tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63524480536475270992024-02-19T04:58:07.232-08:00RealTime BangladeshNews & Current Affairs: But from a different viewpointUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-44441394997681889802011-05-15T17:59:00.000-07:002011-06-09T18:57:25.362-07:00Bangladesh Court: No Punishment can be imposed in Fatwa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lid1o06znElnvDtbu9qYENWpKFf4O6plAvCi0mv_WBZC3lCoUqna-ISJtCPFz3kBKXEXHtEfQme38BWdlWhhUEuOWX5PxxlxqY-eqaCTzSBmJoEWenWkCX_toZQ2jY4BuRcGGMwCOCk/s1600/cricket2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lid1o06znElnvDtbu9qYENWpKFf4O6plAvCi0mv_WBZC3lCoUqna-ISJtCPFz3kBKXEXHtEfQme38BWdlWhhUEuOWX5PxxlxqY-eqaCTzSBmJoEWenWkCX_toZQ2jY4BuRcGGMwCOCk/s200/cricket2011.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line at Dhaka Stadium during World Cup Cricket 2011,<br />
Religion, Cricket, Cell Phone Women's Right and Fatwa. </td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">(Real Time Report, May 15, 2011).</span></i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The hot headlines in blogsphare is that <b>Bangladesh Court has lifted Ban on Fatwa</b>. Can there be a different headline?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The news is Bangladesh’s Supreme Court Thursday ruled that extrajudicial punishments carried out in the name of religion were illegal- while also upheld the rights of Fatwa? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Daily Star Reports:</span></span></div><blockquote style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">"no punishment including physical violence or mental torture in any form can be imposed or implicated on any body in pursuance of fatwa," Star Online, website of The Daily Star reported.<br />
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The apex court said fatwa on religious matter may be given by the "properly educated persons", which may be "accepted only voluntarily, but any coercion or undue influence in any form is forbidden.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">"Fatwas on religious matters may be given only by properly educated persons and may be accepted only voluntarily," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told AFP, quoting the Supreme Court ruling.</span></span></blockquote><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bangladesh High Court had banned fatwas in 2001. Women are frequently being abused under certail fatwabaz people. Religious parties appealed the verdict, saying that the fatwa was an integral part of Islam.</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The lawyer representing the scholars, Imran Siddiqui, said the verdict did not specify wo is considered “properly educated” about fatwas, adding he hoped that the court would clarify later. </span></blockquote><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So what is fatwa? Here is a site dispensing <a href="http://www.fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=1381">Digital-Fatwa</a> - in the age of digital Bangladesh offering advices such as how to use cell phone! Just few months back a raped girl <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/02/lashes-of-death-for-hena-million-more.html">Hena was flogged to death</a> instead of justice in the name of Fatwa! Here is another Fatwa event on the issue of <a href="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C05%5C02%5Cstory_2-5-2007_pg2_4">prayer time for players and long cricket</a> matches. Surely, in Prophets' time cricket or cell phone was no there.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It looks like court may have considered the Fatwa itself as something like "opinion", "free speech", "religious activity". It however, has deftly narrowed down to the root cause of the problem. An opinion like Fatwa becomes social problem when it gains the power of imposition. If the imposition becomes something like a "parallel law"- then it indeed challenges the state itself.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So rightfully, the court has taken the tooth out of Fatwa.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-40694740782057462972011-05-08T07:37:00.001-07:002011-05-16T23:57:46.244-07:00More on Grameen Circus<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.6em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjETFFGl9eFoqt36LciikBm5laFBFt3yeW-cR0_6M0Od64KJDQOA_XfBQ8M22DTUFbCIx6klVLNNIVuNslfq2ekusPXWcScvlJWtvGoMHvv6eFghq5hXmhZgpOqhqmLOOw6jhZQb8SI0/s1600/grameen-circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjETFFGl9eFoqt36LciikBm5laFBFt3yeW-cR0_6M0Od64KJDQOA_XfBQ8M22DTUFbCIx6klVLNNIVuNslfq2ekusPXWcScvlJWtvGoMHvv6eFghq5hXmhZgpOqhqmLOOw6jhZQb8SI0/s320/grameen-circus.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><br />
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The recent dramatized ouster of Dr. Yunus from Grameen Bank- has stirred quite a bit of media storm about the Nobel Lauriat founder and the Bank. However, this storm might be one created only by a handful of people. Two interesting articles will provide the clue for a possible coordinated assult on GB.<br />
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Our last blog on the topic- <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/03/grameen-circus.html">Grameen Circus</a> (March 2011) discussed the data driven research available on the Bank. Now this blog- equally interesting- unearths the other side- the twisted misinformation spreaded on the topic. <br />
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Right after the Heinemann visit to Jobra, apparently two articles have claimed visits to Jobra. These are<a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/444/the-way-dr-yunus-befools-the-world">WeeklyBlitz</a> article by ZA and <a href="http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=180502&cid=2">bdnews24.com</a> article by MC.<br />
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Many worldwide are anxious about the micro credit issue- and perhaps many readers have already encountered the reports on the recent condition on the last days of Ms. Sufia- the lady whose borrowing 30 something years back begun the very concept of microcredit and her village ‘Jobra’. She was made a kind of poster lady for Grameen concept.<br />
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Now before reading the rest of this article readers are encouraged to read the above two articles first.<br />
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The WB/ZA article found:<br />
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<blockquote>“Sufia Begum died in 1998 due to extreme poverty and local people had to collect donations for her funeral and burial. One of her grand-daughters died few years back due to poverty”.</blockquote><br />
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Many in her village eventually received microcredit loan. Alas, what happed to them! The report finds:<br />
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<blockquote>“This [village] was the beginning of Grameen Bank concept. But, most of the borrowers [in this village], who took money from Dr. Yunus, gradually turned poor to poorest as they were compelled to pay regular interests. In Jobra village alone, a large number of villagers have already been turned into pauper by Dr. Yunus and his Grameen Bank”.</blockquote><br />
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Apparently ZA claims a hard meticulous work to find these dark secrets! It reports:<br />
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<blockquote>“For months, extensive investigation into the so-called success models of Grameen Bank and Dr. Yunus were initiated by Bangladesh's most influential newspaper Weekly Blitz. On the basis of such investigation, series of stories of virtual fraud by this high profile man was unearthed.”</blockquote><br />
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Feels absolutely heart breaking? However, you may want to read another report done by another reporter MC in bdnews24.com on Dec 2, 2010.<br />
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Both the reports are apparently ‘original’ created from “first hand research” but almost identical in-tone and their structure!<br />
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Cites and quotes are attributed to similar set of characters, repeats the same information, but none cites the other. So who is plagiarizing whom? Well it is possible that they have relied on one another?<br />
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While the attacks and spins are identical, but funny these differ in basic facts- ideally which should have been the same.<br />
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Here are just few examples:<br />
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<blockquote>MC reports: “Sufia Khatun died in 1997”.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>ZA writes: “But on investigation, it was found that, Sufia Begum died in 1998”.</blockquote><br />
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Question: Is she Sufia Begum or Sufia Khatun? Which year did she actually die?<br />
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<blockquote>MC Writes: “Thirty-five years later, little has changed for Sufia Khatun's family. The first borrower of Grameen Bank has died poor; her two daughters, Halima Khatun and Nurunnahar Begum — one a house wife and the other mentally disabled; live a marginalised life.”</blockquote><blockquote>ZA writes: “Sufia Begum's daughter Halima [48] and Noor Nahar [45] still lives on begging. Seeing this correspondent both the sisters said that they were left absolutely pauper and have to beg for survival.”</blockquote><br />
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Question: So what is the actual state of the daughters- begger house wife ?<br />
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ZA reports: </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0.6em;"><blockquote>“Dr. Muhammed Yunus gave TK. 20 [US$ 0.30] to Sufia Begum Years back as loan with the condition of returning in time with interest. Sufia Begum returned that money and got second loan of Tk. 500 from Yunus.”</blockquote><br />
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MC writes:<br />
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<blockquote>“Under Grameen Bank's microcredit scheme, Sufia Khatun borrowed Tk 560 in two installments in 1976. This was the first loan under Dr Yunus' action research programme before Grameen Bank launched its official microcredit scheme.”</blockquote><br />
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Question: How much she actually borrowed?<br />
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Both the writers are from Chittagong. Interested readers may perform additional search in face book etc. are get some interesting additional info about both MC and ZA.<br />
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Of course this discrepancies does not negate that poor Ms. Sufia could not defeat poverty with the micro credit loan.<br />
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But, these discrepancies really raise question about journalistic quality of the article in circulation- about such an important issue. Which one is right about basic facts? One has to be really careful before believing such amusing brand of 'extensive investigation' !!<br />
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It seems not only the reporters, but their editors (at least one of them in this case) for sure is not doing the basic editors job – i.e. fact checking!<br />
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Indeed, both Weekly Blitz and bdnews24.com have published similar "extensive researched" articles on the topic (<a href="http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/2011/05/bangladesh-government-showing-its-true-colors.php"> ref</a> ).<br />
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Now here is further shadow propaganda. You will find the Weekly Blitz's article almost a copy printed as a completely different title- <a href="http://www.modernghana.com/news/218121/1/tale-of-nobel-laureates-continuous-fraud.html">Tale of Nobel laureate's continuous fraud</a> in moderngana.com and by a different author SUSC ! SUSC happen to be the editor of the Blitz too. But, then is the real author of the article?<br />
<div style="float: left; width: 65%;"><b><br />
</b><a href="http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/columnist/category.asp?menu_id=50&c_id=1463"></a></div><br />
Now the fun is here. In this age of Internet, a brief search in Google, will return another blog by a lady named <a href="http://jhinz57.blogspot.com/2010/08/jobra-hathazari-branch-grameen-bank.html">Jessi of World Teach</a> who happens to have visited the same Jobra Village a month earlier in October 2010! Not connected like the other two- and she portrays quite a different picture of Jobra.<br />
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She visited Bangladesh to teach in Asian University of Women from <a href="http://www.worldteach.org/site/c.buLRIbNOIbJ2G/b.6150599/k.7C87/Bangladesh_Year.htm">WorldTeach program</a>. Readers will enjoy checking all these three articles. Jessi’s independent journal has more details about what she saw – including pictures and narratives rather than attacking or supporting banters on Grameen Bank.<br />
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Enjoy reading all three here: <a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/444/the-way-dr-yunus-befools-the-world">WeeklyBlitz</a> by ZA, <a href="http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=180502&cid=2">bdnews24.com</a> by MC <a href="http://jhinz57.blogspot.com/2010/08/jobra-hathazari-branch-grameen-bank.html">Jobra Hathazari Branch, Grameen Bank </a> by Jessi, August 2010.<br />
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If you want to read the ones critical on GB, a more credible report is available in <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LL04Df03.html">Asia Times Online</a> and form your own opinion.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-74061777822213999662011-04-29T20:33:00.000-07:002011-04-29T20:33:52.481-07:00Hasina fears Arab Like Uprising?<div class="headline">An April 20th 2011 and interesting <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18587630?story_id=18587630">The Econimist reports</a>:</div><blockquote><div class="headline"></div>WHEN the Arab spring was in its infancy something unusual happened in the world’s second-largest Muslim-majority democracy. Following violent protests, Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, scrapped plans for a new airport near the capital, a pet project to be named after her father, Sheikh Mujib Rahman. A former Bangladeshi diplomat said he could remember no occasion on which an elected leader had reversed an important decision so quickly. He attributed the change of mind to what was happening in Egypt.</blockquote><br />
Indeed, there are other issues besides naming- that the government and the top leader ship of AL and BNP should consider rethinking- which the article kept silent about. One is the introduction of genetic democracy- which indeed sparked the Egyptian uprising.<br />
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In western democracies it is not common for PM's family members to get involved in politics except ceremonial presence of the spouse. But, the current and past PMs both are grooming their sons to succeed them. They have already been made involved in many state affairs with blatant disregard to democratic norms. Much like Gamal Mubarak and Saif Ghaddafi. Read more about the similarities in <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-02-25T22%3A21%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7">RealTime blog</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-92070414998401508642011-04-27T21:44:00.000-07:002011-04-27T21:44:33.698-07:00NASA Funds Indiana University Geoloists To Study Impact of Climate Change on SundarbanTwo researchers, Faiz Rahman and Rinku Roy Chowdhury from Indiana University Bloomington are receiving a $637,000 grant from NASA to study mangrove forests in Bangladesh and their role in climate change. The project is a collaboration between scientists from IU and the U.S. Forest Service. The project is the only one this year that targets a mangrove ecosystem outside of the United States.<a href="http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/17800.html"> Reports IU university news</a>:<br />
<blockquote>"This is the first time in NASA's Carbon Cycle Science Program that there is a social science aspect to ecosystem carbon studies," said Roy Chowdhury, who is involved with the human dimensions of the study. "We want to provide a complete picture of how nature and society interact to affect the mangroves, and how mangrove changes in turn impact local livelihoods."</blockquote><br />
Listen to<a href="http://muslimvoices.mirocommunity.org/video/17/inside-a-mosque-with-faiz-rahm"> Faiz Rahman</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-75067827699739798762011-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:002011-05-04T17:45:05.311-07:00Mujib Live: Video Footages<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">Here is a collection of eleven video footages of Mujib. I have organized them in chronological order. Listener can get a snapshot of Mujib’s philosophy and transformations. To my opinion most important are two- the <b>Epic Speech of Race Course 7<sup>th</sup> March, 1971</b> and the <b>Last Public Speech of 1975</b>, each a clarion call to a distinct new journey. The first one is well read and heard. However, the second one is less read and less heard. Of course, he did not finish the later.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Video Quiz:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Name<b> the world leader</b> Mujib revered most: Mandela, Mao, Nixon?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Why Mujib thought<b> absolute power</b> would not corrupt him?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mujib's weeping moments.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"I want to deal <b>them</b> a crushing blow- just like I did to Pakistan"- to whom</span>?</li>
</ul></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>March Unrest, 1971</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“Nobody should play with fire. Nobody should try to suppress the will of 70 million people. When 70 million are determined to achieve something- no power on earth can suppress them. Today, tomorrow or day after tomorrow- victory is ours.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MlRu3rzJvFE" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b></b><br />
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<b>The Epic Speech at Racecourse, 7<sup>th</sup> March, 1971</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ui-pZlfRC6g" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Flying out from Pakistan Jail, The Press Conference in London Claridges Hotel, January 8, 1972</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The citizens of Great Britain, you also have responsibilities for Bangladesh because we [Bengal] have contributed to your resources.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yp5VyFrTUho" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Shaikh Mujib Returns to Dhaka, 1972</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">NBC Report</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“An important phase of Bangladesh story came to an end today. The American Naval Taskforce in the Bay of Bengal steamed out of the bay today. And Shaikh Mujibur Rahman- who may be known as the George Washington of Bangladesh returned to Dhaka in one of the most emotional outburst in that emotional part of the world.” Footage from India and Dhaka.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6ryydhzeZic" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">ABC Report</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“A million people gathered. If Shaikh Mujib has a problem of his followers- it is that they expect too much of him- perhaps unattainable even for Shaikh Mujibur Rahman”- Ron Miller reporting from Dhaka.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M-5HzJZmMHo" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Interview with David Frost</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Part 1:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">David Frost asks. “You now have great power.. You know absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely-. How will you stop power corrupting you? Listen what Mujib answered: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6cD1sEsfcAk" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Part 2:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“They raped my sisters, raped my mother. Many times I wept.. The world organized Nuremberg trial.. I think the world should arrange an inquiry... I am a very generous man, but this is impossible to forgive and forget.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mNv4tO-SH9s" title="YouTube
video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Interview with John Pilger, on the 1974 Bengal Famine</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“We have our open free kitchen and people are welcome to go there.” Read the<a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/03/war-and-famines-of-bangladesh.html"> stories of independence stuggles and famine connections of Bengal</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/atEXu_BEhK0" title="YouTube
