I was a wee kid when this song became a hit but I still remember it...

The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep

What was Billy's other big hit ... hmm can't remember ...

Billy Ocean - Get Out Of My Dreams

These were the demands the Maoists made when they were still fighting.. lets see how far they succeed in implementing it..


I WILL TRY AND TICK EACH ONE OF THESE AS THEY FULFILL IT.. GOOD LUCK to the Maoists and to us too...

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4 February, 1996

Concerning nationality

1. All discriminatory treaties, including the 1950 Nepal-India Treaty, should be abrogated.

2. The so-called Integrated Mahakali Treaty concluded on 29 January, 1996 should be repealed immediately, as it is designed to conceal the disastrous Tanakpur Treaty and allows Indian imperialist monopoly over Nepal's water resources.

3. The open border between Nepal and India should be regulated, controlled and systematised. All vehicles with Indian licence plates should be banned from Nepal.

4. The Gurkha/Gorkha Recruitment Centres should be closed. Nepali citizens should be provided dignified employment in the country.

5. Nepali workers should be given priority in different sectors. A 'work permit' system should be strictly implemented if foreign workers are required in the country.

6. The domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries, business and finance should be stopped.

7. An appropriate customs policy should be devised and implemented so that economic development helps the nation become self-reliant.

8. The invasion of imperialist and colonial culture should be banned. Vulgar Hindi films, videos and magazines should be immediately outlawed.

9. The invasion of colonial and imperial elements in the name of NGOs and INGOs should be stopped.

Concerning people's democracy

10. A new constitution should be drafted by representatives elected for the establishment of a people's democratic system.

11. All special privileges of the king and the royal family should be abolished.

12. The army, the police and the bureaucracy should be completely under people's control.

13. All repressive acts, including the Security Act, should be repealed.

14. Everyone arrested extra-judicially for political reasons or revenge in Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Gorkha, Kabhrc, Sindhupalchowk. Sindhuli, Dhanusa, Ramechhap, and so on, should be immediately released. All false cases should be immediately withdrawn.

15. The operation of armed police, repression and state-sponsored terror should be immediately stopped.

16. The whereabouts of citizens who disappeared in police custody at different times, namely Dilip Chaudhary, Bhuwan Thapa Magar, Prabhakar Subedi and others, should be investigated and those responsible brought to justice. The families of victims should be duly compensated.

17. All those killed during the People's Movement should be declared martyrs. The families of the martyrs and those injured and deformed should be duly compensated, and the murderers brought to justice.

18. Nepal should be declared a secular nation.

19. Patriarchal exploitation and discrimination against women should be stopped. Daughters should be allowed access to paternal property.

20. All racial exploitation and suppression should be stopped. Where ethnic communities are in the majority, they should be allowed to form their own autonomous governments.

21. Discrimination against downtrodden and backward people should be stopped. The system of untouchability should be eliminated.

22. All languages and dialects should be given equal opportunities to prosper. The right to education in the mother tongue up to higher levels should be guaranteed.

23. The right to expression and freedom of press and publication should be guaranteed. The government mass media should be completely autonomous.

24. Academic and professional freedom of scholars, writers, artists and cultural workers should be guaranteed.

25. Regional discrimination between the hills and the tarai should be eliminated. Backward areas should be given regional autonomy. Rural and urban areas should be treated at par.

26. Local bodies should be empowered and appropriately equipped.

Concerning livelihood

27. Land should be belong to 'tenants'. Land under the control of the feudal system should be confiscated and distributed to the landless and the homeless.

28. The property of middlemen and comprador capitalists should be confiscated and nationalised. Capital lying unproductive should be invested to promote industrialisation.

29. Employment should be guaranteed for all. Until such time as employment can be arranged, an unemployment allowance should be provided.

30. A minimum wage for workers in industries, agriculture and so on should be fixed and strictly implemented.

31. The homeless should be rehabilitated. No one should be ' relocated until alternative infrastructure is guaranteed.

32. Poor farmers should be exempt from loan repayments. Loans taken by small farmers from the Agricultural Development Bank should be written off. Appropriate provisions should be made to provide loans for small farmers.

33. Fertiliser and seeds should be easily available and at a cheap rate. Farmers should be provided with appropriate prices and markets for their produce.

34. People in flood and drought-affected areas should be provided with appropriate relief materials.

35. Free and scientific health services and education should be available to all. The commercialisation of education should be stopped.

36. Inflation should be checked. Wages should be increased proportionate to inflation. Essential goods should be cheaply and easily available to everyone.

37. Drinking water, roads and electricity should be provided to all villagers.

38. Domestic and cottage industries should be protected and promoted.

39. Corruption, smuggling, black marketing, bribery, and the practices of middlemen and so on should be eliminated.

40. Orphans, the disabled, the elderly and children should be duly honoured and protected.

We would like to request the present coalition government to immediately initiate steps to fulfil these demands which are inextricably linked with the Nepali nation and the life of the people. If there are no positive indications towards this from the government by 17 February, 1996, we would like to inform you that we will be forced to adopt the path of armed struggle against the existing state power.

Thank you.

Dr Baburam Bhattarai
Chairman
Central Committee, United People's Front, Nepal

The sapient protagonists of democracy in Nepal have expressed their disillusionment at the Maoist win in the polls, by saying they are "surprised" by it.

"Surprised" is probably the understatement of the decade.

I'm just "surprised" that Prachanda is not currently facing prosecutions at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, and for other atrocities against his own people.

