Banking Tips

Nasreen Sattar Head of International Sales, Standard Chartered Bank

Q1. I've have recently met with an accident and cannot move from my house. I have a bank account and urgently need money. How can a bank help me without my having to go to them?

A. What the bank can do is send one of its officers to your house with necessary information/details about your account. They will verify whether you are the actual account holder by checking your photograph, passport photocopy held with them and if satisfied will carry out the transaction by taking your thumb print (if you are still unable to sign). I would recommend that once you are able to write again please get someone to be a joint signatory to your account so that in case of such eventualities you should not have any problem. Please contact your Bank Manager and advise him of your problem and necessary action will be taken.

Q2. I have some unused travellers cheques, and I would like to give them to my husband. How do I go about it?

A. I assume that the TCs are already signed on the top left hand corner by you. Please counter sign them on the bottom left hand corner and insert your husband's name on the space on the centre where it is mentioned that you can give it to a third party. Please note that your husband cannot encash them, but can deposit them into his account.

Q3. My son has got admission in a College in USA. Can I send him fund from here for his educational purpose?

A. As per Bangladesh Bank Guidelines foreign exchange may be transferred for studies abroad by Bangladeshi nationals in all regular courses (subject to being consistent with the Education Policy of the Bangladesh Govt.) in recognized institutions. Certain formalities will have to be completed before funds can be transferred.

Dental wise

Dr.Mahfujul Haq Khan BDS, DDS(Dhaka), PhD(Japan) Oral & Dental Surgeon BIRDEM Hospital

Q.I am 29 years old. I have still got two primary teeth in middle of the lower portion. The problem is recently they seems to growing weaker . I avoid using them when biting hard things. How can I make them stronger so that they can last long?

A.I think you need a dental X-ray for the assessment of bony support of your primary teeth. If it really becoming weaker then you may need to do root canal treatment followed by porcelain bridge.

Q. My teeth are becoming yellowish. Why and can I do anything to make it whiter?

A. Actual cause of this yellowish discoloration is really hard to say without examining your teeth. But there are two types tooth discoloration:

Internal Stain: This means the stain occurs from within the
tooth. This type of stain cannot be removed by brushing and flossing. Some causes of internal staining are injury to the tooth, certain medications(such as tetracycline) taken during tooth formation.

External stain: This is staining of the tooth surface. Some sources of external stains are cigarettes, cigar, pan, coffee, tea or foods that contain a lot of spices.
Yes, we can make it whiter according to cause. External staining can sometimes be removed by good tooth brushing habits or by your dentist.

By scaling and polishing it is possible to make your teeth brighter. Scaling is recommended once in a year after
16 years old.

Q. Should I clean my baby's teeth? How can I clean it?

A. Definitely, even before the first tooth appears! Use a soft, clean cloth to wipe your baby's gums and cheeks after feeding. As soon as the first tooth appears, begun using a small, soft bristled toothbrush to clean the tooth after eating. Don't cover the brush with tooth paste. Try having your child lie down. Put your child on your lap or on the floor, keeping his/her head steady with legs. If your child is standing have his/her back to you with their head tilted slightly and resting against your body.

Helpline

Anwara Chowdhury Guidance Counselor

Dear Anwara,
I have an 8 years old son who is extremely aggressive towards others and harmful to himself. I am very worried about him. Please give me some advice on ways I handle this situation. - Sharmin

Dear Sharmin,
Children develop this type of behaviour for many reasons. I understand how frightening it can be to observe and handle your son's behaviour. Children who are very aggressive towards others or very harmful to themselves need to be physically prevented from carrying out such aggressive acts. You could use the "time out" method and put him in a place by himself where he cannot hurt anything. But if he is out of control and feeling anxious, he needs to be close to you.

If your son hits or bites himself when he is frustrated then you can use a different approach. In this situation you can approach your son face to face, and tell him that if he is feeling frustrated, he can hit something like a pillow, a cushion or your hand. This will help him to realize that you care about him and want to help him relieve his frustrations without getting hurt.

