Android Play Store

I just don't understand why there are country restrictions on applications in the store. This is the one down side of the Android platform. I understand that there is a work around (rooting and then installing a market enabler.)

I just don't think I should have to root my phone and void a warranty to get the most of my phone.

6 Questions

There has been a lot going on in Egypt lately.. to many it has been a black comedy, a play that many of us are participating in with or without our consent. 

Now with Presidential elections coming up in 4 weeks, we still have no idea who is actually running. The final list of candidates is to be announced on the 26 of April. I personally dont think an election will happen before June 1st. But for my own entertainment, I have been musing through the different programs. Trying to comprehend the crap being sold to the people of Egypt. 

Unfortunately, with the country exponentially inching everyday towards bankruptcy and financial turmoil, not a single politician or candidate is discussing the real issues facing Egypt. No one is discussing the structural challenges that have resulted in us lagging in Economic growth and societal stability. These challenges can be summed up into: Education and health expenditure, subsidies, deficit and debt, wages and local governance. 

So I challenge you all to start talking about these issues, ask your families, friends, politicians these questions. I know they sound boring, but without ideas on how to tackle these issues we will not progress. 

• How would you increase the tax revenue while not decreasing economic activity?
• How would you tackle the subsidy system that exists today and restructure it in a way that increases effectiveness and reduces expenditure?
• How would you increase public expenditure on Education and Health in Egypt without increasing deficit?
• How would you enforce a minimum wage (in both private and public sector) and not have inflation increase?
• How would you reduce the budget deficit while still managing to create over 1 million jobs a year?
• Do you support the election of governors and mayors as opposed to the tradition of appointing them. If so, what kind of fiscal and executive authority would be given to the governors and mayors?

I truly believe that tackling these six questions can put Egypt back on a track of economic and social development. 

Graduation

On March 23rd, I officially graduated from the Rotterdam School of Management with an MBA..  At the graduation ceremony I gave one the farewell speeches for my class.. I spoke about leadership and the need of responsible collaborative leaders in todays complex world. Here is a video of the speech...

A video of the entire ceremony can be found here.

A year since Mubarak

Almost a year after the symbolic victory of toppling Mubarak, only the revolutionaries are paying the price, and the old farts reaping the benefits. Not a single politician, police officer, army office have been held responsible for any of the deaths or injuries. The numbers of the dead and injured keep rising everyday that the battle for the future of the country continues. So far, since January 25th, 2011 there were

• 2286 protestors killed

• 7811 protestors injured, of which:

• 324 went blind

• 685 with broken bones

• 27 virginity tests

• Over 16,000 civilians tried infront of military courts with no due representation

This situation is not sustainable, and is one of the reasons why the confrontations with authorities continue to be longer and more violent. These escalations will continue until the power structures in Egypt represent the people of Egypt and their desires. I believe at the bare minimum, the protestors would not rest until the bare minimum of their demands are met. Based on many discussions that I have had since I have returned to Egypt, these would include:

• Transition of executive power from the armed forces to civilian leadership that embodies and demands transformative changes.
• The reorganization, rehabilitation, retraining and refocus of all members of all security apparatuses in Egypt. The goal is to transform these forces to ones that use modern community driven policing techniques.
• The complete disbandment of the ministry of information, along with the transition of the state TV to an independent professional public organization, with similarities to the BBC. 
• Accountability. Holding at the bare minimum the people in charge responsible for all the violence that has happened in the last year.

Taking down the Mohammed Mahmoud wall

This video is in regards to the wall that the SCAF erected by SCAF in November 2011 following the events of Mohammed Mahmoud. This video captures the protestors taking down one of the stones last night. It took at least 12 minutes to take the one down, the protestors took down over 15 stones down during yesterdays demonstrations and clashes. The video was taken just before 11PM last night. 

Mansoor Street - 8 to 11 PM on February 2nd

Above are Clips I captured between 8 and 11 PM last night on Mansoor and Mohammed Mahmoud streets. Demonstrations were in response to the Ministry of Interior's incompetence in securing a football game in Port Said, this failure resulted in the loss of 74 innocent lives.


Protestors were asking for the fall of SCAF as rulers of Egypt along with the reorganization, retraining and rehabilitation of the Ministry of Interior. These clips capture some of the chants by the protestors and towards the end of the video some of the clashes with the police forces. 

Mansour st. & Mohamed Mahmoud street - 3.00:4.30AM – February 3 2012 @ 4.26 AM Cairo Local Time

Video shot by: @RamyYaacoub & @AssemMemon
February 3, 2012, between the hours of 03:30am – 04:45am (GMT+2)
Downtown Cairo, streets between Tahrir Square & Ministry of Interior
General Location of Events: http://g.co/maps/dx47j

Protesters clash with Egyptian Ministry of Interior security forces (Central Security). These clashes came in the wake of the Port Said football massacre of February 1, 2012. Protesters took to the streets to express their anger with the failure of the Ministry of Interior to secure the game, even though clashes between fans were expected. The events led to the calls by many protesters for the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to step down and hand power over to a civilian interim or elected president.