Watanee Habibi

I don't believe in miracles, so I know that Arab Nationalism is dead (and shebe3 death).

In spite of being involved in two great wars with millions of casualties, and in spite of speaking 35 different languages in so many countries, the Europeans were able to accomplish what the Arabs attempted but failed to do. They developed the Coal & Steal Community into a Common market, and then into a European Union body which now includes fifteen countries (and growing). Moreover, citizens of any of the member countries are granted free travel and work permits in any of the other member countries. Those citizens also share the young but very strong Euro.

As an Arab who once dreamed of an Arab union, I do envy and respect the European success. We Arabs share much much more than the Europeans did, so what is the reason for our great failure???

Until you & I find the answer to this question, (I know the answer to this question, but I won't be able to share it with you cause I do not fancy Arab Jails) I will leave you with a great song that is all what's left for us (for now) from our dead dream: Watani Habibi

BTW, why are there five females and only one male singer??? Could this be the problem??? We don't have enough REGALA in the Arab World??? (gamda! gamda!)

It Wasn't Me

Israel's Defense Forces Military Advocate ruled on Tuesday there was no need to open a Military Police investigation into the November 2006 incident in which 21 Palestinians were killed from an errant IDF shell in the town of Beit Hanoun in Gaza.

The Israeli army said in response to the ruling that Kalifi's inquiry leaves no doubt that the incident was unintentional and stemmed from a grave and atypical malfunction in the control mechanism of the artillery machinery being used at the time. The malfunction fed incorrect data into the system used to calculate the trajectory of the shells. SouthEast Asia News.

So MABROUK to all you mourning mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, relatives, and friends. Granted your loved ones are still dead, and you will never see them again, but you must feel better knowing that they were killed "unintentionally". Moreover, you should be grateful that your loved ones were not put on trial for their poor ducking skills!! And who knows, what long sentences they would have been handed for not showing up in their own trials!!!!

Stop whining and do appreciate Israeli justice.

Between you and I, I am kinda disappointed. I thought Zionists were smarter than that. Even I can come up with a better excuse for this massacre.

p.s. I loved a comment by an Anonymous on the above mentioned site. She (since this is a smart comment, I will safely assume that it was a she) said that (not in so many words) if a malfunction caused this massacre, then a German malfunction must have caused the Holocaust!!!! (and I thought I was THE master of sarcasm!!)

The Lannan Foundation

I've found a gold mine!!! And since unlike depletable treasures, this one grows no matter how many people grab from its gems, I will share this gold mine with you.

Now repeat after me:"Ifta7 ya Lannan!!" (play along and imagine the annoying special sound effect of a huge rock moving).

Voila!!! It's the Lannan Foundation audio archive!!!!

I am sure you will enjoy any conversation/reading from the long list of true intellectuals who were guests of the Lannan Foundation in Santa Fe. My favorite guests are:

Tariq Ali, Margaret Attwood, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Amy Goodman, John Pilger, Nadine Gordimer, Amira Hass, Seymour Hersh, Lewis Lapham, Arundhati Roy, Edward Said, Ahdaf Soueif, Cornell West, & Howard Zinn.

BTW, if you know how to use iTunes, then go to Lannon's Podcast site, (Podcast was the word of the year in 2006. It is derived from the two words iPod & Broadcast) download some conversations to your iTunes and listen to them on your computer at your convenience. If you are hip (like moi) and have an iPod, then copy to your iPod to listen to them while away from your computer.

Enjoy (if you don't, then something is very wrong with ................... me)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, among the gems, is a low life scorpion. Won't even mention his name not to give him the attention he does not deserve. If you haven't guessed who he is yet, he is "supposedly" a Muslim.

Amy Goodman: A Good Woman

Amy Goodman is someone who helps my hold on to my belief that most people are good at heart and that most of our problems could be easily resolved if the silent or silenced majority speaks out against injustice, tyranny, and discrimination.

Amy Goodman is a Jew who forced me to be politically and morally correct in always making a distinction between a Zionist and a Jew.

She is an American who forced me be politically and morally correct in always making a distinction between a Neo-Conservatives and an American.

