Stu's visit to Egypt (year 2)
03/21/2003
It's Friday noon. Prayers are starting and the streets here in Maadi are quiet. Normal for a Friday. I heard from a co-worker that there was a demonstration in Tahir Square yesterday. Downtown Cairo was heavily congested and traffic came to a standstill. My co-worker's Egyptian friend referred to it as a "riot" but English is his second language so his use of the word "riot" may not be entirely accurate. I have heard no reports of injuries.Another co-worker was told to get out of a taxi because she has a British accent. The driver pulled over as soon as he heard her talk and told her to get out.
Otherwise my life is normal. I went to two parties last night and didn't hear a disparaging word.
I continue to monitor CNN and hope that the first missiles that struck Baghdad took out the TimeWarner Cable Company towers. Because if Saddam still has cable TV our armed forces are screwed. CNN has to fill three thousand six hundred seconds every hour and it's only a matter of time before they reveal the EXACT location of every ship, tank, and troop we have there. Gone are the days of "Loose Lips Sink Ships" or "War Secrets". Isn't it true that during WWII soldiers letters would be censored for sensitive information? I wonder if they still do that.
Keeping my ear to the ground and my finger in the wind. I'll keep you posted.