Miami and 'Burn Notice'

Today we met up with a friend in downtown Miami. Julie is a friend from our Oklahoma days and we try and catch up each time we are in Florida. Today we saw Julie 'at work' - she was working as an extra on the set of one of our favourite TV shows, Burn Notice. Filming was taking place in one of Miami's top hotels, the Fontainebleau.


The lobby of the Fontainebleau Hotel.

Unfortunately the filming of the pool scenes that Julie was in wrapped up early and they were already done by the time we arrived at the hotel, but we could see them still filming on the balcony of one of the rooms high up in the hotel.


Filming 'Burn Notice' at the Fontainebleau Hotel

And while there, we decided to enjoy some time soaking up the atmosphere and people watching by the pool.

A sign of the (swine flu) times

One part of life in Egypt that never ceases to amaze and amuse me is what I call "metro-shopping". The train system here is called the Metro, and on any given journey at least one fellow traveller will come through the carriage selling some product or another. Usually it's pocket-sized packs of tissues, but I've also seen colouring book, earrings, pony-tail elastics, superglue, lifesaver-type mints, and even socks. Most of these items can be had for just 1 or 2 Egyptian pounds, about 20 - 40 cents!!!
Yesterday, the product du jour was a sign of the mass hysteria sweeping the city - face masks, and the woman selling them was doing a brisk trade.
If only the population would put as much effort into observing sensible hygiene practices and educating themselves on the truth about swine flu, the city would be a lot better off.

Swine Flu

Swine flu has finally hit us a bit close to home. Two students at the American University in Cairo have been diagnosed with this dreaded flu strain. They both live in the university's dormitory in central Cairo, which has effectively gone into 'lock-down' for 24 hours.

This is the article from Associated Press.

2 swine flu cases at American University in Cairo

Mon Jun 8, 3:59 am ET

CAIRO – The American University in Cairo says a dorm building housing foreigners is being quarantined for 24 hours after two American students were diagnosed with swine flu.

Rehab Saad from the university's public relations office said Monday the two cases were discovered Sunday night along with a third suspected case. All three have been hospitalized.

The dorm in the Zamalek area of Cairo houses about 100 students.

It was not known where the students contracted the disease.

Egypt announced its first confirmed swine flu case June 2 after an Egyptian-American girl arriving in the country tested positive.

Egypt's government has come under criticism for its decision to slaughter the nation's pigs in response to the swine flu problem.

An Egyptian police stands guard next to a barrier at an entrance to the dormitory of American University in Cairo