Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Cairo Taxi 1880

Tahrir Square 1970

                 ARAB LEAGUE BUILDING (Centre right behind fountain)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Bread Freedom Social Justice

Egyptian Revolution Commerative Coin

The Central Bank of Egypt has released a commemorative coin to mark the 2011 25th January Egyptian Revolution.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Sout al Horreya

Ya Midan

Ya Baladi My Country 25th January 2012

The Egyptian Parliament

January 23rd 2012 saw the first session of the new Egyptian Parliament.

Below is some information of the formation of that parliament.

The link can let you zoom into the interactive page.

Link





Egyptian Revolution - Thawra Masr - Thawra Yanayar - ثوره يناير












 





Tuesday, January 24, 2012

"Egyptian Woman' singing contest!


Prize
رحلة الى نيويورك  لتسجيل صوتك فى استوديو عالمى

رحلة الى نيويورك لتسجيل صوتك فى استوديو عالمى


البحث عن النجمة القادمة فى جميع أنحاء مصر


تهدف مبادرة "غني يا مصرية، سمعي الدنيا" إلى جذب أصوات متنوعة جغرافياً واجتماعياً من الفتيات المصريات الموهوبات من خلال حملة تسويقية واسعة النطاق. وسوف ترحب المبادرة بجميع الفتيات فى أنحاء مصر المختلفة بداية من نصف نوفمبر الثانى للمشاركة بتحميل فيديو غنائي علي موقع المسابقة على شبكة الإنترنت لمدة تصل الي أربع دقائق. ويجوز أن يرافق المتسابقات احد لاعبي العود أوالغيتار أو الكمان ذكرا كان أو أنثى. وسوف تُعطى الأفضلية في هذه المرحلة الأولية إلى الأغاني الأصلية - من تأليف المتسابقة نفسها. وجدير بالذكر انه يجب على المتسابقة أن تقوم بتأليف أغنية أصلية من أجل أستمرارها فى المسابقة.


وبناءاً علي هذه المقاطع من الفيديو والردود على أسئلة موحدة تتصل بالسيرة الذاتية للمتسابقات، ستبدأ الدورة الاولي- و التي تتكون من ستين متسابقة بمواهبهن الموسيقية المختلفة ورسالتهن ومشاركتهن الاجتماعية وستحظي مقاطع الفيديو بدعاية عالمية في اطار المبادرة وسيقوم المشجعين من انحاء مصر بالتصويت لمطربتهم المفضلة من خلال اداة للتصويت علي شبكة الانترنت.


وسوف تدعى الستين متسابقة المختارة من قبل خبراء في صناعة الموسيقى من مصر والولايات المتحدة الى حضور سلسلة من ورش العمل المختلفة لتطوير وتقديم غناء محترف. وسوف تُختم كل ورشة عمل مع الجمهور بحفلة عامة تظهرالمهارات النسائية الناشئة من خلال غناء أغنية من تأليف المتسابقات. وسوف يتم الإعلان عن أفضل أربعة عشر متسابقة من الجولة الاولى من التصويت العام بالإضافة إلى متسابقتين إضافيتين مختارة من قبل المنظمين طبقاً لمواهبهن وإبداعهن وتنوعهن فى نهاية هذه الجولة. و سيعلن عن هؤلاء الستة عشر للجولة المقبلة.


في الجولة المقبلة، سيتم تحميل فيديو عروض اداء الحفلات للستة عشر متسابقة في اوائل فبراير علي موقع المسابقة على شبكة الإنترنت. وسوف يصوت المشجعين من جميع انحاء مصر والعالم في فبراير للمطربة المفضلة لديهم. وسوف يتأهل نصف المتسابقين إلى الدور المقبلة بناءا على التصويت على شبكة الانترنت حتى يتم اختيار الفائز.


و سوف تشارك جميع المتسابقات الستة عشر فى حضور ورشة عمل مع نجمة أمريكية عالمية والحضور الى حفل غنائى راقى. و سوف يعلن أسم الفائزة فى هذا الحفل المغطى اعلاميا على المستوى المحلى والدولى. وستفوزالمتسابقة ألأخيرة برحلة إلى مدينة نيويورك للتسجيل في استوديو عالمى. ويجب على الفائزة ان تكون مؤهلة للحصول على تأشيرة الولايات المتحدة من أجل السفر.


