He said, she said, just play the games!!!

The World Cup has arrived, one of the most highly anticipated sports events worldwide, the most anticipated football event. Thousands of people around the world are tuned in on their tvs to the countless channels that are broadcasting the games live from South Africa.
Thousands that is, except for the many football fans in Egypt. Fans here have fallen victim, through no fault of their own, to the never-ending war of words between global media conglomerates.

Egyptian fans were promised the ability to watch at least 18 of the World Cup matches on al-Jazeera sports, a free channel that virtually every house with a satellite in Egypt receives. When on Thursday the opening ceremonies began, many viewers in Egypt were frustrated with the unreliable signal, with the opening ceremony black out a number of times. Similarly, the opening match of the World Cup between South Africa and Mexico, which FIFA itself designated as a free-watch match, was interrupted repeatedly for Egyptian viewers. This goes without saying that matches following the opening match were also subjected to intermittent signal losses, with the match between Nigeria and Argentina loosing signal in the first half, causing viewers to miss the one and only goal scored.

Al-Jazeera Sports has claimed that their signal has been sabotaged by the Egypt Radio and TV Union (ERTU), and that their primary host satellite, NileSat, had its connection interrupted by the Egyptian media conglomerates who were piffed that the proper "licensing fees" were not duely paid. In response, the ERTU today announced that they would be suing al-Jazeera for interrupting the match and playing with the signal in an effort to stir up trouble with Egypt itself. Specifically, that al-Jazeera breached three articles in the agreement originally signed between the Qatari based broadcasting station and the ERTU. Such a "he said she said" situation it makes you laugh.

Viewers of the World Cup in Egypt now have one choice, to watch the matches on paid channels only. Pending investigations into the cause behind the signal interruption, NileSat will not broadcast any free World Cup matches. It's gotten to the point where the International Communication Association, based in Switzerland, has launched an investigation into the allegations made on both sides, to dicover the "truth" behind the problem. Their results are scheduled to be released today, but with how things here run, who knows how long it will take. I'm sure a few pockets will need stuffing with cash before the matches are again played on the sattelite for free.

Although this entire situation makes me giggle, it also really pisses me off that as a football fan I cannot watch the matches for free, because of problems in the upper echelons of media broadcasting. Fortunately, in an attempt to find out more about the situation, I learned a nifty trick. For viewers that have satellite boxes, there is a simple solution to the problem. Switch your satellite from NileSat, to either Hotbird or ArabSat, two satellites that the ERTU has no say over.

I can now sit back and happily watch the matches from the comfort of my home. And yes, it works, and I am now watching the match between Serbia and Ghana, having switched my satellite. :D

Here's the ERTU's response, posted today in Al-Masri al-Yawm.

Free and Fair...to an extent

My years of experience in working with the Voices of Iraq (Aswat al-Iraq) have really helped me to develop my instincts and writing abilities as a journalist. On top of that, it really gives you an insight into what extent our media is manipulated, how it is achieved, and what types of people are targeted with each new article that is posted. This of course included in the added bonus of knowing what's going on in current events (or at least that's the theory :p).

Today, I posted a story about the elections in Iraq, specifically the results. Now, the process of holding the elections in Iraq has been a point of debate for quite some months now. I love to hackle about the dos and donts, the positives and negatives, with my journalist friend LeAnne. It's advantageous to be able to discuss things like this with someone who is also intricately familiar with how the media is run, not to mention also up to date on current events.

I know that the elections were not "free," but I would always bleat to LeAnne about how it's a great step forward, the people have been granted the ability to express their voice, and are being granted new political freedom that was unheard of during the time of Saddam. She believes it's mostly a farce. I can't disagree, but I maintain my original belief that a corrupt election, while still a huge issue, is better than no election at all.

So my story today, 52 (yes that's right) 52 politicians were completely stripped of any votes they won. Their votes were cancelled. Entirely nullified. And why? Because of their quote unquote "ties" to the former Baath party.

Does this seem ridiculous to ANYONE else but me? That's like discluding politicians in Germany for their rumoured ties to the Nazi party during WWII; who wasn't connected to the Nazi party! The article fails to mention how they were connected, just that they were. This could mean that they were on speaking terms with politicians in the Baath party, once went to a Baath rally, any number of menial things that could be seen as "ties" to the Baath party. Semantics aside, just look at what this says about the elections in Iraq. 52 politicians. It's a staggering number.

