CAIRO: Teens and tweens of the Middle East can now join the world’s largest online entertainment destination on the internet for girls, Stardoll, and have fun expressing their creativity using fashion, celebrity and dress-up in their native language thanks to the launch of an all new Arabic version of the website by Maktoob, the largest …

I am trying to explain to the Bedouin that it would be a great idea to have a hiking experience that allows the customer to practice Bedouin culture; like bread making or how to make a fire or learning how to control a camel. Bedouin culture also includes slaughtering goats in the halal fashion but …

While many questions can be answered by www.google.com and www.about.com; for some good old fashioned advice, visit elderwisdomcircle.org. The site provides counsel from those in the 60 plus age bracket, be it age old wisdom on career or relationships. Browse previous letters to identify someone to whom you’d like to address your question, or direct …

WASHINGTON, DC: Change often occurs at a faster pace than people can comprehend. That is certainly the case with the quickly-shifting political realities in Washington on Iran. In less than 50 days, America will be led by a president who made dialogue with Tehran a campaign promise – and yet he won. Perhaps even more …

I’ve always been puzzled by belly dance in Egypt. It is such a characteristic feature of the culture and yet most Egyptians tend to regard the art as a skeleton in the nation’s cupboard, not daring to utter a word about it in polite conversation. At parties and henna nights, girls vie over who’s the …

For parents of children suffering from behavioral problems, learning disabilities and developmental disorders, the Learning Resource Center in Maadi is considered a haven, offering therapy and solutions for problems that can become major impediments to children’s development. Established in September 1996 by three Beth Noujaim, Maha Helali and Nasser Loza, the center provides diagnosis and …

If you are an alien that has recently found itself on Earth in human form, worry not, the web is here. The site www.instructables.com offers amusing step-by-step instructions on everything from tying one’s shoelace to baking cookies to building a solar panel. There are ongoing contests on the site to encourage and foster the instructor …

After years of turning heads with her riotously colorful frocks in Malaysia, fashion designer Tom Abang Saufi can t decide whether to shed a few shades on her batik dresses for the Middle East. If you wear red and fuchsia in the desert, you ll stick out like a sore thumb, she says. (But) it …

Zamalek’s 26th of July Street has loads of dining options, at least until you reach the intersection with Brazil Street, at which point restaurant choices basically become non-existent. Until recently, Coffee Roastery was the lone option on that side of the tracks, but its light menu and dark ambience were always missing a little something …

It is that time of the year when expectations are set high by friends and families whose birthdays and anniversaries you ignored or forgot over the year. Armed with good intentions and hope, it s time to make your holiday purchases. Cairo, to the surprise of many, offers a plethora of possibilities for those seeking …

A while ago, I promised to show a visiting Englishman a bit of the Cairo nightlife. He’d seen the pyramids and a few plush hotels, but so far he’d neglected to explore one of the city’s key attractions, the Horreya bar in Babeluq. With its marble table-tops, old wooden chairs, high ceilings and nicotine-yellow paintjob, …

As I was heading out one night on my way to a fashion show at Townhouse Gallery, a friend, Haitham, stopped me in my tracks with an especially eager ahlan wa sahlan. Haitham runs a small copy shop on the first floor of my building, and we exchange greetings whenever our paths cross. “You must …

The Scene It? trivia game series may have started as a DVD-based board game, but the franchise is really coming into its own on the Xbox 360 console. Microsoft s Scene It?: Box Office Smash ($60 bundled with four Big Button controllers; $40 standalone) builds on the game s first Xbox 360 edition with new …

It’s never too late is my travel motto. As a notoriously bad vacation planner, my trips abroad are usually whipped up at a whim never more than two weeks in advance – but that doesn’t mean I can’t make the most of it. Although such travel whims could seem a bit too extravagant in the …

Living in a city that seems to grow and change everyday, it’s easy to forget the rich history that is embodied in the buildings and streets of central Cairo. Cairo’s downtown was built by Khedive Ismail, who strove to create a “new city that was European, modern, and easy to secure. This meant wide boulevards …