جميع ألأصوات والمواهب المصرية فى شتى أنحاء الجمهورية مؤهلة للمشاركة بأستثناء:


ذوى الجنسية الامريكية او ذوى جنسية مزدوجة مصرية-امريكية.


الحكام وأعضاء أفراد ألأسرة للحكام


المطربات المحترفات اللاتى قمن بتوقيع عقود مع شركات انتاج

Searching for the Best Female Musical Talent Throughout Egypt

Prize: Trip to Record in a New York City Studio!

Through a broad marketing Contest in both Egyptian and international markets, the “Sing Egyptian Women, Let the World Hear you” initiative aims to attract a geographically and socially diverse group of Egyptian singers.

Women from across Egypt will be invited in November to submit to the dedicated contest web site a video singing sample of up to four minutes. Singers may be accompanied by a single, non-singing male or female oud, guitar or violin player, if they wish. Preference will be given at this initial stage to original songs written by the singer. If a participant is selected to advance in the competition, an original song will be required for the second phase of the contest in February.

Based on these video clips and responses to standardized biographic questions, an initial round of 60 contestants with musical talent, broad potential appeal and a socially engaged message will earn a spot for their video in the contest’s worldwide marketing platform for the initiative. Fans across Egypt will vote for their favorite singers through an online voting tool.

All 60 of the women will join a team of American musicians and music industry experts in February in one of a series of three of nationwide workshops on developing and delivering expressive, high-impact songs. Each workshop will conclude with a public concert showing off the women’s emerging skills by singing an original song. At these concerts, the top 14 women from the first round of public voting plus an additional 2 chosen by the organizers for their talent, creativity and diversity will be announced as the 16 participants for the next round.

In the next round, videos of the 16 women’s performances from the early February concerts will be uploaded to the contest web site. Fans from across Egypt and the world will vote throughout February for their favorite singer. Each week, the top half of the contestants will advance to the next round until a winner is chosen.

All 16 women in the nationwide competition will join a top American female singer for an expert-level workshop and concert in Cairo in March. The top vote-getter, to be announced at this marquis concert, will win a trip to New York City to record in an American music studio. The winner must qualify for a U.S. visa in order to travel.

All Egyptian women are eligible to participate, with certain exceptions. Participants may not have American citizenship or Egyptian-American dual nationality. Employees and immediate family members of partner organizations are not eligible. Participants may not have signed any previous management or recording label contracts. There is no language requirement.

