When I started writing the notes for my "LATLAC" series, I think I was operating under a heavy dose of unearned optimism. In my defense, back in January, I was staring down a very palatable-seeming semester. Sure, I had two jobs, a full course-load and a couple of extracurriculars, but relative to past semesters at … Continue reading Short update: March 26, 2021
This is the first installment of the Law of ATLA Conflict series, where I attempt to apply international humanitarian law to Avatar: the Last Airbender. See the series here. If you're new to IHL, scroll down to see a list of concepts discussed in this post and brief explanations thereof. If you're interested in learning … Continue reading Law of ATLA Conflict: Book 1, part 1
It's a new year, and I'm between semesters, which means I need a preoccupation (in addition to two part-time jobs and several video games). Of the usual millennial lock-down hobbies, I had chosen TikTok, and one of the TikToks I came across - genuinely, a testament to the algorithm - was a list of war … Continue reading “Law of ATLA Conflict”: Introduction
A progressive research guide to human trafficking for student researchers, covering books, articles, treaties, and miscellaneous resources.
[Please donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund if you are able] This is an update more than it is an actual, cohesive blog post. As far as summers go, this has been one for the books. I don't need to reinvent the wheel: we have seen the culmination of so much, this year, and the … Continue reading Short note: Tired(s)
While procrastinating, I decided to Google myself (which is a valid thing to do, don't be rude). I found that an essay I wrote as part of a scholarship application two years ago had been posted by the scholarship organization. As it turns out, they had told us they would post our essays, but I … Continue reading Iqra: The Command to Read
Before you read this post, please consider donating to and otherwise furthering the hard work of Black organizers across the United States, as well as demanding justice and accountability for the Black people killed by law enforcement and white supremacy. Let's talk about policy. Let's get political. Recently, some colleagues and I created and began … Continue reading On the fallacy of apolitical policy
(This might be a hard read, since it is a direct response to the horrible, tragic passenger plane crash that happened in Karachi on May 22nd, 2020, and is informed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It is sloppy, and messy, and emotional, and angry in ways that are perhaps unwarranted, but I can at least … Continue reading On resilience, again
*gasp* A poem? On WaxesPoetic? "But Neiha," I hear you say, "I thought you said you wouldn't be-" Yes. I know. But exceptions prove the rule, and I was very sweetly asked to share this poem somewhere on social media more than once today, and - most importantly - it's a poem about Laylat-ul-Qadr, my … Continue reading Ghazal for Laylat-Ul-Qadr
Let me just say as the vibe for this post, I meant to type "Wordpress" and typed "LiveJournal" into my browser instead. So that's where my mind is, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, towards the end of my first year as a graduate student, on the eve (not really, but it sounds prettier … Continue reading Going home to Janelle Monae
