tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70481002024-03-07T17:56:53.021+13:00The Lunatic is on the GrassUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger578125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-32313670311732758532014-11-07T10:36:00.000+13:002014-11-07T10:39:39.472+13:00Suspension of Disbelief: Dhaka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-size: large;">We choose to live in Dhaka because we love this city. I share this post because I refuse to live in despair. I refuse to believe that watching 4 men kicking a young woman is something we have to get used to. I refuse to believe that all who stood there and watched represent who we are as people.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">As seen on Facebook from a young woman who was part of the incident. Attacked in broad daylight on Dhaka University premises by four young students. Students. Dhaka University. Can we make sense of this as a one-off incident?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Will we again turn a blind eye to the latent maladies of our endless lawlessness, our political disease, our corruption and lack of morals?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">As I've seen it, we like lying to ourselves over and over again, and choose to exercise short-term memory and make deals with the justice system.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">Press coverage on this so far:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.banglamail24.com/news/2014/11/05/id/86916/">http://www.banglamail24.com/news/2014/11/05/id/86916/</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/city/man-2-nieces-attacked-at-du-49011">http://www.thedailystar.net/city/man-2-nieces-attacked-at-du-49011</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/nov/05/manjur-alams-relatives-assaulted-du">http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/nov/05/manjur-alams-relatives-assaulted-du</a></span><br />
<a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/no-action-yet-for-assault-on-lensman-nieces-at-du-49195">http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/no-action-yet-for-assault-on-lensman-nieces-at-du-49195</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-86691893003655654932014-10-10T15:55:00.000+13:002014-10-14T19:49:02.992+13:00Aarong billboards, hated initially, but slightly amused later on<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One Aarong ad recently accrued a bit of hate from those who cared to dispense it. Actually a 'bit of hate' is a downplaying it on my part since the company was forced to <a href="http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/sep/29/aarong-apologies-controversial-ad" target="_blank">apologise</a> for their ad though their intentions were not to hint at 'flood' which was causing suffering at another point in Bangladesh, but to signify monsoon and 'Bishorjon' of the Puja celebrations which were coming up.<br />
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For those unaware of it, it was a bunch of the usual models displaying Aarong products but in a setting which is quite unlike the usual or expected in fashion photography, as seen here:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyj3nJ3EF_6XjkaVm7HKOsWOEnZob9fBMDRUc1z6IV4foBGwxNJnBXjbYGwDSYcUrp4jNUxzWBg5GtF9LEdZoiHSudiU5nHtrcOSQAoHuI8GBJTBsNW83nvkrY9lXh7cIy8ja/s1600/Aarong_bonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image of Aarong's controversial ad featuring models in a room with knee-high water" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyj3nJ3EF_6XjkaVm7HKOsWOEnZob9fBMDRUc1z6IV4foBGwxNJnBXjbYGwDSYcUrp4jNUxzWBg5GtF9LEdZoiHSudiU5nHtrcOSQAoHuI8GBJTBsNW83nvkrY9lXh7cIy8ja/s1600/Aarong_bonna.jpg" height="275" title="Aarong's controversial ad featuring models in a room with knee-high water" width="400" /></a></div>
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My first reaction to the image was not a positive one, since I clearly remembered an earlier billboard that hung on the way to my work which troubled me equally. It showed a female Aarong model with a woman bangle seller putting on bangles on the model's arm, as shown below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDsa554qNsplCvYACKLSwDWOwMwIKUOuygK_rRRYcXEvPFiTbkH-KQKn9-ZzVTP8S6ibhEWPLDaocyhGkC8903NgeRffwBovHb4D0YVsIxKYHL0ouwkb3okTcqx4oJ5zIMS1k/s1600/Aarong_churiwali_63x50.833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDsa554qNsplCvYACKLSwDWOwMwIKUOuygK_rRRYcXEvPFiTbkH-KQKn9-ZzVTP8S6ibhEWPLDaocyhGkC8903NgeRffwBovHb4D0YVsIxKYHL0ouwkb3okTcqx4oJ5zIMS1k/s1600/Aarong_churiwali_63x50.833.jpg" height="322" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not knowing initially that '<a href="http://claudio.yohman.com/2010/01/21/08-mg_3728-jpg/" target="_blank">bishorjon</a>' was the inspiration for the first, I thought I saw a pattern in their ads in juxtaposing other aspects of our reality which were not first second or third picks to put on commercials - floods or social inequality. It was an odd thing I suppose, as we've not seen this before.</div>
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Our inequality's nature is such that we do all things differently, we speak differently, attend different cinemas, eat differently and so on. This inequality gives our middle and upper classes access to servants and chauffeurs where we also have distinct communication and interaction boundaries. Every household could be described as a mini-kingdom with rulers and subjects much like the second image <i>sort of</i> depicts.</div>
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If anyone were to create such ads, who else than <a href="http://blog.brac.net/2013/07/legal-literacy-from-pedagogy-to-reality/" target="_blank">BRAC</a> who has a multitude of efforts towards bettering conditions of our economically disadvantaged. These juxtapositions may be uncomfortable, but its better to have that lead to further thought than anything else. Removing these pictures won't rid us of our dilemmas.</div>
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<b>Related:</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BRAC.AARONG" target="_blank">Aarong on Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201410091205-0024231" target="_blank">'Poor kids of Tehran'</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/13/monkeys-queen-inequality-capitalism-rich-poor-private-security?CMP=fb_gu" target="_blank">What Monkeys and the Queen taught me about inequality</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/13/monkeys-queen-inequality-capitalism-rich-poor-private-security?CMP=fb_gu" target="_blank">by Russel Brand</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-91572564011617521412014-06-29T13:58:00.000+12:002014-07-01T00:01:21.195+12:00Drive Safe for Yourself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
'Road safety' I feel has become an issue to take up on education. Most of us are driven around by drivers who are either not told to refrain from it, or are encouraged to drive with risks, going at high speeds and dangerously overtaking others oftentimes quite indecently. Kids and grown ups alike enjoy that (grown ups - sometimes, or some of the grown ups) thrill and for kids it must be akin the Need for Speed games they play at home. The cost of an accident are the last things on our minds, and its usual to face situations where the offender will blame you for the accident to get out of it.<br />
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I think the TV channels and sponsors could create public service announcements around this issue to raise awareness. If we can't control our drivers, be it for how they are parking or the way they are driving, we are constantly creating risk and nuisance, both of which should be things avoided in a 'civil society'.<br />
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The bus drivers are harder to get to, who probably get away with the most serious offenses. Apart from ensuring great penalties on the owners of bus services for these offenses - from damaging public property (road dividers, pavements, etc.), to minor assaults (bumping into other cars, buses and people), to killing; we should take steps to have them view some sort of mandatory educational material as part of their license test. Those should clearly outline the damage they can cause when someone dies or loses a limb due to their callous driving.<br />
