At Egyptian Chronicles, Zeinobia wrote here:

She then updated her post adding the following notes:

After the accident, it was obvious for the Egyptians that the Minister of Transportation has to resign. And even the governmental newspapers asked him to resign. Ahmed Shaltout writes:

He then wrote about the public service adverts that took place in Ramadan, and kept on attacking the Egyptian citizens as they are the ones who are careless, and destroy the Egyptian Railways Authority's assets.

People in blogs and Twitter too asked the Minister of Transportation - who is also known as Mansour Chevrolet, as he owns a company that is a Chevrolet importer and distributor - to resign:

Some even made fun of the buffalo's involvement:

While some others, asked if the minister is one to accuse or is it someone else.

And at the end the minister decided to resign as expected. And some bloggers believed that the Egyptian train accidents doesn't harm the trains passengers only, but also the Egyptian Transportation ministers are victims of their railways:

The resignation itself caused mixed reactions as some believed that he was forced to resign:

And that's why some others saw it as a charade:

For one of America's youngest presidents, in office less than nine months — and only for 12 days before the Nobel nomination deadline last February — it was an enormous honor.
The prize seems to be more for Obama's promise than for his performance.

The Egyptians reactions started with announcements on Twitter

Then some others were really astonished.

While the majority started making fun of it

Arabawy also wrote a special post about it in his blog.

The butcher of Iraq and Afghanistan (and Pakistan) has won the Nobel Peace prize. Congratulations! [Mabrouk!] It’s a great day for world freedom. Obama, Manachem Begin, Henri Kissinger–all men who made this planet a great place to live in. Why can’t Mubarak and Habib el-Adly get it too? The message those a**holes in Norway are sending: Murder and butcher your way to Nobel.

And finally, some others had a different point of view:

Ahmed Shokeir, at Late Night Stories, wrote about the absence of such kind of competitions in the Arab world and his first impressions on Arabisk:

Mohammad El Sahli, who is also known as Mohammad Said Hjouij, wrote more details about the competition rules and selection criteria:

But this competition was subject to a huge debate. And bloggers from all over the Arab world had their own comments on its rules and selections.

Aljded believes that some of the selected blogs are in fact non compliant with the competitions second rule.

And Egyptian Wael Abbas wrote:

Egyptian Nora Younis on the other hand made fun of the competition's voting system design, especially that the blog design, has got a big weight in the competition evaluation criteria:

And so did Ahmed Shokeir, who also doesn't like the competition rating criteria and the inclusion of blogs design in the evaluation:

Shokeir also wrote…

The voting system, which is the second stage of evaluation after the top 10 blogs are selected by the competition judges, was subject to a huge debate. Arabisk voting system, which is similar to that of sites like digg and reddit, gives the users the ability to give either positive or negative votes to the blogs.

But it came out later on, that some users abused the system by giving negative votes to the competing blogs.

And it was obvious that the negative voting was a huge mistake.

And competition organizers have realized that, and decided to remove and reset the negative votes.

The Egyptian bloggers were all upset from the competition nominations because almost all of the nominated blogs were non-Egyptians, while the Egyptians form about one third of the Arabic blogosphere.

Shokeir also wrote on his blog:

Also Wael Abbas, was really upset and attacked the competition.

This comment made Abo Shams reply in order to defend Arabisk saying:

Also Mohammad El Sahli, the competition organizer, wrote a seperate post on his own blog in order to defend himself and his competition:

And finally, some other blogger, like Al-Fagih, just didn't accept the fact that their blogs weren't selected, simply because they are pretty sure that their blogs are the best.

The winners will be announced on October 1.

Thanks to microblogging site Twitter, we have a summary of mixed reactions from Egypt and the Middle-East towards Farouk Hosny's defeat. In 140 characters, Twitter users

As expected, all Egyptians should be sad because their candidate for the UNESCO was defeated. And Hanan Abdel Meguid's sad tone was so obvious in the tweet below:

And Youssra was astonished, and it seems that she wasn't expecting him to be defeated:

But wait a moment. It looks like other than the above two tweets, no one else was sad. Even Cairo-based blogger and journalist Sarah Carr wrote the following post asking people to help her find those few ones who were sad for his defeat:

In fact, it seems the no one was able to help Sarah in her search, especially that the majority of the Egyptian Twitter users were not sad at all. Ahmed El- Sadek, for example, wrote here that he can't really say that he is sad:

Zeinobia on the other hand couldn't hide the wide smile in her tweet.

