Today is the 6th of October, a date on which Egyptians commemorate the launching of the October War (also called the Yom Kippur War) against Israel. The war ended with an agreement to return control of the Suez Canal to Egypt with the concession that Israeli ships be allowed to use it. Egyptians tend to view it as a marvelous victory over Israel; I'll refrain from sharing my own opinion. 6th of October Bridge and 6th of October City as well as 10th of Ramadan City (the date on the Islamic calendar of beginning of the military operation) all remind Egyptians of the events of 1973, as does the October War Panorama, described here by another blogger.

For me, today hasn't included retaking any canals. I ate some Turkish cereal while watching Al-Jazeera, turned on the bathroom sink only to have it shudder and violently expel a flood of light brown water (at least I think it was water), and killed a mosquito who apparently survived a night of eucalyptus-scented Allethrin-D poison. The ants, not content to be outdone by the mosquitoes were out in force in the bathroom today. A little bit of Kirox crawling insect spray and the garbage can became ant graveyard. I know, you're all jealous of my glamorous lifestyle.

My supply of sun-dried Turkish apricots (that I could swear have chocolatey undertones) is running out and I'd love nothing more to return, enjoy the fresh air, and buy some more. But apparently, leaving Turkey when I did was a wise idea. Opposition to the IMF has filled the streets of Istanbul (including Taksim Square and environs where we were leisurely dinnering last week) with protesters opposition to whom has filled the streets with riot police.

Tomorrow I start at the Writing Center. To that end, I need to read the tutors' manual. But before that, the news:

Egypt

• Al-Azhar cleric makes strong statement against the niqab (full veil)
• FM announces Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal to be signed on 26 October
• Human rights report criticizes prison system
• Conservative lawmakers want to ban "virginity-restoring" kit
• Big plans for downtown Cairo met with skepticism
• Amateur photographers harassed, beaten, and bitten at national circus

Turkey

• Cab-driver captures other side of Istanbul during night shifts
• IMF protestors not the only ones out; protests against Israel in front of consulate over al-Aqsa closure

Israel/Palestine

• Israeli police bring reinforcements to Jerusalem (al-Quds) fearing escalation of protests

Egyptian Fishermen 1 - Somali Pirates 0

News:

In a daring move, Egyptian fisherman liberated themselves from Somali pirate captors yesterday. Earlier in the year, even the US Navy got involved in the pesky Somali piracy problem, extricating the captain of a ship who was taken hostage when his crew escaped into a lifeboat after battling back.

An AUC student was detained in Israel and order deported after protesting the eviction of Palestinians from their home in East Jerusalem (Al-Quds). She has been given leave to stay while contesting the legality of her initial arrest in court.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to visit the US on Tuesday. The Boston Globe asks the question about the leader that's on everyone's mind. Last week, John McLaughlin of "The McLaughlin Group" made his prediction that a transition in Egypt could happen as soon as next year.

Fugitive Nazi's connection to Cairo confirmed.

Egypt opens border with Palestine to allow pilgrims passage.

Vehicles in honking, high-speed wedding procession collide near Assiut, killing the groom and three wedding guests. Says the article, "In Egypt, it is traditional for the wedding party and guests prior to the reception or afterwards to drive through the streets, weaving in and out of traffice and honking their horns." What a ridiculous reason to die.

  I trekked to and from Zamalek today to have some lunch and run errands.  At Café Arabica, my French friend Antoine was introduce to the joys of oatmeal.  I myself had my old favorite, fiteer with roasted bell peppers and haloumi cheese.

  Other than that, I've gotten another quarter of my Migration and Development about gender and people-trafficking and its relation to economic development.

News:

Members of an alleged Hizbullah cell may face life imprisonment or death.  A lawyer for the suspects says that reports denying they have been tortured may not be true.

Egypt's religious endowments minister encourages all able Muslims to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Al-Quds in Arabic) to "show the whole world" that the city is "something that concerns all Muslims".  Jerusalem is considered by many Muslims to be the third holiest city in Islam.

France's international news network, France 24, is launching its expanded Arabic-language news service in Cairo on Monday.

Individuals detained and jailed in Egypt Twittered their experiences from their cells.  Twitter, a micro-blogging service, was instrumental in the release of a UC Berkeley grad student from an Egyptian jail last year.