Salute the Heros

A

مباراه الاربعاء زادت

من عشقى واحترامى للارسنال
I have grown a more profound respect and admiration to Arsenal since their wednesday match.

Proud of you my boys

Unfairness is part of the game

Paris 17.5.2006

The Pink Effect ..

What I know about Pink


I don’t know exactly how to write this, the recognition of my favorite band of all time sounds a bit cliché. So if you want to really know what pink does do me and does to millions of fans all around the globe, read this:

I was around 15 or 16 years old when my cousin gave me a tape of pink floyd’s pulse (tracks from a great gig in the sky to run like hell), if you want to impress a first time listener, A great gig in the sky is the best track to start with. I was blown away by the content and the many magnificent ways this track is composed, then came Money... what the hell is that? Is that jazz? Blues? Rock? I couldn’t tell at the time, and then after a while came wish you were here which is without a doubt the best melodic acoustic guitar song ever made in the history of music, simple chords reflecting vividness at its purest form; and the sing along gave the song the right vibe. Comfortably numb came with a heavenly 4:30 guitar solo that I’ve been hearing for the last 10 years and I cannot get enough of it, shear brilliance. To wrap up the perfect live performance came Run like hell an intense track from their 1979 wonder album “the wall”. I was left dazed and confused for an hour, what did I just experiment? What was this narcoleptic journey to the end of my mind? My status then was best defined as “comfortably numb”.

The thing about pink floyd music is that it’s more that just tunes and lyrics. It’s an experience that you “fit in” through an entire album. A hypnotizing therapy that makes you understand and cope with a bigger picture. I don’t know about others fans but their music made me view the life in a different perspective.


Best Album:
Dark side of the moon

Best 5 Guitar Solo:
Comfortably numb
Coming back to life
Time
Shine on you crazy diamond
Sorrow

Best 5 songs:
Echoes / Wish you were here (tie)
Comfortably numb
Shine on you crazy diamond
Coming back to life
Dogs

Best instrumental tracks:
Marooned
One of these days
Any Color you like

Best lyrics:
Echoes
Final Cut
Lost for words

Best live performance:
P.u.l.s.e (1994)

Best album cover:
Dark side of the moon

Favorite member:
David Gilmour

Favorite solo album by a Pink Floyd member:
Roger Waters – Amused to Death (1992)

Define Greatness

I’ve been browsing the blogs looking for a certain article and I came across this very good post that expresses exactly the reasons for my obseesion for football and for the one and only ,Theiry Henry. Only him and Garry moore's guitar gets me fired up. but this post is not only a recognition to my utter admiration to the french sensation, but also an explanation why guys like Henry will propably live forever???

Here it goes:

“Many people are good; few are great. At their best, sports show us what greatness is and inspire us to be better- to strive for the greatness which is as much part of the perfection of humanity as goodness is. Today, I sat and wore a TH14 replica jersey and watched the surpassing greatness which is the French soccer player Thierry Henry. If you’ve not seen him, you’re missing out- he almost single-handedly made me a fan of his sport, and he possesses the sort of terrifying and awesome- in the true, archaic sense of that word- greatness which is readily apparent even if you have no particular idea what’s going on in the game. This man is blessed with inhuman kinesthetic senses and agility, the speed of a track star, and an astounding ability to judge objects in motion equaled only by the best quarterbacks and basketball players.

I don’t know if Thierry Henry is a good man. He seems good enough- devoted to his wife and child, soft-spoken, dedicated, comes off very intelligent even in his second language- and I’ve no reason to suspect him to be any different than he presents himself. But I know that he’s great; greatness as a quality shines forth, and in sports finds a platform where it can be shown off to best effect. Many men have great reflexes, many men have great speed, many men (well, not many) have Henry’s sort of kinesthetic sense. Very few- maybe only one other in the world, Ronaldinho- have taken those gifts and honed them, married them to skill and used them to be truly great in their field. That’s what greatness is- the marriage of natural ability to hard, hard work and dedication. You can see it every time Henry blasts a free kick from far out into the upper corner with millimeters to spare; you can see it when Juninho blasts one from almost at the half line, when Ronaldinho slashes through a defense with a devil’s grin and an unbelievable shin-cracking dribble, when Jamie Carragher or John Terry lands a perfectly timed tackle, when Iker Cassillas or Gianluigi Buffon or Jens Lehmann make perfect flat-out diving saves. It’s fuckin’ amazing; it’s greatness.