Mona Eltahawy was happy too:

She even wrote another Tweet thanking God because Farouk Hosny did not win.

And Amr Salama wrote:

So, it seems that most of the Egyptians were against him. Ahmed Shoukry wrote here to clarify that if this point of view is so common among the Egyptian blogs and tweets, then it is for sure the same point of view of the majority of people on the street:

But what really makes most of the Egyptian take such stand?!

Mona Eltahawy believes that it's because Hosny is not Egypt's candidate, but he's the Egyptian regime's candidate.

The following conversation between Mostafa Hussein, and JPierre also elaborates why people didn't want him to win:

And Cairo Gem has an almost identical point of view to Mostafa Hussein's:

AlAnany believes that Hosny tried to please both the Egyptians, the Westerners and the Israelis and at the end he pleased no one:

And as usual, all our political debates have to end with a cool conspiracy theory like this one.

For more reactions on Hosny's nomination before the election read Marwa Rakha's post here.

Shokeir explains the reason behind his wish as follows:

And those he is eager to meet are:

In conclusion, Shokeir says:

Adham wrote here:

Zeinobia also wrote about the same scene here:

She then continued:

She then wondered, how are we supposed to react to a scene like this one.

Syrian Anas Qtiesh had a different point of view, and here left a comment on Zeinobia's post discussing his stand against conspiracy theories:

Jillian York also left a comment there discussing the American's point of view, and how they do not consider such thing as an insult:

And a third comment from Mido - aka Adham, wondering if censorship is really a good decision:

And finally, Will at KABOBfest wrote a post about the same scene here:

He then continues:

Traffic volume for each ADSL speed is counted on monthly basis. When this traffic/ data reach a certain limit the speed automatically drops to 128 Kbps till end of the subscription month. The speed is upgraded once more at the beginning of the new month.

And for sure the Egyptian bloggers and Twitter users were not happy with such a decision.

@Jpierre wrote here:

Also @Moodeey wrote here:

And @AmrSpace wrote here:

In fact, it may not be TE-Data only, but other ISP's are believed to start doing the same thing. @Tafatefo who is subscribed to LINKdotNET wrote the following tweet:

Twitter was almost as crowded as the Egyptian streets, but this time there were tweets during the match as well as after it. The tweets started to pour in after Egypt's first goal against Italy:

Non Egyptians and for sure Italians were there to comment on the match also.

The tweets related to the match were sufficient to bring Egypt as one of the main topics on twitter.

During the last few minutes of the match, all the Egyptians fans were not able to wait for the referee's whistle.

And finally the referee's whistle caused a real flood of tweets.

Zeinobia wrote here:

Now it was announced he was dead and he died there after an operation or even  may be in the operation room. May be he suffered from a tumor that no one noticed except when it was too late and was spread :(
It has not been announced on the Egyptian TV yet strangely,the TV is acting as if nothing has happened, may be they have not receive the orders yet .
I feel so sad for him.
May Allah bless his soul , he was just 13 years old and it is enough that he is in heaven now. My condolence to his family regardless of what I think about them.

Also Nawara wrote a blog post here about it:

Finally, nowadays, it's not enough to follow the blogs only. Twitter has got its share of reactions too.

@NoraYounis said:

Mubarak's grandson, Mohammed 13years, dies of brain hommerage!

@ShadySamir added:

Everyone. If you're against Mubarak please don't take it out on a dead 13 year old boy. This makes you worse than a tyrant.

@BentMasreya agreed:

I'm sorry for that too :( Allah yer7amouh) [May God have mercy on him].

And @tercowas said:

A child death breaks any heart :-(

By storming out of a debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and after the moderator refused to give him extra time to rebut Israeli President Shimon Peres' explanation of what happened during the Israel-Gaza conflict, Erdoğan is getting the thumbs up from bloggers.

Maher Mahmoud wrote in his blog Kelmety:

Abu El Maaly Fayek also wrote about the incident in his blog Lokmet Eish:

Zeinab - Bent Masreya - wrote another post here calling him the “leader of the world”:

And finally Ahmed Abdel Moneam wrote in his blog Tasrehat:

Also on Global Voices Online:
Turkey: Prime Minister Storms out of Davos Hearing

The Angry Arab News Service wrote:

Across five Arab states a new and closely co-ordinated campaign to boycott American goods is being launched, with Starbucks coffee shops their primary target, but with Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Burger King outlets also on the list.

