Lisa Napoli's Blog, page 9
March 22, 2012
#Rupee crunch: And now, Assam bans the #ngultrum
Guwahati, Friday, March 23, 2012
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Ban on use of Bhutan currency
Correspondent
RANGIYA, March 22 – After many reports were published on the rampant rise in the use of Bhutanese currency, 'Ngultrum' here and at other places, action has been initiated to impose a ban on the use of the foreign currency.
As per reports, the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan with the Reserve Bank of India has taken up the matter seriously, particularly the transaction of drafts, which has posed a threat to business. This has led to the initiative to ban Ngultrum use here.
The use of Bhutanese currency was in sharp rise among the businessmen here. The recent move has been welcomed by many, and most them opine that the civil administration should carry out sudden checks in this regard to check the foreign currency use menace on Indian soil.
"Six Words of Advice" from Tilopa (and One-Minute Meditation)
Well, the word count is off, but the sentiment is great:
Let go of what has passed.
Let go of what may come.
Let go of what is happening now.
Don't try to figure anything out.
Don't try to make anything happen.
Relax, right now, and rest.
Plastic bags, no: Plastic money, yes
What's our worst American export: high-fructose corn syrup, fast food, or credit cards? (I don't know that we invented these things, but I can't imagine we didn't propagate them.)
Now with the rupee crisis, according to Kuensel in this article "Visa, Master, Maestro Must-haves", plastic is in hot demand in Bhutan. It makes complete sense, cause it gives people access to the rupees they need to conduct their daily lives.
But as anyone who has ever had credit card debt knows, it opens a revolving door to a vicious cycle (as evidenced by the mess we have here in the US, borrowing on small scales and large.) The Bhutanese media are doing a great job of covering the financial woes there.
Money can't buy you a ticket to this: Wellbeing & Happiness summit at the UN
Here's more on that high-level summit being convened at the UN on April 2nd by Bhutan. Even the $250 a ticket for the pre-event fundraiser at the Rubin won't get you invited to this:
TEXT:
"On 19 July last year, 68 countries joined the Kingdom of Bhutan in co-sponsoring a resolution titled "Happiness: Towards a holistic approach to development," which was adopted by consensus by the 193-member UN General Assembly.
In follow up to the resolution, the Royal Government of Bhutan is convening a High Level Meeting on "Happiness and Well Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm" on 2nd April 2012 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
This meeting will initiate next steps towards realizing the vision of a new well being and sustainability based economic paradigm that effectively integrates economic, social, and environmental objectives.
Intended outcomes of this meeting include:
A statement on the new economy for voluntary signature by all the participants
Building a global movement and action networks to promote implementation of the new economy
Voluntary specific policy recommendations for consideration by governments in the short, medium, and long term
Establishment of an independent expert Task Force to elaborate the details of the new economic paradigm
A strategy to present the new economic paradigm at the special event to be hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan during the Rio+20 summit in June this year
A strategy for effective communication of the new economy to reach the widest possible audience.
This landmark gathering on 2nd April will be attended by a select but representative group of top government representatives, by all United Nations missions, and by leading economists, scholars and spiritual and civil society leaders, representing both developed and developing nations."
March 21, 2012
Economics of happiness conference: Promoting positive economic change
This is the third interesting announcement today of an event I can't attend. But I thought you might want to know about it, and spread the word:
March 23 to 25, 2012
David Brower Center 2150 Allston Way Berkeley, CA 94704
Around the world, the realization is dawning that the problems we face are linked — from unemployment and poverty to Wall Street corruption, from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the burning forests of Indonesia, from hydro-fracking to growing fundamentalism.As these crises intensify, a chorus of citizen voices is rising up in response. People are demanding an end to the exploitation of the many for the profit of the few.
Increasingly, we know what we're against. It's now time to decide what we're for. And how to get from here to there.
In March 2012, the Economics of Happiness Conference will bring together activists from around the world to discuss an agenda for change — away from jobless growth towards sustainable livelihoods; from large-scale sweatshops towards scaled-down business; from self-recrimination and guilt towards empowerment and collaboration; from a globalized system of exploitation and inequality towards an economics of happiness.
