Life as i know it

Feels Good to Finally Do Something

2009-11-24T20:07:00.002+07:00

For so long, I have talked about doing something. I have talked about change and tried to motivate others. It feels great finally to do something apart from motivating through writing. Recently we have been engaged in two voluntary works which we are proud of. We have done our best (still some work left) to raise fund for a 15 year old dying young man. We have also launched a campus cleanup project. Thankfully we are getting huge response in both cases.

One of our friends’ younger brother is suffering from Compressive Myelopathy for over 2 years now. Doctors have suggested taking him to Singapore for better treatment. It will be near impossible for his family to bear the cost of Tk 3.5 million (50,000 USD) which is required for the treatment. So we decided to help them as much as we reasonably can. From the beginning of this month we have literally worked all day to help this cause. Our goal is to raise Tk 40,000 by mid December; we have raised 45% of that so far. We know that our efforts are not nearly close to their requirement. But every contribution counts, right? These small contributions will develop courage and shed some light of hope to that family; and hope is what we live for. I pray for the boy to get better soon.

Thanks to Imon for taking the initiative

The second voluntary work I was talking about is the campus cleanup project. This was the month of admission tests in our beautiful university campus. Thousands came to sit on the exams and fought for a seat in our university. The number of candidates was a record 40,000+. Great to see the popularity of Jahangirnagar University rising. But the sad thing is, the candidates come and go, and leave a load of trash and litter lying all around. We can not blame them for that, as there are just a few trash cans in our campus, maybe 3 or 4. So to notify the authority – to do something about it - we have cleaned up the trash of some “hot-places” and gladly our work was not unnoticed by them or the students & teachers. Our effort was featured in two national newspapers which was a huge bonus for us. I hope authority will act soon to clean the trash up and set up some “much awaited trash cans” to maintain the beauty of this great campus.

Thanks to Toma, Shakilah & Hridi for taking the initiative

You are welcome to share your views on this. I’d love to hear about any charity/voluntary work you have personally engaged yourself with.

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Asia's Best-Kept Secret

2009-10-21T22:48:00.007+07:00

I found this amazing video a few months back on the blog of my friend Riyadh (A Walk Through Life).This video was made by some of the students of Dhaka University. Thank you Riyadh and the DU students who are responsible for creating and sharing this video.

Why shouldn't I be proud of my country?

Are You Joining Blog Action Day 2009?

2009-09-24T15:54:00.004+07:00

After the huge success of last year, Blog Action Day 2009 is returning with all its power and will to change the world. Last year's topic of discussion was Poverty and this year the topic has been chosen "Climate Change".

To be a part of this year's event, you are requested to commit to writing one post, in your own voice, on October 15, on the topic of climate change. Without the perticipation of the bloggers all around the world this event won't be successful. So, let's blog about climate change and how it effects us all.

You can learn more about the issue of climate change and see sample topics you might write about- like the connections between climate and clean energy, food choices, green products, health, transportation, and the broader economy- at the official website of Blog Action Day.

Climate change is a reality. Without raising our voices against this issue, without raising awareness we can not stop this. I believe that, together we can make a difference. So, let's write! So, let's do what bloggers to best.

One issue, one day, thousands of voices. Let's do it!

10 Tips for an Effective Presentation

2009-08-29T15:25:00.012+07:00

In some point of your professional life, you probably will have to make a presentation, which you would want to be effective. This post contains information about how to prepare you for a presentation and make the presentation effective.

As a business student, I am making a lot of presentations lately. At first I faced some problems- which were common but not forgiving. Some lucky people can make presentations without any effort, they are naturally gifted speakers. But most of us have to practice and prepare preparations before moving to the actual thing. When it comes to presentations you will have to keep in mind the following things:

K.I.S.S.

To make a good presentation you will have to KISS (Keep It Short & Simple). Keeping short and simple is the best way to retain audience’s attention and deliver the massage.

Keep it short and simple.

Do Your Homework

This is very important. Gather all the necessary information required for the presentation. You should also gather information which is related to the topic, but which you are not going to present in the actual presentation. This helps to have a better understanding of what you are going to talk about. But most importantly, it helps you to prepare yourself for the upcoming “question & answer” session.

Speak about something which you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study.

Don’t be Shallow

Your speech should be short, but it must have adequate information. Remember that, presentations are to inform others or persuade others. You will not be able to do that if your presentations can not exceed the audience’s knowledge.

Reduce, Reduce & Reduce

After you collect the data and categorize it, it is normal to be a little broader than you would want it to be. Read out the script and cut out the unnecessary parts. Keep it to-the-point.

Know Your Audience

Before preparing the script you should try to know your audience. You should know who you will be talking to. You will have to modify your speech according to your audience. For example, if you are going to talk about some medical issues to some business students, you will have to make it really simple, as your audience doesn’t know anything about it.

Make Notes

After you have gathered data, drafted and revised it, you will have to make notes of the presentation. Notes will help you to remember the key terms of the presentation so that you don’t get lost during the presentation. Some might consider keeping notes in hand a bad practice, but I say it is better to look at the notes occasionally than getting stuck in a place.

* Notes can be of just the key points
* Or the whole speech, cut out in several smaller pieces of paper (one sixth of an A4 sized paper )
* Pages must be numbered, so that you don’t break the serial.
* If you decide to write the whole speech in pieces, make sure that you use bold format for the keywords.
* Don’t read out from the notes. Look at them to keep track of your speech.

