Vista is not a disappointment

An article published in PCWorld says that Windows Vista is the most disappointing product of 2007. Their argument is that Vista is slower than XP and it has few problems e.g. slow file transfer. While I am not sure about Vista being slow, I agree with the later issue. Sometimes, Vista is really slow even when transferring files of size less than 1 MB. I hope this is a minor issue and will be fixed in the first service pack. But Vista does have some good features. It has significantly improved search capability. The program control is excellent and an effective tool against viruses and spyware. Microsoft did a great job writing the whole TCP/IP stack from scratch for Vista. The wireless connectivity is much better now. All the TCP connections are not immediately broken after the wi-fi connection goes out. I get enough time to reconnect and still retain those connections. The interface is nice though the 3D list of current windows is useless. But overall, after using Vista for about 11 months, I can say that Vista is not a disappointment. Those who are not satisfied with it should wait for the soon to be released service pack 1.

Khaled as GP model!

This is my friend Khaled Maruf in Grameen Phone's ad. He also starred in a tv commercial of same company of which he is also an employee. Though he has enormous potential as a model for a long time, he was not interested in showbiz before. However, I am happy that at last he took the right decision. Better late than never :-).

List of Shameless Dhaka University Teachers - as 102 vanished abroad with Tk 1.8crore

Reference Check http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangla_ict/message/5183

 

As many as 102 DU teachers who went abroad on study leave owe Tk 1.80 crore to the university as they have never returned or repaid the loan taken before leaving the country for higher studies.

 

According to the university rules, an eligible teacher can go abroad for higher education with up to four years' study leave. During the study leave, he or she is entitled to receive salary and other allowances from the university.

Sources said the defaulters each had signed a bond before taking the loan that they would pay the money back if they decided to stay abroad.

 

Sources said 71 of these teachers are from the science faculties, five from the Arts faculty, 14 from Social Science faculty, two from the Law faculty, nine from Business Studies faculty and four from the Institute of Business Studies.

Among the defaulters, three are professors, 66 lecturers and the rest are assistant professors, university sources said.

Of the teachers of sciences faculties, 10 are from biochemistry and molecular biology department, nine each from applied physics and electronics, and chemistry departments, one from mathematics, five from physics, three from applied chemistry, four from applied chemistry and chemical technology, one from computer science and engineering, five from geography and environment, three from geology, five from statistics, two from applied statistics, six from microbiology, five from psychology and one from soil, water and environment department.
 

Defaulters List:

1. Management department teacher Mishkat Uddin who had gone to the US for higher studies and made no contact for a few years but recently joined North South University , the VC said the authorities have already sent a letter to his address.Management department teacher Mishkat Uddin was fired. He owes over Tk 1 lakh.
2. Nahida Banu, lecturer in biochemistry and molecular biology, was due to return to her job on April 1, 1994. The authorities have terminated her job as she did not respond to letters sent to her asking her to return. She owes Tk 3.5 lakh to the university.
3. Chemistry teacher Abul Khair Khan took Tk 1.6 lakh and was due to return to the university on July 1, 2001.
4. Md Salauddin of Bangla took Tk 3.12 lakh
5. Faiza Sultana of English Tk 4 lakh
6. Sudhir Shyamol Chowdhury of English Tk 1.44 lakh
7. Abul Fazal Md Fazle Rabbi of information science Tk 2.35 lakh
8. Monjushri Bonik of library management Tk 2.14 lakh
9. Saida Zakia Hossain of sociology Tk 1.84 lakh
10. Kawsar Kibria of sociology Tk 2.54 lakh
11. Mohammad Selim of economics owe Tk 1.95 lakh
12. Jahanara Begum of economics owe Tk 1.41 lakh
13. Dr Monsurul Alam Khan of economics owe Tk 2.78 lakh
14. Soumi Mostafa of economics owe Tk 1.82 lakh
15. AKM Mahbub Morshed of economics owe Tk 2.69 lakh
16. Saira Khan of International Relations owe Tk 2.15 lakh
17. Muna Hossain of international relations owe Tk 1.11 lakh
18. M Nurul Hossain of mass communications and journalism took Tk 1.11 lakh
19. Md Shamsher Ali of Institute of Social Welfare and Research is Tk 1.03 lakh

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=11593

Is this an acceptable behavior?

First of all, My congratulations to www.amaderprojukti.com for the excellent effort of making a complete Bengali forum site.

Mr. Mostafa Jabbar is threating www.amaderprojukti.com to stop using his layout. Oh wait! He demands the site to be shut down!!! The fact is they are not using his layout at all rather they are using a newer layout UNIJOY which is an openware. In a field like IT, where everyone is assumed to be a gentleman, this incident is the very first of its kind in Bangladesh. Here is the link:

http://forum.amaderprojukti.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=340

Bangladesh Biman!!!

Enjoy this very funny video:

Bangladesh IT Roadmap: a report by a true patriot

I found an excellent report on Bangladesh IT published for the public. This excellent piece of work has been done by Mr. Shahzaman Mozumder, Bir Protik. Going through his marvelous write-up, I realized that this person is not a so called expert who is trying to ruin BD IT by his sheer ignorance. Rather, this guy is an intelligent one who knows what he is talking about. You will know the sorry but very expected story of a government bureaucrat not paying heed to his report and later spawning yet another failed government project ( i.e. waste of huge public money). Apart from that, the report, wealthy in statistics and analysis, suggests some very pragmatic moves which are necessary to keep our hope alive. Here is the link:

http://bengalit.blogspot.com

Thousands of protesters are dead in Myanmar

Here is the link:

http://www.gnn.tv/headlines/15563/Burma_Thousands_of_protesters_are_dead

A hilarious news: Donkey eats buyer's money!

A donkey at an Algerian market ate the money of a man who came to buy him, making the unfortunate buyer and the owner wonder who the animal belongs to, an Algerian newspaper reported. Full report here.

A beginning of a new era of telecommunication in Dhaka

Dhaka Phone, a private land phone company, launched its service in Dhaka zone. This ends the monopoly of the most corrupt institution in Bangladesh, BTTB. It is high time to take care of BTTB's hegemony and rescue the management of submarine cable from its evil grip. The full story can be found here:

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=5209

Power Situation Improves Significantly

Load shedding in Bangladesh dropped to 200MW from 1200MW in recent days. In my opinion, it is a miraculous achievement. It was unimaginable during last 5 years. According to this report of The Daily Star, this could be achieved due to proper distribution of responsibility and more authority to engineers and electricians to take instantaneous decisions. This proves that we can also do better with our limited resources and man power. The only thing needed is a corruption free environment which is now provided by current government. I respect for this current government grew more for this achievement. Now, we can only hope that the next democratic government will keep up the good work of this government, not harbor corruption and move the country forward. We need to get rid of corrupted political leaders and their associates in administration. I hope we will achieve that before the next election next year.

Water can be burnt!

This is an exciting discovery. If this can be used then the problem of fuel will be solved for good, the world will be at peace too as wars will not be needed to secure hydro-carbon fuel. The complete story is here:

http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/1570

Politics in Bangladesh - Comments made By an Expatriate in Bangladesh

I just came across this email in a mail group, thought I should share it with others. Here it goes:

Remarks regarding the former Prime Ministers, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina- Comments made By an Expatriate

Wednesday September 05 2007 20:28:58 PM BDT

Gregor, Bangladesh

As a foreigner I'm a guest in Bangladesh, living in Dhaka since February this year and will do so for a few more years to come. Politics has always interested me very much and so it was only natural that I would follow the development of my host country. What struck me from the very beginning was the hospitality of the people of Bangladesh. I was welcomed with open arms and never experienced anything that could be considered hostile.

The political situation in Bangladesh has an impact not only on the business community but also on the people. Unfortunately the responsibility is not with the caretaker government but with the previous governments, lead by said ladies. It was them who ran the country into turmoil and, to a large extent, destruction. They are responsible for the deteriorating relationship with our neighbors, the energy crisis which leaves millions of people without electricity for the better part of the day and many more ill developments, not to speak about paving the way for corruption, extortion and crime in a never experienced extent.

The same two ladies, who have nothing to their credit except one is the daughter of a famous father, founder of Bangladesh, the other wife of a famous husband, they are now concerned about all sorts of things. These are the same persons that catapulted family members and friends into the highest Government and party positions that deprived the people of Bangladesh of control about their constitutional rights, that lived a very glamorous life and there was nobody and nothing that would limit their lifestyle in any form or shape.

At the same time the overwhelming majority of people live of less then US $ 250 a year, have no air condition (and if they had, no electricity to run them), experience massive transportation problems, waste hours to get from A to B and would have a very limited choice when it comes to buying the needs for every day's life.

And here comes my point: Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have the chutzpa to speak on behalf of the people of Bangladesh.

They pretend to be concerned about the rice price, the catastrophic consequences of this years weather and the many people that died, the political development of the country, democracy, election and many other extremely important issues.

They don't hesitate to address the very basic instincts of the people of Bangladesh, pull every psychological trick in the book just to (mis)lead people to believe they would care, instrumentalize and manipulate the press for their games and to top all of this, make the people believe they'd be victims of a witch hunt.

Now remember, these are the same, identical persons, that had every imaginable comfort, no limits on money, police clearing their way when they needed to use the roads; they snipped the finger and it was done.

My question is: Did they care then? Do they care now? Where and what is their contribution to the flood victims? It is so cynical to misuse the press to fabricate a story, like they would want to go to the victims and console the poor guys. What precisely is it they want?

My answer: They're more worried about losing their privileges and wealth, power and influence than anything else. They're not the least interested in the average Joe's and Jill's on the streets, after all their expensive shoe could get dirty. They want to keep their hands on things and take over and retaliate as soon as emergency law has been lifted.

A simple example shows that no lesson has been learned. Yesterday Khaleda made a comment to the extent that she would appoint a kind of substitute in case she's unable to run the BNP party business. At the same time she complains about lack of democracy. In my understanding a democratic process would be to allow the party member to elect a person. But no, she will appoint someone. Welcome to the democratic new Bangladesh.

I am in no position to advise or lecture you people of Bangladesh. From the bottom of my heart, I feel with you and I'm contributing from my own, private money to make a difference. Although I can't change the country I'd like to remind you of your strength, pride, self confidence and all the other values. Many of you liberated the country and helped to make it independent. Many of you are proud of your language, the Nation and your achievements as individuals and a nation.

They're innocent until proven otherwise! But in every democracy in the world the accused steps down and focuses on the trial or her/his private life. Here they keep manipulating the people, hoping they would probably venture into the streets and cause some headache for the government and the media provides the platform for the spectacle.

Please, liberate yourself from these two ladies. Let justice take it's course and if they're found guilty they should get the same treatment every criminal gets once sentenced. If found not guilty send them into retirement. Bangladesh has many, many talented and strong you women and men, which could lead the country into a golden future.

Thanx for allowing me to express my view, which is very much democratic too.

Kind Regards from a Peoples Friend of Bangladesh

Gergor
Bangladesh
E mail : gregorbd@bol- online.com

DU incident: the true story

http://www.ittefaq.com/get.php?d=07/08/27/w/n_zmkxmq

DU incident: description from a friend's email

I am very busy these days and cannot visit Bangladeshi blogger sites regularly, let alone write one. But recent incidents in DU were inspiring me to write something. When I was thinking to start to write, I received the following group mail from a friend of mine. I think I cannot express my thoughts better than this mail. Here we go:

Day 1: koyekta gadhar baccha NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) DU r koyektar sathe hatahati korlo. As usual, DU r polapain gelo kheipa...army r upor raag to onek diner (otherwise DU te dine e dhoroner hatahati 2-3 ta hoi). Third world coutry te ja hoi, jhamelar shuru te police thengano start kore (obossoi authority order dei, tai). ekhane o holo tai.  polapain aro khepe gelo.

 

Day 2: ok...issue pawa gelo...army camp shoraite hobe. DU r teachers association er moha-manob , jara student derke kapurush howar shikkha dei nai, tarao bollo, army shoraiote hobe, sathe police o. government ki r korbe, jhamela baranor dorkar nai, army camp shorano start hobe raat 8 tar dike. er moddhe polapain r police er moddhe maramari cholse aro koyek dofa. but eto shohoje army camp shore gele hobe naki? amader chatro dol r chatro league er neta ra onekdin dhoirai angula chustese, polapain salam-talam o dei na. eijonno raat 8 tar dike ek group polapain jokhon anando kortese, arek group tokhon nilkhet area te massacre start korlo. Dhaka college er udiyoman protiva ra to ready. New market r nilkhet e open chadabaji bondho bohut din dhore. ektu tight dewa dorkar. Chance to protidin ashe na. ei faak e nilkhet kno, Dhanmondi area te dokan gula aro dami, kach r gari vangar chance 2008 er election er age abar kokhon ashbe, k jane? maximum medhabi rai i obosso chatro na.

 

Day 3: Day 2 raat e ja start hoise, Day 3 te continue hoilo. moja hoilo, DU te police camp thkabena r RU othoba JU te thkabe , eta hoitei parena. Campus hoilo medhabi chatro der jaiga, ekhane boka-choda police er ki dorkar . so, JU r RU r osshonkh komolmoti medhabi ra vangchur start korlo.  Boloto, campus e police er kno dorkar nai? hijack korata ektu shohoj hobe. Oporajeyo Bangla theke Doyel-chottor jaite koijon thek khabe next 1 year e , k jane?

 

Day 4: thanda.

 

Day 5: ekta valo kaj hoise. kisu chatro neta r 4 jon moha-manob re dhoira niya gese. oderke thengaile asha kora jai,kisu info ber hobe.

 

ei government beshi din thakbena, coz amra bangali rai bar bar chutia der kase fire jete chai. shei political baal er alap. asha kora jai, kisu din er moddhei amader sommanito buddhi-jibi shomaj r jagroto chatro jonota mohan netri ebong tader sango-pango der kase desh ke abaar ijara dewar bebostha kore felte parbe.

 

(law enforcement force jokhon petano start kore, tokhon 100 jon er moddhe 40 jon niriho lok mair khai. oi 40 er moddhe amio thakte pari. better oi 100 jon er moddhe jate ami na pori, tar bebostha kora)

At last RANGS building will be demolished

It is a great news to the country. As described by one adviser, this building was the symbol of power misuse in the country. Now that Supreme Court has ordered it to be demolished, the construction work for the road link should be started asap. The top 15 floors will be demolished from Friday but I do not know when the rest will be. I want to see the link road as soon as possible. It will ease the traffic congestion greatly. It is another great job being done by this government. During the last fifteen years, this building only kept growing taller.

Microsoft surface

It will be a great thing when it comes into being. The possibilities are endless. The promotional videos can be seen below:

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

A muslim marine

He originated from Bangladesh, here it the link to the full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6755589.stm

The least expected from a national leader

This is not expected from a person whose father liberated this country:

From New Nation Online Edition

Front Page
Jt forces search Mokammel's house: Plot to rig polls uncovered
By Staff Reporter
Sat, 9 Jun 2007, 13:41:00

The Army-led Joint Forces have recovered documents on sensational designs to damage image of the country abroad and rig election from the residence of Awami League Advisory Council member Mokammel Haque recently.

Informed sources said the documents include copies of Sheikh Hasina's letter to US President George W Bush and the Embassy of the Netherlands, the party's election planning, including a design for polls tampering, and names of partisan bureaucrats in the administration as well as their party affiliations.

Sheikh Hasina sent her letter to the US President on January 9 this year. Mokammel Haque drafted the letter, which was fianlised by the AL President herself.

Contents of Sheikh Hasina's letter to the US President were full of elements damaging the country abroad. Contents of the letter were arranged in such a way that it could manoeuvre the Bush Administration in line with the AL.

The same letter was handed over to the Netherlands Embassy with a view to influencing its government to fuel anti-Bangladesh campaign in the Europe.

The documents recovered from Mokammel's residence also included names of persons, whom the Awami League (AL) wanted to appoint as Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commissioners and officials, whom the party wanted to occupy the civil and police administrations, including crucial Secretaries and the IGP, the DCs and SPs, during the January 22 stalled elections.

Besides, there were names of pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat bureaucrats, whom the AL wanted to purge from civil and police administrations before the elections.

The documents show that 80 per cent of the reshuffles carried out during the Caretaker Government headed by President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed were done on the basis of the AL design and as per its list of names.

In addition to that the papers recovered from Mokammel's residence includes names of 44 pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat officials, who attended the much-talked about meeting at the residence of former Chairman of the Board of Investment. The AL had sent this list to the higher level of the Caretaker government.

A file recovered from his residence, contains description of 22 government plots, which Mokammel Haque manoeuvred to allocate in favour of his family and relatives abusing his position when he was a Secretary.

Another file contains paper-cuttings of stories published in different newspapers about his corruption.

Intelligence agencies traced the existence of these documents on Sunday through tapping cell phone of Mokammel Haque, when he was asking his Private Secretary from London to shift those from his residence to one of his friend's house.

The Joint Forces immediately raided his residence at flat no 403, House no 20, Road no 62 at Gulshan-2 and recovered these documents.


© Copyright 2003 by ittefaq.com

http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/printer_36712.shtml

A timely remider

Editor Motiur Rahman wrote a good article on Tarek Zia. He must not be pardoned. Here is the link:

http://www.prothom-alo.org/index.news.details.php?nid=NzM5Ng==&PHPSESSID=c4dda7c6090ea871b38fbe89602aeba0

Shafi Sami & C.R.P.

http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/Arif-Jebtikblog/28712437

Joke of the year!

According to the Daily Janakantha, the joke of the year is - there is no existence of dynastic politics in BNP. This joke is made by Khaleda Zia. Either she seriously wanted to make fun or she still thinks people of Bangladesh are all fools. In the later case, the fool is no one but herself. The Daily Star news is here.

Radio Nakhojabad

From a friend of mine:

Citycell

Mobile phone operator CityCell is making about Tk 360 crore a year illegally, according to regulatory officials. A 12-hour raid on the company headquarters in the capital Wednesday produced evidence for the BTRC officials to claim CityCell, majority-owned by former foreign minister M Morshed Khan, was making at least one crore a day using illegal VoIP connections.

For more, visit http://media.bdnews24.com
Full contents on this site open to all at 2am (BdST) (8pm GMT)

Source: http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=4&id=7925#tp7925

Once, citycell was the only mobile company which was hundred percent owned by Bangladeshis. But I could never like this company because of its excessive greed. Former foreign minister M. Morshed Khan earned, I should rather say extorted, a lot of money when it was the only mobile company in Bangladesh. Each connection with a handset costed more than one lakh at that time. The coverage area was only gulshan and some part of its surrounding area. It was clearly a blackmail. Years after years they went on like this, they had no intention of enlarging their coverage area nor lowering the price. They were happy with what was going on. After GP, Aktel and Sheba telecom (now Banglalink) came, there monopoly was decimated. Though, as a Bangladeshi, I should have wanted the best for their business, because of their earlier nasty business practice and crooked owners I wanted the demise of this company. Today another dark chapter of this company is revealed which just validates my stance against them.

An example to follow

The education ministry adviser's wife, who is a government professor of economy, could not get a posting in Dhaka. The adviser did not abuse his power to do anything about it. How many times did it happen during BNP/AL (two sides of same coin) ruling in Bangladesh? I should better ask, how many times did it happen in the entire history of Bangladesh? I hope and pray that once an elected government comes to power, at least some of the people will follow this wonderful example.

http://www.shamokal.com/details.php?nid=60796

Biman

At last Biman is shaking up. The excessive manpower must be trimmed. The profitable flights like Dhaka-NY must be restarted. And to assert that Biman is not a place for easy corruption, Said Iskander must be caught by ACC.

Dhaka: Today's featured article in Wikipedia

Dhaka is the topic of today's featured article in Wikipedia.

Chowdhury Zafrullah Sharafat after BD win against S.A.

Uploaded by a friend of mine:

Smart Room: a great project by CSE BUET students

This is a superb project done by the brilliant CSE students of BUET. Quoting from the site:

This project is an attempt to incorporate some intelligence or "smartness" into a room. The room should be able to sense many things. If there is no one in the room, the devices are off. This saves unnecessary power consumption. When someone is in front of the door, the door should be opened automatically. When the person enters, the door is shut and the room decides how many lights to turn on depending on the current intensity of light. The fan speed is controlled based on the current room temperature. This way, people need not bother about mechanical switches. In addition, the smartness of the room can be disabled anytime. When the smartness is disabled, the room is able to understand Bangla and English voice commands and mobile commands through Bluetooth and SMS. The status of the room can be known through mobile. The room can also utter the temperature or time in both Bangla and English when asked by voice. Devices can also be controlled through PC software.

A report was publised in Prothom Alo about the project. For details: http://smartroom.awardspace.com/

Tarique Rahman's connection with Daud Ibrahim

It seems that he was not only a local godfather but also was trying to be an international godfather. If this allegation is proved, I think, it will give him the most pain.

http://thedailystar.net/2007/03/23/d7032301085.htm

A good cricket highlights website for world cup 07

http://www.crickethighlights.info/

Bangladesh vs India WC 2007 Highlights

The following videos are uploaded by my friend. Enjoy!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puTO-pzXXbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bj1qCkp8AI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a94_VG9TUuA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CljpnHU6P7E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTQ7Ay_ bMHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnl2UfYLHIo

 

Bangabandhu == Ziaur Rahman ???

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/03/16/d70316012114.htm

CA is going to visit Bangabandhu 's grave. A good news. But wait, he is also going to visit late president Ziaur Rahman's grave at the end of this month. With all due respect to the late president, my question is, is it an equalizing effort? In that case, isn't it utterly unfair to equate a late president with the father of the nation? There will be and already are many late presidents but there is and will be only one father of the nation. There cannot be any comparison between Bangabandhu and any late president.

In this regard, I have one more query. Why single out Ziaur Rahman from the late presidents? What is his special achievement? I think he must be treated as any other country head (except Bangabandhu).

I think this is high time to reinstate the law to keep picture of Bangabandhu in all government offices. If this government does it, it will be above controversy and hopefully stay forever.

Shame on Yahoo!

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72972-0.html?tw=rss.index

Future of debased politicians

http://www.prothom-alo.org/mcat.news.details.php?nid=Mjk2NjI=&mid=NA==

The article by renowned columnist Kaiyum Chowdhury speaks people's mind.

Bangladesh Biman

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture speaks of the sorry state of Biman.

My Windows Aero Desktop

An excellent article on Tarique Rahman

Thanks Faiyaz for providing the link. It is one of the best articles I have read in the Daily Star. I would like to put it here:

Straight Talk
The rise and fall of Tarique Rahman
Zafar Sobhan

"Khaleda Zia is our leader
Ziaur Rahman is our philosophy
Tarique Rahman is our future"

This particular gem that has been ubiquitous on walls in the capital Dhaka for the past five years encapsulates perfectly the cult of personality that had been created around the person of Tarique Rahman and gave us a strong indication of where Bangladesh was heading had the January 22 election been permitted to go forward as scheduled.

Had the one-sided election been consummated, we would have been looking down the barrel of the Tarique Rahman raj. The last five years he has grown steadily in power and influence as the joint secretary general of the ruling BNP, recently promoted to "senior" joint secretary general, lest there remain any confusion as to who really ran the party, and, by default, the country.

Tarique Rahman's rise and consolidation of power has been a stealthy and, in many ways, ingenious process. The cult of personality which was skillfully developed despite his lack of any discernible charisma or acuity or any of the other qualities one would expect to see in a leader (in this he is not unique, see e.g., Bush, George W.) was just one part of the process.

In these days of rent-a-crowds, stage-managed public appearances, and embedded journalism it is not difficult to create an aura of leadership and popularity around a presentable-looking young man, especially if he happens to be the eldest son of a respected ex-president and freedom fighter, especially in a country where, regrettably, too many people are all too happy to ignore simple things such as truth and consistency when it comes to their political self-interest and pledging their allegiance (indeed, one could argue that the entire BNP was established on this foundational principle), especially in a country so starved of good leadership that the impressionable and opportunistic are eager to latch on to any new thing.

Hand in hand with the cult of personality went the slow-motion take-over of the party (the senior partner in the coalition ruling the country, mind you) apparatus, placing Tarique loyalists and sycophants in every nook and corner, even to the extent of squeezing out long time party-men who refused to bow down before the brash, new dispensation.

Matters came to a head last August 26, when the young Turk's of the party's national executive committee took serious exception to some of the party's senior leaders and demanded their immediate expulsion from the party for having the temerity to criticise Tarique. Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, deputy minister for land and a close associate (incidentally, now also in jail) went so far as to state: "BNP means Zia Family. He or she should be expelled from the party who will speak against this family."

Indeed, it was precisely this tendency that resulted in BNP founder members Dr. Badruddoza Chowdhury and then Oli Ahmed as well as a host of others being essentially forced out of the BNP and into first the BDB and then the LDP. The only reason there wasn't a more pronounced exodus was a well-founded fear of retribution and the combination of cringing sycophancy and grasping opportunism that marks Bangladeshi politics.

The hallmark of Tarique's ascendance and the closest we can come to in terms of an approximation of his vision for the country was the systematic centralisation of all crime and corruption: from the grandest of grand larcenies to the pettiest of petty larcenies, the idea was that nothing would escape the net of his influence.

Be it transporting a truck-load of vegetables from the north to Dhaka or selling those same vegetables in the market-place at Karwan Bazar, no transaction was too small to escape the attention of Tarique's coterie. The taxes or "tolls" that small traders transporters had to pay that eventually found their way to Hawa Bhaban make the NBR look like a charitable foundation.

The system in place for collection of tolls was fully computerized (though, no doubt, those computers are now to be found at the bottom of the Buriganga) and so sophisticated that one wonders whether Tarique and his coterie might not have been able to achieve something for the nation if they had had even the slightest inclination towards the common good instead of concentrating so single-mindedly on looting the country and establishing their reign of terror throughout the land.

From the power sector to the import trade, there was no corner of the economy that did not fall under his shadow and that his all-encompassing reach did not touch.

Until January 11, Tarique Rahman was the most powerful person in the country, indeed he was the most powerful behind the scenes power broker Bangladesh has ever seen. Considering that he was neither a member of parliament nor held any executive position, his reach tells us all we need to know about the sorry state of Bangladesh politics.

And had January 11 not happened, Tarique's reach would only have gotten more suffocating, his foot-print heavier. Had the four-party alliance returned to power, nothing could have stood in his way, he would have ascended from crown prince to king. Bangladesh would have been turned into a nasty police state where nothing would have moved without his consent, no dissent, no rule of law, no opposition, absolute power.

Tarique was selling himself, inside the country and out, as Bangladesh's Mahathir Mohammad, although any resemblance between the two is purely imaginary. Our foreign friends were willing to hold their nose and tolerate him, thinking, perhaps, that here was a man they could do business with and who would be ruthless enough to be able to deliver to them the wealth he did not loot for himself. Some countries have always had a soft spot for pliable third world despots.

When the days after the first spate of arrests began to pass without his arrest, concern began to mount that he was not being taken in. No list of the criminal and corrupt would be complete without his name at the top.

On the one hand, we were told, in whispers, to wait, to be patient, the authorities were preparing an air-tight case, Mamun was singing like a canary, the noose was tightening, they would go for Tarique when the time was right.

On the other hand, we heard of army units remaining loyal to him, we heard of the authorities setting out to arrest him and then pulling back three times, we heard of desperate back-room deals to keep him and the rest of his coterie out of jail.

Everyone knew: as long as Tarique Rahman remained at large, his poisonous coterie remained alive and able, potentially, to regroup and turn things around.

Now he is in jail. Others were swept up with him in another dramatic midnight raid. Some, doubtless, deserving, but others, again, of doubtful criminality. Still, "balance" has to be maintained at all times, I suppose.

But the message has been sent. Tarique's goons who have terrorised their localities with impunity for the past five years will now run for cover. He can't protect them any more, and now that he is behind bars, the house of cards that he and his coterie built up will start to tumble.

Perhaps I am speaking too soon and he can conjure up a resurrection from his jail cell, but this seems unlikely. The authorities know how fateful a step it is putting him in jail. He hasn't been incarcerated only to be sprung on a technicality to wreak vengeance on those who put him there.

I do not know where things will go from here, for good or for bad, but the five-year stranglehold Tarique and his associates had over the country, that they considered their birthright and personal fiefdom, had to be ended. Our long national nightmare is finally over.

Zafar Sobhan is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.

Crown prince Tarique with a crown on his head and in a royal garb!

Oops! I guess this is not the crown he wanted!

A soothing news

In last few days, there were increasing number of fake cries from SK Hasina and Khaleda Zia for return of power to the people i.e. themselves. I was being disturbed with it. The recent ban on indoor politics should be able to curb those hypocritical howls. All they know is power. SK Hasina, despite knowing that she will certainly win the next fair election, can't wait few more months. She is fool enough to not to understand that if the prosecutions can be completed she will be the most beneficiary of them. People will have no choice other than to vote her party as currently they represent the lesser evil (a term coined by a friend of mine, I like it :-) ) of the two. I doubt on any significant influence of Dr. Yunus's new party in that election. It is too early for him. I think AL and their staunchest supporters should stop gearing up their propaganda machines and allow some time to the CTG to finish the cleaning up. After that, they will have full five years to loot the country again.

Prince stripped of glory

At last the much anticipated event took place. People were counting days for it. Some pessimists even started doubting on whether CTG will ever do it or not. Now the issue is settled. CTG has achieved what could not be achieved by anyone else, not even by BAL in 100 years. We have every reason to celebrate. I guess sweets will be distributed in some places of Bangladesh. But we must not forget that this is a great achievement but is not enough. It is a great victory for the people of Bangladesh but it is only partial. CTG must build strong cases with evidences and make sure that the prince can not get back home ever. If it can do that, it will be a great example of justice for our country. People will think ten times before becoming corrupt. Sons of prime ministers and ministers will stop thinking that Bangladesh is their inherited property. I wish CTG all the best. These are some real brave people no matter what some staunchest supporters of political parties say. They will hold high place in our history for what they have already done. Great work!!! Please keep it up and save the nation.

Voter ID card preparation to take one year, says expert body (???)

Here is the news:

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/03/06/d70306011713.htm

From newagebd, I found that the expert body was headed by Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and IT Specialist Mostafa Jabbar was a member of it. Can anyone tell me how they qualify to their respective posts? Isn't there anyone in Bangladesh other than a civil engineer, who wrote few programs in his student life, to lead the committee? How much expertise does he have? How does he qualify as an IT expert? What are his achievements in IT field? And since when Mostafa Jabbar became an IT Specialist? What did he do which brought him the title? Does designing an unscientific keyboard layout and having it coded by Munirul Abedin Pappana makes him an IT Specialist? I am a graduate of computer science and doing graduate studies at this moment. If I come up with an arbitrary Bengali keyboard layout tomorrow, shouldn't I get a seat in that committee? I am sick of these people. How long will we drain millions of dollars for these ignorant people? How long will they have pleasure trip to the west by poor people's money in the name of observing their systems? Isn't there anyone in the current government to get rid of these people from this committee of vital national interest?

ID card: Where do we stand?

This is an excellent article written by Dr. S. M. Lutful Kabir of B.U.E.T. on national ID card. Considering long term goals, government should follow his suggestions.

New poll: When do you want the next election to be held?

I have created a new poll. You can find it at the right column of my blog. The poll is:

When do you want the next election to be held? (multiple selections are allowed)

* In may, as demanded by Sheikh Hasina
* Within this year
* Not before having voter ID card, no matter how long it takes
* Not before all the corrupts are sentenced to jail
* Not before it is ensured that neither BNP nor AL will come to power
* Do not want at all, want to continue with current government

Multiple selections are allowed. Please vote.

Poll result: Should Dr. Yunus join politics?

Now that he has announced his political party's name, there is no use of this poll. The result is as below:

Should Dr. Yunus join politics?

Selection Votes Yes 64% 7 No 36% 4 I don't know 0% 0 11 votes total

DU students say no to Yunus as Convocation speaker!!!

True faces are coming up from behind the veil of patriotism. Gradually BNP and AL are uniting. They don't want anybody else in their rotation of plunderage. I think we are going to see the two leaders in the same table soon. So far, they only went together to programs held by army (actually do they have any choice if the generals summon them??). Now, this is going to be changed. They need to unite to hide all the good deeds their party have done to the country.

Dhaka, Feb 24 (bdnews24.com )- Two top student organisations of the country-Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Bangladesh Chhatra League Saturday united in a demand that the authorities not invite Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus as speaker at the Dhaka University convocation.

The rare unity of the student fronts of the country's two arch rival political parties-the BNP and the Awami League- on the Dhaka University campus has become a reality regarding the demand.

Not only these two organisations, but also almost all other student bodies, have raised the same demand. A section of teachers and students have also taken a firm stand in favour of the demand.

They argued that the Grameen Bank chief had lost his acceptability as convocation speaker after announcing formation of a political party.

A group of teachers led by Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, leader of the pro-Awami League Blue panel of the teachers met with the vice chancellor Prof SMA Faiz Saturday noon and requested him not to invite Prof Yunus as the convocation speaker.

