Windsor Teacher On Trial

This is such an unusual news article that I could not resist blogging about it. From the Star,

"From praising Osama bin Laden and calling the Holocaust an "exaggeration" to telling students he'd like to have sex with their mothers, a former Windsor-area high school teacher is accused of having broken just about every taboo of civil conduct - in class or out."

William Fabel's outrageous statements include:

• To a female Grade 10 student, Fabel said: "I was looking at Playboy magazine and saw someone who looked just like you."
  
• After the Columbine shooting, he entered the class pretending to be a gunman, causing students to cower under their desks.
  
• To the mother of two students at the start of a parent-teacher interview, he asked: "Who do you want to talk about first? Dumb or Dumber?"
  
• He told one student his mother was a "M.I.L.F." - meaning a "mother I'd like to f---."
  
• To his class: "I'm a leg man; I have cameras hidden under all the girls' desks!"
  
• To a Catholic: "Your religion's stupid. That nun isn't getting any!"
  
• He spoke about his own sexual activities and offered tips to male students on "how to get into girls' pants."
  

And these are just a sample of his overall 'quotes'.

Fabel got a teaching certificate and degree from University of Toronto in 1988. My question is, how did he pass the 2 years needed for certificate, which included a 1 year teaching practical? Did he keep his mouth shut while he did his certificate? Or was his comments less offensive then as diversity was less in Toronto then?

News Links: Toronto Sun Toronto Star

Tags: William Fabel Windsor

Iraq War Dead Crosses 2000 - A Lie

While I sit in an air conditioned mosque and break my fast with the sweetest of dates and spiciest of chicken, it is hard to pause and reflect that in some other parts of the world, people leave their homes and do not know if they will come back (Iraq), or they have gone to bed having everything but woken up with nothing (Pakistan quake victims).

The US media have been covering the 2000^th death in Iraq as a grim milestone. I don't know what is a milestone. What about the 100,000^th Iraqi death? Was it not a milestone?

When asked once about civilian deaths, General Tommy Franks, US Central Command chief replied, "We don'’t do body counts."

In the blog "Truth About Iraqis", the author posts,

"Democracy cannot, should not, and will not be measured by the power to vote. It will be measured by the sanctity of human life."

As I posted during Katrina that "society is judged by how they treat their poorest, their weakest, and their most vulnerable citizens". And Bush's government was found wanting, yet the Americans were not (over 70% of Americans donated to charities).

This article refers to how 'liberals' will destroy America. It uses the British Empire as a parallel and points how soft thinking ruined the great empire. While I am sure the British Empire made great contributions such as road and infrastructure to its colonies, it also had many dark chapters. The slaughter of innocent protesters at Amritsar, the cutting of fingers of the muslin weavers of Bengal, the rape of tribal women in Africa, and so on. So maybe it was a good thing the British decided to disband their empire.

The US media will choose to focus on the US dead and ignore the suffering of Iraqis. CNN's Christian Amanpour is one US reporter I have seen to ask and report on their lives, and how unsafe it has been for the normal Iraqis. One Iraqi woman wailed into the camera, "What kind of life is this, just eating and sleeping? We have no life."

Those are the stories that need to be told. The pro-Republican media, led by Fox, will tarnish the liberals for 'weakening' America with their anti-war cry. However it is the liberals who will ensure America lives up to her ideals.

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it vas not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

- President Ronald Reagan, 1982.


Tags: Iraq 2000

Gerrard Street Tales

The Gang of Three's T and E went for post-Iftaar dinner on Gerrard Street, along with E's brother S. Upon finding a suitable Pakistani establishment, they entered and placed their order. Very soon, the sizzling plate of butter chicken and the scrumptious curry beef made its appearance at their table, along with the obligatory naan and biryani. It was then that E asked for a knife and fork.

“What?” S poked fun at his brother, “Why do you need a fork for desi (South Asian) food?”

“The biryani,” E countered. “And the butter chicken.”

“Use your hands.” T told him in the ‘wise man’ voice. “If it was good for the messengers of God it should be good for you.”

“Besides,” S offered his wisdom. “Your hands are probably more sanitary than these forks, and who knows who has eaten with them in the last hour.” Then he looked at E’s hands and added, “Provided you have washed, of course.”

“I don’t know.” E raised his hands in protest, taking the teasing in good humour. “We are in a restaurant, we are in Canada, and I am using a knife and a fork. Screw you!”

Amidst the general ribbing of becoming ‘too westernized’, E got his knife and fork. As he prepared to dig in, the door to the restaurant opened.

Two girls walked in. Extremely beautiful, faces fair, slim figures and dressed fashionably Indian. They sauntered over, looking for a table.

E poked his knife into a piece of chicken leg.

“Mmm, guys, this is good.” He raised the chicken piece and looked over at T and S.

They were busy signaling to the waiter for a fork and knife.

The girls had sat down at the next table.

(Story credit: E)

Tags: Gerrard Street

Not In My Backyard

NIMBY.

Not In My Backyard.

That's what they called us when we opposed a recent city plan to create a 'Home for the Homeless' in our area. I have tried to see whether they were right.

You see, like any big, major, growing city, Toronto has a homeless problem. They clog up downtown streets on the 5 o clock rush hour, begging for alms as cars stop for the lights. They sleep in open parks. Many see them generally as a nuisance, a bunch of people who will NOT help themselves and rather CHOOSE to live the way they do. That's what City Hall was accused of, not caring enough for the less fortunate.

What does City Hall do? They decide to build a bunch of 'Home For The Homeless' shelters around the city, away from the downtown core. Well, they say, you can't fight City Hall. We did.

Toronto has some obscure clause added to its constitution during amalgation that lets area residents have a say in any city project. And boy, did we pack the school gyms and wherever they held a public meeting.

It was ugly, it was brutal. The city did everything in its power. They deliberately booked rooms with lower capacity. They scheduled the meetings in bad weather. Our area councillor, who is as left as you can get, was very much for the plan. He repeatedly tried to argue that we should be doing more for the less fortunate. We were mentioned in the Toronto Star.

The regular special folk were there too. They were bunch of social activists, writers, 'humanists', and other city workers all arguing why we should support the plan. Sure, it was not near their homes.

We had our concerns. We are near a river, and our property value would plummet, causing us to lose tens of thousands of dollars, were we to resell. The children now are let loose to play in nearby fields, but with the arrival of homeless the atmosphere of a residential area would be lost. Parents were skeptical of assurances that the 'bums' would only sleep for the night and not venture into our area during the day. Nobody here locked their doors, left the cars out, and tools lay around in the backyard. We did not want that feeling spoilt.

NIMBY. Nimbysts.

That's when the taunting started. It grew ugly. Racial insults started to flow. It's amazing the amount of hatred and vitriol we keep locked up inside ourselves for normalcy, but can unleash in times of stress. The cops grew edgy. But the residents held firm.

In the end a compromise plan was adopted by the city. The 'Home for the Homeless' would be scrapped. Rather, the city would fund a plan to create a Habitat for Humanity project. Instead of a shelter, these are a bunch of actual homes that will be awarded to actual families who are too poor to buy a proper home.

As we left the hall, one resident started to murmer, "This is just double speak. We are gonna fight this too." And many agreed.

NIMBY? I don't know. But I can relate to it.

Tags: NIMBY Toronto

Bengali Wedding In Toronto

My friend the K-man got married recently, here in Toronto. As promised to some Nahdians, here are some of the pics.


The official 'Akhd' and wedding was in the evening.


T and E arrive to be part of the 'Baraat'.


At the groom's cousin's place before departing with the Baraat.


The groom is fed a spoonfull of 'doodh-bhaat' (rice and milk) for good luck.


Naach Mundiye


We arrive at the bride's place. This is the 'gate dhaara' (official symbolic barring of entry to groom until some gifts are obtained).

Crossing the US Border

It would be only a matter of time at any event or social gathering before one of the bespectacled gentlemen would slowly arise and announce, "Ah but, you won't believe what a hassle I went through the other day to cross The Border ..."

The Border, ofcourse, is the US-Canada border, and crossing is usually going from the Canadian to the US side. Living in Canada, trips to the US are a regular part of life. I mean the first time I asked one of my coworkers and a long time Canadian are there any good cities nearby Toronto for a weekend trip? and he answered, Ya! The US!

I don't think most people face too many undue hassles crossing the border. If everything is on the level, and you co-operate and help the officials who are only doing their duty, you are unlikely to face trouble. But that does not mean there are not some, er, amusing incidents.

Once I was crossing with our university group. Our group included a black Jamaican-Canadian with dreadlocks, a red-headed Irishman, his blonde Swiss girlfriend, our Russian instructor, and me, the token South Asian guy. The official looks at us, and barks, "Are you all family?"

