tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129799122009-11-13T19:00:03.301-05:00Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-82687115421560033682009-11-11T17:53:00.004-05:002009-11-13T19:00:03.309-05:002009-11-13T19:00:03.309-05:00

Jude Law brought his own flavor to Shakespeare's Hamlet. The British actor carried the role with a vitality and vitriol that was truly captivating. His use of pauses, as tools to manipulate audience response, was a masterful stroke that had the audience participate in his eccentric-sounding yet witty pondering. Jude Law presented a Hamlet whose hands and body movement spoke volumes for him,

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A poet is...a passive painter of wordsplush with passionate beliefs;a traveler in a trance-like statedisconnected yet empathetic;a sensitive soul, doubtless,yet doesn't bother blending;a stranger who defies definitionyet spends a lifetime seeking one!

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"I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."President Barack Obama on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009David Axelrod's statement, " I'd like to believe that winning the Nobel Peace Prize is not a political liability" made me stop and wonder on a possibility....

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com12http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/10/nobel-peace-prize-political-liability.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-84224697221520679742009-09-15T19:23:00.008-04:002009-09-27T17:57:40.376-04:002009-09-27T17:57:40.376-04:00

Do they smile for me I wonder ..Crinkling almost as if to lureAnd then suddenly they danceWhile stealing a glanceFurtively flirting so oftenreadily waiting to softenAppealing and repealingLike a lover besottedHoney gold blindersso forlorn yet tenderInnocently they seducewith a gaze so compellingthat its a tug at your heartsaying, "Do we have to part?"

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Thank you Gloria, for lending me Willa Cathers 'My Antonia', an amazing piece of American literature that brings alive Nebraska of the 1880s. It is in this backdrop that Ms. Cathers presents her endearing protagonist, Antonia, the epitome of the female pioneer spirit of the late 1800s, when a woman was but an adage in a male dominated world.Antonia, a Bohemian immigrant comes to Nebraska as a

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com4http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-antonia-willa-cathers-sensitive.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-23316150103145803562009-08-13T16:42:00.005-04:002009-08-15T09:22:00.152-04:002009-08-15T09:22:00.152-04:00

Having just watched the World Cup Qualifier soccer match between Mexico and US at Azteca, I couldn’t resist Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv’s “Strangers”, an IFC movie (watch trailer) that won the ‘Viewers Award” at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It is a movie set against the backdrop of the World Cup Soccer Final in Berlin, but halfway through, the action moves to France, the home of Rana the

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com7http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/08/strangers-soccer-matchmaker-of-israeli.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-86320097307610430152009-08-11T09:14:00.008-04:002009-08-11T11:03:04.982-04:002009-08-11T11:03:04.982-04:00

I remember reading Kate Chopin's short story "A Pair of Silk Stockings" in High School, but thanks to a British education system, Kate Chopin and other equally interesting American writers never made it to my active reading lists until I was in my twenties. "The Awakening", one of only two novels that Ms. Chopin wrote, is a delightful read which takes the reader to New Orleans in the early

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Jack Finney's Time and Again is a tribute to New York City of the yesteryear. The author has created a warm and endearing picture of Manhattan in the 1880s through the vivid and accurate lens of an illustrator, Si Morley, also the chief protagonist and time traveler of this novel.Mr Finney's novel, though about time travel, cannot be categorized as science fiction; which does not take away from

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com5http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/08/jack-finneys-time-and-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-11821799876927234042009-08-03T15:48:00.008-04:002009-08-04T11:52:32.515-04:002009-08-04T11:52:32.515-04:00

Eye to eye with eternity...All the Time when You were and I wasn’t. Folding of mountains to makings of oceans; happenings You partook in and I inherited. Birth of life forms, extinction of species; processes You hosted and I became a part of. Evolution in progress until the arrival of man; history You witnessed and I be the proof of. Sideling Hill in Maryland – a

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com6http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/08/ode-to-rocks-and-landforms.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-79646600216162357382009-07-30T14:21:00.004-04:002009-07-31T08:54:57.036-04:002009-07-31T08:54:57.036-04:00

A friend and I visited a 'Mandir' (Hindu Temple) located near Princeton a few days ago and that lead to some very interesting discussions about religion: its place in a given culture, and its perception outside of its natural home. Given that my friend had never ventured into a Hindu Temple ever before, I was curious to know her reactions, and she agreed to let me post those, and here they are:1.