Make a Good First Impression

Some say that first impression is the last impression. Make sure that you look confident when you enter the stage and deliver the first paragraph of your presentation. It is better not to look at your notes during the first 30 seconds or more.

Be Confident

Confident is the most essential key for any form of public speaking. But I am writing it down as the 8th point because I think that you will be confident if you follow the 7 things mentioned above.

Say What You are Going to Say

At the start of your speech, state the topic clearly. State what your are going to discuss and mention it when you are discussing it. after you are done talking about it, say that you have discussed it. It makes easier to understand the lecture.

Say what you are going to say...
Say it...
Say that you have said it...

Slideshows and PowerPoint
Slideshows and PowerPoint have become an inseparable part of presentations. I’ll talk about them in my upcoming post:

Making Presentations: Slideshows

Related posts from the web:
How to make a good presentation
How to make effective presentation

Next pot in this series:
Making Presentations: Slideshows
Presentations: Answering Questions

Small Changes to Make You Happy

2009-08-03T16:02:00.006+07:00

If you haven’t already noticed, you’ll be amazed to see how small changes in the routine and around the house can have a huge impact on your mood. I’m writing about 3 such changes which can easily uplift your mood.

Rearrange/Clean up your room
This little trick can do wonders when it comes to feeling good. Many often keep their rooms untidy- clothes, shoes everywhere, books on the floor etc. just take one hour of your time and sort things out- put everything in its right place. You can also rearrange the furniture in your room but I’m too lazy to do that.

Get up a little early
Most of the people have very little time in the morning to do something other than getting ready and dashing to work or school. As a result morning becomes very boring and somewhat “forced”. This is one of the main reasons of having a spoilt mood right from the start of a day. Try getting up at least half an hour earlier than you normally do. In that time do something which is not in your routine. Morning is a beautiful part of the day. Don’t dedicate this part just to being busy.

Finish something which you started
This is a very important tool for feeling good. Get something done, no matter how small it is. It might be repairing the car or changing the light bulb of the basement that you thought you will replace last weekend. You can also work on the unfinished blog post and queue it to be published. the main thing is, crossing off something from your to-do list feels great and you’ll do just that in order to uplift your mood.

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Life as I know it: First Anniversary

2009-08-01T00:54:00.003+07:00

It gives me great joy to share with you that this is the first anniversary of my blog Life as i know it.

It seems like yesterday when I was just trying to open a blog for my thoughts to stuff in. I can remember how my posts looked like back then. It is amazing to see how it has evolved. I feel very sorry for trying to quit blogging at the end of last year. It was really a stupid dilemma for me. I am glad that I was able to get over that.

Thank you for sticking to Life as i know it and I hope your love for this blog will never fade away.

Month Review & Reader Appreciation: July 2009

2009-07-31T14:11:00.003+07:00

Month Review

I’m happy to tell that I have posted 7 posts this month. I was really busy all through this month with my exams. So, I couldn’t post as much post as I would have wanted. 3 of my favorite posts this month are:

1. Communicate Through Blogs Effectively
2. Bloggers Unite for Human Rights
3. Ethics of Justice or Ethics of Care?

Random happiness

1. This blog is 365 days old today. Tomorrow is its birthday. :D

2. Three posts of this blog have been featured on kikolani.com (on her Fetching Friday series) which is an indicator of writing quality posts. Even though I posted 7 posts this month, the number of featured posts has increased. The featured posts are:

Communicate Through Blogs Effectively
Bloggers Unite for Human Rights
World Population Day 2009

Reader Appreciation

Top commentator
Life as i know it is nothing without its readers. I’m very proud to say that this blog has a very dedicated readership. I thank all the readers from the bottom of my heart. And it gives me great pleasure to say that, the most number of comments were shared by UPrinting this month.

Commentator of the month
The most appreciated comment is shared by Melinda this month. The commentator says:

…Since the project is outside of work, using work materials (to me) would be unethical so I would not use material from my place of business--at least not without asking permission.

If I couldn't afford to pay for the materials I needed--and say, it was a good cause (the project), I would probably ask my employer if he/she would make a donation to the cause. If he said no, then I might ask if I could buy the material from them for cost and have the $$ taken out of my paycheck.

If I couldn't afford the material--then I would not do the project. Taking material from work is essentially stealing and I wouldn't do that…view the post.

Thank you all for being with Life as I know it throughout the month of July. I hope your love for this blog will never fade away.

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Ethical Dilemma: Part 1

2009-07-26T00:01:00.001+07:00

This is the part one of a new series Ethical Dilemma. In this series you’ll find some common situations which will make you think. You’ll have to make some ethical decisions in this series which will help you to have a better understanding of the ethics you believe in. I hope you will also develop your reasoning skill through this.

Your ethics depends on YOU

Here is your first ethical dilemma:

Suppose you are doing a project outside of your work. The project will need paper, pens and other materials available at work. You have noticed other employees taking home such materials. You are thinking about doing the same. What is the problem in this situation? What are your alternatives? What are the consequences of each alternative? Which alternative will you choose? Is your choice ethical?

Related Post: Ethics of Justice or ethics of care

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New 7 Wonders of Nature: 28 Finalists

2009-07-24T01:51:00.005+07:00

This is the second post of a series: New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The primary voting period has expired on July 7, 2009. Then among the top 77 candidates expert’s panel selected 28 finalists on July 21, 2009. Now the voting power has been awarded back to us once again. Now we’ve the power to vote for 7 worthy candidates. The top voted 7 natural places will be awarded with the title “new 7 wonders of nature” in 2011.

