Tomatoes Are Really Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest !!

In the past Tomatoes sellers were used to chant “ You crazy tomatoes” when the tomatoes’ price soared and hits the ceiling , it was when its outrageous price was LE 2 per kilo in the old good days

The food prices are hiking , really  are soaring to crazy level when tomatoes’ price reaches to 9 LE per kilo and the white beans’ price reaches to 25 LE per kilo !!1

This is just plain madness , what shall the people eat !!??? Is not enough the loaf of bread which they are killing each other for in queues !!? 

Anyhow I believe what we are witnessing currently is a set of regime sponsored crises like the bread crisis , the Camilla Shehata crisis , the educational books crisis and the current tomatoes crisis in order to make the people busy before the elections’ time whether the parliamentary or the presidential.

The crises game is from the old tricks in the Egyptian regime book , it was widely used during the Nasserite and it is being used again by the Mubarak regime yet unfortunately our people are not paying attention.

P.S Mubarak discussed the tomatoes’ prices with a group of intellectuals today in the presidential palace , this is not a joke !!

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Democracy,National,Economy,Politics,Presidential elections 2011,food prices,price hike,Mubarak

Do You Remember That Kid !!??

Do You Remember that Kid ??

Do You Remember Mohamed Al-Durra ??
If You do not remember then please let me remind you that from 10 years ago small Palestinian kid who was killed by the IDF while hiding with his father behind some rock , his father plead the IDF to stop their fire but in vain. Of course for anyone following the Arab-Israeli conflict will know that this incident was so significant because it was caught on tape , the first incident of its kind to be caught on tape and this was what caused an international uproar. The Israeli Zionist media machine is trying to convince the world that the IDF did not kill the boy in fact the boy is alive and this whole thing is staged !!?? Well this is just pathetic , is not it !!??
Well if they did not kill that kid , then they have been killing other kids !!

Follow Up : Al Awa Speaks on Dream TV

Dr. Salim Al Awa was accused of increasing the recent sectarian tension that was caused by the Camilla Shehata crisis and later the Bishoy statements ‘first statements at Al Masry Al Youm’ thanks to his interview on Al Jazeera with Ahmed Mansour.

Since that interview there were lots of reactions denouncing what the famous Islamist thinker said on air from Cairo that night , there were lots of accusations to him , there were lots of question marks and we needed to listen to him again on air and not in printed media especially after Bishoy’s lecture and opinion about Holy Quran and after Pope Shnouda’s interviews. 

I wished that Dr. Salim would come on air and speak again in channel other than Al Jazeera and TV host other than Ahmed Mansour and wish came true when he appeared last Tuesday with Mona El-Shazely on air. You can watch his segment below.

Yes For Gamal Mubarak Web 2.0

Gamal Mubarak’s supporters have launched a website dedicated to Gamal Mubarak with the name “ Yes for Gamal Mubarak” , of course this is an attempt to compete on the cyber world which seemed to be controlled by the opposition groups like 6th April and NAC.

These are the men who are behind the Yes for Gamal Mubarak online campaign , they are not from the Kurdy’s followers but they seemed to be graduates from the future generation foundation which Gamal Mubarak heads.

I think we should expect to see more from this kind of websites in the coming days.

By the way the opposition groups’ students in Ain Shams university were badly harassed by the security yesterday especially the girls.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Gamal Mubarak,Politics,Geek,Yes For Gamal Mubarak,future generation,National,Presidential elections 2011,Follow Up

Must See : Crazy

Ok this is another must see video and believe me it is worth it.

Taxi band is a new local band which performs mostly at the Sakkia and here is their own cover for that stupid Etisalat ad which was aired last Ramadan , of course they have changed the lyrics to better one You can watch their music video below.

Sorry Seems The Hardest Word !!

First of all I am still working on getting the second part of Pope Shnouda III’s interview with Abdel Latif El-Manawy which was aired last Monday 8 PM CLT , yes it turned out that I was wrong and the interview was fully aired on Sunday as I though. You can check its first part here.

Second of all I am shocked because after that interview with its two parts I had a big hope that this ugly sectarian ghost will disappear for awhile but I was wrong because in less than 24 hours from the second part of the news sector’s interview we found that that the Pope made another interview in Al Hayat TV where he insisted that he did not apologize but rather expressed his sorrow !!!! You Can watch the interview after the break “Sorry for the bad quality”

The Language of Numbers : Fancy Suits Thieves

I found these numbers in a FB group following MB about the Parliamentary elections in 2010, these numbers are about the businessmen who stole money from our public banks as loans and fled the country.

• 96 famous businessmen stole LE 45.1 billion from Egyptian banks as loans without guarantees.
• 28 clients have stolen LE 22 billion from NBE
• 20 clients have stolen LE 17.9 billion from Banque Misr
• 29 clients have stolen LE 15.9 billion from Banque De Caire
• 25 clients have stolen more than LE 10 billion from Bank of Alexandria before its privatization.

Most if not all these businessmen had connections in the NDP and the regime that enabled them to take all that money so easily without any guarantee what so ever.

These were cases that were discovered , there are still businessmen who use their connections in the regime and in the NDP to get loans without any guarantee.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Economy,Egyptian Life,Numbers,Language of numbers,Politics,NDP,Corruption,Mideast,NBE,Banque Misr,Banque De Caire

What Kind FM is He ?? What Does He Represent !??

