Thursday morning roundup

Diaspora Egyptians are as worried as they are excited. There are a lot of unknowns, and a lot to lose. Things have turned violent and journalists are getting attacked. On a more positive note, the Muslim Brotherhood is not the threat some people think it is. And I'm not confounding the MB with AQ, but keep this very important reality in mind:

“There’s part of this that’s dangerous to Al Qaeda,” said Juan Zarate of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who was a top counterterrorism official during George W. Bush’s administration. “If the street protests lead to a peaceful, pluralistic transition, that does huge damage to the Al Qaeda narrative,” he said. That narrative holds that authoritarian pro-American governments should be deposed by violent jihad.

Oh, and does anyone else think that the level of complexity of what's happening in Egypt is best addressed in forums other than Twitter?

Lobbying may no longer be a growth industry.

Actually, I thought "the Anointed" was quite memorable, but I agree: the Alvin Ailey performance I saw this week was very good, but not the best.

I don't think anyone should have to defend their food choices, and I'm certainly sick of defending mine. Which is why I think this woman's response to her mother-in-law's inane comment was spot on. As for the mother-in-law: don't dish it out if you can't take it. The take-away is on the second page: let's make food a comment-free zone (well, when people are eating; obviously I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss food in the abstract).

What's remarkable about Mark Bittman's first official food column (i.e., first one officially on food politics, rather than food preparation) is that none of those points are the least bit revolutionary in theory, which only serves to emphasize how revolutionary they are in reality, because none of that is happening.