Sandmonkey games

The Blog "rantings of a sandmonkey" seems to have gone off. The reasons why are explained in his last post. I do hope though that this person will change its mind and start blogging again. I firmly believe that blogging is addictive and I suppose that it is as hard to quit blogging than it is to quit smoking. On the other hand, I understand that people would rather not be arrested and persecuted for what they believe or what they say. In some ways I believe it is easier to become a suicidal bomber than a human rights activist. As a suicide bomber, you do lose your life but do not get imprisoned, which implies torture and abuse. Everyone would rather avoid abuse and torture. Reason then is to avoid the wrath of those who have the power to imprison, torture and abuse.
This is why I fear somehow that the Monkey's attitude might snowball. Many Egyptian bloggers seem to be disappointed and chose to go into a low profile. They are being threatened by courts , state security forces, and other threats seem to be still in the making.
I really do not know what to advise. I wonder is it worth it to fight while those who would really gain for standing up to their rights, do not seem to be interested in doing so.
I will just miss Sandmonkey.
Really hope that the Monkey changes his or her mind.

Faces look ugly

People are strange, when you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
Women seem wicked, when you're unwanted
Streets are uneven, when you're down

When you're strange- faces come out of the rain (rain, rain)
When you're strange- no one remembers your name
When you're strange, when you're strange, when you're strange

(The Doors)

Specially when you are alone or strange, according to Morrison Jim who is now undergoing a rehabilitation process nearly 40 years after his conviction on charges of indecent exposure and more than 35 years after his death in Paris. I discovered this while checking one of my favorite blogs. "Crooks and Liars" was awarded the 2005 best blog award for the non-professional category. Not that I check it daily, but once a week I check Crooks and Liars and "Think Progress" . Those two blogs use a sense of humor that makes me smile quite often. Moreover they both tend to give a somehow lesser mainstream analysis of American Politics. Check them out. While if you don't care about American politics maybe you could go check out the original video clip of people are strange. Quite a treat.

Modeling

Power catwalk.

Syrian moments

These pictures were all taken in Damascus , Syria, a year ago. I believe they are nice. But I am too lazy to comment them myself. I would say they are self explanatory and do not need commenting.

Heart to Heart

In this case, it will rather be natural heart to grown one. A team headed by Sir Magdi Yacoub has succeeded in growing a heart valve from stem cells, he believes that within a decade it will be possible to grow the whole heart using the same procedure. That should mean that other vital organs could also be grown. I am flabbergasted. Can't even start to imagine how it is going to change the world as we know it.
There is a joke they used to say in Pharaonic times about Ramses II as he was given by the high priests a turtle for his Golden Jubilee, he was told that these animals lived for 2 to 300 years and he answered "well, we will see". With the growing of organs now in the realm of the possible, one could imagine a scary future, a return to the dark ages with a political system that would become eternal. This does not change the fact that I am proud of the Egyptian King of Hearts.
Wikipedia Magdi Yacoub
The Royal Society fellowship article calls him the King of Heart. Wasn't this Saddam's Special Security Organization man? Maybe for his security and for an always needed Egypt publicity stunt they should rename him as the Heart Pharaoh.

Ramses II on his way to his new home through Tahrir Square

BBC pictures of Ramses move

Racing towards a Goal

To be or not to be ?
Being what?
what to be or to become?
blaming the wasp for its venomous sting is after all blaming God for His creation.
blaming oneself for God's Will is also blaming His plan.
So what to do? If one would believe Bond, ,James Bond, that is. One should live and let die. However one eventually dies and let live. I wonder though what is left to live for when the skyscrappers will hit the floor and the camels will not be able to race through the desert.

Pictures from AFP and AP through the BBC