The New Nation - Internet Edition

Bill Gates of Microsoft retires

Bill Gates

AP

It is almost unthinkable that any one human could pick up where Bill Gates leaves off when he ends his full-time tenure Friday as Microsoft's leader.

But as Gates bones up on epidemiology at his charitable foundation, the software company he built with a mix of visionary manifestos and extreme hands-on management must still wake up Monday to face hard problems even he could not solve. Among them: beating Google Inc. on the Web while fending off its attacks on desktop computing.

When Microsoft Corp. announced in 2006 that Gates planned to go part-time as Board chairman, so he could spend more time on his global health charity, it named two senior executives to guide the company's overall technical direction.

Gates' recent remarks, however, indicate Microsoft is looking to a much larger group of employees for big-picture guidance and long-term planning. But it's not yet clear whether the company can replicate his thinking with more traditional corporate processes - or whether it should even be trying.

From Microsoft's start in 1975, Gates has been the company's genius programmer, its technology guru, its primary decision maker and its ruthless and competitive leader. He would famously disappear into the solitude of a country cabin to digest employee-written papers and ponder the future of the industry, then emerge with manifestos, including the 1995 "Internet Tidal Wave" memo, that could shift the focus of the entire company.

He is credited by analysts and academics for the emergence of software as a moneymaking industry; previously it had been a pastime for hobbyists or a subset of the hardware sector. He is revered by many engineers, despite his propensity to fling expletives at underlings whose ideas he scorned. And he has built Microsoft into a hugely successful monopoly that has only grown stronger despite major losses in antitrust trials in the U.S. and Europe.

At a May gathering of chief executive officers at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters, Gates outlined how he hoped to translate the work once done within the singular confines of his brain into the sort of group projects that could be managed with the company's own collaboration software.

"We've created a thing we called quests, where we divided our types of customers down, and we got the best thinkers on these things, both the very practical people who are with the customers, the engineers who write the code, and the researchers who may be more unbound in terms of their timeframe and imagination, and put them together," Gates said.

The actual substance of the quests - which sound more Knights-of-the-Round-Table than bleeding-edge-technology - is blurry. Microsoft refused to answer questions about the subject or make Gates available for an interview. Even an analyst who was briefed under a nondisclosure agreement walked away confused.

But some details can be gleaned from Gates' comments to the CEOs and offhand references to the quests in other recent speeches. In May, Gates said the company started the quests in the last few years, to help it separate its five or 10-year plans from the regular product development cycle.

Quests are broken into five categories, based on different clumps of customers. A PowerPoint slide accompanying his talk paired each customer group with a jargony description - "Connected, informed & productive," for information workers; "Efficient and in control" for information-technology professionals.

Gates did not give any examples of specific quests, though in 2006 and 2007 speeches he referred to the Tablet PC, an innovation he has championed for a decade but which has failed to catch on in the mainstream, as a quest.

Nasim undergoes brain angiogram

Mohammad Nasim

UNB, Dhaka

Ailing former Awami League minister Mohammad Nasim underwent brain angiogram in the city's Square Hospital yesterday evening.

DIG (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told UNB that Nasim, who is serving a 13-year jail term in a graft case, was taken to Square Hospital from LabAid Specialised Hospital at about 6.45pm and brought back to LabAid an hour later.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nasim was admitted to LabAid after he suffered a brain hemorrhage in Kashimpur Jail.

Nasim was arrested from his Dhanmondi residence by joint forces on February 3.

Bangladeshi mountaineering group reaches Singu Chuli

Dr. Anisuzzman and Dr. Sirajul Islam Choudhury
addressing a press conference at the National Press Club
yesterday on the occasion of climbing of Singu Chuli a
Himalayan peak by a Bangladeshi team. NN photo

Staff Reporter

A mountaineering group recently trekked 21,328-feet height of the Himalayan and reached 'Singu Chuli', its highest peak.

This was disclosed at a press conference organised by Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) at the National Press Club yesterday.

Eminent educationists Dr Anisuzzaman and Dr Sirajul Islam Chowdhury were present as guests of honour at the conference.