She is a broadcast journalist who forced me to be politically and morally correct in always making a distinction between a corporation/government-obedient and a conscious-obedient journalist.

Goodman is the host of Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! program. If you are fed up with the nonsense we see and listen to everyday, visit the Democracy Now! website for a breath of fresh air.

Oscar Night

Tonight, Jon Stewart, host and executive producer of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will be host the 80th Academy Awards. "I'm thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time's a charm," said Stewart.

I've stopped getting excited about the Oscars a long time ago. I don't understand the logic behind picking the nominees and I usually don't agree with the choices of winners. The movies are not what they use to be. Moreover, the field of artistic talent is getting smaller and smaller that it is hard to remember when was the last time I watched and enjoyed an unforgettable performance that left me crying like the toddler in the airplane (see Cherchez Le Bro).

There are no more Hepburns (Audrey or Katharine), no Lees or Davis's, no more Kellys or Crowfords. Nowadays, most actresses go to the same plastic surgeon, and dress from the same fashion houses, making it harder for me to tell them apart. I like Gwyneth Paltrow's cause she reminds me of the Kelly's grace (pun intended), but I think the best actress nowadays is Cate Blanchett, who won best supporting actress for her brilliant performance as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. Did you know that her first screen appearance was as an extra in Ahmed Zaki's Kaborya? I hope she wins the best actress award tonight even though I did not watch Elizabeth, but I am sure she did a great job.

The men's field is not much better. If Clooney can win an Oscar (let me make it very clear that I have nothing whatsoever against Clooney's looks, but he cannot act), then I rest my case. Ya, ya, Al Pacino and De Niro are amazing, but they belong to a previous generation (that I adore) which included good looking and very talented actors. Well, I cannot talk about good looking leading men without mentioning Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Brad Bitt, and Di Caprio. Oh my, where was I ?? Where am I??? Must have suffered from a brief "Good Looks Coma". Since I did not watch any of the movies, I will regrettably (not really) go by looks. This eliminates Day-Lewis & Tommy Jones and we are left with Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, & hunky Clooney. I've just told you what I think of George's acting skills, so Jonny or Viggo are fine by me.

Enjoy the show.

This was added after the show: I am 0 out of 3. What did you expect? Told you I did not watch any of the movies!

Biofuel Flights

Virgin Airlines will contribute to the development of greener fuels by connecting one of the four engines of a Boeing 747 to an independent tank filled with biofuel (aka agrofuel). The 747 will fly from London to Amsterdam but will not have any passengers.

Biofuel is considered by some as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security by providing an alternative to fossil fuels. However, In October 2007, Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen published findings that the release of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) from rapeseed oil, and corn (maize), contribute more to global warming than the fossil fuels they displace. From Wikipedia

As you see, Biofuel is still in the testing phase, so no one can claim that it will replace fossil fuel any time soon. But one thing to look forward to. If biofuel will be used in commercial flights, then EgyptAir passengers can rest assured that a new item will be added to the infamous EgyptAir menu. In the future you will be given the choice of: "Meat, Chicken, or Biofuel"

Digital Tattoo Concept

Tattoos are cool, but getting yourself inked often requires serious consideration since the removal process is excruciatingly painful. The Digital Tattoo concept by Jim Kielke features a tiny, implantable display that will hook up to an artery and a vein for its power, and can display information such as caller ID and carry out video chats on one's arm. Interestingly enough, it is also capable of monitoring your health while alert you of any impending screw-ups in your health. This is all too Big Brother for my taste - hopefully the day doesn't come where the Digital Tattoo is made compulsory. From Ubergizmo

I guess with the "Technology Explosion" that hit us all in the past 15 years or so, one's jaws don't drop as wide as they should when one hears or reads about such amazing new inventions.

Yet, (you knew that I will have a yet didn't you?) I do have a problem with this invention. As I am gracefully aging (gracefully my foot), I seem to be acquiring more and more allergies. I need to know what will happen when I get an allergic reaction and I start scratching my arm like a monkey?

