My thoughts on the anniversary of a revolution, my attempt to summarize what is happening on the ground in Egypt

I’ve been trying to figure out for a few days now how to convey what I am seeing here. There are so many perspectives, so many observations that it is hard to distill them into a cohesive strain of thinking. I’m going to try. I will preface this by saying this is MY interpretation of events here and not meant to be taken as the way all Egyptians feel about what is going on here.

This week marked the one year anniversary of the start of the Egyptian Revolution. Leading up to it I was in meeting after meeting with a group of folks who have adopted me, shabab (young people) working to make the revolution succeed. I am doing my best with my limited vocabulary to understand the highly intellectual and political conversations I am involved in but am blessed in that this group is mostly only Arabic speaking and so I have to do my best to understand instead of taking the easy way out and speaking in English. The planning is all very democratic. Everyone had a voice in what they wanted the anniversary to look like. We all agreed that it was not a celebration of a successful revolution as much as the anniversary of the beginning of one. The day itself, turnout and those presnt on both sides would dictate how it would go. The main thought was that there were a list of demands at the beginning of the revolution which would have allowed for the removal of the regime, not just the dictator and a few of his cronies. These demands included a list of demands for how the revolution could transition in a civil and political way to a new system, with new people, a new constitution, new labor laws, etc. Essentially what we have found with our 20/20 hindsight is that the revolution was hijacked by the military. I am convinced that they didn’t shoot people in the square last year, and sacrificed the President in order to maintain control of the country. General Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), is one of Mubarak’s best friends. I can just imagine the conversation that happened before he stepped down, Tantawi telling him to step down, don’t worry, I’ll take it from here and make sure that your trial and assets are safely handled for you and your family. We decided to take to some of the poorer neighborhoods of Cairo to spread messages of the revolution, to leave messages out of the transfer of control and stick with the social issues that still confront us today, as they confronted us before the military took over a year ago. The square would mostly be a place for celebrations and therefore not as important in the furthering of the movement as it had once been.

The political situtation leading up to the anniversary is as follows, we find ourselves in a situation where we have a newly elected Parliament, mostly containing members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis (religious right) with a few secular folks mixed in. The process which led to the election of a Parliament without the creation of a constitution before seems to also have been part of the master plan to hijack the revolution. The Brotherhood have long been (about 80 years) an organized and powerful force in Egypt. Please don’t make the assumptions that are made when you hear the term “Islamic or Muslim” in the name of a group. They are not Al Qaeda. They are not violent. Think of them more like the evangelical right wing politicians we are seeing rise in the West with the advent of the Tea Party in the states.

The elections seem to have been fair in their conduction and not a surprise that the Brotherhood took most of the seats in Parliament. They are the only ones who have been providing social services to the people for YEARS and of course, with hundreds of people on the ballots, when you don’t know who to choose, you choose who is familiar to you. Not to say that Egypt has not taken a turn for being very socially and politically conservative, it definitely has. But I do believe that had the other political parties been around long enough to be well known and trusted, the new Parliament may be more balanced entity.

The Parliament met for the first time on January 23, 2012, two days before the anniversary of the revolution. I don’t believe I have mentioned yet that they have made plenty of deals with SCAF and with their huge wins in the Parliament, they indeed feel as if the revolution succeeded and do not mind that SCAF is still in control of the country. SCAF actually maintains their power through this alliance. The first day they met there were plenty of protests, because of the fact that they were voted in before a new constitution was written and of course, would be sworn in, as they were that day, on a constitution that has been written yet. Has the ridiculty of the situation here begun to unravel yet? The following day, day two of their meeting and the day before the revolution, we were all surprised by the speeches which happened in the Parliament building that day. The talk was good. They spoke about the rights of the martyrs (those who died during the revolution), they spoke about the fact that Mubarak is spending his days in a five star hospital/hotel and being transported in a helicopter to trial at the expense of Egypt’s people, and that he should sit in a common prison as any other accused would. It all sounds good. Now, what keeps a group that has gained power through strategic alliances, regardless of how good their talk may be, honest? The answer we have found is the street. Before the clashes at Mohamed Mahmoud in November where many more were killed and injured by riot police and military, there was no date for Presidential elections. Now we have a date, June 2012. Many disagree with a Presidential election prior to the development of the Constitution, again you are electing people into power without identifying what powers they will hold, thereby enforcing the old system and the old regime, but the street was able to force their hand.

