Connected to technology and/or are under surveillance

 I believe I am under watch 24 hours a day because I use a smartphone, and it seems it is listening and watching me all the time. When I talk about something or even watch anything, it comes to my search engine or ad. They know what I am looking for, even though I didn’t use the term on the phone for search or anything else.

We have street cameras on the roads, so my movement is recorded.

I use a Presto Card on the bus, streetcar, and subway. If I check my Presto card status on the website, I can see that it records where I have punched, at what time, how much money I have expended, and how much money is left on my card. So, Presto can also detect my location and time.

They have CCTV cameras inside the bus/streetcar/subway, so my movement is always recorded.

At home, I have a smart TV. I noticed that sometimes, my TV sends info to my cell phone, and then the phone automatically starts showing the AD that was just shown on the TV. And I was holding my phone.

I didn’t like the way two machines were talking behind me and working on me without my consent. To stop this, I turned off one program on my phone, which generally keeps turning on when someone buys a phone or upgrades the system.

The smart TV has a computer with a camera inside it. It may be watching me and sending signals even when the TV is turned off.

Information about movement or activities in public places can be used for security reasons. But I believe all information, even personal information, is being taken and used for commercial purposes. They do not have any consent, and even if they have (sometimes people say I agree to the terms and conditions), they are not sharing their profit with us. This information is used to make money by using the general public without payment. Moreover, in some places, it may be used by the government to demolish someone illegally (against the opposite party, racism, etc.). All of this should be stopped. 

Biography 282: A technique to start a fire in a burner.

 When we lived in Saudi Arabia, my parents visited Bangladesh every Eid to spend time with their relatives.

On that day, we were staying at Faridpur in our grandparents' house (maternal). My cousin wanted to fire the burner (made of mud) inside a room. They used firewood, dry leaves, cow dung, etc., to create a fire to cook. My cousin Asha Apa saw inside the burner that the previous firewood had become coal. I saw it coloured red, which means very hot and still burning. Asha Apa added some new firewood and tried to make a good fire, but failed. Then she brought a matchbox. In the meantime, my grandmother came. She stopped Asha Apa and put the matchbox away. Then with a woodstick, she did something inside the burner, and it created a good fire. I saw the new firewood start burning from the coal. I understood, it's a very good technique. Though I never tried.

Why am I writing this? Just to keep a memory posted here.

When a woman sits beside a man.

 I can not walk very controlled, so I won't touch anyone. I know most people do like that. It should be. But I have a big body, and sometimes, I can't measure how much space my body will take. Or when I move, I can't measure if there is anyone around who might get touched.

Because of this problem, sometimes men get the wrong signals. They might think I am giving them a sign that I am interested in them.

Another thing I have noticed is that when I am with women around me, this doesn't happen. I sit in a bus, train, or streetcar with women without any fear of getting touched, but I don't touch them. But when I sit beside a male, I don't know why, no matter how hard I try to squeeze myself in a corner, we get touched, in most cases.

What's happening here?

Impacts on Democracy

 Pros:

At the beginning of the Internet, we felt it was a Democracy of information; people had access to enormous amounts of information worldwide. Which affects information democracy. People don’t have to wait for the newspapers or news on television; they get the news immediately, and everybody has access to it simultaneously. People can talk with each other worldwide; this is also a democracy. It allows like-minded people to come together and talk about their rights. Which may later create a massive protest.  For example, the Egyptian revolution around Tahrir Square was boosted by the internet connection with social media. People started to believe that if they wanted a free society, they just needed internet access. It is still true. Social media has been designed to empower the user. They can create content and post information about anything. The young crowd (Who first started using the internet widely) will know all the information without restrictions. The truth about other nations as well as their own nation. Like police violations of black people. It intends to change political power. Now, the political people reach out to the general public more directly, for example. Donald Trump didn’t pay for ads on TV media; he just tweeted to his 10 million followers. The Internet has given ordinary people broadcast power, which was only available to big media. People can put something on social media and get a big crowd.

Cons:

In other ways, the internet makes us disengaged, stupid, distracted, and clueless. People are losing their concentration abilities. The mind wants to behave the way a person behaves online. Too much information prevents people from learning anything and makes them too stupid, especially since the rise of fake news. Fake news is created to make people believe something else when they might be confused with the real news. This is how crazy people are getting together and making a global fake news emperor.

