European impressions...
Countries can spend their wealth differently in providing services and welfare to their citizens. As a result people in different countries can lead different lifestyles. This becomes obvious even through an impressionistic comparison of Europe and the US. This sort of knowledge, which is also apparent when comparing different developing countries, could provide important lessons during the constitution making process as the Constituent Assembly sets priorities on spending Nepal’s resources.
From the last week of September till the third week of October I travelled around Europe in what may be called a five-country lecture and leisure trip. For a person who has been living in the US for more than a decade as a student and teacher, the European voyage clearly cast an impression that wealth can be spent in better ways for the wellbeing of citizens.
It is well known that public transportation is better in Europe than the private vehicle dependent US. Nevertheless, I was impressed at the vast network of underground and over ground trains, buses and trams that connected not only different parts of large cities but also smaller cities and small towns with big cities. Even small cities like Bielefeld in Germany had a very impressive network of public transportation while except for a few big cities like New York and Chicago, public transportation is pathetic in most of US. The public transportation could be costly for occasional travellers but for regular commuters, weekly, monthly and other passes lower the costs. Early planning also made travelling affordable. It took less than 10 pounds for a five-hour bus ride from North England to London when the ticket was purchased online a week or two before. Among other things, the vast network of public transportation meant less driving of personal vehicles and less consumption of natural energy.
In some cities like Vienna and Copenhagen, even automated ticket checking gates were absent. It was all based on trust and the people followed the rules voluntarily. They paid for their travel even though travel tickets were not checked regularly. Of course, if caught without a ticket on occasional checking, the penalty would be very heavy. Still it amazed me that the system worked largely based on trust and cooperation of the commuters.
I was impressed by the bicycle hiring system when my friends proudly showed it to me in Paris. One could hire a bike from an automated stand, ride it to different destinations and leave the bikes back at the stands. Why spend money on expensive cab rides when you can travel cheaply and also get some exercise while commuting?
What amazed me even more was the bicycle culture in Copenhagen. The parking lot in train, bus and other stations were filled with hundreds of bicycles. The buses and trains had cycle stands inside. You never see such sights in the US.
Pedestrian streets were also quite widespread and covered considerable areas. The biweekly haatbazzer in Bielefeld, like in rural Nepal, was a welcome surprise for a native Nepali living in the US. The pedestrian roads were wide and street-side cafes indicated that people walked quite a bit and enjoyed their time in such joints. Life appeared to be slow and much enjoyable in Europe.
Higher education in Austria was free and it was so for some social science disciplines in France as well. Denmark had introduced expensive tuitions for higher education for foreigners recently when the system was abused by some. In Scotland, the regional government subsidised higher education for its residents to make it more affordable while in England income of parents determined if one had to pay tuition. All this is truly astonishing for someone teaching in an American university where the tuition is extremely expensive and many American students remain in educational debt for a long time after graduation.
Of course, for a traveller, Europe is quite expensive. A McDonald’s meal costs more than double in a Copenhagen train station than in the US. Services do not come cheaply and higher taxes are necessary to provide them. That in turn has contributed to higher prices. PG Ranjitkar, a Copenhagen resident, told me that tax rate in Denmark was 55 percent. Most Americans would be surprised that people pay such high taxes and still do not throw out the government. Services and welfare deficient Americans rise up in arms even at the prospect of rising taxes to around 30 percent.
High prices are to some extent covered by high wages. Minimum wage in Denmark was very high and even after tax, the worker would get around US $16 per hour, which is three times higher than in most cities in the US. Such wages make the expensive goods and services affordable to citizens; maybe not so for visiting Americans on lower wages. Berlin had a slightly different culture with ubiquitous food stands offering reasonably cheaper food. Many of these stands appeared to be operated by immigrants or their descendents.
The walking, biking, public transportation and pedestrian culture have contributed to the health of Europeans. One of the first things that struck me in Paris was the absence of obese people. The extensive welfare system in Europe must have contributed to it as well. In the US low income or jobless people frequent junk food vendors like McDonald’s which are contributing to the fattening up trend, which increases health expenses; healthy people probably means less drain on the overall health system in Europe. The overall impression of the excursion was that different set of priorities in Europe (as compared to the US) had resulted in a higher quality of life in the continent.
It is not that only rich countries have options. Developing countries can spend available resources differently to provide different level of welfare to their citizens. Countries like Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Costa Rica and regions like Kerala in India have provided wide range of services to their residents that have resulted in much better human development indices (resource, education, and life span) than economically comparable countries. As Nepal moves ahead in its constitution writing process, its political leaders and policymakers can set priorities that would result in a better quality of life for its citizens instead of increasing the gap among them. The choice is theirs.
Earlier ancestors came from Asia?
Ancient fossilized teeth of small anthropoid monkeys discovered in Libya suggest our earliest ancestors may have migrated from Asia to Africa, research published Wednesday showed.
The origin of anthropoids -- primates including monkeys, apes and humans -- has long been a source of hot debate among palaeontologists.
Experts have long argued anthropoids first appeared in Africa -- but recent studies suggest an earlier Asian origin, dating 55 million years ago.
Now new fossils, dating 38 to 39 million years ago and discovered in Dur At-Talah in central Libya, further complicate the debate.
They reveal the existence of three types of African anthropoids -- the oldest discovered on the continent to date, according to the study published in the British journal Nature.
Based on previous discoveries in Egypt and Algeria, "we are aware until now of only one form of anthropoid primate, dating back 37 million years ago for the oldest," said one of the study's authors, Jean-Jacques Jaeger, of Poitiers University in France.
"Here we have gone further, to 39 or 38 million years, and we have three (types) ... and among the three, there is an Asiatic form," he told AFP.
"This therefore signals the direction of migration from Asia toward Africa," Jaeger added.
The teeth appear to have belonged to tiny primates, weighing between 120 and 470 grammes (0.26 to one pound) in adult form.
"They looked more like marmosets than rats," Jaeger said. "They had the same prehensile hands with an opposite thumb, nails rather than claws, certainly a tail that served for balance when they climbed or jumped from one branch to another."