It makes me wonder what is going to happen to the votes originally cast for these politicians. Their political parties are not getting the votes...so where are they going? Are they just disappearing? As though they never existed? Or, as is sadly more likely, are they being funnelled into the ruling parties total vote count. Perhaps slightly short of a majority victory?One can only wonder.

What's even better, is that the Iraqi authorities mistrusted the original results of the elections. So what are they doing about it? A manual recount. I'm sure there are NO chances for ballots to slip in there unnoticed. None at all. Manually recounting the votes, totally maintains the elements of a transparent elections. Just to make sure that these votes are correctly counted, the Iraqi's brought in the experts. Representatives from Florida to oversea the voting process. Representatives from the very state that botched the elections that brought George W. Bush into office in the first place. The irony just smarts.

Sadly, Iraq is not the only country to be experiencing this quasi-democracy, Sudan is also a prime example. But that's an entirely different topic.

It's a cruel and sad truth, Iraq appears to be a quasi democratic state , that really is teetering on the brink of civil war caused by sectarian unrest. Most Western news outlets fail to report this, as who to bear the responsibility for destroying a country which ultimately led to the eruption of a civil war. Would the Obama administration do something about it? Would Tony Blair or Gordon Brown? Or would history repeat itself, and watch the Western "peacekeepers" again pull out, and let the Iraqi's deal with the Iraqis? Hey...as long as we have our oil contracts right?

So while I maintain my original belief that to be able to hold an election in Iraq is a monumental step forward, the lack of freedom, let alone fairness, just goes to show how much is left to be done.

Tis a tickling white sensation...

One of the great things about living in a touristic area are the large parties that are thrown to keep the nightlife fresh and alive. One such party is held at Hurghada's Ministry of Sound three times a year...White Sensation. Moby has friend's visiting from Cairo, and as the White Sensation isn't a party that happens every week, many other Caireans also decided to make the trek up to Hurghada. But I'll get to that in a bit :p

I didn't realise that White Sensation was such a huge party, I thought it was another monthly themed event at MoS. Nor had I ever been to any type of white dress code party before. The effect is quite incredible. It's one of the few times I've seen up to 90 percent of the people dressing according to the theme, and this combined with all the white decorations and white costumes floating around give the impression of partying on the beach, in a snow palace. The music was awesome, the atmosphere was lively, and it was an overall great experience!

As is typical though with most big parties in Cairo, insert Cairean young men with high testosterone, and you're usually gonna end up with a bar fight. It happened during the Sham el-Nissim, huge bar fight at Buddha Bar, at a time when Hurghada was full of men on holiday from Cairo. Last night, same thing. Enter lots of pumped up guys, psyched to be outside of the city and surrounded by scantily clad women, it gets their blood pumping. Of course the MoS bouncers cleared them out pronto...but it really got me thinking.

Hurghada nightlife on a regular basis is a jovial environment, and most people living in Hurghada are extremely laid back. I've never witnessed a fight here other than at times when a lot of people from Cairo are visiting. It really goes to show the psychological impact that living in Cairo can have on you, not to mention the higher levels of aggression that many men in this country suffer from due to the inaccessibility of many women, the restrictions and costs to marry, and the completely frowned upon pre-marital sex. Now don't get me wrong, men in Hurghada often suffer from the same problems, although the influx of foreign women means that they are quite able to find a "partner" for a week, who will conveniently disappear once they leave, who never have to be introduced to either friends or family, you get the picture. And this is a story heard many many times here. But regardless of this, men in Hurghada, and Sharm, and Dahab, are surrounded by Westerners all the time, and Westerners clad in bikinis and beach gear. Not the "conservatively" dressed expats of Cairo.

Is this an indication of what the future holds in Egypt? For those who are more used to the open lifestyle evident in the beach and party towns of Egypt, a life of if not acceptance of a woman's sexuality, at least a tolerance thereof. Whereas should the trends from Cairo increase, a country where women, particularly Egyptian women, are rarely seen out and about, expat women will suffer from jeering and cat calls should they decide to wear even a remotely small tshirt, let alone bikini top, and men run around over-testosteroned and aggressive?

