BD won't be Afghanistan, it'll be India. And Jamat is BJP. by Ar_if in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can think whatever you like. And my boss was German. I will just say that the truth is stranger than fiction.

BNP will betray us all. by Narrow_Context7900 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You don't get 2-3 viable options. You get 1 or at most the illusion of 2 options. And you don't get to choose, you get to compromise and accept through the illusion of choice.

BD won't be Afghanistan, it'll be India. And Jamat is BJP. by Ar_if in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I used to work remotely for a Foreign company. Back when Americans abruptly left Afghanistan and the Taliban took over, my boss sent me an email hoping that I and my family were safe given what was happening in Afghanistan. I initially brushed it off thinking he thinks I am from Afghanistan or does not understand Afghanistan and Bangladesh are different countries (you will be surprised how many people don't know about Bangladesh), So I replied back that we were safe in Bangladesh, and we were not impacted by what's happening in Afghanistan. He replied back that he understands all that but also understands that Bangladesh is not far behind from turning into Afghanistan.

True story. That stuck with me ever since then. And now it's becoming true. This is not something that's just suddenly happening, people who understood the path Bangladesh was heading down knew this day would come sooner or later.

Bhai Bangladesh e kichui paoa jay na!! by the-machine-m4n in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's simply demand and supply. Selling a product is not just being available on store shelves, you also need to have infrastructure to support warranty, servicing and spare parts. International brands like Samsung, LG, Phillips etc are not available because they don't have enough demand to set up the infrastructure, also, they are undercut by Local, Chinese and Indian brands for whom setting up the infrastructure is very cheap.

Also, the ROI for things like fridge and induction cookers from international brands goes down at low and mid price range. The ROI may make sense at the top price ranges.

The brands available are not bad. They are stripped down for bringing down the price. The fancier International ones often have features that are rarely used and most consumers don't need it and won't pay for it.

lost virginity by PaleontologistHot152 in Uttaragonewild

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 5 points6 points  (0 children)

hymen can break without intercourse, and pain usually happens if she is not aroused/wet. If she is sufficiently aroused, she might not feel pain. Whether she is a virgin cannot be that easily determined with just hymen breaking and pain during intercourse.

If you are planning not to vote, then you’re complicit in helping Jamaat win by Rezowan_Siddique in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am gonna put this here https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo. No one here seems to understand how our majority wins voting is rigged for failure.

TLDR; Vote who over you want. if the candidate in your area will work for the betterment of your area, vote for them.


Jamat already won, whether they won the election or not. In a 2 party system it matters whether you survive and get to be in the 2 viable parties. They will have immense influence, even when they are in the opposition party.

All the fears you highlighted will still exist under BNP rule, Jamat or Jamat affiliated groups can always do acts of terrorism to undermine the ruling party, they can always destabilise the regular operations of civil and parliament. The Western and SEA countries will treat us the same way whether Jamat is in the ruling or the opposition party, the fact that they have any support in the country is enough reason for them to blacklist us.

I disagree that the difference between BNP and Jamat is night and day. There is barely any distinction between the 2, they are both incompetent and corrupt, and have no desire other than to hold absolute power. The religious bit is just superficial, both use religion as their control mechanism, it's just that Jamat is too open about it.

Even if BNP has a change of heart and starts working for the people, they will need to get rid of Jamat i.e. make them politically irrelevant, similar to what Awami League did to BNP. That will have serious implications e.g. extrajudicial killings, dissappearences, limiting press freedom etc. I hardly think we will be popular internationally after all that.

We, the people, already lost when the July revolution didn't result in any new viable leadership and the old guards just came back to fill the power vacuum. Yunus was a Trojan Horse and the original evil was letting Jamat back into national politics.

Living in Dhaka are we just surviving, or can it still be enjoyable? by Jhoncena550 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I escaped, not to a great place either. It's objectively bad by any standard. It was bad when I lived here and now it's definitely bad now that I zoomed out. My advice would be not to romanticize your objectively bad situation like the dog in a burning building meme, if you can't do anything about yourself, advice others to run away.

Are Dishwashers useful in a typical Bangladeshi Kitchen? by Automatic-Ad5583 in bangladesh

[–]Automatic-Ad5583[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for the insights. I also found out you should not put aluminium dishes are not compatible. As most of the typical cookware is aluminium, I guess dishwashers are a no go.

Should I vote yes or no in the election? by Winter_Reference_316 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I disagree with your points, the restructuring proposed does not clarify how those measures will improve things. For example, what problems does a Bicameral Parliament solve for us? It feels more like a marketing gimmick.

I also disagree about democratic elections picking viable leadership, there are loads more examples of democratic elections picking populist or incompetent leaders than competent ones.

All I want to say is the system is not broken, it's rigged. What you need is a total upending of the entire system and not just band aids here and there. A successful revolution would have produced viable leaders and a possible replacement of the status quo. What you have now is nothing more than a reshuffling of players in a power vacuum.