Could I accidentally:

• fire up nuclear missiles and cause the destruction of the Earth? (be3d el shar)
  
• start three way a video conference between Paris Hilton, Osama Ben Laden, & George Bush? (that would be entertaining)
  
• transfer all the cash in the private Swiss banks accounts to my own account (I am starting to like this gadget)
• control my husband's brain and trick him into beleiveing that I am young, thin, and beautiful (where do I go to get this wonderful tattoo? I'll buy some strawberries and will be there in a sec.)
  

p.s. I wonder where Angelina Jolie will have her digital tattoo????

No Comment!!!!

I received a couple of emails from friends complaining about "disappearing comments". They try to send comments for posts on my blog but the comments don't go through, and I never receive them to publish. As a typical Egyptian, saying "I don't know" is out of the question (if you are not Egyptian then you need to be advised that we are all "Abou El 3oraif" i.e. "Know it all").

I take off my blogger hat and put on my technical support hat to give you my valuable advice. This difficulty is caused by a technology I invented and installed on my blog called intention-detection. So, if you are planning to say something positive, you comments arrive safely to my email, if NOT, then this technology kicks in and blocks the negative comments at the origin.

Now I take off my technical support hat and my Egyptian hat and put on a serious hat for a sec. I don't know what is causing this problem. It could be a bug in the Blogger software, or it could be related to slow connections. Try Previewing the comment before sending it. But to actually resolve the problem, please send an email to Blogger technical support explaining what's going on. If you want Blogger to respond to your inquiry, I advise you not to mention my blog, since Google (the owner of the Blogger site) & I are not on good terms. In an earlier post, I insulted Google's two Os. This is why I did not report the problem myself. I can easily guess where Google will tell me to shove the problem. Unfortunately, there is an O in Nahoul!!!!

p.s. Your comments are truly valuable to me (my serious hat is still on), so until the problem is resolved, please do write your comment in a text-editor (Word) and save it. Copy and Paste into the comments window. If I don't publish your comment by the next day, this means I never received it. Copy and Paste into an email message and email it to me. I will publish it immediately.

One Wackoccino Please!!

I tried to hold my urge to dis Hanan Turk for as long as I could, but I cannot hold it any longer. (I will pretend I did not hear the stupid first grade toilet jokes coming my way) I was avoiding the subject cause I have many dear friends and relatives who cover their hair, and I did not wish to offend them. But I know that they are all smart enough to understand that this is not an attack on veiled women but only on VSVW (very stupid veiled wackos).

Hanan Turk has the right to cover her hair. She has the right to quit acting, or to act wearing the head scarf. She also has the right to go into business and to own and run a posh cafe in Cairo. I will even go out on a limb and say that, although my limited religious knowledge (compared to her holiness' vast knowledge of Islam) assures me that it is wrong, I don't care if she chooses to play stupid and go back to live with her husband after they were thrice-divorced, cause it's none of my business.

BUT, as an Egyptian & as a Muslim who claims she understands the true values of Islam (such as integration, love, and rejection of prejudice) I find it my business to say that Hanan does not have the right to declare that her cafe is "off-limits to unveiled or Christian women."

There are only a few unacceptable explanations for her wacko, daffy, crazed, bananas, deranged, loony .......... announcement:

• Her understanding of Islam is totally messed up
  
• When she covered her hair, she also covered and completely veiled her common sense
• She wrapped her head cover too tight that it cut the circulation off her brain
• Her understanding of Islam is totally messed up (deja vu)
• She is completely blind to the meaning & consequences of her stupid announcement and the possible rift, hatred, and even violence it creates between different groups in the Egyptian society (Muslims vs Copts, veiled Muslim women vs unveiled Muslim men - what ever...)
• She found this to be the cheapest advertisement for her infamous cafe
• Her understanding of Islam is totally messed up (deja vu of the deja vu)

YES!!! I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW!!!

Life Goes On

Ten years ago, I was devastated by the news of the death of my husband's nephew in a car accident. He was 21. I carried & cherished this kid since he was a few months old, and I always loved him as one of my own. My kids loved him too and thought of him as a big brother. Their pain doubled mine. I had difficulty looking at the faces of his parents. I thought, if I am hurting that much, what is the magnitude of their pain ?
I prayed to never know the answer to this question.

