The dawn must come.

The dawn must come.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

Stability not Immobility.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli December 29th 2013.
30 years ago on December 29th 1983, and exactly one week before he got killed by the hands of four gregarious soldiers (hit men) from the SantaPaola  Clan (a powerful Sicilian Mafia Clan); the notorious investigative journalist Giuseppe Fava was interviewed for the Italian RAI TV by the late Enzo Biagi.
At the time of this interview, 30 years ago, Fava confirmed that “there are about 100 million drug users worldwide” according to the estimations included in the UN World Health Organisation official reports; “one million die of overdose every year, 10 million remain definitively unable to perform any sort of human activity, and the other ninety million would continuously increase”. It is presumed that each of these individuals effectively spend about ten or twenty dollars a day for the personal narco needs.
So “by adding 2 and 2”, he said, “we have about 730 billion dollars per year of pure tax free drug money managed exclusively by the Mafia families in Italy and its affiliated criminal associations in many parts of the world”. And explains that “whoever controls these fortunes is capable of equipping an army, owning a naval fleet or a private air force; but mainly would control the entire process of drug production and transportation; but also will have a say in the global arms trade dealings. In fact the Mafia did assume full control over the entire Arms Trade at least in the Middle East region”. That’s how our region turned out to be one of the world’s most significant market place for all legal/illegal arms deals, in exchange for African Blood Diamonds or South American/ South East Asian drug trade control.
While the bulk of these fortunes remain invested off-shore in the ever flourishing arms industries and their commercial trading, Fava insisted that only a small fraction would enter the country for laundering and recycling purposes; hence the important role of Finance and Credit Institutions: the Banks.. Only they will render the recycling and laundering procedures more flexible and much fluidly speedy, by reinvesting such huge sums in the real estate trading,  and the entrepreneurs affairs and construction businesses. But if the Banks could properly function in the process of laundering drug and blood money, they needed the political influence of major politicians to ideate laws, rules and norms so as to facilitate their role.
Of course those politicians will gain not only more influence and power, but as well will accumulate more wealth: in terms of easy loans, under cost luxurious residences for real estate speculative gains, stock exchange favourable trading anticipated hints, grants of stock and bonds, free shares in national and multi-national credit institutes…etc. Consequently they will be subordinates to and dependents on the Bosses’ territorial control.
Since each ‘Boss’, controls in full and completely an area of 150 to 200 thousands citizens (thus votes), he can swing these votes wherever he would desire.. Not only among different parties, but as well inside a single party to favour one figure rather than another. That’s why professional politicians are not only seeking power, but along come the hunger for money.. Without money one cannot control the 150 or 200 thousands preferential votes.
Obviously in order for all this to reveal its fruits, it would require the insurance of a secured steadiness to maintain the political guarantees for the smooth horizontal and vertical circulation of such enormous mass of cash-flow.. And that steadiness is regularly dispatched by official statements as the “Stability needed as the irrevocably imperative strategic measure for constant progress and development”!
At this point the political powers, represented in the state authorities, would remain frozen, paralysed and immobile.. And the entire economy would be forced to go along the strong currents of an extremely short term financial speculative stream; eventually this entails the ‘Iron Fist’ of the Law & Order Forces.
Because unfortunately the structure of our modern political civilisation is this. Criminal, Financial and Political spheres became deeply inter-engaged in a way that are now largely enjoying a legalised ‘Immunity’ accustomed into an acquired right for ‘Impunity’..
Countries like the Four Scandinavian Democracies and Switzerland have not just well defined, but as well have perfectly implemented, the Enduring Secure Stability; and forged in the conscience of their populations its culture. That explains their constant progress and increasing development.
In the same time we are comfortably waiting by their doors, like the mendicants awaiting the grants outside the mosques after the Friday noon prayer; having totally confided our destinies into their mercy.. Simply because we have nothing else of our own to trade or barter.. And that is only thanks to the ‘Paralysing Immobility’ which we’ve accepted as the only substitute for the ‘Secure Stability’.
Pass On The Word.

