Tuesday 23 December 2008

Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger

Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger

The 31st session of the World Heritage Committee, currently holding its annual meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand, decided to remove the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979, was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2003 at the 27th session of the World Heritage Committee. This was following years of assessment to evaluate the effect of pressure from uncontrolled urban development affecting the outstanding universal value of the site. Following this decision, the World Heritage Committee requested Nepal to re-define the boundaries of the World Heritage site, and to establish buffer zones around them. The Committee further requested an Integrated Management Plan of the site to be prepared and adopted by the concerned authorities, which included the establishment of adequate legal tools for the protection of the site.

From 2003 onwards, substantial efforts have been made towards ensuring better protection of the site. The redefined boundaries of the site were revised and adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 2006. The Integrated Management Plan, which clarifies the duties and responsibilities of the different authorities involved, was completed more recently and was evaluated by a UNESCO World Heritage Centre-ICOMOS joint reactive monitoring mission, which visited the Kathmandu Valley in April 2007.

Based on the progress made since 2003, the World Heritage Committee decided on Monday, 25 June 2007, that the national and local capacity and commitment, built through the establishment of the Integrated Management Plan, would now be sufficient to ensure better control for the preservation of the outstanding universal value of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site’s heritage. Therefore, the site was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger. Many member countries of the World Heritage Committee congratulated Nepal for its efforts and supported the draft decision. Nepal, at the World Heritage Committee, mentioned that it would continue its efforts to implement the Integrated Management Plan, and to work closely with UNESCO.

  • Source:UNESCO Kathmandu
  • 02-07-2007

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Nepali food/Recipes

picture of a rice planta Nepali platter!Welcome to the world of DAAL BHAAT and TARKARI and a little bit of everything in between! Nepalese national food consists of Lentils (DAAL), Rice (BHAAT), and vegetable curry (TARKARI). Popular side dishes include pickles (Achar) of many varieties of which the most popular are tomato achar, mango achar, and cucumber achar.

Most Nepalese eat with right-hand. Daal Bhaat is popularly served on a plate known as khope thal (a platter with four sections, like the one shown above). Daal Bhaat is taken as a lunch and a dinner. For many nothing else will satisfy their taste buds, and one plate full of Daal Bhaat is never enough! Click on the menu options below to discover Nepali food.

The Nepali Food Main Menu!

Daal (Lentils) - the creamy protein delight

Boil 1 cup lentils of any variety in water until cooked. Add turmeric, salt, ginger and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a serving spoon, add chopped garlic pieces, and if you like, add minced onions. When they turn brown in color, plunge the spoon into the lentils dish cautiously to bring about killer aroma!

Bhaat (Rice) - the king of grains

rice picture Rinse rice in water to get rid of excess starch. For every cup of rice, add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring the rice to boil, uncovered, at medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stir the rice in between, then turn the heat down to low. Place the lid on the pot, keeping it tight, cook for another five minutes. Simmer for another 10 minutes and serve. Make sure to taste Bhat of various types!!

Basmati: Basmati is the most famous aromatic rice mainly grown in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, India and Pakistan. Rice has a nutlike fragrance, and a delicate. It has near buttery flavor. The cooked grains are dry and fluffy, so they make a nice bed for curries and sauces, oh yes... for Nepali Tarkari! Aged basmati rice is better, but is more expensive.

Jasmine: This is a raditional long-grain white rice grown mainly in Thailand which has a soft texture. It has similar flavor that of basmati rice. Jasmine rice is also grown in the United States and in other countries. Rice is is available in both white or brown forms.

Arborio: Arborio is a starchy white rice, with an almost round grain, grown mainly in the Po Valley of Italy. Traditionally used for cooking the Italian dish risotto, it also works well for paella and rice pudding. Arborio absorbs up to five times its weight in liquid as it cooks, which results in grains of a creamy consistency.

