:: Tanvier's Time Machine ::

  Key things to keep in mind before application:   As on the date of this write-up, only e-passports are being issued in Dhaka based passport offices. No address verification is needed if only current address is changed For permanent address, address verification will be needed if the Thana (Police Station) is different. If you make any mistake at the time of filling up the application online and submit it, you can rectify those mistakes at the time of biometric input/taking picture on your appointment date. You can submit as a regular application and make payment for the urgent application if you have valid urgency, you may need some assistance from the officials of the passport office in those cases. If you face any problem you may speak to deputy assistant director, assistant director, additional director of the passport office, they are usually co-operative in most cases if you have a valid case. Avoid any tout, agents as they will only confuse you and most of them will ma...

  Inflation is a phenomenon that occurs when the general level of prices for goods and services increases over time. It is usually measured by an inflation rate, which reflects the percentage change in the overall price level over a specific period. Inflation can have a significant impact on an economy, including its GDP growth. In this essay, we will explore the relationship between inflation and GDP growth and examine the impact of inflation on different sectors of the economy. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is a measure of the total value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders over a specific period. GDP growth refers to the increase in the value of production over time. Inflation can affect GDP growth in various ways, both positively and negatively. One of the most direct impacts of inflation on GDP growth is through the nominal GDP calculation. Nominal GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in current prices. As inflation increases, the pric...

Prior to my recent trip to Bangkok, like many others, I was worried about halal food options in Bangkok. To my surprise, I found many halal food options available upon enquiring. To help others, sharing a few for those who would be travelling to Bangkok in future.   Sukhumvit:   Sukhumvit is the area where most of the halal shops are available. Apart from the famous Muslim owned restaurants like Usman Thai Muslim Food, you can also get halal food from Bangladeshi restaurant called LittleSpicy that serves all kinds of South Asian food. The Burger King next to Ambassador Hotel (Soi 11) serves Halal chicken items. There are plenty of Starbucks with mostly halal items.   Terminal 21 (near Asok BTS): There are few shops in the basement food court where they serve halal food. Siam Paragon: There are 2 McDonald’s in Siam Paragon, the one inside the mall in food court serves halal chicken items along with the fillet-o-fish. The KFC in Siam Paragon also...

There are million reasons for failure but none acceptable.

The country's longest serving finance minister M Saifur Rahman who steered the Bangladesh economy toward a free market path and presided over series of economic reforms died yesterday in a car crash. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s(BNP) one of the worthy politicians was travelling to the capital when his car spun out of control after the driver tried to skirt a cow on the busy Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Instead, it fell into a five-feet deep ditch with the 77-year-old leader tied up under a seat belt. Local people rescued the ailing leader unconscious but he was declared dead as his body was rushed to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital at 3.00pm. He apparently failed to untie his seat belt as he was already in ill health due to prostrate cancer. The United States lauded the late leader's "critical role in improving the lives and bringing prosperity to millions of Bangladeshis by opening Bangladesh's economy and promoting free market reforms". A professiona...

I have a new colleague at my workplace. He works in a different department within the same floor but we chat occasionally to keep track of each other’s wellbeing. He is of sub-continental origin-born and brought up in London. I call him Jammie Dodger- purely because of his funny but likeable character. Jammie Dodger tells us stories that keep all of us at work going in the difficult times. He loves to share his amazing stories. As I have taken the sombre oath of keeping my blog readers entertained, I hereby will share some of his stories. One of the first stories of Jammie Dodger is of his unique experience at his local gym on the night before his ‘A’ level physics exam. He apparently decided to go to his local gym to use the Jacuzzi to ‘let off’ some steam before the difficult physics exam. So there he was in his shorts ‘letting off’ steam. Then he in his own words ‘nodded off’. After a while he woke up with the sound of giggling all around him. He woke up and found out that there wer...

Bangladesh is becoming the ‘Trousers Island’, if not the Treasure Island, for global apparel importers as local manufacturers are sourcing jeans and other cotton trousers at the cheapest prices and maintaining admirable quality, according to ‘New Age’ of Bangladesh. The industry’s strength has weighed up with Bangladeshi exporters occupying the number-one position in the US market of jeans and other cotton trousers in December, industry insiders told New Age. Quoting the latest report of world’s leading market survey organisation Research & Markets, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association officials said by December Bangladesh controlled 13.82% market share in USA. The market surveyor, quoting US official data, showed that in 2008 US importers’ procurement of cotton trousers from Bangladesh totalled 299.9 million pieces, up 26.3% from that of the previous year. Chinese suppliers lost their position to Bangladeshis as their shipments ...

