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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Invest in Savings


Invest in Savings

Ashim Kumar Paul

After completing HSC exam from a higher secondary college of a remote Upazilla of Bangladesh, Mahmud, with the inspiration from his respectable teacher, came to Dhaka with a view to attain higher studies. He, following a continuous struggle of some months, could manage a seat in the highest echelon of higher education across the country. Since he came of a poverty-stricken family, he struggled to manage his own expense. Besides managing his own expense, he started saving some money. When he finished his studies from the university, he found himself placed in job world. Soon Mahmud discovered that after the office and in the weekend, a considerable amount of time is left for him when he has nothing to do sans watching movies or having ‘adda’ with his friends. A friend of his offered him partnership for a joint venture and Mahmud finding it meaningful agreed to be partnered to his friend. The capital he funded for the business came from the savings that he deposited since his early campus life. He thanked himself for the discreet decision that now helped him a lot.

Like Mahmud, you can think of saving money. Think, your father has given you some money and at the end of the day, you find that only a hundred taka note is left in your pocket. Now, what will you do with that money? Spending money after smoking cigerrattes or buying a very posh gift for your beloved one? The best way to do is saving that money that may appear before you as a helping weapon after few months to counter your neccessity. But if you cannot make a saving, you follow some good suggestions regarding how to save money.

1. Throw Away Costly Habits

Do you smoke? Drink expensive coffee? These expenses can quickly add up and eat at your income. Sure, gourmet coffee from a local coffeehouse is delicious and a great way to jump start your day. But at Tk 500 for a cup of coffee, you could easily spend a week’s cost of conveyance. Do yourself a favor and brew your own coffee at home. A pack of gourmet coffee from the grocery store will last a month or longer.

2. Maintain a Budget

Some students spend uncontrollably, and then wonder why they’re short on funds at the end of the month. Aimless spending may feel like financial freedom, but it’s the complete opposite. This is the real world, and real adults have a budget. Decide how you will spend your money at the beginning of each month. Allocate a reasonable amount for food, transportation, entertainment and other expenses, and periodically monitor your spending to stay on track. Sign up for online banking and daily check your bank account balance. Download your bank’s apps directly to your mobile device and access your account anytime, anyplace.

3. Control Your Credit Card Use



There’s a tendency to rely on credit cards when you’re low on cash. It’s okay to have a credit card. In fact, acquiring a credit card is one of the best ways to build a credit score in academia. However, credit cards shouldn’t be your primary method of payment. Pay for items with cash and use credit for emergencies only. The less credit card debt you have, the less you owe creditors. This frees up your money, thus allowing you to save a percentage of your income.

4. Avoid Shopping Spree

What’s your weakness? Clothes? Shoes? Electronics? Impulse shopping is exhilarating. But if you blow money on things you can’t afford, this might affect your ability to pay bills. Think twice before you make a big purchase. Consider whether you’re able to afford the purchase, and whether you need the item. Learn how to be patient and avoid impulse shopping. If you’re unable to control your spending, identify your triggers. For example, if you shop when you’re depressed or bored, explore other ways to cope with your emotions. Start a project, call a friend or read a book – do anything that takes your mind off shopping.

5. Let Go of Peer Pressure
If your friends spend money freely, you may feel pressured to join the fun. Don’t let others decide how you spend your money. Everyone has different financial circumstances. Maybe your friends receive a bigger allowance from the folks or perhaps they earn more money than you. Then again, they might rely on credit cards and have a ton of debt. Stop focusing on how your friends spend their money, and stop trying to keep up with their lifestyles. Stick with your personal budget and spend only what you can afford.

6. Stay Home and Have Fun

You don’t have to hit the town to have a great time. There are plenty of fun and inexpensive ways to get entertained at home. In all likelihood, many of your friends share your financial troubles, and they might enjoy a night in. Plan a game night, watch a movie, order pizza or simply hang out and talk. Go to a different friends dorm room or apartment and you’ll have a new place to visit on the weekends. Get creative with entertainment. Saving money in college doesn’t mean sacrificing a good time.

7.
Be Good at Bargaining
When shopping, look for clearance items or two-for-one bargains, buy used books instead of new, and order the special instead of something off the menu. If you can find a bargain every time you go shopping, you will save more money than you ever imagined.


8. Wash Your  Clothes

Whether you’re buying brand new clothes or secondhand clothes, look for items that you can wash yourself. Dry clean only clothes are a hassle,  it’ll more. It is easier to purchase a box of detergent and wash your own clothes rather than sending it to dry cleaning after every use.

9. Walk More
Almost every student wants his or her own ride. But when you factor in the cost of having a vehicle, it pays to ditch your car. This is especially true if you live and work on-campus, and everything’s within walking distance. Even if you pay cash for a junker, there’s still the cost of insurance, fuel, registration, personal property taxes and maintenance. You’re a student and the last thing you need is extra expenses.

