Egyptian expat scores notes of success
After a long and tiring business trip to Dubai, I decided to relax and listen to some good music with friends. We'd heard that Central Perk (think the famed "Friends…
Hisham Abbas is back on track
Following a three-year hiatus, Hisham Abbas launched his much-awaited album "Ya Habibi Khalik Gamby (Oh Darling, Stay By My Side) featuring 12 new songs.The tracks were composed, distributed and written…
Painting reality with a brush of beauty
A couple of years ago, a little independent Egyptian film called Ithaki was screened at the Sawy Culture Wheel in front of a curious audience unfamiliar with its director. As…
Scenes from a disgraceful fiasco: Bergman's death spurs debate
On August 4, five days after the death of the legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, The New York Times published an opinion piece by the famous Chicago Reader critic Jonathan…
Glam Posh to guest star on 'Ugly Betty'
Victoria Beckham, now living in Los Angeles, is going Hollywood. Despite her recent denials about being interested in an acting career, Beckham (aka Posh Spice) is taking a first step…
Thirst for party quenched at Latex
It was well after sunrise when partygoers began streaming out of the Nile Hilton's Latex nightclub last Wednesday morning.They had been up all night dancing to the beats of three…
Learning about America from abroad
This summer I traveled through Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, a part of the world that most Americans rarely see in the news or visit in person.The distance provided me…
China's happy mask
China's "face may be its Achilles' Heel. As it basks in its new status as an economic superpower - the dragon that is outpacing Asia's tigers as well as the…
A look back at the Turkish elections
We were both in Turkey before and after Sunday, 22 July, the day of the intensely debated parliamentary elections. Given the large-scale, contentious demonstrations and the post-modernist military intervention -…
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT: Against torture in Kuwait!
I have no idea where those people who talk about torture in Egypt get their information from. Egyptian authorities simply have no tolerance for the torture of any of their…