Joi Bangla Blog

Jail for polygamist who tried to fake second wife’s passport

2012-01-27T03:51:00.000-08:00

A polygamist has been jailed for attempting to fake a passport to bring a second wife into the UK from Bangladesh.

Rois Ali, 51, applied for a passport for his second wife Isha Akhtar using his eldest child Salina Khatun’s details.

The jobless father-of-eight married his second wife three years ago in Bangladesh while he was still married to Salina’s mother Hamida Khatun.

Bolton Crown Court heard that he was trying to bring Isha, who is also his cousin, to the UK as a reward for caring for his mother and planned to set up a home for her.....

Epic fail! I guess love can make you do some silly things! I must admit that I laughed when I read about Rois Ali's shenanigans. Rois deserves his jail sentence, he wants everything but he's not prepared to work for it. Firstly he's lived in the UK for 11 years, is reliant on benefits and has never learned how to speak English. He marries his cousin in Bangladesh so she can look after his mother, then he wants to bring her over here and house her at the Taxpayers expense! He obviously knew before they got married that having a second wife in the UK is illegal and Islamically you shouldn't take another wife unless you can afford to maintain her.

These are the types of people that drag the Bangladeshi community down with such blatant disregard for laws. I feel sorry for wife number 2, no doubt she was looking forward to moving to the UK after spending time looking after Rois's mum. But Rois shouldn't be too disappointed, in prison he'll have to not pay any rent or bills, he'll get 3 meals a day served to him and he can sit around on his arse like he has been doing for the last 11 years!

Attacked by husband

2012-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

Another shocking story about domestic abuse emerged from Bangladesh in July 2011 which I missed. This time about 33 year old Rumana Manzur who was savagely beaten by her husband, gouging at her eyes leaving her blind, biting part of her nose and cheek off as their 5 year old daughter watched on in terror. The husband, Syeed Hassan Sumon flew in to a rage after suspecting his wife of having an affair with an Iranian man whilst she was studying in Canada.

Unlike many cases in Bangladesh, this story hit the headlines after Rumana and her family decided to go public despite fears that Syeed would use counter arguments of betrayal to besmirch her character. It turned out to be well worth it because shortly after Syeed accused his wife of infidelity, her social network rallied and friends and colleagues jumped to her defence, going as far as sending affidavits of testimony to prove Rumana's fidelity. The news went viral and the tables were turned on Syeed, rather than trying to shame his wife, the world was looking at him in disgust.

But there was another twist in the tale, on Monday December 5th, Syeed was found dead on a hospital bed in Dhaka Medical Hospital having been transferred there in November from Dhaka Central jail where he had been detained. Some may see it as a fitting end to a tragic tale where the perpetrator recieved the ultimate punishment, others may see it as a truly sad waste of two lives, the legacy of which will be the scars the 5 year old daughter must carry for the rest of her life.

Links
Mauled by her Husband - Rumana Manzur
Syed Hassan alleges betrayal by Rumana
Syed Hassan's Death

One mosquito coil ‘equals 100 cigarettes’

2012-01-26T01:50:00.000-08:00

Article

I knew it! Mosquito coils are not good. I have always had my doubts about the fumes given off from these things and switched to aerosol sprays a long time ago. According to research by Indian scientists, if you leave a coil on overnight for 8 hours, it equates to inhaling 100 cigarettes! Unfortunately, there aren't many alternatives out there for those who can't afford to pay for aerosols, it's either coils or no protection at all.

When Bengali's do Bollywood,,,,

2012-01-20T15:26:00.001-08:00

Plagarism isn't just rife in Bollywood, occasionally Bengali's like to steal the odd super hit song or two. But at least they do it with a little humour!

Here's the Bengali village version of Teri Meri from Salman Khan's Bodyguard!

And here's a Bengali version of Kolaveri Di...

Playing for Change

2011-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

I came across this project randomly on the web about a music producer called Mark Johnson who runs a music project featuring musicians from around the world. He also founded a charity which seeks to build music schools for children around world.

Johnson started the project in 2004 where he produced the song 'Stand By Me' by recording musicians from several parts of the world with protable audio equipment and then mixed the parts together in to one.

Here's his multinational version of 'Stand By Me'

And here's the very catchy 'Chanda Mama'

The Playing for Change Foundation has already opened music schools and programs in South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Nepal and Rawanda.

Playing for Change - Official Site

Guardian Article

Bangladeshi man cuts off wifes finger's

2011-12-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

Link

A tragic story coming out of Bangladesh this month which was picked up BBC News is that of a Bengali man cutting off his wife's fingers because she wanted to study. Rafiqul Islam, a 30 year old worker from the Gulf, taped his wife's mouth shut with tape and then cut off her five times shortly after returning home. Doctors would have been able to sew the fingers back on if they were in possession of the missing digits within six hours but Rafiqul refused to hand them over (apologies for the pun) and later a family member disposed of them.

Althopugh we don't know what the situation of the family was, the fact that a husband could be so cruel and violent is shocking. If only criminals like this could be prevented from marrying in the first place. I really hope she continues her studies and does something worthwhile with her life.

Whilst abuse against women in Bangladesh is sadly quite common, it is at least heartening to see someone like Rafiqul Islam being arrested and charged and hopefully given a lengthy prison sentence. It is also encouraging to see world media taking an interest in these stories, world wide attention may spur the useless governement in to doing something.

Internet Love

2011-12-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

This Youtube video made me laugh....

I'm sure you'll all guess what happens!

I've got a Virus!

2011-11-10T08:26:00.001-08:00

A couple of days ago I got a phone call from Vecy at some IT company claiming that I had a virus on my computer. Here's how that conversation went:

Vecy: Good morning sir, I am Vecy calling from *she mumbles a name here which I didn't understand*, I understand you have a problem with your PC.

Me: Which PC?

Vecy: Sir, I cannot specifically tell you which brand the PC is but my system is showing me that your computer has over 1000 critical errors and if they are not removed it may cause the PC to stop working altogether.

Me: But how have you got this information?

Vecy: Sir we have been doing a security scan of the data and we came across these errors. This information is stored in the URL's and this is how we know.

It didn't take long for me to realise this was a scam. Firstly her heavy Indian accent would not allow her to pronounce her fake name properly! I assume she was trying to go for Becky but sometimes Indians have problems pronouncing the letter 'B'. Secondly, if there were over 1000 critical errors on my system I would know about them! And the errors are certainly not stored in URL's! I thought I'd play along for a bit and see how things panned out.

Me: OK so what can I do?

Vecy: Well sir, I can fix these problems immediately you won't have to do anything. I can show you exactly what the problem is. Are you near your computer sir?

Me: No, it's upstairs.

Vecky: OK sir, well you can give me your mobile number sir and I will call you on that.

Me: I don't have a mobile.

Vecky: Sir someone in your house has a mobile?

Me: Yes, my sister. Let me check if she is home.

I then went off, went to the toilet and came back.

Me: My sister isn't at home and I don't have a phone. I have trouble using this modern technology.

Vecky: Sir, I can call you back when you have a mobile, it is important I show you what is wrong with the system.

Me: I can go and check the PC. Tell me what I need to do.

Vecky: Well it would be easier for me to do it for you.

Me: Look, I haven't got access to a mobile and now you've scared me. Tell me what I need to do.

Vecky: OK sir, you need to click on 'Start' then 'Run' and type in 'event viewer' and then press enter.

I made her spell it out a few times. I then told her to hold the line and went off to the other room. I then watched the last 10 minutes of a repeat of Come Dine with Me.

Me: Becky, wow, my computer has nearly 1,000 errors. It's totally f**ked.

Vecky: Sir, there is no need to worry, I can clear these errors up.

Me: I only bought this PC two weeks ago. How can it be so badly infected?

Vecky: These things happen without you knowing sir. I can fix these errors sir.

Me: Well the system is still under warranty I can take it back.

Vecky: Sir there is no need for that, I have a simple solution that will take 5 minutes.

Me: Thank you Becky but that is not the point. I bought this machine off a guy called Steve. He said it was in perfect working order and that I would have no problems. But now you tell me this machine is full of errors. I am going to f**k him up. The little f******g bastard.

Vecky: Sir I can fix this problem for you.

Me: Becky, when I put the phone down, I am going to call all my mates, Chopper Harris, Razor Ruddock and Stuart Psycho Pearce and we are going to give him the biggest beating of his life. How dare that son of a b*tch try and make a fool out of me. I am going to smash his head in with a hammer and stab his eyes with a screwdriver.

Vecky: Sir....

Me: No Becky, I thank you for all your help and for highlighting this problem to me but I am now going to commit a serious crime. Thanks for your call.

I then hung up. I've not had any follow up calls since then.

A bit of Googling shows that this type of scam is pretty common in the UK. Scammers from Indian call centres phone up customers claiming to be Microsoft certified engineers and after frightening the victim with tales of abundant errors and near catastrophe they then launch a program which takes control of the victims system. But nothing sinister happens, all they do is download some free software like Avast, run a scan and then charge you for the pleasure! Although they are providing a service of sort, it is at a highly extortionate rate.

Browsing forums a lot of victims or would be victims indicate that there is a possible link between the scammers and BT. It appears that a lot of people who are or have been BT Broadband customers are getting these calls. Some suspect call centre workers in India are passing on UK customer details on to the scammers.

If you get a call from Vecy or anyone else who is unable to pronounce their name properly, excercise caution!

Links

Virus phone scam being run from call centres in India
Those 'PC virus' phone call scams: the unanswered questions

The Love Police

2011-11-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

I came across a Love Police Youtube video on a friends Facebook newsfeed and it made me laugh so I checked out some other videos by Charlie Veicth. Charlie and his mates basically go around with a megaphone and cause a commotion which inevitably attracts the Police and other uniformed personnel. Often the Police try and bully and threaten Charlie and his friends, many times unlawfully threatening arrest, but watching these guys standing up to the Police when the Police are abusing their powers is inspiring. But The Love Police aren't about goading the Police, they are simply protesting in their own way against the way the government spread fear and the rapdily increasing powers the Police have.

