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| Caves of former Kapilavastu now Bamiyan, Afghanistan, the Buddha's hometown (CPL). |
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| Bamiyan, Afghanistan, with Himalayan range known as the Hindu Kush behind (wiki) |
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The Spaceman of Afghanistan
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| Shirin Jaafari |
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| Afghan Buddhist art |
"[They were] trying to stress that what the Soviets had brought to Afghanistan was not just war, but that they had also brought science, modernity and technology," says Jenny Norton, producer of a new BBC documentary called "The Spaceman of Afghanistan."
So what better way to show that than sending an Afghan into space? None, apparently. That's how Ahad Momand ended up spending a week at the Mir space station.
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| Crew and back-up team for Ahad Momand's mission. He is third from left (Roskosmos) |
"He said he would often be out on the fields with his dad, looking at the stars and dreaming of maybe one day flying," Norton says.
When he was 16, Momand moved to Kabul and ended up training at a Russian flight school in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. "It was a very interesting flight academy," Norton adds. "Other people who have trained there were the former President of Syria, Hafez Assad."
After his training at the academy, Momand went back to Afghanistan and was selected to train for a Russian space mission. Yet he wasn't the only Afghan who would go through the training. More
Afghan Thanksgiving?
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| Two Afghan interpreters, targeted for betraying Afghanistan and helping the U.S. military, finally make it to America to celebrate Thanksgiving American-style |
Laila, do Afghans in Canada celebrate "Thanksgiving" the way these two new Afghan-American families did this year?
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| Laila Re, Wisdom Quarterly's Afghan poet |
(WQ) Laila: Afghans in Canada are as diverse socially as any other nationality. Some of us celebrate the national holiday blindly because it is another tradition to help us feel more integrated into this society. Some, like me, know that the history behind "Thanksgiving" day is that it is a a colonial nightmare for the Natives of this land, the First Nations people. So I don't celebrate it, but I do embrace the fact that for some it is a time to get together with family, friends, and like Buddhists cultivate gratitude. Some Afghan expats are religious, so they do not practice any holiday unless it is respectful to one's faith. Others do not have a chance to celebrate it because they do not have a family or friends to celebrate it with.
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Afghan security forces inspect site of attack in Kabul on 11-28-14, one of several in recent days that appears to signal an upsurge in CIA/Taliban violence in the city (Rahmat Gul/AP)
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Scott Neuman (NPR.org, Nov. 30, 2014)
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| The Eurasian children of Afghanistan, where worlds East and West meet (RAWA). |
In a news briefing today, Gen. Zahir Zahir said that four people had died in an attack on a compound of Partnership in Academics and Development on Saturday that was blamed on the Taliban. He said the director, his teenage son and daughter -- all South African nationals -- were killed when one of the attackers blew himself up. Reuters says the family had lived in Afghanistan for the past 12 years. An Afghan was also killed in the attack.
At the end of the briefing, Zahir announced he would step down as police chief in the capital. He did not elaborate and a police spokesman has also declined to comment on Zahir's resignation. On Friday in a similar attack claimed by the Taliban no one was hurt, but earlier in the day a suicide bombing of a British vehicle killed 5.
Two American soldiers and two British embassy workers have also been killed in attacks in recent days. The BBC notes: "Gen Zahir was himself the target of an attack in early November, when a suicide bomber infiltrated his offices -- supposed to be one of the most secure buildings in Kabul -- and killed his deputy. Gen Zahir was not there at the time of the attack."
"This week, Taliban militants also attacked the camp formerly known as Camp Bastion in Helmand province, one month after it was vacated by British forces.
"The militants launched an attack late on Thursday night and fighting continued into Friday and on Saturday." More
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| An Afghan mother's revenge attack on the Taliban makes her a national hero |
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In Hong Kong, thousands of pro-democracy protesters wearing hard hats and masks clashed with police as they attempted to storm the office of the territory's leader, whom they have repeatedly demanded step down. Chanting "Surround government headquarters!" and "Open the road!" students marched toward buildings in Admiralty, next to Hong Kong's central business district, according to Reuters.
HK says no to China - (USA) Black Friday sales down at stores, surge online
An undocumented mother of two U.S. citizens hopes Obama will follow through on his immigration pledge - Obama's expected immigration announcement is being greeted with mixed emotions
- Talks failed to produce a deal on Iranian nukes, but negotiations will go on
- There's no nuclear deal with Iran yet, but a "Homeland" writer talks about a fictional one
- A Danish architect gets the nod to remake "the backyard of the nation"
- Benedict Cumberbatch takes on brilliantly awkward role as the man who brought computers to the world
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| First Afghan in space -- did you know about him, Laila? |
"Star Signs"
, Wisdom Quarterly's poet in residence
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| Twinkle twinkle distant star. |
how deceptive you really are
the light of death is your mark
just like our dreams they say
but i still stare into the dark
that's when the stars are brightest
waiting for a answer to your lies
for a shooting star a sign
wondering will i be here much longer
in this place, in this mental state
i’m in loss and despair
what is the universe saying
cause i'm here deeply listening
in the silence of this room
all i have now is a suitcase
and a house full of other healing women
who came from homes too broken
to look out for us
don’t forget about us
we are waiting for a dream come true
in every twinkle of hope
we’re waiting for a sign from you. More
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| Laila Re at the beach in Los Angeles, August, 2014 (lailare.com) |
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