According to NepalNews.com,

"While, other South Asian nations will also be affected by sea-level rise, Nepal will be largely affected by the melting of snow in the Himalayas and the changes in climatic pattern. 

The vulnerability index also takes into account the region's poverty level, preparedness to combat impacts of climate change, and high dependency on natural factors for food."

Rapid deforestation, dependence on forests for majority of domestic energy need and food supply directly dependent on rain and climate pattern has Nepal on the front-line of climate change. Unfortunately, because of unstable political and social environment, climate change and related issues are being pushed to the sidelines.

 In an interview with this blogger, Ganesh Shah-former Minister for Science and Technology for the Nepali government which was pushed out in 2009 following a row with the military; expressed his frustration over what Nepal is not doing with regards to preparing for climate change. He blamed the instability, saying that a country which doesn't even have a basic things straightened out cannot be expected to tackle complex issues like climate change.

Mr. Shah, though, sounded optimistic about the role  of the youth and private groups in dealing with climate change and environmental issues.
It would be premature to completely write off any and all climate change efforts made by Nepal; but compared to the severity of the matter-almost nothing is being done.

Bhumika Ghimire

I have heard the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" my entire life. It reminds me a lot of that other saying "One man’s trash is another man’s treasure." Each person develops an opinion of what they deem to be beautiful.

I am reminded of a recent study where psychologists showed children different drawings of dolls. One doll was Caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other was Hispanic with darker skin, and the last was African American with the darkest skin tone. The children were asked which doll they thought was the most beautiful. All children, no matter what race they were, chose the Caucasian doll. Not only did this study show how prevalent and influential racism biases still are in this country, it showed how our culture might still be fueling the formation of ideas about beauty.

"The Eye of the Beholder" was the name of an episode in the Twilight Zone where a woman is forced into surgery by authorities to look like everyone else. In horrific resistance to the nurses and doctors calling her abnormal, she tries to escape. The viewer then learns that everyone else is hideously deformed with pig snout noses and other strange facial features. She is finally exiled from this so-called normal looking society to live with a man who has the same "condition" as her. The episode ends as he says to her that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This early sixties television was making a social comment on what is still very relevant today.

As disturbing as this sounds, it is not at all surprising why these ideas of beauty have been so deeply ingrained in our minds. Our society comes from a Western heritage. The forefathers of this country were from Europe, a civilization and society evolved from the philosophies of Ancient Greece. The Divine sculptures of the Italian Renaissance were carved in the images of Greek Classicism, exemplifying a refined revision of their ancestor gods, rebirthing and retelling art with the spirit of the same virtue of Aristotle’s beauty, truth, and goodness.

Analyzing the ideas about beauty from the West and the East, is as complicated as analyzing the cultures themselves. Each culture dictates to us what images and behaviors are beautiful and ideal. Within each culture, are subcultures such as class, which may have subtle or extreme versions about these same ideals in images and behavior.

Which institutions and political agendas drive our ideas of beauty today? There seems to be a whole potpourri of conflicting ideologies and agendas influencing what our cultures believes to be virtuous and beautiful. There is the left, the right, or the middle in politics which our society clings to. We associate with Fox News, the NPR, or independent media. Our artistic tastes closely follow. Or do they? Might it be more accurate to say that our intertwined web of practices and preferences are unpredictable, incongruent, inconclusive, and schizophrenic in accordance to our political and moral views? Does contemporary art accurately reflect this chaos and contradiction?

Popular culture and tastes although convoluted, might seem narrow and limited to the educated. A minority of the elite or impoverished may or may not share in these popular tastes. I have always thought of myself having champagne taste on a shoestring budget. Money does not buy class, which I then think brings me back to what is unavoidable and omnipresent by various degrees: culture.

I think the motives for humanity seeking beauty are varied, sometimes shallow and sometimes more profound. Yet, all human beings seek pleasure. It would be my argument that we need pleasure in order to survive. A cat purrs when it feels pleasure. It is in our nature, and art nourishes and enhances this intrinsic need.

It might be more productive at this point to ask what kind of art could universally provide the nourishment of pleasure to humanity in all cultures. Is this possible? We all breathe air, need to eat, and bleed blood. Food is a matter of taste, but we all need it. A beautiful meal leaves us content and satisfied, as art appeals to and permeates through our visual and audible senses.

Ron Fricke’s non-narrative film, Baraka, miraculously captures what is beautiful in the world’s landscapes, cultures, and religious practices through cinematography. The viewer can feel the unity of humanity as he/she is taken on a visual journey to many different places and situations within minutes. While one may not think every place or practice is beautiful, the filmmaker succeeds in his intent to make the viewer appreciate another culture’s visual and audible aesthetic. When we can see someone’s else’s idea of beauty, our own ideas expand. If we are willing to open our eyes to other perspectives, we may discover a beauty we have never known before, even if our initial intent is pure pleasure. We are all the beholders of beauty.

