Since I was a child, even before I could chew, my go-to food was always roast beef. It was served to me as mush from the food processor, and later, in thin pink slices on my plate. I would eat it all, or as much as I needed to feel the round fullness of my […]
Obama, Obama, Obama
[This is the transcript of a performance I gave at the Mothership in Woodstock, New York on Valentine’s Day.] Obama was elected by Jews, blacks and women. If he had run for president in 1916 — when only white men voted — he would have been defeated, by the excruciating John McCain. We elected […]
Challenges in Talking with the Taliban
The withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan by 2014 has set into motion a hastened process of reconciliation. Among the flurry of activities that is going on, the most conspicuous is the ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, the key stakeholders in building durable stability in the war torn country. It’s a foregone conclusion […]
People throng in to say we need lights
Kathmandu Nepal: Kathmanduties rocked for a cause, with the theme of “Get out of Facebook on to the ground” People throng in for a cause of NO ELECTRICITY. It is high time since the past 5 years that people have been suffering high level of power cuts from 18 to 20 hrs every day. The […]
Tesco And The ‘Best- Before’ Date Dilemma
On its website, the multinational retailer Tesco claims it is “always trying to make (its customers) shop easier.” However, on Friday afternoon, one of its customers witnessed a practice that could have meant serious health problems for her young toddler. Far from the ease and help promised by the third-largest retailer in the world, whose advertisements famously says “Every Little […]
Considering de Kooning
I went for the second time to the de Kooning show ("de Kooning: A Retrospective" at the Museum of Modern Art). For the second time, I heard a woman narrate the early life of the artist — his extreme poverty in Rotterdam, his parents’ livelihood in the beer industry, how he stowed away on a […]