HOME AND ABROAD

Looting Rat Holes

Lalmonirhat. While we carelessly toss our uneaten food into the dustbin, there are some who can't even afford a few grains of rice. A good number of extremely poor people move around paddy fields in search of rat holes during the harvesting season. These people actually live by looting the rodents. Mafizul Alam of Karnapur said that many poor people like him dig rat holes to collect paddy every harvesting period. He further added that he can get up to 10 to 25kgs of paddy from a rat hole, and can dig two to three holes daily. These people understand that they are stealing from the lowest of the low but feel like they have no option, as they have to feed their families. Several farmers said they never protest digging the rat holes in the field as rats are harmful for crops.

Cash Cash Baby

Patuakhali. A politician publicly asks for money from those who want to bring him gifts but he blames the media for blowing the whole incident out of proportion. At a reception on February 7, the Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip ASM Feroz said over a loudspeaker that he didn't want any “crest” as gifts rather he wanted cash. Furthermore, he used the word 'cash' thrice in this brief and sudden announcement. He added, “ Don't you understand? A lot of money is required for contenting an election. So felicitate me with cash. (. . . ) What's the use of these crests?” When contacted, the chief whip naturally said that he was seeking the money for his party and not for himself. He also said that he made this statement to discourage people from giving him crests, adding that he meant it as a joke and as nothing “serious.”  This was his first visit to his constituency after being appointed the chief whip.

Saving a Tiger

Khulna. While some people show their inhumanity by hurting other beings for their own benefits, others risk their lives to protect wounded creatures. Forest officials rescued a wounded Bengal Tiger from Lawdobe, a village adjoining the Sundarbans in Khulna on February 7. The tiger will be released in the Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur after its treatment is complete, said Dr Tapan Kumar Dey, chief of the wildlife division of the forest department. When the tiger was captured, it had a nylon rope tied to its left forelimb. Ever since a picture of the tiger taken by a group of tourists was published in The Daily Star on January 31, forest officials have been searching for it. Dey further said that it was not possible for anybody to tie a rope on a tiger's rope, adding that it was possible that the animal was caught in a deer-hunting trap.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Can you imagine a 10-cent hike in transportation fare leading to a full-fledged riot? It happened in Rio de Janeiro where police and protesters clashed violently at the city's main train station on February 6 in a demonstration against a 10-cent hike in bus fare. Some 800 hundred protestors had peacefully gathered in central Rio before they started marching to the city's main train station. Clashes broke out inside the station after demonstrators began jumping over turnstiles and the police used tear gas to disperse those gathered. Demonstrators too hurled rocks at the officers. Authorities were forced to close the station, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. Some bystanders were made ill by the tear gas, while others fainted.

Beliefs Chosen Over Life

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The so-called beliefs of an authoritative body were responsible for the end of a life. Staff at a university in Riyadh had barred male paramedics from entering a women's only campus to assist a student who had suffered a heart attack and later died. Local newspapers reported that administrators at the Kind Saud University impeded efforts by the paramedics to save Amna Bawazeer's life because of rules banning men from being onsite. The incident took place on February 5, and thousands of Saudis took to the internet the next day, where many of them blamed the kingdom's strictly enforced ruled governing the segregation of the sexes for the delay in helping Bawazeer. The university's rector, Badran Al Omar denied the report, however, saying that there was no hesitation in letting the paramedics in. Following the incident, professors at the university also demanded an investigation.

Singing Fish Scares Would-be Burglar

Minnesota, United States. A singing prop was responsible for preventing a burglary in Minnesota. A Big Mouth Billy Bass apparently scared a would-be burglar from looting a shop in the town of Rochester, Minnesota. Authorities in Rochester say the motion-activated singing fish apparently scared off an intruder who tried to break into the Hooked on Fishing bait and tackle shop. The novelty bass had been hung near the door and would start singing "Take Me to the River" whenever someone entered the shop. The Sheriff's Office said that the fish was found on the floor after the intruder knocked it down while breaking the door to get in early Sunday (Feb 9) or Monday (Feb10). The would-be burglar left without stealing anything, including cash that had been left in "a very visible spot."