The Israeli cabinet issue a statement that the Lieberman’s speech at UN general assembly does not represent the Official Israeli’s position from the Peace process.
It is the norm , in fact the FM should represent the views of his country and his cabinet internationally regardless of what ideology he believes in and what party he presents inside his country and thus I believe the status of Lieberman is unique, too damn unique.

Lieberman at the UN (Reuters)

Already if you read his speech , you will know that he has nothing to do with the current talks in the Palestinian authority , he has his own vision , he has own peace plan that I do not know how or when he will implement !!?? Of course he is no hurry as he believes the Palestinians can wait for more couple of decades  and couple of generations “Since 1948 they have been waiting for God Sake” !!?? In fact what is that “exchange of populated territory “ ?? What land he wants to exchange when he should return the land he took in 1967 like resolution 242 stated !!?? Plus what is this  People died “ from conflicts involving Muslims or conflicts between Arab states“  than conflicts with Israel !!?? Man he surely respects his Muslim and Arab states !!!
Seriously what does this man exactly do in the ministry of foreign affairs in Israel !!?? In fact what brings him to the diplomatic word !!?
Mr. Lieberman wished that Mubarak may go to hell and he has not apologized yet to Cairo , he had also threatened to hit the Aswan high dam and this is just the tip of the ice berg.
Ahmadinejad , you have got competition from Israel my dear and he is called Lieberman.

Technorati Tags: UN,Lieberman,Israel,Politics,Palestine,International,Arab,Egypt,Mideast

Follow Up : Did the little pony Die From A Month ago !!??

The mystery of Tal Mallohi is getting deeper and darker day after day, a Syrian human rights organization is insisting that Tal passed away a month ago.
RCAT Organization claims that it knew the grim fate of Tal through a judge who is working secretly with the human rights organizations in Syria. 

The head of that organization claimed that he received an encoded message from that judge that 'the little pony died from a month ago' in the prison about Tal and her age. 
Tal's mom can't find her at the Doma prison, she can't find her daughter's name in the prison's prisoners database unlike what DP is claiming.
Guys we can shower the Syrian Embassy in Egypt with emails and faxes about Tal, we can also do the same thing in the US, UK and France at least to know whether she is alive or dead. "this a great suggestion via Nawara Negm"

40 Years on Sadat's Cup of Coffee to Nasser

Nasser in 1956

President Nasser died on the 28th of September 1970 , which means he died from 40 years ago and his memorial this year was so special because some people wanted to celebrate it in the wrong way.
First of all I believe Nasser died on the 5th of June 1967 , it was the death of Nasser as an icon , as a president and as a leader at least for the generation that woke up that morning to found itself stained by the worst military defeat in the 20th century in the Middle East.
This year 2010 the Nasser memorial turned in to another media circus inaugurated by the Heikal’s statements or testimony on that day from 40 days in his show on Al Jazeera and what followed it from angry reactions from the Sadat family especially from his eldest daughter Ruqaya and others who were close enough to witness the death of Nasser like his own physician who refused this allegations.
From one side Heikal did not actually accuse President Sadat by murdering President Nasser by his own hands directly , he was only telling an incident he witnessed three days before Nasser’s death “ yes Sadat made that bloody cup of coffee three days before Nasser’s death !!” Then later he assured that Sadat could not do that to Nasser because of emotional and personal reasons !! It is worth to mention that he said that after preparing the viewers to accept the theory that the whole world wanted Nasser dead and that Sadat poisoned Nasser in the cup coffee he prepared to him in Nile Hilton three days prior to his death to calm him down after wasting hours with Yasser Arafat .

Breaking News : Hisham Talaat To Get 15 Years n Jail !!

This was so fast , too damn fast that we need to stop for awhile and rethink about the sequence of the events.
Just from few minutes ago the criminal court in Cairo has sentenced Mohsen El-Sokary 25 years in jail and Hisham Talaat Mustafa 15 years in jail for the murder of Suzanne Tamim in Dubai !!
Just from two days ago the Prime minister said that the cabinet will not change the terms of the Madinaty project !!
Hisham revealed to the court that he used to give late Suzanne Tamim a monthly allowance of $200,000 , no wonder those scumbags calling themselves their husbands are fighting over her little fortune.

Update #1

This is the most WTF court rule of the year in this year with my due respect , seriously I can't believe how the court reach to verdict when the defense team did not start its side so it can rest  !! The defense team for God sake had a set of demands that the court did not fully accept yesterday !!
Even the media did not have a slightest idea that today will be the finale of the most controversial trial in the past two years.
Most if not all the people are shocked from the verdict and the fact that usually in this sort of trials ends in either execution or innocence ,makes it more shocking , there is no in between verdicts like  that for 15 years in jail , in fact I do not know what these court rules mean in the first place !!
Accordingly Hisham can get a parole after 5 years for health reasons 
The defense teams of Hisham and Mohsen are going to appeal , already their families are shocked because in the end they were not acquitted as they wanted , they are convicted of murder.
Here is more updated coverage from Youm 7. Updated #2
Judge Abdel Salam Gomaa has spoken to journalists briefly , he claimed that his rule was based upon the fact the defense team abstained from its side just like what happened in the case of the loans' members of Parliament case from 15 years ago !! So he made his rule based on a completely different case and incident , there is a huge difference between a murder case and fraud case !!!! Gomaa is a from the controversial judges indeed , after all he ruled out in very controversial cases like Ayman Nour,Magdy Hussein , Saad El-Din Ibrahim and Hezbollah cell.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Breaking News,Suzanne Tamim,Follow Up,Egyptian Life,Media,National,Madinaty project,TMG,Economy,Mideast,Middle East

The Orbit Crisis : What I have Heard

As you know there is currently a huge dispute between the Egyptian media production city and Orbit network over the rent of the network studios in the city and you probably know that due to this crisis popular news talk show “Al Qahira al Youm” has been off the air since the end of Ramadan , the network is re-airing old episodes.

