14 inches of Dark Reality

thats it

2011-08-30T20:57:00.001-07:00

A Call to Moderation ; No Mubarak, No Violence, No More Tricks

2011-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

إلى كل المصريين العقلاء الراغبين في انقاذ هذا البلد من انفجار الفتنة بين ابنائه

إننا مجموعة من شباب مصر الذي كان رافضاً لواقع البلاد المرير الذي عشناه جميعا في ظل نظام الحزب الوطني الحاكم بكل رموزه وسياساته التي أدت بالبلاد إلى الانهيار والقهر والاحباط التام

اننا لا ننتمي لأي تيار ديني أو سياسي قائم ولا نتبنى أي اجندات مسبقة و لا ندعو إلا إلى الافكار التي سيلي بيانها

اننا من بين من خرجوا وتظاهروا في ايام الشرف 25، 28 يناير، 1 فبراير نجمع على ما اجمع عليه الشعب وقتها من ضرورة التغيير والانتقال السلمي للسلطة

اننا استمعنا معكم لخطاب الرئيس الأخير الذي ألقاه يوم 1 فبراير في محاولة منه لاستعادة هيبة الدولة التي اهتزت خلال الفترة الماضية وكذا لاستعادة الاستقرار والسيطرة على البلاد.

واننا وبدون الخوض في تفاصيل هذا الخطاب وما قيمة او جدوى ما جاء به وهو الامر الذي قد يطول فيه الجدال فإننا نرغب رغبة حقيقية في توحيد كلمتنا حتى لا تضيع حقوقنا ومكاسبنا التي حققناها خلال الفترة الماضية في ضوء فرقتنا وعدم اجتماعنا على رؤية واضحة لما سيحدث خلال الفترة المقبلة، بعد أن عاشت البلاد أيام عصيبة من التوتر وانعدام الأمن والأمان نتيجة للخيانة التي تعرض لها الشعب المصري.

وأخيرا ولهذا كله فقد قررنا الدعوة لما هو آت:

1- الحاجة الملحة لضمانات تحقيق الانتقال السلمي للسلطة خلال الفترة المقبلة.

2- الاتفاق على ما جاء ببنود رسالة الدكتور أحمد زويل المرفقة فيما بعد باعتبارها تضمنت رؤية واضحة ومطالب محددة تم سردها وتجميعها باسلوب علمي قابل للتطبيق العملي.

3- تفويض السادة الافاضل الاتي اسماؤهم فيما بعد في التحدث بإسمنا واعتبارهم نواة للجنة الحكماء لتشكيلها والحوار فيما بينهم ومع السيد عمر سليمان بصفته ممثلا للنظام القائم واتخاذ كل ما يرونه من اجراءات أو قرارات في سبيل انتشال البلاد من الازمة الراهنة ووضع الرؤية والتصور لما ينبغي ان تكون عليه الامور خلال الفترة المقبلة

وهذه الاسماء قد ارتأينا من خلال متابعتنا لما يجري أنها تتمتع بقدر مقبول من التوافق والتوازن في الرؤى وتمثل تيارات مختلفة بحيث لا يطغى رأي على رأي أو يحاول احد احتكار ارادة الشعب،

ونطلب ممن يتفقوا معنا في طرحنا هذا أن يوقعوا على هذا البيان الماثل.

بيان بأسماء السادة الافاضل نواة لجنة الحكماء:

1- الدكتور/ احمد كمال ابو المجد

2- الدكتور/ احمد زويل

3- المهندس نجيب ساويرس

4- السيد السفير/ عمرو موسى

5- المستشار/ جودت الملط

6- الدكتور/ اسامة الغزالي حرب

7- الدكتور/ عمرو حمزاوي

8- السيد/ منير فخري عبد النور

9- السيد الاعلامي/ محمود سعد

وفيما يلي صورة من رسالة الدكتور أحمد زويل.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

هذه الرسالة الي شعب مصر الغالي ,

الى كل المصريين .. نظرا للظروف التي تمر بها مصر الغاليه فانني كغيري من ملايين المصريين في داخل الوطن وخارجه اشعر انه من واجبي ان ابعث بهذه الرسالة والتي تحمل ما ينتابنا من الالم و الامل .

ان الشباب الغاضب الذي يتظاهر في انحاء البلاد غير عابئ بتعريض حياته للخطر لا يتظاهر تحت لواء ايدولجيات سياسية او دينيه وانما يعبر عن رغبته في وطن يمنحه الحرية و العدالة والمساواة

هذا الشباب يحركه الامل وايمانه العفوي بمكانة مصر ومستقبلها ، ربما حاول البعض ان يصور الوضع بانه مجرد شغب شباب ولكن الحقيقية ان الوضع بات غير محتمل وجميع المصريين يطالبون بمصر ينعمون فيها بالعزة والكرامة .

لقد تردت امور البلاد عبر السنوات وتفاقمت اسباب تراجعها مما اثار استياء المصريين واهم هذه الاسباب :

اولا نظام الحكم / الانشغال بالصراع على السلطة بين الحرس القديم والحرس الجديد وجدل توريث السلطة والقيام بتزوير الانتخابات وغياب الشفافيه ادى الى فقد ثقة المواطنين بنظام الحكم .

ثانيا الوضع الاقتصادي / حيث الطبقات الفقيره صارت معدمه ، و تراجعت الطبقات الوسطى بينما اختصت فئة قليلة بالثراء الفاحش نتيجة تزاوج السلطة وراس المال .