What better way to meet up with Santa Claus than pay a visit to www.northpole.com? Young visitors to this cute, cozy, and Christmassy spot can look forward to Santa’s personalized stories and answers to questions like “How does Santa get up and down my chimney? Mail services also exist to send letters to Santa (expect …

At a time when Egyptian talent and interest in photography is increasing, the work of Toufic Araman has garnered exceptional attention. In less than four years, Araman has learned not only how to handle a camera, but how to capture a variety of subjects with a unique eye. A versatile photographer, Araman is a photojournalist, …

The Egyptian Golf Federation (EGF) is the sports federation of golf in Egypt, working much like federations that govern football and other sports to regulate official aspects of the game such as rules and its players. Since the advent of new golf courses in Egypt, Khaled Abou Taleb has headed the EGF, during that time …

This year’s Emirates Glass LEAF Awards were said to be the most hotly contested competition since the inception of the award five years ago. Recognizing excellence in architecture in both residential and commercial sectors, the awards emphasize innovation of design, structural design and sustainable development. Representing the best of Egypt’s young talent are interior designer …

Ever stumbled upon a website that excited or intrigued you? Below are a couple of my favorites, proving that there’s more to be experienced on the internet than Facebook and Wikipedia. The first is www.yousendit.com, which allows you to send large files of up to 100 MB from a free personal account. Simply upload a …

It’s not everyday international and Egyptian stars strut their stuff down the same red carpet, especially when this carpet is rolled out in the heart of Cairo. It was a rare chance to see – and scrutinize – the best and worst dressed celebs, from the elegant to the haughty, the simple to the extravagant. …

The Bedouin have a simple attitude to driving speeds, there are only two: full speed or no speed. There is nothing in between. They do not wander around or cruise the desert or roads in a carefree manner. They do not peruse the landscape with a benevolent eye or take the time to stop and …

It all started with jealousy, said Mounaya Gallery’s owner Ghada Abdelhak-Khalife laughingly. She is as warm as the gallery she has been running in Zamalek for three years with the help of her sister Rufayda and niece Rudayna selling artisan handcrafts. “I was jealous of non-famous brand boutiques abroad selling special pieces that are brand-less …

Owning a villa has a number of benefits: complete privacy, extra space, and, most importantly, ample room to house that most important suburban accessory: the family dog. Where dogs were once thought of as unclean and associated with the gangs of baladi mongrels plundering garbage bins and interrupting rare bits of peace and quiet with …

A luxurious gold, pearl and emerald earring provides a new visual clue about the life of the elite in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. And its discovery was a true eureka moment for excavators. The piece was found beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem s Old City. It dates to the …

Ever stumbled upon a website that excited or intrigued you? Below are some of my favorites, proving that there’s more to be experienced on the internet than Facebook and Wikipedia. Ever wanted to know what the meaning of the song was, but didn’t find friends who shared your niggling concern with the line “you’ll give …

Like candy to a child’s eyes, the jewelry of the self-taught designer Dima Rashid has become quite a sight for women to wistfully stare at. It is never an easy decision to make: the liquorice sticks or the strawberry lollies? The ruby and sapphire earrings or the tourmaline necklace? The options are endless and, unfortunately, …

NEW YORK: When it comes to fashion, few would argue that 007 is anything less than a 10. Along with sports cars, gadgets and sex appeal, an impeccable sense of style is a hallmark of the now 46-year-old James Bond movie franchise, which expands to 22 films with the release of Quantum of Solace. The …

SAN FRANCISCO: Margaret Johnson had such a tough time finding fun learning games for her daughters that she created a company to market a game she created that uses computer play to teach reading. With technology powerhouse Microsoft as a partner, Johnson on Wednesday debuted the first of what she hopes will be a line …

Picture this: you’re in a fancy restaurant, had one or maybe two drinks, nature calls and you have to go – um, powder your nose. You hurry into the ladies room; you want to get back before those delicious hot bread rolls are served, you enter the toilet, lock the door, take the position of, …