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com4http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/visiting-hindu-temple-in-usa.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-6193640405429665672009-07-24T13:40:00.005-04:002009-07-24T17:15:25.472-04:002009-07-24T17:15:25.472-04:00

United Nations Secretary General, Ban-Ki- Moon " ...resist those who turn our common effort to curb the worst atrocities in human history into a struggle over ideology, geography or economics...It is high time to turn the promise of the 'responsibility-to-protect' into practice."' (July 2009)2005 UN World Summit adopted the “responsibility to protect,” known as R2P, which “formalized the notion

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com5http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/un-intervention-vs-humanitarian.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-145811567698360342009-07-16T18:01:00.010-04:002009-07-18T09:30:35.077-04:002009-07-18T09:30:35.077-04:00

I picked up Daphne Beal's "In the Land of no Right Angles" simply because I happened to be at the local library without my 'to read' list. As always I fell prey to the newness of the setting, Nepal, a very small country perched in the Himalayan mountains.The writer's sensuous descriptions of the various locales in the novel, especially Kathmandu and Jankat in Nepal were perhaps the high point

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com12http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/daphne-beals-in-land-of-no-right-angles.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-63889191273228851682009-07-14T22:05:00.005-04:002009-07-16T09:09:28.503-04:002009-07-16T09:09:28.503-04:00

"An archeologist's eyes combine the view of the telescope and the view of the microscope. He reconstructs the very distant with the help of the very small. It was something of this method that I brought to a New Hampshire village. --Thornton Wilder, "A Preface for Our Town" [1938] A simple tale simply told about life at it's simplest in a small village in New Hampshire, USA in the early 1900s. '

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com6http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/thornton-wilders-our-town-captures.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-68406357193166101672009-07-13T14:00:00.008-04:002009-07-13T21:48:01.361-04:002009-07-13T21:48:01.361-04:00

Michael Ondaatje, better known for his Booker Prize winning novel "The English Patient" that was made into an Oscar Winning movie, believes ''Writing is a kind of archaeological act, ... In all my books there is a discovery of a story. You're unearthing and you're learning. The drama is to find out about the characters.''Ondaatje's novel Anil's Ghost is in fact about an archaeological adventure

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com2http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/anils-ghost-by-michael-ondaatje.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-14632762786383930042009-07-01T11:36:00.013-04:002009-07-06T13:55:26.573-04:002009-07-06T13:55:26.573-04:00

I have my colleague Liz to thank for recommending this young-adult piece of fiction, Life As We Knew It. She and I have discussed reading habits and reading strategies endlessly these past some years, and finally here is a piece which could lure even the most resistant reader. Ms Pfeffer has done a remarkable job of spinning a story around a catastrophic event that impacts the entire world, and

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com6http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/07/life-as-we-knew-it-susan-beth-pfeffers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-91921814576418749542009-06-26T19:07:00.002-04:002009-07-02T10:34:42.135-04:002009-07-02T10:34:42.135-04:00

As if the widespread reign of terror and oppression wasn't enough, now Iranian authorities unleash fire on sportsmen! "Four players, Ali Karimi, 31; the captain against South Korea, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32; Hosein Ka’abi, 24; and Vahid Hashemian, 32 wore either green wristbands or armbands during the first half of the match....The players were told to remove the wristbands at halftime because FIFA,

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com4http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/06/iranian-soccer-players-face-lifetime.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-50518953685530049162009-06-20T23:45:00.001-04:002009-07-02T10:35:05.886-04:002009-07-02T10:35:05.886-04:00

June 20 is World Refugee Day! Having created so many refugees, perhaps now we can help create some semblance of a shelter for them until such time that they can go back home. Join UNHCR and Ben Affleck to help displaced fellow beings! "There are millions around the world in need of shelter, not just physical shelter but respect for their rights and the capacity to live in safety and dignity. In

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com2http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/06/gimme-shelter-give-shelter-save-life.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-38504847771740240512009-06-17T19:21:00.002-04:002009-07-02T10:35:30.410-04:002009-07-02T10:35:30.410-04:00

