Fatwas continue

I was born and brought up in Bangladesh. The Muslim fundamentalists issued fatwa against me and set price on my head. The government filed a case against me on the charges of blasphemy. I was forced to leave my country 19 years ago. Since then I have not been allowed to return to my country. I am considered the biggest enemy of the Muslim fundamentalists. All Islam loving people are supposed to live peacefully forever if only I leave the country. A hell of a lot of compromises have been done with fundamentalists. How come they still continue issuing fatwas? Bangladesh’s newspaper wrote:

Offences in the name of fatwa continue in the country despite their being declared illegal by the courts is unacceptable. However, the continued proactive role of the High Court on the issue is encouraging. [Read more…]

That Grandmothers Were Crucial for Human Evolution!

Grandmothering was the initial step toward making us who we are.

For years, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists have struggled to explain the existence of menopause, a life stage that humans do not share with our primate relatives. Why would it be beneficial for females to stop being able to have children with decades still left to live? [Read more…]

Colourful festival of polytheism in India

India is celebrating Navratri or Durga puja, one of the biggest Hindu religious festivals. The festival is dedicated to the goddess Durga. She is depicted with multiple arms , carrying various weapons and riding a ferocious lion or tiger. She is often pictured as battling or slaying Mahishasura, the demon. [Read more…]

The whale talk

NOC, a nine-year-old whale made human-like-sounds.

Vocal bursts averaged about three per second, with pauses reminiscent of human speech. Analysis of the recordings showed that the frequencies within them were spread out into “harmonics” in a way very unlike whales’ normal vocalizations and more like those of humans.

The mimicry is no easy task for whales. NOC had to modify his vocal mechanics to make human-like- sounds. We did not know whales could do that.
We know so much about animals! And we do not know so much about animals!

The speech!

BBC says:

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s fiery speech on misogyny has prompted Australia’s leading dictionary to update its definition of the word. Footage of Ms Gillard lambasting the opposition’s Tony Abbott as a misogynist in parliament last week drew global attention. The Macquarie Dictionary describes misogyny as ”hatred of women” but editor Sue Butler says it will be expanded to ”entrenched prejudice against women” in the next edition.

[Read more…]

Lady pens! Lady pens!

I did not know that Bic made pens for women! When I first heard about ‘Bic for her’, I could not believe it really happened, Bic really made lady pens! Bic describes the pen as having a “thin barrel to fit a women’s hand,” making it an “elegant design—just for her!” The Bic website also notes that the pen features a clear tinted barrel “for visible ink supply,” as if women can’t otherwise tell when a pen has run out of ink. I was angry for a while, then I started laughing. It seems the whole world is laughing at Bic’s stupid, sexist, idiotic pens. I do not know whether Bic is a big misogynist, but I am sure Bic is a big joker.

Here are some comments on Bic’s Lady pens: [Read more…]