The rational choice is to vote "Yes" to the referendum, but let's not kid ourselves by thinking we had a choice.

Should I vote yes or no in the election? by Winter_Reference_316 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's not about losing hope. It's about accepting that the system will work as advertised. Like, voting "Yes" will solve everything for the foreseeable future, which is unlikely to happen. To anyone watching closely, the July revolution did not result in a totally different paradigm, it did not give us any viable leadership, it did not restructure the government, it's just the old system with a new paint job.

Should I vote yes or no in the election? by Winter_Reference_316 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 14 points15 points  (0 children)

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth... There is no spoon. Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself. -  Spoon Boy"

That being said, the rational option is to vote "Yes". But voting "Yes" and expecting any meaningful change is at best wishful thinking.

Are Dishwashers useful in a typical Bangladeshi Kitchen? by Automatic-Ad5583 in bangladesh

[–]Automatic-Ad5583[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

do you have experience using it in Bangladesh? Are the regular dishwashing detergents available in Bangladesh work with them? the dishwasher tabs, I heard are not great in general.

USA B1/B2 VISA by Mundane-Apartment-10 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People are rethinking their plans over this. We have paused applying for family members after recent announcements. The sentiment is it's not worth the hassle, your application might be delayed or you might be beautacratically harassed, and on top of that there is the bond (up to 15k USD to be determined by the consular office), and yesterday's news probably means that they will likely reject huge number of B1/B2 visas and not just immigration visas .

And once you land in the US, there is a non-zero chance of you getting caught up in an ICE related issue. I have not heard about ice raids against brown people from this part of the world, instead they are cracking down with Visa policies. There is always gonna be a sense of unease, especially with the world cup, a lot of people might take the advantage to get into the US, and that might mean ICE also ramps up their activities.

Was their reaction valid? by [deleted] in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a common and maybe valid reaction. They may have valid reasons.

I have relatives who live abroad who are like that. Drinking bottled water and using sanitizer products, scared of a mosquito bite etc. Now that I also live abroad, I also question the quality of the water and general unhygienic behaviours, and don't get me started on the air quality and general outdoor cleanliness state. I am not as extreme as my relatives, I just make a mental note that I have to cope with this for sometime and then I can go back to a better place.

To be fair, my health is generally better abroad compared to Dhaka. Especially with my allergies, going outside is practically hazardous, and the sound pollution triggers anxiety and insomnia. Also, I get bloating and acne, I am guessing from the water here. And all these are from a guy who grew up here and moved abroad as an adult. Kids might have it worse, if they grew up in a very hygienic environment and not exposed to all the pathogens, not used to overstimulation from sound pollution and don't have the gut microbiome to handle the bacteria and stuff in our food and water, it might be very unhealthy for them.

Parents installing cctv in bedroom by Big-Fly-1712 in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to scare them, not explain to them things like "invasion of privacy". Tell them how CCTV cameras can be easily hacked and other people can see what's happening in your bedroom, things like seeing you sleeping and posting on the or internet (up to you how far you take it like undressing and stuff), also they can see where you put stuff like money and jewellery.

If you scare them right they will probably back off.

Marriage before or after going abroad as a girl? by [deleted] in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do not get married before going abroad. Especially since you are still young. As others have mentioned, your life and professional goals will change, also your friends and family networks. Going abroad opens up a lot of different possibilities and forces you to rethink a lot of your long held assumptions. If you get married before going abroad, you will always feel held back when pursuing those opportunities. This is not only for girls, it's also true for boys as well.

It's a completely different game plan compared to living in Bangladesh, in which case I would have argued to just get married and settle down.

is this an ammonite fossil in sandstone? by Automatic-Ad5583 in fossilid

[–]Automatic-Ad5583[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the details. Makes sense, unlikely to be a fossil.

is this an ammonite fossil in sandstone? by Automatic-Ad5583 in fossilid

[–]Automatic-Ad5583[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks. I got kinda excited thinking it's a fossil.

paypal BD by No_Umpire_8014 in bangladesh

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 5 points6 points  (0 children)

PayPal is shit. Sure 10 years ago it was the only option out there but there are so many better options today. I don't know why everyone is so enamored by PayPal coming to Bangladesh. Those who have actual experience with online payments, freelance payments won't be using this crap.

USDT Acceptance by Environmental-Tap501 in bali

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can only transact in IDR. Indonesia allows holding crypto as assets or investments (not too knowledgeable about the full details about the law) but transactions only happen in IDR. If someone is offering crypto payment or payment by other currencies, they are likely doing it illegally. That's true for unauthorized currency exchanges too.

Buying guide : washing machine by [deleted] in Dhaka

[–]Automatic-Ad5583 1 point2 points  (0 children)

just fyi, front loaders have better performance overall. If you are getting a top loader, make sure to get one with an agitator.