Bio
This is my time-line from the past five years, including formative experiences that are linked to historical milestones and notable places.
August 28, 2004: The Republican National Convention in NYC leads to the prosperity of the Disarm Bush phenom. This period marks the continuation of the Bush reign. See pics of that polarized era.
October 7, 2005: Post-graduation travels end with a stabbing incident in Brussels. Check this video for the police response. This attack occurs days before large-scale rioting struck western Europe.
October 28, 2005: My New Orleans mission is an odd mix of spooky, Cajun, and Creole when I serve as a Hurricane Katrina disaster relief volunteer for the American Red Cross. Check out the photos here.
July 21, 2006: While in San Francisco, hate group agitation is apparent in an email exchange with a prominent white supremacist. The far-right is up in arms over immigration reform and the July War.
September 16, 2006: Burning Man is as Burning Man does – in this cultural geography account of the psychedelic desert festival that takes place every Labor Day weekend on the alkali flats of Black Rock City, Nevada.
May 7, 2007: Hamas has not yet ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip, but the Last Jewess in Gaza is carrying out her mission in Gaza City as a human rights professional working for a Palestinian NGO.
May 29, 2007: The Western Wall in Jerusalem is generally considered a holy place. Maybe not to Aziz and Habibi, whose adventure at the Mount of Olives cemetery culminates in a violent episode with a local bandit.
July 8, 2007: West Bank reporting includes a hip-hop tour of Shuafat Camp, Samaritan Passover on Mt. Gerizim, guns blazing at Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs, checkpoint chastisement, tear gas, and Birthright Unplugged.
July 20, 2007: Lebanon and Syria are part of the mystique that enshrines 2007 as a year of consummate exploration. Hezbollah encounters in Beirut & Baalbek complement a 9-hour wait next to Dunkin’Donuts at the Syrian border.
July 15, 2008: Experiencing the subcontinent as a scholar of caste under the tutelage of Uncle Sam, India becomes a depository of intellectual output and karmic recourse during my Mumbai goings-on. Watch me in a Bollywood ad.
November 4, 2008: The election of Barack Obama is a watershed event for the people of Harlem, the United States, and the world. Being both a journalist and proud U.S. citizen on election night is euphoric.
December 31, 2008: Exploring Brazil’s largest favela of Rocinha in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro is an eye-opening experience. Afterward, celebrating the new year at Copacabana Beach with around 3 million Brazilians is exhilarating.
August 15, 2009: With 17 other Americans and two Chinese nationals, a trip to North Korea becomes my most fascinating international experience yet. The Arirang Games, DMZ, and common folk are surreal adventures into the DPRK time warp.
September 22, 2009: At the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, I photograph Barack Obama, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Hugo Chavez, and others. With my Worldfocus co-producer, we cover several days at the world body.