Egypt Today ..

EGYPT'S COUP, OR NOT? The events in Egypt today have put the country on a path towards a very insecure future. President Morsi has been ousted by the military forces who have formally declared their commitment to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media, wasting no time undermining their own claims by immediately closing down three local TV stations that were affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, even arresting the crew of the Misr25 channel. General al-Sisi stated that the armed forces have responded to the cries for help of the Egyptian people, and in a sense they have. Without the support of the military the masses on the street could never have ousted the increasingly authoritarian Morsi. Even now, the former president refuses to admit his loss and has released a statement in which he asks the people to reject the military coup d'état and asks the population not to respond to it - oblivious to the millions and millions of exuberant Egyptians flocking the streets as we speak. In order to prevent an irreparable rupture from dividing Egyptian society, the army has to make clear that there is a future for the Muslim Brotherhood within political arena, but fears are that it is already too late. Reports of clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi, and attacks from both camps feed fears of a civil conflict. At the time it is impossible to say whether we have witnessed a coup d'état by the Egyptian military, it all depends on which route they will take from here. If they abide by the rules set out by their 'roadmap', all could end well. If, however, they will be corrupted by the taste of power they have now experienced, and decide to demand a larger piece of the national pie (of which they already own 25%!) the revolutionary story of Egypt is all but over.

via Roar Magazine

Egypt Update

NOW: Hundreds of thousands gather in front of the Presidential Palace in Cairo, as the armed forces give Morsi's government a 48-hour ultimatum to "meet the demands of the people". Egyptian TV stations are now showing the countdown on their broadcasts. Army helicopters flew over Cairo earlier carrying Egyptian and army flags. We may be witnessing the early stirrings of a military coup (albeit one with fairly widespread popular support).

LIVESTREAM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbL_q1i7-Pk

For more background, visit ROAR: 'Millions take to the streets in Egypt’s biggest protest ever'.

http://roarmag.org/2013/07/egypt-tahrir-revolution-biggest-protest-ever/

We Are Egypt .. And We Are Angry ..

Mohamed Raouf Ghoneim

Dear friends - chers amis - liebe Freunde - cari amici - queridos amigos. To everyone around the world - from EGYPT:

We Egyptians are hitting the streets today SIMPLY because we have decided that we will not let Egypt become another Iran or Afghanistan, or even Saudi Arabia or any other country. Egypt is Egypt, and we decided that it will always stay Egypt. We will stay peaceful cheerful humble loving human beings. We will stay Moslems and Christians, living side by side in peace and harmony. And our country will remain a place where human beings are FREE to wear as they wish, FREE to act as they wish, FREE to pray as they wish, FREE to play as they wish. We Egyptians believe that God created us FREE, and that we must fight till the day we die, to remain FREE. 

That's why we Egyptians have decided TODAY - June 30th 2013 - that we will not be ruled anymore by the religious fascist regime of Mohamed Morsi and his Moslem Brotherhood. 

And just so you know who and what we are up against, we are fighting against a regime that wants a radicalized society and seeks a fanatic religious orientation for our country as a first step towards their goal which they openly call world domination. 
We are fighting against a regime that uses poverty and ignorance to mislead poor Egyptians to believe their lie that they are the representatives of Islam in the global war to defend it against the bad infidel Western Christian world. 
We are fighting against a regime that believes in political assassinations as a way of reaching goals, and which has killed many politicians and public figures and writers and thinkers because they tried to liberate minds and steer Egyptians away from extremism and ignorance.
We are fighting against a regime that has its fingers even in your own home country and has spread its influence to reach your politicians and your presidents, so that they ignore everything they know about them and consider them legitimate, thus handing us over to them, and putting you also in direct danger of their terrorist acts, right at your back door. 
We are fighting against a regime that has been involved in terrorist acts and bombings and mass slaughter and killings from Barcelona to London to New York to Madrid to Berlin as well as right here at home in Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo and Luxor - each time murdering and massacring innocent defenseless civilians for their filthy cause. 

