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Dhaka Tribune<br />
vol 5 Issue 5 | friDAY, May 19, 2017<br />
6<br />
Kitchen<br />
chronicles<br />
8<br />
Food<br />
diary<br />
15 Online<br />
security
CONTENTS 1<br />
Volume 5 | Issue 5 | May 19, 2017<br />
Editor<br />
Zafar Sobhan<br />
Features Editor<br />
Sabrina Fatma Ahmad<br />
Magazine Editor<br />
Farina Noireet<br />
Deputy Magazine Editors<br />
Khan N Moushumi<br />
Shuprova Tasneem<br />
<strong>Weekend</strong> Tribune Team<br />
Saudia Afrin<br />
Mahmood Hossain<br />
Moumita Ahmed<br />
Tasfia Huda<br />
Baizid Haque Joarder<br />
Saqib Sarker<br />
Mahmood Sadi<br />
Sabiha Akond Rupa<br />
Contributors<br />
Ishrat Jahan<br />
Md Abdul Quayyum<br />
Rifaqat Rasheed<br />
Farzana Romine<br />
Cartoons<br />
Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy<br />
Priyo<br />
Graphics<br />
Md Mahbub Alam<br />
Alamgir Hossain<br />
Shahadat Hossain<br />
Colour Specialist<br />
Shekhar Mondal<br />
Advertisement<br />
Shahin Ahsan<br />
Production<br />
Masum Billah<br />
Circulation<br />
Masud Kabir Pavel<br />
Website<br />
dhakatribune.com/weekend<br />
facebook.com/<strong>Weekend</strong>Trib<br />
Email your letters to:<br />
weekend@dhakatribune.com<br />
4<br />
10<br />
Trending<br />
Women’s fashion<br />
Photo Story<br />
Elder care<br />
Editor’s note<br />
Dear Readers,<br />
Eating out and shopping being the<br />
most common choice of recreation<br />
for those who can afford it in<br />
Dhaka, it’s hardly a surprise that<br />
our beloved capital is fast turning<br />
into quite the melting pot in terms<br />
of offering a delightful array of local<br />
and multi-cuisine delectables, as<br />
well as a healthy fusion of trendy,<br />
innovative styles.<br />
Aarong has long been a<br />
favourite with both locals and<br />
expats in Bangladesh and, over the<br />
years, has only grown in reputation<br />
as one of the country’s top fashion<br />
houses. Our Trending section this<br />
week features a colourful spread<br />
of their latest line – Herstory by<br />
Aarong – hot from the runway, at<br />
the glamorous event they hosted at<br />
Radisson last week.<br />
We also have a fun piece from<br />
an epicurious foodie on the rising<br />
trend of brunch and all the great<br />
options you have in Dhaka.<br />
In our constant effort to bring<br />
our readers a balanced variety<br />
of articles every week, we have<br />
featured a range of other topics<br />
as well, from online security to<br />
healthcare initiatives for sex<br />
workers.<br />
Finally, in light of World Museum<br />
Day on May 18, we end with an<br />
informative list on six museums in<br />
Dhaka you need to visit.<br />
Wishing our readers a happy<br />
weekend.<br />
Farina Noireet<br />
News<br />
2 News<br />
3 Meanwhile<br />
Features<br />
6 Cook your own way<br />
Kitchen chronicles<br />
8 Epicurious<br />
Food diary<br />
9 App<br />
Harriken<br />
12 Event<br />
Digital innovation<br />
13 Workshop<br />
Event<br />
14 Tech<br />
15 Musing<br />
Online security<br />
16 Digital Culture<br />
Privacy<br />
17 Initiative<br />
Healthcare for sex workers<br />
19 Biz Info<br />
20 World Museum Day<br />
Local heritage<br />
Regulars<br />
18 Stay in<br />
On the cover<br />
Photo: Aarong<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
2 News | This week<br />
The world at a glance<br />
Trump defends ‘absolute right’ to share ‘facts’ with Russia<br />
Embattled US President Donald<br />
Trump insisted last Tuesday he<br />
had the right to share “facts” with<br />
Russia, one day after bombshell<br />
allegations that he divulged highly<br />
classified intelligence to Russian<br />
diplomats in the Oval Office.<br />
According to an explosive report<br />
from the Washington Post, Trump<br />
revealed highly classified information<br />
on the Islamic State group during<br />
a meeting last week with Russian<br />
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and<br />
Moscow’s man in Washington Sergey<br />
Kislyak.<br />
“As President I wanted to share<br />
with Russia (at an openly scheduled<br />
WH meeting) which I have the<br />
absolute right to do, facts pertaining<br />
to terrorism and airline flight safety,”<br />
Trump pushed back in an early<br />
morning tweet.<br />
Trump wrote that he was motivated<br />
by “humanitarian reasons, plus I want<br />
Russia to greatly step up their fight<br />
against ISIS and terrorism.”<br />
Photo: AP<br />
Local<br />
Murder case<br />
lodged against<br />
Test skipper<br />
Mushfiqur’s<br />
father<br />
Iran reformist drops out of election, supports Rouhani<br />
reformist candidate dropped out<br />
A of Iran’s presidential election last<br />
Tuesday and threw his support behind<br />
President Hassan Rouhani, in a widely<br />
expected move that will strengthen<br />
the incumbent’s campaign against a<br />
hard-liner.<br />
Eshaq Jahangiri, senior vice<br />
president under Rouhani, dropped<br />
out, leaving just four candidates in<br />
the race. Rouhani also has the support<br />
Archaeologists last week dug up<br />
17 mummies and other artifacts<br />
from ancient Egypt near a historical<br />
Osama bin Laden’s son has vowed<br />
revenge on the west for killing<br />
his father and is set to become the<br />
next leader of al-Qaeda, according to<br />
documents seized from bin Laden’s<br />
Pakistan compound when he was<br />
killed by US Navy Seals in 2011.<br />
“I consider myself... to be forged in<br />
steel,” Hamza bin Laden, now thought<br />
to be around 28 wrote. “The path of<br />
of former President Mohammad<br />
Khatami, another reformist, who<br />
endorsed him on Sunday.<br />
On Monday, Tehran Mayor<br />
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dropped<br />
out of the election to back hard-liner<br />
Ebrahim Raisi.<br />
The election is largely viewed as a<br />
referendum on the nuclear deal struck<br />
with world powers and shepherded by<br />
Rouhani’s administration. Iran agreed<br />
17 new mummies from Ancient Egypt<br />
animal graveyard, and they expect to<br />
discover even more.<br />
AFP reported the mummies, which<br />
were not of ancient royals, were<br />
uncovered in catacombs a few hours<br />
southwest of Cairo while the experts<br />
were “following a trail of burial shafts.”<br />
They were not the only discovery.<br />
There were limestone and clay<br />
sarcophagi, the decorated coffins<br />
often used in ancient Egyptian burials,<br />
documents written in the ancient<br />
Osama bin Laden’s son vows revenge on the west<br />
jihad for the sake of God is what we<br />
live.”<br />
Bin Laden hoped his<br />
son Hamza would eventually succeed<br />
him.<br />
Hamza was 22-years-old when the<br />
letter was written and his leadership<br />
potential had been recognised when<br />
he was a boy.<br />
Photo: AFP<br />
to limit its enrichment of uranium<br />
in exchange for the lifting of some<br />
economic sanctions.<br />
Photo: AP<br />
Egyptian script called Demotic on<br />
papyrus and gold, and animal coffins.<br />
The mummies still need to be<br />
officially dated, but it’s possible they<br />
are from 300 years before Alexander<br />
the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC,<br />
known as the Late Period, or from a<br />
period shortly afterward during which<br />
Ptolemy, Alexander’s general, and his<br />
family ruled the land until 30 BC.<br />
Photo: AFP<br />
murder case was filed<br />
A against Bangladesh Test<br />
skipper Mushfiqur Rahim’s<br />
father, Mahbub Hamid Tara,<br />
his brother Mejbah-ul-Hamid,<br />
a local municipality councillor<br />
of Awami League, and 14 others<br />
in connection with the killing<br />
of teenager Mashuk Ferdous on<br />
Sunday.<br />
The victim’s father, Emdadul<br />
Haq, filed the case with Bogra<br />
Sadar police station on Tuesday<br />
evening. In the case statement,<br />
the plaintiff alleged that<br />
Mahbub was involved in the<br />
killing of his son over previous<br />
enmity regarding a position in<br />
the managing committee of<br />
Matidali High School in Bogra<br />
town.<br />
Mashuk was found lying near<br />
his home with grievous head<br />
injuries. He was taken to a local<br />
hospital where he was declared<br />
dead the same night. After the<br />
murder, Mahbub claimed that<br />
he had no rivalry with Emdad<br />
and condemned the incident,<br />
demanding punishment of the<br />
killers.<br />
News: Dhaka Tribune<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
. . . Meanwhile 3<br />
Photo of the week<br />
Dhaka dwellers<br />
spending Shab-e-<br />
Baraat in prayers,<br />
in the midst of the<br />
city crowd at Baitul<br />
Mukarram Mosque in<br />
the capital on May 11.<br />
Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu<br />
Say what<br />
Last Monday, things really<br />
went off the rails at Union<br />
Station in Washington DC<br />
when a video screen meant to play<br />
ads started showing porn instead.<br />
The porn suddenly appeared on<br />
the digital screen in the Main Hall<br />
around 5:30pm and lasted about<br />
three minutes.<br />
A bystander recorded the<br />
explicit footage, which appeared<br />
to be streaming from the Pornhub<br />
website, according to the<br />
Washington Post.<br />
One woman who witnessed the<br />
accidental porn told the paper it left<br />
her speechless.<br />
“I couldn’t believe this was<br />
