Mubarak's Grandson Sudden and Mysterious Death

It's a tragedy when any child dies, but to be absolutely honest I didn't think the story would generate alot of interest.

I was very wrong. It was one of the most searched and read topics on the internet today and the news generated loads of comments and reactions on websites and blogs and tweets...

There was alot of schadenfreude (a German word which means gloating at someones misfortune) or شماتة in Arabic like this blog which I find a bit distasteful although I am not a big fan of Mubarak. I guess it shows how unpopular the old geezer is.

No explanation was announced so the rumours swirled. Leukemia, brain haemorrhage and ynet said it was food poisoning.

Mubarak did not attend the funeral and this also triggered rumours about his health.

Egyptian TV is playing religious songs as a sign of respect for the presidential family. This is a bit annoying. I dont wacth Egyptian state TV but it kinda pisses me off that a public service should be interrupted because of one family's tragedy.

Mubarak's birthday

The Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is celebrating his 81st birthday today quietly at home with his family.

Mubarak came to power in 1981 after his predecessor Anwar Al Sadat got shot to pieces during a military parade.

Some people say Mubarak is a dictator who allowed corruption to spread in Egypt and stifled all forms of opposition but allowed Islamists to gain ground.

His critics on the other hand are less generous.

Happy birthday.

In Egybt, we kill za big

Police clashed with grabage collectors who raise pigs in Manshiyet Naser today.

Egyptian government officials are well known for their ineptness and stupidity, but every once in a while they demonstrate phenomenal ass-holiness. They decided to slaughter the entire pig population of Egypt (with a few exceptions) to protect the country from the swine flu.

The World Health Organization and other UN bodies tried to explain that killing za bigs is not necessary, but the decision has already been taken and they didnt want to look stupid by raising their hands and admitting they were wrong.

Instead the authorities have now expanded the rationale for the slaughter beyond swine flu to a larger campaign against unsanitary pig farming conditions, particularly in the Cairo slums where the garbage collectors live... Very clever.

The true motive is to appease the Islamists, but this is a very dangerous game. Today it's pigs, tomorrow who knows? Maybe communists or athiests or gays or belly dancers??? We'll see.