Los Tigres Del Boursa*

النمور من الشمال

We’re working on a hard-hitting piece with a Boursa angle but we thought we should share some observations and information about the old neighborhood, seeing as the original raison d’etre for this blog was to chronicle its happenings.

المشير في متاهته

SCAF Wiedersehen

a milli a milli a milli

Huge numbers of people turned up in Tahrir last week, despite a noticeable lack of official enthusiasm from the Brotherhood leadership. The obvious lesson for the MB to draw is that there is a very large constituency that wishes to see SCAF out. That is why the Brotherhood is making loud noises, the first day after the first round of elections, about a civilian takeover of Egypt’s government immediately after the elections. SCAF, after all, could easily characterize the protestors in Tahrir as not representing Egypt (putting aside the casting of aspersions that they are not “Real Egyptians”) but it will be much harder for them to do so when confronted with a coalition of the MB and the denizens of Tahrir (ie the old revolutionary coalition).

Youth Against Fashionism

Having returned, briefly, from the land of the open-throated alifs (Hala Wallah at your boy!), we’ve got several updates coming your way in the coming day or days. Today we’ll be covering some fashion happening around town.

Juelz

Although TBE’s dream of opening a hamburger joint in Cairo is currently on sabbatical, we’re happy to announce that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the tonier districts of Zamalek and beyond. It is with great pleasure that we announce the founding of Amoura Designs, the brainchild of a most stylish friend of TBE, which is currently producing gorgeous jewelry like that which graces the top of this post. Check the Facebook page for ordering information and more work samples.

The Mazloom Files

In these dark days, (Muhammad) Mazloom Street is living up to its name. A series of unfortunate and strange events have plagued the street, making locals wonder whether the street is cursed, writes our correspondent.

Local Developments: Downtown

As promised yesterday, we’re back with some important Downtown news.

Supermarket Sweep

WILL SHOP 4 FOOD.

Downtown Architectural Preservation

Here is a screencap. Complete document coming soon.

Thanks to the good offices of the indefatigable Humphrey Davies, who not only translates novels but also keeps an eye on the Official Gazette of Egypt, TBE has learned that the government, in a move that can only be described as laudable, has set aside a large number of Cairo’s buildings and villas for architectural preservation. We weren’t able to find a copy of the Gazette on the government’s website, and the file is rather too large to post here, but will post a link if we find one, or send a copy via email to interested parties.

Some details after the jump.

TBE: A Journal of Ideas

We designed this commemorative tshirt for the blogger on your holiday shopping list. It reads "Another Post About Democracy in Egypt" in Gringlish, and is sure to be a hit at any Tweetup or blogging conference. Contact TBE for details on how to buy.

Shadi Hamid wrote an article in the most recent issue of “Democracy: A Journal of Ideas” offering a damning assessment, if not quite a scathing indictment, of US aid to Egypt under Obama and more generally. The article contains lots of good points, including similar points about local elections to the ones we made the other day. It also contains many points about which reasonable people may disagree. Being reasonable people, we decided to disagree with many of Hamid’s points.

Letter to the Editor: A Capital of Fence

TBE occasionally gets mail. A correspondent recently sent us this missive, which we’ve decided to publish. All views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TBE’s editorial board.

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Dear TBE,

Not to get all Seinfeld on you, but what is the deal with the proliferating fences in Midan Tahrir? I feel like every time I walk in the area lately I’ve been corralled to a new and even more distant location to which I had no intention of going. This would make sense if the fences terminated at logical street-crossing locations, but they often don’t. Instead they rather unceremoniously drop one far from one’s intended destination, with no better, and often worse, prospects for crossing the street. The move seems calculated to force more, not less, people to walk on the street, in one of the few areas of the city where sidewalks are both abundant and level.

Yours truly,

سوربوس

(Third) Base Politics

TBE Meta-Commentary: In this piece, our fearless correspondent Michael Jeffrey Flackslashman offers a highly speculative reading of recent developments in Egypt. We aren’t sure he’s right about what’s going on, but we hope it sparks a broader discussion about changing socio-political dynamics and where they are likely to lead.

For background reading, please see Jack Shenker’s recent Guardian article on the wages of structural adjustment, a glancing mention of the middle class or lack thereof at Egyptian Chronicles, and this post by The Traveller Within, which isn’t strictly related but does have some bearing on the below points.

News Analysis: Bringing Order to Cairo’s Chaotic Streets

By Michael Jeffrey Flackslashman