Jimmy's Corner

"A ceasefire has begun in Gaza after several days of fierce fighting..." not between Israelis and Palestinians, but between Palestinians and Palestinians. Interesting! "Fighting between the two rival groups has left more than 30 people dead in recent days."

I wonder what will those who cry for the Palestinian casualties say. I feel I am inches close to stop writing about this issue again.

Labels: fatah, hamas, israel, palestinians, stupid

This picture is taken in a normal session in the Egyptian Parliament. They are more sleepy than I am. I hope this is not how they pass the laws!

Labels: egypt, parliament, sleepy

Well, wherever you go in Egypt, you have to find something that catches you, making you cry or laugh to death. The things that always caught my attention were the stupid spelling mistakes in road signs or stores' names. I have never taken a photo of any of the mistakes; or you may say, the Egyptian wonders. Fortunately, my friend Bashmohandes sent me an email that shows all. I am just showing here some of bits and pieces of the content of the email.
Guys, what is coming next is exclusively Egyptian...

Let's start with the Egyptian concept of English:

"Bresteeg: For Bartys and Wedeing"... Okay, here is the translation... Prestige for Parties and Weddings...

This guy really knows how to build credibility, I am sure his "Laboratory Scientific for Forigne Languages" is doing veeeeeery well teaching people English.

And the government has to give a word... No comment.

It is never sooo cool until you buy your air conditioner from Ass Egypt. LOL

C'mon, be a good tourist, let them do their job ;). Well, it was supposed to say "Our job is to make you happy". Does it give a different meaning though :D.

And this is the Egyptian Taksi for Taxi.

C'mon, don't you know that MOPAIEL is so dangerous to use in gas stations?

LOOL... Well, it is just referring to the "gentle sex" meaning women. To my Arab readers "el gens el na3em"

"Tourism Restaurant Taher" is really "Exlant", not just very doog, but exlant :D.

And now, to some Egyptian exclusive talents:

He is putting the lock on his flip flop not to be stolen...

The architect who built this building should be granted a Nobel Prize; and then be sentenced to death.

And the one who built this house is a genius. Nothing is impossible. Why move a post away if you can build the house on it???

The sign says: "Haj Rubbish's Beverages"... It just sounds like "Lord Vagabond's Honesty".

And now the French should really be proud. This car is 1979's Peugeot 504 that is supposed to carry only seven passengers. I think Peugeot itself would not find better propaganda.

C'mon, this is just a donkey protecting Egypt's civilization. "Egyptians are bad liars lol"

I finish this with a bitter laugh!

Labels: bashmohandes, egypt, egyptian, funny, stupid

If any one asks you about the most boring things in the world, do not forget to list "proctoring exams" among your suggestions. For me, I put it on top. You do not really know how boring it is to keep standing on your feet for 3 hours in the same place looking at the same group of people who are doing the same thing at the same time, in deep deep deep silence. If you are like me, a man who hates to stay in the same place for more than an hour, proctoring university exams would put you a step away from madness.

However, it never gets worse until:

1. One of the students keeps looking at your face, directly in the eye, until you start doubting that the answers to the exams are written on your forehead.
2. All the students leave at half time except for a single student that keeps looking at you, and never putting a pen in the answer sheet till the end of the exam.
3. One of the students start cheating in a very obvious way that makes you annoyed; not because of the fact that he/she is cheating, but because they are very stupid even when they try cheating.
4. One of the exam supervisors comes into the room with a big smile on her face and telling you "I hope you are enjoying your time!"

P.S: My proctoring schedule ends by the end of January. This thought drives me nuts.

Labels: boredom, boring, exams, proctoring, students

Emad El Kebeer:
A victim of police brutality who was sexually abused in Bolak El Dakrur police station as two officers put a stick in his arse (anus).

Reason:
While driving his bus he found someone beating the hell out of his cousin. He went out of the bus, ran to defend his cousin. The guy left his cousin and started beating him the same way. Emad could beat the hell out of the guy it seems. The guy turned out to be a noncommissioned officer in normal outfit.

Consequences:
Emad was dragged to the police station, beaten, and sexually abused the way I mentioned before. The officers recorded him sexually abused and gave it via Bluetooth to all his fellow drivers.

Then??
Emad's story came to life, but the Egyptian television and national newspapers gave a deaf ear and a blind eye. The two officers are held for trial now... Justice has taken place hah??

NOW:
Emad is sentenced for 3 months in Jail for resisting authorities.

My comment:
Emad, you should not have resisted authority as you should not have moved your ass as they were putting the stick inside. That was an outrage you made, man. You were angry because a stick was put in your ass? Now you gonna get fucked in jail, buddy.

