Henry

Mahfouz was born in an old quarter of Cairo (Gamaliya) in 1911 and lived there until the age of 12, when his parents moved to a newer suburb; however, he achieved fame as the chronicler of the old neighborhoods of Cairo, and has credited the Cairene world as his inspiration. He was the youngest of seven children, but at 10 years younger than his next-older brother really had no sibling relationship; instead, he emphasized friendships outside of the house. Politics and religion were evidently important topics of conversation in his home, although Mahfouz has remained relatively silent about his family. Mahfouz began his education at the kuttab (Qur’an school), where the emphasis was on Islamic religion and basic literacy, then went on to primary school. When he was 7, Egypt was caught up in a revolution against British rule, the memory of which continues to dominate his political awareness; images of the revolution recur in many of his novels. He read historical and adventure novels, specifically citing Sir Walter Scott and H. Rider Haggard, but also read widely in both classical and contemporary Arabic literature. (In various statements after he achieved fame as a writer, he specifically mentioned a wide variety of Western writers, most notably Tolstoy, Proust, and Mann.) He then attended King Fu’ad I University, graduating with a degree in philosophy in 1934. As he matured, he gravitated toward a socialist worldview and became increasingly critical of “Islamist” politics. He began to study toward an M.A. while occupying various bureaucratic positions from 1934 until 1971, when he became affiliated with the daily newspaper Al-Ahram. In his entire life, he was out of Egypt only twice; he even turned down the opportunity to travel to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. Prior to this award, few in the West knew of him; at that point, he had written 38 novels or novellas and 12 collections of short stories and plays, and had received several awards in the Arabic world. His added prominence came with a price, however, as strict Islamic fundamentalists have suggested that a fatwa should have been declared on him after he wrote Children of the Alley, as it would have prevented Salman Rushdie’s subsequent writing of The Satanic Verses. In October of 1994, he was attacked and stabbed on a Cairo street, evidently by a fundamentalist. His early writings included translations from English and stories about ancient Egypt; but his most significant early novels trace changes in the lives of Cairo's petty bourgeoisie as a national consciousness emerged after the 1919 Revolution. He has been compared to Zola, Balzac, and Dickens, although most critics emphasize his independent Arabic nature. However, after receiving the Nobel Prize, Mahfouz himself said that his work upholds principles widely associated with European civilization - but he has also argued that these principles can be found in Islam as well. Mahfouz was part of a generation of Egyptian writers who emerged during the 1940s and '50s calling for the reform of Egyptian society. During the 1940s, Egyptian society experienced a major shift as poor workers began moving into the cities seeking employment; under the stress of the changing society, some affiliated with the socialists or communists and others with the Muslim Brotherhood . There was also a great increase in the number of novels published, both because of the increasing respectability of the genre among Arab readers and the foundation of new publishing. Mahfouz, who took part in this explosion of the Egyptian novel, is “the most significant” contributor to the Arab novel in the 20th century, surpassing any rivals in terms of volume and variety of literary output, originality, and seriousness . In his earlier, realistic novels, Mahfouz clearly seems to favor “secularist socialism,” aligned with modern science, over “revivalist (fundamentalist) Islamism,” as is shown by his presentation of characters espousing each perspective. According to Trevor Le Gassick, “Mahfouz saw his stories as a means to bring enlightenment and reform to his society.” Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy (published 1957) in particular contributed to both radicalism and social realism in Egyptian literature, but all of his novels up to at least 1957 strive to give a realistic view of life in the old part of Cairo - many of these novels were named for streets or neighborhoods in the old city. Somekh argues that one important ingredient in Mahfouz's work is the complete identification with the plight of Egyptian masses - in other words, his sympathy is with the downtrodden. These are the novels that the Nobel Committee specifically cited in awarding the Prize. He stopped writing for five years after the 1952 revolution (which also coincided with the completion of his Cairo Trilogy). In Children of the Alley (1959) , he introduces a warning recognition that science, too, may be misused, as the magician’s invention of a powerful explosive weapon is appropriated by the forces of tyranny, not those of liberation (Beginning with Children of the Alley and The Thief and the Dogs in 1962, Mahfouz seemed to move away from his realistic style to a more inner-directed narrative of character's thoughts. Novels of this period tend to be more focused on individuals than the earlier works, but Somekh (perhaps the most expert writer on Mahfouz in English) suggests these works are "neo-realistic" in that they avoid detailed description of setting and psychology but nonetheless present an accurate picture of realistic Egyptian society. Mahfouz again wrote no novels for several years after Egypt’s defeat in the Six Days War . Following the hiatus in literary production following the 1967 Egyptian defeat, his work has been even more experimental, using a wide variety of forms * * * * * * * * * * ** Mahfouz claims that all of his books are political in some way, and that his work revolves around the three poles of politics, faith and love - but politics "is by all odds the most essential". Mahfouz is highly sensitive to political events; e.g., he used the 1919 Egyptian revolution as the background for his Cairo Trilogy, and exhibited prolonged periods of creative stasis followed by new writing directions after both the 1952 revolution and the 1967 loss to Israel in the Six-Day War . His politics became a source of controversy in 1979 when his public support of Sadat's treaty with Israel brought denunciations from Islamic fundamentalists and a ban on his works in some Arab countries. While his works are often realistic, characters and events often have a further significance, which Somekh says is not quite mystic symbolism but may approach it. For instance, the family is often both a family and a condensed version of Egypt as a whole. Some of his works translated into English Palace Walk (Book 1 of the Cairo Trilogy) (originally published in Arabic 1956) Palace of Desire (Book 2 of the Cairo Trilogy) (originally published in Arabic 1957) Sugar Street (Book 3 of the Cairo Trilogy) (originally published in Arabic 1957) Children of Gebelawi (originally published in Arabic 1959) The Beginning and the End (originally published in Arabic 1956) Adrift on the Nile (originally published in Arabic 1966) The Journey of Ibn Fattouma (originally published in Arabic 1983) Midaq Alley (originally published in Arabic 1947) The Harafish (originally published in Arabic 1977) The Beggar (originally published in Arabic 1965) The Thief and the Dogs (originally published in Arabic 1961) Autumn Quail (originally published in Arabic 1962) Wedding Song (originally published in Arabic 1981) The Search (originally published in Arabic 1964) Fountain and Tomb (originally published in Arabic 1975) Miramar (originally published in Arabic 1967) The Time and the Place and other stories Respected Sir (originally published in Arabic 1975) Arabian Nights and Days (originally published in Arabic 1982) http://www.arabworldbooks.com/authors/naguib_mahfouz.html

