MaHa (Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharya) speak out against discrimination and untouchability

Famous Nepali television personalities Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharaya stating the fact that caste-based discrimination and untouchability practices are serious crimes and urge everyone for their commitment to end such practices.

A 30-second television public service announcement (PSA), part of the 100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability.

100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability

Despite national legal standards and international obligations, caste discrimination and untouchability practices are still prevalent in Nepal, particularly in rural parts of the country.

To widely disseminate the content of the recently promulgated Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act 2068 to ensure its effective implementation, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) and the National Dalit Commission have jointly launched this campaign.

On 16th September, the President of Nepal officially inaugurated the launch of the campaign and over a 100 participants, including Government representatives, Human Rights Defenders and media personalities, took part in the campaign's first National Consultation programme organized later in the day.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that victims as well as their family members are able to invoke the rule of law in order to access justice. A culture of accountability must replace the present culture of impunity in Nepal.

To pledge your commitment to end practices of caste discrimination and untouchability, visit the campaign website: http://www.100daysagainstcastediscrimination.com and make your mark today!

Globetrotting mice!

Often minuscule little creatures of nature, associated with both that is good as well as that is not so good.

Back in the days of old, when streets were not paved with gold and stories were frequently told that of the more mightier ones of the rodent family were quite bold!

STOP! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WRITE UP ABOUT GLOBETROTTING MICE - NOT MY ATTEMPTS TO QUALIFY AS A KINDERGARTEN POET!

Anyway, got up this morning, brought in the newspaper, at the first glance, I was convinced that the newspaper guy goofed up today, brought yesterday's paper again, but it was not the case, paper was different, yesterday's read "September 6", today's "September 7". The cartoon was different as well, and so was the headline, albeit too similar!

One mouse tried to travel from Kathmandu to Hong Kong, alas it was caught and killed, or was it the same one? In HK, a second mouse was found, not caught - not killed (I hope it can escape) made it's way there. Does it have a visa? I hope so...

Good going my globe-trotting little creation of nature!



FYI, the newspaper articles:

• Mouse on board delays NAC flight 11 hrs, http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35612
• Mouse grounds NAC Boeing again, in HK, http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35686

Smoker's headache (medical condition)

NOTE: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, PHYSICIAN OR SOMEONE WHO IS EVEN REMOTELY RELATED TO MEDICINE.

The information presented below is just a simple search on Google. The reason I make this post is because many people stumbled upon this blog post [http://himalayanbullet.blogspot.com/2007/07/smokers-headache-modified.html], on searching for "Smokers headache"

Please use information below entirely upon your own will and thinking.

LINKS:

1. Headache Triggers and Smoking
   http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-smoking
   
   
2. Puff, Puff, Puff — Throb, Throb, Throb
   Smoking and Headaches: Another Reason To Quit
   http://headaches.about.com/library/weekly/aa110700a.htm
   
   
3. Smokers Have More Migraine Attacks
   http://www.elements4health.com/smokers-have-more-migraine-attacks.html
   

Belittled!

Greetings all,

belittle |biˈlitl|
verb [ trans. ]
make (someone or something) seem unimportant : this is not to belittle his role | she felt belittled.
DERIVATIVES
belittlement noun
belittler noun
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: a coinage of Thomas Jefferson originally meaning [diminish in size, make small] ; the current sense dates from the very end of the 18th century.

I'm not in the mood to ramble on and on about what is happening, not happening or just stuck there, somewhere...

But today, 3 August 2011, I am reminded of two pieces of news I heard on the radio -- one today, other a few months back. ,[some rambling] for once - that is an interlocutor to me that I just allow to talk, I don't interrupt it at all, or ask questions, I just quietly or not so quietly listen...

Two, I will not call them men, or even individuals, -- two --, faced a judgement of sorts, for one it was quick, or atleast the radio told me was quick, for the other - just started today.

What happened to No. 1, in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad, was what the "it" deserved, but the means was not what was deserved by the thousands and tens of thousands who suffered for this "it"'s deeds...

The other, today, in a cage, before the world, lying down on a stretcher, did commit carnage on innocent people, justice or no justice, time will tell, but today - "it No. 2" was belittled!

I did not see this, for me, my radio tells me this, but yes, "it No. 2" was belittled

BELITTLED!!!

UN Human Rights Council recommends suspension of Libya

In an unprecedented move, the United Nations Human Rights Council has acted to suspend one of its members.

The Human Rights Council has unanimously sought to invoke rules governed by the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Libya’s membership from the council because of gross human rights violations.

The recommendation reads: “to the United Nations General Assembly, in view of the gross and systematic violations of human rights by the Libyan authorities, the consideration of the application of the measures foreseen in OP8 of General Assembly Resolution 60/251.”

The resolution states that it “…decides the membership in the Council shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations; when electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto; the General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights…”

The Council strongly condemned the recent gross and systematic human rights violations committed in Libya.

Libyan representative

And in a twist of events, a Libyan diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva told the Human Rights Council that they had decided to serve as representatives of the Libyan people.

"We only represent the Libyan people," First Secretary-Abdel Shalut said.

Shalut said the young people of Libya, the grandchildren of the revolution, were today writing a new chapter in the history of struggle and resistance.

At the diplomat's request, Council members stood in a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the current violence.

Libya, is first member of the Human Rights Council to be the subject of a Special Session.

The Council also decided to urgently, dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry. The team will be appointed by the president of the Human Rights Council, will investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya.

Speaking at the opening of the Council’s meeting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, reiterated her earlier call for an international investigation into the human rights violations in Libya, said: “I encourage all international actors to take necessary measures to compel the Libyan Government to stop the bloodshed.

The Council urged the Libyan authorities to prevent more bloodshed in the country and ensure safety for all civilians.

“…in brazen and continuing breach of international law, the crackdown in Libya of peaceful demonstrations is escalating alarmingly with reported mass killings, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of protestors,” the UN human rights chief Navi Pillay told the Council.

The Human Rights chief reiterated the State’s obligation to protect the peoples’ rights to life, liberty and security.

Pillay reminded governments that it the responsibility of the State to protect populations from crimes against humanity and other international crimes.

She also expressed concern for refugees fleeing the unrest to neighbouring countries, and urged neighbouring states to receive and treat them “humanely.”

The Human Rights Council called on the Libyan government cooperation to guarantee access to human rights and humanitarian organizations including human rights monitors.

The special session was convened at the request of Hungary and endorsed by 61 States members as well as observer states of the Council, all representing the different regions of the world.

[ from: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/HRCSpecialSessionLibya.aspx ]

Utter carnage in Libya

The world we live in today has brought the human kind closer to one another than ever before, we had telegrams, telephones and faxes, then came emails and chats: now we have facebooks, twitters and blogs...

No matter how hard one tries, one cannot remain aloof from the carnage that is happening in North Africa, it started with Tunisia, then Egypt and now Libya, one just need but browse some tweets or visit a forum on facebook. Even if one doesn't do that, one is bombarded by the news of carnage in the country. Attacking one's own people, branding foreigners as mercenaries and trouble makers, ordering mobs to run amok, no word or even the entire lexicon can even attempt to express the condemnation that these actions warrant.

And yet, the ones who have some level of decency are the only ones who can at least try to denunciate this.

All I can express, is that I am left speechless and wordless. My heart goes out to the thousands in the country who have lost it all... you are the bravest of all of us, if we can still call ourselves humans, a word from which humanity originates.

Extremes

I walk the lonely roads... I walk the empty lanes...

I think of my mind... I think of what was my mind...

People have a way of saying and a way of feeling: what is white - is good - is pure; what is black - is evil - is bad...

I think back, I think of a time when my mind was more sane... be it back or be it white, they are extremes, if you study one school of thought, you add everything, you get black, you add everything again, you get white; if you study this school of thought, you remove everything, you get white, you remember everything again, you get black...

I think back, come to the present, I dare not ask - for you are big - but yet I courage... Oh - you the wise - you the right tell me what is white, what is black?

For in your wildest of dreams - when you are the strongest - you are the mightiest of all, the strongest of all, the bravest of all, the one who is righteous - I dare you answer me ... which of this is pure - which of this is good - which of this is evil - which of this is bad ... accept my dare, for I am small ... I am insignificant ...

I dare you - step out of your armor, step out from behind the ranks and files of those who protect you, step in the dust - as I stand and display the courage to hear me now ...

... be it white, be it black... there is no contest ...

... both are extreme ... both are vile ...

... I dare not offend either - for I only dare myself ...

... for I am the grey...