Chicago Activist Rejects Negative Media Coverage

Ay-Sha Butler knows that Englewood is not the most popular neighborhood in Chicago. Crime is high, property values are low, and hope has been fading for years.

Yet, Mrs. Butler and her husband, Antoine, have been working hard to change that. 

Courtesy of Ay-Sha Butler

She was featured in a Zack's TV article last May for her work in the Englewood. 

Now, the youthful activist has written her own account of what's really happening in the embattled neighborhood. On her blog, "A New Voice From Englewood," she laments the recent coverage from local newspapers which focuses on the crime rate.  

In the post titled, "A Good Day In Englewood," Butler talks about the "tons" of good days which have gone unnoticed. 

Even with the challenges we face here, there are still many great examples of Good Days in Englewood and it does not depend on if someone was shot or killed in the neighborhood.

Responding to rumors that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel might move to the neighborhood, Butler says this: 

I wish Rahm would move to Englewood, so he could get a reality check and see firsthand how the city's resources are truly allocated to the point that they become scarce on the South Side once you travel past 35th Street.......We are definitely in the "colored" folks zone being in Englewood and I dare the mayor to live here for a day.

No word yet from "the media" or "the mayor" about Mrs. Butler's views. 

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Hinglish: Bridging Cultural and Language Barriers

In the 2011 Bollywood film, Force, actor John Abraham executes a different kind of stunt: a verbal one. 

One moment, he is speaking Hindi; the next, he uses English phrases such as "I'm sorry," or "I love you."

While many world languages have been blended with English, the way Hindi speakers mix this particular language with their own is becoming more prevalent than ever before. 

Hindi is the official language of India--one of the world's most populated countries with over 1 billion residents.
A hub for outsourcing, the country has attracted corporations from all over the world who want skilled labor for a fraction of the cost--including the United States. Based on U.S. State Department data, service and software exports represent top sources of trade revenue. On the import side, Indian companies are also "outsourcing" workers from the United States.  In turn, the country has found ways to make the transition easier for those either relocating to India or working for India from here in the States.

Take the Hinglish Project, for example.

It is a "unique font" design which superimposes English characters onto the Devanagari script that the Hindi language is written in.  

Critics say that it only provides limited help to those unfamiliar with Hindi.  However, some native Hindi speakers say that it was never the project's intention. 

Manish Bhardwaj, a 29-year-old attorney from Gurgaon, Haryana,  feels that the hybrid language was born out of necessity.

"We use both languages and some words are easier to speak in English than others are in Hindi," he explained. 

According to Bhardwaj, Hindi originates from a language known as Sanskrit. During his brief time as a graduate student in the United States, he used his dexterity with both languages to learn business communications skills. 

After receiving his MBA in one year, Bhardwaj moved back to India to start a law firm. 

As the CEO of Janak Raj and Associates, he uses his bilingual status to his advantage. He networks with potential American clients on LinkedIn who may be looking for someone to negotiate a contract. Being aware of the many barriers to entry in business, Bhardwaj wants to eliminate resistance from potential clients by knowing more than one way to say "hello."

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