There seems to be a contest going on at infowars.com to make a video of people posting these racist posters of President Obama where ever possible.
To quote them: "In order to awaken the people about Obama’s agenda, Alex is organizing a contest centered around the “Obama as Joker” poster that has Democrats and Obamanoids going ballistic."
Here's the local version below:
Fortunately others, who apparently have a surplus of the HealthCare '09 bumper stickers, thwarted them. 
After the Obama speech, we found all roads led to nowhere - well, nowhere we needed to be. (Thank goodness we took a map of Cairo. VB recommends Cairo, The Practical Guide, Maps, as it has the best map of Maadi, as well. Most maps ignore Maadi.) There was only one road available to pedestrians, and so many of us ended up there. The Boss Man and VB finally got to Bahi al-Din Barakat, where we found all the VW Buses in the video below. We turned onto al-Haram, as The Boss Man thought we could walk over 'Abbas Bridge to meet our driver on The Nile Corniche. At that point with major exhaustion setting in, jet lag, and in 95 degrees heat (at least - that's what VB's thermometer, back at the apartment in the shade, read), VB said, "no f-ing way."
All they had that morning was coffee. VB watched as the guards at the Obama speech threw bottles of water into trash cans. Water was not available for sale. If you wanted to go to the bathroom, you'd end back up at square one, bickering with the guards and auditorium personnel in order to get readmitted. So, most of us were left parched, and bloated.
Weeks ago, when we heard Obama was coming to Cairo, The Boss Man asked Number One Son (who worked for the campaign a year and a half) of the possibility of being able to attend. As VB packed her bags, back in the States on Monday, she thought, "Should I take something nice to wear?" Then the thought occurred to her, that if it were to be, she would already know. Obama would be speaking three days later, and you'd think she'd know by now. So, no she did not pack anything nice.
Tuesday afternoon after being dropped off at Boston Logan and checking in, The Boss Man called and said, "We got in." Gee, that's nice - what to wear, what to wear! VB was so excited she couldn't sleep on the flight to Frankfurt. Normally, the combination of antihistamines for ear pain, and the alcohol at dinner make her pass out. Not on this flight. She was too psyched!
VB arrived in Cairo Wednesday afternoon, with a few short naps on both legs of the flight. Just a note, she had to fill out a card with name, address and phone number in Cairo, and then get photographed with a thermal device, before she could get her bags, to make sure she didn't have H1N1. (Isn't that panic passe' by now?)
VB promised herself a good night's sleep, as it was planned to leave at 8:00 AM to avoid traffic and the mad rush to get in to the hall. According to the invite, "Doors open at 10am." And on a typed note enclosed, "For security reason, please arrive by 10:30 a.m. Late arrivals are not guaranteed entry." Hmm - a half an hour to admit everyone, and in Cairo. Who TF are they kidding!?
We arrived around 8:30 AM to much emptiness. Our driver dropped us off in front of the gate to Cairo University. Below, the rotunda (that's what VB's calling it), as we enter. There was security at the gate, just like airport security. At the door of the rotunda, more security. Invite and IDs were checked and double checked. Since the idiot who filled out our invite used our nicknames, and proceeded to spell our last name wrong, the Egyptian guard had us wait to confirm our nicknames were really short names for what our passports had. Then inside, another security clearance, just like the first. This time we had to turn on our cameras to show they worked. Fortunately VB had the photo below as proof, and convinced The Boss Man to take a photo, as well. Security was uber high.
We heard the speech would be given at 12:10 PM. We were in the hall just a bit after 8:30 AM. Bored we started to take photos of just about anything. This is the dome, which is beautiful.
(Below): You can see how empty the place is. All those suits are security. We were told to sit on the left. VB picked the first row, back left, and began to sit on the aisle, when she was told that was for security. They immediately hustled one of the dudes from the front to sit there. The man behind him, also security, gave VB the stink eye every time she took a photo.
(Below): Just a bit after 9:00 AM the center starts to fill. Not sure how they designated seating, but eventually a few late comers got left out (and pissed.)
(Below): The back first level balcony was filled with the pros. We just kept an eye on them to tell where the action would be taking place.
(Below): After hours of waiting, the Presidential Seal arrives, and is put in place - perfectly. (Anal retentiveness pays off - sometimes.)
(Below): 1:00 PM, Robert Gibbs, Obama's Press Secretary peeks out from the side stage. We were sitting next to two other Americans (most likely we were the only white faces on the ground floor), and speculated that Obama would enter from the side stage, and walk to the main stage - you know, for a much grander entrance. Besides, Gibbs is pointing. You have to wonder, is he talking to Obama and showing him the path from the side stage to the main stage.
(Below): A few minutes later the White House Staff shows up, and just after Hillary makes her entrance. As VB took the photos, she noticed that no one in the audience noticed what was taking place. Of course, we know who Gibbs, Axelrod, and Rahm are. Most of the audience members - probably not.