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I have found a few public announcement videos that have been created in New Zealand to caution drivers. The first uses animation to show the effect of selfish driving and how being social can help you have a better day. The second and third are graver, and shows how split second decisions can lead to an unwanted situation.<br />
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<b>Drive Social</b><br />
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<b>Mistakes</b><br />
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<b>Flying Objects</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uV5o_-UADiY?list=PL8PGR675g4OuQsUr6Z6XzXDbh4GJQUjMU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/nomoreaccident/" target="_blank">No More Road Accidents</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wedemandsaferoadbd.org/">www.wedemandsaferoadbd.org</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-23746113130146321782014-06-28T23:06:00.004+12:002014-06-28T23:09:26.986+12:00Deathly Thoughts/ Dreams Lie Deeper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 2010 an accident in New Zealand's Pike River Mine claimed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_River_Mine_disaster" target="_blank">29 lives</a>. I didn't know much about the tragic event but through twists and turns had the privilege to see an internal screening of a documentary produced around that incident. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Dobbyn" target="_blank">Dave Dobbyn</a> is a Kiwi musician who has been around since the 70s, and he has been commissioned to write a song on that event. As part of the process Dave visits the site and the families, hears their stories and its all captured nicely on film, to be shown later this year on TV possibly. The film ends in a live performance of the song. Dave wrote beautifully and the composition also lends to its emotional qualities, accompanied by a huge <a href="http://www.offthetracks.co.nz/orpheus-choir-of-wellington-presents-dreams-lie-deeper-a-concert-dedicated-to-the-pike-river-miners/" target="_blank">choir</a> as well. Its a well made film.</div>
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Throughout the screening however I constantly kept thinking about the kinds of events I and we saw in <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5JQvFafvP1O5-tpzUq9tDY1J_t9PjXc1r53HrDCDzaHcW9pRE2e9kq0YGg1aYEvW0kARzPPuUOUbJ9EXhNY8pkAdXOnuIhHMzHU-qUQhJJrX3D2iZtIaEzQWXKz46moWPBQ2/s1600/DreamsLieDeeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5JQvFafvP1O5-tpzUq9tDY1J_t9PjXc1r53HrDCDzaHcW9pRE2e9kq0YGg1aYEvW0kARzPPuUOUbJ9EXhNY8pkAdXOnuIhHMzHU-qUQhJJrX3D2iZtIaEzQWXKz46moWPBQ2/s1600/DreamsLieDeeper.jpg" /></a></div>
the year 2013 at the end of which I came to New Zealand. Its probably no use singling out 2013, as we usually experience death as a serial event, our roads claiming more lives usually than anything else I suppose. The school kids returning from a football match, the 6 boys beaten to death, and as a finale to my last year at home, the demise of the garments workers of Rana Plaza. We wouldn't have the budget to commission that many songs, or documentaries, our problems lie elsewhere.</div>
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Hope you enjoy the song above, its one Dave Dobbyn sang to the families once while he was still figuring out the song about the 29 men. Watch out for the documentary, its titled "<span style="color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Dreams Lie Deeper</span></span>".</div>
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<b>Related:</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pike-river-miners/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1503001" target="_blank">In memory of the Pike River miners</a></div>
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<a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/road-accidents-bangladesh-alarming-issue" target="_blank">Road Accidents in Bangladesh: An Alarming Issue</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-33773501306077830052014-03-18T13:42:00.001+13:002014-03-18T13:54:02.638+13:00The Aam Admi Party Continues to Impress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Interesting point from the Aam Admi camp, the newest kid on the block in Indian politics. Their choice of the 'jharu' (a floor sweeping instrument that is brandished like a tennis swing to clean floors) for their party symbol! Their approach and vigilance is something our politicians (those few with any leftover good intentions) should note deeply.<br />
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<strong>Think Before you Vote!</strong> they urged on their twitter feed: <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Think before you VOTE
<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KarnatakaWithAAP&src=hash">#KarnatakaWithAAP</a> <a href="http://t.co/RU5EKIiM6w">pic.twitter.com/RU5EKIiM6w</a><br />
— Aarti (@aartic02) <a href="https://twitter.com/aartic02/statuses/445070660377645056">March 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-9775420780322069202014-03-13T12:11:00.000+13:002014-03-13T22:51:30.688+13:00Word of the Day: Jingo/Jingoism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span data-dobid="hdw" style="font-size: large;">jin·go</span></b></div>
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<span class="lr_dct_ph">ˈjiNGgō/</span><span class="lr_dct_spkr lr_dct_spkr_off" data-log-string="pronunciation-icon-click" style="display: inline-block;" title="Listen"></span></div>
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<span class="lr_dct_lbl_inl vk_gy" style="font-style: italic;">dated</span><span class="lr_dct_lbl_inl vk_gy" style="font-style: italic;"> • derogatory</span></div>
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noun: <b>jingo</b>; plural noun: <b>jingoes</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">a vociferous supporter of policy favouring war, esp. in the name of patriotism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alternate use: "By jingo!"An exclamation of surprise.</span></span><br />
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<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/22533-focus-noam-chomsky-how-the-us-is-playing-with-fire-in-asia" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Noam Chomsky: How the US Is Playing With Fire in Asia</span></span></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-49896566438108874452014-02-28T09:54:00.000+13:002014-02-28T09:57:20.390+13:00Porcupine Tree's Sound of Muzak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the first song I heard of this band, and I keep coming back to it, for its drumming and strumming that mesmerizes me. The other fascinating thing about this song is its lyrics, which talks of music, and its industry. I won't go into trying to dissect it all, but would like you to have a listen:<br />
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Hear the sound of music<br />
Drifting in the aisles<br />
Elevator Prozac<br />
Stretching on for miles<br />
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The music of the future<br />
Will not entertain<br />
It's only meant to repress<br />
And neutralise your brain</div>
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Soul gets squeezed out<br />
Edges get blunt<br />
Demographic<br />
Gives what you want<br />
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Now the sound of music<br />
Comes in silver pills<br />
Engineered to suit you<br />
Building cheaper thrills<br />
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The music of rebellion<br />
Makes you wanna rage<br />
But it's made by millionaires<br />
Who are nearly twice your age<br />
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And the chorus goes:<br />
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<i>One of the wonders of the world is going down </i></div>
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<i>It's going down I know </i></div>
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<i>It's one of the blunders of the world that no one cares </i></div>
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<i>No one cares enough
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-23819235561383825882014-02-25T11:54:00.001+13:002014-02-25T12:30:04.308+13:00For the Masses, Cricket, Music & Dance!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Within the circles of my <i>network</i>, a <i>debate</i> on Facebook with a southward bound series of comments is ensuing regarding the quality of the ICC Trophy 2014's official theme song and video.<br />
