Technical problems

Over the last few days the site experienced severe technical problems, most probably caused by a spam attack. The site was down for about 24 hours while we attempted to resolve the problem.

There have been rumors on Egyptian blogs that the site had been blocked — this is not so. We are certain that the Egyptian government did not block the site, since it was also down for readers outside of Egypt, and have no reason to believe that it may be behind the technical problems.

Thanks for the messages of concern from readers as well as calls from the press. Until we get to the bottom of what happened, there is no need to speculate about what may have caused these problems.

Protest Beit Hanoun Massacre Thursday

In response to the Beit Hanoun massacre of Palestinian women and children, The Muslim Brotherhood, the Revolutionary Socialists and Kefaya have called for a women’s demonstration in front of the Arab League in Tahrir Square, Thrusday November 16 at 2:00 p.m.

The demonstration will be the first street event organized jointly by women activists from the secular and religious opposition.

Protest Beit Hanoun Massacre

احتجاجا على مقتل النساء والأط�ال �ي بيت حانون على أيدي قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، تدعو جماعة الاخوان المسلمين وتيار الاشتراكيين الثوريين وحركة ك�اية لمظاهرة نسائية أمام مقر جامعة الدول العربية بميدان التحرير الخميس 16 نو�مبر، الساعة 2 ظهراً

تعد المظاهرة الأولى من نوعها لجمعها نساء المعارضة العلمانية والدينية معاً

Rumsfeld immortalized

Portrait of Donald Rumsfeld by Iraqi artist Moayyed Mohsen (see below for the back story):

Iraqi artist paints Rumsfeld gloating over ruins of Iraq

by Asaad Abboud

BAGHDAD, Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) – Moayyed Mohsen likes to paint great figures from Iraq’s past like the mythical hero Gilgamesh. But this year he turned his talents to another larger-than-life subject in his country’s history — Donald Rumsfeld.

Dominating the wall of a Baghdad art gallery in the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiyah is a massive mural that is no tribute to the outgoing US defense secretary.

Rumsfeld is depicted leaning back reading papers, with combat-boot-clad feet propped up on a ruined building. Beside him is a weathered image of the Lion of Babylon — potent symbol of Iraq’s illustrious past — atop a ruined plinth. The US official is surrounded by whirling bits of paper that morph into birds and fly off into the distance.

The artist’s image is striking and it was conceived in anger — not just over the occupation of Iraq but also over what Mohsen sees as the humiliation of a nation that once taught mankind how to write.

Thanks, Paul!
Continue reading Rumsfeld immortalized

Al Jazeera English to launch tomorrow

I’m not in the habit of putting up press releases, but this one about the launch — finally! — of Al Jazeera English (note that it’s no longer Al Jazeera International, apparently the Emir of Qatar decided the whole Al Jazeera group was international, not just the English channel). Considering that AJE has changed not only its name but also its formula since it was announced over a year ago, there might be some surprises in store. The final product seems less ambitious than originally intended — there will be more time in Doha and less of the 360 around-the-globe stuff they’d bragged about (which seemed like marketing speak to me anyway.) But I have to admit I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with this channel and whether it’ll be more interesting than the soporific, badly produced BBC World or the rather bland CNN International.

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH TO LAUNCH TOMORROW
-Worldwide distribution unveiled ahead of launch

Tuesday 14 November 2006, Al Jazeera English, the first English language international news and current affairs channel headquartered in the Middle East, launches tomorrow Wednesday November 15th at 12.00 GMT to over 80 million cable and satellite households worldwide.
Continue reading Al Jazeera English to launch tomorrow

The Street Is Ours Demo tomorrow

تعلن حركة الشارع لنا أننا سو� نبدأ حملة د�اعا عن تواجدنا.. عن حقنا �ي الحياة العامة.. وعن حقنا �ي حياة خالية من العن� والتحرش الجنسي..
وندعو الجميع، نساء ورجال، إلى التجمع أمام سينما مترو (أحد مواقع تحرشات وسط البلد)
يوم الثلاثاء، 14 نو�مبر �ي الثالثة بعد الظهر،
تضامنا مع النساء ضحايا أيام العيد وإعلانا بأن الشارع لنا وأن أحدا لن يعزلنا أو يخي�نا بعيدا عنه.
كي لا تخا� أي أم على ابنتها أو أخت على أختها وأي زوج على زوجته أو أب على ابنته.. كي لا يسرقوا منا الشعور بالأمن �ي بلادنا..
الآن: مسئوليتنا جميعا أن ننزل الشارع
مزيد من المعلومات مراسلتنا على البريد الالكترونى
info [at] streetisours [dot] org

The Street is Ours
We shall start a campaign defending our presence, our right to public space, our right to a life free of violence and sexual harassment;
We call upon everybody, women and men, to gather in front of the Metro Theater (one of the locations where the harassments took place)
Tuesday 14 November, at 3 p.m.,
to express our solidarity with the victims of harassment
to make a statement that the street is ours.
Nobody will terrify us away. Nobody will isolate us in our country.

Kefaya Giza coordinator detained

Authorities continued their hassels against Mohamed Al-Ashqar, Kefaya activist and the head of the Popular Committee for the Protection of the Consumer from Corruption in Giza. He was detained yesterday, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Ashqar was to lead the “garbage march” today in Giza, to protest the unfair garbage collection fees decreed by the Governor.

Related link: State Security “detains” Kefaya activist’s car

Garbage march

The Popular Committee for the Protection of the Consumer from Corruption has called for a march on Monday, 13 November in Giza, to protest the Governor’s decree to add unfair garbage collection fees to electricity bills. The silent march is to start in front of the Telephone Centrale in Giza Square, 12 noon, and will proceed to the Giza Governorate building. Participants are encouraged to bring garbage bags which will be dumped in front of the Governorate’s building at the end of the march.

اللجنة الشعبية لحماية المستهلك من الجباية والÙ�ساد والتى استطاعت من قبل وبمأزرة جماهير الجيزة من الحصول على الحكم النهائى بالغاء رسوم النظاÙ�Ø© المضاÙ�Ø© الى Ù�اتورة الكهرباء ØŒ تدعوكم اللجنة الى المظاهرة الصامتة التى ستبدأ Ù�Ù‰:الثانية عشر ظهرا يوم الاثنين المواÙ�Ù‚ 13 نوÙ�مبروبمشاركة كاÙ�Ø© مؤسسات المجتمع الأهلى والقوى الوطنية من امام سنترال ميدان الجيزة يحمل كل منا Ù�Ù‰ يده كيس زبالة حيث تبدأ المسيرة من الميدان لتنتهى امام مبنى محاÙ�ظة الجيزة لالقاء هذه المخلÙ�ات امام مبنى المحاÙ�ظة تحت شعار”الزبالة يا مسئولين زبالة …لن نسدد Ù�واتير اللصوص”

للاستعلام يرجى الاتصال بالارقام”
5725297 – 0123997591

وداعاً أحمد شر�

Communist lawyer Ahmad SharafEddin passed away last night at the age of 57.
Sharaf was a student leader in the 1970s, who went on to become a labor lawyer. He was a devoted soldier in working class battles and a ruthless civil rights campaigner at the Lawyers’ Syndicate.
May he rest in peace…

I’m posting a feature, I wrote for the Cairo Times back in 2002, about Awlad Allam slum in Dokki, where Sharaf grew up.

Continue reading وداعاً أحمد شر