*laughing*

I’m laughing about the part in italics:

“Date: November 20, 2009
To: The American Community
From: Embassy of the United States, Cairo
Subject: Warden Message No. 4- Demonstrations near the Algerian Embassy in Zamalek

This warden message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Egypt that demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the evening in the area of Zamalek in Cairo, specifically in the vicinity of the Algerian Embassy in Zamalek. The demonstrations are being held as a result of the soccer matches between Egypt and Algeria which were held in Cairo and Sudan over the past week. We recommend that people avoid this area. We strongly urge you to avoid the demonstrations and areas where you see heavy police presence or crowds assembling and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any large public gatherings. As a reminder, even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times.”

My method of “avoiding the area” will be to stay hidden in its very heart. There are at most 40 or so apartments physically closer to the Algerian Embassy than mine is. Heck, I could probably stone it from my own balcony if I were of a mind to do so. And it’s even closer than it looks on the photos I’ve posted here; you know how deceptive built-in computer cameras are.

Earlier today I was surprised to receive a call from Graeme Wood, who I thought was taking the long way to Europe starting yesterday. But true to his journalistic instincts, he decided to stay in Cairo for as long as this stuff was going on. I invited him over to observe the scene from my balcony, but nothing at all was going on at that point and he eventually left. But I’ll link to his blog post at The Atlantic once it goes up on line.