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The spark: <i>Why is the song so <b>formulaic</b>, so typically <b>bollywood-ish</b>, and so on; why couldn't we have created something more original?</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT4fm53kr4KooMTZl2U9xu_GosoTD6-4qWi01LPpB7XHVEs7TlIEn30PrpILPpUcE-GD-d3Szf4XpC9nTdfjBYZ5kXRzr6hR9gZqpTrBHPATtzxHJgFzbVTS7xgHIfctvl2AT/s1600/ICC2014themesongvideo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT4fm53kr4KooMTZl2U9xu_GosoTD6-4qWi01LPpB7XHVEs7TlIEn30PrpILPpUcE-GD-d3Szf4XpC9nTdfjBYZ5kXRzr6hR9gZqpTrBHPATtzxHJgFzbVTS7xgHIfctvl2AT/s1600/ICC2014themesongvideo.jpg" /></a></div>
Fire and smoke follow this surely, inciting arguments such as: <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>What is art? </li>
<li>Being high-brow, </li>
<li>Reaches and pangs of commercialism, and demands of our corporate sponsors, </li>
<li>Where is creativity? Are we creative? </li>
<li>How many Bangladeshis does it take to change a lightbulb? </li>
<li>etc.</li>
</ul>
After finally having seen the <a href="http://www.icc-cricket.com/world-t20/videos/media/id/5d787c24321541939fef22308c77d64e/char-chokka-hoi-hoi-video-official-song-icc-wt20-2014?fb_action_ids=10203257043896250&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[760108417341516]&action_type_map=[%22og.likes%22]&action_ref_map=[]">video</a>, I can see where its coming from. The 'pop' elites are visible, and the conscious effort to make a connection with the rest of the country, which are mostly villages and small towns and swayed more by bollywood than hollywood or dhaliwood (which is recently trying hard to emulate bolly); or any movie with sexually provocative posters.<br />
<br />
I am beginning to see the point of view of the makers, whose arguments are similar to the makers of hit films like "Baba keno Chakor" (Why is Dad a Servant? Not a film with a serious political narrative as you might think), or "Jiddi Mama"(Stubborn Uncle)* - to reach the masses. If we consider "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorompotro">Chorompotro</a>", which was live on radio keeping up the spirits of the fighters during '71's war of independence, the language was not the pure form of Bangla, but a more 'rural' version of it if you will. That definitely made it more accessible to the masses. Is that to say, today's newspapers don't reach the masses if they're not using a similar tone?<br />
<br />
<i>* I love how specific we are with our movie titles! </i><br />
<br />
Movie makers have used the common man scapegoat for years to justify their films which made 0 efforts to alleviate the art of storytelling, but stubbornly held their grounds of being artists, and producing art. Its quite an age old dilemma for societies such as ourselves and India where there is so much class divide, where each class' reality is unfathomable to the other. A similar trend is noticeable in the music industry, which is also partly competing with Bollywood (item number and all), and partly keeping time for the sentimental garbage that feeds the new middle class, who wants to listen to something 'romantic' and wear something 'gorgeous'.<br />
<br />
Art has always needed its patrons, and there lies the tragic core of this issue, as corporations hungry to reach the masses take that place and with no forethought or afterthought than profit. Meanwhile, go watch that video. Dhak dhol (traditional drums) was always part of our rhetoric and culture, but we just had to learn how to glamorise it from our neighbours a little with a mix of <i>Yo</i> and us.<br />
<br />
As there are 30 year old rockstars who can write anthems for 16 year olds, surely there can be those who pay at least 30,000 Taka just in rent who write music for those who earn 3,000 Taka a month. Cricket, like war, is the only event that can bring those two to the same level.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-52927318195240457122014-02-10T13:13:00.001+13:002014-02-10T13:13:56.982+13:00Word of the Day: Malapropism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="row">
<div class="seven large-7 columns">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
malapropism </h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="pron"> [<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="symb">mal′ə präp′iz′əm</span>]</span></span> . noun</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="custom_entry_pos"></span><br />
<ol class="sense">
<li><div class="custom_entry">
Using the wrong word for something, especially one that sounds similar.</div>
<div class="custom_entry_example">
<br /></div>
<div class="custom_entry_example">
<i>An
example of malapropism was Archie Bunker from the American television
sitcom All in the Family saying "Patience is a virgin," when he meant to
say "Patience is a virtue."</i></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div>
I had often seen this at work and reading articles online, and often while I am typing myself. Most common ones at work are:<br />
STUFF, instead of STAFF, and<br />
CARRIER instead of CAREER<br />
and the one from this morning's reading:<br />
<a href="http://agileproductdesign.com/blog/user_experience_relevance.html">PROSPECTIVE</a> instead of PERSPECTIVE</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-23845085117665608092013-12-13T02:24:00.000+13:002014-01-05T12:28:01.031+13:00Whistleblowing, Blow the Whistle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
থাক! বল্লামনা।<br />
<br />
আমি কিছু বলতে চাইনা।<br />
<br />
রুচিতে বাধে।<br />
<br />
We've been through a lot, a nation who stood its ground in '71 to gain independence. However, since inception we've failed to really create any single period of time or a continuous number of years when we've been able to put down an even rule of law. Laws are made, but a lot are visible running away having broken it. Presidential pardons or partial treatments are also not unknown to us. Through all this, I fear one thing when you don't see people quitting the parties that propagate such sickness with a bold statement that puts the blame in its rightful place. We lack whistle-blowers or have successfully swept them under lavish carpets pretty quickly. I welcome other good explanations.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdAP8MsnkuclR3Ux6GMiLP7mSP-liEfh5TrDFr9cj7TJhGywC6wT7G5L51ZiC20ISDZADjhMZARYlBISG27ni4fbf7Na9AkJJNzpl1OzcVcp6BEvJq9tP5gQixPzVdekHUgMS/s1600/MV5BMTkwNzU4MDk1OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjIyMjg4NQ@@._V1_SX214_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdAP8MsnkuclR3Ux6GMiLP7mSP-liEfh5TrDFr9cj7TJhGywC6wT7G5L51ZiC20ISDZADjhMZARYlBISG27ni4fbf7Na9AkJJNzpl1OzcVcp6BEvJq9tP5gQixPzVdekHUgMS/s200/MV5BMTkwNzU4MDk1OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjIyMjg4NQ@@._V1_SX214_.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
I watched a movie named "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0896872/">The Whistleblower</a>" which was based on true events, about a <span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph">Kathy Bolkovac, a policewoman who while serving on a UN mission uncovers some really sickening and illegal operations. However, as the movie ends with some notes about what happened to Kathy in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/02/us-whistleblower-idUSTRE77160P20110802">later life</a>, it was mentioned that she couldn't get a job in the security industry, the industry for which she possessed the right skills and experience!</span></span><br />
<br />
I feel we've always been a careful nation, where most would deny to get into a 'situation' by starting a confrontation. This probably is truer for those with a lot to lose, things like reputation or social standing, or their livelihood. The conscience doesn't haunt at the level that one would be overpowered to not care for those aspects of the self. And then there are those who took brave strides and faced discouraging outcomes like Kathy, and even faster (driver of the bus who revealed Suranjit Sengupta's black cat?). Edward Snowden, and Julian 'WikiLeaks' Assange?<br />
<br />
However, I feel that our lack of whistleblowers or whistleblowing has helped lead us the wrong way. I wish more people would blow the covers off matters causing a serious rot.<br />
<br />