Their diminutive size also suggests our history began small, he added.
The recent discovery also poses another question: did all three types of anthropoids originate in Asia or were they the product of an initial diversification that took place in Africa?
Jaeger's group favours the Asia hypothesis.
"We have the impression it was a relatively significant population movement that most likely took place during the same time," he said.
The origin of anthropoids -- primates including monkeys, apes and humans -- has long been a source of hot debate among palaeontologists.
Experts have long argued anthropoids first appeared in Africa -- but recent studies suggest an earlier Asian origin, dating 55 million years ago.
Now new fossils, dating 38 to 39 million years ago and discovered in Dur At-Talah in central Libya, further complicate the debate.
They reveal the existence of three types of African anthropoids -- the oldest discovered on the continent to date, according to the study published in the British journal Nature.
Based on previous discoveries in Egypt and Algeria, "we are aware until now of only one form of anthropoid primate, dating back 37 million years ago for the oldest," said one of the study's authors, Jean-Jacques Jaeger, of Poitiers University in France.
"Here we have gone further, to 39 or 38 million years, and we have three (types) ... and among the three, there is an Asiatic form," he told AFP.
"This therefore signals the direction of migration from Asia toward Africa," Jaeger added.
The teeth appear to have belonged to tiny primates, weighing between 120 and 470 grammes (0.26 to one pound) in adult form.
"They looked more like marmosets than rats," Jaeger said. "They had the same prehensile hands with an opposite thumb, nails rather than claws, certainly a tail that served for balance when they climbed or jumped from one branch to another."
Their diminutive size also suggests our history began small, he added.
The recent discovery also poses another question: did all three types of anthropoids originate in Asia or were they the product of an initial diversification that took place in Africa?
Jaeger's group favours the Asia hypothesis.
"We have the impression it was a relatively significant population movement that most likely took place during the same time," he said.
The Great Warrior...
The peace across the vast stretches of land from the magnificent mountains to the dreaded deserts had been perished by the pandemonium spewed over the once prosperous earth by the never ending wars and battles. Clans after clans obliterated, kingdoms after kingdoms annihilated and live after lives destroyed by nothing more than the mere plenitude of cupidity, detestation and idiocy of the dark rulers, sinister sorcerers and demented demons.
To end this all, it was time once again. The Aurumus Aera (the Golden Era) spanning a hundred thousand years had ended, leaving the moribund earth to be rejuvenated by a legend. A legend who would rid this world of further suffering.
Today was the day that the warrior would commence upon a lone quest to begin a new era for the Earth. The chosen one has to be entirely of the Yang clan which had control over the elements of the earth; it was clear that the only ceremony the prevailing Yang clan ever partook in had to be the most imperative amongst all lesser festivities minor clans celebrated. The fate of the entire world rested upon the choices made by the conclave of Yang warriors that day.
But this hero wasn’t chosen to save the righteous but to destroy the guilty, he wasn’t chosen to pave the way for the future but put the present at ease and he wasn’t chosen to introduce a sense of security to the people, but to diminish all aspects of hope for the oppressors. What the chosen warrior would do was not cleanse the stains of sins of every man but expunge every man who were stained with sin. And just like the many great warriors of the past had ushered in the Aurumus Aera, he would rid the world of all evil by bringing about darkness just to follow the bright dawn.
Today, the ritual had begun and the clan was silent, silent and seated on the grassy patch of the dense dark forest the race has originated from. The Praesidium Arboris (the Protection Trees), the forest that had witnessed the rise and fall of great Elders and the dark and golden ages of the tribe — the forest that would yet witness another historic event. Hidden beyond the towering trees of the Praesidium Arboris and covered by a sheath of fog, the staid guild gathered around the Elder perched on a high round stand bearing the emblem of this wind clan. At either side of the Central Elder were two lesser Guides, those who were next in line to be the much respected Elder who served as a fundamental part of the race; negotiating with other tribes and acting as a source of never ending power and support.
“Today,” spoke the Elder in a stentorian voice which belied his frail frame, “We decide upon our fate, we decide upon our future. Today, we summon the Valde Proeliator [the Great Warrior] and his Dracon [the Dragon]! ”
Whispers. Murmurs. Questions. They knew the purpose of this meeting of course, but who, who would the Savior be? Who was the most skilled of warriors? Who had the courage to shed their earthly desires for the greater good? Who had the will to survive in a world drowned in the black innards of evil? And who had the strength to carry upon this burden of being the only one who could deliver the world from madness? Questions whose answers the future depended on. A wave of the hand by the Elder silenced all again.
“It is time to summon the warrior’s Dracon and it is this very beast who will answer the question we all have pondered upon since the last Valde Proeliator walked upon this earth!”
He spread his frail but sure hands in front of him chanting, murmuring spells and calling upon his years of magical learning to build up a force within him. Spreading across the air between his hands, a tiny but blinding light came forth, floating over the heads of gaping clan and unto the denser region of the forest, disappearing altogether from sight.
A distant rumbling was heard which came closer and closer until finally, beyond the tall trees and the silver mist, an immense being moved, immediately triggering trepidation among the onlookers. As the behemoth began to take form, the warriors could fathom the reptilian head, the scaly wings and the massive lumbering body of the beast: a dragon. Not the puny rogue dragons one could see fluttering in the skies like dazed moths but the one dragon that could bring upon salvation to the world. The movement ceased. The dragon had arrived and lifted its colossal head searching, seeking its master. Slowly it rested its eyes on an isolated figure away from the horde gathered around it.
One warrior remained standing, away from the crowd. Like the others, he too wore a long black robe covering his head to his toe but he wasn’t looking at the dragon but downwards, his face covered by his striking silver hair. Aware of a mythical presence, he lifted his head to face the dragon which had already transfixed its blue cat eyes upon him. And he knew. He looked amused as the dragon walked up to him, awkwardly shifting amidst the massive weight of its body and bowing its massive scaled head low towards the ground.
