Departing in the morning, Aiman,
whose cell phone number had been given by tour members registering with the State Department, received a text message from the IRC Damascus (International Red Cross): «Independence Day rally currently in Ummawiyeen Circle.
«On my
phone, the application ranked contacts in Colorado, Michigan, and New Mexico at the top; at the bottom was a friend
whose cell phone has a Texas
number, though she actually lives in California.»