The New Nation - Internet Edition

Farizaa Sabreen

So, you think you have the situation under control with your youngster at home. Like every other parent, you've probably made sure your child has taken enough classes in school, college or varsity, loaded your teen with music or dance lessons that will look good on college resumes, and spent all your spare time driving them back and forth from games, debates and art competitions. No doubt, it's sheer philanthropy on your part that you want your child to do extremely well in life. Drugs and pre-marital sex are taboo.

Welcome to your youngsters world of lies, deception and brace yourselves - high school drugs and sex.

Over the months, numerous reports have been released chronicling the drug addiction of Bangladeshi youngsters. Yaba and ice are new drugs in Bangladesh and these are popular amongst Bangladeshi young generation. These drugs are a threat to the health, morality and vitality of youth. Police have recently arrested many men with Yaba tablets. According to the police source, "Most of the users are students of private universities, colleges and A- and O-level students."

Sadia (the names of persons have been changed upon request) is a senior at one of the best high schools in Gulshan. "My parents would be disgusted if they knew what actually happens at my school. I've attended a few parties and you will find a lot of girls getting drunk and many doing a 'freak dance'. This is a sexually provocative kind of dance," she explains.

Sadia says that like many other students, she too has perfected the art of "role play": "At home I'm the perfect daughter. I maintain my grades. Do all the chores I'm supposed to at home. I'm a good painter. Pray and do all my religious duties at the appropriate time. But outside home, I'm a totally different person," she reveals casually.

Though Sadia would not disclose if she were drug addicted or sexually active herself, she is willing to comment that her close friends at school are.

Sumit is a self-acclaimed drug addicted and he is studying at one of the highly rated private varsity in Banani. "In universities, most of the students have cell phones and they can call each other all the time. On a Thursday night, they might tell their parents that they want to study with other students, and these group study sessions can turn drug taking and sexual," he points out. Drug use and sexuality are most likely to occur on guest house or an 'open house'," which, he explains, is when a set of parents is out of town and the students, especially female students have the house to themselves.

Sumit also points out that many of his friends indulge in some form of sexual activity and drug while sitting in the car.

The root cause for the continuing deception on the part of these young lies in the conflict of values between them and their parents. Most parents believe in passing on long-held religious as well as Bangladeshi societal values to their children.

Sazzad Mostaq, a modern parent says he tries to have an open and friendly relationship with his children so they can come to him any time. "But I have made it clear to them that I don't approve of drug and pre-marital sex. Because these can ruin one's life," he says.

From music videos to even supposedly family and comedy shows, young people are portrayed on television these days as having relationships outside marriage and young generation are influenced by television shows.

Dr. Ramiz Mia points out that parents believe that, culturally, Bangladesh is still stuck in the '60s and '70s and expect the same thing from their children. What they don't understand is Bangladeshi culture has changed quite a bit, and at least in urban societies, it is a very modern culture - sometimes similar to the west. And parents need to adjust their expectations. Some parents acknowledge that they should get off their moral high horse "because it is not the end of the world anyway.

WP Reporter

Nokia had announced its plans to offer Internet services for Bangladeshis through Ovi, the company's new Internet services brand name on 14th November at RAOWA Club. Ovi, meaning 'door' in Finnish, was launched on 29th, August at the Go Play event in Singapore. Nokia's new internet service enables consumers to easily access their existing social network, communities and content, as well as acting as a gateway to Nokia services. Nokia in Bangladesh is expanding from its focus on mobile devices to offering a range of Internet services through Ovi, which will become a significant part of its business strategy and infrastructure.

As part of Ovi, Nokia announced the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage, two services that make it easy for people to discover, try and buy music and games from a blockbuster range of artists and publishers, including exclusive content only available through Nokia. Also under the Ovi umbrella is Nokia Maps, a navigation service that offers maps, city guides and more directly to compatible mobile devices. Nokia aims to bring more Internet based services to Ovi in the coming months.

