wtf archives — Page 9 of 10

Bush cites Israel as model of democracy for Iraq

Posted on 29/06/200720/01/2021 By 3arabawy

From AP:

President Bush held up Israel as a model for defining success in Iraq, saying Thursday that the goal of the U.S. mission there is not eliminating attacks but enabling a democracy that can function despite continuing violence.
With his Iraq policies under increasing fire from the American public and lawmakers from both parties, Bush went to the U.S. Naval War College here to declare progress. As the president pleaded for patience, his top national security aide went to Capitol Hill to meet with a key Republican critic.

Egypt, Angola, Qatar secure seats on UN Human Rights Council

Posted on 22/05/200726/12/2020 By 3arabawy

This report is not from The Onion. Yes, Mubarak’s regime was rewarded a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, for its shiny record in treating the Egyptian people:

Egypt, Angola and Qatar easily won seats on the council despite opposition from human rights groups that said they did not deserve a spot on the council because of their bad human rights records.

Down the drain

Posted on 27/02/200726/12/2020 By 3arabawy

Back to square one, after leveling the garage to the ground; during the demolition. Photo courtesy of Al-Ahram Weekly

I was watching it being taken down day by day, as I drive on the 6th of October bridge into town. It’s another example of how public funds are squandered by Nazif’s brilliant technocrats that Bush keeps expressing admiration for:

One minute it was there, the next it was gone. Pedestrians or drivers could easily notice that the recently erected Ramses Garage has now been leveled to the ground. The garage was built to solve some of the parking problems in this crowded part of the city, right in front of the historical Egyptian Railway Station.
“They were building it for almost two years,” says Am Tareq, a kiosk-owner who makes his living next to the Railway Authority. “Now they tore it down in two months.” Except for a couple of underground floors, the once five-storey building can no longer be seen — a result of Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif’s decree of August 2006 permitting its demolition.
The decree, according to an insider speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly on condition of anonymity, cost the Railway Authority LE32 million that was extracted from the Transportation Ministry’s annual budget. But the reasons behind it were not made clear by authorities; some claim the garage’s location ruined the historical beauty of the Railway Authority while others declared it a security hazard due to its position adjacent to the Sixth of October Bridge.