It’s a matter of great sorrow for all the Bangladeshis that the Cox’s Bazaar-world’s largest sea beach was eliminated from the final list. It was 3rd in its group.

On the other hand, Bangladeshis can rejoice as the Sundarbans won a place in the finalists list. Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. Don’t forget to vote for it.

Vote for the wonders

Ethics of justice or ethics of care

2009-07-21T00:01:00.003+07:00

First please take this small quiz:

1. Which is worse?

A. Hurting someone’s feelings by telling the truth.
B. Telling a lie and protecting someone’s feelings.

2. Which is the worse mistake?

A. To make exceptions too freely.
B. To apply rules too rigidly.

3. Which is it worse to be?

A. Unmerciful.
B. Unfair.

4. Which is worse?

A. Stealing something valuable from someone for no good reason.
B. Breaking a promise to a friend for no good reason.

5. Which is it better to be?

A. Just and fair.
B. Sympathetic and feeling.

6. Which is worse?

A. Not helping someone in trouble.
B. Being unfair to someone by playing favorites.

7. In making a decision you rely more on…

A. Hard facts.
B. Personal feelings and intuition.

8. Your boss orders you to do something that will hurt someone. If you carry out the order, have you done anything wrong?

A. Yes.
B. No.

9. Which is more important in determining whether an action is right or wrong?

A. Whether anyone actually gets hurt.
B. Whether a rule, law, commandment or moral principle is broken.

The answers fall in two categories, J or C. Count your number of J and C answers using this key:

1. A=C, B=J 2. A=J, B=C 3. A=C, B=J 4. A=J, B= C 5. A=J, B=C
6. A=C, B=J 7. A=J, B=C 8. A=C, B=J 9. A=C, B=J

The higher your J score, the more you rely on ethics of justice. The higher your C score, the more you rely on ethics of care.

Ethics of care and ethics of justice are two ways of differentiating right from wrong and making moral and ethical decisions. None of these two is better than the other. Even though ethics of justice and ethics of care may seem very different from one another, actually they are connected. People generally depend on both to making ethical decision. The more you are able to mix these two ethics, the better you are in making the right decisions. Actually, very few people score 9 Js or 9 Cs. Most of the people have a combined result.

Ethics of justice relies on principles like justice, fairness, equality or authority. The advantages if this approach is that it looks at a problem logically and impartially. People who follow this style hope to make a decision based on certain principles which are higher than any individual’s interests. Disadvantages of this approach are that people who rely on it might lose sight of the immediate interests of particular individuals. This style is more common for men than women.

Ethics of care is based on sense of responsibility to reduce actual harm or suffering. The advantages of this approach are that it is responsive to immediate suffering and harm. The disadvantage is that, when carried to an extreme, this style can produce decisions that seem not simply subjective, but arbitrary. This style is more common in women than men.

So, what is your style of making ethical decisions? Do you rely more on ethics of care or ethics of justice? What was your score? How do you feel about your score?

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Source of the quiz: Discovering Philosophy by Thomas I. White

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

2009-07-17T02:25:00.007+07:00

Even though human rights have been a topic of discussion for as long as I can remember, it is a burning issue now, especially after the recent occurring in Iran. Thanks to BloggersUnite bloggers all around the world have received the opportunity to unite on this issue and blog together to bring a change to this world.

Know Your Rights

Human rights refer to some basic rights and freedom which every person is entitled to have under any circumstance. These basic rights include freedom of speech, freedom of religion and culture, freedom to acquire knowledge, justice, safe childhood, physical safety etc. Sad but true, in many places of the world human rights are being severely violated everyday.

In this post, you’ll read about internet censorship, which is a form violation of a human rights.

Internet censorship is a violation of human right as it contradicts with freedom of speech and knowledge. Internet censorship is the process of blocking internet sites so that the users of a particular country or region can’t visit those sites. It also includes strict rules about publishing information on the internet, even when the information is on a private site or blog. Many countries adopt internet censorship to control the “source of knowledge and news”. Iran has very strict internet censorship rules. It has blocked more than 5 million sites including facebook and youtube. It has blocked political, human rights, women’s freedom and pornographic sites and blogs. Many bloggers and online activists have been brought to jail because the government was not happy with what they had to say. Iran is so strict about internet censorship, that it was one of the 13 countries who were labeled “enemies of the internet”.

I think internet censorship to this extend is not necessary. Every grown up should be given the right to choose between right and wrong by themselves. Everyone should have the right to gather knowledge from where ever they can and from every angle of a story. Everyone should have the right to express their feelings in a non violent way. Blog is a great way to share views and opinions. Restraining this privilege is a very bad practice, according to me.

You can ignore the censorship with the help of this links:
1. Free Gate
2. Ultrasurf

How to get involved
To promote human rights the least you can do is you can blog about it. If you decide to blog about this issue to raise consciousness, you can consider these topics which were suggested by BloggersUnite.

1. The wrongful imprisonment of journalists covering assemblies.
2. Governments that ignore the plight of citizens left tot he mercy of gangs.
3. The censorship of the Internet in order to prevent freedom of expression.
4. Harsh punishments that include torture, forced labor, and starvation.
5. Sexual assault against women by members of military or militia.

Further reading:
Internet censorship in Iran
Human rights

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Bloggers Unite: World Population Day 2009

2009-07-11T00:03:00.008+07:00

World Population Day is an annual event which is observed every year on July 11. The day seeks to raise awareness about the ever raising population of the world. World Population Day started its journey in 1989 and it’s the 20th anniversary of this day. The theme of this year is “Fight Poverty, Educate Girls”. Thanks to Bloggers Unite for arranging a platform to blog about this issue under its banner.

