naked flame in Egypt.

Im going to think twice before even turning out my gas oven at home now.

40 trucks, 9 hours, and total failure. What a mess. What a complete fuck up.

Musharaf resigns for the sake of Pakistan.

2008-08-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

Ciao.

يل ترى بعده مين اللي هيحس على دمه؟

Mugabe can you hear me?

Chew your qat quietly, please.

2008-08-18T01:07:00.000-07:00

One Lebanese newspaper got it right when they caught the Yemenis, dreaming of Saudi Arabia. What a nightmarish thought, you say? Well, yes, apparently, the Yemenis are really exceeding themselves in the pursuit of being all around nightmarish people. Their latest acheivement being the election of a full fledged "promotion of virtue and prevention of vice committee" a la Saudi Arabia, complete with a police force and everything! Some of you might be more familiar with the concept as "النهى عن المنكر والامر بالمعروف"- but give anyone such unabated moral authority and watch them run around beating people to death for having alcohol, or forcing them to be burned in a school fire because they weren't dressed appropriately enough to be saved.

To know more about the Saudi religious police force (as opposed to all the raging secularism going on over there) check out the blog "Religious Policeman" dedicated to the lives of the schoolgirls who were lost in that fire.

In case you had more faith in the Yemen (because, of course, they are known for their triumphs in every field, particulary social justice) just take a looksie at what the committee has had to say already : "God intended women to be beautiful, and men to be attracted to women...if women reveal their beauty, men will be seduced and extramarital sex will occur. This will result in sexual chaos."

Not really sure what sexual chaos entails, but im sure Yemen already has it.

Also, they have vowed to disable all institutions which "wave war against God" like bars. Oh well, guess those crazy club hopping Sana'a nights are over.

Dear lord, I hope this disease isnt contagious.

Living My Life like its Golden

2008-08-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

but its been tough. since ive started work, 7 months ago, ive seen and experienced egypt in a totally different way, i cant even recognize my country as i "thought" i knew it, and as i had positioned myself within it. i feel different in the street, partly because now, i am a woman, and i cant tell im seen as one, i dont look like a school girl or a colllege girl, i look different, i dress different, i speak different and i act differently, and its been strange and their have been great triumphs, because i am able now to be comfortable and confident and be everything my father has raised me, but there have been great disappointments too. These come when i ask myself, why i am so motivated, so genuine, so adamant in trying to support and care and work for a society that treats me like shit. for a society of people who call me a whore when i walk in the street or stare at my zipper on my jeans or call me "2alelt il2adab" when i tell some guy who drives up to me and my friend at 11 pm that he is a jerk. why do i give a shit? When i get whistled at, INSIDE cars, when i get looked at from up to down on my way to work when i get pushed from behind trying to buy a newspaper just so that i can read about the news of this nation? Its hard not to decide to just leave, and be free, and be relaxed, and be sexual and be normal, and just. be.
on the other hand sometimes i get these great ideas about what i have the capacity, skill, knowledge and connections to do.sometimes I have plans, schemes, entire campaigns in my head. but do i have it in my soul, and in my razor blade mind, and in my heart, and in my body, to do what it might take to realise them? I know im pretty new at all of this, and im giving it a shot i guess.
Egypt is driving me out of my mind, i believe. In taxis I look at the window into every side street, every car, every shop, every balcony, to try to understand people's lives. the specemins here are endless, the complexities unfathomable, the nuances unexamined, the variations inexplicable. Cairo is a huge, enormous city. There is so much good, and so, so, much bad and its bogged down by its own enormity and stature and the wheels that are already in motion. I read one newspaper from cover to cover, and i need to sit down. I sigh involuntarily as i turn the page. Stabbing over a game of chess. Stabbing over a loaf of bread. Are they related? Mass scandal over high school examination. Mass scandal from millionare business man. No reaction either way. Stifling, constant, passivity, its too overwhelming to react. its paralyzing.
What is my role? I am not willing to be miserable for the sake of a noble cause, I know that much. There are some absolutes I know I need. I know I need love, and companionship, and time away from the desk, and time to be creative, and time to listen to music in my room, in the dark, for hours and feel every decibel and live through it. time to exercise. i know i need my family. i know i need money. i know i need my friends. and i know i need to feel like im contributing and acquiring knowledge, but at what expense? and for what end? Personal or universal, short term or long term, bla bla bla. it doesnt stop.These are the things I cant control. So i need a little help on the things that are in my hands. sometimes.