Dear Anwara,
Over a period of months my 11-year-old girl's behaviour has changed. She is a happy and cheerful child but lately she is very anxious and unhappy when she comes home from school. She is very much reluctant to play with her friends and she has requested to change her school. - Lucy

Dear Lucy
Thank you for your letter. I think your child might be facing bullying at school. I think you need to discuss this issue with her. Bullying is not an individual problem; many children face it through out their school lives. Parents, children and teachers all have to work together to tackle bullying in schools. I hope this information will help you and your daughter.

The Message for Parents
Parents have an important role in tacking bullying.
· By being encouraged to be active in a meaningful partnership with the school.
· By being involved in developing an anti-bullying policy.
· By being informed and involved if their child is a bully or a victim.
· By telling the school if their child is being bullied.
· By telling the school if they think their child is a bully.

The Message for Children
· Tell a grown up or someone you trust.
· It's not your fault that you are being bullied.
· Keep telling someone until they believe you.
· Don't give up.

The Messages for Teachers
· Watch for early signs of distress.
· Listen carefully and record all indents.
· Offer the victim immediate support.
· Make it clear to the bully and his/her parents that the behaviour is unacceptable.

For further details or advice contact Anwara Chowdhury
Email : AnwaraChowdhury@hotmail.com

 

 

Under A Different Sky

"Dry samosa with
Chai Latte"

I am not much into gambling, playing the lottery, believing in sheer luck, and perhaps that is why I do not go to the cultural programs organized by the Bangladeshi associations here in America. The crammed pictures of coming attractions distributed weeks before are often absent and some new drama in the form of life is always going on at these so-called shows. So bumping into a good show is like finding a needle in a haystack. No needle for me but here is some spilled-over annoyance derived by Bangladeshi cultural shows for you.

When someone arranges a show here, there is an opposition who will also organize a show exactly on the same date with artists from similar caliber or better. The day of the show will come nearer, the general public will suffer from indecisiveness as to which show to go see, not knowing one of the shows is totally a fake, organized to misdirect people from going to the real one. So the unfortunate ones, who go to the non-existent show, find locked doors with no one around except for some more deceived ones and come back home cursing and raging. And what happens to the rest who land in the real show? Overpay at the door, and then overpay to buy some dry samosas and look at some over priced CDs and clothing stalls. Then slowly make way to the hall where the show will be performed.

Now about the halls, if the organizers have a lot of money and wants to do a major show they often rent out places like Sheratons or even on some occasions Madison Square Garden in NY. Sadly these places after having one or two Bangladeshi shows, have banned Bangladeshis from their vicinity. Our bad manners, terrible usage, and our unruly kids have made quite a name for these businesses.

So most shows are now held in school auditoriums, cheaper rent and the crowd is as rowdy as gone-wrong teens. So once you enter the hall, find a seat. If you are lucky you might find a seat around people with no children but most are not so lucky. So you end up usually sitting near children, who will constantly make noises with balloons which are sold conveniently right outside, catered specially to make the terrible squeaking noise kids love, during the best parts of the show. I don't know yet why the parents don't want to leave the kids home during these programs and stop torturing both us and the kids. Some say they bring the kids to get them exposed to Bengali culture, and now I know why so many Bengali kids turn their back against our culture. If loud mouths, cheaters, bad taste and rowdiness are what I saw to be Bengali culture when I was young, I too would have preferred soup over daal. Although maintaining your Desi Standard time you never show up on time, even if you are few hours late, you will still be there before the program starts.

The opening performance is usually by the sound system crew dancing and tripping over wires and fixing home made sound systems. Usually after that comes some local artists, with their proud harmoniums and not so proud voices, and dances that inspires you to open a school and teach. If you are fortunate you might get to see the artists who were promised to come and perform. They usually end up singing a few, get frustrated with the sound system or the local guitar player's workmanship, playing exactly the opposite tune from what the artist needs. You basically leave the place with a baffled, suffocated look. You will find your way out in between heavy jewelry wearing aunties and uncles wearing synthetic shirts with open buttons to show a good amount of self-righteous Bengali chest hair. You will be stopped by several flyer givers for the next big show and you will take a deep breath as you step into your car and drive off. Later at a Cafe taking a sip out of your chai latte in between faces white and black, you will feel more at home than you did in the past few hours.

By Iffat Nawaz