Fascinating! What the Ancient Olympics Were Like...

Like most of you, it's been fun watching the Olympics.  But what were the original Olympics like?  National Geographic has a fascinating interview with a historian that discusses what it would have been like to have seen the Olympics 2000 years ago.  It's riveting.  Here are some highlights, but read the whole thing.

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The Olympic Games were held every four years from 776 B.C. to A.D. 394, making them the longest-running recurring event in antiquity. What was the secret of the games' longevity?

Today's Olympics is a vast, secular event, but it doesn't have the religious element of the ancient Olympics, where sacrifices and rituals would take up as much time as the sports. And there were all these peripheral things that came with the festival: the artistic happenings, new writers, new painters, new sculptors. There were fire-eaters, palm readers, and prostitutes.

This was the total pagan entertainment package.

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How popular were the male athletes?

They were as close as you could get to being a demigod in the mortal world. You would gain incredible prestige and wealth from an Olympic victory. You never had to work again.

Officially, the winner was given an olive wreath. But your home city would give you piles of money, honors like front seats at the theater, lifetime pensions, vats of olive oil, maybe even priesthood. Your name would be passed down from generation to generation. You became part of the very fabric of history.

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What was it like for the spectators?

To be a spectator at the Olympic Games was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. It makes modern sports fans seem like a pretty flaky bunch. First of all, if you came from Athens, you had to walk 210 miles [340 kilometers] to get to the site.

Olympia is in the middle of nowhere. It's a beautiful place, very idyllic. But it's basically a collection of three temples and a running track, with one inn reserved for the wealthy.

The organizers had it pretty easy in ancient times. They only had to chase a few sheep and cattle off the running track and temples. Everyone just turned up and had to look after himself. If you're rich, you put up a tent and you had servants. But the rank-and-file spectators plunked down anywhere.

In the high summer it was incredibly hot. The two rivers that converge at Olympia dried up. Nobody could wash. There was no drinking water, and people collapsed from heat stroke.

There was no sanitation, so the odors were quite pungent. Once you got into the stadium, there were no seats, only grassy banks. The word stadium comes from the Greek stadion, which means "a place to stand." But it was an incredible atmosphere with an amazing sense of tradition. People were standing on the very hill where Zeus wrestled his father [according to legend].

How many people showed up?

There were an estimated 40,000 spectators, and probably as many hangers-on, like vendors, writers, artists, prostitutes, and their shepherds.

They didn't have some of the things that we associate with the games today, like the torch relay.

The torch thing was really devised for the 1936 Nazi games. Hitler was fascinated with the ancient Greek world. He had all these theories that Spartans were this Aryan super race. Carl Diem, a sidekick of his, came up with this idea of carrying the torch from Olympia to Berlin.

But the torch and the opening ceremony transcended those rather sordid origins, and it became this wonderful tradition.

Running was the oldest event, but what about the marathon?

The ancient games didn't actually have a marathon. The three-mile [five-kilometer] dolichos was the longest running event in the early ancient games.

The marathon is a Victorian invention, based on a story about the Battle of Marathon. A courier, Philippides, who fought in the battle, dashed from the battlefield to bring news of the Greek victory to Athens. Once there, he collapsed and died.

The 26.3-mile [42.3-kilometer] distance from Marathon to Athens is the length of the modern marathon races around the world.

A few thoughts on the last 4 years

I can't believe it!  I'm home.  On September 31st , July 31st, we returned from Spain and came home to Berlin.  Since we took this job in 2010, my schedule has been absolute madness.  For those of you that follow the diary, you are quite aware of that.  Much of this was due to the need to introduce Three Worlds to the countries in our region (all 18 of them), meet the national leaders, and visit our 3W team on the field.  At points over the 2 years (really only 2 times) I tried to carve out a 4 to 6 week stretch of being at home.  I think it only happened twice in 2 years.  Once something came up and interfered with that "break."  All the meantime, the regular paperwork and correspondence is constantly ongoing.

This most recent stretch (May-July) has been brutal.  Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Florida, Indiana, Ukraine, Egypt, and Spain with only a handful of days "at home" in Berlin.  To be honest, Berlin is like Heathrow Airport to me.  It's a place where I transfer from one plane (or train or car) to another, buy some snacks, and pick up my luggage.  I hardly know the city at all.  When I am home I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on, and I just want to be at home NOT moving anywhere with my family.