Founder of BMTC and traveller of Antarctica and the North Pole Inam Al Haque, team leader of the group Nishat Majumder, five members of the group MA Muhit, Sajal Khaled, Nur Mohammad, Walid Ashraf and Riaz Ahmed were also present at the press conference and described their experiences of the expedition.

Trekkers said climbing up the Singu Chuli was one of the tough trekking in the Himalayan. They left Dhaka for Nepal on May 20 and started their expedition from Pokhara on May 25. They reached the 'Singu Chuli' at 10:45am (local time) on June 4 and hoisted the national flag of Bangladesh.

All members of the mountaineering group earlier took training at different mountaineering institutes in India, they said.

'Eso Bangladesh Gori' Road Show now in Mymensingh

School students accorded a rousing reception to 'Eso
Bangladesh Gori' road show when it reached Muktagacha in
Mymensingh yesterday. Banglar Chokh

BSS, Mymensingh

The road show titled 'Eso Bangladesh Gori' is now in Mymensingh.

The road show was received at 10.25 AM on Friday at Rasulpur, at the entrance of the district in Muktagacha Upazila. Two decorated elephants were also there to welcome the road show.

Agriculture, Food and Disaster Management, Home and Telecommunications Ministries along with Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Parjatan Corporation, and BRTA jointly organised the road show.

At the reception, Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh Md. Shamsul Alam, Police Super Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Muktagacha UNO AKM Tipu Sultan, Mayor of Mymensingh Municipality Advocate Mahmud Al Noor Tareq, Muktagachha Press Club President AZM Imamuddin Mukta, Mymensingh Press Club Secretary Mozammel Haque, senior officials of local administration and elites were present at the reception.

Enthusiastic people stood on both sides of some 22 km road from Rasulpur to Montala in Muktagacha upazila holding banners and placards inscribed with 'Eso Bangladesh Gori'.

BINA Dhan farming can curb Monga in Rangpur

BSS, Rangpur

After attaining huge success in combating Monga through expanded farming of short duration BRRI Dhan-33, experts of Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), have now been cultivating another short-duration variety of paddy BINA Dhan-7 for the same purpose in greater Rangpur.

Invented in 2007 by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) and approved for expanded field level farming by the National Seed Board, RDRS cultivated BINA Dhan-7 after long research works last year with huge success in the area.

Agriculture Coordinator of RDRS MG Neogi told BSS today that the new short duration BINA Dhan-7 could be harvested within only 115 days from the date of transplantation of the seedlings and within 100 days of sowing seeds using dry and wet methods of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR).

During the last Boro season, RDRS produced six tonnes per hectare while cultivating BINA Dhan-7 at its farm in Rangpur and now cultivating the paddy during this T-Aman season using three tonnes of the produced paddy as seeds involving local farmers, he added.

"We have prepared seed beds of BINA Dhan-7 on the land on December 5 last year and transplanted the 29-day old seedlings on January 3 last at our Rangpur farm during the last Boro season and got excellent yield of six tonnes paddy per hectare and the paddy is now being used as seeds," Neogi said.

"Each of the 75-cm high paddy clusters had 24 plants on an average and every plant had 174 pieces of paddy on an average and we are expecting an average yield of five tonnes BINA Dhan-7 during the current T-Aman season," the RDRS expert said.

Colour of BINA Dhan-7 is very attractive, its rice is comparatively bigger in length and fine that makes its market price higher than most of the other variety rice.

Neogi said, during their research on the paddy at field levels last year, it was found that the growing plants of BINA Dhan-7 are more resistant against various diseases like 'Khol Poncha', 'Pata Pora', stem rotting and other diseases.

While visiting RDRS farm here on May 10 last, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Director General of the Seed Wing M Anwar Faruque expressed his satisfaction after observing the BINA Dhan-7 farming and hoped that the variety would soon be popular in the country, Neogi added.

He said that expanded cultivation of short duration BINA Dhan-7 side by side with BRRI Dhan-33 at field levels would definitely usher in a new era for Monga mitigation in near future and its cultivation goes in full swing now this season in greater Rangpur.

