Mary Kern rang the bell at 12:30PM.
Paul Stone started us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Mary Kern offered the invocation
Susanne McInerney led us in God Bless America

Stella introduced our guests:

Our Speaker for today is Mr. Ismail Nabih

Long time friends and fellow Rotarians, Connie & Tim Braceland

Maureen O'Rouke  - Mt Alvernia High
Megan Lahey - Mt Alvernia High
Yazmin Cotterell - Our Student of the month

Mimit Levitt friend of Ellie and Bert's
Ellie Shuman (friend of Bert Martinson's)

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE FLOOR:
Connie Braceland:  Death By Chocolate update is that it is now scheduled at the Newton Post 440 Club on the last Sunday in January which is the 26th from 1-4.  Next meeting on Fri 4:15 at City Streets in Lexington St. in waltham.  All are welcome.

Jeff Tucker:  We will be meeting at the Newton Marriott starting the 1st quarter 2013 every Tues starting Jan 8th.

Save the Dates:  Feb 11th Italian Night, March 18th Irish Lunch at Lasalle

Paul Kerrissey:  Thanksgiving luncheon update.  To encourage visitors, they've instituted a new price...
1st guest regular fee at $19 and every guest thereafter for $10

Susanne:  week of Dec 17th is holiday party.  She'll be in touch with the exact date.  It will be at Gregorian Rugs again.

Ed Casavant:  Student of the Month
Mount Alvernia is this month
Yazmin is this month's student of the month

Mount Alvernia is on Centre st. and is a small women's Catholic school in the Franciscan tradition
community service requirement for all students.  Yazmin spoke of her service:
She's done 100-110 hours/year since 7th grade
She does the breast cancer walk every year
She also volunteers at the Good Samaritan program.  She is trained to get calls from distressed teens...
Yazmin Student of the Month

Queen Diamonds was picked from a guest.  They didn't win this week.

HAPPY DOLLARS:
Indira Desai: happy.  
Jim Means:  for his friend, the speaker to join us today
Marie Presti:  for our guests who turned out to be more our "friends"
Bert Martinson:  Ellie and Mimit and he's just happy
Paul Kerrissey:  welcome Yazmin and for Bert coming to Paul's daughter's graduation party and showing all the young people how to drink a Manhattan correctly.
Paul Sullivan:  for Timothy and Connie Braceland.  one win away from Red Sox
Tom Keery:  each win
Dick Hardaway:  3 week vacation in Seattle, San Francisco, Carmel, LA, Baltimore.  Scott Lewis was driver.  4 days design and 3 days as a driver for benefits
Jeff Tucker:  student of the month
Bill Lowry:  student of the month, Red Sox, guests
Connie Braceland:  Red Sox, coming here, Jasmine (Connie graduated from Mount Alvernia)
Timothy Braceland:  old friends, congrats Jasmine
Marc Epstein:  glad to be back, went to game 2 of Red Sox World Series with a poster. Go sox
Chris Chu:  great to see so many people, speaker, and student of the month
Tony Bibbo:  son broke his leg
Peggy Lapore:  student of the month, speaker
Paul Stone:  Red Sox, World Series will be over before we meet again!
Susanne McInerney:  Tim and Connie Braceland, Susanne also went to Mount Alvernia so congrats to Jasmine
Sue Peghiny:  going to Maine this weekend, looking forward to going to bed before11PM.
Stella Pang:  Jasmine, guests, Connie
David Sellers:  Marie & Mary posted our gear on Facebook.  David's wife read it and knew all about what happened at last week's meeting.  He was impressed and wanted us to know that someone is reading it weekly... :)
Ed Casavant:  Jasmine
Mary Kern:  Jasmine, for the Bracelands being here
Ellie Shuman:  twice as happy as she was before she came
Mimitt:  for Bert Martinson and Ellie Sherman


Jim Means introduced our speaker:
Ishmael, friend and business partner of Jim's since mid 80's
attended Harvard, raised family in Lincoln, started medical distribution company service Middle East
Boston and Cairo
In view of all the changes in Eqypt, we have lots of questions...