On the banks of the Nile, the Rosetta branch, I lived an enjoyable childhood in the City of Disuq, which is the home of the famous mosque, Sidi Ibrahim. I was born (February 26, 1946) in nearby Damanhur, the "City of Horus", only 60 km from Alexandria. In retrospect, it is remarkable that my childhood origins were flanked by two great places - Rosetta, the city where the famous Stone was discovered, and Alexandria, the home of ancient learning. The dawn of my memory begins with my days, at Disuq's preparatory school. I am the only son in a family of three sisters and two loving parents. My father was liked and respected by the city community - he was helpful, cheerful and very much enjoyed his life. He worked for the government and also had his own business. My mother, a good-natured, contented person, devoted all her life to her children and, in particular, to me. She was central to my "walks of life" with her kindness, total devotion and native intelligence. Although our immediate family is small, the Zewails are well known in Damanhur. The family's dream was to see me receive a high degree abroad and to return to become a university professor - on the door to my study room, a sign was placed reading, "Dr. Ahmed," even though I was still far from becoming a doctor. My father did live to see that day, but a dear uncle did not. Uncle Rizk was special in my boyhood years and I learned much from him - an appreciation for critical analyses, an enjoyment of music, and of intermingling with the masses and intellectuals alike; he was respected for his wisdom, financially well-to-do, and self-educated. Culturally, my interests were focused - reading, music, some sports and playing backgammon. The great singer Um Kulthum (actually named Kawkab Elsharq - a superstar of the East) had a major influence on my appreciation of music. On the first Thursday of each month we listened to Um Kulthum's concert - "waslats" (three songs) - for more than three hours. During all of my study years in Egypt, the music of this unique figure gave me a special happiness, and her voice was often in the background while I was studying mathematics, chemistry... etc. After three decades I still have the same feeling and passion for her music. In America, the only music I have been able to appreciate on this level is classical, and some jazz. Reading was and still is my real joy. As a boy it was clear that my inclinations were toward the physical sciences. Mathematics, mechanics, and chemistry were among the fields that gave me a special satisfaction. Social sciences were not as attractive because in those days much emphasis was placed on memorization of subjects, names and the like, and for reasons unknown (to me), my mind kept asking "how" and "why". This characteristic has persisted from the beginning of my life. In my teens, I recall feeling a thrill when I solved a difficult problem in mechanics, for instance, considering all of the tricky operational forces of a car going uphill or downhill. Even though chemistry required some memorization, I was intrigued by the "mathematics of chemistry". It provides laboratory phenomena which, as a boy, I wanted to reproduce and understand. In my bedroom I constructed a small apparatus, out of my mother's oil burner (for making Arabic coffee) and a few glass tubes, in order to see how wood is transformed into a burning gas and a liquid substance. I still remember this vividly, not only for the science, but also for the danger of burning down our house! It is not clear why I developed this attraction to science at such an early stage. After finishing high school, I applied to universities. In Egypt, you send your application to a central Bureau (Maktab El Tansiq), and according to your grades, you are assigned a university, hopefully on your list of choice. In the sixties, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Science were tops. I was admitted to Alexandria University and to the faculty of science. Here, luck played a crucial role because I had little to do with Maktab El Tansiq's decision, which gave me the career I still love most: science. At the time, I did not know the depth of this feeling, and, if accepted to another faculty, I probably would not have insisted on the faculty of science. But this passion for science became evident on the first day I went to the campus in Maharem Bek with my uncle - I had tears in my eyes as I felt the greatness of the university and the sacredness of its atmosphere. My grades throughout the next four years reflected this special passion. In the first year, I took four courses, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geology, and my grades were either excellent or very good. Similarly, in the second year I scored very highly (excellent) in Chemistry and was chosen for a group of seven students (called "special chemistry"), an elite science group. I graduated with the highest honors - "Distinction with First Class Honor" - with above 90% in all areas of chemistry. With these scores, i was awarded, as a student, a stipend every month of approximately £13, which was close to that of a university graduate who made £17 at the time! After graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Science, I was appointed to a University position as a demonstrator ("Moeid"), to carry on research toward a Masters and then a Ph.D. degree, and to teach undergraduates at the University of Alexandria. This was a tenured position, guaranteeing a faculty appointment at the University. In teaching, I was successful to the point that, although not yet a professor, I gave "professorial lectures" to help students after the Professor had given his lecture. Through this experience I discovered an affinity and enjoyment of explaining science and natural phenomena in the clearest and simplest way. The students (500 or more) enriched this sense with the appreciation they expressed. At the age of 21, as a Moeid, I believed that behind every universal phenomenon there must be beauty and simplicity in its description. This belief remains true today. On the research side, I finished the requirements for a Masters in Science in about eight months. The tool was spectroscopy, and I was excited about developing an understanding of how and why the spectra of certain molecules change with solvents. This is an old subject, but to me it involved a new level of understanding that was quite modern in our department. My research advisors were three: The head of the inorganic section, Professor Tahany Salem and Professors Rafaat Issa and Samir El Ezaby, with whom I worked most closely; they suggested the research problem to me, and this research resulted in several publications. I was ready to think about my Ph.D. research (called "research point") after one year of being a Moeid. Professors El Ezaby (a graduate of Utah) and Yehia El Tantawy (a graduate of Penn) encouraged me to go abroad to complete my Ph.D. work. All the odds were against my going to America. First, I did not have the connections abroad. Second, the 1967 war had just ended and American stocks in Egypt were at their lowest value, so study missions were only sent to the USSR or Eastern European countries. I had to obtain a scholarship directly from an American University. After corresponding with a dozen universities, the University of Pennsylvania and a few others offered me scholarships, providing the tuition and paying a monthly stipend (some $300). There were still further obstacles against travel to America ("Safer to America"). It took enormous energy to pass the regulatory and bureaucratic barriers. Arriving in the States, I had the feeling of being thrown into an ocean. The ocean was full of knowledge, culture, and opportunities, and the choice was clear: I could either learn to swim or sink. The culture was foreign, the language was difficult, but my hopes were high. I did not speak or write English fluently, and I did not know much about western culture in general, or American culture in particular. I remember a "cultural incident" that opened my eyes to the new traditions I was experiencing right after settling in Philadelphia. In Egypt, as boys, we used to kid each other by saying "I'll kill you", and good friends often said such phrases jokingly. I became friends with a sympathetic American graduate student, and, at one point, jokingly said "I'll kill you". I immediately noticed his reserve and coolness, perhaps worrying that a fellow from the Middle East might actually do it! My presence - as the Egyptian at Penn - was starting to be felt by the professors and students as my scores were high, and I also began a successful course of research. I owe much to my research advisor, Professor Robin Hochstrasser, who was, and still is, a committed scientist and educator. The diverse research problems I worked on, and the collaborations with many able scientists, were both enjoyable and profitable. My publication