Prior to taking this job, I spent 2 years on the road writing "Mosaic" which meant going to a new country or city every 10 days for 24 months.  Yes, it was quite the adventure as you know if you followed this blog or read the book, but that means that i'm going on 4 years of this kind of insane schedule.  I'm not complaining (really I'm not)-- just saying that it has taken its toll and it can't go on like this indefinitely.

So now with 3W celebrating it's 2nd birthday and the team growing, I can finally slow it down.  Teammates have covered for me in Russia and Greece and with the Care-a-Van this past year which greatly helped (thanks Philips, Varners and Simpsons), and I envision that continuing as we add the Kihms and Langfords.

All that to say that I am now in Berlin for at least 7 weeks  (if you don't count a short 36 hour trip to Western Germany).  It has been years since I've been home for 7 weeks.  Even in Hong Kong, there were frequent trips to China or other parts of Asia.  And overall, I think fall 2012-2013 will be more reasonable than the past 4 years.  I cannot even fathom not having to pack up a suitcase (actually Jamie packs it, but you know what I mean).

Do I love travel?  Absolutely.  Has the novelty of visiting other countries worn off after visiting nearly 70 on 6 continents?  No.  Am I tired of traveling?  Yes.  Do I need a break? Yes.  I think the body can only handle so much.  Constantly being in different cultures and languages every few days, and in constant transit is a weird, weird way to live.  It's become normal for me, but it's also incredibly strange.  It has to take a toll on your psyche and your body one way or another, even if it's in your subconcious.  I think it does because I do feel completely worn out.

But you know, I've never met anyone that loved traveling more than me.  I know that's saying a lot since many people love to travel--but really--since I was 4 years old, I had a deep passion and obsession for the countries of the world.  I memorized city maps at 4, drew world cities all over my desk in elementary school, and knew all the flight schedules of every airline by 6th grade.  It was a COMPLETE and TOTAL obsession.  So I never take it for granted and I thank God for this amazing opportunity.  Do I deserve the good fortune of so much travel.  No.  But I'd like to think God gave me this opportunity because I absolutely marinate in every experience wherever I am.

I've tried to use this honor of traveling so much to do good in the world.  I've worked for the church, written books to help the church, and tried to bring love and appreciation to all the cultures and people I've visited.  I hope I'm living up to my end of the bargain.  Many years ago when I was 19 or 20, a Pastor came from out of town into our church, put his hands on me, and prophesied and told me this was exactly the kind of life I would live.  I didn't know the guy from Adam (much like the woman in the Ukraine), but little did he know that that was my greatest desire.  Anyway, it has come to pass and I hope I've done positive things with this great opportunity.

My greatest desire at this point in my life is to see the younger generation take the global stage in the church.  I have high hopes for the Kihms, the Langfords, and others coming up behind.  I hope they go farther and accomplish more than I have.  That shouldn't be difficult, really.  They may not match the miles, but they can easily surpass the impact.  I just hope we are constructing something here that will be an avenue for the next generation to do global ministry.

The "Mosaic" experience exposed me to a lot of dysfunction.  I was very candid about that in the book.  I wrote in there that it left me depressed.  It was an emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausting experience.  I have not recovered from that even though the writing of the book finished nearly 3 years ago.  I met a lot of very lonely pastors, missionaries, and broken churches on every continent.  There was a lot of unnecessary damage and brokenness.  It ripped my soul to shreds in many ways.  However, it has helped us to try and focus on health in the last 2 years and to create space for the next generation to take us some place better.  Neither Jamie nor I have a desire to be at the center of Three Worlds.  We're Gen-Xers.  We think that kind of obsession with position, power, and legacy is moronic.  We really don't get it and it's been horribly destructive in the church.  If that becomes the case, then 3W will have been a failure.  We'd like to see God lifted up and our regional missionaries (whatever their age) flourish as they empower the church and make the world a better place.

So I really hope that I have reached a place where I can regain my center of gravity after 4 years (minimum) of total upheaval.  It will not be easy.  This job (the mission-field) is not made for people that crave stability and predictability.  It is a job of extremes by nature.  But I would like to recover that center of gravity---some semblance of stability.  So this August, I hope is a bookend.  Hopefully, what comes after this is a different kind of season.

