tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14814849581091078702024-03-07T00:20:13.844-08:00Adda-ficationAdda-ficationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239139431315319599noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-48752115594666722642007-02-18T20:33:00.000-08:002007-02-19T23:49:29.745-08:00Notun Thikana!We've moved the blog to www.addafication.com.Check us out!Adda-ficationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239139431315319599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-41126457382913293622007-02-17T21:24:00.000-08:002007-02-17T21:26:58.121-08:00MovingDear Readers,Addafication is moving to a new domain - we will announce it tomorrow night.Meanwhile, hope you enjoy reading our archives. Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-31224537701840387122007-02-16T18:20:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:20.349-08:00A Shi'i-Sunni problem?Is the current violence in Iraq a Shi'i-Sunni problem? A divisiveness that is hundreds of years old on which a lid was put by Saddam's iron-hand?A very complicated question.For a fine analysis and response, turn to Haroon Moghul, of Eteraz fame..Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-83352302585562869912007-02-16T17:16:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:20.595-08:00Has the Countdown Begun, Part IA fine piece of analysis on the possibilities and consequences of attacking Iran**Has The Countdown Begun?B. RamanAn Israeli air strike on Natanz and Isfahan is very likely soonerthan later. Things have started moving in that direction. Theaccumulation of US forces in the region is meant to deter anyIranian retaliation. ...The US and Israel—acting separately and in tandem—have startedstepping up Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-36447168722027725312007-02-16T17:15:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:20.754-08:00Has the Countdown Begun, Part IIThe US had seen in North Korea what happens if it avoids action inresponse to pressure from other countries co-operating with the US. North Korea has carried out a nuclear test and is now insisting thatany agreement it signs with the US and other powers would be as a nuclear power and not as a non-nuclear power.It is reportedly prepared to discuss a freezing of its military nuclear capability at Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-87432558410687617142007-02-16T17:01:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:20.881-08:00BP courts BerkeleyToo many people criticize American Academia for its increasing corporate flavor.Here's an interesting article, pick of the week at Mother Jones. Does it Matter if BP Sleeps With UC Berkeley and Californians Fund Their Hotel Room? By Julia WhittyExcerpt:Nature.com, website of the Britishscience journal Nature, reports on growing concerns aboutoil-giant BP's $50-million energy research partnership Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-51709853875849190262007-02-16T07:21:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:21.163-08:00Shia's and Sunnis on NPRThe Partisans of AliA History of Shia Faith and Politics. I haven't listened to all the parts. But I can vouch that NPR (National Public Radio) is usually interestingClick here for a background and the 5-part series: More on this, to come. Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-46177831502943683932007-02-15T18:30:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:24.065-08:00Mohsin HamidMost of you guys, readers of Addafication, will have a sense of the term "Exile Complex."It is a feeling of nostalgia for a home far away. The nostalgia is often wrapped around imaginations of a city - its smells, sights, sounds, and friends it contains.The city remains geographically far but conversationally very near. It is evoked in the movies we like to watch. Perhaps more so in the music we Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-32566273427998947172007-02-15T08:54:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:24.205-08:00An Event: Philanthropy, Profits and Progress********Philanthropy, Profits and Progress: The Role of Private Actors inInternational DevelopmentA Conference Adda-fication's Shamshir is helping organize:Friday, February 16, 2007, Columbia University, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 104. Join CUPID at its third annual conference to evaluate activities byprivate actors — including philanthropic foundations, community-based organizations, corporations Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-63633756798250911292007-02-14T22:45:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:24.362-08:00'71 Part One. A Mindset of Mutual ExclusivityIn Bangladesh, events of 1971 have cast a very long shadow. A shadow that has lodged itself in the subsequent history of the nation. And even harangues the present.Memories and rhetoric around '71 configures party politics. They shape foreign relations and populate imagination of artists, novelists and activists.Two years ago, I spent a good deal of time in London. The University at which I did Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-62063594296856044282007-02-14T22:41:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:25.895-08:001971 SeriesLeading upto 21 Feb, Addafication will feature a series of posts on '71, Pakistan, and the creation of Bangladesh. As well as the Mujib and Military Periods. Stay tuned. Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-54120398864594979232007-02-14T18:36:00.000-08:002007-02-14T19:10:15.515-08:00Valentine's DayI will steer clear of commenting upon empty theological debates about celebrating Valentine's Day. I will also try not taking any potshots at the yearly windfall generated for the gift-card industry, which estimates that 1 billion valentines are sent world-wide. Of course, the various Archie's and Hallmark shops in Dhaka (including the Archie's at New Market - how long before there's one even at Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-18636377824751163842007-02-14T15:45:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:26.333-08:00Speaking of PakistanThis Tuesday, at 11:00 AM, I am lecturing on Jinnah and the Muslim League as a part of a South Asia course. 