Are Egypt's Democratic Reform Done?

Are Egypt's Democratic Reforms Done? 

Yes. Actually it never started. It was all a charade.

EGYPTS EVOLUTION

EGYPT'S REVOLUTION/EVOLUTION

This editorial talks about slow changes in Egypt that according the editor looks promising. The editorial is too optimistic for my taste. Now let’s step back and talk about realty not wishful thinking. The bottom line is that there is no democracy in Egypt, opposition leaders are in jail, corruption is everywhere, there is no freedom of speech, there are thousands of political prisoners, the government is meddling in the affairs of all parties, judges and syndicates, the president son is being prepped to take over once the old man goes away. Not to mention poor healthcare, education, and horrible traffic conditions as well as  poverty, and very high unemployment rate. Over all it is a desperate and gloomy picture, while salvation is not anywhere close.

I’m sorry, but I don’t share the optimism. This rosy picture is not real. Realty is dark, sad and completely opposite to what the editor thinks.

Changes that come very slow don’t do us any good, because life quality is deteriorating at a much faster pace. When the patient is dying, a slow acting drug is not an option, you need to operate quickly to save his life.

Ayman Nour lost his Mind

Ayman Nour lost his mind

If I am in Ayman Nour shoes I won’t waste a moment talking about nuclear reactors and instead try to get myself out of prison. Read the story here.  I totally don’t understand the man’s logic. Who cares about nuclear reactors in Egypt now. I think he lost his touch with realty. I guess being in prison can do that to you.

Can winds of change still be heard in Egypt

Can winds of change still be heard in Egypt?Sara KhorshidMiddle East Times
February 23, 2006CAIRO --  Egypt had the world's attention in 2005. That year witnessed the country's first ever contested presidential election in September, followed, two months later, by a landmark parliamentary election, in which the banned Muslim Brotherhood group made unprecedented gains, winning a record 88 seats in the 445-member People's Assembly.

Read Full article here

Health Minister's Bird Flu Comment

Health Minister’s Bird Flu Comment

Yesterday I was watching a show on the Egyptian Satellite channel about  the avian influenza that are currently spreading in Egypt and they had the Egyptian minister of Health “Hatem El Gabaly” who was upset about the people calling to report dead birds sightings everywhere and he said via telephone that people should hold the dead bird and discard it in the garbage container instead of complaining to the government all the time.

I was shocked by the minister’s comment because handling a dead bird could transmit the disease to the handler and thus increase the epidemic. This irresponsible comment by the minister of health shows just how ignorant officials who run the country are, and that is so sad.

The government was so late in tackling the issue even though they knew it will hit Egypt sooner or later. They should have prepared better to save us the current panic and chaos.

It is just another example of the poor leadership of this country.

Back to Reality

Back to Reality

Now that the African cup is over and done and Egypt won , and we all spent some joyful moments celebrating, it is time to get back to the grim reality that Egyptian have to deal with everyday. Ranging from poverty to corruption to catastrophes, the list never ends. It is the everyday suffering that an Egyptian goes through when living in Egypt, unless of course this Egyptian happens to be a pharaoh’s son or someone with tremendous power and lots of money.

Egypt wins the Championship

Egypt wins the Championship


After a nerve-racking  game that went to extra time and penalty shootout after scoreless 120 mintues, Egypt finally won the championship 4-2 form the penalty spot where Ivory cost did not play the final kick  after it was decided by Abou Trika’s goal. I am very happy for Egypt they played well and deserved to win. Also Essam El Hadary saved two kicks. And Abed El Halim Aly missed from the spot. Ahmad Hassan failed to convert a penalty kick earlier during the live action but scored the first kick in the shootout.

I missed 3 hours from work to watch the game but it was worth it at the end.

Congratulation to Egypt for the record breaking fifth African cup title. Anything else would have been a nightmare

Egypt Into the Final

Egypt Into the Final

2-1 Egypt – Senegal Final Score

After a frustrating game today, Egypt managed to pull a win when Amr Zaki headed home the winner in the 80’s minute shortly after substituting for Mido who made a scene on his way out. Apparently he was not happy about being substituted. I didn’t like Mido’s behavior, he showed no respect for his coach, team or country. Near the end of the game there was a tackle that should have resulted in a penalty kick for Senegal, but the Cameroonian referee blessed us with his mercy and did not call it.