The government's message to other victims:
Open your mouths and we have enough cells and homosexuals waiting for you in jail.

FUCK JUSTICE

Thanks to: Sandmonkey and 3arabawy.

Labels: abuse, egypt, jail, justice, police, shit

While reading Karin's blog, a post about the Israeli plans to strike Iran attracted me to leave a comment that started a nice debate with Karin.
For me:

I do not think Israel will be up to the threat. Iran's nuclear stronghold is too strong for Israel to destroy by itself. At the same time I do not think Bush is so stupid to open a new front for himself. It can be possible later but not now.

However, if we translate the American actions the days before into messages we would find:

1. America is sending an aircraft carrier to the Gulf (US Virigina) which makes it possible that America is planning for a strike.
2. America is sending more troops into Iraq (may be to double its forces there), which is an action that makes us sure that it is either preparing to defend Iraq from an expected Irani strike after bombing the nuclear facilities or preparing for an on-land invasion (which is not possible I believe). Or maybe to hold down the Shiia anger after the strike against Iran.

However, it is very stupid if Israel reveals its plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities because this puts an end to them.

What I am sure of,it is going to get uglier.

While Karin thought that:

Israel HAS nukes, plenty of them - everybody knows that ... and now it is as well abundantly clear why it always refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty!!

George W. would HAVE to stand by his partner, he'd have NO choice, and if I, like you, translate the American actions, I DO FIND an imminent danger coming from just these "partners"!!America HAS already several aircraft-carriers in the Golf ... the "US Virginia" is just one MORE ... America, rather George W. would LIKE (I hope to GOD the democrats will be able to avoid that!) to send some more 20,000-40,000 troups to Iraq which , in MY humble opinion, is absolute CRAZINESS! I have NO idea about military and am NO politician, but I have a lot of common sense which tells me that it is:

1. already OVERDUE TIME TO GET OUT and ...
2. IF - he'd hypothetically have to double the entire force to "eradicate insurgents" .. another 20,000-40,000 will only increase "insurgency" and attacks on the people .. AND HATRED!

So .. either FULL (what is DEAD-wrong in my eyes) ... or get the hell OUT - NOW!! There will - I believe - NEVER be democracy as long as people won't be READY for it .. and the way groups and sects in Iraq are fighting one another, they ARE NOT and won't be that fast! I don't know why this is so difficult to understand ...In ONE point I have to agree reluctantly though wholeheartedly... it will get MUCH MORE UGLY!!!

I agree with you, Karin it is getting very ugly here. However, at the same time, I believe there is a kind of a tactic behind what was happening the last few days. To sum up:

1. The American actions (US Virginia and troops increase)
2. The Israeli operation leak (which is very rare to happen)

I do not believe that the US or Israel will give Iran a strike now. And I find a better translation for their actions. Each country has plans when it comes to the state of being threatened. Iran as well has plans to stop such attacks. The US actions and Israeli leak are just to observe and measure the Irani reaction politically and defensively. Therefore when it is time to attack, they strike with enough knowledge about what to expect during and after the attack.

And yeah still we agree, It is going to get ugly.

Labels: america, debate, iran, iraq, israel

The photo below shows how much land Israel has taken by occupation from the Palestinains. This is one face of the coin. The other face of the coin is this photo shows how much land the Palestinians have given to Israel through:

• Treason.
• Selling Lands.
• And most importantly, by making enemies of one another.

You would be a lucky guy, if you had an enemy that destroys himself like Palestinians.

Labels: israel, palestine, palestinians

While Palestinians prove to the world that what is propagated about them is absolutely correct, Olmert plays the desperate peace-maker by implying the intention to withdraw from more lands to allow a Palestinian state be formed.

That's the difference.... Some people are thinking and winning the world's appreciation, while others are just scratching their asses for a fight and making enemies among themselves!!

Sometimes I just feel it is a dead case.

Labels: china, israel, olmert, palestinians, stupid

In the ensuing mayhem, four Palestinians died, 20 were wounded, the target got away and Mr. Olmert had to sit through a humiliating tongue-lashing on live television from Mr. Mubarak. NY Times

Really!! Did Mubarak really react angrily to the Israeli stretch of muscles before the Olmert-Mubarak summit? I did not watch it on TV, can anyone send a link?

Labels: humiliation, mubarak, olmert, palestinians

If you look at the Palestinian people, you would really get yourself into the verge of falling mad. I am trying to remember one time, just one time, when Palestinians solved their problems without firing a bullet. Even on the Egyptian TV, the newscaster was wondering when Palestinians shall be able to agree on something without fighting. The current clash over power between Fatah and Hamas underscores the fact that:

1. Palestinians are extremely stupid and politically poor.
2. The existence of two opposing powers in Palestine means more blood.
3. They like to show their dirty side to the world.
4. They think "why let Israeli kill us if we can kill ourselves?"
   