Just some of my thoughts for the day... hmmm...

Just when you can forget you're in Egypt

So I've been living in Hurghada just over two months now, and I love it. I love being just down the road (or up the road rather :p) from the beach, and the fresh air, and the overall feeling that you have left the crowded "Egyptianess" of Cairo.

Or so I thought! LOL. Minus the fact that Hurghada is still under construction in a lot of areas, it really is like a Mediterranean beach town. Just two streets down from us is a major road leading down to the main tourist strip Shara Sheraton, Moustafa Kamel. This is one of the few roads that is tarmacced all the way down, and can actually accomodate two way traffic. The rest of the streets around the area are being ripped up down the center to make way for the pipes.

Now, I'm not a construction worker, nor am I an architect. But in my limited experience with development (hahaha) it makes sense to place any pipes, water, gas, whatever, before tarmaccing the road. I'm sure I'm not alone in this mindset.

So keeping this in mind, I would have thought that Moustafa Kamel street had all the pipes placed underneath it already. But some genius in the Hurghada construction business, decided it made more sense to tarmac the road, and then put the pipes underneath it. A big WTF moment. Going out the other night to fetch some fresh veggies, about to walk down Moustafa Kamel, and was met by mountains of dirt, and NO TARMACCED ROAD.

Please, someone explain to me where the logic in this lies. It's so frustrating! WHY, WHY WHY WHY!!!! Needless to say, I've been reminded that I am still in Egypt, and that some decisions here just make no sense. Here's betting that Moustafa Kamel remains a dirt road for the next few years, until someone else in the construction business decides that it would make sense to tarmac it again. Talk about a waste of money....

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

Who doesn't love cupcakes? A delicious little treat, that you can make as sweet as you like, and virtually any flavour under the sun. My last attempt at cupcakes was plain ol' vanilla, so I decided this time to spice it up a little bit. I've combined two different recipes here, to make the perfect Cinnamon Swirl Cupcake. And let me say, they are delicioussssss.....

**Note...I have cut the recipe in half, this yields 12 cupcakes in total. :D**

Here's what you'll need:

For the cupcakes:

113 grams of unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup white sugar

3 large eggs (If you only want to use the whites...then 4 egg whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose white flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon lemon zest

** Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit). **

Whisk together your flour and salt. In a separate bowl, beat your butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add your eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, mix well. Beat in your vanilla and lemon zest.

Add your flour mixture to butter and egg mixture, adding flour and milk alternatively to ensure a smooth consistency. Set the batter aside.

For your cinnamon swirl, you will need:

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Combine all three ingredients in a small bowl.

Take your batter and add one tablespoon of batter to your greased muffin tray (Or if you have cupcake papers, into the papers :D - I didn't, so I improvised lol). Using a teaspoon, sprinkle your cinnamon mixture on top of each cupcake. Add an additional 1 tablespoon of batter on top of each cupcake.

Finally, take a toothpick, and swirl your toothpick through each cupcake. I like to add a little extra cinnamon mixture on top, if you do, make sure you swirl that through with your toothpick too.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once you've taken out your cupcakes, set them aside and use the time that they are cooling to make your frosting.

For your frosting you will need (**again, remember I cut this in half... and it still makes a LOT of frosting**):

2 cups of icing sugar
113 grams of softened butter (unsalted)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Combine all of the ingredients, and beat well until smooth. Spread on top of cupcakes! and Voila!



If you want a little added "pizazz," add a dash of the cinnamon mix (if you have any remaining) on top of the cupcake. They are sure to be a hit, no matter who you're serving to :D.

One month later and 4.5 kgs heavier!

Time flies by when you're busy. Especially if you're busy trying to settle in and get started with a new environment and everything. One thing you're waking up wondering what to do with the day, next thing you're stressed about what to eat for dinner, something quick! Don't have time to make a huge meal! Rice and stuff it is!

Fortunately, I'm not talking about me. Ahh what it would be like to live the life of a dog. Wake up, eat, sleep, play, sleep, go outside, eat, sleep some more...maybe play a little bit again. Not only that, but if you're like the dogs I've known, you're fed extremely well. :p

Last month, Orien was a mere 8 kg. At 2 months old that is. Now, just a little over a month later, he appears to have lost his puppy chub. Or at least that's what I thought. "Doesn't he look skinny to you Karim? Maybe we're not feeding him enough," I'm sure this conversation has been had in many a dog-home. Lol.

