Carl in Cairo

  After a Methods class focused on a few of the controversies regarding people trafficking and how to define it and legally address it, I hopped a cab to the fringes of Ma'adi to get some shopping done at Carrefour with Erin. We lingered for quite some time, overwhelmed with the fluorescent-lit consumerist fairy tale.  Each of us picked up some household goods and some edibles by the end of our shopping excursion.  Believe it or not, it was an exhausting experience.

  I'm back at home finishing off a bottle of ISIS brand doum juice.  ISIS optimistically describes its flavor as gingery, but I myself think that Egypt's gastronomic strengths lie elsewhere.

  Now that the EU has issued travel warnings for the US, I'm thinking I've picked quite the fine time to return home.  Egypt is apparently moving all of its pigs (admittedly, not very many) to a 238-acre plot in 15th of May City far away from residential areas.

Other news:

The Muslim Brotherhood is distancing itself from a debate over Shia and Sunni Islam.  Egypt is a majority Sunni country that has recently experienced tension with Shia countries and groups like Iran and Hizbullah.  The two sects differ over the legitimacy of certain of Muhammad's successors, but the rift often goes far beyond theology.

An ancient necropolis discovered at Fayoum oasis yields dozens of artifacts.

An Egyptian delegation in DC paints a picture of Egypt that Egyptian-American students and others aren't quite prepared to accept.