Who’s the Bad Boy of the neighbourhood.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 28th 2013.
It escapes my comprehension to identify the juridical and moral grounds upon which big caliber leaders as Obama, Hollande and Cameron - though comfortably relaxed over gigantic arsenals of tactic and strategic atomic weapons – could allow themselves to deny Iran its right to develop its own Civilian-Use Nuclear Programmes; claiming that from here onwards, though only in theory, it can develop atomic weaponry (to go from the 20%uranium enrichment needed for civilian applications to the 90% minimum enrichment required for the Atomic decades would pass).
It is said that Iran makes part of the Axis of Evil. And why is that? The Khomeini’s Iran has never aggressed anyone, if ever it has been aggressed by Saddam’s Iraq, encouraged and backed by western states as long as he served their interests, expropriating Teheran from a victory legitimately conquered in the battle field.
It is still being said that Iran foments international terrorism. There is not a single solid proof. While it is a proven certainty that Mossad did assassinate four Iranian scientists working for the Nuclear programmes (imagine what would’ve happened if the roles were inverted).
And it is said that Iran is a Theocracy. So what? Not all states must become a copy of western democracies. In any case, if a Theocracy isn’t a democracy, it is neither the single man government; it is a well articulated regime that cannot be put on the same level with dictatorships of the various Somozas or Pinochets and Saddam that the west, Americans on top, have shamefully supported and even imposed (right Mr. Kissinger?).
Differently from Israel, Iran has signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty; Accepted the AEIA inspections imposed by the International Community and, through the ongoing negotiations, is proving willing to submit under more intrusive and capillary inspections; just to preserve its elementary and sacrosanct right to develop its own Civil Use Nuclear Energy.
What could be required more? Maybe if we stop considering ourselves the absolute ‘GOOD’; then the ‘EVIL’ would be less aggressive and distrustful to our regard.
These lines are translated from the article of Massimo FINI, on today’s ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’, entitled: “Are we sure of being superior than IRAN?”!!
Think about it every time you unconsciously repeat Big Brother’s motto: “Iran is Evil”.
Pass On The Word.

Foul Medammes is the Answer.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 27th 2013.
One piece of information, out of a very long and detailed recent survey analysing the effects of the global economic and financial crisis on the pharmaceutical industries within the European Market; has fully absorbed my attention: among the first 20 firms from the international ‘Big Pharma’ cartel in terms of market share, the 10th is Israel’s “Tevr Italia”.
Apart from its multi-billion dollars worth of annual transactions (only in civil and health pharmaceutical applications); here is one more proof that everyone else but us is following to the letter the teachings of Islam thriving for knowledge and encouraging us to spare no effort to study, to research, to analyse, to understand, to unveil, to discover, and to develop the means necessary for progress, strength, independence and wealth.
Even though our newly drafted constitutional text confirms that Islamic Legislation is the source for law, its provisions for school, university and scientific research altogether do not exceed 5% of the already plunged in deficit Gross National Product.. Translated into real money value it would result in a miserable few hundred million Egyptian Pounds!
Let us all pray and humbly express our sincere gratitude to Allah almighty for blessing and preserving our annual crop of FOUL.
Pass On The Word.

