Received: from mp.cs.niu.edu (mp.cs.niu.edu [131.156.1.2]) by library.wustl.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id LAA14638; Sat, 17 Jan 1998 11:42:09 -0600 (CST) Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA00893 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-dist); Sat, 17 Jan 1998 09:48:14 -0600 Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA00889 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-list); Sat, 17 Jan 1998 09:48:12 -0600 Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 09:48:12 -0600 Message-Id: <199801171548.AA00889@mp.cs.niu.edu> Reply-To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> From: The Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Sender: "Rajpal J.P. Singh" <A10RJS1@cs.niu.edu> Subject: The Nepal Digest - January 18, 1998 (5 Magh 2054 BkSm) To: <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Content-Type: text Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 253
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The Nepal Digest Fri Jan 18, 1998: Magh 5 2054BS: Year7 Volume70 Issue3
Today's Topics:
Midterm Poll
Visit Nepal Year: '98: A post-mortem
Helping Nepal to help itself
Political Predictions
Trying to locate a Nepalese lady
Trekking and Trafficking
Names for boys in Nepal
Response to Barton
Dental elective
Charitable projects in nepal
Volunteer opportunities
An Article: Need help identifying someone
******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
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* The Nepal Digest: General Information tnd@nepal.org *
* Chief Editor: Rajpal JP Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* (Open Position) *
* Columnist: Pramod K. Mishra pkm@acpub.duke.edu *
* Sports Correspondent: Avinaya Rana avinayar@touro.edu *
* Co-ordinating Director - Australia Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Dr. Krishna B. Hamal HamalK@dist.gov.au *
* Co-ordinating Director - Canada Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Anil Shrestha SHRESTHA@CROP.UOGUELPH.CA *
* SCN Correspondent: Open Position *
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* TND Archives: http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/ *
* TND Foundation: http://www.nepal.org tnd@nepal.org *
* WebSlingers: Pradeep Bista,Naresh Kattel,Robin Rajbhandari *
* Rabi Tripathi, Prakash Bista tnd@nepal.org *
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* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "Heros are the ones who give a bit of themselves to the community" *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" -Sirdar_Khalifa *
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******************************************************************************
******************************************************************
Date: Jan 17, 1998
To: The Nepal Digest <tnd@nepal.org>
Subject: Midterm Poll
People's Review: January-15, 1998:BODY POLITICK
January-15, 1998
Can the King tread on Executive and Judiciary?
BY PRAKASH DAHAL
By over-stepping the limits of constitutional monarchy, His Majesty King
Birendra, for the first time in Nepal's 7 years history of constitutional
monarchy and multi-party democracy, has seemingly tried to curtail the prime
minister's prerogatives, as enshrined in Article 53 (4) of Nepal's democratic
constitution, by setting aside his recommendation for parliament dissolution
and fresh election much against the fact that the prime minister remains both
constitutionally and politically the chief and the only trusted counselor of
the constitutional monarch in any constitutional monarchy.
The constitution limiting active role of constitutional monarch in
administrative affairs clearly states that the prime minister shall be held
responsible for any action initiated by the constitutional monarch at the
recommendation of the prime minister. The constitution also clarifies that
the monarch shall take heed of the prime minister save in dealings of
narrow scope where monarch's discretion is required. Apparently, the monarch
himself shall be held accountable for any actions initiated by the
constitutional monarch by brushing aside the prime minister's advice.
In previous two cases of prime minister's recommendation for parliament
dissolution and fresh polls, the constitutional monarch took heed of the
prime minister and declared dissolution of the parliament without much
ado about his own choice or discretion, or consultations with people,
which was widely taken as a precedent set on constitutional monarch's part.
In neither of the cases, the monarch was drawn into any sort of controversy
nor the disgruntled group kicked dust against him, though his second
declaration was rendered null and void by the Supreme Court and the
Parliament reinstated.
The minority government's prime minister, Man Mohan Adhikari, had tried to
hurl the country into electoral whirlpool to escape the no-confidence vote
against him while the parliament was still at its infancy (nine months old).
Then, the prime minister was in clear minority with the parliament potentially
strong for producing alternative government. Except the ruling CPN-UML's 89
seats and couple of communist MPs, the rest all parliamentarians were in
favour of alternative government, and when the majority opposition petitioned
the monarch for Special Session of the Parliament with the purpose of tabling
no-confidence motion against the communist government, Adhikari in his bid to
escape the no-trust vote sought dissolution of the parliament.
Then, the constitutional battle was ensued between the Executive chief and
Legislature. In Adhikari's case, the legislatures in majority had already
sought special session and, the prime minister's recommendation for
dissolution of the parliament came in response and to counter the opposition's
move, hence provably not only erroneous but also ill-intentioned.
Even then, the constitutional monarch didn't deem it necessary to seek advice
of legal experts and Supreme Court judges, who could have persuaded the
monarch not to heed the minority prime minister in that case, but he rather
took heed of the prime minister and declared dissolution of the parliament.
Though, the opposition was seriously hurt, yet, no mud-slinging went against
the constitutional monarch because constitutionally Adhikari was held
responsible and not the monarch who acted on recommendation of the prime
minister.
The erroneous recommendation was proven technically faulty by Supreme Court
and the parliament was reinstated.
Nevertheless, in either of the previous cases, the constitutional monarch by
its action proved that it abided to constitutional spirit.
However, to the dismay of many political observers in the country, the monarch
seems to be reluctant in taking heed of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa's
recommendation for parliament dissolution and fresh poll despite the fact that
Thapa still enjoy the strength of 110 parliamentarians both constitutionally
and practically.
As Thapa was given a vote of confidence by 110 parliamentarians which has not
been withdrawn as no parliament has convened since then, hence his virtual
strength not tested, except in private rooms and behind-the-close-door
negotiations. Thapa recommended the monarch for parliament dissolution at
the strength of 110 parliamentarians, and at the time when he did so,
no opposition staked claim for an alternative government, hence, no
constitutional barrier arises for the monarch to unheed him.
Even the petitioners for special session could only muster strength of 96
parliamentarians when they staked claim for alternative government from
within the parliament.
Now the question arises whether the constitutional monarch should listen to
the prime minister who still enjoys the majority or the opposition petitioners
who not only failed in demonstrating the required strength but also
petitioned for special session much later than the prime minister himself.
On constitutional monarch's part as the two earlier precedents have
established, he doesn't need to use his discretion or judgment but to act
on recommendation of the prime minister for the fact that those dissatisfied
can knock at the Supreme Court's door for legal remedy to their grievances
as has been done earlier.
If the constitutional monarch himself starts deciding on the basis of his
discretion or judgment, this clearly implies that the constitutional
monarch has infringed on the jurisdiction of Judiciary.
Equally, if the constitutional monarch seeks Supreme Court's counseling at
his Court in black and white or verbally, the Supreme Court would be caught
in an awkward position, if and when, any such cases decided by the monarch
after Supreme Court's prior counseling, are eventually brought to the
Supreme Court by disgruntled groups. In such circumstances, will the
Supreme Court, which has already offered its counseling to the monarch,
be able to remain fair, impartial and judiciuos in its proceedings and
decisions? If not, then apparently the Suporeme Court's authority is infringed
upon by the constitutional monarch.
Likewise, the constitutional monarch refusing to take heed of the executive
chief, the majority prime minister, has simultaneously tried to encroach on
executive's area of action.
Hence, the issue to be addressed at the moment is whether the constitutional monarch can tread on realms of Executive and Judiciary ? <P>
******************************************************************
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 18:50:44 -0500 (EST)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: [Fwd: "Visit Nepal Year: '98: A post-mortem"] (fwd)
Starting tomorrow, Nepal celebrates a year-long extravaganza known as
"Visit Nepal Year" -- a wonderful idea to promote tourism in Nepal.
A work of fiction attempted in a satirical mode, what follows was
originally published in the "post platform" section of The Kathmandu Post
(April 24 '97). Any resemblance to some home truths about tourism in Nepal
should be treated as co-incidental.
My special thanks to many friends in Thamel, Lazimpat, Pokhara and Durbar Marg
who were generous with countless cus of chiya and guff, and who earn their
"dal-bhaat" as mid-level to low-level employees in Nepal's travel and trade business.
Visit Nepal Year: A post-mortem
by ashu
Last week, I got on the Time Machine in Ratna Park, and travelled to
April 17 1999. At two pm that day, I had an appointment in Putali Sadak, at
the office of Anup Raj -- my pal with a Hahvahd MBA (whom I tried
to make famous in another satire called "julus for hire") who'd just been
made a Partner at McKinsey & Company's Nepal office.
The reason for my visit was this. Since His Majesty's Government
had hired McKinsey to look into what had gone wrong during the preceding
Visit Neal Year (VNY), I wanted to know what findinds had Anup Raj's MBA-studded
team come up with. Soon, over mud-brown coffee and oven-fresh samosas, Anup Raj
shared this summary of his team's findings.
A FOISTED IDEA: The Visit Nepal Year, stated the McKinsey report, was
conceived entirely by Mr. Daanbir Muni, a clever Nepali
forester-turned-hotelier,
as a yet another tax-payer financed scheme to fill up his and his friends' (all
members of that exclusive club called Hotel Association of Nepal - HAN) hotel
rooms in Kathmandu, Nagarkot and Pokhara.