I probably haven't done justice to the Love Police with my description above so here's a few videos which tell you exactly what they are about:

Everything is OK

The Hunt for Terror

Charlie Veitch vs The EDL in Cambridge

Links:

Love Police Website

Ra.One

2011-11-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

When I heard the news that Shahrukh Khan was producing a super hero film, I laughed. Bollywood is known for over the top cheesy song and dance numbers, not science fiction. In fact only a handful of directors have turned their hand to sci-fi with mixed results. The earliest attempt at Sci-fi I can recall was a Sunil Shetty blockbuster called Jaani Dushman, even an acting masterclass by Shetty couldn't save that one. Then there was Abhisheikh Bachchan in Drona which nearly put the viewers in to a coma. Koi Mil Gaya found moderate success although personally I found it to be overly cheesy and boring, but the follow up Krrish went on to be a huge blockbuster. Robot came out last year starring Rajnikanth and was entertaining but still felt very Bollywood! If past experiences of Bolly sci-fi were anything to go by, the chances of SRK and Ra.One impressing seemed unlikely.

The media frenzy for Ra.One has been amazing and SRK certainly knows how to promote a film, the trailers were slick and the Chamak Challo number by Akon was pretty funky. Akon's hindi prenounciation is excellent on that track, he seems to have a better grasp of hindi than some of the Indians in Bollywood! The most surprising fact about Ra.One was when I checked the local cinema listings to see if I could catch the film on a Sunday evening, I found out it had been put on general release and the film was on every day and it was available in 3D! Now as I don't live in London, Birmingham or Manchester it's a pretty big deal when a Bollywood movie makes it to general release, it's actually the first one in these parts. Exciting times!

So I dragged the missus along to watch Ra.One yesterday and came away rather impressed. Firstly the story was fairly fresh although it did borrow portions from other films within it's genre, but it was still engaging enough and the pacing of the film felt right. The CGI and effects were wonderful and would match those from most mid-range Hollywood films. The stunts and action were great and they looked more believable than when Mithun would throw guys through brick walls back in 80's!

SRK started off as the cheesy Tamil which was a little off putting but later as G.One things improved. Kareena Kapoor wasn't as annoying as usual which was a plus point and Arjun Rampal looked pretty mean with his short cropped hairdo. The film was entertaining and kept my attention the whole time, the ending felt a little flat and the cameos were needless but these were just minor gripes.

The question is, how will this film do in India? I'm not sure, because if my wife is anything to go by, it just won't appeal to women and although there is a growing number of youngsters who have been brought up on Hollywood sci-fi, I can't see it doing well outside the big cities. One thing is for sure, SRK deserves credit for stepping out of the comfort zone and going all out in a new direction.

Another quick point is that the SRK haters have come out in their droves critcising this film. In India the film industry is based on politics and depending on which camp you're in you are either allowed to love it or hate it. As far as the fans go, the most viciferous have been Salman Khan supporters, writing the film off as a failure. I'm sorry to say Salman fans, but not only has SRK delivered a top quality product but it totally trumps Salman's last offering Bodyguard which despite being a blockbuster at the box office, as a film was tired, boring and lacked anything fresh. While the debate of Salman Khan will rage on for many years, I personally believe Ra.One is a giant leap in the right direction for Bollywood and finally Hollywood might take notice.

Bollywood Mixing

2011-10-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Back in the early 90's Bollywood Mixing was a massive underground market where DJ's would take hindi film songs and mix them with popular beats. Back then of course Nadeem and his mate Shravan were very popular but their music didn't appeal to the UK Asians so these underground DJ's gave these tracks a bit of bass and some funky beats. The first ever remix tape was the legendary Bollywood Mix by the mysterious Mr Smith. A 6 track cassette featuring some quality remixes with some serious bass. I remember when BM1 came out, it was huge, even the Bhangra-heads started to listen to the once uncool hindi music.

DJ Gora then released Bombay Mix and Bally Sagoo gave the business a bit legitamcy with his Bollywood Flashback album featuring the brilliant Chura Liya. Mr Smith went on to release Bollywood Mixes 2, 3 and 4 before calling it a day. Although Bollywood Mixes 5, 6 and 7 followed, they lacked the real quality of the earlier releases causing some to damn the authenticity of the DJ involved. The UK was flooded with some brilliant albums including Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Bollywood Massacre, Kamlee Rave, Hot 'N' Spicy, Back 2 Basics and many other albums.

In the late 90's and early 00's stuff from the US and Canada started to become available. Albums like the Arabian Nights series from Zak & Sanj and the BMW series by DJ Jiten were banging out of people's cars all over the place. The 90's and early 00's were the peak years for Bollywood Mixing with some top DJ's on the scene, a lot of those guys found mainstream success and moved on to original music and the remixing industry of that era disappeared. Nowadays with the home PC's offering bedroom DJ's the software and tools to mix at their leisure the market has been flooded with poor quality DJ's remixing the same tracks over and over again. Bring back the old days when mixing was an underground art and the latest tapes were only available to buy in the local video shop!

Here's a few links

This is a medley of Bollywood Mix 2 songs

Tere Dar Pe Sanaam from Bombay Mix - DJ Gora

Baroness Flathers hates Bangladeshi's!

2011-10-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

Baroness Flather - Migrants are money hungry scum who shouldn't be allowed to have children

Well to be fair, Baroness Flather the first Asian female peer didn't say those exact words but she might as well have. According to Flather, Bangladeshi's and Pakistani's have large families because they want the large families so they can bag the extra benefits and larger council houses. Meanwhile Flather is keen to note that Indians do not fall in to this because they have settled in to the pattern of British behaviour when it comes to family sizes. On top of that Indians like to educate their kids.

Firstly Flathers comments, whilst having some merits they also do a great disservice to many Bengali's and Pakistani's who have got themselves educated and are trying to break free from poverty. Of course her comments do apply to certain communities where there is a large Asian populous where unemployment is high and levels of education are low. But the Baroness much prefers to tar everyone with the same brush.

One of the points she makes is that these groups have kids for the benefits, but surely if this was the case then similar groups would have less kids back home in Bangladesh or Pakistan. But Bangladeshi's and Pakistani's have always had large families whether it be in South Asia or in Europe, maybe it's more to with culture rather than the need for benefits.

At least Flather didn't alienate herself from the entire Asian community, she praised the Indians because they value eductaion and don't have large families. Or maybe it's because they are not muslim. But being of South Asian descent rather than looking down on the entire Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, why not try and say something positive instead of casting them further away from mainstream society.

I guess it's pretty easy to turn your nose up at the simpletons when you're rich and you can pretend you didn't come from the same place as the people you insult.

Link

Beggar Survey

2011-09-30T03:51:00.000-07:00

Link

Some good news coming out from Dhaka, the authorities are planning on interviewing the 40,000 beggars that dwell in the capital in a bid to find out the root causes of begging and to offer them an alternative livelihoods.

I'm not sure how much of an impact this survey will have but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Some of the action the government are planning on is to help repatriate some beggars back to their villages whilst offering vocational training to others. I can't say those measures sound very appealing and will probably be rejected by the beggars themselves. What will they do once they return to their villages? They will still not have any income. Although those getting pensions may be able to return to their villages with at least some money being given to them.

But a big question is what will happen to the big bosses who run these beggars. It's long been suspected that many beggars are part of organised groups run by criminals. Although this has never really been proven, the public of Bangladesh are convinced that such practices do exist. If it does turn out to be true, the heads of these gangs need to be prosecuted and given lengthy jail sentences.

A good inititative which at least addresses a problem that Bangladesh has been plagued with for decades. Hopefully something productive will come out of this.

Water Bottle Lighting

2011-09-21T02:10:00.000-07:00

Link

A great innovation from the Phillipines. A plastic bottle, some water and a bit of metal makes a 50 watt light bulb that can illuminate a room for free!

WMD = Weapons of Mosquito Destruction!

2011-09-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

"Say hello to my little friend...."

Finally a weapon in the war against mosquitos! I bought this baby during my trip to Dhaka from a street hawker. Basically it's a tennis racquet with a little electric shock that gives those pesky mosquitos a surprise. Some may comment on the brutality of this modified sporting favourite but I feel no remorse as my back hand sends another mosquito hurtling towards certain death!

I'd never seen this bit of equipment in Moulvibazar but they are widely available in Dhaka and for as little as Tk 3000 you can serve your way out of mosquito danger. I even started my own game, armed with my trusty racquet, I would use a can of mosquito repellant spray to stun the little buggers and then follow through with the racquet. Brutal but satisfying.

Village Politics - Imported!

2011-09-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Those readers of a Bangladeshi background will be well aware of the dirty nature of village politics. In a bygone era, villagers would often settle their disagreements by shouting and fighting. Usually those with more money would rise to the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom would look up in fear. Of course these practices should have been left back in a time when people were less educated and laws were not as they are now. But the sad thing is, Bangladeshi village politcs is alive and well and has manifested itself firmly in Britain.

In my town here in the UK, village politics has reared it's ugly head and unfortunately one place that has witnessed it a lot in the last few years is the local mosque. For years those Bangladeshi's who first arrived in the UK in the 70's and 80's held the monopoly over the local mosque. In those early days it needed these kind of people to run the mosque and the local community. But as the decades passed the needs of the community changed but the old faces stayed. After 9/11 many muslims needed guidance but the local mosque was unable to help because they were still catering for the original guys. The years rolled by and petty arguments and lack of cohesion divided the congregration with the mosque and community suffering. The main culprits seemed more worried about their status and their titles than the good of their place of worship.

Things came to a head when the mosque committee elections came around recently. After several delays the day of the voting came, two groups were formed and people started arriving to cast their vote. But in true Bengali style, a couple of people spotted a few unfamiliar faces and it soon became apparent one of the men standing for election had paid people from another town to come and vote for him. Pushing and shoving started and the police were called. The following week during Friday prayers another scuffle broke out. The police intervened and declared the election was cancelled until further notice. To make matters worse the local council got involved and had to set up a lengthy process with a working group in order to prepare for a new set of elections.

Once the council and some locals had come up with a system that suited everyones needs, a new election date was announced. Police presence meant the election went without a hitch and three parties fought a hard battle. The old boys didn't fare well and a new group of mainly younger men from working class backgrounds swept in with a majority of the votes. It was apparent from those early days that although this new group seemed like the outstanding candidates to push through a new era for the mosque there were still the same old dissenting voices ready to cause problems.

Which brings us to today, Friday Prayers about to begin, when the assistant imam announced his intetion to leave and all hell broke loose. The old boys, still smarting from their comprehensive defeat months earlier escalated the situation, pushing and shoving began along with the customary shouting. The majority of worshippers disgraced by these scenes in the mosque walked out leaving about 20 odd men in their 40's and 50's squabbling like school kids. The police were called and they were on the scene within minutes in large numbers. Some egos just can't handle the fact that they were ousted and replaced by those better suited to the role. But even more galling for them was the fact that they were defeated by the working class. As I drove away watching the flashing blue lights fade in the distance I could only feel sadness and disappointment that the few could do so much harm to the majority.

News Blitz

2011-08-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

Time to start a new feature on the blog. Basically I'll comment on some of the stories in the headlines. Hopefully it'll mean I can get off my lazy arse and post a bit more regularly!

On to the news......

LONDON RIOTS

I'm not going to post any links to this story as there are so many as it has dominated the headlines for over a week now. We are now in the 'Analysis Phase' where every so called expert gives us their take on why it happened and who is to blame. Personally, I believe that there is a minority of people who are just scum and will resort to violence and criminality using poverty as an excuse. It's always other people's fault. But of course these bad eggs weren't the only ones involved, there were those who have no criminal records, some who came from better off families, some with respectable jobs and so on and so forth. My view is that a lot of these people joined in because they knew the police were so over streteched that they could cause criminal damage and steal without recourse to any form of punishment. The first nights rioting highlighted the fact the police resources were streteched and reports suggesting police stood bye whilst looters ran wild gave others courage. Many hit the streets in search of cheap thrills knowing the chances of being detained were slim. When the police responded with 16,000 troops on the streets of London, the looters disappeared, funny that!

Another point, many are complaining about the harsh sentences given out to the rioters. While there may be the odd occasion where the sentence may not fit the crime or some mitigating circumstances may occur, generally I have no sympathy for those involved. I am for one am glad to see the courts are hitting these criminals with strong sentences. One of the reasons I feel this is fair is because during the Bradford Riots earlier in the decade, the courts handed out some very extreme sentences to some rioters, it is only fair that the same kind of sentences are dished out to those involved in the chaos this week. While the hardcore scum will not be unfamiliar with lock down, I'm sure those who were in it for the laughs will think again before speeding off to loot a pair of addidas.

And finally, everyone has been debating about the role of social networking in the riots, many old fogies who have never even heard of Facebook began to bleat on about it. If the rioters were so good at using Facebook and Twitter to organise rioters, maybe the cops should have used the same to get some back up!

ISRAELI'S PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT

Link
Israeli's have gone in to a third week of protesting against Ben Netanyahu's government, their main gripe being the spiralling cost of living. I wonder how the Palestinians of Gaza feel about this? Some Palestinians live in near poverty as they are penned in to a tiny area with no access to running water let alone other luxuries. And what would happen if the Gazans protested? Military air strikes would stop them in their tracks. So it's nice to see the Israeli's enjoying their demonstrations without being shot at by the IDF as the Gazans just get on with life as the rest of the world ignores their plight.

INDIA OWNED BY ENGLAND

Link
I have to admit I'm not a cricket expert but I do follow Bangladesh and England when they are playing. The Indians came to England boasting some big names while England knew a good performance would see them become the number 1 test cricket nation in the world. England won the series by winning the first 3 tests, but the surprising aspect was the way they demolished India with ease. I asked an Indian colleague for his thoughts on the series so far. "Fuck Off" was his response.

FABREGAS FINALLY LEAVES FOR BARCELONA

Cesc Fabregas finally made his £35m move to Barcelona. And thank god for that, we have heard enough of this transfer story to last us a lifetime! Yes Fabregas is a great talent, yes Fabregas brought a spark to the Gunner's midfield, no Fabregas will not be in the starting line up at the Nou Camp! Fabregas is going to be the most expensive substitute ever! He's joining a team that boasts a midfield that forced him to watch much of Spain's World Cup winning run from the sidelines. Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi are all ahead of Cesc in the Barca midfield pecking order, add to that the worlds best player - Messi and it appears that Senor Fabregas will have to bide his time before he gets to show his stuff at his home town club!

Texas death row killer forgiven by shooting victim

2011-07-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Article

In the nine years Mark Stroman has been on death row in Texas, he says he has watched 208 people walk past him on the way to be executed. This week it is his turn. But fighting to save his life is the man he shot in the face and blinded in one eye.

In the days following 11 September, 2001, Stroman attacked three people, killing two of them. Rais Bhuiyan after the attack The attack left Rais Bhuyian blind in his right eye He was targeting anyone he considered an "Arab", calling it revenge for 9/11. "What Mark Stroman did was a hate crime, and hate crimes come from ignorance," said Rais Bhuiyan, 37, the only man to survive the shooting. "His execution will not eradicate hate crimes from this world, we will just simply lose another human life."

It was a Friday lunchtime when a gunman walked into the petrol station shop and pointed a double-barrelled shotgun at Rais. He had been robbed before and knew what to do. He offered the money from the cash register, but that didn't appear to be what Mark Stroman had come for. "He asked me 'where are you from?' and that's a strange question to ask in a robbery. As soon as I said 'excuse me?' I heard an explosion and felt the sensation of a million bees stinging my face."

Rais Bhuyian, a Bangladeshi-born naturalised US citizen, played dead until his attacker left. “If I can forgive my offender who tried to take my life, we can all work together to forgive each other and move forward” He needed many operations, has lost the sight in his right eye and still carries shotgun pellets in his face, but is now campaigning hard to prevent his attacker from being put to death.

Mark Stroman killed two other men in a similar way - Vasudev Patel, an Indian immigrant who was Hindu, and Waqar Hasan, a Muslim born in Pakistan. They were both shot as they stood behind a counter....... read more

Lowkey - Alphabet Assassin

2011-06-15T16:16:00.001-07:00

I love this track by Lowkey from his album Dear Listener....

And it continues....

2011-06-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

A while ago I mentioned that one of my current favourite programmes - The Good Wife, was making itself even more watchable by adding some familair faces from legendary TV show The Wire. Well the good work continued as Season 2's Nicky Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber) turned up as a lawyer representing Gangster Lemond Bishop's wife. Meanwhile in the season finale we got to see good old Ellis Carver (Seth Gilliam) pop up as a dad on trial for the murder of a judge.

Long live this little television quirk!

Pusher

2011-06-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was flicking through the May issue of Empire magazine when I came across a full page ad for Brit-Asian producer Assad Raja's film 'Pusher'. Starring Assad Raja and Mahima Choudhry, the film had rave reviews from the likes of Eye for Film, Eastern Eye and Apache Indian!

The film follows all round bad egg Salim, a drug dealer in 90's Leicester. He's got a bit of a gambling habit, putting big money on Pakistan to win the 1999 Cricket World Cup and owes local crime kingpin Davar £6k which he doesn't have. He cuts a deal with Davar and takes £30,000 worth of coke with the promise that he would sell it and square his debt with the gangster.

Salim sets up a deal with an old associate and heads to the meet with his best friend Kabir, but before any money can change hands the police swoop and arrest Salim and the coke is lost. Salim realises Kabir set him up and savagely beats him. Getting more and more desperate Salim must find a way to stay alive as Davar comes calling for his money.

Now the first thing that hit me about this movie was the fact that the entire cast spoke Hindi! This was set in Leicester, why did they not speak English? This took away from the realism of the film and you could tell some of the actors had English accents when speaking Hindi! Some of the actors didn't suit the roles such as some of the bit part drug dealers who looked as menacing as Hannah Montana.

The plot was very simplistic and had its moments but there were very few twists and the big battle at the end was very unrealisitic. The characters of Salim and Davar were interesting and well played by the actors. Kabir's reason for betraying Salim was never explained and the inclusion of Anita played by Mahima Choudhry was redundant as she had little to do and her scenes had little impact.

All in all, I was rather disappointed with this film, but reading some of the reviews on IMDB (Internet Movie Database) the little rudeboys and rudegirls loved it. Maybe I'm a bit too old for these ganagster films, I rated this as a 5 out of 10.

A woman scorned....

2011-06-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Article

Woman cuts off 'attacker's' penis!

Police in southern Bangladesh say a woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempt to rape her and took it to a police station as evidence......

Fair play to Monju Begum for making attempted rapist Mohammed Haq Mazi pay the ultimate price for his indiscretion, chopping off his love machine and taking it to the police as evidence! And for once it appears the police seem to be on the side of the victim as they wait for Mazi to recover before arresting him. Mazi of course denies the rape allegation, stating that he was having an affair with Monju, even if true, he doesn't come out of this looking good.

Unfortunately for Mazi, the police took too long to get the penis to the hospital and the surgeons were unable to reattach his tinker. At least he'll make a massive saving on condoms!

Is someone at the Good Wife a fan of the Wire?

2011-05-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the second season of The Good Wire and I've been surprised by the amount of ex Wire actorsn that keep popping up!

Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris Partlow) plays a Pastor, his father is played by Frankie Faison (Ervin Burell). Chad Coleman (Dennis "Cutty" Wise) has appeared as an imate on death row and even J.D. Williams (Bodie Broadus) as a gas station clerk.

If the Good Wife wasn't awesome enough anyway, the addition of ex-Wire alumni can only make it better!

Rapture

2011-05-22T03:09:00.001-07:00

One of the more intruiging news stories in recent weeks has been the imminent destruction of the world according to Chrisitian radio broadcaster Harold Camping. Harold an 89 year old multi-millionaire announced to the world that Jesus would return on Saturday 21st May 2011 at 6pm where true believers would be 'raptured' to heaven. Camping has a 'loosely organised' group of supporters who had donated their earthly belongings, cashed in their savings and prepared for doomsday.

And 6pm rolled around, 7pm came and went, 8pm to 9pm and so on and so forth. No destruction, no doom just a few confused faces! Of course Harold Camping was not available for comment but some of his poor (stupid?) followers looked on trying to figure out why Camping's prophecies did not come to fruition.

Harold Camping is a multi-millioanire who made his money preaching about something which was inherently incorrect (the bible states that Jesus will return to Earth but no date or time was ever mentioned) and managed to amass followers who believed in his message. But now they have seen the evidence that Camping's predictions were incorrect what will they do?

Who is to blame? The man who conned these people in to making millions? Or the gullible people who took his word for fact and followed blindly?

Some links to follow....

Nothing happened!

Wiki info on Harold Camping

BBC News Article

A website for Rature Believers - no updates since 21st May!

New York cabbie picks up $5,000 fare to California

2011-04-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

A great article from BBC News about a Bangladeshi Cabbie from New York, Mohammed Alam who has hired by Investment Banker John Belitsky and a friend to drive them from New York to Las Vegas! The 2,248 mile trip took 6 days and Alam pocketed a cool $5,000 for his efforts.

The whole trip was covered by John's Twitter account

Here are a selection of tweets:

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

The gauntlet was raised:yes, I CAN GET A NYC YELLOW CAB TO TAKE ME TO LA. Dan is joining me. Leaving in 2 hours. Cali here we come...

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

Mohamad Alom is our new cabbie. I miss DLC but Alom is a good guy. Traded up to an escape from the standard crown vic. twitpic.com/4lttsy

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

Broke night. Just North of Akron Ohio. Alam refuses to exceed one mile below the posted speed limit, claining "too much risk".

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

We love Alam, but his driving skills are somewhere between Asian first year driver and blind paraplegic.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

Ohio State Trooper was unimpressed with the NY2LA project. But he thanked

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

NY2LA$5K: alam has prohibited road side urination, siting "it is illegal". Rest stops are a good 100 miles apart at the moment.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

NY2LA$5K is 184 miles from Chicago. Alam has been driving since 11pm last night. Animal. Animal.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

ALAM IS TRYING TO BACK OUT! HE IS TELLING US HE IS GOING BACK TO NY!!!

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
WE ARE BACK! We talked Alam off the edge! We are back in business!

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
If anyone knows cabbies in LA please help arrange a Bangledeshi welcoming party for our Wed completion of the world record cab ride

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
Has anyone sent word to the consulate that a son of Bangladesh is attempting to post the US longest cab fare record?

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
Alam consented to a roadside urination. In a hail storm. I got pelted and soaked relieving myself.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
A Jew, a Muslim, and a Catholic take a cab from NY to LA...no, seriously.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
Uh oh. Alam suggests we drive the cab across Bangladesh next. Is that crazy?

@randyrove dan wuebben
Alam wants oil change from Indian or Pakistani. `dealership take too long. Bad experience there...Spanish people okay too.`

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky

CBS Denver interview was a blast! Alam loves the camera and the camera loves Alam! Im taking him to Bollywood as his agent!

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
"Make a Cabbies Wish Foundation" is taking Alam to the Grand Canyon. Dan's 12th trip, first for me and Alam. No meter, no problem

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
Sunrise on "upside down Manhattan" then LA.Alam wants to tour LA and I personally feel an LA cabbie ought to drive him around.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
People are double taking and nearly swerving off RT 66 as we pass.Alam has learned that we won't die if we go above 55mph.Beautiful.

@JohnBelitsky John Belitsky
Alam being interviewed by BBC on Skype this morning. What a truly insane experience

The Wire

2011-04-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of people consider this series the greatest television show of all time. I fully agree. I remember watching the entire 5 series of the programme within a month. I've just started watching the series again, something I've never done with any other show and it's even better than the first time I watched it. I've got quite a few people watching the Wire and everyone of them has said that it is better than anything else they have seen.

Three epsiodes in and we've already hit some great scenes including Prez pistol whipping a young baller which almost causes a riot in the towers. There's a great scene with Bunk and McNulty bullshitting D'Angelo Barksdale in to writing a letter of apology to the non-existent family of a state witness killed by Avon's crew.

The awesome thing about The Wire was the fact that the characters were not just black and white, they were all shades of grey, even the good guys (the cops) had their flaws, especially Jimmy McNulty, but you just couldn't help sympathising with him. Omar was just a straight up villain, but you kind of rooted for his one man gang routine. Even Stringer Bell commanded a bit of respect for the way he ran the game as a business and kept one step ahead of the police.

The greatest achievement of The Wire has to be the change of focus for every season. The streets, the port, the mayors office, the schools and the newspaper office kept the show fresh, but the really impressive thing was the way the old characters from previous series kept on showing up. By the end there must have been close to a hundred characters popping in and out of the show on a regular basis.

I'm off to watch another episode....

Small fry, big catch - Al Jazeera Report

2011-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Link to Video

I caught this documentary the other day about the shrimping industry in Bangladesh, it's a look at those who make money from the industry and those who lose out. It's pretty good and near the end there's perfect example of Bangladeshi corruption at work. The film makers go to interview an activist in Khulna, but before the interview can begin a local officer is despatched to the scene and tells the crew and the activist to follow him back to the police station. The sub district official meets them halfway down the road where he threatens the activist with jail.

Here's the synopsis:

Bangladesh is one of the world's biggest suppliers of shrimp, harvesting an estimated 20,000 tonnes each year. Half of that finds its way to Europe, and a quarter to American restaurants and supermarkets. It is a major industry - employing some 750,000 people and generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually, crucial revenue for an impoverished country.

But there is a dark side to this success story. The industry is dogged with allegations of bonded labour, gang-related activity and land misappropriation. A recent report says the abuse is systematic, blaming weak labour laws that emphasise growth over workers' welfare.

With shrimp prices rising, Bangladesh claims shrimp farming is good for the country. But at what cost? Who are the real beneficiaries? And how can things improve for the people at the bottom of the food chain?

Catch it while you can!

Sacked!

2011-04-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of the English papers in Bangladesh when I came across this little notice. It informed the readers that Southtech Ltd had parted ways with Mr Ashish Kumar Sarkar. Now Mr Sarkar must have done something really bad for them to put out a public notice in the paper!

The greatest salesman of Sylhet!

2011-04-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

I took a day trip out to Sylhet recently and popped in to Al-Hamra shopping centre for a browse with my sister in laws. On the third floor we walked in to a small shop that sold dresses and the like, behind the counter was a young man by the name of Oyes.

Oyes was the most charming salesman I have ever met in my life. Now I know a lot of salesman come out with bullshit to try and sell you stuff but this guy really came across as a genuine. He was a lyrical genius and had us spellbound with his poetic speech. A thoroughly nice guy (and he gives good discounts!) and ladies he is single!

If you're in Sylhet and he hasn't ended up in Dallywood, Bollywood or Hollywood, then please do go and say hello to the greatest salesman in Sylhet!

I was stupid, says man who used dead dad’s blue badge

2011-04-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Link

A businessman was ordered to pay more than £1,000 for using his dead father’s disability badge to park outside a bank.

Tariq Rashid, 54, was caught hopping out of his silver Mercedes, which was parked on a single yellow line, and strolling over towards shops in Chorlton last July.

Manchester magistrates court heard that a council enforcement officer asked to see his blue badge which turned out to be registered in his father Abdul’s name.

Mr Rashid, of High Street in Manchester city centre, said his father was out of the country in Pakistan at the time, but when officials traced the badge they discovered Mr Rashid had died in 2008.......

Busted! Mr Rashid tried to lie his way out of a parking ticket and got busted. Asians are always doing this, driving top range cars and then skimping on the parking charges by using some illegaly obtained permit so they can pose and show off. If you're going to give it the large one, shell out the £2 and pay for a parking ticket! Cheapskate fools.

Sherpur Maas Bazaar

2011-04-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

During my recent visit to Bangladesh I made a trip to the famous Sherpur Maas Bazaar (Fish Market). It's located in Moulvibazar abput half an hour away from the main centre of town. Fishmongers from all the nearby towns and villages come here to sell their seafood before they head off to the various other markets in the area.

Here's some pictures I took while I was there:

The fastest man in the East....

2011-04-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Check out the skills of this dude.....

The fastest chicken server in the East!

Carlton Cole charged for Ghana fans comments on Twitter

2011-04-09T03:44:00.001-07:00

Link

Hammers striker Carlton Cole has been hammered by the FA after posting racist comments on his Twitter account.

Here's what he had to say:

"Immigration has surrounded the Wembley premises! I knew it was a trap! Hahahaha.
"The only way to get out safely is to wear an England jersey and paint your face w/ the St. George's flag!"

A bit irresponsible and comes across as a little stupid coming from a black man. Carlton you don't need to be racist to fit in to the England team.

Here's what the @GhanaFans tweeted in response:

"FIFA have surrounded the England Team Bus. It's a trap! The only way to get off is to have scored a goal for England!"

Oh wait that's you buggered then Carlton!

Time for a change....

2011-04-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I've posted anything on the blog due to time constraints and sheer laziness. In a desperate bid to revive the blog I'm going to make a few changes to the content that I shall be posting.

Firstly I'm going to start posting about anything and everything. This means that Bangladesh won't be the sole focal point of this blog but I will continue to post Bangladeshi content whenever I can. I plan to post more about current affairs and news items that I find interesting or amusing.

The other change I have in mind is to post more personal content. By that I don't mean images of me dressed in speedos, but more personal opinion and stuff that's happening in my life. Hopefully the oppurtunity to talk about myself will mean I will post a bit more often!

I know there are a few regular readers out there, don't be shy, feel free to comment! At least I'll know you're still out there!

Updates

2011-02-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of activity, I hope to have some updates soon!

Stay tuned....

Suited and Booted

2010-11-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

What is the obsession with Bangladeshi men who go to the airport suited and booted? I can understand if you're an international businessman flying first class, but why the suits when you're traveling economy class on a direct 9 hour flight?

I've heard some people do it so that they can show people back home they've made it but when you make your kids wear suits too, that's just wrong! Wearing a suit on a flight is a nightmare and when you come off the plane the suit is almost always a creased mess!

Baroness Uddin Suspened

2010-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Political heavyweight (I'm not talking about her weight!) Baroness Pola Uddin has been suspended from the House of Lords after becoming embroiled in the expenses scandal. The Baroness has been ordered to pay back over £125,000 as she falsely claiming two homes outside of London were her main residences.

Let's face it, is anyone really surprised? What is it with Bengali's with a little bit of power that gets to their heads. Lets just hope any further investigations don't uncover any further misdeeds. After all she is Bengali, she's probably on some council tax benefit fiddle too!

Link - East London Advertiser
Link - Telegraph

Deadly Storms hit Bangladesh.....

2010-10-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

The rain is back.....

At least 15 people have died and 41 fishermen are still missing across the southern coast of Bangladesh after a storm surge sent 1.5 metre high waves crashing into several towns and villages.

Thousands of people remained stranded on Saturday as waters inundated homes in the low-lying coastal zone, Bengali-language Kaler Kantha daily reported, quoting officials and witnesses.

The English language Daily Star said that two teenagers had died as a result of the storm in the capital, Dhaka, after a wall collapsed on them.

Giasuddin Ahmed, chief government administrator in the coastal town of Cox's Bazar, said that at least 10,000 islanders had taken refuge in the town after a tidal surge in the Bay of Bengal razed concrete buildings and inundated homes off shore.

Officials in other parts of the region could not be reached for comment.

The weather office in Dhaka said in a bulletin that all fishing boats should remain close to shore.

Bangladesh is a delta nation of 150 million people. Natural disasters like floods and cyclones are common.

Link

Kumar Sanu on Channel S

2010-10-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

I missed the legend Kumar Sanu's appearance on Channel S. Here's a little clip from the show:

Pakistan flood

2010-09-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

As everyone is aware the floods in Pakistan have devastated the lives of over 2.5 million Pakistani's as heavy rainfall continues to fall. Despite almost a $ billion worth of aid donated by muslim countries and further donations by EU countries, aid is only tickling through to those who need it. As ever, Channel S, despite their other shortcomings, did an appeal to raise money for Pakistan hosted by the brilliant Rizwan Hussain. The donations were coming in until a caller made an interesting point.

The caller asked Rizwan when he was born, I think Rizwan said 1976 to which the caller replied by saying that Rizwan wasn't there in the early 70's when Pakistani troops massacred Bangladeshi's and how they failed to respond when the Bhola cyclone killed between 300,000 to 500,000 in East Pakistan. I'm not sure what Rizwan's response was but I'm sure he would have approached it from an Islamic point of view.

I can understand feelings running high amongst those who witnessed first hand the atrocities carried out by West Pakistan and no one is doubting the suffering they caused but it's very harsh to deny the people of Pakistan aid in their hour of need. It's not as if the poor who are having their houses swept away were responsible. Lets face it, the commanders of Operation Searchlight are either dead or living someone far away from the threat of floods. Surely Bangladeshi's must take the moral high road on this matter.

Bangladesh allows foreign players in domestic T20 competition

2010-08-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Article

Good news from the organisers of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, up to 5 foreign players will be available for selection in this years competition. The addition of foreign players will not only enhance the reputation of the competition but it will also add an extra dimension on the playing field. Hopefully this will help improve the domestic game and allow home grown players to gain valuable experience against foreign opposition.

Feroze Khan

2010-08-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

Watched a programme on the now infamous Feroze Khan on Channel S. A round of applause for the boys and gals at Channel S for doing a great job at character assassination. I don't know much about Feroze Khan other than he got busted trying to defraud Halifax for £850k, but the 'Subtitle' programme last night made some serious accusations against Khan and Bangla TV.

Other than bringing up the jailing for fraud, they also interviewed several ex employees who were not paid wages and members of the public he allegedly threatened in to sitting on the board of a charity that he ran. But the biggest attack on Feroze Khan was his involvement in a charity called Human Help Trust and the alleged embezzlement of money raised by Bangla TV for victims of Haiti in a 10 day charity appeal broadcast by Bangla TV. It is claimed that Feroze Khan was the beneficiary of the charity and that he took the funds for himself. Pretty despicable if true but we've only heard one side of the story so far, I await Bangla TV's response.

I also noticed that Feroze Khan's photo has been removed from the official Bangla TV website!

Meanwhile, speaking of crooked TV station owners, former Bengali villain Mahi Ferdous seems to be more and more in the limelight these days, could it be that the fall of his Bangla TV nemesis has given him renewed confidence?

Bangladesh fail to finish off England

2010-07-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Link

After a shocking victory against England on Saturday in Bristol, Bangladesh reverted back to type and put in another inept performance seeing them lose the one day series 2-1. Going in to the final day on equal terms you would have thought the Tigers would have been raring to go but Strauss led his side to an easy victory as he and Trott both hit centuries as they cruised to 347-7 with Bangladesh only managing to muster 203 in 45 overs.

It's these inconsistent performances which hinder the Tigers. On their day they can beat any nation in the world cricket as they have done on more than one occasion in the past. However, it's performances like the one today which we see more often than those famous victories like the one on Saturday.

Post harvest spoilage costing hundreds of thousands

2010-07-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Link

In a country that sees millions stuck in poverty, it is hard to believe that over 3,000 cr taka in post harvest produce is lost. That is some serious money, not to mention some serious waste of fruit and vegetables. A lot of the problems are down to the inadequate storage facilities at the disposal of small time farmers and intermediaries. Poor transportation and the use of various non-approved chemicals used are other reasons why so much food is wasted.

Picture of the Day

2010-07-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

A random picture I came across showing four aunti-ji types beating the hell out of a feamle cop.

EDL in East London

2010-07-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

The English Defence League threatened to march through Whitechapel after what they described as hate preachers were due to give a speech at London's Troxy Hall. Of course the event eventually got canceled and the EDL decided against making an official march through the heart of London's East End. But of course a few thugs did end up in that part of town a few days before the proposed march and beat up a Bengali youth, Police were quick to respond as Bengali's arrived in the area ready to defend their community. Luckily no further incidents took place and the night passed off peacefully.

On Sunday 20th June nearly 5,000 people, many of them Bengali's descended upon Altab Ali Park where they stood side by side with their community in solidarity against the racists of the EDL. How fitting that the demo took place in the park dedicated to Altab Ali who lost his life in 1978. Over 40 years later and racism still thrives in these parts but if the EDL think they will march through East London unopposed, they will be in for a surprise.

Politics

2010-06-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

What is it with Bangladeshi's and politics? Why does it always turn ugly?

It's election time at our mosque and politics has reared it's ugly head. There are several factions vying to take control of the mosque and I doubt any of them have the actual best interests of the mosque or it's worshippers as their priority. The elections, originally scheduled for last year were scrapped after allegations were made about the secretary who then stepped down and an interim committee was formed and a new chairman was put in place.

As soon as the new election date was announced, whispering campaigns began and people began to canvas their friends and families smearing the other candidates at the same time. That's nothing new in politics, these tactics were employed by the Labour Party and the Conservatives during the recent General Election, but typical Bengali's took it to the next level. On election day, one of the candidates invited a group of friends from a neighbouring town to come and vote, something which they were not entitled to do, the group were immediately recognised and all hell broke loose. Police were called, they weren't best pleased and told them to cancel the election and to sort it out themselves.

So now the election has been canceled and the various factions are regrouping. Unfortunately things may come to a head on Friday.

Bengali's a word of advice - you are rubbish at politics, try something else!

Bangladesh batting collapse...

2010-06-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was following the cricket on the BBC website at work, Tamim Iqbal was smashing the runs as Bangladesh battled to 141-1 and I was thinking how well they were doing. I went home, got changed, went to football and came back to find that the entire Bangladesh team had been bowled out for 216. What a monumental collapse! At least Tamim put in another sterling performance. I guess Bangladesh will have to wait a little longer to conquer the English at test cricket.

Tamim hits a century as Bangladesh keep fighting

2010-05-31T03:03:00.001-07:00

Link

Congratulations to Tamim Iqbal for hitting the first Bangladeshi century against England. Once again Bangladesh were written off before this test match, maybe rightly so after a poor Twenty20 showing, but once again the doubters have been proved wrong. Although far from home and dry, if the Tigers maintain their composure an unlikely draw could be on the cards.

Burka bullying banned by Bangladesh court

2010-05-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Link

Bangladesh's high court has banned educational institutions in the Muslim-majority country from bullying female employees into wearing headscarves or veils, a lawyer said on Friday.

An interesting stance by the government as they continue to pull away from the Islamic values of Bangladesh. Hasina has been on a drive recently to rid religion from politics.

While the burka is seen as sign of oppression by the west, many Bangladeshi females choose to wear the burka to stop those prying eyes of Bangladeshi men. In fact in some places I've seen guys staring at women wearing niqabs.

Argentina and Brazil fans clash in Bangladesh!

2010-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Link

Police were forced to fire a volley of rounds to control the riots after two neighbouring villages clashed over their passion for the South American rivals three weeks before the start of the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Six policemen were also injured in the fighting on Saturday when residents of Sheikhpara village fought their neighbours from Dakshinpara village with sticks, clubs and sharp weapons over their world cup loyalties......

I can vouch for this! Anytime I've tried to start a conversation about footie in Bangladesh it has always ended up in an argument about who is better Brazil or Argentina! In fact any time that I mentioned England, I got laughed out of the room!

BANGLA TV chairman guilty of fraud conspiracy against bank

2010-05-20T01:27:00.000-07:00

Link

THE CHAIRMAN of an Asian TV channel broadcasting from the East End has been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in connection with an investigation into the theft of nearly £850,000 from a major high street Bank.

Feroze Khan, aged, 55, who is the chairman of Bangla TV based at Hackney Wick, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud HBOS by a jury at Leeds Crown Court last Friday.

Mr Khan, of Bowes-Lyon Hall in Wesley Avenue, Silvertown, will be sentenced this Friday.

Three years ago six other men and a woman were also convicted of conspiracy to defraud at Sheffield Crown Court in connection with this same investigation.

A further man is due to stand trial Leeds Crown Court in June as part of the investigation by West Yorkshire Police.

Another prominent Bengali in the headlines this time being nailed for attempting to defraud HBOS. Personally I've never heard of this guy as I don't follow the who's who of Brit Bangla TV. In fact I only came across this when I walked in to the living room where my parents were tuned in to Channel S which is where I saw the breaking news feed at the bottom of the screen announcing that Bangla TV boss Feroze Khan has been jailed for 5 years and Channel S were running a special report.

It all sounded a little gleeful on Channel S's part. I have heard there is a bit of ill feeling between the two stations, I know Channel S blamed the collapse of First Solution on Bangla TV and Bangla TV widely covered the imprisonment of Mahee Ferdous. Looks like Channel S have found the perfect piece to hit back at BTV with.

Looks like the TV wars are heating up...

Newham Councillor Attacked!

2010-04-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

I came across this article whilst browsing an online Bangla newspaper (www.banglapaper.net)

Cllr Hanif Abdulmuhit, a Labour Party councillor for the borough of Newham was attacked by a 'bunch of thugs'. He was verbally abused and then pelted with eggs. I know I shouldn't laugh and I don't condone intimidation but this story just made me smile. Firstly a group of young Asians shouted at him and then threw eggs at him, hardly an assassination attempt! It's obvious Cllr Hanif has some friends who work for BanglaPaper who did an admirable job of trying to make this non-event sound significant! The second thing that kind of stood out was the fact that he described the attack as 'politically motivated', I'm sorry to say but your average Bengali youth from Newham is not going to orchestrate a planned attack on a councillor because of his love for politics, it was probably some random guys having a laugh at the expense of the self-important civil servant!

I loved the description of the assailants too - four Asian men, one with a goatie and black top. Good luck finding him!

Urmee Mazher attacked

2010-04-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

To be honest I have no idea who Urmee is, other than she's a presenter for Bangla TV. As I was flicking through the channels I noticed at the bottom of the screen on Bangla TV a rolling message announcing that Urmee had been the victim of an 'appalling attack' and that the local community would be holding a protest at a business park in East London today.

Now I'm not aware of what has transpired, why was this woman attacked and by whom but advertising these kind of protests on TV is a risky strategy. What if the local East London rudeboys turn up in their numbers looking for a fight? On the other hand, it could be a masterstroke if they can get the police to take this a little more seriously, only time will tell.

Garment mountain grows in Bangladesh due to air chaos

2010-04-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Link

Having to deal with Bangladesh Biman every day you would think staff at Dhaka airport would be used to delays. But the delays caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland has posed a different dilemma for the Bangladeshis. More than 1,000 tonnes of Bangladeshi-made garments ordered by stores for the summer season have piled up at the airport because of the European aerial lock down.

Cargo flights by Biman are set to resume shortly, until then, the Bangladesh Biman staff can tell their passengers that the delays are not their fault for once!

Asda installs live webcams in Bangladesh factories

2010-04-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

Article

In a neat little publicity stunt, Asda has installed webcams in two of it's factories in Bangladesh which produce clothes for their George brand. In 2007 Asda were one of several UK chains criticised for poor working conditions and employing children. In a bid to show transparency Asda have installed these webcams, one in a testing lab in a factory making jackets, trousers and shorts for George and one situated in the finishing section of a factory making jeans, casual bottoms and casual shorts for George.

Call me a cynic but the chances of children working in these two locations is slim, in fact these two locations seem like the best parts of the factory where you expect to see the more trained employees working. Also it doesn't help when you constantly get the following image:

This may be enough to convince some, but I'm not so sure!

Asif quits recording...

2010-04-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

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Asif Akbar has decided to stop recording new material and focus on spending more time with his family. Asif's track 'O Priya Tumi Kothai' was the first ever Bangla track that I actually liked and was the track that got me in to the whole Bangla scene. I haven' really followed his career very closely but some of his other tracks were pretty catchy so it's a shame he's decided to call it a day.

Zia International No More!

2010-04-04T02:07:00.000-07:00

As I landed in Dhaka on Tuesday morning I was surprised to see that Zia International is no more! The funky new sign says 'Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport' and has a nice red neon tint. Apparently it's a part of a wider campaign to rename many facilities to either their former names or new names that had been changed by the previous regime.

I guess the inclusion of Shah Jalal is a nod towards the Sylheti's who are by far the majority users of the airport. Meanwhile I fear Zia may be a bit peed off that her rival has erased her husbands name from the airport although she has vowed to change the names back if she ever regains power! Who would have thought politicians could be such children!

Link

Bangladeshi man beheaded to redden bricks

2010-03-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

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Four suspects were arrested for murdering the 26-year-old bricklayer in a remote town in northern Bangladesh on the instructions of the brick-field's owners, said Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, a local police chief.
"They said the owners were unhappy as the brick-field was not producing reddish bricks despite enough heating. A fortune teller then suggested that the brick-field needed a human sacrifice," he said.
Police were searching for the owners and the fortune teller, he added.
Red bricks are in huge demand in Bangladesh's countryside as the colour is seen as proof the bricks have been baked properly.

That's some gruesome news right there. Did this owner honestly think he'd get away with it? Then again, this is Bangladesh we are talking about and a poor man's life means very little. The rich seem to abuse the poor at their will, at least this brick-field owner will have a few sleepless nights on the run. Lets hope the authorities catch up with him.

Paan Spitting clampdown!

2010-03-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Looks like Brent Council is going to war with paan lovers with a new campaign to try and stop people spitting the red stuff out! According to Brent Council, removing paan stains costs approximately £20,000.00 a year. Persistent offenders could face up to £80.00 fines as paan spitting will fall under anti-social behaviour laws.

I can see this turning in to a major problem, first lots of sasas and sasis will be hit with fines which they will refuse to pay, ASBOs will follow but the number of offenders will continue to rise. Soon other nationalities will join the growing trend. Poles, Romanians, Chinese and Andorrans will not be able to resist. The government will become worried and in turn will ban paan forcing the industry to go underground. Bengali rudeboys will stop selling crack to other ruffians moving to the more lucrative market of selling paan to their uncles and aunts!

Soon Bengali ladies will be stashing paan in their sarees as the government brand it class A. The youth will be largely ignored by the police, they'll be more worried about Bangladeshi's in their 60's and 70's who openly walk in gangs smoking biri's and chewing paan. The government will start their own anti-paan squadron that will deal with paan related incidents but the problem will continue to spiral out of control. No matter how hard the government tries they will never be able to stop paan. *takes aim at the pavement*

Brent Council - Don't Spit Paan Campaign
BBC News Article

Sheikh Hasina on Facebook

2010-03-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

If Sheikh Hasina was on Facebook maybe it would look a little something like this...

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO ZOOM IN!

Bangladesh win in South Asian Games Football Final!

2010-03-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

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Whilst the Tigers have been struggling a little at the crease, the Bangladeshi football team recently won the final of the football tournament at the South Asian Games. A very rare victory for a team who has never qualified for a World Cup or Asian Cup. Maybe with the introduction of the Citycell Super Cup and a little more investment the national team can at least challenge the bigger teams in the region.

I wonder if there are players in the UK that could be tempted to sign for a Bangladeshi team? Anwar Uddin went out to Bangladesh in 2007 and was offered a place by the staff but he has yet to make a decision. He would be a great addition to the squad and may be the catalyst to others trying their luck in Bangladesh.

Spot the odd one out....

2010-03-05T03:56:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you but this photograph seems a little forced to me!

Labour Parliamentary Candidate meets Khaleda Zia on Bangladesh trip

2010-03-05T03:40:00.000-08:00

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Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk has just returned from a week in Bangladesh where he met with the leader of the opposition party and former PM, Khaleda Zia.

Mr Danczuk was part of the Labour friends of Bangladesh delegation and visited both Dhaka and Sylhet to not only meet with local people and politicians but to also lobby on a number of local issues important to Rochdale’s Bangladeshi community......

Good bit of publicity for Simon Danczuk, I'm sure he's got the votes of the Rochdale Bengali's in the bag! Are the Bengali's of Rochdale all BNP voters (That's Bangladesh National Party as opposed to the British National Party) as they have placed great importance on their meeting with the leader of the opposition where as the meeting with AMA Muhith takes second billing even though the Finance Minister is a part of the ruling Awami League!

Interesting news regarding direct flights to Sylhet coming out of this meeting though, AMA Muhith stating that necessary work to accommodate larger planes is complete but the route for refueling trucks has not been settled yet.

By the way, I wonder if Simon is referred to as Simon Dhansak in the Bengali community?!

Din Bari Jai - Bappa Mazumdar

2010-02-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

I'm really liking this tune. I recommend closing your eyes when you listen to the song though because the video is terrible!

Born to be a Bengali

2010-02-17T07:48:00.001-08:00

Long before Lal Miah perfected the Bengali rap and Stoic Bliss and Fuad made Bangla music funny and cool, one man reigned supreme in the world of Bangla Rap - Isbal Shishir! Iqbal released the album Love Attack in the early 90's and the stand out track was called 'Born to be a Bengali'

Born to be a Bengali is a track that fuses English and Bangla together with some comedy lyrics about a young Bengali man and his journey to the UK to the backing of some music that is eerily similar to cheesy dance classic 'Macarena'. The track was a big hit and spread like wildfire but due to it being released in the days of the cassette, it was lost to the world! Then some rudeboys hijacked the track and added some crappy MC'ing to it and totally killed the track. Luckily I've managed to locate a copy of the original after all these years! Enjoy!

Born to be a Bengali - Iqbal Shishir

Bangladesh Parliament to get it's own channel!

2010-02-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

If Bangladesh TV wasn't exciting enough with two channels, a third is on the way featuring all the stars of Parliament!

The Jatiya Sangsad, Bangladesh's parliament, will soon have an exclusive television channel to telecast its proceedings.

Bangladesh joins neighbour India and several parliamentary democracies across the world that have exclusive TV channels for their parliament.

The government accepted a private member's bill on the subject.

The proposed channel will be named Sangsad Bangladesh.

All ruling Awami League lawmakers voted 'yes' when the speaker put the proposal to vote for approval. Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad accepted the proposal, New Age newspaper said.

"The government will take necessary steps to set up a special television channel for the parliament," the minister said.

The opposition lawmakers belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance, however, refrained from taking part in the vote.

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Muggers caught red-handed

2010-01-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

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Two Bangladesh Chhatra League cadres were caught red-handed while mugging in Sylhet town on Thursday night.

The arrestees were identified as Farhad Ahmed Jibon and Mohammad Amzad.

Sources said a couple was going to the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital on a rickshaw at about 9:30pm.

The muggers, who were on a motorbike, intercepted them and tied to snatch away the handbag from the lady.

As the couple started screaming, pedestrians rushed in and caught and beat the muggers.

The BCL cadres also threatened policemen of dire consequences while they were being taken to Kotwali Police Station.

I liked this story mainly because the muggers not only got caught but were handed a bit of a punishment Bangla style! I don't usually agree with dishing out slaps mob handed but these two cadres sounded like they deserved it!

Hasina and India

2010-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Reading about some of Hasina's exploits in Dehli recently, I must admit I'm starting to warm to her a little. It appears that she's genuinely trying to improve Bangladesh and it's relationships with its neighbours. Meanwhile Zia is returning to parliament after throwing her toys out of her pram and is now looking to reject all the pacts that have been signed by Hasina in India. Between 2001 and 2006, the relationship between India and Bangladesh has been at it's most strained but Hasina has done a lot to try and rectify this. It's a bold move and will no doubt raise a few eyebrows but it's the right move, India is going to be a super power in the next few years and being allied with such a country can only benefit Bangladesh in the long term. As long as Hasina doesn't turn in to a lap dog for the Indians, the ties with India could prove to be very good for Bangladesh.

India-Bangladesh look to turn corner
Indo-Bangla joint forum to protect eco-systems
BNP to oppose pacts with India
Bangladesh Media hail Hasina's Dehli visit

Bangladesh set to miss passport deadline

2010-01-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

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Bangladesh's chance of meeting the international deadline to introduce machine-readable passports by April 1, 2010 looks bleak as the government is yet to choose a company for implementing the project. Can you believe that this project has been in the works for 12 years and there has still been no progress. And guess what, one of the main reasons for the failure has been because of numerous figures involved in the project over the years have tried to cash in on it and make some money for themselves. It also appears that the BNP have scrapped the scheme twice which has delayed the project further.

Bangladesh to send aid to Haiti

2010-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh will send medical teams with adequate medicines, clothes and tea for the people of earthquake-hit Haiti, as the quake flattened much of the Caribbean island-country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a cabinet meeting Thursday directed the Health Ministry to send a medical team with medicines and clothes to Haiti.

Meanwhile, JSD leader Mainuddin Khan Badal on a point of order in parliament said Bangladesh should stand by the Haitians at this critical hour. He said Bangladesh parliament also should express deep sympathy for the loss of life and property in the devastating In reply, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury said the Prime Minister at the cabinet meeting expressed her condolences for the loss of life in the devastating earthquake and asked the Foreign Ministry to take "necessary steps to send the succor".

Prime Minister Hasina and Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni in separate messages expressed their deep shock over the calamity and conveyed their sympathies for the victims.

Meanwhile, a police release said six Bangladeshi peacekeepers engaged in UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti are now "well and safe" after a devastating earthquake.

Hundreds of thousands may have perished, but there was no firm count in Tuesday's quake, reports say.

It's heartening to see Bangladesh making a contribution to the aid of Haiti, a generous gesture from a country that can ill afford to waste resources. Bangladesh has received much aid in the past, so it's good to see them help another nation in distress.

Meanwhile six officers engaged in UN Peacekeeping Mission have made contact to say they are safe and well.

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Bangladeshi Cabbies do it again!

2010-01-13T06:50:00.000-08:00

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You may have read the story about Osman Chowdhury, A Bengali cabbie who returned $500,000 worth of diamonds to its rightful owner in 2007, well another honest cabbie, Mukul Asadujjaman, drove 50 miles from New York to return an Italian tourist her $21,000 cash, jewelry and passports. The devout Muslim refused to accept a reward! Nice to read a positive story about one of the many hardworking honest folk that are often forgotten by the media.

Indo-Bangla Alliance

2010-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

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An interesting article from the NY Times about why India should take its ties with Bangladesh a lot more seriously and how rather than trying to bully the smaller country it should work closer with it. The big worry for India is that whilst it's been neglecting Bangladesh, China has done the opposite and has begun to forge strong links. Hasina is currently in Dehli where the two countries are expected to sign several agreements related to terrorism.

Bangladesh to co-host 2011 Cricket World Cup

2010-01-10T14:50:00.001-08:00

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Something that slipped me by in the summer is that Bangladesh will be hosting 8 matches in the 2011 Cricket World Cup including the opening ceremony. Great news for Bangladesh and hopefully the one day side can do the country proud.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T03:47:00.001-08:00

Volunteer helping street kids in Bangladesh

2009-12-31T12:03:00.001-08:00

I aim to shine the spotlight on individuals and organisations who are in Bangladesh helping the very poorest people. It seems that often many expatriate Bengali's seem oblivious to the suffering that is happening in the country and material wealth seems to be the highest priority. Add to that a new generation of British Bengali's who have no bond to their parents homeland and are willing to label anyone from abroad as a freshie.

A lot of articles and blogs I have come across recently which focus on voluntary work in Bangladesh are by non-Bengali's of which Hiroki Watanabe is one. The Japanese national started an organisation called Ekmattra which provided open air classes for street children in Dhaka. He has since made a film titled 'The Whirlpool' which profiles the dangers faced by street children in Bangladesh. The money raised by the film will be used to build a self-help centre in Bangladesh.

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Steve Irwin would be proud....

2009-12-31T03:22:00.000-08:00

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Or would he? I'm not sure, but a couple of Bengali's have tried something a little different when it comes to making curries, rather than changing the spices they've decided to change the protein instead! Sam and Dan (typical Bengali names!) have experimented using crocodile, kangaroo, ostrich and African springbok. Sounds interesting, but I think I will stick to my usual Chicken Tikka Dhansak!

Big bad Dhaka?

2009-12-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if anyone else shares this experience but when I'm back in Bangladesh and I speak to anyone about going to Dhaka I get disapproving looks and shakes of the head. People warn me of the dangers of the capital city but I'm yet to work out what the big deal is. Is it because most people in Moulvibazar and greater Sylhet have never been to Dhaka and just pass on hearsay?

If I spent 1 day in Dhaka what are the chances that I would get decapitated by a head cutter? Or the chances of me getting slain by a political gangster? Well I'm going to test this theory out soon as I'll be staying in Dhaka for a few days in February. Just hope I haven't jinxed myself!

Bangladesh and Turkey strike deal

2009-12-03T02:26:00.000-08:00

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Bangladesh and Turkey are working on a deal which will see the two countries get a direct air link amongst other things. Banking, shipbuilding, textiles and pharmaceuticals are also being discussed as the two nations try to increase bilateral trade to $1billion as soon as possible.

A very savvy move by the government of Bangladesh, Turkey is in a good position right now and the possibility of it joining the EU in the future is not dead yet, something Bangladesh can capitalise on if they have strong links in place. However I suggest the first item on the agenda between the two nations should be how soon we can get kebabs in to Bangladesh!

Bangladesh upholds death sentence for Mujib killers

2009-11-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

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Link

The Bangladesh Supreme Court rejected Thursday an appeal by five former army officers convicted of killing the nation's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a coup more than 34 years ago.
Security was tight in the capital Dhaka with more than 12,000 extra police deployed ahead of the ruling, which paves the way for the execution of the killers, some 13 years after they first came to trial. Around 1,000 people squeezed inside the packed courtroom, while 10,000 more gathered outside, many breaking down in tears upon hearing the final verdict in a case that has haunted the South Asian nation for decades.
"The Supreme Court has accepted our argument that the five men are guilty and dismissed their appeals. They are going to go to the gallows," said chief state prosecutor Syed Anisul Haque.

It's about time these men were brought to justice over their actions, killing a man who was pivotal in the freedom of Bangladesh deserve the death sentence. Shame on Zia for trying to stop the case against these men being resolved, no doubt partly because General Zia had given immunity to Mujib's killers.

Worcestershire sign Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan

2009-11-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

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Great news for Bangladeshi Cricket fans, all rounder Shakib Al Hasan has signed for Worcestershire. Shakib will be the first Bangladeshi to ever play county cricket in England. The 22 year old is ranked the number one all rounder in the world!

Hopefully Shakib will use his time with Worcestershire to enhance his skills further with superior coaches and training facilities and playing against stronger opposition on a regular basis. Things are looking bright for Bangladeshi cricket at the moment.

Hygiene is over-rated!

2009-11-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

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THE OWNER of a mice-infested takeaway has admitted breaching food-hygiene regulations 14 times.

Angor Miah, 42, of Briscoe Street, St Mary's pleaded guilty to the charges at Oldham magistrates court.

The court heard how environmental health officers first visited his takeaway, Chilli on Huddersfield Road, in December last year.

They found food was being prepared on dirty chopping boards, mouse droppings were on work surfaces and chefs were wearing dirty clothes.

The yard at the back of the premises was covered in rubbish and there were mouse droppings inside and food spills which had not been cleaned up. There were also no soap or drying facilities at the washbasin......

Looks like hygiene wasn't much of a priority for Mr Miah! I wonder how he's going to explain this one to his fellow Bengali 'Gubnars' the next time they meet! It's a wonder how these businesses survive especially in the condition they are in and now that this article has appeared in the local rag I doubt Mr Miah will see a rise in custom!

Hypocrites!

2009-11-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

One thing really annoys me about Bengalis is their hypocrisy, they really do live by the ethos 'one rule for you and another rule for me'! Hypocrisy is very much evident when in evidence when it comes to migration of family. People will go through great efforts to get family members in to the UK whether by hook or by crook. They often won't tell you how they managed to get their relative to the UK but will assure you that it was all legal, sometimes even encouraging you to follow suit. The hypocrisy starts when Bengalis fall out with each other. A few stern words and they are quick to get on the phone to the UK Border Agency and squeal like a pig. It's funny how they have a sudden respect for the law! A well informed source tells me that almost 80% of denunciatory information received by the UK Border Agency relating to bengalis comes from bengalis themselves!

Sometimes you even hear Bengalis talk about how immigrants (whether they be Somali, Polish or Afghani) have taken over their area yet if you look within their own family you're bound to find a few Visitors who never went home or work permit holders working somewhere they shouldn't be. If you're going to take the moral high ground at least make sure your house is in order first!

Tough Guy or Chicken: Bangladesh

2009-10-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

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Five young British men take on the challenge of a lifetime - to spend four months travelling the world, taking on some of the most deadly creatures and hostile places on the planet.

The lads' penultimate challenge is going to be one of the most deadly, as they have come to Bangladesh to learn to catch venomous snakes. Master snake king Shoporaj Dholu has just six days to train them up and keep them alive.

