Omair Ahmad

@omairahmad

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Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· 5d

These pictures were in an article titled, "El-Sayed and Stevens close Michigan Senate primary offering different visions for Democrats." Don't know if there was misogyny involved - photographer has a woman's name - but the visual difference between candidates was stark.

El Sayed in a black tight t shirt and jeans, gesturing like a rock star with a muscled arm at a rally, with people smiling around him.

Haley Stevens with her mouth open, arms out at an odd angle, in an unfortunately fitting suit.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jun 20

My publishers made a nice something about my new book.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jun 11

Same, same, but different.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· May 24

Reading @chanda.blacksky.app's first book, The Disordered Cosmos, before I get to her new one, and deeply appreciate how she goes from the physics properties of melanin to its socio-political impact.

"People often assume that my light skin is simply because my father is a white man, and indeed, he is a white Ashkenazi Jew. I am light skinned because of who my dad is, yes, but I am also light-skinned because of who my foremothers' rapists were. My mother is not nearly as light as me, but she is also on the lighter end of the spectrum. Our melanin—and our lack thereof—tells stories about what my ancestors endured.
Though I refuse to define our ancestors solely through their experiences with violence, it is true that this violence has left its mark and shared our experience. Growing up, I watched my mother experience racism, and as her child, this became part of my earliest encounters with the world."

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· May 10

Look, if it's gold statues, then Saparmurat Niyazov, or as he liked to call himself, Turkmenbashi, of Turkmenistan, is the only contender. Also, he got one for his dog too. www.bbc.com/news/world-a...

Golden statue of an Alabay, a Turkmen variety of the Central Asian shepherd dog

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· May 7

From Ismail Kadere's "A Dictator Calls".

Whereas the word 'gentlemen' disappeared from currency in the very first wave of socialism, like in the Soviet Union, the word 'lady' had a certain staying power. But the nicest surprise turned out to me the word 'miss'. There was a determined effort to replace it, because in Albanian it carried the affectionate connotations of the word 'mother', especially in primary schools. Despite the annoyance it caused, it was used by tens of thousands of little children instead of the word 'teacher'.
Efforts to supplant it failed one after another. The children stubbornly continued to call their teachers 'miss'. It was the army of countless toddlers that proved to be indomitable, and the word 'miss' with its striking elegance became permanently enshrined in the Albanian language.
Unfortunately and irresponsibly, no attention has been paid by students of Albanian language and literature to this triumph, as touching as it was prophetic.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Apr 9

Predicted the Iranian undermining of the Law of the Sea as one of the likely outcomes on 25 March. This is a bad outcome for countries like India, but their timidity and incompetence has made it possible. m.thewire.in/article/worl...

If the Iranians manage some sort of leverage, they would become a dominant power who could extract major concessions from both their Gulf neighbours and every other country dependent on shipping their oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, which they would leverage to rebuild their economy devastated not just by this war, but by decades of sanctions. To put it simply, the US will either continue to violate all international law and norms and bully countries (including India), or Iran will undermine the Law of the Sea (the bedrock of international law) and bully other countries (including India.)

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jan 21

Relevant graphic?

Map with numerous countries that celebrate their independence from the British Empire

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Dec 30

6. So, here is the question, take a good look at the Black Sea, and ask yourself why you need NATO naval exercises, which include warships armed with Tomahawk missiles and anti-submarine exercises? Who is aimed at? Imagine how NATO would react to Russian naval operations around Iceland.

Google Map of Black Sea, showing surrounding states of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Dec 25

On that note, here's an Indian Jesus spotted at a random dhaba in UP. Merry Christmas.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Sep 11

If anybody is around in Dilli on the 23rd evening, and wants to talk about ganja, bhang, and hash. Kind of feel the world might benefit from more consumption of it these days. Rather have people getting the munchies than murdering each other.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Sep 6

Kashmir

A view of a garden and tables with trees and mountains in the background.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Aug 25

iv. Here is a picture from Google Maps to give perspective. See that huge wide swathe in Indian (and B'deshi) territory? That is the Brahmaputra. The Yarlung Tsampo is so slim that it isn't even marked. v. The bit in red borders is the Upper Siang, where India wants to build a dam.

Map of the Brahmaputra river, a wide blue marker in Indian and Bangladeshi territory, the upper reaches, from Tibetan Plateau through Upper Siang, has so little water that it cannot be marked.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Aug 25

Three of my family members fought in WWII, two on the North Africa/Italian front, one on the Burma front. Don't recall much talk of negotiations, lots of other stuff, including some V2 rockets near the end of the war in Europe.

Major Mohammed Abu Nasr Moezuddin, during the Burma campaign in WWII.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jul 7

From Black Man, by Richard Morgan (2007)

America couldn't cope with modernity, it died from the shock and was torn apart by more adaptive entities. Though I think she tends to skate around the edge of what America really died of."
"Which is what?"
Yavuz shrugged, "Fear."

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jun 29

Twenty kilos of mangoes arrived from the farm. A few days before they ripen, but woohoo.

About a hundred ripening mangoes on the kitchen floor.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Jun 26

I can see the demons conspiring, the cats are harder to photograph.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· May 3

Hate to say this, but our resident idiot anticipated, kind of, your resident idiot, in 2019. www.ndtv.com/india-news/p...

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Apr 22

Saw this floating around the web months ago, still good.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Mar 19

The White House car sale provided a small bump before share prices continued their fall. Even with the power of the Presidency, Trump remains an incompetent salesman.

Omair Ahmad@omairahmad· Feb 10

Only Gaza that Trump has a chance of getting, and I am not even too sure about that.