"Since the beginning of our research on Monga mitigation through farm activities, we found in 1999 that there is a close relation between harvesting period of Transplanted Aman paddy and the century old seasonal job crisis of the farm labourers, locally known as Monga," RDRS officials said.

The research revealed that the farm-labourers get adequate jobs as per the traditional crop diversification during T-Aman paddy farming process, harvesting of which begins from late November for decades.

As a result, the poorer section of people and farm labourers fall prey to seasonal Monga every year for no work in the fields during the months of September and October when the traditionally planted Aman paddy starts blooming.

After suffering from abject poverty for two months every year, the poor people day-and farm labourers again get jobs when harvesting of the Aman paddy begins from late November to earn their livelihoods again.

Considering these factors, we started working for advancing harvesting period of Aman paddy to September from the traditional period of November to create job opportunities for the farm labourers in earning livelihoods and save them from Monga, Neogi added.

Lawachhara forest fire: Post-survey report next month likely

UNB, Dhaka

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a union of governments and NGOs working on environmental issues, is likely to submit its Lawachhara forest post-survey report to the Ministry of Forrest and Environment next month.

According to so urces, the IUCN conducted the independent survey in the Lawachhara forest following a 3-dimentional (3D) survey by Chevron, a US-based oil company.

The main objective of the IUCN survey was to find out whether the 3D survey, conducted by Chevron from January to the first week of June for hydrocarbon exploration, caused any damage to the national forest. The IUCN worked alongside Chevron to monitor the seismic survey and advised it to maintain environmental guidelines.

IUCN officials said they have conducted their own survey from the second week of June just after conclusion of Chevron's 3D survey. "We're now preparing our report on the basis of the post-survey findings," said a senior IUCN official.

He said it appears that Chevron's seismic survey has not caused any major damage to the flora and fauna of the forest. "Even there is no evidence that any bird or animal has fled the forest being disturbed by the blasts carried out during the seismic survey."

He went on: "Before the seismic survey, there were 15 groups of holoock gibbon in the forest. And we've found an additional group of holoock gibbon after the survey let alone the question of harming the existing ones."

After the seismic survey, some local environmental groups alleged that many birds and animals fled the Lawachhara forest being disturbed by the blasts.

Environmentalist Prof. Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, addressing a function organised by local NGO SHED, said the Lawachhara forest is a home to many rare species, including Ulluk (Holoock Gibbon). "Unfortunately, foreigners are now destroying our forests, which will be disastrous for the country's environment," he said.

He urged the caretaker government for taking immediate steps to save the Lawachhara forest in Habiganj from the "destructive" activities of the US-based oil company.

The function was addressed, among others, by Prof. Sakhawat Ali Khan, Prof. Anu Mohammad and Dr Noazesh Ahmed and Dwijen Sarma.

"When environmentalists at home and abroad have issued statements against Chevron's activities, the Petrobangla chairman supports the seismic survey," said Prof Anu Mohammad.

According to the Khasia tribal community, the Lawachhara forest is popular globally, as it is a home to 167 species of plant, large number of species of animal and bird.

Chevron has dismissed all the allegations claiming that it conducted the survey in full compliance with the government guidelines.

"We're happy as we have been able to successfully complete the seismic work in an environmentally sensitive area such as the Lawachhara forest, which is a diverse hub of flora and fauna," Chevron Bangladesh chief Steve Wilson told UNB.

"I'm proud that we've successfully carried out our work without leaving a lasting imprint on the environment while simultaneously maintaining Chevron's excellent safety record," he added.

He said, "Several concerns were raised with regards to the potential impact of the seismic activities on the forest. We've always welcomed constructive feedbacks and viewpoints from all stakeholders and made a concerted effort to effectively address the issues that were voiced."

Petrobangla Chairman Jalal Ahmed said the concerns of the environmentalists are baseless as all the steps were taken to minimise the possible damages.

"We're not ruling out any possibility of damage, but if there was any that's definitely very insignificant as all precautionary measures were taken."

He offered Petrobangla's all-out support if any government agency or NGO wants to conduct any survey to identify damages in the forest.

8 injured in fuel station firing

Staff Reporter

Eight people, including two women, were injured as a petrol pump owner yesterday opened fire at them in the city's Jatrabari kitchen market area.