August will not be work-free.  Not in the least.  Both Jamie and I have a back-log of work due to our trips.  I am especially behind on a number of projects which I have not been able to deal with since hitting the road hard in May.  And we have a lot of things coming up such as our 3W Staff Retreat, 3W Roundtable, hosting visitors from around the world in our home, and dealing with the many work issues and requests from our region that have piled up over the past few weeks.  Much of 2013 will be mapped out in the coming weeks as well.  Hopefully it will be sane.

While catching up on work in the coming weeks, I plan to listen to a lot of 80's music, ride my bike, spend a lot of time with Jamie and Marco, actually do exercise, and continue to read books that lower the stress level instead of heighten it.  A little less "War and Peace" and more "Anne of Green Gables." Although my next book is about the Vietnam War so...

T0 my two diary readers left after 10 years of writing here (Dad and Charles Manson), thanks for going on this journey with our family.  We appreciate your love, support, and belief in us.  There really are a lot of people, hundreds if not thousands when you factor in the churches, who support us and make all of it possible.  And thanks for supporting our 3W Teammates.  They are amazing and gifted people--every one of them.

So now...Back to work....with some bicycle rides to the lake thrown in for good measure.

In Spain, So Here's London

We are in Almeria, Spain after having visited Granada, Spain.  We are here for the 3W Seminar.  More on that later.  Both the cities of Almeria and Granada were at one point conquered by the Muslims.  These cities were filled with mosques for centuries, until "the Catholic Kings" reversed the tide and Spain became "Christian" again.  The walls and fortresses are still present in Almeria and Granada.  It is so European in that there are layers and layers of ancient, complicated, fascinating history everywhere you look.

My favorite place on Earth---London---is the same exact way.  Here's a video that shows how this ancient layered history still has effects in the present day.  So much of Europe is exactly like this video.

Greetings from Sunny Spain

Greetings from the Southern half of Spain.  The P, the J, and the M have arrived in the land of the Conquistadors and the World Cup/Euro Cup champions.  We're on our way south from Madrid to meet up with our friends the Fernandez family.  We'll be talking a lot of business and potential ministry opportunities, but it's nice to be able to do this trip as a family instead of being separated. All is fine here.  It's always fun to come to Spain since I can speak Spanish.  But I also feel that Spain is one of the least friendly countries in our region.  It's surprising since it's more of a hot weather climate/culture, but usually it's just not that friendly of a place.  We'll see how it goes this time around.

The weather is hot, but not uncomfortably so.  The closer we get to Almeria and the Fernandez, the hotter it will get.  That area is desert and it's actually where a lot of those old Clint Eastwood westerns were filmed like "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

This is Marco's first visit to Spain.  He was actually here before once in 2002, but he was a a zygote in the womb.  Thus far he's really enjoying the climate. I think we all are.

Letting down in Egypt

Greetings from Cairo, Egypt.  Well, it's been a while since I've written.  That's mainly because upon arrival in Cairo to visit I just completely checked out.  Whenever we come here, I leave it up to Jamie to organize and do everything since it's her old home.  And now with the Oldhams here and Keli and Ken taking care of everything, I felt myself just completely check out.  Eventually, I stopped reading email and getting on the internet altogether.  So...now it's time to re-connect.

We actually arrived here a little bit late.  We were supposed to arrive shortly after midnight last Thursday.  But our flight from Frankfurt, Germany couldn't take off because there is now a strict curfew on planes taking off at night.  Each night at 10PM, the flights come to a halt.  Our flight was literally the last flight on the runway line up and we got on the runway and turned around.  It' was 10:01PM.  So that was it.  They put us up in a nice hotel and we arrived the next afternoon.

It's been great to be with the Oldhams.  They are very settled in here and doing a great job.  The house looks lovely and they were such great hosts--it was very easy to just led down and relax right away.  Marco has had a blast hanging out with Zeke, Titus, and Grace.  And we've really enjoyed our time with Ken and Keli.  We tried to get the work stuff out of the way as much as possible, so we could just focus on some family time.

On Sunday Jamie and I spoke about Three Worlds at the Cairo Christian Fellowship where Ken and Keli are pastors.  It was great to see old friends again and to see the Oldhams in their new position.  We've spent a lot of time talking, playing some basketball, and enjoying each others' company.