list was increasing, but just as importantly, I was learning new things literally every day - in chemistry, in physics and in other fields. The atmosphere at the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) was most stimulating and I was enthusiastic about researching in areas that crossed the disciplines of physics and chemistry (sometimes too enthusiastic!). My courses were enjoyable too; I still recall the series 501, 502, 503 and the physics courses I took with the Nobel Laureate, Bob Schrieffer. I was working almost "day and night," and doing several projects at the same time: The Stark effect of simple molecules; the Zeeman effect of solids like NO2- and benzene; the optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR); double resonance techniques, etc. Now, thinking about it, I cannot imagine doing all of this again, but of course then I was "young and innocent". The research for my Ph.D. and the requirements for a degree were essentially completed by 1973, when another war erupted in the Middle East. I had strong feelings about returning to Egypt to be a University Professor, even though at the beginning of my years in America my memories of the frustrating bureaucracy encountered at the time of my departure were still vivid. With time, things change, and I recollected all the wonderful years of my childhood and the opportunities Egypt had provided to me. Returning was important to me, but I also knew that Egypt would not be able to provide the scientific atmosphere I had enjoyed in the U.S. A few more years in America would give me and my family two opportunities: First, I could think about another area of research in a different place (while learning to be professorial!). Second, my salary would be higher than that of a graduate student, and we could then buy a big American car that would be so impressive for the new Professor at Alexandria University! I applied for five positions, three in the U.S., one in Germany and one in Holland, and all of them with world-renowned professors. I received five offers and decided on Berkeley. Early in 1974 we went to Berkeley, excited by the new opportunities. Culturally, moving from Philadelphia to Berkeley was almost as much of a shock as the transition from Alexandria to Philadelphia - Berkeley was a new world! I saw Telegraph Avenue for the first time, and this was sufficient to indicate the difference. I also met many graduate students whose language and behavior I had never seen before, neither in Alexandria, nor in Philadelphia. I interacted well with essentially everybody, and in some cases I guided some graduate students. But I also learned from members of the group. The obstacles did not seem as high as they had when I came to the University of Pennsylvania because culturally and scientifically I was better equipped. Berkeley was a great place for science - the BIG science. In the laboratory, my aim was to utilize the expertise I had gained from my Ph.D. work on the spectroscopy of pairs of molecules, called dimers, and to measure their coherence with the new tools available at Berkeley. Professor Charles Harris was traveling to Holland for an extensive stay, but when he returned to Berkeley we enjoyed discussing science at late hours! His ideas were broad and numerous, and in some cases went beyond the scientific language I was familiar with. Nevertheless, my general direction was established. I immediately saw the importance of the concept of coherence. I decided to tackle the problem, and, in a rather short time, acquired a rigorous theoretical foundation which was new to me. I believe that this transition proved vital in subsequent years of my research. I wrote two papers with Charles, one theoretical and the other experimental. They were published in Physical Review. These papers were followed by other work, and I extended the concept of coherence to multidimensional systems, publishing my first independently authored paper while at Berkeley. In collaboration with other graduate students, I also published papers on energy transfer in solids. I enjoyed my interactions with the students and professors, and at Berkeley's popular and well-attended physical chemistry seminars. Charles decided to offer me the IBM Fellowship that was only given to a few in the department. He strongly felt that I should get a job at one of the top universities in America, or at least have the experience of going to the interviews; I am grateful for his belief in me. I only applied to a few places and thought I had no chance at these top universities. During the process, I contacted Egypt, and I also considered the American University in Beirut (AUB). Although I visited some places, nothing was finalized, and I was preparing myself for the return. Meanwhile, I was busy and excited about the new research I was doing. Charles decided to build a picosecond laser, and two of us in the group were involved in this hard and "non-profitable" direction of research (!); I learned a great deal about the principles of lasers and their physics. During this period, many of the top universities announced new positions, and Charles asked me to apply. I decided to send applications to nearly a dozen places and, at the end, after interviews and enjoyable visits, I was offered an Assistant Professorship at many, including Harvard, Caltech, Chicago, Rice, and Northwestern. My interview at Caltech had gone well, despite the experience of an exhausting two days, visiting each half hour with a different faculty member in chemistry and chemical engineering. The visit was exciting, surprising and memorable. The talks went well and I even received some undeserved praise for style. At one point, I was speaking about what is known as the FVH, picture of coherence, where F stands for Feynman, the famous Caltech physicist and Nobel Laureate. I went to the board to write the name and all of a sudden I was stuck on the spelling. Half way through, I turned to the audience and said, "you know how to spell Feynman". A big laugh erupted, and the audience thought I was joking - I wasn't! After receiving several offers, the time had come to make up my mind, but I had not yet heard from Caltech. I called the Head of the Search Committee, now a colleague of mine, and he was lukewarm, encouraging me to accept other offers. However, shortly after this, I was contacted by Caltech with a very attractive offer, asking me to visit with my family. We received the red carpet treatment, and that visit did cost Caltech! I never regretted the decision of accepting the Caltech offer. My science family came from all over the world, and members were of varied backgrounds, cultures, and abilities. The diversity in this "small world" I worked in daily provided the most stimulating environment, with many challenges and much optimism. Over the years, my research group has had close to 150 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting associates. Many of them are now in leading academic, industrial and governmental positions. Working with such minds in a village of science has been the most rewarding experience - Caltech was the right place for me. My biological children were all "made in America". I have two daughters, Maha, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas, Austin, and Amani, a junior at Berkeley, both of whom I am very proud. I met Dema, my wife, by a surprising chance, a fairy tale. In 1988 it was announced that I was a winner of the King Faisal International Prize. In March of 1989, I went to receive the award from Saudi Arabia, and there I met Dema; her father was receiving the same prize in literature. We met in March, got engaged in July and married in September, all of the same year, 1989. Dema has her M.D. from Damascus University, and completed a Master's degree in Public Health at UCLA. We have two young sons, Nabeel and Hani, and both bring joy and excitement to our life. Dema is a wonderful mother, and is my friend and confidante. The journey from Egypt to America has been full of surprises. As a Moeid, I was unaware of the Nobel Prize in the way I now see its impact in the West. We used to gather around the TV or read in the newspaper about the recognition of famous Egyptian scientists and writers by the President, and these moments gave me and my friends a real thrill - maybe one day we would be in this position ourselves for achievements in science or literature. Some decades later, when President Mubarak bestowed on me the Order of Merit, first class, and the Grand Collar of the Nile ("Kiladate El Niel"), the highest State honor, it brought these emotional boyhood days back to my memory. I never expected that my portrait, next to the pyramids, would be on a postage stamp or that the school I went to as a boy and the road to Rosetta would be named after me. Certainly, as a youngster in love with science, I had no dreams about the honor of the Nobel Prize. Since my arrival at Caltech in 1976, our contributions have been recognized by countries around the world. Among the awards and honors are:Special Honors King Faisal International Prize in Science (1989). First Linus Pauling Chair, Caltech (1990). Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1993). Order of Merit, first class (Sciences & Arts), from President Mubarak (1995). Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry (1997). Benjamin Franklin Medal, Franklin Institute, USA (1998). Egypt Postage Stamps, with Portrait (1998); the Fourth Pyramid (1999). Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1999). Grand Collar of the Nile, Highest State Honor, conferred by President Mubarak (1999). Prizes and Awards Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow (1978-1982). Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1979-1985). Alexander von Humboldt Award for Senior United States Scientists (1983). National Science Foundation Award for especially creative research (1984; 1988; 1993). Buck-Whitney Medal, American Chemical Society (1985). John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow (1987). Harrison Howe Award, American Chemical Society (1989). Carl Zeiss International Award, Germany (1992). Earle K. Plyler Prize, American Physical Society (1993). Medal of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Holland (1993). Bonner Chemiepreis, Germany (1994). Herbert P. Broida Prize, American Physical Society (1995). Leonardo Da Vinci Award of Excellence, France (1995). Collége de France Medal, France (1995). Peter Debye Award, American Chemical Society (1996). National Academy of Sciences Award, Chemical Sciences, USA (1996). J.G. Kirkwood Medal, Yale University (1996). Peking University Medal, PU President, Beijing, China (1996). Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award (1997). First E.B. Wilson Award, American Chemical Society (1997). Linus Pauling Medal Award (1997). Richard C. Tolman Medal Award (1998). William H. Nichols Medal Award (1998). Paul Karrer Gold Medal, University of Zürich, Switzerland (1998). E.O. Lawrence Award, U.S. Government (1998). Merski Award, University of Nebraska (1999). Röntgen Prize, (100th Anniversary of the Discovery of X-rays), Germany (1999). Academies and Societies American Physical Society, Fellow (elected 1982). National Academy of Sciences, USA (elected 1989). Third World Academy of Sciences, Italy (elected 1989). Sigma Xi Society, USA (elected 1992). American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected 1993). Académie Européenne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres, France (elected 1994). American Philosophical Society (elected 1998). Pontifical Academy of Sciences (elected 1999). American Academy of Achievement (elected 1999). Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (elected 2000) Honorary Degrees Oxford University, UK (1991): M.A., h.c. American University, Cairo, Egypt (1993): D.Sc., h.c. Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium (1997): D.Sc., h.c. University of Pennsylvania, USA (1997): D.Sc., h.c. Université de Lausanne, Switzerland (1997): D.Sc., h.c. Swinburne University, Australia (1999): D.U., h.c. Arab Academy for Science & Technology, Egypt (1999): H.D.A.Sc. Alexandria University, Egypt (1999): H.D.Sc. University of New Brunswick, Canada (2000): Doctoris in Scientia, D.Sc., h.c. Universita di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy (2000): D.Sc., h.c. Université de Liège, Belgium (2000): Doctor honoris causa, D., h.c. From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1999, Editor Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 2000 This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 1999 Addendum, January 2006 After the awarding of the Nobel Prize in 1999, I continued to serve as a faculty member at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as the Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics, and the Director of the Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology (UST) and the NSF Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (LMS). Current research is devoted to dynamical chemistry and biology, with a focus on the physics of elementary processes in complex systems. A major research frontier is the new development of "4D ultrafast diffraction and microscopy”, making possible the imaging of transient structures in space and time with atomic-scale resolution. I have also devoted some time to giving public lectures in order to enhance awareness of the value of knowledge gained from fundamental research, and helping the population of developing countries through the promotion of science and technology for the betterment of society. Because of the unique East-West cultures that I represent, I wrote a book Voyage Through Time - Walks of Life to the Nobel Prize hoping to share the experience, especially with young people, and to remind them that it is possible! This book is in 12 editions and languages, so far. Since the awarding of the Nobel Prize, the following are some of the awards and honors received:Special Honors Postage Stamp, issued by the country of Ghana (2002) Ahmed Zewail Fellowships, University of Pennsylvania (2000–) Highest Order of the State from United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon (2000–) Ahmed Zewail Prize, American University in Cairo (2001–) Ahmed Zewail Prize for Creativity in the Arts, Opera House, Cairo (2004–) Zewail Foundation for Knowledge and Development, Cairo (2004–) Ahmed Zewail Prizes for Excellence and Leadership, ICTP, Trieste, Italy (2004–) Ahmed Zewail Award for Ultrafast Science and Technology, American Chemical Society (2005–). Prizes and Awards Faye Robiner Award, Ross University School of Medicine, New York (2000) Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement (2000) City of Pisa Medal, City Mayor, Pisa, Italy (2000) Medal of "La Sapienza" ("wisdom"), University of Rome (2000) Médaille de l'Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (2000) Honorary Medal, Universite Du Centre, Monastir, Tunisia (2000) Honorary Medal, City of Monastir, from The Mayor, Tunisia (2000) Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Pennsylvania (2002) G.M. Kosolapoff Award, The American Chemical Society (2002) Distinguished American Service Award, ADC, Washington D.C. (2002) Sir C.V. Raman Award, Kolkata, India (2002) Arab American Award, National Museum, Dearborn, Michigan (2004) Gold Medal (Highest Honor), Burgos University, Burgos, Spain (2004) Grand Gold Medal, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (2005) Academies and Societies American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow (elected 2000) Chemical Society of India, Honorary Fellow (elected 2001) Indian Academy of Sciences (elected 2001) The Royal Society of London, Foreign Member (elected 2001) Sydney Sussex College, Honorary Fellow, Cambridge, U.K. (elected 2002) Indian National Science Academy, Foreign Fellow (elected 2002) Korean Academy of Science and Technology, Honorary Foreign Member (elected 2002) African Academy of Sciences, Honorary Fellow (elected 2002) Royal Society of Chemistry, Honorary Fellow, U.K. (elected 2003) Russian Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member (elected 2003) The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member (elected 2003) The Royal Academy of Belgium, Foreign Member (elected 2003) St. Catherine's College, Honorary Fellow, Oxford, U.K. (elected 2004) European Academy of Sciences, Honorary Member, Belgium (elected 2004) The Literary & Historical Society, University College, Honorary Fellow, Dublin, Ireland (elected 2004) The National Society of High School Scholars, Honorary Member Board of Advisors, U.S.A. (elected 2004) Academy of Sciences of Malaysia, Honorary Fellow (elected 2005) French Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member (elected 2005) Honorary Degrees Jadavpur University, India (2001): D.Sc., h.c. Concordia University, Montréal, Canada (2002): LLD, h.c. Heriot-Watt University, Scotland (2002): D.Sc., h.c. Pusan National University, Korea (2003): M.D., h.c. Lund University, Sweden (2003) : D.Ph., h.c. Bogaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey (2003): D.Sc., h.c. École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France (2003): D.Sc., h.c. Oxford University, United Kingdom (2004): D.Sc., h.c. Peking University, People's Republic of China (2004): H.D.D. Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Mexico (2004): D., h.c. University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland (2004): D.Sc., h.c. Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (2005): H.D.D. American University of Beirut, Lebanon (2005): D.H.L. University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005): D., h.c. National University of Cordoba, Argentina (2005): D., h.c. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1999/zewail-autobio.html