ثالثا الفساد / صار متفشيا في البلاد ، واصبح العملة المتداولة في الحياة اليوميه .

رابعا التعليم / الذي اصبح قضية كل منزل في مصر ، ومستوى البحث العلمي الذي اصبح في الحضيض ولا يليق بمكانة مصر بالعالم .

اليوم لا استطيع الا ان اقف ككل المصريين مطالبا بنقلة نوعيه وتغيير شامل يرتكز في قواه على المقترحات التاليه :

اولا الدستور / تشكيل لجنة من حكماء مصر لوضع دستور جديد يكون اساسه مبنى على الحرية والمواطنة الحقيقيه و احترام حقوق الانسان والتداول السلمي للسلطه .

ثانيا القضاء / ضمان الاستقلالية التامة للقضاء المصري .

ثالثا الانتخابات / ضمان حرية الانتخابات لمجلس الشعب و الشورى و الرئاسة تحت رعاية القضاء المصري .

رابعا الحكومة / تعيين حكومة وطنية جديده ، وتقوم القوات المسلحة التي تتمتع بثقة المصريين بحماية البلاد من الفوضى والخراب في هذه الفترة الحرجة .

واخيرا .. ان مصر غنية بابنائها القادريين على تحمل المسئولية ونحن جميعا مستعدون لوضع حياتنا في خدمة هذا الوطن في هذه المرحلة التاريخية الهامة .

اما الذين يقومون بعمليات نهب وتخريب فلا بد من تامين حياة المصريين وممتلكاتهم ، وتدخل القوات المسلحة لاعادة هيبة الدولة من اجل مصلحة واستقرار مصر .

انه بالتغيير الشامل ستتحول ثورة الغضب الى ثمار الامل حيث ان العمل العظيم للشباب الواعي يجعلني واثقا بان مصر ستبقى عالية شامخه ، حفظ الله مصر ” .

عين العقل – دعوة شباب مصر المعتدل

What? Me ? Worry?

2008-11-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

It sickens me that I have to write about this, but since everyone is getting their point across about this then why shouldn't I ? First off before starting, This Post will in no way be an oppertunity to express my racism, I am talking in the utmost of objectivity. my personal views in which i beleive am still entitled to i will keep to myself. Im talking about the man irresepective of the color of his skin. If it comes up in the post it would be to understand his psyche, which may or may not have been affected by the color issue.

Secondly, If I am talking about the politics of country in a totally different part of this planet it will be strictly because, it affects me, and seems to have also unjustifiably grabbed the attention of many people i beleived, and still beleive that are very passive and politically apathetic. So like i said, here are my two scents in this issue once and for all, you got it here, straight from the lions mouth.

I am shocked, amazed and utterly respect the Values of the American people, with the amount of Rednecks and Racists and Neo Nazis on that continent, I expected blood after the outcome of the elections. I am sure alot of people arent happy with Obama being president, but the self control and discipline displayed after the results were out is truly truly ( and one more time for emphasis) Truly admirable.

I try to imagine if this experiment was performed in other parts of the world, I wont mention names but try to imagine with me. A country where a member of a minority, be it religious or ethnic, a minorty wel salam...actually makes it to the elections, and actually wins..and rules against the majority of the people , fair and square...with no rambling, no conspiracy theories, no character assassination campaigns no contesting legitimacy...a clean, clear cut fresh simple win.

Thats impressive.

That is a cause for celebration,

Mandela, King, Bhutto , Ayman Nour, your efforts and lives didnt go to waste.

Im sure when George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and their cohorts when they decided to conjure up a Democratic America I doubt that they ever thought of having a brutha in the white house 44 successors down the line.

But you know the cool thing about it is...

As much as they would be alarmed by it......

They wouldnt object....

Tis the will of the people, then let it be...

Respect.

Respect also goes out to a man, who fought the odds...who in 12 years started a political career and culminated it with the highest office of the land...

The leader of the free world.

But lets call a spade a spade..

Obama isnt exactly the Boy from the Hood.

White Mom, White Grandparents who raised him, Stepdad in the far east, lived there for a bit, Kenyan paternal roots..

Not exactly anyones definition of "Ghetto"

So whats the big deal, the dude knows the lingo, walks the walk, talks the talk, dons the suit and ties the tie..

Hes a Washington Veteran

A landmark of Capitol Hill

Wheres the surprise,

okay he beat Hilary, but if that says anything is that America fears its women more than its minorities.

And yes America is Racist, ask any minority, ask any brutha from the hood whos been stopped caught pushing dope once, hes typecast forever,

Ask any person whos name ends with a vowel, they'll tell you everyone thinks they got "Family Ties" and when they work in law enforcement, watch how IA deal with them.

Ask anyone from the Middle east about the shit they go through, and no its not just about September 11th..

Now that we have dealt with the obvious, lets put the man aside, look at the stances and ideas...

First off, i think there never before has been a unified stance over a presidential candidate, Democrats and Republicans alike. Why?

Is he that good?

How could we tell? his track record as Senator?

His promises in his campaign?

What if they are all calculated? someone who just wants to please everybody? someone who doesnt want any enemies?

Not a bad way to go through life now isnt it?

He'll withdraw troops outta Iraq ( scores points with Arabs and Patriotic Fathers with sons on duty)

He remains to beleive that Jerusalem should be the Capital of Israel ( scores points with AIPAC)

I dont know what you think, but to me that is someone who wants to please everyone, someone who wants to secure a win and is fishing for votes, which is..the reason why they do have presidential campaigns...