To understand the use of the Internet for corporate benefit, we need to understand the relationship between capitalism and democracy. It has been said that capitalism and democracy go hand in hand. But in reality, they have no connection. Without government regulation, capitalism gives enormous power to a couple of corporations. These corporations then have the power to influence the government. The government started making all decisions in favour of these corporations. The majority of the population has no influence on the policies.

Social media is now the most significant monopoly business. They are the big corporate giants now. Small company websites or anything like that are crashing because of these giant internet corporations. These corporations are becoming the only online earning machines. They are earning 2/3 of all online advertising revenue.

Every social media platform now collects personal information and puts it in an algorithm. Because of algorithms, news and information are given to us like an ideological bubble. Here, you don’t decide what you see or know what is left out. So, we are not free of information; an algorithm gatekeeper controls information coming to us.

Fake news generates more money than mainstream news. The democratic system shouldn’t rely on commercial journalism. It is difficult to understand who we are, the real one or the fake one. Things depend on who owns the media. Are they giving enough real information? Fake news influences every modern communication. It’s tough to know what’s true and what’s not.

The democratic Index ranked those countries first, subsidizing private journalism and keeping real journalism alive.

Now, with the internet, we have all the tools that can be used to liberate or oppress.

Biography 281: he cow only eats when my dad prepares the food.

My dad bought a cow for the Qurbani. Our home helper (a boy) followed my parents' instructions and prepared the food. The cow didn't touch it, so we didn't know what to do next.

Then my dad prepared the food, and the cow started eating. I couldn't find the difference, but there must be something. My dad said he had cows in their house. He used to prepare food for them, so he knew how to make food for them.

The cow we bought must be from good care. That's why if the food isn't prepared perfectly, it doesn't touch.

Online product prices shouldn't be more than the in-store price.

When I order online, I notice that grocery prices have increased. Why is this so? The company charges extra for services, including service charge taxes, product price taxes, delivery fees, delivery tips, and sometimes more. Then why do they need to raise the product price? For example, if I order a tray of 12 eggs, the price is $3 when I buy in person, but I have to pay a total of $12 with all charges online.

Who mostly orders online? Disabled individuals, elderly people, and busy professionals. Thus, those with lower incomes are actually paying more.

All product prices should be the same, whether purchased online or in-store. If extra charges are necessary, the reasons should be clearly stated in the receipt, including the amount of the additional charges and their justifications.

All charges should be clearly detailed and then applied to consumers.

Now, please don't raise in-store prices to align with online prices. Grocery owners seem reluctant to miss any opportunity to increase product prices. By the end of the year, they often make profits three or four times higher than the previous year. When consumers' purchasing power declines, it impacts all businesses in the country. More and more companies are closing their doors.

Human rights issue in the “Democratic Republic of Congo”

 

Current situation:

Heavy fighting is going on between the Congolese Army and M23 rebels. This war is causing a massive humanitarian crisis. Thousands of people are displaced—the war is influencing regional tensions. The M23 rebels have closed the capital as they are fighting there. Hundreds of thousands moved to another city, Goma, hoping to find their basic needs (food, water, and shelter). The situation may worsen when the UN withdraws its peacekeepers by the end of this year.

The human rights issues/violations:

This situation didn’t arise overnight. Decades of fighting with armed groups, violation of human rights, and gender-based violence created this massive humanitarian situation.

The Human rights violations we find more prominent are “Mass killings” happening through the armed groups fighting, inter-communal violence, giving trouble to the dissent, and terrible treatment to the detainees.

Hundreds of houses are burned down, and their property is looted. Children and the elderly are also getting killed in huge numbers.

The UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and/or UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples):

The Congo accepted 167 recommendations from 174 of the UNDRIP. Only three of the accepted recommendations are to improve Indigenous communities. Indigenous is a controversial word in Africa because it is believed that all Africans are indigenous.

Poverty is very prominent among Congo's Indigenous people (Locally, they are called Pygmy).  They don’t have any birth identity, and 65% of them don’t get any education.

