Friday, April 4th, 2008
Inequality, Inequality, Inequality
Three excellent posts on income inequality by Kathy G, on her excellent new blog, The G Spot.
(Actually there are four posts, but the extra inequality wouldn’t have made for such a good title)
—-
I read ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ by Mohsin Hamid. Its actually very short and only took me a couple of days to finish. Its worth reading if only because the author comes from a very similar background to us and the story is largely auto-biographical.
My main reason for bringing this up though is that I think the author might be added to list of Pakistani men who think they are a gift to the women of this world. Having said that, maybe I’m being a bit unfair as the love story is a tragic one, especially if its true.
—-
I found a link for the John Lee Hooker and Friends gig! Seriously, why did no one introduce me to the blues before?? In a very short period of time its probably become my favourite genre of music.
April 6th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
al-tahafut said:
those are good pieces. thanks for the links. but who is this kathy g?
i started reading the reluctant fundamentalist sometime last year, but i could only bear the first few pages. the language reminded me, unfortunately, of a-level students in karachi.
i tried watching this john lee hooker video, but my wireless connection is the suck =( i’ve actually never listened to a lot of blues music, except for garage-rock blues, like the white stripes or the kills. funny, because i’d think with a name like ‘the blues’ it would be perfect for me. maybe someone should come up with post-punk blues. that would be something. but probably impossible, since post-punk is fast, and the blues are slower. i think.
April 6th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
an_unsuitable_boy said:
Not sure who kathy g is. I think she mentioned in one of her posts that she was an econ grad student. Speaking of econ blogs, have you read Dani Rodrik’s. Its pretty good and I’ve been meaning to find a copy of his book on globalistion.
Apparently the John Lee Hooker video only works intermittently. I think ure note on the oxymoronic nature of post-punk blues is correct. Of stuff I listen to the only thing i can think of which comes close is nick cave and the bad seeds.
On Mohsin Hamid, the elite Pakistani arrogance is definitely on display. Sometimes I found it hard to separate his own opinions with the protagonists.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:21 am
al-tahafut said:
dani rodrik is great. i’ve read quite a few of his articles, for coursework, and otherwise. i do check out his blog from time to time. unfortunately, i believe he is a manchester united fan.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Atomsmashin said:
Oh so its not just me?? I tried to read kamila shamsie, put me off new-age desi lit for life. A level creative writing gone awry sounds about right.