Who is Kevin Mitnick? The picture that emerged after his arrest in Raleigh, N.C. last February was of a 31-year old computer programmer, who had been given a number of chances to get his life together but each time was seduced back to the dark side of the computer world. Kevin David Mitnick reached adolescence in suburban Los Angeles in the late 1970s, the same time the personal computer industry was exploding beyond its hobbyist roots. His parents were divorced, and in a lower-middle-class environment that lacked adventure and in which he was largely a loner and an underachiever, he was seduced by the power he could gain over the telephone network. The underground culture of phone phreaks had already flourished for more than a decade, but it was now in the middle of a transition from the analog to the digital world. Using a personal computer and modem it became possible to commandeer a phone company's digital central office switch by dialing in remotely, and Kevin became adept at doing so. Mastery of a local telephone company switch offered more than just free calls: It opened a window into the lives of other people to eavesdrop on the rich and powerful, or on his own enemies. Mitnick soon fell in with an informal phone phreak gang that met irregularly in a pizza parlor in Hollywood. Much of what they did fell into the category of pranks, like taking over directory assistance and answering operator calls by saying, "Yes, that number is eight-seven-five-zero and a half. Do you know how to dial the half, ma'am?" or changing the class of service on someone's home phone to payphone status, so that whenever they picked up the receiver a recorded voice asked them to deposit twenty cents. But the group seemed to have a mean streak as well. One of its members destroyed files of a San Francisco-based computer time-sharing company, a crime that went unsolved for more than a year -- until a break-in at a Los Angeles telephone company switching center led police to the gang. The case was actually solved when a jilted girlfriend of one of the gang went to the police... That break-in occurred over Memorial Day weekend in 1981, when Kevin and two friends decided to physically enter Pacific Bell's COSMOS phone center in downtown Los Angeles. COSMOS, or Computer System for Mainframe Operations, was a database used by many of the nation's phone companies for controlling the phone system's basic recordkeeping functions. The group talked their way past a security guard and ultimately found the room where the COSMOS system was located. Once inside they took lists of computer passwords, including the combinations to the door locks at nine Pacific Bell central offices and a series of operating manuals for the COSMOS system.. To facilitate later social engineering they planted their pseudonyms and phone numbers in a rolodex sitting on one of the desks in the room. With a flourish one of the fake names they used was "John Draper," who was an actual computer programmer also known as the legendary phone phreak, Captain Crunch, the phone numbers were actually misrouted numbers that would ring at a coffee shop pay phone in Van Nuys. The crime was far from perfect, however. A telephone company manager soon discovered the phony numbers and reported them to the local police, who started an investigation. The case was actually solved when a jilted girlfriend of one of the gang went to the police, and Kevin and his friends were soon arrested. The group was charged with destroying data over a computer network and with stealing operator's manuals from the telephone company. Kevin, 17 years old at the time, was relatively lucky, and was sentenced to spend only three months in the Los Angeles Juvenile Detention Center, followed by a year's probation. A run-in with the police might have persuaded most bright kids to explore the many legal ways to have computer adventures, but Mitnick appeared to be obsessed by some twisted vision. Rather than developing his computer skills in creative and productive ways, he seemed interested only in learning enough short-cuts for computer break-ins and dirty tricks to continue to play out a fantasy that led to collision after collision with the police throughout the 1980s. He obviously loved the attention and the mystique his growing notoriety was bringing. Early on, after seeing the 1975 Robert Redford movie Three Days of the Condor, he had adopted Condor as his nom de guerre. In the film Redford plays the role of a hunted CIA researcher who uses his experience as an Army signal corpsman to manipulate the phone system and avoid capture. Mitnick seemed to view himself as the same kind of daring man on the run from the law. After he was released, he obtained the license plate "X HACKER" for his Nissan... His next arrest was in 1983 by campus police at the University of Southern California, where he had gotten into minor trouble a few years earlier, when he was caught using a university computer to gain illegal access to the ARPAnet. This time he was discovered sitting at a computer in a campus terminal room, breaking into a Pentagon computer over the ARPAnet, and was sentenced to six months at the California Youth Authority's Karl Holton Training School, a juvenile prison in Stockton, California. After he was released, he obtained the license plate "X HACKER" for his Nissan, but he was still very much in the computer break-in business. Several years later he went underground for more than a year after being accused of tampering with a TRW credit reference computer; an arrest warrant was issued, but it later vanished from police records without explanation. By 1987, Mitnick seemed to be making an effort to pull his life together, and he began living with a woman who was taking a computer class with him at a local vocational school. After a while, however, his obsession drew him back, and this time his use of illegal telephone credit card numbers led police investigators to the apartment he was sharing with his girlfriend in Thousand Oaks, California. He was