To his credit, Mr. Muni convinced His Majesty's Government to adopt
the VNY idea as its very own. Once that was done, Mr. Muni then
uncharacteristically assumed a lower public profile, and let the government
(of whichever party that happened to be in power) get the blame all through
1997 and 1998 for being thoroughly disorganized about the whole VNY
extravaganza.
A HIDDEN PURPOSE: From the very beginning, the VNY idea designed
to help neither countless small tourism operators not thousands of
visiting tourists. High-altitude porters were still not to be insured
against accidents. Fines were still not to be levied against those
who polluted. There were no talks about standardizing basic hygiene at most
hotels and restuarants that have horribly fetid kitchens.
Hindu temples, Buddhist bihars and various urban/rural locations
were to be tidied up in a haphazard manner "to show to the tourists", but
not to instil pride in the surrounding neighborhoods. Green-stickers
that said "anti-pollution-standards-met-vehicle" were up for sale, and the
over-all emphasis of the VNY was not on serving tourists, but extracting
more money out of them to maintain the status quo of a handful of
Kathmandu's well-connected "travel and trade" professionals and their
up-scale hotel-owning familes.
No wonder then, the McKinsey report continued, there was no autonomous
Tourism Development Board, no plans to set up Municipal Zoning Commissions that
would at least protect "heritage-sites" from ugly encroachments. None of these
infrastructure-building provisions were there because the real purpose of VNY
was to fool the public to quietly allow a few export/import-wallahs to import
duty-free (in the name of VNY) 'phoren' goods such as motor-vehicles, fancy fridges,
construction materials, and so forth so that tehy and they alone could branch
out of Lazimpat, Durbatr Marg and go on to open up their chains of hotels,
clubs,
and resorts in yet-to-be-spoilt locations such as Bandipur, Tansen,
Madan Pokhara,
Ilam and many mid-hills across Nepal.
Of course, lest the ever sleepy Nepali press found this all out, and thereby
diminished the value of their loot, Mr. Muni and his HAN colleagues, in cahoots
with the mandarins at the Department of Tourism, had devised an incentive-system
whereby the newly established VNY Secretariat would dole out a monthly
cash prize to
any newspaper that gave them the most sugary propaganda. This, co course, killed
every journalistic initiative to investigate into the whole VNY charade.
MAOBADI TOURISTS: VNY '98 failed to attract the aimed number of 500,000
tourists (including those from India) in part because it unwittingly brought
out-of-work Maoist guerrillas from Albania, Peru and Zaire to Nepal. Surviving
on doughnuts and dosa for a few days in Thamel, those guests later went on
village-tours, and vanished in the hills of Rolpa, Rukum, Sindhuli and Jajarkot.
It later transpired that they were there to lend a khukuri to Babu Ram
Bhattarai's
Maobadi activities.
Reacting swiftly, His Majesty's Government denounced those "terrorist-tourists",
and changed the official Sanskrit VNY slogan (athi.ti day.bo va.wa) to
Nepali "athi.ti
dekhi vaa.ga". At any rate, news of increasing Maoist activities put an end to
all village-tours . . .
Still, other visitors did not want to stay put in Kathmandu, and they fled --
fanning horror-stories everywhere. By the time, Mr. Muni revived his
Sai-Baba-style
counter-publicity machine on the Internet and through chain-faxes, it was too
late
to give life to Visit Nepal Year - 1998 program.
If the above was a mere summary of Anup Raj's findings, what did the rest of the
McKinsey report say? Well, if you have an access to the Time Machine, you know
what to do. If not, let's wait till the spring of 1999, shall we? THE END.
************************************************************
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 22:37:25 -0600
From: "F.A.H. Dalrymple" <hutchfa@topher.net>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Helping Nepal to help itself
Editor: Rajpal J.P. Singh
I have been reading with interest, 'The Nepal Digest,' via the NET. I
guess you could call 'The Nepal Digest,' a 'cyberspace forum' in which
topical issues about Nepal are discussed. I'm grateful for its
existence, because I've learned of the current ethos, and since I'm on
my way to Nepal, this is helpful. But, I would like to enter the
discussion before I depart. For one thing sticks out in my mind with
practically everyone I've come in contact with (via the NET): men and
women, anglo and Nepalese, even a woman who had an unpleasant experience
in Nepal... They all either miss it, want to return, or like me, have
had a life-long desire to go.
There is something special about Nepal! And what is that? What is it
that everyone likes about Nepal? Can it be put into words? Bottled and
sold like Nepalese beer in England?
Why such a discordant 'mantra' about a country (area) we all seem to
love?
Can't we relight the 'flame' together?
We're all the same energy, just manifested in different ways.
Isn't this 'life' the 'dream' we wake up from...?
Great social change begins with one person!
There is something special about Nepal, and I intend to go find out what
that is...
This, and other musings, available via the NET: www.VirtuallyThere.To
(hopefully by early February). Please feel free to participate in
'relighting the flame' together!
In the meantime,
Naya Barsh ko Shubhakamana!
F.A.H. Dalrymple
hutchfa@topher.net
****************************************************************
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 06:12:47 -0500 (EST)
From: atuladhar@clarku.edu
Subject: Re:Political Predictions
To: THE NEPAL DIGEST <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Dear TND friends:
I invite you to play a game of political predictions for Nepal midterm
polls, if and when it happens...
you probably know today's khabar, the king referred the pm's
recommendation for midterm polls to the Supreme court. I do not fault
him in the strictly legal sense i understand since the constitutions
and the supreme court decisions have rendered the relevant articles
rather ambigious. I guess midterm will come after all.
my predictions:
RPP (Thapa) up by 100% from 15 to 30 .
RPP (Chand) down by 50% from 6 to 3.
NC (Pro-GP 74) down by 25% from 74 to 55.
NC (anti-GP 36) down by 75% from 36 to 10.
UML may range from minus 15% to plus 10% from 88 to 75 to 95.
Far left parties up 50% from 8 (?) to 12-15.
Sadvabhana also up 50% from 3 to 5.
New make up:
RPP Thapa + NC + Sadbhavana = 30 + 65 + 5 = 100
UML + RPP Chand + Far Left = 85 + 15 + 3 = 103
Conclusion: more unpalatable coalitions, more unpalatable but
powerful rpp (thanks to govt machineray), hopefully a little humbled
"mainstream" parties (NC and UML) which have been kicked on the pants
but childish pranks, and a little more assertive far left which can b
egin to hijack the conscience of the left now that uml has gone
moderate to rightist!
pasa
amulya
********************************************************
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 10:11:54 -0700
From: WOODY & PENNY STRONG <wpstrong@lynx.csn.net>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Trying to locate a Nepalese lady
Dear Nepal Digest:
I got your e-mail address from Mr. Manish Nandy, who suggested I may
have success in finding someone in Kathmandu.
I am trying to locate a lady by the name of Mrs. Mira Rana. She
attended Georgetown university in the USA in about 1954. She married a
Canadian man. That's all the information I have on her.
My reason is: I have a friend who lives in Colorado Springs, Amy
Hughes, who attended school with Mira Rana. Amy has cancer and would
like so much to be in contact with her.
Any help you could provide, would be most appreciated. Thanks so much.
Sincerely, Penny Strong (FAX: 7l9 748-1357) Address: P.O. Box 550,
Lake George, Colorado 80827 e-mail: wpstrong@lynx.csn.net
*********************************************************
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 09:14:41 +0545 (NPT)
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: sinhas@mos.com.np (Pratyoush Onta)
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 16 Jan 1998
The Politics of Knowledge
Radio Nepal: Renew Khoj Khabar
Pratyoush Onta
On Tuesday, 13 January 1998 (29 Paush, 2054), one of the most innovative
programs broadcast over Radio Nepal during my lifetime was prematurely
killed by that Radio's bosses. The team that had been producing Khoj Khabar
- a 15-minute program that was on air at 8:30pm on weekdays for the last
seven months - was handed over a brief letter as its members went to Radio
Nepal's studio in the late afternoon on Tuesday to record the program for
that night. The letter, signed by the director of the production division
of Radio Nepal simply stated that "as per order received", Khoj Khabar will
only be broadcast until the end of Paush (that is, the very same day on
which the letter was handed over). Upon inquiry at Radio Nepal, I was told
that it was customary that letters informing the discontinuation of
programs did not state the reason(s) behind the decision.
What was Khoj Khabar?: As per the contract agreement signed on 29 Jetha
2054, Khoj Khabar was supposed to be a news-oriented, analytical program
dedicated to national and international issues related to "development".
The contract given to the team by Radio Nepal states 10 general conditions
within which the program was to be produced. The initial contract was valid
for a period of six months and during early Paush, it was renewed for an
additional month.
Those familiar with Radio Nepal during the Panchayat era and after -
especially those who did not listen to even a single Khoj Khabar program -
will first ask, quite naturally, what is so depressing about the
termination of a program over Radio Nepal dedicated to the theme of
development. After all, hadn't we grown up on a steady diet of bikas-mukhi
programs over the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s when Radio Nepal's technical
abilities for broadcasting grew many folds in tandem with the Panchayati
state's increasingly large bikas bureaucracy and its slogans? But anyone
who had the opportunity to listen to even one of the more than 185
program-installments of Khoj Khabar would immediately answer that this
program's uniqueness was not due to the topics it selected, but because of
the way in which each single program was produced.
