You Can't Make Mistakes.

Hi guys,

I just wanted to let our families and close friends know that we are alright in case you had caught the news and were worried about us.

There were widespread protest demonstrations in Cairo yesterday and in about 10 other cities as well. They have continued tonight, but on a smaller scale. There was a good deal of violence at one point late in the evening yesterday when the police finally decided to clear out the occupied areas. Tear-gas, water cannons and rubber bullets were all used. There were no live rounds fired. There have been several deaths and in Cairo about 250 people were injured and are now hospitalized. This could well be the beginning of something huge here, not unlike what happened in Tunisia. There are reports of rumors coming in that the son of the President (and his perceived successor) has left the country and is presently in London. It is rumored that the First Lady has also left. These reports have been vehemently denied by the American Embassy and should probably be considered unlikely to have actually occurred.

It will be interesting to watch how the situation progresses, but it will be unlikely to cause any problems for us. This seems so far to be a primarily secular popular revolt instead of one lead by the Muslim Brotherhood or other politico-religious groups. It is unclear where exactly the organization is coming from though. The protesters are regular, working-class people seeking governmental reform and measures to relieve the grinding poverty that Egypt is experiencing.

Social media sites and some news sites are being blocked variously throughout the country. Twitter confirmed earlier that they were in fact blocked yesterday. People are using external proxies in order to circumvent the internet blockades and communicate with each other. This will likely lead to stronger measures undertaken to control the flow of information both to news outlets and to those involved in the demonstrations. There are rumors that mobile phone service is being cut off for known activists. There were reports last evening that mobile services were cut off in Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

We are quite safe at present in Maadi (a southern suburb/district of Cairo). The part of the city we live in is far from the action, and the likelihood of anything happening in this particular suburb/district is low considering that it is inhabited primarily by wealthier folks and expatriates. Regardless, we’re keeping our eyes and ears open and making only leaving the house when absolutely necessary. Some of our more foolhardy friends are headed downtown regularly to scope out what is happening. They are brave, but perhaps a little foolish. It is understandable though. This is an exciting time here.

I am paying pretty close attention to what is happening and I will keep all of you informed in the case that the situation changes, possibly necessitating our evacuation. In that extremely unlikely scenario, our plan is to catch whatever flight is available to somewhere in Europe and then regroup and figure out what to do next. We will be extremely grateful to our friends in the EU if they will be willing to take in refugees at such a time as it becomes a necessity.

A DISCLAIMER: None of the information contained in this letter is original research or journalism. All of this has been gleaned from online news sources over the last two days. This is a letter to friends and family who are concerned about my safety and the safety of my friends in Cairo. I have been told that the international news reports on the situation here are confusing and convoluted. This digest is meant to clarify the situation for my loved ones back home. Please do not regard this as some sort of news report, which it is not.

Love, JM

The 8th Annual

Likely, you already know about the Fruity Rum-Drink Party. If not, check out the site that went live this week: fruityrum.com

Again, as I attempt to get back into my own groove after months and months of being a one-track monkey, I will be writing relatively frequently. So, that said, please bear with me as I bore even myself with the minutiae and details of my daily wheelings and dealings.

Things are coming together for this fall’s adventure to Alexandria. Each day I get a little more anxious and a little more prepared for the trip. It is going to be possibly the most academically beneficial experience of my career so far. Not to mention fun. I really look forward to being there again. I feel at home there, even though it might not always be the easiest place to live for an American student—or anyone for that matter. Plus, this site will afford me an opportunity to broadcast what I am doing and to share my experiences with everyone on this side of the ocean. I will also possibly be launching a podcast on this site to further augment that sharing, so stay tuned.

In other news, I—along with Kalamazoo author W. Donta Andrews and the Rev. Ericka Parkinson, Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Richland—will be appearing on Just Friendly Advice with Shalini on Kalamazoo TalkRadio 1360AM this Sunday at 3:00pm. They are doing a series on modern spirituality and I get to go talk about what I actually know something about for a change. Very exciting. It is the first step to my ultimate goal to be a public radio expert on religion someday. I have always wanted to be one of the folks that the Diane Rehm Show or Talk of the Nation staff calls up to have appear on the show to talk about religion, Islam, or whatever. I can’t wait.

For now, however, there are errands to run and there is work to be done on other fronts.

Wow, a month gone and I haven’t written here. I hadn’t realized that it was that long. What have I been doing all this time? Oh yah, I was—along with many others—putting together a huge community-wide event, working for myself, attempting to do some planning for my thesis, write a couple of overdue papers, et cetera. I’ve been busy.

I meant to write last week, but after Kalamazoo Pride there was still a ton of work to be done. I also took a bit of a vacation with some friends in Colorado. It was nice to get away, but it is nice to be home now, and be able to get back to work.

I am, as always, still taking on more than I probably should. We are working with Kalamazoo Pride right now to appoint a board, begin the planning and fundraising for next year’s event, and really get this organization off the ground. We threw one hell of a successful event. It was amazing. People came from all over the area. The bands were great. The food, wine, and beer were all wonderful. We had about 800 people show up at best estimate. I kept getting weepy about whenever anyone would thank me at the event, thinking of how thankful I am for all of the people who have helped us over the course of this project. It really was incredible. I can’t wait to see what they do next year. I hope that it all goes well.

As of this afternoon, I am still tired. The vacation was wonderful. Jeff, Erich, and I went to Mesa Verde National Park. It was beautiful. The cave dwellings were really amazing. We went, by accident, on a three-mile hike up the side of a mesa looking for petroglyphs which we totally missed somehow. It was still a really good time. Durango was wonderful as well. It is a beautiful area, but I wouldn’t want to live there. Driving in the mountains is one of my least favorite things to do. The kind of stress that I feel when doing that is the kind that puts people in the ground at a young age. No thank you.

My most recent project to get back into is a new online media company. John Tobey and I decided that we have some skills that we could possibly make money off of, and we are going to try. John Media is what we are calling this venture. To start off, at least, I will do web and graphic design and Tobey will do graphic design and sound engineering. We will need a video guy eventually, but that should be no problem. It is nice to work for myself again. Things are less complicated when you always agree with your boss.

Last, but most important, things are looking up for the thesis project. I am getting more research and background reading done and preparing myself to start writing more draft chapters. I still have yet to actually propose the thing, but that is a formality which will be taken care of in no time. Then it is off to Egypt in the fall.

I still believe that boredom is the first step to depression for many people. I feel that I will have no trouble with depression this year.

There has recently been a spate of attacks in Kalamazoo. These attacks seem to be unprovoked, carried out by small groups of individuals who are walking through the city, often in broad daylight. This is disconcerting for two reasons: 1) These attacks have gone relatively unreported until a recent feature in the local newspaper. 2) These attacks are unlikely to let up when the college community leaves town for the summer in the next few months.

This is clearly an indicator of economic downturn, which doesn’t really make it better. When things get rough, people turn to crime. Everyone’s morals shift when there is change for the worst.

Regardless of the cause, Kalamazoans need to stay on their toes and keep an eye out. If you are being attacked, attempt to get away, and move to a place where there is a large group of people. If you see a police officer, attempt to get closer to him/her. If you are running away from someone who has a gun, or who you expect may have a gun, run in a zig-zag pattern to make you a less-easy target.

We live in scary times–not just in the world in general, but in our own backyards as well.  This is why it is ever more important that we take care of each other, watch out for our neighbors, and know how to defend ourselves. The effects of terrible situations nation and world-wide are going to be felt by each and every one of us. It would do us good to keep that in mind.