Yesterday, my husband's niece was blessed with her first child. She named him Omar, after her late brother. What a blessing. Baby Omar arrived on the birthday of his grandfather Mo Sr.

To my niece, her husband, Mo Sr., and his dear wife, I say: "Alf, alf mabrouk. Hope you all see the day when each and every one of your big dreams for Omar come true for baby Omar".
To Omar I say: "Baby Omar will never replace you in our hearts, he will just occupy his place next to yours".
To God I say: "Thank you for replacing the tears and hurt of this family, whenever hearing the name Omar, with a bundle of joy and happiness.

A Religious OverDose

Yesterday, I almost (be3d el sharr, w in shallah eli yekrahni) died from an overdose of religious programs. It was my day off, and because of a sand storm, I was stuck at home. The dust gave me red and teary eyes so reading was out of the question. In other words, I had no choice but to watch TV. Who is the evil person who suggested I spend my free time cooking dinner??? Listen, I don't appreciate jokes regarding such serious matters. My husband may actually believe that this is (be3d el sharr) a possibility, you know!!

Back to my brush with death. Surfing a small number of official & private Egyptian TV channels, I must have stumbled into at least six different religious program in less than 90 minutes!!!! Moreover, during commercial breaks, those channels were showing ads of more religious programs that will be airing soon. This was just too much. I started suffering from all symptoms of a lethal overdose!! My husband saved my life (thank you habibi) by turning the TV off. (I think I saw a glimpse of regret in his eyes later in the day!! But I'll pretend I did not notice that.)

I do believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that this trend is very wrong & dangerous because:

• This dose cannot be explained by anything other than an attempt to brainwash and to create easily controlled zombies.
  
• This huge amount of airtime dedicated to religious programs is inevitably filled with rubbish that has nothing to do with Islam.
  
• Some guests can only qualify as exorcists and fortune tellers.
• The government is confusing us. It fights the Brotherhood and their ideology on one front, then its TV channels show loads of TV programs that support and promote their ideology!!!
• The privately owned channels are adding to the confusion. For example, Dream TV aired a lecture by Dr. Ahmed Zuwail promoting scientific & critical thinking on Wednesday, and then on Friday it aired a so called religious program hosting a so called sheikh who is an expert in exorcism!!!
  
• Most hosts & guests need an extreme makeover before ever showing their face on TV ever again.
• Most hosts & guests have invested their new fame and popularity in the gold mine of special cell phone numbers dedicated to answering stupid questions by stupid people, all under the wide umbrella of religion
• Current Azhar sheikhs and so called modern preachers have completely abandoned the progressive and respectful ideas and teachings of their predecessors (such as Mohammed Abdu, Rasheed, Shaltoot, Maraghee, Bakoori, and many more) and instead adopted the reactionary winds blowing from the east.
• A good percentage of Egyptians are non-Muslims (2albee ma3akom).
  
• Twenty plus years of this wave has produced nothing but a sick society with much much lower values and morality than what we had before this wave started.
• I said so

I am ready to take back every word I wrote, and to watch religious TV programs for a whole week if you can show me one person who became a better human after watching those programs. Let's reject and boycott this lethal dose, and let's concentrate on promoting:

• critical & scientific thinking
• social, educational, cultural, religious, and political reform
• love of Egypt, fellow Egyptians, & fellow humans

BTW, do you know the number of any of those cell phone preachers??? I need to know whether blogging is 7aram or 7alal!!!!

Squash the Opponent

We have a new reason to celebrate. Egyptian Squash players have accomplished yet another feat by securing an all Egyptian semi-finals round at the Pace Canadian Squash Classic, Toronto, Canada.

Amr Shabana, Ramy Ashour, Wael El Hindi, & Karim Darwish (ranked 1,2,4,&5), have reached the semis round after impressive wins over their opponents. Shabana joked: “Next year we should hold the PACE Canadian Squash Classic in Cairo." Well done guys.