convicted of stealing software from the Santa Cruz Operation, a California software company, and in December 1987, he was sentenced to 36 months probation. That brush with the police, and the resultant wrist slap, seemed only increase his sense of omnipotence. In 1987 and 1988, Kevin and a friend, Lenny DiCicco, fought a pitched electronic battle against scientists at Digital Equipment's Palo Alto research laboratory. Mitnick had become obsessed with obtaining a copy of Digital's VMS minicomputer operating system, and was trying to do so by gaining entry to the company's corporate computer network, known as Easynet. The computers at Digital's Palo Alto laboratory looked easiest, so every night with remarkable persistence Mitnick and DiCicco would launch their modem attacks from a small Calabasas, California company where DiCicco had a computer support job. Although Reid discovered the attacks almost immediately, he didn't know where they were coming from, nor did the local police or FBI, because Mitnick was manipulating the telephone network's switches to disguise the source of the modem calls. ...he agreed to one year in prison and six months in a counseling program for his computer "addiction." The FBI can easily serve warrants and get trap-and-trace information from telephone companies, but few of its agents know how to interpret the data they provide. If the bad guy is actually holed up at the address that corresponds to the telephone number, they're set. But if the criminal has electronically broken into to the telephone company's local switch and scrambled the routing tables, they're clueless. Kevin had easily frustrated their best attempts at tracking him through the telephone network using wiretaps and traces. He would routinely use two computer terminals each night -- one for his forays into Digital's computers, the other as a lookout that scanned the telephone company computers to see if his trackers were getting close. At one point, a team of law enforcement and telephone security agents thought they had tracked him down, only to find that Mitnick had diverted the telephone lines so as to lead his pursuers not to his hideout in Calabasas, but to an apartment in Malibu. Mitnick, it seemed, was a tough accomplice, for even as they had been working together he had been harassing DiCicco by making fake calls to DiCicco's employer, claiming to be a Government agent and saying that DiCicco was in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. The frustrated DiCicco confessed to his boss, who notified DEC and the FBI, and Mitnick soon wound up in federal court in Los Angeles. Although DEC claimed that he had stolen software worth several million dollars, and had cost DEC almost $200,000 in time spent trying to keep him out of their computers, Kevin pleaded guilty to one count of computer fraud and one count of possessing illegal long-distance access codes. It was the fifth time that Mitnick had been apprehended for a computer crime, and the case attracted nationwide attention because, in an unusual plea bargain, he agreed to one year in prison and six months in a counseling program for his computer "addiction." It was a strange defense tactic, but a federal judge, after initially balking, bought the idea that there was some sort of psychological parallel between the obsession Mitnick had for breaking in to computer systems and an addict's craving for drugs. After he finished his jail time and his halfway-house counseling sentence for the 1989 Digital Equipment conviction Mitnick moved to Las Vegas and took a low-level computer programming position for a mailing list company. His mother had moved there, as had a woman who called herself Susan Thunder who had been part of Mitnick's phone phreak gang in the early 1980s, and with whom he now became reacquainted. It was during this period that he tried to "social engineer" me over the phone. In early 1992 Mitnick moved back to the San Fernando Valley area after his half-brother died of an apparent heroin overdose. He briefly worked for his father in construction, but then took a job he found through a friend of his father's at the Tel Tec Detective Agency . Soon after he began, someone was discovered illegally using a commercial database system on the agency's behalf, and Kevin was once again the subject of an FBI investigation. In September the Bureau searched his apartment, as well as the home and workplace of another member of the original phone phreak gang. Two months later a federal judge issued a warrant for Mitnick's arrest for having violated the terms of his 1989 probation. There were two charges: illegally accessing a phone company computer, and associating with one of the people with whom he'd originally been arrested in 1981. His friends claimed Mitnick had been set up by the detective firm; whatever the truth, when the FBI came to arrest him, Kevin Mitnick had vanished. His escape, subsequently reported in the Southern California newspapers, made the authorities look like bumblers who were no match for a brilliant and elusive cyberthief. In late 1992 someone called the California Department of Motor Vehicles office in Sacramento, and using a valid law enforcement requester code, attempted to have driver's license photographs of a police informer faxed to a number in Studio City, near Los Angeles. Smelling fraud, D.M.V. security officers checked the number and discovered that it was assigned to a Kinko's copy shop, which they staked out before faxing the photographs. But somehow the spotters didn't see their quarry until he was going out the door of the copy shop. They started after him, but he outran them across the parking lot and disappeared around the corner, dropping the documents as he fled. The agents later determined that they were covered with Kevin Mitnick's fingerprints. His escape, subsequently reported in the Southern California newspapers, made the authorities look like bumblers who were no match for a brilliant and elusive cyberthief. http://www.takedown.com/bio/mitnick.html