The onlookers froze in disbelief. He was Yue. A newcomer. And never before in the history of the Yang clan had a newcomer been the chosen one. The earlier Valde Proeliators had all been burly fully fledged warriors trained to protect and qualified to destroy. But this young saviour was hardly a warrior. He had discovered his control over the elements only a few weeks back. In the clan’s eyes, he was unqualified but unbeknownst to them the Elder sensed his perspicacious eyes carried depth that could draw in what the world had in store for him. Of course some protested and others scowled while several valiant ones stepped up to take his place. But all were silenced when Dracon gusted forth a jet of flames from his crusty nostrils towards a row of trees instantly reducing them to dust. The sanctimonious beast had spoken and nothing could be done now.
Settling in to the decision and what was to follow, the Elder commenced to complete the second task that he had to accomplish. Carefully, he pulled out a grand sword from a heavily encrusted hilt, the Vita Gladius, the Sword of Life, rumoured to revive thousands and kill millions.
“Seek and destroy our enemies, the Fallen Angels and the Lost Demons.” The Elder declared as he handed the sword to the next redeemer. Yue extended his hands, composed yet confident, to the hilt of the sword.
Liking the feel of his weapon, he carefully placed it inside his robe, inside his sash. And as he laid hands on the great silver behemoth - Dracon — the rest of the warriors looked on. He lifted his piercing blue eyes and placed them unto the rest of the clan. While the race bowed down to him prepared for their fate, his outstretched palms conjured up a powerful life orb which absorbed the breath out of everyone in the conclave, using their energies to build up his own clout, his own life force. The sacrificed Clan would rise again from the ashes of their newly chosen warrior but for now they all fell as would the sinners and the demented.
And for the Valde Proeliator, no one would be a part of his journey now. No one would be his pillar of support. On his own and towards the unknown he set flight upon his beast — towards his destiny and towards the world that he would seek to conquer.
Lymphoma: Cell related cancer..
Lymphoma is a type of cancer involving cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. Just as cancer repre sents many different dis eases, lymphoma represents many different cancers of lymphocytes -about 35 dif ferent subtypes, in fact.
Definition and description Lymphoma is a group of cancers that affect the cells that play a role in the immune system and primarily represents cells involved in the lymphatic system of the body.
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It consists of a network of vessels that carry fluid called lymph, similar to the way that the network of blood vessels carries blood throughout the body. Lymph contains white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes attack a variety of infectious agents as well as many cells in the precancerous stages of development.
Lymphocytes recognise infectious organisms and abnormal cells and destroy them. There are two major subtypes of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes also referred to as cells and T cells.
Causes The exact caus es of lymphoma are not known. Several factors have been linked to an increased risk of n developing lymphoma, but e it is unclear what role they play in the actual develops ment of lymphoma. These . risk factors include the folf lowing -d y · Age: Generally the risk of d Non-Hodgkins Lymd phoma increases with adh vancing age. Hodgkins s Lymphoma in the elderly is associated with a poorer f prognosis than that obs served in younger patients.
- Infection with HIV e · Infection with Epsteind Barr virus (EBV), one of the etiologic factors in mononucleosis.
- Infection with Helicobac ter pylori, a bacterium that lives in the digestive tract.
- Infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus medical conditions that compromise the immune system.
- Autoimmune disease.
- Diseases requiring im mune suppressive thera py.
- Inherited immunodefi ciency diseases.
- Exposure to toxic chemi cals.
- Farm work or an occupa tion with exposure to cer tain toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or benzene and/or other solvents.
- Black hair dye · Genetics: Family history of lymphoma.
The presence of these risk factors does not mean a person will actually develop lymphoma.
Symptoms Often, the first sign of lymphoma is a pain less swelling in the neck, under an arm, or in the groin. Lymph nodes or tissues elsewhere in the body may also swell. The enlarged lymph node some times causes other symptoms by p r e s s i n g against a vein or lymphati v e s s e (swelling of an arm or leg), erve (pain numbness, or tingling), o the stomach (early feeling o fullness). Enlargement of th spleen may cause abdomi nal pain or discomfort. Man have no other symptoms.
Symptoms may include · Fevers · Chills · Unexplained weight loss · Night sweats · Lack of energy · Itching Diagnosis If a person has swelling o symptoms described in the symptoms section, his/her health-care provider will ask many questions about the symptoms. These questions are followed by a thorough examination.
If, after an initial interview and examination, the health-care provider suspects a patient may have lymphoma, the patient will undergo a series of tests designed to provide further clarification. At some point in this, the patient will likely be referred to a specialist in blood diseases and cancer (haematologist/oncologist).
Blood tests or biopsy are run for the patient. If there is no palpable mass in the presence of persistent symptoms, imaging studies will likely be carried out in order to determine whether a mass is present and, if so, how then to direct a biopsy.
Treatment The vast majority of cancer patients receive ongoing care from oncologists but may in fact be referred to more than one oncologist should there be any question about the disease. Patients are always encouraged to gain second opinions if the situation so warrants this approach. Treatment for lymphoma depends on the type and stage.
Standard first-line therapy (primary therapy) for lymphoma includes radiation therapy for most early-stage lymphomas, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. For later-stage lymphomas, chemotherapy is primarily used, with radiation therapy added for control of bulky disease. Biological therapy, or immunotherapy, is being used in addition to or as an alternative to these standard therapies.
Prevention There is no known way to prevent lymphoma. A standard recommendation is to avoid known risk factors.
However, some risk factors for lymphoma are unknown, and therefore impossible to avoid. Infection with viruses such as HIV, EBV, and hepatitis are risk factors that can be avoided.
The invisible Solitary Man...
Said Michael Douglas, star of the Solitary Man, "I like to flirt with that grey area not overtly being heroic or a villain. Just being human."
And Douglas brings humanity to an exceedingly difficult role that could get him an Oscar in an independent film. It shows you that the higher you are, the harder you fall until at the end you are invisible. People who once knew you don't return your calls; others are too busy to see you. He tries to cheat aging by chasing younger and younger women but as a character says to him, "You can't cheat death no matter how many 19-year-olds you talk into your bed".