<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/aap-win-first-step-towards-corruption-free-society-whistleblower-vijay-pandhare/articleshow/27128962.cms">Whistleblower Forms Party</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whistleblowers">List of Whistleblowers in History</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-15035729545823021972013-11-14T01:12:00.000+13:002013-11-14T01:12:02.815+13:00অসুস্থ লোকদের সুষ্ঠ নির্বাচন?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">* রাজধানীতে বাসে আগুন, আহত ৬<br /> * সাভারে যাত্রাবাহী বাসে আগুন<br /> * কলাবাগান থানায় তালা, সাংবাদিকদের 'না'<br /> * পরিবেশবাদীদের আন্দোলন অর্থহীন: অর্থমন্ত্রী<br /> * খালেদার বাসায় ‘বিশেষ পানি’ বন্ধ: বনমন্ত্রী<br /> * হাসিনার পা ছুঁয়ে দোয়া চাইলেন পাঁচ প্রতিমন্ত্রী!<br /> * খালেদার সঙ্গে দেখা করলেন বিএনপিপন্থী শিক্ষকেরা<br /> * কুমিল্লায় কাভার্ড ভ্যানের চাপায় নিহত ৫<br /> * মাদক নেই বললেও ইয়াবাসহ গ্রেপ্তার দেখিয়ে মামলা<br /> * কক্ষ দখল নিয়ে ছাত্রলীগ-ছাত্রদল হাতাহাতি <br /> * ...</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-46276853178279023512013-10-29T20:31:00.000+13:002013-10-29T21:12:07.827+13:00First Sparks from Headlines, October 29, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>PM asks AL men to help police</b>: যেন বিয়ে বাড়ির অনুষ্ঠান! What? Help plan a birthday party? (New Age)<br />
<br />
<b>Hartal violence kills 5:</b> At 5 deaths a day, are death tolls with 3 + pre-hartal day violence at 25? Salute to our democracy! (The Daily Star)<br />
<br />
<b>Non-stop Dhaka blockade planned:</b> মাইরালা রে! মাইরালা! Interesting how much losses we counted over the years for this thing which is called 'care taker'. Interim now I suppose. (The Daily Star)<br />
<br />
<b>China hails Hasina-Khaleda talks: </b>Huh? Do you guys have translators that good? (BDNews24)<br />
<br />
<b>BNP slams govt for tele-talk telecast:</b> Wonder who this'll tip the scale towards! Interesting. (BDNews24)<br />
<br />
<b>Govt schools asked to install hoardings on govt’s success:</b> My word! :S (New Age)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-42469364577708331452013-10-19T21:43:00.000+13:002014-01-14T21:26:58.329+13:00Chowdhury Shaheb's Bangladesh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div aign="center">
<br />
<object height="405" width="540"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/Fg5gufvFo3w?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/Fg5gufvFo3w?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="540" height="405" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
The father tells his daughter about his 'status' in society, and his expensive possessions, and implies that she should look for in a future beau exactly those qualities. Enter the cocky (beyadob) boyfriend, who tells the father that his 'status' is clear on Facebook. What a view of society and growth we have here!<br />
<br />
From that ad to a drama seen during the eid programming, a similar scene. Father asks the daughter who his boyfriend of hers is. To that she starts, he's Arif, from a 'rich family', son of so-and-so businessman, owner of a car sales showroom. The father here is at least unmoved, but we still have to chalk it up to some parental glitch somewhere.<br />
<br />
Of course, our beloved Ananta comes to mind next, who has many people rallying behind him since he is 'investing' money in cinema (not one yet which didn't star him, and didn't become an '<a href="http://tanm.blogspot.com/2013/10/ingreji-english-dhaliwood-ananta-were.html">accidental comedy</a>'). Over an online interview he states that he bought a Bulgari (bvlgari?) watch for his wife, and he doesn't forget to tell us how much it had cost - 22,000 USD.<br />
<br />
?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-69431557762674207572013-10-19T16:40:00.001+13:002013-10-19T16:40:33.248+13:00Udhao: The Review (A+ for Effort?)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been waiting eagerly for this one. The trailer had given me an immense amount of hope, and taking advantage of the Eid-holiday-empty of Dhaka City, some of us managed to go and watch it at Bashundhara City.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-3PjKVJNFacuX_hz_N5q4nHR1_NHohe5hrxkYDf5c9whUmrm58RbBmBYzHjSLbMBgn_gbfWAk-5oX9HjFWw6yLMMOXyL81mZCsPgL0k0ehCgMzCSkeVibIqjFqlaA10GB4lO/s1600/udhao-scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-3PjKVJNFacuX_hz_N5q4nHR1_NHohe5hrxkYDf5c9whUmrm58RbBmBYzHjSLbMBgn_gbfWAk-5oX9HjFWw6yLMMOXyL81mZCsPgL0k0ehCgMzCSkeVibIqjFqlaA10GB4lO/s320/udhao-scene.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I entered while the opening credits were rolling, and the intense music had me turning towards the screen stopping my efforts to find my seat. Those glimpses still gave me hope, till I actually found my seat, and saw the opening act done by amateurs. The intensity of the music carried on unfortunately throughout the film, drowning the dialogues even! In retrospect, if it wasn't for the subtitles, I might've been terribly lost. Especially the scene that seemed would be a very strong point in the film - the part where Babu has the letter typed out for Akbar's wife (also shown in the trailer).<br />
<br />
In the end, I can appreciate the effort, it has broken out of the usual story lines - romance, and '71. In its quest to attain a gritty film, it probably goes overboard, with amateurish moments and dragging parts. But in its realism of showing that evil doesn't change overnight, it passes. Despite all the flaws I perceived, I am glad it just so different.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-22044404468015393272013-10-01T18:37:00.000+13:002013-10-07T20:18:00.076+13:00Ingreji, English, Dhaliwood, Ananta - We're out to prove ourselves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While reading an article discussing how we're laughing at Ananta Jalil's English accent (while some of us laugh at his Bangla accent too), I came across this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbCzzhZAjhCAPp7vbp_Xtukew8z2EohXGoywPn2ZlU7UmIxzqgq0qLDpZpTkYDsxCaoj01dhmuLd5a5yfY20jMplXN-x1qhVVodhyphenhyphenWLLbi7xKNy2dsc4ovlaiTIzNQTnYlXye/s1600/english-battle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbCzzhZAjhCAPp7vbp_Xtukew8z2EohXGoywPn2ZlU7UmIxzqgq0qLDpZpTkYDsxCaoj01dhmuLd5a5yfY20jMplXN-x1qhVVodhyphenhyphenWLLbi7xKNy2dsc4ovlaiTIzNQTnYlXye/s1600/english-battle.png" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For a chance to prove yourself too, click below:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2013/09/26/ananta-jalil-the-bangu-also-rises/">http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2013/09/26/ananta-jalil-the-bangu-also-rises/</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cheers! </div>
<br />
<br />
Update! Freaking Update!<br />
<br />
As luck would have it, my comment was okayed on the article, and if anyone had trouble making the 'lunatic' connection, here it is:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Mmmmmm. As someone who is dying to see a revolution, be it cinema or society, I place Ananta at the same level as the ‘gonojagoron’. I disagree that we’re laughing at his accent, but at the bad acting, the ridiculous scenes and the overall kitsch flood. He reaches into his chest and pulls out a CGI heart where explosions take place, a bullet passes through and other animated things. Its a scene that is apparently meant to be emotional! I am laughing at Ananta at that point.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As for accents, before we had ‘English Medium’ education, we had people who could normally speak the language very well, as I see in people from my father’s generation. At some point we lost that (how? why?)and these specialized schools took on a role to fill that vacuum. Ananta came on TV and claimed to be very highly “ezucated”which should form doubts in everyone’s minds. Is he the one trying to reach out to the English Medium/Private University kids? Its often reiterated that he is a successful businessman, and he has succeeded here too. I don’t agree that he is the savior of cinema, as it were. If India had Satyajit Ray who later inspired many a great filmmakers, we should just hold our breath waiting for our ‘Ray’ to come. Ananta’s accidental comedies, should be treated just as that, without lifting him up to some pedestal.</i></blockquote>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-15563632943003334492013-09-30T17:23:00.001+13:002013-09-30T17:25:20.663+13:00Bribespot.com - Identifying Bribe Hotspots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy07AiLjMEgfqkfYRr-iqyyJRZi9HqqTBSmhc2oEc_KDQ68ygKdaL1a6yjbA3l-ucNp05Sd1-76RIrYFMQT8x3bTewfTCVCob-g8FNkzNncsQPbY-HNOG5alYQOo1RFAcS8R8/s1600/IPaidABribe.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy07AiLjMEgfqkfYRr-iqyyJRZi9HqqTBSmhc2oEc_KDQ68ygKdaL1a6yjbA3l-ucNp05Sd1-76RIrYFMQT8x3bTewfTCVCob-g8FNkzNncsQPbY-HNOG5alYQOo1RFAcS8R8/s200/IPaidABribe.png" width="200" /></a></div>
