The first NRB Conference Dhaka 2007

Dear NRB Friends,

The first NRB Conference will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 27-29, 2007. This is organized by the Scholars of Bangladesh. The details of this conference can be found at scholarsbangladesh.com. Please attend this very Special NRB Conference if you are visiting Bangladesh during these holidays. Please also spread the word to your friends and colleagues who are visiting Bangladesh during these holidays.

The NRB conference 2007 will feature 20 different seminars on 33 national and international issues ranging from economics, development, information technology, agriculture, human resources and overseas employment, disaster management and medical science, environment, energy security, textile and garments industry.
Programmes of the first day of the conference will include inaugural ceremony, career fair, a painting and photograph exhibition and a cultural show.
The painting exhibition will display the works of Monirul Islam, a Bangladeshi painter living in Spain and Obaidulla Mamoon, a photographer living in the USA.
The cultural programme will be dedicated to Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, two internationally renowned musicians who organised a concert in 1971 at Madison Square in New York to raise funds for the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
There will also be a publication ceremony where Abu Taleb's "Gonotantrik Sthanio Sarker Ruprekha", Belal Beg's "Bangla Pora" and Nuran Nabi's "Born in Bengal" published by Scholars Publishers and Abdun Noor's "Bicholito Shomoy" will be released.

Registration TimeTable 

ICC donates $250,000 to Sidr fund

 

Bangladeshi people load bags containing relief material into US helicopters

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AFP) — The International Cricket Council (ICC) Sunday donated 250,000 US dollars to the Bangladesh cyclone relief fund.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed presented a cheque to Bangladesh cricket team manager Ahmed Sajjadul Alam and captain Mohammad Ashraful before the start of a Twenty20 charity match against a New Zealand XI here.

All proceeds from the match were also going to help the victims of the cyclone.

Cyclone Sidr slammed into Bangladesh on November 15, killing at least 3,200 people and destroying more than a million homes.

QuantumTone Introduces Unlimited Calling to Bangladesh

NewswireToday - /newswire/ - New York, NY, United States, 12/24/2007 - Use your existing mobile or land phone to call worldwide unlimited for a flat rate .
	QuantumTone announces today that it's launching the highly anticipated unlimited calling plans for Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Vietnam, Turkey, Europe, Asia, and other South and Central American countries for flat monthly rates. This new service liberates consumers from paying per minute rate for international calls. They can use their existing mobile, home or get new digital home phone service from QuantumTone to use the service. It can also be used without any internet connection and is available through online portal and selected local retail storefronts in major metropolitan cities nationwide. This product will be rolled out to European and Middle Eastern consumers subsequently. "Our service transforms any mobile or local land phone into an instant world phone with unlimited calling capabilities. The advent and perpetual developments of QuantumTone VoIP Technology has simplified international telephony. Realizing how agonizing, time consuming, and expensive for ethnic frequent callers to use long distance services and deceptive, gray-route prepaid calling cards, we felt the need for such flat rate unlimited calling plans. Residential consumers can take advantage of our new service and call their friends and family overseas worry free," said Monica Kish, the CEO of QuantumTone, "We are the first US telephone company that pioneered such aggressive worldwide unlimited plans to some of these high-cost international tariffs like anywhere in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mexico, Columbia, and other destinations." QuantumTone ushers in a new era of VoIP connectivity and IP telephony sophistication never seen before in home and mobile device until recently, it completely redefines what a mobile phone and digital home phone can do using QuantumTone IP technology. QuantumTone offers multiple unlimited domestic and international calling plans for residential and business consumers – VoIP Home and Q-TONE Mobile/Home which offer the convenience of registering either your existing mobile phone or local home phone or choosing QuantumTone VoIP to make free calls to your preferred overseas countries including domestic USA and Canada long distance. QuantumTone offers digital quality, enterprise grade VoIP solutions that comes with many essential calling features at no additional cost. About QuantumTone QuantumTone along with its partners, is an international digital phone company that specializes in technologically advanced, feature-rich, business quality unlimited local, long distance calling and IP hosting services bundled with enterprise grade broadband internet connectivity at a fraction of fixed cost to consumers, businesses, and enterprises in all 50 states in US and worldwide as a local and international phone service provider. Our technology enables anyone to use their traditional phone with high-speed internet (Cable, DSL, T1, ISDN) connection or existing mobile or home phone (without any internet) to make and receive phone calls anywhere in the world even while traveling. At QuantumTone our goal is to make calling simple and almost free for everyone using cutting edge IP technology. QuantumTone is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum Leap Group, LLC based out of Dallas, TX with offices located throughout the US, Canada, and France. If you would like more information about the press release or to schedule an interview with QuantumTone, please call at 646-400-0440 x605 or email us at infoATquantumtone.com

Dont Forgive the traitors, thieves and RAZAKARs

Can you believe we are sending more than 188 pices of extremely precious artefacts to Paris, France for exhibition!