Douglas's character Ben Kalman, once a reasonable celebrity as `New York's honest car dealer', has seen it all -the heights of fame, the depths of anonymity. Still charming, good-looking, still persuasive, he is invisible because now down on his luck, no one knows him.
Says Roger Ebert, "He isn't solitary by choice but by default. He cheated on his good wife Nancy (Susan Sarandon).
He disappointed their daughter, Susan (Jenna Fischer) one time too many. He cheats on his current companion, Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker), in a particularly unforgivable way. He uses charm and the offer of his experience in life to charm Daniel Cheston (Jesse Eisenberg), a college student, and then betrays him. He has lied to his customers so often that, as everyone knows, `Honest Ben Kalman' spent time behind bars.
Yet he's charming and persuasive. He looks like a winner until you look too close. Solitary Man follows him for several days after he agrees to ac company Jordan's daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots), as she goes for a college interview.
This is the same school he attended. He knows the dean, which may be a help.
You want to like Ben. He works on encouraging that.
When he was younger and less of a sinner, he must have been good to know, and there's an effective character in Solitary Man who suggests that. This is his old buddy Jimmy (Danny DeVito), who still runs a greasy spoon diner. On campus, Ben befriends the naive Cheston with man-of-the-world advice about sex, success and how to sell yourself. With women, Ben's approach is solicitous: Do some men misunderstand you? Are your qualities recognised? What are you getting out of the transaction?
The film is all about Ben Kalman, but one of the strengths of Michael Douglas' performance is that he isn't playing a character. He's playing a character who is playing a character. Ben's life has become performance art. You get the feeling he never goes offstage. He sees few women he doesn't try seducing. As a car dealer, he was also in the seduction trade. His business was selling himself at a dealership. What about in life when you need a recall?
What happens with Ben and the people in his life, especially the women, I should not hint at here. The movie depends on our fascination as we see what lengths this man will go to.
Solitary Man is a serious comedy, perceptive, nuanced, with every supporting performance well-calibrated to demonstrate to Ben that he can run but he can no longer hide.
Here is one of Douglas' finest performances. Because the other characters, no matter what they think, never truly engage Ben, he's on that stage by himself. Everyone else is in the audience. Douglas plays Ben as charismatic, he plays him shameless, he plays him as brave, and very gradually, he learns to play him as himself.
That's the only role left."
Simplicity Matters...
Simplicity is the finest way of living life. Simplicity implies beauty, purity and clarity. Who doesn't love a simple man? In fact, they are the ones who are adored and wanted by all. Simplicity denotes truth. It is the theme of Christian religion. According to St.Thomas Aquinas, even God is infinitely simple. Simplicity is the greatest ornament of man. It adds to his charm, personality and popularity.
Simplicity matters a lot in everything. A reader gets more fascinated towards the book due to its simplicity in writing and presentation. According to E. F Schumacher, any fool can make things complicated, but it requires a genius to make things simple. The beautiful element of clarity comes along with the simplicity of the lan guage. People mostly try to avoid reading extra long paragraphs that are full of exaggerations. A nice few short words make the sentences simpler for the writer as well as the reader.
Simplicity is the inevitable part of perennial wisdom that is promoted by many great thinkers and visionaries.
Although sometimes people think simplicity means a kind of `hair-shirt', simple dressing lifestyles, but they are not the core point. Simplicity is a positive quality; when things are simple they are well-made, they last forever,they are made with pleasure and they give pleasure when used. According to Leonardo da Vinci, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Simplicity requires fewer egos and more imagination, less complication and more creativity, less glamour and more gratitude, less attention to ap pearance and more attention to essence.
Simplicity is the greatest treasure.
The value of the greatest achiever goes higher due to his simplicity. In all, manner, character, the supreme excellence is simplicity. There is a saying that beauty lies in simplicity. A woman looks more beautiful when she is simple. The outer make ups is temporary beauty but it soon fades away. In the same way, a man is good,adorable when his simplicity is at his best. People don't like those who are proud and loud. And successful people are those who always bow down whatever height they have reached. It is a fact that all fruit trees always bow down when laden with fruits.
So, simple living high thinking is the best way to live our life. So, let's be simple and be a model to others.
Reasons to love life...
Too often we find more reasons to hate our life than to love it. And you know what? If you continue life will hate you back. Here are some reasons to love your life. This will not only help you love your life but also teach to take life easy and find more reasons to love it more.
· Love your life for everything you already have
· Love your life for what you are yet to receive
· Love your life for all your certainties
· Love your life for the friends you have ·
· Love your life for the wonderful journeys you had ·
· Love your life for the friends you will get ·
· Love your life for all the bad advice you didn't fol low
· Love your life for your beautiful memories
· Love your life for the ones you love
· Love your life for the ones you forgot, as they are still to enrich your life
· Love your life for the work you do, as this is your gift to the others
· Love your life for the jokes you still wait to hear
· Love your life for the beau tiful travels you are still to make
· Love your life for every thing you are not sure about, as it will still challenge your being
· Love your life for all the beautiful sunrises you remember
· Love your life for all the fantastic sunsets you still recall
· Love your life for tomorrow's sunrise
· Love your life for all the beauty you can spot around you
· Love your life for the riddles you haven't yet solved
· Love your life for all your victories · Love your live for all the good advice you followed
· Love your life for all your lost battles, as they are your precious lessons
· Love your life for your enemies, as they are there to give birth to you forgiveness
· Love your life for all the ambitious goals you've set
· Love your life for your energetic mornings
· Love your life for your romantic evenings
· Love your life for the life rediscovered through the eyes of your children
· Love your life for the smell of the rain
· Love your life for the gifts you still have to make
· Love your life for all the games you haven't yet played
· Love your life for all the great ideas you had today ·
· Love your life for all the great ideas you will have tomorrow ·
· Love your life for yester day's memories, they are there to enlight you ·
· Love your life for all the nice words you haven't yet said to your loved ones ·
· Love your life for all the nice words you heard from your loved ones
· Love your life for all the nice people you haven't yet met
· Love your life for all the books you haven't yet read
· Love your life for the feel ing of your heart overflow ing with love
· Love your life for all your unfulfilled dreams as you will have plenty of time to make them true
· Love your life for the per sonal freedom you conquered
· Love your life for all the beauty inside you, waiting yet to be discovered · Love your life for all the wonderful music you've heard so far
· Love your life for the all the unexpected changes of your plans
· Love your life for all the fights you avoided
· Love your life for every single second, as this is all you have, only this infinite second.