Sunday 22 December 2013

The Truth Shall Make You Free.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 21st 2013,
No one really had fully understood the infinite nuances and shades of this verse. Here is one slim part from its vast universe. In Henrik Ibsen’s master piece “The Pillars of Society” telling the story, taking place in the late 19th century, of a small village in the rigid northern Norwegian lands that lives revolving around its Consol Bernick, who in his turn lives in and by the function that his people have gladly conceded; since all venerated him as the faithful husband, the exemplary father, the honest businessman, and the upright politician.
In fact that angel mask of moralist humanitarian that he constantly wore, had hidden beneath it the pervert who had a daughter from a third raw artist convincing another man to take the wrap and assume the fatherhood; the villain who ran a love affair with his sister in law yet he married her sister whom he never loves or cared for; the cruel father that mistreated his son by the whip; and the unscrupulous businessman running his firms to accumulate tons of golden profit money thanks to corruption and his political activity, both serving him fattening his power other than his bank account.
Yet, every time a piece of his non-confessed past comes afloat, he cleverly managed to justify and obscure it completely before the others and even in his own eyes.. Because he always did  everything for a good reason and the best interest of the collectivity.. Didn’t he? Isn’t he is the ‘Pillar Of The Society’?.. That to his good name are depending all the sorts of the entire community, of “hundreds of families that would end up flat down on the pavement”?!!
That is why the ‘TRUTH’ should never be known.. It would be Destabilising.. He’s ready to do anything, even to kill, just to strangle the truth.. In the course of self-absolving his person, he disburses statements like: “Politic is corrupt because the people are corrupt”; or even “behind the soul of every man there is a stain that is better to hide”, because “should all the truth be known, all my existence will go in pieces and with it the entire Country.
This person is only a man void of qualities, and deeply obsessed by perfectly mastering the role of the ‘Pillar’ that he has rigidly marbled the character so as to always thrive forward his own self-made monument. He’s convinced of being “the only living guarantee for the progress of his community”, and should it coincide with his own interests, then it’s nothing but a “fortunate combination”.
Nobody in his court, except the scapegoat to his initial sin, would dare tell him that the only way to liberate the society is nothing else but the Truth. Instead, the inept, pietistic, traffickers and ass-kissers of his entourage will confirm him, in the ever grandeur hypocrisy, as the Whited Sepulchre: so that in order to save the society his (sepulcher) whole structure must be defended.
In a country where Power is interlaced with Crime, truth is not only revolutionary.. It is subversive.
M. Travaglio.
Pass On The Word.

Ref. Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Being Free.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 15th 2013.
I say it’s purely a demagogic seducer; same as ‘Democracy’ in modern philosophy. Let us hope of being so.. Free I mean.. Or, just to quote Sartre “we are condemned to being free”! Perhaps we can cross it and pass beside it in dreams; but talking about Freedom is too much a hazard.
In the course of getting the closer possible to understand this term: Freedom, one must first understand the meaning of Maturity.. What is the cutting edge separating ‘Adolescence’ from growing into ‘Maturity’?
In a movie of his production entitled “Lions For Lambs”, and throughout his outstanding interpretation in the role of a college professor fully committed to the Mission of EDUCATING, Robert Redford explained the difference in the most thin yet sharp way and using very simple explicit words:
“…as long as others make decisions and chose your food, studies, friends, sports and games; you are still a child or in the best case a spoiled adolescent; but once you make a choice or take a decision on your own, whatever that may be, then you are projecting the image of being a grown-up.. At this point you MUST take the full responsibility of your choices and decisions, and not slide them over the shoulders of anyone else but yourself.. Growing go hand in hand with responsibility, and both will determine your sense of Freedom”.  
In another occasion, Bono Vox, the U2 leader and main singer, while delivering a commencement speech before the graduates of the Belfast University, and in the course of stressing on the relation binding responsibility to freedom said:
“My question is what intentions you may foster by which you plan to spend your moral, intellectual and financial capital outside the walls of University?”.
When our intellectuals will upgrade the level of understanding their role in society, our hopes will be much more trustful for the future of our younger generations.. Our nation’s promise for tomorrow.

Pass On The Word.

