As an anthropologist, this intimacy with cats fascinates me because they represent another instance of how “human culture” is in fact made up of our relationships with nonhumans. Globally, cats have accompanied humans since ancient times, beginning in Western Asia almost 10,000 years ago. Humans initially welcomed them in their nascent settlements for their ability to controlContinue reading “For the Love of Cats in Turkey”
Category Archives: Lifestyle
Laila and Majnu
Early morning today, while reading Laila Majnu — an age-old love story turned into a stunning musical in the walled city of Lahore at Dawn website, I attempted to look for a video of the theatrical musical performance at the grand Haveli Barood Khana. There were only few still photos. So, I tried searching forContinue reading “Laila and Majnu”
Why are So Many Young People Getting Cancer?
Heidi Ledford in Nature: Of the many young people whom Cathy Eng has treated for cancer, the person who stood out the most was a young woman with a 65-year-old’s disease. The 16-year-old had flown from China to Texas to receive treatment for a gastrointestinal cancer that typically occurs in older adults. Her parents had soldContinue reading “Why are So Many Young People Getting Cancer?”
Will Today’s Tech Wave Drown Developing Countries?
Xiaolan Fu at Project Syndicate: We are living through humanity’s fourth industrial revolution, which is largely driven by breakthroughs in digital technologies. Some, like the internet and artificial intelligence, are converging and amplifying each other, with far-reaching consequences for economies and societies. For developing countries, the implications are profound, and questions concerning policy choices andContinue reading “Will Today’s Tech Wave Drown Developing Countries?”
Fasting for Ramadan While Gaza Goes Hungry
How do you celebrate the holy month when you fear the suffering may not end? Zaina Arafat in The New Yorker: I believed in God and loved Islam, but my fasting was less about religion than about ritual. In the diaspora, with its handed-down stories and its longing to be elsewhere, Ramadan helped us connect withContinue reading “Fasting for Ramadan While Gaza Goes Hungry”
Family Drama in the Garden State
Two of New Jersey’s three statewide offices could be held by people living in the same mansion. by Tracey Tully at the NY Times: Bricks of gold bullion. Envelopes filled with cash. Secret meetings with an Egyptian spy. These sordid details form the backbone of the bribery charges against New Jersey’s senior senator, Robert Menendez,Continue reading “Family Drama in the Garden State”
The War in Gaza is Creating a Health Crisis That Will Span Decades
Grace Wade in New Scientist: The situation in Gaza is rapidly devolving into the worst humanitarian crisis in modern memory, and international health organizations have no long-term plans for addressing the territory’s post-war needs. More than three-quarters of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, half of whom are children, are internally displaced, trapped in one of theContinue reading “The War in Gaza is Creating a Health Crisis That Will Span Decades”
Recipe: Persian Lentil Rice With Dates
Sourced from the NYTimes Cooking
Why Governments Offload Risks to Individuals
Under the guise of empowerment and freedom, politicians and business are offloading lifethreatening risk to individuals Suzanne Schneider at Aeon: I have for several years been working on a book about risk as a form of social and political logic: a lens for apprehending the world and a set of tools for taming uncertainty withinContinue reading “Why Governments Offload Risks to Individuals”