Tourists Hit by Cairo Bomb Blast

I would have been there now—I cancelled my Egypt trip several months ago.

A bomb explosion in Cairo has killed a French tourist and injured more than 20 other people, mostly foreign tourists.

It happened at an open-air hotel cafe packed with tourists in the Khan al-Khalili area - a major attraction and home to a prominent mosque.
The device, most likely home-made, was thrown from a balcony, police said. Initial reports had suggested it had been lobbed from a motorbike.

The tourist killed was identified as a 17-year-old girl by French authorities.
There has been no indication so far of who is behind the attack.
Those injured in the "relatively small" blast included 10 French nationals, four Germans and three Egyptians, according to police.

The French foreign ministry confirmed the death of one of its citizens.
"The victim was 17 years old and had travelled with a group of young people from Levallois," foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. Levallois-Perret is a suburb of Paris.

Eight French nationals were injured in the attack, the French ministry said.
Six of the more than 20 people hurt are thought to be in a serious condition.
The early evening explosion happened near the Hussein mosque and a well-known bazaar, in what is a historic area.

This is a very crowded area with tiny streets, which is why even a small blast would appear to have had such a devastating effect, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Cairo says.

It is thought the bomb was thrown from an upper floor of the hotel, our correspondent says.

But news agencies have also quoted a report from the Egyptian state news service Mena, which said the bomb had exploded under a bench.
The area has now been sealed off, as bomb disposal experts were sent in to defuse a second device which failed to explode.
"The blast was so powerful that the earth shook underneath us," an eyewitness told Egypt's Nile News TV.

"We all lay down on the ground. Blood was streaming from the back of one of the people running away from the blast. I even saw a separated hand and an arm. Just shredded human flesh," the witness said.
No cars are allowed into the area but motorbikes can get around the barriers, our correspondent says.

The Khan al-Khalili area was targeted in 2005, when three people - including an American and a French tourist - were killed in a blast.
Sunday's explosion would be of huge concern to Egypt's security services, our correspondent says.

These are tense times for the Egyptian government, he adds, which has been criticised for its stance over the recent conflict in Gaza and has many enemies.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7904731.stm

Published: 2009/02/23 00:40:13 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Tipping in Egypt

Baksheesh--Tipping in Egypt by Joyce Carta bbc.com

In the West, we call it "tipping" or "service." But those words don't fully express the breadth of flexibility and purpose of the practice known as "baksheesh." Egypt appears to run on baksheesh and the protocol of the practice becomes evident quite quickly once in the country.

Basically, there are three kinds of baksheesh. The first is baksheesh as "alms giving." One of the 5 tenants of Islam is the giving of alms to the poor. The giver is made more holy by the action. We encountered surprisingly few opportunities in the streets for this kind of baksheesh. Either the government provides well for the potential beggars or the people are more industrious and thus embarrassed to spend their lives in this fashion.

The second type is baksheesh as "for services rendered." This is the closest to the western tipping practices. Except it goes further. There are people at the airport whose only job appears to be opening doors. Of course, they require baksheesh. And every bathroom has an attendant, who expects a few piastres for keeping the place clean (supposedly). One is continuously passing out a few piastres here and a few there. Thank goodness the group had the central tipping kitty administered by the tour guide, who knew the proper amount to baksheesh.

The third kind of baksheesh is "for the granting of favors." Want to see what's in the tomb which is posted as closed? A few piastres will see a key miraculously produced. Want to see an excellent photo location? Just 25 piastres. How about having a light in that museum display case? Don't forget me when you leave. Want to see a forbidden mummy? Only another 50 piastres The amazing thing is that you don't even need to ask for the services. Upon identifying a mark, even the museum guards will follow you around and provide services and grant favors. Interestingly, after getting over the initial adverse reaction to the practice, it becomes expected and even pleasurable. In the Museum of Islamic Art, for instance, we really appreciated the guard who turned on lights and pointed out features in terribly broken English. Without him we never would have enjoyed some beautifully illuminated manuscripts. It was a pleasure to give him 2 pounds as we left. And the smile on his face was rewarding also.