Marisol Tirelli Rivera

I have found myself back at the Whitney Museum studying another classic American painter, Edward Hopper. Although he is very famous, I came in with only a limited knowledge of his work, a vision of Nighthawks, a painting I have seen in virtually every poster store in America for my entire life. I had an expectation of seeing very kitsch cinematic images. I was pleasantly wrong, and Nighthawks was no where to be seen. The exhibit was a collection of his work and that of his contemporaries weaved into the landmark achievements of his life span.

For the most part, I am only drawn to his work, and the other pieces seem token to me. Although, I am happy to compare and contrast Hopper’s work to his close colleague, Charles Burchfield, as they hang next to each other in a collection of Cape Cod and Colonial architectural landscapes. The description on the wall reads: "American scene painting with colleague Charles Burchfield captured the sturdy individualism at the heart of the American ethos, particularly during the hardships of the Great Depression". Hopper’s paintings contrast with dark colors and splotches of light. While Burchfield seems to outline his images in dark colors, Hopper uses his dark colors more for shading and magnifying contrast and perspective. There is more of a spatial contrast in Hopper’s dark colors than in Burchfield’s. However, both of their paintings give me a feeling of American dreaminess and nostalgia.

The next room takes us into more work of Hopper’s contemporaries exemplifying the Industrial Age. Hopper’s work is now focusing on industrial and urban scenes including factories, rooftops, railroads, steamboats, and bridges. While the subjects are not necessarily appealing, his portrayals of them are aesthetically appeasing for the viewer. His architectural images are simple with rich vibrant brick reds and art deco greens, somehow archiving their era of creation.

Dark colors may symbolize the Depression, although Hopper’s use of lighting gives us realistic hope and a sense of an exact time of day or night that is being portrayed in his paintings. He captures interesting moments in places that seem quite ordinary, and exposes hidden beauty and unique cultural details about his subjects and venues. I particularly enjoyed his untitled oil painting on board, Solitary Figure in a Theatre (1902-04) which shows a figure in the front row of a dark theatre. This ambient small painting is done in shades of gray and black. He pays great attention to depth and the mood of seeing a movie alone in a dark theatre. Although his paintings are quite realistic, they are not photographic, and there is a feeling of expressionism.

People may be painted from the back or as a blurr. The images are not exact, but they are very recognizable. This can be seen in his painting Barber Shop (Oil on Canvas, 1931) which shows the movement of the barber as his back is turned to us, and he is shaving his customer. The reflection of his faced is blurred in the mirror, but we see the details of his balding head. The customer appears faceless. The manicurist is sat at the center of the portrait reading a magazine. Her facial features are more in detail, but not distinct. Somehow we know who these people are and what they look like. There are just enough important details to give us this information. We are put into this scene and given an inside look. I am reminiscent of Seurat’s figures on the Island of Grande Jatte, but I can also relate Hopper’s work to that of Rembrandt’s: dark, rich, and filled with shadows.

In Hopper’s A Woman in the Sun (Oil on Canvas, 1961), a woman stands next to her bed in the nude and looks out the window as the sun shines through on the front half of her body. It is the morning, she is smoking a cigarette, and her only apparel seen is her black high heels on the floor. Hopper paints her in details, again not photographic, but we sense the mood and her character through his use of light and shadows. She is a modern Olympia– I see Manet’s influence in his work. The figures are realistic and impressionistic at the same time.

Hopper’s Queensborough Bridge (Oil on Canvas, 1913) is unique in this collection as it is done in light pastel colors. It is impressionistic; the colors are pale, muted, and blurred. The reflection of the bridge in the river is expressed with simple dark gray horizontal brush strokes in contrast to the light gray color of the river. The painting is subtle, simple looking – a harmony of a quiet morning within the Industrial Age.

In contrast, in his painting, Railroad Sunset (Oil on Canvas, 1929), the colors are dark, bright, and bold above a rail road station: dark green over black, medium red to orange to mustard yellow, blending into the blues and greens.

I have discovered beauty in Hopper’s contradictions: the contrasts of dark and light colors, lights and shadows, nature and industry, and details and ambiguity. I can appreciate an influence and evolution of European painting in America, and can now truly admire and respect the American painter, such as Edward Hopper, as classic and iconic in the history of art.

Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time exhibit can be seen at the Whitney Museum in New York City until April 10, 2011.

