Egypt's military secures famed antiquities museum

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, directly off Tahrir Square

Well, I was half-right. I said the Museum would not become a target. Turns out, it almost did. I forgot about unconscionable looters. Thank you to those citizens that stepped in and prevented the unthinkable to happen before the army could take over. It became vulnerable after the building housing the Democratic Party (Mubarak's) was torched nearby, causing chaos.




Egypt's military secures famed antiquities museum

CAIRO – "The Egyptian army secured Cairo's famed antiquities museum early Saturday, protecting treasures including the famed gold mask of King Tutankhamun from looters.

The greatest threat to the Egyptian Museum first appeared to come from the fire enguling the ruling party headquarters next door on Friday night as anti-government protests roiled the country.

Then dozens of would-be thieves started entering the grounds surrounding the museum.

Suddenly other young men — some armed with truncheons taken from the police — formed a human chain outside the main gates on Tahrir Square in an attempt to protect the collection inside.

"I'm standing here to defend and to protect our national treasure," said one of the men, Farid Saad, a 40-year-old engineer.

Another man, 26-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim, said it was important to guard the museum because it "has 5,000 years of our history. If they steal it, we'll never find it again."

Finally, four armored vehicles took up posts outside the massive coral-colored building in downtown Cairo. Soldiers surrounded the building and moved inside to protect mummies, monumental stone statues, ornate royal jewelry and other pharaonic artifacts."


Main Hall of the Museum

[My personal reflections on the Museum after the jump...]

The Museum is massive and is overflowing with artifacts on display and in storage. It is two stories high and every hall is crammed with precious items from times long gone. You can spend days in there and not see everything. It is a great place to sit and reflect--it has such an atmosphere of its own... impossible for me to describe. A major refuge for both antiquities and lost souls, located in the busiest part of Egypt. --ND
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Egyptian military deploys in Cairo under curfew

Fires burn in the National Democratic Party ruling party headquarters, after it was set alight by anti-government protesters, in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) [This is not far from the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which so far seems to be unscathed. The Museum itself would never be a target, but might take collateral damage, which would be tragic, as far as buildings (and antiquities) go.--ND]


Water cannons. Photo by Reuters/Yannis Behrakis

Egyptian military deploys in Cairo under curfew
By MAGGIE MICHAEL and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press

This is a very good summary of today's events in Cairo and around Egypt. The decidedly different reaction to the army's arrival compared to the police--who are despised--is well worth noting. This government more than likely cannot be overthrown without the army's help. As they are paid next to nothing and tend to come from poor families (much like here) they are not unlikely to side with the protesters. Surprisingly, the article mentions that several police actually stripped from their uniforms and joined the supporters. Another very positive development.

Some photos from the press:


One of the two massive lions that guard the bridge into central Cairo. I was scolded by a policeman back in 1993 for taking pictures of them because the bridge is considered a "military installation" which it is forbidden to photograph under Martial Law. Egyptians have been under Martial Law since Mubarak assumed office almost 30 years ago. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP)


Cairo's historic Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifai mosques are engulfed with smoke from a nearby fire at a police station which was set ablaze during massive protests by Egyptians demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. The United States said Friday that the political unrest in Egypt "is of deep concern." (AFP/Marco Longari) [Very sobering view of two highly revered and simply amazing mosques--ND]


Anti-government protesters surround and stand atop an Egyptian army armoured personnel carrier, near the Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Friday,Jan. 28, 2011. Egyptian activists protested for a fourth day as social networking sites called for a mass rally in the capital Cairo after Friday prayers, keeping up the momentum of the country's largest anti-government protests in years. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

I did read yesterday that one of the cities now rioting is Mansoura, north of Cairo in the delta region, which is the closest large town to where my roommates and I became friends with a whole village (wedding parties will do that) during our stay. So there is no question now that our friends are involved. These are folks with dirt floors (until my roommates' wedding present fixed that) and no phones--much less computers--so we have no way of knowing anything about them. In fact, we've had no contact with them since we left 17 years ago. But the memories are hard and fast, and won't go anywhere anytime soon.

