tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104635132024-03-05T11:35:15.295-08:00borderless culture™musings of a global nomadDeeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-5826180266347397982011-09-11T17:04:00.000-07:002011-09-15T19:34:24.415-07:00The Shame of 9/11Ten years have passed since 9/11 and I still have trouble watching those news clips the media likes to replay over and over again of that fateful day in 2001. It's still painful. And I thankfully, did not lose any of my friends who worked in the Twin Towers or surrounding areas. I was safely at work in midtown Manhattan when the planes hit. I remember for days after, the lighter debris from the World Trade Center's fallen towers would blow onto my street in Brooklyn and if the wind was blowing was east or north there was an unnerving stench in the air.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGATNGDUBlGHkEc7eOSqUFb7l06DaVICmThulJWiO4J4mlnviZ5DY17FZ_XN8ZUzaQq5F9SyeDV_U3FZrHTmZtBcDZ6v77NTycPpexZ8n4tt_fUECkRpvbOqQ7v2URVpLQRFNOTw/s1600/WTC+light+beam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGATNGDUBlGHkEc7eOSqUFb7l06DaVICmThulJWiO4J4mlnviZ5DY17FZ_XN8ZUzaQq5F9SyeDV_U3FZrHTmZtBcDZ6v77NTycPpexZ8n4tt_fUECkRpvbOqQ7v2URVpLQRFNOTw/s320/WTC+light+beam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651283120907237522" border="0" /></a>One image I cannot get out of my mind from that day, is the sight of the endless stream of firefighters entering the burning buildings. I remember the look on their faces of both hope and despair. They were bravely mobilized to search and save human life while knowing full well that they were sacrificing their own. On that day 343 New York firefighters, 15 EMTs lost their lives. Two thousand other first responders were injured. But in the process they assisted 16,000 people evacuate the collapsing buildings.<br /><br />In the weeks after, thousands of first responders with inadequate protection and equipment spent endless hours digging through the mountain of ruble in search of life and human remains.<br /><br />These men and women represent to me the best of humanity and should be celebrated and rewarded. They definitely deserve much better than the politicians who run this country.<br /><br />The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pressured by the White House made the inane announcement promptly after the collapse of the buildings that despite all the dust and fumes and air contaminated with 24,000 gallons of jet fuel, glass, asbestos, cement, lead and other toxins was within healthy limits and that clean up should continue and that NY residents should resume to their activities downtown.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTwsTODHclGuHxRM1nkdGmPeAC7Z3UF-1tM9MnL9ooD8Ijox4i-xJE3s2DxTW26Lpqu9l5JFMUA4XQ2VRP_fwfKk2GkbDtDM82T4BLm2eGbq_fAkqMuTeY1qRb0G9kGRSsSO9Aw/s1600/9-11+Firefighters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTwsTODHclGuHxRM1nkdGmPeAC7Z3UF-1tM9MnL9ooD8Ijox4i-xJE3s2DxTW26Lpqu9l5JFMUA4XQ2VRP_fwfKk2GkbDtDM82T4BLm2eGbq_fAkqMuTeY1qRb0G9kGRSsSO9Aw/s320/9-11+Firefighters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651283122017865810" border="0" /></a>Inevitably, within 48 hours of working on the site after the attack, 90% of New York City firefighters complained of cough symptoms. Ten years later, we now know that not only did inhaling this air cause coughing, it is also caused asthma, gastrointestinal problems, scars on the lungs and significant increase in cancer amongst first responders. So instead of rewards and recognition, thousands of this nation's first responders were faced with failing health, loss of employment due to illness, bankrupting medical bills and death.<br /><br />Finally in 2006, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was introduced to fund treatment programs and provide compensation funds to those who suffered physical harm or death in the World Trade Center attacks. But the bill did not pass. Nine years after the attacks in 2010, a revised bill was introduced with a lesser financial cost that excluded cancer from the list of illnesses covered in the legislation. This was the Democratic party's compromise in the hopes of attaining Republican support for the bill. This is despite studies from the Lancet Medical Journal that stated that those exposed to substances at Ground Zero were 19% more likely to develop cancer than those not exposed. This ridiculous exclusion has left nearly 10,000 Fire Department personnel little alternative to spend their life savings to pay for their medical treatment, if they could even afford it.<br /><br />In the latter half of 2010 when the legislation was up for vote again, it became known that the Republican party planned to filibuster the revised bill citing that the $4.3 billion dollar price tag was still too high. (Although, they do not seem to have any problems funding $1.649 trillion for two wars or spending $1.2 trillion to bailout the financial industry.*)<br /><br />It was not until comedian John Stewart started highlighting this legislation and all the political drama around it on his show, that prompted public outrage which finally resulted in the passage of the bill in December 2010 - more than nine years after the first health problems amongst the first responders became evident. However, since the bill still excludes cancer from any funding or support, the battle for many of the first responders still continues.<br /><br />U.S. politicians so frequently cite 9/11 when it suits their political aims but when it comes to actually helping those, who so selflessly helped and saved so many on that horrible day, their interest in the attacks seems to shift. John Stewart described this fiasco best when he called it a 'national shame,' and the senators responsible for blocking this bill the 'worst responders.'<br /><br />The attacks on 9/11 remains a painful moment in this country's history. It is appalling that the leadership of this country made it a much darker, more painful stain in the nation's memory.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61822.html</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-18739648227552196442011-03-20T13:48:00.000-07:002014-10-17T16:00:07.076-07:00In Shock and Awe of JapanA few months ago, I was on the shinkansen going from Tokyo to Kyoto. The bullet train was relatively full, but most of the passengers with their heads bowed were quietly busying themselves with their meals, their mobile phones, computers or reading material. The train conductor gently slid the door open came into our car. But before he started to check tickets, he bowed to all the passengers in that specific car. Nobody was really paying any attention, only perhaps my mother and me. After thanking each passenger and checking each ticket, before he moved on to the next car, with all our backs facing him, he bowed again.<br />
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When we were in Kyoto, we took quite a few of the buses to get around the city and almost every time, no matter what bus, no matter who the driver was, the bus driver thanked every single passenger as they got off the bus. Sometimes thirty people got off the bus at once. The bus driver barely took a breath.<br />
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While in Tokyo, my husband and I walked in a 7-Eleven convenient store in Shinjuku. It was rush hour and the store was packed with people picking up dinner, snacks, a coffee or a magazine for the long train ride home. We picked up two bottles of water. The enthusiasm with which the convenience store clerk greeted us, packaged our water and thanked us for this 'tremendous' purchase, was absolutely unparalleled for us. Although, not so unusual in Japan.<br />
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It didn't matter what the job was, how inspiring or how mundane, each and everyone for the most part did it with extreme pride and enthusiasm. It seemed that every job was the most important job in the world and their lives depended on it.<br />
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A week after the one of the most horrendous natural disasters to hit Japan, you see that same professional honor and pride amongst those tireless anonymous workers in the nuclear plant in Fukushima bravely risking their lives, in the hopes of saving the lives of many millions.<br />
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Watching the news unfold, many miles away in Southern California, I can't help but feel that the Japanese people definitely deserve better government leadership and better executives from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to lead, help and guide them through this three headed disaster. But what is incredible about the Japanese, is that no one seems to be sitting around indulging much of any time in self-pity. Although, no one would blame them with thousands dead and miles of endless destruction. Instead, what we see are news articles upon articles in the global media describing the patience, resilience and mutual respect of the Japanese -waiting hours in line at barely stocked supermarkets to pick up their ten allotted items to feed their families. There is no pushing, no looting, no theft. And honestly, these are dire times.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUy7bpj98XMbSaCo5azUOh4XDOO5LJeI5e8htKaj8jYbaciacKA_IsjkHxjCL8yqLBeLNwbVubAVqAcfaAndSQk7n1PJgBVaCAQaTUY3DvFTOrZb5SxhdPjkkLOMD88xpRi5Mxw/s1600/Japan+-+House+in+Sea+-+US+Navy+Photo+-+Dylan+McCord.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUy7bpj98XMbSaCo5azUOh4XDOO5LJeI5e8htKaj8jYbaciacKA_IsjkHxjCL8yqLBeLNwbVubAVqAcfaAndSQk7n1PJgBVaCAQaTUY3DvFTOrZb5SxhdPjkkLOMD88xpRi5Mxw/s400/Japan+-+House+in+Sea+-+US+Navy+Photo+-+Dylan+McCord.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586281351247103538" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 346px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;">**House lot at sea - Image taken by the US Navy Photo by Dylan McCord</span><br />
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The Japanese people are not waiting for their government or the world to come save them - they are going to do it for themselves and each other. I read a story about how an elderly woman trapped under her own house, apologized to the rescue workers for being such an inconvenience and questioning them, that surely there had to be other people out there who might need their assistance more pressingly. I saw TV reports of neighbors in the Sendai area, who fared a little better from the earthquake and tsunami, pool together their resources to make miso soup and rice balls to feed those in the shelters who were left with nothing. The residents of the areas hardest hit are collecting snow in the hills and mountains and boiling them for water; and making chopsticks out of the bamboo they have collected. Neighbors are helping each other to clean the layers of mud from their homes, restoring their lives little by little. Stories like these are endless. I know, because I have been glued to every report on Japan in print, on TV and on my computer. The Japanese people refuse to be victims. They are not waiting for any handouts.<br />
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There is a quote that says that you know the true character of a friend are when you are in need. Well, I think the same can be said for a society. You know the true measure of a society, when all hell has broken lose and their survival is at stake and they can still manage to keep their dignity, honor and humanity intact.<br />
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I bow to you Japan.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-43293168094219794872011-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:002011-02-12T21:52:00.016-08:00What an incredible day in historyIn honor of the courageous people of Egypt who accomplished the impossible with only the strength of their will and their hopes and dreams of a better future....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGjiZnbBF1a387qE6_WVzWNJ-OpgKQxGZqy04QgRQCp14GtNhbsKp5UKOsz2Nij0FwFCQ2IjBAvVaXBmuda7P1qaSdcm8VKmMH5OODNOZPMg52tYxyE_-IRvh98zN_IusyuPKIQ/s1600/Cairo+Celebrations+2.11.11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGjiZnbBF1a387qE6_WVzWNJ-OpgKQxGZqy04QgRQCp14GtNhbsKp5UKOsz2Nij0FwFCQ2IjBAvVaXBmuda7P1qaSdcm8VKmMH5OODNOZPMg52tYxyE_-IRvh98zN_IusyuPKIQ/s320/Cairo+Celebrations+2.11.11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572557126154949986" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Celebratory fireworks over Tahrir Square<br />*Felipe Trueba/European Pressphoto Agency<br />(Image taken from the NYT)<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">"I want to meet Mark Zuckerberg one day and thank him [...] I'm talking on behalf of Egypt. [...] This revolution started online. This revolution started on Facebook. This revolution started [...] in June 2010 when hundreds of thousands of Egyptians started collaborating content. We would post a video on Facebook that would be shared by 60,000 people on their walls within a few hours. I've always said that if you want to liberate a society just give them the Internet. "<br /> - Activist Wael Ghonim<br /><br />"We are one." - Egyptian Muslim and Christian Pro-Democracy Demonstrators<br /><br />"President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down and has handed power to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces." - Omar Suleiman (February 11, 2011, just after 6PM Cairo time)<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.good.is/post/we-win-why-mubarak-stepping-down-feels-good-even-thousands-of-miles-away/"><br /></a></div>"Egypt is free!" - Protestors<br /><br />"We have been able to restore our humanity ... to be free and independent." - Mohamed ElBaradei<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.good.is/post/we-win-why-mubarak-stepping-down-feels-good-even-thousands-of-miles-away/"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLz2QWi9JCQNzTJx5mM_xwZhEQ2SJgzW0ilfrmpLOykIj8YfOAoGV2RyTp-UVmEa-hYJSJO-4VK3bW72RJvS0BxWKarEXEFuOdssuZo63kDTGxbAGVRaUlacukILYU_0xXQXlOGA/s400/Egypt+-+we+win.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572549505286829698" border="0" /></a></div><br />"Now, we can breathe fresh air, we can feel our freedom." - Dr. Gamal Heshamt<br /><br />"The greatest day in Egyptian history." - Ayman Nour<br /><br />"The word <span style="font-style: italic;">tahrir</span> means liberation. It speaks in our soul that cries out for freedom and for evermore will remind us of the Egyptian people. What they did, the things they stood for and how they changed their country and in doing so changed the world." - President Barack Obama<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~<br /><br /></div>"Each time a person stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - <span style="font-size:100%;">Robert F. Kennedy (1925 –1968)</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sout Al Horeya (The Sound of Freedom)</span><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fgw_zfLLvh8" allowfullscreen="" width="400" frameborder="0" height="243"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">**For a translation of the song click on the red cc button on the bottom of the screen.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://http//english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/201112515334871490.html">Click here for a timeline of the 18 days that changed the world.</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-389475614771493262011-02-03T15:16:00.001-08:002014-10-17T15:22:59.621-07:00Hope out of DarknessFor the past ten days, I have been glued to the television and the internet, soaking up every update on the pro-democracy protesters in Egypt. (More power to them)! When the violence started, it was heartbreaking. As a self proclaimed global citizen, I know that humans are not so different regardless of geography or location. If we push aside politics and the politicians and the small group of religious freaks and fanatics, we all want the same things - peace, freedom, opportunities, nourishment, equality. This image that has gone viral below reinforces that. Taken by an anonymous photographer, it apparently shows a group of Christian Egyptians forming a human shield in Tahrir Square (the epicenter of the Egyptian pro-democracy protests) so that their Muslim countrymen can say their prayers peaceably amidst the violence and chaos yesterday.<br />
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<a href="http://www.good.is/post/protesters-are-awesome-look-at-this-beautiful-photo-of-christians-protecting-praying-muslims-in-egypt/"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7rRdKixokaenZCFPt-yD4eI5SxTNZp0gtH-29mmojVDFGWsIR7o7SYA0m3doVh8t_byM_tgeAuhstBebWdzjnCTvA6k6kr_zCo6rbHy8Bt1Oj2b-9iCGy51l9Gsn6q4fH4pEeA/s400/christian+human+shield+-egypt.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569611453358309458" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 275px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>When the worst of humanity came to the forefront with the state sponsored thugs, out rises the best of humanity. Purity and beauty in the middle of such horror. It gives me hope....<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-36724962418109911482010-12-17T12:47:00.001-08:002014-10-19T15:18:42.540-07:00Tokyo....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIJ5670_7xAESPu2Wj-gHt_gryrOFIm3yA-y-Cdf-mTCC3mBGpzlb_tA-HyyT80mZDeYUDFD_QPl2prr4bCDIpFFNXK0DaaIQoFn2kYGMbT9sw_uUcaHKH6OcIqhFF9bTBKLSzA/s1600/DSC_0373.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIJ5670_7xAESPu2Wj-gHt_gryrOFIm3yA-y-Cdf-mTCC3mBGpzlb_tA-HyyT80mZDeYUDFD_QPl2prr4bCDIpFFNXK0DaaIQoFn2kYGMbT9sw_uUcaHKH6OcIqhFF9bTBKLSzA/s400/DSC_0373.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798996460783202" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>There are certain cities in the world that you can never leave. You may physically leave, but you know that there is something in your heart and your soul that has changed forever. Perhaps there is an irretrievable part of you that you have left behind. Or there is a part of the city that you take with you always. It has incorporated itself into your DNA.<br />
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For me to experience this feeling, it needs to be a tremendous, complex, encompassing city. It is a city that nourishes as much as it takes away. It is a city that only very slowly reveals itself to you. Little by little. Always leaving you longing, searching. It is a city that in some ways can present itself as so simple and obvious and yet at the same time be so richly layered and intricate. The relationship with such a city, is much like a mysterious, intoxicating, heady love affair.<br />
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For me, Tokyo is such a city. Maybe, it is because I grew up in this city. Or because when I lived there, I was young and willingly vulnerable and open.<br />
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It had been years since I left Tokyo in my late teens. So much distance had passed, that even though I often reminisced of the life, the food, the experiences that I had, the depth of my feelings had dulled. Then this past November, I went back for just a brief five days. Barely enough for even a quick taste, but just enough to trigger the rush of all the emotions I once felt. The smell of the air. The deep purplish blue hue of the sky at dusk, just when all the neon signs and buildings are suddenly lit. The overwhelming feeling of infinite possibilities. The orange glow of Tokyo Tower against the evening sky. The young couple walking hand in hand oblivious to all the hustle and bustle around them. The energy and excitement bubbles over. Today you may discover something new and wonderful.... Or you may simply find yourself enwrapped by the comfort of something very familiar.<br />
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It's a dismal, melancholy day in Los Angeles today. Mist and endless drizzle have saturated the air with a cold dampness. The gray sky feels alien and barren. I stare out the window of my apartment wistfully lost in my memories of Tokyo, full of longing and ache, but I cannot or would not want any other way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEstbaKDUv80TFU8kfoc_kXdV3bTtwMJUDXx7GIizz-0goZxN2KelU3tbJX3Ce-Bk_dIp88ymiUjWFUmfj6-8CIOCQudLDd7GZ-N11DSzd0slolDBpP-7h3OkP3VICgCLeei7Fg/s1600/DSC_0350.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEstbaKDUv80TFU8kfoc_kXdV3bTtwMJUDXx7GIizz-0goZxN2KelU3tbJX3Ce-Bk_dIp88ymiUjWFUmfj6-8CIOCQudLDd7GZ-N11DSzd0slolDBpP-7h3OkP3VICgCLeei7Fg/s400/DSC_0350.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798989598892626" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Midtown - Roppongi</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaPtSfiEVhXroFL4xt9ruP4deWf6CUT1y-oonqYsqjpoIGBE17-dDDJnoBt0cSfx1IX2laJb87U4jcMGMUqc4T6kfICb6osx_rMWNNK5oXqbGF-RIeJAvjhUkaNnjLROR4aBGjA/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaPtSfiEVhXroFL4xt9ruP4deWf6CUT1y-oonqYsqjpoIGBE17-dDDJnoBt0cSfx1IX2laJb87U4jcMGMUqc4T6kfICb6osx_rMWNNK5oXqbGF-RIeJAvjhUkaNnjLROR4aBGjA/s400/DSC_0348.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798990776905938" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HMpgtMHXPTs-GR4CGM6cq7x0pXr4DCnK80nP2d-3HjL8odtxgb7e1cNKzYRglaa6C3XBSuNtgnBazW9xaLDBXSDfabSYGljfZBM-LjdRQH_vnLH3bTSgXcevGEvqEZlUK1pe3g/s1600/DSC_0326.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HMpgtMHXPTs-GR4CGM6cq7x0pXr4DCnK80nP2d-3HjL8odtxgb7e1cNKzYRglaa6C3XBSuNtgnBazW9xaLDBXSDfabSYGljfZBM-LjdRQH_vnLH3bTSgXcevGEvqEZlUK1pe3g/s400/DSC_0326.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798987975225410" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Issey Miyake and Tadao Ando's collaboration<br />21_21 Design Sight</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg913mGnP6f8Z0SXjwQpP45V0tpojL6f96vSBu7PTcsaxuC6hT0SGlqxOVo4lcQ2QAwPW5lWxZFKXFd86klULhuLB3EY0dKIKydYi2H7EK__mBzE28w5fuB0mkJKf3laUfDrCR9cg/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg913mGnP6f8Z0SXjwQpP45V0tpojL6f96vSBu7PTcsaxuC6hT0SGlqxOVo4lcQ2QAwPW5lWxZFKXFd86klULhuLB3EY0dKIKydYi2H7EK__mBzE28w5fuB0mkJKf3laUfDrCR9cg/s400/DSC_0127.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798726191573954" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Takashi Kuribayashi's Wald aus Wald Installation (2010) at Mori Museum, Roppongi</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqMb7JWJsFFHEu22gEHfEM97E5AydBZYDlm8IkPZju-b_p1GPmvc-Yq_8VEf1Yo8FPGjkhQuhAx3fm2-MB5eVHNU1AYuHLj_5j1rZ_wsk82xrdzEISq6B4NzMmuZMGgZifxISwQ/s1600/DSC_0217.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqMb7JWJsFFHEu22gEHfEM97E5AydBZYDlm8IkPZju-b_p1GPmvc-Yq_8VEf1Yo8FPGjkhQuhAx3fm2-MB5eVHNU1AYuHLj_5j1rZ_wsk82xrdzEISq6B4NzMmuZMGgZifxISwQ/s400/DSC_0217.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798732934538130" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Buri - Standing Sake Bar in Ebisu</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHkYxNSoLeFDllCQ7xk1Hw5_QkIcr1ecR-PsYsv1NN7igiE65xlXRG3agnTjSnfrdrroc-GN0B8nnnFmDkOrtV6-0OO3JNzqg35L9cl716cM6dUFrHLf2A7M5DBL77Ztz5yOWGg/s1600/DSC_0199.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHkYxNSoLeFDllCQ7xk1Hw5_QkIcr1ecR-PsYsv1NN7igiE65xlXRG3agnTjSnfrdrroc-GN0B8nnnFmDkOrtV6-0OO3JNzqg35L9cl716cM6dUFrHLf2A7M5DBL77Ztz5yOWGg/s400/DSC_0199.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798733530970978" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Yakitori-ya in Azabu Juban</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmMavhDyzhdSF8G8HdbAPk9FDIoV-LyMMsnA7sigJ7mSBYhla4JtQkEe7teBC8u36tR0cHBcslCzRe9hDK5o3u7bhxz_RkMr1cadgwuiV2IiAEwJfFIusD95gcUjP7LKn1phoeQ/s1600/DSC_0089.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmMavhDyzhdSF8G8HdbAPk9FDIoV-LyMMsnA7sigJ7mSBYhla4JtQkEe7teBC8u36tR0cHBcslCzRe9hDK5o3u7bhxz_RkMr1cadgwuiV2IiAEwJfFIusD95gcUjP7LKn1phoeQ/s400/DSC_0089.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798730457114034" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Tempura and handmade soba in Mitsukoshi (12th Floor), Ginza<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQXA1jQkNiWk5qLduIEoBwjySpMwJBnM259viNmEF9vtHa_zCGiEXtnOBelvZW5we3WF6nzvLqWw94tKN9Tt0V40pj5kudTIS7_u_1D5qw-sabsoUrRychbkpVsD8AOLlTMX2KA/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQXA1jQkNiWk5qLduIEoBwjySpMwJBnM259viNmEF9vtHa_zCGiEXtnOBelvZW5we3WF6nzvLqWw94tKN9Tt0V40pj5kudTIS7_u_1D5qw-sabsoUrRychbkpVsD8AOLlTMX2KA/s400/DSC_0071.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551798719308870626" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Tsukiji Fish Market at dawn<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-34804640343277717182010-11-26T09:42:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:25:16.209-07:00Fantasy and Reality Blur in Anime Obsessed JapanAs a woman who has had almost equal exposure to Asian and Western cultures, I have always had a fascination with how women, beauty and sex appeal have been interpreted, developed and depicted in various cultures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZh9iYKIBIvEXFsPHjohA4ycmB30-T72BK_r4wrHlpV0hly08TjdYqt-9ieFVhIVKtVuZ1NwBNAx9RRI2nW-A20LBSWoUG5Jga235RIfw4Z4h1LKKM3rlkCO7WVOs3VWtHXmTUA/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZh9iYKIBIvEXFsPHjohA4ycmB30-T72BK_r4wrHlpV0hly08TjdYqt-9ieFVhIVKtVuZ1NwBNAx9RRI2nW-A20LBSWoUG5Jga235RIfw4Z4h1LKKM3rlkCO7WVOs3VWtHXmTUA/s400/DSC_0132.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700337979988610" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Salesgirls in a department store in Osaka<br /></span></div>
