Writing
World Focus
U.S. intensifies drone attacks on Pakistan’s tribal region (01/12/2010) In 2009, the U.S. launched at least 50 missile strikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives in northwest Pakistan. While drone attacks are more frequent than ever before, there is wide disagreement about civilian deaths. View our interactive map of Pakistan drone attack locations since 2004.
China’s Great Firewall falls briefly, allowing YouTube & porn (01/05/10) In an effort to curb exposure to unsavory web material, China has massively strengthened its Great Firewall. Internet censorship in China targets perceived threats to the government: political sites, social networks and more. But during brief periods in the past few days, internet users have been able to access forbidden sites — even without going through a proxy.
Pashtunistan faces huge escalation of U.S. anti-terror war (12/31/09) Worldfocus multimedia producer Ben Piven writes about the U.S. war in Pashtunistan, a misunderstood place not found on any world map. The knee-jerk American reaction after September 11th was to strike at the Taliban-ruled nation that harbored a huge al-Qaeda contingent: Afghanistan. But the U.S. has widened its campaign to the region of Pashtunistan.
Human rights group condemns UN eastern Congo mission (12/15/09) A new 183-page report by Human Rights Watch faults the U.N.’s largest and most expensive peacekeeping operation for supporting the Congolese Army’s murderous tactics. The report calls for the embattled U.N. mission — whose mandate is set to expire in two weeks — to cease backing the Congolese military, which is accused of serious human rights violations.
Teddy bear, bumble bee indoctrinate youth on Hamas TV (12/11/09) Since 2007, a propaganda show called Tomorrow’s Pioneers has taught young Palestinians about the alleged sins of Israel and the West. This week, a Washington D.C.-based NGO released a dispatch on this children’s TV program produced by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Watch videos with the show’s 4 costumed co-hosts, including Farfour, a Mickey Mouse look-alike…
Q&A: Jerusalem serves as disputed 2009 Arab ‘culture capital’ (12/04/09) For 2009, UNESCO and the Arab League designated Jerusalem as the year’s Arab culture capital. But Israeli authorities forbade events associated with the program, prompting a series of secret indoor gatherings. Worldfocus interviewed the Dutch organizer of Al Quds Underground.
Q&A: Calling the world’s attention to the caste issue in India (12/01/09) For more on the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Washington D.C. last week, Worldfocus spoke with Ramaiah Avatthi, a professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. Currently a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University, Ramaiah contends that Manmohan Singh has ignored the caste issue during his stewardship of India.
Q&A: One year later, taking Mumbai’s pulse inside taxis (11/25/09) India’s largest city is commemorating the one-year anniversary of vicious terrorist attacks that killed more than 170 people. Journalist Vandana Sood uses Mumbai taxicabs to report on how people from a wide cross-section of Indian society view the aftermath of the attacks.
Q&A: Jerusalem’s undying ethnic strife deepens urban divide (11/20/09) One of the world’s holiest cities is also one of the most divided. For more on Jerusalem’s unique situation, Worldfocus spoke with Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force for Palestine, a non-profit dedicated to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Articles from Inside the Hermit Kingdom, a 6-part Worldfocus series on the people and culture of North Korea:
North Korean economy sandwiched by the dragon and tiger (11/20/09) “Why does South Korea produce Samsung, LG, and Hyundai?” I asked Jong, our 25-year-old North Korean tour guide. She said that North Korea will manufacture sophisticated goods once the essentials — electrification and rice production — are covered. But the blank look on her face suggested that she better not discuss the issue.
Kim Jong-il’s North Korea welcomes legal U.S. tourists (11/13/09) Air Koryo stewardesses with delicately coiffed hair and impeccable red suits directed us to our seats in the stuffy Tupolev aircraft. Flimsy seat backs folded completely forward onto the seat cushions. Pyongyang-bound tourists, businessmen, and North Koreans fanned themselves ferociously, as the temperature hit 80 degrees. (w/ video)
Sweet dreams of Beyonce in N. Korean people’s paradise (11/11/09) On my second day in North Korea, our guide asked if it was true that Michael Jackson had died. We pictured her doing the moonwalk as Michael blared from her in-house PA that never sleeps. After we confirmed the star’s death, she asked whether Michael Jordan had also passed away. She was relieved to hear that America’s greatest basketball player was doing fine. (w/ slideshow)
Straddling the two Koreas: DMZ diplomacy with Major Im (11/03/09) Since 1953, it has been the world’s most militarized border. Bill Clinton has called it the scariest place on earth. Undoubtedly, my most compelling moment in North Korea was at the DMZ — Demilitarized Zone. Many Americans visit the south side of the 2.5-mile wide buffer zone that runs across the 38th parallel, dividing the Communist north from the democratic south. But our group was given a rare glimpse of the north side.
