Tête-à-tête

Thought of the week:
""It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem"
-- GK Chesterton"

Hey all,
Wow. The forum's really heating up now. Last week, we featured a letter by Incognito Soul. This week, we have Naima writing in to tell us what she thinks of the matter:

"Even though what your previous writer might have said may be true for some people, not everyone can feel this way. The writer has said "But if one truly understands Islam and the reasons behind such constrictions, one would feel their necessity and how they actually promote freedom and justice." Sadly, girls cannot share this and not feel restricted in their ability to express themselves in Bangladesh. There are a couple of reasons why I make this statement. One is the sorry excuse our society gives when girls want to pursue athletics. This is a very important complement to normal growth. Girls in Bangladesh have bad fitness level due to lack of any sort of strength training or aerobic activity. Some girls do get lucky and get some sports but overall sports is sadly not a part of the curriculum. The primary reason given for this is the impropriety clause. This sad situation needs to change.

Secondly, why should females bear the brunt of undisciplined men who cannot but stare or comment improperly without just provocation? This makes no sense to cover women up and say this is the only way to keep them safe. What about the fact that we don't live all that long and a girl deserves to live life and enjoy nature on her cheeks as boys do.

Overall, the Bangladeshi society must figure out a way to cherish a normal growth sustainability for her girls. The values of Islam must be cherished too. That is the reason this problem is not so very easy to solve. It requires some imagination and creative ways to allow both forces to exist with commonsense. Bengalis are known for their creativity, let's not change all that and look only to religion as a be all and end all. The time of the Prophet was different than ours. If we can remember that, maybe our ways to allow freedom and self _expression won't be so reprimanded in society."

Woah, strong sentiments there, miss. If I think carefully about what you say, I can't deny that our society has more than its share of double standards. How much of this we can blame on our own shallow attitudes, and how much on our religion, is a different story altogether. I prefer to withhold my personal views on this issue, because I'm more interested in hearing about yours.

That's all the space we have for this week. Join us again next week as our discussion continues.

Send your polls, love letters, hate mails, and opinions to thegirlnextdoor1@hotmail.com, or mail me at my yahoo address at teteatete_tgnd@yahoo.com

By The Girl Next Door

Oddly Enough…

Sony gets patent for technology it might one day invent. Researchers awarded Nobel Prize for innovations they might some day make
Sony Corp (SNE.N) has been granted a patent for beaming sensory information directly into the brain. The technique could one day be used to create videogames in which you can smell, taste, and touch, or to help people who are blind or deaf.

The U.S. patent, granted to Sony researcher Thomas Dawson, describes a technique for aiming ultrasonic pulses at specific areas of the brain to induce "sensory experiences" such as smells, sounds and images. "The pulsed ultrasonic signal alters the neural timing in the cortex," the patent states. "No invasive surgery is needed to assist a person, such as a blind person, to view live and/or recorded images or hear sounds."

A Sony Electronics spokeswoman told New Scientist magazine that no experiments had been conducted, and that the patent "was based on an inspiration that this may someday be the direction that technology will take us." -story.news.yahoo.com

12year old boy copies some dollar bills with his inkjet printer, gets caught, suspended from school. Not good enough? Secret service wants to send him to prison
A sixth grader and two of his friends were suspended for using phoney dollar bills made on a home computer to buy food in the school cafeteria. A cafeteria worker at the school found a dollar bill that didn't look or feel like the real thing. Seattle school spokesman said people in the lunch room were told to watch for more counterfeit bills.

An assistant principal called Seattle police the next day after a sixth grader tried to use one of the fake bills to buy beef jerky from the cafeteria. Seattle police spokesman said the boy made 20 fake dollar bills on his aunt's computer, brought them to school and shared them with his friends. The prosecutors' office is reviewing the case and deciding whether to file charges. School officials suspended the three boys for several days. -canoe.ca

Skate park closed because it's not handicappedaccessible. "Until it is open to everyone, it is open to no one''
The Uncle Bud Skate Park in Boston is all it was designed to be - an outdoor community centre for all ages with the skate park, a swing set, play area, picnic tables, checker and chess board, staging and seating. But designers left out a critical component: handicapped accessibility. And if town meeting fails to approve money to provide that accessibility, a state board will order the park closed.