Obviously, various countries around the world depending on the strength of the global media, have differing perceptions of what an 'ideal' woman should look like. In countries like Mauritania and some islands in the South Pacific, the more robust and plump woman is seen as beautiful. In Mauritania, young girls are secluded and sometimes forcibly fattened up to make them more eligible for marriage. Conversely, in western countries, the fashion industry, the media and the ease of creating computer modified images have idealized an often unattainable and unhealthy skinny body. Models and actresses are often pressured to diet down to minuscule sizes. In China, the offices of plastic surgeons are filled with people who want more Caucasian features - as some view that as the epitome of beauty. And in Iran, nose jobs are a status symbol and a temporary cure for a boredom.<br />
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Now with the prevalence and accessibility of internet pornography, there has been plenty research done of late of some men preferring the company of a digitized women online to maintaining a relationship with a real life woman. Unlike the women depicted in the video scenarios, a real life woman might have her own ideas about how she is portrayed or treated. Unfortunately, (in my opinion), you see rising numbers of women (I do live in Los Angeles) desperate to increase their desirability factor by cutting their bodies and augmenting their breasts and hips in the hopes of competing with those online images. Plastic surgery in California is a booming business.<br />
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Up until now, I thought that was as bizarre and extreme as it got for women trying to transform their looks to attain that ever elusive image of perfection and beauty.<br />
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Then I went to Japan.<br />
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So earlier this month, I returned to Japan after a gap of about 17 years and I noticed a bizarre trend amongst teens and young Japanese women. Having grown up in Tokyo, I can tell you that anime is a big deal in Japan. It is very pervasive part of the entertainment and culture. Grown men and on occasionally women voraciously read comic books or mangas or watch the cartoons on TV or in the movie theaters. Now that mangas have gone global, most people already know, the female characters depicted in these comics often have unnaturally curvaceous figures, delicate noses and mouths with extremely large sparkly eyes.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh0PDJEFupIGD67Q0Q8fCG4S4IqPxB0TIDequJ18uZB7PqtvQMKmKEVx4RwiyItnArIdknUMJ74MZ-WUZ29paFUuYAek4V8pqdxFhSXokfKGsvYwMRPXNuYWz_dYrTRX6Ct6K8w/s1600/anime-girl-4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh0PDJEFupIGD67Q0Q8fCG4S4IqPxB0TIDequJ18uZB7PqtvQMKmKEVx4RwiyItnArIdknUMJ74MZ-WUZ29paFUuYAek4V8pqdxFhSXokfKGsvYwMRPXNuYWz_dYrTRX6Ct6K8w/s320/anime-girl-4.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543978958724277090" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a>A month or so before my trip to japan, I watched a segment on NHK a Japanese TV station on the popularity on this video game by Nintendo DS called "Love Plus." Love Plus which was released in September last year only in Japan, is a simulated dating game that you would play on a hand held video console. Since its release apparently, this 'game' has gained extreme popularity. The player (ie the man) selects their anime girlfriend from a handful of cartoon college students. Then simulating the trajectory of any relationship, the 'girlfriend' may start off being a little shy and reserved but over the course of a series of dates and trips taken together, she becomes more open and connected. The specific segment that I watched on NHK was about how the seaside town of Atami, taking advantage of the popularity of this game partnered with Konami Digital Entertainment, the creators of the game, to offer a special tour for men and their Love Plus girlfriends. Huge tour buses packed with men and their hand held video console were brought to specific tourist sites, where the men would scan a specific bar code attached to the site and the anime girlfriend would simultaneously 'see' and comment on the experience of the same sites. These men could then take pictures together with their anime girlfriend either in the form of the hand held console or a computer generated life size image (see below). At the end of the day, the men checked into the prescribed hotel with their anime girlfriend. Scanning another barcode at the hotel, the video game would then show the anime girlfriend in the exact hotel room surroundings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NqiNnWeBlfV23HfKsp1lq_5_TC04D6ui3mg_vX0qKoWpVdfKOVe6uQkkkBXoSIdpVX9poxCzIXYHwdNTePaiOVig6uBeQMsr9LlUIgEMSF71Q3Jar7m79AF17QY4Z2HePbJzAA/s1600/Atami+picture.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NqiNnWeBlfV23HfKsp1lq_5_TC04D6ui3mg_vX0qKoWpVdfKOVe6uQkkkBXoSIdpVX9poxCzIXYHwdNTePaiOVig6uBeQMsr9LlUIgEMSF71Q3Jar7m79AF17QY4Z2HePbJzAA/s320/Atami+picture.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543973842372106466" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 187px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Image from AFP</span><br />
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When doing some additional reading for this post, I came across a story about a Japanese college student who married his Love Plus girlfriend. Publicity stunt or not - that event took a lot of time and effort to organize. (See the video below).</div>
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Now as bizarre and dysfunctional as this game/obsession/relationship was to me, I didn't think much of it until I went to Japan. After all growing up in Japan, you get used to seeing some unusual things.<br />
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When I was perusing a few guide books in preparation for my trip back to Japan, I read about the growth of an even more pervasive obsession with anime. So based on a few write-ups, I decided to visit the Akihabara district of Tokyo. Akihabara is the electronics/technology area of Tokyo. I used to go, to check out new gadgets and when I wanted to buy some new electronics . There aren't many places in the world that can rival Japan in electronics and technology. However recently, Akihabara has also become a sort of anime district for the geeky techie. There are coffee shops and restaurants with anime themes and women dressed in specific anime costumes - like the Maid Cafe - where cute young women, dress up as anime milk maids. Interspersed amongst these coffee shops are stores that sell a huge variety of anime clothing, gadgets and other paraphernalia. Anime has leapt off the television screen and has crossed over into reality. Neighborhoods with anime coffee shops and stores and tourism packages for men and their Love Plus girlfriends are blurring the line between fantasy and reality.<br />
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And now anime has now also crossed another boundary and is influencing how young Japanese women perceive their own beauty and fashion. After all, how do you get a guy's attention when he is in love with a cartoon?</div>
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I first noticed it in Tokyo and then in Osaka. I would do a double take when women with their generous curls of dyed blond or light brown hair would walk past. Not because of their hair but because of their unusually large eyes. I started to notice that many of these young women seemed to have that additional eyelid crease, which you normally don't see on east Asian women. Many of these women with the light brown or blond hair had heavily highlighted their eyes with thick black liner, layers of fake eyelashes and heavy mascara. When I talked to my sister about this observation, she has suggested an idealization of Caucasian women, which may have been the case, if not for the attempts to make their eyes extra extra large.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gx298447Iox0w_m4H42rR-Vw1zC9pKuULWpn_Y4pn71Vs9_YuacIeqK0uUwPCHko5xAswmoglb-tK6XtTXrQA-ftHVAxkpxsnTcMN5nAWyBGUyUnNvFNg4c4tbDlo1lZFGrVNw/s1600/anime_eyes.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gx298447Iox0w_m4H42rR-Vw1zC9pKuULWpn_Y4pn71Vs9_YuacIeqK0uUwPCHko5xAswmoglb-tK6XtTXrQA-ftHVAxkpxsnTcMN5nAWyBGUyUnNvFNg4c4tbDlo1lZFGrVNw/s320/anime_eyes.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543701989875050626" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 316px;" /></a>Another day, I wandered through Shibuya's 109 department store, the mecca for cutting edge fashion for young Japanese women. It was Saturday and the place was packed with girls and young women, many of them with their luscious blond locks and big bright sparkly eyes, purchasing just the right attire to add to their very stylized look. It was then it hit me. Thinking back to the NHK segment I watched on the popularity of Love Plus, and the anime coffee shops I saw in Akihabara, I concluded that perhaps young Japanese women are trying to look like anime characters to increase their sex appeal. Have Japanese men become so obsessed with anime that Japanese women feel they need to look like a cartoon character to be attract attention?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfsd3KIryeW1q42CT2zswHMc0nQf6hzV7n-74w6ctz9fC3oA1GS7H8OqOHVOcpPMaVRpgra3Xn3T2srlHtSPNqN-TZwwhdBRRlwG4Yj3Nxp6OTW9OVR0xBaQBKVXnIdsbBtqAxQ/s1600/DSC_0207.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfsd3KIryeW1q42CT2zswHMc0nQf6hzV7n-74w6ctz9fC3oA1GS7H8OqOHVOcpPMaVRpgra3Xn3T2srlHtSPNqN-TZwwhdBRRlwG4Yj3Nxp6OTW9OVR0xBaQBKVXnIdsbBtqAxQ/s320/DSC_0207.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700805946763010" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;">Women's magazine with pointers on how to enlarge ones eyes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZcwGcW8ZUl8OfjzACJDFcSnATq7uxrJ3tTkonn1MINS8OqpKUChjSe6N06l0AYo7VnzcKRx11iGtZJDg_4Li9udRX2awi_TSq4JVoWTmIWRPJJ1Rljje-CkDdFY1LlpkMNgTPQ/s1600/DSC_0209.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZcwGcW8ZUl8OfjzACJDFcSnATq7uxrJ3tTkonn1MINS8OqpKUChjSe6N06l0AYo7VnzcKRx11iGtZJDg_4Li9udRX2awi_TSq4JVoWTmIWRPJJ1Rljje-CkDdFY1LlpkMNgTPQ/s320/DSC_0209.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700807449868098" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Well, I don't really know the answer to that. All I do know it that this has become a huge industry in Japan and possibly some of its neighboring countries. A company in Korea called Geo, manufactures extra wide contact lenses to make your iris and your eyes just that much larger. And just like anime characters, you can get lenses in different colors with stars and sparkles.</div>
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I also found mountains of magazines in a bookstores, offering step by step guidelines on how to make your eyes that much larger with make-up and other tools. Much of the advertising geared towards these young women have these anime-like women as models.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhXjSr2SqVAfbABHAvCXd244JfihoRrNgwpsYrqrYaikcCE_vULShIlSmkOAEmRPS-Ld426Zh_TOvzVH1D9ke2WCWst-BdM2og5qCD0YLswGGlyLNsRZwxBlhrMzKvoH8wJa9hA/s1600/DSC_0217.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhXjSr2SqVAfbABHAvCXd244JfihoRrNgwpsYrqrYaikcCE_vULShIlSmkOAEmRPS-Ld426Zh_TOvzVH1D9ke2WCWst-BdM2og5qCD0YLswGGlyLNsRZwxBlhrMzKvoH8wJa9hA/s320/DSC_0217.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700812023187666" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Mascara for that anime eye look<br /></span></div>
There are also photo booths all over the place, which you go into with your boyfriend or your girlfriends which enlarge and/or color your eyes when the pictures are printed. My Caucasian husband and I went into one such booths to test it out when we were at Namba Park in Osaka and we both ended up with large bug eyes in our series of photographs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi7lbgeg5XWOg3_TEiAelonsFoF0P5WUZFyU7yUSB_uQ8Yw97Lr-X5dgrIqb56pE4aYaLF_ai9NRvX7Yh7GPknF1B-Pfia8MCTHVJ8TzDeM9BdZ-VrYCDMzi3z-Px97vEkaliag/s1600/DSC_0445.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi7lbgeg5XWOg3_TEiAelonsFoF0P5WUZFyU7yUSB_uQ8Yw97Lr-X5dgrIqb56pE4aYaLF_ai9NRvX7Yh7GPknF1B-Pfia8MCTHVJ8TzDeM9BdZ-VrYCDMzi3z-Px97vEkaliag/s320/DSC_0445.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543700817971621154" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Photobooths</span><br />
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I should say that this is my analysis after only a brief trip to Japan. I acknowledge, that I don't know for a fact what prompted this new look and why exactly it is so popular. I just wonder when, if ever, women will stop treating their faces and bodies like they were made of clay. Now, I enjoy watching the occasional anime television series or movie, but as an adult, I prefer it stay in the realm of fantasy. Call me crazy, but I like my friends and partner to be of the human variety. And if their eyes are sparkling, it is because they are happy to see me and not because they have stars and fireworks drawn onto their extra large irises.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZs_iINtHqt58cITrtNxet8PIqJrPgc13JnOsyuLinA6K1OdghFsre5CWPuaJ_wBmDcgcng7Xi8pCoUBsdH6QsO5wLfWIZcRL5h9P7_VtuqEH_prXTMujrNCiUY_Nsqmf4xiUA/s1600/DSC_0446.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AZs_iINtHqt58cITrtNxet8PIqJrPgc13JnOsyuLinA6K1OdghFsre5CWPuaJ_wBmDcgcng7Xi8pCoUBsdH6QsO5wLfWIZcRL5h9P7_VtuqEH_prXTMujrNCiUY_Nsqmf4xiUA/s320/DSC_0446.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543990741668502530" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-36901348147479679342010-09-27T18:15:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:26:10.465-07:00Business & Tourism Trumps Dictatorship with the Rise of Libya***March 7, 2011***<br />
When I first wrote this post many months ago, I would have never anticipated what would transpire in Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya. And now I watch in horror at the violence that Muammar Gaddafi has inflicted on his people in his desperate and delusional attempts to retain power for him and his family. It has become very apparent of late, that for Gaddafi dictatorship and tyranny trumps all in Libya.<br />
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Ever since Gaddafi renounced his program for weapons of mass destruction, he had become a darling of the west. Suddenly his record for human rights violations all got swept under the rug. Likewise, all the crimes that Hosni Mubarak committed against his people were conveniently overlooked in the west and by his partner countries in the region in exchange for his cooperation.<br />
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I read an article recently on Al Jazeera, questioning why this string of revolutions across the Middle East came at a complete surprise to the western media. The reporters of Al Jazeera claimed that for anyone covering the streets of the Middle East, this frustration and revolutionary spirit was very apparently bubbling over. Perhaps if the western media actually covered what was happening in the Middle East instead of the preference of sensationalizing so much of the news, we would have a much more holistic and grounded understanding of not only what is happening in this diverse and complex region but also of its people.<br />
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Now back to my original article...<br />
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It has almost been a year since its neighboring Gulf state Abu Dhabi bailed out Dubai with a $10 billion loan to stem Dubai's potential sudden and steep decline. As Dubai continues to slowly repair and regain its strength after the powerful burst of its real estate bubble and the lingering effects of the global recession, its once slumbering neighbors are percolating, their economies and built environment growing steadily. Dubai's meteoric rise from a small desert oasis to leading global city and tourist destination awoke numerous Middle Eastern countries and city-states to consider their own potential as a global center. Dubai effectively demonstrated what a vision, single-minded leadership, global branding strategies and a little oil and gas reserves could accomplish. For the past few years now Dubai's immediate neighbors, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait have been carefully scrutinizing, modifying and implementing similar strategies - hoping for their own revival and global economic success. And for the most part, the world has taken note. There is another country however, a little further west, on the African continent that no doubt has also been inspired by Dubai's example, but is still operating amazingly enough, just under the global radar - Libya.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstzF9kqvxi-ps435XY2OrS90EygLGAvRGpv7qQ4DtQw1gIntGj-RsZCQFv4kcXj80PvIcDHPAoN-a9-dvF-3nKzQ1cuOtHEbwGp7dUCDz2td8hKgh-cF9Cs41ffGK01R_Zh6ACQ/s1600/Libya+-+Eternal+Crescent+of+Tripoli+%28ECOT%29+Hotel+Tripoli.jpg"><br /></a>For the most part, what the world knows of Libya has been its ties to terrorist activities in the 1980s and the bizarre and violent antics of its leader Muammar al Gaddafi. However, since 2003, under the persuasion of Muammar Gaddafi's London School of Economics educated son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libya has been working hard to restore its relationship with the rest of the world. Libya abandoned its nuclear and WMD program and paid out US$3 billion to the victims of Pan Am flight 103 and UTA flight 722. In 2004, the United States finally removed all remaining sanctions and re-established normal diplomatic relations. Soon after that, most of the companies that were already eyeing Libya's rich petroleum reserves jumped in. (When I worked for global architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 2000 our weekly business development meetings on the Middle East already included reviews of Libya, while we awaited the normalization of its relationship with the United States).<br />
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Since then much has changed in Libya. Huge billboards advertising the latest, hottest real estate developments line the main streets of Tripoli and surrounding towns. For the past few years, while the world's strongest economies have stumbled, Libya's GDP has grown at an average rate of 6%. Earlier this year, Libya opened its stock exchange to foreign investors. Italy's bank UniCredit was recently awarded the first international license to operate in Libya. Over the next ten years, the Libyan government anticipates spending US$500 billion in urban construction projects.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSlYb8SW0mcBOl78-dwuyiAHdxpAHXkDLjllHHmRIaGx5SKbsNf1AQUIjnysuKEdQXG8ha4fKM6bVzqLoHJPDPV7mFN520Oddy2X3DuXmpkY6UiJxnNuWdHkNsIciLRRawSEw0g/s1600/Libya+-+Al+Fatah+Hotel,+Corinthia+Bab+Hotel,+Blu+Layla+Tower.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSlYb8SW0mcBOl78-dwuyiAHdxpAHXkDLjllHHmRIaGx5SKbsNf1AQUIjnysuKEdQXG8ha4fKM6bVzqLoHJPDPV7mFN520Oddy2X3DuXmpkY6UiJxnNuWdHkNsIciLRRawSEw0g/s400/Libya+-+Al+Fatah+Hotel,+Corinthia+Bab+Hotel,+Blu+Layla+Tower.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521818314500371570" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 250px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">New hotels and commercial high rises along Tripoli's central business district<br /></span></div>
Many of the initial projects have focused rightly on improvements and expansion in infrastructure, housing and university developments. Architecture and engineering giant AECOM is currently overseeing an US$80 billion project to build 160,000 housing units throughout the country. One quarter of which will be in Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya. AECOM is also laying new sewage pipes, electrical lines and paving roads. Water sanitation, perhaps not so sexy, but direly necessary has also been a priority. Daewoo Motor Sales of South Korea, Italy's Impregilo Lidco, Singapore's Hyflux and India's Punj Lloyd have all signed huge contracts to build networks for drinking water, sewage and storm water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstzF9kqvxi-ps435XY2OrS90EygLGAvRGpv7qQ4DtQw1gIntGj-RsZCQFv4kcXj80PvIcDHPAoN-a9-dvF-3nKzQ1cuOtHEbwGp7dUCDz2td8hKgh-cF9Cs41ffGK01R_Zh6ACQ/s1600/Libya+-+Eternal+Crescent+of+Tripoli+%28ECOT%29+Hotel+Tripoli.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstzF9kqvxi-ps435XY2OrS90EygLGAvRGpv7qQ4DtQw1gIntGj-RsZCQFv4kcXj80PvIcDHPAoN-a9-dvF-3nKzQ1cuOtHEbwGp7dUCDz2td8hKgh-cF9Cs41ffGK01R_Zh6ACQ/s400/Libya+-+Eternal+Crescent+of+Tripoli+%28ECOT%29+Hotel+Tripoli.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521811343714320242" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 277px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Eternal Crescent of Tripoli (ECOT) Hotel - one of the many new hotels under construction<br /></span></div>