We don't expect this to be easy at all, but we will take this fight till the bitter end. And no matter what pictures the media show you, be sure that our EGYPTIAN revolution started peaceful, and will stay peaceful all the way, and no matter what those terrorists in power are planning to do to fight us, we will stand still with no arms in hand but our bare fists, and no weapons in our bags but our belief in freedom, and our determination to reach our aim only through PEACEFUL RESISTANCE. 

So dear friends, now that you know what's happening in my country, please please spread the word about us, and PRAY FOR US, that is all we ask of you. Thank you and GOD BLESS ALL.

A proud EGYPTIAN

Report from Egypt

There are reports that Tahrir Square is now completely packed, with all side streets jammed with people, even before the major marches have arrived.

Egypt is witnessing without a doubt the single biggest popular mobilization since the initial uprising that overthrew Mubarak in January and February 2011 -- even though it is being challenged by massive counter-demonstrations of Islamists in Nasr City in East Cairo and elsewhere. So far, the demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, in contrast to the violence of the past days.

RT LiveStream here: http://rt.com/on-air/opposition-rally-egypt-morsi/

From Taksim to Tahrir, from Bulgaria to Brazil

From Taksim to Tahrir, from Bulgaria to Brazil, we fight the same struggle against oppressive state structures that benefit only a tiny wealthy elite ...

Open letter by the Egyptian activist collective ‘Comrades from Cairo’.

To you at whose side we struggle,

June 30 will mark a new stage of rebellion for us, building on what started on January 25 and 28, 2011. This time we rebel against the reign of the Muslim Brotherhood that has brought only more of the same forms of economic exploitation, police violence, torture and killings.

References to the coming of “democracy” have no relevance when there is no possibility of living a decent life with any signs of dignity and decent livelihood. Claims of legitimacy through an electoral process distract from the reality that in Egypt our struggle continues because we face the perpetuation of an oppressive regime that has changed its face but maintains the same logic of repression, austerity and police brutality. The authorities maintain the same lack of any accountability towards the public, and positions of power translate into opportunities to increase personal power and wealth.

June 30 renews the Revolution’s scream: “The People Want the Fall of the System”. We seek a future governed neither by the petty authoritarianism and crony capitalism of the Brotherhood nor a military apparatus which maintains a stranglehold over political and economic life nor a return to the old structures of the Mubarak era. Though the ranks of protesters that will take to the streets on June 30 are not united around this call, it must be ours — it must be our stance because we will not accept a return to the bloody periods of the past.

Though our networks are still weak we draw hope and inspiration from recent uprisings especially across Turkey and Brazil. Each is born out of different political and economic realities, but we have all been ruled by tight circles whose desire for more has perpetuated a lack of vision of any good for people. We are inspired by the horizontal organization of the Free Fare Movement founded in Bahía, Brazil in 2003 and the public assemblies spreading throughout Turkey.

In Egypt, the Brotherhood only adds a religious veneer to the process, while the logic of a localized neo-liberalism crushes the people. In Turkey a strategy of aggressive private-sector growth, likewise translates into authoritarian rule, the same logic of police brutality as the primary weapon to oppress opposition and any attempts to envision alternatives. In Brazil a government rooted in a revolutionary legitimacy has proven that its past is only a mask it wears while it partners with the same capitalist order in exploiting people and nature alike.

These recent struggles share in the fight of much older constant battles of the Kurds and the indigenous peoples of Latin America. For decades, the Turkish and Brazilian governments have tried but failed to wipe out these movements’ struggle for life. Their resistance to state repression was the precursor to the new wave of protests that have spread across Turkey and Brazil. We see an urgency in recognizing the depth in each other’s struggles and seek out forms of rebellion to spread into new spaces, neighborhoods and communities.

Our struggles share a potential to oppose the global regime of nation states. In crisis as in prosperity, the

state — in Egypt under the rule of Mubarak, the Military Junta or the Muslim Brotherhood — continues to dispossess and disenfranchise in order to preserve and expand the wealth and privilege of those in power.