Rules
All Egyptian women are eligible to participate, with certain exceptions. Participants may not have American citizenship or Egyptian-American dual nationality. Employees and immediate family members of partner organizations are not eligible. Participants may not have signed any previous management or recording label contracts. There is no language requirement. If a participant is selected to advance in the competition, an original song will be required for the second phase of the contest in February. Singers may be accompanied by a single, non-singing male or female oud, guitar or violin player, if they wish.
جميع ألأصوات والمواهب المصرية فى شتى أنحاء الجمهورية مؤهلة للمشاركة في المسابقة ماعدا الاتى
§ ذوى الجنسية الامريكية او ذوى جنسية مزدوجة مصرية-امريكية.
§ الحكام وأعضاء أفراد ألأسرة للحكام
§ المطربات المحترفات اللاتى قمن بتوقيع عقود مع شركات انتاج
وجدير بالذكر انه يجب على المتسابقة أن تقوم بتأليف أغنية أصلية من أجل أستمرارها فى المسابقة. ويجوز أن يرافق المتسابقات احد لاعبي
العود أوالغيتار أو الكمان ذكرا كان أو أنثى.
The Contest is FREE to enter and open to all individuals who are legal residents of the Region(s) specified, and have reached the age of 18 at the time of their Entry (as defined below) (“you” or “Contestant”). It is your responsibility to ensure that you are legally eligible to enter the Contest under any laws applicable to you in your jurisdiction of residence or otherwise. The employees, officers and directors of the Contest Facilitators as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee, officer and director are not eligible to participate in the Contest. The Contest is void outside the Region(s) specified, or in any country embargoed by the United States, and where otherwise prohibited by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws, rules or regulations.
Agreement to Official Rules: By participating in the Contest, you fully and unconditionally agree to and accept these Rules and the decisions of the Organizer and/or Administrator, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Whether or not you receive a Prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth in these Rules. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. The Organizer is responsible for ensuring the Contest complies with all laws in all jurisdictions where the Contest is offered. CONTESTS are void where prohibited by law.
Contest Period: The Contest opens November 15th 2011 and ends on March 8th 2011. The Administrator’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Contest.
Submission round : دورة التقديم
Judging round دورة التحكيم :
Voting round دورة التصويت :
How to Enter: To enter the Contest, complete the registration form on the Contest Site with your name, email address, birth date and any required questions, and then follow the directions specified for the Contest in the Contest Summary during the Contest Period. You must login with a valid Facebook account in order to participate in the Contest. You must then provide an entry ("Entry") that fulfills the Contest Requirements ("Contest Requirements"), as specified in the Contest Summary, to be eligible to win a Prize. Entries that do not include all the required information and adhere to the Rules will be considered void. The Contest Facilitators are not responsible for lost, misdirected or incomplete Entries.
The Organizer determines if an Entry meets the Contest Requirements and otherwise complies with the Rules.
Terms of Submission: You may enter the Contest as many times as is specified in the Contest Summary. You may delete your Entry at anytime. By participating in the Contest you permit public voting in connection with your Entry.
Rights Granted by you: By entering this Contest, you agree that:
the Administrator, Organizer, and their respective licensees, successors and assigns will have the right to use all or a part of your Entry, your name and address (city and state/province/territory), and the names, likenesses, photographs, voices and images of all persons appearing in the Entry anywhere in the world and in perpetuity, for future advertising, trade, promotion and publicity in any manner and in any medium now known or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without compensation and without notice to you and without consideration, review or approval from you; and
you agree that you will not now nor in the future be paid for your Entry or for granting the Administrator any of the rights set out in these Rules.
Your Representations and Warranties: By entering the Contest, you represent and warrant that:
your Entry, in its entirety, is an original work by you and you have not included third party content (such as writing, poetry, text, graphics, artwork, logos, photographs, likeness of any third party, musical recordings, clips of videos, television programs or motion pictures) in or in connection with your Entry without permission;
your Entry, the use thereof by the Contest Facilitators, or the exercise by the Organizer or Administrator of any of the rights granted by you under these Contest Rules, does not and will not infringe or violate any rights of any third party or entity, including, without limitation, patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, defamation, privacy, publicity, false light, misappropriation, confidentiality, or any contractual or other rights;
you have all the rights, licenses, permissions and consents necessary to submit the Entry and to grant all of the rights that you have granted to the Contest Facilitators under these Contest Rules;
