Close Encounter

T-Bhai,

An interesting setting for a story – but you did not take it very far.

The natural ending would be that the guy would be released (perhaps with an apology) – unless he had done something – with little damage to him except for some lost time – just another inconvenienced person – an insignificant portion of the significant losses each and every human being has been paying in countless ways ever since 9/11.

Also, it is kind of stretching it to imply that people get pounced upon for saying “hi” – it is more logical that the guy would be under watch over monitors for something else which might raise suspicion before he would be “pounced upon”. Such vigilance is a part of the ongoing war on the domestic front. I wish those Canadians had their act as straight as the U.S.

yeah, the story was left open-ended...

``....As soon as Jamil had uttered `Hi` to his friend Jack, the ever lurking air marshals nabbed him and before he could protest he and Jack were off-loaded and taken to the interrogation cell in the basement of terminal....

This is an old well worn out recycled joke. Why don`t you start a new story with a brand new joke?You might succeed!

#3, kamath,
I agree with you. This is a very old joke and shows the totally insensitive and sophomoric nature of the author in torturing us with this nonsense of an ``anecdote.`` I request Chowk Staff to send such amateur writer wannabees to some free ESL classes. One of these days, this inept ``writer`` will step up to mediocrity. Let`s hope that happens before old age and senility does both him and us a huge favor.

Can an evil person never become good?
Is there no such thing as sincere contrition?
Is there no forgiveness in Islam? Is it just Christianity that forgives?
Can a bad poet ever learn to rhyme?
Can a boring writer ever generate interest?

Is the bear Catholic?
Does the pope defecate in the woods?

``Jamil had come to the US as a teenager and had graduated in atmospheric sciences from University of Colorado at Fort Collins.``

University of Colorado is in Boulder, Colorado. Colorado State University (a completely different university) is in Fort Collins, Colorado...........

Maybe this is what Jamil`s problem was and this is why he ended up in trouble: he already had majored in an odd field, and on top of this, he did not even know which university he had attended, and where it was located.........No wonder he is being interrogated.......

#6, {``University of Colorado is in Boulder, Colorado. Colorado State University (a completely different university) is in Fort Collins, Colorado........... ``}

Romair,
My friend, you too have caught this compulsive and habitual forked tongue devil. Imagine, he can`t get his facts straight about well-known educational institutions. And this highly uninformed and usually erroneous person pontificates so much about ``CREDIBILITY?``

What a farce?

Salim

CSU Fort Collins was the first school I attended in the US. Still remember it like yesterday.

haideri

This happened to a relative.... who is an exporter ... was visiting USA .... started chatting to someone from Venezuela.... while playing on his laptop.... they took him in to undisclosed location and questioned him for 24 hours..... telling him that he is OBL.... now he laughs about it .... and jokes that US officials give him special treatment when ever he frequents here on business.

There used to be ``nothing`` between Denver and Ft. Collins. Now Loveland and Lafayette including Ft. Collins have mushroomed. There are IT companies form N metro Denver to Ft. Collins - now even Indian restaurants.

Boulder is one of the best towns in the US if not the best.

Once I was looking for a newly opened Indian grocery store in the area. Couldn`t locate it. Then I spotted brightly colored saris and dhotis with chequered kurtas....and face and hair gleaming with coconut oil.. i knew i was in the vicinity .. and found the store.

Re: # 7

salim mian,

..... i think you are being unnecessarily critical about something trivial ........ the location of the college has no bearing on the substance of the story - after all how many people know or care where csu is - the bigger problem is that the story has no substance at all, and is rather trivial ............ for that, you have my permission to beat temporal bloody and add him to the list of candidates for the next poet lynching ......... in keeping with our traditions we could even beat him on the head with a book until he goes blind ..........

BeeJay & rozaiba:

thanks

this is a short-short story...610 words ... i did not want to take it further... just to highlight the paranoia of our times...

rgds

t

Romair:

yes i was careless...apologise

will ask chowk to fix this error in this piece of fiction

rgds

t

#11, Hamidm Sahib,
The issue is not one of his faux pas being trivial or mammoth. This gentleman, and I use the term very generously, is pontificating all over UP about my ``lack of credibility.`` Of course, my rebuttals, all extremely polite and rational, are being erased by his personal Chaprasi named Chowk Staff.

This inept poet and even worse ``author`` has a record of posting/publishing/accusing nonsense without first checking his facts, as was observed on the ``Road to Perditin`` board. The SNAFU concerning locations of high-altitude institutions of higher learning is just another example of this man`s aversion to truth. This poet, who couldn`t rhyme if only one word existed in every lanugage, has to fib about the most innocent of facts. I say we lynch him now then hit him with a book - may I suggest the complete version of ``War and Peace`` in that extra-fancy hard cover?:) No need to blind him, he is effectively lacking vision anyway. :)

Salim

kaurasach/haideri #9: ``Boulder is one of the best towns in the US if not the best.``

Yes. definitely. I have not seen a prettier city, nor a prettier campus, anywhere.......Initially made famous by the sitcom called, ``Mork and Mindy``........

hamidm mian #7: ``..... i think you are being unnecessarily critical about something trivial ........ the location of the college has no bearing on the substance of the story``

Perhpas it does. Maybe the interrogators asked him where he went to college. He replied that he went to Univ. of Colorado. Then they asked him, where it is located. He said Fort Collins. At which point they got suspicious........

We will have to wait for part 2 to find out. Actually, I hope we never find out.......

15,

This year the tulips and flowers in spring just beautiful on Pearl Street Mall.
The same relative who I mentioned below visited us, he had been in Germany on the way. He was genuinely impressed by the ambience and street scene and the flowers, and the buskars....he said Boulder is better than Germany`s heritage places.