His Dad Oblique

Son: Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a lady. Mom: Well, you have done the right thing. Son: But mum, I was sitting on daddy's lap

This mystery written by Einstein In the early twentieth century Expected that 98% of the world can not be resolved Puzzle as follows: There are street There are 5 houses in this street Each house a different color In each house lives a person of different nationality The owner of each house drink a certain type of beverage And smoking A particular type of cigarettes And keeps a certain type of pet No owners house drink the same drink Or smokes the same cigarette Or keeps the same pet Details of the puzzle: 1: British lives in the red house 2: The Swede keeps dogs as pets 3:Irish drinks tea 4:The green house on the left of the White House 5: The green house owner drinks coffee 6: The owner who smokes Pall Mall rears birds 7: The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill 8: the owner, who lives in the house in the middle drinks milk 9: The Norwegian lives in the first house 10: The owner who smokes Pellndz Lives next to the man who keeps cats 11: The man who keeps horses Lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill 12: The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer 13: The German smokes Prince 14: The Norwegian lives next to the Blue House 15:The man who smokes Pellndz Lives next to the man who drinks water The Question: Who is the man who keeps the Fish? NB: This puzzle Does not solve just by looking But needs a paper and pencil. Good luck

Happy Birthday, Nan

Happy Birthday TV_Tech

This girl decided to change their shape to the boa ... Where it has a flexibility that can be played Bends as if it were like a snake as she chose these clothes so that there is a revival of the snake-like twist ..

The legendary great white shark is far more fearsome in our imaginations than in reality. As scientific research on these elusive predators increases, their image as mindless killing machines is beginning to fade. Of the 100-plus annual shark attacks worldwide, fully one-third to one-half are attributable to great whites. However, most of these are not fatal, and new research finds that great whites, who are naturally curious, are "sample biting" then releasing their victims rather than preying on humans. It's not a terribly comforting distinction, but it does indicate that humans are not actually on the great white's menu. Great whites are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) have been recorded. They have slate-gray upper bodies to blend in with the rocky coastal sea floor, but get their name from their universally white underbellies. They are streamlined, torpedo-shaped swimmers with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. They can even leave the water completely, breaching like whales when attacking prey from underneath. Highly adapted predators, their mouths are lined with up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in several rows, and they have an exceptional sense of smell to detect prey. They even have organs that can sense the tiny electromagnetic fields generated by animals. Their main prey items include sea lions, seals, small toothed whales, and even sea turtles, and carrion. Found in cool, coastal waters throughout the world, there is no reliable data on the great white's population. However, scientists agree that their number are decreasing precipitously due to overfishing and accidental catching in gill nets, among other factors, and they are listed as an endangered species.

Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet (30 meters) long and upwards of 200 tons (181 metric tons). Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as an automobile. Blue whales reach these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals called krill. During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) of krill a day. Blue whales are baleen whales, which means they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to their upper jaws. The giant animals feed by first gulping an enormous mouthful of water, expanding the pleated skin on their throat and belly to take it in. Then the whale's massive tongue forces the water out through the thin, overlapping baleen plates. Thousands of krill are left behind

Thanks all,I am happy to be with you on koach.com

Happy Birthday Star Star

Wonders of the World Pyramids Giza (Egypt), one of the oldest seven wonders, the tombs of the Pharaohs, built around 2690 BC. M three pyramids Shad first of which the pharaoh Khufu, height 147 meters and the second the pharaoh Khafre, and height 136 meters, third pharaoh Menkaure and height 62 meters, one of the Seven Wonders of the remaining were filled with pathways cemeteries and one day the property of kings, which are invaluable, and buried with them so use them in other life as far as they claim, have been looted treasures Pyramids thousands of years ago are still discoveries to the sequence now. Helios of Rhodes was the most famous giant statues of the old, was held in Greece in 280 BC. M on the island of Rhodes and 32 meters above has been smashed by an earthquake in 227 BC. M, bringing in ruins and this was the statue made ??of bronze, iron-fortified Established Ptolemy II Lighthouse of Alexandria in 280 BC. M, where is the first lighthouse in the world and reached the high lighthouse about 120 meters, and was on the island, about a little bit about the city of Alexandria, the Egyptians had set fire to every night on top of the lighthouse to warn passing ships, demolished an earthquake in 1375 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon series of rocky terraces the unit after the other, dating back to 600 BC. AD It is said that Nebuchadnezzar is built and above these gardens from the ground between 23 and 92 meters but today no longer have the effect has disappeared, has planted trees and plants and flowers in the layer thick from the soil on each runway of rocky terraces. (( Most of these wonders is over or destroyed did not keep them only the pyramids of Giza )) ((Wonders of the other)) Taj Mahal, a wonder of modern and worthy of research and study, built by a man to his wife, and now is one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, nor can a visitor to visit India without crossing this Abkh. (Taj Mahal) (this palace magnificent and impressive built in memory of love and is a symbol of love ... and was built in memory of (Erjomend Bannu Bacam) and known for Aosm (Mumtaz Mahal) and had built (Shah Jahan in memory her when she died) for this is the symbol for love Temple of Abu Simbel, the temple the great Abu Simbel, which dates back to Ramses II, decorated and faced four giant statues of the Pharaoh, the Great himself, as well as the legend tells that this temple to Hawwars monk, where he was lead Tauivath and its links in it, with a height of statue is one of about 20 meters, while the interface it is a width of 35 meters and 30 meters in height, and in the image can be seen the king accompanied by some of his wives and his sons, as well as the oddity and wonders Simbel temple or the sun enters the beam twice per year, specifically on February 20 and October 20. Great Wall of China, a time and the masterpieces of the world and the human, it's Great Wall of China, worth seeing. Leaning Tower of Pisa, located in Italy, one wonders of the world, but not seven, but wonders of the modern, amounting to 50 teacher on the face of the globe, designed by Italian architect Bonano Pizzato, and a height of 550 meters has been laying the foundation stone to him in 1173 AD and remained with the Italian architect until the year 1185, and when the building to the third floor noted that the tower is slightly tilted, and fled for fear of its occurrence has been the tower on this case over 90 years, came up another engineer and worked on its completion, and make the floors fifth, sixth and seventh straight to compensate for the tilt, then came the engineer third He completed the eighth floor building, so construction of the tower took about two centuries, however, continued to trend, so is considered a modern wonders of the world. New Seven Wonders of the World Pyramid of Chichen Itza Worship, Knowledge Yucat