It would be naiive and gulible to hold politicians to their word during a campaign

It would be naiive and gulible to hold politicians to their word anytime..

I guess final judgement on this one will come when he actually is in office, and yes i am skeptical about that. With several attempts on his life as presidential nominee, and even some before the official nomination ( im not keeping count), the Secret Service have a hell of a job coming up for them..

This is merely the beginning.

It would be impressive if they keep him alive until the inaguration.

It would be more impressive if he outlasts Kennedy in Office.

Kennedy was a pleaser too..

Kennedy was admired, respected,

Obama is admired, and heck he is respected,

Kennedy was a Democrat...

Obama is a Democrat..

Okay, back to policies, What do Democrats stand for, i wouldnt know..Is Obama a textbook Democrat i also wouldnt know, but if Obama is going to change as promised, it will all be on the inside, with the Economic crisis im sure there are bigger fish to fry than global warming (which mere talking about costs money) than the situation in the middle east ( which mere thinking about costs truckloads of money) etc...

With Americas pockets turned inside out at the hope of loose change falling out, dont expect America to be throwing around aid and helping development and liberating nations. That is the logical stance irresepective of the color of your party. Its the obvious,

you can forget seeing Uncle Sam on the International Arena for a while, they cant afford it anymore (literally).

Most of American influence in the Greater Middle East is about promised Money, they pressure by cutting off aid, now probably they might cut it off anyway cause they need the money, how can they exert pressure.

Theyre trying to bail outta Iraq and Afghanistan cause its costing them too much money, they wont go anywhere else but home, And dont Attribute it to Obama, Joe the Plumber if elected woulda done that...its the logical thing.

Tax raises, obvious too..

Better Healthcare? Id like to see that one, and im sure alot of Americans would too..

Homeland Security? really? ever looked at the price tag of a metal detector?

So what is Obama really gonna do?

What is he really gonna change?

Really...tell me...

Im Curious...

The Tyranny of Man

2007-12-10T02:53:00.000-08:00

We live in a world dominated by man.Everything succumbs to his utility. Things are created and destroyed at his command. He has definetley come a long way since donning a loincloth over his privates and sheltering in a grove inside a mountain. He had humility back then? what about now?

*snicker*

Man? humility? you must be talking about a different species...the Tyranny of man has made him believe he is God...he creates fast, destroys faster utilizes nature to serve his interests, creates his own mechanical nature to serve his interests better and faster, never content with what he has achieved, constantly asking for more. He creates a wheel, it helps him move things, get to places faster...its not fast enough, it must carry heavier loads...travel greater distances in shorter times.. the wheel must spin faster, faster than any animal can pull, stronger than any being created by God could push...

Faster Faster Faster...add more horses...

the wood breaks...

make it out of stone

the stone is too heavy...cant shape it

we must find something Else

dig the earth..turn its insides out, there must be something we can use.

Man discovers minerals, they're strong, less dense than stone, yet as sturdy..and malleable.

use them

they must melt..

melt?

Enter Fire...an element not created by man...merely discovered. Man understands it, harnesses it, controls it with a stick...it lights his way, keeps him warm, protects him from wild beasts, cooks his food and melts his minerals

Man melts his minerals, fuses them together to make strong metals, metals although created by fire, can harness it inside itself..and make man launch fire at will.

Fire heats his water in the winter...creates steam..along with machines created from metal..he creates a factory..and unleashes the sheer power of industry.

Man and Machine, the possibilities are endless where the latter is a mindless slave with colossal powers created to service the desires of the former. Man utilizes weaker men to do his bidding, either by promise of reward or promise of punishment in the event the weaker man refuses. You see man has the power to do that for he has created weapons, that breathe fire...initially created to vanquish the dangerous beasts that threaten man...but these beasts are all gone now...man has conquered them all, locked them up in cages for his personal viewing, but the gun trade must go on. These weapons are used on weaker men, if they don't do our bidding.

Man has successfully created his empire thanks to man, machine and nature...and no other competitor.

Actually there is a competitor to man

His fellow men..

For man in his inherent nature, although social still retains individuality...individuality not for the collective benefit of the group, but for his own personal interests..not only when Man and the Groups interests conflict, but it has developed further to selfish greed and opportunity in all instances, not only when group interest conflicts with his own.

Why should man be an emperor and his fellow man be a peasant? why should we have two empires when we can have one?

Congratulations man has officially waged war on himself, and has vowed to his own self destruction, reacting senselessly to the threat of himself, and destroying everything else in the way, the mountain that sheltered him, the tree that fed him when he was helpless, the earth that carried him the very air he breathes..

Air...he even invaded the sky..., piercing it with his missiles, planes..he created wings for himself, when God created him without...the sky is no longer the limit to the Tyranny of Man...nor is the sea...man has no gills..yet he has oxygen tanks , man has no fins, yet he created flippers for himself, man cant see underwater, he created diving masks, man can float...but should he be able to swim? was he supposed to conquer the element of water too?

And like conquering the element of Air, he previously conquered the earth's seas and oceans centuries before.

Why stop at the Earth...man has recently began the endeavour of conquering outer-space yet we always depict man as the victim of an invasion when aliens are bought up in a conversation. Horror movies are about man eating sharks not shark hunting men.. how many men have been eaten by beasts? compare that number to how many beasts have been eaten by men.

