“By the way, I like development! I like Tata Nano and Ipod Nano, both. I like big dams and little dams too. I am not one of those Marxist Gandhian ban-Monsanto-farmer-suicide types. I say forget Gandhi and Gandhis! I know you agree with me on this.
“And I like freedom of speech! And I am very angry that the wicked pseudosecular sepoy Marxists at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business revoked their invitation to you to speak by teleconference.
So then, it’s a new academic program straight outta Duke University: “Write(H)ers,” which will, according to the Duke Chronicle, “create a community of feminist-oriented writers,” by, you know, teaching women how to blog. Specifically—direct quote—”The 23 members of the program will participate in personal blogging.” This new program is officially sponsored by the Women’s Center at Duke University, a school with a tuition of $43,623 per year.
As strong supporters of feminist-oriented writers and bloggers, let us be very clear: this is a total fucking scam. (Source)
The finest bloggers, meaning the finest writers who happen to write primarily online, got good, like every other writer, by reading, and writing. These things—particularly the writing part—can be accomplished for free, without ever paying a penny to Duke or any other university, and without filling out an application form to an academic program. I hear Tumblr.com works well. Contributing “three blog posts over the course of the semester” is not going to help you. Sorry.
Afghanistan’s official entry to the Oscars, Buzkashi Boys, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In addition to the Oscar nomination, the film has already won several awards; including Best Cinematography at the UK Film Fest, Best Drama at the LA Shorts Fest, Best Short Film at the Evolution International Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Afghan Producer, Ariel Nasr and Director Sam French also picked up the Jury Prize for Best International Short Film at the Raindance Film Festival.
The movie, with a cast and crew consisting of Afghans, was shot entirely in the capital city of Kabul. The film, in conjunction with Afghan Film Project, was also used as a mentoring program to equip and train Afghan citizens with film production methods and skills. It is hoped that Buzkashi Boys, and its success, will rekindle Afghanistan’s Film Industry.
(via lazy-native)
— http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/opinion/sunday/is-delhi-so-different-from-steubenville.html
— http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/15/pakistan-erased-history-quetta-intolerance
—
Eco-pragmatism appeals to me with South Asia and East Asia in mind. The American form of environmentalism (more nature, less people) doesn’t work there. In its purist form, it can be socially unjust — putting the survival of animals before the needs of human beings.
Nice performance by Ravi Shankar on the Dick Cavett show.
Though I am usually a fan of musical hybridity, I somehow like the non-fusion Ravi Shankar efforts better than the products of his collaborations with western musicians like Philip Glass and Yehudi Menuhin. The latter have always felt like awkward attempts at musical dialogue that were somewhat one-sided (western artists trying to enter into the world of Indian classical music).
He was widely thought of as an ambassador and an agent of cross-cultural dialogue, but Ravi Shankar was really at his musical best in glorious monologue. (As in the video above)
Amardeep Singh Tumblr Experiment. I teach literature at Lehigh University. Still learning my way around Tumblr so bear with me. Email me at: amardeep @ gmail. On Twitter @electrostani
This sounds dodgy, but I’d still like to read it. “In this devastating critique, mounted on behalf of the radical Enlightenment tradition, Vivek...
Home. Pakistan. :)
(Photo via Ali K.)
That’s it. When and if I get married, I am going to have a family photo in front of a typically-beautifully Pakistani truck that is covered with...
SAADA (South Asian American Digital...
Myrna Loy, Asta and William Powell; After the Thin Man c.1936