Other huge infrastructure projects simultaneously underway include the introduction of 4G wireless services into the country, a joint venture with Russia's Technoprom export and the Libya African Investment Portfolio (LIP) for power projects all over Africa including 400 kV transmission lines in Libya, and the foresightful construction of a high speed rail link along the Mediterranean coast from Sirte to Benghazi - a distance of 550 km. That contract of 2.2 billion euros was awarded to Russian Railways. Two even larger rail routes have been awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation and there is even talk of future trains traveling across Libya from Tunisia to Egypt.<br />
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New universities are also underway. New Jersey's Hill International has been hired to manage the design and pre-construction of twenty-seven new university campuses. At the end of 2009, Seventh of April Technological University Campus in Zuwarah received its final go ahead with the appointment of architecture firms IAD and Cottrell & Michelangeli and engineering firm ARUP. The thirteen building, ninety hectare campus will have a special emphasis on environmental sustainability and will be powered by solar energy. The buildings will also be designed for optimum solar and thermal control. This boom of university construction aside from being a necessary development to compete in the 21st century, is also a tremendous symbolic move on the part of the government. April 7th, 1976 the university's namesake marked the day Gaddafi's supporters violently broke up peaceful student demonstrations protesting human rights violations perpetrated by Gaddafi's military. For years after, students and other government opponents were hung in public on the anniversary of that day. The development of these universities all over Libya are therefore a powerful symbol of a government attempting to alter course and move forward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QqjKRoJ-4elivJ8fBxS4qLP8YZ5ORQ428AxRsTJ9dcf3DRC17WJY6ngqdAV0WRTy0szeGxh6wxxvkvMb91nSr71N-4Cw1ywXOeXwt5Qn3HQqcWG93CDw54_JShiErMIx1JEJZw/s1600/Libya-university-zuwarah-technological-campus_Group+IAD.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QqjKRoJ-4elivJ8fBxS4qLP8YZ5ORQ428AxRsTJ9dcf3DRC17WJY6ngqdAV0WRTy0szeGxh6wxxvkvMb91nSr71N-4Cw1ywXOeXwt5Qn3HQqcWG93CDw54_JShiErMIx1JEJZw/s400/Libya-university-zuwarah-technological-campus_Group+IAD.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521813286755787186" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 223px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Model of the Seventh of April Technological University Campus, Zuwarah<br /></span></div>
There are also ambitious plans to turn Tripoli into the region's financial hub by 2012. Gaddafi's son also plans to make Libya "the Vienna of North Africa," citing his favorite European city. Office towers and luxury hotels are rapidly being built. Turkey's EMSAS Construction is building Bab Tripoli Complex, a US$1.3 billion luxury high rise complex along the road to the city's airport. This project will contain 2,000 apartments, office space, a hospital, and a giant mall with an ice-skating rink and bowling alley. Presently, there is only one five star hotel in Libya - Corinthia Bab Africa. However, several hotels currently under construction will be completed by 2012 increasing room capacity to 2500. Direly needed established international brands such as Radisson, InterContinental, Sheraton, Marriot and Movenpick have also recently been drawn to Libya's potential as a future tourist destination with its lush Mediterranean beaches and its abundant Roman ruins.<br />
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Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ), one of the largest UK architecture firms practicing in the United Arab Emirates has also recently set up offices in Libya while working on the interior design for 'seven star' Tower 69 hotel in Tripoli (following the example of Dubai's self proclaimed seven star Burj al Arab no doubt). GAJ was also more recently commissioned to design a large mixed use master plan in Tripoli which would include commercial, retail, hotel and residential accommodations in addition to a retail street. They have also been asked to explore restoring and refurbishing parts of the historic Medina.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQejJO8uIKURRoWhmpKfoRkdEgzOYv6Mh-LoqGuevCjbBFFbZukUlM3qdXfcuPObxuS-F5VR5yW2Yi3K0i5KaxuRooli_j16XJFnBZvateq_FmlNciDRDfvztVj5hGuYG_e7fXA/s1600/Libya+-+Tower+69.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQejJO8uIKURRoWhmpKfoRkdEgzOYv6Mh-LoqGuevCjbBFFbZukUlM3qdXfcuPObxuS-F5VR5yW2Yi3K0i5KaxuRooli_j16XJFnBZvateq_FmlNciDRDfvztVj5hGuYG_e7fXA/s400/Libya+-+Tower+69.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521811354055676978" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 352px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Tower 69<br /></span></div>
The Libyan government has also invested US$5 billion in improving capacity at their airports and building up their airlines. Turkish firm TAV Construction in conjunction with Athens based Consolidated Contractors Co. are working to revamp Tripoli's international airport. This project to be completed by next March will include two terminals that will be able handle 20 million passengers annually. The Libyan government is hoping to see a significant rise in tourism by 2020.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5VFGbrjGSkXTMvF8dKPcitcd37FJLh7XricGVqqTGq5fCProm65-d1tlMin5D4OFgRB6n8Ec_EX1Y3OYUpBP5KGWln9pEwTLP6JWXwjq4T1sPAOLM2qWZ_wT7BSTI8EAiN3yFA/s1600/Tripoli+New+Airport.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5VFGbrjGSkXTMvF8dKPcitcd37FJLh7XricGVqqTGq5fCProm65-d1tlMin5D4OFgRB6n8Ec_EX1Y3OYUpBP5KGWln9pEwTLP6JWXwjq4T1sPAOLM2qWZ_wT7BSTI8EAiN3yFA/s400/Tripoli+New+Airport.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521812756377963906" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 288px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
If not already miraculous how any one country can sustain this much development at one time, London based Edward Cullinan Architects have also been commissioned by the Libyan government to develop a master plan for a new carbon neutral city called Madinat Hadaek Shahat to be located in the country's Green Mountains in northern Libya a few kilometers south of the ancient Greek city of Cyrene, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 1500-hectare mixed use development will include homes for 60,000 people, schools and a botanical garden.<br />
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Despite all these impressive projects, development in Libya still has its hiccups and bumps. The use of credit cards is practically non-existent. Any development still does not proceed without the blessing of Muammar Gaddafi apparently. But for the most part, from what I have read, the development strategy while still somewhat haphazard seems sound. It lacks the over the top, superfluous developments that got Dubai into financial, environmental and urban planning trouble. Libya has instead focused on first building up their infrastructure, their sewage, water and power supplies, their roads, transport, and housing and universities for locals (which are direly necessary since unemployment remains around 30% and youth make up the majority of the population). Unlike Dubai, they are already incorporating sustainable technologies into their large scale developments. Also unlike Dubai, there seems to be a much better understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural, historical and economic value of their built heritage. Instead of destroying the old to replace it with the new like Dubai and other rapidly developing cities like Shanghai and Beijing have done, they are already implementing efforts to conserve and incorporate the historic into their new economic vision.<br />
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Libya has been on my list of countries to visit for about a decade now since I first read about its architecture in Wallpaper Magazine. Now with this national push to draw tourists to the country, Libya has inched its way closer to the top of my list. I prefer to visit most up and coming cities before they have fully arrived on the global scene. I suppose with Libya, I might just have to hurry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmzWjo_3oHe_ZAVDi_Y2-0WIlZILIXDsBiCZGktiSY1jxKtoHCtOlYkPb4Ksb3_RPVyvflgUB1HX8HLpJ6v_LXlw8jS55uG6J3-F8Yc6J936Yf-tLpZdRJo3B5fWgZpnT8VBbBA/s1600/Libya-Energy-City.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmzWjo_3oHe_ZAVDi_Y2-0WIlZILIXDsBiCZGktiSY1jxKtoHCtOlYkPb4Ksb3_RPVyvflgUB1HX8HLpJ6v_LXlw8jS55uG6J3-F8Yc6J936Yf-tLpZdRJo3B5fWgZpnT8VBbBA/s400/Libya-Energy-City.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521811351245738178" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 281px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Energy City Libya - a business class city built along the coastal Malita<br />with mixed use developments, marina and parks<br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eFT5Uu-0saKMe0awEHYK7Q76uNcRo8wmImKZGwFfbo_MXJt05orxiTnFfyZSYHiaixECo7qy4kFoD-6CsWQ6Km3XzBTPFWCbLlxlrO-RdERmeIraf9vZ0HX169KyA3i6GTmVrA/s1600/Libya+-+Desert_Oasis.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eFT5Uu-0saKMe0awEHYK7Q76uNcRo8wmImKZGwFfbo_MXJt05orxiTnFfyZSYHiaixECo7qy4kFoD-6CsWQ6Km3XzBTPFWCbLlxlrO-RdERmeIraf9vZ0HX169KyA3i6GTmVrA/s400/Libya+-+Desert_Oasis.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521818312644286370" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Libya is 90% desert - so these developments cited are being built in the northern part of the country closer to the Mediterranean<br /><br /><br /></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-29827881962500249312010-09-11T15:52:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:26:36.804-07:00A once unlikely journeyEvery so often, in a long and long while, there comes...<br />
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- a really well done commercial.</div>
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<object height="240" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BNeEVkhTutY?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BNeEVkhTutY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="240"></embed></object><br />
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Think what you may about the automobile industry, we can't continue acting like the earth and all its beings are indestructible.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-41076338326480316022010-08-19T18:31:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:27:26.547-07:00Slum ArchitectureI went to the Art Shack exhibition at the <a href="http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org/index.php?id=2">Laguna Art Museum</a>, not knowing quite what to expect. I came out discovering an artist, Jeff Gillette, whose work completely enthralled me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUXoebnNOfSU03xWmdV_MZ0vGA7QGcQKuMU1UsfOrxCHqtSlQ9uxDiXZPGZf1mqSOd5d6qyKg7aGXO3Q42mosT4CZ4wa8get3X7Hp5KV4weOPtLeQXLn9C00xYgiFWolJoTyDkA/s1600/Jeff+Gillette+-+Mickey+Jakarta.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUXoebnNOfSU03xWmdV_MZ0vGA7QGcQKuMU1UsfOrxCHqtSlQ9uxDiXZPGZf1mqSOd5d6qyKg7aGXO3Q42mosT4CZ4wa8get3X7Hp5KV4weOPtLeQXLn9C00xYgiFWolJoTyDkA/s400/Jeff+Gillette+-+Mickey+Jakarta.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507284310949098338" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Jeff Gillette - Mickey Jakarta<br /></span></div>
The exhibition itself consisted of a diverse collection of built spaces, paintings, sculptures, video and installations - all representing various interpretations of the coastal shack architecture. Some artists and designers also drew from the Californian Assemblage movement of the late 1950's and 60's, while Gillette drew from third world slums.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcPYFysgFXTUvsd_YQ_DdzCSjeYMx5AYBPIbVGGMXEe3EqHdvV-SYsz6teynMWU8uZVCiwg9QXO8T8jdRs3we2w17bmrYxnfO7DGcFMXAfhRc0-6PsOohdFw1KujoJu0_dCuEag/s1600/Jeff+Gillette+-+Slumscape.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcPYFysgFXTUvsd_YQ_DdzCSjeYMx5AYBPIbVGGMXEe3EqHdvV-SYsz6teynMWU8uZVCiwg9QXO8T8jdRs3we2w17bmrYxnfO7DGcFMXAfhRc0-6PsOohdFw1KujoJu0_dCuEag/s400/Jeff+Gillette+-+Slumscape.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507284315804390050" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Jeff Gillette - Slumscape<br /></span></div>
His two paintings, 'Slumscape,' and 'Mickey Jakarta' were so vivid and powerful; the images seemed to pop off the two dimensional canvas. I was transfixed by them. With his installations, he mixed bright and colorful images from pop culture and symbols of luxury real estate with found objects, discarded plywood and a dry sense of humor and irony to make some very provocative statements on class, inequality, ownership, home and the slums. But more surprisingly, what Gillette deftly manages to do in his creative displays of poverty is to show the viewer the weary beauty of shantytowns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishLKCdqvKP-XOYyC3B_dRhcOaVZs4Iu-pEnpj4A8sf3loG362NAXn-hqQFQBBpzASUt1mA355-b5fS4Ydi0XG4Ji7yfWKyOO6MfoQC1EXonPQN3_ytcvtBNyUwSeGU9zJDI3XZg/s1600/Jeff+Gillette+-+Slum+installation.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishLKCdqvKP-XOYyC3B_dRhcOaVZs4Iu-pEnpj4A8sf3loG362NAXn-hqQFQBBpzASUt1mA355-b5fS4Ydi0XG4Ji7yfWKyOO6MfoQC1EXonPQN3_ytcvtBNyUwSeGU9zJDI3XZg/s400/Jeff+Gillette+-+Slum+installation.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507284323025085266" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Jeff Gillette - Slums for sale - Slum Installation<br /></span></div>
This got me thinking about <span style="font-style: italic;">slum architecture</span>. Is there such a thing? The UN estimates that about one billion people, that is 1/6 of the world's total population, live in slum like settlements. By 2030, that is in a mere <span style="font-style: italic;">twenty years</span>, UN Habitat has predicted that the number of people living in slums will double to two billion. From Egypt to China, Brazil and India to Kenya and South Africa and so on, each location, each city, has their unique interpretation of a shantytown. Each is built completely organically based on found objects and easily accessible building materials, influenced by weather, culture and society. Both urban theorist Mike Davis and architect Charles Correa have written about the impact and social dynamic of the slums. However, aside from these two scholars, I found little else on slum architecture. How is it that we know so little about how one to two billion people live?<br />
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I think what impressed me most about Jeff Gillette's work, is that it made me take a second and third long and careful look at shanty towns and slums, when I would have normally shied away. It made me think, in my sheltered surroundings, of these meager homes, of the people who live in them and how they live and even of their jarring beauty and creativity.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-91759507838827005552010-08-08T20:13:00.000-07:002010-09-09T12:49:21.225-07:00The Controversy that defeated TerrorismThe frenzy in New York City this past week, brought on by the New York Landmark's Preservation Commission's ruling to allow the construction of an Islamic center and its mosque to be built 600 feet or two blocks from Ground Zero has reminded me of the America that I had once admired and respected and have long since forgotten.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8sP5SdtMekAQPP43C7UCkcbC_XKNswE4An9pLBnxViCvYPvvZrTZwIqcens3JmVNRFpD1reXZG5s2KkeYSea9uYWFQucFo-e2ygrLiXGAWoypqojHwQYzSDuE0c5j4Y0mU6LpQ/s1600/Mosque+in+Ground+Zero.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8sP5SdtMekAQPP43C7UCkcbC_XKNswE4An9pLBnxViCvYPvvZrTZwIqcens3JmVNRFpD1reXZG5s2KkeYSea9uYWFQucFo-e2ygrLiXGAWoypqojHwQYzSDuE0c5j4Y0mU6LpQ/s320/Mosque+in+Ground+Zero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503277399183050098" border="0" /></a>I was living New York when the horror of 9/11 happened. I could not understand how a handful of terribly delusional and savage men could so easily kill 3,000 innocent people; perverting and violating a religion that stands for peace and education for millions of people around the world. From my bedroom window, not only could I see the damage they inflicted, I could smell it. The wind carried the debris of the two fallen World Trade Center buildings onto my street. For days I cried, overwhelmed by their hatred and wanton destruction of my city. I cried also for what I feared would come next. Hatred inspired more hatred. And the U.S. in retaliation, started two wars, which would only perpetuate this cycle of violence. The "better angels of our nature," to quote Abraham Lincoln, had failed on all counts.<br /><br />Until now.<br />At a time when European countries from France to Switzerland are passing laws that impact a Muslim's religious freedom from the style of dress to the style of architecture, the city most visibly scarred by fanatics claiming to be 'Muslim' is rising above bigotry and ignorance and instead offering a hand of compassion, understanding and openness.<br /><br />For me, it came from a very unlikely source - a politician. Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York City gave an extremely moving speech shortly after the ruling, (a speech that I have waited almost nine years to hear), with ten religious leaders of various faiths standing behind him in support on Governors Island with the Statue of Liberty in the background. I have included some of my favorite excerpts below. To read the entire speech click <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/08/bloomberg-stands-up-for-mosque.html">here</a>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcSCvSlNh8EkifhQTTyagpGVVzNq1pU4NAr4dg6cn6tCf6LS-wYsxqcxKa6zXurwRdP1vxuTpYl-rYnrLyHRgFKhv-mAcJkFyprbRluuG-PPCrhIPdmsRnPj8x9uzIUHn6YNnbw/s1600/Bloomberg+speech+-+NY+Post.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcSCvSlNh8EkifhQTTyagpGVVzNq1pU4NAr4dg6cn6tCf6LS-wYsxqcxKa6zXurwRdP1vxuTpYl-rYnrLyHRgFKhv-mAcJkFyprbRluuG-PPCrhIPdmsRnPj8x9uzIUHn6YNnbw/s320/Bloomberg+speech+-+NY+Post.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503277410888386914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">*Image from the New York Post<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;">“We've come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted.... And we come here to state as strongly as ever, this is the freest city in the world. That's what makes New York special and different and strong.</span>..."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That's life. And it's part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11, 2001...."<br /><br />"This nation was founded on the principle that the government must never choose between religions or favor one over another. The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan."<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);"></span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />“Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11, and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values and play into our enemies' hands if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists, and we should not stand for that...."<br /><br />"On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked, 'What God do you pray to?' What beliefs do you hold?'<br /><br />"...Of course, it is fair to ask the organizers of the mosque to show some special sensitivity to the situation, and in fact their plan envisions reaching beyond their walls and building an interfaith community. By doing so, it is my hope that the mosque will help to bring our city even closer together, and help repudiate the false and repugnant idea that the attacks of 9/11 were in any way consistent with Islam...."<br /><br />"Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure, and there is no neighborhood in this city that is off-limits to God's love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us can attest."<br /><br /></span>A few days after Bloomberg's heartfelt speech, <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/06/the-real-ground-zero.html">Fareed Zakaria</a>, the editor of Newsweek International, made the extremely principled gesture of returning the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize and the $10,000 honorarium he received from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) five years ago, because they, siding with public opinion, urged the Islamic Center be moved. The ADL insisted that they were siding with the rights of the victims. But as Zakaria clearly points out, dozens of Muslims were also killed on 9/11...and is bigotry acceptable if people think they are victims?<br /><br />I can appreciate the discomfort some may have to a mosque built so close to Ground Zero. But the fact that New York City and its leadership and prominent figures refused to succumb or be swayed by bigotry or ignorance or fear and instead rose above it says volumes. It is an incredibly powerful and victorious statement about humanity and the "better angels of our nature." And with this strong principled stand, New York City defeated terrorism better than any war ever could.<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);"></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);"></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-64215521531091028292010-06-15T15:56:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:28:00.966-07:00Being Mixed Race<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPn5M9POqMIQhSp9tV6_FMO1b_jakgHLIW3mLF0jGGWSJKLfglbRfwmDUoTSnLHRVxkPe2HgcxJxpB3aG17etLfKXSCba1porX_uy3XYKNmToHLUZPGHen9CV2_GDXj6-m_ueBGg/s1600/DSCN5842.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPn5M9POqMIQhSp9tV6_FMO1b_jakgHLIW3mLF0jGGWSJKLfglbRfwmDUoTSnLHRVxkPe2HgcxJxpB3aG17etLfKXSCba1porX_uy3XYKNmToHLUZPGHen9CV2_GDXj6-m_ueBGg/s400/DSCN5842.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482427217610478882" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
This past Saturday evening, I made my way downtown to the Japanese American National Museum for a panel discussion on one of my favorite topics, because it is also very personal one - the mixed race experience in America. The actress Amy Hill, herself part Finnish and Japanese, was a very animated and likeable undisciplined moderator. The two panelists were writer and photographer Kip Fulbeck (who is a mix of Chinese, English, Irish and Welsh) whose work focuses primarily on identity politics. And to his left sat Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (half Indonesian and half white American), who works to promote multi-cultural education and is currently, an education specialist at the East West Center, which promotes dialogue and exchange between the U.S and Asia. I confess, it is rather tough to see Dr. Maya Soetero-Ng, very accomplished in her own right and not think that when she picks up the phone to call her brother, the most powerful man in the world, answers. But Barack Obama for the most part rarely came up in the discussion.<br />
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According to the statistics that were presented in the introduction, mixed race marriages make up 15% of all marriages in this country which is somewhat incredible given that only 43 years ago, they were still illegal in the U.S. Mixed race people are also apparently the fastest growing demographic in this country - and yet the stories and needs of this demographic are still largely under-researched and ignored.<br />