I can see how people are going out of their minds wondering if they're ever getting out of this gutter of a system where things move slow unless you pay an illegal extorted 'fee' aka bribe. Sometimes its a matter of getting your rightful papers back from an officer you just handed them to. I blogged about a website that is used in India to track the occurrences and also to share ideas about how to fight bribes and corrupt officials - <a href="http://www.ipaidabribe.com/" target="_blank">www.ipaidabribe.com</a>. I once also saw a pin on Google Maps on our Dhaka BRTA (Ikuria) which was labelled "The most corrupt place in the world" or something along that lines. I imagine it served well to make the victim feel like he got a semblance of a payback.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABwf6JhwoOWf1s3iFrAeFpFE8_qK2zyuye9R2wda3ZZnY4W8OHDt2PzC4BYgoRzxA4yWIT2EmrY_Kl_Pyu6GoBc0YsADZFl-yyvEH6MeC07kSB4qWa5SGSR91i4-9_QMQUYRD/s1600/worldBribespot.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABwf6JhwoOWf1s3iFrAeFpFE8_qK2zyuye9R2wda3ZZnY4W8OHDt2PzC4BYgoRzxA4yWIT2EmrY_Kl_Pyu6GoBc0YsADZFl-yyvEH6MeC07kSB4qWa5SGSR91i4-9_QMQUYRD/s1600/worldBribespot.com.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAwkIzFi-yYB7_VVuGiT1bs1Guzy3glrRO5btuULV_Ogb516P2byzgsX_s3W-fqMQTd5dMGZpwuz3GM_CuV0SoQ7_AgsNbqB6-bDNSwu6fC6nHo2h3aU6JgHlOs328aJ_mkTs/s1600/Bribespot.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAwkIzFi-yYB7_VVuGiT1bs1Guzy3glrRO5btuULV_Ogb516P2byzgsX_s3W-fqMQTd5dMGZpwuz3GM_CuV0SoQ7_AgsNbqB6-bDNSwu6fC6nHo2h3aU6JgHlOs328aJ_mkTs/s200/Bribespot.com.png" width="200" /></a>Recently I found another such site from a post from Thailand, and it seems to have a more global coverage - <a href="http://bribespot.com/">Bribespot.com</a>. On a world map you can see pins of where bribes were paid. Right now certain countries have localized iPhone and Android apps too that serve to create the pins. It can help identify the bribe 'hotspots' according to its statement under the website's 'How it Works > Does it Matter' section.<br />
<br />
People are trying hard to overcome this plague that seems to be ailing societies. However its a greater challenge I feel for us where people can actually empathize with the bribe demanding officers and institutes, and the government can ignore media and whatever public sentiments exist and issue statements of denial.<br />
<br />
<b>Related:</b> <br />
<a href="http://tanm.blogspot.com/search/label/corruption" target="_blank">The 'Corruption' Tag</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-4961001277239070382013-09-03T20:40:00.000+12:002013-09-04T04:46:43.917+12:00Innovation 2013!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I was greeted with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/A2IBangladesh" target="_blank">Facebook Page of A2i</a>, the <a href="http://www.a2i.pmo.gov.bd/" target="_blank">Access to Information</a> program that was developed by our government with the aid of UNDP. There they posed this question last night:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Did you know that Bangladesh ranked 130 among 142 countries in
terms of innovation in 2013? In 2012, the ranking was 112. What can we
do to improve the score?<br /> <br /> The World Innovation Index 2013 is published jointly by Cornell University, INSE<span class="text_exposed_show">AD,
and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a UN agency.
The GII 2013 looked at 142 economies around the world, using 84
indicators including the quality of top universities, availability of
microfinance, venture capital deals - gauging both innovation
capabilities and measurable results.<br /> <br /> Take a look.<a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fkk68sl9&h=zAQHyLMyt&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"> http://tinyurl.com/kk68sl9</a></span></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
The report is quite interesting if you start noting the countries that sit ahead of us. Right above us is Ethiopia, and way ahead is Jamaica. I mention Jamaica, since I was cracking some wise ones seeing them innovating so well. The attempt at a quip went along the lines of - <i>Oh, what are they innovating, cocktail recipes and strains of ganja? </i><br />
<br />
Displaying a bad sense of humor and racial stereotypes, I threw that one at my wife, who is more socially aware. She pointed out that Jamaica is a developed country, with a higher HDI than us by far.<br />
<i><br /></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCNKmyJjFazwYyyiwsrIIiSmCug5mGaHjCZEDNMF6pNhmJ0a5olGSqlsOb2Da51vADWiTVBhzeNu6X_zAHprvFTfBIQfrY-bikR_pct2vnzn0A-bCvTy08eDYBUBSqCoPaICU/s1600/HDI-bdjam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCNKmyJjFazwYyyiwsrIIiSmCug5mGaHjCZEDNMF6pNhmJ0a5olGSqlsOb2Da51vADWiTVBhzeNu6X_zAHprvFTfBIQfrY-bikR_pct2vnzn0A-bCvTy08eDYBUBSqCoPaICU/s1600/HDI-bdjam.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
Back to the question of the day, it clearly will require us to take a good look at the success stories such as Jamaica, Sweden and others, and figure out what we need for our unique challenges. Its possibly a good endeavor to ask people on Facebook, and there could be other formal approaches involving university academics and research think-tanks. The attitude from the government should be,<i> How may we help?</i><br />
<br />
We have over the years had innovations in the field of, and related fields of agriculture, but I don't recall that ever being promoted as a subject to go for to students leaving school who will join a university soon. Meanwhile <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/agri-scientists-not-happy/" target="_blank">a report from Daily Star</a> recently outlined how these academics feel about the kind of remunerations they receive.<br />
<br />
Should we consider Dr. Yunus' achievement as being 'innovative', when in the last 5 years there was a political whiplash on his work and him?<br />
<i></i><br />
Either way, it seems like we have to take proactive steps to harbor innovation. A culture of respect among academics and for academics, ways of sharing information among them, a State that produces opportunities for research and innovation in academia that address local and national problems and so forth.<br />
<br />
Related:<br />
<a href="http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/BGD.html" target="_blank">HDI - Bangladesh</a><br />
<a href="http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/JAM.html" target="_blank">HDI - Jamaica</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/" target="_blank">A Jamaica Newspaper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.globalinnovationindex.org/content.aspx?page=interactive-Comparision" target="_blank">Global Innovation Index : Compare Any Two Countries</a> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-71125843334966745402013-08-07T03:49:00.000+12:002013-09-03T20:42:30.003+12:00Mirror Mirror: Hello Handsome!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoD9J1nKNqAVjKHrBbFXS_OUeJ55nsUv2YWMUYZ2CTTH054eKfHNFE7sV8M8VT_NF4_3f-vSanDqXgDesWiMd4mCWoTHNr_ixZ-nOwXdDUJabCAps-LW-im9nHgxTEwcQN1u5FKQ/s1600/selflove.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoD9J1nKNqAVjKHrBbFXS_OUeJ55nsUv2YWMUYZ2CTTH054eKfHNFE7sV8M8VT_NF4_3f-vSanDqXgDesWiMd4mCWoTHNr_ixZ-nOwXdDUJabCAps-LW-im9nHgxTEwcQN1u5FKQ/s1600/selflove.png" /></a></div>
Do We Congratulate Ourselves Too Much? <br />
<br />
Let's
not look at a mirror in awe of the sight before us, instead let us look at what we see and question it. How can we do better? If we can make that sort of a critical eye part
of our national character, I think we could progress much better in the
coming years.<br />
<br />
While in a concert, albeit brilliantly
arranged (3 or 4-days long Eastern Classical shows, great stage and a
great crowd), I heard one of our politicians declare in her closing
statement that we are the BEST audience in the world. Its not a big
claim, and its not a usual claim. Even if such a competition exists, the claim is harmless. This might be one
instance where we're praising ourselves unnecessarily, when we could
actually do that better by our actions instead. E.g., there could be
massive support from industry and government for artists in our country
both locally and internationally. India has a world renowned flutist; how can we have a maestro too?<br />
<br />