happening in public and especially<br />
during rush hour,” the woman told<br />
the paper. “I mean, it was really<br />
explicit porn being shown on this<br />
huge screen and no one could turn<br />
it off.”<br />
Porn blasts<br />
on huge<br />
screen<br />
at train<br />
station<br />
during rush<br />
hour<br />
Beverly Swaim-Staley, president<br />
and CEO of the Union Station<br />
Redevelopment Corporation, said<br />
the video screen is supposed to<br />
display ads, announcements and<br />
names of businesses in the station.<br />
She suspects the screen was<br />
hacked, but is still investigating.•<br />
News and photo: Huffington Post<br />
Aries (Mar21-Apr19): You’ll be willing<br />
to think outside the box and embrace<br />
new ideas in a very down-to-earth<br />
way. Studying and networking could<br />
also be important.<br />
Taurus (Apr20-May20): You might<br />
want to share ideas that you’ve been<br />
mulling over recently. You’re very<br />
much in your element this week,<br />
and it could be an opportunity to<br />
take steps to fulfil one of your heart’s<br />
desires.<br />
Gemini (May21-June20): You may<br />
find that you’re naturally more<br />
connected with your feelings. This<br />
week and over the coming weeks it<br />
may become easier to discuss issues<br />
that you’ve so far kept to yourself.<br />
Cancer (June21-Jul22): Your social life<br />
gets a boost, which could encourage you<br />
out and about. If a new club or dating<br />
website beckons, this might be the time<br />
you go for it.<br />
Leo (Jul23-Aug22): You might be in the<br />
spotlight this week. This is your chance<br />
to show off your skills and let others<br />
know what you can do.<br />
Virgo (Aug23-Sep22): You may become<br />
curious about exploring countries or<br />
cultures you’ve never encountered<br />
before. The coming weeks might see you<br />
booking a vacation to a place that can<br />
provide sensual delights and plenty to<br />
explore.<br />
Libra (Sep23-Oct22): You may be thrilled<br />
by a relationship that seems to offer<br />
something different. This person could<br />
be a breath of fresh air in your life,<br />
enabling you to see key issues from a<br />
fresh perspective.<br />
Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21): If you’ve<br />
experienced some difficulty in your<br />
money making ability recently, a key<br />
blend of energies could coincide with a<br />
job offer that is very good for you.<br />
Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec21): You could<br />
find that a new hobby or creative activity<br />
has a liberating effect on you, bringing<br />
new friendships your way.<br />
Capricorn (Dec22-Jan19): While you may<br />
be very busy with your job, a focus on<br />
your leisure sector could entice you to<br />
explore hobbies that you might relish.<br />
Aquarius (Jan20-Feb18): This week<br />
could see you getting organised at home<br />
by clearing out closets and tackling<br />
chores. You might be able to earn extra<br />
money by selling items you no longer<br />
need.<br />
Pisces (Feb19-Mar20): This can be a good<br />
time to increase your income if you act<br />
on an idea. It could be a game changer<br />
for you. •<br />
horoscopes<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
4 Trending | Women’s fashion<br />
HERSTORY by<br />
Aarong<br />
One of the country’s<br />
leading labels puts<br />
on an excellent<br />
presentation at their annual fashion show<br />
Mahmood Hossain<br />
Entering the show through a curved, cave-like tunnel,<br />
guests were instantly embraced by the pristine ambiance<br />
of a rainforest. It has to be noted that the conventional<br />
layout of a runway has been thrown out the window.<br />
Aarong’s deep-rooted connection to its ethnic background remains,<br />
but it’s good to know they play quite well with modern aesthetics.<br />
The runway in the Grand Ball Room at the Radisson Blu was a figure<br />
eight, winding around propped up tropical trees and other lush<br />
greenery, complimented by the flawless lighting.<br />
The new collection introduced a series of looks that could have<br />
easily been used for print or online consumption as a brilliant visual<br />
treat. The first run was a vintage take on hair and makeup, which<br />
was accompanied by 1930s throwback of the Big Band era, playing<br />
“Sing, Sing, Sing” by Benny Goodman through the appropriately<br />
placed speakers. The show transitioned through the local tongues,<br />
subtle jazz tunes and even an eardrum assault by the unapologetic<br />
MIA. The latter introduced the new sub-brand HERSTORY – a fresh<br />
new take on designer wear for the modern woman.<br />
Each line of the new collection was on display in the finest form.<br />
From exquisite Mughal inspired sarees to infused splashes of capes<br />
and unorthodox elongated jewelry, each look demanded the proper<br />
attention. What began as the first steps to discovery in uncharted<br />
territory, quickly turned into an elegant summer soiree in this<br />
particular plush jungle. The reactions gathered by the audience<br />
seemed to be a pleasantly surprising one. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
5<br />
May 13, 2017, Aarong’s Fashion Show <br />
Photos: Courtesy<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
6 Cook your own way | Kitchen chronicles<br />
Light, summer meals<br />
Farzana Romine<br />
Summer is here and spending time in the kitchen in this hot, humid weather is getting tougher by the day. During summer, I<br />
really like having easy simple meals, with big portions of salad on the side. Today I am sharing my very quick recipes for two<br />
salads and a grilled dish, which you can whip up in less than 30 minutes. It’s really refreshing in this hot weather and you<br />
don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. Hope you will enjoy them.<br />
Grilled<br />
shrimp<br />
and<br />
chicken<br />
Ingredients:<br />
For the chicken:<br />
1 chicken breast<br />
1/4 tsp red chilli flakes<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
2 tbsp hot sauce, such as<br />
Tabasco or Sriracha<br />
1 clove of garlic, minced<br />
For the shrimp:<br />
10 medium sized shrimps<br />
1 tbsp minced cilantro root<br />
2 tsp mixed dried herbs like<br />
oregano, basil, thyme, etc<br />
1 tsp minced garlic<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
Directions:<br />
Mix the ingredients for the<br />
chicken and shrimp separately.<br />
Leave to marinate for 30<br />
minutes.<br />
Heat your griddle pan over<br />
high heat. Oil it lightly. Grill the<br />
chicken for five to six minutes<br />
and shrimp for four to five<br />
minutes until cooked through.<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
7<br />
Mango<br />
Avocado<br />
salsa<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 avocado<br />
1 ripe mango<br />
1 small cucumber<br />
2 tbsp minced red onion<br />
2 green chillies, finely chopped<br />
2 tbsp fresh lime juice<br />
A handfull of cilantro leaves,<br />
chopped<br />
Salt to taste<br />
Directions:<br />
Cut the cucumber, avocado<br />
and mango into small cubes.<br />
Now mix everything together<br />
and serve with the grilled fish<br />
and chicken.<br />
Note<br />
You can make these<br />
salads without avocados<br />
too. You can use any<br />
available fruits or<br />
veggies you like.<br />
Glazed<br />
carrot<br />
salad<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 medium sized carrot<br />
1/2 avocado<br />
1 small bunch of lettuce<br />
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds<br />
1 small cucumber<br />
For the dressing:<br />
1/2 tsp toasted poppy seeds<br />
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
2 tsp honey<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp black pepper<br />
For the glaze:<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 tsp sugar<br />
1/4 tsp paprika<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
Black pepper, as needed<br />
Directions:<br />
Mix together the ingredients<br />
for the dressing and set aside.<br />
To glaze the carrots, heat<br />
olive oil in a pan. Cut the<br />
carrots like thick French fries.<br />
Once the oil is hot, add the<br />
carrots. Cook for two minutes.<br />
Now add the sugar, salt and<br />
black pepper and cook until the<br />
sugar starts to caramelise.<br />
Once it’s slightly<br />
caramelised, add 1/4 cup water,<br />
then mix and cook the carrots<br />
until they are tender and the<br />
water has evaporated. Sprinkle<br />
paprika and take it off the heat<br />
and let it cool slightly.<br />
Slice the other salad<br />
ingredients as you like.<br />
To assemble, mix everything<br />
together and add the dressing.<br />
Toss it well and serve. •<br />
Photos: Farzana Romine<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
8 Epicurious | Food diary<br />
Its<br />
Brunch<br />
time!<br />
Rifaqat Rasheed<br />
So, I like to keep a close eye<br />
on what is happening in<br />
the local culinary scene in<br />
Dhaka; I mean eating out<br />
is what keeps us Dhakaites sane<br />
right? I guess I could go to the park<br />
or watch football or do whatever<br />
wholesome activities the normal<br />
populace indulges in, but activities<br />
which involve the possibility<br />
of dessert seem so much more<br />
appealing. Under my watchful<br />
(and high blood sugary) gaze a new<br />