Among all the American brands, Starbucks was the main target of the boycotting campaigns. Zeinobia, from Egypt, wrote about this saying:

Starbucks, the famous Starbucks branch was closed in Beirut for a day because of the protests. There are calls and actual respond to it across the Arab world to boycott the American products especially 84268245 those products associated with Israel in a way or another.

She then continued:

Of course the Arabic public is convinced that Starbucks in America gives annual donation to the IDF due to the fact that founder and the owner of Starbucks is a Jew, to be honest this is not enough to draw a conclusion that the chain donates to the IDF but news like that one makes the Arab public thinks twice.
Starbucks-IDF rumors are bit old rumours even before it opens its branches in Egypt ,it was fought in the Arab world.
I remember one day I received any email about the logo of Starbucks and its history , saying that it is the Hebrew Princess that saved the Jews in Babylonian ancient time where in reality it is another whole thing.

The boycotting campaigns were not limited to the Arab world only, and American-Palestinian group blog KABOBfest reported here how people in Malaysia are also participating in the campaigns:

Over 2,000 Muslim-owned restaurants in Malaysia have taken Coca-Cola off the menu in an effort to support global boycotts against Israel. Local organizations are encouraging employees of Coca-Cola, as well as Starbucks and other companies, to quit their jobs.

From Jordan, Khobbeizeh also wrote about boycotting Starbucks:

Howard Schultz is an active Zionist, extremely sectarian for the Israeli army. He is supporting them with hundred of millions yearly from Starbucks' income, and he's one of the major sponsors of their weaponry.

For sure, the Israeli products were boycotted by many people as well, and here is what Body on the Line wrote in her blog:

Farmers say much of their produce is being held in warehouses due to canceled orders, and fear a sharp decrease in fruit exports to countries such as Jordan, Britain, and the Scandinavian countries.
…
Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers in Israel, said Scandinavian countries have also been canceling orders.

The American blogger, who lives in Palestine, then wrote about how academics in the United Kingdom are reacting to the Israeli attack on Gaza:

British academics have written an open letter, published in the Guardian, calling for boycott, divestment, and sanctions:
“We must do what we can to stop Israel from winning its war. Israel must accept that its security depends on justice and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, and not upon the criminal use of force.”
“We believe Israel should immediately and unconditionally end its assault on Gaza, end the occupation of the West Bank, and abandon all claims to possess or control territory beyond its 1967 borders. We call on the British government and the British people to take all feasible steps to oblige Israel to comply with these demands, starting with a programme of boycott, divestment and sanctions.”
In London students also took action in solidarity with Gaza at the prestigious London school of economics:

More than 40 students were continuing their sit-in at the London School of Economics today in protest at the conflict in Gaza.

There are also organizations and sites that are dedicated to spreading word about the campaigns like this, this, and this one.

But on the other hand some others, like Crossroads Arabia were not that much into the boycotting:

Saudi Gazette reports that a boycott of American products in support of the people of Gaza is beginning to take hold in Saudi Arabia. As with earlier, similar boycotts, this one is likely to a) assuage Saudi feelings of impotence and b) hurt the Saudi franchisees and their employees, without actually doing much damage to the US economy, contrary to what a professor from King Abdulaziz University states.
It’s clear that the idea of a boycott has strong popular support, though.

Also Jewlicious wrote a post in reply to Khobbeizeh:

Now, I’m no big fan of Starbucks, or of Coffee for that matter, but the notion that Starbucks supports the IDF to the tune of “hundred of millions yearly” is patently ludicrous. Khobbeizeh my friend, your ample Photoshop skills aside, you are an idiot.

Che Ahmed - One Man Show - decided to write about the Egyptian writer, Bahaa Taher.

Tarek Amr wrote in his blog - Not Green Data - about the Internet, Social Media and Web 2.0 applications and how they are improving and changing the Egyptian society to the better.

Meanwhile, Jessyz - Chocolate Mints in a Jar - on the other hand decided to write about Changing the Channel literally.

