A few years ago I took a flight from New York to Europe, and soon after the plane started to cross the Atlantic, we ran into choppy turbulences. It was a really bad flight, the plane tossed about by rapid bumps and jolts for several hours. Curiously, I happened to sit next to an Hassidic Jew from Brooklyn, who resorted to prayer, swaying his body to and fro, with violent side movements of the head, the long curled side-locks swinging, which gave the whole experience an apocalyptic touch.
When I stepped out of the plane I had developed fear of flying.
At the time I was traveling extensively. I had to cross the continent on several occasions, fly to Europe on a regular basis and at times even go to Asia. I had always loved flying and now I dreaded it. Sure enough, I had one flight worse than the other. It was the time of choppy winter storms, heavy winds, nasty turbulences and again and again the plane was tossed about and shaken by strong winds and stormy weather.
Some interesting reads on Egypt. The first one is a commentary on the bigger picture of Egypt’t revolution, the US, Israel and Palestinians. The second one a reflection on the fate of a group that may become the collateral damage of the protests in Egypt – Al Queda. And some direct impressions from Tahrir Sqare.
The Living Room 