10. Plan Wisely
There is really no reason to ever pay full price for anything. Go to see the beach in the off season when the rates of food and hotels are less than half the actual rate. If you thumb through your mail or the newspaper, you’re sure to find two-for-one coupons for local restaurants. Learn how to be frugal and shop for deals. Several restaurants and retail stores encourage email subscriptions. Sign up and have coupons delivered to your inbox.



 








Living 21 July


Living 21 July

Ashim Kumar Paul

‘That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind’  is the famous quote that Neil Armstrong uttered when he, as the first man who stepped off the Lunar Excursion Module on to the surface of The Moon on 21st July, 1969. Through the very words, he meant that it was just a small step down to the surface for him, but a giant leap because he was the first human to set foot on another celestial body. Nevertheless, it is often argued that Neil Armstrong's first words from the moon were heard all over Earth, but the astronaut himself claimed his famous words were misquoted. But Armstrong clarified, immediately after the 1969 landing, that he had actually said, “That's one small step for ‘a’ man.” It's just that people didn't hear it. The astronaut acknowledged during a 30th anniversary gathering in 1999 that he didn't hear himself say it either when he listened to the transmission. 

It’s really noteworthy that landing on the moon was the materialisation of a dream which our ancient ancestors treasured as they first gazed at the lights in the heavens and wondered what they were. The moon, so large and bright in the night sky, dazzled our ancestors. The moon’s regular phases marked the months and suggested to the Greek thinkers that it might not be some celestial goddess but another world. That understanding was confirmed in 1609 when Galileo pointed a telescope at the moon and saw mountains, craters and what looked like seas. From then on men mused about what was considered forever unattainable, a journey to the moon.

But in the 20th century, human beings exhibited their knack by making that dream a reality. Aristotle did rightly say, “All men by nature desire to know.” The moon landing was driven by man’s such avid enthusiasm, his impulse to know the world around him. However, the Soviet Union performed the first hard (unpowered) Moon landing in 1959 with the Luna 2 spacecraft, a feat the U.S. duplicated in 1962 with Ranger 4. Since then, twelve Soviet and U.S. spacecraft have used braking rockets to make soft landings and perform scientific operations on the lunar surface. The Soviet Union achieved the first unmanned lunar soil sample return with the Luna 16 probe on September 24, 1970. This was followed by Luna 20 and Luna 24 in 1972 and 1976. The Luna 17 and Luna 21 were successful unmanned rover missions. But the greatest success came with the Manned landings.

A total of twelve men have landed on the Moon. This was accomplished with two US pilot-astronauts flying a Lunar Module on each of six NASA missions across a 41-month time span starting on 20 July 1969 UTC, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, and ending on 14 December 1972 UTC with Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt on Apollo 17. Cernan was the last to step off the lunar surface. All Apollo lunar missions had a third crew member who remained on board the Command Module. The last three missions had a rover for increased mobility.

However, in the 44th anniversary of lunar landing, some ten little-known Apollo 11 facts have been unearthed by a recent research.

·          The Apollo’s Saturn rockets were packed with enough fuel to throw 100-pound shrapnel three miles, and NASA couldn’t rule out the possibility that they might explode on takeoff. NASA seated its VIP spectators three and a half miles from the launch pad.

·         The Apollo computers had less processing power than a cell phone!

·         Drinking water was a fuel-cell by-product, but Apollo 11’s hydrogen-gas filters didn’t work, making every drink bubbly. Urinating and defecating in zero gravity, meanwhile, had not been figured out; the latter was so troublesome that at least one astronaut spent his entire mission on an anti-diarrhea drug to avoid it.

·         When Apollo 11’s lunar lander, the Eagle, separated from the orbiter, the cabin wasn’t fully depressurized, resulting in a burst of gas equivalent to popping a champagne cork. It threw the module’s landing four miles off-target.

·         Pilot Neil Armstrong nearly ran out of fuel landing the Eagle, and many at mission control worried he might crash. Apollo engineer Milton Silveira, however, was relieved: His tests had shown that there was a small chance the exhaust could shoot back into the rocket as it landed and ignited the remaining propellant.

·         The "one small step for man" wasn’t actually that small. Armstrong set the ship down so gently that its shock absorbers didn’t compress. He had to hop 3.5 feet from the Eagle’s ladder to the surface.

·         When Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong on the surface, he had to make sure not to lock the Eagle's door because there was no outer handle.

·         The toughest moonwalk task? Planting the flag. NASA’s studies suggested that the lunar soil was soft, but Armstrong and Aldrin found the surface to be a thin wisp of dust over hard rock. They managed to drive the flagpole a few inches into the ground and film it for broadcast, and then took care not to accidentally knock it over.