These are sad days, the situation in Gaza keeps getting worse, people are being killed, starvation and other catastrophes are hitting the world hard.
You have two options, you can either glue your pretty little eyes to the TV, drive your blood pressure up Mount Everest or you can do something about it.

And then she offered her readers a list of good stuff they can do instead of watching bad news on the TV.

Nermeen Edrees - Nerro - who is also a Global Voices Online author, wrote about a Furniture Store in Heliopolis that decided to take the responsibility of turning a common garden in front of their premises into a beautiful garden.

Fascinated at seeing this, I joyously stopped the engine, walked out of the car and started walking around the garden. At this point I came to find that the owner(s) of Decomara decided to take the responsibility of turning the common garden in front of their premises into a beautiful garden, a pleasant view for passerby’s and residents. I was really moved by the endeavor and notion.
I personally think there is a message behind this attempt, not only promoting beauty but also to direct people’s attention and let them realize that common areas are not Government’s only responsibility; it is our responsibility as well. How beautiful our streets could be if each building, store, company or organization took the responsibility of revamping their neighborhood. I know this sound ancient and kinda repetitive, but believe it or not seeing it happening would get you all up and running, excited at the thought of waking up the next morning having breakfast on your balcony. Seriously, we are in dire need for some beauty in our streets and neighborhoods.

Nermeen then targeted her Facebook contacts by publishing the following note there.

Today is the kick-off of the change the channel initiative; to cut the long story short this initiative is about focusing on the positive sides of Egypt (being an Egyptian, living in Egypt, improvement, etc). Not that we are in denial of all the negative sides, we are simply are aware of them and our shortcomings as well, and can easily pin-point the black spots, however, lets see what good stuff can we come out with together.
So my friend, can you list down only one positive thing about this country?

Marwa Rakha then commented on Nermeen's Note.

I am proud of our president for not giving in to ignorant pressure … I admire his courage in facing all the rage and blows aimed at him by emotional masses of Egyptians and Arabs … I am happy he did not open the Rafa7 crossings … I am happy he said that he would only allow the wounded … I am glad that he is not dragging us into a war that is not ours … I am glad that he could see through the hidden agendas of Hamas, Fatah, and Israel … These three parties are the ones who are using civilians as live targets in their own dirty wars .. Yes .. I am proud of Hosny Mubarak.

Eyad Harfoush also commented on the note:

Sorry ya Marwa, what I am proud of is totally different
I am proud of the massess went out to streets in my home city Tanta and other cities in Delta and Upper Egypt. Proud of the feelings of Egyptians who can still feel rage and hatred against Zionism despite of all the sedative pills! I am proud that my people understood the tricks of history more than our leaders, president included. Understanding that Charles De Gaules was called once a man who plays on the emotions of French people.. Petain called him so, now where is Petain's name? Only limited to Petainism? and where did history put De Gaules?
The native Egyptians are the best values in Egypt. Those who are neither Saudized nor Americanized.

Emans Mostafe also commented:

I feel happy when I am in the gardens/deserts of Egypt, we have wonderful places that we don't appreciate its value. Same goes for the places in old Cairo.
I feel happy that I go down to the streets after 11 pm, and I can still find everywhere is so lightful and noisy and crowded, Cairo is ALIVE till morning. In few words, I love Egypt at night.
I feel happy when my aeroplane is landing to Cairo Airport, becasue from the sky Egypt is the best.

Heba Jaouni also commented:

I feel safe in Egypt … I feel warmth in Egypt … I feel alive in Egypt … Nobody will appreciate this place (piece of heaven) unless they really try another place … I want to die in Egypt and be buried in this land.
I Love you Egypt and I do strongly agree with what Marwa said as well … I am with you Hosny Mubarak

Mohamed El Gohary wrote about his home town, El Mansoura, and added some photos of the it here.

Mansoura is one of the quietest places you can live in.
Walking by the Nile in Mansoura is one of the best experiences you can have :)

Jean Pierre, who is besides being a blogger here is a talented photographer, decided to publish an awesome photo of sunset in Maadi here.

Deee - Pressure over Cappuccino - also published a stunning photo of Cairo. And so did Lasto Adri here, and Yahia Muhammad - Hawamesh - here, featuring Alexandria.

And finally Zeinobia added a photo of the innocent smile of Egyptian children whom she meets everyday in the streets of Cairo.