Amr Adeeb

According to sources inside the Orbit network itself , it is not about the money but about Amr Adeeb himself , Amr Adeeb is persona non grata on air. These sources are saying that he has been no longer welcomed on air since last Ramadan , they do not know whether it was his interview with Wafaa El-Kilany or his comments about Al Maghrabi and PHD behind all this.It is worth to mention that at the Kilany’s show Amr was nearly saying poetry in Mubarak !!
I thought I would share with you what I have known despite I am not totally convinced with it as Adeeb is well known regime’s speaker but at the same time I am not convinced that it is about the money only, already the network is not poor nor the Adeebs are poor.
Anyhow Amr Adeeb said that this year would be his last in the media as I remember at Tony Khalifa’s show in Ramadan 2009 and there are rumors that he will leave the channel by the end of the year and move to another one. “Some speculate the new Ahmed Ezz’s Channel”
It is a blow to Orbit network in Egypt because Amr Adib and his show were the main attraction to new subscribers.
Now moving to another thing ,the merger between Showtime and Orbit network which has been effective in the Middle east since last year , it has not been approved in Egypt yet and this is why the new OSN offers are not available in Egypt and do not ask me why the OSN has not been approved because I do not know why.
Back to the Orbit Crisis , I am waiting for the divine presidential intervene to save the day as usual.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Media,OSNetwork,Orbit Showtime,Al Qahira Al Youm,Amr Adeeb,Demoracracy,Freedom of expression,Mideast,Middle East

RIP Ahmed Maher

1935-2010

Former Egyptian minister of foreign affairs Ahmed Maher passed away earlier today after a sudden heart attack according to Egyptian media. His funeral has been held from few hours ago in Cairo and has been attended by President Mubarak.
AP described the late minister’s diplomacy as low keyed one compared to the diplomacy of Amr Moussa , well indeed Maher was not like Moussa but how you can describe now the diplomacy of Ahmed Abu El-Gait I wonder !!
May be his diplomacy as a minister was low keyed but late Maher’s statements after leaving the cabinet were not that low keyed on the contrary.
Ahmed Maher and his brother Ali Maher are the grandson of Egyptian PM late Ahmed Maher Pasha. Ahmed and Ali were named after their grandfather and his brother Ahmed and Ali who was also a prime minister and Egypt’s pre-revolution strongest politicians.
In the end May Allah bless Ahmed Maher JR’s soul.
P.s Journalists were not allowed to cover the funeral because of Mubarak !!

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Egyptians,ministers,Ahmed Maher,Ahmed Mahir,Politics,RIP,Deaths,Mideast,Middle East

Pope Shnouda III Apologizes Officially For bishop Bishoy's Statements

Pope Shnouda has apologized officially on the National TV yesterday for the statements of Bishop Bishoy who called Muslims as guests and suspected some verses in the Holy Quran. Pope Snouda III spoke with Abdel Latif El-Manawy , head of news sector in the National TV and the host of “Point of view” TV show for more than hour last night , the first part of the interview was aired at the prime hour in Egyptian TV 8 PM Cairo local time , the second part was aired after the 9 PM news though I have not seen it yet.
You can watch the first part of the interview below after the break thanks to our dear Tafatefo.

Follow Up : A Broken Promise in Syria

Tal’s mom went on Sunday to the Doma prison hoping that she would see her daughter at last as the officials promised her yet unfortunately when she got there she found the officials there telling her that she couldn’t see her daughter except without the security’s approval !!

Do not ask me why they did not tell her about that approval when she went there the first time.

By the way here is the Arabic entry of the Syrian student and blogger from Homs with the latest updates of her case.

Tal has another two blogs aside from her main blog, one of them is called “Letters” and the other is “Palestine” and both are about the Palestinian cause.

We Need To Publish This Report

The Egyptian Consulate in London did not document the forensic report prepared by renowned Pathologist Dr. John Clark about the death of Khaled Said as it should so it could be used in the trial according to Khaled Said’s family.

The head of Pathology department at University of Glasgow prepared this report by the request of Khaled Said’s family based upon the shocking photos of late Khaled. As expected Dr. Clark’s report is against the official forensic report and believes that Khaled died due to the beating he received from those two criminals 

Dr. Abdel Magid Zidan ,an Egyptian physician in London is a friend to Khaled’s family and  also the connection between them and Dr. Clark. He was the one who went to the Egyptian consulate and asked that this report would be documented in order to be used officially in Egypt. Dr. Clark has even expressed his approval to come and testify in Alexandria.

We need this report , we need to see it , if the Egyptian consulate refuses to document it then we should publish it in our blogs and websites. 