Speaking at The Playground event in Dhaka, Prem Chand, General Manager, Nokia Emerging Asia presented the company's future plans as an Internet company: "The industry is converging towards Internet driven experiences and Ovi represents Nokia's vision in combining the Internet and mobility. Nokia is the number one mobile device company in the world. Looking into the future, we will deliver great devices, combined with compelling experiences and services, to make it easy for people to unlock the potential of the Internet. We believe that access to Mobile Internet and providing d.evices and experiences that are easy to use will be of tremendous benefits to Bangladesh as the fixed internet is out of reach of most Bangladeshis. We will also offer local music content through the Nokia Music Store. Ovi will be one place to connect, manage, and share your mobile and online activities - the door to your internet services"

"We know that people want integrated access to great content without the constraints of having to sit behind a computer or in front of a 1V. You can now access the best in music and games directly from your Nokia Nseries multimedia computer," said Prem, speaking to the media who attended the event. "We expect the mobile device to become the most popular platform - the 'fourth screen' - for enjoying your digital content. Ovi brings our Internet services vision to life, where people can create, share and consume facts, feelings and emotions wherever and whenever."

"We have launched N81, N95 8GB two new multimedia devices which will enable consumers to gain the ultimate gaming, imagirlg and navigation experience. The Nokia 5610 and 5310 are for music lovers and we believe these phone~ will take their music experience to the next level." Pointed out Prem at the event.

Nowfel Anower, Marketing Manager, Iftekhar Matin, Product Marketing Manager also spoke at the event.

Ovi - one key opens every door.

Ovi (htto:/Iwww.ovi.com) is the gateway to Nokia's Internet services, including the Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and N-Gage games. It will also be an open door to web communities, enabling people to access their content, communities and contacts from a single place, either directly from a compatible Nokia device or from a Pc. The first version of Ovi.com is scheduled to go live in. English during the fourth quarter of 2007 and additional features and languages expected to go live during the first half of 2008.

WP Reporter

As the monsoon season ends and winter begins to set in, the colors in every wardrobe change from bold to mellow colors, and from bright to pastel colors. You can use winter beauty and fashion tips for dressing up and looking good during winter season. It is celebration time. As the dry northerly winds brings in bad things for your skin, you must get ready with your army of moisturizers, cold creams and cleansing milk. For these can help you to fight away the elements that can make your glowing skin into a dry and parched piece of dirt.

A youthful and healthy skin enhances beauty. It also makes your personality very attractive. Who would not like to be called as star of the evening! With winter beauty and fashion tips, you can get an attractive look for yourself.

Winter Lip Care

Be sure to keep them covered with a good lip balm applied several times during the day. Warm sesame oil will also soothe your lips.

Avoid licking your lips and don't bite the skin on the surface of your lips. The skin will never have a chance to heal if you chew on it. This is a hard habit to break but well worth the effort. Lip balms are nowadays commonly available and some with a SPF factor as well to protect them from the harmful rays.

Exfoliating Your Lips Easily

If your lips are dried out and flaking, try rubbing a little petroleum jelly into your lips and then rubbing gently with a wet face cloth to remove the dead skin cells. You won't want them to dry out any further, so be sure to cover them with a lip balm to hold the moisture in.

You can also exfoliate your lips with just toothbrush and a little Vaseline. Brush the lips gently and be sure that you don't ingest any of the Vaseline. Rubbing lemon juice will also exfoliate the dead skin cells from smoking, cold weather or whatever has robbed your skin of smoothness and color.

Get rid of those dry patches by rubbing the lips with an anti-wrinkle cream. If you are in a habit of licking your lips, this will break the habit. The cream won't taste like a flavored lip balm.

During the winter, you might be tempted to apply a layer of lip balm followed by a layer of lipstick. Lastly during the winter months, it would be wise to stay away from the lipsticks that claim that they are long lasting. Often they can dry your lips out and cold weather will do that fast enough. Instead look for creamy formulations.

Oil Those Nails

Nails take quite a beating all winter long so here is a little tip for keeping them at their best. Every few days, brush them with cuticle/ nail oil and if you can't seem to find any then petroleum jelly will do just fine. And if you really want to care for those cuticles. Then make it your nightly routine to massage petroleum jelly into them to soften them up. If you don't have petroleum jelly, cocoa butter or a vitamin E capsule was also suggested. Petroleum jelly seems to be a product that we should stock up on.

If your nails are weak, splitting, fragile etc, the problem could be traced back to an inadequate water intake. Most people don't drink nearly enough.

No Red Noses

If your latest cold has done a number on your nose, get out that tube of concealed and apply a little to the tip of your finger. Dot it carefully until the glow has lessened and then set it with a bit of translucent powder. No one will ever know.

Satiny Smooth Winter Skin

If you are hoping to keep your skin satiny smooth this winter, here is a recipe that should help. All it involves is mixing equal parts of olive; mustard oil and sesame oil and then massage it all over the body.

Take an hour or so for yourselft perhaps this is the perfect time to pick up that novel and then jump into the bath. This oil is very good for the skin and leaves it smooth and free from blemishes.

Winter Foot Lotions

The summer foot lotions often contain menthol to cool the feet but at the same time, these lotions can be drying. So, to keep feet soft in the winter, look for a lotion that contains petroleum or glycerin to soften the feet.

Dry Legs

In order to avoid those dry, dry legs during winter. Just remember, after each shower be sure to leave your legs just a little damp and slather on the moisturizer. Your legs will thank you!

Are Bath's A Good Thing?

As much as we love it, taking a hot bath during the winter is not a good habit to get into especially if they are long in duration. As they rob your skin of natural oils so try to limit the time spent in the bath and don't use hot water.

Lower the temperature to something just nice and comfortable. Water that is too hot isn't good for you anyway. Switch to a shower, that is even better. And don't forget a good body lotion and slather it on.

Here's an excellent recipe for a Blissful Winter Bath

Step Onet

To make the mixture, mix equal amounts of oatmeal and dry milk powder and then display in a nice glass jar that can displayed right in your bathroom. For each bath, add 1/2 cup of oatmeal/ dry milk powder to your bath. The starch in the oatmeal is a super skin softener and the milk contains lactic acid, which smoothes away dull skin.

Baby Your Hands This Winter

This winter give your hands a much needed break. Stop using harsh soaps on them, as they strip the moisture from your hands and since the hands have very few oil glands. They can easily develop cracks. Try creamy bath gels as an alternative.

Chapped Hands

One of the most obvious reasons for chapped hands is over exposure to cold weather. The first step is to apply moisturizer and lots of it to those reddened hands.

It should also pointed out that it is not a good idea to go outside during the winter with damp hands as this would further aggravate the condition, be sure to dry them thoroughly.

Earring and Cold Weather

If you are going to be spending a few hours outside this winter, take out your pierced earrings and leave them inside. The cold is attracted to the metal posts and you feel colder than is necessary. Leave the earrings inside.

Summer Foundation vs. Winter Foundation

Something interesting to keep in mind is you will no doubt find that the shade of foundation that matches your skin color will change with the seasons.

You might want to invest in a Bronzing Liquid that you can mix into your "winter foundation" so that it will match your tan. And don't mix it in the bottle. Pour a little into your hand and mix it there.

Sunscreen and Winter Use

It is just as important to wear a sunscreen during the winter as it is in the summer. The temperature has nothing to do with it other than how often to reapply.

Heat causes you to sweat, which means that the sunscreen needs to be applied more often. In winter, it is still important to use the sunscreen and don't forget your ears.

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Laser Vision, a VCD, DVD and CD production house, recently released three VCDs. These are -

1)AHA!

Genre: Bangladeshi movie

Duration: 128 minutes

Length: 35 mm, colour

Story, screenplay, lyric and direction: Enamul Karim Nirjhar

Music: Debajyoti Mishra

Editing: Arghakamal Mitra

Camera: Saiful Islam Badol

Art: Kazi Rakib and Masuda Kazi

Costume: Emdad Haque

Starring: Tariq Anam Khan, Humayun Faridi, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Sathi Yasmin, Ferdous, Progya Laboni, Khaled Khan, Shahidul Alam Sachchu, Gazi Rakayet and others.

