The Lion & The Gazelle..!!

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start running.

The previous quote is an African proverb. The first time I read it was more than a year ago in the context of a comparison between China & USA or the other countries who joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) earlier than China -who just joined it in 2001-. It was mentioned that an American-trained Chinese manager of a fuel pump factory in Beijing posted that African proverb, translated into Mandarin, on his factory floor..!!

Actually I liked the proverb, kept thinking of it & of its significance. Though, I felt that I don't like to apply it on all the levels coz personal & global levels differ in many aspects. For the personal struggles, competitions & pursuit of success & happiness should not turn into a war where some people step on the others or "eat" them like the wild life.

On the other hand I believe that the proverb is somehow applicable on the global level where the conflict of interests between the countries is a crucial factor & where trying to outrun the others is the only solution to survive.

Thinking about all that , I couldn't prevent myself from thinking about our status in such a competitive world.They used to call our country developing or such names, but actually I feel that it's the wrong name .That's due to the fact that a developing country should have joined the race, realized the rules of the global game & pictured itself as a lion or a gazelle a long time ago. But unfortunately this is not the case coz the leaders of the country & even some individuals don't embrace the attitude of lions or gazelles in the global forest, unlike the Chinese manager who wrote the mentioned proverb on the factory's floor to remind each & every individual of the battle they are part of.

So whether we want it or not we are involved in the battle & we have to make our choice, to run & run & run to survive as a dignified lion or gazelle OR to be eaten with no honor...!!

Greatness Is Never a Given..!

on 20/1/09 the whole world watched the inauguration of Barack Obama the new president of the the United States of America,..& the 1st of african origins.

surely i was interested to watch the ceremony , neither coz i like Obama nor coz i have high expectations from him concerning his foreign policy like some ppl do.i do know that the american foreign policy is pragmatic & days will proveto ppl that they were wrong & so optimistic to think that america will deal with the middle east gently just becoz Bush had gone...!!

i was just interested to c sth different,..sth i've never seen in my country & the surrounding ones(& may i wont c it till i die...!).

i wanted to watch the transfer of authority (which i've never witnessed in my life) , the EX-presidentS shaking hands & congratulating the new one (not from the graveyard like here),..the speeches (which i've never had patience to listen to from our president through my whole life),..the oath(which is a fake here) ,.. the gathering of the nation (which doesnt happen for any political reason coz they may go to jail after all if they r more than 5..!) ,..the shared celebrations (which we dont have the opportunity to experience) , the inspiration & the power of dreams (which r lost words in our daily vocabulary ) ....etc.

mayb some1 will say i'm just exaggerating coz i'm impressed by this freakin country-USA- which is not perfect after all .it has many many defects & problems internally & externally,..there r concerns related to some issues such as the election process,the democracy,the discrimination,..etc.

i do agree on the 2nd part it's not perfect & ppl just get impressed by it more than they supposed to,...& i'm not one of those, though i dnt agree to the 1st part coz i'm not exaggerating ,..i'm mentioning facts that evbody knows,...we r waaaay far from them in the democracy to the extent that we cant imagine a day when we can c a peaceful transfer of authority,..or c an EX-president alive,..or a normal man reaching this position ...it's kind of madness if u just think this would happen one day....!!

so after all it was an interesting event to watch,...just as an audience,..coz anyway if this man is different he'll b different to his country & his ppl,...no1 here should expect a better era (mayb it can b worse,..who knows?)...& it's not enough to wait the miracles from outside,...& after all evbody should learn the lesson & remember somthose words which i quote from Obama's inaugural address :
"Greatness is never a given , it must be earned."...!!!!

ارحل و عارك فى يديك

Farouk Gowaida's latest poem which is gonna b published on Al Ahram -friday 9/1/09 issue

For Bush

ارحل و عارك فى يديك

Part(1)

part(2)

part(3)

Chapeau Israel..!

Chapeau Israel...that's all what i can say now !!

u may get astonished & ask y the hell am i saying that about the worst enemy ever?!!!!

but just wait a second i haven't turned insane yet, despite the severe scenes,... the deep pain,..the fading hope,..despite death & destruction,..despite all the darkness around,...i have't lost my mind yet...!

so y am i saying:"Chapeau Israel"?!

coz as usual they won,...& to be fair i have to admit it & greet them for their continuous success,..!!

