BBC Video Report on Black Cloud in Cairo

A very informative and balanced? report about the black Cloud Hanging over Cairo right now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8324024.stm

That itchy feeling in your throat right now is more likely due to the pollution in the air right now than Swine flu. Take care of your health, the best you can, given the situation.

A Belly Dancer's Blog

I was chuffed to see "BellyLorna" as one the Followers of My Blog.

I visited her blog and found it very interesting. We always see the performance side of a dancer and don't really have an insight into the dancers point of view. Lorna's blog http://bellylorna.blogspot.com/ gives the reader that insight. She is a Scottish lady who now performs in Cairo.

I enjoyed reading her blog posts and then found a link to a video of her performance:



I realised I have watched her perform on the Nile Pharoahs Boat at least 4 times. And I always recommend our house guests to do their Dinner Cruise with Nile Pharoahs, because she is the best Belly Dancer on the boats as of now and the Boat also serves Indian Food if you book in advance.

So yes, I am a fan of Lorna's dancing and her blog. I'd recommend the blog, it makes really interesting reading.

Here's another older video

Dangerous Driving in Cairo

Anyone who has lived or visited CAiro, knows how dangerous the roads can be. But its sometimes difficult to explain how bad it is to folks back home.

Voila, BBC produces a video on the topic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7904171.stm?lss

This will give the folks back home something to think about.

How to use a squat toilet

A lot of Western visitors arriving in Egypt are confronted with squat toilets for the first time in their lives.

For someone who has never seen one, much less used one, it is quite a challenge to figure out how to use the hole in the floor, which may be the only option at some of the tourist and remote locations or even while camping in the desert.

This video is quite instructional without being obscene.



Do note that in Egypt most squat toilets will be private and there are no pigs left in the country if newspaper reports are to be believed {grin}

Don't feel bad that you need to view an instuctional video to use a squat.

Even Japanese children need to be taught this today
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200903300051.html

and sometimes even a reverse training may be necessary.

Cairo Marriott Crow

My attention was brought to this entertaining video on the Cairo Marriott Crow, created by a past guest at the hotel. He uses on scene footage and has created an interesting song around it :)

Take a look:

History of Religion

How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world's most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds?

History of the Middle East

Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Persians, Europeans...the list goes on.

See this 90 second video for a quick but comprehensive overview of 5000 years of history.