Proxy Surfing: A Bypass Strategy

Writing from Bangladesh in the wake of facebook ban. Govt. of the people’s republic of Bangladesh did what it thought best. Many people are trying to bypass the block with proxy server but I don’t support them, not even slightly. But that is not the point.

Net surfing these days is pretty much like shouting your home address around the globe. Wherever you go, you leave trail of your IP address. IP address can be used to attack your machine. Better use proxy IP. My idea is

• search the net for proxy IPs of your desired countries. Here’s a easy site:http://www.hidemyass.com/proxy-list/
• Copy an IP address
• Open Firefox, go to options under tools, then go to the advanced tab, then to the network tab. Then click settings
• Select Manual Proxy Configuration and then paste the IP in Http Proxy field
• Click ok and enjoy safer surfing.

WARNING: This way you can also get around blocked sites. So be careful. Don’t use this for entering blocked sites. Take these steps at your own risk as you should not enter sites blocked for some reasons.

From Bangladesh to Indonesia to China to Brazil to USA to Copenhagen

Bangladesh….

Scientists tell us that the most profoundly damaging impact of climate change in Bangladesh will take form in floods, salinity intrusion and droughts, all of which will drastically affect crop productivity and food security. We will also face riverbank erosion, sea water level rise and lack of fresh water in the coastal zones. The prognosis is more extreme floods in a country already devastated by floods; less food for our country in which half our children already don’t have enough to eat; and less clean water for where waterborne diseases are already responsible for 24 percent of all deaths.

Were the Earth to warm by just one degree Celsius, 11 percent of Bangladesh would be submerged, putting the lives of 55 million people in danger.

In its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), published on 2 February 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that, without further action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the global average surface temperature is likely to rise by a further 1.8-4.0°C this century.

Indonesia…

Forests can store an estimated 300 billion tons of carbon or the equivalent of 40 times the world’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions. Destroy the trees and you release that carbon into the atmosphere, putting the great challenge of our age. Forests destruction accounts for 15% of global emissions by man activity, far outranking the total from vehicle and aircraft combined.

Forests are disappearing so fast in Indonesia that, incredibly, this developing country ranks third in emissions behind industrial giants China and the U.S. According to Greenpeace, more than 182 million acres (740,000 sq km) of Indonesian forests have been destroyed.

China….

China did set a attractive looking goal but still there is that old math trick of 2005. A reduction of 2005 level is considerably smaller than that of 1990 level, the original base line many countries follow. China can do more, experts say, and China has to do more on climate issues.

Brazil….

Brazil, the land of Amazon, is home to the world’s largest tropical rain forest. Brazil has a lot to do: from protecting amazon to reducing emissions.

Brazil has lowered deforestation rates 64 percent since 2005. This remarkable achievement was possible through a government crack-down on illegal activities in the region. In December of 2008, this nation declared that it would cut deforestation to 20% of its historic level by 2020.

Finally, United States of America…

Barack Obama’s “yes we can” is slowly turning into silence and then “no, we can not”. The US is the leading carbon emitter; the world expects them to do the most but they are doing the least to fight climate change. Its not only about saving the world but also cleaning your dirty footprint off the otherwise green floor.

The US keeps hiding behind weak numbers, made to appear stronger by shifting the “baseline” date to which they’re compared. A reduction of 17 percent of 2005 levels is really a reduction of four or five percent of 1990 levels, the base year all other developed countries are using. Using 2005 as a base year is the kind of cheap math trick we expect from the Bush administration, not from a President who was elected promising he was going to get us out of the climate crisis. Moving the goal posts to pretend you’re scoring is a nice way to spin your speeches, but science doesn’t work that way. We can’t change the science – we have to change the politics, which is not the way Obama is going right now.

In order to keep global temperature increases below two degrees, developed countries have to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the base year 1990. Anything less, and we face catastrophic climate change. The target of 40 percent emission reduction on a baseline of 1990 for industrialised countries is taken from the International Panel on Climate Change’s scenario. This is not a political target, it is the minimum needed to keep the global average temperature at a safe level. You can’t negotiate with science.

Copenhagen

One of the last chance of a climate agreement is closing in. Unless someone does something, we will be in big trouble. Things will get out of the hand of human beings. Millions of lives are at stake, civilization is at stake. Always remember, in history one man’s wrong decision ruined millions of lives, may be billions. There will always be doubts but isn’t it better to keep on the safe side? If someone said there is a man-eater tiger in the forest, what will you do? Play the damn -care and take a stroll in the forest or avoid it if you can? Intelligent people don’t take incalculable risk. Ignoring climate threat is such an incalculable risk. We will never go back if we take the wrong decision.