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Speech at passing out of first batch of Military Academy, January, 11, 1975</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Dear Graduating Officers, remember the sepohi’s. Remember <i>sashon kora tari saja soghag kore je…</i> There will be many presidents of Bangladesh who will come and go… but there will be only one Father of The Nation.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Oqg3MgiBy0w" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Last Speech, 26<sup>th</sup> March, 1975 The Bakshaal Plan</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The unfinished dream- “You work as a civil servant. Your salary comes from the poor farmers. I will tell you this is independent Bangladesh- not a colony of British or colony of Pakistan. Dear Educated Brothers! Who has taught us how to read and write and why, who has financed it?- what did you return? I want to hit this society hard. The blow I gave to Pakistanis”.<br />
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This final dream of Mujib is too revolutionary even for his succeeding torchbearers. Listen the whole speech to understand the final Mujib..</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4BEgMGYFpcE" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="195" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eSTPynn1z0s" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-61861322694270032011-03-19T20:59:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:40:07.588-07:00Wars and Famines of Bangladesh<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419617353695778834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEnjBg-afxSLJlbW62ljm1DdyDEgXlkEgkXjxuWRZjV2y5JXJ0DFPnRFeRPmMiYE9snxK8B-A59LYKy0fdAWrbRDZ1z8V5jfQLMKNwjuiPwLPg1o4Z_mbDqHdUpdbXaFgUNe_wneBGC8/s320/Bengal+famine+8.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 397px;" width="317" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A Dead in the Famine of 1943. See <a href="http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2009/12/bengal-famine-of-1943-part-1.html">more image</a>s here.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Real Time Bangladesh, March 2011)</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The earthquake in Japan has once again brought attention to natural disasters. In recent time we heard much about earthquake, tsunami, flood, cyclone etc. However, the most devastating of the disasters to hit Bangladesh are none of the above but famine. </span> The word ‘independence’ in the region has a strange connection with famines. Here are glimpses from our history</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bangladesh competes with China in natural disaster but bits china in semi-natural disasters. Their death tools are much larger and a mega one is happening every major war Bangladesh faced.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#1 One of the most devastating one is the <b>Great Bengal Famine of 1769 and 1773</b> (1176 to 1180 in the Bengali calendar). It killed 15 million people and wiped out 1/3rd of the Bengali! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This happened few years after the British East India Company took the rein of Bengal after the defeat of last Bengal sovereign in Pallasi. After the takeover- as expected the company turned into a monster. Out of mad greed it increased land tax from 10% to up to 50% of the value of the agricultural produce, destroyed food crop to make way for profitable opium poppy and its agents secured monopolies over all food trade. Once, the 2 years draught begun in 1969- that was catastrophic. 15 million people perished in hunger around Bengal. In the same time period the company recorded profit increase from fifteen million rupees in 1765 to thirty million in 1777!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#2 The next major Famine to hit Bangladesh is the<b> Bengal Famine of 1943</b> and took away 2-4 million lives. This was caused from a complex of event that involved the use of bicycle by the Japanese! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Second World War the British Army suffered their worst ever defeat in British history in the hands of the Japanese military at Singapore in 1942. Japan then proceeded to invade Burma. At that time, Burma was the world's largest exporter of rice. 15% of India's rice came from Burma. British feared a Japanese invasion, and closed the roads. The Japanese attack in Singapore was based on speed, ruthless ferocity and surprise. One of those surprises was that the Japanese used bicycles as one means of transport to attack Singapore from back. So, panicked British forces deployed a scorched earth policy in Bangladesh especially in Chittagong area. From the ‘bicycle’ phobia- it confiscated all autos, boats, ox driven carts and even elephants. It was afraid that the Japanese may commandeer them to speed their advance in India. But, they did not care about the impact of their defense strategy on the local population who lost both supply and a means for local livelihood. To make the matter worse, on 16 October 1942 the whole east coast of Bengal and Orissa was hit by a cyclone. The famine killed more Indians than the two world wars, the entire Indian freedom movement, and the massive death toll that followed Partition of India combined.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#3 The third largest famine in Bangladesh is the <b>Famine of 1974</b>- that came following 1971 war of independence. 1- 1.5 million people of got independence just to die in famine. This was famine made of paradoxes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1974 was also the year when average food grain production in Bangladesh reached a 'local' peak! Not the shortage of food but a colossal “distribution failure” caused the famine. This had both internal and international making. The newly independent Bangladesh was besieged by the challenge of rebuilding and was in the hands of an inexperienced government. While his country remained mortally dependent on US aid for food, yet firebrand Bongubundhu was taunting the US.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1973, the US withheld 2.2 million tons of food aid to 'ensure that it abandoned plans to try Pakistani war criminals'. In 1974 Bangladesh was faced with severe monsoons and imminent floods. To teach a lesson, US suspended that year’s food aid too, on the ground that tiny Bangladesh had exported jute to Castro’s Cuba- while it has no problem in sending grain to USSR! Soon Mujib succumbed to the ‘aid diplomacy’ and stopped the exports. The food supply in route to USSR was rerouted to Bangladesh. But it was too late for famine victims. It killed another 1- 1.5 million- double the death of Bhola cyclone of 1970, and half of the death in 1971 war.</span></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://felixfeatures.photoshelter.com/image/I000094tiMaEfRUI"><b>Ms. Sufia Begum</b>- who inspired the Grameen concept spinning her heirloom wheel</a> </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>(A Real Time Bangladesh Blog Report, March 2011)</i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The recent dramatized ouster of Dr. Yunus from Grameen Bank- has stirred quite a bit of media storm about the Nobel Lauriat founder and the Bank. Many articles- naturally mix personal issues concerning the founder with the issues of microcredit. A key question is- <b>Does microcredit help the poor of Bangladesh? Indeed, there are also assertions that it hurts</b>!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Fate and future of millions of poor in Bangladesh depends on the microcredit programs. These are no simple issues.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If you have not heard it already, here is <a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/444/the-way-dr-yunus-befools-the-world">a report</a> published in various places on the recent condition of the very village of Sufia.- She was one of the very first borrower with which the concept of microcredit begun and was made a poster lady for Grameen concept. A visit to her village reveals: </span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “.. most of the borrowers [in Jobra village], who took money from Dr. Yunus, gradually turned poor to poorest as they were compelled to pay regular interests. In Jobra village alone, a large number of villagers have already been turned into pauper by Dr. Yunus and his Grameen Bank”.</span></div></blockquote>What about Sufia Begum herself? It reports:<br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“..on investigation, it was found that, Sufia Begum died in 1998 [2008?] due to extreme poverty and local people had to collect donations for her funeral and burial. One of her grand daughters died few years back due to poverty”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However, there are mind boggling reports in the other end of the spectrum. An <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gWkw5ZOkT3QYIBr3X3QhyLgBsliw?docId=4314a0557a664c3e8828571eb0e31079">AP article</a> from India also published last week posits a conspiracy against world’s poor:</span><br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Remarkable growth [of microcredit programs] has prompted a backlash from vested political interests.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"The poor is a constituency politicians see as their own turf," said Alok Prasad, chief executive of India's Microfinance Institutions Network,.. "Anything which leads to greater empowerment of the poor makes them insecure."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In Bangladesh, the government order dismissing Yunus — which he is now fighting in court — is widely seen as retribution for his 2007 attempt to form his own political party. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"It is showing the government its own inadequacy," Misra said. "That's a big challenge for the politicians. Politicians feel poverty-lending should be in the government's name." </span></div></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now bdnews24.com reports in an <a href="http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=189084&cid=3">email obtained by bdnews24.com</a>, Sajeeb A Wazed, son of prime minister Shaikh Hasina, also an adviser to her, also has weighed in. He reportedly has said:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“.. despite the hype, there is no evidence that microcredit has, in fact, reduced the rolls of he poor in Bangladesh... Grameen Bank has been in the microcredit business for 30 years, yet Bangladesh remains one of the poorest countries in the world.".</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mr. Wazed also states:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"..Grameen was at the time a non-profit organisation and paid no taxes. What is clear is that this transfer is completely illegal and constitutes a criminal offence of "conversion" under Bangladesh law.”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The email lists 10+ specific 'criminal activities' by the Bank. If these are not false there is no reason for government not to file charges? Is it quite likely now criminal charges may be forthcoming against Dr. Yunus and Bank officials?</span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However, before taking a stance, it is possibly best to do some homework. A vast number of quite serious works has been undertaken by dedicated researchers. Many have spent considerable time and intellect on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/03/does-microcredit-reduce-poverty.html"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">This Real Time Blog Article</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;"> summarizes few. One of the most serious is the ‘Khandker Study’- possibly the most cited survey ever on the topic- titled </span><a href="http://serc-china.org/upfiles/200910/20091026164639913.pdf"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">Fighting Poverty With Microcredit: Experience in Bangladesh</span></a><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">. This was authored by Shahidur Rahman Khandker. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">This is a 100+ page paper. Most other subsequent studies use this as the foundation. The article also highlights key point raised by other researchers who have closely studies analyzed the microcredit programs worldwide- adding further depth to the understanding. It also includes lead critiques. Indeed just another extensive survey was released just like week (January, 2011) by Sajjad Zahir. Find out what data says- if indeed <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/03/does-microcredit-reduce-poverty.html">Read this</a> to find out if microcredit works?</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also be aware of misinformation. </span>Some of the articles- even cannot make their basic facts right. Read this blog - <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-on-grameen-circus.html">More on Grameen Circus</a> to learn more about few such.</div><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;"> </span></span></div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://mydailyclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/china_poverty.jpg" height="320" src="http://mydailyclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/china_poverty.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Thy did not twist it upside down...</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Here is my fate- only possession I own!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Care to read how will I grow up? </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-2741309151262696502011-03-09T22:48:00.000-08:002011-05-15T05:30:49.728-07:00Does Microcredit Reduce Poverty?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>(A Real Time Bangladesh Blog Report, March 2011)</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This blog summarize the finding of a seminal paper ‘Khandker Study’- possibly the most cited paper on the topic- titled <a href="http://serc-china.org/upfiles/200910/20091026164639913.pdf">Fighting Poverty With Microcredit : Experience in Bangladesh</a> by Khandker and Shahidur Rahman, Publisher : World Bank, ISBN no : 019521121. This is a 100+ page paper. Here I will try to quote the highlights. The study indeed claims it works!</span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The study was conducted jointly by <b>Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies</b> (BIDS) and <b>World Bank.</b> It studied three microcredit programs including Grameen and BRAC. The survey selected 1740 households from 87 villages from 29 thanas. To help proper comparison- the study included (control group) households which did not participate in a credit program. To minimize various possible biases- it carefully used various randomization measures to select the thanas, villages and households. The survey measured the condition of the villages and households three times during the 1991/92 farming year, based on the three cropping seasons: Aman mousum (November-February)- this is the time of relative abundance in villages, Boro mousom (March-June), and Aus mousum (July-October)- this the economically worse off or lean seasons. Here are some key aspects of its findings:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the key indicators of any potential long term economic improvement of a household- if any is the <i>net-worth</i> of the individual and ability to increase <i>expenditure</i>. The study reports (Page-47):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Borrowing did indeed increase the household net worth of borrowers in all three programs... A 10 (ten) percent increase in borrowing from BRAC increased household net worth 0.09 percent for female borrowing and 0.20 percent for male borrowing. A 10 percent increase in male borrowing from RD-12 increased household net worth 0.22 percent; female borrowing from RD-12 had no effect on household net worth. The increase in household net worth due to borrowing from Grameen Bank was about same for female (0.14 percent) and male (0.15 percent) borrowing. ”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">On <i>Per Capita Expenditure</i>: (Page 46):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The most important effect of borrowing from a microcredit program is its impact on per capita expenditure. As the regression results show, the effect of borrowing was positive for each category of credit from each program (table A3.2). A 10 percent increase in women's borrowing increased household per capita weekly expenditure by 0.43 percent for Grameen Bank, 0.39 percent for BRAC, and 0.40 percent for RD-12 (see table A3.2). For all three microfinance programs, the impact on consumption of borrowing by women was about twice as great as it was for borrowing by men”.</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Interestingly, a microcredit program can have other social benefits. Indeed it is quite possible that a subsidized microcredit program may not have the direct goal of poverty elimination at all. Rather it can aim improving living standard, hygiene, children schooling, nutrition etc. The report states its findings Children's schooling:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Microcredit had a significant impact on <i>children's schooling</i>, especially for boys. At the mean, a 1 percent increase in Grameen Bank [statistically most significant] credit provided to women increased the probability of school enrollment by 1.9 percent for girls and 2.4 percent for boys.”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">It also has been found to increase children's nutrition. It reports:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Women's credit had a large and statistically significant impact on two of three measures [of chidren’s nutrition- body mass index, height for age, and arm circumference] of the <b><i>nutritional well-being</i></b> of both male and female children (table A3.4). Credit provided to men had no statistically significant impact except for girls' body mass index where a 10 percent increase in male credit increased girls' body mass index about 3 percent. A 10 percent increase in credit provided to women increased the arm circumference of girls by 6 percent. Female credit also had significant positive effects on the height-for-age of both boys and girls.”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, the overarching question does availability of microcredit eliminates poverty? The study measured those based on various established indicators of poverty levels. Does it help a family to climb out of poverty? It writes on households (Page 56):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“ [At the household level]…. that 5 percent of Grameen Bank household rose above poverty each year by borrowing from Grameen Bank. Similarly, 3 percent of BRAC households and 6 percent of RD-12 households rose from poverty each year”.</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It also tried to measure the impact of poverty level of a village with microcredit program. It reports (page 57):</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“[at village level] All three microcredit programs reduced both moderate and extreme poverty (table A3.7). Aggregate village-level moderate poverty was 14 percent lower in RD-12 villages, 12 percent lower in Grameen Bank villages, and 10 percent lower in BRAC village.”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The actual paper is more than 100 pages and provides substantial additional details about the data, the data analysis method to arrive at these conclusions and findings, statistical measures of confidence and significance. It also tries to compare impacts due to male and female borrowing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Subsequent Criticisms & Refinements</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">A massive volume of research now exists after this paper which re estimates the findings. Some validates the assertion of this first article- while some claims the impact is somewhat lesser. In a 2007 article, <a href="https://zeus.econ.umd.edu/cgi-bin/conference/download.cgi?db_name=NAWM2007&paper_id=427">Emran, Morshed and Stiglitz in 2007 summarizes:</a> the state:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “There is now a voluminous literature analyzing different aspects of the microfinance revolution that swept across the developing world in last thirty years (for a recent survey, see Aghion and Morduch, 2005)”.</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most critical of the researchers has argued about the rigorousness of the supporting findings and asserted that perhaps it works in a limited scope than was originally claimed. For example <a href="http://media.microfinancelessons.com/resources/hulme_microdebt_SED2000.pdf">in this article</a><a href="http://www.stanford.edu/group/SITE/archive/SITE_2007/segment_2/ahlin_groupsorting.pdf">In this 2007 article</a> Ahlin writes: Dr. David Hulm analyzes that it may not work outside of Bangladesh and it may not work for the extreme poor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Despite its advances, many questions about micro-credit remain unanswered. An obvious and important one – does it work? – still seems to elude a definitive answer.” </span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">As late of last week on January 27, 2011, <a href="http://www.microcreditsummit.org/uploads/files/Bangladesh_Report_FINAL-embargoed.pdf">a new extensive survey result</a> (performed in a modern version of Khandker’s extensive style) has been published by Sajjad Zahir which based on again extensive field data provides evidence that indeed in Bangladesh a huge number of microcredit borrowers has reduced their poverty level. However, from scientific point of view- the study is not exact answer. It does not establish the causal relationship i.e. study what happened to people in the same time who did not use microcredit. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yet, it is important to understand, that as of 2008 there is no authoritative paper that would confirm it does not work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Smoke Screen & Hyperbole</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Readers genuinely interested in understanding the current debate about Grameen bank should find it extremely useful. Yes, the study has its weaknesses- like any other scientific studies. Analysis of the same data-set acquired by these researchers by a little different standard might lead to slightly different conclusions. It only measured a limited number of parameters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">A young researcher, person genuinely interested in poverty elimination today can take on studying other factors such as impact on living standard, healthy food habit, sanitation. Indeed, -years have passed since then and today more longitudinal data is available. Also, the micro-credit programs are quite different today, and may no longer work exactly in the same way, and these findings may not be valid anymore.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It is ironic that few articles-which can not make their basic facts right are also adding confusion. Read this blog - <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-on-grameen-circus.html">More on Grameen Circus</a> to learn more about such articles.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">One thing is constant- scientific integrity requires objectivity and hard work. If a different conclusion are to be made that also should be supported by similar data and objective analysis. Just emotion, journalistic hyperbole, and personal invectives will only create smoke screen and help those who want to perpetuate the poverty in Bangladesh. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-67642677343294575492011-02-27T20:48:00.000-08:002011-03-25T07:01:41.808-07:00Massive Property Tax and Rent Hike at Your Doorstep!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mad already from stock market crash? But how about an explosion of housing?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5454086920_15beb1e1ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5454086920_15beb1e1ee.jpg" border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5454086920_15beb1e1ee.jpg" width="243" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">February Fireworks over Dhaka's Super Hot Real Estate Skyline!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In the Eve of World Cup Cricket, Feb 2011</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;">Bangladesh Government has planned a massive new property tax beginning July 2012. According to reports: <i>any person having more than one house or a flat in metropolitan areas will have to pay the property tax</i>. Rate? It has not been officially disclosed yet but, the <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=175821">Daily Star</a> reports:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“.. said an NBR high official adding that the property tax will be two to three percent of the value of a taxable property.”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">If this is even close- this will create an unprecedented frenzy in the superhot real-estate market of Bangladesh, which has experienced double digit yearly increase in property valuation for many consecutive years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">A flat owner whose, flat has a valuation of TK 50 Lac (typical lower range in Dhaka) will have to pay TK 1-1.5 Lac yearly in property tax. If the flat is valued at 4 Crore (typical upscale), he will pay Tk 8-12 Lacs per year.(continued in next page...)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is quite likely the rental flat owners will pass on the tax to the renters. Typically those who offer rentals owns at least two houses or flats- one to live him/herself.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thus it means monthly house rents will have to go up by about TK 10,000 mid range areas to TK 50,000-1,00,000 in upscale areas for a typical renters. It will be interesting to see how then the renters will pass on the cost? Perhaps buying their own flats!</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="276" src="http://www.columbiataxcollector.com/Portals/FL-Columbia-TaxCollector/PDF/Property%20Tax%20Cycle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">ABC of Property Tax, Posted by a Tax Collector</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This tax plan is in the final stage and will be presented to the parliament. The government has solid majority to pass it into law without any trouble- except if some of it's own property owner MPs object.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.nbr-bd.org/">National Board of Revenue</a> (NBR) estimates that the move will help reduce the growing rich-poor gap in the country. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There are property taxes in many countries. The primary use of property tax is to pay for the local services. For example in US, property tax buys residents of a county free schools for all children, a local public library system, prompt repair, maintenance and snow removal of all local roads, police service, fire station, social and family services for financially disadvantaged citizens living in the county, etc. The tax is payable directly to the local governments- who either directly or by contract arrange the services.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, it is not sure if Bangladesh government has any thought or plan about these services. If the revenue is utilized to modernize such locality services, this will radically improve the living infrastructure in Bangladesh. On the other hand, there is a good possibility that this is just a revenue collection mechanism without any public interest plan.</div><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-73258016121960601442011-02-25T22:21:00.000-08:002011-03-01T17:59:08.517-08:00Why The Forbidden Love Story Meherjaan Should Be Banned!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAijJeSpuTBUrG6Zy-ZzyNZxLS-q58z104kLW7J6zS72VDtNAULwybtMzhGn-bo7X6FDCNR1xC2ETnqA-aCDzlgmeSAG9RNu-YoL5GpsTPgr81HQL2Athf7bXVLUSAQ1A_G8TvXD3NzxA/s1600/meherjaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAijJeSpuTBUrG6Zy-ZzyNZxLS-q58z104kLW7J6zS72VDtNAULwybtMzhGn-bo7X6FDCNR1xC2ETnqA-aCDzlgmeSAG9RNu-YoL5GpsTPgr81HQL2Athf7bXVLUSAQ1A_G8TvXD3NzxA/s320/meherjaan.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">(RealTime Bangladesh Blog Report, February 25, 2011)</span></span></i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We blogged some time ago about </span><a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2009/09/nirjhars-new-film-namuna-held-at-censor.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Nirjhor’s Namuna</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> held at esteemed </span><a href="http://www.fcb-bd.org/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bangladesh Film Censor Board</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (BFCB)</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. Now we have another runaway film- Rubaiyat Hossain’s “Meherjaan. The problem is BFCB failed to ban it, despite its anti-national narrative! Our Bengali tribe is thankful to film’s distributor Mr. Habibur Rahman Khan </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">(<a href="http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2011-01-29/news/127289">Prothom Alo, January, 29, 2011</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> - who despite his financial sacrifice finally could stop this contamination of our sacred history by romantic imagination (or actually it is not- it based on a Boston ghost story... read on)!</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrS01kMiDpNkEbl3K_q4qoEag7ZmnWGwcnndstPocEKSXVM7FKeJF-ZALO0lHhaa6MbAvPxWXLRWpj5cqAahIPp2bkFgsuksqoqE0oD_vZWVDv-cJYvu3juEeTsEn2-gUwd_zg5Kq7jGY/s1600/smith-college-sessions.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrS01kMiDpNkEbl3K_q4qoEag7ZmnWGwcnndstPocEKSXVM7FKeJF-ZALO0lHhaa6MbAvPxWXLRWpj5cqAahIPp2bkFgsuksqoqE0oD_vZWVDv-cJYvu3juEeTsEn2-gUwd_zg5Kq7jGY/s320/smith-college-sessions.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Session House where British General Burgoyne and Her American Lover Lucy's Ghosts still roam</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The film "Meherjaan" imagines a politically forbidden love affair between a Pakistani soldier and a sexy Bangladeshi girl (</span><a href="http://www.meherjaan.net/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Read the synopsis</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> here) in 1971 Liberation War- and surely bruises our most sensitive nerves!</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It is absurdly Utopian. But, it has been made so to deliberately provoke alternate narratives of Liberation War. Ms. Rubaiyat writes:</span></span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“History is not a coherent narrative. …A war is always made into a glorious narrative with certain male hero and villains. The purpose of Meherjaan is to break the glorious narrative of national history to open up a modest avenue to explore… multiple narratives of Muktijuddho…</span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">History [of 1971] has to be told, not only from the vantage point of the armed forces, the politicians, the freedom fighters, the men, rather, history has to be told from the voices of every other person that was left out, the old woman, the man who didn’t fight, and maybe a young girl who was coming of age and falling in love while the entire country plunged into hatred, killing, separatist emotions and nationalist turmoil.”</span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">How dare Rubaiyat nakedly points it out that contemporary Bengali history has been stated from the perspective of nationalism not only since 1971- but perhaps since the British India. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The point she makes is clear- DeshPrem is not reflected in how well a narrative can portray ‘us’ as morally superior and ‘them’ as the complete evil- but how well it could objectively provide penetrating insight into the events those played critical role in the history of our nation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The made up story of ‘Meherjaan’ quickly reminds me of its dual- the real story of ‘Champa’ brought to attention by </span><a href="http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/faculty/profiles/28/16/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Nayanika Mookherjee</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. In NM’s words:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I came to know about Champa from a newspaper article in Bhorer Kagoj (13/5/98) with the headline ‘Birangona Champa in the Mental Hospital’ with a picture of a woman who seemed to be in her mid 40s.” </span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">NM then proceeded to research the story, found out the real Champa, met her in Pabna, spoke to her, and eventually helped to actuate the narrative. It reveals how NM obviously founds that there is “<i>disjunctions between Champa’s narrative as accounted to me and the narrativisation in the article in the press per report</i>”. One might find NM’s findings a rebuke to the journalists. In reality- both the journalists and the researcher played collective role in increasing the depth of the real story of a human Champa. This fascinating story of the story of Champa is worth reading: </span><a href="http://www.drishtipat.org/1971/docs/war_nayanika.pdf"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Ethical Issues Concerning Representation of Narratives of Sexual Violence of 1971</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A necessary step in this process of attaining depth of understanding is the acceptance of multiple narratives. Not to mixup. Champa is real while Meherjaan is imaginary. But both are screaming intellectual statement to begin that meticulous search for factual objectivity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a short term risk- some existing narratives will be shaken, it will appear as confusing in myopic minds and old egos will be bruised. But, in the long run- it will make the foundation of the nation much more genuine rather than degenerating it to mythical. But of course, for last 40 years we have followed Omar Khayyam’s – “<i>Laav ki shune durer baddo majhkhane je bejai faak</i>?” than Rubaiyat’s.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However, it seems that BFSB had missed yet a bigger rebel in Rubaiyat. This story is imaginary. We know it could not happen and did not happen. It is not part of past- but can it be part of future? Indeed, the author fervently wishes it to really happen! This is what RH is saying:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Meherjaan” also attempts to reach out across the borders imposed in 1947, and forge a creative link among Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Our hope is to open up a modest avenue to bridge the ruptures that nationalism’s exclusionary nature has inflicted upon us in South Asia”.</span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hmm! Don’t my paranoiac brain hears the bell of Pak+Bangla unification or <a href="http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=572003?related">India’s Bangladesh annexation</a> ??</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Where from she is drawing such audacity of love? Mind that Rubaiyat represents a new generation at the dawn of globalization. Rubaiyat’s generation sees the banality of excessive nationalism in post independent societies. The rules of the old world – with its racism, regionalism, religion-ism, and even nationalism, state-ism, eventually divide people, and do not help anymore her generation. These should go the way racism and caste system has gone. In her incredibly shrinking world, so many people need to live so close just with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">two-and-a-half degree</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> of separation in a networked world. So she is seeing a desperate need to soak the world with feminine love to make it livable again- especially drenching places where it has been forbidden:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">While the world plunges into unlimited war and terror, we believe there is necessity to look outside the masculine ideology of nation-state and violence... With this saga of love and romance we intend to instigate a process of healing the unattended wounds of 1971 by bringing out the otherwise inaudible voices of history.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">..</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">”.</span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I think by her own admission- she can be tried as anti-state, anti-nationalist, anti-awami, pro-Pakistani, pro-Indian, anti-leftist- even anti-Davos anarchist! Thanks to Mr. Habibur Rahman Khan for correcting the mistake of BFCB and saving the old world of ours!</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">*******</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">Ms. Rubaiyat has completed her BA from Smith College of Massachusetts- one of the most haunted Women’s liberal arts college in US- which is famous for <a href="http://paranormal.about.com/od/hauntedplaces/ig/Haunted-Colleges-and-Universit/Smith-College---Sessions-House.htm">numerous ghost stories</a> of fateful lovers surrounding its centurion campus buildings (Famous alumni include Nancy Regan and Barbara Bush). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well the story of Meherjaan is actually not fully made up! One of those famous Smith campus ghost stories is about the fateful love between British General Burgoyne and his secret lover Mr. Hunt's eldest daughter Lucy. Two would rendezvous in and around the secret stairs of Session House building. This was indeed built originally by the Lucy’s grandfather, Captain J. Hunt in 1751. The affair took place at Boston at the backdrop of American War of Independence in 1770-1785’s. This is the brief period when both the current territories of Bangladesh and US were under the same government! But the British General miserably lost the war and had to promise never to return in US soil to avoid a formal surrender. He returned to England broken heart. Lucy, in the newly independent US, was left tormented with her lost lover. The two were driven apart by the winds of war. Until today there are citing of the ghosts’ of the lovers in campus that stirs the young feminine minds trolling the campus.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz2R1yNFouksQwpylJS58PFCkMKD1VYkkW1knK3OvlNBTluI8MQBN8IKaUqdbGUxaGb4PlVAt8_KgytYm-9amzgfGC3bs49pIldL3SFHWyURN0q2ZtXDClcv68qdeleb-AmaGgPftOjc/s1600/rubayat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz2R1yNFouksQwpylJS58PFCkMKD1VYkkW1knK3OvlNBTluI8MQBN8IKaUqdbGUxaGb4PlVAt8_KgytYm-9amzgfGC3bs49pIldL3SFHWyURN0q2ZtXDClcv68qdeleb-AmaGgPftOjc/s1600/rubayat.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">Ms. Rubaiyat also has an MA from South Asian Studies program at UPENN which finally washed her brain in the idea of South Asian emancipation! She also holds a diploma from New York Film Academy. Here is her short biography at the </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3960381/bio"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Internet Movie Database</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"> In 2006/7 she spent time as a lecturer in BRAC University. She also happens to be the daughter of Bangladesh’s current communication minister Syed Abul Hossain. May be that’s why she is not arrested yet for polluting the narrative of Bangladesh’s War of Independence with a ghost story from American War of Independence! </span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">*****</span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-43849350032674139252011-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:002011-03-04T06:51:47.010-08:00Dynastic Democracy, Gamal Mubarak, Saif Gaddafi and The Two Princes of Bangladesh<div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(<i>Real Time Bangladesh Blog Report, March 2011</i>)</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u></u></b></span> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Tarique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Tarique.jpg" border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Tarique.jpg" width="145" /></a><a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/pics/606.jpg" rel="example2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sajeeb Wazed Joy and his wife <i>(Weekly Blitz)</i>"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/pics/large/606.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: small;">In pictures (Left/Top) Mr. Tareq imitates his father's hand waiving (in the background). (Right/Below) Mr. Sajeeb Wazed visits from US for a vacation and the student wing of mother's party (BCL) organizes a reception parodying the 1972 ret</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>urn</i></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"> of his grand father Mujib from a Pakistani jail after the independence of 1971. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Egyptian revolution is now in the intermission, Libya raging- meanwhile it is a time to look into the mirror- in our home- in this desert light. <span style="line-height: 115%;">Are we different from Egypt or there are some ominous similarities?</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Out of every kind of insults- torture, corruption, repression, jail for speaking out- the final straw that broke the camel’s back- seems to be peculiarly a trivial issue! This is how <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/21/protests-egypt-gamal-mubarak-succession"><span style="color: blue;">The Guardian reported the first spark</span></a> which occurred on Sept 20, 2010:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Hundreds of protesters take to streets of Cairo over widely held belief that president's son is being groomed to take over… It is widely believed that Gamal, now 46, is being groomed to succeed his father, Hosni, 82, as Egypt's next ruler… The younger Mubarak accompanied the presidential delegation to peace talks in Washington this month... The protest also spread to Alexandria, where it was reported that 30 demonstrators were arrested and women had their clothes torn. In Cairo journalists were among those beaten.</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Actually, that protest was fueled by WikiLeaks revelation a week before (<i>Al-Ahram, <a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/1927/Egypt/Politics-/WikiLeaks-release-cables-on-Egyptian-succession.aspx">WikiLeaks release cables on Egyptian Succession</a>, Dec 15, 2011</i>) of US Envoys estimate:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Gamal Mubarak, the head of the influential Policies Committee in the ruling National Democratic Party, would succeed his father, President Hosni Mubarak, to the Egyptian presidency. The summary of the cable described Gamal Mubarak as "a rising star in the ruling party" and said that despite </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">his claim that he does not aim for succession, his actions show otherwise.."</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It is the dynastic succession that finally broke the barrage in Egypt! In Libya the heir apparent </span><span style="font-size: small;">Saif al-Islam Muammar Al-Gaddafi is already in driving seat- the man in charge of fighting the protesters.