On a smaller scale...man not only wants to destroy his fellow men, but destroy himself as well..he concocts the weirdest of potions, burns the most random of herbs or oils to lose his mind for recreation. He discards the only thing God gave him over his fellow creatures to be better than him...we temporarily devolve into lesser beings by choice, and at extensive risks and prices...because we can.

We seek pleasure in the weirdest of places...in the arms or body of a stranger in exchange for paper...at the risk of creating an unwanted man and contracting deadly incurable disease, and instead of taking those who perish as a result as an example that would knock us back to our senses...we come up with the weirdest inventions and keep up with the behaviour...we come up with poisons that prevent that kill men in creation, or funnily enough rubber sheaths to place on our edifices.

Our innovation has also went far enough into healing ourselves from the deadliest diseases..increase our longevity as much as possible to the extent that we long outlive the expiry date of our bodies. not only that, we create spare parts of ourselves, and create copies ourselves in ridiculous attempts to immortalize ourselves, even when nature gets hold of us we try to immortalize ourselves even after we perish...we erect likenesses of ourselves in stone...or capture images of ourselves on paper...have writers conjure up stories for people to read when we are gone, and celebrate only the ones of our kind that convince us they have made our lives better, and we mourn their loss as if they are irreplaceable..neglecting the fact that they will always be replaced...and will eventually be forgotten.

We are an ever increasing race that always replaces its significant losses by excessive breeding and expensive nurturing..

We seek pleasure in controlling machines that go fast enough to kill us if they impact...to jump out of planes..and risk turning into human paste in a forest, we make believe that we are killing fellow men, killing beasts or conquering other fellow men, take pleasure in acting out that we are deviant, or go gawk eyed at the sight of someone enacting our ill fantasies of destruction, mayhem and havoc...and glorify them as heroes either in literature or media, make them wear colorful and eye catchy garments and say silly quotes to increase their appeal.

We even utilize our own to further the desire to own pointless creations that eventually will be replaced by other pointless creations soon enough...not when we feel like it , but when the creators of these pointless items feel like buying a new house somewhere, or driving a faster car...We fuel one another's desires..because we are too idle to be concerned about other matters...matters we have forgotten...matters our grandfathers were worried about..matters such as we need shelter in a cave, we need fruit to feed the little ones, we need heat to survive from the cold. It was these needs that created human innovation in the first place, some of our kind ( the older ones) have perished as a result of merely attempting to achieve these needs.

the needs have been achieved...

the sacrifices have been forgotten

we move on

convincing ourselves with new needs...our supremacy gets to our head...we go crazy with these new needs...pushing our luck...believing there are no limits to achievement...its achievement for the sake of achievement, proving to ourselves we are not worthy of existence unless there is progress...

I look at the Carnage man has left in his journey to attempted divinity...I don't call that progress...

look at all the men that have died, the beasts that have been butchered, the nature destroyed, the diversity that ceases to exist, the jungles of trees and mud are replaced with those of concrete, steel and asphalt, the beasts that roam free are ones powered with 9mm bullets and smoke emitting chariots that go from 0-100 in a matter of seconds...and they know no master nor respect no law...but they are not the only beasts...

other beasts feed off the needs and desires of the lesser fellows, they nourish on their strife and fuel their dreams with the lesser fellow's sweat and blood...they create empires in a few years...and destroy other empires in a few minutes..armed with platoons of lesser men who are not only fed by their masters but feed their masters too...these well polished beasts also know no master nor respect no law..

We all are Tyrannous, cause we all Are men...(and women for the feminists out there) if not in this, then in that..it is our nature..which like what some believe will eventually be what destroys us.. I'm not worried if its true...its only logical..

But what i am worried about is that we have the foresight to notice it...and out of being a Man who is tyrannous, will have the pride to believe we can do something about it...yet we don't..

Are we really going too far?

Facebooking to Silence buttons: how technology has affected the way we interact

2007-05-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

If you know me, i probably bombarded you with this thought already. However even if i already have, then allow me to do it again. cause im sick of it. Im sick of calling people and reaching them wherever they are or happen to be , im sick of how every phone call we utter the exact same 3 lines in the start of it and the same 3 lines at the end of it. why does it always have to be the same 3 lines. inta feen, tayeb shoof we kalemni or kalemni lama tekhalas. i fail to grasp the logic in delaying a decision from now to later, when supposedly the only thing that is different from now and then is the fact that when its then, the then will turn into a now just when the now back then was a now but now is a back then. (wouldnt blame you if your lost that was intentional) no seriously. I've given it alot of thought as to why this is how we've become, and heres what i came up with:

1- being mobile has not only increased our options but ultimately increased our expectations:

Cellphones make you attainable anywhere and at almost anytime.It also makes people attainable anywhere and at almost anytime. So if anything big or fun is up , with a cellphone your chances of being in the know about it are alot higher than in the good old days. Hence if you go out for coffee with an old friend need not worry to be missing out on a foam party in mansoureyya, cause if its happening someone will call you while you are doing the coffee to tell you its happening, and then you can always leave. But what if we turn it around, if u are in a foam party and someone calls you to ask for coffee, frankly you would prefer to spend your time in the foam party and not go for coffee with the old friend, but that friend is persistent wouldnt you wish at times like these you couldnt be sooo attainable?

