This work by Jillian C. York is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Descending onto Cairo is surreal. From afar, looking down, it seems as if the green and sand are broken into tiny farmshares; as you get closer, however, you realize that those are actually buildings, all identical, though of varying heights, and laid out in what is actually a rather orderly formation. Closer still, and you’re [...]
Critique of media coverage of Egypt is a strong case for Twitter
In the summer of 2009, I watched, like the rest of the world, as Iranians rose up against their government, protesting rigged elections. Not speaking Persian or knowing anyone on the ground, I was limited in context and understanding of the core issues, and reliant on Western media–skewed hostile toward Ahmadinejad–for news. Though mainstream media [...]
Words from Tahrir Square
I was just listening to Al Jazeera and heard a familiar voice: @monasosh aka Mona Seif, sister of my friend Alaa Abd El Fattah; though I’ve never met her, I know her voice from a @Speak2Tweet message sent just two days ago, in which she sounded optimistic. Now, on Al Jazeera, you can hear the [...]
The New York Times’ Exoticization of the Middle East
AT first glance, they seem like typical American college students on their junior year abroad, swapping stories of language mishaps and cultural clashes, sharing sightseeing tips and travel deals. But these students are not studying at Oxford, the Sorbonne or an art institute in Florence. Instead, they are attending the American University in Cairo, studying [...]


