Hoarding Money. This is another practice we just don't seem to understand. Although small change and bills are continually necessary for baksheeshing (yes, it can be verbed), obtaining change is a skill all of it's own. Small bills and the rare coins are hoarded and even fought over. Otherwise reasonable members of our group would be more than pleased to lend someone a 10 pound note but that 25 pilaster note? Well, no way, Jose, you find your own 25er.

There seemed to be almost a conspiracy to keep the small stuff from us. If, for example, we bought something for 4.25 pounds and handed the clerk a 5 pounder, we would be given a pound note rather than the 75 piastres. And making or getting change was impossible some places. At the Mosque of Ibn Tulum in Cairo we needed LE 6to get in. With only a 10 pound note, I was rebuffed at the ticket kiosk, "No change! No change." So Phil wandered out to the street, found a sympathetic cabbie and came back with change. We almost passed out when we looked into the money drawer. It was overflowing with small change. They just didn't want to give it away!

We found that spotting banks with short teller lines and buying candies one at a time in grocery stalls was the best way to collect the small bills.
We'll also note that changing money in Egypt is extraordinarily easy. There is but one government set exchange rate, and no exchange fees. So one could change as little as $10 at a time, although that would necessitate daily trips to the bank. And as the people have extremely high values, there is very little security at the banks. In fact, at the Egyptian bank in Aswan the teller packs up all the money and the calculator in his briefcase and takes it with him when he goes outside for lunch.

The problem of not having small change can be eliminated if you pay a visit to Office Depot and buy a big box of cheap ballpoint pens to take with you. Everyone wants them and they get better and faster results than cash. Cleaner to handle, too!

Candidates for 2016 Olympics from BBC Sport

While London prepares to host the Olympics for the first time for 64 years in 2012, four other cities are making their cases to be the English capital's successors in 2016.

Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo submitted their full bid books to the International Olympic Committee by the 12 February deadline - with a decision on who will host the 2016 Games to be announced in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 2 October.
BBC Sport takes a look at the four cities bidding to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Chicago
Odds: 11/10 favourites
Proposed dates: Olympic Games 22 July-7 August. Paralympic Games 12 August-28 August.

Overview: Chicago was chosen ahead of four other US cities to bid for the Games - Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The city plans to build five new permanent venues and 11 temporary ones, with 22 of their planned 27 venues in four clusters within 15km of the Olympic Village, which will be based south of McCormick Place and itself house 11 venues. The new venues will compliment existing structures such as Soldier Field, United Center, Sears Center and Wrigley Field.

The bid costs ($49.3m/£33.3m) are being borne by the private sector, as are the costs of the Games, while infrastructure costs will be financed by the US government.

Pros: It is expected that Chicago's world-class architecture, renowned skyline, multi-cultural, historical, and pop-cultural contributions will be positive factors as the Olympics bid is weighed, while the city also boasts significant transportation infrastructure.
Although there is no official IOC rotation policy, the Americas may have an edge as previous games will have been held in Asia, Europe, and Australia: London, Beijing, Athens, and Sydney.

Cons: In a long standing dispute with the IOC, some IOC members also resent the large share of revenue taken by the United States Olympic Committee. Additionally, the controversy over the participation of Cuba in the 2006 World Baseball Classic is said to have hurt America's chances.
What they say: "We've got two great plusses, we think - the City itself, the passionate, sports-loving diverse people of our city who really want to welcome the world back to the States. And the plan itself is also a real winning plan - not just a compact Games plan but one that's in the heart of the city.
"So if the Olympics come here people will walk out of their hotel and straight into sports venues, or our theatres, our museums, our restaurants. It's a very city-central Games."
Chicago 2016 spokesman Patrick Sandusky
Face of the bid: A feast of the rich and famous are backing the bid. Basketball legend Michael Jordan has become an unofficial spokesman for Chicago's cause, while President Barack Obama - a former Illinois senator - media mogul Oprah Winfrey and Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps have also lent their considerable support.
Fact of the bid: Chicago was actually chosen to stage the 1904 summer Olympics, but the Games were moved to St Louis to coincide with the World's Fair.