As with many other programs over Radio Nepa, bikas remained the main
subject of Khoj Khabar's three-segment presentation that included two
reportage pieces (or one reportage and one analysis) and one letter or a
phone inquiry from among its listeners. However, in a society that had
grown quite used to programs over Radio Nepal mostly containing the news,
advice and the slogans of the bikase elites and political leaders, both
Panche variety and the motley crowd of multi-party wallas that we have seen
since 1990, Khoj Khabar was different in that it was, for once, produced
with the sound-bites of the Nepali people at large, expressing their
concerns about issues that were most important to their lives, their
livelihoods and their future. The analytical narratives from journalists
were constructed around the voices and the concerns of the people from all
over Nepal as the latter mulled over the issues from a perspective infused
with an immediacy rarely found in other radio programs or the neta-centric
print media for that matter. Surely this was a program about bikas, but not
bikas of the country's political elite, but that of the masses, the
ordinary Nepalis, struggling honestly against much hardship every day. It
was for this reason that Khoj Khabar, in its short life, managed to amass a
reputation for itself, a fact evidenced not only by the style in which its
reporters were recognized by people in different parts of Nepal but also by
the flood of letters and phone calls the program office in Kathmandu
received from all over Nepal and from listeners in India and beyond.
Surely, as was pointed out by several commentators during a self-evaluation
session held last month, the program had some faults but that is to be
expected whenever something as innovate as this was being tried in a medium
which had been completely misused by the political elite of this country to
serve its own interests. However, Khoj Khabar's strengths far surpassed
its weaknesses. It was the closest thing we had to what elsewhere is called
public-service broadcasting. The medium, for once, was not being used to
insult the intelligence of the people through the reiteration of dead bikas
slogans, but was being used to air their voice and concerns. Among its
many other strengths, we might note that the team consisted of many young
women journalists and editors who did reportage from all over Nepal. This
fact should be a wake-up call to misogynists within the journalistic
profession in Nepal, those who love to deride the capacity of women
journalists ("they can't go beyond Kathmandu," "they are not capable" and
the like) while doing nothing to facilitate opportunities for bright and
capable new women scribes. Yet another of its strengths was the low cost of
the program. Radio Nepal was paying the Khoj Khabar team less than Rs 1000
for each 15-minute installment. My sources tell me that an informal
analysis done some weeks ago determined that if this program were to be run
by a team of Radio Nepal's journalists, it would cost about four times as
much!!
Question to those from whom "as per the order received" emanated: One of
the program coordinators of Khoj Khabar, journalist Gopal Guragain told me
that never during the period of its broadcast did Radio Nepal's bosses
raise any objection to its contents. Radio Nepal personnel I spoke to
before writing this column refused to be quoted but acknowledged that Khoj
Khabar was a popular program and should not have been terminated. Executive
Director of Radio Nepal, Shailendra Raj Sharma was out of town when this
piece was being written. However, my sources made it quite clear that "as
per the order received" emanated from high offices within the present
government, well above Sharma's chair. I suspect that given the popularity
of Khoj Khabar for the above stated reasons, bosses in the Ministry of
Communication were afraid that the Nepali people at large might learn to
demand that other Radio Nepal programs should also be like Khoj Khabar in
its production-style. Afraid that the most popular medium in Nepal might
actually begin to serve the interests of the people - who have hitherto
been rendered voiceless in a medium that prizes voice - these bosses must
have decided that terminating Khoj Khabar was the way to deal with the
danger.
When coupled with the fact that the Ministry has refused to give licenses
to private FM stations (except for Radio Sagarmatha), it has now become
clear that Panchayati dispensation with respect to the medium of radio
thrives within the much-heard governmental/bureaucratic rhetoric about
democracy, decentralization, participatory communication, and the like.
None of the big three political parties are interested in cultivating a new
people-oriented dispensation for the medium of radio in Nepal. They don't
want the people of Nepal to use the medium to air their own news, views,
analyses and grievances. Despite lessons of history from elsewhere, our
leaders refuse to let go of their monopolies. This is a mistake they might
regret when the next big upsurge happens in Nepal, one in which, I hope,
the people will not show the generosity with which they dealt with the
Panches after 2046.
In the end I salute the team of Khoj Khabar which had the courage to
broadcast, among many others, a program on the development ills of
Chingtang - one of the many sites where the Panchayati government under
Surya Bahadur Thapa killed its own citizens about two decades ago - days
after Thapa took office this time around. Thanks for letting us have a
taste of what radio in Nepal could be. I hope that before too long, Khoj
Khabar will be back on air.
**********************************************************
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 04:52:31 GMT
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu (The Nepal Digest)
From: carin@gn.apc.org (H Brown)
Subject: Re: Web Site, Nepal, Travel, Trekking and Trafficking
Dear Sir,
I am aware of Mr Koirala's posting, which does not represent a
factual description of the slant of our web site.
It has never been our intention to imply that "Nepal is full of
rapists", only that it has some who pose a threat to visitors. This
is supported by evidence. It follows that if Robert Markey and
myself did not do our best to encourage action on these issues,
then someone else would do it instead.
In my postings I always mention the kindliness of many Nepalese
people, which has continually drawn me back to Nepal for almost
twenty years, to give all my Nepalese readers an opportunity to
identify themselves with goodness. I am sorry that Mr Koirala does
not realise this. It is there on the web site, if he studies it more
thoroughly.
I am currently occupied with so much correspondence that at the
moment I cannot elaborate further. In due course I will be very
pleased to do so.
H Brown
carin@gn.apc.org
carin@activist.com
http://www.blue-fox.com/nepal
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
***********************************************************
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 22:36:20 +0100
From: De Vries <vries689@wxs.nl>
To: a10rjs1@cs.niu.edu
Subject: names for boys in Nepal
Sir,
I'm very interested in national names and their meaning. Could you give
me a list of names in the Nepal language for boys and their meaning?
Y.s.
Jan Bleeker
******************************************************************
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 06:36:01 PST
From: saroj bhattarai <nepaltravel@hotmail.com>
To: tnd@nepal.org
Lowest airfare to kathmandu IN singapore airlines.From NY/DC - $1150
PLUS TAX (APPROX $50) CHICAGO/ATLANTA: 1210 PLUS TAX. CONTACT SUNRISE
TRAVELS FOR DETAILS - 703-862-3572 OR REPLY TO THIS EMAIL :
NEPALTRAVEL@HOTMAIL.COM
*************************************************************
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 14:21:27 -0500
From: Bijaya Rajbhandari <brajbhandari@unicef.org>
To: wings@gn.apc, tnd@nepal.org
Subject: Response to Barton
Dear Barton,
I happened to read your message in the The Nepal Digest. Your message
was short but shocking. The message could be very damaging to the
fragile economy which Nepal. The way you are promoting the Human
Rights may not be the best way and actually it decelerates Human
Rights rather than promotion. You did not look at the underlying cause
of girl trafficking which is just the manifestation.
I had the privilege to travel many remote places of Nepal specially
the Mid and Far Western part of Nepal which is the poorest region in
the country. I did the travelling for more than 8 years, it is all by
foot from the village to village. Being a city boy, it really helped
me to open my eye and appreciate the beauty , diverse culture it has
and get to know the deeper aspect of the rural life. In that way, I
would consider myself fortunate, which many people who live in
Kathmandu or cities probably would not have or would not like.
Let us get to the point. The girl trafficking is not a cultural
phenomenon in Nepal like girl child circumscion which take place in
many parts of the world, and is more to do with culture. Girl
trafficking is developed out of sheer poverty. The rural life is very
tough and in many parts of the rural hills there is sufficient food
for only six months or less depending on rain fall pattern. Many
people in the Farwestern region go to India to work in winter right
after harvesting. This leads to girl trafficking which actually allows
the decision to be taken by the parents to send their daughters to big
cities in India. Parents always do not have the information on where
their daughters are heading to. Many think that they are going for the
brighter lights and brighter career. Human rights issue is of little
existence here.
I fully agree that Government could play a role here. But the
information system is not adequate enough that the Chief District
Officer who is 3 days walk from the village could police these things.
there are not sufficient number of police. Even if there are police,
they are not willing to do a lot if the kickback is better than that.
I would take the whole issue of girl trafficking as the issue of
ignorance, issue of poverty. Unless this aspects are not dealt well,
the curative aspect will help very little. Human Rights are very
important issue and has no second opinion about it. By promoting
everyone not to visit the country you are aggravating the situation by
cutting the revenue base of the Government which may lead to better
pay for the police and more vigilant of trafficking etc. So please do
not use the Human Rights as the issue to deal with every problem in
the world, try to understand the underlying problem of the country
before somebody embark on it.
You can take the issue of good sanitation as the basic right of the
population yet it is not being met for more than half the population
in the globe. That means you do not visit half of the globe!
Bijaya Rajbhandari
bijaya@africaonline.co.zw
*********************************************************
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 16:45:44 GMT
From: Helen Rooney <H.M.ROONEY@dundee.ac.uk>
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: Dental elective
Hi,
I am a 22 year old, Northen Irish dental student at Dundee
University, Scotland and I am desperately trying to organise a dental
elective for October 1998. Can anyone help me? I need names and
addresses of dentists/hospitals/charities, anything/anyone who is
involved in the practice of dentistry in Nepal.
I hope I get some replies....!
Helen.
