Egypt has no internet. I didnt know a government could take down the internet like that. Poof! I mean, the cables cross many national boundaries. The Internet was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. Do countries have a kill-switch?
Here's a link to a site called internetegypt.com. It's down. 404. Nada.
Dont throw out your old shortwave radio just yet. Seems low-tech still rules.
Can all nations do that? Specifically, my nation?
The internet as a "tool of dissent & populist organization." Interesting concept to ponder.
Clearly they dont like Mubarek. Did he not have a pale vampire glow tonight? Dude, hire a new make-up artist.
Photos of Egypt in Revolution
Collection of exquisite photographs titled » Days of Rage.
Uh, I had linked to some of the photos I liked, but for some reasons the photos at those links keep changing.
Maybe cuz they keep adding photos to the beginning, which changes the numbering of the later ones. Im over it.
Instability in a region that is already volatile .. not good. Egypt shares a border with Israel. Note that the word armageddon comes from the Hebrew term » har megiddo, meaning "Mountain of Megiddo" ..
.. which is a hill upon which ancient forts were built to guard the main highway between Egypt & Mesopotamia (i.e. modern-day Iraq, plus parts of Syria, Turkey & Iran). Lovely. Probably just a coincidence.
Is that the odor of revolution I smell? Seems to be spreading throughout the entire Middle East (.. thanks to Gene Sharp & his little booklet). Time to dust off those old Beatles albums. Somebody find Dylan.
••• today's entry continues here below •••
Revolution & Teargas
Speaking of revolution .. I have a good 'teargas' story to share .. when they gassed us in bootcamp. (Chemical warfare training.) Navy bootcamp. Orlando. I may tell it later.
But in case I forget, the thing you wanna remember (for all you guys heading off to bootcamp) » when going into the training facility/building » you wanna be one of the LAST ones in, so you can be one of the FIRST out. (Think LIFO accounting rules.)
And hold your breath .. after the instructor tells you to remove your gasmask. Dont take another breath until you're outside. Otherwise it will feel like a gorilla punched you in the chest. (Trust me.) And dont open your eyes, either. Or it will feel like someone threw sand in them. (I hear.) Map the place in your mind.
Outside that building is where I saw the longest snot in my life. Hanging from the nose of a guy who was stuck in the back. (One of the last out.) Takes a long time for 40 blind, coughing guys to file out thru a single watertight door/hatch. (I was lucky number 5.)
Dude, this thing was hanging all the way down to the ground. Never seen anything like it. Unbelievable. Where's your camera when you really need it?
[ The image traumatized me for life. Therapy did no good. I can still see it hanging there. Somebody make it stop. ]
Ah, the good ol' days. Havent lived 'til you been gassed by your government. A rite of passage, in some parts. I heard Egypt is a good place to take someone you want to torture.
Update - 2011.FEB.02 » It appears Egypt's internet has been restored. Thanks Hosni. You rock.
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » egypt internet revolution teargas