they didnt win coz they killed hundreds of innocent ppl,...they didnt win coz they destroyed Gaza,..they didnt win coz they have the power ,..they won coz they could get us into an awful trap ,..they could blow in the fire of "Fitna" on all the levels,....no1 is talking now about Israel that much,..ev1 is talking about 7amas,Fat7, E7'wan,Egypt,Qatar,....etc.,..ev1 is arguing if there's a betrayal ,...each1 is blaming a party,...ppl are screaming on TV trying to prove their opinions ,...each unknown journalist or analyst is trying to make use of this opportunity to get in any talk show to say anyth about anyth,....arabs are arguing everywhere & accusing each other,...youth are fighting on chat rooms & forums about the cause,...,ppl are soaked in the tons of contradicted news they hear & read....each1 claims that he knows the whole truth when no1 really has it,....countries,leaders,ppl began to throw each others with words & on the other hand they began to get defensive concerning themselves, forgetting the main issue,...the main crisis,..the main ENEMY....!!!

so it's really justified to say Bravo Israil,...coz they always defeat arabs,..& arabs always help them with their stupidity,triviality,arogance,retardation & ignorance. they always give Israel the way to beat them,...they alwayes give it the best & the easiest chances ever for an enemy to take.

How lucky Israel to have such a kind enemy...& How pathetic we r..!!!

it's really awful but i have to say it & unfortunately seems i'll say it for years to come :"Chapeau Israel"...!!!!!

Srebrenica massacre..!

how many ppl around the world know about "11 september" ? ...how many heared about "The Holocaust"?...
thousands,millions,..or even billions...!!

fine,..& how many heared about "Srebrenica massacre"?...
or let me ask the harder Question,...how many 'Muslim' know about it?!
unfortunately i can confirm they r few,..& u may be one of them or one of the millions who have no idea about it....!!

i'm not gonna claim that i knew about it along time ago,..i just new around four years ago when i passed by an article on its anniversary & i knew a little about it...!
& here we are in 2008 after 13 years & few ppl know about this brutal massacre where the Serbs killed more than 8000 muslims in Srebrenica (in Bosnia and Herzegovina) as a part of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the muslims...!!

last july was the 13th anniversary,...& nowadays the case is still discussed in the international court of justice ,..& still few ppl know about it ,...which is a shame after all...!!


i'm not gonna say that i know evth sbout the issue which is bad,...but i try to know & care coz i have to,..& that's why i bought the book shown above once i saw it in the book fair coz its intro is by mahathir mohamed & the author was a witness who survived the massacre,....actually it's not a history book,..it's a novel & i can't say it's so great or the best theing i've read coz after all it's a novel,.....but still it had sth to connect me with the case & trough it i found out some points about different issues ,...for example i found out about muslims in a place called "boritaria" or sth -not sure about the name-which is near the north pole ,..i found out many things although it was just a novel...!!


i repeat ,..it's a shame to stay 13 years without spreading the awareness about the massacre,...without supporting the case,...& without standing against humanity & muslim humilation in a clear case like that...!!

60+N...!

How many N left....?!



"هاهم أمامك متن نص أنت حاشية عليه و هامش"

The Game Of Democracy....!

Why can't ppl in some counties practice skating?!.....coz of the environment....!!

Why don't ppl in some countries know or play rugby?!....coz they didn't watch it b4,didn't try it or even knew its rules.....!!

Similarly why don't some ppl play democracy,....simply coz they neither have the suitable cultural environment nor know the rules of democracy as they have never lived it.....!!!

So if we consider democracy a game ,....we can say that some ppl can play it & others dnt,.....but after all it's to b learnt & played under some conditions.....!!!


what made me think about this issue was a program on Al Arabeya channel about elections in an Asian primary school(mayb Japan or China) ,.....actually i watched part of it but it was interesting to c how 10-year-old kids played the game of democracy their way ,......how they prepared their campaigns,...chose their teams,.....gather info about other candidates,....made lists of their competitors defects to scandalize them ,....made promotion (or kinda bribe) to attract more voters,.....made frequent statistics for the votes they may have,.....stood in debates to attack each other & answer voters Qs to win more votes,.... etc.

& for sure all that was full of childish funny issues,...as in attacking one of the candidates by saying that he eats slowly ,beating another kid ,..lying....etc

also in the kind of promotion which was a trip for all the kids in the TGV offered by a candidate's father who was a police man or sth (notice the role of authority even in the world of kids ;;).......& so on

& after all the nature of kids dominated ,....but grown ups (parents & students) supported ,...motivated & pushed them to carry on & take the way to the end,......they also made the voters feel how valuable their voices were,......& finally they ensured transparency in elections :D as the kids themselves counted the votes to announce the president of the class ....!!


that was an interesting program,....& it shows why can some ppl learn how to play the game of democracy since childhood,......why some ppl grow up knowing the rule of the game ,....practicing it ,....believing in its value ,....& getting as much benefit as possible from it even in their daily lives ......!!!


but the Q here,...is it impossible for hot countries to try skating on ice?
or can a non american person play rugby?!

the answer is NO,...it's not impossible,.....coz if the environment is converted (even partially) so the circumstances are suitable & if ppl r taught the rules of a foreign game , understand & practice it ,...they will have the chance to to play those new games......& surely there are many things to push them towards a rapid progress in learning like leaving the sense of superiority & individuality aside -to a point- & believing in the game's effect on their lives.....!!!


i know it's not a simple issues,...but let's say that i'm just discussing a general idea about democracy in different levels,.....i.e: not necessarily in political life,....coz it's a game to b played in everyday life & just those who practice it in simple issues can play it as professionals in politics or that kind of crucial issues in life,........i also know that it's not always that great,...illegal acts & corruption sometimes take place,......yeah,..it's true,....but it's not a defect in the game ,....it's a defect in the players ethics & it happens everywhere......but after all it's not a reason to delete the whole game !!


so mayb i feel that it's hopeless here ,.....coz almost nth of the factors is available ,....but talking generally ; many ppl & countries could make it & reach maturity in a short period,....to play the game of democracy professionally .......!!!

من كوسيا الى سوريا....!!!ا

تبعث دولة كوسيا و جارتها لوبيا الى دولة سوريا الشقيقة أطيب التمنيات بمناسبة الاستفتاء على ولاية دستورية جديدة لزعيمها العظيم ....متمنيين اللحاق بها فى ركب الديمقراطية قريبا.....!!!!!ا

Neither Technology Nor Money ...!!Quotes(10)

"Neither technology nor money can bring prosperity, only man can"

Mohammed Bin Rasid Al Maktoum



----------------------------------------------------------------------

few months ago Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rasid Al Maktoum was asked ,..what percentage of his vision to Dubai was achieved till that moment,.....he didn't said 100 or 90 or even 50 %,.....he said just 5%.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

all what Dubai achieved couldn't satisfy the ambition of a man as Al Maktoum ,....he always feels that there is always more to make & harder challenges to take,......& that's what turned Dubai into what it is today......!!!!

i was gonna talk mainly about Dubai,.....but i had to mention Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rasid Al Maktoum & give him the credit,....coz i believe he is a leader with a vision & that's what makes difference in any country ,...organization or even a small company,......a leader with a VISION inspiring ppl ....!!!

"It's all about money".....i can feel u now saying that,...& surely whenever Dubai issue is discussed this point is mentioned,....& that's y i started with that quote:
"Neither technology nor money can bring prosperity, only man can"
coz i believe that many countries has the money,......guess what?! Egypt has money.....mayb not as much as Dubai or other gulf countries,....but still Egypt has money to make difference,.....but unfortunately it's wasted here & there ,...or let's say it's stolen due to corruption evwhere.......!
so yeah ...it's about money ,...but not ALL about money....!!


mayb Dubai is not that perfect in evthing ,.... it may have problems from any kind , & it can be so so luxurious to unbelievable extent,.....but still let's look to the good side.
yeah they make luxurious projects as Borg El Arab or The Palm Island or whatever resorts they construct ,....but on the other hand they support sports,..culture ,...science ,..industry ,..etc.

for example :

months ago i found out that they built (Dubai Silicon Oasis) to be a center for microelectronics & semiconductors industry & to support high tech research & development (as in the Silicon Vally in Callifornia)...!!!!!!!!!!!!

during this month Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rasid Al Maktoum foundation announced that there'll b 10 billion $ to support cultural & scientific development in the arab world....saying (& that is the begining)!!!!

so we can c that it's not just trading centers,..hotels & resorts ,...it's an overall development for all the sides of life....with the eyes on the VISION!!!


again u can say it's all about money,.....it's ok & it's true..... a great vision with no money has a little opportunity to survive,.... but alot of money with no vision has no opportunity to make sth....!!

so mayb money can buy many things & make some difference ,...but it cant buy a vision & a true belief that leads to great difference....!

That's How It Works....!!

------------------------------

i wish i can c that one day......!!!!