Story: Mallik, a total introvert, lives alone in the derelict of a mansion that his ancestors built in Dhaka. Multi-storeyed apartment buildings surround his ancestral home, and real estate developer Rafiqul is persistently persuading him to demolish the property to build one there, too. He offers him 10 flats out of the 35 he plans to make, apart from the cash. It's lucrative deal for the lonely owner of a run-down property he can't maintain anymore. Things take a sudden twist when Ruba, his only child, returns from the USA to live with her father. At the very same time, Soleman, a repentant, murderer serving Mallik, gets into trouble with the local toughs while defending his master's property. Ruba finds a suitor in her Australian born cousin Asif and a friend in Kislu, a middle-aged neighbour who wears seven differently coloured briefs around the week. The local toughs find an easy prey in Rafique and an advisory in Rafique's ally Kanchan, the local gang lord. The story progress through a complex array of people and their intentions, where Ruba seeks a man who doesn't play a man, Kislu walks in the clouds of love for the Ruba and the city, and Rafique tries to keep a balance between the toughs and his profits. It takes more sudden turns with stunning revelations about Ruba Soleman, and Asif. The biggest twist comes with the final torment of Mallik and Soleman, two persons faced with their greatest fears. And the film ends with the equation of sins and redemption revealed through the relation between people and architecture presented in a whole new perspective.

2)BOD NOSIB

Genre: Bangladeshi movie

Duration: 139 minutes

Story, screenplay and dialogue: Abdus Sattar

Direction: Sheikh Alauddin

Music: Abdus Sattar and Baburaj

Artistes (vocal): Rathindranath Roy, Abida Sultana, Shakila Zafar, Shamima Yasmin Diba, Rafiqul Alam and MA Khaleque.

Dance direction: S Alam, MR Chan and Rangeela.

Starring: Farook, Rani, Aruna Biswas, Prabir Mitra, Abdus Sattar, Rajib,

Tele Samad, Zamboo, Danesh, Shishir Roy and others.

3) SWAPNER BILAT - LONDON - MY DREAM

Genre: Bangladeshi drama

Production: Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) with the support of British High Commission.

Story and direction: Gias Uddin Selim

Starring: Chancal Chowdhury, Tarin, Monir Khan Shimul, Anushah, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Mostafa Kamal, Arindam Dutta, Rawshan Ara Runa, Ziaur Rahman, Runa Khan and others.

Story: When any mother could get a bridegroom who is living in the UK, she always wants to oragnise marriage for her daughter. She could not though what will be that person for her daughter. But Hurre Zannat, living in Sylhet, could not lose in this traditional value. Huree Zannat along with her boyfriend Abul Hossain reached their dream destination UK after various climaxes while convincing her cousin Akbar.

Hellen Nduta

Nairobi, Nov 14 (NewsNetwork/WFS) - In Kenya, children born out of wedlock may never get to know their fathers, courtesy a section of the country's Children's Act. In such cases, the Act absolves fathers of all parental responsibilities. Recently, a six-year-old girl in Nairobi appealed for a review of the law, stating that the Act placed her and other children like her in a disadvantaged position compared to other children whose parents were married or whose fathers had subsequently married their mothers.

But an all-male bench of the Constitutional Court struck down the appeal, saying there was not enough valid reason to rewrite the contentious clause. "We find and hold that Section 23(4) and by extension Section 25 of the Act do not offend the principle of equalityt We further hold that the principle of equality and non-discrimination does not mean that all distinctions between people are illegal," ruled justices Joseph Nyamu and Mohammed Ibrahim.

In an unprecedented 76-page ruling, the two judges said that the Act was 'morally acceptable'. "The Act, including the challenged sections, captures the issues of parental responsibility in a manner never done before in the history of the rights of the child in this country. It would be a great tragedy for the court to accept the invitation to strike them out or hold that the subsection is unconstitutional," they said.

The Children's Act came into being in 2002. The controversial Section 24 (3) states in part that, "Where a child's father and mother were not married to each other at the time of the child's birth and have not subsequently married each other: a) The mother can have parental responsibility of the child at the first instance; b) The father can subsequently acquire the parental responsibility of the child in accordance with provisions of Section 25."

But, strangely, Section 25 insists on a single mother meeting a certain criteria for the father of the child - born out of marriage - to assume and discharge parental responsibility. This criterion is that the mother and father have to live under the same roof for a minimum period of six months in order for the father to assume and discharge parental responsibility of a child.