Sunday 15 December 2013

About Culture.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 13th 2013.
A new problem emerged recently on the surface of the Italian social debate; regarding the outcome resulting of the various ministerial decrees elaborated, and urgently pushed into the parliament to become obliging laws, by Maria Stella Gelmini the ex Minister of Education and Scientific Research for the three consecutive cabinets of the much discussed Italian business and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi.
One in particular is making a big fuss, rendering the discussions more offensive than just sour; and which is related to a decision Gelmini took as “…an imperative Austerity measure to allow the educative process maintain its course through the duress of such a crushing globalised crisis”; by the exclusion of “History Of Art” from all public and private schools programmes, thus depriving future Italian citizens from the values of similar formation.
The problem, as per the critics, rises from the general belief that it wasn’t a fruit of an oversight, but rather it was a conscious choice, generated from the official despise for Human Studies and Social Sciences in general characterizing those times (the two decades of Berlusconi rule over politics and media), added to a completely distorted vision on how important the role of the country’s historic artistic heritage is.
The critics have also noted how an obviously wrong decision as such, though would have probably saved few millions of Euro for teaching the matter, it will need hundreds or thousands of millions in the near future to fix the damage generated out of the intentional production of a wide spread ignorance.
Tommaso Montanari, the most daring critic says:
“Why should an Italian feel happy to sustain, other than his sweat smelling taxes, a cultural heritage that seem as distant, inaccessible and superfluous as a luxury that only the rich can enjoy? It’s a crucial demand, and if really there is a sincere will to change the present status, it is here the starting point. Because to most of today’s Italians, this heritage is like an immense library fully stamped in an alphabet which by now is completely unknown. And one cannot love, and consequently save, what he doesn’t understand.. What he doesn’t properly feel.. Not to mention our ruling class, the most featured analphabetic group in the entire Western Hemisphere”.
Now, should I wish to draw a parallel to this issue; I’d start by denouncing the deteriorated status of our education system in Egypt, ever since the sixties of last century.. Ever since our Ruling Class adopted certain political choices turning them into traditions enforced by laws (that were never changed or even modified); after which both our sense of belonging and our definition of patriotism became unfocussed and slowly faded away and finally disintegrated.
a)      Cancelling the independence of Al Azhar, rendering it another ‘Public Sector’ institution disabling it from performing its historic role as the locomotive of the International Moderate Sunny World and obliging it to abandon its duty for “Ejtehad”;
b)      Disempowering the Classic Arabic Literature teachers, choosing them from the universities and high schools under-graduates or even outcasts, especially for the elementary stages of schooling in a way to turn it into a non appealing study and non enthusiastic channel for a secure career;
c)      Disregarding the new techniques for teaching Human Studies;
d)      Cancelling art, agriculture, music, laboratories, libraries, philosophy, sport and drawing classes from our overcrowded public schools making such subjects the privilege of the few, thus creating more social and cultural distinctions;
e)      Educating, by imposition, in all levels the one-say/one-opinion of the single political party that is the State itself;
f)       Generalising a false Free Education Policies, even in University; and
g)      Neglecting the role of Scientific Research and denying its important impact on the strategic progress of a nation.
Every time I read a letter or a message written in Arabic, and listen to a political speech delivered in our generously rich Classic Arabic Language, I become more convinced of my observations.. If we can’t speak rightfully our language, know precisely its rich heritage of literature in prose and poetry; understand it and communicate through it in the right way; then it will die and turn into an élite ciphered code same as Latin and Coptic that shall have one use only, and that is to celebrate Religious Rituals and Sermons; or worse to be exchanged in secret reunions of secret societies!
Obviously we’ll be completely dependant on the ‘Experts’ to explain the things being we were unable ourselves to understand.. And that is the definition of turning into small groups vulnerable and submitted to continuous political, cultural, social and emotional manipulations. 
That is how and why we are so divided and so confused; and it shows clearly in the process of choosing our rulers.. Because we just can’t understand their language, their symbols, their tactics and their maneuvers.. Because we didn’t care much, or were too lazy, to explore the priceless treasures of our classical cultural heritage.
So if we don’t really know how to decide on whose to be our representative in Parliament or fit to be our President; will it be possible to hope that the non-represented would concord with the never-represented and kneel down together to a principle of representation that represents others, not them?
Pass On The Word.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

How difficult it is to understand Vandalism?

