Op-eds & Commentary

Among the things that make humans a unique species is the passion to know, explore, discover, and make. Found in every culture and age, this human value is a major driver of societal, national, and personal development and growth -- it is how we made it from the stone age to the space age.

I was sitting with a friend on campus a couple of days ago when I overheard bits of an interesting conversation. Several girls were actively discussing how "image is everything." Although I have no idea why this sentence was uttered, it is hard for me to imagine a context in which I would agree with this statement. Surely one's image is important, but saying it is everything sounds a little too extreme for my taste.

In life there are three stages that are always talked about: you go to school, then university and then there's the job. For this week, I'm talking about the period between university and the job. Unemployment is endemic in this country with the average jobless spell being 13 months for college graduates. So in the spirit of someone who's going through that period, here are the top 10 ways to deal with unemployment.

I am an AUC alumni and started working in AUC 2 years ago! I actually felt very sad seeing what's happening on campus lately and I think we should start thinking on what can we do about it.

I have had talks with some students myself and unfortunately I realized that they do not understand the consequences of what they are doing, and they don't even know what other alternative actions they could do to communicate their demands. They don't even know if their demands are justified, or if they are actually rights, or negotiable demands!

Last month I reunited with a classmate from AUC, but in Canada not Cairo. After an eventful year in Egypt I manage to afford the flight back to the US.

As we looked at Hosni Mubarak's face behind the metal bars of his cage, we asked ourselves the same familiar question, what's happening in Egypt now?

I spent a week in my home state of Montana then drove north to Bruno, Saskatchewan, population 750 says the general store's manager.

Thank you for giving me some space. Although, when you come to think about it, it is also quite frightening. Because, now that it is there, or now that there isn't anything there (remember that little empty space on the page of the Caravan that contained nothing but an announcement? An announcement saying that there would be something, next time, someone's, "my," "Philosophical Musings"?) Frightening. Now, I have to put something there, maybe, even fill it.

Mass demonstrations, while mostly asking for political demands, are largely apolitical in the way they express their dissatisfaction. They are not diplomatic in rhetoric or action. That is why they attract a large number of people. However, often that indifference to diplomacy or politically correct language turns to a far less beneficial form of expression: violence. That is exactly what happened in front of the Israeli embassy in Giza on September 9th .

The Egyptian public has always had a very hostile attitude towards Israel, and it is understandable.

Some of you might share my feelings towards AUC. To me it’s home … my home.

But then, that was a good 35 years ago. Back in 1976 when I first walked through its oversized gates, I relished AUC’s Islamic architecture, stood in awe in Ewart Hall and absorbed the quote that would forever stay with me – “Let knowledge grow from more to more, but more of reverence in us dwell” - and I just blossomed in AUC’s liberal education and oh well, achieved 4.0 for 5 semesters and maintained a full tuition scholarship! Oh yes, FULL tuition! Throughout my undergraduate years I didn’t pay a penny!

Dear Editor,

Thank you for offering Citystars the opportunity to correct the wrong assumptions made by opinion writer Youssef Abdel Aziz (16th May issue). Regarding signage at the entrance to Citystars Mr. Aziz says: “Clearly, these pictures were not present before the Revolution.”