::: BEAUTY LIVE IN THE WORLD :::

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.

We often travel in the hope of reaching a destination or a summit and are ready to go miles before sleeping in course of time, in the words of Robert Frost. And, this is our destiny. Most of us are bound to face our fortune to cross several hurdles while travelling the new road. This might be our challenge, a serpentine and rough terrain, and this might be our kismet, a never ending journey of the pilgrim ordinary citizen aspiring to reach the final destination, to bathe in the holy water, to purify sins, stubbornness and shamelessness. Nevertheless, this might not be the case in contemporary Nepal, a country which could have been a paradise, but it is no better than a converted playground for sinners. Nepal has become a country of repulsive forces since a few years in the name of the so-called democratic exercise. This is not the democratic practice at all if I am not wrong in understanding democracy. To some extent, democratic exercise in substance is what is required for the overall development of the country where every citizen is granted the rights that matter. However, over a period of time democratic exercises not in substance only in form staged in the different forms of melodrama in the different segments has proved a curse for the country trying to march towards lasting peace and progress, an ordinary citizen’s destination.

Plots are being hatched by some in the name of drafting a new constitution, prime ministerial election and bringing the derailed development process into the right track. Framing a new constitution could have been done within the stipulated time, with the resolution of several contentious issues. Ambiguity prevails as to whether the ordinary citizen will have the new constitution within the revised schedule of the Constituent Assembly.

My realization is the outcome of facts. The aim is for happiness and prosperity. But, no one should be interested in the kind of happiness generated by earning through bribery, by hurting others, by making merry with the money of their corrupt father, by marrying for wealth only or by getting unfair success.

My idea of lasting happiness is confined to simple living and high thinking. The development model may vary even for that one goal.

Your handshake can reveal your person ality. Which of the following handshake style more closely resembles your personality?

1. Firm and brief Conveys confidence, assertiveness and professionalism. The person using this handshake is perceived to be trustworthy and willing to listen. A firm handshake provides opportunity for a favourable first impression, it suggests a person who is knowledgeable and possesses excellent social skills.

There may be circumstances where a woman's assertive behaviour can be misinterpreted as being too forward..

2. A real shake It indicates an open and outgoing person who has habit of being warm and pleasant to everybody. An overly eager handshake shows power, determination and the desire to remain in control of situations. If exaggerated, the handshake can make people appear inflexible and it can also reveal insecurity, a person who doesn't know when to quit.

3.The knuckle cruncher The knuckle cruncher usually wants to express a message of power and in timidation. For those peo ple who want to cover up their feelings of insecurity this handshake may be used to keep others at a dis tance..

There are also cases where the person is being sin cere. How ever while the inten tion may be to convey warmth, the impres sion creat d ed is definitely that of a per n son who is high strung and ke lacks sensitivity..

4.The lingering a e handshake o it Sometimes people keep a your hand in their hand for w too long and seem to not want to give it back. This may denote reliability and trustworthiness or it may suggest that the person hasn't revealed all of his/her cards. It may also mean that the person is expecting something more that what was agreed upon.

5. Light and brief fingertip grips Someone who is not interested in building rapport and wants to escape the greeting ritual as soon as possible.

This person is perceived to be passive and reserved, without the interest and energy required to complete people focused tasks. This type of handshake indicates a lacklustre personality and usually draws a lasting impression.

6. Use both hands It denotes an eagerness to convey a message. This is favourite handshake of politicians because it im plies a quick sincerity and intimacy. It is open to inter pretation whether the per son is trying to sell some thing that's not really there, or is someone who is gen uine and agreeable.

7.Teacup Like the claw of a lobster, the other person's thumb and fingers touch the palm of the hand and there is no palm-to-palm contact.

Timid and insecure, this person fears connecting at a deep level and may face challenges building rela tionships. This handshake indicates that the person may be hiding something.

8.Won't initiate a handshake This person will only re act to the other party's first move. In a case such as this, the person may be object ing to a situation, however if this behaviour is consistent, the person may be hesitant and reserved by nature.

9. Pat the other person's arm or shoulder May reveal a sense of su periority. Depending on the person's social position this handshake can be a sincere effort to show understand ing or it can be an attempt to belittle someone.

