Iran shows us how it's done!

I never really thought anything of Iran or Iranians. For some reason we're not supposed to like them, something about their Shah, Sadat and some fall out? One day when I'm bored at work I'll educate myself 'bout that - but i haven't been bored at work in 3 months so i guess I'll be ignorant for a while.

But really, what they've been doing this last week is pretty darn impressive! They've officially put us - Egyptians - to shame! I thought the protests would die out after day one or day two, but today - 6 days later - they're still going strong. I'm just at awe at these people's courage and determination. Kudos!

I've always thought Iran is one of the countries that has so much potential from the greater middle east (do we still use that now that Bush is gone?). Iran, Iraq and Egypt are in my opinion the main countries in the region who can lead this region and become the respected members of the world community they once were. If only they can just get it right!

It seems like Iranians have finally had enough. As I see all of this unfold I can't help but think just how soulless, selfish and numb Egyptians are. So it is possible to revolt? It is possible to cause major headache for your government and weaken their legality even more? It is possible to make a statement and demand a change?
People are doing it right now, and what do Egyptians do? They settle for the 50 L.E. they get for voting for the very government that has perpetually violated their human rights and have continuously made them poorer, less safe and more miserable over the last 20 something years. Da7na ma3andenaash dam sa7ee7!

Then I start thinking practically, how this could be done.
And right there my hypocrisy - and much hated elitism - makes a grand entrance: Would I storm off to the streets after an election? No, I most definitely would not. Why not? Because i think there are better way for me, and people like me, to make a difference. Jeopardizing my career and future plans is not smart, and I don't feel very guilty because my future plans all involve futile efforts to do my part in developing this country. I believe people like me should not storm the streets and instead apply themselves differently in order to achieve some sort of change.
So who should storm the streets?
I know I should be hung in a public square for saying this - but I expect the poor and prospect-less proportion of our population should do it. That's the main value adding thing they have to offer at this point. The people below poverty lines, who live in slums, beg on the streets, whose rights for a decent living, proper health care, and some sort of social welfare system are ignored.
Even though I expect it, I do feel it's wrong and hypocritical from a moral stand point and in an ideal world it should not happen, all people are equal.
But realistically speaking, people are not equal: I'm lucky. My basic needs are covered, I have no possible motivation to do something that dangerous. Bad traffic, polluted weather and poor infrastructure - the things that affect my life the most - are not exactly reasons strong enough to make me react so strongly. And I do not expect anyone with the same situation to do so either. The day I start losing those basic needs, is the day I start taking more drastic action.
It doesn't make sense to expect the educated productive working class to storm the streets given the current conditions they live in right now in Egypt. What is necessary though is more efforts to develop this country, more political presence, more use of the media to call the government on their actions and demand a change. A different kind of headache for the government, something we are very slowly getting better at - but no where near good enough.
I expect those people whose basic needs are not covered to do something more than what they are doing right now, much like I would have done myself if I were one of them. And I do not understand why these people are silent. They can't work and develop the economy, they're uneducated, they can't write in the papers and defend their opinions, they are illiterate. The main thing they can do is storm the streets and cause a riot. But here in Egypt they don't! I wonder why.
Moral grey - even black area - yes, but realistic.
The world is not fair, each person has a different capacity to make a difference, some more dangerous than others, but each equally important. Sad, but true.

I'd like to think that I'm not just another arrogant yuppie, and that if my luck turns against me and I end up living in a slum somewhere then I'd have the courage to stand up and do what Iranians are doing.

We have women in parliament, so get off our back America!

Well Hooray for us!
Starting next year we will have fifty seven - maybe even sixty four - women in the Egyptian parliament. Do we get ice cream treats for dinner tonight, mama amrika?
The Egyptian government, in what it calls a 'well thought through decision', has decided that there will be an additional 57 seats in the Egyptian Parliament held only for women in next year's election.
Women all over the world rejoice! Because the Egyptian Government, protector of the fragile defenseless "gens el na3em" (the softer gender), is stepping up to the game and will provide you with a nice fluffy soft security blanket to help you in against all those big evil bullying men. The big guys are letting you make your grand entrance on the play ground and show them that you're really worth the effort, and if not - it's ok - they'll just happily put you back on the "samna falla7i" billboard ad and the enticing Melody Arabia video clip.

Had enough of sarcasm just yet? Coz i sure have not!

The 57 (maybe 64 now) seats will be exclusively for women, but this is not a long-term deal, it's temporary for two years to see how it will work and then they'll take more decisions. That's pretty much the gist of what's on the newspapers these days.