Dedication

2008-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

somethings in life are in your control, and some things you can only watch as they follow a predestined trajectory of events, feelings, meetings, coincidences, loves, losts, whatever. and something are a crossroad, where you can either leave it up to the gods and the universe, sigh, and sit back, distracted, or you can take them by the hand and make them yours if you so resolve. Many times Ive felt that this relationship was at a crossroad. and i think all relationships are often that way. and i think every time ive decided to make in my control, and try to do what feels right. and i think every time its been worth it. but sometimes i wonder if its recognized. Clearly, girls have different needs in relationships than guys. girls, for example, have to remind themselves that there is a million other things happening for them, good, great, things, so why do they focus on the tiniest,most oblivious detail? With guys, its the opposite. so many things are happening so they forget about the details. to each is their virture.
i dont really want to talk about girls and guys as if i understand them. but i can talk about myself. i know that there was a day when i felt that this guy i was seeing, it would never work out because we couldnt have real conversations. and i know that know, you're the person i want to talk to the most at certain moments. and you're the person i talk to the least,obviously, because you're gone.But when i feel alone, or overwhelmed, or when i feel stressed, or when i feel like im becoming a computer because of how much i stare at the screen at work, or when i feel so depressed about how difficult it is to live in egypt as a young woman, when every time i walk into the streets its a battle and i have to prove myself with every asshole passing by with something to say, or when i feel disgusted because i find something out about government, and politics, and greed and i feel like im bursting out of my skin to do something about it, and when i feel passionate and alive and young and feminine, and content because i actually get an idea about WHAT i want to do about it, I think of you. and i think sometimes that i have so many thoughts that my mind cant handle. there's a song i love and the line goes 'mind is a razor blade'.

Respect.

2008-08-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

OK,
thanks to a comment on the post dated July 21st, its been brought to my attention that perhaps I was being a little rigid with the indicators, or at least being a little too selective. Indeed, Maryanne, indicators are a changing, conflicted, and of course-superflous- thing, which is why I love them so much. So yes, the amount of services/goods available by phone or online delivery is indeed an indicator of the GREAT, GREAT success of a nation. And one of the things that makes me proud to be Egyptian is the ever expansive network of delivery system: pharmacies, supermarkets, phone bills, fast food, home made food, you name it. I for one am shocked by the shameful display of delivery incompetance in much of the so-called developed world. Its not fair to point out things like the outstanding urban planning of the Parisians and forget to hail the impeccable planning and coordination techniques involved in the comprehensive "Call Center" mechanism we have perfected here in Egypt. We should still work on the, say, music and the torture, you know but still, at least even the most absurd product is only a phone call away, and its cheap as hell.Power to the pharoas.

Official Petition to Amend Economic Indicators

2008-07-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced that what actually qualifies a first world country as such despite the inevitably arbitrary (and simultaneously calculated) nature of such a category- is not in reality how much poverty or dust or filth you have- but how convincing your "uppity" parts of town are. Sure there's some dirt in Paris (Ok, I'm pushing it but I saw some ugly mounds of cigarette butts I swear) but what matters is that the clean parts, the pretty parts, the rosy picture in convincingly rosy and you cant say shit about regardless of how well your critical minds deconstructs such "illusions". It's gorgeous, even with the passed out alcoholic and the crazy lady talking to the pigeons.

In Egypt for example, we are reaching a tipping point whereby even the hippest, million dollar real estate neighborhood is infested with filth, intolerably polluted, perpetually in decay and moulding over with the inescapable stench of corruption and all around general doom.

Of course, there are other indicators of quality of life other than the height of trash piles in the pretty streets in Maadi and Zamalek, such as

- how many prisoners the police take to electrocuting each day ?