How can that not inspire you? How can you watch that and not want to tear into the streets after greatness yourself? I’ll never meet Thierry Henry in my life, but he’s done me a huge favor just by being himself. I will never have a fraction of his kinesthetics, never be that fast no matter how much I run, never in my life be able to curl a ball that way. So what? My field is psychology, and some day I may be the best alive at that. I have the talent, and I work my ass off to get there. I do it for myself and for my sense of the good, but when things are hard on that road I look to the people who inspire me and no one does so more than Thierry Henry. Greatness isn’t about a given field- it’s about an approach, how you tackle life and your role in it, whether you grab hold with two hands or content yourself to drift along into the nearest safe harbor. Sports give us a chance to watch people competing for greatness with clearly defined rules on a huge stage; and that has value. When the guy in the next cubicle really nails that reports he’s been working on for a week, when a scientist really nails that new vaccine she’s been working on, that is also greatness, but it’s not publicly visible. When TH14 hits that ridiculous backheel goal he scored last year, it gets replayed a million times all over the world. Manchester United’s stadium, Old Trafford, is called “The Theater of Dreams”, and as pretentious as that sounds and is, it’s also basically true.”

Thanks brendon , You said it all man.

Me in my idol's t-shirt

Egypt's next destination !

Straight to the point, this is why Egypt is going straight to hell...
When I say the word “we” I mean The government, Authority officials and basically the people in charge.
1- The country is entirely run by incompetents and thieves
2- We apply the so called ”law” by however we see fit
3- The rich is getting richer, the poor is getting poorer. No social justice or comprehendible economy.
4- We are “as a nation” spineless, gutless, and we rather stick our heads in the sand than face our problems
5- We are a quick fix nation, we repair the crust when the root is so very deteriorated
6- The Egyptian citizen has no value whatsoever “inside & outside Egypt”
7- We have the potentials to be the best country in the world in all aspects but we choose to be lazy and stupid
8- We never take responsibilities and try to frame everyone else but the one in charge
9- We are never objective, we fear change and we are stubborn
10- if you don’t have a “wasta” then you have no future
11- Many people in high ranking posts have inferiority complex “cops?”
12- we’d rather do it “our way” rather than the right way
13- We claim to know everything “have you ever asked for directions and someone simply said, “sorry I don’t know?: “
14- Shallow minded, football players, singers and movie stars are the elite of the society, ironically they don’t contribute anything. In the entire Egyptian movie industry, I liked 2 or 3 films max. and don’t get me started on singers/dancers/performers/models/sluts
15- we lost sight of what’s important

An advice to anyone who have still have hope on fixing this country, you’ll get frustrated in the end cuz in Egypt hope is a dangerous thing.

Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer.

The following concerns a question on a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen:
"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."

One student replied: "You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building."

This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately. The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case.

The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer, which showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought.
The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't make up his mind which to use.

On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:
"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H =0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer."

"Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper."

"But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 pi sq. root (l/g)."

"Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up."

"If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building."

"But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper'."

The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane ever to win the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Moral from this story : Sometimes you have silly ideas , but at least it's original and it's yours

On an Island?

If you are a Die hard fan of Pink Floyd, that is a must have album by David Gilmour, But let me warn you... This is not an album by Pink Floyd, This is an Album by Former member/Solo Artist David Gilmour, and after I heard the album for 3 consecutive days, It's has very little to do with Pink Floyd.


I had this album 2 weeks after I had David Gilmour in Concert (DVD) "which frankly, I much prefer than his new solo album”, In concert features a lot of Pink Floyd song with new arrangements, like the acoustic version of "Coming back to life" and the Chellos of "High hopes". So I was Forced in comparison between the 2 albums , On an island is unique in a way that only fans of Gilmour understand, it's an improved development since "About Face", His 1983 solo album, but not quiet different or diverse than it. I won't discus the album thoroughly, But I have to spell this out; I'm both relieved & disappointed, Relieved to see Dave active after almost a decade of hibernation yet disappointed that I’d rather see him, Rick and Nick get to the studio , come out 2 or 3 years later with a mind blowing Pink album , and after seeing Live8 , I thought there was still hope for Roger to re-join the band and re-write history again , but Alas , Roger had his opera later this year and Dave with his new album.

Bottom line, Go BUY the Album, you won't regret it... but you may get hurt listing to what could have been the next Pink Floyd, Not in term of music .. But in terms of "If Only if?".

Soul Courageous

T h e . C o n c e q u e n c e s . O f . B e i n g

Don't lose all faith 'cause you shake at night

It's in the art of the process

Alluring you on sight I'd harbour my delight

You could not care for what tune sorrow sings

Victory's in vain unless one knows the score
Spirit fails to save the ones worth waiting for

Say what you never can resist

Say what you never would to believe

Give what you never want to show

Give what you never would receive

It's a certain way that I'm feeling host To a new deception...