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alas, can we see the ghosts of Gamal in Bangladesh? For ten years Mr. Mubarak began planting his second son Gamal Mubarak to gradually succeed him. He was introduced in key position in NDP. Despite the gag on Egyptian media- reports started surfacing Mr. Gamal Mubarak also amassing huge wealth by peddling his princely influence. Just a sample- New York Times Reports:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Today he has a significant stake in a private equity company with interests throughout the Egyptian economy, from oil to agriculture to tourism, corporate records and ... (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/world/middleeast/13wealth.html">read rest</a>).”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is what Wikipedia on Mr. Tareq Zia reads:</span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Since 1988 he worked in the textiles industry, setting up a number of textile mills, notably Dandy Dyeing, and in the water transport sector….”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Libya, the Gaddafi sons and daughter got entangled in feud over "35-billion Coco-Cola bottling plant'" and "shares of Libyan Olympic Committee" (<i>Reuter Reports, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/03/us-wiki-libya-coke-idUSTRE72240620110303">How the Cola war war Won in Libya</a></i>).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Bangladesh, to the discredit of the civic society and all democratic ideas, both our current prime minister and the former prime minister (now the opposition leader) are openly planning family succession for quite some time. Most ordinary Bangladeshis are watching with silent disgust. The mothers themselves are respectively daughter and wife of our former leaders.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ironic- all these three princes’ today stand opposite to the very ideals of the respective leaders, from whom they claim their biological legacy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><u>The Huns?</u></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The case of Tareq Zia is more well-known now. There are now numerous documented corruption charges against the two Zia brothers at both national and international levels. Much like the elder Mr. Tareq Rahman, Mr. Gamal Mubarak has also amassed a large number of companies. The younger, Mr. Arafat Rahman, succumbing to drug addiction took apolitical path. Her mother- former prime minister Mrs. Khaleda Zia, who rose to the leadership as wife of General Zia, groomed Mr. Tareq Rahman for political succession with placement in key party positions in BNP. During her tenure, Mr. Tareq ran politics and business affairs from the venerable <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=111469">Hawaa Bhaban</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">What can be more ironic? Their father the senior Zia- a decorated (Bir Uttam) commander of the liberation war- was once revered by millions- if not for anything else, but for his personal financial austerity. Minding the poverty stricken millions of Bangladesh- president Zia wore mended garments. He also did not allow his family to get involved in national affairs during his lifetime. Millions wept at his assassination. Yet, after his death- his sons at the watch of their mother, focused on amassing millions. The only known asset they had was their family identity. President Zia did not own a residence. The brothers’ current image is slap to the ideal for which the senior Zia was respected.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><br />
</u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u>And the Han</u></b></span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now here comes the other heir apparent-Mr. Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed- the son of current prime minister and the grandson of Bongubondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman- the father of the nation. Mujib was brutally assassinated along with all his sons by military officers and politicians with US alignment in his own party. Ironically, a dynastic aspiration is still creeping in from the surviving daughter’s lineage. Growing up mostly outside, he is now a US citizen. Though a late entrant in the political scene of Bangladesh, now bits and pieces about him are coming into light. Here is a <a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/141/bangladesh-the-fortunate-corrupts">sample reported</a> in Blitz:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">“Records [in USA] show several cases were filed against him. He has been charged on various occasions with drunken driving, speeding, reckless driving, unlawful use of radar detection device, and even carrying an unlicensed gun. He even had to spend time in jail for his misdemeanors.”</span></blockquote></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the cited charges are from public records in US. For more, here is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajeeb_Wazed">Semi-official Bio</a> (Wikipedia discussion page indicates that this page is carefully guarded by one his follower), an unofficial biography (<a href="http://www.weeklyblitz.net/141/bangladesh-the-fortunate-corrupts"><span style="color: blue;">Bangladesh: the Fortunate Corrupts, Weekly Blitz, 2008</span></a>), and another <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/khabor/message/844?var=1"><span style="color: blue;">analysis of biography</span></a> of Mr. Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=151884">Daily Star Reports</a>, in August 2010- an airport <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Immigration Officer was suspended- after requesting Mr. Wazed to stand through the regular immigration line at Dhaka International Airport- who was trying to avoid the line claiming his VIP status as prime minister’s son. You may wonder if Mr. Wazed enjoys any such privilege with the custom and border agency from his own country US. This is possibly a classic case of abusive power. A law abiding officer was the victim. This may be an early sample of what is coming- a life-long career addicted to the comforts of nepotism and influence peddling- which painfully we have seen in Mr. Tariq, Mr. Gamal and their likes.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">But, to be fair- compared to the Rahman brothers- there is no substantial corruption charge against him yet.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">The current prime minister- his mother however has also now begun the process of carefully planting him in the leadership of Awami League. <a href="http://rumiahmed.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/sajeeb-wazed-joy-enter-stage-left/">Media reports</a>, he is now being prepared for a possible run in 2014 Election. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Interestingly, the constitution of Bangladesh does not permit non-citizens to run for parliament membership. Part 5, Article 66 of the <a href="http://www.banglaembassy.com.bh/Constitution.html">Constitution of Bangladesh</a> states:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“(1) A person shall [..] be qualified to be elected as, and to be, a member of Parliament if he is a citizen of Bangladesh. […]. (2) A person shall be disqualified .. who [.. ] acquires the citizenship of, or affirms of acknowledges allegiance to, a foreign state;”</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like every new (naturalized) citizen of US, This is what Mr. Wazed has taken oath: </span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Solemnly, freely, and without mental reservation, I hereby renounce under oath all allegiance to any foreign state [Bangladesh]. My fidelity and allegiance from this day forward is to the United States of America.” (Wikepedia)</span></div></blockquote><div class="Default" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A ‘fix’ to the constitution to bypass this requirement and paving the succession plan might be on its way. The <a href="http://www.ecs.gov.bd/MenuExternalFilesEng/262.pdf">February 2009 Gazette</a> with the title “Representation of the People Order (Amendment) Act, 2009" omits the critical disqualifying clause (2). These processes are ominously reminiscent of Mr. Gamal Mubarak’s debut in NDP in 2002 by his father. </span></div><div class="Default" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;">Bangladesh needs Hosni Mubarak?</span></b></u><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">With Mr. Tareq- the people of Bangladesh faces the prospect of unlimited corruption. With Mr. Wazed, however, Bangladesh perhaps faces another type of trouble which incidentally has “Egypt” stamped on it!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2009/09/pm-hasina-and-son-joy-to-co-authors.html">2008 article</a> jointly authored with a US Soldier, Mr. Wazed has prescribed nothing less than now deposed Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak’s policy of repression torture and rendition for Bangladesh! This is in the name of fighting Islamic terrorism of course. It states:</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Bangladesh should attempt to replicate the recent successes in Saudi Arabia and Egypt [of Hosni Mubarak Regime] to force the hand of extremist clerics to recant their past remarks and speak out against jihadists. They have even used moderate and reformed clerics to retrain jihadists in prison with a more moderate interpretation of the Koran."</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blindly towing the line of US foreign policy and CIA activities, Mr. Wazed believes the repressive policies of now deposed Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt to be a success! Read more about it in <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2009/09/pm-hasina-and-son-joy-to-co-authors.html">article</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">Once such extra-legal means are allowed- governments bend on clinging to power- resort to use it on other citizens as well. This was the case of Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt. There is nothing in Bangladesh to stop tumbling down this slippery slope. UK Intelligence’s involvement in cross-border torture activities using RAB revealed by WikiLeaks Dhaka Cables (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/18/bangladesh-torture-centre-map">The Guardian, <i>Bangladeshi torture centre mapped by former inmate</i>, Jan 2011</a>) is interesting. Add to that believes of our “VIP” prince like Mr. Wazed’s. It can be a fateful combination for Bangladesh turning it into a police state. Even Awami League’s top leadership should seek clarification on these developments for their own personal and ideological safety. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bongobondhu has himself also fought Islamist but in different ways. A rather naive and simplistic view like Mr. Wazed’s emanates from lack of knowledge about people, religion, and culture of Bangladesh and Egypt both.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">This naiveté not an issue if espoused by an average US Joe the Immigrant (remember Joe the Plumber) not knowing the actual tool and techniques of tortures used (Read here at <i><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201127114827382865.html"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">Al Jazeera</span></a></i> article February 2011, <i><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201127114827382865.html">Suleiman: The CIA's man in Cairo</a></i>) and related violations of human rights and international laws. This however can have devastating consequences if the Joe is about to be infused in Bangladesh at the very top of power as political heir apparent.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">Nothing can be more farcical to the life, legacy and ideology of Bongobondhu! Indeed most of his political life he stood up against military supported false (aptly termed as "basic") democracy of Pakistan- much like Mubarak's Egypt. US had actively opposed the creation of Bangladesh- the nation which calls him Father of the Nation. Mujib stood defiant against the imperialistic policy and practices of US in the ranks with Salvador Allende and Sukarno and non-alliance movement. It is believed (also by his own political party) that CIA's of mid 70's had conspired (Daily Star,<a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/08/15/d5081501033.htm"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">The long shadow of the August 1975 coup</span></a>) in his assassination.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">Both the fathers- Mujib and Zia must be tottering inside their graves! What a somersault of their mutant genes! </span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><u><b><span style="font-size: small;">Our Genetic Democracy</span></b></u><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our spoiled princes are entitled to have their own believes and life. However, they should not be imposed on a country under the facade of democracy. It might also be unfair on them as well. There are thousands other brilliant, meritorious and accomplished young Bangladeshi’s who can aptly shoulder the yolk of democracy in future Bangladesh- than any of these spoiled ghosts of Gamal’s.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">At best it means disgrace and dishonor for the people of Bangladesh- as if the entire countries collective intellectual account is zero.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">At worst it means calamity- corruption and eventual degeneration of a country into dark ages. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Democracy is not carried in gene. Scions of once fiery ideologist leaders can be their negative print. Indeed, more often they succumb to corruption and abuse due to their spoiled or disturbed upbringing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It is possible to indoctrinate them into democracy by sending them in western elite schools- which seems to be a popular trend too? Look at one example- Saif Gaddafi- second son and the designated heir there- went to London School of Economics for a PhD. </span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The irony is its title -</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Role of Civil Society in the Democratisation of Global Governance Institutions</i>.</span> <span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Did it</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: small;"> work?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">As Libya rages <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9407335.stm">BBC reports</a> on Sunday 20th February, Saif promised <b><span style="font-size: small;">rivers of blood</span></b> for the protesters as his succession plan is in shamble.</span> To answer the plagiarism charge against his PhD dissertation, this is what his adviser Lord Meghnad Desai (Author of an very interesting book<i> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2002/may/19/highereducation.shopping">Marx's Revenge</a></i>) recently has to say about Saif:<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<blockquote>"I read the thesis, I examined him along with an examiner, he defended his thesis very, very thoroughly, he had nobody else present there, and I don't think there's any reason to think he didn't do it himself... This is over-egging the pudding. The man [Saif] is evil enough - you don't have to add that he's a plagiarist as well!". </blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Such elite education only provides Saifs' with sophisticated tools. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Education at Harvard or LSE never changes the mis-education and the life's goal set at home. </span><span style="font-size: small;">A dynastic successor- who is created by his parents to maintain a family grip on state power and privilege- eventually use elite education -(and the contact network that comes with it)- to fulfill that pervert goal more effectively .</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We as a generation seem to have given up. But, with our indifference to such medieval aberration of democracy- we are ensuring that these spoiled scions of the past leaders will also spoil the lives of our children. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is time to bring some desert sun-light and common sense back in our home for the sake of our next generation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">With Egyptian revolution behind us- say resolutely “Kafya” to the joke of genetic democracy!</span><br />
<br />
<u><b>Epilogue</b></u><br />
<b></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">In the last hours of Hosni Mubarak's resignation, <a href="http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/02/13/137490.html">Al Arabiya reports</a> the elder son of Mubarak -Aala Mubarak- who did not join the lime light as his younger brother, engaged in a heated argument that almost developed into a fight. According to the report, Alaa accused Gamal of dragging the country into corruption by helping his friends in the business industry climb the echelons of political power. </span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">"Instead of working to help your father be honored at the end of his life, you helped damage his image this way," Alaa reportedly told his brother Gamal”.</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">In <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12427091">Hosni Mubarak's Last Speech</a>, he had a beautiful piece of advice for other's who are trotting his ways:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";"></span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: small;">"The mistakes can be made in any political system and in any state. But, the most important is to recognise them and correct them as soon as possible and bring to account those who have committed them."</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif";">Though- it was too late for him.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-16983735704570903062011-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:002011-02-27T23:09:07.298-08:00100 Lashes of Death for Hena and to the Conscience of Bangladesh: Many Thousands Henas are There..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2011/02/07/2011-02-07__Hena%20Akhter-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2011/02/07/2011-02-07__Hena%20Akhter-2.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/2/4/1296850217512/Bangladeshi-whipping-vict-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bangladeshi whipping victim's mother" border="0" height="120" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/2/4/1296850217512/Bangladeshi-whipping-vict-007.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b> Internet Photo of Hena (now dead) and her griefing Mother</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<i>(RealTimeBangladesh Blog, February 2011)</i><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=28345">Daily Star</a> story on Hena- latest victim of village (un) justice in Bangladesh has been making its round in News/Blogsphere after news-setter website DrugeReport picked it up. The Daily Star reported:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>According to witnesses, Hena was whipped at least 50 times a day after she was raped allegedly by her 40-year-old cousin Mahbub and physically tortured by Mahbub's wife and in-laws on January 23. The next day, Imam of local mosque Saifullah passed a fatwa for whipping the girl 101 times and Mahbub 200 times. He also fined Mahbub Tk 50,000.</blockquote><blockquote>The fatwa was given in a closed-door meeting, arranged by the family of Mahbub's wife Shilpi in collusion with Idris Sheikh, member of Chamta union parishad. At one stage of the lashing, Hena collapsed to the ground, witnesses add. Still, Idris and some others did not allow Hena's family to take her to hospital until January 25, when her condition worsened.</blockquote><br />
<a href="http://www.salon.com/wires/world/2011/02/02/D9L55IO81_as_bangladesh_whipped_girl/index.html">AP cites</a> the local police officer Mr. Rahman giving further details:<br />
<blockquote>" the 40-year-old man with whom Hena was allegedly involved was also sentenced to 100 lashes. But the man fled, escaping the punishment, he said. "We are hunting for the man".</blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Note this is a very special country- in 2011 it will mark the two decades of Women Power- since 1991 all the prime-ministers in Bangladesh has been women! Possibly unique in the world. Also a unique contrast!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Not only the Fatwabaz imam, but a much a bigger problem lies here ( Mr. Idris who supposedly whipped was a local Union Parishad member- an elected position). What we see here is a case of abject poverty, ignorance and ensuing inability of poor people to claim their rights. Such fatwa etc. are already illegal. Indeed the High Court of Bangladesh is now on it. But, that does not always impact the practice on the ground.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The deep rooted poverty in the Bangladesh and in the sub-continent keeps millions of people (almost 20-30% of the population) in deep problem. First of all, many do not know what is the law. Secondly, even if they know they cannot exert their rights. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is hardy any modern government institutional arm to reach them. In villages when calamity descends in the form of famine, flood, local conflict, property seizure, job loss, it is the village power structure which provides whatever forms of shelter/protection. Thus when this very local power structure imposes a verdict they have to accept it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A follow up report by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/04/bangladeshi-girl-whipping-fatwa">The Guardian</a> quotes the poor father of Hena Mr. Darbesh:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">"I'm not educated," Darbesh said. "I don't know what the court laws are. But I know that if I don't listen to the elders, we would be outcast. None of my daughters could marry, no one would even look at us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The rest- ‘enlightened’ middle class- who run the ‘democratic’ governments, all its institutions, hardly cares to change this situation. Even the woman prime-ministers are not a help. They too entrenchedly belong to a separate elite class. This class has their own problems to overwhelm them. Plus they can get supply of cheap indenture labor by maintaining this statuesque of limited rights for millions by perpetuating ignorance.<br />