- thethe ratio of covered : uncovered skin a woman can get away with without risking gang rape.

- Decibels of noise drilling into your brain at given moment

- Proportion of population wearing ALL STAR shoes (I never said the indicators were a good or bad thing)

- Quality and overall pleasantness of music streaming in the street at given moment

- Do people insist on decorating Mosques/Churches with florescent green lights to distract from the more attractive architecture?

- the answer to the question "Does McDonalds even TRY to accommodate your culture?" (Did you know that Mcdonalds serve shisha in Turkey? Outdoors)

Middle Aged Niqabi Turtle Heads Vs Turkish facist Power Trips?

2008-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've always been anti-niqab. It's flat out hostility on my part. To my credit, I have nuanced my perception of those who immerse all which manifests themselves in form and space into a black abyss. I do now believe that they talk like other Egyptians and not only in classical, 'fusha' Arabic. Or in gargoyle tongue. Although some of those Khaleeji dialects might as well be.What I'm still conflicted about is how much I'm willing to defend niqab, in principle. Their right to bury their features and shape into a dark jelly puddle with feet, which granted, they are entitled to. This moral debate came up recently when I arrived in the Turkish airport (which by the way has the most disorienting set of arrivals, I was literally peering over people's shoulders to see their passports, where else do you see a group of Uzbek soldiers in full uniform and looking like an ethnic meltpot). Large groups of Gulfies arrive in Istanbul every day and the women are forced to uncover their faces at the passport check in desks to some weird Turkish government employee. What gives some passport stamping, Noor-watching, Mohannad-loving former Ottoman imbecile the right to force the women to show her face at the length of time of his discretion? The Turkish government? The New World Order? National Security? Whatever it is, something just didn’t sit right and I cant even stand that morphous black cloak, no matter how pimped out the sleeves are with diamond studs, or how gorgeous the lashes pertrubing from the peek holes are.

Never Forget

2008-07-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Palestinians make me Sea Sick, IDF makes me Sick.

2008-06-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

I met a Palestinian girl the other day who asked me why I've never posted anything about Palestine and Israel on my blog yet. I told her that when it comes to Palestine and Israel,I wonder where to start, what year, what concept, side, what angle, what to say, who to address, and why. Its always overwhelming for me.

And then I heard about THIS. An actual checkpoint ordered by the IDF to prohibit Palestinians from entering the shores of the Dead sea in the West Bank. It makes my stomach churn.

"For now" the prohibition is imposed on weekends and holidays so as not to turn the Israeli sea side goers off with the unsightly vision of Palestinians on nearby shores.

When questioned about the legality of the move, the commander said it would be easy to find "a post facto security justification" This is truly disgusting. It just plain out says: its bad for Israeli business so lets keep them out. And lets make a law from the highest constitutional body to pass it. And lets worry about explaining it later.

So not only are we using the 'security' argument to keep the business going, we want to make this profit exclusive only to Israelis although its actually located on the Occupied Territories and of course, keep the Palestinians out of the only beach spot still accessible to them.

Pass me a bucket someone, Im going to puke all over the Israeli beach managers and the military and jurists who support them.

Stepping on virtual toes

2008-06-04T02:20:00.000-07:00

The thing about making a blog in Egypt, its tricky. its a new field of opposition, or just expression in general. We bloggers still dont know the red lines, we dont know what to expect. and its not just blogging, even facebook is facing some brutal crackdowns by the Egyptian government. its shocking in a way, but on the other hand, they're trying to catch it while its still a fledgling avenue of saying how much things are fucked up and shitty. But we're still a negotiated space. Who would have expected that Ahmed Maher,the guy who created the facebook group about the national strike that happened last April would get hunted down and beaten the crap out of? I sure as hell didn't. I wonder if he even knew he was being adventurous, or daring? Am I being daring know by publishing his photo? I have no idea. I mean, when you're an Islamist, you know what you're getting into but the thing about blogging in Egypt, its tricky.

