I hate Al Menos

Seriously… just seeing Al Menos in the morning is like catching a sucker-punch in the stomach. Al Menos can take an otherwise promising day and piss all over it. Having to work with Al Menos is, without a doubt, the most disagreeable part of my job.

In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that Al Menos is a harbinger of pain, suffering, and death.

Who is Al Menos?

No, no... the question is “What is Al Menos?” The answer is: Al Menos is the Spanish phrase for “at least”, and it appears all too often in my daily forays into the international news:

Rusia. Al Menos 90 Muertos por Ataques Rebeldes Chechenios.
(Russia. At least 90 dead in Chechen rebel attacks.)

Irak. Al Menos as de 100 Muertos y 300 Heridos por Ataques Simultáneos.
(Iraq. At least 100 dead and 300 injured in simultaneous attacks.)

India. Al Menos 7 Muertos y 15 Heridos por Explosión en Autobús.
(India. At least 7 dead and 15 injured in bus explosion.)

Turquía. Al Menos 4 Muertos y 20 Heridos en Dos Explosiones.
(Turkey. At least 4 dead and 20 injured in two bombings.)

Irán. Al Menos 90 Muertos y 114 Heridos en Choque de Camión.
(Iran. At least 90 dead and 114 hurt in gasoline truck accident.)

Irak. Al menos 20 muertos por bombardeos de las fuerzas de la coalición.
(Iraq. At least 20 dead in coalition bombings.)

And that was just last week.

“Al Menos” for some mean reason of spanish-language journalism rarely, if ever, applies to positive or uplifting news. Which, let’s face it, is in fairly short supply world-wide, anyway.

I love my job. I believe that knowledge is power, and that in order effect positive change in the world, you must be aware of what’s happening in the world...

But I won’t be disappointed if Al Menos and I never cross paths again.

Posted by elcanche at June 28, 2004 09:16 PM