None of us are fighting in isolation. We face common enemies from Bahrain, Brazil and Bosnia, Chile, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Tunisia, Sudan, the Western Sahara and Egypt. And the list goes on. Everywhere they call us thugs, vandals, looters and terrorists. We are fighting more than economic exploitation, naked police violence or an illegitimate legal system. It is not rights or reformed citizenship that we fight for.

We oppose the nation-state as a centralized tool of repression, that enables a local elite to suck the life out of us and global powers to retain their dominion over our everyday lives. The two work in unison with bullets and broadcasts and everything in between. We are not advocating to unify or equate our various battles, but it is the same structure of authority and power that we have to fight, dismantle, and bring down. Together, our struggle is stronger.

We want the downfall of the System.

Comrades from Cairo

via  Roar Magazine

Love and Life

A lovely story – Very Very Touching !!! 

This story tells us something about LOVE & LIFE .. How our expectations can be a mismatch if we are not ready to listen and understand ..

My husband is S/W Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders ..

Two years of courtship and now, five years into marriage, I would have to admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of me loving him before, has now transformed into the cause of all my restlessness ..

I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a relationship and my feelings. I yearn for the romantic moments,like a little girl yearning for candy.
My husband is my complete opposite; his lack of sensitivity, and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage has disheartened me about LOVE.

One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a divorce.“Why?” he asked, shocked. “I am tired .. There are no reasons for everything in the world!” I answered. He kept silent the whole night, seemingly in deep thought .. My feeling of disappointment only increased. Here was a man who was not able to even express his predicament, so what else could I expect from him?

 

And finally he asked me: “What can I do to change your mind? ”

Somebody said it right… It`s hard to change a person`s personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.

Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered: “Here is the question. If you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind. Let`s say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death. Will you do it for me?” He said: “I will give you your answer tomorrow…. ”

My hopes just sank by listening to his response. I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes …. My dear, “I would not pick that flower for you, but….please allow me to explain the reasons further…..This first line was already breaking my heart .. I continued reading ..

“When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs, and you cry in front of the screen. I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs.

You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you.

You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city. I have to save my eyes to show you the way.

You always have the cramps whenever your “good friend” approaches every month. I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy.

You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom.

You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes. I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand…and tell you the colour of flowers, just like the colour of the glow on your young face …

Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do… I could not pick that flower yet, and die … ”

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting. .. and as I continue on reading… “Now, that you have finished reading my answer, and if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk…

I rushed to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread …. 

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone … That`s LIFE, and LOVE.

When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness .. Love shows up in all forms; even in very small and cheeky forms .. It has never been a model .. It could be the dullest and most boring form … Flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands … AND THAT`S LIFE .. So what are you cribbing and complaining in life .. find the best in your partners, appreciate and acknowledge it … today … now.

God’s Cake

"When God doesn't do what we want it's not easy; it never has been and it never will be. Faith is the conviction that God knows more than us ... and he'll get us through. Disappointment is caused by unmet expectations ... and it's cured by revamped expectations. Don't panic ... don't give up ... be patient ... God is in control."-Max Lucado

 We've all experienced disappointment in our lives and inevitably will experience disappointments in the future ...  But in those disappointments are lessons to be learned, wisdom to be unlocked, and believe-it-or-not ... opportunities in disguise. Disappointments can help us to grow if we allow God to reveal His purpose and if we trust that He will reveal His plan to us in perfect time ... It's important that we don't let ourselves get stuck in our disappointment by allowing bitterness and resentment to replace our hope and trust in GOD. How we respond to disappointments greatly determines the ultimate outcome ...

Sometimes we wonder ..,

 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?'

Here is an explanation! 

Just because we can’t figure out what God’s doing right now, doesn’t mean it won’t make sense later .. This story explains this ..

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she’s failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the Daughter says, ‘Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.’

‘Here, have some cooking oil,’ her Mother offers.

‘How about a couple raw eggs?’  ’Gross, Mom!’Yuck’ says her daughter.

‘‘Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?’

‘Mom, those are all yucky!’

To which the mother replies :

‘Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!’ 

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God loves us .. He sends us flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning …Whenever we want to talk, He’ll listen .. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart .. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance …