MEI Annual Conference Today

I'll be spending all day Friday at the MEI Annual Conference, so no blogposts likely.

MEI Annual Conference on Thursday

In this week of additional violence and terror from ISIS to Jerusalem, let me remind those of you in the Washington area (and anyone arriving early for the MESA Conference this weekend as well), that MEI's 68th Annual Conference is this week. Though the Banquet tomorrow night and lunch on Thursday are paid events, the Conference itself  on November 20 has free registration. The theme this year is "Navigating the Storm: The Middle East in 2015." Full details and information here.

While I'm Busy, Old Cairo Videos

I'll be out all day at the Middle East Institute's Annual Conference.  Those of you in the DC area should come on down. (Admission to the Conference is free; only lunch is a paid event and there are plenty of dining options nearby.) If you're not around these parts it will be online fairly soon, and to keep you engaged I thought I'd drop in some YouTube videos of Cairo from the 1920s to 1979 or so. Enjoy.

1920s (caption says 1930s but it looks  earlier to me):


1930:


1938:


1950s, probably early in the decade:


1956, with a view of the old Opera House before it burned:



1960s:
 

1979:
This video has dropped off twice so I'm excluding it for now.


And a documentary on early Helipolis which, amid the talking head memories and a slightly hokey time-travel-by-train framing story, has some old stills and videos interspersed.

MEI Annual Conference Videos, Transcripts Now Online

This year's Middle East Institute Annual Conference videos, podcasts and transcripts are now available online through this page.

Looking Back on MEI's Annual Conference

As I'd noted, last night and today marked MEI's 66th Annual Conference. It was, I think, a very successful one and I'd urge those of you who weren't there (or those who were but couldn't get enough) to keep an eye on the MEI website where transcripts should be available soon and also video.

A few blog readers introduced themselves to me today, and I thank you for reading me.

MEI Annual Conference Today

I'll be at MEI's Annual Conference all day today, so any posting won't occur till evening or, likelier, tomorrow.

Counting Down to MEI's Annual Conference

A reminder that the Middle East Institute's Annual Conference is Tuesday and Wednesday.  The conference itself, on Wednesday, is free, but please register here; the banquet on Tuesday and luncheon on Wednesday do require tickets, also available through the link. Updated: Registration is now closed.

Podcasts of MEI Annual Conference

Lest I forget: All the podcasts from the MEI Annual Conference are now accessible here, for those who couldn't attend, or want to hear it again.

The 65th Annual MEI Conference

Yesterday's 65th Annual MEI Conference was, I think, a most successful one. Given the events of this astonishing year, I think it did a good job of covering the implications of what more and more of the speakers called the new Arab Awakening, since "Arab Spring" seems a bit anachronistic since it's ongoing and the leaves are falling. Since transcripts, podcasts, and video clips should become available to link to in the coming days, I won't attempt to summarize the many great presentations. And to the several attendees who came up to me and complimented me on the blog, let me reiterate my thanks. And also to express thanks to all of the Institute's, and the Journal's, staff and interns for their hard work on the conference.

I will have some regular posts later today, since the Middle East did not in fact stop while MEI was absorbed in its Annual Conference.

Back Tomorrow

I will be at MEI's Annual Conference all day today. Expect me to be back blogging sometime tomorrow.

MEI's 65th Annual Conference This Week

This is the week of the Middle East Institute's 65th Annual Conference, "Game Changer: Politics and Policy for a New Middle East."  Let me again urge those of you in the Washington area to attend.

While the banquet November 16 with Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns as the keynoter, and the lunch November 17 with Yossi Beilin and Samih al-Abed, do require payment for tickets if you wish to attend, there is no charge for registration for attending the conference panels, which are open to the public (but register soon as space is limited). Check the link above for more, or click the logo.