Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Diary: Week Eighteen

When the copy editor throws your story saying why the newspaper needs to publish it and it comes out as the cover story later, you definitely have reasons to believe that you had not done that bad. You get back your confidence, shattered for the copy editor's yelling.
That's what happened last week. I also received a good number of emails and phone calls after my story on Attention Deficit Disorder was published in the Health and Science section on August 1.
And with a 'high' mood I worked on the Bangladeshi chemist's invention of arsenic removing
filter. It took me more than a week to complete because Prof. Abul Hussam was traveling and did not have all the papers and documents I needed with him.
I at last got him Tuesday over phone and interviewed him for a long time about his present works. It's quite interesting that George Mason University, where he is working as an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has launched a foundation, named Abul Foundation after him, to assist the research for clean water. It is also going to launch a Center for Clean Water and Sustainable Technologies soon.
When I started writing, I came across several other things and had to go back to Dr. Hussam several times. And every time I made it sure that I do not forget to tell him that I would call him again.
When I submitted the story on Thursday, my editor was happy with it. To give it a better look, I collected a drawing of the arsenic filter. With two photographs, a drawing and a fair content, I hope the story will have a good display.
I don't want to say more about it because it's coming out Wednesday.

I was on a hurry to finish it by Thursday because my sister-in-law from Indianapolis were coming to my place that afternoon. I was waiting for them eagerly because we would go to Niagara Falls on Friday.
And everything happened as planned and it's simply mesmerizing. I felt I can stare at the water falling down for hours. I just kept on pressing the shutter button of my camera the whole time I was there. I saw Niagara through the view finder of my camera.
We took a boat ride and I took the risk of taking photographs braving the splashes that made us wet.
And I couldn't help going up the stairs to touch the water falling down from the U.S. side. I've never been to heaven (!) but had a heavenly feeling there.
Nature hugs you there, takes you to her bosom, makes you hers.
We came back to Pittsburgh the same day.

We drove to Washington, D.C. Saturday because My nephews -- Rio and Ilham -- and their mom want to see Capitol Hill and White House. One of our Bangladeshi friend working with University of Maryland was very sincere to entertain us as best as he could at his house.
Although we were exhausted, we didn't have lack of enthu to go to Ocean City in Delaware the next morning. Three other Bangladeshi families joined us.
Once we were there, I was a little bit frustrated because I didn't think it to be so small. But I enjoyed the waves there -- strong and can be dangerous if you are not alert. Several of our team members had bruises in their whole body as the strong current threw them to the sea-bed and rolled them.
Atlantic is always tricking the humans there. You need to know the character of the waves. They are your friend if you can read them and act accordingly. You can easily go to their top and slide down on their back smoothly if you know swimming and have good timing sense.
But you should also have respect for this giant mighty innocent force. A tall and handsome African American man who appeared to be a good swimmer was showing tricks to his friends, most of who are women. The ocean didn't like it much maybe because he was doing it for a long time. And the Atlantic sent a strong wave to pull his shorts to his feet. Tons of water also brought as much laughter.

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