and delicious trend seems to be<br />
emerging, a trend that every food<br />
junkie can appreciate, a trend that<br />
takes your standard three meals<br />
day and then laughs at it for being<br />
malnourished and underweight!<br />
Rejoice all ye worthy, a new meal<br />
has joined the holy trinity! Say<br />
hello to brunch!<br />
Brunch (although not named<br />
thusly) was initially a repast<br />
favoured by hunters who would<br />
be up at the crack of dawn to track<br />
their prey. I imagine someone up at<br />
the wee hours of the day would be<br />
hungry enough to eat their boots<br />
by lunchtime. So they would pack<br />
something simple, most often bread,<br />
cheese and egg to tide them through<br />
until the afternoon meal. Now<br />
the actual term, this delightful<br />
portmanteau combining two of<br />
my favourite three words in the<br />
English language (the third being<br />
dinner of course) was first coined<br />
in 1895. However brunch, as we<br />
see it now, came about in the USA<br />
half a century later. In true red and<br />
blue style, the common hunter’s<br />
meal transformed itself into the go to<br />
repast for the jet setting upper crust.<br />
Basically the J-Los, and Brad Pitts<br />
of the 1930s would rise bleary eyed<br />
and hungover from a night out on<br />
and order a late breakfast from room<br />
service. Hoteliers (being cannily<br />
adept at separating dollar bills from<br />
their owners) realised quite quickly<br />
that this was a grand opportunity to<br />
earn some incremental greenbacks.<br />
They also realised that it was in their<br />
best interests to ensure that their<br />
clientele were suitably “mellow”<br />
for the rest of the day as well. Thus<br />
the modern brunch menu was born,<br />
filled with “decadent spreads of food<br />
and signature morning cocktails,<br />
such as Bloody Marys, Bellinis and<br />
Mimosas.”<br />
“But kind sir,” I hear you ask<br />
“Why this convoluted history<br />
lesson on this oh so delectable<br />
topic?” Well we in modern day<br />
Dhaka are experiencing a restaurant<br />
renaissance of sorts. The burgeoning<br />
middle class and the increase in<br />
disposable incomes have resulted in<br />
a boom for the culinary industry in<br />
this fair city of ours. And of course<br />
the sophistication of the industry has<br />
created a gastronomic citizenship<br />
with a much more sophisticated<br />
palate than the foodies of yesteryear.<br />
To keep up with this increasingly<br />
international client base, many<br />
We in modern day Dhaka are experiencing a<br />
restaurant renaissance of sorts<br />
eateries are now offering menus<br />
which cater to these sophisticated<br />
aspirations. And if sophistications<br />
and class were an Olympic sport then<br />
brunch would be on the winner’s<br />
podium cradling a glass of Moet and<br />
reaching for the orange juice.<br />
So over the course of these past<br />
couple of years I have had the good<br />
Photos: Courtesy<br />
fortune to sample many of the fine<br />
brunch menus our city has to offer.<br />
There are a bunch of options at<br />
different price points, so I thought<br />
I’d give my two paisas on where<br />
I experienced the best brunch in<br />
Dhaka so far.<br />
The first contender is to Bistro<br />
E. Located in the gorgeous Bay<br />
Edgewater Tower in Gulshan by the<br />
Baridhara lake, this is a stylish eatery<br />
with a great (albeit bereft of variety)<br />
brunch menu. The eggs benedict<br />
was delish, just the right amount of<br />
runniness and the hollandaise was<br />
smooth with enough bite to give it<br />
character. For dessert, the French<br />
toast with strawberry compote was<br />
also good, but nothing to write home<br />
about. All in all, a solid effort but<br />
there was something missing. Like<br />
modern remakes of classic songs,<br />
everything (including the décor) was<br />
very nicely done but a little sterile<br />
and missing a certain charm.<br />
On to contender number two,<br />
Izumi. First of all for those who have<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
9<br />
not been, Izumi is one of Dhaka’s<br />
classiest Japanese joints boasting<br />
(IMO) the best quality beef in the<br />
country. Also for those who haven’t<br />
been, the location is somewhat<br />
of a nightmare to find. It’s tucked<br />
away in a corner off Gulshan 2 and<br />
would be quite difficult to find<br />
without Facebook directions (thank<br />
god for technology). The décor<br />
is as you would expect, Japanese<br />
motifs, wooden and organic but<br />
very sophisticated and classy. The<br />
menu is again, compact. I ordered<br />
the French omelette which was<br />
too plain! The croissants however,<br />
were to die for and I’m guessing<br />
are sourced from the famed Holey<br />
Artisan Bakery. All in all, it was good<br />
but left me wanting something more.<br />
That brings me to the champ,<br />
numero uno; can we get a drum roll<br />
please! This is also my most recent<br />
brunch experience so one that is<br />
quite fresh in this Swiss cheese I<br />
call a memory. Over the weekend<br />
the family and I took a trip down<br />
to Chows to sample their Terrace<br />
Brunch. For the uninitiated Chows,<br />
is a delightful new eatery located in<br />
Banani road 19A, which has made<br />
quite the splash with their authentic<br />
Chinese cuisine (the dumplings and<br />
cold beef are to die for but that’s a<br />
story for another day). The terrace<br />
brunch is a collaboration between<br />
the Gourmet Food Company (GFC,<br />
the latest food venture of Mishal<br />
Karim, the main man behind Chows)<br />
and head Chef George Smith (an<br />
American expat who is one of the<br />
best trained chefs in the country).<br />
Upon a little conversation, I came<br />
to understand that the GFC is a<br />
premium food delivery service<br />
in Dhaka applying the farm to<br />
table concept where the freshest<br />
ingredients are sourced directly from<br />
the producer.<br />
Onwards to the experience; firstly<br />
the premises are fantastic. The<br />
restaurant is housed in a sprawling<br />
duplex, all marble and natural<br />
light. We were led to a cosy terrace<br />
overlooking the lake. The menu is<br />
great, with an amazing variety of<br />
items to choose from. They have<br />
your traditional English breakfast<br />
style; eggs, sausage, beans, beef<br />
bacon etc, along with pancakes and a<br />
whole bunch of Gourmet pizzas. We<br />
asked for the chef’s recommendation<br />
which was a brick oven mushroom<br />
pizza, chocolate chip pancakes and<br />
freshly squeezed OJ.<br />
The pizza was in one word<br />
delicious! Perfect, crunchy, 12 inch<br />
thin crust drizzled with just the right<br />
amount of tomato sauce and basil<br />
then topped with what I understand<br />
is their own house made mozzarella,<br />
and then the perfectly charred fresh<br />
mushrooms and gruyere cheese<br />
liberally scattered on top. That pie<br />
did not last very long ‘cos we totally<br />
inhaled that thing! Next up were<br />
the pancakes. A plate of three large<br />
chocolate chip pancakes with a little<br />
cup of thick blackberry zabaglione<br />
chocolate sauce to go with it. Being<br />
a total savage I guzzled the first half<br />
without the sauce and prematurely<br />
started complaining to my wife on<br />
its lack of flavour. She calmly poured<br />
the sauce onto the plate and the<br />
resulting goodness kept my trap shut<br />
for a good five minutes (a miracle)!<br />
Last but not least was the OJ, a<br />
seemingly simple concoction but one<br />
that is very difficult to perfect and<br />
this one got pretty damn close!<br />
All in all we had a great time. The<br />
staff was very cordial, the ambience<br />
was great and it’s safe to say that I<br />
shall be back again to sample more<br />
of their wares. The Terrace Brunch<br />
menu offers a lot more and usually<br />
gets updated every week, so I look<br />
forward to my next visit. Entirely a<br />
delightful experience; what more can<br />
a hungry man desire?<br />
So if you want to try out this<br />
delightful new repast, IMHO Chows<br />
Terrace Brunch is the best place<br />
to begin, middle, and end! Keep<br />
calm and have brunch ladies and<br />
gentlemen! •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
10 Photo Story | Elder care<br />
A home<br />
for those who<br />
need it<br />
“The true measure of any society can be found in how it<br />
treats its most vulnerable members.”<br />
While there is debate on who actually said this, there can<br />
be no doubt regarding the truth behind this statement. At<br />
the Boyoshko Punorbashon Kendra (Old Rehabilitation<br />
Centre), the elderly and vulnerable members of society<br />
are taken in and taken care of, but the shadow of being<br />
abandoned by or losing family members still hangs over<br />
the venerable women who spend their days together at<br />
the centre in Gazipur.<br />
Photos: Mahmud Hossain Opu<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
11<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
12 Event | Digital Innovation<br />
Supporting the leaders of<br />
a digitalised world<br />
<strong>Weekend</strong> Tribune Desk<br />
In 2013, a couple of young<br />
Bangladeshi innovators<br />
developed Bipod Barta - a<br />
digital alarm system that, once<br />
initiated by a user in a dangerous<br />
situation, simultaneously sends<br />
notifications of his or her location<br />
to the police, the user’s family,<br />
and social media networks so that<br />
immediate help may be dispatched.<br />
Inspired by a similar alert system<br />
in India, the tool is particularly<br />
useful for young women commuting<br />
alone in the roads of Bangladesh.<br />
Launched at the Telenor Youth<br />
Summit 2013 (now Telenor Youth<br />
Forum) organised by Telenor,<br />
Grameenphone’s parent company,<br />
the system was subsequently<br />
adopted by the Dhaka Metropolitan<br />
Police (DMP).<br />
Two years later, in 2015, a group of<br />
young entrepreneurs started working<br />
on the idea of Sheba.xyz - an online<br />
platform that would establish direct<br />
connections between customers<br />
and service providers from various<br />
industries. Service providers from<br />
corporate, household, automobile,<br />
general electronics, and various<br />
other sectors are readily available to<br />
customers on Sheba.xyz. Launched<br />
at the GP Accelerator 2015, the<br />
project is now a fully operational<br />
business that has already attracted<br />
large investments from enthusiastic<br />
local and foreign investors.<br />
The two projects mentioned<br />
above represent a few of many other<br />
groundbreaking ideas developed<br />
by modern Bangladeshi youth<br />
who have not only envisioned<br />
enriching society through digital<br />
technology, but actively worked<br />
towards transforming their ideas<br />
into realities. Accelerator projects<br />
and other similar initiatives by<br />
the public and private sectors to<br />
support innovative startup projects<br />
have become common in countries<br />
around the world. In Bangladesh,<br />
the number of such initiatives are<br />
growing.<br />
Supporting innovate startups<br />
GP Accelerator and Telenor Youth<br />
Forum, organised by Grameenphone<br />
and its parent company Telenor<br />
respectively, are prominent<br />
examples. Over the years, these<br />
initiatives have supported and<br />
continued to patronise innovative<br />
startups. The companies work as<br />
facilitators to help these young<br />
entrepreneurs develop their ideas<br />
into actual businesses that integrate<br />
a variety of conveniences into the<br />
daily lives of people. Many of the<br />
projects aim at addressing and<br />
effectively solving social problems<br />
digitally as well.<br />
“Over the years, Grameenphone<br />
has transformed from being just a<br />
telecom service provider of voice<br />
services into a leading digital<br />
service provider. However, what<br />
makes Grameenphone stand a class<br />
apart is its continuous lookout for<br />
young innovators through various<br />
programs. We have designed a<br />
program that provides eligible<br />
candidates comprehensive support<br />
to enable them to make sustainable<br />
businesses out of their ideas. These<br />
see that these individuals go on to<br />
eventually establish them as youth<br />
leaders who are changing society<br />
for good, maybe in a way a young<br />
Photo: Courtesy<br />
Elon Musk or a Mark Zuckerburg<br />
changed the world forever,” says<br />
Kazi Mahboob Hassan, Head of<br />
Transformation of Grameenphone.<br />
Many other companies in the<br />
private sector of Bangladesh<br />
are also stepping forward to<br />
make a contribution. SD Asia, an<br />
organisation dedicated to the startup<br />
scene, which has partnered with<br />
organisations such as Grameenphone<br />
to promote promising startups,<br />
stands out as an example.<br />
A Digital Bangladesh<br />
A well-deserved notable mention<br />
is the government’s Access to<br />
Information (a2i) project, under<br />
which a myriad of initiatives are<br />
ongoing to gradually digitise the<br />
nation and propel its transformation<br />
into the much coveted Digital<br />
Bangladesh. Comprehensive support<br />
programs for digital service-based<br />
startups are one of the key agendas<br />
of the project, which is directly<br />
regulated by the Prime Minister’s<br />
Office.<br />
“Combined efforts by the public<br />
and private sectors are essential<br />
in achieving the vision of a Digital<br />
Bangladesh. Besides being an active<br />
part of GP Accelerator and Telenor<br />
Youth Fourm, Grameenphone has<br />
also conducted digital eco-system<br />
enabler programs such as the Smart<br />
City Hackathon, and is currently<br />
operating White-Board, a platform to<br />
support and empower the disruptive<br />
innovators of tomorrow. The<br />
company has played a leading role<br />
in the development of the telecom<br />
and digital sectors of the country<br />
in the last 20 years, and in the next<br />
20 years, one of our priorities is to<br />
be a trusted partner of tomorrow’s<br />
leaders in their pursuit to carve a<br />
digitally enriched future for the<br />
nation. Our partnership with the ICT<br />
Ministry for its National Demo Day is<br />
another good example of how GP is<br />
supporting the government’s agenda<br />
for digital innovation through publicprivate<br />
partnership,” continues Kazi<br />
Mahboob Hassan.<br />
Increased participation from<br />
the public and private sectors to<br />
nurture the innovative ideas of<br />
young innovators in Bangladesh<br />
ushers in greater optimism about<br />
a digitalised future in a Digital<br />
Bangladesh. Continuing this trend<br />
can only accelerate Bangladesh’s<br />
march towards comprehensive<br />
digitalisation, much like many of her<br />
developed counterparts. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
workshop | Event 13<br />
Social Innovation Design Week 2017<br />
Ishrat Jahan<br />
In today’s rapidly changing<br />
world, we face a diverse set<br />
of challenges for which the<br />
solutions we create are often<br />
ineffective. We usually forget that<br />
solutions need not be disruptive in<br />
order to solve prevalent problems,<br />
and that answers are often found<br />
in the smallest change through<br />
insights. The idea that insights and<br />
observations have the power to<br />
Photos: Courtesy<br />
staff shop and improving<br />
health and hygiene in the<br />
RMG community. The SIDW<br />
Fellows made for a diverse<br />
gathering of 20 individuals<br />
from multidisciplinary<br />
backgrounds. From artists,<br />
engineers and architects<br />
to health workers and<br />
approach is necessary if we want to<br />
build sustainable processes,” said<br />
Nabeera Rahman, an SIDW Fellow<br />
and a consultant of Bangladesh<br />
Textile Competitiveness at IFC. The<br />
Fellows reflected that spending<br />
time at the Mohammadi Group<br />
factory and understanding its<br />
processes became an essential part<br />
change people’s’ perspectives and<br />
thus, change how we approach our<br />
challenges, is at the core of Toru and<br />
IDEO.org’s event - Social Innovation<br />
Design Week (SIDW).<br />
In April 2017, Social Innovation<br />
Design Week - a co-design<br />
workshop – was conducted by Toru<br />
- Institute of Inclusive Innovation<br />
in partnership with IDEO.org and<br />
Mohammadi Group, with the<br />
support of Levi Strauss Foundation.<br />
SIDW was conducted with the aim to<br />
create an engaging and empathetic<br />
lens which can open the possibility<br />
to developing human centered<br />
solutions through design and<br />
collaboration.<br />
This year, SIDW hosted a weeklong<br />
workshop with Mohammadi<br />
Group, introducing Human-Centered<br />
Design (HCD) to a multidisciplinary<br />
group of 20 Fellows. With a focus<br />
on improving the work and life<br />
experience of RMG workers, the<br />
Fellows were immersed into the<br />
RMG community at the Mohammadi<br />
Group’s factory. The workshop<br />
immersed Fellows into the everyday<br />
experiences of those workers,<br />
making them put the theories to<br />
test and see how solutions could be<br />
curated to their needs.<br />
“People often sit in rooms and<br />
offices to design innovations and<br />
that is a core reason why many fail<br />
to create a desired impact. Being<br />
immersed can help us empathise,<br />
and critically analyse through the<br />
eyes of the user. This builds real<br />
solutions that have higher possibility<br />
to scale and create an impact that<br />
can become sustainable in the long<br />
run,” says Saif Kamal, founder of<br />
Toru.<br />
The workshop was led by Rob<br />
Gradoville, the Portfolio Manager<br />
for IDEO.org’s Amplify program who<br />
possesses expertise in implementing<br />
design challenges and teaching<br />
human-centric design tools. It<br />
became an engaging space for design<br />
and collaboration with five teams<br />
working in developing day care<br />
systems, improving living facilities,<br />
worker’s happiness, creating a<br />
entrepreneurs, they all came<br />
together to co-design solutions<br />
through HCD. Throughout the five<br />
days, Fellows were taken through<br />
the intensive process of HCD. In the<br />
beginning of the week, they went in<br />
with specific ideas and assumptions<br />
that, along the week, were<br />
disintegrated and reassembled into<br />
ideas that they had not even been<br />
considered before coming in.<br />
“The immersive experience of<br />
learning to design a human-centered<br />
solution gave us a chance to see<br />