This post is closely aligned with what I've stated in <a href="http://tanm.blogspot.com/2012/11/beware-wide-eyed-optimist.html" target="_blank">Beware the Wide-Eyed Optimist</a>, but today I was just thinking of our education system and whether we're preparing the population for the future. While doing interviews, going through CVs at the workplace, or interacting with random young individuals, I often meet people who are self assured, and confident (approaching cocky). While conversing I am not convinced I have the same confidence in that person as the person holds for his/her own self. At other times, the flashy self confidence is not there, and all of the inadequacies is just there for you to see. A few times, you find a candidate you can talk to or work with.<br />
<br />
Our language has the saying 'অল্প বিদ্যা ভয়ঙ্কর' ∞ 'Its dangerous to know a little', implying that a person should not get cocky with what little she has learnt, but continue on the journey with humility gathering knowledge. Its blatantly unfair to just state that the young are at fault. Instead of doing that we really need to reassess our society's value system and definitely our education system.<br />
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<br />
We should prevent sentimental siding from society, starting from parents, peers and maybe even some educators; looking down on some subjects (such as Sociology) and vice-versa (engineering or medicine). It would be ideal to do away with those distinctions and provide school students a better understanding of what scopes, what industries our country holds, so that they may be inspired to choose a path and have an objective view of the purpose of education along with the broad perspectives that early education provides. The system itself should have mechanisms to identify a student's strengths and helping her grow.<br />
<br />
So I think it is great that we recently did some reassessing of how we're testing our students, but a dangerous trend seems to be rising also since we see a great rate of passes and top grades are being used as proof of a political party's contribution while in power! Instead of using 'education' for such means, we need to think of decades ahead and harbor a country where social, technological research takes place, and the educated are employed in solving problems and puzzles to move our country ahead.<br />
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</div>
<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-Employment-Mismatch/137625/#id=overview" target="_blank">A College Degree Sorts Job Applicants, but Employers Wish It Meant More</a><br />
<a href="http://issuu.com/design.nerve/docs/edutech_issue-03_vol-05_may_2012" target="_blank">EDU Tech Magazine (May 2012 Issue, India)</a> <br />
<a href="http://notaboutthem.blogspot.com/2013/08/time-to-break-stigma-of-studying-social.html" target="_blank">Breaking the Stigma of Social Studies</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-64545080293280419702013-07-18T09:14:00.000+12:002013-07-19T21:44:04.089+12:00The Justice Conundrum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Since preparations of the tribunal began, the BAL government and many experts created a strong front for the tribunal, fighting off anyone who raised a hair of concern about its legitimacy. It was easy to fight off BNP on this, since they were caught holding Jamaat's hand since last election. Other critics weren't tolerated either, and were accused of being anti-liberation (if that's possible). We, the people, joined in on this, whether fully grasping it or not, but wholly out of desperation for closure. Everyone believed that this time, closure is coming.<br />
With that one year left of BAL's term in power, the sentences have started to pour out of the courts. It has been nothing short of the rise of the greatest conundrum for the people from what I can see.<br />
<br />
The big blow was dealt last with the sentence of the big one - Golam Azam. Yes, said the courts, he should be hanged! Yay, cheered the masses! But then, continued the court, since he is old and his health is not so good, we think he should be given a 90 year term in jail. Nay, came back the response from the masses, who just couldn't believe it.<br />
<br />
Its a massive imbroglio and its pushing the citizens to mime the position we've been 'taught' (someone taught us, or we taught ourselves) to take - do not question the tribunal's validity (lest you want to lose what we've achieved, yes?), even if from one sentence to the next, things do not make sense to you, or if by next election, this becomes the factor behind your vote.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-79661826426680780752013-07-13T20:23:00.000+12:002013-07-13T20:39:53.267+12:00Worlds Within Worlds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are a few worlds we reside in, different realities when you enter one room or turn into a road. My work hours are spent in a world where I have a 6th floor view of lots of trees and smaller buildings, and a great big sky. Within that ecosystem I have the respect of a team I command and colleagues I confer with to create the solutions we were hired to.<br />
<br />
To get to work, I have to take a rickshaw ride over broken roads, over puddles if there was rain, behind men who have separate realities themselves. Some have faces that show desperation, others a defiant arrogance. From the rickshaw I walk among other workers making their way to their workplaces sometimes stopping to have our suspicious and fishy 'law enforcers' search my bag to ensure the security of the masses. These men have their own realities, their own stories that shaped them.<br />
<br />
This weekend I went to a garage for my car, on a street that I once crossed many times to get to work before. When driving into it this time, I was surprised that I was blocking incoming traffic. The two lane road was reduced to one by those massive dumpsters laid along haphazardly, and of course with a great amount of garbage lying outside them. Once I stopped at the garage, it was right opposite a couple of them, and the stench was unbearable, at least at first.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJidbYMATWj_hSks8ioJm6kqFY-ExtV_2pgPRPJmZY96LxLuMktk6HFM2fzL-72UxpZfkO-rGlc5vmbPOe_Ycd9TQQwf3GdWtI11oJn7ni0pxHJRpTH9sDFdimVLpIL_LkTFAM/s1600/begunbari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJidbYMATWj_hSks8ioJm6kqFY-ExtV_2pgPRPJmZY96LxLuMktk6HFM2fzL-72UxpZfkO-rGlc5vmbPOe_Ycd9TQQwf3GdWtI11oJn7ni0pxHJRpTH9sDFdimVLpIL_LkTFAM/s640/begunbari.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Since I had to be there, I got used to it, like the mechanics who work on that corner everyday. You can see the people passing by hold their noses and breath as they pass them. For someone who'd be there for a couple of hours, holding ones breath is not an option. There are a few buildings around there and from one came out one man with his child on his colorful bicycle with safety wheels. Poor kid is also used to this unholy surroundings, and has to have his play time in it.<br />
<br />
This was another world, where there were other worlds in it. Soon after the Friday Jummah prayers were over, the roads were a little barren, and suddenly a few kids appeared. Each about 3.5' tall, they were still wearing <a href="http://www.anjans.com/products/eid_fiter_2009/panjabi.php" target="_blank">panjabis</a>, suggesting they had been to the mosque a while ago. What they were doing there at the time, was another unholy thing. These puny human beings were mouthing each other off, with insults that involved their mothers. As one hurled one insult describing what he would do, the other came back with something more sinister. Those were the rules of the game I suppose, and for this surrounding it made no difference to its inhabitants, only to the alien who was visiting with his problems from another world.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Another excerpt from <b>City of Joy</b>:<br />
<i>[Voice of Musafir Prasad] 'I knew that to do my job properly, I needed a heart of stone like my boss. How else would I be able to claim the five- or six-rupee hiring fee from some poor sod whose carriage [rickshaw] hadn't budged from the spot. I knew that some days many of them would have to go without food to pay me. Poor fellows! How are you supposed to pull two clients and all their parcels or two fat women from one of the rich neighborhoods with nothing in our stomach? Every day pullers collapsed on the street. And each time some fellow couldn't get back on his feet, I had to look for a replacement. Thank God there was no shortage of candidates!</i></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0বেগুনবাড়ী, ঢাকা 1208, বাংলাদেশ23.7635021 90.40368323.7562361 90.393598 23.7707681 90.413768tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-43157544708641942982013-07-08T22:02:00.000+12:002013-07-13T20:44:40.863+12:00City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It must have been years since I bought Freedom at Midnight and City of Joy from one trip to Neelkhet's bountiful used-books mart. I finally picked up City of Joy, having lost my copy Freedom at Midnight recently while I was still halfway through it. City of Joy is fat book, the kind I am prone to avoid, but out of a sudden act of courage, I picked it up. If I don't survive the first few pages of a book, its a sign that there is no future there, and here I read over 20 pages in one go! Bravo!<br />