Two of them already lost at airport!

All the past invaders to our lands evacuated our heritages day by day; namely -- the Kohinoor(Diamond), MoyurShinghashon And what not?

And now in broad daylight against all our people's protests and trials of Supreme Courts these henious traitors+conspirators+Razakars managed to do this robbery again. All news media were writing about inadequency of this shipping of artefacts.

Lets look at some points on this:

* Artefacts of extreme rarity shouldnt be moved here to there.

* They arent reproducible, thus if damaged cant be compensable.

* Shouldnt be allowed for exhibition outside country by any cost.

* Dealings were done in the regimes of elected political govt. and now as this care-taker govt came to solve all the corruptions, they should have been able to stop this insanity.

* Media also reported time to time that the listing and packaging of those artefacts were being mis-managed or ill-managed. It was against any awakened countrymen of Bangladesh to let these artefacts cross our boundary.

* All these lead to the conclusion that it was nothing but a traitorship, notion of razakar-hood, act of conspiracy against artefacts and heritage. 

America`s Junior Miss 2007 Nora Ali in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's proud child Nora Ali is now in her homeland. Born in a proud family where her elder sister also is a genius (see end of post).

Nora Ali of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, is America's Junior Miss for 2007. Being only the second Junior Miss from Minnesota to win the title, Nora wowed the audience and judges with her self-confidence and intelligence, and received overwhelming crowd approval when she played the violin for her talent. In addition to her title, Nora also received the official gold medallion and a $50,000 cash scholarship to use at the college of her choice.

Nora won more than $57,000 in cash scholarships through her participation in America's Junior Miss in the local, state, and national finals. She plans to use her scholarship money to pay for her education at Harvard University where she plans to study Business Management and Finance. Ultimately, Nora would like to become a CEO of a major organization.

Since she was very young, Nora has been playing the piano and violin. She has been a soloist with seven orchestras, First Violinist for the Greater Twin Cities Orchestra and the Xaqialer String Quartet, and has performed the National Anthem on the violin for Major League baseball games. She was also featured on WCCO TV (CBS) for her academic and musical excellence.

Among many accolades that she received in high school, Nora was a National Merit Scholar, a recipient of the Murray Glauberman Award, Valedictorian, an International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidate, and an Academic All-Star for KARE-11/NBC TV. She teaches science and math classes, conducts stem cell research at the University of Minnesota, and plays for fundraising concerts and educational music shows.

As America's Junior Miss, Nora will represent the program at events throughout the country, while promoting AJM's, Be Your Best Self program. She will travel to New York City for media appearances, participate in Veteran's Day activities in Mobile, and will take part in the GMAC Bowl and Senior Bowl.

Nora is the daughter of Zaki and Mahfuza Ali of Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Nora in the Media

Nora instantly became a role model when she was named America's Junior Miss 2007. Immediately after returning home following the AJM National Finals, Nora was greeted with reporters at her home waiting to talk to her about her experience. To see some of the press coverage of Nora Ali, click the links below.

• Darwin Singleton Interviews Nora Ali
• Minnesotan Wins America's Junior Miss
• KARE 11 Video Story of Nora Ali
• KARE 11 Reaching A High Note
• Nora Ali on CBS The Early Show
• The Harvard Crimson: Incoming Freshman Already a Junior Miss

Nora`s Experience as AJM 2007

The AJM program has already influenced my life more than I ever expected. I entered the local program because I was searching for college scholarships, and although I didn't know much about AJM at the time and certainly didn't expect to get this far, I am eternally grateful that my parents encouraged me to pursue the AJM experience. Through the local, state and national programs, I have learned how to truly by my best self. Through the interview process, I have learned how to speak freely, intelligently and confidently. By watching the talents of all the Junior Misses and seeing al of their scholastic achievements, I have come to believe that our future is in very good hands. I was amazed by the diverse backgrounds of the girls in the national program, and I was proud to be able to share my Bengali-American heritage with them. Finally, I have been humbled by the support and enthusiasm of the entire community in Mobile and I hope to spread the passion for AJM to the rest of the United States. Not only will AJM help me in paying for my education at Harvard University, but it will also provide me with many opportunities and will open many doors. I look forward to representing Junior Misses around the country and to representing today's youth. I hope to spread the message of Be Your Best Self in what will surely be an amazing year as AJM!

With Love,
Nora Ali
America's Junior Miss 2007

SISTER ACT

Source: Sarah Henning/News Tribune Staff Writer
While debating human cloning, consider the Ali sisters Exhibit A. Nicole Ali began professional stem cell research as a high school sophomore. At 17, she just wrapped up her first year at Harvard while earning awards for her musical performances and orchestral compositions. She props a physics book on her music stand so she can study during long musical rests. Her sister Nora, 15, is No. 1 in her class with a schedule that's college-level everything. (This mention is two year old)

Taslima Nasreen 'lonely' in hiding in India

KOLKATA (AFP) — Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, in hiding in India since protests against her by a hardline Islamic group last month, is lonely and struggling to write, her publisher said.

"Taslima is not being allowed to move out of her new residence. It's a very, very lonely existence," Sibani Mukherjee, owner of the People's Book Society, publisher of Nasreen's books in India, told AFP on Saturday.

"She is struggling to concentrate on her new book. She told us she may not meet the deadline. We have decided not to press her."

The writer was in a very "troubled" situation, Mukherjee added.

Nasreen was forced to leave the eastern Indian city of Kolkata last month following violent protests that led to the army's deployment.

India pledged to protect Nasreen and moved her to a safe house in New Delhi last month after the protests against "anti-Islamic" passages in one of her earlier books "Dikhandito" ("Split Into Two").

The Indian press has clamoured to know Nasreen's whereabouts, implying that restrictions on her movements and interactions with the press amounted to de facto house arrest.

Nasreen told India's domestic news agency by telephone on Thursday that she would "not be allowed to return to Kolkata for now."

"I told the officials that I be allowed to lead a normal life at least in New Delhi," PTI quoted Nasreen as saying.

Rights groups and film stars held a rally on her behalf in Kolkata Saturday, calling for the writer to be allowed to return to the city she has treated as her adopted home for the past three years.

India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday denied that Nasreen was being held against her will.

"Taslima Nasreen is not under house arrest," Mukherjee said in Kolkata. "She is our guest. The government has made necessary arrangements to secure her safe stay in India."

Mukherjee said Nasreen "can stay in India as long as she likes."

"But she has to abide by certain laws," he said. "She should not do anything that can hurt the sentiment of any community."

Nasreen fled her homeland after being accused of blasphemy for her 1994 novel "Lajja," or "Shame," which depicts violence against minority Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. She eventually settled in India.

Related News

• Taslima not put under house arrest, says Pranab
• Taslima not under house arrest: Pranab
• Rally demands return of Taslima to Kolkata

Western Union Supports Disaster Relief Initiatives in Bangladesh

"No Transfer Fee"¹ Pricing Action and $100,000 donation to UNICEF in Aid of Cyclone Survivors

NEW YORK & ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As a humanitarian gesture toward cyclone relief efforts in Bangladesh, Western Union is launching a "No Transfer Fee"¹ Pricing Action for any amount sent to Bangladesh from Italy, the United Kingdom, the U.S.A., Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. ² The initiative will run from Nov. 27, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007 in the U.S. and from Dec. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007 in the United Kingdom, Italy, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Remittances will be vital in offering emergency support on top of relief efforts by the Government of Bangladesh, UN agencies and various NGOs to the victims of Cyclone Sidr.

Moreover, The Western Union Foundation, a philanthropic organization to facilitate charitable giving programs worldwide, is donating US$100,000 to UNICEF in its relief response in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, education, child protection and the provision of non-food items.

The Western Union Foundation also is encouraging employee donations through the Western Union Employee Gift Matching Program. The Western Union Foundation will match registered employee donations to UNICEF on a one-for-one basis, up to US $25,000.

"The hearts of all Western Union employees go out to the thousands who have been hit by this natural disaster," said Luella Chavez D'Angelo, President, The Western Union Foundation. "We want to help those in need and assist them in putting their lives back together as quickly as possible."

"The impact of Cyclone Sidr on children – who make up almost half of the affected population – is enormous," said Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF. "Donations such as this will support UNICEF's efforts to save kids' lives and help them to regain a sense of normalcy, and we greatly appreciate Western Union 's rapid response."

The Western Union Foundation grant is part of the Western Union Our World, Our Family program, a company initiative to empower migrant families through education and global economic opportunity programs that help them stay connected, overcome barriers, and realize their dreams.

¹ Although there is no transfer fee, Western Union will make money when it converts remittances to a foreign currency.

² The fee waiver will also be available for money transfers on westernunion.com originating in the USA and the UK.

About UNICEF

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response, saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicefusa.org or call 800 4UNICEF.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global money-transfer services. Together with its affiliates, Orlandi Valuta, Vigo and Pago Fácil, Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. It operates through a network of more than 320,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. Famous for its pioneering telegraph services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

About The Western Union Foundation

The Western Union Foundation began in 2000 as a philanthropic organization to facilitate charitable giving programs worldwide. Through the donations of the Western Union Company, its employees and Agents, the Foundation helps to fund programs that enhance the quality of life for those most in need around the world.

Since 2001, the Western Union Foundation, in collaboration with Western Union Agents and employees, has granted nearly $40 million to more than 1,500 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in 70 countries around the globe to support humanitarian projects. In addition, the Foundation has supported more than 50 disaster-relief operations and has funded education and human services programs.