And he was quite serious.

This other time, December 2002, four of us friends crossed at the Windsor-Detroit border, on the way to Florida. The official indicated to us to park the car and go inside for 'deeper' interrogation. It was a year and few months since 9/11, and the Iraq war was just being sold to the Americans. And here I was, with three Pakistani friends (all born in Karachi) and me, a Bangladeshi.

[15 minutes before the border, inside the car]

Allright, everyone, do we have our answers ready? As we rehearsed, okay?.

Remember we have nothing to fear, we are all legally here and nothing's fishy. No I am not shivering, it's just cold.

Don't speak unless spoken to, and answer only what is asked.

Maq, dude! Why the hell did you bring your Pakistani passport? Where is the Canadian one? Why do you still have that Pakistani passport?

[I will leave out the rather colourful details of what our driver friend told Maq he could do to his Pakistani passport]

Once inside, the immigration office was daunting. There, in English, French and Spanish, were written the words, "We, are the guardians of the United States, serving our country and our President with pride, ... yada yada."

Then, right underneath, in Arabic, was "Why are you being detained?"

Then an immigration officer comes in, with this really huuuuuge gun. He cocks it, and then yells, "Hey Mike, this thing f****** works!"

Then he comes over, looks at Maq's (short for Maqbool) brother Omar (what a name, at that time) and said, "So you guys want to enter US. Have you ever been arrested, convicted, or charged with assault?"

Omar, the reliable friend he is, replied, "Not me!"

Translation: I don't know the rest of these creeps, but not me.

Needless to say, the official burst out laughing. He was really cordial after that.

Another time, when I was with family, this officer asked me, "so why are you born in ..., and your parents born in ..., and your sister in ... and your brother in ...?"

As if I had any choice in where I was born!

Needless to say, even though at times they may be vexing, I understand they have a tough job. Their country's been attacked. And I know, most terrorists look like us, so we get 'special attention'. I understand that. However, it is also not right to harrass people just because they are of a certain ethnicity. There's a fine line there.

What about the way back? I can honestly say Canadian officials are the least bit worried about you if you are coming back from the US and riding a car with Canadian plates. My theory is, they figure you have already been vetted going into the States, so why bother.

Most of the time they will ask us: "So did you buy anything in the US over your prescribed allowed tax limit so we can charge duty on that? Did you?"

One time we were returning late into the night (2 am) via the Niagara border. The girl only person at the Canadian counter was asleep. We had to honk our horn (loudly) to wake her up.

And the reaction from the Canadians returning is even better. The same guys who are rehearsing on the way in will be like, "You know, if that guy asks too many questions, I am going to let him hear it."

One thing though, a few days into the States, the heart longs for Canada. It is a cherished sight to see the 'Welcome to Canada' or 'Bienvenue Vers Le Canada'. Many times we have burst into a rendering of 'O Canada' after crossing the border.

I would be interested to hear other people's experiences at The Border. I bet they would be equally colourful.

I.T. Is Like, So Easy, Eh?

I really can't stand some people, of the middle aged variety, who thinks we who studied Computer Science have had it easy. They think anyone can do what we do. Without studying.

I ran into this 'Uncle' at one of those society parties. He has just recently moved to Canada after like a lifetime in the Middle East.

Him: "So, Mezba, how have you been?"

Me: "Same old same ... I mean I have been good, Alhamdulillah. How are you?"

Him: "I have been thinking ... you are doing something in computers right?"

Me: "Yes". Yeah, I program those code that work on machines that supply electricity to downtown Toronto, but yeah, I am doing 'something in computers'.

Him: "I have decided to accept a job in that ... field ... too."

Me [surprised]: "Yeah? You have a job offer already?"

Him: "Oh no, I am going to apply to one of those programming positions. I mean with my experience and education it should be easy right?"

Me: "Oh, sure uncle, you go right ahead." Education? You are a Mechanical Engineer who graduated when Bangladesh was still East Pakistan. That too from Solimullah High Institute of Technology. 1960. Experience? You have worked 20 years for the government in the rich Middle East where if a machine was broken they just got a new one instead of fixing it.

Him: "Sure, the job requires ..Ja..Ja.. Java, C, HTML, but I mean I can learn it in 4-5 days right?"

Me: "Oh absolutely." Sure, it took us 4 years of blood and sweat and tears in university, not to mention those pesky linear algebra and discrete math courses, but I am sure you, who requires help downloading an attachment from your email, can learn it in 4-5 days.

Him [continuing]: "Yeah, my son is giving me this book, Programming Java In 7 Days. So I should be OK."

Me [silent]. Isn't your son studying Philosophy?

Him: "I heard they do train you on the job too. So after I pass those interviews, I think I can accept the job."

I.T. is not easy. We did not spend 4 years learning a programming language. We spent 4 years studying how to think like a program. We learnt how to not just to code, but to code properly, efficiently. O(n) instead of O(n²). If you don't know that don't think about it.

We studied analysis, design of information systems, data management. We had to spend 4 years where there were 2 girls for 40 guys. Sure, our social skills may need a little refining, but the next time your airplane lands safely, your car stops properly, your letter prints correctly, that's us.

We are not someone you call to fix your damn computer because you opened an email attachment from Nigeria that said "Be Rich Tomorrow, I Just Need You To Run This Program Today". If you don't know when your printer cartridge is empty and are perplexed as to why your document won't print, don't call us.

We will call you.

When Politicians Lie ...

See also Guests At The Foundation Fundraising Dinner.

What's the difference between lying and break a promise? Come 2007, I have a feeling Dalton McGuinty is about to find out.

You see, paraphrasing Jon Stewart, Canada is like a bizzaro world version of USA. Here, the Liberals (our equivalent of Democrats) are in power, their ideas popular, their men media savvy, while the Conservatives (our equivalent of Republicans) are defeated, rudderless, with no solid leadership. Recently Canada has legalized same sex marriage, decriminalized marijuana, rejected any abortion restrictions, and maintain guns are for police and law enforcement officials only.

So it was no surprise when Dalton McGuinty of the Liberals rode to power in Ontario two years ago, clinching 72 seats out of 104. His signature during the campaign had been a bunch of promises, the most famous of which, repeated most often, was "I won't raise your taxes, but I won't cut them either. Our schools, hospitals and welfare services need that money. I won't raise your taxes, ... I won't raise your taxes, ... "

What's the first thing he does on winning the premier's seat? Raise taxes.

Breaking your promise is when you made a promise in good faith, but on coming to power you realized the situation is bad and you cannot keep your word. That can be forgiven. Not lying. Most Canadians now believe McGuinty lied. He said anything to get elected.

Usually when Liberals lie they can get away with it by demonizing the opposition even more. And the federal Conservative Party has obliged, recruiting sexists, men with big mouths, anti-immigration anti-minority candidates (a travesty in Ontario). But now with John Tory at the helm of the provincial Conservative party, they could just turn things over.

As I said before, whatever the mess the federal Conservatives in Canada are in, the provincial wing have done the right thing in electing this man as their leader. I heard of him first when he ran for the position of the mayor of Toronto (ironically against David Miller, now his good friend). He was speaking at that time of discrimination women in hijab face when job hunting.

Currently he has pulled all the right strings to ensure the Conservatives get good press. He has done a lot to make his party inclusive of minorities and other entities that generally shy off from the Conservatives. He attended the Gay Pride Parade in Toronto this summer, the same time the federal Conservative leader Stephen Harper shied the parade (and then dressed up in a weird cowboy outfit).

Tory will have an important test soon. The Liberal MPP from Scarborough Rouge-River, Alvin Curling, has been made the ambassador to the Dominican Republic, meaning that seat is now empty. The riding has a population of 115,437, of which 97,400 are visible minorities. In such an immigrant, mostly liberal Christian, riding the Conservatives had always run an Anglo, hardline Christian candidate. Needless to say he didn't gel with the voters. You need to be smart in picking your candidates.

This time Ms Cynthia Lai is going to run on their behalf. John Tory has to ensure she wins the riding. This would be the first step towards their victory. They say a week is a long time in politics, and there are still two long years for the election, but when politicians lie, they deserve to be punished.

Guests At The Foundation Fundraising Dinner

The Islamic Foundation of Toronto held a fundraising dinner for the earthquake victims of Pakistan. A host of dignitaries from the political arena attended, showing how mainstream muslims have become in Toronto. Mr. Qayyum of the Foundation got a big applause when he invoked God's blessings on Canada for what they have done so far.


Toronto mayor David Miller is the first of the invited guests of honour to address the gathering.

David Miller has always worked very well with immigrants, minorities and communities, and this was no exception. He spoke well, was concise, and spoke of what Toronto is doing for Pakistan (helping with water purification techniques).


The long-time federal MP for the riding, Derek Lee, speaks of the Canadian response.

