Get Well Soon, Eva

Since Monday, this blog has been receiving unusually high hits which it has never experienced before and after a search i discovered that most of the hits were for my earlier posts on Eva Ekvall, the former Miss Venezuela who is suffering from breast cancer.

Since Monday, many people have been searching for Eva on the net after the beauty queen who is undergoing chemotherapy released photos of sickly self, bald and lying on a bad in the hospital resulting in a number of people directed to this blog.




The photo that was released two days ago, was taken from Eva's book Fuera De Foco (Out Of Focus ) which chronicles her fight with cancer. Desribing her bald self as " not pretty at all ", Eva said people would be shocked to see this photo as she has never been seen bald or without make up in public before this.





Eva shares her battle with cancer through her book Fuera De Foco. She hopes this book would help to create more awareness in breast cancer and self examination among Venezuelan women. According to her, breast implants and breast enlargements are common topics in Venezuela and people have no hesitation to talk about them but breast cancer is a taboo topic and many people shy away from talking about this disease.

She said the most difficult part of her 'battle' was not able to take care of her toddler daughter as she was too sick to do so and had to let her mother to look after her young child resulting to her daughter not able to recognize her at times.



The photos released were not the most recent ones. Today she sports a short hair style and is in the process of recovery. Get well soon, Eva..

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Buddha's Home Lies In Utter Negelect

The Uttar Pradesh government may be trying to project itself as a champion of Buddhism, yet his original home Kapilavastu, in the remotest corner of the state along the India-Nepal border, lies in a condition of utter neglect.

Way back in 563 BC, Queen Maya Devi might have conveniently traversed the distance of 10 km from her husband Suddhodana's kingdom, Kapilavastu, to her parental home Lumbini (now in Nepal), where she gave birth to Siddhartha, who later became the legendary Gautam Buddha. But that may not be possible today.

That's because the Nepal government has not cared to build a motorable road from the Indian border at Kakrahwa - barely 500 metres from the Kapilavastu stupa - to the Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini and neither have the Indian authorities bothered to persuade Kathmandu to facilitate the easy movement of Buddhist pilgrims through the border.

Tens of thousands of foreign tourists exploring the Buddhist circuit have to take a detour of at least 53 km simply because of the absence of a barely 20 km good road link between Kapilvastu and Lumbini.

'What is worse is that this detour is usually packed with trucks as it is one of the main trade routes between the two countries,' Shamim Ahmad, a cab driver, told IANS.

'Often, the long wait at the Sonauli border is so disgusting for foreign tourists that they choose to give up one or two places on the Buddhist circuit,' he added.

The Mayawati government is busy proclaiming itself as the champion of the cause of Buddhists by naming Noida as Gautam Buddha Nagar, but it has never struck the government to build a direct road link between Kapilavastu and Shravasti, both being part of the much-talked- about Buddhist circuit.

'There is a narrow dilapidated road connecting Sonauli to Kapilavastu and further down to Shravasti; all that is required to be done is to build it into a proper highway,' said Indrajeet Gupta, a local grocer.

An official on condition of anonymity said: 'What I find strange is that the road - frequented by 80 percent of the commuters - remains utterly unattended while huge funds are spent on the route used by barely 20 percent traffic.'

The absence of a proper road link to key Buddhist destinations is not the only reflection of neglect and indifference shown by various governments. The state government and the Archaeological Survey of India got together to build a stupa at Kapilavastu after archaeologists excavated a casket containing vital Buddha relics from the site.

However, the less said the better about the state of the stupa and its surroundings. Other than a crudely built stupa and equally shabbily constructed walls to mark the Kapilavastu palace some distance away, there is nothing to keep a tourist there for more than a few minutes.

There is not a blade of grass nor very many trees to provide a green touch. And the poor lighting makes the place look desolate once the sun sets.

A tourist bungalow built by the state government in the late 1990s exists only in name. With no electricity, the place looks haunted at night, so much so that even the caretaker prefers to stay in a rented home some distance away.

While local tourists rarely venture all the way to this remote destination, foreigners prefer to park themselves at a 150-year-old British manor, converted by the owners into a Victorian heritage hotel, widely known as the Royal Retreat, which is the one and only place to stay in the vicinity of Kapilavastu.

But the narrow, undulated and muddy path leading to the retreat again speaks volumes of government apathy and the utter disregard for Buddhist tourism.

'We have to fight against all odds to make this work; a little facilitation by the government in the form of better road connectivity and availability of power could make all the difference in realising our long cherished dreams,' remarked Royal Retreat owner Deependra Singh, who left his cushy job in Delhi 15 years back to promote Buddhist tourism here.