all persons who were engaged by you to work on the Entry, who appear in the Entry in any manner, or have contributed to the Entry have:
given you their written consent to submit the Entry without claims for payment of any kind; and provided written permission to include their name, likenesses, image or pictures in or with your Entry (or if a minor who is not your child, you must have the permission of their parent or legal guardian) and you may be asked by the Contest Facilitators to provide such permission in writing to the Contest Facilitators; and You have read, understood, accept and agree to be bound by the Administrator’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy set as they may be amended from time to time.
Prizes: The Organizer will provide the Prize(s) to be awarded for the "Sing Egyptian Women, Let The World Hear You" Contest. No substitution of a Prize will be made unless the Organizer, in its sole discretion, determines otherwise. A Prize must be accepted as awarded, and the odds of winning are dependant upon the total number of eligible Entries received for the Contest Period. If, as a result of an error relating to the entry process, drawing or any other aspect of the Contest, there are more potential winners of Prizes than contemplated in these rules, there will be a random draw amongst all eligible Prize claimants after the Contest Closing Date (as set out in the Contest Summary) to award the correct number of Prizes.
Winner(s): The winner(s) ("Winner(s)") of the Prize(s) will be selected, as specified in the Contest Summary, from all eligible Entries received. If you are selected as a Winner, you will be notified of the selection of your Entry by the phone or email address provided by you on the Registration Form. If you do not respond to the phone or email notification of your selection as a Winner within three (3) days, an alternate Winner will be selected to receive the Prize. All decisions of the Organizer in selecting the Winner (s) are final and binding on all Entrants in all matters relating to the Contest.
Acceptance of any Prize shall constitute and signify the Winner's agreement and consent that the Contest Facilitators may use the Winner's name, photo, city, state, likeness, Entry and Prize information in connection with the Contest, worldwide, including on the internet, without limitation and without further payment or consideration, except where prohibited by law. Each Winner (or his/her parent/guardian if the Winner is a minor) is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with receipt of the Prize.
Voting: Online voting begins and ends as stated in the Contest Summary (the "Voting Period"). Anyone who registers on the Contest Site can vote for their favorite Entry or the Entry that best meets the judging criteria during the Voting Period. The Contest Facilitators have the right, in their sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Contest, including the right to void votes, including, but not limited to, for the following reasons:
multiple votes from the same user from different IP addresses or from different email addresses; fraudulent entry votes (using a redirect link, a disguised link, a fraudulent link, etc.);
technical malfunction of servers or internet connection;
user(s) recanting their own votes;
technical or content upgrades that render votes incompatible or inconsistent; and
inappropriate conduct in promoting votes (spam, harassment, etc.).
General Conditions: The Contest Facilitators have the right to verify your eligibility and compliance with these Rules, and to disqualify you on the basis of its investigation.
Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the Administrator’s Privacy Policy, as amended from time to time. You should direct any request to access, update, or correct your personal information to Administrator.
You may not enter with multiple e-mail and/or street addresses, nor may you use any other device or artifice to submit more than one (1) Entry or vote. If you use fraudulent Entry methods, or otherwise attempt to participate with multiple e-mail and/or street addresses under multiple identities, or use any device or artifice to enter more than one (1) Entry, you will be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to any Entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the person who made the Entry. For the purposes of these Rules, the authorized “account holder” is the natural person assigned an e-mail address by an internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address.
Nothing contained in these Rules shall be construed to: (i) give any party the power to direct and control the day-to-day activities of the other; (ii) constitute the parties as partners, joint venturers, principal and agent, employer and employee, co-owners or entrants in a joint undertaking; or (iii) allow you to create or assume any obligation on behalf of the Organizer.
By entering the Contest, you fully and unconditionally agree to and accept these Rules and the decisions of the Contest Facilitators and the members of the voting community, which are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.
Contest Facilitators reserve the right to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest at any time (subject to approval of any regulatory body having jurisdiction), if it is determined that the Contest cannot be run as originally planned or if fraud or any other occurrence comprises the fairness or integrity of the Contest.
GOOD LUCK AND MAY THE BEST FEMALE MUSIC ARTIST WIN
US EMBASSY EGYPT / Nile Promotions / ShareTheMic