2nd floor, Mathematics Building, Columbia University, if you want to make it.I am a tad nervous. Not so much because of stage fright, but more so because it's always hard to talk about Jinnah and the idea of Pakistan. Too many people seem to have axes to grind when it comes to this topic. IJajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-65058939267260805782007-02-14T02:35:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:26.396-08:00A great interview with Shabana AzmiEver heard of the Indian New Wave?The Indian New Wave or "Parallel Cinema" was largely a movement to produce high-quality Indian films, rich in plot and texture, to counter the incessant saccharine feel-good and formulaic Bollywood productions.A sitar of this movement was the distinguished Shabana Azmi. I remember Ms. Azmi from Masoom, a movie that left quite an impression on me as a child. The Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-53286265964637123262007-02-13T22:34:00.000-08:002007-02-13T22:42:09.790-08:00Doing Business in South Asia Report 2007The World Bank's Doing Business in South Asia Report 2007 Report was just launched yesterday. Get your PDF hot from the presses here! [Hat tip: WB/IFC's Private Sector Development Blog for the link]Lot's of interesting data and topics. A sample: It takes 425 days to register property in Bangladesh. Four Bangladeshi cities are covered: Dhaka, Chittagong, Bogra and Khulna. Check it out!Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-64923918742942084822007-02-12T23:43:00.000-08:002007-02-13T00:36:07.502-08:00On The AL MOU Scrapping and Reading Things CloselyOne of the hot news items in the last couple of days has beenAL's scrapping of the MOU with Khelafat-e-Majlis. Defending the MOU required AL to twist itself into pretzels/jilapis (the most prominent recent example, of course, being Sajeeb Joy Wazed's blog post on this matter, which numerous commenters, such as many on Drishtipat blog, justly critiqued). Now the MOU has been scrapped.Mr. Wazed Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-27240609209905525492007-02-12T14:56:00.000-08:002007-02-12T15:03:50.729-08:00A broader horizon, but a smaller viewHere is something I wrote on Bangladeshi urban youth and values a while ago. I beleive its still relevant. Read it, let me know what you think, and let's see if there is a solution. Here's the punch line of the piece: The struggle will be to inspire the young to take up this challenge, and ally their dreams of individual success to those of the nation. We must give them a sense of place and Kintuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719598912111481568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-76992250052527079712007-02-12T14:24:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:26.682-08:00World Press Photo of the YearSpencer Platt, USA, Getty Images (Thanks, BQ)Young Lebanese drive through devastated neighborhood of South Beirut, 15 August.Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-41209197662105217262007-02-12T08:25:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:26.787-08:00Kids and PraiseRaising a child is perhaps the utmost social engineering endeavor. Far surpassing anything any strange state has ever endeavored. One that's perhaps more treacherous because you have a near blank slate of a young mind on which to impress. A slate that, through strange processes of osmosis, is likely to absorb all kinds of qualities from people around, to which the parent might be completely Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-34574517108619895022007-02-12T03:39:00.000-08:002007-02-11T23:08:46.922-08:00On Dr.Yunus entering politicsI have nothing against Dr.Yunus joining politics per se. I believe in the aftermath of the current ‘cleansing’ operation that is being carried out back home, there will be a place for smart, qualified individuals to take the places vacated by possibly the worst generation of politicians witnessed by any country in any period in history. Dr.Yunus is certainly a very capable man. He is one of Shyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00329136730444932794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-81136382773124521112007-02-11T22:55:00.000-08:002007-02-12T14:41:34.825-08:00Fine Op-Ed on the Corruption DriveYoung Shameran Abed at the New Age has an insightful op-ed about the SOE Corruption Drive that meshes quite well with my thinking on this subject. He correctly notes that the SOE government needs to look beyond catching a few big fish, and highlights the need for institutional reform. He writes, in the key paragraph:"Similarly, corruption in these institutions cannot be adequately reduced unless Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-22087480655682117882007-02-10T08:48:00.000-08:002007-02-10T08:48:34.429-08:00A Quibble about Microfinance and the "Productive" SectorASA's M Enamul Hoque has an interesting op-ed on microfinance in the Daily Star. He starts off:Often there raised an allegation from among those who tend to think over utilityand effectiveness of microcredit that microcredit providers extend more of ittowards non productive i.e. non-farm activities than to productive schemes. Thisis half wrong or half right.The rest of the article is an Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-31899201754432833222007-02-08T21:26:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:27.892-08:00From Dhaka and TehranSo I tend to like most things Persian - Kiarostami, miniature paintings, khoresht, the excessive use of nuts and saffron in "polow" - and almost all of whatever I have been exposed to - of Persian architecture, arts and literature. I also love how Farsi sounds.I was once shooting the shit with a Professor of Islamic History and he pointed to me, how political Islam has had an uneasy relationship Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-81173068824608326672007-02-08T13:24:00.000-08:002007-02-08T08:43:50.665-08:00Avian Flu, Intellectual PropertyOver at marginalrevolution.com, a blog I read daily almost religiously, there's an interesting post up about how Indonesia has stopped sending samples of the avian flu virus to the World Health Organization because it's negotiating some kind of contract with a pharmaceutical company. Tyler concludes, "If this entire episode does not convince you that IP law is out of control, I don't know what Shamshirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879723754128722529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481484958109107870.post-33357491041482285722007-02-07T19:51:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:31:28.154-08:00"Violence is the Last Refuge of the Incompetent"Excerpts from an interview with Hamza Yusuf Hanson on PBS:"Listen, hurricanes are a much greater threat to us right now. Katrina did much more damage than anything the terrorists could ever put together." "Yeah, there's nuclear weapons are out there and that certainly is a concern. That's the job of these intelligence people to stop that, right? But stop making us all live in fear and telling Jajaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156555905994127140noreply@blogger.com0