Special Afternoon Ed. - Turmoil in Egypt

2:30AM Cairo Time: Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution on CNN says that the pro Mubarak protesters are actually paid by the government, that the military didn't want to do anything so overt against the people protesting, so these hired hands, paid thugs were brought in to make it look like chaos so that the military can eventually be used, and he hopes that the world, and especially the people of the US don't fall for that ruse by Mubarak. Kagan says this violence has to be sanctioned by the government and it has to be paid by and sent in by the government. This is the next best option to "send in these rent a thugs", he said.

Michell Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said she has now seen "a very ugly face" of this regime, using tactics well known in Egypt, used many times before, to use thugs to break up peaceful demonstrations. Are these thugs and (the military) committed to Mubarak? Or are they giving him one more chance? Dunne thinks the US Administration needs to be more clear, openly to say that under these circumstances that Mubarak could now be trusted with a peace transition.

Has President Obama undermined the Mubarak regimen without knowing what was to come after? Kagan says no, that he was already undermined by the Egyptian people and Mubarak's actions.

This contagion going around the Middle East is a positive thing, that this could be change for the better as some of the country Leaders are indicating by their actions. And they should be, they should be a little scared, they should be there to lead their people, not rule over them; for rulers, especially ruthless despots, are only compensating for their own personality deficits and that is not a reason for mis ruling a country full of people. Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, have all had protests in their streets this week and more planned.As the internet has been back, there have been more sites putting up information about more protests and meetings this week.

Also, reports have been made of the use of machetes, knives, molotov cocktails being used by the pro Mubarak forces.

1:30AM Cairo Time: Ivan Watson is at the other side from Fred actually in the square is saying its looking like pro democracy people have the upper hand for now; that the pro Mubarak people have caused much of the destruction and damages. There are 3+ dead 600+ hurt now being reported. Anderson Cooper has been attacked earlier. CNN's Anderson Cooper said he was hit on the head by a protester Wednesday in the streets of Cairo, he says in one video that he was hit like ten times. It was just one incident among a number of attacks on journalists covering the unrest in Egypt.

Anderson Cooper's walk through Cairo

1:25AM Cairo time: Frederik Pleitgen of CNN is near the square in Cairo, and is indicating many of the gun shots are the Army firing into the air. There is a building ablaze across the street from the Museum. The two sides are separated by a gap of a hundred yards or so, with sheets of metal as barriers on the pro government side, and they've been banging on these sheets all day. Pro Mubarak protesters have attacked Journalists.

1:15AM Cairo time: Al Jazeera also showing images of similar events of people in the streets protesting Mubarak but no army presence, going on in Mansoura and Luxor and elsewhere.

12:45AM Cairo Time: Witness says truckloads of pro Mubarak supporters were brought in, he saw IDs indicating they were from Egyptian central intelligence, police and parliament members. One man was killed by a gun shot, they "heard several several gunshots from the other side." All the action is right where the museum is, a new stand off. Video is showing more petrol bombs being thrown.

Military is being very passive. They have been asked for help by protesters and refused help. Many have broken bones, head injuries, damage to kidneys, organs from stone throwing; blood is needed, people sent to hospitals, blood supplies however are low. They are being attacked on four fronts, one of those being their makeshift hospital/Mosque. One car going back and forth only is transferring people to hospital. People coming in for help every few seconds. Now more than a thousand people injured overall.

There is a photo going around of an Egyptian Officer crying from what is happening to the Egyptian protesters.

There is also protest in Jordan.
Yemen also having issues where their leader who has also been in power for thirty years, says he will bow out as Mubarak had said, only in 2013.

12:25AM Cairo Time: Egyptian state TV only showing shots from the day time (not current) and of Mubarak supporters only. Bank machines are running out of money, some Egyptians are transferring huge amounts of money out of the country. Concern about stores running out of food.

12:15AM Cairo Time: 1500 people are being indicated to having been injured but the number is not firm according to a Doctor in the square area. A Mosque has been set up as a make shift hospital. Several Doctors have first aide units set up just behind the "battle lines". Still thousands pro democracy people in the square who want to defend the square and are willing to die. More Doctors are coming in. Many people are contacting the people in the square via cell phones. The attitude is very positive.

