Egypt's Beauty

Six months ago, I wrote the following statements:

• "Politically, many organizations have harshly criticized President Mubarak's powerful control of the government."
• "It will take more political and economic freedom, but given Egypt's young population, I wouldn't be very surprised if in another 20 years Egypt has risen to be one of the top 25 economies in the world."

As people around the world marvel at the powerful voice of the millions in Egypt, many of us hope that we are witnessing a transformative change in the region. Time will tell what the future will hold. As I hugged a friend of mine who grew up in Cairo today she said, "tonight I celebrate and tomorrow I will wonder."

Rather than expound on the potential of what this may or may not become, or debate what Obama could or couldn't have done, I would like to simply post some pictures I took when I was in Egypt last year. Please enjoy the pictures that celebrate some of Egypt's beauty and perhaps we can all hope that we are seeing a positive step for democracy and human rights.