Madrid
Odds: 15/2
Proposed dates: Olympic Games 5 August-21 August. Paralympic Games 9 September-20 September.

Overview: Madrid, one of the few major European capitals yet to host the Games, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona, which brought the Olympics to Spain in 1992.

Madrid's pedigree is a good one, with 85% of venues already built and in place, and a history of hosting Olympic qualifying events. Split into two clusters, the competition venues will be shared between the Eastern Zone and the River Zone, with Madrid currently completing new swimming and tennis venues and looking to expand and modernise existing sporting facilities.
The city's bid - estimated cost $42m (£28.6m) - will be entirely underwritten by the government.

Pros: Madrid hope to build on their 2012 bid which, though ultimately unsuccessful, prompted a good reaction from the IOC - it was overall second in technical evaluation, while the city was ranked top in seven categories; "Government support, legal issues and public opinion", "General infrastructure", "Environment", "Sports venues", "Olympic Village", "Transport concept" and "Overall project and legacy".

Cons: The greatest downfall of Madrid's bid, though, could be that the 2012 summer Games is scheduled in London and the 2014 winter Games due to take place in Sochi, Russia. Staging three consecutive Olympic Games in Europe would, on the face of it, appear unlikely.
What they say: "I can almost promise that we will make all the members of the Olympic family, everybody who has anything to do with the Olympic Games, not just 16 days of extraordinary competition but a very joyful 16 days and a very happy seven years in the run-up. Vitality is not a joke, it's a serious proposal."
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, Spanish IOC member
Face of the bid: Flamenco dancer Sara Baras has been named official envoy of the bid, while officials and players from local football clubs Real and Atletico Madrid - including Raul and Iker Casillas - are lending their support.
Fact of the bid: In the 2012 bidding process, Madrid actually placed first in the third round ahead of London and Paris, before being eliminated in the fourth round.

Rio de Janiero
Odds: 5/2
Proposed dates: Olympic Games 5 August-21 August. Paralympic Games 7 September-18 September

Overview: The Brazilian Olympic Commitee chose Rio de Janeiro ahead of Sao Paulo three years ago to bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. It is the first time the city has proceeded to the candidature stage after failed attempts for the 1936, 1940, 2004 and 2012 Games.
Rio plans to stage all the competitions inside the city, bringing "dynamics to the games and facilitating the athlete's interaction", according to the bid website. There will be seven competition centres in four Olympic regions - Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro, and Maracana - with football matches held in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo.
Bid financing has been secured through a combination of public and private funding, including some in-kind contributions. Collectively, the three tiers of government have approved and will fund expenditure of $42m (£28.3m) for the bid.
Also, the city's infrastructure - including major, and recently renovated, airport Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (Galeao) - will aid the city's bid.

Pros: Rio's successful staging of the Pan-American Games in 2007 - labelled the "best in history" by the president of the Pan-American Sports Organisation - and their future hosting of the 2014 World Cup will only add to the city's experience and bolster their burgeoning reputation.
The fact that giving the 2016 Olympics to Brazil would uphold IOC president Jacques Rogge's "rotation of continents" philosophy also lends great weight to the potential success of the bid.

Cons: The city can count itself somewhat fortunate to have made the last four after scoring below Doha in the IOC's weighted-average score, eventually only winning through - it is believed - because of Doha's small population, lack of facilities and plans to stage the Games outside of the IOC's proposed window.
What they say: "We have a feeling that many IOC members wish to change, to give an opportunity for new continents, new cities, new countries, a new atmosphere for the Games. It is clear the youth of the world come from every part of the world."
Carlos Nuzman, president of Rio 2016 bid committee
Face of the bid: The bid has great political and popular support, from Brazil and other countries in the region, but the 'face' gets no more famous or influential than legendary footballer Pele.
Fact of the bid: Brazil has already secured the right to host the 2014 World Cup and has its sights on the fourth double hosting in history; after Mexico in 1968 and 1970, Germany in 1972 and 1974, and the United States in 1994 and 1996.

