I _promise_ that CM will return to form soon enough. Been mulling over the cricket post for a while – though it keeps mutating. Keeping with the theme of promises of posts ahead, today’s list: In anticipation of my cricket post, I would recommend this explanation of ball swing. Jonathan Dresner told me about the [...]
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Jorge Ben is singing and I am almost over the horrid game played by Brazil. No doubt that the great Zidane deserves that win. Still. Oh, I am sorry, you are here for the history carnival aren’t you? You don’t want to hear about football matches. You are right. First things first: have you read [...]
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In a shameless attempt to garner more content for CM [and also to recycle some oldies but goodies], I decided to sit at the cool kids table set-up by eteraz of eteraz-fame. “The Nomad Fatwas is an alliance of free-thinking blogs and a carnival simultaneously. Every two weeks myself and nine other blog-friends of mine [...]
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What in tarnation is wrong with you? Forget the whole Clinton marriage thing that you just “covered”. Forget even the earth-shaking headline today, “Terror Fears Hamper U.S. Muslims’ Travel”. No Duh! Just explain to me this piece by Katherine Zoepf which is so over-the-top with inanities that the only response I have is a blogrant: [...]
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sepoy notes: Apparently, DaVinci Code made 200 plus million $s around the globe this weekend. Understand how Tom Hanks’ Coif triumphed over the Pope’s Mitre by reading the conclusion of Farangi’s charming foray into historical memory. V. Pass Go, Collect Awareness The DaVinci Code begins where it ends‚Äîat the Louvre. Paulo Coelho‚Äôs charming The Alchemist [...]
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sepoy notes: It is beyond doubt that the Glorious Lord will send farangi to hell for punning Gloria Dei. It is also beyond doubt that I have been giggling like a, um, girl about it ever since. III. A 500 Year Old Argument Over Money The controversy between Catholics and the Enlightenment is a deep [...]
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NYRoB asked a veritable who’s who of contemporary fiction to name “the single best work of American fiction published in the last 25 years.” Result: Toni Morrison’s Beloved! I haven’t really paid close enough attention to fiction to say anything about the list. Still, Beloved surely deserves to be on any list. I think White [...]
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my urdu post was lost in a db transfer. i am leaving the comments. – Intro to Ghalib. And translation.
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What is it about Sunday afternoons? I sit here, watching an infomercial about Iceland health omega 3 which cures cancer, poverty and inflation. Just before that I was watching Chitrahar with New York Life and CitiBank commercials galore for NRIs everywhere. Oh good, Mythbusters is on. We were gonna play some cricket. But, it rained. [...]
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That Australia hit 434 in a ODI is amazing in itself. That South Africa successfully chased it, is mind-bongling. I can remember the first time 275 was hit in a ODI, thinking, wow, some team will crack 300! And Jayasuriya happened and ODI totals started to go up and up. Yet, the real high ones, [...]
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Ismail Kadare, who won the International Booker this year, has a short story in the 01.02.06 issue of the NYer, The Albanian Writers’ Union as Mirrored by a Woman. Do enjoy. In more than one way, it reminded me of Pamuk’s Snow. While you are in the issue, please take time to read Laura Miller’s [...]
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You say there is no choice left, now – Faiz, Jan 1958.
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Saw King Kong on Friday. I must have been 9 or 10, maybe younger, when my father took me to see King Kong at the Doha Cinema. It is a particularly cherished memory because that was my first outing with my father and I felt…special. I remember little of King Kong since then, just that [...]
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I went back to L.A. after more than a decade. The traffic still sucks. There is lots of say – because lots was said – about the present and future of academic blogging. I am hesitant to begin describing my thoughts just yet but I am sure that Ben will put some summary up on [...]
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Caleb announced that Google Print has 19th c. texts up. Oh, good geek! The texts all seem to be from Harvard College library. Immediately a search was made and here are some eye-catching entries: – Captain W. H. Sleeman’s The Thugs Or Phansigars of India: Comprising a History of the Rise and Progress of that [...]
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1. Cliopatria will be hosting the First Annual Cliopatria Awards for History Blogging. Nominations are now open. I am one of the judges for the Best Individual Blog and Best Post categories. You cannot nominate me, if you had such a desire, for those categories. Please go and nominate blogs, bloggers and blogposts. We need [...]
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I do love the brits. From today’s reading of the Times online: Article One: Freedom to interfere? No minister, it’s too sensitive. The article is brilliant for these reasons: 1. It references Yes, Minister – a great tv show that I worshipped. 2. It says ” a mandarin wrote” – a “mandarin” being an obstructionist [...]
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Had a kababfest last night. Good times. Even fired up the ole’ shisha. I really want to get a proper hookah from home. Anyone coming? Speaking of home…anyone read from Aberdeen? CM brother #2 just moved there and should have a friendly chat with you. It is getting cold and rainy already. Continuing with the [...]
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A lot of people come to Hyde Park, after having read Devil in the City, looking for monuments of the World Fair of 1893. I didn’t know this but then today we went to hang out with The Lady, or The Republic as it was called, and met people walking around with the book in [...]
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Saw the 40 year old Virgin recently. Best abstinence propoganda ever made [only if the Xtian Right can overlook the nudity, insanely hilarious bad language and winking adoration of gays]. No reviews I read had pointed out the two desi scene-stealers [Shelly Malil and the awesome Gerry Bednob] who were like the anti-matter to Wes [...]
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