Aromatic rices: These are primarily long-grain varieties that have a toasty, nutty fragrance and a flavor reminiscent of popcorn or roasted nuts. Most of these can be found in grocery stores, but a few may be available only at gourmet shops.

Glutinous rice (sweet rice): Popular in Japan and other Asian countries, this type of short-grain rice is not related to other short-grain rices. Unlike regular table rice, this starchy grain is very sticky and resilient, and turns translucent when cooked. Its cohesive quality makes it suitable for rice dumplings and cakes, such as the Japanese mochi, which is molded into a shape.

Texmati: Certain types of rice--some sold only under a trade name--have been developed in the United States to approximate the flavor and texture of basmati rice. Texmati is one of these; it was developed to withstand the hot Texas climate (there is also a brown rice version).

Wehani: An American-grown aromatic rice, Wehani has an unusual rust-colored bran that makes it turn mahogany when cooked.

Wild pecan (popcorn rice): Another basmati hybrid, this aromatic rice is tan in color (because not all of the bran has been removed, with a pecanlike flavor and firm texture.

Did you know? In general, rice is a good source of B vitamins, such as thiamin and niacin, and also provides iron, phosphorus, and magnesium. Although rice is lower in protein than other cereal grains, its protein quality is good because it contains relatively high levels of the amino acid lysine. Avoid washing rice to retain water-soluable B vitamins. Also milled and polished rice contains less vitamins.

Saturday 13 December 2008

Finally... Dream Capturing Software

I got this article from Meroguff and finally from the next reference. Thanks for Meroguff.com .

The secret world of dreams has been unlocked with the invention of technology capable of illustrating images taken directly from human brains during sleep.

A team of Japanese scientists have created a device that enables the processing and imaging of thoughts and dreams as experienced in the brain to appear on a computer screen.

While researchers have so far only created technology that can reproduce simple images from the brain, the discovery paves the way for the ability to unlock people's dreams and other brain processes.

A spokesman at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories said: "It was the first time in the world that it was possible to visualise what people see directly from the brain activity.

"By applying this technology, it may become possible to record and replay subjective images that people perceive like dreams." The scientists, lead by chief researcher Yukiyaso Kamitani, focused on the image recognition procedures in the retina of the human eye.

It is while looking at an object that the eye's retina is able to recognise an image, which is subsequently converted into electrical signals sent into the brain's visual cortex.

The research investigated how electrical signals are captured and reconstructed into images, according to the study, which will be published in the US journal Neuron.

As part of the experiment, researchers showed testers the six letters of the word "neuron", before using the technology to measure their brain activity and subsequently reconstruct the letters on a computer screen.

Since Sigmund Freud published The Interpretations of Dreams over a century ago, the workings of the sleeping human mind have been the source of extensive analysis by scientists keen to unlock its mysteries.

Dreams were the focus of a scientific survey conducted by the Telegraph last year in which it was concluded that dreams were more likely to be shaped by events of the past week than childhood traumas.

Thank you for reading my articles.

Thursday 11 December 2008

Nepal’s Young Peer Supporters fight against sexual exploitation of children

I found this article in www.unicef.org .


Parwati makes a presentation on the meaning of abuse to an international group of young education activists in Kathmandu.

KATHMANDU, Nepal, 10 December 2008 – Last week, organizations and groups of young people from around the world gathered in Brazil to bring attention to the problem of child trafficking and sexual exploitation at the World Congress Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. One young activist from Nepal, 16-year-old Parwati, spoke to UNICEF Radio before the Congress about the efforts she is making to help children in her country.


Parwati is a Peer Supporter with the Youth Partnership Project (YPP), which is part of ECPAT International (End Chid Prostitution Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes).

YPP's Peer Supporters offer support and friendship to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. They also travel to schools and shelters in their communities and work with children who may be at risk. Parwati says there are more than 50 Peer Supporters across Nepal.