(Below): While everyone gave Hillary a standing ovation, Obama enters. Here's he's into his speech. Unfortunately, at this point, VB was pretty wiped out. The excitement, lack of breakfast, and jet lag begin to st in. Yes, she heard the speech, and tried desperately not to fall over sideways into The Boss Man, from jet lag induced sleep. How can this happen? One of the most important speeches ever, and VB is almost comatose?
(Below): After the speech, a standing ovation, waves, and the "Obama" mantra got a start, but never really got going.
(Below): The limos stretched long and wide, line up for those worthy. Diplomats had to line up near the gate for their cars.
(Below): Protesters outside the gates.
(Below): Since the road rules changed from pre-speech to post-speech, chaos ensues. No cars are admitted into the area. The road we planned on taking on our walk to meet our driver was closed to pedestrians, as well. We were not the only ones left without a ride.
(Below): The police barricade. VB is starting to think that every young Egyptian man dreams of one day becoming an officer. There seemed to be more police, and security personnel than attendees.
(Below): As we begin our trek to meet our driver, VB takes another shot of the rotunda.
(Below): Buses of all sizes line up to gather their passengers.
This is not the end of our trek. VB will try to compile a slide show of the end - Inshallah. And, no, VB will not provide opinions or commentary on the speech. Unless you're living in outer space you have either heard, seen, or read it for yourself, and can make up your own minds. VB is just thankful that we now have a president who can speak proper English, is intelligent, understands complex matters, and believes diplomacy trumps military might. BTW, for more photos, go to VB's flickr set.
Sorry for the long pause in blogging. Number One Son got VB involved in some hard work around the house in Connecticut, plus traveling on Tuesday - Wednesday does have it's downside, particularly when you promise a weekly Wednesday blog. Blame it on The Boss Man (he booked the tickets).
(Below 2 Photos): Pink Beetle shell near a repair shop.
(Below 2 Photos): Shiny blue Beetle at a repair shop.
(Below): The shiny blue Beetle's engine.
(Below): Brazilian?
(Below): Dash and steering wheel.
(Below 2 Photos): Front end and rear interior close up shots.
(Below): Up the street, a Bus.
(Below 2 Photos): Up on a parking area, near a U-Turn sits the apparent dumping spot, for cars with serious injuries. Makes you wonder how and if, the drivers and passengers survived.
NEWS: 
ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
EGYPT:
In the desert, where nothing really matters, and everything matters
"Egypt really is a logic-free zone," said Amr Shannon, the desert guide whose five-car caravan was released after an officer finally acknowledged the obvious.
"When you go to the sea, you get prepared; you will pack your towel, your bathing suit," he said in an interview in his apartment. "When you go skiing, you pack skis. Now you are coming to Egypt; get prepared for it as well. If you expect logic to prevail, you will find your intelligence insulted 200 times a day."
Over the weekend, the Cairo airport police confiscated an entire suitcase packed with "at least" 250 baby crocodiles, chameleons, and snakes -- including (again, at least) one cobra. The passenger, a 22-year-old man from Saudi Arabia, claimed he had no idea it was illegal to bring reptiles in an ordinary suitcase on a commercial flight, adding that he was bringing the specimens to a Saudi university for experiments.
CAIRO - Egyptian police are holding a woman who conducted a near-fatal circumcision on a young girl, a widely-condemned practice the authorities are trying to stamp out, the press reported on Friday.
The victim, Naglaa Khamis, went into a coma and suffered severe haemorrhaging after the removal of part of her genitals, but was saved after being taken to hospital by her parents.
Police took the woman who carried out the mutilation in Minya, south of Cairo, into custody.
Female circumcision can cause death through haemorrhaging and later complications during childbirth. It also carries risks of infection, urinary tract problems and mental trauma.
Religious leaders, usually silent on taboos relating to female sexuality, have also started to speak out against the practice, which many Egyptians believe is a duty under Islam and Christianity.
CAIRO -- A 13-year-old Egyptian girl has died during an illegal operation to mutilate her genitalia, the Al Masri Al Yom daily reported Saturday.
A government survey in 2000 said the practice was carried out on 97 percent of the country's women aged between 15 and 45 years of age.
Religious leaders, usually silent on taboos relating to female sexuality, have also started to speak out against the practice, which many Egyptians believe is a duty under Islam and Christianity.
After the death of Shaker, chief mufti Ali Gomaa declared female circumcision forbidden under Islam.
Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, the sheikh of Al Azhar university, the top Sunni Muslim authority, and Coptic Patriarch Chenouda III also declared it had "no foundation in the religious texts" of either Islam or Christianity.
"Students are having these conversations all hours of the day and night outside of class," says Professor Sawhill. Her students have spoken in Arabic to their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and in Spanish with students in Mexico. (Webcams are optional at Oberlin.)
Instructors say the conversations often spark students' interest in international issues, which they see as important at a time when Americans are accused of not being interested in the rest of the world.
Instructors like Coffey say language exchanges via Skype have the potential to fling wide OPEN the doors of cross-cultural communication.
"What's happening now is that people are just getting their feet wet," she says. "As time goes on, just like e-mail, this will be at the forefront of all of our methodologies."
“The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” is not even in bookstores, but already anxieties have surfaced about the backlash it is stirring.