The ardent protagonists understood the virtues of democracy and incessantly chanted about it until reverberations were felt down the corridors of the Royal palace. But they miserably failed to understand politics. They were too caught up enlightening others on the Internet and newspapers, they didn't realise, the Maoist were insidiously gaining crucial votes from disenchanted Nepalis, who "surprise, surprise!!" had heard the democracy mantra all too many times before.

Now the proponents of democracy are coming to terms with the fact that, it was them all along, who were aiding and abetting the blood-drenched Maoists in their struggle to consolidate power. Now the Nepali people have legitimised the Maoist and the best some folks can say is "they are surprised".

But Kudos to the Maoist where its due.

The Maoist accepted nothing and questioned everything.
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They repudiated the 1992 Nepali constitution, as it just wasn't relevant, modern or cutting edge for them.

Ironically, the Maoists have adopted the 2nd Amendment from the 200 year old American constitution especially "the right to bear arms" and keep "a well regulated militia."
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They want to abolish the 240-year-old monarchy and luck has been on their side too.

The heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra conveniently gunned down his whole family and himself. Family dinner will never be the same again in the Shah household while next door, Prachanda sat down for dinner with is family and gleefully announced, "I just won the lottery!!" Only conspiracy theorists truly know the odds Prachanda overcame.
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In the great battle between the "British Empire vs. The Gorkhas", we were victorious.

Now in this truly Nepali Civil war, "The Gorkhas (Maoists) vs. The Gorkhas (Status Quo)", we are all losers but history will written by the triumphant Maoists.
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They Maoists showed their human side by being magnanimous in victory.
They gave us Peace.. by halting the war they started.
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The decade long Nepali Civil War ended with 10s of thousands of Nepaliz hacked to death, blown to pieces and shot down in a blaze of gory. Extortions, violence, intimidations and pressure cookers were all fair game to them.

The unforgiving Nepali people like to remind these Maoists leaders of their bloody past by presenting them with wreaths and throwing "rato abhir" at them.
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King Gyanendra did no favours for himself. It was career suicide when he published this very unflattering picture of himself. When he took absolute power, he explained his reasons in the 'formal Royal dialect', which was incomprehensible to most Nepaliz.

Gyanendra should have known, keeping up the Royal protocols is one thing, but not having a good speechwriter and well-oiled PR machine to enhance his image, will have disastrous consequences.
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Our omniscient journalist picked up the smell of the beleaguered king and they vilified him, as he became the perfect scapegoat for all the woes Nepal was facing.

With smug faces, the Maoists showed their approval to the journalists by writing, "We like you, we like your family too, hope you and your family live long and prosper."
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Like the Terminator, the Maoists have been unstoppable. Nothing it seemed would stand on their way to in their quest for the ultimate aphrodisiac: POWER.

I can almost hear Prachanda singing "I did it my way". Eat your heart out, Mr Frank Sinatra !!

My celebration at their victory in the polls

I have talked about 'Britain's got talent' but I've never seen 'America's got talent'. I watched a compilation of the best bits of the shows from all over the world yesterday..

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Bianca Ryan - She is so incredible for an 11 year old. It bought tears to my eyes.. She was eventually crowned the winner.

Its not the song, but the singing and the voice.... and the spirit with which she sings..and that fiery look in her eyes..

Apparently, her Dad didn't know she could sing until he saw her perform here.

Bianca Ryan - America's Got Talent

I used to watch a sitcom with Brandy in it, what was the show ???

Not many folks know about this so I searched hard to find this on the Internet.

Its still so relevent... just substitute Vietnam with Iraq !!

From notes taken from Dr. Martin Luther King's pocket when he was shot. His wife, Coretta Scott King read these at a NYC anti-war rally three weeks later. I heard the actual recording of this...

Ten Commandments on Vietnam.

Number 1. Thou shalt not believe in a military victory.

Number 2. Thou shalt not believe in a political victory.

Number 3. Thou shalt not believe that they, the Vietnamese, love us.

Number 4. Thou shalt not believe that the Saigon government has the support of the people.

Number 5. Thou shalt not believe that the majority of the South Vietnamese look upon the Vietcong as terrorists.

Number 6. Thou shalt not believe that the figures of killed enemies or killed Americans.

Number 7. Thou shalt not believe that the generals know best.

Number 8. Thou shalt not believe that the enemies? victory means communism.

Number 9. Thou shalt not believe that the world supports the United States.

Number 10. Thou shalt not kill.

News Link: US crowds mark King anniversary

"I strongly disapprove the way Nepalese Government is treating Tibetan refugees in Kathmandu.... pictures and footages appearing in International media is hurting image of Nepal. " says Prajwol Bro.

For the last 2 weeks, EVERYDAY, and I mean EVERYDAY, in the various newspapers, I have seen pictures of our police force in Kathmandu, bludgeoning the Tibetian protesters to the ground... and as much as I'm ashamed of our police brutality, I'm more freaked out by the fact that only pictures from Nepal are being prominently featured by the papers here. Why are they not using pictures from China or India or other places..???

Yesterday, even one of the Indian newspaper had a picture from Kathamandu !! I'm sure they could get lots of pics from their own police brutality against the protesters in Delhi and Dharamsala... but why are they using it from Nepal.... ???

Is the journalist/photographer supplying these pictures from Nepal making a lot of money from the UK media ??

Should we censor what's coming out of Nepal by taking a leaf out of the Chinese book or is it time we manage it somehow ???