why standardised solutions often<br />
don’t work and a more user centric<br />
of the workshop - broadening their<br />
understanding of how local RMG<br />
factories operate and breaking long<br />
held stereotypes in the process.<br />
SIDW sprung from Toru’s<br />
belief that people are at the core<br />
of every innovation. Solving<br />
today’s problems requires skills<br />
that are currently absent in the<br />
ecosystem. There remains a dire<br />
need to cultivate empathy and<br />
a collaborative spirit in order to<br />
build ourselves to be responsive to<br />
problems in communities and to<br />
be able to design for positive social<br />
impact. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
14 Tech | Apple Bites Back<br />
A positive outlook (part 1)<br />
This is a<br />
bit of a<br />
rebuttal to<br />
the several<br />
reasons<br />
why Apple<br />
should fear<br />
Microsoft<br />
Mahmood Hossain<br />
Just recently, CNET published<br />
an article that discusses 11<br />
different reasons why Apple<br />
and Adobe should fear the<br />
new and improved Microsoft. It’s<br />
true that Apple has lost the tight grip<br />
they once had under the leadership<br />
of Steve Jobs, but using the term<br />
“fear” might not be appropriate.<br />
Realistically, it’s more about being<br />
aware or staying “woke” when it’s<br />
regarding your competitors. These<br />
tech giants may not always have a<br />
detailed cheat sheet by their rivals,<br />
but they’ll always have a heads up<br />
on what to expect. Don’t be deluded<br />
into thinking Apple would cower in<br />
the presence of Microsoft.<br />
Both companies have contributed<br />
to the tech world like no other,<br />
and we can applaud them for that.<br />
But let’s take a look at the more<br />
significant points, shall we?<br />
Interface<br />
It’s the first thing you see when<br />
you boot up your fancy gadgets.<br />
No matter which device triumphs<br />
in performance, you still have to<br />
make things, well, pretty. Design is<br />
a huge component when creating an<br />
operating system or software that’s<br />
available to the public. It has to be<br />
pleasing to the eye as well being easy<br />
to navigate. The article on CNET<br />
notes how this is an advantage for<br />
the new look Microsoft because of<br />
the company’s Xbox platform and its<br />
influence through game design.<br />
The use of the new Fluent Design<br />
System is actually quite impressive;<br />
it’s a gorgeous new look. And it’s<br />
true, Apple haven’t made any<br />
significant design changes in a very<br />
long time for its OS and devices.<br />
People have appreciated Apple’s<br />
signature minimal, easy-to-use<br />
design, more so for professionals.<br />
Although we are in the dawn of<br />
a new age for Microsoft, it would<br />
be foolish to fall asleep on Apple’s<br />
movement forward in design. There’s<br />
always an evolved stage, Apple is<br />
definitely due for another, and quite<br />
sooner than we might expect.<br />
Playing catch-up<br />
This one, unfortunately, is quite true.<br />
Well, sort of. Apple does have to play<br />
a little catch-up. Even though the<br />
company hasn’t lost its core target<br />
market (fanboys shall remain), it<br />
lacks in the department of advancing<br />
technology in virtual reality. Apple<br />
is still king when it comes to crossplatform<br />
syncing, but you won’t<br />
be seeing any new VR integration.<br />
There will be no motion controllers<br />
or headsets either. Then again, when<br />
has Apple ever boasted about being<br />
the ultimate gaming system? Never.<br />
This addition might be a plus<br />
for PCs; however, it’s not a make<br />
or break element to Apple’s line of<br />
devices or future plans. Nonetheless,<br />
there will be similar tools that will<br />
be featured for Apple devices in the<br />
near future.<br />
Capabilities for a pro<br />
This point is more of a gripe than<br />
anything else – a minor nuisance.<br />
The article claims Apple had<br />
abandoned creative professionals<br />
a very long time ago. In order to<br />
rectify the neglect, the company<br />
introduced thinner and lighter<br />
devices, just like the iPad Pro.<br />
We can agree so far as to say<br />
there has been a slight turn of the<br />
cheek for professionals that used<br />
to rave about what Apple had to<br />
offer. While the iPad Pro won’t<br />
fix anything initially, it’s actually<br />
the right step towards bettering<br />
the experience for creative<br />
professionals.<br />
It also must be highlighted that<br />
there are many users that have<br />
stuck to their older MacBook Pro<br />
and iMac devices, and haven’t<br />
complained or had the fear of<br />
missing out. The biggest fear<br />
might be them jumping ship for<br />
the Surface Pro. However for most<br />
Apple users, no one is being sent<br />
to the plank or taking a dive in the<br />
deep end just yet.<br />
Dancing by itself<br />
The argument here is that Apple<br />
only talks to itself, linking only<br />
Apple devices and not focusing on<br />
incorporating other devices outside<br />
its ecosystem. A device or service<br />
has to be flexible to a certain<br />
extent, but fresh on the dance floor,<br />
Apple has always been about its<br />
own ecosystem. The company has<br />
always taken pride in that fact.<br />
Microsoft does allow Windows<br />
devices to connect outside its<br />
ecosystem. For example, you<br />
can toss in audio files from your<br />
Windows PC to your Android<br />
or iPhone (through iTunes).<br />
It’s another one of those minor<br />
annoyances, but downloading a<br />
simple app in your iOS or Mac can<br />
easily fix the transferring files<br />
issue. A little extra effort won’t<br />
drive anyone away. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
Online Security | Musing 15<br />
Ransomware:<br />
the kidnapper of your data<br />
Saqib Sarker<br />
It is the year 2053. Mujahidul<br />
Huq Shahin is sitting on a<br />
sofa in his drawing room. He<br />
doesn’t know how to break<br />
the news to his wife. 27 Petabyte<br />
(27 thousand Terabyte) of their<br />
family data has been taken hostage<br />
by data pirates. This means he will<br />
lose all of his family memorabilia<br />
– all the photos, videos, 3Deos (3D<br />
videos) – if he does not pay them<br />
0.80 satoshi (digital currency<br />
prevalent in 2053, equivalent to<br />
3000 US dollars). The pirates have<br />
also threatened to encrypt the data<br />
in his home appliances within the<br />
next five hours. Shahin knows that<br />
the pirates can do it because he<br />
has just moved from commercial<br />
servers to independent servers.<br />
His wife warned him not to do so.<br />
Shahin’s desire to stick it to the big<br />
corporations has now blown up in<br />
his face.<br />
In 2053, most things are<br />
automated. If the data for your home<br />
appliances get scrambled you cannot<br />
turn on air-conditioning or wash<br />
your clothes. Shahin remembers<br />
a simpler time when all of these<br />
machines weren’t connected to a<br />
network. The idea that a washing<br />
machine or a table fan can be hacked<br />
would induce laughter when he<br />
was growing up. But they all need<br />
to be connected to a network now,<br />
because otherwise the stove cannot<br />
auto-order refills when it runs out of<br />
battery.<br />
The network connection, though,<br />
comes at a price. It creates the<br />
opportunity for pirates to invade<br />
and hack your data. Shahin could<br />
not help but think that it was all a<br />
bit pointless. “Yes, it was a bit of a<br />
chore to order everything manually,<br />
but we survived,” Shahin thought<br />
affectionately of the past. But there<br />
isn’t much time to dwell on his<br />
thoughts. He slowly gets up from the<br />
sofa and heads to the kitchen to tell<br />
his wife.<br />
Holding your information<br />
hostage<br />
Back in good ol’ 2017, we are actually<br />
not very far from the technological<br />
reality Shahin lives in. The recent<br />
global ransomware attack provided<br />
a glimpse into the kind of security<br />
problems we are going to experience<br />
as societies become completely<br />
immersed in and dependent on<br />
technology.<br />
People at different institutions<br />
across 150 countries turning on their<br />
workplace computers last Friday<br />
were greeted with an unfamiliar<br />
red screen with the taunting<br />
message: “Oops, your files have been<br />
encrypted!”<br />
The message also demanded<br />
money through online bitcoin<br />
payment; $300 at first, but the<br />
amount would be doubled if not<br />
paid within three days. The message,<br />
delivered in 28 languages, also<br />
snidely declared: “We will have free<br />
events for users who are so poor that<br />
they couldn’t pay in 6 months.”<br />
The attack, which came to be<br />
known as “WannaCry,” crippled<br />
healthcare services and government<br />
agencies, among all sorts of other<br />
institutions, through a vulnerability<br />
in the Microsoft operating system. It<br />
is believed to be the biggest online<br />
extortion scheme ever.<br />
Glaring security flaws<br />
Microsoft bluntly blamed the US<br />
government for “stockpiling”<br />
software code which was used in<br />
the attacks. The hackers exploited<br />
software code from the National<br />