I noticed how when im out with someone and their phones ring, they always have to answer it. its not that i am booring or that they are waiting for an important phone call, it could be silly like a friend asking them for their favourite colour its just that a ringing phone has to always be answered. why?

heres why...we are romantic silly creatures, everytime a phone rings and you dont know what this person who is calling you wants you just have to answer, cause this very well may be the life changing event you have been waiting for , you never know. What is ridiculous is that when the content of the call is expected you might as well not answer cause you know it could wait. seems logical dont it? well according to logic, smart humans learn through processes of trial and error. that would mean that the more these life changing calls turn out to be false alarms the more you should be smart enough to learn that it aint that important. But does anyone do that...no! our quality times are always interrupted by phone beeps and stylish (yeah right) ringtones, out of our silly expectations or silly beleifs that we are missing out on something.

2 GUI is becoming too good:
some people may be inches away from one another yet prefer to communicate through modern means. once again it is because of options, nothing more. if i go to a friends place, then i am only interacting with my friend. however if i am chatting to him online then i can still get the chance to chat with others tooo. so im better off chatting to him rather than going to him so that i dont limit my communication options. that is one smart way of looking at it , but whatabout calling them on the phone or chatting, actually people prefer chatting, not because an occupied phoneline can only establish contact with one party only but because of the nudges, pics, sounds, tones, and colors...people value interaction of that sort rather than seeing and hearing and smelling and touching and tasting the people. some people actually prefer to chat or txt or call them. people see them as enhancers to communication. frankly i see them as barriers.

3- Its Affecting our ettiquite in dealing with one another:

Mobiles and the internet are supposed to make our lives easier, not harder...ask someone before these inventions were commonplace what would they be doing on the weekend, and they have it all planned out. as for now, you ask someone what they doing in a few hours they tell you call them then , will you make up your mind for Gods sake.

not only that, with the widespread use of mobiles, it is expected of you that you answer, or return the call, because of the whole missed call list ie if you dont pick up then you still know who tried to call you and if you never call that person back then that person will have the right to think that you are avoiding him. So communication has become a guaranteed right, hence if i push a button you are supposed to pop up anywhere and anytime. The days of sitting next to the phone are over, its the phones now that are doing the sitting. some people find that quite liberating, as in you need me you can always get me. So practically when im sitting down with people i can always get a phone call and do something else when if it so happens when i am bored, i am not committed to spend my entire evening with those one people . so hence i shouldnt be that selective in the people i choose to go out with. Communication is supposed to make decisions easier not more harder.

The Best is yet to come!!!!

2006-11-23T03:29:00.000-08:00

We did it! we're in with the Big boys, we have been voted by the biggest entity in the Capital market as the 4th best firm in Egypt, hey its a start....they even placed us Better than Baker & McKenzie...... eat your heart out Taher Hemly!!!!

Creating the Egyptian Dream : Suburbia Yankee Style

2006-11-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is Cairo middle and high society plagued with a new craze? yes a new craze has hit town after the iPod, the Laptop and those infernal plastic coloured wristbands its the craze of getting a house at some sub-urban compound on the outskirts of old Cairo. be it to the west at the sheikh zayed compunds (rabwa , karma , zayed 200, gezirah, mirage city, city view , 7ay el 2ashgar, mena garden city , gardenia , and all those neighbouring compounds) or to the east, where you have (orabi, rehab, katameyya hieghts , katameyya dunes , el tagamo3 , Stella Masr el gedida and others). This sudden boom of housing options is not only uncalled for, but a craze that has everyone talking about. from that silly ad of "atef beek, enta weekendak bet2adih feen?" to tasteless endorsements on the sixth of october bridge by Mostafa Fahmy who definetly "mal3ebhash sa7" el maradi .what about the millions who need affordable housing? what do they get? the mubarak housing projects? basically live in a tinned can of sardines made out of cheap concrete? cause all the overpriced reinforced steel that would have protected them if bought would lessen the linings of housing officials' pockets?

WE NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING...and these projects are far from affordable. All these projects are targeting the so called rich and upper middle class people ( i refuse to use the pompous terms marketing people use as A, B, C, D class cause that is downright condescending cause eventually everything they want to sell is for A and upper B...and anything sold to C and upper D is too damn sloppy to pass any quality control standards. As for lower D...they have no money we can get so let the damn suckers burn......why dont they stop whining and go get a job? why didnt their parents invest in them the benifits of education......they have them illiteracy wiping classes why dont they start from there!!!)
Frankly the upper and middle class need no more housing.....will you look at Mohandiseen for God's sake ? or Nasr City......

"But Kane...having sub-urban compounds will releive the immense pressure on these areas"

Really? is that so? or will it just transport the pressure to all the main access ways such as 26th July corridor and our infernal spine 6th October Bridge? (frankly either accessway needs the extra pressure) look at the emirates for example......the road linking Dubai and Sharjah during rush hour i hear is torture....and they are decades ahead of us? we trying to play smart? or are these just ploys that convince you to sign on that silly deed of that silly house you are going to throw your savings on and live in the middle of nowhere?

"But Kane...these compounds arent in the middle of nowhere anymore...wake up and smell the coffee"

Yeah like i would love to live in a house with a slanted roof, with the same color my neighbour has. Mow my lawn on a Friday afternoon after prayer right before watching CSI on One TV on my LCD in "the Den" while my Golden retriever barks madly after me and the lawn mower i bought from Carrefour then goes to pee on the front wheel of my black SUV after i tell it off. or maybe have a barbeque on saturday and invite everyone in the compound. my wife would love to show off our new couch we ordered from that technical institute graduate who is making a living off furnishing peoples houses with modern designed furniture under the premise that he is a sophisticated "mohandes decor". My Kids would be laughing and exclamating animatedly as they are watching some imported cartoons that still retain their asian names and ill always wonder why cant yankees gleam at the wonder of Bakkar yet go crazy with enthusiasm when their kids pronounce pokemon without an accent.

