Lines Written in Early Spring

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:--
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

---William Wordsworth

Bird Flu in Bangladesh

The avian influenza is generally known as bird flu and now this is a very familiar term in Bangladesh.Bangladesh has about 220 million chickens and 37 million ducks. Five million people are directly employed by the poultry industry, millions of households rely on poultry production for income generation and nutrition.After bird flu broke out in several farms in Bangladesh thousands of birds were culled and army troops called out to assist police in carrying out an “intensive” monitoring . But the confusion about the prevention still remains. Should we or should we not eat bird flesh now ? And also about eating eggs.
Most often, signs and symptoms of bird flu resemble those of conventional influenza, including:

• Cough
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Muscle aches

Three or four times every century, a flu pandemic sweeps the globe, claiming millions of lives. That the flu can cause so much misery is a result of its ability to change quickly and unexpectedly, to outwit "best guess" vaccines, and to take the immune system by storm.Young children seem especially vulnerable to the virus, although some experts note that children are more likely to have contact with sick birds or to play on ground contaminated with droppings.

Some suggestion from experts about preventing bird flu:

• Steer clear of raw eggs. Because eggshells are often contaminated with bird droppings, avoid mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, ice cream, and any other foods containing raw or undercooked eggs.
• Wash well. While preparing poultry for cooking, carefully wash cutting boards and all surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry in hot, soapy water. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling poultry and dry them with a disposable towel.
• Cook thoroughly. Cook chicken until the juices run clear, and it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 F (74 C).

As our meals depend a great deal on poultry and the government just can't abandone the poultry industry of Bangladesh to stop spreading bird flu, we all have to be careful to prevent it from attacking our near and dear ones.

Diseases spreading on season change

It's glorious spring, but it's also a transition of climate. Winter is passing by and summer is creeping in. This time of year is more vulnerable to diseases like jaundice and chicken pox. And students who are preparing for their SSC examination should be vary careful in this time.

my first Jamdani Sharee !!

This Friday I went to a river cruise on Sheetalakhya river with my colleagues to celebrate the successful completion of project "Template-kit" and "Simple publishing". We started from Demra ghat and after one hour we landed at Murapara where we got to visit a jamidar bari which is now converted to a college. It was the "palace" of jamidar ( lord ) Jogodish Banarjee and now called Rupgonj college. We also visited the nearby nursery and took a lot of pictures.
Then returned to the boat and headed towards the Jamdani Village. Many weaver-family live in this village and their family business is to make jamdani shari.

The Mughal emperors were patrons for jamdani industry . The earliest mention of jamdani and its development as an industry is found in Kautikaya (about 3rd century BC), where it is stated that this fine cloth was used in Bangla and Pundra. Dhaka, Sonargaon, Dhamrai, Titabari, Jangalbari and Bajitpur were famous for making superior quality jamdani and muslin at that time. Traders from Europe, Iran, Armenia, as well as Mughal-Pathan traders used to deal in these fabrics (source:banglapedia) . These villages are the ruins of that time bearing the heritage of that era. As we proceeded farther we could hear the sound of shuttle of jamdani making machine right from the time we stepped there.

After a while we visited one of such jamdani mill. I got to see the jamdani making process and one of the weavers told me that it takes several weeks to make one jamdani shari and no two sharis are of the same pattern.Each and every piece of shari is different from each other. Actually there are similarities , but I noticed that there is a subtle difference in the geometric pattern( Jamdani saris mainly contains floral or geometric motifs , the expert weavers work from memory, they do not draw the design on paper). Jamdani is the most expensive product of Dhaka looms since it requires the most lengthy and dedicated work. When I wanted to buy one, they asked for a very high price, more than twice the actual price . After a few minutes of bargaining I bought two sharis from there for half the price they asked and it was the first time I bought any sari myself . Actually it was the first time I bought any clothing material myself. Generally my mom buys these stuffs. I just make my choices and then the rest of the job is upon her. So I felt a bit " grown up " at that moment.

The first three minutes:A modern view of the origin of the universe

When I read the review I got interested to read this book of Steven Weinberg as soon as possible..and soon I got a copy, but it was a translation and one of the worst translation I have ever read. May be the Bangla tern for the astronomical objects are not standerdized yet or the translator was not efficient enough..I do not remember now ! However, I sopped reading it and decided to find the original one.

The download link is here.