Orien certainly gets fed quite well, kibbles, rice, meats, fresh veggies. He's not lacking (of course this leads to a picky eating dog...Lesson learned CHECK). I was still convinced he was losing weight, until yesterday that is.

Enter vet's office here. Final round of jabs for Orien, make sure he's ready to brave the new world outside. Chuck him on the scale there vet-old buddy old pal. Lets see if he has lost weight. No joke, I was expecting him to have dropped to 7 kgs, or weigh no more than 8.5 kgs at most. I couldn't have been more wrong. 4.5 kgs later, and I now have a 3 month old at 12.5 kg. Goodness, and I thought that he wasn't going to get that big :-p

Fingers crossed he hasn't noticed he's getting bigger yet, he's still convinced he's a lap dog. hehe.

Puppy Training 101

Hurghada is such a gorgeous place to live. With the sand, and the sea breeze, and the fresh air, it really invigorates your soul. Just one more reason to leave Cairo, was losing our German Shepherd Sookie near Shell shop in Maadi. It's a heart-wrenching experience to lose an animal, especially if you don't know what has happened to them. And Sookie would have loved Hurghada, much more quiet than Cairo.

It was in my heart to get a dog here, it just felt right. So after settling in and finding a nice apartment, it was time to find a dog. We did with Orien, told he was St. Bernard Cross Baladi. Basically a Mutt, my kind of dog :D. We now know his real background, but that's a different story.

So Orien comes to his new home, and starts settling in immediately. He wasn't too naughty at first, but of course that was part of his settling in. Now he is affectionately referred to as the "monster" and really is only as cute as he looks when he's asleep.



I've grown up with dogs, and have experience with puppies. Or so I thought. Never had I gotten a puppy 2 months old, and even the puppies I did have in the past, I wasn't responsible for raising them. As children, we all holler and scream for puppies, to have that perfect playmate around all the time. Of course it's our parents that are generally the ones taking care of the puppy, cleaning up the poo, replacing the chewed up furniture, puppy proofing necessary areas in the house to hide any potential chewables. And this in itself is a feat, just when you think there's nothing for the puppy to chew on, you come back to shredded pieces of "WTF" everywhere all over the floor. So far, Orien has developed a taste for toilet paper, think the little yellow lab puppy in those comfort adds. Yeah. Snow covering the floor, and the puppy sitting in the middle looking up at you like "YES! you're home! FEED ME!!!"

I've read up on a lot of different puppy training techniques, and one commonly mentioned one is the crate training method. Essentially, this becomes your dogs home when it's not out, it stays in there when you're not at home, sleeps in it, etc etc. I've had experience with other dogs that hate the crate, and in Egypt dog supplies are ridiculously expensive (Think over 300 dollars for a SMALL crate...not even one that would fit Orien later on down the line). So, rather than leave Orien completely unattended and come back to matchsticks on the floor from what used to be furniture, he gets tied up in the bathroom. Figuring that would be safe, and everything was out of his reach, but no, we ended up with a houdini dog, and his love for toilet paper only grows. :p

House training a puppy is another matter itself. Newspaper is the commonly preferred method for accidents inside the house. Orien finds this just as tasty as toilet paper, and shredded newspaper is far more common than newspaper used for its purpose. He's gradually getting better, but the puppy bladder leaves you a 30 second window of noticing he asked to go out, and actually getting him outside of the door. Not to mention once he's outside, the ADD of everything going on around him is farrrr too much more interesting than peeing, why waste time doing that?! Often he prefers to wait until we're almost back inside, then right outside the door pee, all the while looking at you as though "hey, it's outside right? Don't look at me like I'm in the wrong here!"

Orien also loves the sound of his own voice. In fact, he loves it so much, he feels like everyone else around him would love it too. Cats, dogs, children, people, cars, anything that passes even remotely near to the balcony gets a "woof...woof woof woof woof woof" greeting. Our landlord was not impressed, and it's led to more than one stubbed toe while scrambling out of bed to get him to shut up.

Needless to say, it's quite an experience. A puppy in his terrible twos stage...I am sure he'll give me lots of things to update with! lol.