Yeah that is merely a sample of what id get everyday from living in one of them compounds. What makes me more excited about the thought is that i will be surrounded with people like me. Newly wed couples that made it to junior or middle management in the multitude of multinationals holding our local economy together. who see married life as the best thing that happened to them and pat themselves on the back everytime they remember this great decision they took to move into suburbia. Such a bold move of living in the middle of nowhere is nowadays looked upon by being "avantgarde" .......Pure bollocks if you ask me.

Why would i like to live in a place where everything is identical? same houses, same gardens , same Dogs, same demographic, same cars pass by, same cars parked up every driveway, people shopping from the same place, eating the same food (sushi and organic...the new crazes) even the same people for God's sake...Same Dreams of being respected as a decent human being who wants to accomodate a decent life for his wife and kids, will ask your self ya Bob what did you do to earn that respect as a human being? you ran away? to a multi national, living in an isolated colony, in your own bubble...peace and happy land...to escape from the poor people you see in Old Cairo, from the trash and traffic and pollution, the beggars? who walks in your streets ya Bob? only people filtered by that underpaid security guard on the door of your fancy compound with a fancy name? do you have any beggars? traffic lights? street vendors? people standing in queues for bread? donkey carts? or is all that compensated with the vast abundance of speed bumps you got over there?
whats the idea? is it like digging your head in the sand and claiming that if i dont see it then it dont exist? isolating yourself from what goes on in the country? is that your ivory tower ya Bob.....? why dont you just pack up and leave you jerk? at least the people contributing to the brain drain are honest of being sellout......you are simply a sellout hiding under the noble guise of teaching your kids on how to be Egyptian? wow....10 years from now your son is gonna be in a fight and say " la2a ya roo7 tant......matbo2esh ma3aya dana men Gardenia we me2ata3 el samaka we deelha!!" that would be a pretty sight...At least the brain drain contributors flat out say that they want nothing to do with this country......but the likes of you ya Bob....you are a hypocrite...a two face....a waste of Egyptian Oxygen. Another more noble guise people hide under which gets me more ticked off, is the premise of being Patriotic.......wow, now thats a nice one
what is so Goddamn patriotic in hiding, patriots defend in the trenches, not in the palaces. Give me one good reason working in a multi-national and spending to benifit the aggregate economy is an act of patriotism my friend? where is the added value you gave to this Country? what have u done to deserve keeping hold of that stinky large Green passport everyone cusses at nowadays?.........Nothing, and whats even worse you are trying to erase the country's ills...not from reality but from your distorted version of it. You are re-writing history for your children just like the way Dictators re -write history for theirs. Censoring what they see, who they befriend, what toys they play with, what they should say, how should they behave....why? cause Daddy knows whats good for you...that rhetoric sounds pretty familiar...now where did i hear that?

And who is to benifit of all this? yeah the big Fat Cats, Talaat Mostafa, Ahmed Bahgat, Jimbo's Daddy in Law, those guys from the Emirates , Madinati and uptown Cairo are selling like crazy...and these arent merely compounds, they are integrated cities. you go in, you will never need to go out.

The truth about Chevrolet Optra

2005-12-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

When Chevrolet re-introduced itself into the Egyptian market, one felt that Chevrolet is trying to redefine its place in the egyptian market from being strictly dominating in the pick up and trucks market to one that actually plays a role in passenger cars. it introduced 2 models the "Optra" and its smaller hatchback version, the "Aveo". both the optra and aveo have managed to acheive record sales in record time. in comparison to other cars they are affordable, and come in very appealing engine capacities, fuel efficient and are claimed to have pretty cheap spare parts. In other words there is nothing American about them apart from the golden cross generations have grew to identify as the Chevrolet logo.

At a first glance one can't help but mistake it for a Korean car or something from Southeast Asia. Actually if you do so, you would not be totally mistaken. This car is actually
a Daewoo Nubira!
yep , you read it right the first time, theres no need to doubt your eyes, this is a Daewoo Nubira!
The Daewoo Nubira is a lineup of compact sedans and station wagons made by South Korean GM Daewoo. Visually identical models of its second generation are currently also sold as:

in Europe it is Chevrolet Lacetti
in Canada , India, Arabia , Southeast Asia and south africa its the Optra ,
get this, in the US its actually a Suzuki Forenza
as for China, it goes by the name of Buick Excelle

if you look at the picture closely you will notice the suzuki logo on the front of the car, thats how it is introduced in the US , if you are to replace it with that of chevrolet it becomes the Optra or Lacetti,
why do they do this? dont ask me...if you do know please let us know too!
here is what wikipedia had to say about the whole thing:

"The first generation car, model J100, was released to the market in 1997 as Daewoo Nubira, and it was sold until 1999. The car takes its name from the Korean word Nubira, which means "to go everywhere". It was developed as a replacement for the GM T platform-based Daewoo Nexia and designed by Italian IDEA Design. Both sedan and station wagon models were available.
In 2000, the first generation underwent over 90 improvements. Examples of these include an increase in passenger space and reduction in noise, harshness and vibration, particularly from the engine by adding a fourth engine mount and by tuning the intake resonators. In addition, the exterior design was reworked by Daewoo's Worthing Technical Centre in the United Kingdom, creating a more dynamic image.
In 2003, model J200, a new Pininfarina-designed sedan, was unveiled, and the expansion of the lineup followed by a presentation of the new station wagon in 2004. However, in its home market, the Nubira name was dropped in favour of Daewoo Lacetti for this whole range of models.
In Europe the sedan version was also sold as Daewoo Nubira, but late in 2003 it was announced that Daewoo will be rebranded as a Chevrolet on the European markets and sales of the Chevrolet Nubira began early in 2004, initially only in Eastern Europe. Following the rebranding of Daewoo products as Chevrolets across Europe, Nubiras were renamed Chevrolet Lacetti on some markets, thereby expanding the Lacetti lineup to include not only a 5-door hatchback, but also sedan and station wagon models, in line with Korea.
The engines built for the Nubira and its badge engineered twins are the same as in Lacetti hatchback and its badge engineered versions. All of them are gasoline-powered 4-cylinder engines."

China, Israel march in step again (An Article by Stephen Blank)

2005-12-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

China and Israel are resuming a military relationship. From the 1970s until both sides established diplomatic relations with each other in 1992, Israel sold China an estimated US$4 billion worth of arms.
And once their political relations were normalized, their arms sales relationship become overt. Indeed, that relationship continued until 2000, when Israel attempted to sell China an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), only to run afoul of the United States, which blocked the deal, saying it would give Beijing a strategic edge in any Taiwan conflict. As a result, Israel ultimately had to pay China $350 million in compensation, and there were no known arms sales through 2003. However, now a top-level delegation led by the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, General Amos Yaron, Major General (Ret) Yossi Ben-Hanan, head of Sibat, the Foreign Defense and Assistance Export Organization, and Yehiel Horev, the ministry's chief security officer, visited Beijing this week. It was the first time the two nations held high-level military talks in three years. Although this meeting is described as a confidence-building measure to reopen the way to a lucrative defense relationship with Beijing, it has not happened out of the blue.
The meet follows hard on the heels of Israel's sale of the Phalcon AWACs system to India, with US approval, and the visible expansion of Indo-Israeli defense ties to the point where some observers believe Israel is now India's largest supplier. Given the high reputation enjoyed by Israeli defense products and services, as well as Israeli defense firms' needs for markets outside of Israel, it is not surprising that the Chinese government is eager to resume what had been a lucrative relationship, and that Israel is equally interested in finding a way to restore those military ties. But it should be noted that the Israelis have made it clear they will not cross Washington again and take the risk of offering a system to China that Washington regards as a threat to its strategic interests.

Thus there is reason to believe that there will be limits and restraints to whatever Israel is prepared to offer China. In this connection, Israel's earlier arms sales to China, especially the Lavi jet fighter, have aroused considerable unhappiness among American conservatives, who suspect Chinese military aims - with regard to Taiwan, considered its breakaway province. Some of these Israeli weapons are now turning up as Chinese systems, such as the new semi-stealth fighter, the Jian-10, which causes many difficulties to opposing air forces and air defenses. Nor is this the only such troubling - to Washington - sale. Any future sale that arouses US suspicions about how they could augment China's existing capabilities - again, especially with regard to Taiwan - will certainly affect Israel's ties to the US. There also is as yet no sign of what India's response to this meeting will be. Perhaps Delhi is waiting to see what happens. But it must strike at least some prominent Indian elites as strange that on the heels of Israel's greatest success in its bilateral defense ties with India, that it is turning to China, which many Indian elites consider New Delhi's main rival, to sell it weapons.
Certainly it will be interesting to see how the Israeli government and defense industry handle the complex situation involving Beijing, Washington, and New Delhi. But there is more to this story - arms sales to China - than the Israeli angle. Even as China's indigenous capabilities for producing relatively high-level defense systems grow, and its shipbuilding capabilities become much more impressive, it is conducting a vigorous campaign to broaden the base of its defense imports. Even though it now imports some $2 billion annually from Russia in defense sales, Russian reports confirm that most of what China buys is technology for its own indigenous arms industries - not finished weapons. This apparently coincides with renewed efforts to use foreign technology to develop an impressive and stable indigenous defense technological base. But this turn to technology in its defense relationship with Russia also coincides with a determined effort to break the blockades imposed on it by the West. France clearly wants to sell weapons to China, but the European Union imposed a blockade with American support in 1989 to protest the Tiananmen massacre of pro-democracy protesters. France's desires to gain a market, once again thumbing its nose at the US, and to strengthen the global presence of the EU notwithstanding, the EU is obviously reluctant to terminate the sanctions on arms sales.

Doing so would obviously cast doubt on the seriousness of the EU's commitment to democracy and human rights abroad and to the stability of the cross-Taiwan Strait balance. Moreover, it would introduce another and unneeded source of tension into its relationship with the US over what is for it a peripheral issue - but a vital one for Washington. China's quest for superior Western technologies and weapons - from Israel - also suggests a growing disillusionment with Russian systems and unhappiness with Beijing's exclusion from the global arms market. There is little doubt that Western systems are generally of higher quality than are Russian weapons, that Western producers provide better services and after-sale repairs and possibly more value for the dollar than do Russian systems and services. Thus it is possible - if China is successful in eventually breaking the EU arms embargo and resuming military ties to Israel, that it can find alternatives to Russian producers. If current trends continue, Israel can end up inheriting or displacing much of the Russian market for the export of defense systems to India and China, Russia's main customers. That outcome would represent a disaster for the Russian defense industry and the Russian armed forces, which have few if any sources for developing new weapons, except for those sales.