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The first question to the panel addressed their childhood. Maya Soetoro-Ng spent most of her childhood in Indonesia, often feeling out of place and seen as too American by her classmates. While in America, she was viewed as too exotic. Kip Fulbeck was viewed by his mother's Chinese side of the family as the white foreign kid but in school in San Francisco he was alienated as the Chinese guy. The forms he had to fill-in in school allowed him to check only one race (a situation well-known to any mixed-race individual), which ultimately forced him, as a kid to have to pick regularly between cultures, identities, parents. For Kip, the race that he ticked on the form, was haphazardly based on which parent he felt closer to that day. These daily acts of being forced to select only part of your identity, Kip expressed, often unbeknownst to you, takes its toll over time. The only role model or kindred spirit, Kip sadly admits having as a child was Spock on the television show Star Trek, since on the show Spock is described as half Vulcan, half human and often spoke of the duality and tug-a-war he felt. I could understand how he felt, Kip commented.<br />
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During this discussion, there wasn't much presented that was entirely new to me - since I think most mixed-race people have somewhat similar experiences. What I did appreciate however, was their discussion on how they are choosing to raise their own mixed race children acknowledging their own complex cultural identities. Maya regretted never haven taken her children to Indonesia because she can't share with them, what she calls her own 'umbilical stories' which she grew up hearing. The "best thing we can do for our children," she continued, "is to given them as many stories and layers as possible so that they can make their own choices later in life." Kip added that identity is such a personal decision, "but we live in a world that always wants to decide what we are." It is important he agreed to take children to traveling to different cities and to ensure that they are exposed to different people.<br />
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Both educators, both Kip and Maya agreed that education in the U.S has a long way to go to be more inclusive in subjects, histories, cultures covered. Kip acknowledged that while changes were being made, they were moving at a glacial pace. Too often diversity is treated as an afterthought, a token image. It is not an organic process or integrated into the whole.<br />
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When you are mixed and raised globally as I was, finding a sense of home is often a struggle, so when Maya was asked about how she deals with this dilemma my ears perked up. For her, her mother Ann Dunham was the connection to all her worlds, her tether. But when she died, Maya says she became rather lost. It is then she reflected back to the time she traveled around Pakistan with her mother, and at one point, she found herself straddling the border between Pakistan and China, and documenting that experience through photography she started to develop her sense of comfort resting between worlds. Now she also finds home in her husband and his family; being Chinese Canadian - they keep her connected to her Asian sensibilities. She also finds home obviously in her children.<br />
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When you are mixed race - your facial features are for the most part often a little more ambiguous. To many people, you make look somewhat familiar but not quite. Traveling through Egypt, I was repeatedly claimed as their own despite my appalling attempts at Arabic. When I was in Turkey, everyone thought I was Turkish and spoke to me in Turkish. When I returned back to New York City, that same day several women in line at a drugstore, insisted on speaking to me in Spanish - disgusted at my complete lack of knowledge at what they assumed to be my native tongue. I've had people stand in corners at parties, guessing in hushed tones what my mix was - as a party game. I've had people come up to me in grocery stores very randomly to ask if I am Native American, or Hawaiian, or Thai or Filipino or something else.... My light brown skin and nebulous features has allowed me to pass as a local in many parts of the world - until of course I open my mouth. I never thought much of that until Maya pointed out that everywhere she goes people tell her that "you look just like my niece." By being claimed more frequently, she says, by looking like someone's niece, there is an immediate sense of <span style="font-style: italic;">implied trust</span>. It makes it easier, she expressed to bring tougher topics or more unusual comments to the table for discussion. <br />
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Shortly after that the panel wrapped up and made their way out to the reception. It was now time for wine and cake, book signing and more pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR13_3w5En8rNDJuMMrEMlaPYmjWUMTYf-AG6gWeHHLP55boh9lrgJfz4bPsNZX1Z6-r_IElmz7xdHmF9OQs7UIv7jEjrPW3YXvc7lQtXqxrbFV8HtsTn6_rfa3Wl7S_BG3u3MA/s1600/DSCN5843.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivR13_3w5En8rNDJuMMrEMlaPYmjWUMTYf-AG6gWeHHLP55boh9lrgJfz4bPsNZX1Z6-r_IElmz7xdHmF9OQs7UIv7jEjrPW3YXvc7lQtXqxrbFV8HtsTn6_rfa3Wl7S_BG3u3MA/s400/DSCN5843.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482427223782764418" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Fashen Cox and Heidi W. Durrow, producers of the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival to the left;<br />Kip Fulbeck and Maya Soetoro-Ng to the right</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-66354350690249725902010-04-06T17:53:00.001-07:002014-10-17T15:28:25.116-07:00Branding Egypt in an Age of the War on Terror<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-5J7BiTXO5xVPdEoZ2wtXo65aLwjqJakUZg2Qf2_VhlkV_9deYc8GcvHzOBEHoO0XXVdasvURKxYLRmD9T3xDOVP8f0jrYys4eaby2Zr3zCgeMGuoPcYbwvUL-SrxwmhwsRzTg/s1600/egypt_logo-nothing+compares.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-5J7BiTXO5xVPdEoZ2wtXo65aLwjqJakUZg2Qf2_VhlkV_9deYc8GcvHzOBEHoO0XXVdasvURKxYLRmD9T3xDOVP8f0jrYys4eaby2Zr3zCgeMGuoPcYbwvUL-SrxwmhwsRzTg/s400/egypt_logo-nothing+compares.gif" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457207911878138386" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 181px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>It seems that the Egyptian Tourist Authority has <span style="font-style: italic;">revamped</span> their old "Nothing Compares: Let the Egyptian sun light up life's richest moments" promotional campaign for the new "Egypt: Where it all begins." So they used a new phrase, new fonts and new images but I found them both equally generic and soulless. I find it absolutely incredible that with over 6000 years of history, culture and traditions to draw from, I felt instead that I am watching an advertisement for a Caribbean island or a party town like Ibiza.<br />
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I also found it intriguing that all these ads and promotional materials, in addition to most of the organized tours to Egypt, focus primarily on Pharaonic Egypt or ancient Egypt. It would almost seem that after the demise of the Pharaohs and Cleopatra in Ptolemaic era, Egyptian cultural, social and economic development froze in time. Egypt was for centuries the center of learning, scientific discovery and art and architectural development long after all the pharaohs were buried in their ornate tombs - but one would never know that by looking at these promotional materials designed to attract tourists and investment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXeUGlfHsRn2JnpJ2zwX1eqE2WwEWs0swAUEtTFI2cDsmcypsFRkPHiQ8kRxtN8eRQ0LnfiJToB2kwkxTbjTnmEJ_8x-xEt2MWjN7Oyb3oOioF1mRgsdfWYuEi5ZXjBKhMRDUfw/s1600/egypt_branding+print_ads.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXeUGlfHsRn2JnpJ2zwX1eqE2WwEWs0swAUEtTFI2cDsmcypsFRkPHiQ8kRxtN8eRQ0LnfiJToB2kwkxTbjTnmEJ_8x-xEt2MWjN7Oyb3oOioF1mRgsdfWYuEi5ZXjBKhMRDUfw/s400/egypt_branding+print_ads.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457207903528665074" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Having studied the architecture of Egypt in graduate school, I found myself somewhat frustrated when the guide books I had purchased on Egypt, along with the tour I was on with my dad in November 2008, barely focused any time and space on the great buildings of the Islamic empires. At the time, I didn't give it much thought and merely chocked it up to the type of tour we had selected and the chosen focus of the guide books I had bought. But a talk I attended a couple months ago at the International Studies Association Conference in New Orleans, made me question whether this was a mere oversight or something more intentional.<br />
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The talk was given by Elisa Wynne-Hughes, a graduate student at the University of Bristol in England. She argued that guide books on Egypt and the Egyptian Tourism Board purposely prioritize these ancient Pharaonic sites when describing and branding the country. They encourage tourists to discover Egypt like the colonialists did so many years ago. The Pyramids, the Sphinx, Luxor and so forth all fit in neatly, she presented, into an accepted historical time line of the origins of Western civilization - and so in an age of the War on Terror - this familiarity would make tourists, they assume, more at ease and comfortable, and less focused on issues of terrorism in one of the largest Islamic countries in the Middle East. The images of Islam - the architecture, the culture, even the local people - can be viewed as more threatening to the foreign, <span style="font-style: italic;">western</span> eye and therefore are kept to a minimum. Perhaps that is also why the majority of models in the new print ads are primarily blonds with blue eyes.<br />
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When I was visiting Egypt, I did notice that all these Pharaonic sites were mobbed mostly by foreign tourists all led by carefully orchestrated tour groups - much like the one I was on. I noticed barely a handful of local Egyptians. In my ignorance, I concluded that local Egyptians were perhaps less interested, or having ready access to this incredible sites, had already visited these locations. What I did not realize, until I read Wynne-Hughes' paper is that local, poorer Egyptians are forcibly kept from these tourist sites. The Egyptian government is concerned that their mere presence could be misconstrued and intimidating to tourists given the global stereotype of the poor, uneducated, radicalized Muslim.<br />
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Ultimately, I wonder where the line is drawn between hiding your history, culture and identity to make your country more 'palatable,' less foreign and frightening, and more attractive to tourists and investments. I get that Egypt is heavily dependent on the money tourism brings in; but isn't that one of the criticisms of globalization - that everything and every place starts to look less distinct, more generic, more the same? Aren't more and more tourists and travellers now in search of that unique, atypical experience?<br />
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For me one of the main highlights of my trip were the Egyptians we did get to meet. Never a big fan of tours, I insisted we stay back a couple days in Cairo after the tour was over so that we could wander the streets of Cairo on our own and see for ourselves a tiny bit of the city unfiltered and uncensored. We barely scratched the surface. Contemporary Cairo is thriving and thrilling. There is so much activity and energy. It is both energizing and exhausting at the same time - much like New York City. Yes, it is poor and dirty, but it is also rich with new artistic and cultural developments. It is not Ibiza and it is more than beaches and desert safaris. The Pharaonic and Ptolemaic art and architecture are extraordinary beyond measure but so is the art and architecture from the Ayubbid and Mamluk dynasties. Could it be that the Egyptian Tourism Board is selling Egypt short or perhaps they are underestimating their tourists?<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-34374321813458323622010-03-16T17:15:00.000-07:002010-03-16T17:42:43.232-07:00Dark and Poverty Tourism Continued...Just a brief note building on my previous post on <span style="font-style: italic;">dark and poverty tourism</span>, Conde Nast Traveler has an article out in their March issue on this very topic titled "<a href="http://www.concierge.com/ideas/activeadventure/tours/501443?page=0">Controversial Tourist Attractions</a>," where they explore the pros and cons of visiting these 'questionable' locations. In addition to the places I cited, they also bring up Chernobyl in the Ukraine, Devil's Island in French Guiana (as the French Guantanamo opened under Emperor Napoleon III), the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam where civilians and soldiers tried to hide to avoid U.S. bombing during the Vietnam war.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9ddvtIyMvWactszgCHW4IDVhgj2lNR1y1UR5EamhhOdYv8-NNvtuYQoeGNuT0dyx5faqqnlO4jIbYAo6O79G99J5qQxxrYDeSrmw06ZDQxThoY8GL_rA5zVEPDeqNgXHc9nDbw/s1600-h/Vietnam+-+cuchitunnels.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9ddvtIyMvWactszgCHW4IDVhgj2lNR1y1UR5EamhhOdYv8-NNvtuYQoeGNuT0dyx5faqqnlO4jIbYAo6O79G99J5qQxxrYDeSrmw06ZDQxThoY8GL_rA5zVEPDeqNgXHc9nDbw/s200/Vietnam+-+cuchitunnels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449393148101754322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Vietnam's Cu Chi Tunnels<br />Image from concierge.com</span><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-12525263656320427592010-03-04T15:04:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:29:05.244-07:00Memories and Splendor of New OrleansI've written a <a href="http://www.borderlessculturelifestyle.com/2010/02/from-bourbon-street-and-mardi-gras-to.html">couple posts</a> recently on Mardi Gras and the the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans but before I leave the city of New Orleans (in spirit at least, my body is already back behind my desk in Los Angeles), I wanted to share some pictures I took of the splendor and the multiplicity of the city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaX-wh8fAdyiYFyWYdrG2abyGipyz5H9N7JOmWTXTqcwnTTIePObYFX5_4Sy_GPyy4RidrQO-sk4gkROueFV1R0r6YQpdwVvw0z50O4WytQXSJedIyRuh_Rb6Cc6MpKt5WBZnYg/s1600-h/DSC_0526.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaX-wh8fAdyiYFyWYdrG2abyGipyz5H9N7JOmWTXTqcwnTTIePObYFX5_4Sy_GPyy4RidrQO-sk4gkROueFV1R0r6YQpdwVvw0z50O4WytQXSJedIyRuh_Rb6Cc6MpKt5WBZnYg/s400/DSC_0526.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444917561047958914" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">French Quarter</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrq0yQ_RcJ2h-53IBRcxqkC9ADLPwkn1yYnUEZl5mEFLXckjvZZ1O2HG7oB8cNKhEWNHfapTZsg0xrBKn1k5qwE1V89Yp6goGFTM_nitWkDe3jafAdW7Dzr8v6V42Wm5J9dA1Iw/s1600-h/DSC_0520.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrq0yQ_RcJ2h-53IBRcxqkC9ADLPwkn1yYnUEZl5mEFLXckjvZZ1O2HG7oB8cNKhEWNHfapTZsg0xrBKn1k5qwE1V89Yp6goGFTM_nitWkDe3jafAdW7Dzr8v6V42Wm5J9dA1Iw/s400/DSC_0520.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444917550164250034" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlQDLgnNcax8vfIaX-d_1Z07QOfUJ8X-AiGTP1U0LwBuw_zrWMFt3wAfs21dISkwNrLY-3obF6wnQ5XHChbacL-Jw__oMlsKNbEzrywgQa043XjrlkErRvZ_L_Qde_RacwB0gnA/s1600-h/DSC_0516.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlQDLgnNcax8vfIaX-d_1Z07QOfUJ8X-AiGTP1U0LwBuw_zrWMFt3wAfs21dISkwNrLY-3obF6wnQ5XHChbacL-Jw__oMlsKNbEzrywgQa043XjrlkErRvZ_L_Qde_RacwB0gnA/s400/DSC_0516.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444917545109706130" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdQWd5QXiE36rzvWvAXl5x-qh2LM0-MdmVPsYeNny8oRIQs7Kx4eVFdfK_AEfY2S_JdYIVdtPQlZAHergpQ__esSym4MIAvVd2WKQCCKwG4ZcHVI88fqqw4j2i5HNkW1sGxHxAg/s1600-h/DSC_0381.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdQWd5QXiE36rzvWvAXl5x-qh2LM0-MdmVPsYeNny8oRIQs7Kx4eVFdfK_AEfY2S_JdYIVdtPQlZAHergpQ__esSym4MIAvVd2WKQCCKwG4ZcHVI88fqqw4j2i5HNkW1sGxHxAg/s400/DSC_0381.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916970649077330" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Hotel Monteleone<br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtdnOG3PylwBwgfs2jMBxpq3DKEC9VFXqCGn8gEGhmP5EdQdFAvUlIBmad6QCSnBw2nyqo7AI1KVYCWRoxPBPUl1pfcpKZQKQ0iJLpFZ0BU9D2-W9N5lPmIioauqYm4ngYJunyA/s1600-h/DSC_0314.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtdnOG3PylwBwgfs2jMBxpq3DKEC9VFXqCGn8gEGhmP5EdQdFAvUlIBmad6QCSnBw2nyqo7AI1KVYCWRoxPBPUl1pfcpKZQKQ0iJLpFZ0BU9D2-W9N5lPmIioauqYm4ngYJunyA/s400/DSC_0314.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916561981837794" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Mardi Gras 2010<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4IyhvG_xPDdm5BZqdd9NQBoncYVdSEzMx7lL7E86LZDzVBXPTS-lu1dT81RqDI4-KFwSwunP-Rx_42enRUQ-hA2GGXvyjdkH_8_GXqpi_4CMqz-BG5hcsMTo9RyxkUhi2WnRaw/s1600-h/DSC_0217.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4IyhvG_xPDdm5BZqdd9NQBoncYVdSEzMx7lL7E86LZDzVBXPTS-lu1dT81RqDI4-KFwSwunP-Rx_42enRUQ-hA2GGXvyjdkH_8_GXqpi_4CMqz-BG5hcsMTo9RyxkUhi2WnRaw/s400/DSC_0217.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916235413189442" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmtnclTGUkmOqQBJduPzQKKL8za2IbVmWfeZcAX6xRUYrDselMSG83njySkXnBqDZG6ru16hQ1r3IAZQsf63JC6ed39Yc2Y2unLouooTmGy1U1fzNaEPBFGdnLdagFFnXGU6zXw/s1600-h/DSC_0211.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmtnclTGUkmOqQBJduPzQKKL8za2IbVmWfeZcAX6xRUYrDselMSG83njySkXnBqDZG6ru16hQ1r3IAZQsf63JC6ed39Yc2Y2unLouooTmGy1U1fzNaEPBFGdnLdagFFnXGU6zXw/s400/DSC_0211.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916223586137618" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9iuMMPMKnnNq-ifjJgkx1tKI7hF5ziAJVOSGyYAU1smXkiEPhkScFkxJefrb3jZiWK7JypRugmLm74W-rtuvM6xheGwx4ziYv_N-vnlFKbYK-QHnCku4DgkNzlKQ30wRUqfSbw/s1600-h/DSC_0243.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9iuMMPMKnnNq-ifjJgkx1tKI7hF5ziAJVOSGyYAU1smXkiEPhkScFkxJefrb3jZiWK7JypRugmLm74W-rtuvM6xheGwx4ziYv_N-vnlFKbYK-QHnCku4DgkNzlKQ30wRUqfSbw/s400/DSC_0243.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916246663966834" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozli-RZYsgUl5Q4cKs8RtpjcDvvOQAlhe0oYQFJUE9Z_2thYPyDd17ZejweGl6vmiRwvsBElO2NSWBrqZE2gx9QE_Wi2PMbeA8I4e-dpSGth8_-GKVKncyEC-MKPGPfM6Jyf_2w/s1600-h/DSC_0230.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozli-RZYsgUl5Q4cKs8RtpjcDvvOQAlhe0oYQFJUE9Z_2thYPyDd17ZejweGl6vmiRwvsBElO2NSWBrqZE2gx9QE_Wi2PMbeA8I4e-dpSGth8_-GKVKncyEC-MKPGPfM6Jyf_2w/s400/DSC_0230.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916236818811954" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgql-cLgvsygYG06PbWCxkmFITcxxQ8vQk0vHxUE1wSax4gpzr_JjL6OApOfwQZJGfuiz1GDSyf7HsXWD7Q0zay66le-oOKs2o0lb21QpEgxBfIGAU1dOK6-HsZHbTG-Ukr7ksA/s1600-h/DSC_0268.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgql-cLgvsygYG06PbWCxkmFITcxxQ8vQk0vHxUE1wSax4gpzr_JjL6OApOfwQZJGfuiz1GDSyf7HsXWD7Q0zay66le-oOKs2o0lb21QpEgxBfIGAU1dOK6-HsZHbTG-Ukr7ksA/s400/DSC_0268.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916255022186962" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFOunOGzIj8X5i8eDmSyltMGxwJGtjZrIs6SNGicKm1LXQBLNkdmhFrBOI1wIWHmr6B5WLAhtHqKANZ77ysfgn79pWQ3z4fSHzK1Pps-rpVmYOv-p2dRbCBR02Trqr69aSmqSGQ/s1600-h/DSC_0279.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFOunOGzIj8X5i8eDmSyltMGxwJGtjZrIs6SNGicKm1LXQBLNkdmhFrBOI1wIWHmr6B5WLAhtHqKANZ77ysfgn79pWQ3z4fSHzK1Pps-rpVmYOv-p2dRbCBR02Trqr69aSmqSGQ/s400/DSC_0279.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916541419924098" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wgYEEP6g4EIN_GnAoLE5RxEJaOnctw-A4jHZcMVLmVLqgwiYe0v89xggxfnfBeNFlKPmK_k7j-wOAY3g_P3quFc_fo-HSPP77E-DXjOolUsGxl74XLCY73nfCfSCQ2ck8XxHbQ/s1600-h/DSC_0309.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wgYEEP6g4EIN_GnAoLE5RxEJaOnctw-A4jHZcMVLmVLqgwiYe0v89xggxfnfBeNFlKPmK_k7j-wOAY3g_P3quFc_fo-HSPP77E-DXjOolUsGxl74XLCY73nfCfSCQ2ck8XxHbQ/s400/DSC_0309.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916554124610194" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJZ8oknECCmnU5XBd0-D0JePRojrL10nhYEylW1NiQELDz-WE1iFzZGN4Ks91jqYu3lq1_6RbOtLkh15_KAxm02IDonUtYHjyWZfBCistmEybVS_iPmz0eFu6OTlNV7jVPjbOlg/s1600-h/DSC_0271.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJZ8oknECCmnU5XBd0-D0JePRojrL10nhYEylW1NiQELDz-WE1iFzZGN4Ks91jqYu3lq1_6RbOtLkh15_KAxm02IDonUtYHjyWZfBCistmEybVS_iPmz0eFu6OTlNV7jVPjbOlg/s400/DSC_0271.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916532496580418" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SOcxERdwJhZs2TzdrZWB6u8PCgH1h3bNlIvmSEg2T4KngLyHIyHc3Y3mrKAAP8StX6afYbCHXwQ1Qii3LjXRnODRgwPp6Z45Zc_ctSiFnjkib06akhzN4PdQ9POoeMBeLLnm-A/s1600-h/DSC_0346.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SOcxERdwJhZs2TzdrZWB6u8PCgH1h3bNlIvmSEg2T4KngLyHIyHc3Y3mrKAAP8StX6afYbCHXwQ1Qii3LjXRnODRgwPp6Z45Zc_ctSiFnjkib06akhzN4PdQ9POoeMBeLLnm-A/s400/DSC_0346.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916955537063906" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbxPDOg5ctxa5FD5abFvUbrK8SqyZAp4WR28WrLCAs3uLcKiGuGPKdEaM9zpQ8AOWeZBqafZo1nWsM5_V-VNpotEUlj4IQQi0O1VlKHUFvPKcsFMhK6SgowmtQeF1EqCLQJ8KAA/s1600-h/DSC_0376.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbxPDOg5ctxa5FD5abFvUbrK8SqyZAp4WR28WrLCAs3uLcKiGuGPKdEaM9zpQ8AOWeZBqafZo1nWsM5_V-VNpotEUlj4IQQi0O1VlKHUFvPKcsFMhK6SgowmtQeF1EqCLQJ8KAA/s400/DSC_0376.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916958409147602" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Bourbon Street - the night of Mardi Gras</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Nnvh0tZswzBpitAOooqsafkjwNtSsAbYSOApnbnYw6jqM8IqmsLP4v9vjQ3VDO-hulNVUqa24qU3apfS7DLYU0jMU2U6MXm20h4v5aoS61K5whgscvaBViKCUfT5QJyknESlEA/s1600-h/DSC_0540.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Nnvh0tZswzBpitAOooqsafkjwNtSsAbYSOApnbnYw6jqM8IqmsLP4v9vjQ3VDO-hulNVUqa24qU3apfS7DLYU0jMU2U6MXm20h4v5aoS61K5whgscvaBViKCUfT5QJyknESlEA/s400/DSC_0540.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444917570146040210" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Artist Scott Pterodactyl’s 50-foot-tall tree house</span><span style="font-size: 78%;"> at <a href="http://www.1614esplanade.com/">1614 Esplanade</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeMQbTG-qMKkZZAxO7GV70eE_3yGjIPs_uwvYWswgxw9CHUCMIxt2W9PqZ7FxZZuiFV7DfgNu65OKVCVuLxGjNrFQ2tBZKY5SLI9yjT7WNwkTpR3wgiTpspQZxGdQVSjMR_s8eA/s1600-h/DSC_0575.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeMQbTG-qMKkZZAxO7GV70eE_3yGjIPs_uwvYWswgxw9CHUCMIxt2W9PqZ7FxZZuiFV7DfgNu65OKVCVuLxGjNrFQ2tBZKY5SLI9yjT7WNwkTpR3wgiTpspQZxGdQVSjMR_s8eA/s400/DSC_0575.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444917582881659058" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Algiers, New Orleans<br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q42fswuX_hWDXvX8FXfhAuYjpn2WFOR3icuy13p-gipvBWriC7AcRr5Xa_ILNS5KfWu9Apy4z2bG6C5Q49ChXyDcQZ1Zre1gJBlHyeIuxMzFhgSskZFrDoO4EoCaVCK33djxDA/s1600-h/DSC_0437.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5q42fswuX_hWDXvX8FXfhAuYjpn2WFOR3icuy13p-gipvBWriC7AcRr5Xa_ILNS5KfWu9Apy4z2bG6C5Q49ChXyDcQZ1Zre1gJBlHyeIuxMzFhgSskZFrDoO4EoCaVCK33djxDA/s400/DSC_0437.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444916978186576962" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><a href="http://neworleanscitypark.com/index.html"><span style="font-size: 78%;">City Park</span></a><br />
