On the Road :: Postcards from Palestine

Feature by Danah Abdulla of The Yuppie Activist :: I collect postcards. A box I keep at home contains numerous postcards from across the world, many from places I have visited, and some from places I have yet to discover. On my most recent trip to Palestine, my first since 2002, I entered every shop in Ramallah looking for a postcard of a city other than Jerusalem or Bethlehem. I was unsuccessful. And then I thought to myself, what would a postcard of a Palestinian city resemble?

Worldtown Hearsay :: Advertisers realize ‘Hey, Muslims are consumers too!’

For decades, many Western company failed to appreciate the unique needs of Muslim consumers, marketing experts say. Worse, some companies offended potential customers by not understanding religious sensitivities. But as the Islamic population has grown in size and affluence — there are now 1.57 billion Muslims worldwide — more multinationals are seeking to tap into the market.

Read the full story : Advertisers Seek to Speak to Muslim Consumers :: New York Times :: August 11th 2010

Review :: ‘Homegrown’ @ Summerworks

‘Homegrown’ is easily the production that stirred up the most controversy– and national attention– at this year’s Toronto indie theatre and arts festival, Summerworks.
Based on real events and experiences of the playwright Catherine Frid, ‘Homegrown’ centres around a seemingly unlikely friendship between the young man, Shareef Abdelhaleem, arrested and accused of terrorism in 2006 as part of the so-called ‘Toronto 18′, and, the lawyer/playwright, who is determined to separate the facts of the case from the secrecy, delays and media spin (easier said than done).

Around Town :: Don’t miss ‘A Child from Everywhere’ until Aug 30th 2010

Photographer Caroline Irby spent one year tracking down a child born in every country in the world (now living in the UK), then photographed and interviewed each one.
Exhibit on at the V&A Museum of Childhood until August 30th 2010

AIDS 2010 :: The Shuga Effect

Behavioural change through media and social networks, it’s the buzz phrase of NGO’s and larger organizations alike. Commercial outlets have caught in the last few years, capitalizing through a social marketing framework - playing on …