Derek Lee has served this community for a long time, and he spoke of the troubles Pakistanis were facing with the onset of winter. He got a few smiles when he said we Canadians know better than anyone how harsh winter can be.



Ontario Leader of the Opposition, John Tory, the leader of the provincial Tories, talks of the pledge.

The more I see of this guy the more I like him. Whatever the mess the federal Conservatives in Canada are in, the provincials have done the right thing in electing this man as their leader. I heard of him first when he ran for the position of the mayor of Toronto (ironically against David Miller, now his good friend). He spoke then of discrimination women in hijab face in job hunting. Today he was full of class, and got a standing ovation when discussing his own pledge.


Ontario New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton addresses the majlis.

The NDP has always been a muslim-friendly party. It was Alexa McDonough, the leader of the federal NDP, that stood up in the house of Parliament after 9/11, and said, "Mohammed and Osama are Canadian names too". She was discussing the persecution many muslims at that time were facing. Mr. Hampton thus spoke to an appreciating audience.



Cynthia Lai, PC candidate for the area in the upcoming by-election, speaks.

I was happy to see the PC party has ditched their long time loser candidate for this riding and chosen someone who reflects the ethnic makeup of the riding (another positive for John Tory, he has made a big gesture in including minorities in his party, that has always been portrayed, sometimes unfairly, as anti-immigration, racist). Ms Lai spoke well.

Overall it was a great evening. Almost CND $50,000 was raised, with more on the way.

Why I Avoid Certain Parties

I plan to attend a community meeting tomorrow where the leaders of the provincial Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party will be speaking, as well as the mayor of Toronto, so tomorrow's blog will probably be heavy on a serious topic. Thus am posting in a lighter vein today.

I have been desperately trying to avoid Iftar parties. People forget that the month of fasting is supposed to connect you to the hungry and needy people of the world. Instead, I am overwhelmed at the size of the food usually on offer. Bengali iftar parties can often feed the entire Canadian army for a week.

I have found that the best way is to take a very little bit of everything and stay out of sight of the aunt (henceforth referred to as the Aunty) who's throwing the party. Too much of any one thing will make you sick, and you MUST have enough space left for the sherbet (drink) which will help avoid strange gastronomic noises during the night prayers.

The first item will be dates that everyone claims is from Mecca. Now these are very sweet and tasty. After all you have been fasting the whole day so anything will taste good. Do not get suckered in. Eat just one or two. You need space for other foods.

For sure drink the mango lassi (drink) now, for if you go to Maghrib prayer thinking you will have it later, you will find that the little kids have finished it.

Then, after the obligatory Maghrib prayers, comes the main food. This is where you will run into the Aunty who is the hostess - and she will not take Naa (no) for an answer. "No" means you are shy. If she offers you that extra piece of kebab , dripping with a delectable jhol (gravy), never say "No". For if you do she will now give you two of the 90%-oil-10%-meat serving as a reward for your modesty. If that happens, wait. When everyone's attention is reverently focused on her 90-year-old elderly parent who has just entered the room, put the kebab back into the serving dish.

Beware your cousin. If he tastes something awful, he will turn to you and always ask [very loudly] 'hey did you taste this, this is good'. Always in the presence of the Aunty.

Many Bangladeshis prefer to wait until they have finished eating COMPLETELY before going for the spicy drink (yes, spicy drink) called Burhani that's as refreshing to me as two-day old bathroom water. It seems to be a favourite of our elders. We Bangladeshis do not usually drink during the meals - hands are too full of korma to hold the glass, you know. And if you leave halfway through the meal to quench your thirst you will find that in usual Bengali efficiency the next person in line is now sitting at your chair and at your place.

Bangladesh TV has a tradition of producing special natoks (TV shows) during Ramadan. Some of them can be mildly interesting. If you are invited to one such family's house for iftar, where one lady will undoubtedly mention the latest natok that her son's friend's mother's brother has got from Dhaka. Pretend to know everything about it. The plot is usually the same - the daughter (Kulsum) loves this hard working engineer (Altaf) who has come from the village but made it in the big city but her father has planned her marriage to his friend's son (Rana) who is also classically handsome but residing in America. After 12 episodes, the father comes around to her point of view, her boyfriend succeeds in wooing the family with his good Muslim/Bengali values while Rana of America is a dweeb womanizer. Or the Rana from America actually turns out to be super rich and super cool and super good so the poor engineer fiancee Altaf is left in the lurch. Either way the girl wins. Who says women are not empowered in Bangladesh. I miss Kothao Keu Nei.

Finally the sweets. We are famous for our gulab jamuns, rosgollas, faloodas and so on. After a dinner where you have effectively thrown out the Atkins diet for the 'see-food' diet (you know, see food, will eat), this can be the final torture.

No wonder I try to avoid certain Iftar parties.

"Have some meat. Oh, you are vegetarian? All right, have some lamb then!"
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Do You Like Kids?

It was this article that got me thinking about one of my cousins. Let's call him Sumon.

Sumon got married in Bangladesh and soon moved to the States with his new wife. He had a great job, and for four years, they lived happily. However, they had no kids. As is usual, suggestions from everyone around was ever present.

"You should make this dua (prayer) and blow three times ..."

"Have faith in God."

"You should sleep in a East-West direction."

To his wife: "Have you made milk with nuts for him at night?" (some old Bengali wives' tales).

Then, in the fifth year of marriage - First son.
In the sixth year of marriage - Second son.
In the seventh year of marriage - Third son.
In the eighth year of marriage - First daughter.

As is custom for Bengalis, everyone has two names. The official name, that you place on your certificates and passports, and the nick name (daak naam) that has absolutely no relation to your proper name, used by family.

Sumon's nickname for his daughter was Eiti, a common Bengali name.

Now Eiti is ALSO how you end Bengali letters. It is the equivalent of 'Yours Truly', or 'Sincerely'. It's how you sign off. For whatever reason, for five years now since Eiti's birth, no more kids. Eiti indeed.

And now, here was this family on CNN with four times as many kids.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Michelle Duggar just delivered her 16th child, and she's already thinking about doing it again.

Saffiyah discusses the case here. I like this comment by aidan:

"good lord. I can't even take care of a fish tank"

Once I met this girl at an Iftar party. We got talking, and it turned out she was studying sociology. We were discussing the ageing population of Canada. She then asked me what I thought the optimal number of kids for a family was.

For some reason I misunderstood and thought she was asking what time it was.

"Ten," I had replied.

Needless to say there was an Eiti on the conversation.

Tax Those Programs

During my first job at an internship I was responsible for maintaining code at a small company. The company would accept a contract from a client to create a software application for a particular job. They would then outsource the contract (usually to India). Once the finished application came back from India, the company would contact their client, and this is where we would come in. Our job was get the software into production, and maintain it as the need arose.

It was a very frustrating job. The code shipped back would be full of errors, and be very badly written. It was easy to see why - they were made by some guys in Bangalore who had learnt the programming language (C, Java, etc) in 3-4 months in one of those 'quickie' courses given in India. Where a software engineer here in Canada would have spent 4 years in an university, learning not just languages but techniques, styles, conventions, all designed to help him program efficiently, quickly and easily, the guys in India knew none of those things. The returned code was hard to maintain, extremely hard to debug and almost impossible to change to meet future needs.

Nowadays things have changed. Companies contact India directly for outsourcing. The programmers in India have become smarter, more capable and successful. They are now proper IT graduates. Their main selling point is they can work for 40,000 rupees while a programmer here will work for 40,000 dollars. As an IT person, I have a personal fear of outsourcing.

I have a solution to this.

Do you know why we charge taxes on imported cars. Mazda dealers, for example, import their cars from Japan, and have to pay a tax to do so. GM, Honda, Toyota, which makes cars in Ontario, do not have to do so. This is because a car made outside Canada has contributed nothing to Canada during manufacture. If a Canadian buys that car, the money the car company makes benefits foreigners. That's why we charge a tax on imported items, to compensate the loss a domestic manufacturer bears when his product is not sold.

Similarly a software 'imported' from outside, say India, should be charged import duties. It should be treated just like a foreign product, for it is a product. If we make it hard (read: expensive) for contractors here to outsource software needs, they will have no choice but to hire domestic workers.

This won't affect the majority of our software that we buy from US (due to NAFTA) but all outsourcing will be affected. The Government of Canada must not embrace an outsourcing culture that has already seen manufacturing go exclusively to China, software increasingly departing to India, and leaving large numbers of skilled workers unemployed at home and with no choice but to try their skills elsewhere.

BBC: New muscles in the marketplace

Is Earthquake God's Wrath?

It was the early days of Hurricane Katrina and the images of poor black Americans in dire conditions filled the TV screens. At that time I ran into a very patriotic Iraqi friend of mine.