Let's get on the same page

On July 11, 1987 the estimated population of the world was 5 billion. In 2000, world population reached 6.06 billion. And after 9 years, on this day, the estimated world population is 6,761,217,750 (and counting) which indicates a 78 million population increase per year. It is feared that world population might reach up to10.7 billion in the year 2050.

Where are you planning to house that entire people?

How are you planning to feed them?

Because of the ever rising population poverty is increasing, quality of life and standard of living is decreasing and it is also having a toll on the ecosystem and the environment. Wild species are becoming extinct 50-100 faster than they naturally do. Even though the population growth is slowing down, more than 90 percent of the current growth is triggered by the developing countries. In those developing countries, normally the number of properly educated women is much smaller, when compared to the number of educated men. Lack of female education is a major cause of population increase. That’s why world leaders are putting so much emphasis to female education to slow down this population explosion.

Change begins with you

I’d like to address another issue which is family planning and birth control. In my country of 150 million people, many care very less about these two very important issues. Millions of people living in villages (and cities too) don’t just feel shy about family planning, they hate it. They leave their family size in the hands of faith which is a direct result of poor or no education. Thanks to many myths about family planning and precautions, the path of my country’s prosperity is hampered in a great deal. For those who don’t know yet, my country- Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world, where overpopulation is considered the main problem.

Now it’s your turn

You have heard what I have to say about world population and now it’s your turn. Share your views and opinions. Are you from an economically developed country or a developing country? Is your country overpopulated or is the population of your country rapidly rising? What can be the best possible solution to this problem? Is raising awareness enough to fight this global problem?

More links about population:
World Clock
Population Facts

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Communicate through Blogs Effectively

2009-07-06T15:03:00.007+07:00

Communication is the process of sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding. Oral communication is much spontaneous and most of the time easier to understand as it includes facial expressions, body language and emotion. But when it comes to written communication such as blogs, you will not be able to convey the desired message to the readers effectively if you don’t be careful. In that case you’ll fail to reach a common understanding and thus fail to communicate with your readers.

Simplicity in writing is the key to effective communication through blogs. You’ll have to maintain certain rules to keep the simplicity in writing and to keep the readers hooked.

Use familiar words
Selection of words is very important when it comes to writing. Many people believe that using difficult words in their writings enhance the beauty of their posts and reflect their intelligence. But that’s not the case at all. By using too much difficult words the writer actually kills the appeal of reading the post. In some cases difficult words challenge the intelligence of the reader, by which the reader might feel offended. Same goes for using too much technical words (words specialized for certain fields) and abbreviation. When using abbreviations, make sure that you have mentioned the full form of that at least once.

Remember, the readers of your blog might be coming from different countries, where English is not used as the primary mode of communication.

Choose short words
Short words often communicate better than longer words. If it doesn’t harm the meaning of the sentence, try to use short words instead of longer words. Between these two, which one is easier to understand:

1. The decision was based on the assumption that an abundance of readers is forthcoming.
2. The decision was based on the belief that there would be more readers.

Use concrete language
By concrete words I am referring to the words which form sharp, clear and specific meanings in our minds. Abstract words like “the majority” and “substantial amount”, has more generalized meaning which might not always be perfect to use.

A very large amount of profit has completely two meanings for a small retail shop and the Microsoft.

Try to avoid passive verbs and voice
Using passive verbs and voices too much takes away the strength of the language. So use more active verbs if it is possible.

Use examples
Try to give examples to make yourself clear. But the overuse of examples is not a good thing to do.

Never do stereotyping (must follow)
This is a fatal mistake that many bloggers and writers do. This has a very critical effect on readership. Stereotyping is the act of classifying or treating all the people of a society or community in the same way (especially in a negative way). Never ever make this mistake. When I say that “Bangladeshi’s are poor”, I am stereotyping. Because even though more than 50% people here live below the poverty line, there are hundreds of billionaires in this country. It’s just an example.

Avoid discriminating words (must follow)
Be very careful about words which can easily offend someone by its discriminating behavior. Never discriminate based on race, color, religion and gender. Be very careful when writing about “social status”.

I hope this helps you in writing better blog posts and increase readership.

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Month Review & Reader Appreciation: June 2009

2009-07-01T12:01:00.002+07:00

This is the start of the new series Month Review and Reader Appreciation.

Month Review

This month has been really great as long as blogging is concerned. I have blogged full time through out this month of June. Even after my summer vacation was over, I’m very happy to tell, I didn’t take any time off from blogging. I have posted 15 posts this month. Among these 15 posts 5 of my favorite posts are:

1. Bloggers Unite: For a Free Iran
2. Fight Bloggers Block and Depression
3. What Not to do to Fall Asleep
4. Bloggers Unite: Say No to Drug Abuse
5. Tipaimukh Dam Project: We Have to Protest

Random happiness

1. This blog has crossed the 100th post mark this month. The 100th post is: Bloggers Unite: Say No to Drug Abuse

2. Life as i know it stands still on PR3 after a PR update this month.

3. Chris Lloyd has answered to the request of mine and guest posted on this blog. The title of the post is: Self Improvement through Journaling

4. Two posts of this blog have been featured on kikolani.com which means a lot to me. The author of the blog Kristi is a great blogger and a friend of mine who blogs about social media, photography, and blogging tips. The featured posts are: Fight Bloggers Block and Depression and A Little Comparison: Part 2

Commentator of the Month

Life as i know it is nothing without its readers. I’m very proud to say that this blog has a very dedicated readership. I thank all the readers from the bottom of my heart. And it gives me great pleasure to say that, the most number of comments were shared by MindWriter this month. MindWriter is a blogger and a friend of mine from Bangladesh. She authors a personal blog.

