User talk:Illwey1

September 30, 2007 - Sunday

Country Report Notes (Egypt)

PARAGRAPH 1 (Overview information):

Continent: The Asian Continent

Size/Area: 386,660 Sq. Miles

Surrounding Countries or Oceans: Libya, Sudan, Gaza strip, Mediterranean sea, Red Sea

Principal religion: Muslim

Principal Language: Arabic

Citizens Known as: Egyptians

Population: 80,335,036

Monetary system:

Name (how it got its name, nickname, past names): One of the ancient Egyptian names of the country, or "black land", is derived from the fertile black soils deposited by the Nile Floods, distinct from the 'red land' of the desert.

Landmarks & Tourist attractions: The Giza Pyramid Complex, The Great Sphinx, The Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings.

PARAGRAPH #2 (History):

Early History: In the 10th millennium BC, a culture of huntergatherers and fishers replaced a grain-grinding culture. Climate changes and/or overgazing around 8,000 BC began to desiccate the pastoral lands of egypt, eventually forming the Sahara.

Past Inhabitants: The Nile has been a site of continuous human habitation since at least the Paleolithic era. Evidence of this appears in the form of artifacts and rock carvings along the Nile terrances and in the desert oases.

Major Conflicts or Wars: In 343 BC, After the last native Phareaoh King Nectanebo II, was defeated in battle. The Thirtieth Dynasty was the last dynasty because it fell to the Persians in 343 BC.

How acquired Language: It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries.

Additional information: Egypt capitol is Cairo. Egypt is divided into 26 governments.

PARAGRAPH #3 (Government):

Form of government (describe): Republic

Name of government party: Judicial

Current leader (title & responsibilities): Mohamed Hosni Mubaruk

Capital city: Cairo

Government Buildings: Cario Citadel, The Cario Tower, Daral/Iftaa

Court system:

Independence Day (from whom):

Conflict with other countries & why: There was a battle with Kadesh in Syria, because of an intervention of a troop contingent from Amurru.

Describe how the government works: The power is divided between the President and the Prime Minister.

PARAGRAPH #4 (Geography):

Major mountains: Mount Sinai

Highest point: 2,600 Meters above sealevel

Principal waterways (oceans, rivers, lakes): The Nile River, Indian Ocean

Lowest point:

Climate (high & low temps, rainfall): Egypt receives the least rainfall in the world. Temperatures average between 80 and 90 degrees F. in summer. and up to 109 degrees on the Red Sea Coast

Major cities: A Khmim, Banha, Cairo, Damanhur, Algharadaqah, Halaib, Imbabah, Kafr ad Dawwer, Luxor, Rosetta, Siwah, Taba. ETC.

Chief products exported:

PARAGRAPGH #5 (Customs):

Holidays (when, why & how celebrated): January 7, Christmas April 25, Sinai Liberation Day May 1, Labour Day July 23, Revoulution Day October 6, Armed Forces Day

Foods: They mainly grew wheat and barley because it is dry there and they mainly rely on the Nile river for water and growing crops.

Sports & recreation: Football is the national sport of Egypt. Egyptians soccerclubs El Anly and El Zamalek are the two most popular teams and enjoy the reputation of long-time regional champions.

Education: Children are mandated to attend primary school by law. Secondary Education consists of three diffrent types: General, Technical, and Vocational.

Arts: The Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to codify design elements in art. Egypt's media and arts industry has flourished since the late nineteenth century.

Religion: The rolling calls to prayer that are heard five times a day have the informal effect of regulating the pace of everything from buisness to entertainment.

Unique information: (Examples: South Africa=apartheid, Ireland=religious conflict, Australia=aborigines)

Myspace
I have some questions on how to get onto myspace because it wont let me on, for some reason the schools dont allow it and its vary odd why they dont, so if anybody has any answers on this please help.

Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in 1987.[1] The band consists of three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass) and Tré Cool (drums).

Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its early releases for independent label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label.[2] Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie became a breakout success in 1994 and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone.[3] As a result, Green Day was widely credited, along with fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States.[4][5] Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum and gold status respectively.[6] Its 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling 5 million copies in the U.S.[7]

The band has sold over 60 million records worldwide,[8] including 22 million in the United States alone.[9] They also have three Grammy Awards, Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

They are currently working on their new studio album estimated to be released in 2008.[10]

Band history

[edit] Formation and Lookout years (1987–1993) Kerplunk! samples: "Welcome to Paradise"

Sample of "Welcome to Paradise" from Kerplunk This was before Green Day re-recorded the song for its major-label debut Dookie. Problems listening to the file? See media help. In 1987, 14 year old friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed a band called Sweet Children. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California where Armstrong's mother was working [11]. In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former Isocracy drummer, John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante). Kiffmeyer served as both the bands drummer and business manager, handling the booking of shows and helping the band establish a fan base.[12]

Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In 1989 they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band dropped the name Sweet Children, according to Livermore this was done in order to avoid confusion with another local band Sweet Baby.[13] The band changed their name to Green Day, allegedly due to their fondness of marijuana.[14]

Early Green Day, when John Kiffmeyer was the drummer.Lookout! would release Green Day's first LP, 39/Smooth in early 1990. The lyrics sheet of 39/Smooth included a letter purporting to be from I.R.S. Records that claimed the label had made an attempt to sign Green Day. It also included a response from the band making it clear that they were loyal to Lookout! Records, saying that I.R.S. was a "cheesy and washed-up" label.[citation needed] Green Day would record two EPs later that year: Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included some older songs they had recorded for Minneapolis indie label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, a compilation of the 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours EPs. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend college.[15] The Lookouts drummer Tré Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante did not plan on committing to the band full time, Tré Cool's position as Green Day's drummer became permanent. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a stretch of shows overseas in Europe. Its second full length album Kerplunk sold about 50,000 copies in the U.S.,[16] which was considered quite a large amount for the independent punk scene in 1992.

[edit] Breakthrough success (1994–1996) Kerplunk's underground success led to a wave of interest coming from major record labels, and eventually they left Lookout! on friendly terms and signed with Reprise Records after attracting the attention of producer Rob Cavallo. Signing to Reprise caused many punk rock fans to regard Green Day as sellouts.[2] After signing with Reprise, the band went to work on recording its major label debut, Dookie.

Dookie samples: "Longview"

Sample of "Longview", the first single from Dookie, which combined a memorable bass line with a guitar riff and drums introduced in the chorus. Problems listening to the file? See media help. "Basket Case"

Sample of "Basket Case", the third single from Dookie, which was about Armstrong's panic attacks. Problems listening to the file? See media help. Released in February of 1994, and recorded in 3 weeks,[17] Dookie became a commercial success, helped by extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around", all of which reached the #1 position on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. That year, Green Day embarked on a nationwide tour with queercore band Pansy Division as its opening act. The band also joined the lineups of both the Lollapalooza festival and Woodstock 1994, where they started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions via pay-per-view television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition,[18] and helped push its album to eventual diamond status. In 1995, Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and the band was nominated for 9 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year.[19]

The full fold-out artwork to Insomniac, entitled God Told Me to Skin You Alive.In 1995, a new single for the Angus soundtrack was released, titled "J.A.R.". The single went straight to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was followed by its new album, Insomniac, which was released in the fall of 1995. Insomniac was a much darker response by the band, compared to the poppier, more melodic Dookie.[18] Insomniac opened to a warm critical reception, earning 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone Magazine, which said "In punk, the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets."[20]Insomniac used a piece of art by Winston Smith entitled God Told Me to Skin You Alive for its album cover. The singles released from Insomniac were "Geek Stink Breath", "Brain Stew/Jaded", "Walking Contradiction", and "Stuck With Me". One track, "86", was a reference to the Gilman Street club refusing them entry after the release of Dookie, claiming that they had "gone too commercial."[21] Though the album did not approach the success of Dookie, it still sold seven million copies[2] in the United States. Insomniac won the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" got the band a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form, in addition to a Best Special Effects nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards.[22] After that, the band abruptly cancelled a European tour, claiming exhaustion.[23]

[edit] Nimrod and Warning (1997–2002) This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. This section has been tagged since August 2007.

After taking a break in 1996, Green Day began to work on a new album in 1997. From the outset, both the band and Cavallo agreed that the album had to be different from its previous records.[24] The result was Nimrod, an experimental deviation from the band's standard pop-punk brand of music. The new album was released in October 1997. It provided a variety of music, from pop-punk, surf rock, and ska, to an acoustic ballad. Nimrod entered the charts at number 10, partly because of the popularity of the acoustic ballad "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". The success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video for the song's video, which depicted people undergoing major changes in their lives while Billie Joe Armstrong strummed his acoustic guitar.[25] The other singles released from Nimrod were "Nice Guys Finish Last", "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Redundant".