10.The stiff-arm thrust Keeping the arm close to the body while bending it at the elbow, this handshake is used by people who do not want to take risks. It can also act as a defence mechanism for people who feel a threat to their territory, and tends to be used by aggressive people who want to keep others at a distance.

In my opinion there are two film critics in America, Stephen Hunter who won a Pulitzer Prize for his criticism, and Roger Ebert. One of the things great critics require is gravitas, which is generally achieved by age and seeing one heck of a lot of films and have a vast and wide ranging knowledge of the finer things of life.

For example, on his criticism of The Last Station, the story of ups and downs of the aging Leo Tolstoy and his wife, he quotes the remarkable story of a publisher who goes off to ask James Joyce’s wife to secure the rights to Ulysses. The publisher is reported to have said “Nora, you have a brilliant husband” to which she responded “You don’t have to live with the bloody fool”.

Both Tolstoy and Joyce in completely different ways were much larger than life and tended to dwarf all those

around them except Tolstoy waged a battle of love and non-understanding with his wife the countess Sofya.

Says Roger Ebert, “The Last Station focuses on the last year of Count Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), a full-bearded Shakespearian figure presiding over a household of intrigues. The chief schemer is Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), his intense follower, who idealistically believes Tolstoy should leave his literary fortune to the Russian people. It’s just the sort of idea that Tolstoy might seize upon in his utopian zeal. Sofya (Helen Mirren), on behalf of herself and her children, is livid.

Chertkov, the quasi-leader of Tolstoy’s quasi-cult, hires a young man named Valentin (James McAvoy) to become the count’s private secretary.

In this capacity, he is to act as a double agent, observing moments between Leo and Sofya when Chertkov would not be welcome.

It might be hard for us to understand how seriously Tolstoy was taken at the time.

To call him comparable in stature to Gandhi would not be an exaggeration, and indeed Gandhi adopted many of his ideas. Tolstoy in his 82nd year remained active and robust, but everyone knew his end might be approaching, and the Russian equivalent of paparazzi and gossips lurked in the neighbourhood.

The Last Station has the look of a Merchant-Ivory film, with the pastoral setting, the dashing costumer, the meals taken on lawns.

But did Merchant and Ivory ever deal with such a demonstrative family? If the British are known for suppressing their emotions, the Russians seem to bellow their whims. If a British woman in Merchant-Ivory land desires sex, she bestows a significant glance in the candlelight. Sofya clucks like a chicken to arouse old Leo’s rooster.

The dramatic movement in the film takes place mostly within Valentin, who joins the household already an acolyte of Tolstoy. Young and handsome, he says he is celibate. Sofya has him pegged as gay, but Masha (Kerry Condon), a nubile Tolstoyian, pegs him otherwise.

Valentin also takes note that Tolstoy, like many charismatic leaders, exempts himself from his own teachings.

Some women are simply sexy forever. Mirren is a woman like that. She’s 64. As she enters her 70s, we will begin to develop a fondness for sexy septuagenarians.

Mirren and Plummer make Leo and Sofya Tolstoy more vital than you might expect in a historical picture.

Giamatti has a specialty in a specialty in seeming to be up to something, and McAvoy and Condon take on a glow from f e e l i n g noble while sinning. In real life, I learn, To l s t oy provided Sofya with more unpleasant sunset years, but could we stand to see Mirren treated like that?" Mirren was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress as well as a Golden Globe.

The lady either had a genuine intention or had done it mistakenly when she exchanged my scooter with hers. Last Friday, we had a get together in the evening. I hurriedly rushed towards the party venue and parked my scooter in the parking lot. It was almost 7:00 in the evening when our party began. It was fun before before we finished around 8:00 and wished each other goodnight.

Looking for my scooter, I found it missing. I asked the restaurant owner about my scooter, and he said one of his regular customers had dragged it to a work shop. Now, questions were flowing like waves one after the other-why , when, where etc. The situation was something unexpected and there was a big crowd now. Somebody from the crowd said that a lady around 35, in an inebriated state was seen dragging a bike to the work shop. We rushed towards it and found my scooter in a damaged condition. The lock was broken and the body parts were scattered around. The immediate question was what to do with the scooter-leave it as it was or call the police (Dial 900).

I argued with the mechanic why he broke the lock without checking the blue book as I knew there was a strict instruction by the police to every garage that they were not authorized to open the lock without the authenticity of the owner. He was perturbed.