Marisol Tirelli Rivera

But because of various issues-mainly technical difficulties and lack of stable government; Nepal;s hydro-power potential remains under utilized.

For last couple of years, Nepal has been facing acute energy shortage, forcing the state run Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to resort to frequent power cuts to stretch out the limited supply. The country imports all its oil and natural gas through neighboring India. State run Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is the agency responsible for handling the imports and distributing oil through local dealers. NOC is chronically corrupt and mismanaged institution operating under huge losses-even if it has no competition when it comes to importing oil and natural gas into Nepal.

Developing local energy sources and investing alternative energy is the only way for Nepal to be energy independent and fill the energy deficit.

Bio gas projects and wind turbines have produced some success in villages in various parts of the country. But solar remains by far the most promising one.

Southern Nepal could be the place for solar power harnessing projects in Nepal; as the region gets plenty of sunlight and is mostly flat terrain-making it easier to install energy distribution infrastructure. As Southern Nepal is developed as solar energy focal point, there is also a possibility to push for energy independence at the local level. Installing solar panels on roof tops, encouraging green building designs and also providing deep discounts on solar panels could bring more people to join in

Nepal’s private sector and also the government has made encouraging strides on developing alternative energy sources in the country.

Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) is a "Government institution established on November 3, 1996 under the then Ministry of Science and Technology with the objective of developing and promoting renewable/alternative energytechnologies in Nepal. Currently, it is under Ministry of Environment. It functions independently, and has a nine member board with representatives from government sector, industry sector and non-governmental organizations." AEPC’s projects include-developing small scale hydro-power plants, solar,wind and biomass energy, geothermal energy and also improved water mills.
Number of international donor agencies support AEPC’s efforts ,including the USAID and the Asian Development Bank(ADB).

In the private sector, there are numerous projects focused on developing alternative energy sources in Nepal. Here is a short list, which by no means is complete:

Lotus Energy
Renewable Nepal and Alternative Energy Pvt.Ltd.
The Renewable Energy Project (REP) (joint effort of the European Union and the Government of Nepal)

Embassy of Denmark in Nepal also has alternative energy development project, along with UNDP and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

Energy deficient developing nations can provide a huge boost to their economy and also improve standard of living by investing in alternative and renewable energy sources. Nepal has made some progress in being energy independent, but here is still a long way ahead.

Bhumika Ghimire

Main reasons for decline are

• Illegal logging

• Unplanned urbanization

• Energy need

Illegal logging: Corruption within the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation is legendary-even in corruption soaked administration of Nepal.  Officials from the ministry have been accused of aiding illegal loggers and accepting bribes from them. Even ministers and high ranking political party leaders have been found to be helping the criminal gangs active in illegal logging and poaching.

Culture of corruption and insider deals has made it easier for the criminals to take advantage of the situation and carry on their logging operations without regards to the environment.

Unplanned Urbanization: To make way for growing populations centers across Nepal, forests are being cleared away. Although there are organs within the local administration to manage building codes and check for violations, they functioning in snail’s pace. By the time they have determined that a violation has occurred, the building is three story tall and filled with renters. Because of lawlessness in the country-thanks to political turmoil in Kathmandu, government cannot make the builders take the illegal construction down. Political fringe groups take advantage of situations like this to further fan anti-establishment emotions and sometimes pit one community or religious group against the other. Corruption and political and social influence dealing has also hampered operations of the code enforcers.

Energy need: 87% of domestic energy need in Nepal is met by firewood. Alternative energy sources and green energy technology is a must for the country. There is great interest in the country for solar and bio energy, lack of adequate funding the flip-flopping energy policy of the government, although, is hindering the green energy growth.

Private sector, however, is pushing ahead in developing alternative energy sources in Nepal. FoST, which stands for "Foundation for Sustainable Technologies", is providing low-cost, low-tech, easily-applicable and locally built sustainable technologies for improving the quality of life of poor rural communities and to protect the fragile environment of Nepal. Here is a video of a Dutch volunteer working with FoST.

Wild fires are also responsible for deforestation in Nepal, but compared to the three major factors, effect of the fires is not that severe. Mad made causes are killing the forests more than the natural reasons.

Unchecked deforestation is threatening Nepal’s bio-diversity and it also a threat to the country’s public because every year floods claim lives of hundreds across the country.

Here is a video shot by distancefading, of landslides in Nepal’s hills.

Last year the flooding the land slides were very severe, just one district 45 people were killed and many more displaced. In my column for UPI Asia, I had an opportunity to express my frustration:

"As a popular proverb goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” Nepal has been fooled many times over and yet there is no feeling of shame. Every year, the monsoons cause flooding, landslides, misery, death, destruction and hunger and yet, surprisingly there are no advance preparations or preventive measures to combat it, as if natural disasters are totally natural and somehow the poor deserve it for being poor and ignorant.

There was a time, not very long ago, when Nepal used to have miles of dense forests, undisturbed and protected. They formed a natural layer of protection against raging rivers and landslides. Forests also balance the environment, preventing soil erosion, which helps agriculture and local ecosystems.

But with the promise of rapid development, these precious national treasures have been squandered. Forests have been cleared for housing, construction projects and agriculture with little or no thought for the environment.

Successive governments paid lip service to preserving Nepal’s natural beauty and little was done to protect forests. Deforestation is so rampant that presently only 29 percent of the country’s forests remain. So, it is no surprise that every year swollen rivers cause so much havoc and destruction because there are no forests standing to block their way.

The same goes for landslides. Uncontrolled population growth and rapid urbanization has pushed people to cut trees and build houses in their place.

Outside of Kathmandu valley, hills that were once covered with trees and vegetation are no longer in sight, their place taken by houses. When rain comes, there are no trees to hold the land and it slides down taking houses and people with it.

In some parts of the country, community efforts keep a close guard on surviving forests and actively police the area to keep loggers and unauthorized firewood collectors out. This is a remarkable public effort but unfortunately pales in comparison to the scale of the problem."

A year has gone, unfortunately, it seems that no lesson has been learned by the leaders in Kathmandu. There is still no comprehensive alternative energy policy and no plans on how to save the forests and still allow for development and growth. Sustainable development is not just a slogan; but for the deaf ones in helm of affairs in Kathmandu it is just a way to get foreign aid and all expenses paid foreign trips.

Bhumika Ghimire

Nepal’s water crisis is directly related to the country’s deteriorating environment.In capital Kathmandu, many areas don’t get water for six days a week, and are forced to either buy water through dealers or have to rely on local wells and rivers-whose water quality is not monitored.

The dealers collect water from rivers just outside Kathmandu city, which are polluted and are used sewage dumping points. Sand dealers illegally mine these rivers which has caused un-natural depths in various points along the river causing water stagnation-which has affected water quality and clarity.

As the government is pre-occupied with never ending cycle of in-fighting and political turmoil in the country, taking care of the environment is an after thought.

There is little effort to make Kathmandu green-deforestation is surrounding hills and also rapid urbanization within the city has turned Kathmandu into a gray barren land filled with unplanned housing and businesses.

In villages across the country, the issue is not water but clean water. Villagers largely rely on rivers,wells and pond for water supply as water supply in these areas is not managed through an agency-private or public.

Water quality monitoring is an alien concept in these areas and every year hundreds get sick because of waterborne illnesses. During the monsoon season, diarrhea is a common occurrence as the water sources are polluted by sludge carried downstream down by the rain.

All this misery about water in Nepal is entirely preventable and also manageable if only the people and government work together to make access to clean water a priority issue. Nepal’s government has to make clean water a human right and act accordingly.

Previously posted at Think About It Climate Change.

Bhumika Ghimire

I am participating in a blogging competition which is focused on climate change and environmental issues. 

"TH!NK ABOUT IT is a series of blogging competitions organised by the European Journalism Centre. The competitions are aimed at professional and aspiring journalists and new media creators from a diverse range of backgrounds. TH!NK aims to provide a online platform for coverage of a timely topic, establishing an international community of bloggers in the process. The first Th!nk edition in 2009 concentrated on the European parliamentary elections, with subsequent editions focusing on global topics such as climate change and development."

I have uploaded two posts, one is on Nepal’s water crisis and the other one is on lack of enthusiasm for COP 16.  My main motivation is to highlight climate change issues and Nepal; and also to gripe about the fickle media and the public’s short attention span when it comes to environment and climate change.

I request your support.

Bhumika Ghimire

North Korea is on its bad behavior once again. Right before the U.S. Fourth of July holiday the reclusive regime was back to threatening its neighbors and the United States, test-firing four short-range missiles. This came at a time when U.S.-North Korea tensions were already at a high point following the capture and imprisonment of two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said he is ready to welcome North Korea back to the six-party talks, in an effort to calm the waters. But judging by its history, North Korea’s cycle of belligerence may just be starting.

Professor Morse Tan of the Florida Coastal School of Law says that these events are typical of how the North Koreans operate. They precipitate a crisis, then use negotiations to extract maximum benefit for the regime. They then break their side of the agreement and repeat the cycle again. He says that grasping the pattern in the context of Pyongyang’s objectives gives one a better understanding.

Tan explains that North Korea has three main long-term policy goals toward the South: “1) foment positive political sentiment towards itself in South Korea, which has been succeeding to an extent, especially in some parts of the media, the government and the younger generations; 2) eliminate U.S. military involvement on the peninsula – which is why they have repeatedly asked for a peace treaty with the U.S.; 3) re-unify the two Koreas by military force.”

North Korea has surely been doing its best to precipitate a crisis in recent weeks, with its nuclear and missile tests, closure of its joint venture factories with South Korea, and the detention of the U.S. journalists and one South Korean citizen.

Now reports suggest that North Korea was behind cyber attacks on U.S. and South Korean business and government websites this week. In the United States, the Pentagon, New York Stock Exchange and White House were targeted. In South Korea, the Defense Ministry, Presidential Blue House, and numerous media websites were hit by suspected North Korean cyber attacks.

This saber-rattling is not likely to result in a North Korea-U.S. peace treaty any time soon. Most observers think the six-party talks are the best hope of bringing some resolution. Professor Tan, however, cautions against expecting early success through the talks.

“The six-party talks will continue only if North Korea thinks they can gain through them,” he says. “Five-party talks without North Korea could help coordinate the other five countries in response to North Korea. However, China and Russia have aided North Korea in various ways, notwithstanding their agreement to U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1874 and 1718, due perhaps to international pressure.”

Lost in North Korea’s high-risk game of nuclear brinkmanship is the plight of the country’s regular citizen. The regime appears least bothered about its starving and suffering people, and instead continues to spend millions on weapons programs.

A report from the World Food Program says that North Korea is now severely limiting the distribution of food aid in the country. The U.N. children’s aid agency, UNICEF, is also restricted in the country; recently it was banned from working in the country’s most impoverished region.

Day-to-day life for a normal citizen in North Korea is a steep struggle, Tan says. “Far from any system that rewards merit and work, the North Korean regime divides the populace based on perceived political standing. The three basic categories are: core, wavering and hostile. Within these three categories, there are fifty some sub-categories.

“The core are the elite, while the “hostile” are sent to concentration camps where they are subjected to sever malnourishment, relentless heavy labor – about 14 to 16 hours every day – cruel torture, and in many instances death through malnourishment, over-work, torture, sickness or outright execution. The middle categories make up the large peasant populace that resort to eating bark, grass and leaves in a despondent attempt to ward off starvation.”

North Korea’s acts against its own citizens are indeed criminal and evil. But there is hope; the international community and even regular citizens can do their bit to help the people and isolate the regime. Professor Tan suggests that U.S. groups could invite North Korean sports teams and cultural groups to help break the ice and initiate people-to-people contact, as the South Koreans have done. The New York Philharmonic’s performance in Pyongyang last year stands out in this regard.

The failing health of leader Kim Jong Ill has been widely reported, and a change in leadership could bring an opening for change, however small. Kim’s successor is reported to be his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, who has studied in Switzerland and is in his mid-twenties. His exposure to Western society could be a positive sign, says Tan.

With North Korea things are never what they seem. But no matter how belligerent the regime, the long-suffering citizens of the country are worth every effort to bring the reclusive regime back into the world community.

Originally published July 09,2009. UPI AsiaOnline

Bhumika Ghimire

I would argue in support of including India and Germany as permanent Security Council members. India, although not a "superpower" yet, is a very important factor in world economy, diplomacy and also security. India’s inclusion in the Security Council will bring greater understanding of South Asian issues and also act as a balancing factor when it comes to China.

And Germany, it is a power house-economically and culturally. It does not make sense to exclude a nation as influential as Germany from the Security Council.

Well, India and Germany have secured temporary membership-2 year term in the Security Council. Hopefully by the end of the term there will be more support for them joining as permanent members.

Bhumika Ghimire

I don’t know what are they so mad about. Edwards made it possible for many struggling to conceive to have children, the technology he invented brought thousands of children into this world. Each and every one of them is absolutely precious, worthy and a gift to this world.

So why is the Vatican unhappy about honoring this great invention? They don’t like all those children born with the help of IVF technology? Well, they cry horse against abortion but they don’t like this technology which makes conceiving possible for many fertility challenged couples and single mothers.

 Ok wait. I get it now. Vatican doesn’t like IVF because it makes it possible for single women and gay couples to have children. And as per the Vatican, gays and single women cannot be given that privilege; they cannot have the joy of parenthood.

 Let them cry about the danger of "man disturbing nature" and other "dangers" of science. The real reason is that the Vatican just hates gays and women, and they hate science too.

But my warm congratulations to Robert G. Edwards, and thank you.

Bhumika Ghimire