Communist North Korea clings to ‘Juche’ ideology (10/30/09) North Korea is a Cold War relic, but its communist roots alone do not explain the widespread adoption of the ideology knows as Juche — essentially a hybrid of East Asian Confucianism and East European Stalinism. Despite the fact that state literature decrees “man is the master of all things,” Juche (”self-reliance” in Korean) is relentlessly collectivist. (w/ slideshow)
100,000 North Koreans dazzle at mass games spectacle (10/06/09) Worldfocus discussed the meaning of the Arirang Games with two North Korea experts: Charles Armstrong, a history professor and director of Columbia University’s Center for Korean Studies and Leon Sigal, director of the Social Science Research Council’s Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project. (w/ video)
Q&A: Rights group says terminally ill suffer needlessly in India (10/30/09) This week Human Rights Watch released Unbearable Pain, an extensive report on palliative care in India. The organization believes that denying sick people pain relief violates a basic health care right, and that the Indian government should require hospitals to provide terminally ill patients with morphine.
Hindus celebrate Diwali holiday in India and beyond (10/19/09) round the world, from India and Mauritius to the United Kingdom and Guyana, Hindus gathered with friends and family to celebrate the festival of lights: Diwali. Also known as Dipawali, which means “row of lamps,” the holiday commemorates the victory of good over evil within individuals. (w/slideshow & video)
Over 12 million people worldwide have no citizenship (10/16/09) Around the world, an estimated 12 million individuals lack nationality or citizenship in any nation. This means they have no legal right to a passport, employment, or housing. (with amMap)
Mapping out refugees and asylum seekers worldwide (10/14/09) There are estimates of 16 million total refugees and asylum seekers living throughout the world. Refugees fall under the responsibility of different global agencies. There are 10.5 million refugees under the auspices of UNHCR, while UNRWA has responsibility for the estimated 4.7 million Palestinian refugees…
Q&A: Dying during childbirth in India (10/13/09) Last week, Human Rights Watch released an extensive report detailing the maternal mortality problem in India – whose rate is 16 times Russia’s and 10 times China’s. Worldfocus spoke with Aruna Kashyap, the lead researcher of the in-depth study, “No Tally of the Anguish.”
Violence in Guinea shocks international community (10/08/09) A number of Western governments have stepped up their condemnations of violence and brutality in Guinea. An estimated 157 died last week as government troops shot demonstrators voicing their disapproval of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.
Guinea security forces crack down, kill more than 100 (09/29/09) Almost one year after a bloodless coup in December 2008 — during which Captain Moussa Dadis Camara took power several hours after the death of Guinea’s 24-year leader — violence has begun to rock the West African nation’s capital city of Conakry.
Walkouts inside, protests outside for Ahmadinejad at U.N. (09/24/09) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a wide-ranging speech to the U.N.’s General Assembly on Wednesday, emphasizing the ideological contrast between his Islamic values and Western materialism, which he blamed for the global economic downturn.
Day Two at the U.N. (09/23/09) Heralding a “new chapter of international cooperation,” U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly today. Obama remains very popular around the world, although he has not yet elicited any major concessions in global geopolitical conflicts.
Reporting from the U.N. (09/22/09) Here at the U.N. on the first day of the 64th session of the General Assembly, over 100 heads of state have gathered to discuss climate change in the run-up to December’s Copenhagen conference. U.S. President Barack Obama headlined the plenary session, which featured eight world leaders.
Chinese diplomats promote ‘harmonious world’ policy (09/17/09) “Thirty years ago, you couldn’t find anything in American supermarkets made in China. Now, when an American friend shops for a gift, he can’t find one not made in China.”
Rome Metro’s Line C runs into ruins (09/17/09) Rome is currently building its third metro line, which will pass through the gaping hole in the middle of the city not covered by the A and B lines. (w/ map)
Q&A: A Kuwaiti Bidoon suffers from statelessness (09/03/09) Bidoon literally means “without” in Arabic and refers to a group of Bedouin, formerly nomadic Arabs, who are perceived as socially and culturally inferior to the dominant “merchant” tribes of the Gulf States.
Kurdish sanctuary ages in Brooklyn (09/02/09) Flowing headdresses and silver amulets from Kurdistan fill the dusty glass cases of the exhibition room. Over 2,000 erudite books fill the shelves. Faded photographs of Kurdish peasants cover the walls. (on InsideThirteen)
Head-to-toe Islamic veil rare in France (09/01/09) Six years ago, I was looking for an apartment in the French capital. Searching for the 5-A buzzer, an American friend and I came across an old French man who thought we were trespassing…
Q&A: the challenges of entering and exiting Gaza (08/10/09) Nizar al-Wazir came to the United States on a Fulbright grant from Gaza in 2007. He currently works in Washington D.C. at Chemonics, a development consulting firm. He joined Worldfocus to discuss the hardship of coming and going from the Gaza Strip.