"This hurricane is from Allah." He said. "The Americans are destroying one of our cities. Now Allah is destroying theirs."

The first of his statements was not open to debate. All things, good or bad, ARE from God. But I argued with him about his second statement.

"One cannot presume to know why Allah does what He does." I said. "These things happen, and its not always a cause-and-effect morality system. You cannot say this is because of that."

He was not alone in blaming the hurricane on the sins of Americans. Alabama State Senator Hank Erwin said the damage done by Katrina was God's wrath on a sinful coast. I am so glad I did not take that position because today, as the earthquake in Pakistan's death toll crosses 20,000, I would like to ask my friend what was his explanation for this natural disaster.

The racists at Little Green Footballs did not even pause.

"Where's your God now?" Taunted one.

"We had a hurricane that killed 1000 people." Said a more mathematical one. "You had a tsunami with 200,000 dead and now an earthquake with 20,000. That's 2-1 for our God."

Ignoring the fact that both Muslims and Christians worship the same God of Abraham, natural disasters are now being turned into a one-upmanGodship .

"If God loves a servant, he sends tribulation upon him," so goes a Hadith in Islam. The saying has always pointed to the parable of Job in the Bible (Ayub in Islam - peace be upon him) who suffered through decades of disease but kept his faith in God. In Islam those who die in a natural calamity are accorded the status of martyrs. I am told Christianity has something similar. For those left behind, a tragedy of this scope is a reminder of God's power and our own mortality.

If you still believe disasters are due to our sins, look at these natural calamities.
- For the first 300 years after Jesus, any Christian in the Roman Empire was subject to persecution.
- Moses' (Musa in Islam - peace be upon him) people were bound in slavery for decades.
- Severe draught afflicting the Muslim empire during Omar (R) 's time.
- and many more (trials and hardships of Joseph (Yusuf), Jacob (Yaqub), Jonah (Yunus) and so on).

As we can see, earthquakes, tsunamis and the like affected those before us, the best of us. And now it affects us. And it will affect those after us. If God is indeed sending a tribulation on those He loves, then He must love both the American Christians and the Pakistani Muslims, as we know He does.

Americans Need Debate

I just finished watching a video of the speech Bush gave to the National Endowment for Democracy. His speech, which recycled his older arguments for the war in Iraq, lacked any particular details on how he was going to exit Iraq, which I think has become his main bogeyman. But as I watched him, and reflected on the US political system, I realized one thing.

Americans don't have any of the good old fashion debate that we in Canada and other Parliamentary-style governments such as Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh enjoy have. Consider this:

Last year four RCMP officers (they are equivalent of FBI in Canada) got shot by a madman who later killed himself. Later it was discovered the killer was supposed to be in jail but released by a weak justice system. The families are calling for tougher sentences for drug-related offences and a new national drug strategy.

Two days ago, Mr. Martin told the House of Commons that he had already had a lengthy meeting with the families of the victims. But what he failed to mention was that this was long time ago, not recently when they were in Ottawa, as his statement implied.

The Opposition immediately crucified him.

Yesterday, the Conservative Party took the matter to Question Period, calling on Mr. Martin to apologize.

"I wonder why the Prime Minister would mislead the families and mislead the House in this fashion?" Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said.

Conservative MP Rona Ambrose called for government action on the families' demands.

"The families were very hurt by the Prime Minister's words. Will the Prime Minister apologize to the families?" she asked.

They all said Paul Martin was accused yesterday of misleading Parliament after saying he had "long discussions" with the families of the four RCMP officers who died at the hands of James Roszko near Mayerthorpe, Alta., this year.

Prime Minister Paul Martin was then forced to apologize.

Remember our sponsorship scandal? A bunch of the government was found to have been skimming tax money. Paul Martin was forced to give an address to the nation, essentially asking them to have faith in him as he got to the bottom of the mess.

This is what leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper said in reply.

"My fellow Canadians.

We have all just witnessed a sad spectacle -- a prime minister so burdened with corruption in his own party that he is unable to do his job and lead the country, a party leader playing for time, begging for another chance.

This is not how a prime minister should act."

Or let's go to Britain. There in the House the Opposition is practically sitting 10 feet away from the Prime Minister.

"We have to raise our demands. We don't want Bush out of the Whitehouse, we want Bush in prison with Blair and all the other war criminals who have brought us to this pass," said George Galloway, an opposition MP to the house.

When was the last time the President of USA was involved in such a debate. I was watching CNN during last year's US Presidential elections, and this is what Aaron Brown said:

"John Kerry will have to be careful in criticizing the President because Americans don't like a direct criticism of their President."

Excuse me, but how else are you supposed to tell the leader of the free world that he is wrong if not by criticizing him. He is the one who is calling all the shots and the place where the buck stops. All Senate, Congress decisions ultimately come to him for a veto.

As I watched the first debate then I realized why Bush bristled whenever Kerry got close to a criticism. He was not used to it.

Where is the criticism of Bush when he gave a false statement in a State of the Union speech? Where is the criticism of Bush when he took his nation to war based on false premises? Where is the criticism of Bush when he referred to Americans in New Orleans as "people in that part of the world"?

Sure, people ARE criticizing him, even some politicians, but Bush does not have to face them in a legislative setting. He exists in the White House, comes to the lawn for a few press conferences (the lowest number so far of any President), takes a few questions, and leaves. He does not have to argue his point in a regular debate as do
our leaders.

This can lead a leadership that exists within a vacuum, as Jon Stewart said recently on an Oprah show. Link is here [a web page containing a video file].

In his words, "Washington has a loss of perspective and you lose respect for the truth It becomes a pursuit of power rather than pursuit of the truth."

Iftar on 2nd Ramadan

Iftar 2^nd day of Ramadan - Picture 1


Iftar 2^nd day of Ramadan - Picture 2

Iftar refers to the evening fast-breaking meal during the Islamic month of Ramadan. We get up early in the morning before dawn and eat a meal called Suhur. The whole day is then spent fasting, till sunset, when Iftar is taken.

Fasting reminds one of the plight of the genuinely hungry. It also teaches us about will power, as we are encouraged to break all bad habits for one month.

Fasting is also mentioned in the Bible. Surprisingly the US Marines also has a page on Ramadan.

In the pictures above I brought home some samosa and pakoda from a nearby Indian restaurant. Needless to say one of their busiest times is during Ramadan. The yellow sweets are called laddoos. Dates are also present, and are traditionally the item used to break the fast, followed by water or some sherbet (fruit drink). Since we are North Americans we also have some fast food (chicken fingers).

Cellphones

I have never been a part of the cellphone brigade.

Recently, I had to order a new cellphone to replace my older one. The only reason I chose to do so was because the older one would suddenly stop working.

Our cellphone company has recently decided to use voice-activated technology. I preferred the older touch-tone system. Now your co-workers will be mystified as you dial a number, wait for sometime, and then start sprouting excerpts like "English", "Toronto", "Cellphones", "New Phones", "You moronic goobstopper just get me to a live real person."

The last comment was met with, "I am sorry but I could not pick that. Your comment has been stored and will be analyzed later to help us improve our system."

Okay.

Then Sue came online. Well she was probably Suneeta but we will let that go. She had a nice voice.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"Well, I need to order a new phone. The older one is not working properly."

"Certainly, sir. May I ask what do you do mostly with your phone?"

At the point I was a bit puzzled.

"Um, talk. You know, to other people."

"Oh no, sir. I mean do you play games, play MP3 music, surf the net, capture photographs, text message or record videos? We also have newer devices that let you take dictation, as well as use it as an USB storage device."

Whoa.

It's amazing what one could get in a cellphone today. After talking with Suneeta Sue I went to their website to check out the phones. They even have $3000 phones with ALL those features in one.

It wasn't too long ago I took my first phone. 6 years ago, when I bought my first car. I needed it in case the car broke down on me, as it was a very old car. At that time the phone was the latest, and it was huge, with only two features, 1) excellent network capability anywhere and 2) Twelve ringtones. I could talk from almost anywhere. Nowadays cellphones are crammed with the latest gizmos yet many don't seem to work in basements with wafer-thin walls. And cellphone companies use unfair practices to lock you into using their product for years.

I just have one question though.

It took decades for governments to respond to early warnings about tobacco, asbestos and radiation. Cellphones are a relatively new technology that is growing forward in quantum leaps. Should we have similar concerns about these popular devices? Has anyone figured out what the effects of having 1 gigabyte of data stored near the bottom of your body with constant wireless signals coming to and from it? With the recent introduction of cellphone for kids who have lower immune resistance to diseases, who is doing the research? Does it bother or alarm you that the only entities conducting studies into harmful effects of cellphone technology are cellphone companies themselves?

Muslim Comedians

There was a big MuslimFest in Mississauga recently, and their biggest draw was the comedy show. Unfortunately, though we took on other stuff from the festival, the comedy show was sold out. Few months back I had attended another Muslim comedy night at Yuk Yuk's, called Allah Made Me Funny. I had a hard time sleeping that night as my stomach was still aching from too much laughing.

There is this guy. He plays off his Taliban-style looks and deadpans, "Everywhere I go people look at me as if I am responsible for 9/11. I had nothing to do with 9/11 ... 7/11 maybe, but not 9/11."

There were a lot of families at these events, mainly because it was 'Muslim' comedy. That meant no fart, sex, blonde jokes, and no expletives. Which implied the lines had to be really funny to be effective.

I really liked the British girl, Shazia Mirza.

"My name is Shazia Mirza. At least that's what it says on my pilot's licence."

"I went to Mecca. In front of the holy black stone, where you repent your sins, someone pinched my bum ... Clearly, my prayers had been answered."

There was Preacher Moss, a black Muslim convert.

"When I was young and they caught a criminal I would pray it wasn't a black person." He says honestly. "And now when they catch a terrorist I pray it's not a Muslim. And then came the DC sniper!!! A black AND a Muslim!!! I was like, whaaaaat!"

Comedy had a long history in Muslim times before disappearing until recently. It started with the Messenger of God himself. Once an old pious lady came to him and asked him if she was going to heaven after death. With a straight face he told her that no old women were going to heaven.

The Prophet said to those nearby: "Tell her that no woman goes into heaven as an old woman." He then read the Quranic verses: "We shall have brought them into being in a life renewed ... " (56: 35-36), meaning heaven-goers were going to heaven as they were in their prime.

There there was Mullah Nasiruddin, a famous character of folklore in the ancient Muslim world.

A friend asked the Mullah how old he was.

Forty, he replied.

But you said the same thing last year and the year before that, the friend objected.

Yes, The Mullah replied, A true Muslim always stands by what he said!

And many more.

Why was there a dearth of Muslim comic until recently?

I think it is because coloniasm and imperialism. Hear me out!

Until the 17th century most Muslims were in Muslim lands and masters of their own destiny. Suddenly much of that was under Christian forces. Therefore it became an us-versus-them attitude and no one made fun of themselves any more. After the colonies became free, the departing colonists installed their own puppet dictators who stifled freedom of speech. So in many countries these people still cannot say what they want.

So no matter that much Muslim comedians are now coming from Muslims in the West, who enjoy freedom of speech, religion, dress etc. It is also now catching up in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and many African countries. Long may it continue.

The Grass On The Other Side

When I was a university student I was the editor of the campus newspaper The Underground. We were a leftist bunch, forever upset at the provincial government for shortchanging students and higher tuition fees, the federal government for cutting the arts budget, for not sending the army to help the poor farmers of Nicaragua, the university for cancelling several research projects, and so on. Now that I am working and earning, and a bit less idealistic, I am still upset at the government but for different reasons. Why are they wasting so much tax payers' money on useless stuff like ballet and why are students not paying their own tuition? Why is our money wasted in Darfur? Screw them, I want to keep more of my own money! The classic left-to-right conversion.

Ofcourse living in Toronto means many US cities are close by for vacationing. Whenever I would visit a cousin in Chicago, I would marvel at their transport system. Reversible highways! The north becomes south bound during opposite rush hour. What a novel concept! Here in Toronto, stuck in coma-inducing rush hour, I would think about that. Or when forced to use the subway, I would imagine the excellent connectivity of the New York City Transit.

Recently a friend of mine visited from the States. Now he lives somewhere south of Dallas, Texas, in a small village. He must be the only brown guy in the county, and works as a system administrator. He tells me its like Duke of Hazzards country down there, and being a Muslim there is as common as snow in Sahara. He has been living there since graduation, for about three years now.

And boy was he impressed with Toronto.

"Your subway system is so neat!" He gushed. I nearly choked on my shwarma.

"Ours? As in Toronto's?"

"Oh ya! I was in New York and they had piss on the floor of the trains. And were we warned to avoid Penn station after 9! And your streets feel so - safe!"

Now that part I can testify to. Many a time, after returning from a night out on the west end of the city, I have gotten lost there. After driving around a while, I would hit the highway and be back on the road. No matter how late, we never felt unsafe.

Even once in Montreal, we reached there around 11 pm. After, um, seeing the sights on Rue Catherine, the entertainment district, we got lost on returning to our car. A bit of walking around and we found it again. 2 am in the morning in a strange city and we never felt unsafe.

Hah! While going to Chicago for the first time, we stepped off the I-55 to get some gas. And I called my cousin's husband to tell him that. He nearly had a heart attack, and yelled at me to get back on the highway. Later we found out we had alighted on Chicago's famous South Side. So safe, I can understand.

"And the streets are so clean." My friend was going on. "The parks are really nice to sit around, and the litter on the roads are invisible."

Again I was like, "Toronto?" I never noticed the lack of litter. I drive downtown Spadina too. But my friend showed me a few pictures of him while in NYC, Chicago and Houston. He was like, there's good areas of the town, and bad areas. Here you don't see that too much. I mumbled something or the other about our tax dollars going to a useless welfare system to artificially lessen the class gap.

But he wasn't finished.

"And your women! The women of Toronto are the best looking bunch of any city I have been to!"

Now this time, in addition to my dinner just falling to the floor in shock, so too did my jaw.

"Toronto? Women! You must be nuts. Have you been to Montreal?" He confessed he hadn't. My French friends from college had a joke. "Why are all Montreal girls so good looking? 'Coz we have a rule here. If you are sixteen and you are ugly looking, we send you to - Toronto!"

"Seriously, you must be nuts. I mean ya, some women here look after themselves, but seriously, you must be nuts."

"No way man. There so much variety here. In Texas where I am, [switch on offensive mode] I am used to like ... farm girls ... who are like ... big." Naturally he may have been exaggerating. I mean Jessica Simpson seemed all right by me. "And not to mention the diversity of restaurants in Toronto. And not to forget many of them are halal! Oh don't even get me started on Toronto."

No, he wasn't being polite. I could only shake my head. Toronto? Maybe, the grass is greener always, on the other side.

Ramadan News

This situation is so funny.

1st News.

First, a little background.

The Islamic calendar is based on the moon, as is the Jewish calendar. Every 29th day of the lunar month, people go and look for the new moon. If it is sighted, then the next day is the first day of the next month, else the next day is the 30th day of this month, following which the next month starts. Nowadays due to technology the positions of the moon can be calculated and we have a reasonable prediction.

So all over the Muslim world, people would wait to see if Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, would start on Tuesday Oct 4 or Wednesday Oct 5. But wait!

There is a solar eclipse! On the 29th day of the month!

Suddenly some scholars are saying because the solar eclipse means the moon will come into 'view' in front of the sun, this means the 'new moon' is 'sighted' and so Ramadan for sure begins the next day. The others say this does not count, and a new moon has to be sighted the proper way (i.e. at night).

In either case, the final say lies with the government, who will decide. And in non Muslim countries like Canada, US, it means the bigger mosques in cities.

2nd news.

Apparently there's an October surprise by - um - God.

For the first time in 33 years, Jews and Muslims will mark the start of their most sacred seasons on the same day this week. Rosh Hashana -- the Jewish New Year that begins the 10-day period known as the Days of Awe -- and the monthlong Islamic fast of Ramadan fall on Tuesday.

What's more, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a relatively minor Christian holiday mostly commemorated by Roman Catholics, also will be celebrated that day.

At a time when Jews and Muslims around the globe observe their religious traditions, locally and nationally members of all three world religions are participating in interfaith activities that highlight their similarities and growing closeness.

You know what this means right? All of a sudden on the same day most Jews, Muslims, and some Catholics will be hungry during the morning. Hopefully something will be done about poverty and world hunger.

Vatican Flexes Muscle

On driving to work I heard on the radio that the Catholic bishops will gather in Rome this weekend to consider refusing communion to politicians who pass laws that violate church doctrine. This potentially involves Canada as Prime Minister Paul Martin is a Catholic who has just passed same sex marriage laws across Canada.

From 580 CFRA, "Canadian bishops say the issue will be raised as part of a larger discussion on the worthiness of Catholics who present themselves for the sacrament".

This is a very dangerous situation. Before I continue let me clarify my stance of homosexuality. My views are coloured by my religion. And Islam has unequivocally banned homosexual relations, just like Christianity and Judaism. Many so-called liberal Christians and Jews say their religion has no such law. Not knowing that much details of the religions I cannot clarify, but in Islam it is said the people of Lut (Lot in the Bible) were punished because they practiced same sex relations. The Qur'an chapter 26 verse 165 also spells out what God thinks of gay people.