Hosted by the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), the conference will offer clarity on the way forward—towards more truly sustainable ways of living.It will cover a range of inter-connected topics, including public policy choices; local initiatives in food, energy, education, business and banking; the need to bridge the North-South divide; and the influence of the economy on our psychological well-being.
We hope you will join us for this lively and inspiring conference.
Contact: conference@theeconomicsofhappiness.org
Happiness and Sustainability with the Prime Minister of Bhutan.
HAPPINESS AND SUSTAINABILITY — THE VITAL LINK
A dialogue between H.E. Jigmi Y. Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan and Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Director of The Earth Institute, Columbia University.
Presented by the Rubin Museum of Art and the Tenzin Gyatso Institute
In July last year, under the leadership of Bhutan, sixty eight countries co-sponsored a UN Resolution on "Happiness: Towards a holistic approach to development", which was adopted by the UN General Assembly. This year, on April 2nd, the Royal Government of Bhutan will take another leap forward by convening a high level meeting on "Happiness and Wellbeing: Defining a New Economic Paradigm" at the United Nations in New York.
On the eve of this historic global event, RMA and TGI will host an intimate dialogue between H.E. Jigmi Y. Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan and Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs
When: Sunday, April 1
6:30 p.m. Reception
7:30 p.m. Dialogue
Where: Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th Street
Speakers: H.E. Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley was born in Bumthang, Bhutan and in 2008, became Bhutan's first ever elected Prime Minister. He received his Master's degree from Pennsylvania State University, USA. He has previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, as Bhutan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. His government works to base its policies GNH rather than purely economic considerations.
Professor Jeffrey Sachs is widely considered to be the leading international economic advisor of his generation. For more than 20 years he has been in the forefront of the challenges of economic development, poverty alleviation, and enlightened globalization, promoting policies to help all parts of the world to benefit from expanding economic opportunities and wellbeing. He is also one of the leading voices for combining economic development with environmental sustainability
Tickets: $250 reception with Jeffrey Sachs, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, and the Tenzin Gyatso monks, preferred seating for the talk and a signed copy of Prof. Sachs' latest book The Price of Civilization
$100 talk and post-event Tibetan musical performance
Available from the Rubin Museum's box office (212) 620-5000, ext. 344 or at
Proceeds benefit the educational programs of the Rubin Museum of Art and those of the Tenzin Gyatso Institute.
March 20, 2012
Bhutan News Service: Upcoming documentaries on the #refugee situation
Bhutan News Service is reporting the following, which will be of note to those interested in the refugee situation:
At least four movies, including two documentaries, based the Bhutanese refugees are on the pipeline for releasing within this year.
The Organization of Bhutanese Community in America (OBCA) is reportedly releasing Suruwat in a couple of months. Being planned to start screening from the United States of America, this is the first movie produced by the resettled Bhutanese.
Similarly, two documentaries on the pipeline for this year are Forgotten Exiles From Bhutan by a Dutch NGO Empowerment Foundation, and the Bel City by a British Charity, Home Where There Is Heart (HWH), both in collaboration with the Bhutan Media Society.
Promoted under the banner of Headwind Film, the Forgotten Refugee has highlighted resettlement of exiled Bhutanese in the Netherlands with a clear focus on the camp life, according to its Director Alice Verheij. A fiction book 'Headwind' will also be released along with the film.
While, the Bel City intends to inform the westerners about crux of the Bhutanese refugee problem and day-to-day life from the refugee camps, informed Justin Ash of the HWH.
Trailers of both the documentary films have already been released, while the production teams are currently engaged in fund raising for accomplishing the projects, which have investments mostly from individuals involved.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that production stage of a Christian movie, Pabitra Bandhan, has almost come to an end.
Directed by exiled artist Kedar Upreti (U.K.), who has already played various roles in over a dozen of movies, the film is based on cultural marriage under practice among the Christian communities in Nepal and refugee camps.
"We are currently working with two songs used in the film," Director Upreti told Bhutan News Service. "We are done with the rest."
Produced in the banner of Bhutanese Christian Connection, the film will have an overall investment of Rs 1 million, according to its Producer Balidan Ghimire.
"Though our market is limited, we are hopeful of making some profits as artists from both the refugee and host community have invested in the film," said Producer Ghimire.
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