dispatch from cairo

Mothers of the Revolution

An emotional meeting for two Egyptian women, each of whom lost a son to Egyptian forces.

(photo: Beshoy Fayez)

by David Wolman for GlobalPost (October 23, 2011)

CAIRO — The two mothers embraced in mourning. They both wore black veils. They are both Egyptian citizens who believe in a higher power. And they both have sons who are now dead — killed by Egypt’s ruling powers.

One is Muslim and the other is Christian.

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I may have lost this one, but I didn't lose face.

It has been an excellent time here in Flagstaff for the National Association of Science Writers meeting. My friend Emily Sohn and I hosted a panel Saturday with some top-notch journalists, discussing the pros and cons of specialization. Here is how one attendee summarized the conversation:


Having a specialization pays off

By Kathleen O’Neil

Many freelance writers start off as generalists and, either by plan or accident, end up specializing in a particular topic because it can save them time and get them more work. In fact, of the six panelists who discussed specialization at Saturday afternoon’s “Beat It” session, only one identified himself as a complete generalist. More

I was the one of six.

back to cairo for globalpost and OHI journalism event

David Wolman spent time with the April 6 Movement well before it reached critical mass.

Stephanie RiceOctober 14, 2011 06:04

Wired magazine contributing editor David Wolman at the Open Hands Initiative / GlobalPost 'Covering a Revolution' seminar in Cairo, October 2011. (Kim Badawi/GlobalPost)

CAIRO — The revolution began as a failure.
 
At least that’s how it seemed on a sun-scorched summer day in 2008, as security forces easily dispersed a small group of protesters attempting to spread their pro-democracy message on an Alexandria beach.
 
David Wolman, contributing editor for Wired magazine, was shadowing activist Ahmed Maher and some friends for a story on Egypt’s nascent social networking protest movement.

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not all environmental writing is dreary

I just heard from some folks at Stanford that my story "Accidental Wilderness" was awarded "special recognition" for an environmental writing prize. This article is getting some nice attention (see here also), which is great because I really liked reporting and writing it. The world is complicated, and thriving wildlife at Hanford seems to me an elegant illustration of that inescapable truth.

occupyportland

Ran into these folks this afternoon in downtown Portland. Almost as interesting is watching the Twitter streams for #OccupyPortland, #OccupyWallStreet, and others--at night. This is when one of the secret powers of social media manifests itself. Those who aren't camped out remain connected, not just to that sense of solidarity they felt, but also to the reasons they went out there to march in the first place.