lol If sleep come don't resisted him

Thanks koach

Wireframe Car.They are metal mesh are made strictly from the artist Benedict Radcliffe and placed on the edge of the road. This image taken from the Salar de Uyuni is located in Bolivia's largest salt flat in the world. Impossible triangle See this triangle in the picture fool sight drawn on paper but impossible to implement in reality But in fact been carried out artist in the city of perth in Australia and in a special way. These shrubs are not industrial, but a real and these shapes are formed by linking them to each other during growth. A rare clouds formed above the clouds in cases where the air speed is very high. Giant rabbits are found in Germany, a very rare species. This tap is a water fountain in the garden designed by MC Escher The trick is the presence of a column in the tap water which does not appear because of the heavy flow of water. strange court Tennis.

You can drink a cup of tea or coffee in the Netherlands, NL Belgium and B at the same time. This man in Spain and only needs to pass this part In the rock to be in Portugal. Half of a farm in Scotland and the other half in England. Red flags of the building (Morocco) and building flags Green and white (Algeria).

Girl: Do I ever cross ur mind ? Boy: No. Girl: Do you like me? Boy: Not really. Girl: Do you want me? Boy: No. Girl: Would you cry if I left? Boy: No. Girl: Would you live for me? Boy: No. Girl: Would you do anything for me? Boy: No. Girl: Choose--me or ur life? Boy: my life. The girl runs away in shock and pain and the boy runs after her and says... Boy :The reason you never cross my mind is because you're always on my mind

lol, she is actually greedy

nope crysta its on there :http://www.hawkee.com/snippet/5648/

lol koach

on *:KICK:#: { window @kickers if ($knick == $me) { echo @kickers 7( $time(hh:nn/TT) ) 4 U have Been Kicked By 14 $nick 4Reason $1- 14 From $chan } else { echo @kickers 7( $time(hh:nn/TT) ) 14 $knick 4 Kicked by 14 $nick 4Reason $1- 14 From $chan } } #kickerz end on *:JOIN:* { window @Gatekeepers echo @Gatekeepers 12( $+ $time $+ ) 4 -=[ $nick ]=- 9 $+ 15 $+ $address 12 ( $+ # $+ ) } and close your mirc and open it

menu * { COLOR FONT .on/off: { if (!%cf.font) { set %cf.font 1 } if (!%cf.bkgrd) { set %cf.bkgrd 0 } if (!%colorfont) { set %colorfont 1 echo -a 4 Color Font Now Active. halt } unset %colorfont echo -a 4 Color Font Now Inactive. halt } .underline: { if (!%cf.und) { set %cf.und 1 halt } unset %cf.und } .bold: { if (!%cf.bld) { set %cf.bld 1 halt } unset %cf.bld } .text color ..0 white: set %cf.font 0 ..1 black: set %cf.font 1 ..2 blue: set %cf.font 2 ..3 green: set %cf.font 3 ..4 lightred: set %cf.font 4 ..5 brown: set %cf.font 5 ..6 purple: set %cf.font 6 ..7 orange: set %cf.font 7 ..8 yellow: set %cf.font 8 ..9 lightgreen: set %cf.font 9 ..10 cyan: set %cf.font 10 ..11 light-cyan: set %cf.font 11 ..12 lightblue: set %cf.font 12 ..13 pink: set %cf.font 13 ..14 grey: set %cf.font 14 ..15 lightgrey: set %cf.font 15 .background color ..0 white: set %cf.bkgrd 0 ..1 black: set %cf.bkgrd 1 ..2 blue: set %cf.bkgrd 2 ..3 green: set %cf.bkgrd 3 ..4 lightred: set %cf.bkgrd 4 ..5 brown: set %cf.bkgrd 5 ..6 purple: set %cf.bkgrd 6 ..7 orange: set %cf.bkgrd 7 ..8 yellow: set %cf.bkgrd 8 ..9 lightgreen: set %cf.bkgrd 9 ..10 cyan: set %cf.bkgrd 10 ..11 light-cyan: set %cf.bkgrd 11 ..12 lightblue: set %cf.bkgrd 12 ..13 pink: set %cf.bkgrd 13 ..14 grey: set %cf.bkgrd 14 ..15 lightgrey: set %cf.bkgrd 15 } on *:input:#: { if ((/ !isin $left($1,1)) && (%colorfont)) { set %color.font $+ %cf.font $+ , $+ %cf.bkgrd if (%cf.bld) { set %color.font $+ %color.font } if (%cf.und) { set %color.font $+ %color.font } msg $chan %color.font $+ $strip($1-) halt } }