Here is the official website of the Egyptian Consulate

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Democracy,Follow Up,Human rights,Europe,Khaled Said,John Clark,Pathology,Mideast,Middle East

Dr. ElBaradei’s Word To The Alliance of Egyptian Americans

Dr. ElBaradei addressed the September conference of AEA which was held last week in D.C in a recorded message shown below.

This message is not for the AEA only but for all Egyptians abroad.

Must See : Bad Romance n Cairo Traffic

Cairo traffic can make you go Gaga

Bad Romance in Cairo Traffic

Just look to the guy in the car next to them , his reaction is hilarious.

Of course if I am going to speak about Egyptian covers for Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance  , I should not forget Mariam and her pussycats’ cover.

The Language of Numbers : A deliberate Genocide

The former head of tumors institute revealed in a medical conference recently held in Cairo that between 150,000-200, 000 get cancer annually because of Insecticides, the carcinogenic insecticides used in our vegetables and fruits !!

When we will dare and ask who is behind this booming rate of cancer in Egypt , it has become unwelcomed guest in all Egyptian houses from North to South , from East to West , we have become a dying nation facing hepatitis from one side to cancer from another side for God sake !!

Who is responsible for importing these insecticides ?? Who is responsible for allowing them to enter the country and to be used ??

Who is killing the Egyptian people slowly and deliberately !!??

By the way you can donate to the old national cancer institute on the following account number in NBE : 777 or you can donate to the new national cancer institute building which is currently being built in 6th of October governorate on the following account number in NBE and Banque Misr : 500500

Technorati Tags: Egypt,Citizen Journalism,Charity,Health,Numbers,National,soceity,Cancer,language of numbers

Follow Up : DP claims That Tal’s Mom Going to Meet Her !!

Tal Mallohi’s mother headed to Doma prison to see if her daughter was currently there as the DP claimed or not, at first the officers denied but later they confessed that Tal is currently in prison.

DP is claiming now that Tal’s mother is going to meet her at last after months tomorrow Sunday.

RIP Salah El-Sakka

El-Sakkas

For anyone who understands Arts and culture in Egypt Salah El-Sakka was more than the father of Ahmed El-Sakka,the famous movie star , he was Salah El-Sakka , the king of puppetry in Egypt and the Arab world who directed the legendary El-Laila El-Kbera aka The Grand Night and helped in founding puppetry theatres in several Arab countries.
Salah El-Sakka died today and unfortunately we do not remember him except as an pioneer artist but rather the father of Ahmed El-Sakka who is so proud of his father and his art by the way.
I am not good in writing obituaries but all what I can say is that thank you Mr. El-Sakka for bringing happiness to many people across the Arab world.
Here is El-Laila El-Kbera ,the most famous operetta in the Arab world “I apologize for the quality.”

Follow Up : Khaled Said’s Trial "Updated"

Khaled Said trial has been adjourned to the 23rd of October 2010 to hear the defense witnesses “there are 15 witnesses denying the incident”. The defense lawyers claimed that Khaled died because of the beating he received from his family at his house !! They even claimed that he died at the ER of the hospital , the thing which was totally denied by the hospital which received Khaled as a dead man.
From another side it was proven that the marijuana packet which had been mentioned in the forensic report was not  presented to the general attorney. The witnesses , the other witnesses who are testifying against the two agents could not get in to the court because of the thugs and the security at the same time !!

By Mohamed Gamal

Expression Art In Its Finest Forms

The whole world and of course Egyptians admire the expression art policy adopted by Al Ahram and thus it was not strange to find the whole world and in specific Egyptians sharing their expressive views as well .
Here are couple of expressive photos inspired by the Al Ahram expressive views , some of you may have seen before like the Spanish expressive photos and some of you may have not and thus I share with you some of the best international expressive photos.

Now to the best of the best , to our Egyptian expression artists and their views. I love them more than the foreign ones , I found them through the Facebook.

A Date With Khaled Said’s Murder trial Tomorrow in Alexandria

I hope that you have not forgotten Khaled Said and his murder trial because tomorrow Alexandria will witness another round in his murder trial as the second hearing will take place at 8 AM.

It is nearly 100 days ago when Khaled Said was brutally beaten to death by two plain clothed police agents in the street in front of the people , many of these witnessed heard by their own ears his screams and pleas to stop the beating as he was dying. Days later the terrible photos of dead Khaled Said found their way online launching a wave of anger Egypt has not seen in years and after few of days following the photos’ leak  we found out Said had a video clip incriminating not only the two agents but their superior officers at Sidi Gaber police station leading to more anger. As usual and with out any consideration the MOI stood with its men in Sidi Gaber regardless of the violations they committed against Khaled on that day and strangely its men in Sidi Gaber made it look even worse when they published false data about late Khaled’s criminal history which was highlighted rudely in official media like Al Ahram for example.

The New 5 Pounds !!

As if people are so happy with the one pound coin !!
Ladies and gentlemen , meet the new 5 Egyptian pound Coin !!

5 Egyptian pounds

I found this photo circulating in Facebook and in twitter.

 Update#1 : 

Thanks to dear co-bloggers and co-tweeps  we found out that these are memorial coins issued to mark specific events , this 5 LE coin marks some event in Sinai , about national reserve there I suppose. 
So we do not need to worry , these are limited edition coins folks. 