A Tree Story...
She stands there in my garden, beautiful and grand, spreading her branches out as far as she can to give shade and fruit. For almost seventy years she has been the pear tree that was the envy of all who came to visit us. The garden was attractive indeed, but the pear tree held a special place for those visitors and relatives who had the privilege of hearing or witnessing real-life experiences that centered around her.
As kids, we came home from school in Darjeeling once a year for three months during the winter season. There was always the excitement and anticipation about sitting around the clay makkal on the warm floor of the common family room and listening to stories about spirits and ghosts that supposedly lived around the tree.
On those cold winter nights, my mother made it a point that after supper, we sisters sit in a small circle with the makkal in the middle—close enough to be warm and comfortable. So it was a discipline that we maintained each winter. My mother would pour glycerin into our hands followed by some drops of lemon. We would then rub the palms of our hands together, place our hands over the glowing fire and rub our faces and neck with the potion which would prevent our faces from chapping. It was almost like the “happy hour” that I and my friends often enjoy talking about—things that range from politics to spiritualism!
My mother who by then would have chatted with us, heard our enthusiastic and lengthy tales about school, the nuns, events, etc. would leave us happy that we were progressing well in studies, that we loved school and were excited to be home.
Then began our happy hour as Badi, the stately lady who was the focal character of our household, told tales about the saga of the pear tree. Widowed in childhood, Badi left her home in the mountains, as many young Brahmin widows did in those days, and descended to Kathmandu. We never asked her details about her life then as we did later, but knew that she was no maid in our house but a part of the family who jealously guarded every bit of the premises. And there was Hari, a young cook, who would sit with us at times confirming and reconfirming those eerie tales about the white khyaks (ghosts) that slipped in and out of the trunk of the pear tree in the dead of night.
We looked on, wide-eyed, listening to these tales and digested every bit because we had been used to hearing stories about those kichkandees—female witches, beautifully charming and cunning—who lured men, chased them and destroyed them. Such stories about those witches with flowing hair, heels in front of the foot and toes behind, went around Darjeeling like wildfire and names of men, often love-lorn students who studied till the late hours of the night became victims, obsessed by these vivacious witches who sucked their blood and turned them into skeletons till they withered away and died.
Hari, the cook, full of wit and energy, would swear that these white, child-like, male, luminous ghosts floated out of the tree trunk every night and skirted the compound only to return and slip back inside the trunk. And sensing our fear as we clutched each other’s hands, as if never to let go, he said there was no need to be afraid. These were the good ones who were harmless and had the power to bring joy, health and wealth The black Khyaks were to be feared as a bad omen, for they had brought about illness, bankruptcy and death amongst many families. And so these stories were confirmed by our immediate neighbours as well as the milkman, the vegetable walla, the big stout halwai, the sahuji, the nagini—the local manicurist, and our even our conservative next-door neighbours who looked upon my parents with great awe and curiosity, unable to fathom how they remained poised and content with seven daughters on their heads and no son! It was whispered in the neighbourhood that the compound was blessed by these khyaks that bestowed such calm and quiet.
The pear tree and her inmates knew it all. The wise spirits had seen the struggles and the challenges so that any visitor to the house went away with great admiration for my parent’s contentment, zeal and forward vision.
The years rolled by and the bungalow with the pear tree fell into my lot. My curiosity about the angelic ghosts remained and many a night I circled the tree, listening to the faint ruffling sounds inside the tree trunk which, with time, has become hollow. The khyaks are now accompanied by a naga (serpent) that stealthily makes a dutiful round of the premises and slides back into the trunk. It has been many years now—ghost and man have learned to live in peace and the pear tree, so old and weary will one day, I’m sure, open it’s secret about the good little khyaks and the gracious naga.
That will happen soon enough, for the tree is tired, her branches no longer sway gently in the wind as before but threaten to snap at the slightest use of force. The ugly crows have become territorial, snapping at other birds that dare chirp on her branches. The pears have shriveled in size and number. Wriggly worms are regular visitors. Yet she does not give up!
And as long as she clings on so dearly to life so will the ghosts who have been her companions.
The evening comes on with a gush of wind followed by dusk when all is quiet. I watch, earnestly waiting to witness the comings and goings of these spirits and to listen to the sweet rustlings within the hollow of the tree. I have not been fortunate enough to see them but have heard their sweet music and know that someday, a treasure hunt awaits me when the pear tree reveals her secrets and how she mesmerised her little friends to grant us those blessings. The naga is rarely seen—but is still believed to be there.
Meanwhile my fears have turned into strength with a tenacity of—Come what may! The legacy of the pear tree will continue—the music may change but the spirit will live on.
Loneliness, anger and Greenberg....
What Ben Stiller was born to act
I remember Mother Teresa telling me on her return from the West — “It’s easy to deal with the poverty of the East.
Feed a person and you give them some happiness, but the poverty of the West, which is loneliness and an inability to communicate, I don’t know how to cope with that.” At the core, Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is lonely and his inability to reach out to others makes him angry and unbearable to the people he’s trying to come to terms with.
Noah Baumbach, who makes formidable films like The Squid and the Whale about a family torn apart by a divorce with no one, not even their children to help them, is an authority on the Western mode of loneliness, isolation, anger and all the other symptoms of being alone.
Says my guru Roger Ebert, “When you’re angry with the world and yourself to the same degree, you’re running in place. It takes a great deal of energy. You lash out at people. It all takes place in your head. After a time, people give up on you.