With the anniversary of the revolution, the question then remained, what now? Is January 25th a day of protest, is it the beginning of the next stage of the revolution? How do you deal with the thousands in the square who will be celebrating the success of the revolution when the basics demands of the revolution have yet to be met. The decision came from these meetings we held and many, many other groups held, that something we could all agree on is that the basic request of Bread, Freedom, Social Justice and Personal Dignity, had still not been met. This was to be a social revolution of sorts, and became political with the removal of a dictator. At this point, we don’t care who gets the job done, Brotherhood or otherwise, as long as the job gets done in a civil and democratic way. People need to be able to feed their families, individuals need to be tried for their role in killing protesters during the revolution itself and since (people have died every month since the revolution last January), there needs to be a fare wage implemented, etc. Everyone here, outside of the revolutionary circles, say, this will take time, give them a chance…well, yes, it will take time, however, the transfer to civilian power has not happened and so the basic demand of having a representative and democratic government has not been put into place. At the moment this transition process is being led by SCAF, a military entity, which in some form or another has been in control since 1952. The transition to civilian control needs to happen and needs to happen now.

The crux of the problem as it exists now, if you are demanding a transfer of power to guide the process towards this government I speak of, who will take the power? The Parliament, as I have stated before, was elected, yes, but was elected in alliance with SCAF and without a constitution to guide its actions thereby having no real legitimacy in the eyes of laws that don’t exist yet. The Parliament is set to develop a committee to write this Constitution, although thinking is it will not happen before the Presidential elections. In addition to this, there is much division amongst the revolutionary groups and with each person within each group having their own opinion on how this transition should happen. Take that out to the street, and the same story exists, each person has their own opinion and each person thinks their opinion is the right one, and now you are talking millions of opinions and millions of strategies. With no one group or person leading the revolution at this point, the demands have become diffuse and the strategy uncoordinated. What does a million people in the streets do when you realize that the only reason they didn’t kill us the first time was in order to gain our trust and take control of the country? ( By the way, the military owns one third of the country’s assets).

So, the last few days we have been protesting in the streets in numbers as large as the first time, or very close. The chants at these protests focus on the demands for a transfer of power from the military, the hypocrisy of the wealth of the military vs. the long lines for bread and 10 people living in a room, the continued need for bread, freedom and social justice, that we have taken to the streets to get our rights and more. Protests have focused on Maspero, the headquarters of the state media apparatus as much of the country gets their news from these sources and they continue to prop up the regime, incite fear, and basically not expose the military for all they have done to abuse their power over the last year.

The square is currently occupied, although there are no security barricades, checking people’s id’s as they enter the square as there was last time, and with the Brotherhood in the square next to the revolutionaries, there have been major arguments between the two groups. The Brotherhood has won big as a result of the revolution and has no intention of giving that up in this next stage of the revolution where the rest of the demands if met, could roll back some of their power.

So we continue to protest, we continue to develop strategy and try to build communication between groups, and we continue to hope that the country we all see in our mind’s eye is possible. There is still hope, although we are caught between a number of extremely powerful forces, Brotherhood, SCAF and the media fighting a battle with our bodies and our voices. There are no easy answers and many more issues and problems than I have laid out here, but I hope this at least helps outline some of what is happening on the ground here.

The decision to thrive...

A friend recently asked me to write them an email to explain how I came to my recent decision to move to Egypt for some time. This same friend remembered me telling her in 2004 what I was planning and the second I told her I was going, she repeated my plan back to me. So you are going to go set up a clinic there, do integrative medicine, work on your Arabic, and study Egyptian herbs, she said. Yes, indeed, that is exactly what I am going to do. I was dumbfounded, but then realized that it all made absolute sense. Of course, that was how I made the decision, by realizing that my life plan had never changed only taken side paths, tributaries on a route well known.

It was August 28, 2011. Hurricane Irene was set to hit New York City, where I have been living for the last four years (give or take, but that's another story). I have always been into disaster management, how would we survive if challenged to do so, on an island, off an island, far, far away from home. I stocked up on supplies, water, food, batteries. I sandbagged the lower level of my house, invited a few friends over who did not want to be alone, and we hunkered down, waiting for the storm that it turns out wouldn't hit.

I agreed with my now close friend, and upstairs neighbor, that at some point during the evening we would spend some time writing. I knew I needed change in my life and wasn't sure what shape that would take. With my roommate dj'ing, two friends asleep on the couches in the room, he and I began writing at about 5am. The wind was howling outside, it was raining, but we were still waiting for the storm to actually hit. Cable and internet had gone out at 11pm due to a tree down in our backyard, a fact we wouldn't know until the sun came up. I pulled out the notebook that I bought for this very purpose and began writing.

What I wrote it turns out, was my life plan. What I wanted to do, what I wanted it to look like. It was in fact the same plan I had written in 1998 before I started acupuncture school and again in 2004 after graduating with a license looking for something more. It was the same plan. I had since made steps in its direction. After writing the plan in 1998, I embarked on acupuncture school and got my license to practice Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 2004, I began the process of creating my non-profit, Integrative Clinics International, with the goal of providing integrative sustainable medical care to under served communities worldwide. By 2011, I had left a successful acupuncture practice for a policy degree (making a longer story a bit shorter), and worked for four years as a program manager in the health field, adding more skills to the deck. With the Egyptian revolution beginning on January 25th, my focus returned to my passions, my skills, my goals and my vision.

Back to Irene. As I sat there writing, I realized that this was the time. I immediately wrote the mission statement that I had been putting off for years. In about three minutes I wrote:

"I want to live life big, with meaning, purpose and love. I want partnership and I want to live my vision. My vision creates a truly healthy world where social justice becomes an inherent part of maintaining health."

And that was it. At that point, it was just about next steps. I needed to quit my job, sublet my place, renew my acupuncture license which had become dormant during my policy career. I would move to Egypt, set up an integrative clinic there to provide what so many people need, healthcare that is sustainable and practiced with a sense of social justice, anyone who needs it can get it regardless of their ability to pay for it. I would work to revise my Master's thesis regarding acupuncture coverage and access to care to provide the U.S. with the information it may need to help find its path to provide this medical resource to so many who could benefit from it, but who cannot afford it due to a messed up healthcare system which only provides healthcare to those who can afford it. If or when I return, that will be a part of my work here, the reason I left private practice to begin with.

I wrote a to-do list on the spot and after a week of letting it set in, I gave notice to my work and set the plan in motion. I will leave New York in one week. I will go to Egypt for about six months and see what is possible and then assess my next steps. At the moment, I feel blessed that this was a choice I was able to make, had the resources to implement, and the will to follow. This is the reason for the resurrection of this blog. And this is the reason, I will continue to document my process here. If I am finding my way back to my dreams, I figure there are others out there that want and can do the same.

By the way, Irene never hit New York City. I know others were incredibly harmed by her presence. For me, I describe her as a stern grandmother, she came through blowing her winds of change, stern in force, but not brutal in pressure. With love she left us to do what we would with the lessons we learned and the wisdom she imparted. Be prepared, even if I do not come with the force you expected, because I still came and in the end, was felt.

Asmaa Mahfouz's Liberty Tweet Speech

This is a speech Asmaa gave in Arabic on Twitter yesterday, translated by Iyad El Baghdadi, well worth the read. Here is a link to the full speech posted on a blog, "In my Mind." The revolution continues...

http://ferobot.tumblr.com/post/11337473482/liberty-by-asmaa-mahfouz

Article about the right to vote protest we hosted on Saturday

A wonderful article written by a comrade, Carmel Delshad, with the very photo I posted above. Happy reading. http://voicesofny.org/2011/10/egyptians-demand-the-right2vote/

Updated blog for a new me

Hi all,

I doubt anyone is reading this yet, but this was a very underused blog that I am resurrecting for the next stage in this life of mine. I had been planning on starting a new blog, but there is no reason to, I have reformatted this one to serve its new purpose. I hope you will check here for updates and writings about everything from the Egyptian revolution, to integrative medical projects, acupuncture wellness tips and what will become my travel blog as I leave the US for an extended stay abroad. More to come on that soon.