Later the leaders of Chhatra Sangram Parishad led by Chhatra League and Progotishil Chhatra Jote, an alliance of pro-left student bodies, also met the vice chancellor on the same demand.

Though the Chhatra Dal leaders did not have such a formal meeting, they made a similar demand through a statement Saturday afternoon.

At 12 noon a group of students under the banner of "University Students" at a press conference at Madhu's canteen announced their rejection of Yunus as convocation speaker.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to attend the 43rd convocation of Dhaka University on February 28 as the convocation speaker where he is also to be given honourary "Doctor of Laws" on behalf of the University.

Entangled in the debate, the fate of the 43rd convocation has become uncertain. The date of the convocation was shifted once earlier due to political instability in the country.

However, the vice chancellor Prof SMA Faiz said that this time there was no possibility of shifting the convocation date.


Former president of Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique emerging after meeting the vice chancellor said, "Dr Yunus wants to do politics, we congratulate him. But by announcing formation of a political party he has made his being convocation speaker controversial. If he participates as the convocation speaker, a big section of the teachers will not join the programme. For the teachers there can be no bigger protest."

He also said, "Doctor of Laws" is a honourary degree. The university authorities usually give this degree to competent persons. If he is competent he can surely accept it. But he has lost the eligibility to be "convocation speaker" by announcing formation of a political party."

Dean of the Social Science Faculty Prof Harun-ur Rashid, dean of the Biological sciences faculty Prof Anwar Hossain, former general secretary of DUTA Prof Akhteruzzaman, Prof Tofael Ahmed Chowdhury, Prof Ashrafuddin Ahmed, Prof Nazma Shahin, Prof KM Saiful Islam and assistant professor Hafizur Rahman accompanied Prof Siddique.

Leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League-led student organisation alliance Chhatra Sangram Parishad came to meet the Vice Chancellor at 3pm. Earlier, Progressive Students Alliance leaders met the VC and made the same demand.

After the meeting, BCL president Mahmud Hasan Ripon told reporters the person who did not come to honour the language martyrs on February 21 could not be convocation speaker.

BNP student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in a statement urged the university authorities not to invite Yunus as convocation speaker.

JCD president Azizul Bari Helal and general secretary Shafiul Bari Babu said that Yunus had become controversial by launching a political party after making objectionable remarks about political leaders of the country.

Dhaka University is a universal institution and any controversial politician could not use the institution in the interest of his party, the JCD leaders said.

VC SMA Faiz however ruled out any possibility of deferring the convocation. He said convocation will be held on time by any means.

On whether Yunus would come to the convocation, the VC did not give any answer.

"The decision of making Yunus convocation speaker was taken at the meetings of the Syndicate and the Academic Council. Only five out of 183 teachers in the Academic Council opposed the decision.

The university authorities in a statement sent to news media Saturday evening said the convocation would be held on time. Rehearsal of the convocation will be held on February 27, the statement said.

Falu's dreamland

The lake is built by a government project!!! This is only possible in Bangladesh. I will not be surprised if the pets are fed by government food.

Partial list of corrupt people of Bangladesh

Today, in a bid to make Anti-Corruption Commission effective, it published a list of 50 corrupts. ACC said the listed people or their representatives have to inform the commission in 72 hours from notification about sources of income and movable and immoveable property. Otherwise, their properties will be seized. Those who run production businesses, an administrator on behalf of them will be appointed to run them. Here is the list:

1. Barrister Nazmul Huda (former communications minister/BNP)
2. Salahuddin Quader Choudhury (parliamentary affairs adviser to former prime minister Khaleda Zia)
3. Mohammad Nasim (former home minister/Awami League)
4. Tariqul Islam (former minister/BNP)
5. Mirza Abbas (former minister/BNP)
6. Abul Hasnat Abdullah (AL leader)
7. Salman F Rahman (AL leader and industrialist)
8. Harris Chowdhury (political secretary to former PM/BNP)
9. Giasuddin Al Mamun (Khaleda's son Tarique Rahman's friend and business partner)
10. Dr HBM Iqbal (former AL MP)
11. Mosaddak Ali Falu (former BNP MP)
12. Engineer Mosharraf Hossain (former minister/AL)
13. Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu (former deputy minister/BNP)
14. Nurul Islam Babul (businessman/Jamuna Group)
15. Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury Babu (AL leader)
16. Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu (former MP/BNP)
17. Haji Selim (former MP/AL)
18. Shamim Osman (AL leader)
19. Ahmed Akbar Sobhan (businessman/Bashundhara Group)
20. Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin (former state minister/BNP)
21. Amanullah Aman (former state minister/BNP)
22. Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (former state minister/AL)
23. Joynal Hazari (former MP/AL)
24. Ali Asghar Loby (former MP/BNP)
25. Jahangir Kabir Nanok (Jubo League president)
26. Pankaj Debnath (Sechchhasevak League general secretary)
27. Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan (former MP/BNP)
28. Hafiz Ibrahim (former MP/BNP)
29. AHM Mostafa Kamal (Lotus Kamal) (former MP/AL)
30. Mufti Shahidul Islam (former MP/IOJ)
31. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir (former state minister/AL)
32. Mirza Azam (Jubo League general secretary)
33. Naser Rahman (former MP/BNP)
34. Salahuddin Ahmed (former state minister/BNP)
35. Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku (former state minister/BNP)
36. Ward commissioner Abdul Qaiyum
37. ANH Akhter Hossain (former bureaucrat)
38. Zahurul Haque (former NBR member)
39. Engineer Manzurul Ahsan Munshi (former MP/BNP)
40. Haji Mokbul Hossain (former MP/AL)
41. Ward commissioner Chowdhury Alam
42. Mohammad Giasuddin (former Narayanganj MP/BNP)
43. Ariful Haque Chowdhury (BNP leader)
44. Rashiduzzaman Millat (former MP/BNP)
45. Former Demra MP Salauddin Ahmed (BNP)
46. Mohiuddin Ahmed (Munshiganj) (former MP/AL)
47. Mostafa Rashid-e-Shuja (AL leader)
48. Shahjahan Chowdhury (former Jamaat-e-Islami MP)
49. BM Bakir Hossain (trade union leader)
50. Firoz Mia (trade union leader)

Now, where is the prince?? When is it coming? I am becoming restless each day not seeing him caught yet. I sincerely believe that CTG is trying to find concrete proof to link him with corruption. But why is it taking so long, specially when Giasuddin Mamun is in their custody? If they can't find significant proof in BD, I think they should investigate in Malaysia, Saudi Arab and U.K. They can start with the suitcases which he took to Saudi Arabia.

Jewels of Bangladesh

These are the jewels of Bangladesh. Recently, Anti-Corruption Commission asked them to submit their wealth report. We are proud of them!

M Nuruzzaman: A brave man!

Today, I was very excited going through the news of M Nuruzzaman. I am very very proud of him. He is a brave person. People, who were oppressed by the godfathers days after days, should immediately follow him. Government must ensure their security and the cases must be processed as quickly as possible. I don't know how long this immensely popular CTG will be able to stay in power as I see political parties (who could do nothing for the country when they were in power for years; they only succeeded in plundering) and their hypocrite ardent supporters are becoming more restless each day. Before this government's departure, all the godfathers should be given either capital punishment (many will qualify for that according to our law as they are murderers) or sentence for life. Facades of people like Saifur Rahman must be teared down. Now is the time. I don't know when we will get this opportunity again. Every oppressed should come forward with his story now. Government must provide security to itself and the plaintiffs. There is very good chance that the corrupt political leaders of different parties will join hands to remove this government, though they were bickering like hell only a few days ago and ruining the county (what else they can do for the country? :D) in the process. They will forget that they were trying to kill each other (it is nothing new in BD politics, few days ago we saw son handshaking with the killer of his father) and will agree unanimously to get rid of CTG. I seriously apprehend that they will try to kill the chief adviser or some other advisers. I don't think they will dare to kill the army generals who are backing the government, they know its consequences. We are having a unique opportunity to get things straight for the first time after out independence. None can tell when we will get this opportunity again once the power goes to any of the current political (or plundering??) parties. May we be able to avail this opportunity fully!

http://www.prothom-alo.org/index.news.details.php?nid=Mzg5Mg==
http://www.prothom-alo.org/index.news.details.php?nid=Mzg5Mw==
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/18/d7021801169.htm

The poll result

I am closing this poll today. The result is not surprising. A.L. is the most probable winner in the next election.

Who is going to win the next general election?

Selection		Votes
B.N.P. led alliance	17%	5
A.L. led alliance	67%	20
Other	10%	3
I don't know	7%	2
30 votes total

Mail to professor Yunus

Dr. Yunus has asked every Bangladeshi to express his/her opinion on whether he should join politics or not. Anyone can email, call, send sms or fax him. Here is his contact info:

Dr Muhammad Yunus
HAL Mars
6/D, 66 Outer Circular Road
Moghbazar, Dhaka 1217
Fax: 88029334656
Cell: 8801713082277, 8801717760870
Email: prof.yunus@gmail.com , dryunus2006@yahoo.com

Bangabandhu on the front page of Wikipedia

Today, Wikipedia's featured article in the front page is Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The article can be later found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Mujibur_Rahman.

Eternal Love

The hugging couple are the first double burial found from the Neolithic period:

Sajeeb Wazed Joy opens a blog

This is an excellent news, the first of this kind for any Bangladeshi politician. Blogs are now powerful tools to express opinion, do constructive discussion and healthy debates. Politicians can use it to communicate with people directly. More politicians are coming in the blogosphere recently, at least we can see that in U.S. I don't know how much Joy can affect the political decisions and actions taken by Awami League but I hope he will convey some of the input he will get from this blog. And he must welcome and tolerate all the criticism in his comments and must not suppress the criticisms, which he does not like, by moderation. I hope that his blog will be a very active area for all the Bangladeshi bloggers to express their views and directly communicate with him. His blog address is http://www.sajeeb.blogspot.com/.

gTalk Pinless Dial

As many of us, who are in abroad, cannot talk to our family in Bangladesh because of the current raids against illegal VoIP companies in Bangladesh, gTalk can come to our help. It is still functioning as I heard that its other end in Bangladesh is legitimate. Its customer care service is also very good. Its features (quoted from the site) are:

* Immediate activation on request.
* 1 minute billing increment
* No connection fees
* No maintenance fees
* No expiration date
* SPEED dial for the numbers you call frequently(up to 99)
* HOT number direct dial to most wanted number(up to 3)
* Recharge account using credit card.
* View call records online
* PINLESS dial from 6 telephone numbers
* Multi-language support
* No hidden cost

The site address is: https://www.gtalk.us/pinless/

You gotta watch it!

Believe me, your time will not be wasted!!!

Back to UTD

After passing one month in Bangladesh, I am back in UTD. It was an excellent weather there. But the political situation was frustrating after the poll turned to a laughing stock. On my way back, I saw on BBC that the old man has gave up and returned to his senses. It is the best news since the departure of last elected government. I am looking forward to see a free and fair election with a correct voter list. I think gradually, the situation in Bangladesh is becoming conducive for this. The army raids to the top corrupts' houses is very inspiring though they lacked the courage to touch the prince. But at least his best friend was briefly arrested, that is also a big achievement in our thoroughly corrupt country. I hope the next government will try the prince and his accomplices for their rampant theft.