Supported by the Federation of Kenyan Women Lawyers (FIDA) and Kenya Human Rights Organisation, the child had sought to strike down these sections, so that fathers no longer had the option of deciding whether or not they wanted to support such children. Says the child's lawyer Judy Thogori, "Not only does the current law not conform with the international charters and conventions that generally protect all children, but it is also discriminatory to unmarried women."

The ruling has not gone down well with women's rights advocates and civil rights activists and has triggered a widespread debate on the issue. Says UNICEF country office spokesperson Elizabeth Hemeinton, "Today, the laws of modern states take cognisance of the fact that parents, irrespective of the marital status, have a shared responsibility of caring for a child that they have had a hand in siring. Instead, the Children's Act in Kenya emboldens men to act irresponsibly in matters of sex because they know they cannot be prosecuted for not taking care of their children so long as they are not legally married."

According to Irene Muriithi, Executive Director, Child Welfare Society of Kenya, the Act fails to insulate children born outside the country's five forms of legally recognisable forms of marriage - Civil, Christian, Traditional, Islamic and Hindu - should a father opt not to take the responsibility of bringing up the child. "In its current form, the Children's Act places the onus exclusively on a mother should a child be sired in a union that is not recognised by law. The Act perpetrates a form of sexism because in such cases, the mother is solely responsible for bringing up the child," she says.

Kilifi, a coastal town in Kenya, is infamous for having a large number of young single mothers. "This phenomenon of single mothers is borne out of economic needs. In the past, when the phenomenon of extended families was prevalent in Africa, instances of women bearing children out of wedlock were rare as the cultural mores and ethics at that time did not allow casual sex. But that has changed now. Today, sex has become commodified and glamorised," opines Dr Wanjohi Kibakuri, a sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

Jane Kiano of Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization, Kenya's umbrella representative of women's interests, feels that unless women seek elective positions in public office, particularly the parliament, it's unlikely that the law will change soon. "All over the world, women are being empowered by affirmative action legislative. But if the Children's Act is anything to go by, then it means that Kenyan women are still living under a legal regime that spites them." In the 222-seat Kenyan parliament, currently, there are only 14 women legislators.

Talking about the moral aspect, Koigiwa Wamwere, Deputy Minister for Communications and Telecommunications, argued that the court ruling should not be seen from a gender angle but rather from a general societal point of view. "A lot of nay-sayers, particularly women's activists, will not fail to see a male prejudice in the ruling bearing in mind that the two judges were male. But the truth of the matter is that the case should spur the country to reflect on what has gone wrong with its morals that a child should become collateral damage when two grown-ups are fighting over what should be a straightforward issue; which is that both parents are duly responsible for any and all children that they sire."

What are the options for such children? In some cases, the extended family takes care of the child or chip in to bring up the child. There have also been instances - but rare - of fathers volunteering to take care of children but that never surfaces in the public domain because normally it's a private agreement between the mother and the father. However, there are no welfare schemes for children born outside wedlock. Even chances of adoption are dim, as it is not a common practice in Kenya.

So, will there be an appeal against the ruling? There have been talks of appealing in the public courts, but till that happens, in the words of Haruon Ndubi, an advocate, "Women are seriously disadvantagedt Their male counterparts can and will continue siring children without the worry of taking care of a child."

NewsNetwork/WFS

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Located along the road towards Dinajpur in the Sibgonj thana of Bogra district, the village of Mahasthan entrenches the remains of one of the oldest city of Bangladesh, known in the pre-Muslim period as Pundranagara (= "the city of the Pundra", a tribe mentioned in the Veda). In the modern period (ca. XIIIth-XVth cent.), the name changed to Mahasthan (= "the great/ or sacred place").

The site, partly hidden under thick jungle, was discovered in 1879 by Sir Alexander Cunningham. Occasional explorations took place during the late XIXth-early XXth cent. (especially at the site called Khodar Patar), and regular excavations were undertaken in 1929 by the Archaeological Survey of India (clearing out of several portions of the city wall, of two Hindu temples of the Pala period/9-11th cent at Bairagir Bhita site). At the same time, the historical framework of the city was clarified by a renown scholar from Rajshahi, P.C. Sen.