For now, a photo from a rally we hosted in New York on Saturday, Oct. 8th as part of an international right to vote for Egyptians living abroad. We took our rally to Occupy Wall Street. The photo is me speaking (using the human microphone) about our right to vote, the international effort and U.S. tax dollars funding military rule. After the massacre that happened in Egypt yesterday, seems irrelevant, but a photo to remember, regardless.

Fall Newsletter

Today is the first day of fall and the autumnal equinox, when the day and night are the same length. This change of season marks our movement into cooler temperatures, shorter days, and longer nights. Chinese medicine relates all things to Yin and Yang. The balance of Yin and Yang, which is greater or lesser, is the balance in any given thing. One cannot exist without the other. During the fall and moving into winter the Yang begins to move inward as the Yin begins to increase. This means that the warm energy we have stored throughout the spring and summer now needs to carry us through the fall and winter. In Chinese Medicine fall is associated with the Metal element and is associated with dryness. This can be seen very literally as we can see the leaves drying up and the Wind carrying them down to the ground. The Wind, which is called in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic (the first book of Chinese medicine), ‘the cause of the 10,000 diseases,’ is what makes us susceptible to illness during this season.

The organs associated with this time are the Lungs and the Large Intestine, so we must think about protecting them. You may have noticed that there is a greater tendency to become susceptible to illness as the seasons change. This is especially true as we move into the more Yin times of the year. You are now susceptible to illness as the lungs can be weakened by the dryness in the environment making them easily attacked by external illness or internal dryness. Beware of colds, allergies, dry intestines, dry throat, and dry skin during this time. Make sure your neck is covered when you go outdoors (protected from wind attack), avoid drafts and keep your immune system strong (I have included some tips below). Develop a skin care routine and stick to it, keeping your skin healthy is important as susceptibility to skin problems is common during this dry season.

Detoxification

These two organs play a role in the detoxification of our bodies, the Lungs through perspiration, the Large Intestine through elimination. It is important to develop a program throughout the colder months which continues to allow the Lungs to vent toxins through sweat, this could mean exercise, which should always be incorporated, but could also mean a good steam or hot tub to induce sweat, with the environmental dryness now, dry saunas can be too dry so be careful with those. Avoid soaping immediately after a steam or hot tub as this spreads the toxins on the skin causing us to reabsorb them. Rinse first, then soap. Cold baths following a hot soak can be beneficial as well. It not only gets your lymphatic and circulatory systems going but also closes your pores to prevent re-absorption of toxins. Do so with caution though; this can cause you to get lightheaded as it shocks the system.

Developing a diet that allows our bodies to continue to process and remove waste from our systems is important now as always. The change of seasons is always a great time to detoxify. Be sure you are healthy when you start a detox as they can easily make you sick if you are not. As always, if you are doing a detox, ease into it and ease out of it. For example, you want to start having a cleaner diet leading into a cleanse and coming out of it, avoiding heavy fried foods and heavy meats such as beef, for example. Lighter fare such as steamed vegetables and fish are lighter choices you may consider. Make sure you are getting enough fiber so you may eliminate the toxins as they are released from your system.

Eating during the fall

Fall is the time of the harvest. In the past when we lived by the seasons, it was a time of collecting ourselves and our food to prepare for winter. Take note from the squirrels now, as they are busy gathering and collecting for the months to come. It is now time to collect our thoughts, prepare our projects for completion, and organize our homes to prepare for the internal reflective time to come. This is often not possible with our busy modern lives, but it is good to recognize as it may bring attention to things we could be doing to nurture ourselves during this time. Where the Yang energy of the summer encourages us to be outside, the increasing Yin energy now, encourages us to go inward.