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Coins,5 pounds,Egyptian life,Society,Economy

License To Blog in KSA

The Tech world is speaking about the crazy Saudi official plan to register and license blogs and forums and they have to , it is the craziest thing I have ever heard , license and register blogs !!!??
Technically speaking this sounds crazy and can’t be implemented in the real world , does it apply on blogs written by Saudi bloggers who live outside !!?? Does it apply on blogs and forums hosted abroad !!?
It is plain crazy and I just fear to find some regime hypocrites in Egypt calling for the same thing.

Update 

Saudi Arabia has denied officially the news despite the minister of information said that they encourage bloggers to register !!

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Arab,Human rights,media,politics,blogging,Saudi Arabia,mideast,Middle East

And Now We Have The Free Patriots !!

Kuwaiti Al Jarida newspaper claimed that it received a statement from a secret vanguard organization called “ The Free patriots” , yes a secret vanguard that is announcing its existence in Egypt !!??

Please do not ask me on how it could be a secret vanguard when it announces about itself and its structure not to mention its mission which is to topple the current regime through civil disobedience !!

The Kuwaiti newspaper which seemed to be following the internal issues of Egypt very closely recently claimed that that was statement no.1 so we should expect more statements to come !!

I do not know why on earth and heavens a secret opposition vanguard group in Egypt would send statements to a Kuwaiti newspaper which is totally unknown in Egypt !!? Should not they post for a newspaper like Al Hayat for example like the unknown Omar Soliman presidency candidacy support group !!??

The newspaper did not show a copy from that statement to show it is a real thing not a bluff , in fact I believe it is a bluff ,nothing more and nothing less !!!

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Politics,National security,Mideast,Middle East,Vanguard Organization,Democracy,Kuwait,Al Jarida

Egyptian X-File : 6 Million ton !!

First of all there is a very important and critical update in the project code 30061800 X-file as Dr. Zeinab El-Deeb has returned back from Paris to defend herself and her project along with Dr. Sakina Fouad. Both Fouad and El-Deeb are going to report the ministry of agriculture at the general attorney's office tomorrow escalating the matter more and more.
Second Gaber El-Karmouty is going to host Sakina Fouad tonight on ON TV 11 CLT.
Now there is another X-file related to the wheat we should discuss , our current imports from wheat.

Photoshop Presidential Palace Edition !!??

Forget about Al Ahram daily and their Photoshop department with its expression art policy because we may have a Photoshop department at presidency which seems to be working more active than Al Ahram on even high standards from a long time
Malek noticed strange in Mubarak’s photos in year 2007 , yes from 2007 and Dina Henawy at iReport CNN reminded us with that blog post. Mubarak photos with Fouad Siniora and Bernard Kouchner on the 7th and 14th of September 2007 in the same suite and the same position were so strange.

Follow Up : About DP and Tal

The sudden news of Tal's imprisonment at the Doma Prison and her charges in the DP news portal raised many questions about the relationship between the Syrian regime and the famous Syrian news portal.

 Syrian Damascus declaration website revealed the relation between DP's editor-in-chief and owner with the Syrian state security and how Tal's news specifically professionally was more than interesting as it turned out that that sort of case needs a judiciary order in Syria to be published, this news is based on some sources as it was stated in the beginning of the news !! 

These sources are capable of sending the journalist who wrote this news to hell in Syria because it is against the law to write security-related news based on "Some sources", strangely for some reason the news did not send whoever wrote it to jail because it simply whoever wrote this news is not actually a journalist or reporter but a State security officer !!

I follow DP and honestly, as an Egyptian, I know very well the websites sponsored by the Arab regimes and what the security leaks and fabrications look like this is why I did not need Damascus declaration to confirm my doubts because everybody knows that you can't have a website like that in Syria except by the approval of the State security.

 
By the way, I am more than surprised to know that Tal's grandfather Mohamed Diaa Mallohi was a minister who served as the state minister of the people's assembly's affairs during Hafiz Al Assad's cabinet.

 
Bothinia Kamel wrote about Tal today in the weekly issue of the Al Dostor newspaper in Egypt.

Pope Shnouda III Speaks About Camilla , Tensions And Other Issues

Pope Shnouda III spoke to Gaber El-Karmouty in a very critical time indeed and it was aired last Sunday on OnTV.
Pope Shnouda III covered certain points like Camilla Shehata whom he said that she is Christian adding no further information because it is nobody’s business. Of course he denounced Dr. El Awa’s statements about weapons caches at Churches in Al Jazeera last week , he also denounced the latest tensions and attack on the church.
Watch it after the break

Ibrahim Eissa To Leave Baldna Bel Masry !!

If you are waiting for the return of On TV’s popular news night talk show “Baldna Bal Masry” with its dynamic duo “ Reem Maged” and Egyptian journalists “Ibrahim Eissa” on air especially “Eissa” , then you for sure have noticed that for  the past two weeks the channel has been re-running the show’s old episodes over and over with no announcements what so ever on when the new episodes will start.

Well I have got bad news to you , there will be no new episodes because simply according to anonymous several sources in the channel Eissa is no longer welcomed to speak on air , it seems that the channel has received some order from the regime to stop his show.

The current chief in editor of Dostor daily was highly critical to the regime in his on air segment crossing many red lines directly and indirectly. Eissa predicted from time to time on air that he would not be allowed next time and it seems that he was right , the regime waited till Ramadan.