<br />
Not only prime minister and ex prime-ministers, the current foreign minister and home minister in-charge of law enforcement and security are female two. But just few weeks back Sheersha News, <a href="http://www.daily-sun.com/?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=23-12-2010&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=75&cat_id=1&menu_id=1&news_type_id=1&index=3">Daily Sun</a>, and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_145246093">The Probe </a><span class="submitted"><a href="http://www.priyo.com/story/2010/dec/23/15369-19-sex-girls-held-sahara%E2%80%99s-hotel?page=1&quicktabs_1=1">23/12/2010</a> </span>reported:<br />
<blockquote>"Rapid Action Battalion on Wednesday arrested 19 sex workers and 20 boarders at a residential hotel [Imperial Guest House, Dhaka], owned by Home Minister Sahara Khatun, in the city."</blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is really strange. But in Bangladesh there has very little public commotion on it.<br />
<br />
Hena and her class supply cheap labor for agriculture, labor for industry (including the garment industry which supplies your own shirts and clothing worldwide) and servants in every middle class household. Many of them are Hena- and their exploitation has little to do with religious Fatwa!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The fatwa death is merely a collateral side-effect of this bigger exploitation. The middle class here is not sure if they want a real change. Because it also means giving up all these privileges. So only lip services are available- crocodile tears, some side punch to popular punch bag- religious idiots- <a href="http://work949.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/14-year-old-rape-victim-lashed-to-death-in-bangladesh-sharia-is-most-cruel/">here is an example</a>) etc. when such a tragic incident is reported in media- rather than addressing its economic root.<br />
<br />
<br />
Alarmingly, this income differential is growing further in Bangladesh. Food price is creating extreme pressure.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
This one looks extreme? But such sinister human rights violations- acid burning, intentional maiming of children inside cooking pot for begging business- has been reported almost every other week in Bangladesh Newspapers. Ask your enlightened Bangladeshi friend- almost all middle class household- including his/her have house servants!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is interesting to see that prominent Western Blogsphare (Drugereport, Huffington Post) has picked the story of one Hena up. Hope they also point to the real cause of income differential and economic exploit.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-6189586134744827122010-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:002010-05-10T20:09:54.504-07:00South Asian Supermen<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></div>*****<br />
<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><br />
<a href="http://img.breitbart.com/images/2010/5/9/CNG.ce6e076d355a498ef621bad2bbef1a32.f1/photo_1273474258687-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img.breitbart.com/images/2010/5/9/CNG.ce6e076d355a498ef621bad2bbef1a32.f1/photo_1273474258687-1-1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(186, 186, 186);" width="139" /></a>Mr. Prahlad Jani is living for decades years without taking any food or water. <span class="lingo_region">The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad in a study initiated by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute. If he is not deriving energy from food he must be deriving it from somewhere else such as sunlight? Now indian military is researching him with hope that one day Indian soldiers can also fight for days without food and drink. Read more of the <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iUnd51QjNbWrFXazB42Qth9oK53Q?index=0">AFP story</a> here.</span><br />
<span class="lingo_region"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span class="lingo_region"> Mr. Prahlad Jani did not eat or drink for decades.</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="lingo_region">****</span><br />
<span class="lingo_region"><br />
</span><br />
However, poor Mr. Faiz Mohammad from Pakistan was not so lucky. He was arrested at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport last night by startled airport security force with a weired pair of wired shoes with a cell phone power jack and on-off switch! (see picture below).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-0-0981D84F000005DC-136_233x323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Faiz Mohammad" border="0" class="blkBorder" height="200" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-0-0981D84F000005DC-136_233x323.jpg" width="144" /></a>Mr. Mohammad, a building constructor who was heading for Muscat in Oman, told investigators he bought the shoes from a market in Karachi and had no idea there were circuits hidden inside the soles. 'It is premature to say what was he up to. We are looking into the matter thoroughly,' police official Sohail Faiz said.<br />
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<i><span class="lingo_region">Mr. Faiz is in trouble for his shoes below:</span></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-0-0981D8EB000005DC-664_468x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Faiz Mohammad" border="0" class="blkBorder" height="232" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-0-0981D8EB000005DC-664_468x340.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-1275952-0981D79B000005DC-669_468x286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Faiz Mohammad" border="0" class="blkBorder" height="195" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/05/10/article-1275952-0981D79B000005DC-669_468x286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="lingo_region">Poor Mr. Faiz perhaps had no idea that what havoc his shoes can bring in post 9/11 world specially with his beard and look! Perhaps some kind of massage shoe? Sure these are cool for long flights.</span><br />
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<span class="lingo_region"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-30355189568529576982010-04-23T13:56:00.000-07:002010-04-23T13:56:20.080-07:00Death of the last American 'Caveman' in Idaho<div id="StorySidebarContainer"><div id="StorySidebar"><div class="box"><div id="StoryPhoto1"><!-- START: /Idaho2007/Assets/Story/image_photo.comp --> <div> <center> <a class="thickbox" href="http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/2010/04/22/23/0423%20Local%20dugoutdick1.standalone.prod_affiliate.36.jpg"> <div class="sb_photo"> <img border="0" src="http://media.idahostatesman.com/smedia/2010/04/22/23/0423%20Local%20dugoutdick1.embedded.prod_affiliate.36.jpg" width="260" /></div></a></center></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-71248754300941621192010-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:002011-02-27T17:47:26.703-08:00First of Bangladeshi Islands Disappears in Global Sea Level Rise? Whales Discovered Nearby.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="This photo taken Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 shows mangrove trees submerged in the river water in Sundarban delta, about 1487 miles south of Calcutta, India." border="0" height="300" src="http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2010/03/24/image6329310g.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Last Photo taken in Dec 2009, Disappearing..</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Remember South Talpotti? The Bangladeshi Island that was taken by Indian Navy? It has completely disappeared. On the other hand rich pod of Whales has been discovered in the nearby area in Bangladesh.<br />
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The 2.5 mile x 1.5 mile sized <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Talpatti_Island">South Talpatti</a> (or New Moore island) near Surderban has disapparead from Satellite imagery. India and Bangladesh both disputed its ownership for nearly 30 years. Now the problem has resolved sadly with its complete disappearance! Indian oceanographer Sugata Hazra a professor at <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269437376_4" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer;">Jadavpur University</span> in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269437376_5">Calcutta</span>, reports submerging of additional islands nearby:<br />
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<blockquote>"Another nearby island, Lohachara, was submerged in 1996, forcing its inhabitants to move to the mainland, while almost half the land of Ghoramara island was underwater, he said. At least 10 other islands in the area were at risk as well".</blockquote>The sea level has risen about 0.2 inches annually for last decade in the Bay of Bengal exceeding model predictions.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw44JlPO9fsp7-QCEykdoI3mkxH9QSmkgGEfazKQ2IeF3bbSYbWc9Gy9AbYym1v6NOK4rypuIRyZGEufVAScerrQEocTMh8FDkVkW8ki2MzMvHsqiiI2AXE2AcGMyOXzw57RZzRiekJlQ/s1600/DSC04502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw44JlPO9fsp7-QCEykdoI3mkxH9QSmkgGEfazKQ2IeF3bbSYbWc9Gy9AbYym1v6NOK4rypuIRyZGEufVAScerrQEocTMh8FDkVkW8ki2MzMvHsqiiI2AXE2AcGMyOXzw57RZzRiekJlQ/s320/DSC04502.JPG" /></a></div><b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">A similar endangered Sundarban Islands seen during a 2009 Trip in the area by the Author. The disappeared island is much bigger than this one.</span></b></div><br />
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South Talpotty island was discovered after the 1970's cyclone by an American satellite, and became a hot button issue between Bangladesh and its big neighbor India. In 1981 India sent its navy to post Indian flag on it and established a boarder guard camp on it. Now it has become a submerged mountain. <br />
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Thousands of desperate people- mostly poor- in the nearby islands are anyway planting Mangrooves for years to fight a loosing battle to slow down the erosion perhaps paying the price for rich nations indulgence with carbon.<br />
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However, it is also probable, that the island disappeared in a natural process of the channel dynamics rather than climate change as hypothesized by Dr. Hazara. The appearance and disappearance on char (river islands) is common in Bangladeshi rivers. In some cases they re-emerge after some years.<br />
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In any case, the actual Climate Change is going to be devastating to the area. The entire melting of Himalayan ice will flow through this area! The Island is at the tip of the largest Mangroove forest in the world- Sundarban- the home of Royal Bengal Tiger- also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If the sea level rises Sundarban will be lost in 50-100 years.<br />
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But, ahoi! Instead of Royal Bengal Tiger and beautiful Chitra Deers- thence Sundorban might turn out to be the playground of Dolphins and Whales!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Whales in Bangladesh? </b></span><br />
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Thats a sweet secret. The nearby sea area is also rich.The <b>Swatch of No Ground</b>- an undersea canyon is the playing ground for Irrawardy Dolphins.<br />
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Bangladeshi young researchers have discovered thriving pods of Whales right here.The author visited the area with the group twice in recent years in 2006 and 2009. It was delight to watch the activities of the young naturalists who have silently discovered the pods and regularly recording them for years by converting sea faring Sampan's into expeditionary vassel and increasing their area of observation over the years. A <a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/236163,bangladeshi-waters-rich-haven-for-dolphins-whales--feature.html">meeting</a> disclosed findinging in 2008- Earth Times reported:<br />
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<blockquote>Researchers have identified waters along Bangladesh's coast and deep in the Bay of Bengal as one of the richest areas on Earth for cetacean diversity. An amazing array of dolphins and whales live in these areas, the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Bangladesh's Cetacean Diversity Project said after conducting a joint study over the past six years.</blockquote><br />
See some lucky shots of "Bangal' whales in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jexca/4387089268/">flicker here</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-507" height="192" src="http://www.kewkradong.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/song_3-1024x616.jpg" title="song_3" width="320" /></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Whales in Bangladesh! </b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Photographed in Bangladesh's Swatch of No Ground area. For years, Bangladeshi research groups observing and recording whale pods in the in Bay-of-Bengal. (Photograph: © Indranil Kishor/ btef.info)</b></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-26185639769885878992010-03-08T22:38:00.000-08:002011-02-27T17:50:02.689-08:00Dhaka has Become Surprize Hub of Online Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" border="0" height="203" src="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(RealTimeBangladesh, March 07, 2010)</span><br />
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Have you heard of online job? You work for none- but work as a freelance and bid for short term jobs online. Work comes coming!<br />
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The idea has been spearheaded by a company called ODesk from Menlo Park, Calif. which has seen its own business double each year since 2004. It hosts some 100,000 employers who post jobs they want done and about half a million freelancers around the world who bid on the work.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" border="0" height="203" src="http://www.unitedwayfoxcities.org/resources/babyatcomputercropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>What kind of job these are? The online jobs have wide interesting ranges. It includes data entry, computer programming, animation design, translating to accounting. But there are fun ones too. One of the hottest demand is for blog writers. There is also need for email readers. Have a nice voice- put your voice to bid!<br />
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In February, oDesk freelancers worked 630,600 hours and earned $7.1 million. Its a small part of outsourced job but do represent a rapidly growing trend- perhaps a model for future service model.<br />
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In this little future- a surprise spot is for none but Bangladesh in a recent <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/new-economy/2010/0305/What-are-the-Top-10-nations-for-online-workers">report published by oDesk</a>. Dhaka ranked 4th among the cities from where the free-lancers are participating. As a country, Bangladesh ranked 7th- ahead of China! Guess- who is at #1 spot? Of course India.<br />
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According to ODesk there are about 2400 individuals participating from Bangladesh, who are earning an average hourly rate of $11.59. Not bad a 1000 Taka / hour. The Average quality feedback of Bangladeshi workers also ranked a tiny bit higher than our mighty big neighbor's (4.01 vs. 3.99).<br />
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Who is generating the jobs? Few surprise again: Ukraine and Pakistan generated more online work than Canada or China.<br />
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Want to see upbeat talking heads, ministers and committee head in Bangladesh- The huge potential of Out Source? Well two caution notes for them:<br />
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Don't confuse it with <b>Software Outsourcing</b>. Software Outsourcing is mega billion dollar business. For example Beijing alone gets more than a billion, and have single companies which earns more than 100 million each!.<br />
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The nature of the online job auction is that it bypasses the weaknesses of our IT pondits and futile government efforts/projects, and even the taxmen. The smart online workers themselves are getting the job done.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, how is the state of our software industry? </b></span><br />
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The situation is murky. Even BASIS- the venerable association of software companies in Bangladesh only provides some informal writeup here to the world!- <a href="http://www.basis.org.bd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=30">read here</a>- unprofessional and the data is difficult to rely upon! A better report is <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CA4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icmab.org.bd%2FDownload-document%2F21-An-Overview-of-the-Software-Industry-in-Bangladesh.html&ei=qh6XS6KyDJPelAecj5XcAQ&usg=AFQjCNE13l0VO48UecBJBDC3qSxdvZw6Nw&sig2=O4dLh1CD7KR5JP6F8Q3rXw">this one</a> but- unfortunately is 5 years old.<br />
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Why this poor shape? In fact, the cause can be traced back in late 80's when the first Computer Science Program was started in BUET in 1987. We did not have any teacher in Software Engineering (SE)! We had excellent teachers in Algorithm, in Digital Logic Design- but simply none in SE. Like many other areas nobody in BUET could realize the potential! To many IT gurus/leaders/planners (at that time and even now) programming and software engineering seems almost same! The country is still suffering from this birth defect after all these 22 years!<br />
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On the other hand you can see the excellent result in algorithms. Bangladeshi undergraduates- started doing excellent in programming contests. The problem is programming and software engineering are never never the same. Its like trying to be competitive with a modern Garment industry setup with few thousand singer sewing machines your mom was using.<br />
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(Wondering, what about VLSI/IC design? BUET kicked out the professor in four years after he received the best researcher award there, and successfully nipped any potential in that line too!)<br />
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The problem of programming/SE mix up still continues. To fix the situation- Bangladesh have to start good SE programs and recruit proper expert teachers. There is no substitute for knowledge!<br />
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Software jobs- and online jobs in general, can be illusive! Just because outsource arrived in India and Pakistan does not mean they will automatically come to Bangladesh. For the very same reason they are coming to India- will take them away to Mexico, Thailand, Peru, Nigeria or Vietnam bypassing us who are illprepared. In online world there is no physical problem to move a job from one country to another and bypassing other.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Digital Bangladesh: A Wish and a Dream?</b></span><br />
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A little sardarji once asked his father- how you got me? The father sadrarji was embarassed and told:<br />
<blockquote><i>Hey boy- I sleep with your mother every night and pray to God. Thats it. After 10 months you come as a gift from God! But don't ask this question any more.</i>"</blockquote>The little Sardarji never asked the question ever. He become grown up and married. But did not have a child even after trying for 10 months. So the sardarji and the wife both went to a doctor. Dr. asked them all the questions- how long they are married- Are they are sleeping together? Is he smoking drugs? What do they eat and drink? Nothing wrong can be found. Then the doctor did all the medical tests hoping to find something. But, nothing wrong could be found either. The doctor was really puzzled. So finally started asking deeper question:<br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><i>When do you go to bed?<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Moslty Baad Isha prayer.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>What do you do then?<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>We get inside the chaddar.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then what?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>We talk together about the day’s activities.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then what?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then pray together to God for a son.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then what?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then someday we hug each other when it is cold.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> Then what? </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then sometime we cry to God about forgiving our sins and not giving a child.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Then what? </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>What else is there to do dr- at some point we fell as sleep and dream!!</i><o:p></o:p></div></blockquote><br />
The state of Bangladesh IT industry seems similar. Just sleeping together and waiting has not produced the baby in all these years- and is not likely to produce either. One need to know the real trick and do the prick- what you call 'kam'! Just dreaming is not enough.<br />
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But, in the mean time want to try a day as online "Kamla"? Checkout here at <a href="http://www.odesk.com/w/whyodesk">oDesk</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-51303709390868681042010-02-21T23:10:00.000-08:002010-02-21T23:28:15.326-08:00Shaheed Minar on The United Nation's First PageImage of Shaheed Minar appears on the top page of UN website. Check out more about I<a href="http://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday/">nternational Mothers Language Day</a> 21st February.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4Vo6ejkJ9h1EerZmbFHWC4Kh4rh6SUaYEgE-E9synyTmYZyD6XJptH4tPhQZBXEBga_0rqym9O3WVCugWeh6f_JRGRkulU9SCqGbVaxSKvzBHaBjLBai9F5cJ0wFhKEBriV1ewMjXSY/s1600-h/UN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4Vo6ejkJ9h1EerZmbFHWC4Kh4rh6SUaYEgE-E9synyTmYZyD6XJptH4tPhQZBXEBga_0rqym9O3WVCugWeh6f_JRGRkulU9SCqGbVaxSKvzBHaBjLBai9F5cJ0wFhKEBriV1ewMjXSY/s400/UN.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-9867221818595697752010-02-20T08:19:00.000-08:002010-02-21T22:20:00.423-08:00American T*** Hits IRS Office with PlaneThe Austin attack has opened up an interesting debate in the American conscience. Is Mr. Joseph Stack a T****? The debate is a silent one for understandable reason. The Plane attack has opened up a terrorism debate- where one side cannot talk. But it is in everyones mind.<br />
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So who is in which side? Even "progressive" blogs fails to call spade a spade. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/austin-plane-crash-office_n_467264.html">Huffington Post Report</a> on the incident carefully reports without the T*** word:<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2010/0218/0218-aaustin-texas-plane-crash-600/7416581-1-eng-US/0218-AAUSTIN-Texas-Plane-Crash-600_full_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<blockquote><blockquote style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: small;">"A <b>software engineer (???)</b> furious with the Internal Revenue Service launched a suicide attack on the agency Thursday by crashing his small plane into an office building containing nearly 200 IRS employees, setting off a raging fire that sent workers fleeing for their lives.... At least one person in the building was missing."</span></blockquote></blockquote><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2010/0218/0218-aaustin-texas-plane-crash-600/7416581-1-eng-US/0218-AAUSTIN-Texas-Plane-Crash-600_full_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2010/0218/0218-aaustin-texas-plane-crash-600/7416581-1-eng-US/0218-AAUSTIN-Texas-Plane-Crash-600_full_600.jpg" border="0" height="132" src="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2010/0218/0218-aaustin-texas-plane-crash-600/7416581-1-eng-US/0218-AAUSTIN-Texas-Plane-Crash-600_full_600.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Were the target of this attack not civilian? Is the victim different from the innocent victims of 9/11? Does the victim here need a memorial? Did Mr. Stack has a political agenda? Was there a political believe behind? Here is his <a href="http://realtimebangladesh.blogspot.com/2010/02/plane-attack-pilots-suicide-note.html">last manifesto</a> that he signed off with his name and dated with a finality "(1956-2010) February 18th". A digital epitaph for self. A reader can judge by himself where to draw the line- what is political and what is not. But, here are two lines with near poetic rhyme:</div><blockquote style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.</span> </blockquote><blockquote style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed."</span></blockquote>Is it political? Now he writes:<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">"violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer."</span></b> </blockquote>Its amusing to watch that Media reports across USA have avoided the T word. NBC's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Williams_%28television_correspondent%29">Mr. Pete Williams</a> even said that this was not an act of Terrorism. Why? According to him there are "a couple of reasons to say that . . . <b>One is he's an American citizen</b>.". This mister is a Stanford product!<br />
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The Goebblian logic is clear. You can guess the logic! Some live discussion can however can be found in Blogs. <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/02/19-1">Glenn Greenwald's article</a> articulates the problem this way:<br />
<div style="color: purple; text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"The term now has virtually nothing to do with the act itself and everything to do with the identity of the actor, especially his or her religious identity."...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">...A non-Muslim who flies an airplane into a government building in pursuit of a political agenda is not, or at least is not a Real Terrorist with a capital T -- not the kind who should be tortured and thrown in a cage with no charges and assassinated with no due process. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Nor are Christians who stand outside abortion clinics and murder doctors and clinic workers."</span></blockquote></div>Read this whole article. It cannot be explained better. In fact, one should not be surprised if the mainstream media would soon place this inconvenient event under rug!<br />
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To get the world rid of terrorism the first step is to accept the term in its genuine meaning- the act or targeting civilian's- and we must call a spade a spade- irrespective of who is doing it- be it a government, group or individual.<br />
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Unfortunately, those who refuse to define the term- but use it only the way they want to use it- celebrate when civilian deaths continue as their crusade against undefined terrorism continues. People who does not have say in media may be silent - but they are not fools. This is how this manifesto states:<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this [Violence is the only answer] all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along."</span></blockquote>Whether MSM calls him T*** or not- paragraph by paragraph this manifesto exposes the making of a <b>Flying Human Bomb</b>- made-in-USA with 100% American material.<br />
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A perfect person to begin with- perhaps an overly optimistic rational person.Then the growing feeling of desperation- then the feeling how a powerful system is coming crushing.The person would first try various rational things in his means to seek remedy staying within the system. But then the feeling that there is no recourse within. The ultimate hopelessness.Then the growing realization about hypocritical standards. The sense of injustice. Somebody else doing a bigger crime is being rewarded. Then the anger. Finally, the ultimate realization about the destructive power of mortality. Every one has at least one life to spare. By this time even if that means irrational self-destruction - where the first victim is himself and few more innocents who are more likely to be persons like him rather than the perpetrators.<br />
This transformation process can work on any individual - even an perfect American White Christian can turn into a flying human bomb.<br />
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So Mr. Stack is not a T***. Keeping aside the T*** debate-- there might be more interesting reading in the manifesto. It reads:<br />
<div style="color: purple; text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">"Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it's time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours?"</span></blockquote></div>Is it not the main American Politics of today said in plain words? I move between multiple Worlds. This is an extraordinary time. The general US population is suffering from extraordinary gloom, hopelessness, and negativism. Even people of the Third World have more positive believe about their future.<br />
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It is surprising that the blind US media and deaf politicians- left or right is unable to read into this boiling anger. Hypocrisies lie naked when US politicians fail to provide their fellow citizens even a basic health care when they have allowed lavish 'healthfest' for themselves at tax payers expense.<br />
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Mainstream Americans are finding it increasingly harder to meet their basic need and seeing nothing but darker days ahead- US lawmakers irrespective of their D or R color are busy ensuring CEO bonus using the tax money of these very middle and lower income population.<br />
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It is mind boggling even for a Bangladeshi- one of the poorest nation in the World, to learn that two average Americans (not that homeless drug addict)- one a small business owner cum software engineer (Mr. Stack himself) and a old elderly retired woman are talking about surviving on cat food:<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="color: purple;">"My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker...All she had was social security to live on.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse ... I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be "healthier" eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread."</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually, this American man turns violent to make a statement - to be heard- completely being oblivious to the fact that victims are none but fellow innocent sufferer like him.<br />
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USA is facing obnoxious Islamic terrorism by mishandling world geopolitics since its early days. That is however still an outside nuisance which can be fought in some one else's land at the expense of some elses live. But, a more ominous anger seems to be boiling right here inside USA during this great squeeze of the middle class America.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The leaders of current USA- politicians, media pundits, and business leaders still seems to be dangerously out of touch. Clearly they are too rich. Perhaps they need to genuinely read into the manifesto of this devastated American for once with heart. Before it gets too late this time.<br />
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As I look at my American neighborhood-there might be thousands more to go nuts in this environment of desperation and hopelessness. Fortunately for me- they still does not have access to their plane. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-51586197083320424032010-02-19T07:33:00.000-08:002010-02-19T11:09:12.178-08:00Plane Attack Pilot's Suicide Note<h1>See the 'manifesto' of the man who flew the plane into Austin, Texas IRS building wrote</h1><div class="byline"><div class="clearfix"><span class="titleline"><br />
</span></div></div><span class="altthumbnailimg"><img alt="Plane attack pilot's suicide note" height="168" src="http://www.kdvr.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-02/52301953-18121427.jpg" width="300" /></span> <i> </i><br />
<i>Federal authorities are investigating the following web posting linked to Joseph Stack, the pilot of the single-engine plane that crashed into an Austin, Texas, office building where Internal Revenue Service employees worked.</i><br />
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<blockquote>If you're reading this, you're no doubt asking yourself, "Why did this have to happen?" The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time. The writing process, started many months ago, was intended to be therapy in the face of the looming realization that there isn't enough therapy in the world that can fix what is really broken. Needless to say, this rant could fill volumes with example after example if I would let it. I find the process of writing it frustrating, tedious, and probably pointless… especially given my gross inability to gracefully articulate my thoughts in light of the storm raging in my head. Exactly what is therapeutic about that I'm not sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures.</blockquote><br />
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We are all taught as children that without laws there would be no society, only anarchy. Sadly, starting at early ages we in this country have been brainwashed to believe that, in return for our dedication and service, our government stands for justice for all. We are further brainwashed to believe that there is freedom in this place, and that we should be ready to lay our lives down for the noble principals represented by its founding fathers. Remember? One of these was "no taxation without representation". I have spent the total years of my adulthood unlearning that crap from only a few years of my childhood. These days anyone who really stands up for that principal is promptly labeled a "crackpot", traitor and worse.<br />
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While very few working people would say they haven't had their fair share of taxes (as can I), in my lifetime I can say with a great degree of certainty that there has never been a politician cast a vote on any matter with the likes of me or my interests in mind. Nor, for that matter, are they the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say.<br />
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Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it's time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Yet at the same time, the joke we call the American medical system, including the drug and insurance companies, are murdering tens of thousands of people a year and stealing from the corpses and victims they cripple, and this country's leaders don't see this as important as bailing out a few of their vile, rich cronies. Yet, the political "representatives" (thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags is far more accurate) have endless time to sit around for year after year and debate the state of the "terrible health care problem". It's clear they see no crisis as long as the dead people don't get in the way of their corporate profits rolling in.<br />
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And justice? You've got to be kidding!<br />
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How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand. Yet, it mercilessly "holds accountable" its victims, claiming that they're responsible for fully complying with laws not even the experts understand. The law "requires" a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that's not "duress" than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is.<br />
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How did I get here?<br />
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My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early '80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having 'tax code' readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful "exemptions" that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the "best", high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the "big boys" were doing (except that we weren't steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.<br />
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The intent of this exercise and our efforts was to bring about a much-needed re-evaluation of the laws that allow the monsters of organized religion to make such a mockery of people who earn an honest living. However, this is where I learned that there are two "interpretations" for every law; one for the very rich, and one for the rest of us... Oh, and the monsters are the very ones making and enforcing the laws; the inquisition is still alive and well today in this country. That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their "freedom"... and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.<br />
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Before even having to make a shaky recovery from the sting of the first lesson on what justice really means in this country (around 1984 after making my way through engineering school and still another five years of "paying my dues"), I felt I finally had to take a chance of launching my dream of becoming an independent engineer.<br />
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On the subjects of engineers and dreams of independence, I should digress somewhat to say that I'm sure that I inherited the fascination for creative problem solving from my father. I realized this at a very young age.<br />
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The significance of independence, however, came much later during my early years of college; at the age of 18 or 19 when I was living on my own as student in an apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My neighbor was an elderly retired woman (80+ seemed ancient to me at that age) who was the widowed wife of a retired steel worker. Her husband had worked all his life in the steel mills of central Pennsylvania with promises from big business and the union that, for his 30 years of service, he would have a pension and medical care to look forward to in his retirement. Instead he was one of the thousands who got nothing because the incompetent mill management and corrupt union (not to mention the government) raided their pension funds and stole their retirement. All she had was social security to live on.<br />
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In retrospect, the situation was laughable because here I was living on peanut butter and bread (or Ritz crackers when I could afford to splurge) for months at a time. When I got to know this poor figure and heard her story I felt worse for her plight than for my own (I, after all, I thought I had everything to in front of me). I was genuinely appalled at one point, as we exchanged stories and commiserated with each other over our situations, when she in her grandmotherly fashion tried to convince me that I would be "healthier" eating cat food (like her) rather than trying to get all my substance from peanut butter and bread. I couldn't quite go there, but the impression was made. I decided that I didn't trust big business to take care of me, and that I would take responsibility for my own future and myself. Return to the early '80s, and here I was off to a terrifying start as a 'wet-behind-the-ears' contract software engineer… and two years later, thanks to the fine backroom, midnight effort by the sleazy executives of Arthur Andersen (the very same folks who later brought us Enron and other such calamities) and an equally sleazy New York Senator (Patrick Moynihan), we saw the passage of 1986 tax reform act with its section 1706.<br />
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For you who are unfamiliar, here is the core text of the IRS Section 1706, defining the treatment of workers (such as contract engineers) for tax purposes. Visit this link for a conference committee report (http://www.synergistech.com/1706.shtml#ConferenceCommitteeReport) regarding the intended interpretation of Section 1706 and the relevant parts of Section 530, as amended. For information on how these laws affect technical services workers and their clients, read our discussion here (http://www.synergistech.com/ic-taxlaw.shtml).<br />
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SEC. 1706. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.<br />
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(a) IN GENERAL - Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:<br />
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(d) EXCEPTION. - This section shall not apply in the case of an individual who pursuant to an arrangement between the taxpayer and another person, provides services for such other person as an engineer, designer, drafter, computer programmer, systems analyst, or other similarly skilled worker engaged in a similar line of work.<br />
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE. - The amendment made by this section shall apply to remuneration paid and services rendered after December 31, 1986. Note:<br />
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* "another person" is the client in the traditional job-shop relationship.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>* "taxpayer" is the recruiter, broker, agency, or job shop.<br />
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* "individual", "employee", or "worker" is you.<br />
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Admittedly, you need to read the treatment to understand what it is saying but it's not very complicated. The bottom line is that they may as well have put my name right in the text of section (d). Moreover, they could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave. Twenty years later, I still can't believe my eyes.<br />
