In Search of Yarsagumba: A Short Documentary

After watching this short documentary "In Search of Yarsagumba" by Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Biosources, I could not remain without writing this blog post. I heard about a mystical medicinal power of Yarsagumba for the first time when I was in my middle school. But, I had no clue about how it looks like, how it test, and whether it has real medicinal properties! I didn't bother much myself to know more about this mysterious plant. It didn't catch my attention, in fact not only mine but majority of Nepalese people, until the Maoist armed conflict reached its peak. The plant came to controversy and took headlines of newspaper/TV not because of its biological properties but its use by Maoist to fund their civil war. This highly prized plant also caught media's attention due to the reports of conflicts between local collector and outside in the harvest time. Recently, Yarsagumba is near to the edge of the extinction due to overharvesting in Nepal (I guess in Tibet too). Local people do not have scientific knowledge and the government too does not have any program to educate people for its sustainable utilization. 

Prime Story: Ghusia Karmachari (घुसिया कर्मचारीहरु)

Prime Story: Sting Operation by Himalayan TV
Three corrupt official  from Road Division Tanahu Nepal were caught in sting operation jointly carried out by Himalaya TV and Nepal Police. Road Division engineering duo Amarendra Karna and Abhinavdash Mulmi and Communication Operator Gauri Bahadur Thapa were arrested with bribe money. All three officials were later handover to The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for further action.  

नेपाल सतिले सरापेको देश होइन

उच्च माध्यामिक विद्यालय संघ नेपाल (हिसान)को पाँचौं महाधिवेशनको महाधिवेशन उद्‌घाटनपछि 'परिवर्तित नेपालका लागि शिक्षा बहस'लाई सम्बोधन गर्दै प्रधानमन्त्री डा. बाबुराम भट्टराईले नेपाल सतिले सरापेको मुलुक नभएको बताएका छन्|  'यो कसैले सरापेको देश होइन; यो शिक्षाले जन्माएको मनस्थिति हो।'  उनले राज्यप्रति नागरिकको जिम्मेवारी हुनुपर्ने उल्लेख गर्दै 'राजनीतिमा युगान्तकारी परिवर्तन आयो तर शिक्षामा हामी त्यही पाठ्यक्रम र त्यही शिक्षा विधिमा छौं जसले जागिरे मनस्थिति सहितका व्यक्ति उत्पादन गर्छ, यसमा परिवर्तन आवश्यक' भएको बताए|' वक्तव्यमा डा. भट्टराईले उठान गरेका प्रश्नहरूको जबाफ हामीले सबैले खोज्नु हाम्रो कर्तव्य हो| असल नागरिक निर्माण गर्ने शिक्षा बिना भोलिको परिवर्तित सुन्दर नेपालको कल्पना गर्न सकिन्न| एक पटक डा. भट्टराईको मनै छुने वक्तव्यको पूर्ण पाठ गर्नुस अनि  छातीमा हात राखेर सोच्नुस - मैले मेरो देशको लागि के गर्न सक्छु?  

नोट: मलाई मनपरेका वाक्यांशहरूलाई बोल्ड गरेको छु| 

वक्तव्यको पूर्ण पाठ

A Nightmare in Las Cruces

A Nightmare in Las Cruces: On February 10, 1990 two cowards walked into the Las Cruces Bowl and changed the lives of many people. Seven people inside the bowling alley were forced at gunpoint to the floor and told to put their heads down. After stealing thousands of dollars from the safe, the killers shot all seven multiple times at close range, execution-style. The shooters then started a fire on the desk and fled. Dead at the scene were Amy Houser, Steven Teran, his step-daughter Paula, and Valerie Teran. Incredibly, Melissia Repass, Stephanie C. Senac, and Ida Holguin survived the brutal attack. Repass, just twelve at the time, made the heroic 911 call -despite being shot in the head- which saved three lives at the time. Four out of the seven shot were children, including a two and six year old. For almost twenty years, the two remaining survivors(Senac died in 1999), family members, and friends have had to live with this unspeakable event. The case is unsolved after twenty years and the Las Cruces Police Dept., the FBI, and Crimestoppers plead for your help.

Released: May 31, 2011
Runtime: 103 mins



Alternative Links

Death of the Iceman - BBC Horizon

In September 1991 two hikers made a sensational discovery - a frozen body high in the mountains, near the border between Austria and Italy. It turned out to be 5,300 years old, the oldest frozen mummy ever found. Named Ötzi the Iceman after the Ötztal area where he was found, he became a worldwide sensation.

The body was taken to Austria where scientists soon got to work on him. They analysed his bone density to find out how old he was (in his 40s, an advanced age for the time) and examined his wonderfully preserved belongings. The cause of his death remained a mystery. Now archaeologists are being joined by forensic scientists to investigate this unique case and new research has revealed a shocking answer.

A Shocking Discovery

Now scientists can tell a new story of the Iceman's death. Ötzi was attacked and managed to flee. As he ran he was shot in the back with an arrow. He pulled out the arrow shaft but the head remained stuck in his shoulder. He reached the top of the mountains but was now exhausted and weakened from bleeding. He could go no further, lay down and died.