Saturday, 8 December 2012

Musical Comedy in Egypt: A Dance between Song and Joke




Documentary length:
15:40 (without credits)
16:20 (with credits)

This audio documentary aims to give listeners an insight on the developing musical comedy scene in Egypt. It focuses on two main performers but there are references to other comedians and opinions about the scene. 

Saturday, 17 November 2012

The Rundown with Adam and Nouran




This edition of The Rundown takes you through the world of science and technology via:

improved spoken Chinese translation
Chinese space travel
weather scares around the world
mysterious dead sea turtles in Sinai
organ transplants in Egypt
AUC's carbon footprint.

Click on the headlines for more info!

We later take you to Alain el Hajj while we discuss AUC CubeSat and his role in making our very own spacecraft! Click here for more info about the AUC CubeSat! 

We hope you enjoy this edition of The Rundown!

Saturday, 10 November 2012

Children's Poetry Reading





Image from Goodreads.



Greedyguts

I sat in the cafe and sipped at a Coke.
There sat down beside me a whopping great bloke
Who sighed as he elbowed me into the wall:
'Your trouble, my boy, is your belly's too small!
Your bottom's too thin! Take a lesson from me:
I may not be nice, but I'm great, you'll agree,
And I've lasted a lifetime by playing this hunch:
The bigger the breakfast, the larger the lunch!

'The larger the lunch, the huger the supper.
The deeper the teapot, the vaster the cupper.
The fatter the sausage, the fuller the tea.
The more on the table, the better for me!'

His elbows moved in and his elbows moved out,
His belly grew bigger, chins wobbled about,
As forkful by forkful and plate after plate,
He ate and he ate and he ate and he ate!

I hardly could breathe, I was squashed out of shape,
So under the table I made my escape.

'Aha!' he rejoiced, 'when it's put to the test,
The fellow who's fattest will come off the best!
Remember, my boy, when it comes to the crunch:
The bigger the breakfast, the larger the lunch!


'The larger the lunch, the huger the supper.
The deeper the teapot, the vaster the cupper.
The fatter the sausage, the fuller the tea.
The more on the table, the better for me!'

A lady came by, who was scrubbing the floor
With a mop and a bucket. To even the score, 
I lifted that bucket of water and said,
As I poured the whole lot of it over his head:

'I've found all my life, it's a pretty sure bet:
The fuller the bucket, the wetter you get!'





Waiting for the Tone

My sister is my surest friend
And yet, great snakes! she seems to spend
Her life upon the telephone.
Talking to her boyfriend, Tone.
Although - a sad and sorry joke - 
She doesn't seem to like the bloke.

'Don't take that tone with me, Tone,
Don't take that tone with me, 
Or else I'll put down the phone, Tone, 
And alone, Tone, you will be.

'Don't call me just to moan, Tone,
Can't stand your whingeing on.
Next time you ring for a groan, Tone,
You'll find that I have gone.'

And she can keep this up for hours:
Her taste for Tone's moans never sours.
So when I think that he might call
I silently steal down the hall
And give the phone a hateful look...
Then take the blighter off the hook. 





Sound effects from Freesound


Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Musical Comedy Promo!


For an authentic and personal insight on Egyptian musical comedy: attend the Listening Session, at AUC's New Cairo campus on Sunday, December 9 and Wednesday, December 12 at 10 a.m. each day in the BEC building, room 1060. 

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Safi Talks Body Fat

My first interview segment is with Ahmed Safi, one half of the musical comedy duo, High on Body Fat. His band are well known in the Egyptian underground music scene having played countless concerts locally as well as several internationally. This first interview segment is an introduction to him as a musician and comedian.


Photo: Adam Awad

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

A breath of calm in AUC's garden


Natural Sound Essay (Extra Credit)




Walking through AUC’s garden, you wouldn’t think that you’re only a stone-throw away from buildings packed with students.

Here, the sounds of thousands of people is simply left behind and is replaced instead with the chirps of birds, rustling trees and the clicks of insects.

As you move through the garden, you notice the fountains which are scattered throughout. You notice the workers who are busy cleaning the library windows. You notice the occasional cart passing by, using the garden as a sort of side street.

End-to-end, AUC’s garden is a breath of calm in an otherwise hectic environment. 

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Finding Noise in AUC's Quietest Spot




Only a stone throw away from some of its busiest buildings, AUC's new campus is half covered in well kept gardens. Although peaceful and serene (at least compared to the rest of the campus), the garden has its fair share of natural sounds. Here, I, along with Ragia Mostafa, have captured several of these sounds.


  1. 0:00-0:04 Walking on pebbles
  2. 0:05-0:11 Water running through a fountain
  3. 0:12-0:18 Cart passing nearby
  4. 0:19-0:25 Insects (perhaps crickets?) chirping in the bushes
  5. 0:26-0:30 Gardeners busy at work, large vehicles in the background
  6. 0:30-0:35 Cart passing in the distance