Spotlight

Defensive driving by Hertz

About 1000 people in Bangladesh die from road accidents every year. Most if not all are the result of inattentiveness of the drivers. Hertz, an international car rental agency, organized a seminar to address this matter.

It was held on the 25th of March at the Gulshan Youth Club grounds smack dab in the middle of the field. The hot midday sun was strong enough to deep fry everyone's brains.

The seminar was mostly an informative affair for about 500 invited commercial drivers most of whom operate heavy vehicles. The inaugural speeches were thankfully short and sweet. The gist of the show was about creating awareness among the attending rivers about the importance of road safety.

Tips included that of maintaining vehicles properly. A lot of stress was put on the fact that accidents are caused due to lack of alertness. Drowsiness over long stretch of driving is a big killer. The driver of the public transport I took on the way home got into conversation and literally gave me a list of accidents he had had over the past ten years. One involved turning turtle in a Land Cruiser and another was a direct hit at 80 kmph. Both resulted in fatalities. His explanations were that he was tired.

Everyone present at the seminar were handed small booklets listing all the causes and prevention of accidents with major reasons being drowsy due to drunkenness or medication. The speakers also mentioned about maintaining appropriate distances from cars up ahead which is something a lot of driving schools here sadly neglect.

Lastly the issue of bravado was also addressed as overtaking, speeding and 'showing off' causes a lot of accidents. The drivers were all handed health card with which they can avail medical consultancy for themselves and their families.The seminar was sponsored with the help of Shah Cement, Uttara Motors and Rangs. It was a good step forward in helping to curb bad driving.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Bachelor T-shirts
Fans of the Eid special movie "Bachelor" have another reason to smile: special-edition 'Bachelor' T-shirts are now available. Trendy black tees bearing dialogues from the movie, including the catchy "Not all men are fools; some stay bachelors", as well as some of the more memorable catchphrases from the various characters could add some attitude to your wardrobe. So check them out! They are available at: Nitta Upahar, Aziz Supermarket, Shahbag. Hurry on over...one of these beauties could be yours for only Tk 160

Banglar Mela in this Boishakh

The advent of Baishakh is a major event on par with Eid. The first day is marked by fairs, flowers, food and people dressed in colorful outfits. Banglar Mela has kept this tradition in mind bringing out their latest collection.

The color scheme of Baishakh is red and that has been kept as the base for most of their designs. The whole gamut of saris range from 360 to 1280 taka. Tangail saris come in tie died, block printed, spray or hand painted forms within 675-1050 taka.

One of the present trends is to wear fatuas which are great for the summer heat being simple to wear. These also come in the same red base with highlighted designs in maroon, orange, black etc. The prices are 230-380 taka and are available in evry sort of design work from hand painted to embroidered. Fatuas being a unisex outfit, there are lots of designs for men with importance given to stripes. Changes are prevalent in the neck and arm pieces with the tops available in short, full and three quarter arm lengths. Price range for men's outfits are 280-425 taka.

For the ladies three piece kameez and fusion dresses are also available. The kameez can be had in either short of long versions.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny

Tips

Neck care

We often neglect our neck. But do you know that our neck is so sensitive that it reflects our age long before any other body part does? Even a well-groomed face is never enough to hide your age if your neck shows those unpleasant lines, folds and wrinkles. However, there are some simple tips to maintain a crease free smooth neck.

If you have free time in the midst of a long day then instead of simply chattering over the phone, or lying on the bed, try applying some paste made from lemon and turmeric. This mixture will help to remove any difference in complexion between your face and neck.

Hold your head up to give your neck a good shape. It will also improve your posture.

Do you know that sleeping without a pillow helps to prevent double chins? So to avoid double chins growing and spoiling your beauty, try sleeping without a headrest from today.

When you apply the facial masks, do not forget to apply them on your neck as well.

Daily before bath, massage the neck area with downward strokes by one hand following the other using any cream or skin oil for a minute or two.

Since our neck is very, very sensitive, care must be taken to keep it in a glowing condition for a long, long time.

By Wara Karim

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Hanging out

Dinghi

Five years ago who would have thought that Dhanmondi Lake could be the haunt of anything other than ghosts of dead fishes killed by pollution? Now it is one of the most visited sites for residents in and around Dhanmondi.

The recently opened boat club called Dinghi offers a different form of recreation for the city dwellers. You can spend your time traveling in the paddle boats at the dangerously high speed (for a snail) of about 5 kilometers per hour. Summer time means it is too hot for paddling in the daytime but you can try it out in the evening just before dark. The wide open stretch of water usually ensures a good breeze. At first the boats were allowed only a short distance of travel but now you can pretty much cover the entire lake area.

The paddle boats are made for two and are great for couples to spend some quality time. A bunch of friends can improvise a race if in the mood. It would be a leisurely race that would dent your wallet at 150 taka for a 45 minute ride per boat. Going with a bunch of friends will invariably lead to someone being "the king of the world" in Titanic style but rest assured there are no ice bergs around. For many the day-glow orange life vests are a bit of a clash in style but it would help in case you do fall over board. So try to keep it on.

Paddling along could be great exercise and for some a bit tiring. Refreshments are available at the café near the dock. You can sip your choice of hot or cold beverages in air conditioned comfort. The menu consists of regular offerings such as coffee, ice cream and snacks similar to other establishments. You get everything from fried chicken and French fries to hamburgers.

The place closes down a little after 8 in the evening.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny