Author: mara.ahmed

The return of radical bookshops

“In the last five to 10 years there has been a massive resurgence in interest in grassroots politics and activism,” says Mandy Vere of Liverpool’s radical bookshop News From Nowhere, where she has worked since soon after its launch in 1974. The shop, named after William Morris’s utopian novel and run by a not-for-profit women’s collective, is, she says, benefiting from the anti-globalisation movement, the anti-capitalist backlash provoked by the current financial crisis, the recent growth in climate change and green activism, and the re-energised feminist movements. Full article.

U.S. Assault Team Kills Wrong People

It was dark when Mohammed Taleb Abdul Ajan woke to the sound of dogs barking. Then he heard boots crunching on gravel and men’s voices outside his bedroom. “Their guns killed without a sound,” he said. By dawn three of Taleb’s sons, two of his brothers, three nephews, a shepherd boy staying with them and a neighbour were dead. All the victims were aged 12 to 18. Eight of them were enrolled in the local school. Most were shot at close range where they slept but one was dragged from the bed that he shared with his wife and killed with his nephews in a different room, Taleb said. Full article.

Legal Defender Isabel Garcia: Arizona Bill Forcing Officers to Determine Immigration Status

Arizona lawmakers have approved what’s being described as the harshest anti-immigrant measure in the country, forcing police officers to determine the immigration status of someone they suspect of being an undocumented immigrant. Meanwhile, over fifty people were arrested Thursday in a federal immigration sweep targeting van operators allegedly involved in smuggling in undocumented migrants from Mexico. We speak to Isabel Garcia, co-chair of the Tuscon-based Coalition for Human Rights and legal defender of Pima County, Arizona. Watch interview.

the use of depleted uranium

The United States and Britain have gravely endangered not only the Iraqis and their own troops, but the entire world. In the first invasion, at least 320 tons of Depleted Uranium were exploded into Iraq, at least 1500 tons were blasted in the second illegal invasion. DU kills people at genetic level. (Questionitnow.com)

Prosecution of Spanish Judge Will Hinder Fight Against Impunity

“Garzón is being politically targeted because he is an international symbol in the fight against impunity,” said ICTJ president emeritus Juan Méndez. “His ground-breaking work in investigating serious crimes has opened the door for long-awaited redress for victims in Argentina, Guatemala, Chile and now Spain.” Garzón has been charged with abuse of process for knowingly exceeding his jurisdiction by investigating crimes committed during the Franco regime. Full article.

Net Neutrality, Why Should You Care?

Currently we live with net neutrality, so there is no perception of real danger. You pay an internet service provider for access and the content you post is available to viewers who are accessing the internet with competing providers. There have only been a few isolated incidents to date where providers blocked access to content, explaining in one case it was to free up bandwidth. Yet the technology exists to restrict access and as panelist, Michael Livermore maintains, the major broadband providers are fighting very hard for the right to do so, while maintaining they have no intention of carrying through on it.

on writing…

When you write, you light a bonfire in the spirit world. It is dark there. Lost souls wander alone. Your inner flame flares up. And the lost souls gather near your light and heat. And they see the next artist at work and go there. And they follow the fires until they find their ways home. (Luis Alberto Urrea)

Allama Iqbal, Gabriel and Ibl?s

In the Quranic account of man’s creation, God asks the angels to bow down to Adam; they bow down, except Ibl?s. God banishes Ibl?s but, granting his request, gives him the power to tempt and waylay humans except those who submit in sincerity to their Creator… Full article.

Room for optimism by Mohsin Hamid

most excellent article by mohsin hamid – finally, a diff story of pakistan:

“As I see it, the Pakistan project is a messy search for ways to improve the lives of 180 million very different citizens. False nationalism won’t work: we are too diverse to believe it. That is why our dictatorships inevitably end. Theocracy won’t work: we are too diverse to agree on the interpretation of religious laws. That is why the Taliban won’t win. Can democracy deliver? In some ways it already has.” Full article.

The After-Lives of Agha Shahid Ali

This is not a set of multicultural clichés about the mutual coexistence of diverse cultures. Urdu — its rhythm, sounds and mood — is poured into English, so that we are left just a little bit uncertain about which language we are in. In the age of its global dominance, Anglophone writing, the poem suggests, has the ethical responsibility to look beyond itself. And of course this mixing of languages recalls the birth many centuries ago of Urdu itself, the quintessential mixed language, created when Persian and Arabic rhythms, sounds and moods were poured into Hindi, the vernacular of north India. An early name for Urdu is of course simply that — rekhta (poured, spilled or mixed). Look for full article here.