Speaker:  
took questions instead of doing a formal presentation... 
Will the Military release its power?
He hopes not.  Hoping for elections for middle of next year there should be a president, parliament (Congress), and a constitution.
50 people are writing the constitution and people will go and vote

Muslim brotherhood came into power.  removed everyone else. issued laws.  65 churches were burned last year.  how to impeach the President

30th June, there was an uprising.  People asked President to resign.  40M people in the streets.  He refused.  clash between his party and people.  President refused so they took him down.

appointed a temporary judge.  appointed a prime minister.  New cabinet.  Head army was appointed vp and administer of defense.

Cabinet is running the internal problems.  cracked down on many of the Muslim brothers and put them in jail.  Peace in Cairo now.  

Pres wasn't in favor of police because they were arresting his people.   Minister of interior, police is back, security.
Why do you want democracy?  vs. security for the people

Muslim brothers to take part in the democracy; control 30% population.  They did not have a mandate when voting last few elections.  Moderate Muslim brothers.  Hoped they would split the brothers (religious party and political party).  But political party was same as religious... go back to 8th century.  

Hopefully somebody from there joins.  

Status of Mubarek, the former Egyptian President? He is on house arrest.  has there been a trial?  Army wouldn't let him down.  no power.  living in a modern hospital built by Americans. well protected.
not in jail.  tried twice.  no ruling either time.  Wife is free to come and go.  Sons are up for trial.

Why not for democracy?  You have to know your rights and your duties.  Most don't know either.  Cornerstones.  no unions, no institutions.  How can you communicate to the people in the countrysides...  

in US, you have 8-9 months of a politician telling you what they'll do.  

Egypt has education?  yes

Universities and Graduate schools are fine.  but you have to get there.  he had 8 in his class.  now over 2K in same class.  overpopulated.

What is rest of Egypt doing?  Are they fighting also?
Cairo has 18M, Alexandria has 9K, a few other centers totals about 80%.  80M population in Egypt.   rest are farmland.

Riots were everywhere.  Cairo, Suez Canal, everywhere.  These folks probably didn't vote.  

MiddleEast, battle of Islamic vs. those secular.  Egypt is 90% Muslim.  95% of those are practicing Islam.  Radicals are very few.  

1.3B Islams.  1/2% radical.  but those are the ones controlling.  Others are 
manager is Muslim brother.  rest are Muslims.  these folks were happy when rashi was removed.

3M people left Syria for Europe.  not organized.  no leadership.  
get info from cab drivers. 4 x /day.  they are the pulse of Cairo.

What is Economic situation?  tourism must be in tough shape?  Mercy took over Egypt, 50B he he left 10B.  no enough to feed for 8 months.  tourism disappeared.  5K businesses went broke.  

IMF been negotiations for last 2 years.  trying to cut the subsidies.  Can't because they'll have a riot.
Shortly after, gave 12B, Egypt.  Living on donations, loans, from out  of the country.

importance of Coptic Christians?
When arabs invaded Egypt.  become Muslim or pay tax.  some refused.  Cops are oldest Egyptians.  about 10-15%.  Have Pope, churches, schools, systems.  Have lived fine.  
Some people want conflict in Egypt.  Muslim brothers burned churches.
Upper Egypt, Coptic villages were terrorized.  Kids were kidnapped.  

now all this has stopped.  because of strong government.

Why did you leave Egypt to go to Harvard?
1966 running a business.  went to Switzerland and took management course run by Harvard.  Came back in 1967.  3 hours later there was the 6 day war.  This was 3rd war he witnessed.  1948, 1956, 1967.  Enough is enough.

Professors in Switzerland helped him.  Get an MBA from Harvard.  back to Egypt and applied.  1968 left.  
First business, worked for small Cambridge company.  scientific education called Eeling.  

What was biggest reason with discontent with Morsey?  They got nothing out of him.  businesses closed, dictator.  Nov 2011 passed laws where he was above the law.  fired 5 supreme judges.  

Ishmail Nahib Speaker about Egypt

Mary Adjorned at 1:30PM.

Respectfully Submitted by Marie Presti Please forgive the typos  :)

 
 
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