<br />
The more I read the book, as the characters unfold, their fates unfold, I realize how after such a long time, after such drastic changes in my country (similar to India, once India, once Bengal), its almost like nothing has changed after all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxV1QSf3RuQPf_eebjLEzLCzFKH8iVBS1WA1x_jHk7LVMTdMlXx0cies1KDQueEl1t9Yzm_R8o9ERgWozr71s7DY8gkVCeULxE3CN42kLhhhfm9-C5WUMmqgQDRE-NYpvSNFl/s1600/city-of-joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxV1QSf3RuQPf_eebjLEzLCzFKH8iVBS1WA1x_jHk7LVMTdMlXx0cies1KDQueEl1t9Yzm_R8o9ERgWozr71s7DY8gkVCeULxE3CN42kLhhhfm9-C5WUMmqgQDRE-NYpvSNFl/s320/city-of-joy.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
Check this: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But when the December wind blew down from the Himalayas and swept through the avenues, it was as cold as death on the pavements. From every direction there rose the same haunting noises. The sound of coughing fits, of throats being cleared, the whistle of spitting. The worst for Aloka was to have to 'sleep on the bare ground. You woke up in the morning with limbs as painful as if they'd been beaten. By some cruel stroke of irony, an advertisement on a hoarding seemed to flout them from the opposite pavement. It showed a maharajah sleeping snugly on a thick mattress. From his dreamland he inquired solicitously, 'Have you ever thought of a Simmons mattress as a present?'</i></blockquote>
<br />
I am a long way from finishing the book, but I feel like this book should be a part of school curriculum. We are growing up now with education, as if a brand of orange juice, has quality levels that depend on the parents' bank accounts. There are even English medium schools whereby you can graduate to <i>own</i> a very good grasp of English while having a very low level knowledge of your own mother tongue. Overall, education can have an effect that creates a distance between a person and the realities that plague the rest of the country. The age of globalization also showers us with images of lifestyle habits that may further exacerbate this.<br />
<br />
The fate of a person who leaves his village out of necessity to find work as a rickshaw puller in urban Kolkata (then Calcutta) is easily transferable to our beloved Dhaka. Just see how many people are in that profession right now. To not be able to fathom what they, or those who sleep under the sky at Shahbagh, Karwan Bazaar and other places go through, cannot create a society where the marginalized would ever get anyone to empathize with them. Literature like this, would go a long way to nurturing that empathy.<br />
<br />
<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="http://dominiquelapierre.es/" target="_blank">Dominique Lapierre</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kathrynspink.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kathryn Spink (Who translated City of Joy)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cityofjoyaid.org/" target="_blank">City of Joy Aid</a><br />
<a href="http://www.simmons.com.sg/" target="_blank">Simmons Mattress</a><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Nilkhet Rd, ঢাকা, বাংলাদেশ23.7332338 90.39138660000003323.7259658 90.381301600000029 23.7405018 90.401471600000036tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-58574046368514502792013-05-26T20:56:00.002+12:002013-05-26T21:49:25.405+12:00State of the Arts: Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQU0wxX5emA/UDewYe97FJI/AAAAAAAACyM/YE1x0pqVLDM/s1600/joe+satriani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQU0wxX5emA/UDewYe97FJI/AAAAAAAACyM/YE1x0pqVLDM/s200/joe+satriani.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
That's Joe Satriani on the left. Bless him! He is a great guitarist and entertainer, and has always said loudly how big an inspiration Jimi Hendrix is to him. Its also known to us how largely he has also inspired and taught a generation of guitarists (<i>Remember Ayub Bacchu's tak</i>? Yup, its a Joe thing)<br />
<br />
Here, though our TV won't generally show Joe's videos or concerts, you can still hear a lot of his music, as background scores of our TV dramas!<br />
<br />
This is however something that bothers me, since there are so many instances of this. It shows a large flaw about or entertainment industry. The lack of flow of money. These drama show producers could've easily hired a musician to produce some original music, but when even the makers are in fear of if and when they'd be paid, there's little motivation to do so (unless freebied). Also, with international copyrights laws absent from the scenario, its easier to use something available to us from someone like Joe or Bach or Britney. Since laws are so slack, there is also the chance to use material from any local artist without citing credit or paying a paisa.<br />
<br />
The local label owners scream and shout about copyrights and sometimes even manage to get some artists to join in the chorus, but the gist of that whole deal is that the artists are not in any part of that chain - receiving maybe as little as parts of the recording costs, to nothing. Especially, someone new. And then there's the visible lack of distribution of the music and promotions. One would wonder why they release the CD's in the first place! They must have figured out how to make some profit with the least bit of effort possible, since otherwise it wouldn't have happened.<br />
<br />
There is also the type factor, behind the kind of attention an artist will receive. Watch Channel 16's Top Ten to see what that might mean. You'll hear 10 songs that almost sound the same. Habib, Hridoy Khan, and a few others started a trend in pop music and their slower numbers seemed to have influenced multiple acts into being and they are churning out some pretty bland lovey dovey pieces of crap that is available on TV and radio.<br />
<br />
I am taking a liberty here claiming I know good music from bad, and businessmen don't, or don't care. They wouldn't have cared to support a certain kind of music if they didn't think it had a market and I guess I could hang up my gloves on that point. I have to come back with a 'But' jab, and say, they are not giving some musicians who are more creative, more unique, and more entertaining a chance by not promoting them after their CDs come out. Its just a lack of foresight. The lacking that stops labels from promoting a CD after having put it on the shelf of a store.<br />
<br />
If the drama directors had a formidable budget, they could use local musician's work giving them their rightful dues and helping promote their music. I remember one drama starred members of the band Black, and featured them lip syncing the very famous song "Shay Je Boshe Achhey" from Arnob. That level of fame that song and Arnob reached was helped along by that spot on TV, and its still possible to find someone today who mistakes that as a song by Black.<br />
<br />
