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Amr's picture

Babble Before Sunrise

Very few things are worse than having to wake up early, very few. I wish I had never seen a sunrise in my life ever, involuntarily. But now that I have, many times, seen it, I hope to never see it again. That's how much I hate having to rise prematurely.

When I wake up early, round my region I always hear the unique call of one distinct bird, a distinct kind of bird, not a specific one. I hope it goes extinct, soon. These words are of course being spat out shortly before dawn, when I always feel entirely alone in the struggle.

I think I'd prefer it if all work would start not before 10am, so that most people wouldn't have to leave bed much earlier than 8am. Or if that's not workable, everyone could wake up whenever...except ME.

I forgot how it felt to have to wake up so early that it was still dark outside, before even the sun had a chance to slowly drag its head up in the sky. Nonsense, to have to start my day when my day hasn't yet started itself.

Probably if my body could talk, without orders from me, it would shout obscenities at me, from first sunlight and two hours following. I wouldn't protest. Oddly enough, since I was a boy, I always knew what I definitely did not want to be when I grow up. I always had a deep instinct that the worst job on earth must undoubtedly and unquestionably be:

Foreign Students's picture

German Football Team Take the Tube to Wembley

It's not often that you get on the Tube and stumble across some of the best footballers in the world. However, that's exactly what happened for some lucky Londoners yesterday after the German football team decided to take the unorthodox method of travel.

Germany are in London to prepare for a friendly match against England at Wembley tonight and have taken the opportunity to explore the famous Underground system.

Foreign Students's picture

The People's Voice: Freedom of Speech in Egypt (part 2)

In a special two-part series, Egyptian international student Amr Moufid looks at the state of his home country and the ways that freedom of speech is being challenged. In the first part, he focussed on the supression of TV host Bassem Youssef's satirical news programme ‘El Bernameg'.

Egypt has some advantages which can never be taken away from it by anyone- its History, Culture, Civilization- but at the same time it has some issues which no one can deny or ignore.

Before the revolutions, Egypt was a developing country, afterward, it is still developing. However, the two most important achievements to have come out of the previous few years- with their death tolls, terrorist attacks and overall suffering- are firstly, the placement of some top crooks to where they belong, in jail. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, owing to the nature of the very hard past years, the people were finally able to retrieve their voice, their right to speak, their capacity to complain, their freedom of expression.

Erik's picture

One Man’s Terrorist is Another Man’s Freedom Fighter

Paul Ciancia, 23, killed one and injured six others at Los Angeles airport security check on Friday, 1 November 2013. He told police that he did not want to cause any damage, only express disagreement with the government. He left a ‘New World Order' note referring to a conspiracy theory that a group of politicians want to impose totalitarian control over the world.

It reminded me of the movie Shooter (pictured above).The main character kills in retribution, after a corrupt official turns him into a scapegoat to cover up their own premeditated murder. Vengeance is mine, he could say in the end of the movie.

But is it really the end? Will there be no more soldiers dying, no more mass graves, no more pilotless-drones? It is the same reasoning that says one village being wiped out for an oil pipe is worth it for the rest to live better. It means that a human life has no value when making decisions based on the general welfare.

Amr's picture

Freedom of Speech in Egypt (part 1)

In a special two-part series, Egyptian international student Amr Moufid looks at the state of his home country and the ways that freedom of speech is being challenged.

Opinions may differ, points of view might well clash, but facts remain facts regardless of anyone's personal feelings. Egypt is presently, as far as I'm aware, the only country to keep two of its Presidents (out of a total of five, not counting Acting Presidents) behind bars.

It is helpful to bear in mind however that, neither of these two Presidents ever dared to use the army against the people so as to keep in power, something which cannot be said of presidents of some other countries. But still, an unusual situation exists and deserves some reflection; all living Egyptian Presidents are, in accordance to the wishes of the people, locked-up.

Political Satire Gagged

To add to their already towering heap of trouble, the Egyptian people's newly rediscovered voice is under threat yet again. An Egyptian television host of a satirical news program was suppressed for making some mild, watered-down, soft jokes, aimed at some members of the government, during the previous week's show.

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