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Until next time....<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-75958188650734420772010-03-02T20:18:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:29:32.817-07:00Dark and Poverty Tourism: Where do you draw the line?When I lived in New York City, I used to resent the huge crowds of tourists and hawkers that would line the perimeter of Ground Zero - the huge gaping hole that once supported the twin towers of the World Trade Center. It felt too much like a circus to me, (all those cameras flashing), and disrespectful to those who suffered through the tragedy of 9/11. I read a statistic recently that before 9/11, 1.8 million tourists per year on average visited the observation deck at the World Trade Center. However, post 9/11 in 2002, 3.6 million visitors came to Ground Zero to see the ashes of the twin towers.<br />
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Obviously tragedy seems to be a huge tourism driver.<br />
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I didn't give much thought to that until recently, when I was on the other side as a tourist. This time, I was in New Orleans for a conference. It was my second trip to the Crescent City. The first was in 2003. Back then, I roamed the French Quarter, the Garden District, and went on the Bayou and Plantation Tours. However, upon returning to New Orleans, post Hurricane Katrina, having read about the devastation and the slow pace of reconstruction albeit five years later, I admit I was curious. Ultimately, I don't know what drove me to book the "Hurricane Katrina tour" with Greyline. Perhaps I wanted to see the New Orleans outside the <span style="font-style: italic;">traditional </span>tourist destinations. I wanted to know what exactly happened the day Hurricane Katrina hit, why New Orleans nearly drowned, I wanted to know about the devastation and reconstruction efforts - and I wanted a more accurate picture. Or perhaps my curiosity got the better of me and my inner rubbernecker took over. Whatever the reason, from the moment I booked the tour, I was conflicted. Was I exploiting people's suffering for my own curiosity and entertainment?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbTd70WxW0iuf6BAofR0AwsAUdqLBog6Jh9e0OGqRC3Mn-hzXGcIzwyHDp4VjEBToH74kdGt67TO7nF6UuwxXj877eUSvO2QF07Tuc-Q2V2e5h6XrG7_NabQvDbN6NYzG0wTeng/s1600-h/DSC_0471.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXbTd70WxW0iuf6BAofR0AwsAUdqLBog6Jh9e0OGqRC3Mn-hzXGcIzwyHDp4VjEBToH74kdGt67TO7nF6UuwxXj877eUSvO2QF07Tuc-Q2V2e5h6XrG7_NabQvDbN6NYzG0wTeng/s400/DSC_0471.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444280151499910354" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">9th Ward, New Orleans - Images from the tour I took</span></div>
My tour was led by a New Orleans resident, who was one of the many people who barely managed to flee to safety but returned months later to rebuild their lives. He showed us the earthen levies, the 17th Street Canal, the flood walls. He recreated quite powerfully, through local newspaper accounts, the extent of the flooding and devastation. He took us through the Upper and Lower 9th Ward, Gentilly and Lakeview. He also explained the recovery process, their ongoing struggles and commended those individuals and businesses that fought hard to revive and rebuild their communities. While I admit I cringed when we drove through the 9th Ward as the residents looked up at the two huge tourist buses, I still shamefully took out my camera to record what I saw.<br />
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Ultimately, I was glad that I signed up for the tour primarily because I learned a lot and have a much better understanding of not only what happened the days and weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit but of all the successes and struggles in rebuilding since then. New Orleans was always one of my favorite North American cities for the culture and the diversity, but after this tour I felt I had a new respect and awe for the city and its residents. I would have preferred however, if instead of two giant buses, my tour was in a small minivan. I would have felt that at least we were less intrusive. I would have also preferred that Greyline donate a portion of their profits from the tour to the neighborhoods hardest hit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4dqthDox7hIvK9Dxlwnz_33v7GoTD4PKVDSAm8qIFqTKubUVjTDRrSl3soxkq7zQWALfvCC_3Br8Dg52qiKpy-hmx_Vqlf1poxlQvSbcpF8moBSI5P4MHA-Xxn_she-ei3Jnrw/s1600-h/DSC_0496.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4dqthDox7hIvK9Dxlwnz_33v7GoTD4PKVDSAm8qIFqTKubUVjTDRrSl3soxkq7zQWALfvCC_3Br8Dg52qiKpy-hmx_Vqlf1poxlQvSbcpF8moBSI5P4MHA-Xxn_she-ei3Jnrw/s400/DSC_0496.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444280165880982626" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Destruction from Hurricane Katrina - four and half years later</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0bJalzlVn1TgUigolqMk_MH3_M6qXmhbz8TBPE9acCqazjUetvYi8Spp7yptWIPL_l_5Ks9iAtKCP-HHgBS6YETSmg8UZaD2hvKapC8yHM3-ui6FYuw6pLNhvmDqiAF-Wav6rw/s1600-h/DSC_0490.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0bJalzlVn1TgUigolqMk_MH3_M6qXmhbz8TBPE9acCqazjUetvYi8Spp7yptWIPL_l_5Ks9iAtKCP-HHgBS6YETSmg8UZaD2hvKapC8yHM3-ui6FYuw6pLNhvmDqiAF-Wav6rw/s400/DSC_0490.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444280160485116402" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Sculpture showing the different water levels that flooded the various parishes of New Orleans<br /></span></div>
Since returning home, my inner conflict about the Hurricane Katrina tour has stayed with me. It has made me think about the rise of tours around the world for tourists in search of a more <span style="font-style: italic;">"authentic experience"</span> to places like the Dharavi Slums in Mumbai, the Soweto Township in South Africa or the tours to the Rocinha Favela in Rio de Janeiro, the largest slum in South America.<span style="font-style: italic;"></span> There is even a term for this type of tourism - "Poverty Tourism" or <span style="font-style: italic;">Poorism</span>. Perhaps the rise in these tours are the result of a greater awareness of the world's problems, or perhaps it is a result of movies like City of God or Slumdog Millionaire that romanticize these slums, the violence and the poverty. Despite all my own inner conflicts about these tours, the objectification of the people, the power discrepancy - many of the residents in these neighborhoods do not have a choice in becoming a tourist attraction, I can't say I wouldn't go on any of these tours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlHL4uJs6pur5anM6m9CUHCDUSgBb0sRl6AYqHtXKNCT0P35J_5hzlQz5HVZfC5TDA5dZcn5B19wrk_6ZC8GuCQcZQNwussJHx9Ygb6PqBI2nQoFH6UkMHUsONCXi0jLDSV5x8Q/s1600-h/Dharavi_Slum_in_Mumbai.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlHL4uJs6pur5anM6m9CUHCDUSgBb0sRl6AYqHtXKNCT0P35J_5hzlQz5HVZfC5TDA5dZcn5B19wrk_6ZC8GuCQcZQNwussJHx9Ygb6PqBI2nQoFH6UkMHUsONCXi0jLDSV5x8Q/s400/Dharavi_Slum_in_Mumbai.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444277720050906594" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Dharavi District<br />Image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dharavi_Slum_in_Mumbai.jpg</span></div>
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My Hurricane Katrina tour also has own terminology - "Grief tourism", or "Disaster Tourism" or "Dark Tourism." According to the University of Central Lancashire, a leader in the research in this field, "Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme." All the visitors to Ground Zero would fall under this category. And so do tours to <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31/">Auschwitz Birkenau</a> in Poland, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site; as do visits to Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor. The latter two places I have visited, not to indulge some weird macabre fascination but to be educated of the history. My visit to Hiroshima and what I learned there from the people, the buildings and exhibitions had such a profound effect on me as a young high school student.</div>
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Obviously there is a very fine line between education, curiosity and exploitation; and where the line is drawn is nebulous and vague, never altogether clear. I am sure some of the visitors to Ground Zero are there simply to pay their respects to the fallen. There are some neighborhoods in New Orleans that welcome the tours, with the hope that increased awareness will bring more assistance in the reconstruction process. Some tours through the slums of Mumbai are run by the residents of the slums, which not only increases the sensitivity of the tour but also promotes entrepreneurship and investment within the slums. While Hermano Vianna, the author of several books on the relationship between favelas and Brazilian music tells the <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0206/p01s04-woam.html">Christian Science Monitor</a> that "People come here [Rocinha] to get away from the boredom of their own countries. They are looking for cultural authenticity. This is like Disneyland to them;" other residents of the favelas feel there is a rich culture to be shared that goes beyond the violence and the lack of basic amenities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarAapyGUXv-E-7aeOphc6c_fTOGZeRB3JKk6PBWg8uQPfmeitci6P9kZl-R69iC5YlTH1Hyr4xwoj3HbXHxFpBzwgG_IXv7KUPQoU9Eho7TdAqkgO9Mqvr8xlert8OUtegPdgEQ/s1600-h/Rocinha_Favela.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarAapyGUXv-E-7aeOphc6c_fTOGZeRB3JKk6PBWg8uQPfmeitci6P9kZl-R69iC5YlTH1Hyr4xwoj3HbXHxFpBzwgG_IXv7KUPQoU9Eho7TdAqkgO9Mqvr8xlert8OUtegPdgEQ/s400/Rocinha_Favela.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444275854566681826" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Rocinha Favela</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;">Image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rocinha_Favela.jpg</span><br />
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These "poverty tours" or "destruction tours" (so harsh in their terminology, it really makes you question your motives in participating in such tours) can exploit people and their misery and turn neighborhoods into zoos, or they can on the flip side, bring greater understanding and investment into areas normally off the tourist path and fight stereotypes. I guess for me, whether these types of tours are exploitative or not depends on the degree of exchange between the tourist and the locals, and on what we, the tourist take away from them.<br />
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**For more information and other thoughts on how to increase sensitivity when partaking in these tours, check out:<br />
<a href="http://budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2008/01/07/AR2008010701680.html">"A Dose of Reality"</a> by <span class="date">Anya Yurchyshyn on Budget Travel<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-21938600110887848802010-02-05T12:36:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:29:56.176-07:00A Better Way to Build a Global CityAn article I read on the dwindling built heritage of Macau got me thinking once again on the role of cultural heritage in the urban environment of up and coming global cities. Too often these days, centuries old buildings rich with craftsmanship and architectural detail, and social and cultural history have either been decimated in favor of a new row of generic glass towers to appeal to huge multinational corporations or super luxurious new attractions to entice that elite group of tourists. The speed of contemporary development has often prevented thoughtful development. Skyscrapers and brand new towns go from the drawing board into construction at record times all over the world in the hopes of outdoing the competition in the next city.<br />
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In this age of lightening speed technology, communications, construction and global competition, after studying this phenomenon for years and years now, I am convinced that governments of nascent global cities (by that I mean cities that are on the verge of taking a prominent place on the world's stage and becoming a key player in the global economy - like Dubai was 20 years ago) need some sort of guidelines or caveats as to how to develop an urban environment that is progressive, competitive and advanced and yet still respectful to local cultural heritage. For many of these cities, they need to realize that their architectural history is not an impediment to becoming a global city, it can be an advantage.<br />
<ul>
<li>Cities that are embarking on becoming a more influential player and stakeholder in the global economy and thus are going to undergo a dramatic transformation of their urban environment should at first take the time to develop a comprehensive urban strategy that allows for the construction of new infrastructure and at the same time promotes and protects your built heritage.</li>
</ul>
All to often, there is this misconception that anything that is shiny and new and very tall is much more valuable than something more historical and local. Time and time again, governments are only too hasty to abandon and destroy their own culture and heritage in favor of something they think will make them more globally appealing, more modern, more attractive to global businesses and tourists, and <span style="font-style: italic;">seem less</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">backward</span>. What is often lost in this process, however, is that local heritage and culture can be an incredibly appealing resource. A unique identifier and symbol that gives a city an identity that goes beyond the homogeneity of curtain wall high rises.<br />
<ul>
<li>Built heritage can be an economic driver</li>
</ul>
Singapore in the 1970's is a classic example. For close to two decades, this city-state fought to advance itself as a premier global city. All things foreign were valued over anything local. Historic buildings were destroyed so that foreign big name architects could build technologically advanced towers. However, by the mid 1980's the toll of all this destruction started to concern the government and local architectural and planning communities. The city lacked soul and identity and tourism, a huge revenue generator, was dramatically dropping. So as part of a new strategy to halt this trend, ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam and Heritage Link were conserved and redeveloped into mixed use buildings combining residential with commercial. These are now all bustling centers within the city. Years later Singapore continues to protect their older neighborhoods like this one below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MVeT40j-nTjeANl7MXM9iXdZTNeiapNfpoL6Gy3wb8Dnzd0-JEWyktfcy_KG_V6SS-c6rJVWQpI4Bg830QmSWrKMBsgmRaTOYsYqcxTcwMNl_o5lOHW2MUmUmobHJr_kiP9n8A/s1600-h/Singapore+ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-Joo+Chiat+Neighborhood+-Dwell.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MVeT40j-nTjeANl7MXM9iXdZTNeiapNfpoL6Gy3wb8Dnzd0-JEWyktfcy_KG_V6SS-c6rJVWQpI4Bg830QmSWrKMBsgmRaTOYsYqcxTcwMNl_o5lOHW2MUmUmobHJr_kiP9n8A/s400/Singapore+ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-Joo+Chiat+Neighborhood+-Dwell.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434872615644047346" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 319px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">This row of shophouses on Joo Chiat Road dating back to the 1920's and 1930's was deemed a conservation district in 1993. The owners of the shophouse in the middle, Chiang Ian and Yang Yeo restored the front facade and renovated the interiors giving their home a very contemporary feel without losing the history of the building. (These pictures and the story are from <a href="http://www.dwell.com/articles/straight-and-narrow.html">Dwell</a>.)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJkkjkiqYdKa0C8Sx0tzQddTuET-3QtvswE0s8bAA2Xc506YUL2ANC8LE1d-WwjD25S9J2fjFycliOlXVS_5K-GqycPa9zu6H6zVASUB-ZactmA3N3ADhbELgIN4O1hr3yzrYPg/s1600-h/Singapore+ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-view-to-dining-room-Dwell.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJkkjkiqYdKa0C8Sx0tzQddTuET-3QtvswE0s8bAA2Xc506YUL2ANC8LE1d-WwjD25S9J2fjFycliOlXVS_5K-GqycPa9zu6H6zVASUB-ZactmA3N3ADhbELgIN4O1hr3yzrYPg/s400/Singapore+ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-view-to-dining-room-Dwell.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434879373711893250" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiErx20aKDL8WgRBMmKIkywOLK2s7mQO8FVqtj_UgQMcUTTU4CKSn-Y_22Dq0_kxAa0I6_GHFnVRGQTyuzPK75B2OZIF9XX8FN4M1CvgVDBhcxuW5mWoOuyyuKu-ZzGPs82etWLw/s1600-h/ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-dining-room-Jo+Chiat+Singapore-Dwell.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiErx20aKDL8WgRBMmKIkywOLK2s7mQO8FVqtj_UgQMcUTTU4CKSn-Y_22Dq0_kxAa0I6_GHFnVRGQTyuzPK75B2OZIF9XX8FN4M1CvgVDBhcxuW5mWoOuyyuKu-ZzGPs82etWLw/s400/ching-ian-yang-yeo-house-dining-room-Jo+Chiat+Singapore-Dwell.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434872606853643522" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 302px;" /></a></div>
In Damascus, Syrian expatriates returned home and have turned their decaying 'Old City' into an elite hot spot of boutique firms, entertainment, restaurants and clubs - a huge economic driver withing the city. They have done this by restoring the old buildings and adapting their original use.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1oZ04a6GEYo5iV71AchDRgN1nl9i7psqeT5G1UT4dxgvx7Wzz5MmApSNaMQzSY4SK0VnbVxd4dTpYYYlemssDR17cEog0ptFnK1CB68s5zeG3iITpF3vuZxX5Dyv3Zb55rh3-Q/s1600-h/Damascus-AlMamlouka+Hotel-Guardian.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1oZ04a6GEYo5iV71AchDRgN1nl9i7psqeT5G1UT4dxgvx7Wzz5MmApSNaMQzSY4SK0VnbVxd4dTpYYYlemssDR17cEog0ptFnK1CB68s5zeG3iITpF3vuZxX5Dyv3Zb55rh3-Q/s400/Damascus-AlMamlouka+Hotel-Guardian.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434874241084843650" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Beit Al Mamlouka - the first boutique hotel in Damascus located in the Old City</span></div>
<ul>
<li>Don't be so consumed with chasing FDI and tourists that you forget your obligation to your own citizens.</li>
</ul>
According to the article "<a href="http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/play/macau-city-dreams-905814#">Searching for Macau's cultural future</a>," Rua da Tercena and Rua de Cinco de Outubro, two century-old streets right adjacent to "the historic center of Macao", a UNESCO World Heritage Site are eerily silent in part because the street and buildings are falling apart from neglect. That wasn't always the case however. It used to be a bustling commercial street. Macanese lawyer and cultural advocate Miguel de Senna Fernandes claims that the downfall of these streets are the result of the government's narrow focus on building up the flashier tourist attractions. According to Fernandes, government projects for the past few years have been all geared towards the interests of the casinos and those who visit them. When I visited Macau many many years ago, it was charming albeit sleepy town. The buildings and culture of Macau have a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese sensibilities and architectural influences, found no where else in the world. Now however, it has been overrun with American casino operators like Wynn, MGM Grand and Sheldon Adelson's Venetian. Macau's casino revenues apparently exceed that of Las Vegas. Obviously these profits are also a huge boost to the economy of Macau. However, if Macau is to retain some of its original character, charm and soul, then the government can take some of the revenue generated from the casinos and invest in conserving up their own built heritage and nurturing their own local businesses, artists, craftsmen and performers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJu5YphWHNq0_NVQJzFBk79b_jR_yIPtVeB35hJy1SUHGl3leHOFJK59zVwhaUuaQ6AZ_RWjIbpiwyjHQ3eovI1zvpu4PwP8gLUdrAl1Ejo58xcvakZIgJCgJHA3__DH7eVkjMg/s1600-h/Macau-antiques-guy-portrait.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJu5YphWHNq0_NVQJzFBk79b_jR_yIPtVeB35hJy1SUHGl3leHOFJK59zVwhaUuaQ6AZ_RWjIbpiwyjHQ3eovI1zvpu4PwP8gLUdrAl1Ejo58xcvakZIgJCgJHA3__DH7eVkjMg/s400/Macau-antiques-guy-portrait.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434582942749438482" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Antiques' merchant So Mo Cheung based on Rua da Tercena for decades<br />(Image from CNN.com)</span></div>
<ul>
<li>Authenticity matters.</li>
</ul>
In the early 1990's, the leaders of Dubai freely bulldozed over whatever minimal built heritage they had. Nothing was spared not even their former leaders' old homes. Years later they realized that their built heritage could be used as an economic driver and so they sought to rebuild their heritage which is what you see when you walk through the <span style="font-style: italic;">'historic'</span> Bastakiya Quarter. Well you know how sometimes when you walk into an old historic building, you feel like if the walls could talk they would tell you great stories of years past and the people who inhabited the space long long ago? Well, you won't feel much of anything now when you walk through the Bastakiya Quarter because the place is sterile. It is so pristine because most of it has been rebuilt from scratch. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IcolSfHXxh6rBDcdnIbFkH4SckLFtDHr_d_fMQdAa6DMJ6aAQQ-IUqNh-i1W6jD9m2aJdvRWtz-jASNV2OlyaiaXMwKeZP9NguV5PE_ASnI9GT4m1H3UpyA6oh-7nZenJ1Z3mA/s1600-h/Pakistan=Dubai+253.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IcolSfHXxh6rBDcdnIbFkH4SckLFtDHr_d_fMQdAa6DMJ6aAQQ-IUqNh-i1W6jD9m2aJdvRWtz-jASNV2OlyaiaXMwKeZP9NguV5PE_ASnI9GT4m1H3UpyA6oh-7nZenJ1Z3mA/s400/Pakistan=Dubai+253.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434582951922558722" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Reconstructed Windtowers in the Bastakiya Quarter</span></div>
The same is happening in Beijing. They decimated <a href="http://www.borderlessculture.com/2008/06/razing-valuable-history-for-kitsch.html">Qianmen</a>, a centuries old shopping street with all its extraordinary buildings and in its place recreated an inferior Disneyland-like substitute. Perhaps that is a better alternative to historic sites that have vanished all together? 30,995 historic sites on an incomplete list from 1982 of 225,000 sites have already disappeared in China. According to He Shuzhong, of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, "The last 20 years have been the worst time for cultural heritage site protection with rapid development. It is even worse than in the Cultural Revolution."<br />