Dholu comes from generations of snake kings. He is a Bedey gypsy, a caste known for its snake catchers, snake charmers and snake medicine. The Brits arrive in the Bedey village of Rahmatpur at just the right time - Dholu is planning the first snake hunt of the season, for deadly cobras, and if they are good enough he has agreed that the outsiders can come along.

First, they have to prove they can catch rats and lizards, that they can handle milk snakes without getting bitten and that they can keep their head when confronted by a deadly cobra, while surviving 45 degree heat in 100 per cent humidity.

Reuben looks to be in pole position because he actually loves snakes, but Nick is still determined to retain his incredible record of passing every challenge so far.

I managed to catch this episode of Tough Guy or Chicken on BBC iPlayer and found it to be rather enjoyable. The snake king Dholu was a great character, very charismatic and knowledgeable in his trade. You could tell he carries some serious weight in his village! Watching Dholu in action was mesmerising, he knew exactly where to find the snakes and how to snare them without a drop of venom being released.

Before the Brits are let loose on the cobras they are sent out to catch lizards. The lizard Ross catches was huge! I couldn't believe the size of it, nothing like the ones you are used to seeing climbing up your walls in Bangladesh! I won't spoil the results for you as the programme is still available on BBC iPlayer, but hurry as it won't be there forever!

Shakib wins Wisden award

2009-10-08T01:52:00.000-07:00

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Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been named The Wisden Cricketer magazine's World Test Player of the Year.

Shakib, pictured, topped the performance table of all Test players based on marks awarded by Wisden Cricketer correspondents.

"I guess I owe my performance to keeping things simple. I don't lose sleep over disappointments and rather look ahead to seize the next opportunity,'' Shakib said.

Shakib, who led his side to their first overseas Test series victory against West Indies in July, is the first Bangladeshi to win the award.

Nice to see Bangladesh making some in roads in cricket, they've often been seen to have the potential to compete at the highest level but finally they are getting the results a little more consistently.

The pied piper of Bangladesh!

2009-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

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Mokhairul Islam from Gazipur was awarded a colour TV for killing over 83,000 rats in a 9 month long war against rodents. That's one hell of a killing spree! Just as well really, apparently, of the 3 million tonnes of food Bangladesh imports annually, between 1.5 and 2 million tons is destroyed by rats! That is ridiculous! Maybe the Rapid Action Battalion should be replaced with the Rat Attack Battalion!

Bengal-Baywatch!

2009-09-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

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David Hasselhoff beware - Bangladeshi Life Guards will soon be taking to the beaches (and rural rivers) in an effort to control the rising number of deaths attributed to drowning. Unfortunately unless Pamela Anderson covers herself up, she won't be allowed to do any of the training!

Don't Zoo It!

2009-09-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

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There are very few attractions in Bangladesh and it's sad to hear those few that are around are badly maintained. Dhaka Zoo has been criticized for it's terrible conditions and it's lack of qualified staff with several animals on the verge of death and many already deceased.

Funnily enough the zoo has applied seven times to become a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and has been repeatedly turned down for not meeting membership standards. What a surprise!

Personally I have not been to the Zoo in Dhaka, although a trip to a home made zoo in someones backyard was enough to put me off zoos for life!

Salma live in concert

2009-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

I was flicking through the channels today and spotted Salma singing Baniya Bondhu live in the UK (possibly Troxy Hall) her voice seemed to be pretty off. What I found a little disturbing was the fact that the entire venue was packed out almost exclusively male , in their 20's, 30's and 40's waving their phones and wolf whistling at an 18 year old. I know it's quite common in the west and I'm sure Britney Spears had her fair share of male fans but there seemed to be something creepy about the whole thing.

Salma herself didn't interact much with the fans, in fact rather than singing to the crowd her eyes were fixed to the back of the hall, maybe she wanted to be somewhere else!

Some of the creepy guys she was trying not to make eye contact with appear in a Facebook site dedicated to the teenage songstress. Link below

Facebook Group Link

Biman leases new Boeing 747

2009-09-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

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Looks like Biman isn't going down with a fight, the national carrier has just leased a Boeing 747 from Orient Thai. The under utilised aircraft will help Biman transport pilgrims to Hajj. Apparently Bangladesh Biman has ordered 8 new Boeings, 4 to arrive in 2013 and another four in 2019. Lets just hope the aging fleet can keep afloat until then!

M Saifur Rahman dies.

2009-09-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

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The news coming from Bangladesh is that Saifur Rahman, the former finance minister for the Bangladesh National Party has died in a car crash. Very sad news as he was a Moulvibazari native and was one of an elite group of politicians who are respected by the people (although he did have a corruption charge hanging over him). Saifur Rahman is credited for a lot of the infrastructure in the Moulvibazar area and his death will have an impact on the local community especially in his home village of Bharmordan.

Is Bangladesh Biman on it's last legs?

2009-08-27T02:12:00.000-07:00

More woes for travellers using the national carrier Biman:

Another Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited flight yesterday, this time to Bangkok, was cancelled in around two days due to technical glitches.

Flight schedules of all international routes of the national flag carrier are delayed for 10-28 hours due to aircraft shortage, Biman sources said.

Earlier on Sunday, two Rome and Hong Kong bound flights were cancelled on similar reason.

Airport sources said the Biman flight, loaded with its highest capacity of 228 passengers, was scheduled to leave for Bangkok at 2:00pm yesterday. But the authority was compelled to cancel it as no aircraft was available.

About 42 passengers were also listed to fly Dhaka by its return flight, said Abdul Mamdud Khan, general manager, flight operations (central control) of Biman.

A DC-10 aircraft of Biman became grounded at the Kuala Lumpur airport due to technical glitches. Another DC-10, left in Dhaka, is also unserviceable on same reason.

Only two of the five aircraft of Biman fleet were serviceable yesterday for operating international flights.

The Biman officials admitted that all international and domestic flights of Biman are experiencing severe delay causing sufferings to its passengers.

Source

Tigers on the up..

2009-08-27T01:36:00.000-07:00

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Sheikh H congratulated the triumphant Bangladesh Cricket team with 300,000 takas and praised them for their heroic efforts in trashing Zimbabwe and West Indies in recent test and one day matches.

Stand-in Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan thanked the prime minister and presented a cricket bat signed by the team as well as the winning trophy.

Can't believe they boys had to give up their trophy to Sheikh H! That's like when we play football and win a league, having to give the trophy to the guy who organises the team because he calls himself the manager even though he hasn't played a game! Nice to see Sheikh H jumping on the bandwagon!

Applications for British Passports to be recieved in Sylhet

2009-08-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Article

A pilot project for receiving applications for British passports in Sylhet was launched yesterday.

Addressing a press conference at a city hotel in connection with the launching of the project, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Stephen Evans said the project would run for six months on experimental basis..... continue reading

Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey

2009-08-24T11:55:00.001-07:00

Rick Stein takes the viewer on an epic culinary journey by sea, down rivers and overland to explore the Far East's diverse food cultures, which have soared to the heights of popularity the world over.

Rick ends his culinary tour in Bangladesh, the country that spawned thousands of 'Indian' restaurants in Britain years ago. Not surprisingly, curry is at the top of his list.

Caught this on BBC iPlayer the other day and found it quite interesting. Rick Stein seemed really enthusiastic about all the dishes and seemed to enjoy his journey through Bangladesh (although it only covered Dhaka and Sylhet). The dishes highlighted looked delicious although some of the characters Rick encountered were a little strange! For instance the Kabir family, obviously wealthy and educated abroad had English accents posher than the royal family! Then there was the guy from Manchester who looked like he didn't want to be there and pretty much hated everything about Bangladesh!

Rick was raving about the shatkhora and was contemplating what to use as a substitute, little did he know that every Bangla bazaar in the UK stocks one of those bad boys! The show finished off with a visit to the Khasi tribe who cooked up a pork dish, I didn't even know there are pigs in Bangladesh! Definitely worth a watch!

A few recipes taken from the program: Link

Bangladesh police recruits get beauty tips!

2009-08-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

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Bangladeshi police officers will hit the streets a little smarter and more confident after a beautician was called in to give grooming tips to new recruits.

Kaniz Almas Khan, who owns beauty parlours in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and in Thailand, was asked by police chiefs to give lessons to 140 new recruits at an academy in the northwest of the country, she said on Monday....

Bangladesh unveils $6 billion plan to end power crisis

2009-08-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

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Wow, looks like Bangladesh is finally starting to get it's act together. The government are inviting tenders for a $6 billion power plant building program to end the energy crisis in the country. By 2014 (the target set by the government) there should be no more load shedding and electricity shortages!

BBC to launch new TV drama for Bangladesh

2009-08-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

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The BBC World Service Trust is launching a new television drama for Bangladesh, in an attempt to promote learning English in a country which is one of the largest sources of immigration to the UK.

The series features a young woman who goes to Dhaka only to discover that she is the co-owner of a supernatural detective agency based in an antique shop.

It follows the exploits of Zara, a young British woman of Bangladeshi origin, and has the working title of Bishaash, which loosely translated means faith or belief.

To be shot in Bangladesh from November until next July, the production is part of a broader drive by the Trust to stimulate interest in learning English.

UK Curry boss charges 10k for illegal staff...

2009-08-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Article

Belal Rouf, a Bangladeshi with four restaurants in the UK was nabbed by the Police after boasting to an undercover News of the World reporter that he could make one phone call and have a thousand illegal workers at any address in London. Belal was all to aware of the desperation of his workers as he told the reporter the workers would toil for 12 hours a day for £20,00 in return. Belal and his assistant Forid Miah are now being investigated by UK Border Agency and The Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

This kind of exploitation is not new in the Bangladeshi community and people like Belal can be found in every city taking advantage of the poor. Restaurant owners across the UK use illegal workers, housing them in cheap accommodation and paying them well below the minimum wage in order to stay afloat in vastly shrinking market. Hopefully Belal gets his just desserts and this money train comes to an abrupt stop.

Bangladesh refuses to recognise Kosovo...

2009-08-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Article

The Bangladesh government is refusing to recognise the state of Kosovo in a bid to presrve relations with Russia and USA. This is quite a statement by Bangladesh as Kosovo is a majority muslim nation and the people of Kosovo suffered attrocities that Bengali's can relate to pre-independance. It's disgraceful that Bangladesh could take such a stance just to keep the Russians happy.

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