On Monday, we went to a place none of us have ever been to called El Gouna. It's on the Red Sea.   I knew nothing about it but found a place with great rate for families like ours so that's why I chose it.  So we set out Monday morning on a nearly 6 hour drive across the desert to the shores of the Red Sea.  It was not at all what I was expecting--but it was very cool (not weather wise, it was scorching hot).  El Gouna is this artificially constructed town on the Red Sea with hotels and activities for tourists.  It's like a big Club Med or a tiny Dubai.  It's a restricted area so, unlike the rest of Egypt, it was always clean, safe, and looked immaculate.  I had thought it was a harbor town close to another famous resort town.  Alas, it felt a bit like being at Disney's Epcot Center, but it certainly was relaxing having everything close to you in this easy, compact little "town" which is apparently owned by a Christian businessman.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we went snorkling in the Red Sea.  It's something that Jamie used to do a lot as a kid.  I'm not sure any of us had ever done that before (except maybe Keli?) so it was a steep learning curve.  They just took us out to reefs in the middle of the Sea and we were supposed to put on the snorkling gear and just dive off the boat.  I've never put on flippers or snorkling gear (the mask and the tube-thing..I have no idea what it's called), never been off a boat, and really can't technically swim.  But it was too good an opportunity to pass up.  So while the others swam around the reefs, I just had to hang on to the boat and look down.  It was very cool and I can see why Jamie always raved about it.  It would be nice to try it sometime somewhere where being a skilled swimmer isn't so necessary.

I got one of my deep chest colds and sore throats on Day 2 of our beach outing so that has zapped me of some energy.  And yes, it was hot out there. It averaged between 104 degrees and 109 degrees but the humidity was only about 30%.  So it didn't feel as oppressively sticky as Hong Kong, but it certainly was hot.  All three of us got sunburned.

Along with my week of letting down, came my usual batch of idiotic pictures.  It's hard to believe how few pictures of the Oldhams there are in my photos.  And then we actually went to the Red Sea (Yes, as in Moses parting the Red Sea) and  I got zero photos of that.  Yup, zero.  I think Jamie got some photos, and I'm sure the Oldhams probably did, but I did my usual AWOL photographer routine.  So behold, my usual blurry, nearly useless photographs:

More Photos from the Ukraine

Hello, Goodbye at 3W

Aaron and Nicole Varner are on the way back to the USA today.  We saw them yesterday in Berlin and said our final "goodbyes"......at least for now.  I'm sure our paths will cross many more times in the future.  You guys have been great to work with and we'll miss all that you do.  Enjoy that direct flight to Miami. Meanwhile...is it possible that our new 3W Team members Daniel and Christy Kihm are becoming parents at this exact moment?  We'll keep you posted as we get ready to say hello to baby Kihm.

And as for the 3 of us---we are off to Egypt today to spend some time with the Oldham family.  So hello, goodbye.

From Ukraine, with Love

I just got back from spending a week in the Ukraine.  I was there to speak at the dedication of the new church building as well as to be the speaker at the 18th annual conference of Russia and the Ukraine.  People came all the way from the far reaches of Siberia (5 days away), from our church in Chelyabinsk, from the Russian Church of God congregations in Southern Germany, and from various parts of the Ukraine.

I have to admit, I went into this one completely depleted.  Year 2 of Three Worlds has been emotionally exhausting--and as you know if you follow the diary---has been one big travel-a-thon.  I also felt that my 6 speeches (which actually turned out to be 7...surprise Ukrainian-style!) were among the  worst I've ever done.  The night before I left, Jamie helped to give them more structure, but I still felt massively unsettled as I boarded the plane.

Once I landed in Donetsk--Ukraine's 5th largest city and recent site of Euro Cup matches--it was back into work mode.  This is what I do for a living. I manned up.  I made my way to a hotel located next to Donetsk's new stadium which they are very proud of.

