Colors

Last week, Internet procrastinators everywhere giggled at photos of another soldier passing out during an official ceremony. But it's his comrades' reaction that deserves the most attention.

Is Cairo in flames yet? For those watching the November revolution on TV (or reading it on Twitter) this city can seem littered with thrown rocks and empty shells. But the majority of Cairenes are doing what majorities usually do: tending shop, going to school, driving taxis, baking bread, waiting for news. The real action is limited and spot-specific:  battles on Mohammed Mahmoud Street, gunfights…

In preparation for the Million Man March today, Egyptian protesters are expecting the worst. Veterans of Tahrir Square agree that this past week has been bloodier and more dangerous than conflicts during the "January 25 Revolution". Tear-gas has been particularly dangerous, causing fainting, convulsions and death through asphyxiation. It's so potent that some claim that the gas is actually a nerve…

There are two kinds of history. History with a capital "H" is written with fancy pens in fancy palaces, by kings, generals and politicians. But it's the other kind of history, history with a lower case "h", that is the sum of the individual stories of students, bakers, the unemployed, hairdressers, factory workers and anyone you might find on the streets outside those palaces. Sometimes these two…