Comment of the month

The comment of the month was shared by Timethief on Reduce Stress and Depression by Blogging. The commentator says:

"...Sometimes the simple act of writing things down can help me clarify my feelings and render them less emotionally and physically harmful. In my journal blogging I explore difficult thoughts, feelings, and situations and gain a better understanding of myself and a clearer insight into others. Blogging privately helps me analyze what's going on in my life, regain perspective on situations and people who are stressing me out, and helps me consider some options for dealing with them. It strengthens mt problem solving skills and leaves me feeling calm and collected..." read the full comment

Thank you all for being with Life as I know it throughout the month of June. I hope your love for this blog will never fade away. If you haven't already then you can subscribe to this blog's feed and stay connected.

Bloggers Unite: For a Free Iran

2009-06-29T01:01:00.010+07:00

First of all, I’d like to beg the forgiveness to the people of Iran and to Neda Agha Soltan for being ignorant for so long. For not keeping my eyes open for what is happening around me. How could I be so self centered?

As I gradually started to go deeper into the current issues of Iran, I was literally shocked and at one stage- afraid. The videos, which youtube is offering us, are horrifying. The video clip of Neda Agha Soltan dying in the street of Iran made me shiver. Looking at her eyes has made me realize why people of Iran call her the “voice of Iran”. Without saying a single word she said and commanded everything that day.

Rest in peace Neda

Current condition of Iran

I’m not going to comment on whether the 10th Iranian presidential election 2009 was fare or not as I don’t understand politics that well. But I must say that a fair election is one of the most basic rights of a person. And if there is enough reason to believe that the election wasn’t fair, then the government should come forward and show some proof on their behalf. Using force and fire power is miles away from the right thing to do. And this kind of behavior will definitely go (has gone) against them. Their method of subduing the mass people by capturing, injuring and killing people will never work. The official death count by far is 32. This can be called anything but democracy and freedom.

The freedom of speech and communication has also been reduced by the Iranian government which is really a shameful act. More than five million websites have been blocked/filtered including facebook and youtube. Before announcing the result of the election on 13th June, net connection was taken away for about 45 minutes which also can arise many doubts in our minds.

A controversial vantage point

Actually the protest didn't start right away after the announcement of the election result. Even though there were a few clashes at the night of the announcement, the "current" protest started 3 days after it. And for that reason many believe that international organizations like CIA and Mossad has taken advantage of the unrest in Iran and influenced it so that it gets out of proportion. This unstable situation might help them to crawl over Iran again. For those who doesn't know, CIA lost their "strong influence" over Iran in 1979. To add to this, America doesn't like Ahmedinejad because of many issues regarding Nuclear Power.

The "possible" main reasons behind this protest

1. For the demand of a fair election and a change.
2. For taking away the powers from Ahmedinejad.
3. For taking away Ahmedinejad from the power so that America can finally have a talk with the Iranian government about nuclear issues.
4. For regaining the powerful position of CIA in Iran.
5. What's your view on this?

Our support

People of Iran, never think that you are alone. We are with you. You are not fighting alone. We know that during the protest your basic human rights have been violated badly and as a citizen of the world, we can not let that happen. We will fight with you for your rights.

Our demands

1. Stop arresting peaceful protesters and oppositions right now. Release those who were taken captive by the government just because they "shared their views".
2. Freedom of speech.
3. An open internet access.
4. End of violence in Iran.
5. I demand a “show cause” for the government for their recent activities.
6. I demand a transparent election commission.
7. CIA or/and Mossad must not stick their nose in this national issue of Iran.

I DEMAND A FREE IRAN

Take action

1. Write a blog post and share your voice.
2. If you don’t have a blog then comment on relating posts.
3. Turn your profile pictures green or put a green badge to your profile picture. Use this to turn your twitter profile green.
4. Sign an online petition to UN.
5.Any suggestions?

Bloggers Unite has set the floor for us to unite our voices to show our support for a free Iran. As I always say, individual efforts can result in a big change when put together. So, don’t be hesitant about sharing your voice with the world. Prior to this event, I actually didn’t know much about these occurring in Iran. Thanks to Bloggers Unite for making me aware. I hope that it makes more people aware of what is going on in there.

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Bloggers Unite: Say No to Drug Abuse

2009-06-26T01:10:00.011+07:00

Today is the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking. The aim of this day is to raise consciousness against drug abuse and its dark effects on human body, mind and the society.

Don't let drugs control your life

What is drug abuse?

Drug abuse is the use of illicit drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities other than directed. Source

There are many reason for a teenager or a young adult to fall victim to this. Depression, trying to fit in, trying to relax or just simply trying to experiment can be some of the reasons for abusing drugs. But none of these can work as an excuse.

Some facts about drug abuse

Illegal drugs are spreading its wings over the world very quickly. The amount of money one can get by selling illegal drugs, drag thousands into drug trafficking. Currently there are about 208 million illegal drug users all over the world. The death toll for drug abuse is also very high. In USA alone 19,171 people die every year due to drug abuse. The demand for drugs in the society is increasing day by day. As the price of drugs is very high, crime rate has also raised so that the addicted people can collect the drug money.

What can we do?

We must raise awareness about the effects of taking drugs. Blogs and other media can be a nice platform for this.

