Category: Asia
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Intersections International US Pakistani Interreligious Consortium (UPIC) 2017 Stories
Here is a piece I produced in Pakistan in March 2017 for Intersections International. Intersections led a group of more than 30 delegates from 12 countries to Pakistan (Lahore and Islamabad) as part of the ongoing US-Pakistan Interreligious Consortium (UPIC) program. UPIC brings religious and academic scholars from the US and Pakistan together to foster…
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Pakistan Again: Finding Common Ground
I’m in Pakistan working with Intersections International. Why Pakistan? Here is a 2014 piece I did with Rabbi Reuven Firestone, Professor of Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and Senior Fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC which sums up our project. Rabbi Firestone is traveling with…
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Mausoleum of Meher Ali Shah Golra Sharif, Pakistan
Today the world learned that Taliban gunman stormed a military-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan and massacred 141 people, nearly all children. My heart goes out to the vast majority of peace loving Pakistani’s and especially the families of children and staff who lost their lives. This spring I visited a Sufi Shrine, the Mausoleum of…
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American Friends of Pakistan
Here is a short video I produced for Intersections International in Islamabad, Pakistan this spring for Intersection’s annual gala event in New York City. This video is not without irony. My flight to Islamabad few directly over Kandahar Airfield, where my son is currently deployed with the US Army 4th ID where he serves in…
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My Bangladesh
My Bangladesh was shot in the year 2000 in Dumki, Bangladesh while on a visit to Lutheran Healthcare Bangladesh. Stephen Padre, Kevin Jacobson and I worked with a 9-year old boy named Rockibul Hussain. We called him “Rocky” for short. Jim Parks did the editing back in Chicago. The weather was unbelievably hot, but the…
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Tamil Nadu Drummers
In the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, drumming is popular. First, the animal hide instruments are warmed over an open fire. Then, let the music play… www.frakesproductions.com
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Making Silk in Bangladesh
Have you ever wondered how silk is made? Outside Saidpur, Bangladesh I toured a silk production facility. The small factory is a non-profit operation (RDRS) that provides jobs and economic opportunity for women in this poor nation. The silkworm is the caterpillar of Bombyx mori, the domesticated silk moth. The silk moth is entirely dependent…
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Sadarghat Boat Terminal, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Buriganga River runs through Dhaka, Bangladesh. Friends and I visited the Sadarghat Boat Terminal. Bangladesh is a nation of rivers. Much of the country is under water. During the monsoon, nearly all of it is under water. Bangladesh has a lot of boats. Thousands of crafts congregate at the Sadarghat Boat Terminal. Big ships,…
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Making Gravel in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Think you have a lousy job? Take a look at these guys making gravel at a construction site in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dhaka is the capitol and principal city of Bangladesh. Many live on less than a dollar a day.
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Chennai India after the Tsunami
A month after the December 26, 2004 Tsunami that rocked countries bordering the Indian Ocean, I visited Chennai, India. Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is a city in Tamil Nadu. Chennai was hit by the wave, and was just beginning to recover when we arrived. Judging from this footage, it is hard to tell that…