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When development happens in a blink of an eye, local governments have to partner with local cultural organizations, businesses, entrepreneurs, architects, urban planners and other experts so that there can be an more engaged, robust dialogue as to how a global city should be developed, designed and built. There has to be a smarter way of countering this endless pattern of cultural destruction then hasty reconstruction in so many cities. Thoughtful more holistic strategies to urban development must be developed far in advance and not as an after thought.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-73913450989421744562010-01-26T11:35:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:30:44.658-07:00The Economic Importance of DesignWhen I was 13 years old, I decided that I wanted to study architecture in college. For me it seemed an obvious choice. Growing up in Tokyo, I was constantly surrounded by design from the most subtle, how your food is prepared and presented to the the more monolithic - great architecture. However, during my final two years of architecture school, I realized that while I loved the study of architecture, I wasn't so sure about the practice. Having gone to architecture school during a recession, also made me question the surety of my degree. I witnessed many architects get laid off from architecture firms they had dedicated their lives to. So in graduate school, given that I was always interested in the factors that influenced design, I decided to sit in a few MBA classes. I was going to figure out how business influenced design.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNGHhyphenhyphenEhjt3HfeBUdlgSaGpToquv_-MZyq2XRk6ch7LLdS7CvNHjfOfCsYQAPazF03KSi07Uamx7RHyw6HNM9jDdpoj5CIv2183jyTx5yk3Z45U3VOGcbnNRR57U4jbm6gEimEA/s1600-h/Layer+House+by+Hiraoki+Ohtani.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNGHhyphenhyphenEhjt3HfeBUdlgSaGpToquv_-MZyq2XRk6ch7LLdS7CvNHjfOfCsYQAPazF03KSi07Uamx7RHyw6HNM9jDdpoj5CIv2183jyTx5yk3Z45U3VOGcbnNRR57U4jbm6gEimEA/s400/Layer+House+by+Hiraoki+Ohtani.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431166913732474754" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 270px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Layer House by Hiroaki Ohtani</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;">(Image from The Japan Architect)</span></div>
Years later when I was looking for employment, my interest in how businesses grow and strategy developed stayed with me. For what seemed like a tremendous stretch to many given my architectural design background, I decided to find a position in management consulting. I however, did not find it a big leap. Architectural training after all teaches problem solving and that basically is what management consulting is. It just uses less spreadsheets and more creativity and intuition. My first round of applications however, were rejected by all consulting firms. My educational background was perhaps a little too exotic and unfamiliar. Ironically, the only person I did meet that did not think that it was such an oddity for someone with a design background to go into business consulting was Roger Martin, one of the founding partners of Monitor Consulting. At that time, he had just assumed the position of dean at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. (He has recently published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Design-Business-Thinking-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1422177807"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Design of Business</span></a>. More on that later).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpN9kwINfRBRp1hI9NMaImcBoX9TVniHj8yQwn4K-eZ3gyk2Ejngz_uu_krUPQV3TVZYnrGhZ-6wU1N5NuVf4Q2tkM06YWVFIcAJSe4NqZG67UFxUNqHktIRmuZ3PnlntJnSj-A/s1600-h/The+Design+of+Business.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpN9kwINfRBRp1hI9NMaImcBoX9TVniHj8yQwn4K-eZ3gyk2Ejngz_uu_krUPQV3TVZYnrGhZ-6wU1N5NuVf4Q2tkM06YWVFIcAJSe4NqZG67UFxUNqHktIRmuZ3PnlntJnSj-A/s200/The+Design+of+Business.gif" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431146712007497298" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 151px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 100px;" /></a><br />
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To make a short story, shorter, I eventually ended up working for two huge global consulting firms. One of which hailed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma">Six Sigma</a> and number crunching as the holy grail. Conclusions on consulting projects, even if it involved a study on less predictable factors like human behavior in a work environment were reduced to no more than excel charts. As a designer, I watched daily innovation and creativity die. Where was someone like me, a hybrid, a trained architect with a penchant for business development and strategy to go?<br />
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In the past few years however, there has been a lot of new research from various business leaders, academics and practitioners on the value of <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">design thinking</span>. Business thinkers like Roger Martin are advocating <span style="font-weight: bold;">design thinking</span> as strategy for companies to be more competitive, innovative and flexible.<br />
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For years now, scholars like Richard Florida and Charles Landry have been writing and consulting with governments all around the world on the rise of the creative class and the growing importance of creative professionals as economic drivers in city development. Design thinking however, takes that concept to another level.<br />
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But what exactly is design thinking? Basically it is thinking and analysis with the mindset and sensibility of a designer. Instead of solely relying on deductive and inductive logic as most business people do, designers draw more from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abductive_reasoning">abductive reasoning</a>. According to Roger Martin, "A person or organization instilled with that discipline is constantly seeking a fruitful balance between reliability and validity, between art and science, between intuition and analytics, and between exploration and exploitation. The design-thinking organization applies the designer's most crucial tool to the problems of business. That tool is <span style="font-style: italic;">abductive reasoning</span>." Martin says that large organizations and businesses often lose sight of the creativity that made them successful. Too often, before a new program or product can be implemented, leaders want proof of their success in advance and so the past is often extrapolated to determine future successes. This is the surest way to stifle creativity and innovation. Conversely, he argues, the way a designer works is to imagine a future that does not yet exist and that imagination is the advan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0g3qauzBan_BdJC-KmEIg7CkWcLt9PqdYbqDPd2fPHNHZoty9lSQMpo00a9hcGHxv6lubXF0xCGIkB2KIcJkMdbX_BakOvKuhcXO55p7M7_ff259gpAuXPiwQBbqiEND8lbqTg/s1600-h/A+whole+new+mind-Daniel+Pink.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0g3qauzBan_BdJC-KmEIg7CkWcLt9PqdYbqDPd2fPHNHZoty9lSQMpo00a9hcGHxv6lubXF0xCGIkB2KIcJkMdbX_BakOvKuhcXO55p7M7_ff259gpAuXPiwQBbqiEND8lbqTg/s200/A+whole+new+mind-Daniel+Pink.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431146714616875074" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 132px;" /></a>tage a designer brings. Ultimately, you make your own reality.<br />
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In a world of global outsourcing, Daniel Pink has drawn a similar conclusion on the competitive advantage design thinking brings to companies. In his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-New-Mind-Right-Brainers-Future/dp/1594481717/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Whole New Mind</span></a>, published in 2005, Pink writes, "Design is a high-concept aptitude that is difficult to outsource or automate - and that increasingly confers a competitive advantage in business."<br />
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The process of design and design thinking has over the years gained such prominence that in 2006 it became part of the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos.<br />
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These new developments and research are also filtering their way down to how business schools teach. Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto has paired up with the Ontario College of Arts to offer courses that link business strategy with design thinking. Stanford University launched the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design in 2005 to teach design thinking. The University of California, Berkeley offers a MBA course that brings together students from the Haas School of Business and California College of Arts. Suffolk University in Boston offers an executive MBA with a concentration in Design Management. This is not uniquely an American phenomenon, there are business schools around the world that are altering their curriculum accordingly. INSEAD in France has paired with Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles to offer a joint MBA/design degree. The Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design in Helsinki now offer a joint program in International Design Business Management. And the list goes on....<br />
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For someone who has spent much of her professional career trying to convince companies of the versatility and breadth of a design background - this is music to my ears. It sounds like sweet redemption.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-30743013320829671262010-01-17T13:04:00.000-08:002010-01-26T11:10:09.182-08:00"It's Education and Trade, Stupid!"<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>A Toronto Star article on the awe-inspiring <a href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/749931--stones-into-schools-mortenson-climbs-another-mountain">Greg Mortenson</a> and the ringing of the new year got me thinking again about the plight of the world and the role of global economy and women. A couple months prior I had read a few articles and watched a couple interviews with New York Times' columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, and Vali Nasr - academic and Middle East scholar. Their interviews have continued to replay in my brain like an electronic billboard. The almost bombing of Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas day and the endless stream of suicide bombings in public places in Pakistan has made me reflect even more on the work of Greg Mortenson, Nicholas Kristof and Vali Nasr and the message they have been putting forth on how to dramatically reduce radicalism, extremism and terrorism by essentially improving the plight of humanity. Their message is simple - educate poor women and girls and provide economic opportunities in the ignored corners of the world and much can change for the better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5bUi6t_FMwNixWt_S8rtFUZbo7vhq8NU44Usq_TFChdBjn_UqPbdbOe5OTpsY6wW6VyBTXDsDLqUibyh7hdBUm6FOJr_KfNbbQ0ejl6lm7rir7LcNl5opVRz5YJBimaRzwFlSw/s1600-h/GirlsReading+-+image+from+Ikat.org.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5bUi6t_FMwNixWt_S8rtFUZbo7vhq8NU44Usq_TFChdBjn_UqPbdbOe5OTpsY6wW6VyBTXDsDLqUibyh7hdBUm6FOJr_KfNbbQ0ejl6lm7rir7LcNl5opVRz5YJBimaRzwFlSw/s400/GirlsReading+-+image+from+Ikat.org.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427921151652336738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Image from www.ikat.org<br /><br /></span></div>In their recently published book titled <a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.halftheskymovement.org/">Half the Sky</a>, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn document a terrible epidemic largely ignored - the brutality inflicted on women around the world - ranging from sex trafficking, acid attacks, bride burnings to mass rape to a complete lack of education and healthcare. It has become evident that the countries where women are the most marginalized and girls left uneducated are also the countries that are trapped in poverty, and overwhelmed by fundamentalism and violence. Kristof and WuDunn also write, although the exact reasons are still unclear, that male domination of society is also a risk factor for extremism and terrorism.<br /><br />There is a growing awareness, although from disparate sources, ranging from the World Bank to the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations that focusing on improving the plight of women and girls around the world is perhaps the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism. For that reason, Greg Mortenson's work in building girls' schools all over Afghanistan and Pakistan has now been acknowledged by the international community of critical importance. Scholars argue that the reason Muslim countries have been disproportionately afflicted by terrorism has nothing to do with the religion but the low levels of female education and involvement in the workforce. There is increasing proof that empowering women in the developing world is strategically imperative and will do so much to undermine the growth of extremism and terrorism.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbSIvC4m3cWmK0WIBu3a0Y5gH45I1dJ7qYjf1BdKEeXvOz8RfCxrkbkjRuWPBaeJ2kEG2MgYotyuf_5DhAgkcoR-AXqA1paOSbMt9Sva5Sh-JhKbst21rjy0pufed0V-FMNINyQ/s1600-h/Nicholas+Kristof+-+Cornell+U+news.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbSIvC4m3cWmK0WIBu3a0Y5gH45I1dJ7qYjf1BdKEeXvOz8RfCxrkbkjRuWPBaeJ2kEG2MgYotyuf_5DhAgkcoR-AXqA1paOSbMt9Sva5Sh-JhKbst21rjy0pufed0V-FMNINyQ/s320/Nicholas+Kristof+-+Cornell+U+news.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427921527208518226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn<br />Image by Jason Koski - Cornell University Photography<br /><br /></span></div>Vali Nasr, in his new book <a href="http://www.cfr.org/publication/20056/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle </span></a><a href="http://www.cfr.org/publication/20056/"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Class and What It Will Mean for Our World</span></a>, offers an alternate yet complimentary perspective as to how to stem the tide of religious extremism. According to Nasr, for a long time now, the standard of living in many parts of the Muslim world have been falling; unemployment is constantly growing, the populations are getting younger and younger. Social mobility is rare and with a lack of opportunities, in areas ripe with anger and hopelessness, extremism thrives. Essentially, significant parts of the Muslim world are not included in the global economy in any substantial way; they are not part of the supply chain, production or <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmJQjcoXjaloEbth7DJ9TumWI11gjBHUy7C4fX98Zr3BsReiSBhlA_rYedOgd1dpUlOM7d7RtJPYZOGcrJyibR0bZHdPFkeYyutj-XCKIr7csWCuRcm3CB9fYqsxyLCuXUxnYtw/s1600-h/Vali+Nasr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmJQjcoXjaloEbth7DJ9TumWI11gjBHUy7C4fX98Zr3BsReiSBhlA_rYedOgd1dpUlOM7d7RtJPYZOGcrJyibR0bZHdPFkeYyutj-XCKIr7csWCuRcm3CB9fYqsxyLCuXUxnYtw/s320/Vali+Nasr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427920553047109890" border="0" /></a>investment and therefore, the more removed people are from the global economy, the more shielded they are from global values and are more willing to lean towards conservatism and extremism. They have not been exposed to the pressures of market forces that generally encourage a moderation in world view. Nasr presents that global values like peace, security, democracy, freedom and human rights, moderation and religious tolerance have not taken hold in Muslim lands, not because of Islam but because the commercial class or middle class that propagate and promote these values are still too small in most of these countries. As adviser to Richard C. Holbrooke (Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan under the Obama administration), he advocates the cultivation of the "critical middle" - the devoutly religious yet very modern. He cites as examples countries like Turkey, Dubai and Malaysia, where economic reforms have helped foster a thriving entrepreneurial, middle class. With rising wealth, Nasr argues, "comes conspicuous consumption, liberal social and political values, and a vested interest in engaging the world.... Those with a stake in commerce and trade will not subscribe to destructive ideas that endanger their futures." Nasr suggests that the U.S. and other western countries build real business ties with countries in the region which do not include oil and weapons; import more products from the Muslim world and help free Muslim economies from the state control.<br /><br />The U.S War on Terror over the past 8 years seems to have done more to inflame anger in many parts of the world. As errant bombs continue to fall on innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, any hopes of a different outcome seems to fade. Western powers have also clearly demonstrated for centuries that they lack the skill and perseverance for nation building. Nine years after 9/11, I can't say I feel any safer every time I'm in line for the security check at the airport.<br /><br />I know I'm an idealist but imagine - if we diverted the trillions of dollars spent on war and killing, and instead focused on education and creating economic opportunities for the downtrodden - offering humanity around the world, a chance to live humanely, what a different world we might live in. Sometimes, the solutions don't have to be so complicated.<br /><br /><br />**For more information on Greg Mortenson take a look at this awesome clip:<br />http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_Hour/ID=1393356940<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-25175878259344231082009-12-17T09:38:00.000-08:002014-10-17T15:31:05.703-07:00A Little Perspective on DubaiIt has taken me a while to comment on Dubai's current economic crisis because I really wasn't surprised. The model and speed they were using with which build their city were unsustainable in so many ways. Dubai has been up to now a city built in part by incredible PR and marketing. After Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum made the momentous decision in 2002 to allow foreigners to buy property in Dubai, a lack of proper regulation created a wild wild west environment, where anything goes. Small, unscrupulous operators were able to sell apartments before the ground was even broken; oftentimes before even owning the land the apartment building was supposed to be built on. Dubai's government utilized the same strategy to build the Palm Jumeirah when they could not get bank financing. A lack of building codes and laws encouraged shoddy work and cost cutting. In spite of that real estate values skyrocketed. Speculators flooded the city. Poor destitute laborers worked around the clock in 40 C temperatures, under slave like conditions to ensure that these buildings were constructed fast enough. Obviously, this method of developing a city needed to be re-examined and revamped.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q8YEfmCFNqA8kLI4gPe4i19YjIreEkpj5tTooZnOZfT-WW6JrXR1ztqAnFA46gzuV_YPArO02F8QJnqRGRVMFTm20oe-AuEmH8xT7rsbrKFUlHlyWzcu9GAZn0jZWEH-VzR2_g/s1600-h/dubai-wonky+marina+bldgs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Q8YEfmCFNqA8kLI4gPe4i19YjIreEkpj5tTooZnOZfT-WW6JrXR1ztqAnFA46gzuV_YPArO02F8QJnqRGRVMFTm20oe-AuEmH8xT7rsbrKFUlHlyWzcu9GAZn0jZWEH-VzR2_g/s400/dubai-wonky+marina+bldgs.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416321233723953714" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 299px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Buildings under construction in Dubai's Marina (Picture from Reuters)</span></div>
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But the media in its usual hyperbolic form, exalted Dubai when construction and financial deals were moving ahead at the speed of sound and then when Dubai inevitably hit a bump (ok a pretty large $26 billion to $80 billion debt bump), the media immediately reported the demise of the Gulf city. To make such bold and extreme statements however, is to not know Dubai's history or the full extent of its entrepreneurial spirit.<br />
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While most people in world started to take note of Dubai this past decade, Dubai has been building itself as an entrepreneurial hot spot since the late 1800s. In 1894 Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher took over as ruler of Dubai and launched the plan to make Dubai the most business friendly port of the lower Gulf. He lured disgruntled merchants from Iran by abolishing the 5% customs duty and slashed fees turning Dubai essentially into a free port. Sheikh Maktoum also sent out his agents to recruit the biggest merchants in surrounding countries to Dubai with promises of free land, the ability to bend the leader's ear and a hands off government policy. This strategy is not so different from what Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the current ruler of Dubai has done with Internet City, Media City and in Dubai's International Financial Center, earlier this decade - where he attracted huge global tech, media and financial companies like Microsoft, Oracle CNN, Reuters, and every giant investment bank to open up operations in Dubai with promises of free rent, no import duties, no tax and an eradication of companies law which forbade majority foreign ownership.<br />
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When Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum, the grandfather of modern Dubai, proposed the idea of building the world's largest man-made port in the 1970's in Jebel Ali 35 km southwest of Dubai people thought he was crazy and wasteful but today it is one of Dubai's greatest financial assets. Now I'm not equating the building of the port with the construction of giant palm island after island (although it did put Dubai on the world stage), but Dubai is no flash in the pan.<br />
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I agree with BusinessWeek's recent article "Why Dubai Matters" by Stanley Reed, when he writes that Dubai is an important economic experiment in a strategically vital region. "The humiliating debt implosion aside, the emirate remains the most dynamic business hub in the Gulf" and remains a model for surrounding countries. According to Reed, Dubai stands out for creating an open economy that is diversified well beyond oil. It is also the Middle East's most nimble competitor and a "tolerant and comfortable base for anyone seeking a foothold in the Arab world...." And beneath all the flashy over-the-top construction projects, Dubai is also a place "where serious business gets done."<br />
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Emirates Airlines, Dubai's national airline which began in 1985 got its start with the assistance of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) which leased them two airplanes. Twenty years later, Emirates Airlines, now one of the world's fastest growing and leading airlines, is winning award after award, leaving their original mentor PIA in the dust. Many of Dubai's home grown companies, despite the current economic problems remain significant players in world markets. Dubai is also the major location for the emerging market of Islamic financial services, which according to BusinessWeek is a $1 trillion business globally.<br />