Most don’t have a national ID card or birth record, so they don’t have a voter ID, so their contributions to politics are not considered. They don’t have a voice in Congo’s politics. Their lands have been taken, and knowledge of ancient medicine has been destroyed. These are clear violations of human rights.

There are more Human Rights violations against the Indigenous people. Like children are taken for forced labour and sexual exploitation. The criminal networks do these. Indigenous people work at very low wages. As they are illiterate, they had to depend on another group of people to manage their wages.

Biography 280: Travel after the class.

 My college was in Downtown Toronto. There are so many places that can be visited there. I thought that after my class, when it finishes a little early, I would visit one place. This way, I will be able to visit many places during my Diploma. I have visited two beautiful places after my class. One is the first post office in Toronto. Another one is the Museum of Illusion. Both are very recommended to everyone. 

You don't need a ticket to visit the post office. It has a museum inside with ancient post office equipment. You will love to write letters with feathers and ink.

However, you will need to pay a fee to visit the Museum of Illusion. It is around $50 or less. You can take your kids to both places.

Then, the college started putting pressure on our studies and assignments. I became very tired. So, after class, I had to go back home to study. My travel stopped after class.

Get prepared

 When I was studying at university, one of our young teachers said that wherever she went, she succeeded because she was always well prepared before going there.

I didn't understand that much back then. Now I think that was a great suggestion. When you are well prepared, you can handle any situation better than anyone else. Even if anything surprises you, you can still manage it because you have already learned to manage other conditions.

So, before you go anywhere, always make good preparations. Even for your future, get prepared.

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

 

In this video, they have brought up some issues related to global warming. Such as Heavy metal mines and extraction factories in Norilsk, which created the most polluted city in Russia; the Marble mine in Carrara, Italy; the Desert in Chile, which produces lethal batteries; and the Largest open pit mine in Germany. Techno fossils, a big landfill in Dandora, Kenya, a big tunnel in Switzerland for trains, growing plants in a World War 2 bunker in London, UK, Oil refineries in Houston, Texas, and the coral reef of Indonesia, etc.

They addressed these issues to say what is the main point of all global crises, which is responsible for warming the earth. That is TRADE. Which refers to money. Because of this problem, if we somehow stop one problem in one place, another place starts to do the same for profit. Only if we can stop the trade system, things will start changing. I mean, we can say everyone will get whatever they need. Equality will be maintained. No work will give you money. People will work for each other to help. Then no one will be able to do anything harmful to all. The world will be like one country.

If we consider it, this could be a good or the only solution. But it can’t be easy. If there is no country or profit-making work, people may wonder, What’s the point of work? I will get all I need.

Poor people may feel interested, but people who have power won’t like to lose their power, property, or luxurious life. As they have the power, they won’t let this happen. The decision-makers only follow power, which is their profit. So, it is very difficult to even think, that this is a possible solution.

Any good changes can only be made if we can show people the profit. Otherwise, awareness. Again, we are talking about billions of dollars in profit. So, awareness is very difficult to grow. But we need to bring proof, and the loss that all will suffer. We must create awareness for the next generation and keep trying.

Whenever we want to stop something, we must bring solid proof of loss and bring some points of profit if they stop it. This may bring some interest to the general public to be aware of climate-harming work.

If we can’t stop Trade, we shouldn’t stop trying to find other solutions. Keep trying to stop all causes and raise awareness among the general, corporate, and young people. If we can’t solve a problem, at least we can try to minimize it.

Biography 279: Nobody wants to go against the crowd

 In Bangladesh, people think they are right. Whatever they think is right is right. And everyone is wrong who is not like that. Then, they have the right to force people to do whatever they feel is right.

 People do not tolerate others' opinions or views. They form gangs and then force individuals or small groups to follow their thoughts.

They make that happen in the name of religion, tradition, sensitive thoughts, modernization, to achieve success, etc.

Let me give you a simple example. A person thinks that eating fruit right after a meal is not good. Then they found someone who is doing so. The first person will tell their surroundings that we don't eat fruit after the meal. It's not good. Who does that? Only that shameful person is doing that. That person isn't good. See how that person looks and how they wear dresses, all bad. Everybody around them will start thinking, correct! What a shameful person. One of the crowd will say See how that person walks, not good. Everybody will say right! We agree. Then one will say, when that person touches a fruit, I will take it from their hand and ask them to leave. All will think, what a great idea! That person has to do what we believe is right. Why do they try to be something else? We can't let that happen!

