As my last post discussed, I’m fascinated by the idea of what goes on behind the screen across the world. What is everyday life like, despite the media sensationalism and rhetoric focusing on the worst parts of any society? In my last post, I wrote about media representations of rape in the DRC, and how…
I recently ran across the work of Yatin Patel, a photographer, designer, and Internet entrepreneur. Yatin is passionate about the roots of India and the country’s thriving populace. His photographs provide us with a glimpse into India today. Yatin has been snapping photographs since he was ten years old. Being the only child in his community to own a camera, Yatin would set out each weekend…
Silhouettes is a new independent film about South Asians in America that deals with issues of identity, race, empowerment, abuse, and is ultimately a story about emancipation. The film has two South Asian women in the lead roles: Pakistani-American actress Fawzia Mirza, and Indian-American Puja Mohindra. Check out the trailer below: The film is produced by…
Recently, I read a beautiful book called “Shooting Water” by Devyani Saltzman. Shooting Water is about the process of filming a documentary called Water, which focused on the lives of three widows in an ashram in Varanasi, India. Saltzman is the daughter of Deepa Mehta, who wrote and directed the film. Surprisingly, there was a…
I wanted to quote an excellent blog post by Karen, a grad student in international affairs: We are trained to think like short term consultants. Everything is project/program based. We are trained to measure everything through statistics, through case studies. A project seems to be measured as “successful” if you get it funded by a…
Politicians today frequently emphasize “enlightened self-interest.” President Obama has said at the UN Development Summit: In our global economy, progress in even the poorest countries can advance the prosperity and security of people far beyond their borders, including my fellow Americans. [...] When a young entrepreneur can’t start a new business, it stymies the creation…
First of all, I want to thank Makafui, a fellow blogger over at “That African Girl,” for featuring an interview with me! I enjoyed writing about what got me started blogging and my views on culture, women’s rights, and feminism. Please click here to read the interview. Thanks, Mak! Second of all, today is 9/11…
“Think Again: War” is an excellent piece by Joshua Goldstein for Foreign Policy. He argues a point that really hit home for me: the world is not a more violent place today. It just seems that violence, death and destruction are everywhere and perhaps even more prevalent than in the past. But this is simply…
Anna Badkhen has yet another incredible piece on Afghanistan in Foreign Policy, where she writes about a village called Karaghuzhlah, which has recently been taken over by the Taliban. She writes: “We don’t care about either the government or the Taliban,” Mohammad Azghar, a driver, tells me. “Neither is going to look out for us…
Stereotypes about poor people are unfortunately prevalent amongst the upper class in the U.S. The top 1% feel they’ve got to where they are with hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. They think that everyone can pull themselves up by their “bootstraps” if they really set their mind to it. They believe that people who…
