So long..farewell, I have to say goodbye

Dear all,

I started this blog back in 2005,days after Hurricane Katrina. This was my outlet and my constant companion. Although at times I have skipped posting for days, this blog made me think, analyze and also educate myself on number of issues.

Now, I am at a point where I want to strive for more and push myself to take risks. Recently, I have launched a platform for Nepali bloggers-Nepal Blogs; where I hope to create a community for bloggers and readers and discuss Nepal in a different way.

This blog, my home turf, has served its purpose and now with regret I am shutting it down.

I will not delete any content already posted. But there will no new posts. Please follow me at Twitter for updates and you have to visit Nepal Blogs.

Thank you for your loving support and kindness. I hope you will continue to be generous.

In gratitude,
Bhumika

I partied yesterday, did you?

O yes, that moron Glenn Beck is now out of Fox News and I partied yesterday! With lots of sleep and relaxed time in front of the TV.

Back in the days when I was a rookie blogger( if that is possible.. I mean when is a blogger not a rookie?) I really wanted to start a campaign against Beck. For couple of weeks I did write about him and the harm he was doing , and this was the time when he was at CNN. Imagine my horror when he went totally nuts after starting at Fox!

So, although my idea of Stop Beck campaign failed, I am thankful to those who started their own struggle and showed the real face of this guy to the public. They did a huge service, I believe that.

Now he is gone, it is good. But don't give Fox too much credit for kicking his sorry behind. They had him until he was profitable and when he antics pushed away advertising dollars, only then he was kicked. Fox is not after quality journalism, it is all about revenue.

Anyway, the party is on people!

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Nepal's Current Situation and Role of Citizens

Libya and Obama: Not impressed

When the first fighter jets took off for mission Libya, I had a bad feeling. America is already in the middle of two wars, at home economic recovery is limited, so far, to the rich few and then the insanity of all the crap being spread around by the tea baggers is maddening. This is not the time to engage in another war. But never mind..the planes have already taken off and the bills are now coming in.

President Obama did not support popular uprising in Egypt until it was too late to pick sides. People were betting their lives in Tahrir Square and here America was busy calculating if Mubarak had actually outlived his best by date. Egyptian people screamed for change and America was deaf, almost to the D day.

Now in Libya, President Obama is eager to do something. Well, bad move.

First of all, what is now happening in Libya is not looking like a popular uprising. It is the state vs armed rebels. Since when does America conduct air strikes in support of the rebels? Libyan civilians have to be protected but don't support the rebels. Instead of no fly zone, Libya needs UN troops in a peace keeping mission.Save civilians but don't push the situation to point of civil war.

Libyan people will rise up in time. Now, the violence is keeping them silent. Give them the space to come out on their own and take charge. International community's present actions are just escalating the violence. Crazy man Q has to go but the Libyan people get to decide when and how. President Obama and the international community should respect the people's supremacy and retreat now!

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Looking for family members/relatives of Mr. Surya Mohan Adhikari of Boston

Sad story to share here. Surya Mohan Adhikari, a Nepali, was found unconscious on streets of Boston. He was taken to a hospital by a good Samaritan but so far no one from his family/ relatives of friends have come forward to take care of him. He is 72 years old.

Here is a portion of email I received,

A Nepali with name Surya Mohan Adhikari, 72 has been admitted in ICU of Beth Israel Hospital, Boston for many days and needs help. He was found
unconscious in the street some where in Cambridge [exact locality unknown] and taken to the hospital by an American women voluntarily. Nobody
[Nepalese] has so far meet him at the Hospital yet and the status of his known relatives in USA and Boston area is unknown. Since his condition is
very critical and unattended, Hospital authority is looking for his relatives or a representative of Nepalese community here in Boston. If
anybody know him and his relatives, please try to find his condition at the Beth Isreal Hospital. FYI, he used to work in Janak Sikchya Samgari Kendra while he was in Nepal
and now lives in Cambridge (Around Harvard) MA alone. Please forward this email to as many people here in Boston.
I will send you further update if I find. The news is here http://tinyurl.com/5r6hpq2 (Nepali)

With solidarity,
Uttam Babu Shrestha
Forwarded by Maheshwar Pant
Boston
maheshwarpant@gmail.com

Rebecca Novick at HuffPo on Nepal and Tibet: I disagree

As a Nepali my observation on international media's coverage of Tibet issue and Nepal is bound to be biased. I am not a journalist, so I don't even have the veil-no matter how flimsy, of confessed unbiased reporting.

Over the weekend I read Rebecca Novick's post at HuffPo on Nepali authorities' violent crackdown on Tibetan refugees and their supporters in Kathmandu, on anniversary of Tibetan uprising.

The photo blog, was shot entirely from an outsider's perspective and did not offer anything from the Nepali side or the Tibetan side. Yes, Novick is sympathetic to the Tibetan cause but that is all, just the cause. That is not enough to understand this situation.

Why do Tibetans want freedom, what is happening now in Tibet and what is the effect of international community's support of this "cause" has to be discussed too. Just focusing on the oft repeated "Tibetans want freedom and the Chinese and Nepalis don't want that" is not going help.

I understand the scope of the post may not be such as to allow these deep issues to be discussed or analysed, then I offer a solution. Instead of clogging up already heated discussion on Tibet with one sided posts that offer little insight, it would have been better if Novick just shared the pictures of Nepali police acting badly.The readers will draw their own conclusion.

What is now happening in Tibet is sad and very concerning. International community and the media should be more proactive on this. I support, whole heartedly, Tibetan demands for freedom, rights, respect and their cultural heritage that is now being hurt deliberately. But fly-by posts on international publications of repute and following-like the HuffPo, do more harm than good.

Rebecca Novick's posts presents a picture of Nepal that could easily put the country as a Chinese protectorate run by a Beijing's puppet. And that is so wrong. She comments on the badly behaving police,

"The police are armed with lathis, six-foot-long bamboo sticks. A local reporter tells me that their riot gear is a gift from the Chinese Embassy..."

I am ashamed by the acts of Nepali police, Tibetan people and their supporters have rights to voice their opinion freely as Nepal is a democratic state. But accusing the police of being influenced by the Chinese Embassy? that is going too far even by already stretched Nepali standards.

Yes, Nepal is a close ally of China. So? is it wrong to be close with your neighbors? China regularly helps Nepal with equipments and technology, not because Nepal is run by China. It is because Nepal is poor and needs that support.

It is amazing that Western intellectuality and the media so easily expect a poor nation with limited resources to measure up to the high standards to behavior when the same standard is seldom applied to those with influence. Nepal is regularly squeezed in the international media on Tibet, is the same done to China- in scale comparable to actual guilt?

No way. China is far too important and influential to be seriously messed around with. But Nepal, ya lets screw them. Sad reality of our world!

Should Nepal give refuge to Sri Lankan political refugees

A while back a short report on couple of Sri Lankan political activists seeking refuge in Nepal caught my attention. Kantipur says that that the 7 activists are from the opposition party and worked for Fonseka's election campaign.

Former General Sarath Fonseka was given much credit for Sri Lankan army victory over rebels Tamil Tigers but he was then target of much hatred from the government. He lost bid for presidency and now a group of people are in Nepal, claiming to be his supporters and seeking refuge.

Nepali government has rejected the request.I am wondering whether Nepal should have acted differently.

Sri Lanka and Nepal have close diplomatic relations and as members of SAARC they have worked together in number of areas to increase mutual cooperation and because of religious aspect-Buddhism, the two countries are on good terms.

So, it would be un characteristic for Nepal to anger Sri Lanka's government by accepting these opposition activists. Nepal does not want to be part of internal political tussle in it's neighbor's house. But what if these people are really threatened and in danger if they go back?

I would like to know what kind of investigation the immigration department did before coming to it's decision? And also, do we have a national policy on handling of asylum requests from activists in our neighboring countries.

Here is the link to the Kantipur story I reference: http://www.ekantipur.com/mobile/article.php?news_id=330929

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