Bollywood Breakdown - The Love Song

In our second episode, Mariam and Carl decode an important part of Bollywood - the love song, as well as giving their top 10 picks in the last decade.

Below are Youtube links to the videos with English subtitles:
10)Jashn-e-bahara - Jodha Akbar
9) Suraj Hua Madham - K3G
8) Bol Na Halke Halke - Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
7) Roshni Se - Asoka
5) Zara Zara - Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
5) Kal Ho Na Ho - Kal Ho Na Ho
4) Tum Se Hi - Jab We Met
3) Khuda Jaane - Bachna Ae Haseeno
2) Main Agar Kahoon - Om Shanti Om
1) Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

This was aired on CHRW during the Arts Bulletin on April 12, 2011.

The lowdown on zines

As a part of our current affairs show, I was assigned a field piece. So tipped off by my classmate Ed (of von Something-something), I set off to the Indie Media fair at the London Central Library.

And here's what I came up with:

This was aired on CHRW on April 6th, 2011 and as a part of the Arts Bulletin on April 12th, 2011.

Decoder Episode 1

In this episode:
- How London's politicians use Twitter
- What is a zine?
- The power of 'Like' button on Facebook

Join hosts Ian and Meg as they decode the media's message.

Credits:
Hosts: Ian Jacobs and Meg Radford
Sound: Ed von Aderkas
Producer/Director: Angela Richardson
Stories by:
Political tweets - Alix Matthews-Mahe
Zines - Mariam Ahmad
Social Capital - Bethany Cairns and Matt Walker

Aired on CHRW on April 6th, 2011.

Almost done and Potterwatch

A year ago, I was in Dubai packing my life up into two suitcases and heading over to London (Ontario, not UK) to begin a new life as a journalist.

Now I'm almost at the end of my degree and I've certainly come a long way. So have my classmates. Some have launched online portfolios, while other have started podcasts (as you can see on the links sidebar). We've begun collaborations and in a sense formed an informal media network, with a variety of content and programming.

So do check out my classmates' podcast, Potterwatch. I've made a guest appearance:

The Cake is a lie, but the learning is real

On February 10th 2011, Digital Extremes invited renowned literacy expert Dr. James Gee to speak at Museum London.

The topic – how videogames can make us better teachers. Mariam Ahmad has more.

Aired on February 15th, 2011 during the Arts Bulletin on CHRW.

Politics of Methadone

Check our group project on methadone clinics in London:

A for profit group is challenging the city's one-year ban on new methadone clinics.

Read more here.

Tears for Egypt

Check out our group project on the Egypt protests here.

Tears for Egypt

As violence erupts on the streets of Cairo, Egyptians in London hope for change but fear for their loved ones.

Research & Brainstorming in an online world

Here's a link to a group project I did for an online journalism course.

Current Affairs radio: The Shift

Here's a current affairs show I did it in the radio part of J-School:

Hosts: Mariam Ahmad & Sean Leathong
Producers: Angela Richardson, Cara Campbell
Reporters: Melania Daniel, Adela Talbot

Special thanks to our instructors Wendie Crouch and Meredith Levine, and Ian Jacobs (O Noir).

This was also aired November 16th, 2010 on CHRW.

TV Feature: Pakistan Flood Relief Efforts in London

So here's the first of stuff I've done in J-School:

Although relief efforts for Pakistan's flood victims have been slow, many in the Canadian community are still doing all they can to help. Mariam Ahmad has more.

Print Article: Battle of Culloden

Visitors to Fanshawe Pioneer Village were in for a treat during Victoria Day weekend as local historical groups performed a two-day re-enactment of the Battle of Culloden. The battle, which pitted Scottish Highlanders loyal to Charles Edward Stuart against the British government, was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. For many Scots, this battle was a turning point for modern Scotland.

Doug Robinson, a historian and story-teller at the event, recounts the Act of Proscription, a British Parliamentary ruling after Culloden which stripped Highlanders of their heritage. “For almost forty years after the battle, we couldn't wear the plaid, speak Gaelic, sing our old traditional songs or teach children our own history,” he said. “We could be put to death.”

Robinson believes re-enacting battles like Culloden helps children understand and remember historical events. “By doing historical events like these, we've got kids in Grade 2 and 3 who probably know more about their history than their grandparents did because they're exposed to it so much.”

The event not only saw an authentic re-enactment of the battle, but of life at the Jacobite camps. Many volunteers chose to camp out at the Pioneer Village's Tecumseh Field and experience being an 18th century Highlander. “We research what people wear, equipment they're carrying, the weapons they're firing, even the food that they're eating at camp,” said Leigh Hodgins, a Barrie school teacher. “It's porridge for breakfast, beans for lunch and meat over the fire. If you haven't brought a plate, you're eating off your hands.”

Hodgins added that many items at the campsite, including the wooden furniture, were
made for the event. “The majority of what we have in our camp we've made ourselves. We have people who do the wood, we have some who sew, we have people who work with
leather. So we pretty much are self-sufficient within this group.”

For many like Robinson and Hodgins, historical re-enactments aren't just a past-time – its a way of life. “You have people who start for some reason, but then fall in love with it,” said Robinson. “They start discovering their history and their place in it even if their family didn't emigrate until a generation ago. It becomes much more than a hobby.”