As opposed to the summertime when the environmental heat allows us to consume more raw foods, now is the time to begin cooking again. The foods that are available and harvested now are denser foods that need to be cooked longer; these foods are the more dense squashes, roots vegetables, dried grains and beans. Adding heat to the food we eat by cooking it allows it to be more easily digested and assimilated when the environmental heat may not be as plentiful. These cooked foods nourish our internal organs as we consolidate and prepare for the cooling temperatures. I have included a list of seasonal foods below.

Autumn Foods*

Fruits

Apples

Berries

Dates

Figs

Jicama

Melons

Pear

Persimmon

Plum

Pomegranate

Quince

Vegetables

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrot

Cauliflower

Corn

Cucumber

Daikon Radish

Eggplant

Garlic

Horseradish

Leeks

Lettuces

Okra

Onions

Parsnips

Potatoes (regular and sweet)

Pumpkin

Rutabaga

Shallots

Spinach

Squashes (hard and soft)

Tomato

Turnip

Yam

Grains (cooked)

Barley

Buckwheat

Corn

Millet

Oats

Quinoa

Rice

Rye

Wheat

Beans

Aduki

Black

Blackeye

Carob

Garbanzo

Great Northern

Kidney

Lentil

Lima

Navy

Peanut

Pink

Red

Soy

White

Nuts/Seeds

Almonds

Brazil

Cashew

Filbert

Flax

Macadamia

Pecan

Pistachio

Pumpkin

Sesame

Sunflower

Walnut

*Elson Haas, M.D., Staying Healthy with Nutrition

Tips to Stay Healthy

Because the energy of the Lungs is associated with dispersion, you want to protect your lungs by trying to consolidate as much as possible; adding small amounts of sour foods to our diets as the seasons change can do this. Sour foods contract and hold things in, you can think of the pucker you sometimes get when eating something sour; this is the action these foods have in our bodies. These foods include: olives, pickles, leeks, vinegar, cheese, yogurt, lemons, limes and grapefruit.

• The flavor associated with the season is spicy, but as with anything be cautious not to eat too much, as anything in excess can be damaging to the system.
• The metal element is associated with sharp, well-defined lines, this translates into personalities that are well organized, take advantage of this energy and spend some time organizing this season. It is no coincidence that this is the time of the Virgo.
• The emotion of the season is divided into two parts, one for each organ system. The Lungs are associated with grief and sadness, the Large Intestine with the ability to let go. A healthy combination of these emotions would be expressed in living in the present, feeling and letting old emotions go as they pass through us.
• Great herbs for this time of year include burdock root (excellent for the skin and the liver for detoxifying), ginger root which vents the lungs and is warming, garlic which has anti-viral (also warming), bacterial properties, and Astragalus which is a great immune system builder, if you have high blood pressure be careful with this herb.
• The season is associated with the Lungs and therefore the breath; calm your mind by focusing on your breath and practicing breathing exercises. This just means practice sitting quietly and focusing on your breath entering and leaving your body. Practice abdominal breathing, expanding your abdomen as you inhale and contracting as you exhale.
• Great essential oils to use now are Lavender, Tea Tree, Bergamot and Cedarwood oils – You can use them in a aromatic diffuser, a drop or two will do (you can also put a drop on a light bulb, as it warms the oil will diffuse into the room), use them in a massage oil or as a steam inhalation (cedarwood is particularly good for respiratory infections, about 10 drops to 4 cups of boiling water for a steam).
• Peppermint essential oil is great to limit the ants that want to live with us as the season becomes rainy, a few drops by a windowsill or at their point of entrance will limit this nuisance.
• As always, stay well hydrated....

ENJOY THE SEASON!

References: Staying Healthy with Nutrition, by Elson Haas, http://www.elsonhaas.com/

Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford

Summer Solstice Newsletter

Happy Summer Solstice! I have put together some tips for staying healthy this summer. I hope they are helpful.

The summer solstice occurs when the sun is at its northernmost position relative to the earth. This day provides us with the most daylight we will have all year and represents the first day of summer. This is an excellent time to set your intentions for the coming season. Take today as an opportunity to set some goals for the season ahead. Whether they are to exercise more or take more time off, setting the intention will bring these things to the forefront of your attention and may be more likely to become a reality as a result.

