lbMusings

A Picture of Democracy

“Yay, democracy!” the news said. “Egyptians are finally getting their chance to vote in free and fair elections!” Photographs on the news showed long lines of Egyptians patiently waiting to cast their ballots, and voters proudly displaying their purple, inked fingers for the cameras. These photos, and the mainstream new media’s reporting of the elections, only tell a very small portion of the story, however. Despite a few hiccups of violence and ballot-rigging, Egypt is well on its way toward democracy! That’s how the story goes, at least. But Egypt will be a democracy only in name so long as the parliament has no control over the constitution and the military budget.

In the scads of criticism thrown at SCAF, the military’s enormous economic power is often overlooked. We focus (as we should) mostly on the military’s most egregious violations that produce knee-jerk reactions, like violence against unarmed protesters, torture, and detention of activists. However, it is the military’s economic power and desire to hold onto this economic stability that is perhaps the largest factor in SCAF’s continued grasp on power. And yet, few people discuss this.

Last week SCAF’s Major General Mahmoud Nasr announced that the army will loan $1 billion (USD) to the central bank, which is struggling with plunging foreign reserves. $1 billion! To put that in perspective, the U.S. government gives $1.3 billion of aid to the Egyptian military annually. This is a massive amount of money for SCAF to have at its fingertips. The fact that SCAF has $1 billion in liquid assets at its disposal raises the question: how much of the Egyptian economy does the military really own and control? The lack of transparency makes it impossible to ascertain an exact figure, but the answer could be summed up as “A LOT!” The military owns vast swaths of empty land, farms, highways, housing developments, schools, hotels, factories, and much more. In the end, it won’t be because of SCAF’s affinity for detaining activists or censoring the news media or suffocating protesters with tear gas that SCAF will refuse to cede power. It will be because of the military leadership’s fear of losing their livelihoods and the stability that this economic preponderance has guaranteed them. The military will go, but not because of elections. SCAF needs a bigger shove. And the revolution continues.

Resurrection.

Very soon I will resurrect this blog. (You know, like what happened in the Bible.) Perhaps over time this blog will acquire some sort of unified theme…but then again, probably not.

Thoughts on Helvetica.

I’m at home with ample time on my hands and yesterday discovered the goldmine that is Netflix documentaries! There are so many documentaries available to stream on Netflix.com, so I am trying to briefly pull myself away from Friday Nights Lights (best show on television, by the way) because I’m dreading the day that I will have to watch the FNL series finale.

Helvetica, directed by Gary Hustwit, is a film about graphic design, typography and its history, and, more specifically, the font Helvetica. (I don’t think the word ‘font’ was ever used in the film, actually. It must be a bad word according to graphic designers and typographers, but I use it for those who don’t know what the hell typeface means).

A documentary about typography may seem boring to many, but I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of the world through a graphic designer’s eyes and observing the typographers’ almost frenzied excitement when they discussed Helvetica or their personal fav font.

Helvetica revealed how typography affects us in very real ways – it can determine whether or not we decide to walk into a particular store, or how we view a company. One person who was interviewed insisted that large companies use Helvetica in their literature because it is a neutral, official looking typeface – thus portraying these companies as accountable, socially responsible, not overbearing.

Soon after Helvetica was created, there was a quick and dramatic shift in the early to mid 1950s and suddenly everyone was using Helvetica. What started as a new and innovative typeface has now become default and ubiquitous. Despite that, nobody has yet created a better, or more popular typeface. Many of those interviewed spoke with the complete conviction that Helvetica is perfection and could not fathom a typeface that could be better.

Next I want a movie about Comic Sans, if only to see typographers’ looks of disgust and disdain when asked about it. One designer said she was – and I quote – “morally opposed to Helvetica.” I wonder what she possible would have to say about COMIC SANS.

Anyway, I definitely recommend checking out this film. I’m also looking forward to Urbanized, a film by the same director: http://urbanizedfilm.com/about/.

The first few days of the protests and that time when Mubarak got confused and didn’t resign

Well, clearly my post from two weeks ago about the January 25^th protests was slightly, just slightly, wrong. I’m not going to re-cap all the events of the past two weeks as you can and should follow it at Al-Jazeera English (http://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish)

– it’s been offering excellent coverage in comparison to anything else I’ve seen. Today was a disappointing day – Mubarak was widely expected to step down but when he finally gave his speech, he just announced a series of constitutional amendments and passed some powers to Omar Suleiman. It was a long-winded speech full of many, many words but without much of a point. And it was as if Mubarak had not heard the one demand of the people – that he LEAVE – and he confusingly referred to himself as one of the Egyptian people, as if he himself were part of the crowds in Tahrir. Overall a confusing and infuriating speech. It has provided yet another impetus for tomorrow’s protests, which will surely be massive.

I have no idea what the logic behind today’s announcement was because the only thing it has done is incense the protesters and well, pretty much everyone.

Mubarak may be that out of touch, but surely his advisors aren’t. There must be some sort of master plan. Hopefully it will fail.

Anyway.

Below are some pictures taken out of my apartment window and while wandering around my neighborhood – Sayyida Zeinab – from the beginning days of the demonstrations.

At the corner of my street - Molotov cocktail.

January 28 - Various fires that continued burning throughout the night.

The next morning I took a walk around my neighborhood to see what was going on and figure out the source of the fires that were so near to our apartment.

I found the Sayyida Zeinab police station burned to a crisp, and one of the upstairs rooms was still on fire.

According to a bystander, the fire was started by demonstrators to release other demonstrators who were detained inside the station. I found out later that pretty much every police station in Cairo had been burned to the ground.

