Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

Kanye’s tragicomic, antisemitic Alex Jones meltdown: Absurdism in the service of fascism

Fascism thrives on gruesome caricature — and it’s tough to beat a pro-Trump Black rapper praising Adolf Hitler By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA On Thursday afternoon my editor asked me what thoughts I might have about the vile quarter of American humanity that includes Kanye West, Donald Trump, Nick Fuentes and now apparently the conspiracy theorist and podcaster… Read More Kanye’s tragicomic, antisemitic Alex Jones meltdown: Absurdism in the service of fascism

Dilip

‘Freedom in China is precious’: Tiananmen Square protest veteran salutes new generation

Wilfred Chan Rose Tang was stunned when she saw videos last week of crowds in China chanting in Mandarin, “Give me liberty or give me death.” It was a phrase the Brooklyn resident had last heard more than three decades ago, when she was one of the student leaders at the pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.… Read More ‘Freedom in China is precious’: Tiananmen Square protest veteran salutes new generation

Dilip

Remember this lady. In memory of Irena Sendler

First posted January 23, 2012 Irena Sendler (1910-2008) was a Polish Catholic social worker who served in the Polish Underground and the Żegota resistance organization in German-occupied Warsaw during World War II. Assisted by some two dozen other Żegota members, Sendler saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, providing them… Read More Remember this lady. In memory of Irena Sendler

Dilip

Lesbos is swept by wave of compassion as refugees continue to arrive by sea / ‘Love has no religion’ – priests and pastors reach out to refugees

First posted December 22, 2015 Patrick Kingsley On Tuesday, the number of asylum seekers to reach Europe this year passed 1 million. Nearly half of them did so via the beaches of this Greek island As an institution, the Greek Orthodox church is often considered a bastion of nationalism and conservatism. Some of its priests have… Read More Lesbos is swept by wave of compassion as refugees continue to arrive by sea / ‘Love has no religion’ – priests and pastors reach out to refugees

Dilip

Sicilian fishermen risk prison to rescue migrants: ‘No human would turn away’

First posted August 03, 2019 NB: This story is moving because our time is filled with animosity. It reminds us that there are still amongst us those for whom compassion is a primary instinct. If there are people in danger at sea, sailors save them, without asking where they come from or the colour of their skin. The… Read More Sicilian fishermen risk prison to rescue migrants: ‘No human would turn away’

Dilip

‘He saved our lives’: Canadian woman among a thousand Polish children adopted by Indian maharaja during World War 2

First posted November 10, 2019 Belle Puri  A pot of fresh borscht simmers on the stove. The aroma fills Karolina Rybka’s two-bedroom apartment in Kelowna, B.C. The walls are adorned with frames full of colourful needlepoint the great-grandmother did herself. Everywhere there’s something to see — arrangements of dried flowers, knick-knacks and endless family photographs.  Karolina Kucharski Rybka lived in Balachadi, a… Read More ‘He saved our lives’: Canadian woman among a thousand Polish children adopted by Indian maharaja during World War 2

Dilip

Migrant boat crisis: the Greek hero on the beach / Scenes from another week in Europe’s migrant crisis in pictures / 60 million human beings displaced due to war and persecution

First posted August 09, 2015 One compelling image has come to represent all the Greek people who treated desperate migrants like fellow human beings http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/25/migrant-boat-crisis-the-sergeant-who-did-his-duty-towards-people-struggling-for-their-lives Scenes from a tragedy Europe is in the grip of an emergency as tens of thousands of migrants and refugees from Syria, the Middle East and Africa attempt to cross… Read More Migrant boat crisis: the Greek hero on the beach / Scenes from another week in Europe’s migrant crisis in pictures / 60 million human beings displaced due to war and persecution

Dilip