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Eye on the
Press
March 1, 2002
Tourism
Expensive simplicity
A Reuters story takes readers on a journey to a new $400 a night hotel
in Siwa Oasis. This, however, is no 5-star luxury resort, but an
eco-lodge au natural. In other words, although there is
no electricity, French wine, Limoges china and silverware feature
prominently in the experience. Built with the help of local residents,
and leaning heavily on local materials and mood, the lodge hopes to
thrive on jet-setters wanting to really get away from it all. An
interesting experiment, to
say the least.
Egyptomania
abroad
A different sort of Pyramid scheme
Architects working on a building in Washington DC were looking for a way
to light up a narrow downtown space. Their solution -- which The
Washington Post calls a modern version of "mirror systems ancient
Egyptians deployed to light the inner passageways of the pyramids"
-- is mesmerizingly
beautiful, the paper says. Read more about yet another example
of ancient Egypt's lasting effects on the modern world
here.
Egyptians
abroad
Fahim heads for United
An Egyptian soccer player has been picked up by the Washington DC Major
League Soccer team United. Mohamed Fahim, who was one of the top scorers
in US college play over the last two years with Southern Methodist, is
just one part part of the team's current attempts to build up its roster
with a veritable United Nations of soccer
talent.
Politics
Shipping woes
The Egyptian who hid out in a container from Port Said to Italy with a
satellite phone and other gadgets is the opener for this article on
the need for increased
security at ports worldwide.
Telephone
news
Cash influx
Will Ericcson's influx of $175
million improve the Egypt Telecom phone network now that data
and internet calls are gaining ever more popularity?
Economy
Poverty = terror?
A recent study indicating that poverty is the main breeding ground for
terrorism cites Egypt as a prime example of a country that needs to
get on with World Bank and IMF programs to liberalize the economy. But
not everyone is convinced: "To say poverty is behind terrorism is
lazy
analysis to me," said Njoki Njoroge Njehu, director of
the Washington-based 50 Years Is Enough Network. "If you look at
Osama bin Laden and those who hijacked the planes (on Sep. 11), you'll
see they are not poor. Saudi Arabia is not poor. That logic doesn't
work for me."
If anything, the study does shed light on the difference between Egypt
and South Korea: "According to the Council's report, in the 1950s
per capita income in Egypt was similar to that in South Korea, whereas
Egypt's per capita income today is less than 20 percent South Korea's.
"
New
developments
Baby born every 23 seconds
Egypt's population grows by 3,655 people per day. That means the country
needs to create half a million new jobs per year to keep up and not make
unemployment spiral ... That's according to the most recent
census figures released by the Egyptian Central Agency for
Mobilization and Statistics. The current unemployment figure is anywhere
from 9 to 15 per cent, with uncertainties in the tourism sector
especially since 911.
Previous Eye on the
Press
A rapid-fire tour of the
press begins and ends with Middle Eastern men in trouble in the US --
in between we look at everything under the sun, from rap to cloning to
sex on campus and the dumbing down of a nation (February 20,
2002)
The
panic button The Western press is finally talking about
civilian casualties, plus: the anti-Valentine's Day parent, Naomi
Campbell's diplomatic passport, and
more great news links from around the web (February 14, 2002)
"Crackpots
on soap-boxes?":
A US paper is exceedingly harsh
on the Egyptian public and press. (February 8, 2002)
Soccer roundup: Gohari and Co.'s
home-coming inspires the press (February 7, 2002)
"Allah
versus the Almighty Dollah?": American writer Norman Mailer
mixes it up on today's news links (February 6, 2002)
Symbolic
strike ignored:
Top Marlboro man born
in Egypt, Al-Azhar sheikh
in London, and more great
links (January 31, 2002)
The
"lion" of Egypt?:
Links galore, starring Ashcroft
in Saudi-mode, mosques in the spotlight, the
Egyptian-American running for Congress, and cross-cultural Hobeika media. (January
30, 2002)
Osama's
debut...Rapping
pharaohs, smelly daddies, and Rumsfeld's Sinai wavering...Don't miss today's
news links (January
23, 2002)
When
common sense seems radical:
Tales
of media bias and radical cartoonists; plus, learn how the multiplexes took over
(January 20, 2002)
The
problems with big media, and an examination of bin Laden as an
architecture critic...
(January 3, 2002)
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our complete coverage of the attacks on the US and the war on
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