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And despite many competitors in the region, who would love to take over Dubai's role as the Middle East business hub, like Doha in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, or even Riyadh in Saudi Arabia (all of which are closely studying and following Dubai's model for finance and building infrastructure) that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. For the most part these cities still have relatively closed societies, steeped in very traditional values. Expatriates will not be rushing to settle in those cities any time soon.<br />
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So inevitably, this crisis has forced the leaders of Dubai to re-examine their way of doing things. Instead of building up their brand through outlandish developments, the leaders of Dubai are now going to London and Washington to reassure the U.S. and British governments and businesses that the second $10 billion bailout they received from Abu Dhabi earlier this week will not be a recurrent pattern. Today, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed also issued several laws to promote government transparency and rein in public spending. Dubai also implemented earlier this week, an insolvency law modeled on U.S. and British practices and created a tribunal headed by three international judges to mediate any disputes between Dubai World and its creditors. There is tremendous pressure on the leaders of Dubai to change their past operating model which they are doing by creating greater transparency and a sounder, less ambiguous regulatory framework. All of which are imperative and a good start. The leaders of Dubai also need to control and rein in some of its excesses. Curtailing the endless supply of 'world's tallest buildings' and 'world's largest development' can only help the urban and economic environment of Dubai. According to financial analysts, while Dubai's current economic problems are undoubtedly severe, the viability of their economic model remains sound. The entire global economy is depressed right now - but demand for business services will rebound in Dubai as it will globally with the easing of the credit crunch.<br />
<br />
On a separate more personal note, as a long time researcher on Dubai, I find this current financial predicament an incredibly fascinating comment on the rise of Dubai as a premier global city. Twelve years ago when I first started studying the city-state, I struggled to find even a handful of articles published on Dubai. It was barely a blip on any one's radar. However, in a mere twelve years, this present financial crisis in Dubai has put the entire world on alert and dramatically affected the global economy. Anyone who discounts this desert city-state does not know it at all.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-23215821998665491552009-12-08T23:13:00.000-08:002009-12-08T23:27:21.783-08:00The Question of Healing**<span lang="EN-GB">The decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the September 11 attacks, in New York City – just blocks away from the site of the World Trade Center – has sparked a tremendous debate in the city and nationally. This debate has focused upon issues of rule of law and security, in particular whether civilian courts can prosecute complex terrorism cases and handle confidential information without compromising security.<span> </span>Those in support of civilian trials in New York City argue that the city has handled high-profile terrorism cases in the past and that the justice system is capable of fulfilling the task.<span> </span>Those opposed to civilian trials believe that military commissions are still the best medium to try terrorist suspects. An absent, yet equally important aspect of the debate is: what is the more appropriate medium to help American society grapple with the mass atrocity that was 9/11?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiGKdL5Q25MS4wQzqJuCmlDMIVyNvupVE9nic9KFPHtZ4Keb1pCaZnnz-i3Q5n3i8nCjRDLvX39GsU1lgLFZ0pIGYi5tqfo3JSln5H5RnfqiY82-5uCC-IE7fmW8Yp0N9583leA/s1600-h/9-11+Image.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiGKdL5Q25MS4wQzqJuCmlDMIVyNvupVE9nic9KFPHtZ4Keb1pCaZnnz-i3Q5n3i8nCjRDLvX39GsU1lgLFZ0pIGYi5tqfo3JSln5H5RnfqiY82-5uCC-IE7fmW8Yp0N9583leA/s400/9-11+Image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413131839014208802" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span>David Filipov looks for a picture of his father, Al Filipov, at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in New York City. (Image by Scott Lewis)<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Such questions have been explored in many other countries in their attempt to deal with mass violence and human rights violations, referred to often as transitional justice.<span> </span>Trials are a prominent component of transitional justice, and decisions on where to hold trials are usually based on two key considerations: where the capacities lie and where the trials are likely to have the most impact.<span> </span>International tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, for example, were set up in the Netherlands and Tanzania to prosecute crimes committed during the violent conflicts in the Former-Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the 1990s. These tribunals were situated in a different place from where the crimes were committed in large part because domestic judicial systems at the time were weak. In addition, it was feared that the domestic climate at the time would not allow for safe and fair trials. The international tribunals, while rich in judicial capacity, have however been criticised for failing to resonate with local populations. Their distance rendered the trials physically and financially inaccessible to the vast majority who suffered from<span> </span>the violence. Rather then participating in these acts of justice and in so doing, possibly experiencing some form of healing, international trials were often seen as a foreign abstraction. In both the Former-Yugoslavia and Rwanda, some trials have subsequently taken place through domestic justice systems. In Rwanda, accused have also been held accountable through traditional justice systems.<span> </span>Many would argue that localising justice has been an important factor in the process of survivors coming to terms with atrocities.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">In discussions about 9/11 trials, this important issue of impact and resonance has been missing.<span> </span>The question of whether justice conducted locally may play a role in healing survivors has not been asked.<span> </span>The prime focus has been on rule of law and capacities – whether a military commission or a civilian commission is most capable of handling the cases. Guantanamo Bay, where Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (and four accused co-conspirators also designated for trial in New York City) have been held is critiqued primarily for digressions from due process and rule of law.<span> </span>Concerns over the applicability of Guantanamo have rarely centred upon whether the system there resonates with Americans or is perceived as distant and abstract.<span> </span>Although family members of those who died on 9/11 could apply to win a lottery to attend proceedings at Guantanamo, these were rare to come by and disempowering for the many who were not selected.<span> </span>By and large, the processes and occurrences there have been shrouded in secrecy.<span> </span>Civilian trials in New York City would open the process.<span> </span>New Yorkers and all Americans affected by 9/11 would have greater ability to sit in the courtroom and witness proceedings. Trials could also be broadcast, at least in part, by local and mass media – reaching countless more people than the military proceedings in Guantanamo.<span> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Most commentators that touch on the potential impact of local trials on New Yorkers stress, however, only the potential negative effects of Americans reliving the trauma and the risk of a media circus. These experiences will undoubtedly be difficult and painful, as they have been in other countries overcoming mass violence.<span> </span>Some New Yorkers may feel that it is too soon to have the trials so close to home, while others may think that it is time to confront this past. Whichever the view, it is indeed time to ask these questions and to extend the debate on civilian versus military trials, New York City versus Guantanamo beyond the lens of rule of law and security to issues of healing.</span></p><p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:85%;">**This article was written </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-GB">by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Huma Haider</span>, a New York State attorney who worked in the Prosecution Support Section of the War Crimes Chamber, State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:85%;"> </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-21252245513671480582009-09-18T14:39:00.000-07:002009-09-18T17:06:56.630-07:00Time for a little Maturity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYg8lVDhYZVHNKJJbsgB8bozugPfChTd2XPdto4GvTlJZGEY2PqvT2JtybkuE_gGpCY93fdgUzq_LiuEEy9Wa68SItY9-CKR9Qd2HQBsjjhpWnAq7EbRpyetF8TMBfvNu7E5tyA/s1600-h/UN_HRC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYg8lVDhYZVHNKJJbsgB8bozugPfChTd2XPdto4GvTlJZGEY2PqvT2JtybkuE_gGpCY93fdgUzq_LiuEEy9Wa68SItY9-CKR9Qd2HQBsjjhpWnAq7EbRpyetF8TMBfvNu7E5tyA/s320/UN_HRC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382961789497747906" border="0" /></a>The United Nations has recently released their hefty 574 page report on their investigation on Israel's military campaign in Gaza this past December/January. The full report which includes 188 interviews, more than 10,000 pages of documentation and 1,200 photographs will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council at the end of this month. While the report cites that war crimes were committed on both sides - Palestinian rockets fired into southern Israel purposely targeted Israel civilians and civilian structures - the bulk of the report however, is on the war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed by Israel. This is not surprising given the military might of Israel and the death toll of the Gaza population. It is estimated that over 1,400 Gazans were killed, in comparison to the 3 Israeli civilians who were killed.<br /><br />The report cites thirty-six incidents where war crimes and possible crimes against humanity were committed by the Israeli army. It is important to note that these incidents do not address decisions that were made in the heat of battle but are on the non-urgent broader policies that were adopted during the war by the Israeli military that were purposefully reckless. The report states that the Israeli operations "were carefully planned in all their phases as a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population."<br /><br />The UN Human Rights team that researched and wrote the report consisted of four people and was led by highly respected South African Judge Richard Gladstone. Rich with professional accolades, Gladstone is the former chief prosecutor with the international tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Fully aware that such charges have been brought against Israel in the past and have amounted to nothing, politically astute Gladstone has recommended that the UN Security council require Israel and the Gaza authorities to report in six months about their own investigations into these alleged crimes. If this request is ignored or completed superficially, then he suggests that the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague should become involved.<br /><br />As it usually goes, it is not a big surprise that Israel has condemned this report, claiming it to be flawed and biased. At the Israeli Foreign Ministry, a diplomatic offensive is already being planned to block the referral of any Israeli commanders or officials to the ICC. Israel's blanket rejection of the report and their complete lack of cooperation in the initial research stages blatantly ignores that fact that human rights organizations around the world have condemned Israel of the same. Human Rights Watch claims that "Israel's repeated firing of white phosphorous shells over densely populated areas of Gaza during its recent military campaign was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes." Israeli human rights groups have also criticized their own military. Israeli troops themselves have admitted to abhorrent behavior. The testimony of soldiers, graduates of the Yitzhak pre-military preparatory course at Oranim College on February 13, 2009 is completely contrary to the Israeli Defense Forces'official statements. These soldiers admit that they were entitled to use unrestricted force against the Palestinians - killing, destroying, vandalizing. Shoot first they were told and worry about the consequences later.<br /><br />Nevertheless, the Israeli government and its military will in perpetuity deny any wrong doing. And the infinitely strong Jewish lobby within the United States will ensure that the American government will come to Israel's defence at America's own detriment. And if there is a repeat of any global condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza and call for those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity to be held accountable, I have no doubt Israel will claim a global bias against the Jewish state, and cling to their belief of their perpetual state of victimhood. No, Israel apparently never seems to have any responsibility to examine their own actions and behaviors in arousing such frustrated reactions or global condemnations.<br /><br />Israel in fact reminds me a few people I know. I am sure most people know someone like this. These are the people who constantly deplore their state in life, but blame everyone and everything for their plight. Nothing is ever their fault. They are merely a victim to the cruel ways of the world. These people may have alienated friends, family, collegues but they never look at their own actions to find the source of the problem. The problem is always with the other. The sad thing is, a little honest self introspection would go a long way in improving this person's plight in the world.... Just a thought.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-74115294022338122532009-08-16T15:03:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:31:50.678-07:00The Silent ScreamMy usual upbeat weekend demeanor has been replaced by a deep melancholy today. My morning started with me reading on the BBC news website that Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan quietly passed into law a husband's right to starve his wife if she refuses to have sex with him. That is apparently an improvement from the previous bill that condoned rape within a marriage. The Afghan elections for president are around the corner and a largely unpopular Karzai desperately needs the support of these deranged fundamentalists to win. So I guess for him politics trumps morality and human rights. After that in the New York Times I read about two young Kashmiri women, 17 year old Asiya and 22 year old Nilofa, who on their way to tend to their family's apple orchard were gang raped and beaten to death by apparently the local police who desperately and unsuccessfully tried to cover it up.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAAbinoRC3BTFoGu4DQ58X8RY1YW2VkA6UPheUrrF3UQbhGwCkyNtoEpYfR5MhuD5YRSgP95QVUe3MkaPoUGqPMm3ixWKaBdivXXAerqQg6tX-opvCQcOoXkqvjdR0pFkfsJuiA/s1600-h/Afghan+voter.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAAbinoRC3BTFoGu4DQ58X8RY1YW2VkA6UPheUrrF3UQbhGwCkyNtoEpYfR5MhuD5YRSgP95QVUe3MkaPoUGqPMm3ixWKaBdivXXAerqQg6tX-opvCQcOoXkqvjdR0pFkfsJuiA/s320/Afghan+voter.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371536432737276514" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 265px;" /></a>What kind of human being does this to another?<br />
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What I didn't read in the newspaper today with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton having wrapped up her trip to Africa, but remains in the forefront of my mind is the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Far from democratic, over 200,000 women and girls have been raped and mutilated in the Eastern Congo since 1996, according to the United Nations, as a by-product of the war. Some have named this area the rape capital of the world. Rape is so rampant and pervasive, that according to Dr. Michael Van Rooyen, director of Harvard's Humanitarian Initiative, it is becoming <span style="font-style: italic;">part of the culture</span>. There are endless reports of women who are even nine months pregnant and pre-pubescent girls who are abducted and gang raped repeatedly. When Hillary Clinton stopped in Goma early last week, she pressured the government to address this crisis and to punish the perpetrators. These are after all crimes against humanity. But when the rapists include military generals and other top officials a significant re-education and shift in how women are treated and valued within society is critical for any long term change.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg913KiHqrLoXftgQ6LiHjBh0QWEl6qM5uy8c7WIReZb1EDbQpAHYyOw_9CuBuhj1KhyphenhyphenXRyjYqr36yaxSZO4-iE8A48qdQvQv-Kcyd-p7Y1gWBydj67XIg2hyEdt3xeTlXe2CqMRA/s1600-h/Congo+war+image.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg913KiHqrLoXftgQ6LiHjBh0QWEl6qM5uy8c7WIReZb1EDbQpAHYyOw_9CuBuhj1KhyphenhyphenXRyjYqr36yaxSZO4-iE8A48qdQvQv-Kcyd-p7Y1gWBydj67XIg2hyEdt3xeTlXe2CqMRA/s320/Congo+war+image.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371534564676976802" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 243px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Unfortunately, the extent of the violence in the DR Congo is not unique. 20,000 rapes were committed in the war in Bosnia and there were 500,000 rapes in Rwanda. I remember reading the stories about these women, what they had endured and their fight for survival and crying myself to sleep, horrified and dismayed. Thankfully, I was nowhere near these locations and was safe in my home but I felt so extremely hurt and violated as a women.<br />
<br />
These gut wrenching stories of rape however, are not only a result of the madness of war.<br />
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In a recent survey by the Medical Research Council, 1 in 4 men in South Africa admitted to committing rape.<br />
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For the past 16 years, in the northern Mexican town of Cuidad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas thousands of young women aged 12-22 have gone missing. Hundreds and hundreds of them wind up dead, their lifeless bodies, showing signs of sexual abuse, torture and mutilation discarded with yesterday's trash. For sixteen years this has been going on, movies have been made about this, songs have been written, and yet the Mexican government has made no effort to solve these crimes. Apparently as young students and poor factory workers these women are not significant enough to warrant the manpower.<br />
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For those in the U.S., who think that these are the problems of distant under-developed countries, or war or religion or overly machismo societies - think again. One in six women in the United States, according the 2004 U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey have been a victim to sexual assault. In 2007, the updated results from the same survey estimated that every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted in America.<br />
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Is this a world gone mad?<br />
I often wonder when I read these articles in the newspaper or see it on the news why there isn't a deafening global outcry against this sexualized violence against women. These rapes are not the actions of a freakish few in insignificant countries far away. It touches every corner of this planet. This is violence that is being perpetrated against half of the human race.<br />
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Why are women who bare the children, nuture and support their families, who make significant advances in science, business, art, society, culture and politics so undervalued and easily dehumanized in our global society?<br />
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During her trip to Africa, Clinton pledged $17 million in a new U.S. fund for victims of sexual violence. That is indeed a good start. The perpetrators also have to be brought to justice. Their actions are profoundly evil and they rot the soul of humanity. Rapists not only dehumanize the victims, they dehumanize themselves by turning themselves into savages. This cycle must end. However, ultimately the most transformative force can only come from education. Girls need to be raised with the awareness of their own value and importance. Boys need to be raised with the knowledge and respect that they are one part of a greater whole. And both boys and girls have to be raised with a respect for each other. The human race has been on this planet for over 200,000 years now - one would have hoped that we would have evolved for the better by now.<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-67913396943783998492009-07-24T21:32:00.000-07:002014-04-30T15:46:19.145-07:00When Globalization Goes Horribly Awry<font style="font-weight: bold;">Story Number 1: Asian Neverland</font><br />Chinese developers have decided to commemorate the late Michael Jackson by building a scaled down Neverland Ranch on Chongming Island off the coast of Shanghai. The Asian Neverland will be 1/17 of the 2,800 acres of the original property and will cost an estimated $15 million. Additionally, in deference to its alternate location, the Asian Neverland will have "<font style="font-style: italic;">Chinese characteristics</font>" so that it <font style="font-style: italic;">blends</font> in with the local environment. In the investors in the project are hoping that it will be com<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJe1cgAV6OXK8X054ME66HgE5FECdDXoXKGNQ8M02TS8cw6DD4KgewJ5UdsnNX-nq_ylbAiKxn7lqIC-llWq4n9-vVjRsxc3RJjw7bQkr7GQHskAkAvvMWZef7WCER0I25CJXlA/s1600-h/neverland-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJe1cgAV6OXK8X054ME66HgE5FECdDXoXKGNQ8M02TS8cw6DD4KgewJ5UdsnNX-nq_ylbAiKxn7lqIC-llWq4n9-vVjRsxc3RJjw7bQkr7GQHskAkAvvMWZef7WCER0I25CJXlA/s200/neverland-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362260679121031682" border="0"></a>pleted in time for Shanghai's 2010 World Expo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl-D5jnsCdR7dJ7_eLI74am3EdYZAY8WlWXdKk42v1GRk4JnYyH5YPYnu7m_vSNfui-wlQBZbo6rew9Z3aFs-x2u8IHVPqMNJJ116mZhPb4wT4dzMoNojoLYD44v5sSrUBCxSWA/s1600-h/Chinese+temple.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwl-D5jnsCdR7dJ7_eLI74am3EdYZAY8WlWXdKk42v1GRk4JnYyH5YPYnu7m_vSNfui-wlQBZbo6rew9Z3aFs-x2u8IHVPqMNJJ116mZhPb4wT4dzMoNojoLYD44v5sSrUBCxSWA/s200/Chinese+temple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362261026245443234" border="0"></a>Hmm...Nevertheland on the left, and a Chinese temple on the right... yeah...I don't think so.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-18388169062541918112009-07-21T16:23:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:32:25.260-07:00Lists and Rankings of Cities Galore but Who Really Cares?Every week one million people move to new cities around the world - according to consulting firm A.T. Kearney and Foreign Policy magazine.<br />