Till we learn to cultivate and appreciate artists, its no use just putting their CDs on the shelves where the masses are unaware of what they sound like or what they represent.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-35920077824328951082013-05-19T18:23:00.000+12:002013-07-13T20:55:18.952+12:00Bugger of the Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9ihn99xfMFdxva1io65bB-wV681fMcNW6VX6pjQfh6mQCGAWU6r2PQgvCJ-GHvudD3-DYNqic-xPkAt0xq3guNppFhqTUOtfkKvQLeTPucl1AFOoSI1rMNxa0HotY5nXNj2H/s1600/BonJovi2Dthesedays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9ihn99xfMFdxva1io65bB-wV681fMcNW6VX6pjQfh6mQCGAWU6r2PQgvCJ-GHvudD3-DYNqic-xPkAt0xq3guNppFhqTUOtfkKvQLeTPucl1AFOoSI1rMNxa0HotY5nXNj2H/s200/BonJovi2Dthesedays.jpg" style="margin-right: 12px;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 26px;">How does a band go from creating an artful album like <i>These Days</i> to creating a drab song like <i>It's My Life</i>?</span></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-36253780965337209832013-05-07T23:06:00.001+12:002013-07-13T21:09:05.407+12:00O Sorkar Where Art Thou? (The Followup)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Finally, we see the government. Not in any way close to the way we want to see them. On the other hand, the points I fret upon <a href="http://tanm.blogspot.com/2013/04/o-sorkar-where-art-thou-encore.html">last time</a>, came out in an article today (more than a week later) in the Daily Star, titled <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/silver-linings-generation/">Silver Linings Generation</a>. The tone is a bit different, praising the youth for its contributions to the rescue effort. Some young groups are still active and taken on ways to contribute to the rehabilitation of the survivors and the families who has lost their sole bread winners. Some of these are<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/1difb">1Degree Initiative</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CallforDutyBangladesh">Call for Duty</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/371714169604209/">Community Action</a></li>
</ul>
As for how we recently saw the government, it was in a shady tone of suspicious. They allowed a group to declare and carry on with a blockade of Dhaka city, and to hold a meeting and rally in the same day in the center of the old commercial area of Motijheel. They spent the whole day there doing their thing, one guy carrying a board with a message "Want an Atheist Free Bangladesh", and carried on till night time. Just after darkness fell, something somewhere went wrong, no one seems to know what exactly. Our media reported that apparently someone was trying to burn a car, when police tried to stop them, and then clashes broke out. Any party who is in opposition will tell you burning cars is a democratic right, so is the occasional death or deaths of random people on the street, but anyhow, hell did break loose. We saw on TV lots of fires, lots of stones being thrown, lots of gunshots. Now if you think we all know how it started and ended - there are two versions to that story. Its anyone's guess what those versions may sound like. But if you consider that Diganta TV was unplugged (TV sympathetic to the Islamic cause) in the middle of the night, you were bound to see some channels interviewing Police personality with questions like - "Everyones in awe of how you guys handled this situation, how did you do it?" Meanwhile, Facebook and other social channels are flooding with pictures of dead protestors from the Hefazot-e Islam (Protectors of Islam, remember He-Man?) which definitely points towards more deaths than the uncensored papers and TV channels would admit to.<br />
<br />
Now, with the way things are, the definition of "death from natural causes" have expanded almost, to include:<br />
Road Accidents/Treatment Errors/Political Assassinations/Death at the hands of Extortionists with Political Clout/Others ... as you can see, we're pretty open about how we die, no hullabaloo required in the form of protests or actions. This was almost the case, but its noticeable that some are outraged by this recent thing, even though the real version of the story is still not verified. Either way, I hope we can agree one day on one point - our government is (governments are) shady.<br />
<br />
I feel that most of our youth activism is holding parallel actions to the government, like the rescue of trapped workers, followed by rehabilitation. I can sense their lack of faith in the government, but I am still convinced that sooner than later, we should come together to point our fingers at Them, and demand they do their jobs properly.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048100.post-54236382521556812022013-04-28T19:07:00.002+12:002013-04-28T20:41:00.973+12:00O Sorkar Where Art Thou? (The Encore)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If the Savar collapse wasn't the prime opportunity for the sarkar to put some shine on their armor otherwise laden what what hit the fan, I don't know what is! However, my problem is I always think I am too smart for the sarkar, when I've been totally outrun by them my whole life.<br />
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I apologize for the title, since there is a matter other than the sarkar that is eating at my grays. Its our media. Its no secret that the news media, especially the TV news channels, get a chance to get more viewers in this case, but hey, we the people, appreciate getting a direct telecast of the gruesome events also, its information we crave. And of course, one has to notice the 'emotional journalism' that takes place often here (as opposed to passionate journalism, terms I've come up with), e.g. juxtaposing violin and cello music on top of slowed down footage of those suffering loss and pain.<br />
<br />
But whats more troubling is the blind eye they all turned on the massive civil action (not a lawsuit) that is taking place to help this rescue operation. Anyone who turns on Facebook now sees the different groups and individuals who have been communicating back and forth between the Savar site and those who are on their toes to go out and give blood, buy supplies - anything from medicine, dry food, shrouds, torch lights to oxygen tanks. Not to forget, cash donations also. You can even see advertizing agencies lined up there among medical students and pharmaceutical companies and Walton - a crazy and passionate mix of people there.<br />
<br />
From day 1, there has been one noticeable party who has been slow to respond - Le Sorkar! (or is it La Sorkar?)<br />
<br />
However, on Day 3, we hear from our Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, respond to the media's coverage:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Last night, Ekattor Television in a talk show said there is scarcity of
medicines. But we have stockpiles of drugs in Savar hospitals. We have
supplied double the demand. I talked to them (doctors in Savar). No one
says there is a dearth. We have enough blood, enough oxygen. We have
deployed an agent of the government’s oxygen supplier. They are
instructed to supply any amount.”</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The minister assured that government would provide Bangladesh’s ‘best treatment’ to the injured ‘as long as they need.’</i> [<a href="http://bdnews24.com/media-en/2013/04/27/minister-sore-over-televised-savar-tragedy1" target="_blank">BDNews24</a>]</blockquote>
On Saturday, we also saw Tuku from the Home Ministry answer about government initiatives first with a rant on how the visit by Khaleda Zia (Opposition Leader) wasted 3 hours of rescue time, and then with a vague "we will tackle this with the help of the people". To which the reporter thanked him. Intense stuff!<br />
<br />
Social media's role in overthrowing governments have been widely covered by media corporations before, but seeing them ignore these valiant efforts that are clearly taking place now in mitigating this catastrophic situation is beyond me. Then again, I am the lunatic.<br />
<br />
Overpowering my skewed sense of justice, is of course a sadness, at the deaths, and also at those who are making it out alive without an arm or a leg, disabilities that might take away their livelihoods. That is still another issue that is being widely avoided at the mainstream media desks, and if you want to see what has been done, switch to your Facebook.<br />
<br />
You could follow:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/rdbld/posts/648291058530745" target="_blank">Red Blood</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HelpSavarBuildingCollapseVictims" target="_blank">HelpSavarBuildingCollapseVictims </a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/izaker?fref=ts" target="_blank">Iresh Zaker</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/1difb" target="_blank">1 Degree Initiative</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/moktadir.shanto" target="_blank">Shanto</a> <br />
<br />
<b>Related:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/apr/27/back-grave">Story of one survivor: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/apr/27/back-grave</a><br />
(Some survivors have shown signs of psychological trauma and fought off the rescue workers)<br />
<a href="http://www.dhakatribune.com/editorial/2013/apr/28/think-things-through">Thoughtless? http://www.dhakatribune.com/editorial/2013/apr/28/think-things-through</a> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0