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During 1987, I spent close to $5000 of my 'pocket change', and at least 1000 hours of my time writing, printing, and mailing to any senator, congressman, governor, or slug that might listen; none did, and they universally treated me as if I was wasting their time. I spent countless hours on the L.A. freeways driving to meetings and any and all of the disorganized professional groups who were attempting to mount a campaign against this atrocity. This, only to discover that our efforts were being easily derailed by a few moles from the brokers who were just beginning to enjoy the windfall from the new declaration of their "freedom". Oh, and don't forget, for all of the time I was spending on this, I was loosing income that I couldn't bill clients.<br />
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After months of struggling it had clearly gotten to be a futile exercise. The best we could get for all of our trouble is a pronouncement from an IRS mouthpiece that they weren't going to enforce that provision (read harass engineers and scientists). This immediately proved to be a lie, and the mere existence of the regulation began to have its impact on my bottom line; this, of course, was the intended effect.<br />
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Again, rewind my retirement plans back to 0 and shift them into idle. If I had any sense, I clearly should have left abandoned engineering and never looked back. Instead I got busy working 100-hour workweeks. Then came the L.A. depression of the early 1990s. Our leaders decided that they didn't need the all of those extra Air Force bases they had in Southe rn California, so they were closed; just like that. The result was economic devastation in the region that rivaled the widely publicized Texas S&L fiasco. However, because the government caused it, no one gave a shit about all of the young families who lost their homes or street after street of boarded up houses abandoned to the wealthy loan companies who received government funds to "shore up" their windfall. Again, I lost my retirement.<br />
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Years later, after weathering a divorce and the constant struggle trying to build some momentum with my business, I find myself once again beginning to finally pick up some speed. Then came the .COM bust and the 911 nightmare. Our leaders decided that all aircraft were grounded for what seemed like an eternity; and long after that, 'special' facilities li ke San Francisco were on security alert for months. This made access to my customers prohibitively expensive. Ironically, after what they had done the Government came to the aid of the airlines with billions of our tax dollars … as usual they left me to rot and die while they bailed out their rich, incompetent cronies WITH MY MONEY! After these events, there went my business but not quite yet all of my retirement and savings.<br />
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By this time, I'm thinking that it might be good for a change. Bye to California, I'll try Austin for a while. So I moved, only to find out that this is a place with a highly inflated sense of self-importance and where damn little real engineering work is done. I've never experienced such a hard time finding work. The rates are 1/3 of what I was earning before the crash, because pay rates here are fixed by the three or four large companies in the area who are in collusion to drive down prices and wages… and this happens because the justice department is all on the take and doesn't give a fuck about serving anyone or anything but themselves and their rich buddies.<br />
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To survive, I was forced to cannibalize my savings and retirement, the last of which was a small IRA. This came in a year with mammoth expenses and not a single dollar of income. I filed no return that year thinking that because I didn't have any income there was no need. The sleazy government decided that they disagreed. But they didn't notify me in time for me to launch a legal objection so when I attempted to get a protest filed with the court I was told I was no longer entitled to due process because the time to file ran out. Bend over for another $10,000 helping of justice.<br />
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So now we come to the present. After my experience with the CPA world, following the business crash I swore that I'd never enter another accountant's office again. But here I am with a new marriage and a boatload of undocumented income, not to mention an expensive new business asset, a piano, which I had no idea how to handle. After considerable thought I decided that it would be irresponsible NOT to get professional help; a very big mistake.<br />
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When we received the forms back I was very optimistic that they were in order. I had taken all of the years information to Bill Ross, and he came back with results very similar to what I was expecting. Except that he had neglected to include the contents of Sheryl's unreported income; $12,700 worth of it. To make matters worse, Ross knew all along this was missing and I didn't have a clue until he pointed it out in the middle of the audit. By that time it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me.<br />
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This left me stuck in the middle of this disaster trying to defend transactions that have no relationship to anything tax-related (at least the tax-related transactions were poorly documented). Things I never knew anything about and things my wife had no clue would ever matter to anyone. The end result is… well, just look around.<br />
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I remember reading about the stock market crash before the "great" depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything. Isn't it ironic how far we've come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn't have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it's "business-as-usual". Now when the wealthy fuck up, the poor get to die for the mistakes... isn't that a clever, tidy solution.<br />
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As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.<br />
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I know I'm hardly the first one to decide I have had all I can stand. It has always been a myth that people have stopped dying for their freedom in this country, and it isn't limited to the blacks, and poor immigrants. I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. But I also know that by not adding my body to the count, I insure nothing will change. I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at "big brother" while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won't continue; I have just had enough.<br />
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I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less. I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are. Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn't so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer. The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.<br />
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I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well. The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.<br />
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The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.<br />
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Joe Stack (1956-2010) 02/18/2010</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-15330436917389215792010-02-15T22:26:00.000-08:002010-02-16T13:05:16.754-08:00The inside story of Who is who's Bhaira Bhai in Bangladeshi PoliticsWant to know how Shaikh Moni is connected to Prince Musa Bin Shamser? How and when the arch rivals Sheikh Selim of AL and Iqbal Hasan Tuku of BNP became Behai's?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wtf-is-with-my-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lesbian-super-heros-entangled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The image “http://wtf-is-with-my-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lesbian-super-heros-entangled.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." border="0" height="169" src="http://wtf-is-with-my-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/lesbian-super-heros-entangled.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Who's ukil bap is Gen. Hossain Muhhamad Ershad? How might be Sheikh Hasina related to Dr. Fakhruddin and what late former Janata Bank MD Mr. Salehin has to do with it? What exactly is the relationship between our PM and current President? <br />
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In this amusing <a href="http://www.probenewsmagazine.com/index.php?index=2&contentId=5384">Probe News article</a> get an update on who is married to whom in Bangladesh in bed and politics. The article untangles the tangled web of family and personal connections between the politicians and businessmen and various influence peddlers in Bangladesh.<br />
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If you know more about these relationships feel free to add few more using the comment section.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-9842640024170916892010-02-14T09:37:00.000-08:002010-02-16T13:07:23.266-08:00News From Around<b><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/how-islamic-inventors-changed-the-world-469452.html">Independent.uk: A few Inventions by Muslim World</a></b><br />
AS thousand's flocked to this January's blockbuster exhibition in UK, take a look at inventions we take it for granted.. from your morning coffee, the concept of multi-course meal with soup, fish or meat followed by fruits and desserts, your camera, fountain pen, almost all surgical instruments, windmill, gardens.. ..Or you can read more about the contribution of world civilizations in science and technology at <a href="http://1001inventions.com/">www.1001inventions.com.</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lawyerkm.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/windmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lawyerkm.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/windmill.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><br />
Amused, angry, or anguished by the blatant euro-centrism in the pervasive media and society? Islam-centrism is however, not the answer. Any 'civilization' is a collective story. Even <a href="http://lou%20dobbs/">Lau Dobbians</a> are cleaning up after potty the way Chinese have taught them. Read <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KK06Ak01.html">Alams blog </a>on the nature of ethno-centrism (a.k.a ignorance) in todays education system:<br />
<blockquote>"Unbeknownst, my students discover that they wake up in "pajamas", trousers of Indian origin with an Urdu-Persian name. Out of bed, they shower with soap and shampoo, whose origins go back to the Middle East and India. Their toothbrush with bristles was invented in China in the fifteenth century. At some point after waking up, my students use toilet paper and tissue, also Chinese inventions of great antiquity."</blockquote>Indeed not only the poor Western kids and the Western audience of mainstream media are part of this brainwash- even the kids and public of the 'colored civilizations' suffer from this disease since we too are copying the same text book and news texts without thinking. We must check the education and perception that we are dispensing. Check, check and check..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-81784999534938341602009-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:002009-11-06T20:42:59.990-08:00News From Around<a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2009/11/07/2009-11-07__front01.jpg">Bangladesh Fights Climate Change: BRRI- one of the most productive science research unit in the world releases genetically engineered "Submergence Tolerent" rice.</a><br />
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<img height="272" src="http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2009/11/07/2009-11-07__front01.jpg" width="320" />\Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-75156181452412920602009-11-01T01:28:00.000-07:002009-11-01T01:31:49.978-07:00Breaking News From Around<a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/10/detroit-area_couple_with_hemop.html">US Deporting Parent's of 5 Year Old Hemophiliac Kid Knowing It May Result in Kid's Death</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-44407329113087879032009-10-14T21:39:00.000-07:002009-10-28T16:13:07.534-07:00World's Largest Dam on Brahmaputra River<div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(RealTimeBangladesh Blog Report, October 14, 2009 (c))</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Brahmaputra- the mightiest of the rivers of Bangladesh – one of the last untamed major rivers of the world is going to change! Good buy Jamuna and Meghna.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlKC8BJgwPy4xcBhE5izyfSEx1mp5FlrA5d-W7d_PlVy3paOE36-p6_IZwnRhiEQfxWD2Bf4AWdf7-6zKAfq06bFE_a5-S6Hx5rjBLhi8YhrfZCWuqRopjV8THZaP2R16YZ8VRZl4EFM/s1600-h/jamuna-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlKC8BJgwPy4xcBhE5izyfSEx1mp5FlrA5d-W7d_PlVy3paOE36-p6_IZwnRhiEQfxWD2Bf4AWdf7-6zKAfq06bFE_a5-S6Hx5rjBLhi8YhrfZCWuqRopjV8THZaP2R16YZ8VRZl4EFM/s320/jamuna-08.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Sun is Setting over Brahmaputra </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(a picture taken by the author on a river trip near Jamuna Bridge, July 2008)</b></span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p>If you are tormented about TipaiMukhi Dam on Surma and Kushiara then brace for more agonizing news. <o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Entire Bangladesh is now apprehensive as the Tipaimukh Dam rises. None is optimistic how much our big neighbor India is going to care about the concerns of Bangladesh. </span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The irony is that Bangladesh's big neighbor is in a similar peril concerning its bigger neighbor China. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.indigenousportal.com/Mining-and-Extractive-Industries/Transboundary-waters-tussle-and-Tipaimukh-dam.html">Indigenous Portal</a> Reports:</span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span>“As Bangladesh engaged India to drop construction of Tipaimukh dam, India too is busy raising concerns with Chinese Govt’s efforts to dam Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra).. <br />
</div></blockquote><br />
<br />
The project has been acknowledged by Chinese officials. Mr. <b>Shu Yinbiao</b>, vice president of State Grid Corp. of China opined::<br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">, “An initial study shows the river can accommodate hydropower stations with a total capacity of 70 gigawatts, or about 10 percent of the nation's overall generating capacity”.<br />
</div></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But behold! This is not going to be just any ordinary hydro -engineering. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This will be an gigantic power plant with an astonishing generation capacity of 20-40,000 Mega Watt! Nothing like this exists today. If built- this will be the largest in the world. How large? Sheer <b>three times bigger than the current world’s largest</b> hydroelectric plant- the Three River Gorges Dam. To put it into perspective this one plant can fulfill the entire energy need of Bangladesh five times over. The taming of this mighty river will require nuclear explosives to punch hole in Himalayan mountains!<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But, the real concern in the downstream in not on the generation of hydro-electricity. The proposed dam will: </span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">"divert 200 billion cubic meters of waters to the Yellow River for easing water shortages in cities of Shaanxi, Beijing and Tianjin in Northern China." </span></span><br />
</blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">How it will impact us ? Profound, massive and unknown.The above article reports:<br />
</span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p>“The water diversion project at the Great Bend will spell disaster for the Tibetan plateau and the lower riparian countries, India’s North East and Bangladesh.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6352448053647527099" name="122a2790d866a944__ftnref12"></a><a href="http://in.mc953.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?#_ftn12" target="_blank" title="122a2790d866a944__ftnref12">[12]</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Officially the projects has been termed as </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South-North_Water_Transfer_Project">South-North water diversion</a> project of China. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.. India fears Chinese reported plans to use nuclear technology in the project will lead to environmental concerns in the Eastern Himalayas.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6352448053647527099" name="122a2790d866a944__ftnref13"></a><a href="http://in.mc953.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?#_ftn13" target="_blank" title="122a2790d866a944__ftnref13">[13]</a> Indian experts say the mega scheme could be disastrous for the 185 million people of India’s North East and Bangladesh. </span></span><br />
</div></blockquote>There is also serious concern about the Earthquake disaster:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> the region’s regular earthquakes, that can hit 8.0 on the Richter scale, can destroy the proposed Chinese dam and cause devastating floods downstream.”</span></span><br />
</div></blockquote></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Brahmaputra itself is one of the most</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> seismically </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">active</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> river</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">s of the world.</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> E</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">arthquakes have dramatically shaped its course</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> even in close history</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. </span></span>About 250 years ago the river inside Bangladesh used to have one flow. A massive earthquake splitted it into its two present flows.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> The</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <i><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=8&ved=0CC4QFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kalpavriksh.org%2Fkalpavriksh%2Ff1%2Ff1.3%2Fed%2520ecologist%2520folder%2FBrahmaputra-Goswami.doc&ei=-ubXSqqjO5GplAfD6aGhAQ&usg=AFQjCNEeGiWkDpYCqhO2E5-0-RlC_-M4hg&sig2=jzFAknemNQgjIvW7ZLBCOw"><i><u><span style="color: blue;">Brahmaputra</span></u></i></a> </i>reports:</span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Due to the colliding Eurasian (Chinese) and Indian tectonic plates, the Brahmaputra valley and its adjoining hill ranges are seismically very unstable. The earthquakes of 1897 and 1950, both of Richter magnitude 8.7, are among the most severe in recorded history. These earthquakes caused extensive landslides and rock falls on hill slopes, subsidence and fissuring in the valley and changes in the course and configuration of several tributary rivers as well as the main course. .. The earthquake of 1950, for example, raised the bed level of the Brahmaputra at Dibrugarh by at least three metres leading to increased flood and erosion hazard potential in the river.”</span></span><br />
</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A sizable part of world population will be affected by this project. Sudha Ramachandran's <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JL09Ad01.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">AsiaTimesOnline Report</span></a> reports:</span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">"..47% of the world's population, are dependent on water rising in the Tibetan plateau. ...<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p>With the Yalong Tsangpo's waters being diverted, the amount of water in the Brahmaputra will fall significantly, affecting India's northeast and Bangladesh. It will severely impact agriculture and fishing there as the salinity of water will increase, as will silting in the downstream area.”</span></span><br />
</blockquote></div><blockquote></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://tibetanplateau.blogspot.com/2009/03/dams-on-tibetan-areas-of-brahmaputra.html">The Tibetan Plateau Blog</a> from UK reports that this is indeed a series of projects and companies have been already signed up:<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“A <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-03/04/content_7536617.htm">China Daily story</a> yesterday acknowledged that the "Zangmu Water Power Station" is on the main stream of the middle reaches of Brahmaputra, at dZam (</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">རྫམ་</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">) township. Sources tell me that there are five dams planned in this section of the river, and construction has been going on since 2006. .. The installed capacity of 'Zangmu Water Power Station' will be 510 MW. The project is located in <a href="http://uberpedia.org/wiki/Shannan_Prefecture">Lhokha (Shannan) Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region</a>, about 140 km southeast from Lhasa.. Huaneng, China's top power company, is backing the financing of the project and, <a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?capId=5533110">Gezhouba</a> - one of China's biggest dam construction companies, will build the project...China is likely to approve more dam projects on the Brahmaputra this year.”</span></span><br />