Nobody from that crowd will ever say, "It's okay. It's their choice. Let them be what they want to be." No way. Nobody wants to make the crowd go against them. They will keep supporting and bringing new ideas to make life miserable for that other kind of person.

Does willpower help you to achieve everything?

 Willpower. If you have willpower, you can achieve everything.

Is it?

If your health doesn't support you, things change totally differently. Yes, you might achieve it with your willpower, but it's challenging. In most cases, you might have to keep trying till your death.

I am not discouraging anyone. Life isn't always fair. Just try to be prepared for whatever comes next. You just have to move on. At least you have to have willpower to keep trying.

May Allah bless us.

Conflict and Its Aftermath

 Eric Hobsbawm (2002) states, “The 20th century was the most murderous in recorded history.” We understand how it happened. The two deadliest world wars occurred in the 20^th Century. The holocaust happened during the war. Almost the whole world was involved in these wars.

World War II, when Germany and Russia fought each other. Russia has one of the greatest weapons, which is its weather. In any war, they always wait for the Winter. Because different countries' soldiers were unfamiliar with Russia’s harsh winter, most were unprepared for it. Russian soldiers took that opportunity to win the war. This happened with Russia and Germany’s fight, too. Many German soldiers who got into Russia while fighting lost their lives. Some could fly and escape. But mostly couldn’t. Their dead bodies remain on the soil, eaten by the crows.

The Aftermath is now, when one German soldier comes and is looking for his friends, a current Russian responsible person helps them like a brother. They put aside the conflicts that happened long ago. They support each other with history. In that Russian area, they built a memorial for the German soldiers. Still, when they dug, they found the bones of German soldiers. The Russian historians are keeping all records. This is humanity. No matter how hard they fought in history. Now, they understand the cruelty of the war. And trying to keep the peace between the countries. 

Currently, Russia and Ukraine have been fighting with each other for years. Russia invaded Ukraine. The cities and the people of Ukraine are suffering terrible violence and disaster. Many people leave the country as refugees. Canada has taken hundreds of refugees from Ukraine. Other people are living in the subway, which is an underground train station, and soldiers are fighting with Russia. 

Roots:  These two countries were the roots of the USSR. Ukraine is a very resourceful country. Not only minerals, but they are also very rich in agriculture. They have a vibrant culture. Russia didn’t want to lose this resourceful area. And Ukraine didn’t want to stay under Russia like a colony. So that Russians will benefit from Ukraine’s resources and don’t give any power to that population. That’s why Ukraine wanted to join the EU, a group of European countries and North America. North America is Russia’s main opposite party in power. So, Russia tried to capture Ukraine with their army. The war started. 

The potential aftermath: Russia is using their latest model weapons, and EU countries are also giving new weapons to Ukraine to win the war. None of these are suitable for humans or the environment. So, both humans and the environment may suffer for a decade from this war.

The children are facing trouble in education. Though Ukraine has established schools in subway stations, they are not enough to educate children naturally.

Both countries may face financial trouble because of this long war. They primarily invest money in war, not in developing society and economic activities.

Because of the war, people from both countries hate each other. In the long run, hate-related crime may start. 

The world used to have resources from both countries, especially from Ukraine. Because of the war, supplies were interrupted, and in many countries, this created inflation. This may continue for years.

Biography 278: I didn't sit on the rickshaw puller's seat.

 We four sisters used to go to Shishu Academy and Bulbul Lalitokola Academy (Bafa) every week. We had to go to both the Shishu Academy in the morning and Bafa in the afternoon on Friday. And every Wednesday afternoon to Shishu Academy and every Thursday afternoon to Bafa.

In the beginning, my mom used to take us all. After 1 or 2 years, our older sister used to take us. She used to learn to play guitar. I first learned Dancing and then singing. My younger sister learned dancing, art, and singing. Our youngest sister learned dancing and singing.

