Archive for the ‘Elsewhere’ Category
Want to open up some political space? Read a poem
A New York Times article about a poetry salon in Syria includes one of the more charming sentences I’ve read in the media lately: “Lukman Derky, the host of a weekly poetry salon here, was in classic form, a beer perched below a microphone he used to joke, to soothe, to provoke….He also politely apologized [...]
Should we tweet rape?
Update: This post includes content from a few others on the issue. Over the last few days, readers here and elsewhere have shared some very compelling thoughts. For a roundup of ideas offered on this topic, from comments across this blog and elsewhere on the Internet, please see my newest post on the issue. For [...]
Writers wanted: Social injustice after 9/11
My erstwhile classmate and current literati Alia Malek is editing a book that needs contributions. Alia wrote A Country Called Amreeka: American Roots, Arab Stories, an alternative look at America through profiles Arab Americans over the last hundred-plus years. Her next project is part of the Voice of Witness series, founded by Dave Eggers and [...]
On Sept 11, thoughts from Afghanistan
Here’s a note from a friend of mine who’s working in Afghanistan. Today marks 9 years since volunteering at ground zero beside thousands of other New Yorkers who gathered together because they wanted to help each other in a time of need. The smell and the ash and the sounds are still vivid memories. And [...]
On September 11
I’m thinking about a Newsweek article I read recently, about two mothers, each of whom lost a son in New York on September 11. As the media and the popular rhetoric gets hysterical over that jackass Florida pastor and what I keep seeing called “the Ground Zero mosque debate,” I think these two women deserve [...]
Er, well, one more (funny) thing.
I’m waiting at the airport, where there’s a fair amount of funny English. Here’s a few little gems to keep you smiling: In the duty free, all kinds of cigarettes have all kinds of warnings on them. Marlboro is descriptive but somehow non-committal: Smoking Kills. Dunhills are rather considerate: Smoking seriously harms you and others [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [