One my photos (uploaded in Flickr) has been chosen for this guide. Know more about the Bellevue Palace he...
May 30, 2008
Today's Links
* Bangladesh faces political gridlock.* Special court weakens fair trial safeguards* Bangladesh raids anti-India insurgent camp* Young boy in Bangladesh recovers from bird flu- WHO* BANGLADESH: Divisions over women's development policy.* Saudi govt not issuing residential perm...
May 29, 2008
Return to the era of slavery
Bangladeshi migrant workers are having a tensed time in Bahrain where the government has banned issuing work permits for Bangladeshis and the right wingers want 90000 Bangladeshis expelled from the country. This reminds of the discriminations in place when slavery persisted. An attack on master is seen as the most outrageous of crimes. From Bahraini.TV:All Bangladeshis could be expelled from Bahrain by the end of this year if a proposal by a group of local MPs is approved by parliament, it emerged yesterday.The proposal by Al Asala bloc follows...
May 27, 2008
The Arif Story
At last one journalist (blogger Omi Rahman Pial) was courageous enough to interview Arif , the condemned cartoonist who was charged by the state of profanity and sedition. His fault was to use the prophet's name in a cartoon. The interview has been published in E-Bangladesh.Some excerpts:So what was the idea behind the cartoon? Why did you draw it?Well, i never thought this was going to be such a big issue. The joke I used is a common one in our...
May 25, 2008
Taslima Nasreen in Paris
Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen was in Paris recently to receive the Simone de Beauvoir prize for women’s freedom.Here's her interview with France24 Tv channel. Here is another report in Fren...
Today's Links
* Bangladesh editors call for free press* Un-intelligent manoeuvres: tales of censorship* Bangladesh 'Rice Revolution' and women * Iqbal Quadir: “Technology Empowers the Poorest”* Bangladesh H5N1 human positive begs more questions.* Bangladesh: A rush to the election, then wh...
May 23, 2008
Xenophobia and the blame game
A shocking development in South Africa (More at Global Voices Online):Over the past few weeks, xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans, Malawians, Zambians, Ugandans, Rwandans, Burundians, Mozambicans, and many other African illegal (and legal!) migrants who are living near Johannesburg on the East Rand, have been on the increase.The situation escalated after hundreds of thousands of migrants fled from Zimbabwe to have a recluse in South Africa.I was wondering how is the situation different from the recent spat from the Indian media indicting Bangladeshis...
May 20, 2008
List of Bangladeshi Blogs
I know it has been more than a year since I last compiled the list of notable Bangladeshi Blogs. Bangladeshi Bangla Blogs have been growing at a exponential pace. However the blogs written in English did not grow much. As usual some good blogs have ceased to exist and some excellent blogs have surfaced.So I have done some house cleaning and here is the list (arranged in no particular order):Blogs in English:AMERICAS:Active:* Or how I learned to stop...
May 17, 2008
May 16, 2008
Cashing in during load shedding
Engineered rolling blackouts or load sheddings is a way to manage short supply of electricity. Bangladesh is reeling under it.But it also has a flip side. Creating the Longest Marketing Idea Chain in the World suggests:Traditionally, we are not big in board games. Let alone the likes of Monopoly, we haven't even developed a proper branded game that can help us pass some quality time with friends and loved ones. Ludu has always been the favorite one, but lost its flavor among the urban audience.Thats why any new local board game brand can now move...
Today's Links
* How Bangladesh is preparing for Climate change.* Microfinance - Money, Money, Money* Telenor, Peace Prize winner caught in labour scandal* Report alleges abuse in Asia shrimp industry.* 531 Balloons Over Frankfurt Commemorate Destroyed Palestinian Villag...
May 15, 2008
From Russia with hate
Black Looks points us to the racist hate in Russia which is evident from the above video documentary by Christof Putzel. The hate is against colored immigrants not just blacks but anyone who is not white, browns or Central Asians. Immigrants are attacked without provocation and the video of the attack is posted in the internet to warn others not to come to Russia.It’s bad enough that that racist violence is described as “out of control” but many of the skin heads have support from the government….One member of the Duma is interviewed condoning...
Who eats more?
US president George Bush's recent remark that India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world met with resistance from the Indians. (Graph: Courtesy IHT - click for a larger view)Now they are blaming that the food problem has "clearly" been created by Americans, who are eating 50 percent more calories than the average person in India. More in IHT:If Americans were to slim down to even the middle-class weight in India,...
Coexistence or no existence
I have read a brilliant oped in International Herald Tribune on the 60th anniversary of Israel. The writer, Daniel Barenboim is a pianist and conductor and the music director of the Staatskapelle Berlin. He discusses about Israel, Palestine and coexistence of two nations, zionism, socialism etc. Some excerpts:After 1967 Israel turned very much toward the United States - not necessarily to its own advantage. The traditionalists said, "We will not give up the newly occupied territories." The religious Jews said, "These are not occupied but liberated,...
May 13, 2008
Bangladesh on course
Some good news on Bangladesh from the American Chronicle:Bangladesh has been victim of devastating flood twice is last two years. A severe cyclone (Sidr) swept through Bangladesh in November 2007 which left over 10000 dead and half a billion USD damage. Yet economic data shows that Bangladesh in on track in its expected growth. That´s almost like a miracle.Bangladesh's central bank said that the economy could grow as much as 6.2 percent in the current fiscal year, supported by a rebound in agricultural output following natural disasters and a pick...