Link!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Heliopolis-Nasr City Federation

Disclaimer: This post is tongue in cheek. It should not be taken seriously. 


Now since Nasr City came out MB/Salafi free, there is a possibility of a federation between Heliopolis and Nasr City. As a resident of the Republic of Heliopolis, I welcome such an idea but we Heliopolisians should be crystal clear regarding the terms of this federation agreement.

After yesterday’s results, Nasr City residents will surely boast about their achievement. They were once deemed a Brotherhood stronghold, but they shocked us all by electing two non-MB/Salafi members of parliament. Not only that, NC is the only district that elected two candidates in their 30s!


While we should congratulate NCians for their achievement (the poor fellows had to withstand a big scary poster of Salafi Mohamed Yosri on Nasr Street), yet we residents of ROH need to remind them that we are much older in liberalism. In addition, we are far more authentic and chic. Heliopolis is over 100 years old while Gamal Abdel Nasser built NC after the 1952 military coup. While Heliopolis always housed the crème de la crème, Nasr City welcomed the Egyptians who came back from the Gulf and brought to us the radical religious thought known as “Wahabism”.  Therefore, before we even sit on the round table and negotiate plans for a federation, we should make it very clear that we do make a distinction between the two districts.

In light of the above facts, we have to be prepared before we sit together and decide on the future of our districts. I have presented below the hot potatoes issues that might arise during negotiations and my own way forward with each.
Who will own City Stars?


City Stars is ours! It is in the jurisdiction of Nozha whether NCians like it or not. In fact, only NCians say that City Stars belongs to them. Ask anyone in Zamalek or Maadi where the grand mall is and he/she will tell you it is in Heliopolis. Even City Stars itself boasts of being in Heliopolis.
City Stars is a huge revenue generator besides it being a symbol of elegance and extravagant shopping. City Stars is a red line.
Nevertheless, if NCians turned out to be very stubborn on that issue, we can concede a little. We can give them the old extension in exchange for 2 of their popular fish restaurants: El Borg and Gandofli. This exchange does have a strategic interest for us, the residents of ROH. We are suffering from a considerable decline in population because of mass emigration especially from our Christians. The fish restaurants will increase the birth rate in ROH.
Entry policy for NCians living in 7th Settlement, 10th Settlement and El Sewesry
OK. We do have our low-income population in Nozha, Sherouk and Badr, and we take care of them. NCians living in the poor neighborhoods of 7th Settlement, 10th Settlement and El Sewesry were totally forgotten by the more affluent NCians. And the result? These areas overwhelmingly voted for the MB and Salafis. Now, if we removed the visa requirement from NCians who want to enter Heliopolis, we can be flooded with illegal immigrants from these areas.
Since we cannot discriminate according to level of income, we should maintain our visa requirement for NCians. All NCians should be required to obtain a visa before entering ROH, but they can obtain it at the borders (we can have a visa office in City Stars for example)
Abu Ramy for Deals
Abu Ramy is just too good. I personally drive all the way from Heliopolis to NC just to munch on Abu Ramy’s delicious soko2, Kebda and Sakalans. We want Abu Ramy! It is the upper class version of Zizo Natana. We are tired of Abu Haydar, Abu Amaar and 3amo Hosni.
Since we have far more alcohol serving outlets than NC, we can exchange Deals pub with Abu Ramy. We already have L’Aburgine and as I mentioned in my previous post, President Hamzawy promised us a Tamarai and La Bodega. Therefore, we can sacrifice Deals for Abu Ramy.
C28 Has to Go


NC cannot enter into a federation with ROH and retain C28, the ugly military court in 10th Settlement. Not many Kanaba Party (apolitical couch party) members in Heliopolis would agree with me, but I am totally against trying civilians in military courts. Therefore, if NC wants to be united with Heliopolis, they have to get rid of C28.

link

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Egypt to stop imports of certain items regarded as luxury goods!

The Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Trade created a list in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance to stop the import of luxurious products and thus, stop the depletion of foreign currency, according to AlMasry AlYoum newspaper.

The Minister of Industry Dr. Mahmoud Eissa told the newspaper that the list contained luxurious commodities that would not affect the production line and only represent a minor percentage of inflow.

Eissa added that the list would be ready by next week, and it would be immediately implemented at the customs department. He explained that it was necessary for such decisions to be made now, since it would save this country a lot of foreign expenses.

President of the Importers-Department in the Cairo Chamber of Commerce Ahmed Shiha clarified to AlMasry AlYoum that there are not more than 10 types of “provocative products”, which is less than 5% of all imported goods.

Shiha gave an account of some of the mentioned commodities, such as cat and dog food, Korean lettuce, chewing gum, alcohol, cigarettes, and pork-based products. The customs and sales tax implemented on these products by the government are between 50% and 300%, in order to decrease their import.

President of the Importers-Department in the Chambers of Commerce Union Hamdy AlNagary added: “The list contains vine leaves, ostrich-meat, red caviar, jumbo shrimps etc. The total of inflow from these products sum up to about $4 billion annually, according to the Import and Export Control Panel.”

Link

Tuesday, January 3, 2012