We used to ride in a rickshaw together. Just to let you know, my home wasn't very near the Shishu Academy. On those days, rickshaws were wider. But still, they weren't good enough for five people. My mom used to sit. Then two sisters could sit beside her, one could sit on my mom's lap, and the rest had to stand up.

We used to fight over who would sit in the seat. One day, they didn't let me sit on the seat. I was complaining about that. Our rickshaw puller couldn't hear it anymore. He said, "You can sit on my seat." My mom said, "See how generous he is. Now sit on that seat." I didn't.

How do people drink black coffee?

 I never thought that I would be able to drink black coffee. I always took coffee with cream and sugar. I used to ask people how you guys drink black coffee. I had decided that if I had to give up sugar, I would stop drinking coffee.

But now I am trying. I drank half a spoonful of instant coffee and hot water in a cup. First, I felt terrible. Then, slowly, I finished it. Still, I don't like it. How do people drink black coffee?

The market can destroy natural resources

 Market Externalities:

Market Externalities mean decision-making problems, like what should be left in the market and what should be provided outside the market. These are specific positive and negative consequences in the market. For example, without regulation, the market can destroy natural resources. To keep up with the people’s demands, people can exploit natural resources for excessive production and services. Another way of Market Externalities could be the death of people who were sick and disabled, who couldn’t buy food from the market. This situation happens because of the unequal distribution of wealth.

To solve this problem, society can act by adding an extra tax on cigarettes for ruining health. They can also provide essential food to all for free.

Coffee:

Finding an adult who doesn’t drink coffee in Canada won't be easy. So, there are a vast number of coffee consumers in the country, and different brands of coffee are available here. Because of the vast number of coffee consumers, we can be united and fix the problems of the market externalities.

First, we need to create awareness among the general coffee consumers so that everyone can be united and pressure the corporations to fix all kinds of problems in different layers of production and selling. All problems can not be solved in one day. Everyone must be patient and fix them one after another.

For example, we must create awareness of the poor people who are involved in the development process of coffee bins. We may share pictures and videos on social media or get help from any non-profit organization that helps these people or works with environmental justice. So that all information can be accessed through the news media and other channels. We must make our voice heard for the poor farmers. And send messages to the corporations that are directly involved in this process. We have to offer them a company that will take responsibility for caring for poor farmers without increasing coffee pricing. We will all buy coffee from that company. We must keep our word if any company takes the initiative, so those farmers can be safe from harmful plasticizers attacking their lungs.

If we start seeing success, then we can focus on other issues. For example, farmers are now producing excessive amounts of coffee to meet the demand and profit. This way, they cut most trees in the forest to cultivate coffee beans. So, many problems, like soil erosion, started. We must come to a solution to this problem so that the farmers won’t face the problems and there will be fewer environmental problems, such as using indigenous ways of cultivation. In this way, they cultivate different crops at the same time. One tree protects another. Or any other scientific way. We must give that information to the farmers through governments and corporations, which will be very helpful for the environment and the whole world. Birds will increase, and the farmers will see fewer pest attacks.

Apart from environmental issues, we must also consider the social and political issues as consumers. We know that corporations will only show interest in fixing problems if they see some benefits. So, we must bring benefits for them too. They need to get some government rules and regulations too, so they have no choice but to take good initiative in the whole process. The government will take policies to help reduce market externalities when they find that their vote bank will like this and give votes to them. Which means we will have to create somewhat win-win situations.

In the end, we can say that the coffee we consume is made through different processes in different countries. In between, corporate companies also change. So, it is tough to fix any problems because everyone will push the reason for problems to the other group. As it is developing in different countries, the government policy differs in different countries.

Biography 277: Caring for my hair.

When I was in Saudi Arabia, my mom used to wash my hair with Sunsilk Shampoo. She said everybody liked my silky black straight hair. They used to ask, Do all Bangladeshi have beautiful hair?

After returning to Bangladesh, my mom often applied coconut oil to my hair and braided it with a ribbon. She said, and I believe that too, because of her effort, I had some good quality hair.

Then I tried to take care of my hair. But I never had the time and energy to do so. With time, now much of my hair has become white. I'm glad I still have some hair. The way I lose hair, the head is supposed to be empty by this time.