Twitter is being credited for the political makeover in Iran! This is a milestone, no doubt! Information technology appears to be facilitating public awareness which may perhaps lead to an informed and empowered electorate in Iran that will ensure that they get their leader of choice."Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old State Department official, Jared Cohen, e-mailed the social-networking site

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com4http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/06/milestone-for-technology-or-us-meddling.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-50346469627441340432009-05-05T18:16:00.003-04:002009-07-02T10:25:44.218-04:002009-07-02T10:25:44.218-04:00

The pulse that throbsto the beat of my heart.The voice that I hear,so dear and so near,when things fall apart.A final parting?A goodbye forever?Can this be it?A lasting separation? The pain that searsseeing love disappear.As the insides retch,the mind's in shambles'n emptiness rambles.Both the enstrangedand departed are torn,as am I, in fear,of an end so forlorn.

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com13http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/05/crossing-over.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-90998674853961685662009-04-28T22:23:00.005-04:002009-07-02T10:25:12.844-04:002009-07-02T10:25:12.844-04:00

Achy Obejas recent novel "Ruins" takes the reader to Cuba in the 1990s and screens it through the eyes of a die hard nationalist. The novel does not have much of a storyline, and that perhaps is the reason the reader never feels completely engrossed. Also, I found myself resisting the lens that was offerred to me by the narrator; almost as if I resented the paucity of the information provided by

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com5http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/04/achy-obejas-cocktail-of-characters-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-15365454819055462052009-04-21T18:25:00.020-04:002009-07-02T10:26:17.600-04:002009-07-02T10:26:17.600-04:00

Inspired by someone who is lost but will not listen to a little voice that cares to keep you in the game!Do you have somewhere to go? You know there’s a wayif you know how to get there.Do you want to get there?You know it isn’t so hardif you used all your cards.Do you use all resources?You know friends can hold onif not kept waiting too long.Do you see yourself there?You know you couldif pursue

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com9http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/04/introspection.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-54236824888191625642009-04-13T15:20:00.018-04:002009-07-02T10:26:49.751-04:002009-07-02T10:26:49.751-04:00

This piece does not aim to undermine the courage or the commitment of the rescuers who put their lives on line to save a fellow human being, Captain Richard Phillips, who will go down in naval history as a model Captain.A 'rescue' alright;by snipers and seals so savy!A brave battle in distant watersbetwixt a lifeboat and a navy!Saving the innocentfrom a dastardly attackby 'pirates' of a nation -

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com9http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/04/only-partial-rescue-pirate-needs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-29817621359070707962009-04-07T14:37:00.008-04:002009-07-02T10:27:59.100-04:002009-07-02T10:27:59.100-04:00

I had been meaning to read "Gang Leader for a Day" by Sudhir Venkatesh ever since I read about it in an article by Steven Levitts who authored "Freakonomics", a brilliant piece of non fiction that came out a few years ago.Venkatesh calls himself a 'rogue sociologist' who tested and often defied all norms of academic research while collecting data for this novel which is set in Robert Taylor Homes

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com7http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/04/gang-leader-for-day-by-sudhir-venkatesh.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-6574931192446287922009-04-07T06:00:00.004-04:002009-07-02T10:28:39.042-04:002009-07-02T10:28:39.042-04:00

Tears and smilesdo color this lifein hues and shadesthat promptly fade.The fear to tearso always near.The need to smilealways takes a whileTears and smiles-manifest a callCasting a vote-an emotional poll?Foreclosures both,do clearly implyan inadequacyto live out a lie.Having said that,how do I compile -a human story sanstears and smiles.

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com5http://iditis.blogspot.com/2009/04/human-story.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-1134770786056718072009-03-30T19:55:00.004-04:002009-07-02T10:31:17.349-04:002009-07-02T10:31:17.349-04:00

Human Being's recent post, "I'm not a Thief..." compelled me to revisit and re post this three-part essay on ' the teacher and the taught' that I posted a few years ago:I came across this interesting article by A. Dee Williams titled 'Teaching as an Act of Love:Towards a Revolutionary Vision of Teacher Quality'. The article talks about what it takes to be a teacher. The author lays out a three

Id it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com6http://iditis.blogspot.com/2006/01/teacher-revolutionary-part-1.html