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 8th 2013.
Vandalism and terrorising Bullish acts, in at least one of the major faculties of Alexandria University, has become the daily routine practiced by a large portion of that faculty’s so called students.. Eye witnesses confirm that an exaggerated violence is practiced every day on the assets and teaching equipments of the university.
In order to paralyse the scholar year bringing it to a complete halt, those individuals destroy laboratories’ equipment, benches, over-head-projectors and screens, public address systems, professors cars and offices’ furniture, obstruct other classes in other faculties… etc.
There are two factors allowing [a]those characters to serenely do what they’ve been doing since the beginning of the current scholar year, expressing no fear whatsoever or worry of an outside official intervention; and as well [b]making us know why most of the students as well as their professors are horrified other than terrorised:
        I.            The inexplicable huge amounts of cash in their possession that the average university student, other than his suffering family, cannot afford to brag of owing and actually spend every day.. We’re talking about hundreds of pounds and dollars per day per student (so to say ‘student’).
     II.            Since the Security forces cannot by law intervene unless officially and explicitly asked so by the University Dean; and as the Head-Master in reference actually in charge is a declared Muslim Brotherhood sympathiser. we know why most of the students as well as their professors are horrified other than terrorised.
If this is the case of one faculty of a major University in Egypt, what could be happening in other faculties and universities all over the country?
Who’s financing these activities?
And those so called students, what do they hope to achieve?
Who can communicate with them? When they have offered the indisputable proof of being bluntly stupid and totally blinded by  some vague understanding of how to express anger, if anger is really the issue in question and nothing else.
How come the Police Forces, with its historical mighty power and successful infiltrations, didn’t do anything about it?
Are they waiting for an escalation to generate the proper conditions and re-create the same collective retaliatory crack down same as Sharawy Gomaa did back in the sixties, converting Egypt into a HIGH SECURITY PRISON?
Are they still collecting evidences as a normal investigative practice for common criminal activities?
Or maybe they do not wish to make a wrong move judged by the already doubting Western Powers/Creditors as breaching Human and Civil Rights?
Or are they awaiting a come-back to the assassination season of the seventies as a tactical objective to prepare the stage for another cycle of Iron & Fire rule by more severe Emergency Measures?
If they didn’t understand yet that time isn’t favouring such political manoeuvres, especially when a Task Force Cabinet, a Crippled Parliament and a Temporary President are doing nothing to ease in any way the suffocating economic grievance; sooner than later someone will explain to them that it’s time for firm and swift action not occasional reactions.. But the action will be extremely painful.
Pass On The Word.

PS: Recent sources say that the Dean in question will be subject to disciplinary measures and be removed from office.. That may be a comfort but will it solve the problem?

Saturday 7 December 2013

All against All.. The Motionless Chaos.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Castelfiorentino, December 7th 2013.
Of dramatic moments, difficult times and dark horizons throughout its long history (especially through its young mediocre Republican experience) our country got its saturating overdose in many occasions; however and even in the episodes of utmost obscurity, one could perceive the existence of a collective political and moral compass orienting ‘ALL’ to feel as the responsible participative partners sharing the same ‘Community’ and not the multitude of various ‘Single’ hordes running wild disorderly in ‘Chaos’.
Today, in the newspapers and on TV, appear only stories and sceneries of battle symbolising this grotesque confusion! There is not a single angry category that won’t lay a siege or bloc an already agonising traffic. The original soundtrack of our population.. The rest is nothing else but the shouts raised from the squares or the screams popping out from TV screens or Radio speakers, where the share is measured by angry voices’ Decibel.
A Ruling Class and a Government worthy of the honour in the title, would have seriously set to work ever since day one to establish the new rules for Modern Democratic Governance; instead, and after shortly less than three years, all political parties, government institutions, professional syndicates, labour unions, artisans, students, professors, media, industrial lobbies, and social organs are still unable to provide or even just to distinguish a single scrap of an accord.
A constant conflict for private interests or temporary limited engagements, instead of the consensual agreement for the long term strategic common good, will remain for a while only a charade.. And this is the concrete definition and tangible sample for Motionless Chaos.