Le débat...!

on Wednesday the 2nd of way ,...the final debate between Nicolas Sarkozy & Ségolène Royal was held & millions of ppl watched it on air ....!!!
if any1 has a look on that debate he will know what makes difference between nations ....what makes a nation on the top of the world & another in the bottom bottom,...& he'll know specifically why we r in that awful position in the world & why we r going down every day.....!!!!

surely there is no perfect country or nation,... but there r nations that seek perfection , know the meaning of true civilization , & respect the human being @ least their native citizens......!!!

simply u can touch that in the debate,...perfectly organized ,.....giving equal chance to both candidates to make their points clear , defend their policies & even attack each other .....!!!!

i really can't imagine that i'll c in my life a similar debate in egypt ,....coz the mentalities of politicians & even ordinary ppl r not used to quiet discussions & respectful debates.....& that's y we r still here & going backward each day.......!!!

صدام لم يمت....!!!ا

لست بصدد الحديث عن صدام حسين كما يبدو للوهلة الأولى...انما اردت أن اتحدث هنا عن أمر راسخ داخل الكثيرين بالعالم العربى ..و بدا جليا بشكل بشدة فى الكثير من ردود الأفعال فى العديد من المناسبات ......اننى أتحدث عن تقديس الحاكم و الذى يصل فى نفوس البعض الى درجة التأليه .....!!ا
و لعلنى أذكر بعضا من ردود الأفعال المرتبطة بهذا الأمر و التى تلت حادثة صدام حسين مما جعلنى أذكره بعض مرور كل ذلك الوقت....فعندما سئل المواطنون فى دول عربية مختلفة عن أرائهم ...كان منها ما يثير العجب...علق بعضها فى ذهنى...أو بالأصح علق منها رأيا غريبا لأحد المواطنين المصريين عندما أجاب قائلا:
"عمرنا ما سمعنا عن رئيس اتحاكم و اتعدم".....!!!ا
على الجانب الأخر راينا من بعض المواقع أو الكتاب من يجزم بأن صدام لم يمت ..و أن من أعدم هو شبيهه....و أنه فى واقع الأمر يعيش فى دولة أخرى...الى أخر ذلك الهراء ....!!!ا

قد يكون ذلك المواطن البسيط أطلق هذا الرد بشكل عفوى و لكنه كشف عن رسوخ ثقافة تقديس الحاكم فى أعماق الكثيرين....فالحاكم معصوم من الخطأ...و ان أخطأ فليس عليه حرج...و ليس لأحد أن يردعه أو يحاكمه....و ان حوكم فليس من المتوقع أن يعاقب...و أن عوقب فليس من المعقول أن ينال عقابا قاسيا كالاعدام...و ان أعدم فليس من المحتمل أن يموت.....!!!!!!!
و هكذا نصل الى الاستنتاج السابق و هو ثقافة تقديس الحاكم.... و التى تجعل الحاكم يعلو فوق الوطن و المواطن كما كان يقال قديما فى ايران ..."الله...الشاه...الوطن"...تلك الثقافة التى تجعل المواطن يرضى بالذل و يقنع بالقليل و يرضخ للاهانة و يتغاضى عن الفساد فى الدولة ....متيحا الفرصة للحاكم أن يقول كما قال فرعون "أنا ربكم الأعلى" و أن يعيث فى الأرض فسادا.... متناسيا أن الحاكم فى النهاية هو مجرد انسان ...و ان كونه انسانا يجعل كل القوانين و الأعراف تسرى عليه كما تسرى على غيره دون حصانة أو تميز عن سائر الخلق...بل انه فى منصبه هذا يكون مسئولا بشكل أكبر عن أفعاله لما لها من أثر على الملايين....!!!ا

ان تلك الثقافة الراسخة فى نفس المواطن هى ما تزيد من ذله و تهاونه فى حقوقه...و على الجانب الأخر تزيد من غى المسؤول (فى أى مكان وليس بالضرورة مسئولية حكم دولة) و تماديه فى الباطل ....وهى ما تجعلنا نرى من يخرج علينا قائلا أن صدام لم يمت....!!!ا

و تستمر المأساة

انظر الى فلسطين وما بها من أحداث دامية...اتألم لصراع ما كان يجب أن يحدث......اتحسر لاقتتال الأشقاء....و اتعجب من أسلحة كانت أجدى أن توجه نحو الأعداء