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That is 1,000,000 people every week!<br />
How do these people decide where to move? What influences their decision?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPMoARDWbOQzQ0RE1cGirEIcJFVZPBVjkXtuHVNiTtEFePcsgVJ-C4Zw3oB7htY6It6t0fShpiNGc8XVFg7BqJxfsIc6RelgHfSz7UA0GiiT2d5Rh23gIWvViiq4GBPrn6votLA/s1600-h/Fish+migration.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPMoARDWbOQzQ0RE1cGirEIcJFVZPBVjkXtuHVNiTtEFePcsgVJ-C4Zw3oB7htY6It6t0fShpiNGc8XVFg7BqJxfsIc6RelgHfSz7UA0GiiT2d5Rh23gIWvViiq4GBPrn6votLA/s400/Fish+migration.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361137669780102402" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 283px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 359px;" /></a><br />
I am always amazed and fascinated with the number of studies done on cities - rankings that evaluate every city on a whole host of categories ranging from the more serious criteria like their population, their cultural industries and offerings, the environment or their economic vitality to the more frivolous. Many of these lists often serve as fodder for conversations at the next cocktail party - best cities to meet men, best cities to meet women, best cities to buy a house, cities with the worst traffic, cities with the worst air quality, and so on. Most of these studies are undertaken by management consulting firms, research based publications, or more entertainment driven magazines.<br />
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With all the time, financial investment and (wo)manpower that goes into developing and researching these lists - does it actually influence anyone's decisions? As a young professional, an expat kid and a life long nomad and a lover of cities, not just as a traveler but also as a scholar, I have my own criteria for selecting cities for which to relocate. And more often than not these lists while sometimes idealistic and hopeful are usually irrelevant to my decision-making.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOIRALWK3Fzcs1sMiajjE0C1vUSOW_u9eBHXPquRQweV1xoDswkENKUumfMMvyBaQx8PRLDgFHX4p6yi2O7dYssajuV-IFz_yvisVIcQfnUOcGLoiGRMNaNPaSdFkGUQTxdzhNw/s1600-h/Cities+1-+National+Geographic.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOIRALWK3Fzcs1sMiajjE0C1vUSOW_u9eBHXPquRQweV1xoDswkENKUumfMMvyBaQx8PRLDgFHX4p6yi2O7dYssajuV-IFz_yvisVIcQfnUOcGLoiGRMNaNPaSdFkGUQTxdzhNw/s400/Cities+1-+National+Geographic.gif" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361096486506617090" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 333px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Image from National Geographic<br /></span></div>
For example, two publications that I frequently read - Monocle and the Economist or in this case their research and advisory firm <a href="http://www.economist.com/markets/rankings/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13809770">EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit</a>) evaluate cities around the world on their livability annually. They research important criteria like their political stability, culture, infrastructure, business environment. EIU also looks into healthcare and education; while Monocle headed by style-driven Tyler Brûlé includes architecture and tolerance as criteria in their rankings. Undoubtedly, these are all critical aspects for good quality of life. It provides mayors and city planners with positive examples and aspirations. For 2009, Monocle ranked Zurich their most livable city (overtaking last years winner - Copenhagen) and EIU gave the top prize to Vancouver.<br />
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These lists however, always leave me puzzled. If Zurich is the world's most livable city, why does it only have a tiny population of approximately 375,000? Don't get me wrong, I love Zurich. It is an incredibly beautiful city but not a very diverse or inclusive city. Even Tyler Brûlé who is constantly touting all the fine qualities of Zurich survived there on his own admission only a year. Meanwhile he continues to make his home in London. Likewise, metro Vancouver has a mere approximate population of 615,473. For the past year, I have been desperately campaigning for my sister to move to Vancouver - and she is all for it - if she can find the right opportunity.<br />
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Unfortunately, livability has nothing to do with opportunities. In 2008, Foreign Policy Magazine, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4509&page=1">A.T. Kearney</a> did a ranking of the top global cities. They ranked cities based on business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and political engagement. Only five of the cities (Paris, Tokyo, Toronto, Sydney and Vienna) that made the top 20 of the global cities' list were on either Monocle's or EUI's livability list.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WvyabnjXhIYiHAl8J0hRAPBvn_nwThZOd2OcsdM3dyx-v1cXBxB0n1lPjyHWbCNPuJBShVWLoDY3d38qvBLqLdMW7M3wnSmCCWjfTZFagSSRuTiZ8VvKNEkT03aaDPl0F9apgA/s1600-h/DSCN1583.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WvyabnjXhIYiHAl8J0hRAPBvn_nwThZOd2OcsdM3dyx-v1cXBxB0n1lPjyHWbCNPuJBShVWLoDY3d38qvBLqLdMW7M3wnSmCCWjfTZFagSSRuTiZ8VvKNEkT03aaDPl0F9apgA/s400/DSCN1583.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361096496596359234" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Mumbai *<br /></span></div>
Nevertheless, millions of people from around the world continue to converge on mega cities like New York, London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Mumbai because they are dynamic and flush with opportunities and possibilities and influence the direction of the global agenda and economy. Successful businesses congregate and influential and creative people tend to cluster where there are others of like-mind and vision. Daily living in New York City for example is tough work. Traffic is horrid, subways are congested, hot and sticky, shoe boxes are larger than most apartments but there are very few cities in the world, where you have as much access to diverse populations, businesses, institutions, culture, food and ideas. As exhausting as it sometimes gets, the electricity and buzz in the air is addictive.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VLwJ_v7d5BiVhdPQC4wjdhyXSI-GX66WjznA4_gzD48RhovsBRgy77BsY5q2Ph2WbLZ6UJK1wZTYgVN-Wmh3rGwqHxQD1Ya2BF7f6VmH65-bEn5gTkMAQ8R2Ws0eKgCrYOveqA/s1600-h/DSCN1605.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VLwJ_v7d5BiVhdPQC4wjdhyXSI-GX66WjznA4_gzD48RhovsBRgy77BsY5q2Ph2WbLZ6UJK1wZTYgVN-Wmh3rGwqHxQD1Ya2BF7f6VmH65-bEn5gTkMAQ8R2Ws0eKgCrYOveqA/s400/DSCN1605.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361096501565602658" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
And so a list I would like to see is a ranking of the <span style="font-style: italic;">livability</span> of <span style="font-style: italic;">global cities</span> that are rife with opportunities, diversity, culture attractions, and intellectual vigor. I would like to see mega cities which are often not the most comfortable cities to reside in trade best practices on improving the quality of life; especially since so many up and coming global cities around the world look to New York and London as their guidepost - often following their examples blindly and that means their successes and mistakes. Does livability and opportunity have to be on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to city planning? What a novel idea to have a city that does not always have to sacrifice one for the other.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;">*Bottom two photographs are from the 2007 <a href="http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2009/07/best-cities-2009-where-the-jobs-are.html">Global Cities exhibition</a> at the Tate Modern in London.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10463513.post-63233380702510300672009-06-17T10:42:00.000-07:002014-10-17T15:33:37.315-07:00a New Art Exhibition with Much to Say about Life, Politics, Culture, Migration and the Middle EastContemporary Arab art!? Who knew such a thing existed?<br />
After all there is such a dearth of information on contemporary art from the Arab world. Judging from textbooks, journals and the collections in museums around the world, I would have concluded, if I did not know any better, that artistic creation in the Middle East and South Asia ceased after the construction of the Taj Mahal in the mid-16oo's - which is not the case.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aFDQQpP4IsQmLT04lfr0HhUg39G6-utKoq7dr6FF-jH6esabHFKwXdN4SROOPkITB9lCUHhJDqH6T4htlWFIiESk0cCBuRD0vI82l1oIRw5mdDNy4wE8zMp7aUGubb7d4Q_CYg/s1600-h/Vahe+-+long+words.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aFDQQpP4IsQmLT04lfr0HhUg39G6-utKoq7dr6FF-jH6esabHFKwXdN4SROOPkITB9lCUHhJDqH6T4htlWFIiESk0cCBuRD0vI82l1oIRw5mdDNy4wE8zMp7aUGubb7d4Q_CYg/s400/Vahe+-+long+words.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348900286950590546" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 366px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 375px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Long Words- Vahé Berberian (2005)</span><br />
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Up until recently, very few museums had a comprehensive collection of traditional Islamic art. Even fewer have a collection of contemporary Arab art. (I have only seen a few pieces in the British Museum in London and at the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles). The Louvre in Paris Museum in Paris is building an entire new department to house their collection of Islamic art and perhaps there will be some new contemporary pieces when the building opens in 2010 - but for now their collection of art from the Arab world (seen online) ends with Ottoman period. And yet in spite of this, interest in contemporary Arab art is increasing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LkslPC6Nl4NgDcl0_iJ_eXDj3lzmTmpwz_IfPMqPwXEf-NdZwhFsogPIdieduPVMWdHrRPHQA5EFoQHYECsBIeSHxfxsGSlRHEyWROKU3kGAEt9ylZgyinOey8s-m8ejtvaOvw/s1600-h/Adnan+-+works+on+paper.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LkslPC6Nl4NgDcl0_iJ_eXDj3lzmTmpwz_IfPMqPwXEf-NdZwhFsogPIdieduPVMWdHrRPHQA5EFoQHYECsBIeSHxfxsGSlRHEyWROKU3kGAEt9ylZgyinOey8s-m8ejtvaOvw/s400/Adnan+-+works+on+paper.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348898347031231890" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 348px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Works on Paper - Adnan Charara (2008)<br /></span></div>
With recent successes of art fairs in the wealthier countries in the Gulf like Dubai and wealthy patrons who are not only building up their own personal collections but looking to build museums - prominent western auction houses have taken note and are making huge profits auctioning contemporary Arab art. London based Christie's auction house opened up its Dubai office in 2005. In October 2007, Christie's held their 3rd auction for Arab and Iranian art. During the course of that one evening they sold US$12.6 million of art. In April 2008, they sold US$18 million.<br />
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Despite this new found interest and artistic exchange between Europe and the Gulf - museums and galleries in the United States however, have been painfully slow to broaden their scope of their collections. So with the hope of building peace and understanding through cultural diplomacy - the <a href="http://www.levantinecenter.org/">Levantine Cultural Center</a> (LCC) in LA decided to take matters into their own hands. "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain." Opening on June 20th, 2009 in Los Angeles, at the LCC is the first gallery to focus solely on contemporary Arab art. The first show curated by me, titled "<a href="http://www.levantinecenter.org/arts/artists/hybrid-artists-new-exhibition-insideoutside-other-oxymorons"><span style="font-weight: bold;">inside/outside and other oxymorons</span></a>," features the work of three incredible artists - Sama Alshaibi, Vahé Berberian, Adnan Charara whose life stories alone are legendary. Each of their lives have been marred by political conflict and strife which forced them into a more nomadic, migrant existence. The art they create in a variety of mediums are not only a political commentary, but also symbol of hybridity, multi-culturalism, the human condition, their own respective journeys and our collective experience in globalized world.<br />
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During the time I spent curating this show, I not only developed tremendous respect and admiration for their creativity and their art but I was also in awe of these people. Having endured some of the worst of humanity with wars and genocide, these three artists represent the best of humanity with their kindness, their joie de vivre, their generosity and openness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3Fr1xp_MqFPqWw5Q3uHsH5fHPvQXgFfZaKAt6qiWx9v4K8oYAEREkSTkBO0tTFW0nD_swXp7yG7dGzIu98_P4S7-JCQgCmsYf71ZbTJYYl_MF5zLOeOSOcIPlnqzWjw1ZIJrvg/s1600-h/Alshaibi+-+Mahmood.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3Fr1xp_MqFPqWw5Q3uHsH5fHPvQXgFfZaKAt6qiWx9v4K8oYAEREkSTkBO0tTFW0nD_swXp7yG7dGzIu98_P4S7-JCQgCmsYf71ZbTJYYl_MF5zLOeOSOcIPlnqzWjw1ZIJrvg/s400/Alshaibi+-+Mahmood.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348898351546099810" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 315px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Mahmood - Sama Alshaibi (2007)<br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTtFvLLq9xQ-22YU_TV64yStgPzEi3xF_ziZLmQmfOWNSz72ObsOmU2FctBMcn63JPUBEFVBIbd5P3sqGhet0atHfBD9mp-dhZ3L8z2PGnsnr9PR2jWMFRA1RnDqgnAGK-tNi8g/s1600-h/Sama+Alshaibi.lg_vert.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTtFvLLq9xQ-22YU_TV64yStgPzEi3xF_ziZLmQmfOWNSz72ObsOmU2FctBMcn63JPUBEFVBIbd5P3sqGhet0atHfBD9mp-dhZ3L8z2PGnsnr9PR2jWMFRA1RnDqgnAGK-tNi8g/s200/Sama+Alshaibi.lg_vert.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348901644657134754" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 152px;" /></a><a href="http://www.samaalshaibi.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sama Alshaibi</span></a> (1973) is a photography and mixed media artist who draws from her own cultural experiences from Iraq, Palestine and the United States. Born into a family affected by war, displacement and exile from two homelands, Palestine and Iraq - much of her work focuses on the themes of restlessness, hybrid identity, exile and displacement and the subtle negotiations and shifts between personal and family history and expectations. Her images are full of longing and nostalgia. What I find most appealing with her work is the emotional vulnerability and honesty. Her art is a peak into her own internal dialogue and her and her family's struggles as they come to terms with the culture and homes they lost and the new life they gained.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY_ot5bInaw3K72UCTiUm-1iZGWDhBchxp9jhFTCLybjS8pRt-Im1zpCyq39e-_iPxx_N99ruzRH-_QuSjA3lKNwh7BQgnBKpV9QsMmgvfgHmvqrwsK7ZwigakPg5MRy1lvEfsg/s1600-h/the+call+small.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY_ot5bInaw3K72UCTiUm-1iZGWDhBchxp9jhFTCLybjS8pRt-Im1zpCyq39e-_iPxx_N99ruzRH-_QuSjA3lKNwh7BQgnBKpV9QsMmgvfgHmvqrwsK7ZwigakPg5MRy1lvEfsg/s400/the+call+small.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348900289329813538" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 273px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">The Call - Sama Alshaibi (2002)<br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyf4V1yjcyHtK7SVsJzC_zC3tYwF13d2QuyPE1HTYFwsgj9pTKgCVmFS1KUO85uq1-cr2Pw6wnbc6jZEfGssdiiIY9sVjkReLUKOi_o_sBpcdI2AaIlrloaW5tPOfkfWUBaIHVQ/s1600-h/Vahe+Berberian.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyf4V1yjcyHtK7SVsJzC_zC3tYwF13d2QuyPE1HTYFwsgj9pTKgCVmFS1KUO85uq1-cr2Pw6wnbc6jZEfGssdiiIY9sVjkReLUKOi_o_sBpcdI2AaIlrloaW5tPOfkfWUBaIHVQ/s200/Vahe+Berberian.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348892298027967234" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 136px;" /></a><a href="http://vaheberberian.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vahé Berberian</span></a> (1955) a painter, novelist, playwright, actor and director lost 74 members of his family during the Armenian genocide. It all happened before he was born but he has carried the heavy weight of this legacy all his life. The deportation of his parents from Turkey, the war in Beirut, the European counter-culture (which he became a part of in his teens), the city of Los Angeles (where he has been a resident since 1976) and his own hybrid identity (which includes a mix of Armenian, Lebanese, European and American cultures) have provided him rich fodder for his work. Tremendously affected by his family history and yet a student of all cultures and people, his art is a study of aesthetics and of the human condition. His paintings while seemingly simple are full of raw emotion. His goal is to create beauty out of imperfection. His paintings are reminiscent of a human being - beauty is found in the vulnerability and the flaws.<br />
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<a href="http://vaheberberian.com/"><br /></a></div>
<object height="304" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UXeq0gaxDIM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><a href="http://vaheberberian.com/"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UXeq0gaxDIM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="380" height="304"></embed></a></object><a href="http://vaheberberian.com/"><br /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;">Vahé Berberian in his studio<br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK6dBFKZA6qqtvpLDjRcTApg0dQ77wBxlkiz3pDCc1hr6Ml7-2ShWZTENBEDV-tYj523tzVPtMB7IuoQBOlVcLYoHAqDBc4IuwuxBDbOVKj532Rbl3qYQIF-CfmKzDhEUJTq6eA/s1600-h/Adnan+Dec06+01_tif.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK6dBFKZA6qqtvpLDjRcTApg0dQ77wBxlkiz3pDCc1hr6Ml7-2ShWZTENBEDV-tYj523tzVPtMB7IuoQBOlVcLYoHAqDBc4IuwuxBDbOVKj532Rbl3qYQIF-CfmKzDhEUJTq6eA/s200/Adnan+Dec06+01_tif.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348901643499396530" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 134px;" /></a><a href="http://www.adnanchararastudio.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adnan Charara</span></a> (1962) known to most as a painter, sculptor and print-maker prefers to be known as a visual poet or philosopher. While his colorful, animated and whimsical creations seem rather light-hearted, they are deceptively full of commentary and emotion. Having spent most of his childhood shuttled between Lebanon and Sierra Leone (depending on the political situation at the time) and then eventually moving to the United States, much of his work focuses on physical and emotional migration, the merging of cultures and accumulation of knowledge through life's journeys and the formation of new identity. Through his art, he explores what is gained and lost through migration. While Charara's style is uniquely his own, his exposure to multiple cultures is clearly reflected in his art. He draws from African tribal art, Islamic calligraphy and European cubist art.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJLnKYAr86svNlQZ0jxsRGnK-qs_DWgFE2kcsLrXlbDu17-W3-E5n11g9QyChaj_fA8MJiFXqR6VYss-kEPuZZ0crrUg6HFDQgCGUGRA8rRiP0wFLVB3_dQRneERsa6Zb5MzM-Q/s1600-h/Adnan-+Osmosis.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJLnKYAr86svNlQZ0jxsRGnK-qs_DWgFE2kcsLrXlbDu17-W3-E5n11g9QyChaj_fA8MJiFXqR6VYss-kEPuZZ0crrUg6HFDQgCGUGRA8rRiP0wFLVB3_dQRneERsa6Zb5MzM-Q/s400/Adnan-+Osmosis.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348898347237852530" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 314px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">From the Osmosis series - Adnan Charara (2008)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8-HnwPrIIEmE034vcFIV5u_0IfhJW8G8nK0m0Tg_VnTTc2v6xCQ8a2fLRGH6QHKU1h8ivgz-NsNgq5BtpVApANjjnBG5gIjeV57h-lEiyFuxzitMgJL93pKrHldV5i_qgAmf1Q/s1600-h/Adnan+-+osmosis.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8-HnwPrIIEmE034vcFIV5u_0IfhJW8G8nK0m0Tg_VnTTc2v6xCQ8a2fLRGH6QHKU1h8ivgz-NsNgq5BtpVApANjjnBG5gIjeV57h-lEiyFuxzitMgJL93pKrHldV5i_qgAmf1Q/s400/Adnan+-+osmosis.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348898338980157122" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 314px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">From the Osmosis series - Adnan Charara (2008)</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8-HnwPrIIEmE034vcFIV5u_0IfhJW8G8nK0m0Tg_VnTTc2v6xCQ8a2fLRGH6QHKU1h8ivgz-NsNgq5BtpVApANjjnBG5gIjeV57h-lEiyFuxzitMgJL93pKrHldV5i_qgAmf1Q/s1600-h/Adnan+-+osmosis.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><br /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53L5rd75Wh7vnQ6BV4HltrycTn0mCo_Y_x6SofGZEt8ewKyQFUHjXNFBk4FouO5RZV9tlm8eYYk3YfNNkpE6lcbRu9anpGTUK4PiLa2EfWzbHG2a1IWQVevtYPPhS-GWVByxIrQ/s1600-h/Adnan+-+found+art.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53L5rd75Wh7vnQ6BV4HltrycTn0mCo_Y_x6SofGZEt8ewKyQFUHjXNFBk4FouO5RZV9tlm8eYYk3YfNNkpE6lcbRu9anpGTUK4PiLa2EfWzbHG2a1IWQVevtYPPhS-GWVByxIrQ/s400/Adnan+-+found+art.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348898340099146610" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 262px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;">Found Objects - Adnan Charara</span></div>
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The <a href="http://www.levantinecenter.org/arts/artists/hybrid-artists-new-exhibition-insideoutside-other-oxymorons"><span style="font-weight: bold;">inside/outside and other oxymorons art exhibition opens on Saturday June 20th, 2009 from 6PM to 10PM at the new inside/outside gallery at the Levantine Cultural Center on 5998 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90035</span></a>. The exhibition will run until the end of July. Stop by and take a look - let me know what you think. I can't wait introduce you to these are artists and for you to see their work. It might just give you a different perspective on what is coming out of the Middle East.<br />
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For more information click <a href="http://www.levantinecenter.org/arts/artists/hybrid-artists-new-exhibition-insideoutside-other-oxymorons">here</a>.<br />
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"The art of the global diaspora is often hopefully described as the art of the future - a projected future of multi-cultural societies, well traversed territories and translated traditions."<br />
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- Homi Bhabha<br />
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"Culture is not static.... We are fluid; we are human; we are experience. And within that experience we are transformed by our contact with each other."<br />
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- Richard Rodriguez<br />
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"The global village is increasingly internalized within us."<br />
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- Pico Iyer<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© 2010 Deeba Haider</div>Deeba Haiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03934544217289447702noreply@blogger.com0