I never needed foes forever feeling low

'Cause they break me down, cannot fake this frown

I never took offence, I never swore in advance

Dreams just don't deliver .. In this Cold Life
We decrease in size when burdened with your mind
.. But you know escape is to run
You'll increase desire to wander and retire
..But you know escape is to run.
You hate from above You become what I need

..What I need

Hold back the tears that could fall for me,

T h e y . f a l l . a l o n e

Are you forever - Loss of purpose in a passive life

Are you forever - pale, regarded as a waste of time

Encourage the madness they welcome impurity

Memories of life drifting further away

I must doubt that where There's a will there's a way

Life is all the pain we endeavour

When you seal me fate sorrow turns to hate

If I can see a light shining

Is this borrowed time maybe a final time

That I can see a light shining

This is what you should fear , You are what u should fear
To embrace a cause, to grow fond or spiteful is to lose one's balance

what unruly Life is Like ?
The feeling can't avoid you ...

Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)

Mary Schmich Chicago Tribune

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97... wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.


Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.


Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.


Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.


Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

The Future of Football

There’s a new magician in BarCa , His name is Messi

Last week I watched the Chelsea Vs Barcelona in the champions league , the young Argentinean entertained us with fine football and great skills display. After the match reports allover the News and media talked about the young talent and he was the focus of attention for several days to follow, I thought Ronaldinhio has established the peak in football joy, but here comes another magician, and he’s only 18 yeras old.

However, Maradona said and I quote "I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi." The young Barcelona player has performed well in La Liga and looked dangerous against Chelsea, but Maradona's comments put extra pressure on the 18 year old to perform.Just ask Ariel Ortega & Pablo Aimar.

Stranded on an Island .. seeking tunes

10 albums I would take with me on a stranded Island

Mmm... I asked myself this question as I spent a good 70 min ride to where I work; with my diskman being my true companion during this ride. That’s tough considering I have a lot of favorite albums, But then I thought I have to make a selection of albums that I won’t get bored of listening for 10 years or whatever years I’m going to spend on the island. My criteria I came up with “riding back another 70 min back home” is:

1.Since I can’t Pick a favorite Pink Floyd album, I won’t pick neither any of their albums nor any of their solo artists’ albums. The process of me selecting ONLY one album will be extremely harsh, even harder than the 10 years I‘ll spend on that island.

2.I’ll try to be as diverse as possible. My choices will include Pop, Rock, Alternative, Metal, Oldies

3.My choices will be based on how much I’ll enjoy the album for a long long time, meaning that this won’t have to be my favorite but rather “long-term amusing”.

In no specific order here goes my 10 albums:

1.Wet Wet Wet – Picture this
2.Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan
3.Crimson Idol – W.A.S.P
4.These Days – Bonjovi
5.Harbour of Tears – Camel
6.Liquid tension Experiment 2
7.Bat out of hell 2 – Meatloaf
8.Dangerous/Bad – Michael Jackson
9.Alternative 4 – Anathema
10.Vault – Def Leppard


Wet Wet Wet – Picture This (1995)

I came to know this band from the movie “4 weddings and a funeral” . Its title song was “love is all around me”, a beautiful, impressive, very touching song. A friend of mine bought the album for me as a present. The album plays out a very emotional feeling I can’t fairly describe. Musically, the album is one of the best Studio albums outhere, good job mixing with the instruments and the quality output of the entire album tunes is remarkable. The album stands out as one of the most coherent albums ever made in Rock/Pop music.

Ironically, the band didn’t get as much recognition as they deserve… at least for this album. I choose it in my short list because it always makes me in a state of relaxation and at “ease”.

Favorite tracks: Julia says , Gypsy girl , Love is my Sheppard , Love is all around me



Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (1966)

Arguably, Dylan is considered the best lyrics writer in the history of music. I agree.
I can’t comment on this album , it speaks for it self.

Favorite tracks: None yet All !!!!!!!

W.A.S.P - Crimson Idol (1999)

“Long live the king of Mercy”

A Drama filling, Ear pounding concept album filled with plenty of vicious guitar riffs, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of WASP, but this album has a great storyline “I’m a sucker to albums with storylines such as Streets, The wall, Harbour of tears .. Etc”, this is the story of Jonathon battling with his own demons and figuring out the “Great misconceptions of me” .. That’s where I came up with my blog’s title.

I choose it on my list because I think it’s the “neatest” metal album ever made! I pick my words carefully, only people who listened to the album understand what I mean.

Favorite tracks: Arena of Pleasure , The Idol , The Great Misconceptions of Me



Bonjovi – These days (1995)

Jon, Ritchie, Brian, Tico. You reached the peak of your music career making this flawless album. Shear brilliance. It opens up with the provocative “Hey God” moving to melodic hits like “This aint a love song” and “these days” and ending with “diamond ring” and “bitter wine”. It’s this album and the great guitar work of Ritchie Sambora that motivated me to learn to play the guitar. Thanks Sambora

I choose this “All-Rock treat” album because I associate myself with it .. I’ve been listening to it for 10 years now and I can’t get enough of it.