Therefore I think gay people are wrong. But that does not mean I start burning them at stake or spraying homophobic graffiti. Allah has also said not to transgress in our actions and live peacefully with those whom we disagree on articles of faith.

"He who hurts a dhimmi (minority) hurts me, and he who hurts me hurts and annoys Allah," says a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

"O mankind, we created you from a single pair of a male and female and made you into tribes and nations that you may know one another (not that you may despise one another). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is he who is most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well aware of all things."
-- The Qur'an (49:13)

Not that this hasn't stopped persecution of gays in some Muslim/non-Muslim countries.

Now we come to the Vatican. From my understanding of Catholicism, communion in the church signifies a physical union with body and blood of Jesus (called Isa in Islam - peace be upon him). This service, performed repeatedly, identifies the worshipper as Catholic and deserving of God's grace in the hereafter. Denial of such a service means the person is barred from the church and cannot be guaranteed of heaven. More details here.

Now I may not agree with another mortal man telling me my spiritual eternity is doomed, but many Catholics do. And many important politicians in positions of power, such as our Catholic prime minister, also believe so.

Even though I do not agree with same sex marriage, I believe it is Canada and Canada's business only as to what we pass as laws in our country. And those laws should also be secular and not based or coloured by any religion. If the Parliament of Canada chose to pass same sex marriage, it is our business and not the Vatican's. And if you say the Vatican is only doing what is in its power to promote its church's teachings, consider this.

At one time in Canada a Protestant and Catholic could not marry (just like it is in some parts of Ireland). And any politician who tried to break this law was threatened by the Vatican much in the same way proponents of same sex marriage are being threatened today. And to those who say the Church is infallible let's not forget Galileo.

If today the Church can dictate same sex marriage, what will they dictate tomorrow. And opponents of same sex marriage have to bring scientific proof as to why it is not valid, other than saying "God does not will it." Something like linking AIDS and same sex.

Kensington Market

Toronto is the one of the most multicultural city in the world, and the best way to appreciate diversity of the city is by walking through its hodge-podge of neighbourhoods. One such place is the Kensington Market, quite near my workplace.


Kensington Market Entrance From Spadina

Its location is a contradiction in itself. Situated right next to Chinatown, which itself is located beside the fifth most prestigious university in North America (think French academics and Starbucks and latte coffee), and bordered by Little Italy, Kensington Market contains some of the best local produce and meat shops in Toronto.


Main Street Of The Market

Besides its never dull. With Ramadan coming (fasting for us Muslims), I cajoled my colleagues to going for lunch at the market. And with a nice day, it does not take much incentive. These are a sample of the stores on the main street (the names are what we call them).

1. Jamaican patty lady store (the ladies are really Ethiopians pretending to be Jamaicans), patties for 99c.
   
2. The Falafel place - a Lebanese store with greetings in Hebrew, Arabic and English printed on the door. Falafel used to be 2 bucks but is now 2.15. Guy claims it's because of gas prices.
   
3. This place that looks like it sells dope. Called Roach something. Probably is above board but one of the guys said the 70s could have been a different story.
   
4. A store selling Texas style meat (ribs, tongues, what not, think grill meat), for some reason called European Meats.
   
5. A fish store that really is fishy. My buddy bought some red snapper today and later we came and found out the guy cheated him on the weights (we have all sort of instruments at my workplace).
   
6. A cheese place (French - what else?) that sells one type of cheese called 'Stinky cheese'. It really reeks! But tastes surprisingly good however.
   
7. An army surplus store where you can buy army costumes for cheap if you are in a play. Coz otherwise I don't think its too much of a good idea to go walking around on the street dressed like a Chilean dictator.
   
8. Loblaws. The last one I heard was extremely unpopular with other market residents who felt it would spoil the atmosphere.
   

And the market is never short of weird people. There's this guy we call black Jesus. Ever seen the traditional picture of Jesus? White guy, red beard, eyes shut, blue robe, stick in hand, shepherd-like? Now change the white to black and you got it. This guy stands at one corner at noon and sings Christian hymns for pedestrians.

Then there's the DVD guy. He sets up a rack and sells pirated DVDs, always very quick to move away whenever the police comes. He really is quick, once I saw him pack and bike away in less than 2 minutes. I don't really know why he doesn't set up ware at Chinatown, just on the next block.

Today one hobo cornered him, picked up a DVD and challenged him, "What if I steal this from you, just as you steal from the movie producers?"

Then he saw us nearby and called out to us, "You buy from this man, you agents of the serpent! I should just clobber you with this-" He pointed to a can of baked beans in his hand. Ofcourse he did not know that my office guys are ALL ex-army (except me and another guy). One of them just walked up to him. No word, just walked up to him. The Baked-Bean Guy took one look and fled.


Rickshaws In The Market

I don't know why these rickshaws are here, but they are in front of a FRENCH store. Having been to India, Bangladesh and Thailand myself I can tell you that the left most one looks like it's from Calcutta, the middle one is Dhaka, and last one could be from Bangkok.

Even the rickshaw exhibit is multicultural.

Brampton

With the remnants of hurricane Rita hitting Toronto, the weekend is shaping up to be a lousy one. Rain, rain and more rain. In the middle of it today (Sunday) there was a patch of sunshine just enough for me to grill some meat on the bbq.

Last (Saturday) night had a housewarming party in Brampton. One of the first families from our UAE batch to settle here in Toronto has recently moved to Brampton, around 50 kms away, and all were invited.

The great thing about Bengali family parties is you pretty much know what's going to happen. If you know the people you will have a good time. The uncles will sit around solving the world's problems, while the Aunties talk about who knows what ('janen bhabi, onar meyta na...'). The young people do pretty much what young people all over the world do.

Discuss Desperate Housewives.

It's amazing how that show has become the show to watch. I watched a couple of episodes but did not find any reason to continue watching. Nothing ahamori, as Bengalis say. I would rather watch half an hour of Raymond. Too bad Star Trek TNG does not run anymore.

There was also some NRBs (a Newly Returned (from) Bangladesh) at the party. Having gone through that stage myself last winter this was how it worked. Within your peers you find all sort of ways to put down your time in Bangladesh (after all it's hot, dusty, crowded, polluted, ..., etc.) - never mind that you have a good (no great) time over there, with no worries and being pampered by long lost relatives and waited upon hand and foot - it's just coooool to diss Bangladesh - don't ask me why I just follow the trends not make them.

"The ONLY thing I enjoyed most was the cheap DVDs. Imagine, the whole Godfather collection, for less than 2 bucks." That was me, back in January.

Then an uncle would step in, and claim all sort of ways of what Bangladesh has that Canada does not (never mind that he has never stepped foot back home in 30 years). You of course, have to balance the line of being a bhodro chele (well mannered young man) or standing up for your beliefs.

Thankfully the hostess of the party announces an end to all that by saying, "Ashen shobai, ektu dal bhat niye jaan (Dinner is served [in more verbose terms])".

And if it's one thing amongst Bangladeshis, come dinner time, all is moot.

"Ah aunty ei kabab ta ki shundor." (This kebab looks so good)

Mmm..Biryani.

The Boyfriend Did It - Not

Recently I have been wondering if society here in Toronto views couples differently if they are married. With recent passing of gay marriage laws in Canada, and many predicting the institution of marriage is dead and discarded with, I think many here feel differently.

Remember Laci Peterson?

She was a wife and an expecting mother who unexpectedly went missing. Her husband and family appealed to the police and public for help. At first, no one suspected the husband, Scott Peterson. Laci's body was later found floating on the river.

Then, few months later, Scott Peterson was charged, tried and convicted for the murder of his wife.

Cut to Toronto.

Missing: Alicia Ross. Reported By: Her boyfriend of a few months, who called the police the next morning of her disappearance.

And then, Sean Hine, the boyfriend, then went through double hell.

The Toronto Sun immediately pinned the maximum suspicion on him. They published the fact that he was arrested once for drunk driving. They interviewed neighbours and friends of Ross who did not 'like' him. The Sun's journalistic standards were low to begin with, but they managed to plough even deeper. The police labelled him a 'person of interest'. He was reported by his father to be under major stress. Even the Star wasn't above to exploring their relationship's status.

Then came the clincher. Yesterday, five week's after her disappearance, Alicia Ross's next door neighbour Daniel Sylvester, turned himself in and told the police where he had dumped the body. He was charged with second degree murder.

It seems now the boyfriend had nothing to do with it at all.

What struck me was how quickly a boyfriend was placed under suspicion, yet a husband was offered the greatest sympathy. One of female friends from university, when I was telling her about the case when it first broke, had immediately placed her suspicion on the boyfriend.

"You will see he has something to do with it." She was confident.

"Why?" I had asked.