P.S: Maher's testimony is taken in Arabic but if you leave me a comment or email me ill translate some of the main points in English, although it does involve much swearing, sound effects and muffled noise.

"The storm of terrorism blows strong around us and our enemies lie in wait"

2008-06-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well the second half of that sentence is certainly true. I havent heard of any terrorists around Egypt lately. Those were the profound words of Egyptian prime Minister Ahmed Nazif in parliament the other day when they decided to extend the Emergency Law for 2 more years.

I dont know which is worse: living under emergency law for two more years, as if the past 27 (million?) were not enough..or having to wait two more years to actually see what god forsaken stipulations actually make it onto the "counter terrorism" law that was supposed to replace emergency law this year. Actually, its a little ridiculous. They promised us a counter terrorism law, are we not good enough for one? Emergency laws are so out of fashion and all the other repressive, totalitarian states will think we're uncool. Lets not even ask the question of what it would take for us to actually operate under a "normal" or say, "constitutional" law. What are we, human or something?

Its interesting the Egyptian parliament, they announce this counter-terrorism bill, and everyone gets all worked up about it, we write press releases, civil society gets all antsy and submits recommendations and panics a little bit, the UN warns of the many violations of counter terrorism laws, and then all of a sudden- bam- emergency law again. Arbitrary detention, arrests without charges or warrants, torture without investigations, lack of privacy, exclusive authority to the military and executive branches of governement GALORE! Two more years of lawlessness just passed by law. Of course its justified, after all, we've had all that unrest and terrorist attacks and we've successfully cracked down on corruption and crime because of the exceptional stipulations of emergency law...erm, ...no wait a minute....that cant be it...

This is how we do it

2008-05-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Egyptian Authorities always prepare for big, prestigious events, even if that preparation is questionable at best, and shortsighted, misguided and ludicrous at worst.
Currently, the authorities are preparting for The World Economic Forum scheduled to take place in Sharm El Sheikh at the end of the month. As security measures are tightened for the event- (because normally we're just so chill and relaxed about things)- they started deporting all kinds of manual and construction workers OUT of the entire South Sinai region as a whole.
Around 90% of the Southern Sinai (Dahab, Nuweiba, St.Katherines, Tora...) has been totally cleared from construction and other workers coming from other parts of the country to work. Business owners in Sinai, also found themselves staff-less in the middle of construction or peak tourism periods.

Once again Im struck by the irony: in order to prepare for a conference about ECONOMICS, talking about poverty, employment and productive growth- we directly resort to driving the rich out of business and rendering the poor unemployed.

80 ain't nuttin but a numba!

2008-05-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

President Mubarak turns 80 today.

This man has presided over me my entire life but I'm not about to start bitching about that. I don’t think I had even heard of the concept of consecutive presidency "terms" and "constitutional" "rules" for, um,"elections" until I was around 18 years old. I also had no idea about the age-defying power of black hair dye. Yes, Mr. president, you have taught us a lot.

When one day the Lord raises you up to heaven my favorite image of you will be the enormous billboard in Dokki of you looking just like De Niro, rocking the dark shades with the reflection of the pyramids glistening unto them.

Laf we Dawwar-an

2008-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Kafr El Dawwar police outfit, much like their colleagues nationwide, are no strangers to absurdity. Their very sophisticated techniques have once again left me bewildered, not knowing whether I should be an outraged citizen or send them a note with a few pointers on how not to look/act/be total fools while trying to cover up horrendous corruption.

As the story goes, Ms. Magda Al Adly, a medical doctor and a member of the El Nadim Centre for Psychological Management and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence was assaulted by police inside the courthouse of the town of Kafr El Dawwar in Northern Egypt. Adly was there to testify in defence of a case of a local family who had reportedly been severely beaten and abused in the Kafr Al Dawwar prison. Before she had the chance to do so, she was attacked by a man who appeared to be stealing her bag. He pushed her on the floor rendering her unconscious for some time as well as dislocating her shoulder.

Apparently, the officer was after some documents and photographs of the prisoners that prove that they had really been tortured and treated with cruelty in the prison.