Witnesses said Mozammel Haque, the owner of High-tech Engineering petrol pump, used a shotgun to spray bullets after he was allegedly attacked.

They said the melee began after one Nuru Haji alongwith a group of people allegedly vandalized the fuel station and attacked Mozammel at about 7:30am because of a dispute over the pump's land.

At one stage of the chaos Mozammel took his shotgun and fired at the alleged attackers to save his property and himself, they said.

Critically injured Alal, 35, Arif Hossain Majumder, 45, Selim Khan, 55, and Rup Banu, 40, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while Nur Banu, 35, Azhar, 32, Alamgir, 50, and Ali Hossain, 26, received first aid.

Police said there was a longstanding dispute between Nuru Haji and Mozammel over the ownership of the land.

A team of RAB-10 immediately rushed to the scene and arrested Mozammel, his associate Tutul. The team also seized the shotgun and its ammunition.

Meanwhile, police arrested five alleged attackers Rana, Akhter, Alamgir, Banu and Nur Banu.

Two separate cases were filed with Jatrabari Police Station.

Low over Bay may intensify

BSS, Dhaka

The met office on Friday asked the three seaports to keep hoist the local cautionary signal number 3 saying depression in the northwest Bay of Bengal was likely to intensify further to cause storms in Bangladesh coastlines.

"The maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla have been asked to keep hoist the local cautionary signal number 3 (repeat) 3," a met office bulletin issued this evening said.

It also reiterated an earlier warning asking all fishing boats and trawlers remain close to the coastlines and move cautiously until further directives were issued.

Release of Khaleda demanded

Staff Reporter

Former leaders of different student's organisations at a statement yesterday demanded the unconditional release of former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

Expressing deep concern over physical torture on BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko under the government custody, the leaders demanded their unconditional release and better medical treatment abroad.

They also demanded immediate withdrawal of emergency rules and election schedules for the local government with a view to holding the national election first.

According to the statement signed by former general secretary of Dhaka University Central Student Union (DUCSU) Khairul Kabir Khokan, the signatories were former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Convener Kazi Asaduzzaman, former JCD presidents Enamul Karim Shahid, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Shahidul Islam Anee, Habibun Nabi Shohel and Shahabuddin Laltu, former president of Bangladesh Chhatra League Habibur Rahman Habib, former JCD general secretaries Dr AKM Golam Hossain, Elias Ali and Nazimuddin Alam, former president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union Mostafizur Rahman Babul and former JCD Joint Convener ABM Mosarraf Hossain.

Energy security: Call to reduce dependence on multinationals

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a dialogue yesterday called upon the government to strengthen state run organisations for reduction of dependence on multinational oil companies for ensuring energy security in the country.

"We cannot ensure energy security in the country if we depend on foreign companies for extraction of our mineral and marine resources in long term. It should need to reduce dependency on multinational companies as well as building capacities of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (BAPEX) and Petrobangla by providing strong financial support for ensuring energy security," they said at a dialogue on "Mineral and Marine Resources of Bangladesh and its Management" at Jatiya Press Club.

The Coalition of Local NGO's, Bangladesh (LANB) organised the dialogue. Prof Dr Md Hossain Mansur of Geography Department of Dhaka University presented the keynote paper while Harunur Rashid, Chairman of LANB presided over the dialogue.

Eng Sheikh Md Shahidullah, Convenor of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources and Power Port Protection National Committee demanded the resignation of the Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Prof M Tamim for protecting interest of multinational companies rather than Bangladesh's right.

He alleged that the multinational companies have captured mineral and marine resources by spreading propaganda of country's resources.

"We have to ensure right on mineral and marine resources of people by building capacity of state run organisations," Eng Shahidullah said.

The Government should strengthen the national organisations like BAPEX, Petrobangla in this regard, he said.

Prof Badrul Imam of Department of Geography of Dhaka University said we couldn't ensure our energy security before strengthening our own organisations.

He called upon the government to take initiative for reduction mismanagement in this sector.

Maj Gen (Retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury, Birbikram said that the Government has not yet taken any step for manpower development in this sector.