“That’s Roger Greenberg. I never knew who Stiller was born to play, but now I do. I don’t mean he is Greenberg, but that he makes him a convincing person and not a caricature. Greenberg was once, years ago, part of a rock band on the brink of a breakthrough. He walked away from it, stranding his bandmates, and never explained why. He fled Los Angeles and became a carpenter in New York.
“He’s been struggling. There has been some sort of vague period in an institution. Now he’s returned to LA to house-sit his brother’s big home and look after the dog. He can live alone no more successfully than with others. He calls Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig), his brother’s family assistant, who knows where everything is and how everything works.
And the dog knows her.
“Florence is someone we know. A bright, pleasant recent college grad uate for whom the job market has no use. We see her interacting with the family of Greenberg's brother; she does all the planning for them she should be doing for herself. In a more conventional movie, Florence would be the love interest, and Greenberg would be fated to marry her. But Florence isn’t looking for a man. She just broke up. ‘I don’t want to go from just having sex to sex to sex,’ she says. ‘Who’s the third ‘sex’?’ asks Greenberg. ‘You.’ Greenberg treats her badly. When they end up having sex, and they do, it’s like their right hands don’t know what heir left hands are doing. “He has a reunion with a former bandmate, Ivan (Rhys Ifans), a calm Brit, troubled by a trial separation, happy enough to see Greenberg and help him if he can.
But Ivan is worried that Greenberg still doesn’t understand how he crushed the dreams of his bandmates. Then there’s Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who Greenberg once loved and was loved by. She has moved on in her life. She has a family.
“The important relationship is the one between Greenberg and Florence. She’s happy when she has a purpose. She wishes she had a direction in life but can be happy enough in the moment. It’s as if when Greenberg moves a little in the direction of happiness, he gets jealous because that draws attention away from his miserable uniqueness. People driven to be constantly unique can be a real pain in the ass.
“We can’t stand Greenberg. But we begin to care about him.” That’s how good Ben Stiller is.
Compassion personified..... Mother Teresa
"By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." CENTENARY BIRTH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE ICON OF PEACE, LOVE AND HUMANITY
A woman of small built with rock like faith and insurmountable com passion became the only hope for the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for. The mother of the poor is known all over the world as Mother Teresa. She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to serve those who needed love the most.
Through her life and labour, Mother Teresa showed the world the joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of every human, the value of little things done faithfully with love, and the surpassing worth of friendship with God. Early realisation This God’s gift to humanity was born on August 26, 1910, in Albania as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu — the youngest child of Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu. At 12, she felt strongly the call of God. Agnes decided to become a Catholic nun to spread the message of love and compassion in the world.
In 1928, she became a Catholic nun and changed her name to Teresa. She later joined the Irish order ‘The Sisters of Loretto’. She was sent to Calcutta in 1929 to carry out missionary work. She was appointed a teacher at St Mary’s High School. Sister Teresa became Mother Teresa on May 24, 1937, when she made final Profession of Vows to become the ‘Spouse of Jesus for Eternity’. In 1944, she was became the Principal of the school.
Epitome of selfless service The condition of poor people outside the convent made a deep impact on her and she decided to serve the destitute. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in her trademark white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor. She was granted permission from her superiors to serve the poor slum dwellers. Although she had no funds, it was her determination that kept her going. With strong faith on Divine Providence, she started an open-air school for slum children. She was joined by volunteers. Financial assistance started pouring in.
Mother Teresa’s work was not limited to teaching the poor children; she also educated the adults. In the slums of Calcutta, she noticed a lack of basic facilities, such as hospitals and clinics. After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On December 21, she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and TB. Growing recognition On October 7, 1950, she re ceived permission from the Holy See to start her own order, `The Missionaries of Charity', whose primary task was to love and care for people nobody was ready to look after. In 1965 the Society be came an International Religiou Family by decree of Pope Paul VI.
The group soon started a facility where people, who were dying on the streets, were brought and taken care of. The service inspired people to join the noble cause and donate funds. Mother Teresa used the donations and thousands of missionaries who had joined her, for the establishment of several centres for needy people of the world. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India.
The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Her inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with whom she shared her spirit of prayer, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love. In 1980, she started Homes for people suffering from various incurable diseases, prostitutes, drug addicts and orphans. One of her most significant works was the establishment of centre for AIDS patients in 1985.
The Missionaries of Charity was officially recognised as an International Association on March 29, 1969. Last years During the last years of her life, despite facing several health problems, Mother Teresa continued to serve the poor and needy and work for her Society and Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa’s Sisters numbered nearly 4,000, working in about 610 foundations in 123 countries across the world. Her newly-elected successor was appointed the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity in March 1997. After meeting Pope John Paul II, she returned to Calcutta, where she spent her last weeks receiving visitors and giving instructions to her Sisters.
She departed from this world on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. On October 19, 2003, Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa. The beatification, which took place in Rome, marked the first step of her sainthood.
BLOODY TRAIL OF diamonds...
In September 1997, supermodel Naomi Campbell was woken up by few men at Nelson Mandela's house in Cape Town and presented with a pouch which in Campbell's word consisted of few "very small, dirty looking stones".
These very dirty stones have become fundamental evidence at the war crimes trial of the former Liberian president Charles Taylor at Hague.
Taylor is alleged to have been rewarded with conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone in return for helping the rebel forces there. What is conflict diamond?
The United Nations (UN) defines conflict diamonds as "...diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognised governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council."
Rough diamonds produced in such areas are sold by the rebel forces to purchase arms or to fund their military action. The problem is most severe in Africa.
Many people are killed in the pursuit of conflict diamonds, including mine workers who are forced to smuggle diamonds out to support growing families or pay off individuals who have threatened them. These are often produced through the forced labour of men, women and children. Billions of dollars have been gained from the sale of these war diamonds, leading to death tolls which are estimated to be in the millions.
They are also stolen during shipment or seized by attacking the mining operations of legitimate producers.