I feel so sad and angry , if this is a democratic country like the regime claims then why Ibrahim Eissa can’t continue presenting his show along with Reem Maged or even his successful segment !!

This is media in my country , this is TV journalism in my country ; the mainstream media is dying in Egypt and it is not because of technology and information revolution but because the regime is killing it.

In the end I hope that Ibrahim Eissa returns back to Baldna Bal Masry , it will be a loss to On TV but one can understand the pressure it faces.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,democracy,politics,national,media,Ibrahim Eissa,Mideast,ON TV,TV,Freedom of Expression

This Is What Happens When You Neglect The Real Security

At the same time Egyptian security forces were cracking down a peaceful protest and beating Egypt's activists who only were in the streets because they do care for the future of this country and its people including the families of the officers leading the attack against them , at the same time Down town Cairo was like a curfew zone thugs were controlling Al Batal Ahmed Abdel Aziz  Street technically !!
Thugs from both Ahly Ultras and Zamalak Ultras had a little war at the Batal Ahmed Abdel Aziz street where they technically controlled one lane for 45 minutes.
Knives were used , Molotov bottles were used and people were injured and terrorized not to mention their cars were smashed and do not ask how on earth these thugs control that lane for 45 minutes !!??
Where is the police in that street !!??
You can check Youm for shocking photos
The MOI issued a pathetic statement about the incident that did not include why these guys terrorized people for 45 minutes till the good cops showed up !!


The general security and safety in Egypt are turning from bad to worse lately thanks to the focus of MOI on the regime's security and safety , when a police officer  gave his order to hit a person like Mohamed Abdel Qudos in Down town Cairo, a thug hooligan injured an innocent man in Mohendessin

Follow Up : Orabi 2010

There was no doubt that if Ahmed Orabi were alive today , he would be transferred to a martial court and from it  he would be on his way to the gallows , anyhow the grand descendants of Orabi who took down Down town streets in Cairo and Alex were lucky that  they are not militaries and that they received the same treatment they get whenever they decided to express their opinion peacefully in this country.
It is amazing that despite their small number which was estimated between 150-300 in both cities according to eye witnesses this time,they managed to cause panic for the regime , yes panic for the regime to the level of paralyzing down town and Abdeen in specific , if that were a regime that is confident from its popularity in the nation , why it would crack down a protest like that. 
Now I think  it is better to have a separate new post to include video clips and photos from the protests that started to surface online.
First of all it turned out there was a protest in Port Said at the same time and according to sources there are activists who are being detained , these activists belong to the NFC. The activists in Alexandria are still detained as far as I know while the activists in Cairo were released after being dumped in Cairo’s outskirts as usual !!
Updated : Most Alexandrian activists have been released except 5 or 6 activists , from its side the ElBaradei campaign issued a statement about the arrest of these activists attacking the regime and its security forces.
Second  both Hosni Mubarak and his son Gamal's posters were burned today , I will search for the pictures capturing these moment , here it is folks from AP

You will not rule us

Live Blogging : Orabi 2010

This post will be updated insh Allah accordingly with the latest updates and coverage from the Orabi stand in both Cairo and Alexandria.
First of all the Orabi stand in Alexandria was moved from Ras El-Tin Palace to El-Rasafa square.
Second of all you can watch the live transmission of the stands at http://21606.info/
Update :

• According to eye witnesses there are many officers and plain clothed agents at the Mohamed Naguib station.
• There are unconfirmed news that there are security sieges surrounding opposition parties like El-Ghad and El-Karama down town Cairo.
• Protesters began to head to Abdeen Palace.

Update : 2

• There are not less than 6 anti-riots security vehciles in Al Tahrir square and at the AUC old Campus
• Already as we are in the middle in the week , it is normal to have traffic jams at this time but according to eye witnesses the security measures are making it hard to the protesters to reach to Abdeen Palace 

Update : 3 

• unconfirmed news that a group of activists has been arrested from a while ago in front Abdeen Palace .
• Abdeel Palace square is said to be full of security forces as it the protesters from peaceful activists are going to invade it. 
• Twitter is messed up by a group of Russian hackers on this very important day :( 

Update : 4http://twitpic.com/photos/lioromio

• On the international day of peace the state security shamefully cracked down two peaceful stands in both Cairo and Alexandria. 
• The locations of the stands were changed due to Security measures. 
• Many of opposition figures like Hamdeen Sabhi , Mohamed Abdel Qudos , Ayman Nour , Gamila Ismail and Bothinia Kamel participated in the stand in Cairo. 
• There were rumors that Gamila Ismail was arrested but this was untrue. 
• There were the usual beatings and arrests from the security side and there were the usual Mubarak chants from the protesters' side. "I read a tweet that Mubarak posters were burned by protesters"
• I am not sure from the number but when the stand in Cairo started , there were not less 100 participants in it " click on read more where there are new updates in video and picture"

Al Wafd Party Goes To Elections : Where Is The News !!??

So Al Wafd party supreme committee has decided not to boycott the coming parliamentary elections next November 2010 , I do not know where the new news in this !!??

It was well expected and known that Al Wafd party can’t boycott the elections as the opposition forces and groups hoped for and as a fraction in the party itself wanted to but since when Al Wafd party had the guts to stand against the regime like that !!??