This first day of summer is the time of year when the Yang (pronounced with a short a) is at its height. Yang energy is associated with the sun, daytime, heat, activity, and creativity. It is important then to utilize this energy by being active, getting outside as much as possible and eating foods that help your body adjust to the climactic heat. The opposite of this heightened Yang energy is the Yin energy which is at its lowest and beginning to grow as the days get shorter and we head into the fall. The Yin energy is associated with the moon, night, cooling and rest. It is important to keep yourself balanced during this time, as it is easy to become overheated as the body loses its cooling abilities. Keeping in mind the yin elements of rest and contemplation, and by eating cooling Yin nourishing foods you can keep your Yin and Yang in balance. Emotionally the season is associated with joy expressed through laughter but which can easily translate into irritability and restlessness if the Yang/hot energy becomes too excessive. Keep an eye out for an imbalance of these emotions and adjust accordingly, if you are becoming irritable you need more yin elements, if you are happy and relaxed you are keeping yourself well balanced.

The balance of Yin and Yang (short a, remember) is at the center of Chinese medicine and all life. This is one of the hardest times of year, the other being winter when the Yin energy is at its height, to stay balanced. With the characteristics of the season in mind pay attention to your body and your mind, listen to what they tell you and keep yourself in balance. I have listed some suggestions below that should help. Enjoy your summer!!

∑ Exercise – get outside, enjoy the long days and stay hydrated.

∑ Drink plenty of water – you need about 2 to 3 quarts of water per day (more if you are sweating a lot). Try to use a hard plastic container which does not leech into your water as much as the softer plastics.

∑ Eat foods that are in season, shop at the farmers market for local in season fruits and vegetables. Eat fresh and eat light, avoiding heavier meats and fried foods. (I have included a list of good foods below).

∑ Drink cooling teas – use such herbs as peppermint, chamomile, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, or lemongrass. Adding a slice of lemon is a healthful and cooling addition. These teas can be drunk hot as they induce the body to sweat thereby lowering body temperature.

∑ Hot flavored spices can be used in moderation, as they also allow the body to cool itself. These are red and green hot peppers, cayenne red pepper, fresh ginger, horseradish, and black pepper. If you are prone to digestive upset avoid this suggestion.

∑ Avoid or limit – coffee, alcohol, tobacco, refined salt, sugar, refined flour and other intoxicants. The summer is the season of the heart and these items interfere with Calcium absorption and are therefore are associated with increased heart disease and osteoporosis.

∑ Take a vacation – as much as activity and exercise should be a part of your life during this time of year, cultivate and balance it with the Yin energy of relaxation and contemplation.

Great summer foods:
Fruits:
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
All berries
Cantaloupe
Figs
Peaches
Asian pears
Strawberries
Tropical fruits
Watermelon
Any melon
Citrus fruits








Vegetables:
Alfalfa sprouts
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Chard
Corn
Cucumber
Dandelion greens
White mushrooms
Snow peas
Spinach
Summer squash
Tofu
Green leafy veggies
Mayssa’s (not so secret) Mosquito Repellent Recipe
This is a good moisturizer and keeps the bugs away, just beware that it is oil and you should be careful using it in lots of sun.
4 oz. Almond oil (apricot oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil)
Essential Oils: 30 drops each (more is not necessarily better)
Citronella
Lemongrass
Lavender
Eucalyptus

Mix and store in a glass airtight container, these oils are most volatile and susceptible to damage from oxidation. You can also use any of these oils to keep bugs out of your house by putting them on a piece of paper or ribbon and hanging it by an open window, a drop or two will do it.

Recommended Summer Reading:

Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen(Tarcher/Penguin)
by Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry

"ingenious" The New York Times
"smart and engaging" Publishers Weekly

What is GRUB?

1. grub is healthy, local, sustainable food for all 2. grub is food that supports community, justice, and sustainability 3. grub should be universal

www.eatgrub.org | grubbook.blogspot.com