11:50PM Cairo time: US calls for whoever did this violence to be called to justice and that this needs to stop now. Previous Presidential candidates US Senator John McCaine has tweeted its time Mubarak step down now; and John Carey said in a NY Times piece also for Mubarak to step down.

11:45PM Cairo time (1:45PM Pacific time): Helicopters and fighter jets have been used this week to coerce protesters to abandon their hope and flee home. Estimate from someone in the square is about 200,000 people right now. The so called Million Man March of the other day was actually 2 millions people. That person is saying that because of how Murbarak has treated the civilians in this protest, she believes that many more people will be returning tomorrow and she is calling for:

"Everyone come join us. This is the best moment of my life, the young people have done it. We are Egyptians! We will lead everyone to a better life. We need them, their prayers, everyone all over the world. Leave us alone leave us free. To the military, we need your help, I hope you can hear us. These people need help."

11:40PM Cairo time: From Al Jezeera: A top US General has been flown to Egypt. Gun shots are being heard on the live Al Jezeera feed. Petrol bombs being hurled from the roof around the square in Cairo. Previous gun shots may have been rubber bullets.

11:25PM Cairotime: Gun fire is being heard. Previous reports of 300 dead has not been substantiated. Officials indicated only 1 dead so far. 500 injured, as last count.

11:15PM Cairotime: On this ninth day of turmoil in Egypt, I was just listening to Al Jezeera and they were interviewing someone who said that yesterday they were checked on the way to Liberation Square, that they couldn't even get a pin into the area.

Today, all of a sudden, there are people coming into the area (the Pro Mubarak people) who have knives, molotov cocktails, some riding horses and camels. So, they are wondering how planned was that, who are these people, how did they get through?

Evolution

It is somewhat timely that this blog was prepared for this time considering the events unfolding in Egypt this week. It is only another form of evolution, social in nature, but change is coming. To look into an historical perspective and take a break from the events of the day....

I am currently reading one of my favorite Writers, the esteemed scientist and humanist, Loren Eiseley. The book is, "Darwin and the Mysterious Mr. X". It is a fascinating book about Darwin and those and that surrounding his era, life, expeditions and writings. All of Eiseley's books have so far been excellent, those that I have so far read; "The Star Thrower" being the first many years ago.

There is a passage in this book that goes thus, in reference to Darwin and his contemporary, Alfred Russel Wallace:

"In 1864 Wallace composed a paper which led eventually to strong intellectual differences, but never a personal break, with Darwin. In this paper he gave vent to a new view; namely, that with the rise of the human brain a creature had emerged who, for the first time in the long history of life, had escaped from the specialization of parts toward which evolution seemed always to progress.

"With man this process was apparently at an end. Man, in his brain, had developed a specialized organ whose whole purpose was to enable him to escape specialization. He could now increasingly assign to his clothing and implements the special activities by contrast, could take off and put on. Specialization could be left to his cultural shell, his technology. Armored within that shell, great-brained man was in the process of acquiring a sort of timeless, unchanging body in the midst of faunas and floras still forever evolving and vanishing.

"Wallace did not deny that small alterations might still be taking place in man, but he regarded them as insignificant."

Is this not fascinating?

He went on to say:

"Natural selection, pondered Wallace, "could only have endowed savage man with a brain a few degrees superior to that of an ape, whereas he actually possesses one very little inferior to that of a philosopher." Man's curious hairlessness, the structure of the human larnyx, and other odd human features began to loom impressively in Wallace's thinking. Finally the man who had not been impressed in his youth by organized religion was led to suggest that a higher intelligence might have played a hand in the development of our kind.

"I differ grievously from you, and am very sorry for it," wrote Darwin courteously.

"Huxley was severaly critical.

"Hooker wrote to Darwin of Huxley's remarks: "The tumbling over of Wallance is a ... service to science." "

What I would like to focus on here is not the disparity between "intelligent design" (curiously so obvious in our current media of late) and pure evolutionary theory, but that of the comments regarding specialization and how man may have stopped evolving. Arguing about intelligent design vs evolution is kind of a waste of time. First of all, intelligent design people are mostly intent upon proving God's hand in things, when really, intelligent design doesn't need to have a thing to do with a Supreme Being, or it could be one that has nothing to do with God, per se (aliens far advanced of us at the time). Since one could argue that a God has made things as they are, even by using evolution, to argue that is just useless.