Favorite tracks: This ain’t a love song , these days , as my guitar lies bleeding , Diamond ring , hearts breaking even

Camel – Harbour of tears (1996)

First I’d like to say that I’m a big camel fan, it’s hard for me to pick a single album for my “cast-Away” experience. But I choose “harbour of tears” because of its harmony is unique in a full-album sense, I can’t find any camel album with this sense of harmony commitment. The albums tells an Irish tale “which I don’t fully understand” and has great instrumental tracks. I must confess that the reason I’m attached to this album is because I bought it at the perfect timing and in the perfect mood, I was then ready to receive their music like never before. Lucky me!

Favorite tracks: Under the Moon, Running from Paradise, Coming Of Age... wow, the album has great instrumental music.


Liquid Tension Experiment II (2000)

The most extreme technically challenging album of all time , forget jazz, this is the heaviest Progressive Rock album I’ve encountered. Imagine the “Gods” of Dream Theater decided to make a small project with the commitment only their top-notch talents and improvised new ways of “making” music. This is a turning point in music industry as we know it. This “project” will defiantly live forever .. That’s why it’s my pick

Favorite tracks: Acid rain, Biaxident, When the Water Breaks

Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell II (1993)

Meatloaf mixes rock with opera, the result is THIS, an album revolving on three axis, Piano, guitars, and Choir. Lead by a very distinctive voice of meatloaf speaking out his soul in form of beautiful beautiful lyrics, the kind of lyrics that makes your heart pound with his singing technique as a catalyst. Simply Awesome.

Favorite tracks: Objects In the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are , Everything Louder than Everything Else, Out Of the Frying Pan (And into the Fire)



Michael Jackson – Bad (1987)/Dangerous (1991)

Michael Jackson is the king of pop.

Turn on page one in music history and you’ll find his name printed with gold. An extraordinary talent that only happens once in a lifetime. I grow up listening to Michael but I lost interest in him after the child molestation accusations. But the guy re-defined pop music that took the world by surprise. My favorites are both Bad and Dangerous, Both equally magnificent and show a lot of attitude and character.

Favorite tracks:
From Bad: Man in the mirror , Liberian girl, Smooth criminal , I just can’t stop loving you
From Dangerous: Give in to me , who is it, Dangerous, Will you be there, remember the time


Anathema – Alternative 4 (1998)

Very sad album that can make you commit suicide , not because of the lyrics but because of the music that sometimes sneak into your sub-conscience and other times rip you open forcing itself in your soul. It’s only 45min long. But has the effect of “echoes of silent cries” , dark isn’t it?

Favorite tracks: Lost Control , Regret

Def Leppard – Vault (1995)

80’s British Rock hysteria unmistaken for the talented/ill-talented/non-talented ear. Def leppard defines an era of rock that it totally mastered. I always think positive and “peppy” every time I hear them on the radio , Vault is a collection of their great songs during their 80’s and 90’s that simply RULE.

Favorite tracks: Two steps behind , Animal, Bringin’ on the heart break, Pour some sugar on me, love bites

As you can notice, Most of these albums are in the 90’s , that’s my teenage years , the golden years that both scar you and heal you in a mysterious way.

More from the Great ....

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
John Lennon

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.
Isaac Newton

History is a set of lies agreed upon.
Napoleon Bonaparte

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
Aristotle

Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is THE BEST.
Frank Zappa

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
Mahatma Gandhi

I do not fear an army of lions, if they are led by a lamb. I do fear an army of sheep, if they are led by a lion.
Alexander the Great

The Church says the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow on the Moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the Church.
Ferdinand Magellan

Music is a higher revelation than philosophy.
Ludwig van Beethoven

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Quotes from the Great

I have a thing for quotes , I always believe that any logic or idea you might come across in your mind , Someone else already've said it best and you can't top it. I hope someday I will have the wisdom , knowledge and experience to be quoted , Not for the sake of ego but for the higher need of progression both spiritually and mentally.

Through this blog which I consider a "mind outlet" , I'll post quotes I've collected through the years from various sources ; music , movies , books , articles , people , internet .... Etc

here are some of my favorites , quotes of the great .. They are great for a reason :)

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.
Albert Einstein

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
Mahatma Gandh

Religion is for those who believe in hell, Spirituality is for those who have been there.
David Bowie

Art is a lie which makes us realise the truth.
Pablo Picasso

Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don't allow our enemies to have guns, why should we allow them to have ideas?
Joseph Stalin

I used to live in a room full of mirrors; all I could see was me. I take my spirit and I crash my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see.
Jimi Hendrix

Ein Volke, Ein Reich, Ein Führer." (One people, one realm, one leader).
Adolf Hitler

When a ball drops from heaven and it is then struck by a god then there is no more to say.
Marca, on Zinedine Zidane