A lock is a part of a canal or river that is closed off by gates so that the water level can be raised or lowered to move boats up or down a slope. It can lower the water lever and prevent watering the planets on that river. There was a famous movie about a woman called Fouada who was a farmer. The mayor Atris was a dictator who decided to close the lock and prevent farmers from watering their planets. Fouada decided to resist and say No! Thus, she opened the lock and overcame this dictator.

Take care of Zozo was the movie I watched when I was ten years old. The actress was a belly dancer who used to perform with indecent clothes. However, her mother asked her to wear robe in order to meet a guest who came to visit her. I asked my father why she should put a rope on if she's used to perform with much less clothes on. His answer showed me his open mind unlike the current generation. He told me that her house is different from the stage. She, as a belly dancer, doesn't have to be indecent in her life.

The mother sat with an old friend to discuss her thoughts. They could buy a new luxurious apartment and two cars, but they are hoping that their two girls will marry soon. The mother was worried that her girls won’t find the proper husbands. However, the friend suggested a man for the older sister who used to live in the old neighborhood and moved to the new luxurious one as well.

Was it really beautiful in the past? I’ve always wondered about this since all old people usually talk about how it was wonderful in the past. Many satellite channels only praise the past and its art. However, reading the history, I don’t find such alleged cheerful and glory in the past. Its moments had sadness and joy, misery and sorrow as well. They were so ordinary just like today. I thought so when I had this conversation with artists from this glorious past. One of them was director of photography and the other was a video editor. They were talking about the ugliness of today and continued to praise the past. They have been unemployed for years, and have been only depending on their savings and pensions to live.

With the emergence of civilization, wars have appeared as well. Whenever abundance were found, people tried to seize such riches under many covers including the protection of the border, expansion or raising religious flags using one method: War.During wars, many people are killed and injured. This could be among regular armies or gangs. Yet, the results are the same which is destruction, bloodshed and violation of human rights.

On November 4th, Egypt celebrates Valentine's Day, which was invented by Egyptian writer Mustafa Amin after he saw a funeral of a man, which very few people cared to attend. At the Valentine's Day I decided to do something unusual by contacting all my friends, men and women, to wish them happy Valentine's Day. Yet, their reaction was but shocking to me. Women said that we should wish each other a happy Valentine's Day since men have ignored to celebrate the day or show their love on such occasion. Men received my call by just wondering what the special event was at that day!

I can't understand men anymore. I've tried really hard, but I failed. He was so sad smoking his cigarette. "What's wrong with you?" I asked a friend. I had a fight with my wife, He said. I wondered: So what? She doesn't understand me? She's stupid and somber. Well, what happened? I regret I married her. I should have married my girlfriend, but she was too crazy for me also. She had too many friends and traveled a lot. Yet, my current wife is stupid and I don't even feel love her anymore. What did she do?

Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at establishing, and defending equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.

Egyptian media showed a famous video clip of Egyptian women dancing for the new democracy and to express their happiness for overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood from power in Egypt. Furthermore, the Egyptian movies showed great belly dancer Tahia Carioca who participated in the Cannes Film Festival in France. Other dancers like Samia Gamal, Nagwa Fouad and Zizi Mustafa have impressed and entertained us in their movies.

Many of us still remember the child Omar, hawker who was killed in the attacks of US Embassy at the time of the Muslim Brotherhood. Everybody was talking then about the poor child who lost his life after a life full of deprivation. Many people traded on his story. Others have traded on children from Mekkah Mokaramah orphanage. This usually lasts for limited time before everybody forgets about those children.

"Good Morning neighbor, leave me alone" is one of the most provoking Egyptian idioms to me. I believe it has nothing to do with our very Egyptian culture that has never limited the relationship between neighbors to shaking one's head without even a smile! In the past, neighbors used to cook together. When one goes to shopping, the other took care of children. They lived together as one family. In crises, they used to share food together. The mothers used to serve a sick mother and her family until she recovers.

It’s known that Egyptian people prefer to pay alms and donations during the holy month of Ramadan. This is the season of sweets, banquets, TV series and donation advertisement in Egypt. Since the beginning of the holy month, we have been watching more than 20 charity organizations and hospitals. All of them are asking the viewers to donate for them as they are in bad need for such donations. However, those ads cost millions of Pounds that should have been paid for the needy.

Three years ago, the January 25 revolution erupted and was supported by the majority of the Egyptian people from all sects and groups. It had many opposers as well, but their voices were very quite compared to the loud voices of the revolutionists. In the past three years, many events happened, many facts unfolded and many masks have fallen. With the second revolutionary wave in June 30, a new inquisition appeared as people started to judge and condemn each other without giving the other party a chance to defend themselves.

However many statues of great Egyptian men like Talaat Harb, Mostafa Kamel, Mohamed Farid, Ibrahim Basha, Omar Makram, and even foreign people like Simon Bolivar can be found in Egyptian squares, very few statues of women can be found in Egypt. There is also many statues of Taha Hussein, and Yusuf Idris, Abas Mahmoud Akkad, and other statues that can be found everywhere in Egypt for their commemoration and honor.

In the Egyptian old movies, we used to see a man sitting on an expensive couch eating fruits and smoking hashish and hookah. Meanwhile, he must be watching a pretty blonde white woman dancing before he decided to enjoy nice sex with her. It was normal to cut the seen after the first kiss leaving the viewers to use their imagination and continue the scene.

“Oh my God”, “In God we trust”, many expressions in which we mention God no matter what our beliefs are or how we worship Him. The Islamists have decided to distort our relationship with God for their own good. They forbid art and creativity in its all forms. Even women and its beauty should disappear and men should let their beards grow and never smile again.

The poor citizens who own nothing have always said that they only have their dignity. Yet, suddenly the expression “honorable citizen” came on the surface to compete with the only thing left for those poor people. I have been searching about the difference between an honorable citizen and another one whom we shall not call honorable. I only found few differences! The honorable citizen is always worried and enjoy his expensive furniture while watching his expensive television.

Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel winner Egyptian writer, said in his great novel "Awlad Haritna" that the elite are Egypt's great calamity. This diagnosis explains our great problem all over Egypt. This includes journalists, military analysts, doctors, engineers and artists. This elite always manipulates the mind of the Egyptians making use of their weak memory.

Please, show mercy! This was the last word of sheik Abdullah Badr who was addressing the actors Elham Shahin