Security Agency that was leaked<br />
online. The “stockpiling” refers to<br />
the America government secretly<br />
finding out flaws in operating<br />
systems or any software in<br />
general, and then keeping those<br />
vulnerabilities for it own use, as<br />
opposed to alerting the company<br />
that developed the software.<br />
“This attack provides yet another<br />
example of why the stockpiling of<br />
vulnerabilities by governments is<br />
such a problem,” writes Brad Smith,<br />
president and chief legal officer of<br />
Microsoft, in the company’s official<br />
blog. Smith wrote that information in<br />
the hands of governments have leaked<br />
into the public domain repeatedly and<br />
resulted in widespread damage. “An<br />
equivalent scenario with conventional<br />
weapons,” Smith wrote in the strongly<br />
worded statement, “would be the U.S.<br />
military having some of its Tomahawk<br />
missiles stolen.”<br />
So, how much did The Shadow<br />
Brokers (creators of Wannacry) make?<br />
Interestingly, the ransom has not<br />
been paid by many people relative<br />
Photo: Bigstock<br />
to the massive scale of the attack.<br />
Considering that the malware affected<br />
29,000 organisations in China alone<br />
and its total number of victims has<br />
reached 200,000 so far, the total<br />
amount of money deposited to the<br />
hackers’ bitcoin accounts is puny, less<br />
than 70,000 US dollars, at the time of<br />
writing this article. Approximately 250<br />
payments have been made.<br />
Technically though, the hackers<br />
have not made a single penny, as they<br />
haven’t withdrawn any of the bitcoin<br />
currency deposited to their three<br />
accounts. Even if they do withdraw,<br />
they will have to convert that to a<br />
conventional currency, which would<br />
be unlikely for them to attempt, given<br />
the amount of attention this has<br />
gotten. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
16 Digital Culture | PrivAcy<br />
The right to be let alone<br />
Mahmood Sadi<br />
Some of you might not agree<br />
with me but in my opinion,<br />
it’s been a long time since<br />
there was a true generation<br />
gap, perhaps 50 years — you have<br />
to go back to the early years of rock<br />
and roll, when old people still talked<br />
about “jungle rhythms”. Everything<br />
associated with that music and its<br />
greasy, shaggy culture felt baffling<br />
and divisive, from its fashion sense<br />
to its eating habits.<br />
That musical divide has all but<br />
disappeared. But in the past decade,<br />
a new set of values has sneaked in<br />
to take its place, erecting another<br />
barrier between young and old.<br />
And as it did in the 70s, the older<br />
generation has responded with a<br />
disgusted, dismissive squawk.<br />
Yes, I, a representative of the<br />
barefaced youth, officially am saying<br />
to the elder generation that you have<br />
got it right. We, the youth, without<br />
any meaningful standard by which<br />
to measure our worth, have turned<br />
to the public eye for attention,<br />
sacrificing the sense of shame along<br />
with privacy.<br />
When it is more important to be<br />
seen than to be talented, it is hardly<br />
surprising that the less gifted among<br />
us are willing to do even the dirtiest<br />
stuff on our way to spotlight.<br />
Why do we over-share?<br />
Can anybody from our generation<br />
brush aside the fact that we are<br />
toying with our privacy? I am not<br />
against these social networking sites<br />
or chat rooms, as it makes me sounds<br />
like a grumpy old man.<br />
But what is really the point of<br />
sharing our most private things<br />
Photo: Bigstock<br />
online? What is really the point<br />
of broadcasting or disseminating<br />
information about the most private<br />
matters that have happened between<br />
individuals and what is really the<br />
point of making it a ‘talk of the town’<br />
amongst us?<br />
Fact is, we do succumb to the<br />
allure of peeping into someone<br />
else’s private matters - be it the<br />
video of a TV actress making love<br />
to her boyfriend (which the angry<br />
boyfriend later posted as an act<br />
of revenge), or a video of a young<br />
violent kid violently beating another<br />
over a supposed girlfriend, or just an<br />
unnecessary hateful and venomous<br />
monologue by a seemingly unknown<br />
singer bashing a late writer’s wife.<br />
Because of the support we provide<br />
in the form of clicks and views from<br />
the comfort zone of “not being<br />
involved thus why not take pleasure<br />
in someone’s suffering” - these<br />
things have become commonplace<br />
now. And maybe because of that, we<br />
see the rise of a clan who have this<br />
notion that stardom will be bestowed<br />
upon them if they do the same, even<br />
at the cost of their or someone else’s<br />
privacy.<br />
Not the technology, but<br />
the people<br />
The problem here with the word<br />
‘privacy’ is that it falls short of<br />
conveying the really big picture.<br />
Privacy isn’t just about hiding things.<br />
It’s about self-possession, autonomy,<br />
and integrity.<br />
As individuals in the<br />
computerised world of the 21st<br />
century, privacy is becoming our<br />
most important civil right. But this<br />
right of privacy isn’t literally the right<br />
of people to close their doors and<br />
pull down their window shades; it is<br />
the control over what details about<br />
their lives stay inside their own<br />
houses and what goes out.<br />
The protection of privacy is<br />
deeply embedded in the laws<br />
and institutions of the modern<br />
democratic state. Moreover, one has<br />
a strong visceral sense of privacy<br />
and apprehends clearly when it has<br />
been abrogated. It would be like<br />
saying that an individual does not<br />
understand liberty and justice. Yet,<br />
while passersby on the sidewalk<br />
might be hard-pressed to give a<br />
textbook definition of privacy,<br />
they could easily provide several<br />
examples of violations of their<br />
privacy.<br />
Since privacy is fundamentally<br />
about the power of the individual,<br />
in many ways, the story of<br />
technology’s attack on privacy is<br />
really the story of how institutions<br />
and the people who run them use<br />
technology to gain control over<br />
the human spirit, for good and ill.<br />
That’s because technology by itself<br />
doesn’t violate our privacy. It’s<br />
people using this technology who<br />
do.<br />
Science, society and<br />
markets<br />
Personal identification information<br />
- your name, profession, hobbies,<br />
and other bits that make up your<br />
self - is being turned into a valuable<br />
property right. But instead of<br />
being given to individuals to help<br />
them exert control over their lives,<br />
this right is being seized by big<br />
businesses to ensure continued<br />
profits and market share. Yes,<br />
if you want the convenience of<br />
paying for a meal by credit card, or<br />
getting some free Cloud storage,<br />
then you have to accept the routine<br />
collection of your purchases and<br />
browsing habits in a large database<br />
over which you have no control. It’s<br />
a simple bargain, albeit a Faustian<br />
one.<br />
Privacy-invasive technology does<br />
not exist in the vacuum though, of<br />
course. That’s because technology<br />
itself exists at a junction between<br />
science, the market and the society.<br />
People create technology to fill<br />
specific needs, real or otherwise.<br />
And technology is regulated, or not,<br />
as people and society see fit. That’s<br />
why the people on the ‘other side’<br />
argue that when they invade our<br />
privacy, the invasion is usually the<br />
result of conscious choice, and for<br />
making that choice they give you the<br />
freedom and vehicle to post your<br />
next privacy-invasive post which<br />
might lead you to quick yet airy<br />
stardom!<br />
Now, due to the popularity of<br />
overexposure, it may be time to<br />
consider the possibility that young<br />
people who behave as if privacy<br />
doesn’t exist are actually the sane<br />
people, not the insane ones. For<br />
someone like me, who grew up<br />
sealing my diary with a literal lock,<br />
this may be tough to accept.<br />
But under current circumstances,<br />
a defiant belief in holding things<br />
close to your chest might not be<br />
high-minded. It might be an artifact—<br />
quaint and naïve, like a determined<br />
faith that innocence is pure. Or<br />
at least that might be true for<br />
someone who has grown up “putting<br />
themselves out there” and found<br />
that the benefits of being transparent<br />
make the risks worth it. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
Healthcare for sex workers | Initiative 17<br />
‘I don’t want my daughter to<br />
grow up ignominiously’<br />
Bonded sex workers in Bangladesh have tough choices<br />
Md Abdul Quayyum<br />
Reshmi* (name changed)<br />
says she doesn’t enjoy her<br />
evening walks in a nice,<br />
green park of Dhaka like<br />
others do. While a stroll in the park<br />
may be a healthy choice for most,<br />
for Reshmi it is about survival - she<br />
walks every day in the park to hunt<br />
clients who will pay to have sex.<br />
“People come in the park to enjoy<br />
the greenery of it and have fresh<br />