I know that Sayid Badawy gave hope to some that the party may boycott the elections but it was a fake hope with my all due respect , the decision of not boycotting the elections was already taken days before that charade on Friday ; please do not tell me it was taken in a democratic process and that there was a bloody war between Badawy and Abaza because on the same day the Wafdists kept debating whether they go to the elections or not , we found out by the end of the day they will go for the elections in more than 300 chairs !!?? It seemed to me that they are so organized that they made their decision to go for the elections and where they would compete at the same time !!

We all had our hopes for sure but we should have known better for God sake.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Democracy,National,politics,Media,Al Wafd,elections,Parties,Just opinion

Restoring Orabi

Ahmed Orabi stood on the 9th of September 1881 on the gates of Abdeen palace confronting Khedive Tewfik with the demands of the Egyptian army , he stood there and said his historical remarkable words :

Allah created us as free men , Allah did not create us as inheritance or piece of property and  by Almighty that there is no God except Allah ,we will not be inherited nor enslaved after today.

It was the first rebellion movement in the army that met a huge acceptance from the public and unlike how it seems what started as a movement to restore the rights of Egyptian officers in their Egyptian army ended with restoring several civil rights of Egyptians in general.
Now on the 21st of September 2010 after few hours a group of Egyptian activists and Egyptian politicians will try to restore Orbai’s spirit and his historical moment at the time where Egypt and Egyptians are being dealt as a piece of property moved from the father to the son !!

Follow Up : Tal Is in Doma Prison

Syrian News websites DP News claims that Tal is currently in Doma prison for women and that she is being accused of espionage !!! 

Yes the 19 years old blogger is being accused of espionage and do not ask me how or why but I hope the Syrian authorities rethink in that charge which will not stain her but will stain her family.

Doma prison which is located in Damascus is not much better from the rest notorious Syrian prisons.

This news leak comes after yesterday’s Tal’s stand in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo , I do not know if that small stand managed to irritate the regime there to this level especially Human rights watch has at last addressed the matter.

Ahmed Helmy Does Disturb The Lebanese !!

Gamil and his wife after returning to Beirut

Lebanese General Gamil Al-Sayed has demanded the Egyptian government to pull back one of its diplomats and to order the Egyptian embassy in Beirut to stop spreading strife in the country. Al Sayed accused Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Helmy by name in particular of collecting data suspiciously  in the North of the country , Al Sayed claimed that Helmy is and his activities are known to the Lebanese security and there is an official report being prepared currently by the Lebanese authorities. In the Lebanese political forums Halmi is said to be actually a GIS officer so we are speaking now in to Omar Soliman taboo jurisdictions.

I do not understand fully the case of Gamil Al Sayed to believe or not but I am surprised that man who left his country and position knows the activities of other countries’ embassies and their diplomats ; there are Lebanese politicians who can address the matter instead of him without any consideration to Egypt.From Egypt’s official side Hossam Zaki , our undiplomatic FM spokesperson stated that Egypt will not reply on some Lebanese politicians’ bullshits , of course one thing you should learn in Lebanon is that your enemy today can be your ally tomorrow !!

I must admit that I am amazed that Mubarak or his men believe they can do in Lebanon what Nasser and his men used to do in 1960s , second of all I am amazed that we are still having this power to stir tensions in other countries , I though that the all tensions inside Egypt are enough for the national security.Second of all and this is for General Soliman ‘not the Lebanese president but spy chief and unofficial minister of foreign affairs’ why not we do not pay attention to what is happening in the South instead of what happening in the North !!?? Already Saudi Arabia has dumped Egypt in Lebanon and Hariri JR hearts Syria now, so why not to focus on our real national security matters for God sake !! Did not President Sadat say hands off Lebanon !!??

The mainstream media handled the matter with lots of sensitivity , some ignored the whole matter from A to Z and others published it without any reference to Halmi or our ambassador in Beirut.

Despite Hossam Zaki's statement expect the return of Helmy if the Lebanese state demands his departure , the thing which I believe is going to happen.

Photo: Egypt cinema star Ahmed Helmy’s film poster “sorry for disturbance”

Technorati Tags: Egypt,Lebanon,Gamil Al Sayid,Politics,Ahmed Helmy,National security,Regional,Mideast,Middle East

Suzanne Mubarak Will Speak about Succession When Time Comes !!

Suzanne Mubarak (AP)

In a very rare occurrence Dostor newspaper reporter managed to ask Suzanne Mubarak about succession and the probability of having Gamal Mubarak as a president during the Mediterranean Africa Middle East Young entrepreneurs meeting “do not even ask about the name of that event”  
The current first lady of Egypt answered in a very vague and interesting way as she said :

I do not have a comment about this issue, when the right time comes , I will speak !!

Now she means that she will comment about this issue now but when the right time comes , she will speak !!??
When will that right time come ?? and what will she say !!?? In fact why will she speak at all !??
Suzanne Mubarak is well known to be the force behind her son’s presidential ambitions , she is a mother who sees that her son deserves to rule the world not only Egypt so I do not think that she will be neutral or will put the best interest of the country over her son’s best interest. “Her son’s best interest I believe is to leave politics and to enjoy his wealth”

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Democracy,Follow Up,Media,National,Politics,Presidential elections 2011,Suzanne Mubarak,Gamal Mubarak,Women,Mideast,Middle East

Ahmed Fouad II, Egypt's Lonely King Without a Throne

Wall Street Journal presented to its readers a very interesting report about former King Fouad II whom it called Egypt’s lonely king without a throne.
I like the photo of Ahmed Fouad II in black and white so much , it is so artistic but I do not like Wall Street Journal itself still I recommend you to read it.