Anyway a win is a win. The championship game will on Friday against Ivory Cost whom we already beaten before 4-1 but without Drogba’s service who was sidelined for that game.

KEEP THE FIRE BURING EGYPT.

Horrible Catastrophe in the Red Sea

Horrible Catastrophe in the Red Sea

I’m speechless and in shock about this tragedy in the Red Sea.

“An Egyptian passenger ferry carrying nearly 1,500 people, mostly Egyptian workers returning from Saudi Arabia, sank in the Red Sea early Friday”

No words can describe what I feel right now. I only hope there would be more survivors.

Any survivors still in the Red Sea could go into shock as temperatures fell in the already cold waters, which average in the upper 60s in February. The waters in the area are up to 3,000 feet deep


GOD SAVE THIS COUNTRY

Egypt Marches On

Egypt Marches On

4-1 Egypt Congo Final Score

Very good game today with thrill to the end. I was happy when Hosam Hasan scored. Also I was glad to see Abd El-Halim Aly play, he’s underrated and deserve more playtime.

Next game against Senegal on Tuesday. It is not going to be an easy game, but I’m confident that Egypt will win.

Egypt Congo A Big Game Today

Egypt – Congo A Big Game Today

As always I like to give my prediction before the game. I know I’ve been wrong in my earlier prediction but I will go with Egypt this time. I predict Egypt wins 2-0.

Also I revise my prediction for the final to be between Cameroon and Egypt and Egypt wins with penalty kicks after 0 –0 game

Anything else will not be good

Egypt's Bloody Roads

Egypt's Bloody Roads

From the moment  you step into Egypt, you’ll know that it is a very dangerous place to be on the roads. In fact statistics indicates that Egypt has the highest traffic accidents in the world.  Just yesterday two seperate bus crashes killed 32 including 14 tourists.

The problem stems from reckless driving due to high speed, ignorance, driving under the influence and lack of respect for human life. There are not enough laws to improve the safety conditions of the roads. One of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads are those microbuses that transport commuters between cities. They are crowded and drive very fast risking the life of everyone on board. What makes the problem worse is that driver often smoke hashish and other illegal substances that impair their driving ability.

On my first trip to Egypt after a long absence I hired a limo from Cairo Airport to Alexandria, and I could not believe how fast he was driving and how many close calls we had until we reached home. On Egyptian highway you’ll see people driving in the wrong direction, pedestrian crossing the road with their stock animals etc. Traffic signs are useless because many drivers are illiterate. The concept of driving in lane does not exist in Egypt, because many roads don’t have them and if they do, people don’t use them. The lack of “driving education” is a big contributor to the problem. Many cars in Egypt are not equipped with seat belts making accidents deadlier.

The following are some helpful hints to make your trip to Egypt safer

• DON’T heir a cap for an inter-city trip. Your first option should be the train if possible, then a bus


• DON”T sit in the front seat of a vehicle.


• Fasten your seat belt if possible.


• If you feel the driver is too fast or under the influence, ask him to stop and get out of the vehicle. Life is not cheap.

The following links talks about the topic more:
This article has some interesting information about the traffic in Egypt:

"A report released by the Egyptian Ministry of Transport in November 2005 estimated that 6,000 people die each year as a result of road accidents in Egypt and the annual economic loss caused by road loss is at least EGP 3 billion (equivalent to US$522 million) which amounts to 3% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. Around 30,000 people are also injured in road accidents each year, the report said."

You may want to read this one too

"In Egypt, for every 100 million kms driven, 43.2 people die, compared with 0.9 in Australia, for instance. Accident specialists maintain that more than 50 per cent of the victims are in their mid-20s, and that one-fifth of children between one and five-years-old who die in hospitals are accident victims"


This article put the annual death toll at 8000

"Road accidents are frequent and increasing in Egypt because of factors including the poor condition or design of roads, dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, lane indiscipline, driving without lights at night, indifference to wearing seat belts, almost universal lack of safety helmets amongst motorcycle users , etc . Pedestrian behavior is equally to blame – pedestrians stand and talk in the roadway, dart across roads unexpectedly and children play in the street. Traffic Police statistics show that an estimated 8,000 people were killed and 32,000 injured in road accidents in Egypt in 2003 and the per capita road crash fatality rate is approximately 10.5 deaths per 100,000 population"