Links 5-10-08
10 05 2008Kalinago Tribe Considers Law Requiring Intermarriage - Distasteful as we may find this for those of us who appreciate the individual freedom to choose our spouses, there is some merit to the Chief’s suggestion. When you have literally fallen to such small numbers that your people and culture are about to die out for good, it is not necessarily a bad idea. It’s too bad that the legislators turned it down flat; perhaps it is a question that should have been put to the people…
Man in a Black Turban - Review of Patrick Cockburn’s new bio of Muqtada Al-Sadr
Mom: She Works Hard for No Money, Study Says - I can’t believe they had to do a study to figure this one out. Go call your mom and thank her for all she has done for you. For real.
Saifuddin - Spirituality: Pearls & Roses
Coming Back To Kabul - In Memory of Michael Bhatia - It’s not just soldiers who die in war, and these people matter too. They are too often not noted in the news, but they matter to their family and friends and should matter to the rest of us for this loss of humanity.
Via za3tar - 5 Days Until Blog for Palestine Day! - I hope to participate and hope others will too.
HijabiApprentice - Love - Reminding us to tell the people we care about that we do.
Racialicious - Funny Faces: PBS Documentary on Muslim American Comedians - written by Fatemeh, I didn’t know how to color code this one, LOL!
Racialicious - MLK Tribute Statue is Too “Confrontational” - Heads up, I didn’t read comments on this. I’m linking for the actual story, read comments at your own risk. I know there was a big controversy over the fact that a Chinese man won the opportunity to do the tribute statue to begin with. I had mixed feelings about that. I totally understand why Black American artists felt marginalized and ignored, but I also don’t think that MLK can only be related to by Blacks and that no one else should have the right to memorialize him. That said, I happen to really like the concept the Chinese artist has gone with and I think it’s ludicrous to call it “confrontational” or to mistake MLK for not being a hardcore confronting kind of guy.
WoC Phd - Urgent Petition to Support Farm Workers
VivirLatino - Latino Book Month: Paula by Isabel Allende - One of my fave authors. This book has been on my reading list for a long time. VivirLatino is doing a series of recommendations of books by Latino/a authors for the month of May.
Salaam Alaikum,
I’ve read Paula, it’s a beautiful and moving book. It’s the only Allende I’ve read so far and I really must read some more. Which one of her novels would you reccomend?
Asalaamu alaikum Safiya,
I recommend House of the Spirits for sure. It’s a classic and a great look at the history of Chile. It was also made into a very good movie. I read one or two others, but so long ago & borrowed from the library so I can’t recall the names. If you liked Paula though, you might also like her nonfiction book My Invented Country.
as salaamu alaikum
my dh is from dominica. the “caribs” (as they are generally referred to back home) have an interesting history in dominica. they migrated to dominica from other islands whilst fleeing the european onsluaght and exterminated the islands’ indigenous people. they do not have any power now and are relagated to reservations for the most part. however, we agree with the spirit behind the proposed legislation. i hope they can find a middle ground that preserves the people and respects individual choice.
As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,
I’ve read The House of the Spirits and it is not about Chile per se but about a composite South American country. The history of Chile is not like that country, which had a “strongman” military dictator dubbed El Benefactor who was overthrown by popular pressure, while Chile had a democracy for several decades until Pinochet kicked it over in 1973. Aspects of it strike me as more like Venezuela. But I recommend it although I have not read it in the original Spanish, which I don’t speak.
No, sorry - was I thinking of Eva Luna? That book definitely is set in Venezuela because of references to a Guajira woman, and Guajiros live in western Venezuela.