"This has built skills of peer counseling in me and my friends trust me and share their problems with me with the hope that I can help them out. I am satisfied when I get to help my friends," she said.

Many girls abused


Parwati (left) and fellow peer supporters at the South Asia regional preparatory consultation for World Congress III.

Parwati says many of the girls she works with have experienced sexual abuse. She told the story of one girl she met in a peer support group.

"One adult used to give money to her and used to touch sensitive parts," she said. "After meeting that adult her behavior changed."

sing the skills she learned as a Peer Supporter, Parwati started to spend time with the girl.

"When she became more close to me, I asked, 'I find lots of changes in you, what happened?'" Over time, the girl shared her story.

"I knew this was abuse," Parwati said. "I told her it is not good - you tell that adult you don't like it."

Parwati told the girl she would support her, and the man finally stopped molesting her.

Poverty a root cause

In poorer countries like Nepal, children are often extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Parwati says orphans and street children should be given shelter to protect them.

She hopes to continue working to educate children on how to avoid sexual exploitation.

"Through the YPP, I came to know about various issues related to children and it has made me aware about the conditions of the children and what needs to be done to protect and support children and youth. I have been very close to YPP and it has become an integral part of my life," she said.

Wednesday 10 December 2008

UN's best poem

This poem was nominated by the United Nations as the best poem of 2008,
it was written by an African Kid.

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray

And you calling me colored?

Tuesday 9 December 2008

Billion Dollar man



King Gyanendra is known well for his monarchical regime and equally well for his boundless businesses. Recently, Nepal Blog received an email message about His Majesty's financial status and we later on found that many people had received the same email. So we decided to put it on the blog for you all to read, analyze and comment on it. So the email goes like this:

Email Content

How much money does Nepali king earn?

Dear Nepali citizens and foreign lovers of Nepal, You might be wondering why Nepal is still poor when its countries of equal economic status has reached the sky with booming economic development.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries of the world but Nepal's king is the highest paid king of the world.

The income of Nepali king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is:
2,426 times higher than that of Chinese president
318 times higher than that of Indian president
301 times higher than that of Pakistani president
173 times higher than that of Russian president
57 times higher than that of French president
15 times higher than that of British prime minister
10 times higher than that of American president
Netherlands queen's income: Rs. 22,32,00,000 (per capita income Rs 17,25,120)
American president earns Rs. 3,24,00,000 (1,15,20,000 returns in tax), (per capita income Rs 25,24,320)
Japanese king earns Rs. 22,23,52,000 (per capita income Rs.24, 15,600)
Chinese president earns Rs. 1,35,000 (per capita income Rs 67,680)
Indian president earns Rs. 10,11,000 (per capita income Rs 34,560)
French president earns Rs 57,96,000 (per capita income Rs 15,84,000)
Pakistani president earns (after the coup) Rs 10,94,000 (per capita income 29,520)
British Queen does not get any salary from the state. She has a property of Rs 30,24,00,00,000 (the profit of investment, after paying the tax, is hers) but even her necklace is the property of the country.
British president earns Rs 2,19,58,000 (per capita income is Rs 18,16,200)
Russian president earns Rs 19,03,000 (per capita income is Rs 1,54,000)
Belgian king receives salary as a civil servant (per capita income is Rs 16,74,000)

And,
Nepali king earns Rs 61,91,00,000 (per capita income is Rs 16,560=US$ 230)
[This means the Nepali king earns Rs. 19,878 times higher than a citizen. Last year it was 37,385 times higher. Thus a citizen can earn as much as the king earns in a year only after working for 19,000 years or in 316 lives.]

Appendix
Nepali royal family is involved in various businesses.
A king does not have to pay tax according to Nepal's constitution.
The present king has inherited the property of earlier king's family and nobody knows how much it is.
This king has taken Rs 1,06,45,00,000 in past three years for his small family

Desperate Nepali Youth

"Lack of options leads to desperation."

