My Publications

Scott Weiland [1967 – 2015] – Half the man he used to be By Faizul Khan *Massive thanks to  Arafat Kazi  &  Ashraful Abedin Khan , they are STRONGER STP fans Cocaine-crazy Scott Weiland is no more at age 48. Best known for his enigmatic performances, this American singer-song writer was the troubled front man for the bands Stone Temple Pilots (STP), Velvet Revolver, and Wildabouts. He suffered from both addiction and severe bipolar disorder during his heyday. And probably the chorus of Creep is a testament - I'm half the man I used to be, This I feel as the dawn It fades to gray. Fans say this is why his vocal tones both swam and sunk, at times simultaneously, creating a multitude of emotions and resulting in one of the most versatile songwriters of the 90s. Early critics shrugged him off, saying Scott's band STP made a late entry in to the grunge revolution and that his compositions were derivative of his better-known contemporaries — Eddie Vedder (Pe...

This article was first published in The Canberra Times on May 12, 2015 - 11:30PM http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/entries-pouring-in-canberra-times-autumn-photo-competition-20150512-ggzkzd.html   Autumn's peaceful glory captured By Faizul Khan   Canberra is always alive with the colours of the four seasons. As the red and golden leaves blow in the wind to usher in the dusk of autumn and dawn of winter as June approaches, Canberrans have been rugging up with beanies and jumpers. The season has also inspired amateur photographers to seize the picture-perfect moments with their cameras.  Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Sean Carson said Canberra could expect cooler temperatures ranging from 2 degrees to 12 degrees in the next week with light showers and snow on the mountains. "We could very well experience El Nino conditions for the second-half of the year which means a warmer climate," Mr Carson added. On Tues...

***This is our Open and Social Media (M97MC) Project for Ross Varney. These are nano tales/ micro fiction or flash fiction which describes one person's account followed by a photograph. You can add a video, a photograph or any media you deem necessary to compliment and illustrate your one paragraph nanotale, which will be a continuation of this story :-]. The Coventry swimming pool was basking in a flood of warmth, abundance of warm psychedelic sunlight and all the melodies of Disney animations and beyond...it was lile following Alice in to Wonderland 'underwater'. As the powerful rays hit the blue tiled pool bed, a flash of memory assailed my imagination. There were hints of happiness, underwater yoga...to a point where it's therapeutic and then suddenly as I cruised to the other end...my head hits the wall. All of a sudden, I can see a constant diffusion of my red blood cells in front of my eyes...am i drowning?    

Social and Open Media with S Hides The first class with Dr Hides on 12/02/2014 dealt with the discussion of how the new media are transforming the cultural landscape of ours irrespective of geographical location. 1.       The key element to have come out is how we have created a virtual world of social media as opposed to traditional media. How e-mails replaced snail mails, how Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as apps have changed the way we behave and interact with the community and people around us...how we read more blogs and online newspapers than traditional hard copies...how YouTube has revolutionised our concept of a classroom (TedTalks) and more. 2.       These new Media are highly disruptive technology, for example how a Facebook message, SMS intrigues us to avoid the teacher’s lecture and try to focus replying to comments on Facebook because everyone wants to be a ‘social rock star’ and have his/her personalize...

Montobbo Nishproyojon: The Arbovirus way of saying SHUT UP! to the pseudo-intellectuals Written by The Rebel Fatman Faizul Khan Tanim In a post Shahbagh-scenario we could not expect anything other than a rebel rock album from this five-piece band and they have delivered just that. Viewed as a sensational rock compilation due to its urgent lyrics; diverse compositions; tight production; brilliant performances by all the members, ‘Montobbo Nishproyojon’ (No comments required) becomes a DhakaLeaks barometer of society, politics, love, agitation, betrayal revealed through a loud-horn of shredding guitars, break-free vocals and combat drums. It’s a spontaneous combustion of the diverse moods and views of  Bangladeshi youth at this very interesting juncture which is why maximum listeners could associate them with Arbovirus’s music as ‘their music’. It heavily reminds me of the ‘protest and message music’ era of the Beatles songs molded in the epic sound track ‘Acros...

Sehri - Eating Out before Subah Sadiq Faizul Khan Tanim Indiscriminate screams – “Sehri’r shomoy hoyechhe, uthhey porun” (It’s sehri time, wake up and have your meal) or “gorom gorom biriyani, khaya jaan, loya jaan” (Warm biriyani to eat and take away) - these lines fill up the sehri places as scores of people crowd the streets of Old Dhaka to eat out before Subah Sadiq (early dawn). The streets throb with noises of spoon banged on steel plates and loud merry shouts, many different colours and the atmosphere is taken over by the aroma of mutton leg roast, glassi, the different types of biriyanis, naan-kabab, khichuri or the conventional shada bhaat-maach-gosht-daal and more. This is where Ramadan festivity starts for many. And according to the thousands of sehri connoisseurs, these are few of the sweetest lines or catch phrases they listen and experience with pleasure while in the sehri capital – Puran Dhaka. Upon reaching the eatery Al Razzak, Star Hotel (Old Dha...

Confessions of a Swimmer by ME Swimming has been the most profound form of exercise that helps me relax, have fun and meditate apart from the usual full body workout. What we know is that this splish-splash can tone and stretch both the upper and lower body muscles while also burning calories. It strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves lung capacity and helps reduce stress. But what we know less is that an hour of vigorous swimming will burn up to 650 calories, which is more than walking or biking by the way. And the best part is, you can continue this until very old age. Swimming can be a sport, a fun activity or even meditation under water. Yes, meditation. I’m not even kidding. Swimming cures emotional sickness. So, whichever strikes your fancy, this is one activity which will never stop making you look good. Always remember the saying, If you look good, you’ll feel good! If you are member of the elite clubs in Bangladesh, then a fresh water swimming ...

Is Bangladesh ready for nuclear power generation? Faizul Khan Tanim talks to different stakeholders of nuclear power generation and also green activists and tries to find if we are ready for a nuclear power plant Bangladesh is said to be one of the biggest energy-starved countries, with the present demand for electricity at 7500 plus MW (Mega Watt) as opposed to the production of 5000 to 5800 MW. Access to electricity in Bangladesh is one of the lowest, about 40 percent of the total population are without access to adequate, cheap and quality energy. At present, we have to depend on indigenous energy resources, which are finite as well - gas, oil, furnace oil and coal to produce electricity. And about 55 per cent of our natural gas is used to produce this power. The reserve of gas is not infinite and will soon run out and before that happens, we must adopt alternative energy sources, be it renewable with a bio-ecological/green revolution or build nuclear power plant...