New excavations were carried out on the site from 1961 to 1968, under the direction of the Bangladeshi archaeologist Nazimuddin Ahmed: the results were summed up in a booklet published in Dhaka in 1975 and still available in town. The Directorate of Archaeology of Bangladesh undertook also several excavations (Northern and Eastern rampart, Mazar area) and conservation operations (Eastern Gate, Northern Gate). Some other sites were also excavated in the vicinity of Mahasthan.

Since 1993, a Bangladesh-France joint venture is carrying out annual excavations on the site. A first programme (1993-1999) was intended to discover the chronology of an area close to the Eastern rampart: a First Interim Report on the scientific results was published in Dhaka in 2001, providing a detailed stratigraphy from the late IVth cent. B.C. to the XIIIth cent. A.D. and preliminary studies on different artefacts (pottery, coins, beads, etc.). Since 2001, new excavations are being carried out in the Mazar area, near the South-Eastern corner of the ancient city : new buildings have been brought to light, especially a large pillared room the function of which remains unknown, and beautiful defensive devices: two rampart-walls, a city gate with bastions, a paved access road, a protruding fortified bastion, etc. The latest discoveries provide evidence of a siege of the city, with sapping trenches by the attackers, probably at the end of the Pala-Sena period. For protection reasons, the ruins cleared out during each annual campaign are covered anew with earth at the end of each season.

The most visible aspect of the ancient city is its rampart-wall, more than 1,5 km long the North-South axis and 1,3 km on the West-East axis ; it raises up to 15 m in places, and several well-built gates can be seen along its course. Made exclusively of baked bricks, the rampart was re-built several times throughout the long history of the city; in its earlier phase, it was most probably built as a protection against floods.

Inside the city-wall, several buildings have been discovered by the archaeologists, although most of them have now disappeared under vegetation and silt. From South to North, one should mention: well preserved public buildings and temples in the Mazar area, from the 14/15th century to earlier periods, as shown by the current Bangladesh-France excavation; the massive basalt threshold of a Hindu temple at Khodar Patar ; a mosque (14th cent. ?) at Mankalir Dhap; the Jiyat Kunda well, supposed to give new strength to men; the "Parasuram" buiding, which likely is thought to be a Mughul residence (XVIth cent.); the Hindu temples at Bairagir Bhita, the domestic area near the Eastern rampart recent excavation; the Munir Ghon bastion on the East side of the city-wall; the protruding buttress on the North-Eastern rampart; and lastly, the restored Govinda Bhita temple outside the rampart to the North.

All these remains belong to various phases of the history of the city. It was founded around the end of the IVth cent. B.C. (radiocarbon dating), and a Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script on a small stone slab informs us that it was part of the Mauryan empire in the IIIrd/2nd cent. B.C. Close relations with the Ganges Valley are attested by a typical pottery called Northern Black Polished Ware, by terracotta figurines and punch-marked coins. A bronze mirror and other objects provide evidence of contacts with North-Western India.

The city flourished from the IInd cent. B.C. to the IInd cent. A.D., but without any historical reference for the so-called Shunga-Kushan period : large houses with tile-roofing were uncovered in the Eastern rampart area, together with a large number of finely decorated terracotta figurines (yakshi-yaksha, with exuberant decoration).

Although attested by a couple inscriptions, by historical sources and by the some stone sculptures, the Gupta period (IV-VIth cent. A.D.) is poorly represented in the archaeology of the site. The city flourished again in the Pala and Sena period (VIII-XIIth cent.), when texts mentioned Pundranagara as the capital of the Pundravardhana (Varendra) province. It was also an important stop on trade routes leading to the East (Assam, Burma, Chinese Yunan) and to the Bay of Bengal to the South.

After the Muslim conquest of Bengal in the early XIIIth cent., the city lost its role of capital: it was nevertheless occasionally occupied through the centuries, as attested by the mosque and the tomb of Shah Sultan Mahisawar (XVIIth cent.).

Several major ancient sites are dispersed in the vicinity of old Pundranagara, such as the Buddhist monastery and temples at Vashu Vihara, the temple at Gokul Medh, the sanctuary at Mangalkot, the temple at Godaibari Dhap, etc. These sites need to be preserved and consolidated.

A small museum at Mahasthan exhibits some important archaeological objects from the Mahasthan excavations and from chance finding in the area.

-Shakhawat Hossain, Attaché de Presse, Embassy of France