Contacts

The Western Union Company
Sherry Johnson, 720-332-4750
Sherry.L.Johnson@WesternUnion.com
or
UNICEF
Michael Bociurkiw, 646-421-0400
mbociurkiw@unicefusa.org

Shakira for Sidr : Popstar visits Bangladesh

Dhaka, Dec 20 (IANS) Pop singer Shakira was moved when a Bangladeshi girl orphaned by last month's cyclone Sidr sang 'Mother, wherever you are, write to me'.

Used to entertaining millions, Shakira was 'touched' by 11-year old Nipa's wailing voice, The Daily Star reported Thursday.

'She sang to me a song of grief. It was a beautiful song in Bengali. It said, 'Mother, wherever you are, write to me'. I will never forget her voice,' Shakira said of the moments she spent with Nipa in Patuakhali, devastated by the Nov 15 cyclone.

The Colombian singing star is touring Bangladesh as the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) goodwill ambassador.

'It is hard to imagine celebrities being emotional. Let alone global mega pop stars,' the newspaper said on meeting Shakira in her hotel room back in Dhaka, adding that she was 'visibly shaken from her visit to Sidr-hit areas'.

'It is easy to understand why she was chosen as a Unicef goodwill ambassador,' it added.

But Shakira says she also found hope in the children of Bangladesh.

'Amid all this calamity, sadness and grief, I saw kids playing, singing and smiling in this semi-destroyed school. It was like an oasis of relief,' she said.

'I loved hearing the kids say they dream about becoming doctors and nurses. They all had positive dreams. I want to leave Bangladesh knowing some of these kids will be given the opportunity to accomplish their dreams,' she said.

Still coming to terms with what she had seen in the southern part of the country, Shakira said: 'I was devastated to see that entire villages were wiped away. Everything they had was gone...that touched me. The loss of so many human lives...I will never forget the faces of the mothers who lost their children.

'Bangladesh and its people need attention, international attention from governments, NGOs and regular people as well,' she said.

As part of her wider plans, she visited a Unicef project in Rajshahi where 'hard-to-reach-children' spend days in centres away from the streets.

Shakira has been working with children since she was 18 when she built a foundation called Pies Descalzos, meaning bare feet in Spanish.

The seeds of inspiration had been sown a decade earlier at the age of eight when her father had gone bankrupt and her family lost most of what they had.

Her father used to take her to a park in the more run-down part of the town, where she found kids sniffing glue and was shattered by the sight of their hardship.

'From that point I decided I will do something to help them one day,' Shakira said.

'I always felt very committed to review the issues that children face, maybe because I grew up in a country like Colombia where children face the same problems like children in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

'Children are the most vulnerable population in the world and at the same time they are our only hope for a safer world. We are all concerned about a better future and a more secure place for our children, our children's children and for us,' she added.

Asked how she deals with the fact that in a few months she would be singing in a glitzy concert when the children here would still be struggling with their daily lives, she told the newspaper: 'I guess it's using that spotlight that shines on me during that concert and moving it away from me to put on the issues that need that attention. This is what I can do in my own small way.' 

read more ..>>  িনপার গান ੂেন অিভভકত শািকরা

Oh our Artefacts! : Final clearance by Supreme court

The Supreme Court yesterday stayed Thursday's High Court order of status quo and thereby cleared all the way for the government to send the rest of Bangladeshi artefacts to Paris exhibition.

Vacation-chamber Judge M Joynul Abedin, following an application moved by the government, passed the order lifting the legal roadblocks to display of the Bangladeshi archaeological masterpieces at the first major international exhibition at Guimet Museum in the French capital.

The artefacts from five Bangladesh museums were scheduled to be on display at the exhibition under an agreement signed between the French ambassador in Bangladesh and the secretary of the cultural affairs ministry.

Some 188 items were selected from Dhaka National Museum and the museums of Paharpur, Mahasthangarh, Mainamati and Barendra for the show.

Read more : Prothom-alo

Razakar or Martyr? Killer or BeerProtik?

Can you imagine? One of the Greatest Razakar Governor Monayem Khan, who was killed in 1971 is still being addressed as 'Shaheed'?

And the brave freedom fighter who killed Monayem and was awarded `Beer Protik` is running an endangered life by the successors of Monayem Khan?

Read in Details :

সেই মোনায়েম খান এখন 'শহীদ'!

ঢাকায় মোনায়েম খান নিধন অভীযান
কিশোর মুকুতিযোদুধার গভর্ণর বধ

Know about the Razakars

Tech museum Award : Achievement by two IT organization of Bangladesh

Two Bangladeshi organization made us proud again cellbazaar.com and Grameen Shakti

Watch this video interview of Cellbazaar in NTV

View full list of award laureates at The Tech Museum Awards