He called upon the Government to solve the marine and land territory dispute with the neighbouring India and Myanmar. "We will protect our mineral and marine resources if the Government could solve dispute on marine and land boundary," he observed.

Md Hossain Mansur at his keynote paper said that we have leased the five gas blocks to multinational companies without assessing the countrys' interest. Due to the reason we have bought our own gas at high cost of Tk 210 per thousand cubic feet from multinational companies. It is at Tk 7 only from state run companies.

"The multinational companies have supplied 51 per cent gas of the demand. It was 24 per cent in 2004," he added. Our reserved 12 to 15 TCF gas is likely to run out in 2020, he informed.

Prof Mansur recommended to cancel agreement with Asia Energy and Noko and provided the fund for state run organisations.

Eng Enamul Hoque, Executive Chairman of CLNB Sayed Saidur Rahman Sayed, Nurul Hoq Mehadi, Bangladesh Alliance of Labour Federation General Secretary Mokaddem Hossain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Landless Association Subal Sarker, Labour leaders Harun-Ur-Rasid Bhuyan and Rafiqul Islam addressed on the dialogue.

Kitchen market review: Prices of coarse rice, other varieties remain high

Staff Reporter

The prices of 'coarse' and other varieties of rice remained high in the city's kitchen markets.

Prices of soybean and lentil (masur) have abruptly increased further to Tk 2 to Tk 5 and Tk 8 to Tk 10 per kg respectively yesterday causing another matter of concern for the city dwellers on maintaining their monthly expenditure budget.

Customers in the city markets said that they were almost exhausted by the high prices of rice and other essential items.

They said further increase of lentils and soybean prices would definitely create another trouble in maintaining their monthly family budget, as they are already purchasing rice at high prices.

It became a regular 'phenomenon' in the city markets that if the prices of any essential item decreased in one week than prices of another items would be increased in the next week, they resented.

They demanded of the Government to monitor the volatile market situation so none of the businessmen could intentionally increase the prices of essential items.

Retailers in the city markets said they are bound to sell it with high rate since they had purchased those with high prices from the wholesalers.

However, the prices of most vegetable items were selling within the purchasing power of the common people.

In the retail markets per kg of local variety of lentil (masur) was selling from Tk 108 to Tk 110 which yesterday was between Tk 98 and Tk 102 per kg in the last week. Imported lentil was sold at Tk 105 per kg that was Tk 96 per kg in the last week.

In the retail markets, per kg of potato was sold at Tk 16 to Tk 17 and at the wholesale markets it was between Tk 14 and Tk 15 yesterday.

Traders said proper supply of potato from the farmers and cold storages would help reduce the prices of potato further in the markets.

The coarse variety of rice 'lata' was sold at Tk 32 to Tk 33, 'minicate' between Tk 38 and Tk 42, 'nazirshail' (depending on variety) from Tk 40 to Tk 44, BR-28 at Tk 35 to Tk 36 and BR-29 at Tk 35 to Tk 36 and 'sarna' Tk 34 and Tk 35 per kg yesterday in the retail markets.

Per kg of soyabean oil was sold at Tk 114 to Tk 115 yesterday, which was at Tk 110 to Tk 112 per kg in the last week, and palm oil was sold from 106 to Tk 108 yesterday. Different brands of five litre-canned soyabean oil were selling between Tk 564 and Tk 565.

Per packet of 2 kg ata was sold at Tk 75 yesterday, which was Tk 8o and Tk 82 in the last week. Sugar was at Tk 35 and Tk 36 per kg. Per hali (4-pieces) of eggs was between Tk 22 and Tk 24.

The price of chicken was Tk 120 to Tk 125 per kg. Green chilli from Tk 10 to Tk 15 per kg, cucumber Tk 14 to Tk 16 , korola at Tk 16 to Tk 20, tomato at Tk 30 to Tk 32 and barbati Tk 16 to Tk 18.

The price of different types of fish still remain high as Ruhi was selling from Tk 150 to Tk 180, medium size Hilsha from Tk 280 to Tk 350. Prices of beef was at Tk 190 to Tk 200, while mutton from Tk 260 to Tk 280 per kg.