The state Architectural Access Board, which held a hearing on the issue, has cited the town for several violations of state handicapped access regulations at the park. ''(The park) seems to be a lovely place. It's a place where the community gathers. I understand that these are errors, but I am inclined to say that until it is open to everyone, it is open to no one.'' said a board member. -ledger.southofboston.com

Woman rams apartment with BMW because of loud television
A woman has been arrested after she rammed a car into her neighbour's apartment in an apparent fight over a loud television, Canadian police said. The woman got into her 1985 BMW after becoming upset with her neighbour and drove the car across the lawn and through some patio furniture before the vehicle hit the side of the building.

There were no injuries in the incident, although the neighbour and a friend were inside the building watching television at the time of the crash. The vehicle received only minor damage. The 36-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was being held in jail pending a court appearance. -reuters.com

Compiled by Ahmed Ashiful Haque

A modern love letter

Dearest Samantha,
I am very happy to inform you that I have fallen in love with you since Tuesday, the 17th of August 2001.

With reference to the meeting held between us on the 17th of August 2001 at 1500 hours, I would like to present myself as a prospective lover. Our love affair would be on probation for a period of no less than three months and depending on compatibility, would be made permanent. Of course, upon completion of probation, there will be continuous relationship training and relationship appraisal schemes leading up to promotion from lover to spouse. The expenses incurred for coffee and entertainment would initially be shared equally between us. Later, based on your performance, I might take up a larger share of the expenses. However I am broad-minded enough, to be taken care of, on your expense account.

I request you to kindly respond within 30 days of receiving this letter, failing which, this offer would be canceled without further notice and I shall be considering someone else. I would be happy, if you could forward this letter to your sister,
if you do not wish to take up this offer.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely, Max

Modern Reply To A Modern Love Letter
Dear Max,
Please refer to your letter dated today. I am pleased to inform you that I hope to accept your proposal for romance.

However, you should be informed that there are certain conditions of acceptance. Promotional prospects are to my satisfaction.

However, please enlighten me as to your retirement benefits. Gratuity should be generous.

I also need to be assured that there is sufficient security with regards to this commitment. If there is any chance at all of retrenchment or consequent disinterest on your part, then I should receive monetary compensation according to union standards.

Due to the nature of my position, I am sure you will agree that an expense account should be arranged for my access in light of the 'VIP' I shall be entertaining. In addition, housing and transport allowances should be in order and nothing less than a Jaguar is in order.

Please also note that there should be no moonlighting restrictions placed on myself. If you are still interested in the relationship, please reply on an urgent basis as other prospective lovers have sent indications of interest.

Please also note that my sister is happily employed.
Yours perhaps, Samantha!

Life goes on
The sun rises but then still then
Why pours the dawn?
Life goes on:
Time and tide wait for none.
Anger to denials ,jealousy to regrets,
Thoughts of such kind dwell within our fire-breathing insane souls.
We move into an unknown ocean
Leaving our past :
Some sketched with wonderful memoirs ;
While others are drenched in dreadful dreams.
Every moment of our precious life is being taken away
With the passage of time.
Inspiring thoughts end in disappointments,
Life takes us into darkness
Giving the birth of hope in our torn minds.
We move into a new era:
Wand`ring in search of ourselves.

By Raisa Sanjana Rahman

Don't Tell Me
I wanna speak out all I desire
I am gonna fly across the seas
Float with the birds in the sky
Look at my nest on the oak tree
Shining under the golden sun
I should have believed in myself long ago
Not care about the foolish people
Who despised me, who deceived me with their lies
I should have loved myself
Just the way I am
I was stupid, I was blind
Didn't know how talented I was
Didn't realize I was slipping
Cause I listened to the jealous crowd
I promise to change in the blink of an eye
Your are my only hope, only source of joy
I believe in you
Believe that you show the path of life
You mean the world to me
I never wanna let go of someone so true
Never say you'll leave me
Never let go of what we have
You have showed the way so far
I don't wanna see you confused
You know you're the one for me
You know we are meant to be.

By Arbab Quadri

Fascinating Facts

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time were Fred and Wilma Flinstone.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
Everyday more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
The US state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven is $6,400
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour is 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

By John Doe