The clumsy pickpocket later confessed he was actually acting upon order of Chief intelligence officer Ahmed Maklad of the Kafr El Dawwar police.

It doesn’t end there: he later changed his story claiming that Adly had tripped and fallen over and that to his surprise, while he was courteously helping her up, found that people were running after him so he got scared and started running.

Indeed, the act of helping someone up could easily be confused with pushing someone, shoving onto the courtroom floor and grabbing a purse out of their tightly clenched fists. IT could happen to anyone. Smartness.

Rich European Junkies back World Economy

2008-04-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, an interesting angle to the global economy! Apparently, because the Euro is rising against the dollar, drug dealers are curbing supplies to the U.S and sending more cocaine, in better quality, to European party animals instead to make use of the favorable exchange rate! I see the Ph.D in Macro Economics has finally paid off for the Colombian drug lords. You have to respect that, no matter what your views on drug abuse. Better yet, since the Egyptian pound is still a joke we will never have to worry about a drug problem destroying the minds and souls of our younger generations. Anyways, we already have public education to do that for us.

Taliban: Our Muslim Ambassadors to the World

2008-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Reuters reports that Taliban has claimed responsibility for attacks on Dutch forces in Afghanistan as retaliation for "Fitna", the film that suggests the Qur'an incites violence. Ironic isn’t it? Let's take a second to ponder the thought process that may have occurred here: "They are calling Islam violent? What! We are Muslims, and we must prove them wrong! I will stab you and kill you till you die. Don’t you ever call Muslims violent again." I'm sure they got the point now. Thanks for clearing that up guys, making us proud as usual.

Off with their drug-dealing good for nothing Syrian Heads

2008-04-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Saudi government beheaded two Syrian prisoners yesterday in the prison's courtyard. As if its not bad enough that they still have the death penalty, and as if its not bad enough that they choose to carry out this execution by decapitation, and AS IF its not bad enough that they choose to carry out this decapitation in the prison's public square, the worst part is that these Syrian prisoners were actually executed for crimes related to illicit drugs.

They kill drug dealers in Saudi Arabia? That's a little harsh. Especially since you would need to be a little hopped up on drugs to understand or tolerate the Saudi judicial system.

Dear Saudi executioner, please take a gander at Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified and entered into force over 30 years ago.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.

There's enough nonsense to go around

2008-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have been in turmoil over my last entry for the past two nights. Its truly unfair to single out Islamic Facebook groups as being particularly loserly in finding titles to name their attempts to form virtual spiritual congregations. At least in Egypt, Coptic Christians have been equally unsuccessful.

The: "Christian Coptic Orthodox Egyptian Church Community World on Facebook" Is another prime example.

Again, I wonder. What is a community world? And does it only exist on facebook?

Who Needs Apples?

2008-04-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

I resisted posting anything about Facebook because I try to be…original? But I've come to accept that the world of Facebook is a never-ending fountain of foolishness and generally entertaining factoids (anecdotes of lesser status and importance than proper facts). My last such discovery was the Facebook group cleverly titled:

"Two Pages of Quran a Day Keep Jahannam Away"

I wonder. In this analogy is Jahannam some body's annoying cousin? Actually, is it an analogy at all or is there some footnote in the Quran that scholars didn’t notice in which there's a precise mathematical equation of how many lines of holy text you should read per diem to keep your soul safely out of eternal hell? Who is your target Facebook-er anyways with such a ludicrous group name? Is there an untapped niche of tormented Muslims somewhere who had been eating two apples a day everyday trying to shun doctors the whole time? Is now the time to reach that population and sway them unto the righteous path of Facebook grouping?

I won't lie to you, my questions remain largely unanswered.

Vanilla Ice released after arrest

2008-04-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Robert Van Winkle (yes that is his real name) was thrown in jail for a while when his wife called the police on him claiming that he kicked and hit her. She later changed her claim to that he only "pushed her". Oh grow up. If I called the police every time I got pushed I'd never be able to ride the metro again. Anyways, he denied pushing her and was released. This is Vanilla Ice's most successful 'release' since Ice Ice Baby in 1993.