Family members should be really supportive and they should keep a close eye on their youngster growing up. Drug users go through a sudden behavior and daily routine change. Parents should be aware of these changes. Taking proper steps in the early stages of addiction is far better and safer than reacting later.

Once someone is addicted to drugs and alcohol, it’s very hard for them to get away from this dark lifestyle. Professional help is needed to overcome this curse. But above all they need strong determination and support from their friends and family. Without this, I think that recovering from addiction will be next to impossible.

Authority must stand on a strict position to reduce and eradicate drug trafficking. As long as drugs are available in the streets, the number of illegal drug users will increase. We have to stand beside the government and create a social barricade to keep the illicit drugs out.

If you write a post on this day or on this issue, please be sure to notify me, as I’ll love to read your post.

Thanks to Bloggers Unite for giving us the floor to write about this serious issue.

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This was the 100th post of this blog

Tipaimukh Dam Project: We have to Protest

2009-06-24T01:10:00.002+07:00

What is the power of a blog? What changes can a blog bring? Do bloggers love their country? What price are they willing to pay for that love? Are they brave enough?

I am frustrated. I am frustrated because at this moment I am not being able to do anything but to write. Will writing solve this great problem of ours? Will writing solve any problem of ours?

After the project of Farakka Dam, India is starting another similar project which is equally (if not more) dangerous for the ecology and Bangladesh. India has taken Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project in hand. It involves creating a dam in an international river- Barak, in the state of Manipur, just 200 km away from the Bangladesh border. According to international laws, without the permission of the downstream river nation, one country can not control the flow of a multination river. But it is very sad that India cares little about what Bangladesh has to say about this issue. They proceeded with their plans without even consulting Bangladesh.

E-Pao lists the consequences of building this dam in this location:

1. A total land of 826.20 sq. km will be submerged for ever.
2. More than 40,000 people will be rendered landless.
3. Eight villages situated at the Barak Valley will be completely underwater.
4. About 27,242 hectares of cultivable land will be lost.
5. Increase in salinity of ground water will be unsafe for drinking thereby causing a lot of problems to the people.
6. Many more at the E-Pao site.

If India builds the dam on the River Barak, the water-flow of the River Meghna in Bangladesh will be hampered in a great deal. This will dry up 350 km long Shurma and 110 km long Kushiara River. As a result the north eastern Bangladesh will face severe environmental and economical consequences. It is considered that Sylhet, which is full of flora and fauna, will turn into a desert if this dam is built. Thousands of people and many organizations form the both countries are protesting against this project as it is a great threat to the ecology. Another thing to know is that there had been major earthquakes (8+) in the last 50 years on the location of the dam. But Indian government is going ahead with this project as they planned.

As bloggers the minimum thing to do is to write posts about this issue and create a mass protest against it. I invite all the bloggers across the world especially in Bangladesh and India to raise their voice against this injustice. Let’s fight legally to save the thousands of people, their lands and the environment.

What can we do as bloggers, readers and responsible persons?
1. Write a blog post. If you write a post about this issue I’ll be happy to read your post and link back to some posts.
2. Sign an online petition.
3. Join the Facebook group on this issue.
4. Any suggestions?

these badges can be used in blog posts

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Further reading (outside links):
No to Tipaimukh Dam
Damned Hearings of Proposed Tipaimukh Dam
Amra Tipaimukh Badher Biruddhe (bangla blog)

A Little Comparison: Part 2

2009-06-21T01:19:00.017+07:00

These are pictures of some of the many street children of Bangladesh. Observe this pictures and compare it with your childhood. This might help you to be grateful for what you have.

Picture courtesy by Hasibul Sakib Haque. The photographer's contact id: insane_capture@yahoo.com

I often brag about my childhood and cry out loud about how miserable it was. But really it is not such a big deal. It could have been much worse. There are more than 674,000 street children in Bangladesh. 75% of them are from the capital Dhaka, the city where I am from. I easily could have been one of them.

85% of these street children never receive any assistance form the government or different NGOs. They have to fight to survive when my little brother can easily watch cartoon network. They are deprived from education, so it is really hard for them to turn their fortune around. And it is more likely that their children will also belong to the streets. In 2001 their average daily income was 0.55 us dollars. With this money they have to eat and sometimes have to support their family.

What should be the initiative to change this dirty fact? What can we do? I don’t know. But I’d like to help.

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Change the Time: Reminder to Bangladesh

2009-06-19T10:06:00.008+06:00

Bangladesh government has decided to implement Daylight Saving for the first time. Today at 2300 hours local time (+6 GMT) the time must be set to 2400 hours. That means today at 11 pm it will be 12 am in Bangladesh. Even though this kind of initiative is 100 years old and about 70 countries are familiar with this, we are just stepping into it for the first time. So at first it might seem a little bit confusing and hard to adjust. But we have to obey this decision and I'm sure we'll be used to this in no time.

So don’t forget to set the time correctly in your phones and computers also.

We will be 7 hours ahead o GMT now, right?

What not to do to Fall Asleep

2009-06-18T08:13:00.008+06:00

I am facing another old problem of mine (again), which is sleep disorder. No matter what I do (sorry, but I am against sleeping pills), it seems like I can not sleep for more than 4 hours a day. And that gets really tiring if it continues for 10 days straight.

The things which I’m doing (or have done) to fall asleep are probably the wrong thing to do as they are not working at all. In fact they are working in the opposite direction. So, I’m pointing out those things, so that you don’t make the same mistake…

5 not-to-do-things to fall asleep:

1. If you are suddenly awake at the middle of the night, never ever play games or use net on your phone to pass time until you fall back asleep. This will never work. The bright light of the phone near your eyes will devastate whatever sleep you have left in you.

2. Don’t think about what your next blog post is going to be about. This might be beneficial to your blog, but I don’t think this will be any help to fall asleep. I read in some book that if you concentrate on a matter your brain gets tired and you fall asleep. But I don’t know why, but concentrating on a serious matter at night, evaporates my sleep completely.

3. Don’t change your position too quickly and too fast.

4. Don’t watch too much television before going to bed. This will definitely hamper your sleep.

5. I did this thing for a few days which didn’t work. I tried to work out before going to bed so that my body gets tired enough to fall asleep. But later I came to know that you are not supposed to work out in atleast 3 hours before bed time. If you get too tired it’s often hard to sleep.

I want to sleep so badly, but I am not sleepy… oh! :’(

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Summer Vacation: Utilized Properly

2009-06-16T00:04:00.000+06:00

So, the one month long summer vacation has ended at last. This was the only summer vacation when I could spend time as I wanted, not how the school or college wanted. That’s why it was a lot more fun. But more importantly, this was the first vacation that I utilized properly and beyond my expectations.

In this year I wasn’t quite able to spend as much time in blogging as I should. And this fact was bothering me a lot. So I decided to spend this vacation solely to blogging. I made a list of goals and what I had to do to achieve those at the very beginning of the vacation. Due to various reasons my readership along with the traffic rating had declined to a depressing stage. I had to do something to change this. Below I’m pointing out the things I wanted to do.

1. I knew I had to change the design of my blog. MrsBlog also helped me a lot to get started (thank you). So I made some necessary blog improvements which have made my blog look more professional. Also adopted some easy but essential SEO.

2. To retrieve the flow of traffic and faithful readership, I had to start posting regularly again. My primary goal was to post 2 articles a week. But I ended up posting 3 per week. That resulted in an almost 90% increase in the number of daily visitors.

3. So that I don’t fall in the hands of blogger’s block again, I decided to write some back-up posts. These posts will work as a ladder to get over blogger’s block.

I’m very happy to see how things have turned out to be.

Set up goals to maximize the benefit

I recommend that you also set up short term and long term goals. But don’t just sit there after writing the goals. Try to write down how you are going to achieve those goals and work hard to turn that into reality. Best of luck.

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New 7 Wonders of Nature

2009-06-14T00:12:00.009+06:00

Bernard Webber said, “If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it.” And to make our appreciation count he has launched a program called New 7 Wonders. Here we get to nominate and vote for the places which we find worthy of our appreciation. By our votes the new 7 wonders of nature will be selected. This is a great chance to give recognition to 7 great natural beauties and take a step forward towards their protection.

This selection process consists of 3 steps. First we get to nominate and vote for our worthy candidates (1 vote, 7 candidates). Then among the top 77 nominees, the "new 7 wonders" panel of experts will select 28 finalists. After that we will again get the chance to vote for our favorites among them. Finally the top voted 7 natural beauties from 7 different categories will be honored as they will be named the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The first round (primary voting round) is about to end (24 days left). The last date for voting is July 7, 2009. Have you voted for n7w of nature? If not, vote now and take a step towards protecting the environment, protecting what you love. Before I talk about how to vote, please allow me the time to talk about two great natural beauties.

Cox’s Bazaar: world’s longest natural beach

Cox’s Bazzar, situated at the south east part of Bangladesh, is the world’s longest natural beach. It stretches over 155 kilometers. The beauty of the beach can not be described in words. You just have to see it, to believe it. To vote for Cox’s Bazaar choose "Seascape" from “category” or “Asia” from “continent” and select Cox’a Bazaar Beach from the right drop down menu. Its current position is 2nd in its group. (polls closed)

The Sundarbans: world’s largest mangrove forest

The Sundarbans, situated jointly in Bangladesh (south-west part) and India, is the world’s largest mangrove forest. It stretches over 10,000 squire kilometers and acts as a protecting shield against storms, cyclones and hurricane. If this forest wasn’t here then the cyclone Aila would have caused us more devastation. This is the home of the world famous Royal Bengal of Tiger. This forest habitats more than 120 species of commercially important fish, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 emphibian species. This forest is also the main income source of millions of people living nearby. To vote for the Sundarbans choose "Forest, National Park" from “category” or “Asia” from “continent” and choose the Sunderbans Forest from the right drop down menu. Its current position is 3rd in its group. (polls closed)

I really hope that you vote for the new 7 wonders (and for Sundarbans). Before voting you will have to register your email id. You can do that in the middle of the voting process too, without ruining your votes. The website will guide you. After voting you will be sent a confirmation email massage. Once you check out the email, your votes will be counted. You can vote multiple times using multiple email IDs. So, what are you waiting for?

Update July 7, 2009: The primary voting round is over. Visit the new7wonders site to vote for the second round.

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Sorry for the Late Reply

2009-06-13T17:11:00.000+06:00

My home’s internet connection has been out for the last 8 days (I’m in my department’s computer lab now). So I was unable to entertain my readers by replying their comments and visiting their blogs. I hope that today the net problem will be fixed and I’ll be able to do what is due.

Once again, truly sorry for the late reply. I really hope that it doesn’t happen again.