Thus China's and Israel's efforts to resume their formerly profitable relationship lie at the intersection of some important trends in world affairs, and can have significant repercussions for international affairs that go far beyond the bilateral relationship. Only time will tell how far this rapprochement goes and what its consequences will be, not only for Israel and China, but for all those with an important interest in that relationship. But whatever happens, and however this relationship develops or does not mature, its consequences will most assuredly be profound, with repercussions that go far beyond Jerusalem and Beijing.

Stephen Blank is an analyst of international security affairs residing in Harrisburg, PA.

Money Laundering: When it comes to Washing Dollars do we use Ariel or Persil color?

2005-12-21T04:58:00.000-08:00

Money Laundering, the new way for Fatcats to get back at drug dealers, arms dealers, slave traders and practically any conventional "Crook". You see, its sort of a battle between the two. You have your ivy league educated Fatcat who has spent a lifetime in boardrooms, conference calls and power lunches who are making money the "legitimate" are pissed that some street punk who made to the bigtop dodging bullets and drug raids is making ten times the money theyre making in only a tenth of the time! so how do you prevent them from doing that, hmm lets make the trade in drugs illegal.

But both players are smart. The Crooks attain their smarts from living on the street, while the Fatcats, get it at 42,000$ per semester. so the Crooks in order to avoid getting "Pinched" decide to cover up their tracks (keep their money in cash stashed in shoeboxes in a rented warehouse on el camino drive). but then the Fatcats found a new way to catch em....Tax Evasion (thats how they caught Capone)

But as the system evolves, so do the Crooks in their ways to outsmart it. they'd establish legal businesses with their drug money. and hire accountants to juice up the books meaning that they have the documentation that a certain business employs 200 employees and committs transactions on a daily basis on 3 of the worlds continents and has been voted by forbes as the best SME in Africa, well in technicality the address of correspondence of this business is actually Pablo Escobar's poor little Grandma that thinks its mail from her grandson's cub scout meetings.

So the Fatcats lobby in Congress, and the UN plaza , that money laundering is an international crime that must be combatted worldwide. they sign treaties, hold conventions, and fill up diplomats' pot bellies with canape's and caviar on taxpayer's expense just to prevent the drugdealers from surpassing the number of zeros they have on their bank balances. You think with all the money, effort and billable hours spend on the world's most expensive legal consultants comes up with a foolproof law that attains legitimacy and acceptance of the people?
well here is what they come up with.

"You can Jail.........anyone...who has.......... anything, to do with money that has come from any form of illegal trade!"

Of course its polished up with all their big words, and fancy terminology (that makes you feel that your college education was pointless). and refer to article 24.1 section a) paragraph ii) sub paragraph 3.217 to make you feel you are reading something important. but let me get this straight.... based on the statement above. if i have money that was made from a drug deal then i am a drug dealer that ought to go to jail? wow...now that is indeed justice! i can now rest my head at the end of the day and say we live in a world that is just and punishes the guilty and upholds the rights of the Goddamn innocent!!!!!

In order to be fair, some cutthroats, make a pretty decent living out of washing the blood off arms dealer's money and money laundering can be the only charge available to put them behind bars. where they get a pretty fat cut just for cleaning the money up ( your average laundry man charges a nice 20-40 cents on the dollar and trust me when i say thats not even close to rip off!)

alot of people may ask, why should Money laundering be an issue ? well lemme tell you something, if you thing money laundering doesnt happen in the middle east let me assure you that Egypt's current banking system boasts a 9% market share of the worlds money washing market! (US Department of Treasury) in addition to the top item on the agenda for Mr. Snow right now is to clean up MENA and its terrorism financing.

The problem with our banking system in comparison to the banking system of any decent country in the world, is that although we have alot of bureaucratic red tape, if some colombiano would walk in a bank with 5 honchos each holding a couple of brief cases and asks to deposit 20 million dollars in cash in a new savings account , the teller would notify the branch manager right away, not to arrest the greaseball but to sit down and drink coffee and ask him if he'd like his chequebook in green or blue!
on the other hand try walking into a local savings and loan somewhere in the midwest and tell em you'd like to deposit 2Gs in Cash and the FBI , IRS and all the initials you can name will pop outta nowhere and make your life a living hell.

on an end note, to show you that even some Arab criminals have a sense of Humor, Uday and Qusay Saddam Hussien had alot of dummy corporations in switzerland where they'd wash the money they stole from the iraqi treasury. all these corporations would pour into a Swiss Holding company called "Montana Management Inc." Guess i aint the only Scarface fan out there!

Welcome

2005-12-21T03:59:00.000-08:00

This isnt going to be a place to post complaints to the rest of the world. This is going to be a place where we can all discuss and throw in issues that affect us in one way or the other, please no attempts to try to save the world or make it a better place, because sadly to say we aint big enough to make differences that shall affect anyone more than the people we interact with everyday, (i dont think that is a bad start to begin with)

so please do not under any circumstances post any of the following:

1- Heroics
2- Suicide Notes
3- you can bad mouth people, but for God's sake be discreet and smart about it i dont wanna be visited by National Security every Goddamn Day!

*The Administrator shall use his sole discretion to censor any posting placed on this web page in order to comply with national censorship regulations ie if what i say u said is what u in fact said!
(nah just kiddin!!! say what u want and ill suffer the consequences with you...i aint of the likes of people like Dr. Ali Abo Shady

hope this page opens up your eyes on many things. Enjoy!