What’s Up With Egypt And Australia?

“An Egyptian anti-government activist kisses a riot police officer” — MSNBC

What’s Happening In Egypt?

Although we couldn’t hope to bring you the up-to-the-minute breaking news on Egypt (our correspondent on the ground, Lobster Dog, has lost Blackberry service), we can bring you a few weekend updates.  On Saturday President Hosni Mubarak promised to appoint new cabinet members, but he’d stay in office of course.  He hopes firing his underlings will appease people calling for him to step down. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.

Reports are starting to trickle in on the estimated number of riot-related deaths in Egypt.  Reuters is estimating more than 100 deaths and 2,000 injuries.  Bloomberg reports that the head of the rescue and emergency committee at the Arab medical union, Ibrahim al-Zafarani, has estimated as many as 150 people killed.  The Guardian reports the current death toll at 26 people with over 1,000 wounded.

Another Reason To Never Pass Out In Australia

Here’s a sentence you never want to read: “Another case outlined in the research describes a man who was subjected to rectal examinations from a ‘queue’ of medical students after he was anaesthetised for surgery.”  And here’s a sentence fragment you also never want to read: “a student with ‘no qualms’ about performing an anal examination on a female patient because she didn’t think the woman’s consent was relevant.”  Anal rape: Australian for consent.  In a study authored by Charlotte Rees, senior medical staff ordered students to perform unauthorized procedures on unconscious patients.  82% of the students complied.  And you thought the time you passed out and we all drew naked clowns on you with sharpies was bad.  At least we’re not Australian med students.

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  • President Hosni Mubarak promises to replace his cabinet, not himself. (France24)
  • Three different estimates of the current death toll in the Egyptian protests: Reuters, Bloomberg, Guardian.
  • For live coverage of the newest updates from Egypt, check out the live feeds at CNN and BBC.
  • Australian medical students did what? (NewsComAu)

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  • On the same day the internet was blocked in Egypt to repress dissent, the Senator behind the “internet kill switch” bill told Wired she plans to reintroduce the bill to a Senate committee. (Geekosystem, inset picture via B&P)
  • Lady Gaga is going to release a perfume which is rumored to smell like “blood and semen”.  Do not want. (Fashionista)
  • Speaking of horrifying product ideas, a company called MeatWater is releasing four new flavors: poached salmon salad, grilled chicken salad, grilled Thai beef salad, and Caribbean shrimp salad.  Company founder Till Krautkraemer actually said this: “Everyone is so busy these days, but this is the fastest, easiest way to ‘eat’ a salad. We recommend drinking these in addition to your balanced diet, as a way to supplement your healthy lifestyle.”  Yes, drinking flavored water is exactly like eating real vegetables. (AOLNews)

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  • This chart shows exactly when internet traffic to and from Egypt was shut down. (Mashable, inset picture via Reddit)
  • Here’s an infographic on why people in Egypt are protesting.  Among some of the reasons are the country’s minimum wage, which has been set at $6.30 per month for 27 years while the price of food has recently risen by 17% a year. (NeonTommy)
  • The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation have released their 2011 Index of Economic Freedom.  Egypt is categorized as “Mostly Unfree”, one step above the lowest ranking of “Repressed”.  The U.S. was ranked ninth in the world, but I don’t acknowledge any countries scoring higher than us. Woooo, we’re number one! (FastCompany)

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