"Well.... " She didn't know, but she was sure. That attitude was very common.

I think society still views a couple differently if they are married. In my opinion, inspite of all the liberal attitudes Canadians have, a husband is still expected to be there for his wife, while a boyfriend is expected to be a sleaze. If he is not, then great. That seems to be the attitude.

It will be interesting to hear what other people think of this.

Pressing The Panic Button

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, with the sun shining early and the temperature an uncharacteristic (for September in Toronto) 28 degrees Celcius. I therefore made an effort to get up early (it is a Sunday after all) and clean the car.

After two hours of washing, waxing and applying all the cleaners in the garage to the car, it looked great. Satisfied with a job well done, I went upstairs and left the car in the sun to dry out the cleaning fluids.

As I watched the neighborhood from the balcony above, with the cat for company, I noticed the Neighborhood Pest (NP) come out. NP is an 8 year old, scrawny, short kid with coarse dark hair and eyes that scream 'I am going to do something irritating and I am a kid so you can't touch me'. Whenever I see him he is upto something ... evil. And his mother would be nearby, pretending to be keeping an eye out on him, but just plain relaxing on her porch.

Upon seeing a newly waxed and shiny car, NP's eyes lit up. Aha! And there was no one around the property to boot! Too bad he did not look up at the balcony.

NP took a few steps back from the car. Then, suddenly, with an energy burst, he ran towards the car and planted his hands splat! on the trunk. He then stepped back to watch the results. A hazy outmark of a couple of hands appeared amidst the shine.

His mother continued to watch NP with an uninterested look. And I was on the balcony, fuming. What sort of a mother was this? Does she not realize this kid will one day get beaten up in high school with this sort of behaviour? And I just fr***ing waxed the car!

NP repeated his act a few times. I decided to put a stop to this. A plan had formed in my mind. I reached for my weapon. The panic button of my keyfob.


The Keyfob with the (Red) Panic Button

Now anyone who owns a 2005 Altima will tell you how LOUD the panic button is. At the exact moment NP hit the car, I hit the button (playing all those Playstation games helped).

Oh. My. God.

The kid (no longer an NP) jumped up, and back, by about six feet. I had stopped the sound in the meanwhile. Tentatively, the kid reached out and touched the car gingerly. And I pressed again.

Oh. My. God.

The kid turned around and disappeared towards his mom.

Meanwhile I was rolling in the floor laughing at my cruelty. He would never touch MY CAR again.

After about 5 minutes, I began to feel a little guilty. NP was just a kid after all. It was his mom I should be angry at. But what could I do? I had to defend my 2 hours of labour.

I decided to go down and have a look at his handprints. I walked towards the car, and crouched down to look at some scratches near the number plate.

Meanwhile, unbeknown to me, my keyfob was still in my jeans pocket, along with some loose change. As I bent down, one of the coins must have jammed against the keyfob, and then against the panic button.

Oh. My. God.

Sex In The City of ... Dhaka ?!!

Regarding my post on live-in relationships.

It seems the Daily Star of Bangladesh has let the genie out of the bottle and published an article about this 'taboo' topic. The link is here. It's a Bangladeshi newspaper website so you have to excuse the fact that some images don't load and layout maybe a bit screwed up.

One thing you will note from the article is that the guys are all about how important is sex to the relationship. I hope the Star interviewed the same guys after they 'did' it. Maybe the guys were just talking in front of their girl friends, hoping to get some. If there is one universal constant in guys, its that we all want some.

“The physical aspect of a relationship is very important," says Himel, a 23-year-old university student, "If you love someone and get physically involved with them, it's fine. It's different if you do it just because of the physical factor, however..." Himel, who has been sexually active since the age of 15, believes sex is a natural part of a romantic relationship.

And since when is a 15 year old pervert a benchmark of Bangladeshi youth. This dude probably spied his maid servant from peepholes.

Zarif, also 23, however, does not give sex as much importance. "It would be better if you can avoid taking it to the final level," he says. He does not have a problem with other people doing it, but he himself would probably not go all the way before marriage, he says. Zarif, however, does not have any reservations about his partner having any previous sexual encounters. "I would just like to know about it," he says.

Now a voyeur. Most people would prefer the don't ask don't tell policy.

Many men, though, exploit women, some honestly, others with false promises. Men more than women indulge in sex simply for pleasure and often move on, while most women usually have expectations of such an intense relationship actually going somewhere. They can say no, but sometimes they do not, whether for fear of losing their loved one or because they foster false hopes of the romance actually leading to marriage at some point.

I have seen this behaviour before. It's called 'guy' behaviour. Good to know Bangladesh university campuses teach the latest.

Then there is the 'Professor'.

But the phenomenon is still very present in our society today, says Prof Ahmed. He refers to a scale of intensity in physical relationships, which range from "petting" and "fondling" to "genital touch" and intercourse. Studies show that 100 percent of couples engage in petting, 80 percent in fondling, and about 30 percent go for sexual intercourse.

I would like more about this Professor and his studies. How do you conduct that study? Where did you get these figures of 100 percent petting? A HUNDRED percent? Alas, the Star provides no clues. And 'petting'? Mr Ahmed, you are not at the zoo. And who actually thought of the studies in the first place? Gee, what to do today, oh I know, see how many of my students are petting!

Ali, a first year university student, admits that he would not marry a girl he himself had had sex with, if that were to happen. "I wouldn't be able to trust a girl who would have sex with me before marriage," he says. "I might be bad for having done it myself, but I wouldn't marry someone who was also bad."

This is what you call a hypocrite. A do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do 'values' guy.

The Star mentions this.

Unfortunately, not all STDs are preventable by using a condom. Sometimes, only abstinence is the way to protect yourself.

This is something that those HBO movies mentioned at the beginning of the article fail to articulate.

Product Placement - Top 5

With great trepidation, and aware of the knowledge that praising an object is the best way to cause it to malfunction, I am going to make a list of purchases that I am happy with. This is not a list of 'best deals' I got, but a list of items that I have spent some money on, and those things have done exactly what I expected them to do, do it well, without any problems, and do not take much effort to maintain.

Mezba's Top 5

1. My Sony MiniDisc (MD) MP3 player.
   
   I use it during my gym workouts, walks, while mowing the lawn, and generally many physically demanding situations. I used it on my old car with the adaptor. It's the best.
   



2. Kodak East Share Digital Camera and accessories.
   
   We brown people are generally not white (hence the term brown). Fair and Lovely and other 'whitening' products make a fortune in Asia. I never understand why white people want to tan themselves silly. You want my (ahem) tanned skin? If only we could exchange skins!
   
   Why this diatribe? This Kodak camera takes the best pictures - especially outdoors. It beats far more expensive digital camera with German sounding brand lenses. And it even turns brown people into beige - very good for showing off later.
   
   You don't have to say, "Ya, that's me in front of the White House - I'm the dark spot there."
   



3. Lagaan/Dil Chahta Hai DVD.
   
   One is an Oscar nominated movie about cricket. The other is a brilliant coming of age movie starring one of my favorite actresses (Priety Zinta). I saw it with 3 close friends during our final year of college - thus the parting and reunion of friendship portrayed in the movie had special significance for all of us.
   



4. Gravel vacuum.
   
   I have a 65 gallon aquarium (that's the bigger one). Cleaning it (even though once a month) used to be a chore. Especially water changes, when I would have to drain ¹/₃rd the water. Jug in water, fill jug, pour water in bucket, repeat. 100 times. The gravel vacuum made life so much easier. Put in water, shake, stand back. And it was on sale for only 3 bucks.
   



5. This t-shirt.
   
   I just love this one. It fits me so well. Perfect.
   

Why make this list. Because I want to talk about something mundane for a change. Everyday life is taken for granted so much, sometimes it's good to pause and chill out for a while.

Of Live-in relationships

Went to watch Salaam Namaste last night. What a delightful movie! And I have never seen Albion so packed! At first we thought one of the stars from the Toronto Film Festival was there, it was that crowded and chaotic. We had pre-purchased our tickets and the seating was by ticket number, so had no trouble getting in.

This movie is about a live-in relationship. This is a 'taboo' topic in India (and Bollywood) so the movie can be said to push the envelope. Often, however, such movies go to one extreme in an effort to be controversial and lose the plot. Thankfully Salaam Namaste realized its prime duty was to entertain, and that it did!

It's good that movies such as these are coming out. Even amongst Muslim countries such as Bangladesh, let alone India, it seems sex before marriage is becoming quite common, for some reason, in many circles. Does it have anything to do with women (and men) putting off marriage till later? Abstinence, good religious values, and other morals are becoming rarer. Its better we talk about it, and discuss it rationally, including why it happens, what are the benefits and pitfalls of it, and what is consistent with our values and outlook on life, rather than trying to bury our head in the sand and pretend it does not exist.