However, I cannot complain about that man as he did what he was instructed to by the lady who had given him a few hundred bucks.We made a complaint at 103 and I am very much thankful to the police. They took quick action and they came to the place where the incident occurred and took the scooters (mine as well as that lady's) into custody. Since it was Friday, we had to wait till Sunday to clear up things and get the vehicles back.

On Sunday morning, I was at the police station and the lady too. We had a short talk and concluded with the understanding that my scooter would be taken to a workshop and repaired. I am thankful to the lady for she kept her words.

It is, in fact, very astonishing why people drink so much that they forget they have to return home. And, the worst part is why it is difficult for them to recognize their vehicle. Intoxicated people not only trouble others but they put themselves in greater trouble too.

Everyone make mistakes but be sure to realise and correct it.

Inspiration for writing, says Faulks, is a process of turning things around all the time. "When you are a writer, you think about of writing all the time, whether you are sleeping, eating, drinking, it is all you think about. You are always processing ideas and thoughts."

His books are read all over the world, and what he feels has made a connection with the readers in his writings is "the language I use".

"I also take them into areas of experience and feeling that are unfamiliar to them."

It was at the age of 14 that he decided to be a novelist as he was inspired by Charles Dickens and DH Lawrence, among others.

He spent a year after university to write a novel. Two years later he got a job running a small book club called the New Fiction Society.

In 1979, Faulks joined Daily Telegraph as a junior reporter, but dedicated his evenings to writing books.

He was living a simple life without much amenities.

And with no TV at his place, most nights were spent writing.

It was his fourth book that he finally felt was good enough to be published.
When he got news from a publisher about the book which he titled A Trick of Light, he said he felt like it "was the beginning of something after long dark days". Faulks also worked as a feature writer for the Sunday Telegraph and then joined the Independent as Literary Editor. He later wrote a monthly column for The Guardian and a weekly for Evening Standard.

Amidst all this, his novel The Girl at the Lion d'Or came out in 1989. However, it was his widely acclaimed novel Birdsong that got him into the spotlight after which many novels have followed which have made it to the best-seller list.

To be a good writer, he feels one should never write about one's own life.
"Write about unfamiliar things -if you are a man write about a woman, if you're from the 20th century, write a story based on the 19th century," he advises.

And there are ways to help you get it right, talk to people from the place or time, check up on the Internet and find out more about it and maybe you can even ask the people from that era or place to read your script to make sure it feels real. When you are young, you should venture into different areas and try to write different things and later on when you find your ground, write what you are best capable of.

For a novel to be good he thinks that the words one chooses are very important.
"It should give pleasure in themselves, it shouldn't be only informative, like someone giving directions, it should be more than just plain information. One should write sentences that are interesting and exciting to read. It should be a huge leap of imagination."

Talking abut his own works and his writing style he elaborates, "If it pleases me, then only can it please the reader. One should write at the highest level, push oneself very hard to please the reader."

While one should not undermine the readers intellect as well, one should always keep in mind that the reader is more clever than you, advises Faulks.

In 2006, Faulks was approached by the late Ian Fleming's family and asked if he would write a one-off James Bond novel to mark the centenary of Fleming's birth. He accepted. Though his books have been made into plays, TV series and of course the wellknown James Bond book Devil May Care, he says, "Most people think that if a book is made into a movie, then you have reached the greatest height, but actually it's the other way round. The book is the top of the mountain. It is very unusual that the movie is better than the book."

Dismissing all the dark moments and the difficulties a writer goes through he says, "It is a sense that the world is not what it should be that makes you write, because it is only through writing that you can make it a better place, it gives you a sense of determination of mission."

What do you do inside your adobe the whole day? This is a question thrown at me wherever I go. I smile in reply without offering an explanation.

Of course, it is a very rhetorical question, of course, which does not call for a reply. Anyway, what do I tell them?

Tell them I spend my time reading.

That I am a kind of " readoholic! I may have invented a word but it does describe me completely. Me and so many others like me, I suppose, are irrevocably addicted to the written word. If there's something to read, I read it.