Ambitious Dane takes the reins at NATO (08/05/09) His youthful chuckle echoed throughout the reception chamber. The premier was delighted that I used the Danish term for “tax daddy” in a question about windmill subsidies…
Israel not a “sucker” for Obama foreign policy (07/30/09) Beyond all else, the one thing that all visitors to the Holy Land recognize immediately is that queues don’t work properly. Israelis hate waiting in line. In the queue for a spot on President Barack Obama’s world tour…
China promises to execute fewer criminals (07/29/09) In an announcement that is well-timed with the conclusion of bilateral talks between the U.S. and China, Beijing declared that it would drastically cut the number of executions. But China accounted for the vast majority of worldwide executions in 2008…
Warming Greenland moves towards Independence (07/28/09) I read two weeks ago how midsummer’s day was the occasion for big celebrations in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk, a small town snuggled between fjords on the southwestern coast. Clad in sealskin boots and waving red and white Greenlandic flags…
Curvaceous cartoon heroine banned in India for racy exploits (07/27/09) Indian netizens are mourning the passing of an Internet comic heroine, weeks after the country’s Ministry of Telecommunications banned this contemporary take on Kama Sutra for violating public decency. (SavitaBhabhi.com and HuffingtonPost link)
Indian Nationalism Begins to Challenge Caste Identity (04/03/09) The peppery aroma of snack carts permeated the humid air. Workmen gathered under a corrugated tin overhang to sip on mango lassis and sweet lime juice. (HuffingtonPost link)
NY Daily News
Bronx-based service cleans out hoarders’ cluttered homes (05/03/09) Catharine harvests rainwater for bathing and uses a litter box as her toilet. She has had no plumbing for seven years. The Georgetown University alumna sleeps on massive rubbish piles next to her 10 cats. (Cover article of Sunday Metro section)
SAJAforum
You Can Take the Slum Out of Slumdog But Not Out of Mumbai (02/26/09) Aside from the usual criticisms about “Slumdog Millionaire” — regarding its essential truthfulness, or whether the title demeans its subjects–some Mumbai-centric commentators have accused the film of unfair characterization of the Indian slum in general, and Dharavi in particular.
(Hear SAJAforum radio appearances #2 and #3 in the series produced after the 11/26/08 Mumbai terror attacks).
Reporting China
Pinkslips Instead of Hongbao (02/10/09) Chinese New Year celebrations ended inauspiciously on Monday, as one of Beijing’s most critically acclaimed hotels built in the pre-Olympic construction boom sizzled. Indeed, this year may be off to a rough start – and not just for the Mandarin Oriental.
Red Ink
Claudio’s Barber Shop (11/11/08) Claudio Caponigro is one of the last relics of a bygone era. Yet, almost 60 years of snipping the locks of East Harlem residents might come to an end. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next year. 
India Fulbright Report
Caste in the City: Dynamics of Class-Caste Mobility in Mumbai (07/15/08)
Haaretz
Ultra Healthy Hebrews (06/25/07) Ruffling his distinctive beard and directing a regal, pacific gaze towards the growing crowd of Shavuot revelers, Sar Elyashuv…
African Diaspora in the Holy Land (06/04/07) In a spacious, mellow room in Jerusalem’s Old City, a crew of Arabic-speaking youngsters chats about football, oud, and Allah.
Baltimore Sun
Falls Road Relics Link Past, Present (08/13/02) The inn is a few hundred yards north of the spot where the last 25-cent tollgate on the Falls Road Turnpike stood, giving the inn an important…
Game Masters Unite (08/03/02) Despite her humble attitude, Rebecca Hebner won four tournaments at last year’s World Boardgaming Championships.
Making a Wooly Debut (07/13/02) Alpacas: the smaller cousins of llamas make their first appearance at the Baltimore County 4-H Fair…
University of Pennsylvania Honors Senior Thesis
Feeling Blue and Bleeding Red: The American Ideological Cleavage (05/01/05)
YouthNoise
God & Bible (05/10/06) I’m not certain what to think about an Enlightenment type of rationalism, which was always prevalent in American history…
Happy 3rd Anniversary, Mr. President (03/20/05) Multicolored banners waved atop the impassioned crowd, each festooned with clever slogans…The protestors were booming adamantly.
34th Street
Famous Graves and Legends (04/03/03) When West Philadelphia was a suburban paradise in the 18th century, affluent city dwellers built their country estates on the left bank…
Geo/Graphi/Culture
Cultural Geography of Burning Man
(09/16/06) This challenge to define the essence of Burning Man will evoke a plethora of different reactions to the psychedelic, ephemeral, and brutal qualities of the unique phenom. To start, it is necessary to label Burning Man as an event. As such, it takes place during a set time period every year (around Labor Day weekend), in a specific location (Black Rock City, Nevada, 40^45′32.70N, 119^14′14.03W). This year’s festival was in fact the 20th Annual Burning Man, which actually began as a smalltime neo-hippie gathering at Baker Beach in San Francisco…