A ray of hope has been shown by state tourism director general Avanish Awasthi. 'I am in the process of preparing a blueprint for the development of Kapilavastu as an attractive destination on the Buddhist circuit,

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Yen Tu Pagoda Spring Festival 2011

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan beat the drum, opening the Yen Tu Pagoda Festival Spring in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Coastal Feb. 12, the Tenth day of the first lunar month.

Buddhist dignitaries, Monks, Nuns, followers and visitors joined in Offering Incense to King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293 and then left the throne to devote His life to Buddhism.

They joined another cũng Ceremony to pray for peace to the country and people.

Yen Tu has welcomed over 20.000 visitors from far since the first day of the lunar year and the festival last three months khi sẽ spring. The site received over 2.1 million visitors in 2010. Although the ceremony was officially opened on February 12, 2011 ( 10th day of Lunar New Year ), visitors have started to throng the temple since the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Yen Tu Mountain is located about 50km from Ha Long City. The route of the pilgrimage, from the foot of the mountain to its Highest peak, is almost 30km. Dong Pagoda, sits atop the mountain's Highest peak, is more than a 1068 above sea level. A new cable car service is introduced this year to lift visitors to the peak.

The area's beautiful natural landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with surrounding ancient Pagodas and hermitages, are said to have been the reason that King Tran Nhan Tong gửi the throne to His son than that he could devote His life living as a Buddhist Monk at Yen Tu mountain. Whilst there, he Founded the Truc Lam meditation sect, has led to Yen Tu mà being recognised as the country's leading center for Buddhism.

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Karmapa Is Clean

The Himachal Pradesh government Friday gave a clean chit to the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje in any financial irregularities, and categorically ruled out the possibility of any action against him.

"There is no involvement of the Karmapa (in any financial irregularities). We have reasons to believe that some donations came for the monastery and the Karmapa has nothing to do with that. Monastery functionaries were managing the affairs (financial transactions)," Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu told reporters here.

Police Jan 28 recovered nearly Rs.70 million worth of unaccounted foreign and Indian currency from the Karmapa Lama's monastery, Gyuto Tantric University and monastery near Dharamsala, where the the Dalai Lama is heading his government-in-exile.

Sandhu said: "The Karmapa is a religious head and has followers across the world. We respect their religious activities. We don't interfere in any religious affairs."

She said police are still investigating where the seized currency, the bulk of it Chinese yuans, as also USD 600,000, came from, its origin and for what purposed it was kept for.

"Police are questioning the monastery functionaries and the law will take its own course," she said.

Seven people, including the Karmapa's aide Rubgi Chosang, also known as Shakti Lama, are in police custody.

On recommending to the central government to deport the Karmapa from India, the chief secretary said: "There is no question at all."

She also clarified that there was no communication from the central government to go slow on the Karmapa issue.

Police still believe the seized money was meant for some "illegal" land deal in Dharamsala with the involvement of the Karmapa's aide Shakti Lama.

However, Sandhu said: "The government is conducting the survey to know the ‘benami' properties acquired by the exiles across the state. The law is equal for all, including the exiles."

However, the government-in-exile has already clarified that the state government is free to take action against illegal land deals by the Tibetans.

"The Tibetans are bound to respect the Indian laws. We don't interfere if the state government takes action against any individual or organisation for violating the laws in acquiring properties. As far the as government-in-exile is concerned, it has constructed buildings after taking permission from the state," Ngodup Dorjee, secretary home department, government-in-exile, told IANS.

Denying all allegations, the Karmapa's office said it denies "the baseless fabrications touted by some media claiming that His Holiness the Karmapa is a Chinese spy or agent".

"Specifically, reports have circulated recently claiming that the Karmapa has acquired land along the Sino-Indian border. We state categorically that His Holiness owns no such property whatsoever, nor does the Karmapa's Office of Administration," said Karma Topden and Deki Chungyalpa, advisers to the Karmapa.

Noting that the Dalai Lama has expressed confidence in the Karmapa, the statement said the Tibetan government-in-exile had demonstrated its support to the Karmapa, "who is the revered head of a 900-year old order within Tibetan Buddhism".

It was after the seizure of Rs.1 crore from Mehatpur in Una district that raids on the monastery were conducted by police Jan 28 and the huge amount of currency was recovered.

A police team twice questioned the Karmapa about the recovery of money. A four-member Enforcement Directorate team from Chandigarh, headed by deputy director V. Neeraja, also scanned the account books, ledgers and documents pertaining to financial transactions and questioned the monastery officials.

The Karmapa fled Tibet and sought refuge in India in January 2000. Ever since, he has mostly lived at the monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala.

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Buddhist Jokes

A naughty boy liked to run around the house. One day, as he was running and playing in the main hall of his house he accidentally broke his mother's favorite vase.

