Brooklyn Qawwali Party - finally out with a CD

I thought it would take a lifetime, but alas! BQP is out with a CD consisting of four energetic and lively tunes. Perfect exercise or morning walk music, as well as for a night out with friends or just something in the background at work.

Buy it here!

Angelina Jolie's on a roll - Justice for Darfur

Angelina Jolie has done yet another amazing job at highlighting the plight of those who are less fortunate than her. She already donates one-third of her earnings to charity on an annual basis, but writing about these issues raises the awareness exponentially.

The only way she can do better is if she made a video diary, as she has done in the past, and aired it on MTV perhaps?

On a side note, the article implicitly gives two huge thumbs up to the work of the UN - its refugee agency and its new judicial mechanisms (ICC and ICJ) in particular.

Now if only we could get mainstream America on track as well. The liberals are already on board - where are the conservatives? I wish they realized that like climate change and environmental issues, this one is also not political; it's moral - just like Al Gore said at the Academy Awards.

It's about time we acted.

The Washington Post article is here.

Teaching/employment opportunities at prestigious Bangladeshi university

Friends,

The email below is self explanatory, but I just wanted to add that it will not only be a great experience professionally, but can hopefully also contribute to some person fulfillment as well.

All the best,

Zeeshan


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sajid Huq <huq.sajid@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 28, 2007 11:15 AM
Subject: teaching/working for BRAC

I am forwarding an excerpt of an email from the Dean of the Economics and Social Sciences Department (ESS) at BRAC University. BRAC University is a private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh . It is among the best private institutions in Dhaka . And being a part of the very impressive umbrella of its mother organization, BRAC (http://www.brac.net/ ), means that if anyone is interested in teaching there, the person would have access to the tremendous resources and programs of one of the world's premier NGOs and micro-credit institutions. Such is BRAC's reach that people in Bangladesh call the organization a state within the state. It is also expanding its coverage to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The excerpt from the Dean, Dr. Anwar:

"Let me ask your assistance in recruiting faculty members. Perhaps you know that we have obtained the UGC's approval to start a Masters of Science ( M.S.) in Applied Economics through ESS. We are getting ourselves ready to start the program this summer (May, 2007). We are searching for faculty members who can teach economics courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels.

We are looking for faculty who would be interested in teaching in Bangladesh. It can be long or short term. Long-term candidates would ideally have a Ph.D. The short term candidates are those who would teach for a semester or a year, minimum qualification would be a masters degree or an ABD. A Ph.D. candidate with intention to conduct dissertation research in Bangladesh will be welcome."

I should add that the compensation at BRAC is quite competitive, and higher than most South Asian Universities. I say this with a reasonable knowledge of compensation at most Indian Universities. If interested, please contact me off the list!

It should be a great experience, even if it is for this summer only.

Warm Regards.

--
Sajid Huq
PhD Candidate & Teaching Fellow
Columbia University

huq.sajid@gmail.com | http://addafication.com/

The Bosnians propose, the ICJ disposes...

I havent read up enough on the recent International Court of Justice ruling that absolves the Serbians of state-sponsored genocide of the Bosnians (but says they did not prevent it either), but my initial thoughts are of disappointment and sadness.

If the ruling stated that the Serbians were responsible for the carnage and atrocities, the Bosnians were eligible for billions of dollars of assistance. While this horrific chapter finally approaches its conclusion, I would have been happy, but am not. I dont think living with the mere thought that the Serbians have been found guilty of being complicit in the crimes is enough.

Because of this complicity, and the lack of reparations they could have gotten, the Bosnians have lost faith in the world's justice system. The only court that could have given them justice, shied away from it when it had the opportunity to. The billions of dollars could have single-handedly raised living standards.

Instead, today, we see the Bosnians even more distraught, hopeless and saddened as they sit on the world's stage, the international community watching them as it smirks and giggles at them. What were they thinking? say onlookers and bystanders. Justice? What a joke...

I wonder who will have the last laugh in this story...

Article: Jolie adds glamour to US think-tank

So Angelie Jolie joins the Council on Foreign Relations.

This news isn't surprising, but I dont know what it would mean politically. What would her responsibilities be as a CFR member? What impact would she have? And most frightening - will she even be taken seriously?

I am assuming - and hoping - this is good news. I'm also definitely very interested in seeing what evolves out of this new role for her.

Complete article here.