Pass On The Word.

#46664*!

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 6th 2013.


Madeba is no more among us.. The tired heart of Nelson Mandela gave up after 95 years of fearsome struggle against Injustice and Racial Segregation; the main two foundations pillars of Apartheid. His firm stand, simple ideas and indisputable convictions made him the living personification of the legendary “Rainmaker” (he who brings the rain that make peace among all tribes and creatures).
After 27 years in prison, he came out to work for social pacification not for revenge.. Despite many temptations, he never gave in to compromise his ideas against private benefits: “There is no such thing as partial freedom” as he often taught us, we the simple citizens of the Black Continent.. Egyptians or South Africans, Senegalese or Somalis, Congolese or Tunisians, we’re all African Natives whom the search for a better tomorrow communes every single one of us regardless of origin, colour or belief.
Mandela, same as Ghandi, has modestly stood tall as the powerful lighthouse to guide humans towards Humanity.. By contrast, the many arrogant trivialities which may seem brightly shining over the political and moral horizons now-a-days are only spotlights with very limited energy and much shorter autonomy. And for those I bring the following quote of which I’m certain about their incapacity to grasp.
“Our most profound fear is not being inadequate..   Our most profound fear is being powerful beyond any limit”.
Nelson Mandela (giving his 1994 office acceptance speech)
Pass On The Word.

*his tag number while in prison.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Ideas never die.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 4th 2013.
He was just a FREEMAN.. Stood tall as our living monument for COURAGE.. Not even the indignity of imprisonment or the agony of torture inside the wet prison cells for eighteen long years were able to take away his sound sense of FREEDOM; or strip off his protective armour: the pride of being born Egyptian, and his deep belief in divine justice.
Unlike his predecessors the grand masters of Dialect Poetry like Beyram El Tunsy and Salah Jaheen, or his coevals Ma’moun El Shennawy and Youssef Edris; he was entirely devoted and radically committed to issues like Freedom of Expression, Social Justice and Human Rights; just as much as he has never pronounced or wrote a word or a verse of hypocrisy in praise of any other human being.. The others did.
His master piece “AZZA” is the icon of a life long battle sustaining and preaching those noble issues.. One of the many poems he wrote in prison and was bravely smuggled out.. A poem that we exchanged clandestinely in school yards and on university benches after 1967, and publicly chanted it out in the streets during the ‘Students Riots’ of 1968.. If you can find it read it carefully to discover his cruel definitions for freedom and justice, along with the tender images originating from his root peasant life culture that forged his solid sense of belonging.
My generation will remember him as the domestic who became a postman who became the poet who became a prisoner to inspire hope and incite us to stand firmly for our hopes and resist peacefully awaiting a day of relief that will surely come.
Ahmad Fouad Negm died yesterday (December the 3rd) on 84 years of age, but his shouts for freedom, ideas on justice, inspirations to tolerance and teachings in courage will remain alive and dearly treasured in our conscience.
May Allah grant you his pardon and absolution by his infinite mercy.
Pass On The Word.