Damn

Labels: fatah, hamas, israel, palestine, palestinians, stupid

I almost died out of laughter when I read this article in Al Wafd Newspaper (Arabic only). It is quite funny when you see how people can be too hypocrite and ignorant. I translate some parts of the article for you here...

Saddam's Commemoration Day in The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate

"Saddam's commemoration day puts the Iraqi leader in rank with the greatest leaders and the national symbols of the Arab nation; those who live eternally in the minds and hearts of the Arab people like Saladdin, Omar Al-Mukhtar and Saad Zaghloul. He is one of those who sacrificed for the good of the nation and it's liberty. The Egyptian political powers, Iraqis living in Egypt, human rights activists and all those who participated in the special commemoration day agreed on the same fact (that Saddam is equal in rank with the nation's greatest leaders).
...
Before the event takes starts, all the participants prayed for the soul of Saddam with their eyes full of tears asking God to send him to the eternal paradise as they were on the Syndicate's stairs. Then a public conference for denouncing the ASSASSINATION of Saddam starts. The audience held up Saddam's photos and chanted slogans against Nouri Al Maliki (describing him as a traitor), America, Israel and Iran...
...
Mohammed Mounir, one of Saddam's lawyers, then gave a speech about the last days in Saddam's life before the execution... "Saddam was held in a separate house away from the other seven suspects. His guards were changed every two weeks as the warders were afraid the guards would sympathize with him. His warder found out that the guards sympathize with Saddam to the extent that one of the guards weeped and hugged Saddam passionately when he knew he is about to be replaced; his fellow guards pulled him away from Saddam."
...
Mr. Mounir also denied the American claims that Saddam was captured hiding in a hole "Saddam told me he was in one of Al Baath member's house who reported him later and won the prize. Saddam asked him to let him go to bed for 15 minutes as he was overwhelmed, and while asleep in one of the house's rooms, he suddenly woke up to find 15 rifles aimed at him. He also said he does not remember anything after this"
...
Mr. Mahmoud Bakry who organized the event asserted said Saddam was a hero... Then Mr. Mostafa Bakry's speech about Saddam asserted that he is an Arabic leader who lived like a man and died a hero.
...
Then Mr. Mohsen Khalil, the former Iraqi Ambassador in Egypt during Saddam's time, said that Saddam was a president who believed in the opposing opinions; not like what America propagated about him. He believed in the importance of debate and stood up against the Iranian, American and Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. Finally, he finished saying that Saddam is a martyr hat the Arab nation had lost.

I do not really know what to say... To this extent can people be so stupid, so ignorant and so hypocritically driven??
Anyway I dedicate this photo to Mr. Mohammed Mounir who claims that Saddam was not held in a hole.

Labels: commemoration, egypt, iran, iraq, israel, saddam

"Iraq PM Nouri Maliki says his government may review ties with any country
criticising Saddam Hussein's hanging." more...

In other words.... "Mubarak, keep your ass away from our personal business."
Nice.

Labels: iraq, maliki, mubarak, saddam

In light of Mubarak's statement about Egypt's intentions to produce nukes if Iran does, the following questions popped up suddenly, please try to answer:

1. Was Gamal Mubarak's secret visit to the White House an early coordination with the American side about Egypt's role in pressing on Iran?
2. A few days ago Abul Gheit, Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs, asked Iran to take steps to normalize relationships with Egypt. Then, Mubarak hints about Egypt producing nukes if Iran does... Is it the American stick and carrot policy?
3. Israel is giving the deaf-ear-blind-eye to the Irani nuclear problem's developments... Is it the silence that precedes the storm?
4. Egypt has just allowed the US Virginia to pass through the Suez Canal to the Gulf. America used to do this when they were about to strike Iraq... Now who is next?

I am going crazy :S.

Labels: america, egypt, iran, israel, nukes, questions

The Human Rights Watch's latest report about Egypt seems to have reached a conclusion about what Mubarak has been doing in the country for 25 years. The guys in this organization have just come to terms with what the Egyptian street realized 10 or 20 years ago. Ironically, the report is released at the peak of the farce of constitutional reformation that Mubarak is directing. I really like the following quote in the report:

“The government has for decades used the political parties law to fix elections before they begin,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Egypt needs a new political parties law that respects Egyptians’ rights to form political parties and to vote for whomever they choose.”

Where was the report decades ago then??

Anyway, this report will remain a matter of ink on paper as long as there is no real kicking in the government's butt to apply real democracy.

Read the report here

Labels: democracy, egypt, government, human rights, mubarak, report

"Saddam was good for us. He was the only one capable of holding Iraqis from the neck and moving them in peace"

These were the words of one of my Iraqi students in Egypt. We were playing some kind of a game that enables them speak English and practice their language in expressing their opinions. I intended to pick a hot topic and the fact that Saddam's execution is a boiling topic inspired me. This section is so full of Arabs: Saudis, Iraqis, Jordanians and Palestinians. When the topic was brought up, they all agreed that Saddam was the one suitable for Iraq!! And it was not much of a surprise when I found out that the Iraqi students agrees with them.

What they agreed on is that dictatorship is the only suitable system to rule in Arab countries. "Saddam could put anyone in jail. If you use a newspaper sheet that has his photo, you are imprisoned. This is the only way you could put every mutiny under control... Look what happened in Iraq after he was overthrown. Thousands killed and tens die every day. Saddam was an evil that stopped other evils!"

It is disastrous to find these young men thinking that way... They are absolutely ready to be put under the tyranny of a ruler and suffer like hell just because they find it the only possible way to have their countries ruled. The idea that a dictator is an evil that stops other evils is prevailing even in Egypt here. It reminded me of the days when the election farce was going on in Egypt. People used to say that Mubarak is an evil you know, and an evil you know is much better than an evil you do not know.

Whenever you talk to anyone they take Iraq as an example "look at Iraq, the country is being destroyed since the day Saddam was overthrown". What they do not know is that what is destroying Iraq is terrorism and sectarianism more than the occupation itself. It is true that the occupation brought terrorism into Iraq. However, sectarianism has always been there. The question is... Why should we agree to fall a prey of the tyranny of a dictator and never try to fill in the gaps among us and fight for freedom??

I think it is something we are born with. Innately negative.

Labels: arabs, evil, iraq, iraqis, jordanians, mubarak, saddam, saudis, sectarianism, terrorism

Do I need to tell you how much I hated Saddam?? I think it is enough to say that I rarely feel indifferent when I hear about someone's death. In Saddam's case, I was like "to hell may he go". However, to be honest, when I watched the official video of his execution, I felt bad. Then when I watched the other video in which the execution process is fully recorded, I felt angry. For a moment I asked myself, if I do not give a rat's ass about the dictator who killed his own people and destroyed his own country, why am I feeling angry. And I could answer the question.

Despite the fact that Saddam was a tyrant, he is still a human being whose rights to be respected; even if he did not respect the rights and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people he killed. And I believe it is one's right to have his moment of death respected. The official video that was broadcast on the Iraqi TV is a complete outrage against the man's rights.

Needless to say that the second video made Saddam a martyr to most of those who watched it. Imagine it, you are watching a movie where someone is about to be executed, and this someone, despite being the bastard of the movie, is facing death with complete bravery. Would not you feel bad for him? I guess those who posted the movies about Saddam did him a favour, instead of seeking revenge. The guy has become a martyr in the eyes of many of those who watched the movie of the execution. The Iraqi government itself acted so stupidly by carrying out the execution on the first day of Eid El Adha (feast of sacrifice). This made a legend of a tyrant.

Nowadays, you do not really know who is the real Saddam....

The tyrant who killed hundreds of people and ruled with an iron fist for more than 30 years?

Saddam Hussein ordered his special security and military forces to carry out a reprisal attack against the town, which resulted in a total of 150 of the town's men being killed in the attack or executed later, a number of which were boys 13 years of age.[1] 1,500 people were also incarcerated and tortured, while other residents, many of them women and children, were sent to desert camps. Saddam's regime destroyed the town and then rebuilt it shortly after. In addition to these punishments, 1,000 square kilometres (250,000 acres) of farmland was destroyed; replanting was only permitted 10 years later. See Wikipedia

The coward who hid in a hole with millions of dollars while his country is burning?

Bremer went on to report the time as approximately 8:30 p.m. local (23:30 UTC), on December 13, in an underground “spider hole” at a farmhouse in ad-Dawr near his home town Tikrit. See Wikipedia

The friendly humane intellectual whose friendly attitude impressed his own American nurse?

Saddam also talked to him about happier times when his children were young: how he told them bedtime stories and how he would give his daughter half a Tums when she complained of a tummy ache.

After Ellis got an emergency call from America that his brother was dying, he told Saddam he was leaving immediately. Before he left, Saddam hugged him and said he would be his brother. See BBC News and St Louis News

Or the courageous man of cause who faced death with enviable bravery while being taunted by his executors like a martyr in the middle ages?

Far from being a quiet and dignified business, the new video shows that several of the witnesses taunted Saddam during the last seconds of his life, chanted the name of one of his many enemies, and told him he was going to hell. See BBC News

Labels: dictator, execution, iraq, saddam, tyrant, usa, video