A Word on South Asian Cab Drivers

I love Desi cabbies! Everytime I hail a taxi I secretly hope that there is a desi driver behind the wheels. Usually I do not appreciate unsolicited advice or familiarity from strangers but I have come to accept and expect it from desi cabbies. Unless I am in a particularly sour mood, I love the lively banter that ensues and enjoy bonding over Bollywood jingles or Quran telawat.

Last week, I decided to make a quick trip to Georgetown to get a pack of my favorite tea. The otherwise friendly desi driver gave me a disapproving look as he dropped me off at the street corner and curtly inquired – “Are you going to that restaurant?” It turns out that right next door to my tea shop was Washington DC’s premier sex-toy store. I felt a pair of eyes following me as I walked out of the cab, waiting to see which way I go.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela's Video 'For Diablo Rojo'

Went to Baltimore to witness a jaw-dropping performance by the guitarist duo.... Their music is an intoxicating blend of jazz, folk, funk, metal and Latin. They started off playing in the streets and at small bars in Mexico and then Ireland. Now they are chart toppers in the UK and US.

Allah Made Me Funny

This comedy group proves that humor is one of the best ways to combat islamophobia and the negative stereotyping of Muslims. Their official website is: http://www.allahmademefunny.com

How Many Ways Can You Wear a Headscarf?

The possibilities are endless..... (Source: BBC)

Sunflowers can spread sunshine on a gloomy Tuesday......

My Theory Falls Short

I was trying to find a scientific explanation for why northern Europeans are taller than people from the southern part of the continent. And why an average Bangladeshi is often dwarfed by people from pretty much any part of the world.

My theory indicates that the contrary should have been true. The spinning of the Earth on its axis causes it to bulge at the equator. Bangladesh is pretty close to the equator (24 deg latitude). So any country that is further up north (like Norway, which has a latitude of 62 deg) should experience a slightly stronger gravitational pull than us since they are closer to the Earth's center. All things being equal, the extra gravitation force experienced by those living in higher latitutes should make it harder for them to grow vertically. Why then are Norwegians taller than us?

Dhallywood Clamour

If you are refined and discerning then look elsewhere. Dhallywood will surely make the faint-at-heart cringe.

A not-so-palatable bangla movie song is stuck in my head. It goes.....

Ami Michael Jackson

Tumi ruposhi Madonna

Ami tough McGyver

Tumi Princess Diana

The emaciated actor was sporting a mullet and wearing a sleeveless, unbuttoned leather vest. The corpulaent actress was in a white, poofy, wedding cake-like dress. To make the scene complete, a dozen or so extras were flailing their arms in the air as they attempted to dance with gusto.

Bap re bap... ki mood.... doraisi!

(This post is decicated to ruposhi juboti - Ms SS)

Free Vermont!

I urge the millions of people who read my blog to take immidiate political action and sign a petition advocating "Vermont’s peaceable secession from the U.S. Empire" :-)

http://www.freevermont.net/

I did consider retracting my endorsement when a friend pointed out that if Vermont is independent, Ben and Jerry's will become an imported product and the price of Chunky Monkeys will soar.

More seperatist groups listed here:

http://middleburyinstitute.org/registrynorthamericanseparatists.html

To B or Not to B

Finally there is an “uprising against the tyranny of early rising”! A B-Society has been established in Denmark and they argue that some people are genetically programmed to be more productive later in the day. They are encouraging workplaces and universities to be more flexible and providing “B-certification” to those accommodating people with different daily rhythms. In their own words, they strive for “equality between early birds and night owls”.

Butterflies are Free

You see a light

You hear the call

And if i don't let you fly

I don't know you at all

So go on and roam

See all that you can

Born unto this earth a curious soul

You and you alone

Can make you feel whole

But don't i add truth

You've never known

(Lyrics by Debbie Gibson)

Life is Short

I am vertically challenged and that has always been a bit of a sore point. In my passport I lied about my height and added two inches to my soaring five feet stature to make it look a little more respectable. Here are some of the everyday inconveniences and indignities I am subjected to because of my height:

1) Since my last name is high up on the alphabetical order my mailbox at work is at the very top. Even in my heels I have a hard time reaching it.

2) I have to stand on my toes to reach the handrails on the metro bus and sometimes I end up hanging from the bar like a monkey.

3) I have to scurry to keep up with people with long legs. Otherwise, they inevitably leave me in the dust.

4) People have to stoop or crane their neck because they can’t hear me speak. A friend recently told me that I was literally “a pain in the neck”

5) When I go shopping for clothes nothing fits and I need to spend extra $$ to get trousers shortened.

To all the vertically challenged people out there I have a message. Do not despair! At least we make better astronauts. Given the cramped conditions, it’s easier for shorter people to make it out there.

Here’s a link to the Short Persons Support Group http://www.shortsupport.org/

Dumb and Dumber

In this lawsuit obsessed nation, people have to be warned about all potential dangers in order to avoid getting sued. So a coffee cup reads "Contents are Hot" and "Slippery when Wet" signs are put up outside when it rains.

At a baseball game yesterday a friend was buying water from the food stand. The vendor removed the cap and handed him the bottle. Apparently the top was a choking hazard for children who may be present!

Common sense is not just optional..... it's redundant these days.

A Kiss is Just a Kiss....

What could Iran's President Ahmedinejad and Richard Gere possibly have in common? Both have gotten a lot of flak lately for kissing women in public! So who are the lucky gals?

In Richard Gere's case it was Shilpa Shetty. He was attending an HIV/Aids awareness event when he went up on stage, dipped Shilpa and kissed her several times on the cheek in feigned passion. This resulted in public outcry and an arrest warrant for the "obscene" act. Shetty was summoned to court for not "resisting". Why on earth would she resist the sexiest man on the planet?..... and surely a peck on the cheek should be acceptable in the land of the Kama Sutra!

Ahmedinejad was caught red-handed kissing his former school teacher. But it's not what it sounds like..... He was graciously kissing the woman's hand. The lady in question was at least 80. She was covered from head to toe and was even sporting thick gloves. A conservative newspaper declared that it was indescent behaviour on Ahmedinejad's part and proclaimed that it went against Sharia law. Now Ahmedinejad can defend himself Bill Clinton-style and say "I did not kiss that woman". Afterall does kissing someone's hand REALLY count as kissing?

Everyone's familiar with the French kiss but there are some other varieties out there:

- Eskimo kiss consists of two people rubbing their noses

- Butterfly kiss comprises of people placeing their eye close to each other and fluttering their eyelids

- Caterpillar kiss entails people rubbing their eyebrows against each other

Unlikely Duo

The Interesting Thing About Rain Is.....

Depending on when, where or how much it's raining, it can be considered despondent, romantic, intoxicating, jubilant or even apocalyptic.

Double Standards

Iran just got slapped in the wrist by the UN Security Council for its nuclear program. President Ahmadinejad claims it's for peaceful purposes, which is highly doubtful. But put yourself in his shoes for a minute..... If the country on your left and the country on your right were both attacked preemtively and you had reason to believe that you were next on the list - what would you do?

Interestingly the Security Council has always turned a blind eye to Israel's nuclear program, which has been an open-secret for years now.

Why should some countries have nuclear weapons and not others? The two most millitant nations in the world (US and Israel), which have a history of attacking other countries preemtively, possess nuclear weapons. The US is the ONLY country which has used it in the past. Why aren't we going after them? Are they really more responsible with their nuclear weapons or is it because some countries are more equal than others? President Bush's main goal these days is to spread democracy around the world. How about starting with the UN Security Council, as Hugo Chavez (my favorite nut job) rightfully pointed out.

Eid Moo-barak

The Muslim festival of Eid-Ul-Azha is coming up at the end of this month. It marks the end of Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage) and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to reliquish his son for God. To honor this spirit on self-sacrifice, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals and distribute the meat among friends, relatives as well as the poor and needy. However, growing up in Dhaka I noted a dearth of altruism. In fact, the sacrifical animal was treated more as a status symbol - the BIGGER the BETTER.

Although I have yet to come across a Muslim vegeterian, there must be a few scattered ones around. How do they commemorate Eid-Ul-Azha - by cutting down a tree?

Thanks to the internet "korbani" (sacrifice) is just a mouse-click away. You can now order a LIVE cow online and have it sent to your near and dear ones in Bangladesh. I would have a COW if someone had one delivered to my doorstep.... pun intended. This is what the advert reads:

Many sacrifice animals (like goats or cows) for this Eid. Large size LIVE cow (size may very) will be delivered to recipient house. Cow size depends on the availability of the market. 2 days advance order required. Regular price: $709.99 Sale price: 689.99

Miss Piggy Says.....

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."

Two Inspiring Speeches Delivered This Week

Dec 10 - Prof Yunus' acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
Dec 11 - Kofi Annans final speech as Secretary General of the UN

Here's what they had to say about the war on terrorism.....

YUNUS: "The new millennium began with a great global dream. World leaders gathered at the United Nations in 2000 and adopted, among others, a historic goal to reduce poverty by half by 2015. Never in human history had such a bold goal been adopted by the entire world in one voice, one that specified time and size. But then came September 11 and the Iraq war, and suddenly the world became derailed from the pursuit of this dream, with the attention of world leaders shifting from the war on poverty to the war on terrorism. Till now over $ 530 billion has been spent on the war in Iraq by the USA alone.

I believe terrorism cannot be won over by military action. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest language. We must stand solidly against it, and find all the means to end it. We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time to come. I believe that putting resources into improving the lives of the poor people is a better strategy than spending it on guns."

ANNAN: "Human rights and the rule of law are vital to global security and prosperity. As President Truman said, "We must, once and for all, prove by our acts conclusively that Right Has Might."

That is why this country has historically been in the vanguard of the global human rights movement. But that lead can only be maintained if America remains true to its principles, including in the struggle against terrorism. When it appears to abandon its own ideals and objectives, its friends abroad are naturally troubled and confused.

And states need to play by the rules towards each other, as well as towards their own citizens. That can sometimes be inconvenient, but ultimately what matters is not convenience. It is doing the right thing."

Another Gum Episode

This was not the first time a random guy offered me gum. At least this time it was not a chewed one. I was on the Tufts University bus when this over zealous stranger approached me. This is the conversation that ensued:

Mr Screw Loose: What's the best way to approach women?

Me: (rolled my eyes)

But that didn't burst his bubble.......

Mr Screw Loose: Do you know how many women I have been with?

Me: How many?

Mr Screw Loose: FIFTEEN!

Me: good for you...... (I ain't Ms Sweet Sixteen)

Mr Screw Loose: Women only want one thing.....

Me: Oh yeah.... what is that?

Mr Screw Loose: They want your money.....

Me: Yes absolutely.... you've figured out women alright.... we are all gold diggers.... no money no honey