Weekend News Round-up: Egypt and Amira Haas

Article from the Egyptian Mail Newspaper mentioning Dennis Kucinich's wife, Amira Hass

The Egyptian Mail

"Dispatches from the front... lobby!

By Emad El-Din Aysha
A mixture of wonderful and terrible things have been happening in the intellectual war for Palestine which, as usual, the Westerners, Jews and Israelis have been fighting on our behalf more effectively than we ever do. A victim of the whole anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism shebang that - predictably - hasn't got any attention here is Norman Finklestein, who is being fought tooth and claw over tenure at his native DePaul University....


(Please see Reggie Dylan, “For Concerned Academics in Defense of Dissent and Critical Thinking in Academia”, criticalxthinking@yahoo.com)....

In fact, while I'm in recrimination mode I'd like to note that practically the only place in the Western world where you can be allowed to be anti-Zionist at the level of political organization, accusations of anti-Semitisim not withstanding, is Israel! ... As Amira Hass has documented and revealed, the reparation payments Germany has had to make to Holocaust survivors involve a proviso concerning whether they belong to the “circle of German culture” or not. (Please see Amira Hass, “The Holocaust as political asset”, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/ spages/849669.html). That is, non-Germanic Jews who were concentration camped in the Second World War get a measly 5 marks a day! And where is the Israeli Government on all this? They seem to be unconcerned because they see Holocaust survivors as second-class Jews!! Oh, and Amira Hass has no problem distinguishing anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism and is very critical of this deliberate association on the part of the Israelis and AIPAC, not to mention that she's quite capable of accusing Israel of increasingly becoming a Nazi state. On the other side of the world, the latest positive move comes from the Democrat presidential nominee, Dennis J. Kucinich, who proposes to impeach Vice-President Dick Cheney. (Please see Marie Horrigan, “Kucinich's Impeachment Proposal Takes Antiwar Stand to New Lengths”, Congressional Quarterly, April 24, 2007)."

Two articles from the Christian Science Monitor. One about a discussion between Egyptian and American students; The second article regards Egypt's war on child mortality, written by Jill Carroll who is now their correspondent living in Egypt.
Young Americans and Egyptians talk, but don't see eye to eye
From jihad to occupation – East and West define the basic terms of the Middle East debate differently.
By Dan Murphy


Egypt's child healthcare lessons
A 68 percent improvement in child mortality rates places Egypt second only to the Czech Republic in making progress caring for mothers and infants, a UN study shows.
By Jill Carroll | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor



Last, but not least, and most recent, The MEMRI Blog has several blurbs and a cartoon on Egyptian internal and regional politics. Anyone who's interested can go directly to the MEMRI Org. site, Egypt (Middle East Media Research Institute) for more news listings.

MEMRI describes itself:

"The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.

Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. MEMRI's headquarters is located in Washington, DC with branch offices in Berlin, London, Tokyo and Jerusalem. MEMRI research is translated to English, German, Hebrew, Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese."

They have listings for individual countries except those in N. Africa (Egypt is separate) and the Gulf Countries are grouped together. MEMRITV has interesting videos, including the one seen on MSNBC, A Mickey Mouse Character on Hamas TV Teaches Children about Islamic Rule of the World. Another titled, Saudi Women, Oppressed by Husbands, Turn to Stripping in Internet Chat Rooms in Search of Admiration. Don't worry folks, there's no skin shown in the videos - mainly just a throwing off of the veil. All the videos I've seen have English subtitles.

Funkengroovin Wednesday

Kudos!!!
To all the earnest VW owners of Egypt who keep their cars running.

From Behind


The Boss Man and I ran into a very cool van on Road 9. We just happened to be on our way to dinner. I was taking a photo of the van from behind, when the owner noticed and actually pulled over to talk to us. We showed him a photo of our '65 VW Beetle (on Boss Man's mobile) which caught on fire and just started talking. And the reason why I don't have photos of my van - for some reason, with this new Airport Extreme, we can't get photos printed anymore - thanks Apple!)






Full Frontal






















This van started out as an 81 aircooled. The owner, Hassan, added a home-made set of South African headlights along with a radiator and a carburated Golf 1800cc engine, thus converting it from an air-cooled to a water-cooled van.
Hassan made the new vent himself.

Homemade Vent

















He had the engine and cooling system done by a local VW service in Maadi, who specializes in these conversions. The Boss Man and I have passed through that street (where the specialist is located) several times, and hope to re-visit it to get some photos and possibly talk with the owner. Only problem is, it's in a very busy and crowded area near "crazy street" and, on top of that, we get lost a lot.

Engine
















Hassan, the owner of this van (in the photo below,) is very proud of his conversion. He built the roof-top rack himself and the van is hand painted. Hassan pointed out the tubes running up to the front to make sure we noticed. He says the van cruises at 120 kilometers per hour on the highway with the new engine - much better than before. Unfortunately there are few highways in Egypt where anyone would actually dare to drive that fast, lest they get killed. Yes, they do keep old cars running, but brakes- that's another matter. And in constant stop and go traffic, you tend to ride the clutch and the brakes, wearing them out pretty quickly. The police are always setting up surprise checkpoints, even on the highways. Yes, that means you come to a screeching halt and grab your papers. Besides that, in order to get anywhere around here, you have to, (as a friend said) "drive like a snake."

Hassan:


Hassan is a great guy and most VW owners we've met here are very proud of their cars. I hope to meet more people like Hassan to get a grip on exactly what they do to keep their cars going. It's sometimes a sordid story of survival, from what I hear, one we don't get to see back in the States, but something that sounds very entertaining! As one VW owner told us, it's a matter of looking at everything very closely, as owners and dealers of parts are very adept at trying to fool the buyer. Caveat emptor is the ingrained rule among owners and swappers of old VW's and accessories.
