air but for me, I come here for my<br />
ignominious livelihood, against<br />
my will, so that my daughter can<br />
continue her studies,” says Reshmi.<br />
A young bonded sex worker,<br />
Reshmi turns 25 this year, but her life<br />
changed at the age of four when her<br />
father died in a road accident.<br />
“I was living with my family<br />
at Khalishpur in Khulna district.<br />
My father died in a road accident<br />
when I was only four years old and<br />
it was very hard for my mother to<br />
arrange meals, three times a day, let<br />
alone study. I never got a chance for<br />
schooling.”<br />
A life of extreme poverty<br />
She continues to share her miserable<br />
childhood - “to handle the situation,<br />
my mother sent me to Dhaka for<br />
domestic work and I had been doing<br />
that for a few years. But when I<br />
turned 13, my mother forced me to<br />
get married to an older man, without<br />
my consent. I didn’t want to get<br />
married at that age so I escaped with<br />
a friend of mine, to change my luck.<br />
But worse came to worst, and I was<br />
trapped in sex slavery. Since then I<br />
am part of this trade,” Reshmi says.<br />
After attending to three or four<br />
clients a day at a hotel near the<br />
park, Reshmi gets back to her little,<br />
damp house at midnight to catch<br />
a few hours of sleep. The house is<br />
only rented for nights at double the<br />
regular price, and on condition that<br />
she can not show her face there<br />
during the day. She hardly gets the<br />
time to shower or have breakfast<br />
before it’s time for her to leave.<br />
As a hapless sex worker, she was<br />
lured by the promise of a better life<br />
by a man she married when she<br />
was 18, only to later find he was a<br />
human trafficker who planned to<br />
sell her across the border. At the<br />
time, Reshmi was pregnant and<br />
that actually saved her from being<br />
trafficked. She became the mother<br />
of a beautiful daughter at 19 and was<br />
instantly abandoned by her husband.<br />
She had not a single penny with<br />
which to feed her daughter and had<br />
to return to the sex trade again.<br />
“Many a time, I faced gang<br />
rape and sex without condoms. I<br />
was heavily injured at times and<br />
managed to escape from being<br />
murdered. But I want to give my<br />
daughter an education, a good life.<br />
That’s why I need money and have<br />
to keep myself safe from diseases,”<br />
Reshmi says.<br />
Essential services<br />
As there was no one to look after her<br />
baby during work hours, Reshmi was<br />
struggling with her daughter. She<br />
had no place to rest from dawn to<br />
dusk, except under the open sky, and<br />
no option of getting a health check.<br />
Then she came across the Drop-in-<br />
Center’ of Save the Children where<br />
she is now enlisted for essential<br />
services.<br />
In the centre, Reshmi is learning<br />
different life skills, getting basic<br />
education and receiving counselling<br />
on safer sex and HIV prevention.<br />
The lessons enable her to remain in<br />
good health to earn her livelihood<br />
and increase her confidence to<br />
negotiate with the clients for<br />
condom use. There is also a ‘Hotline’<br />
and ‘Community Squad’ introduced<br />
by Save the Children and its partner<br />
organisation for the sex workers for<br />
any kind of help, like when faced<br />
with violence.<br />
“I wanted to test my blood to be<br />
sure about HIV following the advice I<br />
got from the drop-in-centre. The test<br />
was negative. I go there everyday<br />
Photo: Courtesy<br />
now. I have learned what to do in<br />
emergencies and how to seek police<br />
assistance. It helped me save my<br />
life,” said Reshmi.<br />
It is estimated that there are<br />
1,02,260 female sex workers in<br />
Bangladesh who are at high risk<br />
of HIV. Save the Children and its<br />
partner organisations have brought<br />
26,000 female sex workers under<br />
their coverage to provide essential<br />
services through 43 drop-in-centres<br />
in 26 districts and bring them under<br />
universal health access with financial<br />
support from the Global Fund.<br />
While it’s uncertain if Reshmi and<br />
her daughter can live a happy life in<br />
the near future, there is always hope<br />
from Save the Children that armed<br />
with an education, her daughter will<br />
be able to choose a different path. •<br />
The author is<br />
Senior Manager-<br />
Communications and<br />
Media, Save the Children<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
18 stay in<br />
Clues<br />
Mini cryptics<br />
ACROSS<br />
1 Tool for shooting a cream<br />
cocktail (6)<br />
6 Dislocated elbow underneath<br />
(5)<br />
7 Throw away fight (5)<br />
8 Happy the spanish consumed<br />
dish initially (6)<br />
DOWN<br />
2 Einstein a Canadian<br />
province (7)<br />
3 Sell pie remade for<br />
round shape (7)<br />
4 For good, like Jolson<br />
methods (6)<br />
5 Sounds like pursued the<br />
pure (6)<br />
Sudoku<br />
Use the numbers 1-9 to complete each<br />
of the 3x3 square grids such that each<br />
horizontal and vertical line also contains all<br />
of the digits from 1-9<br />
DIY: How to<br />
make a sugar<br />
lip exfoliating<br />
scrub<br />
Tasfia Huda<br />
diy<br />
Give your lips some much needed<br />
Last week’s solutions<br />
Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune.com and win one free<br />
month of the Dhaka Tribune.<br />
ACROSS<br />
1 Southwest garden in Scandanavia<br />
(6)<br />
6 Fruit beer contains hollowed pulp (5)<br />
7 Parent loses head over something<br />
else (5)<br />
8 Head first into rubbish beat (6)<br />
DOWN<br />
2 Sport around the rain and<br />
shine (7)<br />
3 Leaves of French regions...<br />
(7)<br />
4 … want the French stylus (6)<br />
5 Am lost, confused nearly (6)<br />
Last week’s solutions<br />
Solved it? Email answers to weekend@dhakatribune.com and<br />
win one free month of the Dhaka Tribune.<br />
love with a scrumptious DIY lip<br />
scrub recipe. Homemade lip scrubs<br />
only require a few ingredients and<br />
are super easy to whip up!<br />
You will need:<br />
• A tablespoon of brown sugar or<br />
white sugar<br />
• A dash of honey (just enough<br />
to make the sugar really stick<br />
together) OR a bit of olive oil/<br />
coconut oil<br />
• A teeny tiny little drop of vanilla<br />
(it makes it smell yummy, but isn’t<br />
necessary)<br />
• A small container<br />
Directions:<br />
Mix a tablespoon of brown sugar<br />
with just enough honey (or olive<br />
oil) to get it to stick together. Once<br />
a week (twice at the very max) rub<br />
the scrub onto your lips, vigorously<br />
enough to loosen the dead skin.<br />
Let it sit for 1 minute, and then wipe<br />
off with a damp washcloth. Apply lip<br />
balm after use. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
Biz Info 19<br />
Dhaka Regency hosts PATA Night 2017<br />
PATA Night 2017, organised by<br />
Pacific Asia Travel Association<br />
(PATA) Bangladesh Chapter<br />
was held at Dhaka Regency on<br />
Saturday, May 13.<br />
With the aim of “celebrating the<br />
best in the Bangladesh travel and<br />
tourism industry”, PATA Bangladesh<br />
Chapter recognises the outstanding<br />
contributions made by individuals<br />
and organisations in the travel<br />
tourism sector. The award recipients<br />
have worked selflessly and with<br />
dedication towards improving the<br />
industry as a whole and their efforts<br />
translate to a better Bangladesh.<br />
Rashed Khan Menon, MP Minister<br />
of Civil Aviation and Tourism was<br />
the Chief Guest while Andrew Jones,<br />
Chairman of PATA was the special<br />
guest.<br />
In his opening speech, Shahid<br />
Hamid FIH, Chairman of PATA<br />
Bangladesh Chapter, stated: “We<br />
have seen a double digit growth<br />
in domestic and regional tourism.<br />
Private airlines are expanding their<br />
fleets for domestic and regional<br />
routes. Dhaka airport is handling<br />
about six million passengers<br />
in a year. Expansion of Sylhet,<br />
Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Jessore<br />
airports are being undertaken.<br />
Dhaka- Chittagong 4 lanes highway<br />
complete. Beautiful Marine drive is<br />
now open to the public. Opening of<br />
Padma Bridge will be a milestone<br />
linking the capital with Southern<br />
part of the country. Similarly, Capital<br />
cities, flyovers made the substantial<br />
improvement on the transportation.<br />
Elevated Expressway and Metro rail<br />
work is going on.”<br />
Minister Rashed Khan Menon<br />
MP stated: “I am pleased to see<br />
the initiatives taken by the PATA<br />
Bangladesh Chapter to bring all the<br />
leaders and influential entities under<br />
one roof to recognize their valuable<br />
contribution to the travel and<br />
tourism industry of Bangladesh.<br />
The Chairman of PATA Mr.<br />
Andrew Jones in his speech has<br />
stated, “I am pleased to attend<br />
this very special event and to be<br />
a part of PATA Night organised by<br />
the PATA Bangladesh Chapter. All<br />
of us at the Association are happy<br />
to see that the PATA Bangladesh<br />
Chapter and associates are making<br />
concerted efforts in providing much<br />
needed support to the development<br />
of tourism in Bangladesh. Such<br />
actions and enthusiasm are<br />