Peace and best wishes
Irtiza104

Fight Blogger's Block and Depression

2009-06-10T00:24:00.001+06:00

We know that blo gging reduces stress and depression. It is also cool to have a web address of our own. Starting a new blog is easy, but carrying it out might be a little difficult sometimes. After posting a few blog posts, it is very natural to face writer’s block (more appropriately blogger’s block) when you will not be able to think of a subject to blog on. Being stuck in blogger’s block is a very depressing state. But with a little help you can snap out of your blogger’s block as well as blogging depression.

I am pointing out some things which will help you to fight blogger's block.

Keep a blogging diary
This has proven really helpful for me. I keep a diary/notepad beside my bed all the time and whenever a thought crosses my mind, which might be worth sharing, I point it out. Later I research about that point and before you know it, a post is ready to be published.

Don’t cross out a point without giving it a fair chance.

Read newspaper daily
This is also a great idea to get an “idea” to blog about. Read the paper and if any news strikes to you as interesting, you can do a little research about it and see if you can turn it into a blog post. One of my previous posts- Cyclone Aila: Bangladesh Takes Another Blow was influenced by a news about the cyclone which devastated Bangladesh on May 25, 2009. 7 Tied Up Deer Rescued was also influenced by the newspaper. Reading more blogs is also a good idea.

Don’t copy from newspaper or anywhere else; just get the idea and then research.

Go through the events of BlogersUnite
This is a great way to come up with an idea to blog about. Bloggers Unite is a non-profit organization which units bloggers to raise social awareness. There are hundreds of events at their site which you can join. To join an event you'll have to register which will take 1-2 minutes. After registering you will find out events which interest you and blog about those. This way not only you are overcoming writer's block, but also you are doing a noble thing by raising public awareness.

Write a review
Even though I don’t do this kind of things, I see thousands of bloggers doing it. So I guess it has some reader value. If you are stuck with your blog you can write a review about a book or upcoming movie or a new product. But personally speaking, I’d be more interested in reading a blog review from your niche rather than any product review.

Publish guest posts
This process actually doesn’t break your blogger’s block, but it will buy you some valuable time to think about a post, without making your readers wait. You can publish a post like “Do you want to guest post on this blog?” to find out guest bloggers. You can also get the help of twitter. But the best way to find a good guest blogger is by reading good blogs of your niche and contacting the bloggers one by one. But the hard work will pay off when someone will write a guest post like Admitting is the first step.

Before publishing, do a little research to find out whether the post is duplicate or not.

Interview interesting bloggers
You can publish interviews of different bloggers who belong to your niche but don’t have much exposure. In this way both of you will be benefited.

Be sure to ask questions in your first email. It will increase your chance of getting an affirmative reply.

Blog about blog improvements
You can blog about the changes you made since you first started blogging. Or you can blog about how your writing style and patterns have evolved since the beginning. You can also sneak in a post about why you picked up this niche at the first place.

Look for PLR articles
This might be a little desperate move. PLR articles and products are an inexpen$ive way to find and publish posts in your blog. For more details about PLR you can visit timethief’s “Blogging and Private label rights products”.

Make sure you rewrite the plr article. If you don’t it might be considered as a duplicate post.

Keep some posts ready
Prevention is better than cure. When you are feeling like blogging it’s better to write more than one post and preserve it for future. So, whenever you feel like you are approaching the wall (blogger’s block) use that reserved article as a ladder to overcome the obstacle.

Take a blogging break
Sometimes it is just for the best that you take a break from the blogging world and concentrate on something else. I also took a break for almost four months, but now I’m up and blogging. And I’m very happy (and a bit proud) to say that I am doing much better than before.

Consider this as your last option

We don’t just blog for ourselves; we have some obligations to our readers and subscribers. So it is best to deal with blogger’s block as fast as possible. Have you ever been through a blogger’s block? How did you manage to overcome it? You know how I deal with this problem, now how about you share your secrets?

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Self Improvement Through Journaling

2009-06-08T00:01:00.001+06:00

Posted by guest author Chris Lloyd

I have tried almost every form self improvement there is… meditation, NLP, hypnosis, goal setting... you name it! All of them can be helpful, but if I could only recommend one thing to someone beginning an earnest self-improvement program- I would definitely go with keeping a journal.

If you are interested in self-improvement it is because you are not happy with some part of your life (maybe every part of your life). In many cases it is safe to assume that your current situation is a result of your thoughts and behavior patterns. Self reflection helps a lot to get to know those patters and make modifications where necessary.

A journal encourages self-reflection and introspection. The act of writing about yourself and your actions forces you to examine exactly what you are feeling and doing. It is extremely difficult to write about your day without examining your actions more objectively. Journaling on a regular basis helps you to start learning the patterns that are affecting your life. It is an excellent medium for self discovery.

There are many ways for you to reflect on your patterns. Journaling, however, is the simplest and most flexible way. It can take as much or as little time as you want. It can be very formal or very casual. You can use an old-fashioned journal or use something digital (like blogging). And almost any way you maintain a journal, it is essentially free.

How to start

The only problem for some people is getting started. I have been a fan of journaling for several years now and I have helped several friends to get started. Some people don’t know where to start. I tell them to just write one sentence. It starts the ball rolling and most people won’t stop at one sentence. Some people need a little more structure to get started. I give these people some questions to answer when they write. Talk about the best or worst thing you did in a day. Write about what you are grateful for or what you could improve on in the future.

Self discovery or more specifically, self improvement might be the best thing about keeping a journal. As long as you start reflecting, there really is no wrong way to do it. So, try it now.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you keep a journal? Is it on paper or in the form of an online blog (personal diary)?
2. How much has it helped you in your path of self discovery?
3. If the answer of the first question is “no” then will you consider starting a journal?

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