·         The flag was made by Sears, but NASA refused to acknowledge this because they didn’t want "another Tag."

  

 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

English Department at Edward College Welcomes its Freshers



English Department at Edward College Welcomes its Freshers

 Ashim Kumar Paul

I always bear a truth in my mind that “Strong will and heartfelt effort can make your dreams come true”. The notion was proved once again as the enthusiastic students of the English department of Govt. Edward College, Pabna made Freshers’ Reception and Farewell-2013 happen.

It is often said that the department of English is the crown department of Govt. Edward College. So when it comes to a programme held by the English department, the expectations certainly run high. All the faculties expect to see great things from the department. Hence, it will not be exaggerated to say that organising an event by the department needs much concentration and preparation.

The ceremony Freshers’ Reception and Farewell-2013 of the English department was held on July 1 amidst a keen atmosphere. The ceremony was held at the Abdus Sattar Auditorium of the college. Professor Dr Nayed Md. Shamsul Huda, principal of the college graced the event with his presence as the chief guest while Professor Mohammad Bozlur Rahman, vice-principal and Dr Md Shahjahan, Associate Professor of History were present as the special guests. Professor Parimal Chandra Das, chairperson of the department, presided over the occasion. The honourable guests were greeted with bouquets of flowers by a group of students. Subsequently, the freshers were received with the branches of tube roses.

To mark the event, a colourful procession was brought out from the department towards the centre point of the celebration by the teachers and the students of the department. It is worth-pointing that the procession represented the traditional value and cultural heritage of the department of English.

The ceremony was divided in two segments: speech session and cultural session. The programme began with recitation from the Holy Quran. Following the recitation, students from different batches gave their speech to the freshers and the outgoing students on behalf of the entire department. They advised the new comers to keep up the glory and honour of the department. Later, leaders of different student organisations welcomed the freshers through their speech.

After a while, the host humbly requested the honourable guests and respectable teachers to deliver their pragmatic speech. Among them, Professor Dr Nayed Md. Shamsul Huda, Principal; Professor Mohammad Bozlur Rahman, Vice-Principal; Dr. Md. Shahjahan, Associate Professor of History, ATM Faqrul Islam, Associate Professor of Department of English gave their illuminating speech. In their speeches they highlighted advantages of learning English to the learners, appealed to the freshers to be punctual and attentive with their studies and be earnest about gaining knowledge. They concluded their incandescent speech with the vision of discovering new vista of learning.

In his speech, Professor Parimal Chandra Das mentioned that as the novices of the vast literary horizon, the students of the department should engage themselves in the pursuit of humanity and moral thinking.

A cultural evening followed anchored by John, Sharmin and Eva. The audiences were captivated by their smart presentation and efforts.

The cultural session kicked off with a chorus performance of Rabindra Sangeet performed by a group of students who again did another mind-blowing chorus performance of “Purano Din Purano Mon”. Their fabulous performances enthralled the audiences. These exclusive performances were followed by a lively choreography accompanied by a popular patriotic song “Aami Banglai gaan gai”. The performance was staged by Orchi, Milon, Nahid, Riya, Sohel, Sabbir and Taniya.  This exclusive performance was followed by three subsequent songs presented by the students of the department. The impressed audiences were next entertained by a dance sequence featuring John, Nipuand  Orchi.

To endow the audience with a bit of social awareness, the anchors invited Mamun, Shawon, Dee, Milon and John who staged an awareness-creating play which featured the evil influence of drugs that gnawed away the  life of a highly prospective student. The viewers welcomed their show by giving them a big hand. Coming back to the track of music, the audience turned to be all ears to two modern songs offered by Ontu and Ila respectively. Besides, the spectators enjoyed a duet song by Chandni, an award-winner in the national level and Dee, both are the students of third year. Another duet performance by Tonni and Razib followed.

Later the anchors invited the viewers to dance. The guests and the audience felt effervescent at the splendid performance of Dee and Orchi. Another luminous gift was awaiting the audience. Tonusree Saha, an award winning performer in the department, performed a modern song.   Nahid performed an English romantic song “If you close your eyes”. Saikot displayed his single, unique acting based on our glorious liberation war that won the hearts of the audience. The programme ended with a chorus performance of Nazrul Geeti.




A Sore Denial



A Sore Denial

Ashim Kumar Paul


Ask your heart where my love is
Your heart seized: my heart replies.
Feel my love captivated by your heart
Nurture it, never let it come apart.

Ask my being what wants my soul
Replies: Win your love sole.
Too precious to be lost from me
Your love to enter our World is only the key.

Read my tears. Count its beads
Having been planted in your heart my love-seeds.
With my love-dew
I wanna wet you
To dispel your anger
To feel my love and care.

But all my efforts went in vain
Since you never felt my pain.