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A Call for Genocide?

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” – Dante I’ve tried many times to write about why I refuse to take what some of my American friends believe is a more “neutral,” or non-objective stance when it comes to Israel and Palestine, but each [...]

22.02.2010

19 Comments

On Memorability

Once in a few years occurs a single, unforgettable night. Sometimes it’s filled with romance, and other times it’s just…a crazy night. I’ve had many of these over the years, but there’s one that I can’t forget… I’d returned from Senegal a day before, my hair in kinky, bright blonde braids, my figure as svelte [...]

20.02.2010

4 Comments

“Terrorism in that capital T way”

Just on the heels of my post yesterday, a plane crash in Texas. I wish I’d been home to turn on the TV, because I’m sure there were some media gaffes. A coworker pointed out this article by Brian Stelter in the NYT demonstrating that networks used the word terrorism “with care” in the immediate [...]

18.02.2010

11 Comments

“Terrorist” is the new “Commie”

At a lunch talk at the Shorenstein Center today, in the midst of a discussion on media influence, someone raised a question they had been asked at an event weeks prior: “Are you more afraid of terrorists or the U.S. government?”  The ensuing discussion centered on the fear mongering of the far-right media (e.g., Glenn [...]

17.02.2010

5 Comments

Vive les escargots!

So much of travel writing relies on sensory memory – the aroma of spice and fire in Mumbai, the sound of crickets at dusk in Maine, the feel of still, humid Caribbean air. Thinking back through my years there, it would seem a natural conclusion, then, to write about Morocco through the lens of taste.  [...]

09.02.2010

11 Comments

A Minor Encounter

I was sitting on the bus yesterday morning, reading with headphones in, hood up, lost in my own world, when the woman sitting next to me accidentally elbowed me. She apologized, then in a deep southern drawl, asked, “Whatcha readin’?” I, headphones, still in, flipped the book closed to show her the cover: She paused [...]

05.02.2010

8 Comments

What do you think of your life in Palestine?

This is a guest post written by my friend Saed Karzoun, and translated from its original Arabic by Amani Omari.  The article in its original Arabic can be found at 7iber.com. On my typical day-to-day life, I hang out with a group of young boys and girls like myself; and I realized their growing temptation [...]

04.02.2010

3 Comments