Manal and Alaa's bit bucket

You know, I had seen the following, appearing in the browser, after I'd attempted to submit the comment, in the first attempt. I had thought that the comment had not gone through, then, so I submitted it again. Maybe it would be of any interest, as like a bug report or such; pardon if it appears out-of-place.

user error: Lost connection to MySQL server during query query: SELECT nid FROM node n WHERE n.type='image' AND n.status=1 ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0, 1 in /var/www/manalaa_test/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 66.

Fatal error: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (111) query: INSERT INTO watchdog (uid, type, message, severity, link, location, hostname, timestamp) VALUES (340, 'php', 'Lost connection to MySQL server during query query: SELECT nid FROM node n WHERE n.type=\'image\' AND n.status=1 ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 0, 1 in /var/www/manalaa_test/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 66.', 2, '', '/node/451', '4.246.212.168', 1125864181) in /var/www/manalaa_test/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 66

Fatal error: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (111) query: UPDATE sessions SET uid = 340, hostname = '4.246.212.168', session = 'messages|a:0:{}', timestamp = 1125864181 WHERE sid = '34b546fc73491dd421057eb390c2962c' in /var/www/manalaa_test/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 66

Warning: Unknown(): A session is active. You cannot change the session module's ini settings at this time. in Unknown on line 0

Konqueror, in all of its compiled C++, had crashed while I was editing a comment. It may have had something to do with the inclusion of cut/pasted Arabic text. (Curiously, the KDE segfault watcher did not even pipe-up, after it. Looking in the X.Org log, it was a "Fatal IO error")

This comment should be far shorter, and more organized

1) Citizen Journalism - Distribution and Coverage

Today, I had found an item that I hoped to mention, to you, at this site: Resist!ca || Resist! Corporate Media

It appears that they cover matters of concern about politics. Their coverage might be mostly about circumstances in the US/Canada area. I'm sure they would not mind hearing about matters in and near Egypt.

So, I thought that anyone, here, might mention, there, anything about anything going on, regarding concern and efforts for resolution, occurring in Egypt and more areas.

2) Citizen Journalism, and Civilian Life - Understanding and Communicating With the Government

While looking around, recently, to see if I could find any pages directly of the courts in Egypt, I had found the following.

Arabic: مصادر البيانات القومية - دليل أهم الهيئات الحكومية English: Main Governmental Authorities Egyptian Information Portal - IDSC -Information & Decision Support Center

It is an index upon governmental agencies - 3 pages long, as re-processable as (somewhat invalid) HTML text

Should it be of interest, I might be able to make a Gnumeric spreadsheet out of it; I'm already part way through having done so (pages downloaded, converted to UTF-8, fixed some things that break standard HTML parsers, then reformatted as XML) but got side-tracked, at the point where any of it would be loaded into a Common Lisp image, for further processing.

3) Sharing a thought, of what I know of the US

In the US, there are what are referred to as "lobbying" agencies. They exist to lobby members of the parliamentary body of the US -- the US congress -- in order to have the agencies' and peoples' concerns addressed, upon such means. Presumably, the largest of such agencies would exist upon support from phat wallets, e.g high-up persons of US corporations, etc. Yet, more than phat-wallet-supported lobbying agencies exist; I've read of one addressing concerns about forest resources, with no "huge conglomeracy" about it.

I will call to the reader's attention the Muslim Brotherhood. That said, hopefully it would be enough. The US administration likes to tack the term "terrorist" onto what they do not even understand, but have seen such-and-such said in coincidence of. Neither do they like US citizens to appear "friendly" to whom. However, to point out the presence and relevance of an organization is not to ally oneself with it, in so much. Neither is it cool to be spineless, but I know not what more to say.

I hope to call to the reader's attention, also, that people may become organized on people's own. In doing as so, technology might tend to be of some help. In doing as so, free/open source software tends to be of the most help -- e.g. Drupal, as demonstrated, Wikis, ... and "groupware" (e.g. OpenGroupware, or maybe anything of the OSAF's projects)

Inherently tragic political climates, I guess are not unique to the U.S. Neither is fraternity unique to any one nation.

This is a pretty rough way of addressing it, but I thought I would suggest that Manal and Alaa, with company together, would start something perhaps like a "lobbying" agency -- perhaps in involvement with anyone, there, experienced about the egyptian government, and maybe familiar, some, with the area media, and whom would be in clear coincidence about such concerns as you find.