স্বাধীনতা তুমি রবিঠাকুরের অজর কবিতা, অবিনাশী গান। স্বাধীনতা তুমি কাজী নজরুল, ঝাঁকড়া চুলের বাবরি দোলানো মহান পুরুষ, সৃষ্টিসুখের উল্লাসে কাঁপা স্বাধীনতা তুমি শহীদ মিনারে অমর একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারির উজ্জ্বল সভা স্বাধীনতা তুমি পতাকাশোভিত শ্লোগান-মুখর ঝাঁঝালো মিছিল। স্বাধীনতা তুমি ফসলের মাঠে কৃষকের হাসি। স্বাধীনতা তুমি রোদেলা দুপুরে মধ্যপুকুরে গ্রাম্য মেয়ের অবাধ সাঁতার। স্বাধীনতা তুমি মজুর যুবার রোদে ঝলসিত বাহুর গ্রন্থিল পেশী। স্বাধীনতা তুমি অন্ধকারে খাঁ খাঁ সীমান্তে মুক্তিসেনার চোখের ঝিলিক। স্বাধীনতা তুমি বটের ছায়ায় তরুণ মেধাবী শিক্ষার্থীর শাণিত কথার ঝলসানিলাগা সতেজ ভাষণ। স্বাধীনতা তুমি চাখানায় আর মাঠে ময়দানে ঝোড়ো সংলাপ। স্বাধীনতা তুমি কাল বোশেখীর দিগন্তজোড়া মত্ত ঝাপটা। স্বাধীনতা তুমি শ্রাবণে অকূল মেঘনার বুক স্বাধীনতা তুমি পিতার কোমল জায়নামাজের উদার জমিন। স্বাধীনতা তুমি উঠানে ছড়ানো মায়ের শুভ্র শাড়ির কাঁপন। স্বাধীনতা তুমি বোনের হাতে নম্র পাতায় মেহেদীর রঙ। স্বাধীনতা তুমি বন্ধুর হাতে তারার মতন জ্বলজ্বলে এক রাঙা পোস্টার। স্বাধীনতা তুমি গৃহিণীর ঘন খোলা কালো চুল, হাওয়ায় হাওয়ায় বুনো উদ্দাম। স্বাধীনতা ত...

Bangladesh’s largest contributor to its GDP is getting stronger despite the recession in the developed world. Japanese clothing giant Fast Retailing Co, mostly known by its brand name Uniqlo, has recently started outsourcing low-end products from Bangladesh to boost its sales worldwide. It has opened its local office in Dhaka in September this year. The company plans to treble its overseas sales within the next two years through selling cheap garments amid global financial recession. The company's new business plan to brace for low-cost management, and the shortest and cheapest manufacturing and marketing strategy has led it to Bangladesh, a high official of Fast Retailing said. According to the Daily Star, the company will also start outsourcing home furnishings and fashion accessories from Bangladesh soon, said Koji Yamamoto, an official of Fast Retailing Co in Dhaka. Besides Uniqlo, such global retail giants as GAP, Zara, Wal-Mart, Tesco, JCPenney, H&M and Next are already...

For all the folks with mobile phones- there are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it: Locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your mobile phone. Hold your mobile phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you! Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Low Battery: If your mobile battery is very low you can get access to reserve power by just pressin...

Observation: The world is becoming an increasingly smaller place to live in. There has been rapid progression in the arenas of transportation, faster communication channels and financial flows, all owing to advancements in technology. As companies spread their wings in the global scenario, there has been a tremendous boom in international trade and commerce. Markets that were once considered impregnable and safe are facing fierce competition and have become battle grounds where firms fight for market share against both local and foreign companies. Not surprisingly, nowadays a fairly good proportion of workforce in firms, regardless of their nationality, is located in foreign countries. As more companies go global, a new branch of human resource management called International HR management has emerged. Edith Penrose (1959) shows the firm as an administrative organisation and a collection of productive resources. According to her, HR of a firm is a unique resource and cannot be re...