Market externalities of Canadian mining operations

 1.      Human rights violation. Canadian mining companies operate their mines outside Canada and are accused of human rights violations. External actors often influence the absence of adequate mining laws, especially in South America, causing violent deaths and severe injuries to mineworkers. For example, 5,000 persons will be displaced by the activities of Gran Colombia Gold. In addition, there is disregard for the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples. These companies' attitudes are like those of the colonial era. They are only concerned about earning money, with no space for human rights. The Canadian Government needs to make some strict laws and implement them to fix this problem. In the long run, this attitude will cause human migration towards North America. 

2.      Poverty. The mining projects change the sources of income and livelihood, resulting in increased poverty. These companies buying lands from the farmers, sometimes by force, are taking those lands with minimal money. These people have nowhere to go or no other way to earn money. They had to join the mining company to survive, and though the payment was very low, they couldn’t have a healthy life with their family. Because of their poor lifestyle and poverty, their health condition is in danger of malnutrition. 

3.      Serious environmental harm concerning air, water, and ground pollution, whether actual or potential. Human health in that area is in danger. Polluted and contaminated air and water directly harm their health. This ecological condition also directly affects the livestock and agricultural livelihoods of communities, such as decreased water for irrigation, deaths of animals, and contamination of ground, water, and air. The productivity of the soil is in danger, which also economically affects the local farmers. 

4.      Socio-economic conflicts: 148 socio-economic conflicts in Latin America because of Canadian Mining Operations. For example, irrigators of Valle de Huasco signed an agreement with Barrick Gold, stipulating payment of US$ 60 million over 20 years as compensation for harm to the image of the area’s agricultural products because of the gold deposits. In time, that money divided the irrigator group, as there were complaints of corruption in managing the funding.

5.      Cultural harm. Before the mining started, the areas were mainly agricultural land. The communities and their culture were based on agriculture. After mining started, their forced labour and abusive behaviour changed the total culture of that area. People are not happy mentally, physically, or economically. They are losing their cultural activities, peace, and everything related. 

6.      There is a violation of various rights, including the right to life, humane treatment, health, and property of the neighbouring communities. It looks like a colonial process is going on. 

7.      Criminalization of rights advocacy and closure of institutional spaces for dialogue, in addition to the exacerbation of violence, threats, harassment, deaths and serious injuries. Not only the mining company but also the community is involved in different criminal activities because of the cultural change. 

8.      Aggressive police behaviour: The rich mining companies use police to continue their violations. For example, in Panama, Penonomé police anti-riot units entered the camps on May 26, 2009, without any prior attempts at dialogue with protesters; officers threw teargas canisters at those present and arrested 19 farmers, who were beaten and jailed in the town of Coclesito. In Oaxaca state, Mexico, 23 persons were detained in May 2009 after evicting residents who had spoken out publicly against groundwater contamination in the area. On November 27, 2009, Mariano Abarca Roblero was murdered after receiving threats and after being arrested in August of that year for participating in peaceful protests against the project. 

The Canadian embassy failed to respond to complaints about these acts. The Canadian government provides broad support to the extractive sector without requiring sufficient guarantees from Canadian companies that they will not harm the environment or cause human rights violations abroad.

A poem about hearts

Yes, I am in your heart.

I will stay there forever,

even when your heart stops beating.

So don’t try to hurt me.

It will only hurt your heart.

You want to know about my heart?

No, nobody is in there,

I kept it clean and clear, and I would like to maintain that level of clarity.

Biography 276: Qurbani meat and prayer for people.

 A Bangladeshi couple was working at Walmart together. I knew both of them, but didn't know they were husband and wife. One day, the wife told me she would like to give me some Qurbani's meat (beef). It was a couple of days before Eid. I became so happy. Though I do not touch beef, but my son will be able to eat some Qurbani meat which makes me happy.

On Eid day, I guessed that the woman became very busy with Eid preparations, including meat preparation and distribution. I didn't feel like reminding her to give me some, as she said.

But she didn't forget. She called me and asked me to come near her house and take some. I didn't feel good to give her trouble, but I really wanted to have some Qurbani meat, so I went to stand in front of her house. She came with a small bag of meat. She was exhausted and busy, but still she kept her word. I felt bad. I apologized for disturbing her in this way. But she said, no, in her mind she decided to give me some a long time ago, so she did. She asked to pray for her.

I pray to Allah to grant her peace of mind and a life of tranquillity.

Sometimes people come to me with a big hope. They asked me to pray for them. Like, if I pray, Allah will make it happen immediately. I wish that would happen. I pray with a full heart. I hope people get some benefit from my prayers.

Questions

 There are/were a few people with whom I stopped talking or never spoke. But I had so many questions in my mind. Which I could never ask. Because they died.

If you have any questions in your mind, I think you should ask. Sometimes direct questions minimize a lot of misunderstanding or make things very clear. No need to worry about what will happen. What's worse can happen, you guys have already stopped talking with each other.

I may ask someday. Or not.

Something different than others

 I have joined some FB groups. In one group, people are together who passed their SSC exam in 1992 (Grade 10 final exam).

I don't contribute much over there, as I don't have anything to post. However, I sometimes read others' posts. In this group, people are the same age. So, sometimes they flirt with each other, or make posts by mentioning how other girls or other's wives became so attractive to them, just for fun.

Here one person's post I found a little different. He also posts on love (mostly), but his love action was with his wife. I would like to discuss Bangladeshi culture here. In Bangladesh, people can easily express their feelings of love in public with anyone but their wife. I don't know why, but nobody likes to see someone love their wife. No one believed that, and if anyone showed any respect or love, all the others started making fun of him, until he stopped loving his wife.

So, I started reading all his posts because he was open about his love for his wife. Some people didn't like it as it was a little more open. Some felt it's looks like porno (mentioning about physical activity with his wife). I won't support opening too much, but it was somewhat good. So, people should understand that they can love their wives too.

But then he changed. He became like others. Started flirting with other women. I lose interest. He is also the same as others. I don't know why he changed himself. Maybe people were taunting him too much, or he found flirting with other people's wives attracted more people to his post. I don't know.

I believe if you have something different, don't try to change it. That differentiation makes you different from others. You become unique.

Video: What is Roxham Road

 

Based on this video:

a)    The current situation facing refugees in the chosen example. 

Roxham Road is a county road located on the border between the United States and Canada. More specifically, it is between Vermont, a state in the USA, and Quebec, a province in Canada. This is a narrow dirt road. It is popular for an unofficial entry to Canada from the USA. Generally, a person needs to obtain a visa or permission to enter Canada or any other country. When people enter a country, they must request asylum in that country, not in another country. Along this route, individuals can enter Canada unofficially and request asylum or immigration.

 The current situation is that the road is closed. Police have established a permanent camp on this corridor to prevent human flow to Canada. When people arrive at this point to enter Canada without a visa, the police ask them to return. If they still try to enter, police arrest them in Canada. 

b)    What factors led to these people becoming refugees? 

The refugees had used Roxham Road for years. The flow of people increased when the president of the USA, Donald Trump, said in a meeting in the Oval Office why the USA is welcoming people from the “shit hole countries.” This is a very disgraceful comment to any human from any country. The comment was made when many people moved from Haiti to save their lives. Those people are scared that they might be sent back to their home country, where the situation remains very stressful. In the meantime, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a message welcoming all people in need of help. So, the people who were refugees in the USA from the Caribbean or African countries tried to flee once again to Canada in the hope that Canada would be a better country that would treat them well. 

c)    Your analysis of Canada's response to these populations and what it should be. 

Canada needs more people to work for their country. It is a well-known country that easily accepts different kinds of immigrants, including refugees, and grants them Permanent residency. For many people living in other countries, Canada is often their first choice for relocation and starting a new life. 

However, Canada has limited funds for asylum seekers. Additionally, its infrastructure needs to improve to accommodate and integrate the new population. This means that Canada needs more hospitals, roads, houses, schools, shelters, and recreation centers for newcomers. Without improving these infrastructures, Canada is taking in more refugees, when the shelters and funds are not enough. 

Moreover, the funds available are used first for European refugees and then for Caribbean and African people. That’s why these people often struggle to find space in shelters or receive sufficient help to survive. Some of them died waiting outside the shelter on the road. This is not an acceptable situation. 

