& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

TO THE EDITOR
Save Zak and Mika
Zak and Mika are two baby harp seals now living at a Quebec aquarium in Canada. During the last tourist season they entertained the tourists a lot. Now the tourist season is over. Since they are no more of any commercial importance, the authorities are reportedly planning to kill them. What a cruel decision!
Harp seal (also called Saddleback seal) is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Arctic Ocean. Because of their great commercial importance, hundreds of thousands of harp seals are getting killed every year.
Care2 is the largest online community empowering people to lead a healthy and green life. While taking action on important causes (of which this writer is also a member), it collected more than 100,000 signatures who have saved Zak and Mika from getting killed on September 15.
Now unfortunately, the Aquarium des Iles is demanding $73,000 from the public, within six days, for temporary care until Zak and Mika are either placed or released. What 1 strongly feel is that Zak and Mika have already paid the price of their lives to the Aquarium people by providing entertainments to the tourists during the last tourist season.
In order to save the two baby seals, Care2 is going to submit a petition containing signatures of more than 100,000 people to Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Ottawa, requesting him to take immediate action to save the lives of the two innocent baby seals, Zak and Mika.
We are hopeful that the minister will take appropriate action to rescue the two seals and help them survive.
Professor M Zahidul Haque Dean, Faculty of Agriculture Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka
Why tax evasion so rampant?
In many countries of Europe and North America each member of work force has an allotted Social Security number wherein a certain portion of tax collected from him/her is deposited to be ultimately paid back periodically during retirement and/or when the person becomes infirm, because this is a time when income wanes but expenses on living and medical bill soar. This stimulus works to encourage payment of tax a person is her/his youth.
In Bangladesh, an honest taxpayer, who has paid taxes to the state coffer, say over the decades, will find none around to look after in his old age or during his unproductive days. His only support would be the money he had laid aside.
Great minds have been presenting annual budgets, year after year, in resounding voice portraung a up rosy picture for the nation in the spacious hall of the Jatiyo Shangsad (parliament) to the thumping of table by Members of Parliament )MPs). But alas! Nobody addressed the root cause as to why some people dodge tax.
Until such time as the basic security of taxpayers in their sunset years or in lean days is adequately taken care of, tall talks of GDP-Tax ratio, incremental tax net etc will continue to sound hollow. Raihan Syed Tennessee, USA
Wonderful banana
If only fruits and vegetables could talk, then dieticians and many health advisers would have been out of job! Intelligent human beings gather from the fruits' shape, size, colours and other indications, what is good for us. Topping the list of such fruits, comes the banana. It is properly shaped, for conveniently holding by the fingers and palm of the hand! It also has a non slippery skin for ease and convenience in holding.
Next, the colour of its outer skin signals its state of fitness for being eaten by humans! When green, it is unripe and unfit for eating! Its yellow colour is the right coloured signal, that it is ready for eating! When black, it is over-ripe and not suitable for eating any more!
It also has a convenient knob on top, for ease in peeling its outer wrapper. Very conveniently for us, its outer wrapper is totally biodegradable and can easily be thrown anywhere one likes!
Further, it is ideally shaped by being slightly curved, for easily taking it into the mouth! Its top is slightly smaller in size, for introducing into the mouth; and is also slightly curved towards the mouth, making eating it easier.
Finally, it is pleasing to the taste! What more can one desire? Which other fruit or vegetable is so custom-designed for our eating pleasure? Given this wonderful adaptability and suitability for our enjoyable eating, the least we could do is to award it our high- Is this freedom of expression?
A few decades ago British writer Salman Rushdie stirred the world writing the book “Satanic Verses,” through which he hurt millions of Muslims. OurTaslima Nasreen also became famous home and abroad by attacking the male and particularly Islam.
And now a film entitled “Innocence of Muslims’’ has been produced by an Egyptian Coptic Christian, who depicted Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Muslims negatively. Undoubtedly, the movie has been made with the intention to offend the religion of Islam and Muslims all over the world.
The Muslims around the world got furious and in an attack in Libya the US ambassador together with three other officials were killed. Obviously, the Muslims got hurt by this type of propaganda against our beloved Prophet (Pbuh) and our religion. But Allah has given us direction. An innocent man can not be held liable for another’s deed. The four US officials have not been involved in making the movie. So, the attackers are also guilty according to the precepts of Islam.
In the name of freedom of expression, one can not hurt the religious sentiments of others. We also condemn the killing of innocent people in the name of religion. May Allah give us the strength to keep patience.
Rashid Harun
Dhaka
"Freedom to offend"?
Why is it that every protest or statement by Muslims is considered "extremist” and every degrading, most offensive and provocative remark against Islam, which is in essence a religion of peace and non-violence, is defended in the name of "freedom of expression" by certain quarters of western societies? Syed Rayian A Zafar Bashundhara, Dhaka
Now fruits are poisoned
Nowadays we see and hear news of adulteration of different types of food. But have we ever expected that fruits can be adulterated too? Many children are afraid of eating fruits due to adulteration. Kids who don’t eat fruits have found a genuine excuse. Is money really so important that we should tamper with fruits? We can only hope the government and the people of Bangladesh would find a way to solve this problem.
Ahmed As Sami
Anandaniketan School