Recipes.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, December 4th 2013.
That armoured stubbornness, by which wrong politics has imposed over a country, already ruined in rubbles, a Temporary President, a Temporary Cabinet, and a Crippled Parliament; did it fruit anything?? None at all!!
Just to reach such an exciting result, that same corrupt politics has blatently ignored the electoral verdict, which demanded at the top of its voice the end of an era which had on top of its agenda the wrecking of a Constitution that was born to the Resistance.
This puppet cabinet will do nothing but accumulate more material and moral rubble, over those produced by decades of Political Cast and Parasites Parties ‘understandings’ and reduced the country to what it is today. While the only way to reborn consists in a monumental redistribution of wealth, that in order to launch the economy should apply the simple revolutionary recipe of the recently elected New York Mayor: “Take from the rich to give the poor, conjugated to an authentic revolution of Legality that would return to the citizens a ray of hope in everyone’s equal dignity”!
Instead I fear that they will continue to apply the recipe of the Mayor of London who preaches “Avidity and Inequality”!
These lines were written By Paolo Flores d’Arcais* criticising the actual Italian political stalemate.
Pass On The Word.
*Mr. d’Arcais wrote this editorial entitled ‘Le Macerie sotto il Colle’ (or the rubbles under the Presidential Palace) on the Italian independent daily “Il Fatto Quotidiano” of Dicember 1st 2013.

Friday 29 November 2013

From Decadence to Disaster.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, November 28th 2013.
The Strategy of Tension* that all the players concerned with the Egyptian socio-political situation, in one way or another, reciprocate its origins just because the ‘other’ scribbles on/with/by the media about the “American Card” that will impose reviewing their condemning sentence(s); are calling more often rallies to the ‘Square’, and are doing whatever may seem necessary to delay the inevitable.. All that makes no sense to me.
A little because replaying the tape, at a slow motion mode, of all what everybody foresaw from the day the first of all three governments was born, amidst the turbulent development of the most important “Political Process” the country has ever encountered, till the present day of Decadence of a system that has already proven decade, in a country if defined ‘in decadence’ would be an euthanasia’s euphemism.
But most of all because of the signals sent from within the Egyptian reality.. Signals that I judge much worse and extremely alarming.. Those yes are the true precursors of an era of intense tension, that only God knows when and how it would end.. It has already showed its ugly violent face.
Criminal acts as random abductions, frequent rapes, kidnappings, extortions, homicides, tortures, religious vandalisms, smugglings, arms trade, breaking and violently assaulting private residences, a more flourishing synthetic drugs market, and the unstoppable increase in minors and women abuse almost levelling to slavery; are countered by a more distracted, more frustrated, more paranoid, more surprised, more improvising, more violent and more reactive security forces.
Crime and Violence are gradually taking the initiative over the Egyptian streets, while political gamers are concerned by “Who’s got it bigger”!! Bureaucrats, Technocrats, Autocrats, Muslims, Christians, Laics, Seculars, Salafities or Moderates they may or would be, their time is running out while the country is quickly being swallowed inside the rapids of chaos.
Is there a remedy? Indeed there is, but it would immediately require that massive employment of finances, means, structures, qualified personnel, and willing politicians; that would automatically liquidate the hope of being realisable.. At least in view of the present crisis.. And a society, blinded by the Gold Fever as ours, doesn’t seem capable of putting an end to the phenomena.    
Pass On The Word.
*The strategy of tension describes how world powers divide, manipulate, and control public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, and false flag terrorist actions.  

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Satrăpes.