I do not know what formal registration procedures might be required by the Egyptian gov, for any agencies of any sort. Perhaps the item of reference, above, would serve towards the determination of such. I am not knowledgable about the structure or the Egyptian government. I cannot think of what more to suggest, at this.

4) Proposing a Project

If you would care to start an online resource, about using free/open source software for lobbying (to-gov) and organizing (to-public) work, I bet it would really catch some interest, ultimately.

You would have one volunteer, here, as able and willing to volunteer as my own little circumstances and such-forth experiences would stand to permit.

Here's to the hope that I will not soon be winding up in a small room in a US gov building or anyhow "in trouble" for so much as having mentioned the Brotherhood and not having made a typical political noise, around it, "in a US-administration-flattering direction."

Granted, I mean not to suggest as if the US "Bureau of Homeland Bureaucracy", I mean "Security", as if they even had the means for systematically scanning the internet for mentions of what-ever they'd have their word lists tagged about, if any. I wonder, perhaps more is science fiction than is fact, in speculations about what any administration is even capable of. "Echelon", I have heard, is a joke. More productions of this government, in more recent times, have appeared as a joke, and as attempts of persons, at getting grant-monies for fancy work about "information systems", proposed. Lest any US dot-gov head would read this, I mean no propaganda by this, but just to call it as it is.

5) Carefully put, Hello from California.

Introducing the writer of this, myself, just for the sake of it: I seem to give more of a darn about what goes on, abroad, than here in the U.S. I have just about given up on this nation, though I am stuck here. The people may be, in not few, foolish, if not simply clueless, if not simply casual about anything more than what is in arm's reach -- and anyone whom is not so gone, what can we do, (without freinds or family with phat wallets)?; the works, in so many, so trivial and contrived; the troubles made of this nation, so poorly recognized and so troublesome; the politics and yay-much of "the media", about as fragrant as methane; I will not try to make a poignant political standing-place of your site, but this may be an obnoxious nation, even to persons living here.

So, not to stoke up anger, but to admit some of how it is, here, in no easy-chair.

and to leave it aside, flatly.

Hello, people who know Egypt, FOSS, and more.

In end of introduction: Pivot Points, the little catch-place of my meagre efforts about anything I'd put online, in little, not having control over the server, not having intention to say so much, and not having any agency to even try to represent, with it. My journal is linked, somewhere, there, but does not seem that it should be of much interest, though.

While I am in no place to greatly follow through about so very much, so immediately -- in a tight corner, simply, though it is resolvable, such that I can determine, and I am located rather far from Egypt -- yet I have found my attention compelled, in real, about matters of the political, governmental, social phenomena that have occurred, such that have been addressed at the site, here. Perhaps I would seem to overdo an introduction, or to even be excessively presumptuous, and/or "really pushy."

I have intended to not stand aside from what I would think may be, in much, resolvable, andy such that I may make any effort about.

Here has been an overdone comment, in so-much unfamiliarity of the author of it, addressed.

Definately your wordpress-comment will need translation to reach my modest brain. I never hide to be technologically challenged. For me to run a blog, is a great miracle of Ahmed Gharbeia. All due thanks.

Mwah.. Mwah.. neboos edina wesh w dahr

Hey every one. Manal & ALaa thanks alot for your great blog. I want to venture my opinion on this subject. I believe there is a culture now in Egypt that no one should get punished. It does not matter whether the person did a mistake or not and does not matter what is the rank of this person.

I think the actions of the four should be investigated too to see whether they deserved the punishment imposed by their former boss or not. I know that every one is sufferring but public officials everywhere in Egypt now do not do their job and if they have a strong boss who wants them to do it, they start revolting against this boss. I am not saying that this is the case here but it could be. Both sides should be heard. We should not rush to judgement after hearing one side of the story. Please accept my sincere regards. Amr

I saw the men hanging from the top of a communications tower on AlArabia TV. I guess it wasn't mentioned aywhere on Egyptian media.

Several men, other than the suicidals, talked about their suffering. One said that he's life is hell and his children are hyngry and that he preferred suiciding to suffering as he is. Another man, after performing a traditional Egyptian "I'm fed up" theatrical, including almost banging his head with his hands, said that they better not start him talking, and left the camera view!

I don't mean that it's a plot, but some people force you to beleive so. Maybe I'm saying so because suicide doesn't cut it for me.