Crackdown on Opposition under Anti-terrorism Law

2008-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last night prominent opposition speaker and former leader of the well known Kifaya movement George Ishak was arrested from his home after the movement backed a nationwide strike earlier this week.

State Security Prosecution interrogated Ishak the night of his arrest will hold him in detention until presented again to State Security Prosecution on the afternoon of April 10^th. The charges against him are "conspiring with others to incite protest with the intention of committing crimes which violate rights of individuals, public property, and the use of violence and force to prevent the public authorities in the performance of their work".

Conveniently, these charges coincide with the stipulations of the Egyptian anti-terrorism of 1992 which reinforces the authorities' right to crackdown on human rights activism and peaceful political opposition, without really needing a basis, proof or anything really except their own sweet mood.

The new anti-terrorism "law" being drafted will ironically enough, imply even more lawlessness. It allows the police to detain civilians for a period of up to 11 days without pressing any charges. Just 'cause. During this period the defendant is denied access to a lawyer. Oh and judicial monitoring of procedures taken by the police is prohibited, so prisoners are totally suspect to any kind of abuse and torture during the 11 day "interrogation" period.

This particular arrest is one more blow on Egyptian opposition, particularly the Kifaya movement, in the aftermath of the April 6^th strike. Police crackdown on the April 6^th strikes and protests has been occurring elsewhere in Egypt, particularly in Mahallah, Northern Egypt where 85 protestors are currently being investigated with in neighboring Tanta.

Under International Law Egypt is bound to conform with article 8 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Egypt is party to, which declares that the state must ensure the right to strike, provided it is exercised in conformity with the Egyptian law.

Cowabunga Bush!

2008-04-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

George Bush recently admitted that his regime approves of the 'waterboarding' technique. No, the American president is not talking about a new form of national watersports. Rather, he is openly condoning the use of a recognized form of torture as an interrogation tactic in Guantanamo prison. 'Waterboarding' is a pleasant and moist experience involving dunking someone's head in water in a prolonged simulation of drowning, in order to get them to 'confess' to committing 'crimes'. As a wild guess Im going to assume these are probably crimes related to September 11th. Congress actually tried to outlaw waterboarding, but Bush proudly vetoed that decision. The CIA never uses torture of course, but they have admitted to "waterboarding" several Al Qaeda members. They're going to dunk every last one of them, donuts style.

Oui Monsieur President, We Auctioned Your Wife

2008-04-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

You have to love the French. The nude photo of Carla Bruni, the first lady of France, was taken in 1993 in the height of her modeling career and she is undeniably gorgeous. My favorite thing about this story is that apparently it was expected to go for only $3000 meaning it was actually sold for over 20 times the expected price. Who is the jerk who put up that estimate anyway: "Yes, well she's sort of skanky so let's start real low". I wonder if a similar scenario could happen in Egypt and if all the ministers would be emptying out their bank accounts to go to the auction. I foresee a brawl between El Adly and Shihab. Wait, did I just say that?

Rock those non-majority votes like its 2008

2008-03-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Every couple of days the Washington Post newspaper sends me e-mails with top stories. Every time this includes an email about the proceedings and developments of the American presidential elections. There's so much coverage I though they were coming up in a couple of months. I was wrong, the real elections are about a zillion years from now. Or November, same thing.

To give myself credit I did try to follow this thing even when I did realize that I might be dead before we hear who the actual president is. It seemed interesting, the white guy, the white woman (some say white women are the new "white men", politically speaking) and the black guy (who might one day become the new "white woman", politically speaking). Frankly though, this mission has not been successful. Usually I don’t understand the title of the e-mail. I read names, I can connect them to faces sometimes. Perhaps places. But that’s about it.

So, ashamed and embarrassed, I resorted to wikipedia- (the free encyclopedia, im sure you are aware)- to try to understand what this is all about. I now know what the "United States Electoral College" is. And that makes me a better person.

