What women (in Egypt) want
I have a piece in The Review about the best-selling (and soon to be translated, and soon to be a soap opera), blog-based book عايزة اتجوز (I Want to Get Married). I also discuss some recent, related instances of young Egyptian women airing their problems with marriage, and divorce, online. And you can check out the blog that started it all here.

Middle Eastern food fest in London
This event looks really fun for foodies: The London Middle East Institute (LMEI), the SOAS Food Studies Centre, and Fertile Ground invite you to an evening celebrating the foods of the Middle East. Students and family members of all ages are invited to prepare a dish of special significance to them, and to share their food, as well as stories about it, with others. Special guests Claudia Roden (author of numerous food books, including A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day, and Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon) and Sami Zubaida (Professor Emeritus at Birkbeck Univ

Food subsidies in Egypt
Via Max Strasser.

The Long War
Another good al-Jazeera English feature, here on the “long war” between al-Qaeda and, well, just about everyone else. Panel of commentators includes Lawrence Wright, Robert Pape, Gen. Richard Myers, and Mark Sageman. Part II after the fold.

Links for 10.29.09 to 10.31.09
✪ Daily News Egypt – In Focus: The Brotherhood Crisis | Khalil al-Anani's take on the Brothers' troubles. ✪ Frontlines: Who will be the next leader of Egypt? | Front Lines – the week that was | Jerusalem Post | Funny how much traction Amr Moussa's comments have made in Israel, where they remember vividly his criticism of Israel. ✪ Is this the man to follow Mubarak as Egypt