Since the text included above pretty much says what I would say about specialization, let's focus on that for now. The part referring to man not evolving; that part, really was about the slowing down of evolution, not in the ending of it, no matter how contended Wallace was by saying:

"Wallace did not deny that small alterations might still be taking place in man, but he regarded them as insignificant."

How cavalier. What he was noting, was not the ending of man's evolution, with some minor variations, but a slowing down process, not unlike that of an alcoholic's emotional development being stunted until he quits his inebriations, to then be able to continue on and develop again at a more normal rate. I just found that humorous. What I'm saying though is that if you don't need to use something because you can think your way around it, you won't develop in that direction, some would argue, at all; I would argue, you would develop but not as quickly, possibly even, extremely slowly.

And so Time has only slowed for the organism known as man, or the more currently used, Humankind. If you think about it, once we were able to evoke changes in our environment without having to physically adapt to them, we no longer needed to evolve in certain directions, unless the situation remained over time; only then would we slowly adapt. But as long as we are adapting physically, we are evolving. If we are evolving physically, then we are also evolving mentally.

Of course, even if we are not evolving mentally due to physical changes, we are also evolving mentally as our mental challenges change all around us on a continuing basis. Just take consideration of the new devices we have been dealing with in the recent decade: cell phones, text messaging, laptops, IPads, and on and on. Within each of these devices are things mutating our environments, such as connectivity, and because of that, stress at being so available; at knowing so much about so much, and so many; being better able to track a variety of things. And so we are getting better at somethings, and not as good at others, as we are taking on more of an information load, but using devices to manage much of that.

But do not fool yourself, we are still evolving.

Special Ed: UN Secretary General calls for Mubarak to listen to people

Abu Dhabi - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the political leaders in Egypt to take "bold measures" to address the concerns of people who have been demonstrating for change.

"I have been repeatedly saying that the leaders of any country, including Egypt, should first of all listen attentively, most sincerely, to the voices of people," Ban Ki-moon said at a press conference Monday in Addis Ababa on the sidelines of the African Union summit.

"They have a broad responsibility, first of all, to provide decent jobs and good opportunities to maintain a decent living," Ban Ki-moon was quoted as saying by UN news service.

"It is important that the governments ensure that a proper channel of communication is ensured - their freedom of speech, expression, and their freedom of association should also be ensured," he added, underlining that this expression should be done peacefully in a way that does not lead to social and political instability.

Read more: http://www.indiavision.com/news/article/gulf/152437/#ixzz1CogM65h5

Special Morning Ed: Egypt, Mubarak, status quo?

Live Al Jezeera video

[This blog was composed today, then added to at the top, repeatedly, through the morning, so it will have a bit of a strange eclectic format. Read from the top down in reverse timeline, then the blog article begins.]

Stiglitz discusses the protests in Egypt - Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz discusses the protests in Egypt against President Hosni Mubarak's regime and the impact on the rest of the world. Stiglitz speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)

Bloggers in China are now saying that what is happening in Egypt is incredibly important to China and that the Egyptian crisis is a good example of governing on "auto pilot".


MacLeod Says Egypt's Public `Doesn't Buy' Mubarak Speech - Scott MacLeod a professor at the American University in Cairo, talks about the civil unrest in Egypt and the public reaction to President Hosni Mubarak's announcement yesterday that he wouldn't seek another term in elections scheduled for September. Macleod speaks with Deirdre Bolton on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)

Official line now is that one person in the square today has been killed, 403 injured. But Al Jezeera is hearing reports of many more than are being acknowledged.

Here's a question, when Mubarak does leave, how much money do you think he will be able to stuff into a suitcase?

People have been ordered to leave, the military are strongly warning people to leave as there are armed opponents with guns, knives and molotov cocktails (home made fire bombs).

Again, its looking like, as it was in China a while back, the army, caught between what they might like to do, and what they are being allowed to do. A former General in the Egyptian Ingelligence is also calling for Mubarak to step down, that he is no longer the legal head of state, that he has been giving the opportunity to leave, with out court trial, without danger, but he has decided to stay and continue to break laws of man and morality.