Finally
Bangladesh caretaker government announces national elections by the third week of December this year. Highlights of the chief advisers speech:1. The ninth parliament election will be held in the third week of December of 2008.2. The ban on indoor politics across the country will be lifted tomorrow.3. Formal dialogue with the political parties from May 22.4. Relaxing the relevant sections of the emergency rules. 5. A “National Charter” owill be formulated.6. Consensus before poll.7. Against violent demonstrations by political parties. The reaction...
May 12, 2008
China Earthquake: Twittering the disaster live
China has been hit by a 7.8 scale earthquake. Video sharing sites and 140 character twitter messages are bringing the latest updates to the world from the citizen journalists on the ground. And they are more resourceful than the mainstream media who are only starting to react to the news.Mathew Ingram says about Twitter:In any disaster, one of the first things that people look for — not just journalists, but readers too — is the eyewitness account, the first-person description, the man on the scene. Whenever something like the earthquake happens,...
Publishing life as a book to counter surveillance
This is the amazing story of Hasan Elahi, a Bangladeshi-American who publishes his whereabouts to protest listing him as a terrorist. You can track him any time. More press reports he...
May 10, 2008
Warning
"Washington will not accept any military takeover in Bangladesh. Bangladesh must restore democracy. We don't think there would a good election under emergency. We think the emergency has to be lifted. We think the rules for political activity need to be opened up" - US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A BoucherSource BDNew...
Insane!
Tons of food aids of WFP are waiting in Bangladesh to be flown to Burma for the Cyclone Nargis victims. Red tapes in visas from Burmese embassy are slowing the process of flying them to Burma. Finally a plane carrying the UN relief was flown to Burma. Bangladesh Military had earlier sent two planes containing potatoes, biscuits to Burma. Today we hear another low from the Burmese military rulers:Burma's junta seized U.N. aid shipments Friday meant for a multitude of hungry and homeless survivors of last week's devastating cyclone, forcing the world...
May 09, 2008
Thoughts on Myanmar
Image details: Burma Copes With Aftermath Of Catatrophic Typhoon served by picapp.comThe cyclone Nargis was deadly as predicted and it caught Myanmar of guard. The figures we read everyday never seem to stop depressing you, from 22,000 to 100,000 - now 600,000).Cyclone Nargis is a Category 3 storm packed winds of 190 km (120 mile) per hour. However BBC quoted a wrong info that It was the world’s deadliest storm in ten years. Only last November (2007)...
May 07, 2008
Barack The Magic Negro
There are lots of efforts to stop him like calling him a magic negro but he is nearing the finish line despite all such twisted tric...
May 05, 2008
The blame game
US President George Bush has joined his top diplomat Condoleezza Rice in suggesting that the growing prosperity of India's large middle class is contributing to rising food prices around the world (More in Economic Times). While RediffNews quotes FAO's data to blame US for the global food crisis.Indian blogger Aparna Ray coins her protest in a limerick:"Prez George Bush, it has come to pass,Has laid blame on our Middle Class.It seems we have hurled,The rest of the world,Into crisis by not chewing gras...
Tech guide
* Using Twitter in emergencies.* Video to explain Twitter.* How to make short videos with your mobile phone.* Facebook vs. LinkedIn: Which is better for business?* How Google Earth ate our town!* One page guides to social networking.* Real people don't have time for Social Med...
Will international correspondents be redundant?
"The old cartoonish model of parachute journalism was a reporter from New York or London, with a crisis mentality and a short list of questions. The new model is hundreds, or thousands, of homegrown bloggers piecing together many perspectives — counting on a hidden hand of links to sort out differences and shape a “lede” on the story. Kenya and China present the most striking examples of how the new model is pushing back on the old one."Christofer...
Mobile phones as a development tool
Grameen's phone lady concept is a decade old and now the mobile phones have become so affordable to the mass that the phone ladies are almost dead by now. Except mobile internet telecenters is there anything remarkable happening in Bangladesh using mobile technology?In the developing world, especially in Africa more and more innovations are coming up to use the potentials of the cellphone networks. Mobile phones are now providing banking services...
Cost effective water purification system
A much awaited invention from the creator of Segway. The $1000 eco-friendly water regenerator named Slingshot can take nearly any source of moisture -- including ocean water, urine or sewage--and quickly turn it into safe drinking water. And it comes to Bangladesh first:"Iqbal Quadir, the founder of Grameen Phone, the largest cell phone company in Bangladesh, is collaborating with Kamen to provide this regenerator in his country in a field tria...
May 01, 2008
Cruel politics with US presidential candidate McCain
Which one of his children is not like the othe...
Bangabandhu in Bollywood
Renowned Bangladeshi columnist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury is producing a film on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Guess who will be playing the role.Its Amitabh Bachchan, the legendary actor of Bollywood.Reuters India also reports:His son Abhishek Bachchan will act in the role of a young Mujib. Amitabh's daughter-in-law and former Miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai, and renowned actress Shabana Azmi will also act in two key roles.Shyam Benegal, the only director to won India's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi five times, will direct the...
On Fathers Day
Today is Father's Day in Germany (I didn't know that its celebrated in different dates across the world). When you feel the love you know the importance of this d...
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