Black Obama

2008-03-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Once again, the American elections have succeeded at baffling and confusing me and proving once again that I simply don’t get it. I do not understand the campaigning, the primaries, the secondaries, the speeches the preliminaries, and I might be making some of these terms up as I go along but they all ring true somehow. The last wave of confusion came when I read this quote "Obama has unwittingly enhanced his image as the African American candidate -- as opposed to being just a remarkable candidate who happens to be black". Wait, is that what we thought he was? A remarkable candidate who just happens to be black? I'm worse off than I thought, I always thought he was the black guy. U.S media flaunts it in our face that Barak Obama is black, repeat it over and over again, and then freak out if he hints at it himself. I just don’t get it.

And am I the only one who doesn’t know what a "superdelegate" is?

Sigh. I guess its back to Wikipedia. The shame

Eissa: Scapegoat once again

2008-03-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

The misdemeanor court of the lovely Bulaq district in Cairo passed a sentence against Ibrahim Eissa, prominent opposition journalist and editor in chief the independent Al-Dustor newspaper, of six months imprisonment and 200L.E bail pending a 10 day appeal period. This sentence comes in addition to a previous one year sentence and 10,000 EGP bail which was passed last June.

Ibrahim Eissa has become the regime's favorite scapegoat when it comes to showing the press that even the Egyptian judicial system can be turned against them. In a suffocating demonstration of repression of thought and expression, Eissa is charged with “Propagating false news and rumors causing general security disturbance and harming public interest" and "Intentionally publishing false news that may hurt public safety." The article they are referring to is a story published in Al-Dustor saying that the Egyptian president and his family exploit their "royal" position to make personal gains while leaving the country to deteriorate economically and socially. It also implied that the president is suffering from ailing health. If anything the charge against the editor of Al-Dustor should be "stating the obvious".

Ratify This!

2008-03-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) which lobbies different governments to enforce the International Criminal Court has targeted Egypt for the month of March. The ICC hounds down war criminals and brings them to justice, apparently. So Egypt, hovering over Sudan with its big menacing square-shaped regional hegemony, could mean some well-needed ICC action in Darfur. Or at least the threat of it. But Egypt has other things on its agenda with Sudan, such as…being the big menacing square-shaped regional hegemon that LIKES war crimes.

Square Shaped Home Land

2008-03-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

The more I learn about the arbitrary creation of national borders, the more disappointed I am about the shape that the British colonialists decided to give

Egypt

. I have one question to the pasty British colonel who drew up the Egyptian borders sitting at his desk in London: Why did you give us a right angle? right there, in the South West border of our great nation, at the intersection of Egypt, Sudan and

Libya

is a perfect 90 degree corner. Egypt is a country with a bottom left hand corner thanks to you. You can never get any respect with that.

My First Post

2008-03-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

I've often struggled with the idea of creating and maintaining a blog. How do you come up with a vision, a tone, a message, a persona, with which you can consistently present yourself and the world to, well, the world. How do you present a voice to change the world in this ever changing world? And how do I, a young Egyptian woman fit into it the world after all? How can I reconcile writing about corruption in Egypt, about poverty or about injustice with the fact that I write these things on a new laptop sitting on the balcony of an expensive apartment complex in the trendy Cairo suburbs. I've never stood in line for bread but I want to write about the subsidies. I've never really been hassled by a police man but I want to burn down the police stations. I've had an American education yet at times I can barely look at the American flag. I've had an Egyptian education yet at times I can barely listen to the anthem. How can I criticize over consumption as I listen to my i-pod on shuffle?

Then 2008 came and my life shifted and shuffled almost beyond recognition. To me at least. I figured 21 was a good age, for most things. I may never reconcile any of what I just mentioned, or maybe this blog will help me do just that. Maybe they are all irreconcilable, but maybe they're meant to be just that. Speculating about it any more seemed futile. If I do have a place in this ever changing world, then it is precisely an ever changing place. So this blog is to mark my positions, moment by moment as they continue to evolve and regress and shift, probably beyond recognition. But maybe they will seem familiar to someone else. And maybe I will eventually carve a space, even if it is only in virtual reality, in which things don’t really need to be familiar for them to be totally mine.