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Firenze, November 26th 2013.
Nowadays Italy’s official and independent Media are crying Scandal on the unprecedented use of “Public Means to favour Private Interests”.
The story started few months ago when the Italian Ministry of Defence approved the deployment of the aircraft carrier “Cavour” and its group to shuttle the African Continent and the Middle East show-casing the latest products of the armament industry Made In Italy.
The ‘mission’ was fully sponsored (financed) by the seven major producers (from FM to Beretta); and its scope is an aggressive Marketing & Sales Campaign; or as Italy’s Minister of Defence Mr. Mario Mauro proudly declared “we’ve programmed a Le Bourget* in movement”!
The sad part of the story is that the supporters of the scheme are defending its intentions claiming that similar ‘initiatives’ help maintaining the industrial productivity and prevent labourers lay-offs especially in such hard times of international economic crisis.
And this is sad for a several reasons; the first may be considered ‘ethical’ for it shows how a definition of the “Legally Constituted State” becomes problematic when political power become involved in the promotional initiatives of private firms, thus sacrificing the quality of the law to the book-keepings of commercial success: MONEY.
The second is more of a speculative nature, because the producers are using the state owned ‘vehicles’ to bring their products wherever they want to go knocking on the doors of their carefully chosen convenient ‘Clients’! Chosen among countries governed by men who are generous when it comes to such expenses, but reducing the social investments to lesser than small change to widen inequality.
The third however is more devastating, because the Marketing Flotilla, while anchoring before the Italian base in Djibouti, is experimenting every new ‘product’ it has on board on the ground.. And people are dying.. They are experimenting new airplanes with the latest warheads, new stealth drones, and of course their industrial pride the Ecological Tanks and Armoured Vehicles! All these weapons are being experimented in Syria and Afghanistan after approved on the grounds of an endlessly disturbed African Horn.. And people continue to die.
The fourth and last reason represents an absurd ambiguity because art.11 of the Italian Constitution prevents Italians to cross the borders armed; and the law prohibits both the parliament and the government to approve the sales of arms to nations of doubtful Democracy.
However all of that brings me to a Latin term we studied ages ago, when studying was still a serious matter, and the term is Satrăpes”. Originally it referred to the governors of the provinces belonging to the ancient Persian Empire. Then in time it was used in relation to the Oriental Monarchs. Actually it involves any person who, while occupying an office or being assigned a charge, would irritatingly keep showing his own impotence, sometimes even by abusing of his proper authority.
Ring any bell? Saudi Arabia.. Kuwait.. Qatar.. Emirates.. Bahrain.. And many more in the misfortunate African Continent.
Which brings me to what T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) wrote in an intelligence memo of January 1916 at the time describing the Arab Revolt as:
“…beneficial to us, because it marches with our immediate aims, the break-up of the Islamic 'bloc' and the defeat and disruption of the Ottoman Empire, and because the states [Sharif Hussein] would set up to succeed the Turks would be … harmless to ourselves … The Arabs are even less stable than the Turks. If properly handled they would remain in a state of political mosaic, a tissue of small jealous principalities incapable of cohesion”. 
Pass On The Word.
*Le Bourget: the Parisian suburb Fair Grounds where the annual air show is held to present the related latest civil and military productions. 

Power or Influence?

By: Ahmed ELNAHAS – Montopoli, November 25th 2013.
I think that now, more than ever, we need to have a much better understanding of “Power” in order to clearly identify who is to be qualified as the ‘powerful’, more precisely: The Potent. Because I fear that it has become equivocal the confused use of the term ‘power’ and its true measuring criterion: “Influence”, that is the capacity to weigh over other people’s decisions.
To simplify the scope of my quest, I invite you to answer the following easy questions:
·         Who’s more powerful: the Child or the Parents?
·         Who’s more powerful: the Class Bully or the School Headmaster?
·         Who’s more powerful: the Minister of Education and Scientific Research or the National Assembly Of the Universities’ Deans?
·         Who’s more powerful: the Reader or the Writer?
·         Who’s more powerful: the Voter or the Candidate?
·         Who’s more powerful: the Poet or the Soldier?
·         Who’s more powerful: the People or the President?
Now repeat the same exercise using ‘Influential’ instead of ‘Powerful’.. And once you’ve answered these simple interrogatives, which I’m certain wasn’t quite an easy exercise; you can measure the ratio Power/Influence anywhere and everywhere throughout your daily attendances and seeing, or just by observing and analysing all types of human, and none, relations.
To conclude: you, as I have, will realise how the inter-exchangeability of roles from Powerful/Influential to Submissive/Manipulated is a common factor in Human Relations, especially in Politics and Labour. That’s how we should all be as much vigilant and objective when we go to the Ballot Boxes to place our Vote, as when we chose our daily newspaper.
The moment we define the real relation between our need for a given product, its quality and its price; then we can be certain that our choices will have more than average chance to satisfy our expectations.
Pass On The Word.