"In the upscale Mohandiseen neighborhood, at least 10,000 were marching toward the city center chanting "down, down with Mubarak." The crowd later swelled to about 20,000 as they made their way through residential areas."

Mohandiseen is a adjacent to my wonderful old neighborhood of Dokki, where an American student I know is currently waiting out the situation. To get from Mohandiseen to the bridge leading towards central Cairo (where they were stopped by police) the crowd would have passed right through Dokki, where it sounds like they picked up enough supporters to double their numbers. Makes me proud. Read more!

Egypt ruling party offers no concessions

Ben Curtis, AP



Egypt ruling party offers no concessions

By HAMZA HENDAWI and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Hamza Hendawi And Hadeel Al-shalchi, Associated Press

CAIRO – Egypt's ruling party said Thursday it was ready for a dialogue with the public but offered no concessions to address demands for a solution to rampant poverty and political change heard in the country's largest anti-government protests in years.

At the same time, the grass roots protest movement was getting a double boost likely energize the largest anti-government demonstrations Egypt has seen in years. Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and the country's top pro-democracy advocate, was returning to the country Thursday night and declared he was ready to lead the protests. The country's largest opposition group — the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — also threw its support behind the demonstrations.

Protests erupted for a third straight day and social networking sites were abuzz with talk that Friday's rallies could be some of the biggest so far calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak after 30-years in power. Millions gather at mosques across the city for Friday prayers, providing organizers with a huge number of people already out on the streets to tap into.

[Click on title for rest of article]

I don't believe in prayer, but I am most definitely hoping for as little violence as possible Friday. This will be a very crucial point in this uprising. Read more!

Plainclothes police arrest Mohamed Abdul Quddus, rapporteur of the Civil Liberties Committee and member of the Press SyndicateCouncil, during clashes in Cairo January 26, 2011. Thousands of Egyptians defied a ban on protests by returning to Egypt's streets on Wednesday and calling for President Hosni Mubarak to leave office, and some scuffled with police. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic


Egyptian police crack down on new protests (AP)


"Many in Egypt see these events as signs of the authoritarian president's vulnerability in an election year. There is speculation that 82-year-old Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years and recently experienced serious health problems, may be setting his son Gamal up for hereditary succession. But there is considerable public opposition and, according to leaked U.S. diplomatic memos, it does not meet with the approval of the powerful military. And the regime's tight hold on power has made it virtually impossible for any serious alternative to Mubarak to emerge.

"The crackdown by authorities brought harsh words from European leaders, who expressed concern and said the events underline the need for democratization and respect for human and civil rights. However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did not criticize Egypt's government — a key U.S. ally in the Middle East — but only said the country was stable and Egyptians have the right to protest while urging all parties to avoid violence."



I'm sure there's more to come...


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Mubarak's son and family flee to UK

Mubarak’s son, family fly out to UK: reports


Not a good time to be in Cairo with the last name of Mubarak. President Mubarak has been grooming his son Gamal to follow him. Though presidencies are not supposed to be inherited, I guess we've all seen it happen here with the Bushes...

But it looks like it's getting a little too hot in Heliopolis lately, so Gamal and family have fled to the UK. Is the captain ready to go down with his ship?

My former professor in Cairo, Abbas al-Tonsi, also posted an Arabic article from The Telegraph (not sure which country) stating that the Egyptian revolution is shaking up the US government. LIke I said, though we often slapped Mubarak's wrist verbally for frequent human rights abuses, they are our most important ally (close tie with Saudia Arabia, but for vastly different reasons) and receive billions of US dollars of aid every year. The US is careful to provide matching amounts to Israel (not a poor nation, by the way) to keep everyone "happy." My favorite subscript to that fact is that the US profits ENORMOUSLY by providing munitions to both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. We have for decades.

Something tells me Hillary did not sleep well the last two nights...

See next post for more.

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Cairo--After Night Fell, so did Midan at-Tahrir :(

Egyptian police fired tear gas early Wednesday on thousands of protesters in Cairo, as three people died during unprecedented nationwide rallies seekingto end President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. (AFP/Mohammed Abed)

This is still unreal to me. The American University in Cairo used to be about 100 yards from here. I crossed this maze of (usually) cars and buses every day. The Egyptian Musuem of Antiquities is right here... The Hilton, where we would escape the heat and slide across the marble floors like wet ice... The iconic Coco-Cola sign up atop one of the largest buildings... The main government building, the Mugamma, where a gov worker took his own life during our stay by jumping to his death onto the Square... All memories I have that didn't take place at the pyramids were centered here. Even the injured sorrel cart horse with the broken ankle, and the young boy pleading with him to get him home, which he never did... The woman and children lining this street selling government-issued Kleenex packets all day every day for pennies--Mubarak's idea of welfare. A traffic cop holding a dying boy, hit by a car, in his arms as my taxi passed, unable to get through the traffic to save him...

No, I will never forget Cairo. Her smoke is in my blood. Their blood is on the streets.

...يا مصر يا قالبي

Egyptians denounce Mubarak, clash with riot police
[Taken from AP piece-updated]

As night fell, thousands of demonstrators stood their ground for what they vowed would be an all-night sit-in in Tahrir Square just steps away from parliament and other government buildings — blocking the streets and setting the stage for even more dramatic confrontations.

A large security force moved in around 1 a.m. Wednesday, arresting people, chasing others into side streets and filling the square with clouds of tear gas. Protesters collapsed on the ground with breathing problems amid the heavy volleys of tear gas.

The sound of what appeared to be automatic weapons fire could be heard as riot police and plainclothes officers chased several hundred protesters who scrambled onto the main road along the Nile in downtown Cairo. Some 20 officers were seen brutally beating one protester with truncheons.

"It got broken up ugly with everything, shooting, water cannon and (police) running with the sticks," said Gigi Ibrahim, who was among the last protesters to leave the square. "It was a field of tear gas. The square emptied out so fast."

Ibrahim said she was hit in her back with something that felt like a rock. "Some people were hit in their faces."

Some protesters turned violent amid the crackdown. They knocked down an empty white police booth and dragged it for several yards before setting it on fire, chanting that they want to oust the regime. A police pickup truck was overturned and set ablaze behind the famed Egyptian Museum. Protesters also set fire to a metal barricade and blocked traffic on a major bridge over the Nile.

Police at the bridge fired tear gas and protesters mounted a charge, forcing officers to retreat, though they quickly regrouped. Two protesters with bleeding head wounds were carried off in ambulances.

Well after midnight, the smell of tear gas drifted throughout central Cairo and riot police remained deployed in large numbers. Tahrir Square looked like a battlefield covered with rocks and debris. The gates of the ruling party headquarters near the square were smashed.

Scattered groups of protesters were holding out in several areas. Many were chased by police vehicles into the Shubra neighborhood, where the streets were strewn with rocks in a sign of a heavy confrontation.


Discontent with life in Egypt's authoritarian police state has simmered under the surface for years. However, it is Tunisia's popular uprising, which forced that nation's autocratic ruler from power, that appears to have pushed young Egyptians into the streets, many for the first time.

"This is the first time I am protesting, but we have been a cowardly nation. We have to finally say no," said Ismail Syed, a hotel worker who struggles to live on a salary of $50 a month.

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Protests in Cairo continue into night...

"Several thousand remained in the streets after dark, and many promised to stay through the night in the square, steps away from parliament and other government buildings."