The next day I was picked up by my host Pastor Vassilly and Pastor Wallentin (from Germany) and taken to the little village of Kamenka--population 700.  The drive was on bumpy roads and we passed nothing but open fields.  Eventually we arrived in the village which seemed to have one main street....and that's about it.   And it had one store which I mistook for an empty abandoned warehouse.  Ukraine is not a wealthy country and years of living under the Soviet Union's economic system has not been exactly good.  Their transition to democracy has not been exactly smooth and outside of Kiev and a very few major cities most people live very simple lives.  In the van with me was Stefan, the pastor's son and his awesome wife Luda, as well as Fritzlar Bible College student Rudy.

Nobody spoke much English at all, so it was a great thing when the interpreter showed up the next day.  Anya was the best interpreter ever, and was such a fun person to hang out with.  The strange things about the Slavs---Russians, Ukrainians and others is how cold and distant they can seem on the streets, in the subways, ..basically everywhere.  But when you get to actually know them and become friends with them----my goodness---they go right for the heart.  As I got to know everyone in Kamenka, I absolutely fell in love with everyone.  They were so kind, so fun, so hospitable, and just so wonderful.

My speeches were not much better than I had prepared---yet they miraculously seemed to be exactly what the people needed to hear.  This is something that has happened to me before and it is pretty miraculous.  You say exactly what someone needs to hear at that exact moment in their life. It's supernatural.  And it's obviously supernatural when it happens from yourself--and you know you are not doing it because you suck.

There is such a thing as prophetic words---words that come from God at exactly the right time, that say things that no one could possibly know, that are special messages that give direction, affirmation and penetrate the heart.  Apparently God was using me to do that despite the fact that I felt none of it.  It was the least comfortable I've felt going into something.

We had lots of meals...not the kind of meals you are having today...and lots of time together.  We visited some homes in the village, joked a lot, and had a lot of church.  There was communion, a foot-washing service, and more of me yapping away.  I felt like I had a special helper...a girl name Masha who absolutely stole my heart.  She is roughly Marco's age, and like Marco she was quite the little confident director.  Masha was adorable, and seemed to be my very own personal assistant.  I'd love to hire for her Three Worlds..now! It wasn't easy to not just steal away Masha from her 2 brothers and Mother and Father.  They were a lovely family who gave me 3 dead fish as a gift (that's a first).  We spent some evenings at their homes late at night, drinking tea with honey and laughing.

Little did I know that someone had a prophetic word for me.  Luda, who was just the nicest, sweetest young lady was a joy to get to know.  Her English was pretty good and we met on that first van trip when she and her husband Stefan rode up with me to Kamenka. Stefan has served as a missionary to other parts of Russia and Ukraine.  Over the course of the week, every time I would see Luda, I just felt that she had a deep, intuitive, prophetic spirit.  An E.Q. off the charts.  There was just something about her.  So finally one day I told her that she had a special gift of discernment and that I could sense that.  I was right, because she said she does have that kind of gift.

The week went on and it was just great to be around everyone.  On the final Sunday, we had the dedication service of the new church which was open to anyone in the community as well as other churches.  There were special music performances including from other churches and words of greetings and congratulations.  Pastor Wallentin shared the history of the 18 years of this conference as well as the history of the construction of the church building which is completely paid off.  Then I got up to speak and we had a final meal time.  "That was my favorite pig that we just ate"  little Masha said wistfully at one meal.  The Bagmut family was wonderful and every time I was in their home I genuinely felt like I was in my home.

Saying "goodbye" was really difficult.  It was especially hard to say goodbye to Masha.  "You'll see him in heaven" people kept telling her.  "That's not making me feel better", she replied.  Actually, I hope it's a lot sooner than that.

Before Anya and I left to head back to Donetsk, Luda handed me a letter in Russia.  It was a message God gave to her specifically for me.  I couldn't imagine what it said, but I knew that it it came from Luda it would be real and profound.  We said our goodbyes to everyone and got on the bus and then Anya translated the message Luda had transcribed.

It was absolutely penetrating to the very core of my being. It was prophetic.  Only I could understand what was written in that letter.  There's no way Luda could have known what she was writing and what it meant to me.  It's private and I won't be sharing it here.  Suffice to say that never in a million years did I expect that gift on this trip to Ukraine.  It was miraculous.  When I got back to Donetsk and checked into a hotel for the flight out the next day I looked at my pictures and letter and just wept and wept and wept.

I'll never forget Kamenka, the people, the experience.  It was life-changing for me.