When the mother discovered about the broken vase, she was very angry and was on the verge of hitting her son when she realized that it was too painful for her to do so. Not wanting to allow her son go without any punishment, she asked her son to kneel in front of the statue of Goddess of Mercy sitting peacefully on the family altar. She asked her son not to stand up until she asked her to do so. The small boy reluctantly followed his mother instruction.

The mother than left the hall for kitchen to do some cooking and when she returned to the hall she saw her son sitting on the coach watching TV. Angrily, she asked the boy why he stop kneeling in front of the Goddess of Mercy without her permission.

Answering in an innocent tone, the boy said " Mummy, you haven't allow me to stand up but when i asked the Goddess of Mercy, she allowed me to do so ". The mother answered " Don't give excuses, how could the Goddess of Mercy talk to you ? ".

The boy answered, " No, the Goddess of Mercy didn't talk to me but she showed me the OK sign with her hand when i asked her if i could stand up ".

The amused mother looked at the statue of the Goddess of Mercy and then just shook her head and smile at her son.

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Tibet & Superbowl

The U.S. Internet discount company Groupon, which aired a commercial during Sunday's Super Bowl focusing on the plight of the people of Tibet, has sparked a controversy overseas and in China. Some have posted angry comments online saying the commercial went too far, while others have announced their plans to stop using the discount service.

The controversial commercial opens with a shot of a lofty snow-capped Tibetan mountain scene set to flute music. Then, U.S. Hollywood actor Timothy Hutton appears and says in a somber tone: "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy."

But as soon as the commercial seems to be easing into a message about Tibet, Hutton then beams as he talks about a deal he got from Groupon for a fish curry dish at a Himalayan restaurant in Chicago.

Bob Thompson is the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at New York's Syracuse University. "The biggest problem is that the commercial is just not very funny. I mean, you can get away with making fun of some pretty sacred cow situations, if the result is really hysterical and it really works," he said.

Thompson says that what was odd about the commercial is that it starts out as a very typical well-meaning appeal for an important issue. "And then it of course turns it around, but it does it in a way that isn't so much funny as it makes us really uncomfortable," he said.

The 30-second spot has sparked an avalanche of angry blogs and social network messages.

Many talked about how upset they were with the commercial and Groupon's decision to run the ad. One person put a post on Twitter that called the Groupon spot outrageously insensitive and said he would not use Groupon until the ad was pulled.

On Facebook, some supporters of Tibet launched a group called "Shame On You Groupon, Double Donate." Postings on the page included videos and information from human rights groups about China's treatment of the Tibetan people.

Others said people should just lighten up, and they noted it is not the first time that the advertising company Groupon hired - Crispin Porter and Bogusky - has used controversy to boost a company's brand recognition.

Bob Thompson said "I think that is part of it. The whole idea is, if you are going to pay $3 million for 30 seconds of commercial time, you want to get all the bang for the buck that you can."

China's handling of Tibet has long been a source of domestic and international controversy for Beijing, which took control of the region in 1951.

In a blog for the International Campaign for Tibet on Monday, Bhuchung Tsering says that while the commercial wasn't "ideal" and was "tacky," the amount of attention it is bringing to the plight of the Tibetan people is something that he could live with.

In China, the Super Bowl does not usually attract a lot of attention, but Internet users were commenting on Chinese language blogs about the spot shortly after it was aired.

On Sina.com's Chinese language microblogging site, some voiced their anger over how China's treatment of the people of Tibet was portrayed. Many others noted that in the wake of the advertisement, Groupon is not likely to have a chance of surviving in China's market.

Following the outpouring of criticism Monday, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason defended his company's decision to run the ad on its company blog, saying that it would have never run the ads if the company thought it trivialized issues such as Tibet.

The blog says Groupon takes the causes it highlighted in the commercial extremely seriously, and it noted that if anything, the commercial would bring more funding and support to the causes its commercials highlight.

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Dirty Monk Caught Filming Naked Women

A DIRTY Buddhist monk has been charged with secretly filming hundreds of naked women who stripped off to wash in holy water at a temple.

Net Khai, 37, now faces a year in jail and has been stripped of his religious status after cops arrested him for spying on women who had gone to him to be blessed.

Prosecutors in Cambodia say that after filming the naked ladies, Khai shared his saucy clips with others.

He was arrested at his pagoda in the country's capital, Phnom Penh, on Saturday and charged with producing and distributing pornographic images by the local court.

Police chief, Touch Naruth, said that the monk had secretly taped the women pouring sacred water over themselves in a pagoda bathroom.

Khai was arrested after a victim approached cops and said that video clips showing the naked women had been shared via mobile phones.

The police officer said: "He has filmed hundreds of women since 2008. They came to the monk to be blessed with holy water, but they were secretly filmed.

"His act affects other monks and Buddhism and seriously harms our tradition."

Naruth said that Khai confessed to his crimes and they were now looking for his accomplices.

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