These attacks are of large military operation. The stones are then smuggled into the international di amond trade and sold as legitimate gems. Arms merchants, smugglers and dishonest diamond traders often enable these rebels' actions. Enormous amounts of money are at stake and bribes, threats, torture, and murder are modes of operation. This is why the term `blood diamonds' is used. Coming to light Blood diamonds captured the world's attention during the extremely brutal conflict in Sierra Leone in the late 1990s. During this time, conflict diamonds represented approximately 4 per cent of the world's diamond production. Illicit rough diamonds have also been used by rebels in other African countries.The diamond lure Diamonds have also been used by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes. For terrorist organisations, diamonds are viewed as an ideal currency.
The difficulty in tracking and monitoring diamonds makes it very easy to slip a blood diamond into legiti mate diamonds. Some times a blood diamond may be traded directly for weapons, to reduce the traceability of the transac tion. In other cases, the dia monds may be exchanged for currency of various na tions, often deposited into bank accounts outside the nation of origin.
The global resolution In May 2000 major dia mond trading and produc ing countries, representa tives of the diamond indus try, and NGOs met in Kimberley, South Africa, to establish an international diamond certification scheme known as the Kimberley Process.
Under the scheme all diamonds traded by member countries are certified so that buyers can be sure they are conflict-free.
In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) came into existence in November 2002. The KPCS imposes extensive requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as `conflict-free' and prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate trade.
The KPCS entered into force in 2003, when participating countries started to implement its rules.
As of November 2008, there were 49 members, representing 75 countries, with the European Community and its Member States counting as an individual participant. KP members account for approximately 99.8 per cent of the global production of rough diamonds.
Under the terms of the KPCS, participating states must meet `minimum requirements' and must put in place national legislation and institutions; export, import and internal controls; and also commit to transparency and the exchange of statistical data. Participants can only legally trade with other participants and international shipments of rough diamonds must be accompanied by a KP certificate guaranteeing that they are conflict-free.
Dreams reality......
There are two different worlds. When one ceases the next starts, when one closes its eyes, the other opens up. The landscape changes, everything appears to be monochromatic. Some hazy images revolve around your mind and you keep deciphering them involuntarily. Disconnection becomes so very relevant. The world of subconscious is different. It’s strange but you never realize its weirdness till you jump back to the other world - the four dimensional landscape.
Things are different after you close your eyes. Every night someone tries to narrate a disjointed tale. Every night you become a passive observer. You see known faces, you see people whom you must have encountered or seen for a brief time. Your closed eyes makes you see those faces that you forget to see in your reality. The world after you sleep is so surreal. You see graffiti, you fly, you fall from a tall cliff, and you try to run from gun shots, you fall, you struggle to move, and you freeze. The sepia-coloured imageries speak something to you but you struggle to interpret the hidden sense.
You keep walking through a never ending aisle. Sometimes the scenes changes drastically. You see people swimming inside an aquarium; you fight and scream and you see flashing faces. Nothing is constant in that world, nothing is even. The detachment and absurdity evolves, the surrealism settles down. The colour of your dreams are sometimes blue, sometimes it’s grey. Sometimes you just get into it. You start participating with those floating images, you never realise that it was a dream till you open your eyes. Sometimes you feel glad to wake up after a nightmare and sometimes you feel cursed to face the reality. You see 1000 faces, you travel through unknown places, and you meet lost friends. You cry in your dreams, you smile, you scream, you try to do everything inside a dream.
Recollecting your dreams makes you crazy while some lingers through out your life and you never realize their meaning.
The maze keeps annoying you. The hazy ideas and half told tales inside your dream-scape stimulate your mind to think about things that you seldom remember. There’s a hangover every dawn, sometimes they make you imagine and sometimes they just makes you spellbound. The floating imagery, those faces, those fleeting shadows make you speculate about the beauty and ugliness concealed inside a dream...
A Bitter Relationship....
Love, respect and trust lay the foundation of a relationship, and when any of these is shaken, it leaves life in the pangs of pain and disappointment. To break up isn't so easy as it sounds because when you decide to call it quits there is so much at stake that was once so special to the two of you. There are dreams of the future and memories of the past.
There is time, energy and emotions of years; there are smiles and tears. All this go in vain and lose their meaning.
Life suddenly seems go get entangled in a feeling that is hollow and dead.
But what is there is an instinct, a gut feeling, that forces you to get back to the same person despite all ifs and buts. What if, despite all the odds, you are keen to forget and forgive? Is it really possible to revive a broken relationship? Will the relationship be the same again; will you be able to build the same trust? The simple answer is: it is easier said than done.Many say that no one ever died of a broken heart but when you are suffering from one, it sure doesn't feel that way.
Before you decide to nurse your ailing heart by going back to your beloved, it's imperative to analyze the reasons for the tiff. It may be breach of trust, mismatch of future dreams, clash of personality traits, and unreasonableness in possessive behavior of complete neglect or in many cases, due to societal pressure.The most difficult to deal with is when you lose trust. When breach of trust is accompanied by an uncertain future of the relationship, when a clash of interests and dream is accompanied by parental disagreement, when overpossessiveness takes the form of diseased state, in all such circumstance, it's better to bear the burnt of a broken heart rather then compromise.
To go back to a sour relationship or to shun your one-time lover is completely your call. It is for you to decide which road to take. But in all circumstance one thing is sure: that it will take time for a relationship to prosper and get its original sheen back and to build that trust.
If you have enough patience and love for that someone special, then go and embrace your beloved before if gets too late. For other, if you are not sure then just ask yourself one question: do you really want to look back on a life of an unfulfilling and half-trusted relationship?
A WORTHY PRODIGY....