Canada should have an excellent plan to accept new populations and distribute them among the different provinces according to their needs and skills. The country should prepare sufficient infrastructure to accommodate its current population. The government should allocate enough funds to handle the refugees properly.

Biography 275: Gifts

 I like to receive gifts. I enjoy giving gifts to others, hoping that it brings them happiness as well. Maybe not.

When I started my job, I spent all of my first month's salary in four days, just by buying gifts for my parents and siblings. I hope they liked it. Maybe not.

As I had expended all my money, I had to take care of my daily expenses from my dad, just as I used to in my student life. My mom told me that Dad didn't like that. As I have started working now, I should have taken my responsibility by myself.

I understood. I never asked my dad for money again. Next time, I asked my mother for a loan when I started preparing to move to Canada. I have returned her money. Tried to send gifts to her and to my siblings whenever I could. I tried to send my mom monthly pocket money.

I hope they liked it. Maybe not. 

But my mom liked it. Though she didn't spend that money on herself. She wanted to save those for me, in the hope that when I visit Bangladesh, she will spend on us.

I also tried to give gifts to others. Friends and families. In most cases, I felt they didn't like my gifts. Maybe not.

Everybody has something positive in them.

 I focus on positivity in everything, especially when I don't like some people. I know they must have something positive, which is challenging to find out from my side. My anger and irritation cover up their positive qualities. Even if I couldn't find any, I still believe they have some positivity.

Closing Facilitator

 By Hali, Shawn, Shahana, and Sharon.

Biography 274: Sometimes you like someone without any reason; you just feel like that.

 Favouritism,

I have heard from all parents. They love their children equally. And I have seen that they all have their own favourite child. In most cases, parents love their older kid more than others, and in some cases, the youngest one.

My parents have their own way of favouritism. They loved their older daughter the most. Whatever she asked for, they always tried to bring it to her. She is very gentle and good in her education, which made our parents love her more.

In my childhood, because of my happy mood and smile, I caught my parents' attention. Later, I proved I was not gentle like the older one and not good at education like her. So, my parent had no hope for me; I couldn't become their favourite. But for all the work and sacrifices they asked me to do. For example, if my parents needed to go out, sometimes for other children, they asked me to cancel my school and stay home. Sometimes, I had to go out with my mom to help her. I did. Then I noticed no one else was doing this kind of thing; it only came to me.

If my younger sister woke up late and the regular breakfast had finished, my mom made her special food for breakfast. I thought maybe because I always came to the table on time, I never got it. One day, I intentionally woke up late. But no, I didn't get the special treat. I never had that.

On the weekend, we all used to sleep longer. But sometimes, my mom woke me up to go to the nearby grocery store to buy something. None of my other siblings had to do this.

My younger sisters like a special part of the chicken. If they don't get it, they start screaming. I wanted those parts, too. If I somehow took one, my mom used to take it from my plate and give it to them.

One day, my mom was making paratha and put it on the plate. I sit on the chair to have my breakfast. My mom came running to me and took the plate away from there. And put it on my older sister's spot. She ate that later. My mom gave me paratha from leftovers of the previous day's breakfast; she warmed it up for me. I didn't say anything. But on that day, I cried in my room. Then I thought, It always happens to me, so why would I cry that day?

In my childhood, I thought about it many times. Why do they not like me? Not only them, but I found that people around me don't like me. They make distances with me, don't want to go out with me or see me in their happy moments. I always keep thinking, why? Maybe I did something that they couldn't tolerate, just being jealous, feeling insecure, or anything else. Each time, I try to fix myself, but it never works.

I always tried to listen to my parents and help them as much as possible. I have always done it, and I am trying to do it now, too. My dad started liking me when he was old. He knew I was trying to help him without any expectation; it's just me. I couldn't do much for my mom because I was far away from her. She hoped I would do more for her. I couldn't, but I will whenever I can.

Now I think I am the best. If you don't like me, it's your issue; you can live with that. I recommend staying away from me if you don't feel good with me. I will live as I am. Love me or leave me.

Eid Mubarak

Without this song, Bangladeshi people can't celebrate Eid.

May Allah bring peace all over the world. Let's all live happily and enjoy Eid.