In 2000, Green Day released Warning, a step further in the style that they had hinted at with Nimrod. Critics' reviews of the album were varied.[26] All Music Guide gave it 4.5/5 saying "Warning may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying."[27] Rolling Stone magazine was more critical, giving it 3/5, and saying "Warning... invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot-core's biggest-selling band?"[28] Though it produced the hit "Minority" and a smaller hit with "Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance,[26] and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's past albums had reached a status of at least double platinum, Warning was only certified gold.

At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight awards that they were nominated for. They won the awards for Outstanding Album (Warning), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (Warning), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter and Outstanding Artist.[29]

The release of a Greatest Hits compilation, International Superhits!, and an assemblage of B-sides, Shenanigans, followed Warning. International Superhits and its companion collection of music videos, International Supervideos!, sold reasonably well, going platinum in the U.S. Shenanigans contained some of the band's b-sides, including "Espionage" which was featured in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In the spring of 2002, Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182. Despite the co-headlining title, Green Day would play each show before Blink-182, who at the time were experiencing more success. The tour was documented on the DVD Riding In Vans With Boys.

[edit] American Idiot and renewed popularity (2003–present) In the summer of 2003 the band went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album, tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines.[30] After completing 20 tracks, the master tapes were stolen from the studio. The band, understandably upset, chose not to try to re-create the stolen album, but instead started over with a vow to be even better than before. In this same year, Green Day collaborated with Iggy Pop on two tracks for his album Skull Ring. In addition, they underwent serious "band therapy," engaging in several long talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was "the band's Nazi"[31] and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members.

Bassist Mike Dirnt playing and showcasing the band's new look.The resulting 2004 album, American Idiot, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, the band's first ever album to reach #1, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot." The album was billed as a "punk rock opera" which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of Suburbia".[32] American Idiot won the 2005 Grammy for "Best Rock Album" and the band swept the 2005 MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the coveted Viewer's Choice Award.[33]

Through 2005, the band toured in support of the album with about 150 dates — the longest tour in its career — visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the UK, where they drew a crowd of 130,000 people over a span of two days. While touring for American Idiot, they filmed and recorded the two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On Earth' in a Kerrang! Magazine Poll.

These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD called Bullet in a Bible on November 15, 2005. This CD/DVD featured hits from American Idiot as well as a few songs from all its previous albums, except "Kerplunk" and "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of the band, and showed how the band prepared to put on the show. The final shows of its 2005 world tour were in Sydney, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia, on December 14 and 17 respectively. On January 10, 2006 the band was awarded with a People's Choice Award for favorite group.

Green Day live in Germany during the American Idiot tour.On August 1, 2005, it was announced that Green Day had rescinded the master rights to their pre-Dookie material from Lookout! Records, citing breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties that had been ongoing for some time, a complaint shared with other Lookout! bands.[34] The pre-Dookie material, which remained out of print for about a year, was reissued by their current label, Reprise, on January 9, 2007.[35]

In 2006 Green Day won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" [36] which spent 16 weeks at the number one position of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, a record it shares along with Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" and Staind's "It's Been Awhile". Green Day was also nominated for Best Rock Video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" at the 2006 MTV Video Music awards, but lost to AFI's "Miss Murder". Both the music videos for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" retired showing on TRL after being on the top ten for 50 days each.

In September 2006, Green Day teamed up with U2 and producer Rick Rubin to record a cover of the song "The Saints Are Coming", originally recorded by The Skids, with an accompanying video. The song is to benefit Music Rising, an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost during Hurricane Katrina, and to bring awareness on the eve of the one year anniversary of the disaster.[37]

Music sample: "Working Class Hero"

"Working Class Hero", a cover of a John Lennon song, was released on the Instant Karma CD. Problems listening to the file? See media help. In December 2006, Green Day and NRDC opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on America's dependency on oil.[38][39] (See related projects.)

Green Day released a cover of the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", that was featured on the album "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur". The band performed the song on the season finale of American Idol.

Green Day as caricatured in The Simpsons Movie.That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in The Simpsons Movie, where they perform the show's theme song. Their version was released as a single on July 24, 2007.

In an interview with Kerrang!, Billie Joe Armstrong revealed that 2008 would "be a fair estimate of the release date of their new "Untitled 8th Studio Album","[40]

In October, Billie Joe announced more on this new album, saying he had been writing new material on the piano, and had around 45 songs. He stated he wanted the new music to dig into what he's feeling at the moment - which is middle-aged.[41]

Shakespears blue hair
Back in the day, Shakespear had blue hair. He was a poet and a writer, who came up with the famous lines like "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, creeps in it's petty pace from day to day, until the last syllable of recorded time. He created the American Flag. He is the reason there is blue in the flag today. His blue hair symbolizes this great nation.