Book PREview- Bengali Harlem

Queens. Jackson Heights. Beeps. Lights. Fish Smell. Goat bones.

Is this the real precedence of BANGLADESHI AMERICA?

Not really.  In fact, Bangladeshi American aren't solely a minority among the large of wave of Asians that came to the U.S. in the 60s.  We have a history in New York, that goes long back.

The purpose of the book Bengali Harlem is to relay the profiles of early Bengali fishermen, and trades people who arrived on New York City's shores, and began their unique lives.  They intermarried with Puerto Ricans and Blacks and created a long-lost identity in Baltimore  Chicago, and NYC.

I'm getting this book in late february from a cousin-friend and am curious to learn about the history of my people in the U.S.  I love diversity and the urban minority story of NYC.  This book is sure to be a blast, getting to know to transnational stories of Bengali-mixed persons across the socioeconomic spectrum.

The Cyber Walls are Crumbling

I am a sucker for all things Middle East.  Not only the political and international relation tensions, but also the food, culture, music, etc.

However, one thing that has interested and provoked me recenetly, is a very silent war.  A war done completely through computers, but also harming the United States' most precious security networks.  The war is with Iran.

Iran's nuclear power is not its only asset.  Its  SMART country.  Kids study almost all of hours of the day, and computer science and cryptography are majorly innovative fields of study in the country.  With a plethora of youth and old professionals, cyber warfare is booming.

Network decryption, hacking into missile files, and damage personal information are some of the ways Iran is attacking the U.S. almost discretely.  However, the true harm is that not only is the attack done on the national or defense level, but also at the level of personal computers and identity theft.  Iran's leadership combined with the grandness of Chinese cyber-power, can only possibily result in utter chaos.

Colleges across the states are urging undergraduates to pursue the promised field of Cybersecurity.  This push for more Computer whizzes in American soil is urgent, as the demand for strengthened securities is HIGH!

So let's think.  Can we really wait long?  How much time will it take for America's " binary" walls to start crumbling.

Ethnic American Literature: There is SO Much!!

I love books.  I love books about people, about changing experiences, and about people from all across the world.  Reading a particularly short story about world travel in English Class today, reminded me of how much I love Children's Ethnic Literature.  Ethnic I guess can mean a multitude of things.  Chinese, Hispanic, Black, Indian, Arab, Pacific Americans and more.  However, the interesting thing about this genre, is the mixing flavors of voice and style.  Just take a look at a few of these excerpts:

"For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds." 
- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ch. 4


“We are like the phoenix," said Abuelita. "Rising again, with a new life ahead of us.”


Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising



I love the traditions of old generations past, the tones of ancestors, and the interesting facets of one's ancestral ethnic culture that play a part in the American Dream.  That's why I really love this genre.  It makes being American so flavorful, all-encompassing, and new in constantly changing experiences.

Future Plans? I may take some college courses on Latino Studies, Asian America Lit, Black Diaspora, etc. (you name it!:)).  The more classes and experiences I get to have in this genre, the more tastes I'll get of the melting pot!

And oh, just one more proposal.  How cool would it be to take a shot at creating some of my own.  Maybe integrating an Ethnic Short Story into a project for Film Class?  I'm sure It'll be a challenge, but I think it might be an interesting/supercoolandfun idea.  Tell me what you guys think.  Any ideas??