fundamental to the principles of<br />
PATA in promoting responsible and<br />
sustainable tourism throughout the<br />
country.” •<br />
MIB Summer Meet-up 2017 at Banani<br />
MIB Spirit – Made in<br />
and many more. You will<br />
Bangladesh is back again, not believe how sugar<br />
this time in celebration of and art can be such a<br />
summer. After much anticipation,<br />
they are hosting their Summer<br />
Meetup 2017 on the grounds of<br />
Claystation Dhaka at Banani.<br />
Enjoy a discount of 10% on all<br />
products with your purchase on a<br />
check-in. Not only that, Hems and<br />
Hues, 6 yards story, Meehee will<br />
be there with their wide range of<br />
apparel and jewellery.<br />
For book lovers and Tumblresque<br />
hearts, Made with Love will be<br />
featuring their back to school<br />
essentials like – side bags,<br />
notebooks, pencil cases, stickers<br />
potent combination if<br />
you haven’t seen what<br />
Hoang Cakes are. Hoang<br />
Cakes are the first ever<br />
3D Jelly art cake brought<br />
in Bangladesh by Jelly<br />
Hoang. Each of their<br />
creations is an absolute<br />
masterpiece that is too<br />
pretty to eat.<br />
Last but not least, come and<br />
have a go in making your first ever<br />
pottery as Claystation Dhaka guides<br />
you. All this and much more are<br />
awaiting you all at the MIB Summer<br />
Meet-up. The two day event ends<br />
today, so be sure to drop by Clay<br />
Station Dhaka, House 28, Road 20,<br />
Block K, Banani, between from<br />
12pm–8pm. •<br />
Special Ramadan offers at Lakeshore Hotel<br />
Lakeshore Hotel has<br />
There will also be options<br />
month of Ramadan at Golden Goose<br />
announced attractive offers for the banquet iftar and dinner Restaurant. •<br />
on special delicacies for the for corporate and family<br />
holy month of Ramadan. Guests programs.<br />
will be able to enjoy special banquet Customers of BRAC Bank<br />
iftar and dinner menu options at the Ltd, Dhaka Bank Ltd, NRB<br />
Golden Goose restaurant, as well Bank Ltd, Standard Chartered<br />
as special takeaway iftar boxes at Bank, Banglalink, and Hungry<br />
reasonable prices.<br />
Naki will get special privileges<br />
Their iftar menu will feature at a price of Tk2,500++ buffet<br />
delicious mutton haleem, jilapi and iftar followed by dinner<br />
special dahi bora.<br />
menu offered throughout the<br />
Crimson Cup<br />
in Uttara<br />
Crimson Cup Coffee is proud to<br />
announce the launch of their<br />
new store in Uttara. Ever since<br />
2015 when the franchise started<br />
operating in Bangladesh, it has<br />
gained tremendous success in<br />
both the Banani and Dhanmondi<br />
stores, and is very thrilled to<br />
open and effectively run the<br />
Uttara store from May 25 this<br />
year.<br />
The latest store in Uttara will<br />
hold the largest floor space the<br />
American franchise has to offer<br />
their valuable customers in<br />
Dhaka. The store is located on the<br />
Gausal Azam Avenue in Sector-13<br />
Uttara. A special addition for the<br />
Uttara store will be the “quiet<br />
room”. Here customers can<br />
study, read and have meetings<br />
as they have a sip of the famous<br />
Crimson Cup Mocha. Uttara holds<br />
a significant residential portion<br />
of Dhaka city and Crimson Cup<br />
Coffee will be glad to serve their<br />
customers with a wide variety<br />
of hot and cold beverages.<br />
Moreover, the franchise is also<br />
bringing attractive additions to<br />
their bakery and sandwich line. •<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017
20 World Museum day | Local Heritage<br />
Frozen in time<br />
Six museums in Dhaka you need to visit<br />
Tasfia Huda<br />
Museums are a great<br />
way to gain insight<br />
into various aspects<br />
of a city, and<br />
Bangladesh has plenty of fascinating<br />
museums to explore. In honour of<br />
International Museum Day observed<br />
internationally yesterday, we bring<br />
you a list of some of the many<br />
museums in the city that highlight<br />
major events and conflicts that have<br />
shaped this region and throw a light<br />
on its culture and society as well.<br />
Delve into our folk roots<br />
The Folk Art Museum was<br />
established in 1975 in Sonargaon,<br />
and has not only become a major<br />
attraction in the city since then,<br />
but also for the entire region. The<br />
main museum building focuses on<br />
displaying the skills and expertise<br />
of the artisans and artists of the<br />
country. The two smaller Folk<br />
Arts and Crafts Museums exhibit<br />
wooden crafts, brass, bamboo and<br />
metal crafts, painted work, musical<br />
instruments, pottery, textiles,<br />
ornaments and much more. The<br />
museum complex also includes<br />
a crafts sales centre, restaurants,<br />
crafts village, library, rest house and<br />
documentation centre.<br />
Lest we forget<br />
The Liberation War Museum (LWM)<br />
is dedicated to the memory of the<br />
sacrifices made by soldiers and<br />
civilians during the Liberation War.<br />
Located in Agargaon in Dhaka, the<br />
museum was started by community<br />
leaders who wanted to honour and<br />
preserve this part of the history<br />
of Bangladesh. The project grew<br />
as community members began<br />
donating mementoes, documents<br />
and other items related to the<br />
Liberation War, as well as making<br />
donations for funding the museum.<br />
The LWM has recently moved<br />
to new premises, and is able to<br />
display a much greater portion<br />
of their collections, which ranges<br />
from documenting the country’s<br />
struggle against colonial control<br />
and the period of Pakistani rule to<br />
documents of the genocide of 1971,<br />
the resistance and declaration of<br />
independence.<br />
From there to now<br />
Originally established as the Dhaka<br />
Museum in the year 1913 by Lord<br />
Carmichael, the museum developed<br />
into such a large establishment<br />
that its wealth in artefacts was<br />
acknowledged in 1983, by changing<br />
its name to the Bangladesh<br />
National Museum. Located in<br />
Shahbag, the museum consists of<br />
a conservatory laboratory, library,<br />
three auditoriums, photographic<br />
gallery, temporary exhibition hall<br />
and an audio-visual division. Some<br />
of the artefacts include sculptures,<br />
tapestries, votive seals, terracotta<br />
pieces, water colour drawings,<br />
porcelain items, metal work,<br />
weapons and medieval armoury,<br />
wooden furniture, quilts, fossils and<br />
traditional crafts.<br />
One revolution to another<br />
The Museum of Independence in<br />
Dhaka depicts the history of the<br />
nation since Mughal tenure to<br />
independence in 1971. It is the first<br />
and only underground museum in<br />
the country. The museum is part of<br />
a 67-acre complex at Suhrawardy<br />
Udyan, the site from where Sheikh<br />
Mujibur Rahman gave his historic<br />
speech declaring the struggle for<br />
independence in 1971, and where the<br />
Pakistani forces surrendered after<br />
the Liberation War. The museum<br />
was opened to the public on March<br />
25, 2015, the 45th Independence Day<br />
of Bangladesh. The underground<br />
museum contains a multimedia<br />
projection theatre, an amphitheatre,<br />
three water pools, Shikha Chirantony<br />
(eternal flame) symbolising the<br />
eternity of Bengali nationalism,<br />
a mural based on the struggle for<br />
independence and other ancillary<br />
facilities.<br />
Polices of the past<br />
The Liberation War Museum of<br />
Police began its journey in 2013<br />
with limited resources. Later in<br />
2015, Inspector General of Police<br />
(IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque laid<br />
the foundation stone for the new<br />
museum at the eastern border of<br />
the police line, and Prime Minister<br />
Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the<br />
museum on January 23 of this year.<br />
The museum is divided into three<br />
portions. The ground floor includes<br />
a corner dedicated to Bangabandhu<br />
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and a<br />
library with nearly 2,000 books on<br />
the Liberation War. The basement<br />
is split into six different galleries<br />
which are organised chronologically.<br />
These relics range from the different<br />
uniforms worn by police during<br />
British and Pakistani regimes to a<br />
number of weapons and equipment.<br />
Stock up on your science facts<br />
The National Museum of Science and<br />
Technology (NMST) was established<br />
in 1966 by the government of<br />
Pakistan. It was first based in the<br />
Dhaka Public Library building, after<br />
which the museum moved a number<br />
of times before it was established<br />
in its permanent home in 1981. The<br />
NMST in Bangladesh is divided<br />
into three categories – Technology,<br />
Biological Science and Physical<br />
Science. It also contains galleries<br />
with static and working exhibits,<br />
as well as models, diagrams, charts<br />
and animated posters. The exhibits<br />
provide detailed information<br />
concerning experiments and<br />
inventions in a number of fields<br />
including electricity, light, heat,<br />
magnetism, communication, sound,<br />
as well as motion, force and energy.•<br />
WEEKEND TRIBUNE | FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017