Blogging by journalists has had its share of recent controversies. At least one journalist has been fired for blogging. If you are writing for publication, it might be a good idea to find out what the policy is before launching into this highly addictive habit of [gasp] reading and writing. I feel sharing opinions is a good thing as long as they are factually based and fair to all parties concerned. I don't entirely agree that journalists have to be objective. Or, that they can be. Whether we like it or not, we do tend to take sides. We might as well accept that inevitability and move forward. Look at it this way – if it wasn't you expressing your opinions, it will be the company that owns your words at the end of the day. Which would you it rather be? I think the answer is quite simple.

For those of you who want to know more about what a blog is, this blogging phenomenon or are considering life as a blogger, click here and here. The writing by Diego Doval is lucid and it will have you at least intrigued.

Rachna Contractor writes that Kala Magazine, a volunteer-run quarterly based in Toronto, Canada which features South Asian art and culture is looking for stories, art, fiction etc. for their January issue.

The theme is Re-defining Our Culture: Youth South Asians in the Diaspora (young refers to 1st/2nd generation, not necessarily a particular age group)

Stories, artist features, art, show previews etc from across North America and further are welcome. Please submit work to rachna.contractor@utoronto.ca by November 20th 2003. For more information about Kala check out their wesbite.

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Via Arul Louis and John Laxmi from the SAJA listserv

Writes Louis:

An article (too long to be posted here) in the Sunday NYT‘s zoned City section deals with the photo-processing businesses in NYC's so-called photo district in the 20s (Manhattan area where the streets are numbered in the 20s). Top photogs like Annie Leibovitz are their customers. The story focuses on a dispute between the non-Indian former-employee of one of the many Indian-owned business there. Among the nuggets in the story: “The patriarch of this combative world is Baldev Duggal, an Indian photographer who moved to New York in 1957.”

Want to get your portfolio critiqued? How about a seminar over two days that will do that and also include workshops to improve your location lighting, Photoshop techniques or negotiation skills? Do you want to know what it takes to figure out the cost of doing business in the photography industry, or, are you grappling ethical issues in your newsroom?

The Northern Short Course in Photojournalism is a great place to network among your peers and hone your photography skills. Check out the site for information about a photo contest as well. The dates: March 11-13, 2004. The place: Crowne Plaza in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Julia Dean, a photojournalist and a wonderful teacher wrote that the Jason K. Stern Travel Scholarship deadline has been extended to Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, by 5 pm. Big bucks to a deserving photographer!

She says:

In case you don't know, we offer a travel scholarship called the Jason K. Stern Travel Scholarship, in memory of a dear friend. The scholarship is open to anyone with the passion for photography and travel but without the financial resources to do so. This is a $3300 scholarship, which covers expenses ranging from tuition alone to tuition and some or all expenses depending on the cost of the workshop. Mail your application to: 3111 Ocean Front Walk, Ste. 102, Marina del Rey, CA 90292.

For more information and an application, please see our web site

Julia teaches and hosts a series of photography workshops throughout the year. Some of the best in the business pop-in to teach for a week or more. Check out her web site and plan to attend one of her workshops. The experience will kickstart your passion for photography!

I remember Alan Boyle, the science editor at MSNBC.com, often visits this site. It's a photojournal that is literally out of this world. Note that these images can be downloaded and used free of charge. Unusual, as most images on line or off-line are copyrighted by the creator of the image. These images are “ours” as our tax dollars went to pay for the research in outer space. The site is maintained by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Cal Tech. On the site, you can surf out to Pluto if you wish, but do come back home.

I ran into this excellent web site resource for all your NPR needs. It beats trying to figure out when and where your favorite program will air. It even allows you to configure the show timings based on your geographic location.

Via Spongy Smorgasbord

If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Boston, check out these two fine author readings.

First up is S. Mitra Kalita on November 8. She will be reading from her book Suburban Sahibs: Three immigrant families and their passage from India to America.

The book reading and discussion, sponsored by the South Asian Journalists Association-Boston, will be at 12 noon on the MIT campus. Room 105 in building 2 (2-105). This is in the right wing of the main building when you face it on Memorial Drive. Easy access also from Mass. Ave. or Ames Street entrances.

Directions to the Venue

Directions to MIT

Next is Taslima Nasrin, the controversial Bangladeshi writer. She will read from her new book, My Exile: The Past is Not Another Country, on November 12.

Lajja, or Shame, published in 1993 is perhaps her most controversial book in which she describes the atrocities against minority Hindus in Bangladesh following the riots in India. It's a harrowing account of one family trying to survive in the land they love. The book got her banned from Bangladesh and a conservative group called the Soldiers of Islam issued a death warrant, or fatwa in 1993.

The lecture and discussion is sponsored by the Tufts Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies and co-sponsored by the Tufts History Department and SAJA-Boston.

Where: Room 204, Cabot Intercultural Center, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

When: 5 p.m.

A reception with light refreshments along with a discussion will follow the presentation.

Directions: Click here for directions to the Tufts campus.

Please contact: Neilesh Bose, 617.627.3558 for more information

About S. Mitra Kalita's book:

In so many ways, Middlesex County, New Jersey, represents the quintessential American suburb, under an hour from New York by train, subdivided neatly into houses with identical floor plans, dotted with mini-malls and gas stations and monster movie theaters. Named after the famous inventor of the light bulb, Edison township officials often boast it is the place “where tomorrow was born.” Suburban Sahibs tells us that still might ring true. As immigration has continuously redefined America, it also has radically transformed the American suburb. Through the migration of three families from India to Central New Jersey, this book delves into how immigration has altered the American suburb, and how the suburb, in turn, has altered the immigrant. It sheds light on the broader South Asian diaspora, imparting lessons about the struggles and victories of immigrants everywhere.

About S. Mitra Kalita:

S. Mitra Kalita is an education reporter at The Washington Post and president of the South Asian Journalists Association. She has won numerous awards for her work. She previously worked at Newsday and The Associated Press. She has lived in New York City, Long Island, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Washington. This is her first book.

Via Auditi Guha

The Indus Business Journal is looking for a full-time staff reporter to work out of its Boston office. Reporter will be responsible for covering numerous industries including high-tech, health and medicine, franchise, hospitality, finance and U.S./India relations. Experience in these areas a plus, but not required. Some copy editing. Journalism experience a must.

Send resume and clips to:
Martin Desmarais
Editor
Indus Business Journal
318 Waltham, MA 02451

TiffinBox posts job/internship notices as a service. We do not verify or guarantee the accuracy of the information presented, nor does it make any representations or endorsements conveying the background or reputation of the parties listing positions. Any reliance on the posted information is the sole responsibility of the user, who holds Tiffinbox.org harmless and releases it from any claim for damages, injury or other liability arising from the use of any of the information contained in the posted job or informational notices.

Via Asha Beh and Jyoti Thottam

Nick Jr. has an opening for an editorial assistant to the editor-in-chief and they are trying very hard to fill it with a person of color.

If you're interested, please contact Freddi Greenberg at 212-654-6384.

TiffinBox posts job/internship notices as a service. We do not verify or guarantee the accuracy of the information presented, nor does it make any representations or endorsements conveying the background or reputation of the parties listing positions. Any reliance on the posted information is the sole responsibility of the user, who holds Tiffinbox.org harmless and releases it from any claim for damages, injury or other liability arising from the use of any of the information contained in the posted job or informational notices.