I will end here with a question: why, it seems, everything is failing in the new world? May be the Creator is not happy with the new world. Why? I will leave that to you to ponder. But if the Creator is not happy, neither should we be.

Fire Breaks Out in Bashundhara City Complex:Photos and Pictures

A huge fire has broken out in Bashundhara City tower just this noon. Live photos of the fire are given below.Bashundhara City Complex is one of the largest shopping mall complex in Asia. It is situated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The fire is huge. The wind is very high around this time and the fire is far beyond anything that can be extinguished. Bangladesh fire fighting team has little experience of this huge a fire. They don’t have enough equipment or man power to extinguish this. This giant fire is almost eating out the tower. My house is near, so I can see it from here, this is creating havoc. The fire is eating down from top. Debris of glass is flying in the air. Dense smoke is covering the sky and shadowing nearby buildings. Rab, police are rushing to the spot to control the situation. Some first hand and tv pictures are given below. Photos will be updated as I get newer photos.

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

Fire burning Bashundhara Tower

A helicopter is hovering over the tower and we have seen it save lives. Bangladeshi fire-fighters have many limitations and little power they have to control this huge fire. People may be trapped inside, the number unknown. Thanks to Allah, its a Friday, all office are closed and the fire broke out during weekly Jumma Prayers when many people move to masjid (prayer halls/mosques). So it is possible that few people are trapped inside and fewer will be casualties.

The streets around Bashundhara City has turned into a sea of people. People are causing disturbance in the action of controlling fire. People should not stay there to watch as this is a situation that has to be brought under control and disturbance is out of question. IG of police, home secretary and some other officials are there. Army, RAB, Police, Fire brigade all are there to fight the fire.

May Allah save us from destruction and havoc.

Unislamic Hatred In The Arab World: Are They Following Total Islam?

The attitude of the Arabs towards South Asians is that of anyone towards a street dog. Thousands and thousands of Bangladeshis and South Asians living in the Arab world lead a wretched life just to earn some money for their family at home. They are made to work beyond their ability and limits but many don’t even get wages for 6 months or longer. Often mistreated, these poor people are sometimes locked in jail or sent home for voicing their needs or some crime done for saving their lives.

Its pathetic to see fellow Muslims behave like this. I wonder what has Allah, The Judge of The Judgment, given them that make them superior over South Asians, let alone Muslims. This is not the path of Islam. Islam does not tell me to hate foreigners. This hatred is deeply rooted in Age-old Arabian racism. Agrees Abdullah Al-Mutairi • Al-Watan, whose excellent article has inspired me to right this post.

Click this link to read Abdullah Al-Mutairi • Al-Watan’s post: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13&section=0&article=79830

Time To Get Past Obama-mania

Yes, yes, its everywhere. We are all rejoicing. We are not so much interested to remind us that we are not Americans. We are much more enthusiastic to fantasize and build castle in the air about Obama.

But, common sense tells me that Barack Hussein Obama will have little room to move about. Even there might not be any room at all for Obama to act over more controversial issues ( e.g. the Israel-Palestine issue, the Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq issue, the Iran issue, the Cuba issue, the war-against-terrorism and 9/11 issue, the attitude towards Arab world/Muslims etc. ). Its the controversial issues that people keep speculating about in the inside and its the controversial issues that might make a big difference. But thats why these issues are controversial in the first place.

Obama has said many things, that he will sit with Iran, Cuba, that he will look for friendship in Arab, bla bla bla…………………………

But history tells me that there is always a big difference between what is said and what is done and the later is much harder than the prior.

Obama might be a good, honest person, a man of faith (I don’t know, I have never met him) but the position now he holds is not so good or honest. Its the worst, ugliest, meanest and the toughest job in the world. There will be so many things Obama will like to do but won’t be able to do and many other things that Obama won’t like to do and must have to do. Surely the job isn’t a path of roses.

Like everyone else I will keep my finger crossed for all the good things we can get. I will be happy if through Obama, Allah brings us that day

When black will not be asked to get back,

When brown can stick around

When yellow will be mellow

When the red man can get ahead, man and

When white will embrace what is right.

Now I end this post giving all praises to Allah the Merciful and a poem by Martin Niemöller.

“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

And Allah knows the best.