A crowd was gathered around the station, just watching it burn. A few men (“looters”?) were running in and out of the station, carrying desks, chairs, etc.

In front of the police station, there was a parking lot full of cars, all completely burned. The same guy claimed that there were all police cars, but I’m not sure about that.

Here of some pictures of the views from my apartment:

These pictures were taken on January 30, after the air had mostly been cleared of tear gas and smoke. That sky may look gray to you, but after a few months of living in Cairo that is BLUE. It was some of the nicest weather Cairo had seen in a while - warm and sunny.

Sobia

A review that I wrote on the sobia place just across the street from my apartment.

http://www.cairo360.com/article/caf%C3%A9s/1456/el-rahmani-delicious-sobya-in-sayeda-zeinab/

Beirut buildings

When wandering around Beirut, don’t forget to look UP! The city’s architecture and buildings are fascinating. Some were destroyed by the war, or have fallen into complete disrepair, or in some bougie, revitalized areas of town brand new buildings stand next to dilapidated ones. Some photos that I took in April 2009 and November 2010 -

(Above: This building is at AUB.)

January 25: the “Day” of Revolution (but not a revolution)

Today, January 25, is Police Day. In reality, most days are Police Days in Egypt but I nonetheless appreciate the day off work. This holiday commemorates the police resistance against the British in 1952 where 41 police were killed. More broadly, it is just a celebration of the Egyptian National Police.

Sparked largely in part by the revolution in Tunisia, anti-government protests have been planned and are taking place today throughout Cairo (Wust el-Balad, Shubra, Maadi, etc) and other parts of the country. Several metro stations and streets downtown have been closed.

Here is the Facebook event page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115372325200575&notif_t=event_invite

“Day of revolution against torture, poverty, corruption, and unemployment.”

Note the 32,000 who are “maybe attending.”

For live updates, follow http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/4773.aspx and the Twitter hashtag #Jan25.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have turned out, but up until this point things have remained under control. We will see what develops as the day goes on…

The lead up to these protests has garnered much media attention here, with the general consensus being that they will not amount to a revolution – or anything close. The analysis as to why this is the case is depressing and often, in my opinion, misses the mark. I’ve read plenty of articles that directly or indirectly put the blame on the people – i.e. that the Egyptian people are willing to accept the current situation, are unwilling to risk their lives to revolt, etc etc, whereas the Tunisians were more committed to change and willing to go to any extreme to get it. The blame, however, should be place solely on the Egyptian government. The fact that almost nobody believes that a revolution could occur right now shows how effective the regime is, and how people have internalized its authoritarianism. It isn’t at all reflection on Egyptians themselves (or at least it shouldn’t be).

The Tunisia case shows us that economic growth isn’t enough to keep people appeased. Tunisia’s per-capita income is much higher than most other Arab countries and until recently it was experiencing some of the highest economic growth in the region. It also, however, suffers from a dismal human rights & political freedoms situation and an incredibly closed news media. The news media in Egypt is also heavily censored – but not to Tunisia’s extent. Opposition newspapers at least exist here, and this benefits the government in that it allows them to gauge public discontent, when and why protests break out, etc. Basically, the authoritarianism in Tunisia was not nearly as deeply-rooted as it is in Egypt. Tunisia’s authoritarian government wasn’t effective enough and Egypt’s is, at least for the time being.

Edited to add: Twitter is now blocked here ?!!!!

Kitties.

Kashmar (RIP) and Luna (before he got Fat).

Baby Lunzzzz.

“Living on the edge” Photo by JWW.
Luna got a little tulsti.

Gym culture

I’ve started going to the gym on a (semi-) regular basis. My friend moved back to the states and sold me her gym membership at a very nice price (thanks, Ali!) Now I bring my gym clothes and shoes to work a few times a week so I can head to the gym right after I get off work - my colleagues are fascinated. When I first told them I joined a gym, their response was “but, why?” … “Do you think that you are really fat?” No…but thank you. “No,” I explained. “I just want to be in better shape. I used to play sports and be able to run and now I can only run a minute before I get really tired.” Then they just looked confused.

My friend sent me this Slate article yesterday about how people exercise and attitudes towards exercise around the world: http://www.slate.com/id/2280909/ The part about Egypt was pretty true and pretty depressing.

“For the vast majority of urban dwellers in Egypt, exercise most likely comes in the form of a daily trek to the subsidized bread line. Approximately 40 percent of the country’s 80 million people live on around $2 a day. But despite the limitations, some segments of Egyptian society have adopted elements of America’s fitness craze. For those who can afford it, there are walled-in private clubs with swimming pools, tennis courts, and leafy members-only areas, mimicking the country’s colonial past. Today, the exclusivity of such historic private escapes is being reconstructed in the new luxury developments, dubbed satellite cities, cropping up outside of Cairo, where private gyms, squash courts, and golf courses advertise to tourists and wealthy elite alike.

The fitness craze has also made some inroads into Egypt’s poorer communities by way of weight lifting. Impromptu gyms with basic facilities have sprung up in lower-class neighborhoods, churning out beefy young men who look like they might bust out of their T-shirts at any time. In Cairo, Schwarzenegger-mania comes complete with copyright-infringed posters of everyone’s favorite former governor tacked up on rundown gym walls.”

(See page 3 for information about the “Doha dozen” - hah!)

No way! Egyptian case is just different. The Tunisian scenario cannot be redone here! We have got a completely different scriptwriter.

(taken from al-Masry al-Youm)