Tokyo
Odds: 3/1
Proposed dates: Olympic Games 29 July-14 August. Paralympic Games 31 August-11 September

Overview: Tokyo was selected as Japan's candidate city in August 2006, beating off competition from Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu and, reportedly, Osaka, Sapporo and Nagoya.
Tokyo is touting "the most compact and efficient Olympic Games ever" with a dramatic setting on the waterfront, enabling the city to redevelop a rundown area, previously primarily used for industry and shipping, just as London and Barcelona did in previous hostings.
Tokyo plans to construct a new 100,000-seater Olympic park in Yoyogi Park - which has upset some who believe that contradicts the proclaimed "Green Games" message - but, of the 31 planned venues, 21 already exist with many venues used during the 1964 Games set to be refurbished.
Expenses for the bid are estimated at between 5.5bn and 7bn Yen (£40.6m-£51.7m), with 1.5bn Yen coming from the government and the rest from the private sector.

Pros: The city's successful staging of the 2002 Football World Cup, 1964 Summer Olympics and 1972 and 1998 Winter Olympics mark it out as arguably the most experienced player in the last four, while it will also boast excellent public transportation, including three ring roads which are currently being built around the city to help reduce congestion problems, and ample accommodation for visitors.

Cons: Tokyo could suffer from the fact that Beijing hosted the Games in 2008, although it would by no means be the first time the Olympics have been staged on the same continent within eight years.
What they say: "I'm so happy that we have the budget already secured in cash. It is quite meaningful and I think this is a strong point of [the bid]."
Hidetoshi Maki, deputy director general, Tokyo 2016
Face of the bid: Only a few top-level sports stars hail from Tokyo and even fewer are recognisable outside of Asia - but Hidetoshi Maki has dismissed that as a failing, saying: "The Olympics is not staged by the person, it is staged by a team. We are promoting the team and the city itself."
Fact of the bid: London's successful 2012 bid has had a great influence on the Tokyo 2016 bid, with Maki adding: "We are so impressed with the London bid. They believe that the Olympics promote sport to the youth and all the ages. That idea is followed by Tokyo."

Written and compiled by Sam Lyon
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/olympic_games/7884296.stm

Published: 2009/02/12 10:18:16 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Saudi princess in support of lifting the country's ban on women drivers

The wife of one of Saudi Arabia’s richest men says she is ready to get behind the wheel as soon as the ban on women drivers is lifted.
Women in Saudi Arabia are currently banned from driving because of the risk of creating 'sinful temptation'

Princess Amira al-Taweel, who is married to global tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, told the Saudi daily Al-Watan that she already drives when she travels abroad.
'Certainly I'm ready to drive a car,' said Amira, whose husband is a nephew of Saudi King Abdallah and is ranked as the world's 13th-richest person by Forbes magazine.
'I have an international driver's license, and I drive a car in all the countries I travel to.'

Women in Saudi Arabia have not been permitted to drive since the establishment of the state in 1932, but the government is set to lift its ban and issue a decree by the end of the year.

However if the ban is lifted, there are likely to be hurdles such as obtaining licences and insurance which must also be overcome.
Princess al-Taweel said: 'I prefer driving a car with my sister or friend next to me instead of being with a driver who is not (related to me).’

The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300-$400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.

But change will be difficult in this ultraconservative society, where many believe that women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation.
They argue that women drivers will be free to leave home alone, will unduly expose their eyes while driving and will interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics.

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:24 PM on 09th February 2009

Cultural Competence

Here is an article I like that defines cross cultural competence from a health care profession perspective.

Cultural competence refers to an ability interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence is comprised of four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) cross-cultural Skills. Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.
•
Background
The term multicultural competence surfaced in a mental health publication by psychologist Paul Pedersen (1988) at least a decade before the term cultural competence became popular. Most of the definitions of cultural competence shared among diversity professionals come from the healthcare industry. Their perspective is useful in the broader context of diversity work.

Consider the following definitions:
• A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together as a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
• Cultural competence requires that organizations have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies, and structures that enable them to work effectively cross-culturally.
• Cultural competence is defined simply as the level of knowledge-based skills required to provide effective clinical care to patients from a particular ethnic or racial group.
• Cultural competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period. Both individuals and organizations are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skills along the cultural competence continuum.