The Next generation of Nepal is facing a serious crisis due to lack of opportunities. There are not many who see a shining future ahead in Nepal. The whole situation is the result of worsening economic condition of the country due to Maoist insurgency and political instability. So the best they can see is to get out of the country to some distant land where they can start without much of unwanted hindrances.

In fact there is a whole chain of youth movement within and beyond the country border. Those who are living in remote villages are migrating towards district headquarters. They do not have any other option. Not doing that simply means joining Maoist rebels either by choice or by force. Now those who reside in small towns and suburbs are moving towards major towns or the capital city where they see more safety and order. Education is also any important factor that is driving the youth of Nepal away from their home. In the outskirts of Nepal, there are not many educational centers. Teachers, like anyone else, hesitate to go to such places so there are not many educators. And Maoists they have been using students to carry out their jobs like digging trenches and carry their provisions.

Well... about the youth of Kathmandu, their first option is to fly abroad (usually to US or any other country). And why not, after all studying in US has been set as a benchmark in many big organizations to get a job. It also raises the social status of a person. Nepal Blog does not deny that people learn a lot in US and many also develop their personality but it is not applicable to everyone. Anyhow, queue of Nepalese people applying for US is increasing day by day. In fact, the rate of applicants for students visa is accelerating so rapidly that at present, the TOEFL registration has exhausted out. (The author of Nepal Blog was also in the queue few days earlier.)

US seems to be the best but not the only destination. UK and Australia are popular too and are usually targeted by upper middle class of people of Nepal. Various other Asian counties like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are preferred by those, who want jobs that earn them more than they get in Nepal. Similarly China has evolved as a doctor-degree providing nation for many.

The worst thing is that many of these Nepalese people, especially young ones, do not want to return back to Nepal and settle abroad. Nepal Blog just wants to relay the message that "Over there you may not have an identity and may be lost amongst millions but over here you can make a difference. Even if you are abroad, never forget that your motherland is expecting for your help in her difficult times."

Friday 5 December 2008

For the love of MO:MO

Friday, Dec 5, 2008



I got this article from a friend of mine as an email forward. I never imagined that just of sight of MoMo could be so evoking but we are a generation raised on MoMo...

For the love of MO:MO

Recently a friend of mine told me that, you are not Nepali if you don't like Narayan Gopal and mo:mo ...quite random! but still how true, right ?...so, i had no choice but to try my hand on making mo:mo

so, today's 'Picture of the Day' is dedicated to our love for these juicy, yummy, mouth watering food that you can never get enough of--MO:MO, momocha, kothe, dumplings, gyoja, or whatever you want to call it

(no drooling over my plate of mo:mo now)



Following pictures and comments are compiled from the group in Facebook called 'MO:mo'




'People say that 'wheel' is the greatest invention of humans..........I don't think so.............its MO:MO'


'Why is there always 10 pieces of momo in a single plate? i wonder ..??!'

'I've done upto 4 plates and the record i saw in Image channel got the gutts is 5 plates and 1 and i declare i can eat upto 6 plates at a time...'



'i want some momo...damn right i do!! ani oo bhai alik jhol chahi badi hala hai!!'
'Yummy!!!!!!!! Guys, you remember back home, the most untidy place had the most delicious momos.... The momos in the resturants sucks'
'this is what we used to call... 'Dhyarrrraaa momo'
this is because of the dhyarraa noise made by the big stoves..
enjoy dhyarraa momo'

'Nepali Rastriya Ekatako Pratik - MoMo.
Now, if there is anything that can best unite we Nepalis, then that's only MoMo.'

'Breakfast: coffee & donuts $5.00
Lunch: Turkey sandwich $7.00
Dinner: Chicken Pasta $9.99

Thinkinging about the mo:mo and its smell: PRICELESS...missin Mo:Mo (there is something that money just can't buy)'

'firstly....ma momther's milk....
n second...momo'z
ttz wat brought me up!!'

'I.LOOVEEEEEE.loveeeee. LOBBBB.LURRVEEEE.luuvvvvvvvv.looooovvv.laavvvvv.lvvvvv.LOVE.MOMO!!'

'I love Momos very much. if I had a girlfriend I would name her Momo'

'They should sell momo in fast food chains...like mc chicken momo..'
' Oh my god...its like a torture to see them...all those momos....i havent had any in a while'

'Kathmandu aaula momo pakaula,
Kahan baata lyaunla? thulo khasi katumla!

la saathi ma pani samel haumla'

'U guys know what? I miss MoMo terribly. I ready to part ways with 10 $ for a plate of momo now. So, if u r goin outside Nepal too. gulp doun ur throat as many momo as possible before u get a chance to regret not doing so later. U r going to miss it terribly. BELIEVE ME'

'momo is my all time favourite.i feel lucky to b born in Momo city.'
'I think Kathmandu should be Kathmomodu. We should change Dhobikhola's name to Momo-khola to remind people that the 'meat' or 'vegetables' inside the momo needs to be 'washed' first and that it is done with 'water', a.k.a. paani. And paani is everywhere in Kathmandu in the form of dhoblikhola bagmati and tukucha. Perhaps when dhobikhola or Momokhola as I would like to call it, will remind people of momo that they actually PUT IN THE STOMACH and perhaps stop dumping 's#!T' into the river? And eventually Bagmati and others would follow suit!
At least this idea's better than Krishnaprasad Bhattarai's vision of turning Nepal into Singapur or the maoist's ideas!! WUT WUT?'

'Telling my parents that I loved mo:mo was the hardest thing I have ever had to do...but now they accept my mo:mo tendencies and support me in my choices. Such as Buffulo MO:Mo from Mo:MO cave, Kathmandu. Nothing makes Mo:mos even tastier than low mood lighting and 5 nepali guys staring at you.' (she is from Italy)


'steamed, fried or kothey...fresh or even stale - momo is divine.'
'everest momo at naxal was literally 2 mins walk from my home ..... yup i remember the smell !'

'my mother told me she is going to cook momos for thanksgiving! that's the way i like to eat my turkey'

'If there are any girls out there that can make good momo....I am 6'0, attractive, affectionate, and we can talk about marriage... haha'

'it pissed me off that people kept saying 'oh these dumplings are good'. idiots, they're momos. they're not thaaat hard to say.'
'if u ask me, our momo tastes a million times better than the best of dumplings. correct me if i am wrong and enlighten us with the information about the best dumpling houses in the world.'

'Dherai dherai aucha manama, tita mitha jhajhalko haru, Ranjano ko soda pasalma baseraaaaa...

Tudikhelma cricket khelera kahilyai, ketilai impress garna khojera khahiile, laxmi ko momo pasalma baseraaa...

repeat(x2)

shayad mero momocha po thyiyau ki pahilo plate ma...shayad mero sekuwa po thiyau ki arkako thaal ma....mero fanta maa!!....mero tanduri maaa...mero acharr maa mero andhra maaaaaaaa......

maitidevi ko momo pasal maaaaaaaaa!!'

'Yes!!!! the favourite dish of all time! The best dish of alltime. Dallo dallo tattaato, piro piro, nyam nyam chapauna milne, khasi hos ya thulo khasi, pepsi hos ya raksee, momo khana paayen ma babal khusi'

'Had Italian cuisines, had Mexican cuisines, had continential, had Chinese blah blah..Nothing Beats MO:MO! Hamro ek matra MO:MO, Jado, garmi, gham, paani MO:MO is the best jahile pani. Haha...'

P.S.:Dear Mo: Mo, I'm missing you a lot

Tuesday 2 December 2008

Timetable of Load-shedding schedule



Timetable of Load-shedding schedule
Click here to View/download pdf for Load Shedding TimeTable in English