Tonight, Amr Shabana (the 2006 champ) will meet Ramy Ashour (the 2007 champ) in yet another all Egyptian final. Both players are in great form, so it is hard to predict a winner. Yet, I am pretty confident that the 2008 champ will be an Egyptian!!!! Wanna bet??

p.s. Why are Egyptian accomplishments in our present time limited to the field of sports? According to Dr. Osama Ghazali Harb, this is due to the fact that sports is the only arena in Egypt where democracy is applied. In sports we have:

• No wasta (the best player wins regardless of his, or lack of, connections)
• True competition (to stay ahead, one must work very hard)
• Transparency (a player's performance is monitored and judged by everyone)

Will we ever have this system applied to politics? Does changing the name of the country to The SportsClub of Egypt or may be SC EGYPTA (ala FC BARCA) help???

Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward is one of my most favorite movies. Although it is a 2000 production, I did not hear of it until 2002 when my kids rented it for me to watch with them. They had already watch it earlier, and they knew that I would love it and that I would enjoy a good cry, especially during the last two hours of this two hours and three minutes movie (does that mean they think I am a drama queen??? ma 3alaina).

Although, as some of you already know, I am an established movie critic with two excellent reviews of two movies I've not watched yet, I will resist the urge to critique this movie (although I have actually watched this one at least four times) and I will concentrate on the idea behind it (based on a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde).

For his social studies project which required coming up with an idea to make our world a better place, an 11-year old student suggests Paying it Forward. That is, for every kind act one receives, one should pay a kind act forward to three different people, and not pay it backward to the first person. Each of the three new recipients should do the same to three new people and so on.

Too Utopian? May be. But very doable. Why don't we all try it, even once in our lifetime.

Sheikh Valentine

I am for any occasion that would promote love between people. So I don't have anything against celebrating Valentine's Day in Egypt or anywhere else. My problem is (whoever said:"When will she stop having so many problems?" will receive no love from me today) I say, my problem is with the exaggeration in the celebrations, and with the over commercialization of this occasion

1. Exaggeration: Over the past two days, I've been watching TV programs on the government owned & on the private Egyptian channels. I also watched morning & talk shows from the US networks. If I did not know better, I would have sworn that Saint Valentine was actually Sheikh Valentine, and that he was born in Tanta.

2. Commercialization: This and other occasions of sentimental value have been commercialized to a point were the value behind them is smothered by a shopping craze. Please don't tell this to my dear husband who did buy me a Valentine present (I appreciate the effort he put into picking this particular present since it is perfect for an OCD patient like myself. No not a bottle of Dettol, but close). What I actually appreciated most, was that he made the dishes after dinner.

I wish you LOVE.

MABROUK YA MASR!!

No words can express my happiness so I will shut up.

Just one thing.


I always felt that football players in general, and Egyptian players in particular, were over paid.


Yet, if the 23 players on the Egyptian Football Team and ma3alem Shehata (el me3alem el kebeer awee) are the only Egyptians who can give us a reason to celebrate, then they deserve every pound they get.

MABROUK







MABROUK







MABROUK







MABROUK








MABROUK








MABROUK

WHY???

When Egyptians enjoys a good laugh, they always say: "Alahoma Ig3aloo Khair" (translated by my buddy Noona to "I pray it's good news"). This saying must have come from years of experience. Egyptians have noticed that every time they enjoy a couple of days of happiness, their joy is quickly crushed by a tragedy.

Two years ago, drunk with the joy of the success of our team in the 2006 African Nations Cup, our joy was crushed and drowned by the news of the sinking of the “Salam” ferry in the Red Sea, and the drowning of over 1,100 Egyptians.

Two days ago, the same scenario was repeated. After sleeping feeling like we are on the top of the world for the impressive win over the Ivory Coast, we woke up to the news of the passing away of the respectful and popular journalist Magdy Mehana. A smaller scale tragedy, but still, the tears of joy, the elation, and the celebrations in the streets, were replaced with tears of sadness, condolences, and a funeral procession.

