MASS SCALE JATROPHA PLANTATION IN TANAHUN DISTRICT COMPLETED
Mass scale plantation of Jatropha curcas, a potential feedstock for biodiesel production was successfully organized in Tanahun district on 25.06.2010. The program was coordinated by Marshyandi Multiobjective Community Development Cooperative (MMCDC) and Mitrata Higher Secondary school of Aanbu VDC, Tanahun district. All together 9 local cooperatives under MMCDC and Teachers and Students of Mitrata Higher Secondary School actively participated in a program. Jatropha was plantated in around 8 Km distance along the Prithvi Highway starting from Milanchok of Aanbu VDC-5 to Aanbu VDC-2. Around 2500 seedlings and 10Kg Jatropha seeds were planted during one day. The program was organized by Development Centre Nepal (DC Nepal) and Everest Biodiesel Company Pvt. Ltd. (EBDC) with support from The Embassy of Finland. Below are some snaps of the program:
MASS SCALE JATROPHA PLANTATION GOING TO BE ORGANIZED IN TANAHUN DISTRICT
Mass scale plantation of Jatropha curcas, a potential feedstock for biodiesel production in Nepal is going to be organized in Satrasaya Phant, Aanbu VDC of Tanahun district on 25 June, 2010. The program is going to be organized by Development Center Nepal, Everest Biodiesel Company Pvt. Ltd., Shree Mitrata Higher Secondary School, Marshyangdi Cooperative, and The Embassy of Finland, Kathmandu. The communities have planned to plant Jatropha in at lease 200 ropanies in one day. The program is going to be organized as a part of a program "Jatropha Crop Extension Program". The extension program is implemented in five districts: Makwanpur, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, and Kaski. The one day program is a part of that project which aims to plant Jatropha in at lease 600 ropanies of land in each district.
NATIONAL JATROPHA FUEL CONCERNED GROUP NEPAL FORMED
National Jatropha Fuel Concerned Group Nepal is formed recently by group of experts working in the field of Jatropha bio-fuel in Nepal. The group is coordinated by Mr. Ram Bahadur Rahut, from Palpa district and i am also one of the member of the concerned group. The main theme of this group is lobbing for formulation of Jatropha policy. The group has focused on four major points:
1) There is an urgent need of Jatropha policy for mass scale Jatropha plantation and government should immediately formulate and implement such policy.
2) Government should start blending at least 10% Jatropha bio-diesel in diesel vehicles and run this in pilot scale.
3) Government should provide subsidy to communities, different private organizations who are working for mass scale plantation of Jatropha.
4) At the national level there is a need of formulation of National Jatropha Development Committee to work and carry out research on Jatropha curcas.
1) There is an urgent need of Jatropha policy for mass scale Jatropha plantation and government should immediately formulate and implement such policy.
2) Government should start blending at least 10% Jatropha bio-diesel in diesel vehicles and run this in pilot scale.
3) Government should provide subsidy to communities, different private organizations who are working for mass scale plantation of Jatropha.
4) At the national level there is a need of formulation of National Jatropha Development Committee to work and carry out research on Jatropha curcas.
CHILD MIND BUT HEART TOUCHING
*Old one but a good reminder to all of us who work hard in office*
Can I borrow Rs 25?
A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.
SON: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'
MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.
SON: 'Mummy, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'If you must know, I make R 50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Mummy, may I please borrow R25?'
The mother was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door..
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that R25.00 and she really didn't ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.
'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the R25 you asked for.' The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.
'Mummy, I have R50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that R50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
Can I borrow Rs 25?
A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.
SON: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'
MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.
SON: 'Mummy, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'If you must know, I make R 50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Mummy, may I please borrow R25?'
The mother was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door..
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that R25.00 and she really didn't ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.
'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the R25 you asked for.' The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.
'Mummy, I have R50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that R50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
JATROPHA PLANTATION WORKSHOP IN CHITWAN
On the day of world environment day (5th June, 2010), we have successfully completed one day orientation program in Chitwan district. This program is under the project "Promotion of rural livelihood and clean energy through production of Jatropha biodiesel in Nepal. This program is implented by Everest Biodiesel Company Pvt. Ltd. with Development Centre Nepal and funded by The Embassy of Finland, Kathmandu. Around 40 participants from different communities who are interested in mass plantation of Jatropha have actively participated in the program. There were 5 presentations from experts on different aspects of Jatropha cultivation.
Group Photo
Group Photo
EVEREST BIODIESEL WORKING FOR JATROPHA BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
These days i am affiliated with a private company, Everest Biodiesel Company Pvt. Ltd. This company targets production of Biodiesel from Jatropha curcas in Nepal. The company has about 2-3 bigha its own land in Chumlingtar, Chitwan district near by Prithvi Highway. The research site has germplasm garden with germplasms collected from different district of Nepal, India, and Malaysia. Because of lack of feedstock for production of Biodiesel, the company with a national NGO, DC Nepal are focusing on mass plantation of Jatropha curcas in different districts of Nepal. This time we have focused our program in five districts namely Makwanpur, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahun, and Kaski. However, people from other districts are also working in close contact with us. I am as a Project Manager, looking overall activities of the program.
The invader that is strangling an ecosystem
The Chitwan National Park is listed as a Unesco world heritage site and is a major tourist attraction. It has been a huge conservation success story, with nearly 100 breeding adult tigers and more than 400 rhinos roaming within its territory. But a quiet intruder has emerged as a possible threat to the park's ecosystem.
A native plant of Brazil, the weed Mikania micrantha, has already covered 20% of the national park in southern Nepal. Most of the affected areas are important to the tigers, rhinos and some endangered bird species - moist places and riversides that are conducive to the growth of the invasive creeper. "Already 50% of the rhino's habitat is covered by this alien plant," says Naresh Subedi of Nepal's National Trust for Nature Conservation, which has carried out research in the Chitwan national park. "If uncontrolled, it will spread over half of the park's entire area."
Suffocating creeper
Also known as "mile by a minute" because of its fast spreading rate, the weed can smother anything that gets in its way - from grasses to even large trees. "As a result, we have seen some trees grow old quickly and die. And grasses [that many animals eat] have simply disappeared," says Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, chief warden of the park. "We call this vegetation imposition." Conservationists say that the impacts upon the park's animals. "For example, there is this tree that bears fruits called 'rhino's apple' that is killed once it is covered by the [weed]. This means a food source for the rhinos becomes scarce," explains Mr Subedi. Mr Pradhan says that different types of grasses, which form an essential part of the diets of small animals such as deer, are also disappearing from areas of the park invaded by the weed. "Small animals need good quality food and these grasses are very important for them." And if the deer are affected, this is likely to have a knock-on effect on the tigers' diet. "There is a possibility that the food chain in the park is adversely affected," Mr Pradhan says. Dr Richard Kock, a scientist with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) says that the weed reduces "suitable cover" for the tiger. He is trying to help park officials to tackle the problem. "It forces animals to forage more widely and outside of the park in farmland. This increases conflict and the risk of death from poaching or revenge attacks [by farmers whose crops are eaten up by park animals]," he says.
Spreading invasion
Park officials say they have seen some rhinos that have begun to eat Mikania micrantha because they have "no choice". "As megaherbivores, they need plenty of food, so we can imagine why some of them have begun to eat this plant," says Mr Pradhan. And the droppings of these rhinos, and other herbivores that eat the plant, will spread the invasive weed. The park officials have started to look into how Mikania micrantha is affecting the rhinos. They have attached radio collars to two rhinos and they will track six more in the same way in order to monitor their foraging behaviour. They hope to have the results from this study within two years, but the invasive plant is likely to have spread far more by then. It has already crept out of the park and is advancing towards the west. Latest findings show it has reached the Dang area in western Nepal. Conservationists fear that, at this rate, it will soon reach the nearby Bardiya National Park - another protected area that has successfully conserved several endangered species, including tigers.
Out of control
Scientists say that the plant was first seen in the eastern part of Nepal, where it did some ecological damage to the Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve - a bird watcher's paradise. "The weed covered areas near wetlands, grassland and open places in the forest. [It has caused a reduction in] the number of endangered swamp francolin birds in Koshi Tappu," says Hem Sagar Baral, a noted ornithologist in Nepal. "The creeper alters the vegetation to such an extent that birds do not get the right natural setting for nesting and laying eggs. "Species like the reed warbler and some thrushes are also declining there." Although there is no clear record, conservationists say the plant probably came from India, where it was said to have been imported during World War II. "It is believed that it was brought into India to camouflage army camps during the war," says Mr Subedi. Conservationists say that some national parks in the north-eastern part of India have also seen the spread of this invasive creeper.
Hands-on effort
Authorities have tried uprooting the plant from some sections of the Chitwan national park. Even Prime Minister Madhab Kumar Nepal rolled up his sleeves when he recently joined a "weeding" effort. But this measure has so far proved unsuccessful because the plant has already covered wide areas.
It continues to regrow, stimulated to spread by the movement of people and animals within the park. Authorities do not want to use chemical or biological measures, which they fear could harm the park's ecosystem. So officials are left somewhat helpless. Mikania micrantha continues to grip this valuable natural site, stifling its vegetation and threatening its wildlife.
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8576646.stm
A native plant of Brazil, the weed Mikania micrantha, has already covered 20% of the national park in southern Nepal. Most of the affected areas are important to the tigers, rhinos and some endangered bird species - moist places and riversides that are conducive to the growth of the invasive creeper. "Already 50% of the rhino's habitat is covered by this alien plant," says Naresh Subedi of Nepal's National Trust for Nature Conservation, which has carried out research in the Chitwan national park. "If uncontrolled, it will spread over half of the park's entire area."
Suffocating creeper
Also known as "mile by a minute" because of its fast spreading rate, the weed can smother anything that gets in its way - from grasses to even large trees. "As a result, we have seen some trees grow old quickly and die. And grasses [that many animals eat] have simply disappeared," says Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, chief warden of the park. "We call this vegetation imposition." Conservationists say that the impacts upon the park's animals. "For example, there is this tree that bears fruits called 'rhino's apple' that is killed once it is covered by the [weed]. This means a food source for the rhinos becomes scarce," explains Mr Subedi. Mr Pradhan says that different types of grasses, which form an essential part of the diets of small animals such as deer, are also disappearing from areas of the park invaded by the weed. "Small animals need good quality food and these grasses are very important for them." And if the deer are affected, this is likely to have a knock-on effect on the tigers' diet. "There is a possibility that the food chain in the park is adversely affected," Mr Pradhan says. Dr Richard Kock, a scientist with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) says that the weed reduces "suitable cover" for the tiger. He is trying to help park officials to tackle the problem. "It forces animals to forage more widely and outside of the park in farmland. This increases conflict and the risk of death from poaching or revenge attacks [by farmers whose crops are eaten up by park animals]," he says.
Spreading invasion
Park officials say they have seen some rhinos that have begun to eat Mikania micrantha because they have "no choice". "As megaherbivores, they need plenty of food, so we can imagine why some of them have begun to eat this plant," says Mr Pradhan. And the droppings of these rhinos, and other herbivores that eat the plant, will spread the invasive weed. The park officials have started to look into how Mikania micrantha is affecting the rhinos. They have attached radio collars to two rhinos and they will track six more in the same way in order to monitor their foraging behaviour. They hope to have the results from this study within two years, but the invasive plant is likely to have spread far more by then. It has already crept out of the park and is advancing towards the west. Latest findings show it has reached the Dang area in western Nepal. Conservationists fear that, at this rate, it will soon reach the nearby Bardiya National Park - another protected area that has successfully conserved several endangered species, including tigers.
Out of control
Scientists say that the plant was first seen in the eastern part of Nepal, where it did some ecological damage to the Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve - a bird watcher's paradise. "The weed covered areas near wetlands, grassland and open places in the forest. [It has caused a reduction in] the number of endangered swamp francolin birds in Koshi Tappu," says Hem Sagar Baral, a noted ornithologist in Nepal. "The creeper alters the vegetation to such an extent that birds do not get the right natural setting for nesting and laying eggs. "Species like the reed warbler and some thrushes are also declining there." Although there is no clear record, conservationists say the plant probably came from India, where it was said to have been imported during World War II. "It is believed that it was brought into India to camouflage army camps during the war," says Mr Subedi. Conservationists say that some national parks in the north-eastern part of India have also seen the spread of this invasive creeper.
Hands-on effort
Authorities have tried uprooting the plant from some sections of the Chitwan national park. Even Prime Minister Madhab Kumar Nepal rolled up his sleeves when he recently joined a "weeding" effort. But this measure has so far proved unsuccessful because the plant has already covered wide areas.
It continues to regrow, stimulated to spread by the movement of people and animals within the park. Authorities do not want to use chemical or biological measures, which they fear could harm the park's ecosystem. So officials are left somewhat helpless. Mikania micrantha continues to grip this valuable natural site, stifling its vegetation and threatening its wildlife.
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8576646.stm
Ethnoveterinary use of plants
One article is recently published in an international journal, Journal of Medicinal Plant Research where i am the first and corresponding author. Below is the abstract of an article.
If you are interested for full paper you can contact me.
Abstract
People in different parts of the world depend on plants and plant parts to fulfill their daily needs and have developed unique knowledge of their utilization. There have been very few studies on the ethnobotanical studies of the plants that are used for the treatment of livestock diseases in Nepal. This study aims to document information about ethnobotanical information of plants used for the treatment of livestock diseases in Sardikhola VDC of Kaski district. Information on the use of plants were collected in April-May 2009 by interviewing key informants using a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. Altogether 18 plant species belonging to 17 families were recorded as being used for treatment of different livestock diseases. This traditional knowledge is declining as the younger
generation shows less interest in using plants. Further research in this field is necessary as this finding may help to counter the needs of people during a scarcity.
If you are interested for full paper you can contact me.
Abstract
People in different parts of the world depend on plants and plant parts to fulfill their daily needs and have developed unique knowledge of their utilization. There have been very few studies on the ethnobotanical studies of the plants that are used for the treatment of livestock diseases in Nepal. This study aims to document information about ethnobotanical information of plants used for the treatment of livestock diseases in Sardikhola VDC of Kaski district. Information on the use of plants were collected in April-May 2009 by interviewing key informants using a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. Altogether 18 plant species belonging to 17 families were recorded as being used for treatment of different livestock diseases. This traditional knowledge is declining as the younger
generation shows less interest in using plants. Further research in this field is necessary as this finding may help to counter the needs of people during a scarcity.
MEN LOSE THEIR MINDS SPEAKING TO PRETTY WOMEN
The research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.
The research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.
Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.
The findings have implications for the performance of men who flirt with women in the workplace, or even exam results in mixed-sex schools.
Women, however, were not affected by chatting to a handsome man.
This may be simply because men are programmed by evolution to think more about mating opportunities.
Psychologists at Radboud University in The Netherlands carried out the study after one of them was so struck on impressing an attractive woman he had never met before, that he could not remember his address when she asked him where he lived.
Researchers said it was as if he was so keen to make an impression he 'temporarily absorbed most of his cognitive resources.'
To see if other men were affected in the same way, they recruited 40 male heterosexual students.
Each one performed a standard memory test where they had to observe a stream of letters and say, as fast as possible, if each one was the same as the one before last.
The volunteers then spent seven minutes chatting to male or female members of the research team before repeating the test.
The results showed men were slower and less accurate after trying to impress the women. The more they fancied them, the worse their score.
But when the task was repeated with a group of female volunteers, they did not get the same results. Memory scores stayed the same, whether they had chatted to a man or a woman.
In a report on their findings the researchers said: 'We conclude men's cognitive functioning may temporarily decline after an interaction with an attractive woman.'
Psychologist Dr George Fieldman, a member of the British Psychological Society, said the findings reflect the fact that men are programmed to think about ways to pass on their genes.
'When a man meets a pretty woman, he is what we call 'reproductively focused'.
'But a woman also looks for signs of other attributes, such as wealth, youth and kindness. Just the look of the man would be unlikely to have the same effect.'
Source:telegraph.co.uk
The research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.
Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or 'cognitive resources' trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.
The findings have implications for the performance of men who flirt with women in the workplace, or even exam results in mixed-sex schools.
Women, however, were not affected by chatting to a handsome man.
This may be simply because men are programmed by evolution to think more about mating opportunities.
Psychologists at Radboud University in The Netherlands carried out the study after one of them was so struck on impressing an attractive woman he had never met before, that he could not remember his address when she asked him where he lived.
Researchers said it was as if he was so keen to make an impression he 'temporarily absorbed most of his cognitive resources.'
To see if other men were affected in the same way, they recruited 40 male heterosexual students.
Each one performed a standard memory test where they had to observe a stream of letters and say, as fast as possible, if each one was the same as the one before last.
The volunteers then spent seven minutes chatting to male or female members of the research team before repeating the test.
The results showed men were slower and less accurate after trying to impress the women. The more they fancied them, the worse their score.
But when the task was repeated with a group of female volunteers, they did not get the same results. Memory scores stayed the same, whether they had chatted to a man or a woman.
In a report on their findings the researchers said: 'We conclude men's cognitive functioning may temporarily decline after an interaction with an attractive woman.'
Psychologist Dr George Fieldman, a member of the British Psychological Society, said the findings reflect the fact that men are programmed to think about ways to pass on their genes.
'When a man meets a pretty woman, he is what we call 'reproductively focused'.
'But a woman also looks for signs of other attributes, such as wealth, youth and kindness. Just the look of the man would be unlikely to have the same effect.'
Source:telegraph.co.uk
CHINA TRUSTS PROSTITUTES MORE THAN OTHERS
A survey conducted by Insight China in June July this year (total 3,376 respondents) revealed that in China, prostitutes are better-trusted than its politicians and scientists.
The survey found that 7.9% of respondents considered sex workers to be trustworthy, placing them third behind farmers and religious workers. "A list like this is at the same time surprising and embarrassing," said an editorial in the state-run China Daily. Politicians were far down the list, closer to scientists and teachers. "The sex workers' unexpected prominence on this list of honour... is indeed unusual," said the China Daily editorial. "At least [the scientists and officials] have not slid into the least credible category which consists of real estate developers, secretaries, agents, entertainers and directors," the editorial said.
Soldiers came in fourth place.
The survey found that 7.9% of respondents considered sex workers to be trustworthy, placing them third behind farmers and religious workers. "A list like this is at the same time surprising and embarrassing," said an editorial in the state-run China Daily. Politicians were far down the list, closer to scientists and teachers. "The sex workers' unexpected prominence on this list of honour... is indeed unusual," said the China Daily editorial. "At least [the scientists and officials] have not slid into the least credible category which consists of real estate developers, secretaries, agents, entertainers and directors," the editorial said.
Soldiers came in fourth place.
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