south asia

Reading this for my next book club meeting - looking forward to getting into it, it sounds really interesting and I haven't seen a lot of other fiction on this subject.

Quoted: Hamid grabs hold of the American Dream as seen through the eyes of a young Princeton grad from Pakistan in a post-9/11 world. As the protagonist, Changez, finds moderate business success and romantic love in New York City, his heritage and identity will be lost in a sea of subtle and blatant bigotry as well as international politics.

My article on "A Dream in Doubt," a documentary on post-9/11 anti-Sikh violence in the U.S., and on an anti-Sikh hate crime that took place on I-5 in Seattle. Sad.

Quoted: In the years following September 11, 2001, America has struggled to make sense of a tragedy, turning a scrutinizing eye at the country’s role in world affairs and its immigration policies. In one form, this scrutiny has morphed into an attempt to seek out and retaliate against a tangible “enemy.”

Haha great interview with Shashi Tharoor (Indian fiction/non-fiction author & high-ranking U.N. diplomat) on the Colbert Report.

Quoted: Shashi Tharoor believes that Stephen would have been at the top of the caste system.

Wow, this week marks the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. Some great pictures in this slide show...

Quoted: This week in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, fleeing the Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet, crossed the border into India, where he was granted political asylum.

I'm attending a screening of this film about post-9/11 anti-Skih violence on April 19th at the Northwest Film Forum for an article I'm working on. Click on the link about screening events to RSVP for the Seattle one... it's free and the filmmaker and one of the film's subjects will be attending.

Quoted: One of America’s first post 9/11 hate crime murders punctuated a growing wave of violence against Sikhs in retaliation for the terror attacks. Told from the perspective of the victim’s brother, A DREAM IN DOUBT travels to Mesa, Arizona to reveal a story of national tragedy, murder, community and the American dream.

An interview with the female suicide bomber who was convicted of attempting to assassinate the Sri Lankan prime minister. The Tamil Tigers are known for having female suicide bombers, as well as young girl soldiers.

Quoted: On the day before she set out to blow up the Sri Lankan prime minister, Menake went shopping for a sequined top to hide the vest full of explosives that would turn her into a human bomb.

A good recap/analysis of what happened in the Pakistani elections.

Quoted: Heading into Monday's parliamentary elections, Pakistan desperately needed good news. Bombs, protests, and President Pervez Musharraf's authoritarian impulses have made almost daily headlines and created the impression of a country spiraling toward chaos.