I have many more examples of similar incidents, but no need to list them here since if you are Egyptian, you can list them yourself, and if you are not, then what the heck are you doing reading my blog???? (BTW, this is typical Egyptian humor, so please don't be offended)

My question: Why aren’t Egyptians allowed to enjoy long moments of happiness, without being hit by tragedy?
My theory: fi wa7d bena neyeto wehsha!!! (this curse is caused by an immoral sly among us).
My action: I will not rest until I find and ostracize this lowlife from our country. I have a funny feeling that we all know the person responsible for this curse . No not "Eli Bali Balkom". I meant that each one of us is not as pure and sincere as we pretend to be. Accordingly, each one of us needs to become a better person in order for us to deserve a nation wide blessing and happiness that will last forever.

I'll Be Missing You

Needless to say, journalists are not the typical popular public figures you'd expect the wide masses to grief for.

Accordingly, there is only one explanation for the genuine grief that has struck so many Egyptians upon hearing the sad news of the death of the journalist Magdy Mehana.

Mehana genuinely loved Egypt and cared for the welfare of all Egyptians, and we knew it, so we all loved him back. He was an honest and conscientious journalist, whose words touched the heart and soul of all Egyptians who became loyal fans of his column in “AlMasry AlYoum” or who followed his TV program “Fil Mamoo3” on Dream TV.

When I heard the news late Friday night, my grief drowned the joy & elation, I, and I am sure all Egyptians, felt after winning the semi-final match against the Ivory Coast.

May God bless your soul, may we find other honest advocates in your students, and may all your good wishes for Egypt and Egyptians come true. We will miss you.

A Night at the Movies

I used to be a movie junkie, but after being disappointed too many times, I lost interest and would only go to the movie theater once or twice a year as a hostage. My kidnapper is usually my husband who LOVES going to the theater regardless of what is showing. Until recently, I could not understand his addiction to wasting his money and time on REAL BAD movies.

Thanks to my son's account of his night at the movies with his dad, I finally got it. My husband does not go to watch the movie at all!!! He goes to the theater to watch other movie goers!!!!

Here are a couple of scenes from the Egyptian reality movie that my husband paid 25 L.E. to enjoy:
Scene 1: Interior - Movie Theater in Egypt- Mid night.

A crowded movie theater with way too many kids running around. Trailers of "Coming Soon" movies are being shown.
Kid#1: KHAAALAAAAWEEEES? (ready?)
Different kids from different locations in the theater: LESSAA (not yet)
Two other kids went up the stage and started copying whatever was showing on the screen.
Stage Kid#1:"Mama, look at me. I am driving a car"
Stage Kid#2:"No ya Tamer, I am driving. You're dead already!!!"
Mo: "Is this going to continue even when the movies starts?"
Hubby, enjoying the entertainment, but pretending that he is not: "We'll soon find out."
The movie starts.
Kid#2: KHAAALAAAAWEEEES? (ready?)
Different kids from different locations in the theater: LESSAA (not yet)
Kid#2: Lessa walla ma lessa, ana gai!! (ready or not, here I come)
The two kids on stage are still continuing with their own low budget movie production.
Mo: "I cannot follow the dialog in this noise"
Hubby: "I will explain the whole movie to you later"
The voice of Hifaa Wahbi singing "Fain el wawa" rises loud and clear from the cell phone of the guy sitting in the row in front of them.
Mo laughing: "No way!! I'm actually starting to enjoy this"
Wawa guy: "Yes ya 7amo!! I'm at the movies. No, no need to hang up. The movie is very funny. I will hold my cell phone up so you can hear the jokes. Ha ha ha. Did you hear that?? No, he was saying....."
Mo: "Is this normal dad??"
Hubby: "Shhhhhhhhh. Just listen"
Mo:"All this racket, and you're hushing me???? That's the funniest thing I heard since the movie started"
A guy sitting next to Mo finally looses his temper.
Angry guy screaming: "Is this a movie theater or a Zoo? I paid 100 pounds to watch the movie and not to watch your damn kids play hide and seek and jump in front of the screen like monkeys. Parents of all those ill mannered kids should get up immediately and carry their kids back to their seats or else I will go outside and ask security to throw them all out.
Suddenly, about eight dads and moms (including his own wife) got up and escorted their kids back to their seats.
Mo falling off his chair and laughing out loud:''This is hilarious. I'm loving it!! Now I know why you come to the theater as often as you do dad."
Hubby:"This will be our little secret. Don't tell your mom."