- So how is this going to work exactly? Will it be like "taboor el gam3eya" one for women, one for men? Will there be two sets of elections? One to vote in 411 men into the men section and one to vote 57 women into the women section? Or will we disregard the election results and pick 57 men and tell them, yes we know you won but we're kicking you out and giving your position to women instead? Or will we pick 57 seats and only let women run? How will you pick the seats? Aren't they distributed by geographical area? So which district will be the suckers/lucky bastards who are stuck with women?
This is what the dear gov calls "thought through"?

- And this is a temporary thing to "test" things. So it's like a probation period for your new recruit? If they don't perform you fire them? So if those 57 women turn out to be the most useless and corrupt members, you'll back off and say no more?

- I know this is the same old affirmative action story which I have strongly opposed since for ever - i want the best person for the job - be it man, woman, transvestite or even monkey; you get it done best, then you're the one. Proponents argue that not everyone thinks like that and this is a step forward towards a world where people are voted in or hired according to who's best not any other attribute, to those (and to this issue at hand) i say

• Now you're the one who's idealistic! Your gender, ethnic background etc DEFINE who you are to a certain extent, we'll N E V E R get to that place where all people judge people purely on who they are. And if we do, it will not be because of affirmative action! I'd like to see a study that shows exactly how many people have changed their minds about equality because of affirmative action. My guess? It will not be that many
• Lebanon has a system like that with religions, how well is that working? You don't see Maronites, Sunnis and Shiites holding hands and singing kumbaya, now do you?
• To be fair, if we're going to assign seats for women, then all other minorities should get seats too: Copts, nubians, bahaai, sufis.
• So women go from being discriminated against to being the discriminator. She'll get the seat no matter what coz she's a woman, that poor hard working man who would have done an even better job will get the boot because he does not have a uterus? How is that fair? What good could possibly come out of that?

- What if next year 100 women get elected in the normal elections for the 411 seats? Will we add 57 to those? Or will women not run for the original seats?

- What sort of credibility will this woman voted in specially because she's a woman have, once she starts working with other members of the Parliament. How are you supposed to demand respect and equality with other members of Parliament who've been officially voted in when the reason you're there is not because the people want you more than they want anyone else to represent them, but because they were told to only pick from this group because they are women.

The whole notion that women need some law or rule to help them get ahead in politics is just wrong! They do not need a chance to prove that they - as women -can add value, each person speaks and acts for himself or herself not on behalf of all other members of a gender. We cannot judge a gender's value based on some individuals.

A huge step forward? I think not!

Twisted Brain Trilogy - Part I

Trying to untangle the inner workings of my twisted brain is no easy feat! So I'm resorting to the interweb to at least rant about my brain's ability to take the most normal things and blow them - seriously blow - them out of proportions.
It's those things that make me 'special' and not in this endearing warm and fuzzy on the inside special, more like she needs strict observation special.
On a typical day I think about explosions about 5 times, and it's never when I'm asleep, it's when I'm completely awake, sane and lucid. I imagine what would happen if the car driving right in front of me explodes, what if the gas tank in our house explodes, what if the washing machine explodes while it's on it's fastest spin, before I go to bed i think what if the A/C exploded. I don't want anything to explode or anything, but the thought is always on my mind no matter how hard i stop myself from drifting in that directions.

I guess i have to have something wrong with me!

My Make believe weekend!

So the last month i hadn't had a proper weekend. Life's been busy, rehearsals, workload and lessons!
So this week i decided to treat myself to a day off and pretended it was a weekend :)
It's the end of the day and it went so well - i'm so relaxed and got a big smile on my face :D
I woke up at noon, pretty relaxed no stress, and took a couple of hours to finally leave the house. Diwan decided today is the day it will be nice to me and within 10 minutes i found two really interesting books - who I don't find trashy at all! The first one is called The Moneypenny Diaries which is almost like a Bond movie but with the woman being the lead (my type of story). I find the notion that these people might have actually existed quite fascinating regardless how far fetched that may be.
The second one is A woman of Cairo which i have yet to start, but it's set in old time Cairo which is again is like my favorite type of books.
Then i headed down to the pool where i chilled for the day till my piano lesson and got a faint hint of a tan - must work more on that on Saturday.
The lesson was fun in spite of the level of difficulty! Bach in the first month of playing is no easy feat...
Then i ended the day by paying my lovely nutritionist a visit where i found out i have un-expectantly passed a minor health milestone, and if that wasn't great enough he continued on to inform me that i have "made his day" after gushing a few seconds on how we should slaughter something as a form of celebration. He was both adorable and motivating :)
So i left his office and decided i'll indulge my rare craving for something sweet by treating myself to a Starbucks double chocolate chip muffin - and it was so divine, the noises i made while eating it vaguely resemble those that Sally made in a restaurant with Harry in a scene often sencored from egyptian/arab TV.
Now one peek at eye candy and his even eye candier boyfriend and i'm off to bed to start my week again!

And here's what's even better - it's a two day week!