“Now that the cold war is over, Israel has become a strategic liability for the United States,” they write. “Yet no aspiring politician is going to say so in public or even raise the possibility” because the pro-Israel lobby is so powerful. They credit the lobby with shutting down talks with Syria and with moderates in Iran, preventing the United States from condemning Israel’s 2006 war in Lebanon and with not pushing the Israelis hard enough to come to an agreement with the Palestinians. They also discuss Christian Zionists and the issue of dual loyalty.
“One of the points we make in the book is that this is a subject that’s very hard to talk about,” Mr. Walt said in an interview from his office in Cambridge. “Organizations, no matter how strong their commitment to free speech, don’t want to schedule something that’s likely to cause controversy.”
Overall Mr. Mearsheimer said he thinks the response to their views will be “less ferocious than last time, because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make the argument in a convincing way that anyone who criticizes the lobby or Israel is an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew.” Both Mr. Mearsheimer and Mr. Walt pointed to the growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, criticism of Israel’s war in Lebanon and the publication of former President Jimmy Carter’s book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” as making it somewhat easier to criticize Israel openly.
The changes may violate Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest guidelines, a spokeswoman for the site said on Thursday.Who else has been editing information related specifically to them thus creating a conflict of interest? FOX News.
The program, WikiScanner, was developed by Virgil Griffith of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico and posted this month on a Web site that was quickly overwhelmed with searches.
The program allows users to track the source of computers used to make changes to the popular Internet encyclopedia where anyone can submit and edit entries.
It violates Wikipedia's neutrality guidelines for a person with close ties to an issue to contribute to an entry about it, said spokeswoman Sandy Ordonez of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia's parent organization.
However, she said, "Wikipedia is self-correcting," meaning misleading entries can be quickly revised by another editor. She said Wikimedia welcomed the WikiScanner.
WikiScanner can be found at wikiscanner.virgil.gr/
China is investing heavily in poor African countries like Chad, raising Western concerns.
To some critics, the answer is clear. “China’s no-strings-attached approach is problematic, particularly if its effect, if not its intent, is to undermine others’ efforts to change situations on the ground,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Often what is happening,” he added, “is underwriting of repression.”
But Limassou Saleh, a community organizer in Bongor, said he was deeply skeptical. “Chad is maybe the most corrupt country in the world,” Mr. Saleh said. “We have a long history of human rights violations, of lack of transparency, of exploitation. China has a reputation for corruption. They are one of the worst human rights abusers. They have no record of transparency. What would we want with a country like that? Only to make our own problems worse.”
Crandall Canyon mine owner Robert Murray is fond of saying he cares deeply for his workers and "takes their safety to bed every night."
But his record at one Illinois mine in particular might cause some lost sleep.
Murray's Galatia mine in southern Illinois racked up at least 2,787 violations and more than $2.4 million in proposed fines from the Mine Safety and Health Administration over a two-year span, according to government records. That includes more than $1.4 million in proposed fines already this year.
In June, in a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Murray angrily defended his company's safety record when it was challenged by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
"My employees are important to me and I take their safety to bed every night," Murray said, waving his finger at Boxer. "My safety record today is one of the best in the coal industry."
Along the way, Murray has also become a major political player. Murray Energy ranks among the coal industry’s major donors to federal candidates. Since 1996, Murray has contributed nearly $1 million, most of it to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Murray has also not hesitated to make use of those political connections.
In May 2002, two U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration officials were transferred after they clashed with Murray over inspections at the company's Maple Creek Mine in western Pennsylvania.
Later, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported that Murray warned MSHA officials in Morgantown that the same thing would happen to them if they didn't let up on inspections at his Powhatan No. 6 Mine in Belmont County, Ohio.
"Mitch McConnell calls me one of the five finest men in America, and the last I checked, he was sleeping with your boss,” Murray told the MSHA officials, according to meeting notes cited by public broadcasting. McConnell, a Republican U.S. senator from Kentucky, is married to U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, whose department includes MSHA.
After that meeting with Murray, MSHA Morgantown district manager Tim Thompson was transferred.
Vagabondblogger is returning to Cairo, Egypt. Number 1 son and Doggie are going, as well.
The Nevada Democratic debate, which was to be hosted by FOX News has been cancelled. John Edwards pulled out of the debate earlier this week, 250,000 signatures were gathered in protest and the leadership of the Democratic Party (Harry Reid) voiced their concerns, forcing the Nevada Democratic Party to cancel the show, so-to-speak. Of course, FOX is now claiming the Democratic Party has been taken over by extremists. An article in the New York Times quotes FOX Chairman Roger Ailes making a joke about Obama on Thursday, where he compares him to Osama bin Laden. This is the straw that broke the camel's back and at this point the Nevada Democrats had had enough of FOX's "fair and balanced" take on Obama.
Roger Ailes: “It is true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don’t know if it’s true that President Bush called Musharraf and said, ‘Why can’t we catch this guy?’”
A new Expat Profile will be published in a few days.
Fox News attacks Obama - this is a must see mix of Fox News attacks on Barak Obama. This video is great.