It is not surprising that the healthcare profession was the first to promote cultural competence. A poor diagnosis due to lack of cultural understanding, for example, can have fatal consequences, especially in medical service delivery. Cultural incompetence in the business community can damage an individual’s self esteem and career, but the unobservable psychological impact on the victims can go largely unnoticed until the threat of a class action suit brings them to light.
Notice that some definitions emphasize the knowledge and skills needed to interact with people of different cultures, while others focus on attitudes. A few definitions attribute cultural competence or a lack thereof to policies and organizations. It’s easy to see how working with terms that vary in definition can be tricky.

Can you even measure something like cultural competence? In an attempt to offer solutions for developing cultural competence, Diversity Training University International (DTUI) isolated four cognitive components: (a) Awareness, (b) Attitude, (c) Knowledge, and (d) Skills.

Awareness. Awareness is consciousness of one's personal reactions to people who are different. A police officer who recognizes that he profiles people who look like they are from Mexico as “illegal aliens” has cultural awareness of his reactions to this group of people.

Attitude. Paul Pedersen’s multicultural competence model emphasized three components: awareness, knowledge and skills. DTUI added the attitude component in order to emphasize the difference between training that increases awareness of cultural bias and beliefs and that gets participants to carefully examine their beliefs and values about cultural differences.

Knowledge. Social science research indicates that our values and beliefs about equality may be inconsistent with our behaviors, and we ironically may be unaware of it. Social psychologist Patricia Devine and her colleagues, for example, showed in their research that many people who score low on a prejudice test tend to do things in cross cultural encounters that exemplify prejudice (e.g., using out-dated labels such as “illegal aliens”, “colored”, and “homosexual”.). This makes the Knowledge component an important part of cultural competence development.
Regardless of whether our attitude towards cultural differences matches our behaviors, we can all benefit by improving our cross-cultural effectiveness. One common goal of diversity professionals is to create inclusive systems that allow members to work at maximum productivity levels.

Skills. The Skills component focuses on practicing cultural competence to perfection. Communication is the fundamental tool by which people interact in organizations. This includes gestures and other non-verbal communication that tend to vary from culture to culture.

Notice that the set of four components of our cultural competence definition—awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills— represents the key features of each of the popular definitions. The utility of the definition goes beyond the simple integration of previous definitions, however. It is the diagnostic and intervention development benefits that make the approach most appealing.

Cultural competence is becoming increasingly necessary for work, home, community social lives.
Reference: Mercedes Martin & Billy Vaughn (2007). Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management magazine, pp. 31-36. DTUI Publications Division: San Francisco, CA.

Thai Website Launched to Protect the King

The government in Thailand has set up a special website urging people to inform on anyone criticizing the monarchy.

It has also established an internet security centre to co-ordinate the blocking of websites deemed offensive to the monarchy.

On its first day of operation the centre banned nearly 5,000 websites.
The Ministry of Information had already blocked many thousands of sites, but that work is now being accelerated by the new centre.

For all the many other challenges confronting the new government in Thailand, it has made protecting the image of the monarchy one of its highest priorities, according to the BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head.

Internet users are being urged to show their loyalty to the king by contributing to a new website called protecttheking.net, which has been set up by a parliamentary committee.

On the site's front page it is described as a means for Thai people to show their loyalty to the king by protecting him from what it calls misunderstandings about him.

It calls on all citizens to inform on anyone suspected of insulting or criticising the monarchy.

The site has managed to block 4,818 websites in its first 24 hours of operation.
Sources in the military have told the BBC that top generals are concerned about growing anti-monarchy sentiment, particularly among supporters of the ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, many of whom believe that members of the royal family have backed anti-Thaksin movements.

The new website appears to be part of a concerted effort by the government and its conservative supporters to stifle any debate on the future of the monarchy, before it can gather momentum, our correspondent says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7871748.stm


Published: 2009/02/05 11:15:20 GMT