</div></blockquote>Indianexpress confirms the story with a <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/china-begins-building-dam-on-its-side-of-the-brahmaputra/529244/0">satellite image</a> of the site. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Brahmaputra the River Like None Other</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The river Brahmaputra has touched all aspect of Bengali life and culture. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Countless novels, poems, and songs portray the impact of this river on the life of Bengal. The life along the banks of Brahmapurta has remained almost unchanged for eons. The people in its banks continually fight with annual flood, river erosion and frequent earthquake. It symbolizes the unchanged condition of Bengali commoners- represent the menace of common man in the hand of more powerful. It also tells about the heroic determination of the people- the ability to rebuild lives and village even after being crushed by powerful indomitable forces.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41304000/jpg/_41304914_india_416afp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fishing nets on the river of Brahmaputra, India" border="0" height="230" id="picture_0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41304000/jpg/_41304914_india_416afp.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bengal "Still Life". For hundred's of years this is how fishermen cast the nets for their livelihood (BBC)</span></b></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The river has become such an integral part of our life- it often feels invisible like the air we breadth. In Bangladesh we are little aware how special this river is. Indeed, this is one of the most fascinating rivers of the world.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The 2,906-km long Brahmaputra is one of Asia's largest rivers. Like several other great rivers of ours, Brahmaputra originates at sacred <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash" title="Mount Kailash">Mountain Kailash</a> in the northern Himalaya. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It then traverse its first stretch of 1,600+ km in China's Tibet region, the next 900+ km in India, another 400+ km in Bangladesh and finally emptying it all into the Bay of Bengal. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Despite the legends, its identity with the Tibet was only established formally by an exploration in 1884-86. Its upper stretch is the Yarlung Tsangpo river of Tibet.</span></span><br />
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In<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1255617752041" title="Bangladesh"></a> Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra splits into two branches: the larger branch is known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamuna_River" title="Jamuna River">Jomuna</a> and flows into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_River" title="Padma River">Padma</a>. The older branch curves towards east as the lower Brahmaputra and flows into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghna_River" title="Meghna River">Meghna</a>. Both paths eventually rejoins near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandpur_District" title="Chandpur District">Chandpur</a>. However, 250 years ago the actual <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmaputra" title="Brahmaputra">Brahmaputra</a> river in Bangladesh flowed through current <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamalpur" title="Jamalpur">Jamalpur</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mymensingh" title="Mymensingh">Mymensingh</a> districts undivided. A serious earthquake split it into present flows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eosnap.com/public/media/2009/03/bangladesh/20090324-bangladesh-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bay of Bengal - March 24th, 2009" border="0" height="320" src="http://www.eosnap.com/public/media/2009/03/bangladesh/20090324-bangladesh-thumb.jpg" title="Bay of Bengal - March 24th, 2009" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rivers of Bangladesh from space. Padma flows from the left. The largest is the Brahmaputra or Jomuna. </b><b>See the relative sizes. </b><b>Imagine the potential impact.<br />
</b><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In the plains of Bangladesh the river is so wide that in places the other side of the bank is not visible in a typical day. The average width of Brahmaputra is close to 10 km in plains which is on the widest in the world. The average depth of Brahmaputra is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m). The Brahmaputra along with Ganges creates the largest delta in the world, <b>Sundarban</b> in Bangladesh.</span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">With an average annual discharge of 19,830 cubic meter per second at its mouth, the Brahmaputra ranks fourth among the large rivers of the world. It is second largest river in the world in terms of sediment carriage about 0.4 billion metric ton (Earth’s weight is estimated to be 5000 trillion metric ton!). This is enough to build a 10-15 square mile island in 35 feet deep-ocean every year.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://www.jostraube.no/files/gimgs/12_chandpur-13.jpg" height="200" src="http://www.jostraube.no/files/gimgs/12_chandpur-13.jpg" width="300" /><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Growing up with the expanse of the river at great confluence of Chandpur. Also look carefully at the horizon where sky meets water- there is no visible other bank. Chandpur is the largest river confluence in the world. (</b><span style="font-size: x-small;">See more enchanting photos: <a href="http://jostraube.no/">JoStraube.no</a>)</span><b><br />
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</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">However, its charms are not only the numbers- this unique river has mysteries of mythical proportion in recent years which have evoked interest among scientists and explorers of the world like no other.</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Real Sangri-La?</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In recent Bangladesh we are familiar with the Story of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La">Shagri-La</a>- less from out Buddhist past but more due to James Hilton's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Horizon_%28novel%29">book</a> and film. The word actually comes from Sanskit word <i>Shambhala</i> meaning "place of peace". Shangri-La is an Eden on Earth- an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia" title="Utopia">utopia</a> described in Tibetan scripture where people never age, trees grant wishes, and happiness reigns eternally.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> According to the Tibetan scriptures there are only seven such places. But, where? According to it- such earthly paradise resides within the lush, subtropical area between two towering Himalayan peaks. A Shangri-La myth is that the river's waterfalls conceal a secret passageway to the spirit world. </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">It is told that in case of great cataclysm life will sustain only in these seven places of the world. So where are those places exactly?<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></b></span><br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss244/Kilik11_2009/iyopyoiyoiy.jpg?t=1235716074" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image" border="0" height="210" src="http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss244/Kilik11_2009/iyopyoiyoiy.jpg?t=1235716074" width="300" /></a><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>The mysterious river chasm from the ridge top.</b><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Lure of Brahmaputra<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></b></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">One of the focal points of this interest is the Himalayan stretch. Once this river enters the great Himalayan mountains between Namcha Barwa (25,436 feet) and Gyala Peri (23,891 feet)- each standing only approximately 12 miles apart the river becomes astounding- the world’s <b>wildest, deepest, steepest</b>. It's now known to be the world's deepest gorge (17,758 feet)- three times deep and eight times steeper than Grand Canyon of Arizona! If you have hiked below to the grand chasm of Grand Canyon and felt the lapping sound of Colorado river you can only imagine what it might feel like down there looking up!<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">To make it further unique- yet another formidable mountain Dorje Bragsen (12,818 feet), stands guard to this entrance thus forming the most protected, elusive, secret and mysterious gorge of all.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="http://www.hiddenfalls.org/images/scan8aM.jpg" width="300" /><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Namcha Barwa to the far left and Gyala Peri to the far right. The world's deepest gorge lies between. The formidable Dorje Bragsen mountain stands guard (Photo 1998 Gilenwater Expedition).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The area is however sacredly protected by the local people. The 1870’s British explorers noticed the river Tsangpo's disappearance into the gorge of Namcha Barwa foothill and the Brahmaputra’s emergence below. Though, British could not explore the stretch due to fierce resistance by the locals- however the height difference between the two ends inspired a scientific curiosity fueled by the allure of the Himalayan version of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia" title="Utopia">utopia</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">By the 1870s, a controversy was raging in Royal Geographical Society with unresolved rumors about a waterfall the size of Niagara or Victoria Falls in this uncharted segment. Now it is known that there are several large waterfalls in the area though not visible even from satellite images.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In modern times, <i>National Geographic</i> reports it as one of the last of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_%28Conan_Doyle_novel%29">lost world</a> on earth. It sent a river expeditions into the area in 1997 and 1998 but the expedition was abandoned due to the death of one of its explorer into its formidable rapids- Douglas Gordon, a PhD student of University of Utah and a member of US national canoing team. Here is the YouTube video that captures the ultimate lure of this river and the final moments of Douglas.</span></span><br />
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<object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QmMFsv01L18&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QmMFsv01L18&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p>In 1998 a land expedition ventured upon the Gorge in search of the fabled and legendary “Hidden Waterfalls of Shangri-La". Readers can read the expedition report in <a href="http://www.railriders.com/interview-hidden-waterfalls-shangri-a-14.html">Hidden Waterfalls of Shangri-La</a> .In one place explorers states:<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Western logic is inadequate to explain certain phenomena that we experienced here … We saw rivers flowing side-by-side but in opposite directions. We would be guided back onto lost trails by Tibetan priests directing us to follow brilliant double rainbows. Local hunters would miraculously appear out of the mists to lead us to our next destination. And when we were running out of food an Asian black bear appeared frozen in a glacier. We then lived on bear meat for a week.”<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Still very little is known about the detail-except it is a very large waterfall.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Going into the River of Hell</span></b></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In 2002 again another group of explorers set out to ride this river. Read Peter Heller’s article <a href="http://away.com/tsangpo/liquid_thunder_1.html">Liquid Thunder</a> about this 19<sup>th</sup> century like expedition story in 2002 where seven of world’s best ten expedition paddlers from seven countries led by Scott Lindgren from California made the first ever descent into the gorge:<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“It's the cradle of Shangri-la, and one of the deepest river gorges on earth. It's a fortress guarding sacred waterfalls, and a cauldron of savage whitewater and unrunnable rapids. In the chill of the Himalayan winter, seven world-class kayakers led a massive expedition into the shadowy realm of Tibet's Tsangpo River , and launched their boats down its roaring throat. They were either going to die—or emerge transformed.”<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“The gorge was a Himalayan chasm so shrouded in mystery and danger that a legendary waterfall in its depths, sought by explorers for more than a hundred years, was never even photographed until late in the 20th century. And it was a place, like Everest, that shimmered with mythic lore and menacing superlatives. By some measures, it is the deepest river gorge in the world—three times deeper, with the river tilted eight times steeper, than the Grand Canyon.”</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></span><br />
</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">If you have rafted the class III-IV rated rapids, watch here some unbelievable video of this first descent of Upper Tsangpo Kayaking. You are sure to get some adrenalin rush watching the ride and the rapids which are beyond rating:<br />
</span></span><object height="275" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vqUWu4-3Vo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vqUWu4-3Vo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="275"></embed></object><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is the upper river only. The lower Tsangpo is still unconquered. The team simply gave up!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Lost World of Unknown Species?</span><br />
</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Not unexpectedly, the area now has become the latest treasure trove for world's biologist. Bio-diversity wise- some of the areas fed by this river is now considered one of the top two (or perhaps the top) bio-diverse ares of the world - The rate of new species discoveries here now is at per with Borneo. </span></span>Read the The <i>World Worldlife Fund</i>'s (WWF) report: <a href="http://assets.panda.org/downloads/new_species_discoveries__eastern_himalayas_where_worlds_collide.pdf">The Eastern Himalayas – Where Worlds Collide</a> detailing discoveries made by scientists between 1998 and 2008. Among the finding of many strange animals it also reports the finding of a blue flower which changes color with day:<br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">"the rare plant can grow as tall as 60cm and flowers all year round. The many flowers are dramatic in both colour and form and, extraordinarily, the colour seems to change with temperature and exposure. They sometimes appear truly blue when in a cool climate and change to purple when temperatures rises".<br />
</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a picture of the flower. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/169.htm">http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/169.htm</a>.</span></span><br />
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Its is also turning the pages of science. The oldest known gecko species found in fossil is known to be 100 million years old. Scientists discovered a living sample of this creature in the region.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Dr6-wYV6DNjDFOo4heSPN4re_JaZ6rD5f_FZLUk9VTYhbtnDgpIqiH7fMnTrZUdj6DlcC4REKzgp23otXQfDNiL0ctr3N1vnbNiihlVbdhDhWSLR0hhHGktudl6Hlinfb9sOCrVD2oM/s1600-h/shol-fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Dr6-wYV6DNjDFOo4heSPN4re_JaZ6rD5f_FZLUk9VTYhbtnDgpIqiH7fMnTrZUdj6DlcC4REKzgp23otXQfDNiL0ctr3N1vnbNiihlVbdhDhWSLR0hhHGktudl6Hlinfb9sOCrVD2oM/s320/shol-fish.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This shoal mach (fish) with purple and orange spots found from the tributaries of Himalayan Brahmaputra in 2000 found is listed as a new species.</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">International Co-operation: </span>Dialogue of the Deafs?</span></b><br />
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Bangladesh is concerned.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The irony is that Bangladesh's big neighbor is in a similar state to its bigger neighbor China on the issue of even a bigger dam the dam of Brahmaputra.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">However, while Indian’s are concerned about China over the Brahmaputra dam, China is not alone in the frenzy of exploiting hydroelectricity from Brahma Putra. India has its own plan on it too. The study <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=8&ved=0CC4QFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kalpavriksh.org%2Fkalpavriksh%2Ff1%2Ff1.3%2Fed%2520ecologist%2520folder%2FBrahmaputra-Goswami.doc&ei=-ubXSqqjO5GplAfD6aGhAQ&usg=AFQjCNEeGiWkDpYCqhO2E5-0-RlC_-M4hg&sig2=jzFAknemNQgjIvW7ZLBCOw"><i><u><span style="color: blue; font-style: normal;">Brahmaputra</span></u></i></a><i> </i>by Indian scientists reports: </span></span><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">“The Ministry of Power, government of India, has identified 226 potential sites for large multi-purpose dams on the rivers of northeast India, most of them being in the Brahmaputra basin. Further the ministry is contemplating the generation of a colossal 99,256 MW of hydropower from the rivers of the region in the next fifty years (Brahmaputra Board, 2000), much in excess of what will be actually required for the region (see figure on pg. 14). Several mega-dam projects such as the Upper Subansiri (2,500 MW), Upper Siang (11,000 MW), Middle Siang (750 MW), Lower Siang (1,700 MW), Kameng (600 MW), Tipaimukh (1,500 MW) and Ranganadi (450 MW) are presently at various stages of planning and development.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sudha Ramachandran's <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JL09Ad01.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">AsiaTimesOnline Report</span></a> reports:</span></span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span>Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reported during his recent Beijing visit to have raised the issue of international rivers flowing out of Tibet. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said that water scarcity threatened the very "survival of the Chinese nation".<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The projects has been part of </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">the official great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South-North_Water_Transfer_Project">South-North water diversion</a> project of China . The initial idea was laid out by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong" title="Mao Zedong">Mao Zedong</a> himself in 1950's. But due to enormous cost of such colossus projects it took the affluence of 21st century's China to embark on real start.<br />
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Atleast until some time ago, there were also concerns within Chinese experts about the water diversion part of the project. A 2006, article published in <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-11/22/content_739379.htm">ChinaDaily</a> reported that then- no one else but the water resources minister of China himself - Mr. Wang Shucheng, also a hydraulic engineer (read his <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/resource-oriented-water-management-wang/9812567364-i533f39atb">book</a> on the topic) opposed it as unscientific:<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"There is no need for such dramatic and unscientific projects.. For example, we must keep an eye on possible floods when the Yellow River has 58 billion cubic metres of water. If another 50 billion cubic metres, not to mention 200 billion [from Brahmaputra], is poured in, I am sure all the dams and protection embankments will be destroyed immediately."</span><br />
</blockquote><br />
The river is about to pour serious fuel to the geopolitical conflict. Journalist <a href="http://mobile.rediff.com/news/Election/News/story/20031027spec/1000-1250">Claude Arpi</a> writes:<br />
<blockquote>If Beijing goes ahead with the Tsangpo project it would practically mean a declaration of war against South Asia."<br />
</blockquote>The FrontierPost from Pakistan voices the peril of Bangladesh and writes and article with title: <a href="http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=ar&nid=431&ad=24-07-2009">"Water Grabber and Nuclear War</a>". <br />
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It is important to know that the area has always been sacredly guarded by the local people. They resisted and stopped the British exploration.<br />
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The energy crisis, the limitless apatite for power to fuel the growth of consumptive lifestyle has put all of us into this new situation. The world will change faster around us as we follow the <b>false prophet of progress</b>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6352448053647527099.post-77082043540749535192009-10-06T01:50:00.000-07:002009-10-06T09:16:35.783-07:00News From Around<ul><li><b><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html">Gulf Arab States, China, Japan and Russia in Secret Talks without US To Drop Dollar from Oil Trade</a>.</b> Brazil, India, Iran supporting. Transition planned in nine years. Expect sharp fall of US dollar... </li>
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