Jan Didi wins Extraordinary Commitment and Achievement Award

Rupinder sent this article about Jan Salter, through Ching. Congratulations, Jan Didi, from the Kathmanduettes!!

http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/06/11/nation/award-for-kat-centre-founder/209289/

KATHMANDU, JUN 11 -
Humane Society International has provided Jan Salter, Founder of Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) Centre, with “Extraordinary Commitment and Achievement Award”. Salter received the award at the United States Animal Care Expo in Nashville, TN at a gathering of nearly 2,000 animal protectionists from the world over. The award is given to individual animal protectionists from all over the world whose sensitivity and compassion have led them to exceptional levels of bravery and self-sacrifice as they strive to mitigate and prevent animal suffering due to neglect, cruelty, and exploitation. “We are proud that the founder of KAT Centre has been recognised for her work with the dogs in Nepal,” said actor Hari Bamsha Acharya, who is also the chairman of animal welfare centre. (PR)

‘WE LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE”

Many thanks for voicing your concern about our safety here in Bangkok. The Red Shirt protesters have been disbanded although there are still a few pockets of violence, arson and destroying property, perhaps fuelled by the more militants among them or perhaps by frustration that they have been asked by their leaders to disperse and go home.

We still do not venture out from our safe perimeter of the Dusit area: there are enough shops, restaurants and services here that we can have access to without really having to go into the business district. This is the old genteel (relatively) part of town where the Chitralada Palace and the Zoo and some other palaces converted into government buildings and schools are located.

True, the damage has been extremely high, estimated to over 1 million dollars: some buildings, the metro and subway were also trashed, as with the roads and shop houses surrounding the main demo area.

This comes as a surprise to most foreigners: the Thais are always conciliatory, smiling, and no conflict fazes them: but when they vent their frustrations – watch out. The Reds started off with their support for the foreign Prime Minister who was convicted of white collar crimes in the billions at the cost of the country, but they view him as a benevolent PM who brought in medical care at 30 baht, and widely projected as being pro-poor. The current PM is British-educated and pigeon-holed into the Elites box. The Reds say he was unlawfully made into PM although the process was a choice of parliament with elections to be held: they were restless and wanted earlier elections.

They were funded mostly and goaded on by Thaksin although he denies this, despite lots of evidence to the contrary. Then the Reds had some militant elements and they started shooting back at the military, with collateral deaths ensuing. They were also responsible for the burning of tires, a telegenic way of showing their protest on TV. This is said to be the most violent day in Thai history. Then the mob took over. The military had no choice but to choke them off in their area, despite asking them to leave, repeatedly, the area. We feel that a lot of the violence and deaths (about 73) could have been prevented while the road map (peace plan of the government) was accepted by the Reds and they could have attributed that as one of their victories. With the violence, most Thais have blamed the Reds for this, and a black mark on their organization.

The King, as a constitutional monarch, is ill and in hospital and unable to intervene. He had a public appearance at a function a few weeks back and advised people to be cautionary and be peaceful.

One thing, as farang residents, that we are thankful for: this was an internal Thai matter, and did not involve any foreign intervention or interests. They have survived a devastating natural tsunami, they will survive this political tsunami too.

Thr reconstruction and reconciliation will take some time: they have moved the clock back and no longer known as one of Asia’s most vibrant economies: foreign investors are re-thinking about coming in or expanding. On Thai TV yesterday as he announced that order had been restored, the PM said he was taking the country on a path of national reconciliation. “We are living in the same house,” he said. “I invite all of you to join the reconciliation process.” May 2010

Boston: Places to go, Things to do

Lexington, Concord, Walden Pond. National Historic Park on the beginning of American Revolution; interesting exhibits along route between them. Visitor centers, gift shops. Concord also a cultural center and the home of many authors – Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – exhibits/museums . Walden Pond made famous by Henry David Thoreau- a pleasant, relaxing park, with a path around the pond.

Wayside Inn/Grist Mill, DeCordova Museum Purchased by Henry Ford for restoration, picturesque Grist Mill, the school where Mary had her little lamb, chapel. The Wayside Inn continues to be an excellent restaurant – where we will have lunch one day

DeCordova Museum, in the town of Lincoln ten minutes from Sudbury, is a top-quality art museum that specializes in large outdoor sculptures

Boat trip to Provincetown, Cape swim? From Boston, there is a regular passenger ferry to the tip of Cape Cod. We could take the ferry, then spend the day on the cape. Or a whale watch trip from Boston or from Newburyport or Gloucester

Boston (2 days): a show, walking tour, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Quincy Market, Harvard campus. There are numerous things to see and do in Boston and – across the Charles River – Cambridge. On Saturday, we could take in a matinee in the theater district. The top museums are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium. Each is world quality (admission fees)

There is a well-marked walking tour of Boston that highlights the many historical sites (including cemeteries). Along it are Quincy Market (where we can have lunch), with lots of nice shops and Faneuil Hall (where the Boston Tea Party was hatched)

Salem, Newburyport, Plum Island. Famous for its witch trials in the 1600s. National wildlife refuge on Plum Island

Ed and Alice

Happy Nepalese New Year!

Hardy Fuerer

Alice L introduced me to Hardy Fuerer at the UNDP Compound’s mailbox way back in 1979. He was just back from one of his numerous trips to the far flung corners of the country, this time he had some bottles of rakshi airlifted from somewhere at Humla. Apparently apricots were in abundance there and he had befriended some villagers who make their own hooch from the surplus fruit.

He was the UN pilot extraordinaire, having flown over the Swiss mountains to qualify him to work for the “air bus” or “air ghari”, a Pilatus Porter, to reach at the remotest regions and mostly unpassable by road. His cargo and passengers were unpredictable: these could be medicine, books, hardware, sheep. And rumors of running contraband to a certain training area, but this was never substantiated. The return trips were mostly light so the need to look around for items to ferry back to Kathmandu.

Sad to know that he passed away in 2005.

In 2000, Hardy Furer returned to the country he loved: the Everest View Hotel (rooms are provided with oxygen tanks, the elevation was that high) was to hire him to take tourists there. However things did not go the way he would have wanted to. His health was not at its best, having lost one lung and part of another to pulmonary problems. He was unable to obtain a visa to stay in Nepal, and his condition worsened until his death. He was given a simple Buddhist cremation.

For nearly twenty years, he was a fixture in town. With the Civil Aviation authorities, he extended the number of air strips to 30. One of the more colorful characters at that time, his flying record shows zero accidents. A story goes that he drove his Land Rover (or was it a Peugeot?) into the main road or rather piloted it, hitting a good number of cars. Remember, it was okay to park cars in the median of the road? Some consultants complained that the Pilatus left without them, because they were unable to arrive at the airstrip on time.

His UN flying days were over when the Pilatus was exchanged for a Twin Otter and turned over to Royal Nepal (RNAC). He returned to Switzerland and after years of treatment he left for Nepal.

He lived his piloting life in Nepal with a lot of drive, gusto, and passion. The UN plane’s number was 9N-AAW. Which some people shortened to “Alpha Whiskey”.

Do you have any Hardy stories to share?

Joyous Easter