The small plane that was to fly me back to Munich had to abort the take-off at the last second.  There was a flock of birds the plane would have collided with.  We sat there for 45 minutes waiting for the breaks to cool.  I missed my connecting flight to Berlin and was put on a later flight and got back to Jamie and Marco.  Now we're together for a couple of months with no interruptions.  Finally.

Back in Berlin I looked up Kamenka on google earth and couldn't find the village of 700.  That's okay.  I'll always know where it is.  It's right here in my heart.

Off to Ukraine

Last week was very exciting as we commissioned our newest 3W team members Daniel and Christy Kihm (The Netherlands) and Zach and Audrey Langford (Liverpool, UK).   A week ago, we had a fun evening over at the Kihms house in Anderson, Indiana---it was us 5 3Wers together for the first time.  Great chemistry and a great team. Now I'm off to the Ukraine to visit the CHOG there, speak at their annual meeting, and dedicate a new building.  This is my first time to the Ukraine.  I'm flying to Donetsk, one of the host cities for the Euro Cup Football tournament that just concluded last night with Spain's monumental win over Italy (4-0).  From Donetsk, I guess we will be traveling 3 hours into the rural countryside to an area I've probably never heard of.  It should be an adventure.

I'm not sure what internet will be like, but if there's the opportunity to get online and post pictures, I certainly will.

I got back on Friday and have got to spend Friday through Monday with Jamie and Marco.  That's been great, but alas too short  (I also  have massive jet-lag.  I never like going West to East.  That's always much harder for me). This is my final trip without them for a while.  So if I can just make it to next Monday (one more week), we'll be together for a good long time.  Overall, I'm going to start scaling back my travel as year 3 of 3W goes on.  It will still be crazy, but the days at home will get longer and longer and the trips shorter and shorter.  And once we're fielding a full team, hopefully it will get even better for me schedule-wise.  Here's hoping.

Okay, so now it's off to Ukraine.

What's Up With Egypt?

It's been silent around the diary lately as I've been attending the N.A.C. (North American Convention) events.  That hasn't left much time to write.  I fly back to Germany on Thursday via Miami---and then will have only 4 days at home before heading to Ukraine.  After Ukraine, then, I will be with my family for a good long while, and I'm really looking forward to that. We've been monitoring what's going on in Egypt quite closely.  The President was elected and it's a guy from the Muslim Brotherhood as opposed to the military.  The more progressive parties fielded too many candidates and the votes split.  It was better that the Muslim brotherhood guy one as opposed to the military left-over from the Mubarak era.  But of course there are a lot of questions about what happens now.  How moderate will the Muslim be? Will the military truly allow the President to rule? What about the new constitution that needs to be written?

Quite often, it's better for the Muslim parties to get into power because then they have to do more than play the role of the critic.  Nothing disillusions people on religion faster than a religious political power.  So I'm not panicking yet.  Egypt does not seem to have the population of radicals that Iran had in 1979 when they had their Islamic Revolution which has been a complete failure from top to bottom.

The new Egyptian President is a graduate of U.S.C. (He's a trojan) and is considered moderate.  Fox News incorrectly has been reporting that he declared that Jerusalem would be the capital of Egypt???  What?  No. wrong.  The Christian Science Monitor caught that one.

Reuters' article today mentions what is on the line at the moment:

"The Muslim Brotherhood has reached some agreements with the army on the powers that Egypt's first Islamist president will hold and the fate of the dissolved Islamist-led parliament, Brotherhood officials said on Tuesday.

The newly elected president, Mohamed Mursi, toured his palace on Monday. But after savoring the victory that installed him in place ofthe Brotherhood's ousted enemy Hosni Mubarak, he immediately went to see the generals in the Defence Ministry in a visit that seemed to underline who really calls the shots.

Mursi, seeking to fulfill a promise of inclusive government, will name six vice-presidents - a woman, a Christian and others drawn from non-Brotherhood political groups -to act as an advisory panel, said Sameh Essawi, an aide to the president.

Mursi has resigned as head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party to be a "president for all Egyptians" but critics question his independence from the movement's opaque leadership."

Lots of questions lingering.

Our 3W teammates on the ground in Egypt have a lot more at their blog and are the best source of information for all things Egypt.

Jamie, Marco,  and I head to Egypt July 11th.