I think one Egyptian notable who's name I didn't catch, said it well in saying that its criminal for Mubarak to allow this to go on, that he has no respect for a leader who does nothing to stop a nation's people from fighting each other in this way. And I might add, who even has staged worse to occur to make himself look better, as if to say, see what happens? Only I can keep order. Which is patently insane.

Mubarak has stated he was a soldier and would rather die on Egyptian land than anywhere else. Well? Guess what? That, can be arranged. Perhaps, he should reconsider. You know, all this guy has to do is step down. Really, he doesn't have to leave and in fact, if he had stepped down to begin with, this could have been made to look like he was more hero than tyrant.

Reports of a possible 300 killed so far, 500 injured just today.

At least one group of Mubarak supporters who broke into the square, had four uniformed police in a dump truck, leading the crowd.

Reporter says he asked the army when they will do something to stop the violence but they said they have no orders allowing them to do that; indicating that the orders are to allow the violence to continue; allegedly to allow the pro Mubarak (police, army, undercover) to continue to beat on the citizenry.


Mubarak government says no shots are being fired, but reporters and live feeds show shots being fired, reporter saying its coming from the army.

London - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday urged 'restraint on all sides' in the escalating violence that followed days of protests in Egypt.

 Al Jezeera says army is standing back letting pro Mubarak's attack Mubarak opponents, killing some.The video I saw at this posting reminded me of Tienanmen Square in China, here's hoping this works out better this time, and though it worked out in China it took years there.

Men riding camels and horses are attacking protesters. For the people's part, I saw video of one guy on a horse, looking very angry swinging his arms angrily, being then crowded around, pulled down, horse and all, the crowd then beating him on the ground.

Protesters are showing police ID's taking from Mubarak supporters.

Initial Blog article for the day:

So, the Military has backed off in an attempt to make life seem like it has returned to some resemblance of normalcy. But now out of nowhere, Mubarak "supporters" have entered the streets and the fray. Where'd they come from? The internet, that had been cut off, was now back.

Curious timing, don't you think? As if those who could turn off the internet were timing its return just right, waiting for the staging of something, right? One has to ask, are the Pro Mubarak (a smaller bunch than the opponents) actually just off duty Military and Police, sent to make it look like there are some wanting Mubarak to stay? Well, let's think about it for a moment.

Okay, yes.

New York Times Middle East: Pro-Mubarak demonstrators, below, clashed with anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Wednesday. By ANTHONY SHADID, DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM Published: February 2, 2011

"CAIRO — President Obama’s calls for a rapid transition to a new order in Egypt seemed eclipsed on Wednesday as thousands of demonstrators for and against President Hosni Mubarak, some on horses and camels, fought running battles in and around Cairo’s Tahrir Square. "

Isn't this what always happens with despots and dictators and long term rulers such as Mubarak?
Um, hmmm...yes, again. Right? Okay, yes, this is exactly what we would expect to see.

Mubarak's speech on not leaving

From Voice of America web site:

"In what seemed a choreographed operation, thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters surged into Tahrir Square, hours after a call from Egypt’s powerful military for the president’s opponents to “restore normal life.” Many carried fresh Egyptian flags and pre-printed pro-Mubarak signs that some said were being handed out by the state television building. Some waved off reporters and yelled, “No photos.”

"But they were outnumbered by Mr. Mubarak’s opponents, who have spend nine days insisting on his ouster. Clashes erupted close to the Egyptian Museum housing a huge trove of priceless antiquities.

"The two sides traded volleys of rocks, and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. many were led or carried away with bleeding head wounds. Antigovernment protesters organized themselves into groups, smashing chunks of concrete into smaller projectiles to be hurled at their adversaries. The violence was the most serious since the antigovernment protesters laid claim to Tahrir, or Liberation, Square days ago as they pursued what seemed to be a largely peaceful campaign for Mr. Mubarak’s ouster"

Why would I use news from Voice of America?

Well, Mubarak cut off Al Jezeera according to Reuters today. The Qatar based news agency has stated to one of the Egyptian Satellite companies to either turn them back on or face legal action.

This all seems very top end (now to be indicated with a lower case mubarak, due to appropriate respect for his actions) orchestrated. Doesn't it? Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.

From Reuters today:

* Asks Egypt's Nilesat to resume broadcasts
* Satellite firm Nilesat cut Jazeera signal after Egypt ban


"DUBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera called on the Egyptian satellite company Nilesat on Wednesday to resume broadcasting its signal or face legal action, according to the news channel's website.