If someone has taken the pains to write and print something, surely we are obligated to award it a little bit of out eyeball time. And this, in a nutshell, is what keeps me housebound most of the time! Consider this, we get newspapers delivered at our doorstep every day. While other family members simply glance at the headlines and toss the paper away, I feel I must read these from the front-page to the last. And, since one does not read old, yesterday's newspapers, I sit surrounded by the sheets for hours on end every morning and mid-day, speed reading like a maniac. And then, there are books from the British Council Library on my bedside table. My table lamp burns bravely late into the night as I tackle the stack.... So, tell me, where do I find the time to hobnob with the neighbors, sip tea sitting in the warm winter sun, or snatch a siesta in the afternoon.

And then again, I am blessed with a memory lien a sieve. I tend to forget the plots of stories so rapidly that it is possible for me to re-read these again and again with undiminished pleasure. I forget, after a while, who married whom at the end of some stories, and who murdered the woman in the library in a whodunit. Other may not understand the compulsive reader who forgets what has been read giving reasons to go for it once again.

It is high time we raised our voice not only for the rights of a daughter but also for her duties. A daughter, who has enjoyed equal status as a son, should get the right to take the responsibility for her parents. Most daughters, who are willing to take the responsibility, find themselves helpless in the face of social and family disapproval. Sometimes, a daughter shrugs off the old and infirm parents as no concern of hers, as she is married and belongs to another family. However, the same daughter will not hesitate to claim her share of her parents' property when the time comes! The law has given her the right to claim a share in the family property even when she is married into another family. Why then should society hold her back when she wants to share the responsibility of looking after the needs of her aged parents?

The rights and duties of a daughter must go hand in hand. Every society evolves with the changing times. Social norms that were acceptable in the past no longer hold good today. Gone are the days of joint families and large households. Especially in urban areas, small nuclear families form a large portion of our society. In these small families, the old people do not find an acceptable place. Advanced medical facilities along with health-consciousness have increased the life expectancy of middle-class Nepalese. As result, we have a growing population of senior citizens today. And a sizeable number of these senior citizens have not only worked hard for society but have also done a great service to the nation by maintaining small families.

Those who have brought up only daughters and married them off, often lead a lonely and neglected existence, since daughters do not feel responsible for their well-being. There are thousand of senior citizens in our country who feel abandoned, yet helpless in the face of outdated social customs according to which they cannot depend upon their daughter in the time of their need. The changing social scenario demands a change in our social thinking. A daughter should have no hesitation in visiting her parents when they need her. Both sons and daughters should shoulder the responsibility of old parents amicably.

We have fought for the right of our daughters. Let us join hands and raise our voice together to give her a chance to perform her duties with dignity.

Have you ever tried catching a butterfly? It perches nimbly on a flower, gently folding and unfolding its wings while you approach it noiselessly from behind and, just when you think you have caught it, it flies away-a transient flash of colorful wings, enticing yet mostly unreachable. Well, that's what happiness is like. The more you chase it, the more elusive it gets. At the risk of mouthing an oft-repeated (but little heeded!) cliché, I will say that happiness comes from within. In fact, sought outside one's being, it is akin to a mirage-you just don't seem to attain it! You, and you alone, have the power to make yourself as happy as you wish to be! Truly an awesome thought?

So, how can you be happy? By not trying too hard, for starters! By lightening up a little and overlooking minor setbacks and hiccups instead of treating each of them as a major disaster. The world gives a hoot whether you smile or frown—so why not increase our face value by smiling? If you can only learn to laugh at some things, the scenario would not seem so grim all the time! Actually, I wasn’t too sure that I could do it but my mother made it sound quite easy—so I decided to give it a try. Once I had resolves to find my happiness in day-to-day events and activities, I realized that there are indeed several other ways to make oneself happy. If you can train yourself—via meditation, positive thinking, or whatever— to find inner peace and calm, then you will attain happiness far more easily than others.

It involves making peace with yourself, accepting who you are and not worrying about or fighting unknown or unseen demons.

No doubt, it is tough, but I believe it is worth trying. And, above all, count your blessing—it will immediately put your heart in the right place and fill your soul with humility and gratitude for all the things you have, things which you need to be thankful for but have only taken for granted so far. And, even if things are not as hunky-dory as you’d like them to be, be grateful for the fact that you are at least alive to know that they are not. Would you rather be dead? Think about it. All these are but small ways of achieving happiness, but they can boost your self-worth which, in turn, can motivate you to go beyond your best in your life and in your relationship, that is a reward worth vying for.

When it comes to me...

I think I should grow.