Today is Ekushey, the day when Bangladesh commemorates the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for their language in 1952.
Today is also International Mother Language Day following a 1999 UN resolution adopted in recognition of the Bangla language movement.
I have been hanging out in Chicago since last weekend, though anyone who has payed any attention to this blog for an extended period of time will know to expect long lulls. Let's face it, sometimes I just don't have anything interesting to say. That doesn't, of course, always stop me from writing.
While I realize that pointing out the ridiculousness of cable news shows is somewhat overdone, I couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably during a CNN Headline News report on a Central Connecticut State University newspaper editorial in which the author tried to satirize sensationalist media by writing about all the good aspects of rape. From what I gathered listening to the CNN story, the piece was probably a bad idea, and in exceedingly bad taste.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help but laugh as the anchor feigned shock while reading over and over from the piece, each time saying, "this should never have been printed!" I tried counting the number of times the word rape was uttered during the two-minute segment, but I lost count. It ended up looking like a Daily Show montage of people saying "RAPE! RAPE! RAPE!!!" over and over again. Tasteless satire met cable news, and cable news won.
Tomorrow, I return to Washington, D.C. where everyone only says very important things. Probably because they people there are all so very important.
At any rate, next time you're in Chicago, I recommend lunch at Bolat African Cuisine. The egusi and efo with pounded yam is excellent. It's a Nigerian dish, I believe. If you're like me and you're unfamiliar with the menu items, ask for a recommendation and the friendly staff will be more than happy to help.
One thing to be aware of, though, is that you may run into a situation in which not speaking French will hamper your ability to communicate at Bolat. Of course, sometimes speaking different languages leads to much more efficient communication - it's a very effective bullshit filter. Come to think of it, perhaps CNN should start broadcasting in some other language.
Two of the government's top investigators told lawmakers today the Homeland Security Department has delayed and complicated their investigations, specifically because of problems they have had with the department's office of chief counsel, which is run by Vice President Cheney's son-in-law.
Crack a few skulls to instill patriotism
From Vincent A. DeSena
I read with utmost disgust the story about the protesters spray painting the Capitol steps … and no arrests made. It is a sad commentary that, in the noble belief that we are “protecting” rights of these anarchists, we are actually aiding and abetting the erosion of law-abiding society. While I do not believe in brutality … I do believe that a few cracked skulls would instill a spirit of Americanism into the heads of these obvious self-hating American misfits. ...
Bloomsbury, N.J.
File under: I knew it!
For lunch today I decided to try the Chinese restaurant in my building. This place is a fairly popular Hill eatery, and is one of those places where you can occasionally spot some pretty high-powered people. Somehow, I'd managed not to eat there, even though I've been working upstairs for a year. Being somewhat busy, I looked up their web site and phoned in some take away. To my surprise, the man taking my order acted confused when I asked for an order of Shanghai chicken. He asked if I meant General Tso's or maybe sweet and sour chicken. After some discussion about whether or not the dish I asked for was actually on the menu, he appeared to suddenly realize what I was asking for.
When I picked up my order, I asked if the web site still shows an older version of the menu. No, the man explained, I had ordered off the Chinese menu. When I looked puzzled, he lowered his voice and leaned towards me - There are actually two menus: one for Americans, and one for Chinese. I ordered off the Chinese menu. When I asked why they kept two menus, he shrugged - Americans don't usually like Chinese food, he said. You mean real Chinese food, I whispered. He just smiled and handed me my change.
