Local Egyptians Glued to Television Sets

At Habibi Restaurant on the city's northside every television is tuned in to Al-Jazeera.

The group of Egyptian men inside, some smoking hookahs, are glued to the TV screens, watching reports of the politcal upheaval in that country.

"I have my dad, my brother, my aunt, my niece all there," says Sherif Elsayed, with a look of worry and frustration on his face.

Many protesters in that country are outraged at president Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian rule over that country.

Elsayed left Egypt for the United States 17 years ago, but knows all-too-well about the country's struggles. 

"I see what's going on and we can't do nothing from here. The people are tired. They see the rest of the world and they want freedom. They want to work hard and be free."

Elsayed has spent the last 8 hours on his cellphone trying to contact his family in Egypt, but no luck.

His adult niece emailed him a video of herself, marching on the streets in Egypt, demanding freedom, and asking others to post the video on Facebook and Twitter.

"The time has come," says Elsayed, "I just don't want people to die. I want them to be able to speak their opinion and still live."

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