The 3rd world view

January 31, 2009

Gallup Poll: Corruption in Bangladesh is still widespread but decreasing

Saturday, January 31, 2009 Bangladesh, corruption No comments

"Gallup asked Bangladeshis about their views on corruption, finding a majority saying that the level of corruption in the country is lower (73%) than it was five years ago." Here is the complete poll information.Survey Methods:Results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults in Bangladesh, aged 15 and older, conducted May 28-June 13, 2008. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that...

Links of the day

Saturday, January 31, 2009 Bangladesh, Links No comments

Heralding a new dawn in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's politics back to normal: An inauspicious rebirth for parliamentary democracyOverseas jobs on the wane for BangladeshisMicro loans give half world's poorest a way upMercy dash family denied entry to USThe Rohing...

Trial Of War Criminals

Friday, January 30, 2009 Bangladesh, Liberation war No comments

The mass opinion of Bangladesh has tilted towards the trial of War Criminals of 1971 liberation war. People from all walks of life have raised their voices with petitions, signature campaigns, pasting stickers in public places etc. to pressurize the government to make this possible.It was an election promise of the Awami League government and the Bangladesh parliament has approved a resolution seeking speedy prosecution of the country's 1971 war...

Images from Dhaka

Sunday, January 25, 2009 Bangladesh, Dhaka, Photoblog No comments

"We are all well because Bangla Link 'Desh' is there." Mobile service providers and their competition dominate Bangladesh. Mobile phones are used all over, by all income classes. The call rates and connection charges are all time low (Even it was a few times more in just 3 years ago).Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2009 has always been a crowd accumulator.I have read about the killer smogs in many Asian countries. Each morning numerous flights...

New King On The Block

Thursday, January 22, 2009 Bangladesh, cricket No comments

From Cricinfo:Shakib Al Hasan has confirmed his consistently impressive performances by heading the ICC's ODI allrounder rankings, the first time any Bangladesh has topped any ICC rankings. His performances in the home tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, took him to 380 rating points, helping him surge past last week's top two, New Zealand's Jacob Oram (368 points) and England's Andrew Flintoff (366).More on Shakib Al Hasan here.Update:An exclusive interview with Shakib Al Hasan. He is just another kid on the block but with strong commitment...

Change has come

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 USA No comments

Change has come to WhiteHouse.govPhoto: Official portrait of US President Barack Obama from public dom...

Today's Links

Thursday, January 15, 2009 Bangladesh, Links No comments

An Islamist tide? Bangladesh shows the oppositeBangladesh To Export 12 Ships To Europe By 2011Bangladeshi uprisingMaking markets with mobilesOppressed Dalits of Bangladesh fight for their futureCan We Lighten The Load?Paradise lost on Maldives' rubbish isl...

Israel Shells UN Aid Compound

Thursday, January 15, 2009 UN, War No comments

NEWS: Israeli forces shelled areas deep inside Gaza City on Thursday, hitting the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and wounding at least three people among the hundreds taking shelter in the compound.Israel says its a mistake. But probably they took The Onion piece seriously:The U.N. Headquarters in New York has flags from all over the world and enough uranium to wipe Israel off the map.UN and Israel were not having good relations anyway after the white phosphorous shell clai...

Back to home

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Bangladesh, Dhaka No comments

I know I have been neglecting this blog, big time. There was a time I used to blog in every possible situation. Only two years ago I published a post in my blog from a plane flying at 35000 feet (10668 meters) somewhere above the Caspian See. Now I realize probably I am growing old.After two years I am in Dhaka now. I wonder why I didn't bother writing about the journey or updating from the transit point of the total 20 hours journey even though...

Quote of the Day

Friday, January 09, 2009 Human Rights, international relations, War No comments

"I'm Jewish and descendant of holocaust survivors. Moreover, I've been a Zionist all of my life. I went to a Zionist school, I was active in Zionist youth groups. I've always been a fervent supporter of Israel as a refuge for Jews around the world who seek a place to exercise their traditions and embrace their identity in peace.I sang the Israeli anthem in the train rails of Aushwitz-Birkenau and I pledged to fight every day of my life to make sure the savage crimes that had taken place there would never happen again. Every year I pledged: Never...

Quote of the Day

Thursday, January 08, 2009 Quotes No comments

In today's ultra-networked world, an unaffiliated individual with a laptop and an Internet connection is often more influential and resourceful than an organization with a staff of twenty and a fax machine was only twenty years ago. This is a truly strange period of institutional change when an organization's vast assets also look like its greatest liabilities. - Evgeny Morozov...

Picture of the day

Wednesday, January 07, 2009 Berlin, Germany, Photoblog No comments

The difference of temperature between the two worlds...in and out of the house. Just to remind the readers that in many places in the world people do not have the luxury to live in a warm cocoon and are prone to the natural extrem...

The New Cabinet in Bangladesh

Tuesday, January 06, 2009 Bangladesh No comments

A new cabinet has sworn in a while ago. The 31 member team includes 23 ministers and 8 state ministers.Here is the full list:Sheikh Hasina - Defence, Parliamentary, Religion, Women Affairs, Energy, Housing, WorksMotia Chowdhury - AgricultureSyed Ashraful Islam - LGRDAMA Muhit - Finance AK Khandker -PlanningNurul Islam Nahid - EducationAbul Kalam Azad - InformationDr. Abdur Razzak - Food and ReliefKhandaker Mosharraf Hossain (father in law of Hasina’s daughter Saima Wajed) - labour and employment and expatriate welfareDilip Barua - Industries (technocrat...

Dacca Boots

Monday, January 05, 2009 Bangladesh No comments

Nepalis love their trademark Dhaka Topis. After caps, Dhaka (formerly Dacca), the capital of Bangladesh finally gets a boot fetish named after it.Chilean industrial design student Camila Labra’s collection of footwear are made from recycled plastic bags and are called Dacca Boots.From Trashbag Athletics:Chilean industrial design student Camila Labra is bound to make a change on the way we thing of “environmentally sound” footwear. Appropriately dubbed...

Debunking the myth of vote rigging

Monday, January 05, 2009 Bangladesh, Election No comments

“It’s unbelievable that nearly 90 percent votes were cast in Monday’s polls, and that means a voter needed only 55 seconds to cast ballot.” - BNP office secretary Rizvi AhmedShada Kalo debunks the myth:The calculations are correct, but the data is wrong, because one polling center does not equate to only one polling booth. According to the Election Commission, there were 177107 polling booths, and that changes the calculation to: Average votes cast per polling booth = 70 million / 177101 = 395 votes. Time to cast each vote = (480 x 60) / 395 =...

Gaza Conflict

Friday, January 02, 2009 Human Rights, War No comments

The recent Gaza Strip bombings by Israel defense force has sparked worldwide protests and criticisms against Israel. For more perspectives than what you get in the newspapers please check these citizen journalists views:The special coverage page of Global Voices.Antony LowensteinHaitam SabbahThe Observers...