LIFE AS IT IS

Ratul Hasan,  6, lives on St.  Martin’s Island, the southernmost point of Bangladesh. On a nighttime magical journey with “the Old   Man of the Winds,” Ratul sees two kinds of possible future of his country and the world - - one bleak and one bright.  In the bleak future, he sees lands inundated by rising waters, displaced people migrating to the north of the country for refuge, widespread poverty, crowded cities, and illnesses caused by pollution. However, the bright future shows a prosperous Bangladesh, where imposition of additional taxes on fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, oil) and subsidies for renewable energy sources (solar panels, windmills) have created new jobs and made the country once again green and livable.  The Daily Star link ‘Tomorrow’ is a 26-minute 3D animated film on climate change directed by Mohammad Shihab Uddin and produced by the entrepreneur-climate activist duo Kazi Zahin Hasan and Kazi Zeeshan Hasan of Kazi Farms Group....

We all love to shop. Some of us are shopaholics while others are not, but we all, from time-to-time, purchase things we do not need. While it is not always possible to make a shopping list every time we go shopping, it is a good idea to make a grocery list before you step inside a food mart or a kitchen market. Why? You will find out in a while. Saves money No one is asking you to be stingy, but wasteful spending does you and your family no good. Sticking to the shopping list when you go grocery shopping can keep your impulsive buying behaviour in check. When we do not have a shopping list, we often end up buying food items that we already have at home. Because food is perishable, buying more than you can consume is a bad, bad idea. Saves time Yes, you save time when you are armed with a grocery list. You know exactly what you need, so you do not roam about aimlessly in a supermarket, trying to remember if there is enough cooking oil at home to last you one more week. Reduces food wast...

The items arrived in DHL’s famous red-yellow mail bag. I had been receiving notifications on my phone and email that the package was going to be delivered on April 26, two days before the original estimated delivery date!  I was eagerly awaiting a DHL delivery van to pull up in     front of my house.     So what was so special in that package that led to so much anticipation? A shalwar kameez set and a kurta straight from Dhaka!   The Daily Star link When I first found out that Bangladesh’s largest fashion and lifestyle brand, Aarong, now ships to the United States, I said to myself, “Now I can conveniently place online orders for  deshi  attire  at any time of the year!” For Bangladeshis who live abroad, the announcement of Aarong shipping overseas was worth big smiles. In the past, I always got my kurta and shalwar kameez from Dhaka. Most of the time, I would pick out an unworn dress from my closet to wear on Eid. However, there is a differ...