I wish that Gamal Pasha Mubarak learns that nothing forever from the story of King Fouad II , King Farouk was dying for a boy to have a heir and once he had had him , he had to leave the whole kingdom to live in exile and to watch the end of his royal family forever ; never say never about the throne of Egypt !!

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,King Fouad II,Royal Family,Egyptian Royalty,Wall Street Journal,Photo,America,Media,National,Mideast,Middle East,History

Follow Up : When Egyptian activists Protested For The Woes of Tal

Egyptian activists were the men and ladies of their word holding a stand in front of the Syrian Embassy in Cairo to protest the illegal detention of Tal.



By the wonder Amira Tahawy

It was a small stand but it had a big effect indeed because that stand was not approved and was sieged as usual by cordons and cordons of security forces and the fact that they could not protest in front of the Embassy actually but rather in the main street besides Al Tahrir Cinema.

By Bassem Fathi

One of the security forces officers told Egyptian activist and TV hostess Bothiana Kamel that they did not want any problems with Syria , it is good to know that the Egyptian regime still cares for our relations with Syria though !!
The stand was a small activists made of not less than 30 activists yet according to attendees more activists would have join it if it had not been by the security forces.

Just Shut Up Please , All of You Just Shut Up

The sectarian tensions have not rested yet after the Camilla Shehata’s video appearance and I would not reopen this file again if it were not for what happened after Ahmed Mansour’s show last Wednesday.

Ahmed Mansour hosted Dr. Mohamed Salim El-Awa , the famous Islamist thinker and lawyer to comment the latest sectarian tensions and the state inside state on the 15th September 2010

You can watch the episode below after

So Gamal Mubarak Office Now Stalks Bloggers !!

Political activist and blogger Amr Osama was surprised from two weeks when he found out his “amrosama.eb2a.com”blog was shut down by Eb2a internet service  hosting company without any notification from any kind.

Site blocked

When he tried to contact the  customer support of that company which is located in Dubai , he found out that it blocked his blog after receiving a complaint from Gamal Mubarak’s office !!??

Robert Fisk Remembers Hama Massacre And Sits With RIbal Al Assad

Robert Fisk sat down with Rifaat Al Assad’s son Ribal and spoke about the Al Assad dynasty and remembers the Hama massacre :Freedom, democracy and human rights in Syria - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent

Damaged Hama in 1982

Strangely Fisk remembers the massacre nobody wants to remember  , the massacre that everybody is treating as if it did not happen , as if it were not one of the worst human rights war crimes in the 20th century in the Middle East !!? I do not know already how to categorize it ; is it an ethnic cleansing or genocide against the Sunni majority or what when I find out that Tlas and Khaddam are both Sunni !!??
That on going war between the Muslim brotherhood and Al Assad regime then because no political fight from any kind can justify the murder of more than 10,000 civilians.
I understand that Al Assad played it well when it put all the blame on his brother Rifaat who fought and killed his own people in order to avoid both international accountability and also blackmail but these silence and neglect are too much.
Ribal can defend his father as he wants and the current Al Assad regime can pretend it did not happen but one thing for sure , dear Syrian people remember it very well as people do not forget ; they just pretend to forget.
Again and again why the Syrians abroad do not sue Rifaat Al Assad in front of the British courts , he is worse than the Israeli war criminals who do not dare to kill or torture their own people for God sake.
If Al Assad brothers fought and battled the IDF on the 6th of October 1973 in the same way they killed their own people in Hama, the Golan would return in no time but what can you say !!?? The Golan heights will not return by the hands of the regime that caused it loss in the first place , the Golan heights will not return by the hands of the regime full of its own people blood !!
Do not forget tomorrow there will be protest in front of the Syrian embassy insh Allah

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Media,Human rights,politics,regional,Syria,Hama Massacre,Rifaat Al Assad,Ribal Al Assad,Mideast,Middle East

Education Al Carte !!

News reports are saying that General Ahmed Zaki Badr , the minister of education has given his order to change the history course in the secondary and preparatory stages , the students will study another version from what we have studied. which was already altered !!

According to news reports as a sign of constant improvement in the education process Dr. Badr has decided to edit the history course , many of our significant events are changed to go with the policies of the current regime.

I do not understand why on earth the students in preparatory have to study the history of NDP and its program that proved its failure , are we in China  or Cuba and we do not know !!??

The new history book of 3rd year in the preparatory stage spoke about the NDP with its shameful history since the second half of the 20th century and its pseudo achievements in a whole chapter where as it mentioned all other parties in a single paragraph or rather one line only . “ I do not dare to ask about the banned MB which the students for sure learned its history through TV !!”

By the way General Badr is reportedly asking security reports about his employees and teachers , are we living the time of Gamal Abdel Nasser again or what !!??

Today the new school year starts and with it there will be a new chapter from the wonderful adventures of General Ahmed Zaki Badr.

Technorati Tags: Citizen Journalism,Egypt,Culture,Democracy,NDP,National,Education,Ahmed Zaki Badr,School year