Salaam Namaste manages to hold your interest for the duration of the movie, and gives much food for thought for later. The songs are well choreographed, Melbourne looks smashing - all in all, worth the 8 bucks we paid for the ticket.

UPDATE! Oops, I forgot to mention the best line of the movie:

"When in Rome ... do the Romans!"

Sharia In Canada

I went for a walk to Queen's Park (Ontario government legislature building) during lunch hour today. There was a rally there, held to protest the arrival of Sharia Law in Canada. A counter protest, defending the Sharia, was also supposed to be held, but I could not find it. I attended the rally for 10-15 minutes, heard a couple of speakers and then left. Below are my comments, observations and opinions of the whole affair.

The word Sharia refers to laws and regulations derived from the Quran (holy book of Muslims) or Sunnah (practice of God's messengers). Now why is this religion-based arbitration coming to Canada? As Christians and Jews can already refer civil and marital disputes to be settled under religious law, former Ontario Attorney General Marion Boyd recommended this be extended to Muslims as well.

Now I have a couple of issues with this. First, why restrict it to Muslims, Christians and Jews? Why not extend it to Sikhs, Jains, Wiccans, and anyone who can claim their religion has a set of laws for civil and marital issues? Second, if you oppose religious laws in a secular country, again why restrict your opposition to the Sharia? Why not also oppose religious arbitration from all religions?

There are people who think that Islamic law is ancient, out-of-date and has no place in a modern society. There are no problems with Christians and Jews because 'their' laws are modern and in synch with our society.

I beg to differ. The problems are not religious laws. The problem is with interpretation, and the judges.

It is this difference in interpreting the laws and holy books that, for example, has no problem with most Christians accepting blood transfusions or donating blood, but prevents Jehovah's Witnesses Christians from doing the same. It is this differences in interpreting the laws that enables some Catholics to spank their children as they see fit while others hold it as child abuse. Similarly, there are different interpretations of Islamic law. The same statement in the Quran can lead to two different verdicts, or fatwas.

As to problem with the judges, well, they are the ones going to do the interpreting. Most laws usually deal with punishment to the criminal and says nothing about gender, ethnicity, race, etc. A street bum holds a child and sexually assaults him. The judge jails the man. A priest sexually assaults a child. The judge secretly transfers him to another parrish. Fault of the Christian laws, or of the judge? Similarly, when a Muslim judge punishes a woman adulterer and yet lets the man go free, its the judge's fault, not the laws. The law says punish the adulterer. No gender emphasis.

Now I have some things to say to both groups (pro and against Sharia).

1. STOP APPEALING TO MY EMOTIONS...
Anti: If you have sharia in Canada women can be stoned to death.
Oh, shut the f*** up. No one is going to do that here. Civil and marital disputes means just that. Custody of kids, splitting the house in a divorce, claiming gold given to in-laws etc. And these are almost always tilted towards women in Islamic law.
Pro: You must support Sharia for the sake of Allah.
No, for the sake of Allah, stop telling me what to do. The Imam-knows-best attitude is one reason why so-called-Sharia has not worked in so-called Muslim countries.

2. ... AND START GIVING ME SOME LOGIC INSTEAD.
Anti: Canadian law for Canadian citizens.
Well, what about other religious groups that practice their laws? Why don't you campaign against ALL religious arbitration. Why is your campaign called No-SHARIA? Why the focus of Islamic law?
Pro: Muslims need Sharia.
Why? How have the Canadian laws failed us so far? What's missing? Give me a list.

Finally, I have a few comments to say to the no-sharia rally people.

Most of the people seemed to be non-Muslims. The media has made a big thing about how many Muslims, particularly women, are campaigning hard against it. I did not see that. Not even one hijabi in the crowd. Muslim Canadians are like most Canadians - politics - most of them don't care.

Two, again, why vilify Islam? All religious have laws that seems to be archaic to some people today. Why not secular law for all? I picked up their literature. I admit they DO have an item on their agenda that says "No religious arbitration and/or any principles that violate the Canadian Charter". But they never mention that in their speeches, interviews, etc. The focus is on prevention of Sharia. Seems very hypocritical to me.

In conclusion, I would be very wary of any religious laws in Canada. Most guys in charge of implementing them are too concerned with the letter of the law, rather than upholding the spirit of the law. But the way the No-Sharia group has organized their protest, they seem hypocritical, anti-Islam, anti-McGuinty and have found a convenient outlet for their racist leanings.

Psychotic Cricket?

Refer to my post about cricket being the true gentleman's sport. This might not entirely be true. There is also a psychotic, vicious element of the sport.

Let me explain.

Two days ago I was playing cricket in Ajax. Our team was bowling. One of their batsmen was hitting all our bowlers out of the park. And then it was my turn to bowl. Now I may be generously defined as a 'medium-pace' bowler, causing his eyes to light up. He began to make comments about where the hit would go.

First ball up, an unintended short ball, a bouncer. It hit the ground, reared up and hit him on the eye as he mistimed his hook shot. He was shaking his head for a couple of seconds. And I did not even feel the need to go up and ask him how he was. This was hard cricket.

Two balls later, another full toss ball. Again swing and miss, and it hit him square on the crotch. Boy, did he immediately fall to the ground. What was amazing was none of our players asked him how he was. They have all been hit around the park, and now everybody was enjoying the physical pain he was under.

Cut to scene two.

We were batting, and had just lost a wicket. Out walked our captain. One of their close fielders then started to 'sledge'.

"Aw c'mon look how nervous this guy is. He can't even place his bat to the ball. Bowl him a quickie and let him slip and get out. C'mon [bowler name here], get him."

First ball to our captain, short. He hooked. One bounce and then the ball hit the same sledging fielder on his lip. He, ofcourse, did not know where the ball went after that, and our team scored two runs. Then our captain turned to the fielder and said, "So, ball got your tongue?" Never mind that the fielder now had a swollen lip, we all lapped up the moment.

I would be interested to know if this sort of sledging and one-upmanship goes on in cricket's cousin - baseball. In international cricket, the Australians are experts in this. Walk to bat, and you can expect comments about your wife to your long lost aunt. I have heard Indians and Bangladeshis don't sledge about women, maybe due to social reasons.

But then again, after the game, everything seems fine. The guy I bowled a bouncer at - he was my former neighbor.

Those Poor Americans

Over the past week I could not tear myself away from the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. As the scenes of devastation and damage by the hurricane gave way to the coverage of the lawlessness and chaos that began to grip New Orleans, incredible footage of refugees lining up to receive food aid, army on the streets, corpses floating and rotting to death began to enter our consciousness. And the most confounding of it all was as I struggled to remember – this was USA – these were Americans. This was not some third world country in Asia or Africa, but New Orleans, USA. To me, that was the most unbelievable fact.

I was in Asia when the tsunami struck. My cousins were in Phuket. To those who are blaming the officials for not recognizing the extent of the damage immediately, I can say that such information is hard to obtain initially. We all assumed a death toll of 200 initially for the tsunami. Then it grew to 600. Then a thousand. Two thousand. Three. Four. It just went on increasing. The damage reports started to go up too, as more and more facts became known. People affected by the tsunami had to forage for food for days before any aid got to them. There were whole communities cut off by water. Death, disease, and chaos could have been rampant, but was somehow miraculously contained. The governments were slow to get moving. That was the tsunami. And now we are seeing repeat scenes in New Orleans.

Then why do we criticize the American government for being slow to react, the officials for being incompetent to predict the extent of the damage, and the city officials for whatever else?

Because this is an American disaster.

We, the rest of the world, still hold the Americans to a higher pedestal than the rest of us. Like it or not, Americans are still considered a standard of excellence. The USA is the most powerful country in the world. It is the richest country in the world. It is the most educated, scientifically advanced country in the world.

The Americans put a man on the moon in 3 days, but the aid took 5 days to arrive. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) officials earn their fat salary throughout the whole year for the one day they will be needed – the day after such a national emergency. They were ill-prepared, caught with their pants down. Congress stayed up all night to pass the 87 billion dollars needed for Iraq’s army, but did not pass an aid bill for New Orleans since the last 5 days. While Texas opened up their doors to refugees, the President did not see it worthwhile to immediately cut off his vacation. When National Guard officials were needed to stop looting and anarchy in their home state, they were off doing the same in a foreign country thousands of miles away. Somewhere, planning was improper. Scientists have warned for decades about the worst case scenario in New Orleans, so no one can see they were not warned.

And who is suffering? Society is judged by how they treat their poorest, their weakest, and their most vulnerable citizens. The people left behind in New Orleans are certainly those. I hope, for their sake, the American government gets its act together.

Americans deserve - and expect - no less from their leaders.