Since the dramatic events of 9/11, Bollywood cinema has shown an unusual interest in the terrorist film genre, especially as regards to international terrorism and global tensions between Islam and the West. Striking examples of this genre include Kabir Khan’s New York (2008), Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan (2010), Rensil D’Silva’s Kurbaan (2009) and Apoorva Lakhia’s Mission Istanbul, to name a few. Films like Anil Sharma’s Ab Tumhare Hawale Watam Sathiyo (2004) and Subhash Ghai’s Black and White (2008) focus on terrorist issues within the Indian subcontinent itself. The latter films have continued in the tradition of pre 9/11 […]
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You may already have heard of the island of Cyprus that lies in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey; it’s known as Aphrodite’s island because this is where legend has it that the goddess of love was born. But the northern third of the island is lesser known, lesser explored and as a result, untouched and pristine in its beauty. The climate on the entire island is typically Mediterranean – i.e., it is blissfully hot during the long hot summer months, it is temporarily wet during two short winter months and then lush during the brief springtime when Northern Cyprus […]
Kony 2012 might have been an epic failure, but NGO Invisible Children Uganda’s greatest mistake might have been failing to draw attention to the good work it does in northern Uganda. Almost a year ago, Kony2012, a YouTube short aimed at awakening awareness in Western youth to Uganda’s recent 20 years of mass atrocity, went viral. The video brought new attention to Uganda; warlord and International Criminal Court indictee Joseph Kony; and the YouTube short creator, American NGO Invisible Children. As fast as this attention intensified from nothing to a worldwide phenomenon, it fizzled. But, before it did, academics and […]
Today March 31st, in case you missed it, is Transgender Day of Visibility. I’ll be honest, while I have known about this day for a few years, it started in 2009 in Michigan, and I have had some issues with the idea. However given the surge in anti trans campaigning over the past few years, I am increasingly seeing that this is a really important and thought I’d post a few of my thoughts on the subject today. Most trans people want to be invisible. This is my main concern about having a Transgender Day of Visibility. I have been […]
Barely and hour’s drive from Cape Town on the rugged West Coast, in a tranquil bay embroidered with scattered rocks, is the beautiful fishing village of Paternoster. With it’s picturesque white washed houses, green-grey veld and turquoise water, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve ended up in a remote hamlet somewhere on the Mediterranean coast. Then again, you won’t get anything more authentically South African than the local delicacy of bokkoms (salted, dried fish) – the seafood version of that other very South African treat, biltong. Being close to Cape Town, this predominantly Afrikaans-speaking village is a popular weekend getaway […]
I have made Malta my home for the last twenty years. Coming as a tourist, I settled and became part of the village community. As a travel writer I have an insight into the real Malta. What better way to get to know a country than through the eyes of someone who loves it so much. Here are my top ten tips for getting the best of your holiday – whether a frequent visitor or first time Malta virgin: 1. Smile and be the first to approach a local for advice or help. This actually applies to all countries but […]