Bailout blues
NEW YORK: It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the United States financial system - indeed, global finance - is in a mess. And now, with the US…
Holy time and a call for peace
CHICAGO: On Wednesday, October 1, Muslims the world over marked the end of the month of Ramadan with the Eid Al Fitr festival. On this day, Muslims celebrate with their…
With a Grain of Salt: Hats Off
All hail the great Egyptian judiciary that recently released prominent businessman Hossam Aboul Fotouh after he completed a five-year prison term, plus an extra eight months thrown in for good…
The Nile Bride sacrifice is a big myth, says Egyptologist
CAIRO: The ancient Egyptian custom of offering a virgin as a sacrifice to the river Nile every year to instigate a flood is a big historical error, Egyptology researcher Bassam…
A palace in heaven
The children playing football in a side street near the Ibn Toloun Mosque last Sunday evening were well aware that somebody important was visiting their neighborhood.The main road was being…
What's all that noise about?
For a musician tipped as "one of the greatest darbouka players in the world, Rony Barrak's performance last week at the Geneina Theater left something to be desired.The opening numbers…
Three held in Britain as Prophet Mohammed book publisher set ablaze
British police arrested three men this week in connection with a fire at the offices of the publisher of a book about Prophet Mohamed and his wife.The men, aged 22,…
Confessions of a (M)ad Man: The Irrational Ape: The (M)ad Man's 10 laws of human behavior
This week, on the advice of my editor, I m going to keep my opinions to myself. Her concern is that some of my vehement rants might be too dark…
COMMENTARY: From central bank to central planning?
BERKELEY: For more than 170 years, it has been accepted doctrine that markets are not to be trusted when there is a liquidity squeeze. When the prices of even safe…
Life's all black and white for Gareth Pugh
PARIS: Life s choices are not usually black and white, but Gareth Pugh s vision for next summer was literally that on the first day of the ready-to-wear shows here…