Tahrir Square, a circular multi-lane roundabout with a small park in the center. It is the heart of Cairo. And there is never a time when those lanes are not filled bumper to bumper with cars instead of people braving baton and tear gas-wielding riot police. Ironically, today is a national holiday honoring police. --Nancy


[AP Article updated]

Egyptians denounce Mubarak, clash with riot police
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Riots in Cairo (and Alexandria) as Protests Reign

Riot police still in their trucks. Not for long. (Photos by Emad Abdel Rahman Taryal)

Egyptians denounce Mubarak, clash with riot police (Associated Press)

This is the only article (above) I have found so far and is well worth reading.

This is a HUGE development in Egypt. Mubarak has governed--and suppressed--Egypt since Sadat's assassination in 1980. I saw demonstrations for various reasons during my year there, but they were VERY quickly suppressed and dispersed. Anyone caught was arrested and typically beaten. The fact that these Egyptians filled Midan at-Tahrir, Cairo's central hub, which is huge and normally filled with cars, is astounding. Even more unbelievable are the pictures of hundreds or thousands of protestors being kept by riot police from crossing the main bridges into central Cairo.

Blocking access to central Cairo, heart of the protests

I would not have noticed this if I hadn't seen posts on Facebook from my primary Arabic professor at the American University in Cairo back in the 90's, Abbas at-Tonsi. I can barely read his Arabic comments anymore, but I read enough to go looking for news. And I found it.

I am not going to be so patronizing as to say I am proud of Egypt today, but I will say my heart is with them 100%. There has been violence, and there is likely to be more. Mubarak has had 30 years to fortify his position. But never has there been such a movement against him like this. I wish them all courage and safety.

Batons out

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Myles Smiles

Myles Smiles

A celebration of Myles Kennedy and the smiles he shares with his innumerable fans, dedicated to one of Alter Bridge's greatest fans and promoters, Erin Freriks, who left us unexpectedly at age 30 on January 10, 2011. Set to "Life Must Go On" from Alter Bridge's album AB III.

Erin would have been 31 today.


Enjoy! Read more!

Chris Cornell Announces Songbook Tour (Surprise!)

Chris Cornell Announces Plans For 'Songbook' Acoustic Tour
Posted by CCadmin on 1/19/2011

This Spring, Chris Cornell will embark on his first-ever solo acoustic “Songbook” tour. Running from April through May 2011, it will spotlight songs from throughout his illustrious career, as well as a few surprise covers.

Back in December 2009, Cornell played his first acoustic “Songbook” show in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe to overwhelming response - the show sold out instantly. A second performance soon followed at the city's famous Troubadour.

Now, live audiences across the US & Canada will also have the chance to see Chris perform unplugged, up close and personal - an event many fans have been eagerly anticipating for years. Within this alternative setting, Cornell can easily interact with the audience and share insights about his music. Familiar songs emerge in a new context, showing that great songwriting translates to any idiom.

4/1/11 Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre
4/2/11 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
4/3/11 Dallas, TX @House of Blues
4/5/11 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
4/6/11 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
4/8/11 Bridgeport, CT @ The Klein Memorial Auditorium
4/9/11 Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Hall
4/10/11 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
4/12/11 New York, NY @Town Hall Theatre
4/15/11 Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa - Music Box
4/16/11 Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theatre
4/17/11 Washington, DC @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
4/19/11 Poughkeepsie, NY @ Bardavon
4/20/11 Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
4/22/11 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
4/23/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
4/24/11 Saint Paul, MN @Fitzgerald Theatre
4/26/11 Edmonton, AB @Winspear Centre
4/27/11 Medicine Hat, AB @ Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
4/29/11 Victoria, BC @ Royal Theatre
4/30/11 Coquitlam, BC @ Red Robinson Show Theatre
5/1/11 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
5/3/11 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
5/4/11 Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
5/6/11 San Diego, CA @Humphreys Concerts by the Bay

See you in Chicago and Milwaukee!!

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