From our friend in CA.Keeping informed on Dennis and Tommy.
A while back I post the first letter to my blog.
This is an update of what is happening in Egypt.
Please read on.
I find this very interesting to read this.
Hi

Several days ago during the height of the Egyptian uprisings I sent an Email from a couple guys that belong to the men's wine tasting group that Bob and I have been doing for the past couple years. These are the guys that live about half the year in Sonoma County and the remainder of the year in Cairo. One of the guys is Egyptian. Here's an update that was sent Febr 15 - in case you are interested.

Bob


Dear Friends,



A number of you have sent inquiries recently, so we thought we would send one more general email to all of you, just to let you know that we are fine. Indeed, we are both elated at the recent turn of events and very happy that Mubarak has resigned. We are both very happy that we were here during this very historic time, rather than having to view second-hand reports from abroad. We are very, very proud of the young Egyptians who sustained the pressure on the government to bring an end to the Mubarak era.



Just about everything has returned to normal here, even the dreaded traffic is back to “normal”! Tahrir Square has been emptied and cleaned up. Some of Mubarak’s paid thugs entered the Egyptian Museum (in Tahrir Square) by using ropes to lower themselves through the central glass dome. They entered the Late Period Gallery, where they damaged 30 display cases and attempted to loot 70 artifacts. However, when they tried to exit the museum through its main doors, the young demonstrators formed a human chain which prevented their escape, and all 70 artifacts were recovered. Some of the artifacts were damaged, but Zahi Hawass, director of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, says that all of the artifacts have been restored to their original condition, and also the display cases have been repaired. Local Egyptian TV reported a couple of days ago that four pieces of jewelry were missing from the King Tut collection, and then yesterday they reported that two of the four had been recovered.



There was also a report on local TV yesterday that a delegation from the young demonstrators was meeting with Mr. Tantawi, who is heading up the military council that is currently running the country. Reportedly, the military has agreed to include “neutral” people in the new, interim government, which will be appointed within the next week. They have also appointed a committee to re-write the constitution, which they expect to be ready to be voted on within two months. The ruling military council had previously announced that they had disbanded the parliament and suspended the constitution. They said that they intend to stay in power only for about six months, or until open and free elections can be held for a new parliament, a new government and a new president. This is very encouraging. At this point it is widely believed that the military council will keep their promise and do their best to move the country toward a modern, secular and free democracy, which is what the majority of Egyptians want.



The American press seems to be obsessed with the notion that the Muslim Brotherhood will take over, if elections are held too soon. While they are certainly a force to be reckoned with, the Muslim Brotherhood represent at the very, very most only 20 percent of the population, and many commentators suggest that they represent only 10 percent. Certainly, most of the Egyptians we know are appalled at the idea of having the Muslim Brotherhood run the country. The vast majority of Egyptians want a modern, secular democracy with all the freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, things that we in the West take for granted every day.



All of the neighborhood barricades have been dismantled, now that the police, who mysteriously “disappeared” during the demonstrations, are back on the street. Both Yahoo and CNN international edition (there is a big difference in point of view between CNN US and CNN international) have finally admitted that more than 95% of the violence was instigated and perpetrated by either the security forces (police) or by thugs paid by the Mubarak regime. The demonstrators have been very well-disciplined and peaceful throughout the whole period from January 25 through February 11.



Oh, Yes, last Saturday the ruling military council announced that the Ministry of Information would no longer interfere with the media and that they can publish or say whatever they wish without any censorship, as long as they don’t commit libel. So far, we have not seen any evidence that this very important fact has been reported in either the American or European media.



Most shops are now open during normal business hours, as are all of the banks, and all the ATMs are running full tilt. The curfew has been limited to just the six hours between midnight and 6 a.m. Despite what you may have heard or read in the western media, there is an overabundance of food in the shops. While there definitely have been food shortages in some of the poorest areas, this was caused not by a lack of food to purchase, but rather by the inability of people to get cash from the banks, which were closed by the regime. Once the banks re-opened, people were able to get cash and the food shortages have stopped. Some of the young demonstrators also formed temporary charitable organizations to provide bags of groceries to poor families who had run out of cash.



The Nile cruises have resumed, and the Great Pyramids of Giza are once again open to the public. Although the Egyptian Museum has not yet re-opened, we expect it to do so very soon. British Airways has kept its two daily flights to and from Egypt running throughout all this time, unlike the nervous American carriers who canceled their flights.



During all of this intense period of time, the Egyptian people stuck together, supporting the demonstrators and remaining as calm as could possibly be expected. Yes, there were complaints that the demonstrations were going on too long and causing economic distress in the country. However, from everything we see and hear it appears that most Egyptians are very happy that the young people kept up the pressure on the government and reached their goal of getting rid of Mubarak.



We have the highest hopes for the future of Egypt. By the time we return to Egypt next November, things should be moving along well in the direction of democracy, if all the parties involved, especially the military, keep their eyes on that goal and continue to work together in good faith. The future is bright for Egypt. The Egyptian people have suffered much too long. Let us all hope that their aspirations to a free and open society will be fully realized soon.



We wish to thank our friends for your many expressions of concern for our welfare. Please know that we are well and very comfortable and safe. We still plan to return to Sonoma on May 4.



Dennis and Tommy