BNW : Brave New Wave

30-Minute Terrorism, Just Add Sprinkles

Ali M Latifi — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:56:37 EDT

Recently Rachael Ray and Dunkin' Donuts have both come under fire for an advertisement featuring the TV host in what is allegedly a keffiyeh.

To say that this argument is nothing more than nonsensical xenophobia and Arab mongering would be an understatement.

CNN Stirs Xenophobia

Ali M Latifi — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:24:41 EDT

This is the top headline on the frontpage of the CNN website:

She's a WHAT...?!

Ali M Latifi — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:45:57 EDT

Check out this clip of a commentator on CNN stating its okay to call United States Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton a bitch because her personality somehow suits the definition.

Jesus Like You've Never Seen Him Before

Ali M Latifi — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:18:11 EDT

According to a recent LA Times article, the story of Jesus a billion people have heard all their lives will finally receive a cinematic treatment courtesy of an Iranian director.

Planet of the Arabs : Fear and Loathing in America

Ali M Latifi — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:13:25 EDT

Screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Jackie Salloum's 9 minute short, "Planet of the Arabs" is a montage of the dehumanizing and vilifying depictions of Arabs in contemporary American film.

Planet of the Arabs

Absolutely Wrong.

Ali M Latifi — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:58:30 EDT

This Absolut ad. garnered a lot of attention lately and has apparently earned the ire of many Americans for its depiction of the pre-1848 borders that made what are now the states of California and Arizona as part of the Mexican nation.

From 3 Bedrooms 3 Bath to Tent City

Ali M Latifi — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:29:09 EDT

A recent BBC report documents the emergence of a tent city in Los Angeles filled with people who were unable to make the mortgage payments on their houses. Based on the comments in the Youtube clip and the Digg.com posting people seem to be less than sympathetic towards those who were forced into tents and trailers when the mortgage bubble finally burst. However, to simply chalk up these people’s situations as indicative of their inability to make good, educated decisions is a gross oversimplification of the problem.

Dr. Laura is bad for Your Marriage

Ali M Latifi — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:25:24 EDT

In a recent Today Show panel discussion about New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Dr. Laura Schlessinger said that often when a man cheats its because his wife "does not focus in on the needs and the feelings, sexually, personally, to make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like her hero."

one step forward, two steps back : are the Academy Awards truly progressive?

Ali M Latifi — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:44:12 EST

Though some people may think focusing on moments like this are just a litany of redundancy, they are actually quite momentous and powerful given the cultural power of the media and the notoriously conservative Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Are Islamic Beliefs Being Undermined?

Ali M Latifi — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:50:59 EST

An article about the Prophet Muhammad in the English-language Wikipedia has become the subject of an online protest in the last few weeks because of its representations of Muhammad, taken from medieval manuscripts.

read more | digg story Yes, they should be taken down.

Obama is a Christian, and he has the EMails to prove it...

Ali M Latifi — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:25:47 EST

In an attempt to debunk Internet rumors that he is a Muslim who studied at a strict madrasa in Indonesia where he was taught Wahabism, was sworn into the United States Senate with a Qur'an, and that he refuses to pledge allegiance to the United States flag because of the aforementioned statements (or some variation thereof), Barack Obama has launched a website and EMail campaign complete with Youtube videos to try and re-assert his Christianity today.

democracy |di?mäkr?s?|

Ali M Latifi — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:13:16 EST

Musharraf on Monday warned troops would shoot anyone trying to disrupt the balloting.

I read this headline on the flat panel in the elevator at work today (yes, DC is the land of random flat panel TVs) and I wondered how Musharraf and his cronies don't understand what democracy really means?

Arcade Fire Member Backs Obama

Ali M Latifi — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:39:30 EST

Since when did Pitchfork become such a beacon of political commentary?

Check out this story from today's Pitchfork about Arcade Fire's Win Butler and his thoughts on everyone's favorite dueling democrats Obama and Hilary.

Arcade Fire's Win Butler Disses Hillary, Backs Obama

Some Hip Hop Stars Are About More Than Just Bling : Lupe Fiasco & Rhymefest on Hilary and Obama

Ali M Latifi — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:45:59 EST

Obama or Hilary, which would say more for American progress? Its a question that people have been throwing around for a long time including two of the greatest MCs of the time - Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest.

What Charlie Wilson's War Says About America

Ali M Latifi — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:15:55 EST

Though it may not be much of a cinematic accomplishment (considering it was directed by Mike Nichols and features Philip Seymour Hoffman in a prominent role) Charlie Wilson's War makes a much needed statement about American foreign policy.

Why A Thousand Splendid Suns is good for Afghans

Ali M Latifi — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:59:56 EST

Since the Afghan diaspora first discovered it, Khalid Hosseini's landmark debut novel The Kite Runner has managed to be one of the most loved and loathed pieces of cultural art ever. Everyone had their opinions on the novel and its companion film -- was it good for Afghans or just "lifting your skirt over your head" as Afghans would say?

Now, the same questions are being asked of Hosseini's second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Having recently read it in its entirety in a single 24-hour period I can say that A Thousand Splendid Suns is indeed good for Afghans, and more importantly for Americans wanting to understand historical and political situation that created the current state of affairs in Afghanistan.

Shortly after the events of 9/11 Afghanistan, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and Osama Bin Laden dominated the news, as if they all naturally went together and the Afghans had control or even a true engagement with the post cold war politics of Afghanistan.

Which came first?

Ali M Latifi — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:04:43 EST

Google Trends 2007 vs. 2001

I found that on Digg.com today and it reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend recently about Americans, "democracy," and the accesibility of politics done behind closed doors in a language the average person living in America would be hard pressed to understand.

Names in Lights Don't Always Break Barriers

Ali M Latifi — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:32:35 EST

This week the screen adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake is released on DVD. The novel and film follow Gogol Ganguli, the American born son of Indian immigrants as he struggles with and rejects his Indian culture.

In light of the recent Blog entry by Erica Williams questioning the social and cultural progress of the characters portrayed in American Gangster, I decided to explore similar questions about Kal Penn's first starring role prior to the Namesake in the poorly received "National Lampoon's Van Wilder Rise of the Taj."

More Than a Collection of Singles, Indeed.

Ali M Latifi — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:51:35 EST

In a recent entry on The Huffington Post, producer Jermaine DuPri boldly asserts that “a good album is more than just a collection of singles.” There's no doubt that JD is absolutely correct in his statement, but when it's read within the context of his argument, it's a little misguided, if not flawed.