SAM HAD SOMETHING I HADN'T SEEN BEFORE IN A GUY THAT AGE. THE VOICE, THE DEMEANOUR. BUT THE STUDIO WAS NERVOUS -- JAMES CAMERON ON WORTHINGTON I ALSO CARE THAT THE PUBLIC ARE GETTING THEIR $12 WORTH WHEN THEY GO TO A MOVIE, AND THAT THEY'RE NOT COMING OUT NOT WANTING TO EVER SEE A MOVIE WITH ME IN IT AGAIN. I DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME AS A PERSON, BUT I DO CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF MY WORK, AND WHETHER I'M INVESTING ENOUGH INTO IT (EMPIRE MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2006)
I didn't set out to be famous, if I'd wanted that, I would have gon on Big Brother orn on August 2, 1976 in Godalming, Surrey England, Samuel Shane Worthington moved to Perth, Australia when he was two months old.
Though it’s now hard to imagine him as anything other than a successful actor, Sam Worthington didn’t embrace the idea of pursuing a career in this particular field of arts until he was well into his twenties.
Having dropped out of school at 17, Worthington had been biding his time working a series of odd jobs. His path changed dramatically after he agreed to accompany a girlfriend to her audition for Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). While there, Worthington’s impulsive decision to audition proved successful as he found himself accepted to the prestigious school with a scholarship (his girlfriend, however, was denied entrance).
After learning the ins and outs of the acting craft during his stint at NIDA, he emerged hungry for work and subsequently began auditioning for roles with gusto. He spent the first few months of his fledgling career appearing in local stage productions, with his on-screen debut coming in 2000 with a small part in an episode of JAG. For the next several years, Worthington appeared in a variety of television shows and movies, including the 2002 Bruce Willis action Hart’s War and the 2002 Toni Collette/John Goodman comedy Dirty Deeds.
Worthington’s days of toiling in lowbudget Australian cinema are clearly over, given that he has clearly come a long way since making his cinematic debut with a role in 2000’s forgettable Aussie comedy Bootmen. It’s worth noting, however, that he has always been choosy in terms of deciding which roles to accept and which to turn down, as evidenced by a filmography that’s primarily dominated by a whole host of artistically challenging efforts — including 2004’s award-winning Somersault and the 2005 James Franco war flick The Great Raid. He won AFI Award Best Actor in a leading role for Somersault.
His undeniable on-screen charisma and natural acting abilities have proved instrumental in his ascent to the top of Hollywood’s list of promising up-andcomers.
The year 2006 proved to be a particularly lucrative for this rising star as he took on the title role in a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and landed a starring gig opposite Radha Mitchell and Michael Vartan in the 2007 horror flick Rogue. His reputation as one of Holly wood's most promising up-and-coming performers brought him to the attention of several high-profile directors, though it was James Cameron who ultimately cast him in his biggest production to date Avatar.
Cameron was so impressed with Wor thington's work that he suggested him to director McG for a role in Terminator Sal vation, and he soon found himself worke ing side-by-side with Christian Bale.
After almost a decade of roles in Aus tralian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing the role of Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, the lead role as Jake Sully in the James Cameron directed mega block buster Avatar and Perseus in Clash of the Titans. Given that he's also at work on a drama co-starring Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes entitled Last Night, Worthington has clearly established himself as one of his generation's most prolific and flat-out talented performers.
The gamble paid When Worthington was around 30, he sold most of his possessions and ended up with around $2,000 to his name. He then purchased a car and lived in it for a period of time.
Before Avatar, the actor admits he was living in his car. He subsequently got a place to live following his successful audition and signing to the Avatar film project.
He has said that he will go wherever the work takes him and would "like to go on `Dancing with the Stars'." -Compiled by Supriya Rai • He won a scholarship to the John Curtin School of Performing Arts in Fremantle, WA • He was a finalist to play James Bond in Casino Royale before Daniel Craig was selected.
• He worked as a bricklayer before becoming an actor.
• He has blurred vision but he does not wear glasses.
• Aside from acting, the actor is a keen surfer.
• His favourite artists include Xavier Rudd and Bernard Fanning.
• Worthington was cast in Avatar after Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon turned down the role.
• In 2009 he got his first Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Fresh Face Male in Terminator Salvation.
• He was once described as one of Australia’s most likable young leading men by efilmcritic.com • Won the ‘GQ Man of the Year’ award in Australia in 2009, over Eric Bana and Russell Crowe.
The Transitional City.....
IN A SYSTEM OF CONTINUALLY CHANGING STATES, THE ONLY CONSTANT IS THE PLAY OF FORCES, THE HUMANS IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The Kali Gandaki river flows south from the Ti betan Plateau, cutting through the Himalayan range, flowing through the world's deepest gorge, flanked on either side by mountain massifs rising up several thousand metres. The gorge functions as a wind tunnel and the barren cliffs are eroded by the strong winds.
The settlements of Upper Mustang have to withstand harsh climates, intense solar radiation and a large fluctuation in temperature.
This region north of the Himalayas, lies in the rain shadow of the summer Monsoons. Settlements depend on water, which is scarce and when sources dry up, the settlements are moved to a more advantageous location. The eroded remains of the earthen walls of old settlements can be seen throughout Upper Mustang, blending in with the wind-beaten cliffs.
The mud structures are constantly subjected to the weather.
The sun and wind work their way into the surfaces and break them down into their natural forms.
Humans struggle against the persisting forces. Shelters are moulded out of the ochre -grey earth. Houses, fortresses and cities take on forms created as the fruits of civilisation, a cultural environment containing human activities. The balance between the wind and the mud walls exists so long as the human hand keeps up the modelling.
In a system of continually changing states, the only constant is the play of forces, the humans in close contact with the natural environment. What is the essence of the place? What is left when one takes away all the crumbling mud walls? What is it that gives the city its identity? Is it the city wall that one should try to preserve, or is it the Gompas, the Chhortens and the Palace that give the city its intrinsic aura? The city mirrors the state of the inhabitant’s mind. The structure of the dwelling fabric reflects the social structures. The position of the religious and political institutes corresponds to the centres of power and their relationship to the people. The edge of the city, the wall, shows us how this community interacts with its surroundings. Each part was created in response to natural, social, economic or political influences.
Today, this balance has shifted and change has washed away all those sensitive responses. The forces playing on the city and the values which formed the basis for planning decisions, both have undergone a major break from their original state — all the more reasons for the need to conserve these transitional cities.
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