Istanbul reminded me more of Seattle than of anything in the Middle East. The clean air, the calm, the uncongested streets, and the courtesy of vendors, restaurateurs, hostel proprietors and the general public were a welcome departure from the noise, chaos, and stress of Cairo. (Just as I typed this, the lovely trash collector who rang our bell yesterday over forty times while my flatmate Cynthia was sick in bed returned. He's been ripping Cynthia off all summer. When he returned today to ask for the money, I told him in my awful pidgin Arabic that I'd already paid him for the month (and then some) last time he came and that I wouldn't pay him again now. He seems to have relented, thankfully.)
Anyway, classes are supposed to resume soon across Egypt, but I've heard rumblings of further delays and class suspensions, so we'll see. I don't have any great plans for the rest of my time off beyond buckling down and working on the ol' thesis.
News & Issues
- Swedish journalist, blogger set to be deported: Per Bjorklund's blog frequently covered labor issues which may've made him a target for deportation, but he also participated in the To Gaza March that led to the February detention of Philip Rizk and the recent deportation of Travis Randall. Per's friend and fellow blogger writes about it here.
- Farouk Hosni fails in bid to become UNESCO president: While many in the Arab world (and Hosni himself) allege a Jewish conspiracy, Egyptian daily Al-Masry al-Youm attempts to sort through the claims more evenhandedly.
- Equal access for women to divorce increasingly a possibility; also, Egyptian divorcées have recently an online radio station to support each other
- Slate.com explores the effects of Egypt's pig slaughter
- AUC's move to the desert a blow to downtown economy; Greek Campus sale expected to be final within a month