"Al Jazeera, whose coverage of the political unrest in Egypt is widely watched in the Arab world, has said that Nilesat cut off its signal after the Egyptian authorities ordered the channel to stop operations in the country on Sunday.

"Al Jazeera has also said its signal on other broadcast satellites was jammed in parts of the Middle East, affecting its coverage of Egypt, where at least one million people took to the streets on Tuesday to demand an end to President Hosni Mobarak's 30-year rule.

"Al Jazeera warned the Egyptian company (Nilesat) of legal action to demand compensation for serious damage caused to it and its audience," the television said on its website.
Jordan Media City had told Al Jazeera that it faced pressure from Nilesat to drop the channel from its package, it added.

"Al Jazeera said on Tuesday that a dozen smaller Arab networks had interrupted their own programmes to carry its signal."

  A while back (Thu Sep 16, 10:57 am ET Yahoo News) we had this situation, somehow, this photo in Egypt:

Turned into this photo:

You can see clearly that mubarak's image was reversed, they couldn't even get the color of the rug right. A pretty amateurish effort, probably given to an assistant to redeux. Was this foreshadowing, or simply pointing out the kind of misrepresentation that mubarak was putting the Egyptian people through? Can you blame them now, for wanting him out?

If this kind of blatant thing was going on in his country, what kinds of behind the scenes things were being put into place? I for one, would have no desire to live somewhere that this kind of thing is allowed to go on.

It seems its far beyond the time for mubarak leave. He has become a little person now. I have to say from what I'm seeing, I fully support the Egyptian people and to say this is a US inspired coups is ridiculous, he just needs to go and the people want it. Bad. He just needs to recognize it and slink quietly away.

A teacup dog fan are ya?

I was just watching The Soup with Joel McHale (who we all know used to be on Seattle's "Almost Live!" show). They were showing an "Animal Hoarders" episode with a guy that had a lot of tiny dogs. We have a German Shepherd. My son mentioned how those dog's heads have tiny brains and their heads are smaller than his knee. Okay, whatever, but still, those dogs have tiny brains.

When I looked at my dog's head, I figured his brain has to be a hell of a lot bigger than those tiny dogs. Then I thought, hey, since brain size governs intelligence, my Shepherd must be smarter than those tiny dogs. We started to talk about that and came to the conclusion that those dogs must be likable by a lot of people just because they are that mentally challenged.

We got to thinking then about how some people like to carry tiny dogs ("teacup" pups). They even carry them in bags, or purses, we've all seen Paris Hilton and others never to be seen without their pooch. Perhaps these people wish to still carry their doll around with them, but alas, that would look, um, weird. Right?

But why tiny dog? Well low maintenance, low activity, happy to sit still for EVER and do nothing (perhaps as close to brain dead as possible?). I always thought it was due to size but it suddenly occurred to us it might be more so because of their ability to sit and do nothing for hour after hour after hour because of such low brain wattage.

But is that bad you say? I would say, nay, why rather, it's a perfect marriage between owner and mutt.

Need I say more?

Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star

The other night I watched HBO's "Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star", the 2011 followup program to the well received 2009 "Afghan Star" documentary on the Afghan show, "Afghan Star", an American Idol kind of show that is very popular and seems to be pulling together an entire nation. The documentary follows the woman who has been called the most hated woman in Afghan,  Setara Hussainzada.

Setara Hussainzada at the point her hair as shown on stage

ILLUME is an award-winning, independent media organization that captures and articulates the Muslim-American experience. Using various media, our team of reporters and editors uncover important and timely issues through enterprise reporting, investigative journalism and critical analysis, while upholding the highest level of journalism ethics and standards. ILLUME is at the forefront of Muslim-American media and journalism by distributing media online, on mobile, on broadcast and through print platforms.

Illume's article by Bushra Burney Jan 26, 2011

"In a follow up to the award-winning documentary Afghan Star, which followed four finalists to Afghanistan’s answer to American Idol, Director Havana Marking returns with Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star, airing tonight on HBO2 at 8pm.