I did find a site that provides links for Tom's VW Pages, Vanagon Engine Conversions, with the following description: Gas to Other Gas Engine Conversions
"Gasoline powered Vanagon owners typically have to choose between engine cooling methods. To convert to a water cooled from an air-cooled engine requires the addition of cooling hoses and a radiator. An interior heating system must be retrofitted to the Vanagon as well. If the Vanagon is already water-cooled, the existing cooling and interior heating system is plumbed to the new engine. Here are some pages that cover swaps from one gas powered engine to another." Warning - some of his links are kaput.

For those of you who are jealous, that you don't have an old van to tinker with, maybe this site will help with that:
BusSelecta.com - a site where you can actually design your own bus. Check out my VW links as there are two other sites for designing bugs, and also T3D's and Porsches.


Ahh, Cairo traffic. Here's a van stuck at a traffic circle, making me somewhat lucky. News is, my Nikon D70 is irreparable here in Cairo and will have to be sent back to Nikon in the States. Working with Boss Man's camera, which has a delayed start up and then another delayed photo reaction, causes me to loose lots of shots - unless they get stuck in traffic. Wait until June, when I get my new camera! - No more of this shit! After awhile, you get sick and tired of shooting the back end of - whatever.

Stuck.



The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian

Now, if we could just get more folks to take care of their VW's like the Egyptians do, then we'd be making some progress!

Profiles of Expats - The Sexually Strange, Creepy and Totally Naff - or - Would you like a happy ending with that?

This is the thirteenth (I went back and counted them all - okay, some are referential type posts) in a series on Profiles of Expats. I hope to show the good, the bad and the ugly side of expat personalities. You may know them, you may have seen them or you might be one yourself.

Disclaimer: I have lived as an American Expatriate for more than 10 years in several locations and come across numerous “characters” in my travels. However, this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Sexually Strange, Creepy and Totally Naff

Example: The Cuckold aka Hotwiffer – A nerd, stuck in the office all day, bored out of his mind, works with numbers or picks rocks. Is not that appealing himself, unless you are really desperate. Divorced and re-married to a younger wife. He thinks second wife is a trophy (you may disagree). Is upwardly mobile in the company or has “connections” to future fast tracked C.E.O. Practically has sex with wife over the table, during dinner at local jazz club (inappropriate mouth to mouth food swaps – or at least that’s what you think you can see.) Also enjoys rubbing her ass like a fetish, in public, but only just for show or to make everyone else so disgusted they leave. Let’s face it, they flaunt it and it’s nauseating! They created the reaction that led to the “Get a room!” quote. They both go into bathroom at parties, forever, hogging it up, doing who knows what, while making everybody else practically piss in their pants - obviously the quote was taken quite literally. Vain, whores out wife to get his own mojo working (what’s with that?) Not to be trusted, anally consumed with his own importance and status, but still naff. Will and has used wife to help get him out of internal corporate investigations; as bribes; and, quite possibly as “insurance.” (Don’t be surprised if she shows up at your hotel room one of these days.)

Has had plastic surgery and arrives at the office looking like a raccoon, but is at a loss to explain why. Has nudes of his wife strewn about the walls of the villa, even in the dining room (now that's really naff.) Eats out regularly. Shits where he works – or has his wife do it for him. Has been caught by wife in bed with the maid. Always home earlier than the others, packing up the S.U.V. for “family weekends." Makes movies, labeled “family holidays” of wife shagging other men, which he watches with friends. Friends think hotwife is about as friendly as a frozen Norwegian salmon. Takes trips to Thailand to sell said videos, to make even more interesting ones and to get “professional” help. Most recent skin flick set in desert tent with Bedouins and camels. Sexually harassing at work. Gets up close and personal. Says, “did you miss me daaling” and pecks female staff on the cheek. Female co-workers think he’s “creepy.” Has to reassess affectionate, but disturbing attitude towards Muslim female staff out of fear of a family revenge killing. Can be seen on the balcony, roof terrace, back-yard, anywhere, anyplace showing off his artistic abilities filming his wife engaging in sex with other men.

Favorite saying, “I would like you to shag my wife... but I get to watch.” (No sloppy seconds here – he carries a treasure trove of rubbers with him.)

Favorite spectator sport: fornication.

Sexually Strange and Creepy Wife aka The Hotty aka The Tart aka Hotwife - whores for her husband, a “Class Act,” and vain to boot. Has had a boob job and plastic surgery. Trots her yin-yang around all over town. Spends more on her underwear than she does on her overwear (La Perla’s her favorite). Habitually outfitted in “chemise” style dresses (possibly commando), 4 inch stiletto heels and has the calves to prove she’s experienced at street walking in them (that or she had calf implants during her ex-pat days in South America); and has a skinny droopy ass (gravity works that way). Unmistakably a skanky hussy, in need of "what not to wear" advice. A streetwalking past is highly suspected due to her taste in men, her attire, and the fact that she can be heard humming, “Don’t Cha (wish your girlfriend was raw like me).” Not to be trusted, class sensitivity even though she may not be British- (Euro trash – or possibly, American y'all.) Sucks up to anyone she thinks can help her husband be more suckessful (oops!). Kids too young for her to be considered a “MILF”. What a “Happy Ending”.


Hotwife's Famous saying, “darling, does fucking this Arab make my bum look bigger?”

Favorite sport: Cali-fornication.