***********************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 18:01:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Maria Rochelle Sanchez Collantes <mrscoll@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: charitable projects in nepal
I am looking for resources on how my nonprofit organization can start
charitable projects in child health and development in Nepal. Can you send
me information about this by email or mail:
MARIA S.COLLANTES,M.D.
THE SACRED HEART FOUNDATION HEALTH PROJECTS
5109 KNICKERBOCKER DRIVE BOX 5
ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22310
(703)924-1511
I need to know as well if there are organizations here in the U.S. or in
Nepal with which I can do collaborative work in these areas, i.e. child
health and development. I also have brochures/documents to send out to any
organization which will be interested to work with us.
Thank you very much for your attention. Hoping for your immediate and
favorable reply to this request.
Sincerely,
Maria Rochelle Sanchez-Collantes, M.D.
Founder/Director for International Operations/Executive Director
****************************************************************
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 14:40:51 EST
From: FThurkettl <FThurkettl@aol.com>
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: Volunteer opportunities
Hello my name is Brent Thurkettle . I am a 1997 graduate of the University of
Iowa. I received a BS in Environment and development with an emphasis in
geographic information systems. I spent 3 months in and around the Kathmandu
valley. I volunteered at an orphanage called Mendies Haven Childrens Home, on
the edge of Kathmandu/Patan. I am very interested in any opportunities that
might be available so that I may return. I have a working knowledge of Nepali,
which could be expanded greatly. I look forward to hearing from you in the
future.
Thanks for your time
Brent Joseph Thurkettle
alternate e-mail dave@digivation.com
***********************************************************
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 14:56:52 -0500
From: REFGID@library.phila.gov
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: http://www.nepal.org/re Need help identifying someone
Hi!
I HOPE TND IS THE PLACE FOR IT. I NEED HELP IDENTIFYING SOMEONE
I MET DOWN SOUTH LAST SUMMER. I RECORDED OUR CONVERSATION (I'LL EXP-
LAIN WHY SHORTLY) IN TAPE, WHICH I HAVE LOST. NOT BEFORE PUTTING WHAT
WAS IN TAPE IN MY 1997 JOURNAL. I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT. IT WAS
WHILE GOING OVER THE JOURNAL THAT I TOOK UPON MYSELF TO FIND OUT HIS
NAME. HE IS NEPALI, AND SEEMED TO BE TRAVELLING CROSSCOUNTRY WITH HIS
AMERICAN CONTINGENT. HE WOULDN'T TELL ME HIS NAME, YOU SEE. THERE IS
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS GUY I JUST CAN'T GET OUT OF MY HEAD.
I MET HIM TOWARD THE END OF BOB DYLAN/ANI DIFRANCO CONCERT IN
GEORGIA, ATLANTA. I AM A DYLAN NUT. I WAS THERE VISITING MY NEPALI
RELATIVES THAT SUMMER. THERE I SAW THIS GUY IN MAROON HOODED JACKET
(VERY JOCHE STYLE) WITH AN UNMISTABLE NEPALI LOOK. LIMBU, TAMANG,
GURUNG LOOK! I TAPPED ON HIS SHOULDER AND ASKED IF HE WAS A NEPALI
BY ANY CHANCE. HE WAS SHAKEN, LIKE HE'D SEEN A GHOST FROM THE PAST.
LOOKED ME UP AND DOWN, AND DIDN'T SAY A WORD. A GIRL WHO'D OVERHEARD
MY INQUIRY, REPLIED:"YEAH, HE IS FROM NEPAL." HE WENT BALLISTIC:"
YOU BITCH, SHUT UP!" HE SMILED APOLOGETICALLY:"YEAH, I AM NEPALI.
WHAT YOU DOING HERE?" (DIDN'T TELL ME HIS NAME OR ASK MINE. SOUNDED
RUDE. SO MUCH FOR NEPALI-TO-NEPALI COURTESY.) HE WAS REEKING OF ALCOHOL.
I SAID I WENT TO TEMPLE UNIVERSITY IN PHILADELPHIA, WAS A JOURNALISM
STUDENT AND WAS VISITING SOMEONE DOWN THERE. HE SAID:"YOU'RE NUT.
YOU DON'T COME DOWN SOUTH FOR SUMMER. YOU COULD DIE OF HEAT STROKE.
JOURNALISM, EH? SO WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?" HE HAD THIS ATTITUDE.
I WAS TRYING TO CONNECT, YOU SEE. I WAS NOT PISSED, 'CAUSE HE SEEMED
DRUNK. I SAID:" I DON'T KNOW WORK FOR PAPER, OR WRITE A BOOK."
THAT SEEMED TO INTEREST HIM. HE SAID:"YEAH, YOU SHOULD WRITE A
BOOK ABOUT YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA. SEE, WHEN I CAME TO AMERICA
I WAS LOST. YOU COULD TELL YOUR NEPALI AUDIENCE WHAT TO EXPECT IF
THEY DECIDE TO COME OVER HERE. YOU'D BE DOING THEM A SERVICE." I
DIDN'T KNOW WHY HE WAS SO FORTHCOMING, BUT HIS AGENDA SOON BECAME
CLEAR. HE WENT ON:" YOU SOULD WRITE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU'VE MET HERE,TOO.
YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU COULD INCLUDE ME IN THE BOOK." I WENT ALONG:"
WHY SHOULD I?" HE SAID:"'CAUSE I THINK I'M INTERESTING. MY FRIENDS
HERE THINK SO." I PASSED THE ONUS ON HIM:"WHY DON'T YOU WRITE YOUR
OWN STORY?" HE SAID:"THAT WOULD SEEM AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. I DON'T LIKE
THAT. IF YOU WRITE ME UP, THAT WOULD SEEM MORE CREDIBLE." YOU SEE, I
HAD NO INTENTION OF WRITING SUCH A BOOK. IT WAS A CHANCE REMARK.
HE SEIZED ON IT, AND RAN WITH IT, THAT'S ALL. VERY FASCINATING. I
PLAYED ALONG:" I JUST MIGHT. IF YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME." HE IGNORED
THE QUESTION, AND WENT TO JOIN HIS AMERICAN FRIENDS, VERY FRAT-TYPE.
ALONG WITH THEM HE WAS SHOUTING:"BOBBY, BOBBY. WE LOVE YOU..." (
BOB DYLAN WAS ON STAGE) HE TOTALLY IGNORED ME. I WENT FRONT, A
COUPLE OF ROWS.
I FELT A TAP. IT WAS HIM. ASKED ME:"HEY, YOU WANT A "RAINY
DAY WOMAN"? I SAID:"WHAT'S THAT?" HE OFFERED ME A ROLLED ME
A ROLLED-UP JOINT, AND SAID:"I HOPE YOU SMOKE. EVERYBODY HERE DOES.
THAT BOOK. YOU SERIOUS ABOUT IT?" I SAID:"YEAH!" (HE HAD ME COMPLETELY
HOOKED BY THEN. I WAS GOING WHO'S THIS DUDE? SO BOHEMIAN LOOKING!)
HE SAID:"MEET ME AFTER THE CONCERT. I GOT A RECORDER IN THE VAN.
YOU CAN SORT-OF-INTERVIEW ME, YOU KNOW." I WAS NOT KEEN ON
INTERVIEWING A DRUNK, BUT I WENT ALONG, HOPING HE WOULD FORGET ABOUT IT
ALL. BUT WAS I SURPRISED.
AFTER THE CONCERT, WE WENT TO THE VAN. HE CALLED OUT TO HIS FRIENDS:
"CAN WE NOT LEAVE FOR A WHILE, PLEASE. I'M BEING INTERVIEWED. MY SHOT
AT 15 MINUTES OF FAME." NO REPLY. HE TURNED TO ME:"F**K THEM. LET'S GO
ON WITH THE INTERVIEW. SHOOT!" I JUST PLAYED ALONG, TO SEE WHAT I COULD
FIND OUT ABOUT HIM. HE HAD ME GLUED.
(THIS IS TAKEN FROM THE JOURNAL. OUR CONVERSATION.)
Q: WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
A: I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT.
Q: WHY NOT?
A: THEN IT WOULDN'T BE INTERESTING. WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY YOU MET
THIS CRAZY GUY DOWN SOUTH, WHO WAS TRAVELLING, UNDER AN ALIAS.
SEE, THAT'S A HOOK. YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR POTENTIAL READERS GUESSING.
IF YOU DECIDE TO WRITE THE BOOK, THAT IS.
Q: WHY DO YOUR FRIENDS CALL YOU? THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS?
A: THEY CALL ME JOE. I'VE KNOWN THEM ONLY A WEEK. MET THEM IN
ORLANDO, FLORIDA.
Q: WHO WAS THAT GIRL THAT YOU CALLED "BITCH" TO?
A: MY GIRLFRIEND MARSHY. KNOWN HER ONLY A WEEK.
Q: WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN FLORIDA?
A: I WAS SUPERVISING CONSTRUCTION WORK. YOU KNOW DECK-BUILDING,
CARPENTRY, DRYWALLING, PAINTING. SEE, I CAME DOWN SOUTH FROM
MAINE. I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB. I MET THIS RETIRED KOREAN
CONTRACTOR WHO HAD TOOLS. SO I STARTED A COMPANY SORT-OF.
I HIRED WORKERS. HE HAD THE LICENSE, PERMIT AND CONTACTS.
FUNNY THING IS I STARTED WITHOUT ANY EXPERIENCE. CALL IT
GUTS. WE NEVER LET ON THAT WE WERE INEXPERIENCED. I HAVE
DONE SOME CARPENTRY IN SCHOOL BACK HOME. AND I ALSO WORKED
WITH ONE AMERICAN IN THE OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA NOT
LONG AGO. SO I HAD SOME KNOWLEDGE, THAT'S ALL. IT WAS JUST
LEARN AS YOU GO ALONG, BUT ACT LIKE YOU'VE DONE IT FOR YEARS.
Q:YOU QUIT THE JOB?
A: YEAH, AFTER 4 MONTHS AT IT. AFTER I MET THESE GUYS I'M WITH.
THEY SAID THEY WERE HEADED FOR SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, FOR
WHATEVER REASON. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD TAKE ME ALONG.
THEY SAID NO, FIRST. I TOLD THEM I COULD SHOW THEM AROUND
. THAT I KNEW THE SOUTHWEST WELL. THAT I GOT FRIENDS IN
EL PASO, WHO CAN GET US PEYOTE, 'SHROOM, AND WEED. MENTION
DRUGS TO COLLEGE KIDS, THEY BECOME INTERESTED,SEE. THEY
FINALLY AGREED.
Q:YOU SAID YOU'VE KNOWN YOUR GIRLFRIEND FOR A WEEK. HOW'D
YOU MEET HER.
A: AT THE THRIFTSTORE. YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS. WHEN I SAW HER:"
I WENT:" I AM ALONE IN THIS BIG CITY. TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY.
CAN I ASK YOU OUT?" THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK. FUNNY, EH?
THAT NIGHT WHEN WE WENT TO MOVIE, I TOLD HER I LIED ABOUT
THE BIRTHDAY. SHE DIDN'T CARE. I SAID:"I DON'T COME
FROM A COUNTRY WHERE DATING IS COMMON. DATING TO ME IS
LIKE MOVING A MOUNTAIN. SO HELP ME GOD. AND MARSHY, GO EASY
ON ME." SHE THINKS THAT WAS CUTE.
Q: YOU A LADIES' MAN?
A: HELL NO. I AM SHY. AND I HAVE TO ASSUME A CHARACTER, AND
STAY IN CHARACTER TO PULL IT OFF. I HAVE BEEN IN AMERICA
FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. SHE'S MY FIRST REAL GIRLFRIEND. SEE.
Q: HOW'D YOU CONVINCE HER TO COME WITH YOU?
A: I DIDN'T. I ASKED MY OTHER FRIENDS TO TELL HER THAT WE
WE WERE GOING ON A WILD TRIP. SEE, SHE'S 19, NEVER BEEN
OUT OF THIS CITY. AMERICAN GIRLS, WHEN THEY TURN 18, THEY
SEEK THEIR OWN FREEDOM, WANT TO SEE IT ALL, DO IT ALL.
THE FUNNY THING IS SHE QUIT THE JOB JUST LIKE THAT.
Q: ARE YOU DRUNK OR STONED? YOU CARRY ON WELL.
A: I DRANK SOME, SMOKED SOME. I WAS JUST PRETENDING, JUST TO
GET ALONG WITH THE HERD. THAT'S ALL. I'M REALLY SOBER, IF
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW.
Q: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA?
A: I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. SEE, I USED TO READ A LOT. ALL
MY FRIENDS BACK HOME DID. I WAS WEANED ON EARLY HAROLD ROBBINS,
AND WESTERN FLICKS, HORSE OPERA, THEY CALL THEM. I WENT
TO SCHOOL IN THE SOUTHWEST. WHEN I CAME HERE I HAD A VERY
19TH CENTURY IMAGE OF THE COUNTRY IN MY HEAD.INDIANS AND
COWBOYS. DURING THE ORIENTATION, WE WERE TAKEN DOWNTOWN AND
SHOWN AROUND. I WENT TO THIS ANTIQUE STORE AND ASKED THE GUY:"
I WANT TO SEE A REAL COWBOY." HE GAVE ME THIS LOOK LIKE I WAS
NUT. THEN AGAIN:"WHERE CAN I GO TO SEE REAL INDIANS?" HE
REPLIED:"THERE AREN'T MANY REAL COWBOYS LEFT. INDIANS, YOU
GOTTA GO TO INDIAN RESERVATIONS FOR THAT." HE KNEW I WAS FROM
A NEARBY SCHOOL, BECAUSE LOT OF FOREIGN STUDENTS WENT THERE.
Q: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE?
A: I JUST COULDN'T FIT IN. I WAS STILL THINKING ABOUT COWBOYS AND
INDIANS. IT WAS A WEIRD SCHOOL, VERY POLITICAL.I HAD THE
IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO TURN US INTO ACTIVISTS.
THEY WOULD INVITE ENVIRONMENTAL, ANTI-APARTHIED, NUCLEAR
ACTIVISTS TO GIVE A TALK EVERY CHANCE THEY GOT. THE SCHOOL
HAD CLUBS LIKE UN MODEL, CONFLICT RESOLUTION. ALL BULL CRAP,
IF YOU ASK ME. I DID COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR A WHILE, VISITING
AN OLD COUPLE ON WEEKEND. GOT FED UP, AND ASKED THE COMMUNITY
SERVICE COUNSELLOR TO HOOK ME WITH A HOST FAMILY WHERE THEY HAD
KIDS MY OWN AGE. SHE ASSIGNED ME A JONES FAMILY. THEY HAD A
BIG RANCH, AND TWO KIDS MY AGE. YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND, I WAS
TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL, AND TRAVEL AROUND EVERY
CHANCE I GOT. MARK, AND ANDY, MY HOST BROTHERS, HELPED ME IN
THAT RESPECT. WE WENT TO DALLAS, DENTON, CHIHUAHA, MEXICO ON
WEEKENDS OR FALL BREAKS. THERE WERE BEAUTIFUL CHICKS IN SCHOOL.
BUT I WAS WAY TOO SHY. TOTALLY MISSED OUT ON THAT EXPERIENCE.
Q: WHAT YOU DO ON THE RANCH?
A: MAN, THEY HAD GUNS. THE CREEK RAN THROUGH THE RANCH, A WATER
HOLE FOR CANADIAN GEESE. WE'D HUNT. THEY GAVE ME MY OWN ROOM
WHERE I COULD STAY ON WEEKEND AND GAVE ME A FREE RUN OF THE
HOUSE. I'D HELP THEM TOO, YOU SEE. GET WOOD. HELP FEED THE
HEREFORD CATTLE. THE SCHOOL WAS JUST FIVE MILES AWAY, BUT
TO ME, THAT SEEMED LIKE A LIGHT YEAR AWAY. I WAS HAPPY.
Q: TELL ME ABOUT SCHOOL.
A: THE ONLY THING I LIKED ABOUT SCHOOL WAS ITS WILDERNESS PRO
GRAM. I LEARNT NAVIGATION, SO I COULD SOLO-TREK-AND-CAMP
IN THE WOODS BEHIND THE SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL WOULD ORGANIZE
EXPEDITIONS TO GRAND CANYONE, AND OTHER PLACES IN THE
SOUTHWEST. OF COURSE, I USED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THE HILT.
I WAS STILL IN MY "COWBOY AND INDIAN" PHASE. THEN I MET THIS
DANCE TEACHER. SHE SORT OF BECAME MY JEWISH MOTHER FIGURE.
SEE, SHE'S YIDDISH, GREW UP IN BROOKLYN, AND IN THE '60S
WAS A BIKER CHICK. WHILE BIKING ACROSS AMERICA, HEADED FOR
SAN FRANSCISO (WHERE ELSE?), SHE'D FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE
SOUTHWEST, AND SETTLED THERE. I TOOK DANCE LESSONS WITH HER.
SHE TAUGHT DANCE TO MENTALLY RETARTED PEOPLE AND TO NAVAJO
INDIAN KIDS IN RESERVATIONS IN ARIZONA. I STARTED ACCOMPANYING
HER, BECOME HER ASSISTANT-SORT-OF. SHE'D POINT OUT ALLL THE
LANDMARKS AS WE CUT THROUGH THE DESERT, AND TELL ME STORIES
ABOUT THEM. BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE. I ONCE WENT TO DIXON WHERE
SHE HAD A SUMMER CABIN. WE MET EX-HIPPIES (A JAPANESE LADY AND
HER AMERICAN HUSBAND,WHO'D BEEN TO NEPAL AND HAD STAYED IN
KATHMANDU GUEST HOUSE). THEY GREW MARIJUANA IN THE DESERT.
THAT'S WHERE I FIRST SMOKED. THEN I SORT OF STARTED HANGING
OUT WITH MY DANCE TEACHER'S SON, MY AGE. JUST JOY RIDE,
AND SHOOT HOOPS.
Q: YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUT-OF-
SCHOOL THING.
A: OOPS, JUST GOT CARRIED AWAY. SCHOOL, I JUST TUNED OUT. WENT
THROUGH THE MOTION THAT'S ALL. I COULDN'T GET ALONG WITH ANYONE.
SAT ALONE AT A DINING TABLE, ALWAYS. NOBODY GAVE A SHIT ABOUT ME.
I WAS A LONER, YOU SEE. YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND, WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL
I WAS ALWAYS SCHEMING TO GET OUT EVERY CHANCE I GOT. I EVEN
DEVELEOPED A CRUSH ON THIS CANADIAN CHICK. I HAD MY AGENDA.
I THOUGHT IF I BEFRIENDED HER, SHE MIGHT INVITE ME OVER TO
CANADA, AND MAY BE I COULD SNEAK ACROSS TO ALASKA AND WORK IN
CANNERIES AND FISHING VESSES IN THE SUMMERS. JUST DREAMING AND
SCHEMING, THAT'S ALL. NOTHING CAME OF THE CRUSH I HAD. I WAS
TOO SHY, TOO AWKWARD, DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A GUT TO SAY HI! TO HER.
THAT WAS THAT.
Q: SO YOU MUST KNOW THE SOUTHWEST REALLY WELL!
A: YEP. YOU KNOW PLACES YOU SEE IN JOHNFORD/HOWARD HAWKES FLICKS.
CIMARRON, DURANGO, BROWNSVILLE, LINCOLN COUNTY, COPPER CANYON,
SILVER CITY, MONUMENT VALLEY, EL PASO, AMARILLO, GALLUP,
CRIPPLE CREEK, FLAGSTAFF, SANTA FE, TOO MANY TO LIST. I EVEN
WENT TO MONTERREY AND SALINAS, CALIFORNIA TO SEE THE STEINBECK
COUNTRY. YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND, AFTER I REALIZED THAT THE CANADIAN
CHICK WAS NOT GOING TO INVITE ME OVER TO CANADA (SO I COULD
GO TO ALASKA), I SOUGHT WORK IN THE SOUTHWEST THE TWO SUMMERS
I WENT TO SCHOOL THERE. I WORKED AS A RANGER ONE SUMMER IN A
HIGH-ADVENTURE BASE CAMP IN CIMARRON, AND ALSO WORKED THERE
AS A MAINTENANCE GUY THE NEXT SUMMER. THOSE SUMMERS I WAS
HITCHHIKING, TREKKING-CAMPING, A LOT. GOING TO HOT SPRINGS,
MESAS, INDIAN RUINS, AND ALL THAT. I WAS STARTING TO GET
DISENCHANTED WITH THE US MAINLAND. THERE WAS NO "PIONEER
SPIRIT" LEFT ANYMORE. THAT'S WHY I WAS OUT OF THAT "COWBOY
INDIAN" PHASE, AND WAS SCHEMING TO GO TO ALASKA, POSSIBLY
THE LAST FRONTIER IN AMERICA. AFTER THAT IT WAS ALASKA, ALASKA
ALASKA ALL THE WAY. IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHAT I'M GONNA DO UP
IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON (YOU KNOW WE'RE HEADED THAT WAY, BY
WAY OF THE SOUTHWEST), IT SHOULDN'T COME AS A SURPRISE, TO YOU.
ALASKSA'S BEEN ON HOLD FOR 10 F****G LONG YEARS. I AM
GOING THERE THIS TIME. MY FRIENDS THINK I'M CRAZY. YOU
SEE, ALL THESE FRIENDS HAVE CALLED ME "BUM, HOBO, FALLEN ANGEL"
AND ALL THOSE HURTFUL NAMES, AND HAVE EVEN TRIED TO CIVILIZE ME
, BUT I'M A HOPELESS CASE. (LAUGHS)
Q: WHERE DID YOU GO AFTER YOUR YEARS IN THE SOUTHWEST?
A: WENT TO SCHOOL IN THE EAST COAST. OUT OF THE FIRE INTO THE
ETERNAL INFERNO. DIDN'T DIG IT. THE GREEN ROLLING LANDSCAPES
...THAT'S NOT MY BAG. THE SEMI-ARID DESERT OF THE SOUTHWEST
WITH CACTUSES, THAT DESCRIBES MY PERPETUAL MOOD. I HAD A
SOPHOMORE STANDING, COULD HAVE GRADUATED IN THREE YEARS, BUT
DECIDED TO STAY ONE MORE YEAR. WHAT'S THE HURRY, YOU KNOW.
IT'S A FREE LUNCH. COLLEGE TO ME WAS NOT A COLLEGE,YOU SEE.
JUST A HOTEL/MOTEL WITH A FEW AMENITIES, EXPENSE TAKEN CARE
OF BY THE BEAUTIFUL "FREE SCHOLARSHIP SYSTEM" OF AMERICA. (
LAUGHS, AND ASKS:"ISN'T AMERICA BEAUTIFUL"). MAN, I F***D UP
MY SOPHOMORE YEAR. I FLUNKED FOUR SUBJECTS OUT OF FIVE. THE
COLLEGE TRIED TO KICK ME OUT, BUT IN VAIN. I GOT MY FAVOURITE
PROFESSORS TO BACK ME UP, WRITE PETITIONS FOR ME, SAYING I
HAD PROMISED TO DO WELL IN THE FUTURE, THAT I WAS REALLY A
SMART KID WITH LOTS OF PERSONAL PROBLEMS. MY INTERNAIONAL ADVISOR
TOLD ME BLANKLY:"I THINK YOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. I HEAR
YOU'VE BEEN TAKING DRUGS." I DENIED IT VEHEMENTLY, ALTHOUGH IT
WAS THE TRUTH. I ALSO WROTE A LONG BULLSHIT LETTER TO THE
COMMITTEE OF ACADEMIC STATUS, SAYING I SHOULD GET ONE MORE CHANCE
TO REDEEM MYSELF. THEY BOUGHT IT. SO GOT TO STAY. WHEW, THAT
WAS CLOSE.
Q: YOU WERE ON DRUGS?
A: YEAH, I WAS SNIFFING COKE, POPPING AMYL NITRATES, AMPHETAMINE.
I WAS ON WITHDRAWAL DURING THAT ILL-FATED SEMESTER. I SHOULDA
GONE TO REHABILITATION CENTER, BUT FEARED DEPORTATION. YOU GOTTA
UNDERSTAND, I'M A CAPRICORN, AND I'M DAMN STUBBORN. MY STUBBORNESS
GETS ME INTO TROUBLE, ALSO GETS ME OUT OF IT. WHAT I FEARED THE
MOST, WAS BEING DEPORTED OR KICKED OUT OF COLLEGE IN THE FUTURE.
SO I JUST BATTLED MY ADDICTION ALONE, THAT'S ALL. I KEPT THINKING
ALASKA AND OTHER PLACES I WANTED TO SEE. I'VE KICKED THE HABIT.
I ONLY DO WEED NOW, THAT'S ONLY 'CAUSE MY FRIENDS OFFER THEM TO ME.
SOME OF THEM ARE DEADHEADS. THERE WAS THIS NEPALI DUDE LIVING
NEAR COLLEGE (HE CAME TO AMERICA WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, NOW TOTALLY
AMERICANIZED), I HUNG OUT WITH HIM AND HIS WEIRD CIRCLE, FOR
A WHILE.
Q: SO YOU DIDN'T TRAVEL MUCH IN THE EAST COAST.
A: NOT REALLY. YOU NEED MONEY TO TRAVEL. MY MONEY WAS BUYING MY DRUGS
DURING THE YEAR I WAS ADDICTED. BESIDES, I WAS PHYSICALLY AND
MENTALLY BURNT OUT. DIDN'T KNOW WHERE MY LIFE WAS GOING. COULDN'T
CONCENTRATE. IT'S A SURPRISE TO ME THAT I GRADUATED AT ALL, FOR MY
. OH YA, I WENT TO NEW YORK FOR A DAY. COULDN'T SEE THE SKY.
I WALKED COUNTLESS BLOCKS, THE PAVEMENT WAS HARD ON MY FEET. ONE
HOMELESS DUDE MISTOOK ME FOR ANOTHER HOMELESS DUDE. SEE, I DON'T
DRESS WELL. I'M NOT INTO "COSMOPOLITAN SOPHISTICATION" SHIT, OR
BEING HIP AND COOL, AND ALL THAT, YOU SEE. THAT WAS IT. I WAS
NEVER GOING TO BIG CITIES AGAIN. DON'T LIKE IT, MAN. I WOULDN'T
KNOW WHAT TO DO. CIVILIZATION, 20TH-CENTURY AMERICA THAT
MOVES AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, SCARES THE DAYLIGHT OUT OF ME. I'M
STILL LOOKING FOR NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA I SAW MOVIES ABOUT
OR READ ABOUT. I'M LOOKING FOR LOST AMERICANA. THERE AIN'T MUCH
LEFT. I'M DISAPPOINTED. WHY YOU THINK I TOOK DRUGS? TO ESCAPE
REALITY. I'M ALWAYS RUNNING AWAY, ALWAYS. I'M RUNNING SCARED,
YOU SEE.
Q: SO WHAT YOU DO AFTER KICKING YOUR DRUG HABIT? HOW'D YOU SURVIVE
THE REMAINING TWO YEARS IN COLLEGE.
A: I DISCOVERED ROCK-CLIMBING. THAT WAS A LIFE-SAVER FOR ME. I
SCHEMED AGAIN, AND GOT MYSELF ELECTED THE PRESIDENT OF THE
WILDERNESS CLUB. I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN THE TITLE. ALL I
WANTED WAS THE CLUB'S CLIMBING GEAR, AND ACCESS TO COLLEGE VAN.
CLIMBED ROCKS IN AND AROUND THE COLLEGE, SOMETIME GOING AS FAR
AS WEST VIRGINIA AND UPSTATE NEW YORK. I HAD A CLIMBING BUDDY,
AND IN SPRING AND FALL, WE WERE GOING CLIMBING AT LEAST 4 TIMES
A WEEK. IT WAS GREAT! WE'D MEET ALL THESE "ROCK JOCKS" FROM
NEARBY COLLEGES, AND WE HAD QUITE A SCENE GOING FOR A WHILE.
WE EXCHANGED NOTES, AND LEARNT FROM EACH OTHER. I'M QUITE AN
ACCOMPLISHED CLIMBER. I CAN "LEAD CLIMB" A FAIRLY DIFFICULT
ROCK. SOME OF MY FRIENDS WERE INTO ZEN AND ALL THAT. I DIDN'T
DIG THAT. I WAS MAINLY INTERESETED IN CELTIC PAGANISM. I WAS
LISTENING TO IRISH MUSIC ALL THE TIME, AS A
n antidote. MY FRIENDS WERE TRYING TO CONVERT ME TO ZEN. I
SAID:"F**K IT, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ZEN BUDDHISM. OR
EVEN BUDDHISM FOR THAT MATTER. BACK IN NEPAL I GREW UP NOT
20 KILOMETERS FROM THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE REAL BUDDHA." AND HERE
ALL THESE ZEN-BUDDHA-WANNABES WERE SHOVING ZEN DOWN MY THROAT.
COULDN'T TAKE IT, YOU KNOW.
Q: FOR A CHANGE, YOU A DYLAN FAN?
A: NOT REALLY. YOU SEE IN COLLEGE I HAD THIS NEPALI FRIEND WHO WAS
NUTS ABOUT DYLAN. IT WAS ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND,BUT
NOTHING CAME OF IT. I'M HERE ONLY TO SEE DYLAN THE LEGEND,
. THAT'S ALL. READ THAT HE MAY NOT LIVE LONG.
SO THOUGHT I'D CATCH HIM BEFORE HE CROAKED HIS LAST.
Q: WHAT'D YOU THINK OF THE CONCERT?
IT WAS OK. I LIKED DIFRANCO. THE WAY SHE PLAYS GUITAR. WITH
PUNK ATTITUDE, AND WITH THE STRENGTH OF JOHN HENRY'S HAMMER.
NO WONDER SHE GETS A FRESHLY-TUNED GUITAR AFTER EACH SONG.
DYLAN, WHAT CAN I SAY? I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SINGING.
I WAS MORE INTERESTED IN WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE NOW. HE HAS A BIG
HEAD (LAUGHS). WEARS TIGHT PANTS. HIS FACE LOOKS SO ANCIENT, LIKE
HE'S BEEN LOOKING AT THIS WORLD WITH THAT COLD GAZE SINCE THE
DAWN OF TIME. I LIKED THE WAY HE HELD HIS GUITAR, AS IF HE WAS
MACHINE GUNNING THE AUDIENCE. ANOTHER THING, I NOTICED WAS THAT
MANY OF US IN THE CHEAPER SECTION BACK THERE WERE DIFRANCO FANS
, AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN THE FRONT WERE DYLAN FANS, HIS AGE.
COME TO THINK OF IT, DYLAN'S FANS ARE RICH NOW. PRETTY PROPHETIC
EH, IF YOU NOW WHAT HE SANG BACK IN THE SIXTIES:"THE SLOW ONE
NOW WILLL LATER BE FAST...THE TIMES THEY ARE- A CHANGING." I HOPE
THAT APPLIES TO ME. 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE F**K I AM DOING
WITH MY LIFE. IT'S A MESS.
Q: CAN I TALK TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND.
A: (HE CALLS OUT FOR MARSHY) GO AHEAD. (TO MARSHY:"TELL HIM
WHAT YOU KNOW, BUT DON'T GIVE HIM MY NAME."
Q: WHAT'S YOUR BOYFRIEND'S NAME?
A: I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT. HIS ORDER.
Q: WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM.
A: NOT MUCH. DOESN'T TALK ABOUT HIMSELF MUCH. I DON'T KNOW WHY
HE'S EVEN TALKING TO YOU. HE'S ALWAYS LIKE THAT. GET AN IDEA,
AND TURNS IT INTO A PARODY OR COMEDY. I HAVE THE FEELING HE'S
PULLING ONE ON YOU.
Q: HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET?
A: AT THE THRIFTSTORE WHERE I WAS WORKING. HE LIED ABOUT HIS
BIRTHDAY. LIED ABOUT BEING OF A MOUNTAIN TRIBE. YOU SEE, HE
ASKED US IF WE KNEW ABOUT SHERPAS. JOHN HAD, HE SAID YES. JOE
TELLS THEM HE'S A SHERPA, A SUBERP MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. SAYS
HE'S DONE EXTENSIVE ROCK-CLIMBING, CLIMBED VOLCANOES IN MEXICO.
WANTS TO CLIMB RAINIER AND MCKINLEY WHEN HE GETS TO WASHINGTON
AND ALASKA. HE'S CRAZY. HE'S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT ALASKA.
WE FOUND OUT HE WAS LYING ABOUT BEING A SHERPA WHEN HE MENTIONED
THAT HE'S REALLY A GURKHA, A SUPERB WARRIOR. HE'S ALWAYS PLAYING
GAMES, YOU KNOW. YOU DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF HIS SHIT, BUT AS
A PERSON, HE'S OK. SAYS HE'S THE "UNACKNOWELEDGED KEROAC OF
THE NINETIES", A NEPALI KEROAC, IF YOU WILL. HE GETS OFF ON THAT.
Q: DOES HE GET ALONG WITH OTHERS?
A: HE'S QUIET. SLEEPS ALL THE TIME IN THE BACK OF THE VAN. BUT
WHEN HE TALKS HE CAN GO FOR HOURS AND DRIVE YOU NUTS. OTHERS
DIG HIM IN A WAY, AND ARE KINDA PROTECTIVE OF HIM. SEE, HE'S
FROM HALF-WAY AROUD THE WORLD, AND SEEMS SO LOST AND SCARED
AND CONFUSED AND ALL.
Q: YOU'RE HIS GIRLFRIEND? OR IS THAT A LIE?
A: HE CALLED ME HIS GIRLFRIEND (IN DISBELIEF)! WE'RE FRIENDS, THAT'S
ALL. I'M STARTING TO DIG HIM. HELL, I DON'T MIND BEING HIS
GIRLFRIEND AFTER WHAT HE SAID TODAY. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO
WRITE A SONG ABOUT ME. HE WROTE THIS SONG CALLED "HENPECKED
HUSBAND'S DEATHWISH BLUES" IN THE VAN 'CAUSE HE WAS PLAIN BORED
HE WRITES RHYMES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. HE SANG THE SONG IN HIS
TERRIBLE VOICE. BUT THE LYRIC IS BRILLIANT! KNOCKED US ALL OUT.
HE SAID HE WAS DESTINED TO BE A WRITER, BUT WRITING HAS BECOME
AN ANACHRONISM. SAYS PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE FIFTY YEARS AGO
WRITTEN THE GREAT NOVEL TODAY MAKES BLOCKBLUSET MOVIES. HE
THE NINETIES VERSIONS OF HEMINGWAY,STEINBECK ARE SPIELBERG
AND GEORGE LUCAS... THAT'S WHAT HE SAYS. I THINK THAT'S A
RATHER TELLING POINT.
SAYS HE'S AN ANACHRONISM. CAN'T FIT IN ANYWHERE.
Q: YOU THINK HE'S A LIAR? HE LIED ABOUT HIS BIRTHDAY, BEING A SHERPA
AND ALL. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS REAL NAME, I AM SURE!
A: I KNOW HIS REAL NAME. I CAN'T PRONOUNCE IT. HE SHOWED ME HIS
DRIVER'S LICENSE, AND SAID CAN YOU PRONOUNCE IT. I TRIED.
HE SAID:" CALL ME JOE, 'CAUSE YOU DIDN'T DO MY REAL NAME JUSTICE."
YOU SEE, HE ALWAYS TALKS IN A TWISTED, CRYPTIC, VAGUE AWAY.
BUT THERE'S A RING OF HONESTY IN WHAT HE SAYS. HE ONCE SAID:"
WHY SHOULD I LIE. HONESTY IS THE LAST REFUGE OF A LOSER LIKE MYSE
LF, FOR I'VE LOST IT ALL AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN SAVE BY LYING."
SOME THING ALONG THAT LINE.
Q: (I CALL JOE) YOU THINKING OF GOING BACK HOME?
A: YEAH. I GOT NOTHING GOING FOR ME HERE. MY VISA EXPIRED BY
DEFAULT NOW THAT I'M NOT A STUDENT. I'M ILLEGAL, MAN. MY
JOB OPTIONS ARE FEW.
Q: WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO?
A: NOT SURE.
Q: I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF YOU. I HAVE THE FEELING THAT
YOU'RE WRECKING YOUR LIFE, AND IN A PERVERSE WAY BEING PROUD
OF IT, AND BRAGGING ABOUT IT. YOU SHOULD SIGN UP TO APPEAR
IN A MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW.
A: (LAUGHS) YOU GOT ME IN THE SPOTLIGHT. I ADMIT YOU HIT ME IN
MY NERVE CENTER. I DON'T THINK I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION
WITHOUT BECOMING PHILOSOPHICAL. YOU SEE, I WAS A MODEL STUDENT
BACK HOME, BELIEVE IT OR NOT (LAUGHS). BUT WAS NOT HAPPY.
THEN DID SOME SOUL-SEARCHING. I HAD AN EPIPHANY. I THOUGHT
EDUCATION WAS A TRAP, I MEAN INSTITUTIONALIZED EDUCATION.
SO, I WENT FOR "EXPERENTIAL LEARNING", THAT'S ALL. SEE THE
WORLD AROUND YOU, GO PLACES, TALK TO PEOPLE, AND LEARN BY
OSMOSIS. SEE, I'M NOT AMBITIOUS NOT BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE
WHAT IT TAKES... I JUST DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TEMPERAMENT
FOR CORPORATE WORLD AND ALL THAT. SEE, AFTER COLLEGE, I
GOT A JOB WITH BIG INSURANCE COMPANY, TOOK EXAMS, GOT
LICENSES, GOT FINGER-PRINTED, AND ON THE DAY I WAS
SUPPOSED TO SHOW UP, I GOT COLD FEET. ME DOING SALES?
ISN'T THAT AN OXYMORON? I JUST WANTED TO PROVE TO MYSELF
THAT I COULD GET A REAL JOB AT THE VERY LEAST, AND I DID.
TO RESURRECT MY EGO, AND SELF-ESTEEM. ONLY THAT I DIDN'T
GO FOR THE BRASS RING, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. YOU
SEE, LIFE OFFERS MANY TRAPS, THROWS MANY CURVE BALLS AT YOU.
EVEN OPPORTUNITIES. YOU SHOULDN'T GO FOR THEM UNLESS IT'S
IN YOUR NATURE. SAY, I HAD GOTTEN INTO A TOP SCHOOL, WHAT
WOULD HAVE BEEN MY FEELING? ANOTHER INSTITUTIONALIZED
EDUCATION. THAT'S ALL. I WOULDN'T BE HAPPY. I'D BE BOTHERED.
I'D BE THINKING ALONG THIS LINE:"DAMN, I'M AT THIS TOP[-
NOTCH SCHOOL. MY PARENTS, MY RELATIVES, MY SOCIETY, MY
COUNTRY, HELL, THE WHOLE WORLD, EXPECTS A LOT FROM ME.
NOW THEY THINK I'M SMART. THEY THINK I CAN CHANGE THE
WORLD. I BETTER PERFORM WELL. SEE, ALREADY THE PRESSURE'S
ON 'CAUSE YOU GOT INTO AND WENT TO THAT TOP-NOTCH SCHOOL,
YOU WENT FOR THE BRASS RING. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU'RE
JUST A PAWN IN THE HANDS OF YOUR PARENTS, SOCIETY, THE
WORLD. IF IT'S IN YOUR NATURE, FINE, IF IT'S NOT YOU'RE
JUST A PUPPET DANCING TO THE WILL OF OTHERS. WHILE
YOU'RE IN THE IVORY TOWER OF ACADEMIA PORING OVER
SOME ARCANE PHILOSOPHIES OR ON-THE-CUTTING-EDGE-KNOWELDGE
OF SCIENCE, YOU REALIZE, DAMN, I'M NOT THAT IMPORTANT,
I SHOULDN'T TAKE MYSELF SERIOUSLY, THE WORLD, AND LIFE
GOES ON WHETHER ONE PERSON TAKES HIMSELF SERIOUSLY OR NOT.
BESIDES, IF YOU KNOW TOO MUCH, IF YOUR MIND'S FILLED WITH
FACTS AND IMAGES, LIFE BECOMES A SORT OF TORTURE, YOU SEE.
UNEASY LIES THE MIND THAT KNOWS TOO MUCH. SO WHAT DO YOU DO?
COP OUT I GUESS. THAT'S WHAT I DID. I'VE BEEN RUNNING
AWAY FROM TRAPS ALL MY LIFE. NOT GOING FOR THE BRASS RING,
HOWEVER TEMPTING. THAT'S NOT WHERE IT'S AT FOR ME." TOO
LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN BE A DANGEROUS THING, TOO MUCH IS
DEATH. THAT'S WHY I COPPED OUT, MAN. MY YEARBOOK READS
UNDER GOAL IN LIFE: TO LIVE A LIFE OF SOLITUDE AND SIMPLICITY.
I'M STILL REELING FROM THAT EPIPHANY, YOU SEE.
Q: YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
A: YOU MEAN NEPALI FRIENDS. THEY ARE FAR AWAY. I DON'T BELIEVE
IN LONG-DISTANCE FRIENDSHIPS. I HATE E-MAIL, AND ALL THAT.
I USED TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH MY FRIEND IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
VIA E-MAIL AND CHAT COMMAND...BUT IT'S TOO FAST. YOU SEE,
CENTURIES OF EXPERIENCE ARE NOW COMPRESSED IN A YEAR OR TWO.
I DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE IN
PROGRESS, I DON'T BELIEVE IN A RUN-AWAY PROGRESS. I'LL USE
A COMPUTER AS A WORD PROCESSOR. SNAIL MAIL'S THAT'S WHERE IT'S
STILL AT FOR ME. BUT IF MY FRIENDS ARE IN MY AREA I'LL GO
OUT OF MY WAY TO DIG THEM. THAT'S ALL. I COULD KEEP IN
TOUCH WITH EVERYONE VIA INTERNET...BUT IF I CAN'T STAND
THE 20TH CENTURY AMERICA, HOW CAN I STAND CYBERSPACE.
Q: YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT TND?
ELECTRONIC JOURNAL BY NEPALIS FOR EVERYONE.
A: YEAH, I USED TO GET TND WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE. I WAS LOOKING FOR
WHAT MY FRIENDS WERE WRITING. ONLY THAT MY FRIENDS WERE NOT
POSTING ANY ARTICLES AT ALL. THERE ARE SOME BRILLIANT ARTICLES IN
THERE, THAT'S FOR SURE. I READ TND REGULARLY FOR OVER A YEAR..
THEN JUST QUIT. OTHER PRIORITIES TOOK OVER. I DISTANCED MYSELF
FROM THE INTERNET.
Q: SO YOU'RE GOING BACK? YOU SEEM DISENCHANTED WITH THE
SO-CALLED 20TH CENTURY AMERICA.
A: I'LL GO BACK EVENTUALLY. I GOT SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
I GOTTA GO TO ALASKA FIRST, MAN.
Q: WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY BACK IN NEPAL?WOULD YOU THINK
YOU MADE A MISTAKE IN GOING BACK?
A: FRANKLY THAT SCARES ME. KATHMANDU SCARES ME, TOO.
YOU SEE I HAVE FAILED IN MANY RESPECTS, BUT IT HAS NOT
HIT ME YET. WHAT IF IT HITS ME NEPAL. I DON'T WANT TO
THINK ABOUT IT. ALL I AM SAYING IS WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG
LIFE IS FORGIVING. SO I HOBOED AROUND, DID THIS DID THAT,
BECAME A BUM SORT-OF. REALITY IS STARTING TO SET IN. I
DON'T THINK I CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS KIND OF EXISTENCE
ANYMORE. LIFE IS NOT FORGIVING WHEN YOU'R PAST ADOLESCENCE.
Q: WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?
A: RIGHT NOW. JUST THREE THINGS: THE GREAT OUTDOORS, THE MUSIC
AND THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU PUT ON YOUR HIGHWAY SHOES.
THE LAST IS MOST IMPORTANT. I'VE PUT ON MY HIGHWAY SHOES.
WE'RE GOING NORTHWEST BY WAY OF THE SOUTHWEST, TAKING IT ALL
Q: ANY LAST WORD?
A: DON'T PUBLISH THIS CONVERSATION. I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO SOME
ONE, THAT'S ALL. GET STUFF OFF MY CHEST, YOU SEE.
I JUST WANTED SOME KIND OF RELEASE OR THERAPEUTIC EXPERIENCE.
AND YOU CAME ALONG. I THOUGHT WHY NOT.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: HE SET TWO CONDITIONS FOR THE CONVERSATION.
THAT HE'D NOT REVEAL HIS NAME, AND THAT HE'D TALK VAGUELY
IF ANYTHING HE MIGHT SAY MIGHT REVEAL HIS IDENTITY. HE SAID
THOSE WHO KNOW HIM WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM IDENTIFYING HIM
SINCE HE'S LITTERED THE CONVERSATION WITH CLUES AND ALL.
THE INTERVIEW WAS LONGER... AND SO HAS BEEN EDITED OUT
..I MEAN EDITED AND DOCTORED...WAY LONG. I
SPENT THE NIGHT WITH HIM AND HIS GROUP IN A CHEAP MOTEL,
AND GAVE ME A RIDE HOME THE FOLLOWING MORNING. BOTH THE
SIDES OF THE BLANK TAPE WERE USED UP. I FOUND OUT THAT
HE PLAYS HARMONICA (SOME SIMPLE STUFF),AND WAS KEEN OF
LEARNING GUITAR SO "HE CAN SING AND PLAY TO HIS OWN
COMPOSED SONGS.")
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