Scene 2: ...............................

Are you enjoying this? Well, if you are, and you wanna watch scene 2, get dressed and go the nearest movie theater. Movie playing is not important. Just make sure it is a late show, and that there are lots of hyper kids around.

3amar ya Masr.

Google & Abou Trika

You all must have heard about Abou Trika (this is the spelling on his shirt so I will stick to it) displaying a slogan in support of Gaza in front of millions after scoring in Egypt's game against Sudan at the African Nations Cup finals in Ghana. This incident was widely publicized and Abu Trika received a yellow card, and a warning from CAF, but no fine, for his action. He also received a lot of support from the Egyptian and Arab people and I thought that was the end of it. As you know, I am not an Abou Trika fan (unless he moves to Zamalek), and I am kinda mad with the Palestinians for "invading" Egypt, so I ignored the whole issue. Read more at the Arabia site.

But then I read the following articles:
"Google caves in to Israeli pressure: Footballers 'Gaza' photo disappears from Google"
"Google removed Abu Trika’s “Sympathize with Gaza” images from the internet"

I was really pissed, and you wouldn't wanna mix with me when I'm pissed (some people prefer not to mix with me at any time, but this is not the right place to cuss them), so I decided to write this post to object to Google's double standards since the image of the Ghanaian player displaying the Israeli flag, after Ghana beat the Check Republic 2-0 in the World Cup is still available on the Google site. So I ask Google: "Are you for, or against, mixing sports & politics?"

I am posting the two pictures I found of Abou Trika displaying his support to Gaza, just to make them available to whoever did not see them yet.

I know that Google owns the Blogger site that hosts this blog, so if Google has a problem with this post, then I will move to a different host, and Google can shove this site up its two Os!!!!!
(wow, never knew I was capable of being so rude!!!)

Cherchez le Bro

My flight back home was a hellish experience. Right in front of my husband & I sat an Egyptian woman with her three children, an eight year old boy, a five year old girl, and a toddler (I suck at guessing ages, so please allow for an error margin of + or – 5 years per child).

I was feverish and had just started to feel the symptoms of a nasty cold, so I was looking forward to sleep throughout the flight. Unfortunately, the toddler in front of me had other plans. She systematically cried every five minutes. As soon as her screaming would fade into a softer cry, my eyelids would slowly obey gravity and the urge to sleep, only for her to start a new screaming cycle that would make me jump in the air.

The mother did nothing at all to stop this racket. The flight attendant gave me a sympathetic smile as she passed by, and asked the family to keep the noise down since the passenger behind them (moi) was very sick. As a typical Egyptian, she decided that the best way to get what she wants was by bribery, so she gave them lots of sweets. I don't think I need to elaborate on the effect of the obscene amount of sugar consumed by the kids on their already .

Of course I don’t have to tell you how much I hated this girl. On one of her trips to the lavatory with her mom, I was just about to offer to take her there myself, since I was planning to flush her down the toilet. But my phobia of public toilets, and specially in airplanes, stopped me from executing this perfect plan.

Fifteen minutes before landing, I found my husband sticking his hand between the seats in front of us. Holding the boy’s arm he started yelling at him: “Stop it, have mercy!!!” Turns out, this devil was hitting and pinching his little sister as soon as she stopped crying. The last minutes of our flight were relatively peaceful, but my headache was already beyond any known treatment.

The above is a true story, but what I will do now is give the characters different identities. My husband and I will be the Egyptian people, the mom is the Palestinian Authority & Hamas combined, the toddler is the Palestinians of Gaza, the flight attendant is the US, while the brother is Israel.

Egyptians must show the toddler that its behavior is unacceptable. But it is also important for them to find and deal with the brother who is the source of the problem. It will also help if we confront the mom, and the flight attendant and demand that they live up to their responsibilities.