أتخيل لو أن هرتزل عاد الى الحياة...أو أن حكماء صهيون كان لهم أن يطلعوا على ما ال اليه الأمر فى فلسطين اليوم...أعتقد أن الأمر سيكون خارج نطاق تصورهم....و أكبر من أقصى أمالهم....و أشد من أمكر خططهم ...!!!ا
فقد عملوا و خططوا و جهزوا من أول يوم لتحقيق هدفهم المنشود....و عملوا على التفريق و بث الفتن....و لكن لا أعتقد أنهم تخيلوا أن الأمر سيكون سهلا و هينا الى تلك الدرجة...لا أعتقد أنه كان فى الحسبان أن يشغل هذا الشعب فى صراعات ينهش فيها الأخ لحم أخيه و يشهر سلاحه قى وجهه....ولم يكن من المعقول أن يكون الفساد هو المتحكم فى شعب دولته دولة مع ايقاف التنفيذ.....ولم يكن مطروحا أن يضيع البعض قضية هذا الشعب بتقديم تلك الصورة للعالم أجمع و ما فيها من دعاية مسيئة...من المؤكد أن كل تلك الأمور بفظاعتها لم تكن فى الخيال !!!ا
ولكن يأبى البعض الا أن يمعن فى اختلاق مأسى تجاوز فى فداحتها مأساة الاحتلال....ليظل الشعب الفلسطينى شعب الماسى الى أجل غير مسمى...!!!ا

نواة البرتقال....!!!!ا

فى حفل كبير يقام بقصر نورمانى التاريخى بمدينة باليرمو عاصمة جزيرة صقلية تتسلم السيدة الفاضلة سوزان مبارك و كارلوازيليو تشامبى الرئيس الايطالى السابق وعضو مجلس الشيوخ الايطالى مدى الحياة جائزة نواة البرتقال التى منحتها لجنة السلطات المحلية الاقليمية الدائمة للشراكة الأورو متوسطية بجزيرة صقلية تكريما لجهودهما من أجل تنمية علاقات شعوب البحر المتوسط فى مجالات السلام و ستلقى السيدة الفاضلة سوزان مبارك كلمة خلال الحفل الذى يحضره العديد من الشخصيات السياسية الأوروبية و الايطالية..........

و يعود تأسيس لجنة السلطات المحلية الاقليمية الدائمة للشراكة الأورو متوسطية الى عام 2000 و يرأس الجمعية العمومية الايطالى سلفاتور كوفارو......!!!!

(الأهرام ....الجمعة 24/11)

طبعا الفقرة اللى فاتت دى خبر بجد مش نكتة.....مع انه يحوى فى طياته أكثر من حاجة تضحك أكتر من النكت....!!!

يعنى مثلا فى البداية كدة ...ايه نواة البرتقالة دى....؟!!...من امتة و البرتقالة ليها نواة.....!!!و لا عشان احنا فى العصر النووى...يبقى أى حاجة تقلب نووى.... ولا دى الهندسة الوراثية البرتقال بنواة و البلح ببذر....كل شئ جايز!!!

أكيد الاسم ليه دلالة و انا اللى جاهلة ....نعدى البرتقلة اللى بنواه دى.....خلينا فى المضمون العميق و القيمة الراقية و المعنى الأبعد للجايزة بغض النظر عن المسميات.......!!!

دى جايزة من فين ؟.. .من لجنة السلطات المحلية الاقليمية الدائمة للشراكة الأورو متوسطية .....!!!

يا سلام....شكلها حاجة جامدة ....بيبيعوا ايه هناك كدة؟!!! برتقال ولا ايه...!!!!....لأ لأ عييييييب أكيد دى جمعية عريقة و ليها و زنها .....مممم...نبص كدة نلاقيها أسست سنة 2000....مممم مش مشكلة.....بس أكيد يعنى حد سمع عنها...!!!

نشوف كدة....كابتن كابتن....تعرف لجنة السلطات المحلية الاقليمية الدائمة للشراكة الأورو متوسطية ؟!!!

طبعا الاجابة معروفة.....!!!!

طيب سيبنا من كل ده... قلنا نخلينا فى المضمون....هيا ايه السبب فى منحها أصلا....!!؟؟

قالك ايه بأه....." تكريما لجهودهما من أجل تنمية علاقات شعوب البحر المتوسط فى مجالات السلام ".....ممممم على أساس أن شعوب البحر المتوسط كان بينها حروب مثلا أو صراعات على المسجد الأقصى ...أو أن قيصر روما عمل اتفاقية سلام مع شعوب البحر المتوسط.......أو أن ملوك الأندلس بطلوا حروب...أو ....ولا كفاية كدة!!!

طبعا فى النهايه يا جماعة...أحب أؤكد عليكو انكو لازم تكونو أحسن منى...و أكثر ثقافة و تفتحا و تفخروا ببلدكوا و السيدة الأولى فيها و اللى قدرت بكل جدارة و حكمة و تفوق و تألق و سياسة و دبلوماسية أنها تشرفكوا و تحصل على الجايزة الاورومتوسطية ...!!!

وليفرح الشعب المصرى بنواة البرتقال.......!!!