"Ms. Marking follows up with one of the female finalists in her film, Setara Hussainzada. In her final singing performance moments on the TV show Afghan Star, after Setara found out she didn’t garner enough votes to continue, she danced on the stage with her scarf slipping off her head. Controversy ensued, resulting in many people, including clergy from her province making statements condemning her actions." - Illume

I was struck with the bravery of this woman, Setara. Her singing on the show was pushing the Taliban and their ilk's limits. Indeed she has received many death threats and found she could not return to her home town out of fear for her life. She pushed the limits on the show further by actually dancing, smiling and at the end, during her finale song after she was voted off the show, she allowed her scarf to drop from her head, no longer covering her hair, which lead to even more death threats, but also, becoming hero to more Afghan women than they would want people to generally know about.

Illume's  Bushra Burney continues:


"Silencing the Song strikes a different chord. Although this documentary is more tragic than its predecessor, the viewer is given the rare opportunity to find out what happened to the person who didn’t win, the one who said they would still make a name for themselves despite the loss. That fact in and of itself makes this documentary significant. I highly recommend watching this documentary if you can."

Setara, is a hero. No question about it. She is one of many cracks in the facade of the Muslim world that is going to allow them to truly enjoy the benefits of what being Human is about. Religion is supposed to enhance life, when it doesn't, when it becomes a cancer like so many religious groups have turned it into, then it needs to be dissected and removed like a cancer.That isn't to say, that religion, or Islam, per se, is a cancer, but that those who interpret it by way of the harshest possible definitions, have tried to make it so. 

When you have the disenfranchised, organizing, arming themselves and going under ground as has happened in the Muslim world, then you will find these types of criminal religious groups grow like a fungus on their religion of choice. The only thing to do then, is for the people, to rise up as a group and start to see this cancer for what it is, a blight upon what was originally intended to be a beautiful thing to enhance life and offer a direction for all to live better in a harsh world, but not kill to enforce it, not to use that religion to become an even more harsh environment for the people it was seeking to lift the burden of life from.

And when a group starts doing that, they need to be put down like a rabid dog whenever possible. The Muslim world needs to, and is, rising and saying the same thing the slaves of the American slave population said in that notable song: "Let my people go", to become happier, and to be allowed to enjoy those things their God gave to them.

One way you can always tell a bad religion is when they say you shouldn't dance. Dancing is bad, evil. To enjoy music is evil. To smile is evil, to be happy, to love another is evil. When you hear those things, you know then, you need to fight back and take back the God given rights you were born with in order to truly be one of God's people.

Afghan Star - Afghan's American Idol take a nation by storm

 The "Afghan Star" is Afghan's favorite TV show and a 2009 documentary on the phenomenon. It is a show that has brought together a disparity of the majority of the country, and far beyond that. It is an "American Idol" type show.

From the show's web site:

Afghan Star

"After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, pop Idol has come to Afghanistan. Millions are watching the TV series ‘Afghan Star’ and voting for their favorite singers by mobile phone. For many this is their first encounter with democracy. This timely film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk all to become the nation's favorite singer. But will they attain the freedom they hope for in this vulnerable and traditional nation?"

Check out what the media has to say about it:

Afghan Star in the Press

LA Times

"If you believe that bringing the questionable virtues of “American Idol” to Afghanistan would do that beleaguered nation no favors, the remarkable documentary “Afghan Star” will change your mind in an instant."

The Observer

"Afghans unite to cheer their brave new stars as The X-Factor comes to Kabul. A TV talent show that challenges gender, tribal and religious boundaries is transfixing the nation's people - and antagonising religious scholars, reports Vanessa Thorpe."

Variety
"Entertaining "Afghan Star" looks at the titular "American Idol"-like TV show, hugely popular yet also a magnet for criticism -- including death threats -- from those who think its Western-style pop frivolity an affront to Islamic law."

Huffington Post blog
"It was the first time an Afghan film had made it to Sundance, let alone won both the World Cinema Documentary Audience and Directors award. The people of Afghanistan were over the moon."

After all that, there is little more for me to say, other than, I see changes coming in the world that the Taliban is no going to be able to curb. People, want to be free. That is what I'm seeing. And, that is what is going to happen.

This is an uplifting and hopeful documentary. But if you watch this, you have to watch the follow up documentary ("Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star" - see my noon blog article on this later today) catching up with one of the late voted off contestants and how this has affected her life, as it is a much more telling story.