Major revamp likely in hill outfits after poll results ...Inter school competition

Major revamp likely in hill outfits after poll results
HT, Darjeeling, May 07, 2011: Prominent political outfits in the Hills are set for a major organisational revamp post May 13, the day the results of the ongoing assembly polls will be out. While the All India Gorkha League (AIGL) plans to revamp its central committee, the Darjeeling town committee of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) could be in for a reshuffle or could even be dissolved after May 13.
Key central committee members including working president Dawa Sherpa and general secretary Manoj Dewan have been removed from their respective posts, leading to their resignation from the primary membership of the AIGL. Hence, a move is now afoot to fill up the vacant positions. “After May 13, we would reshuffle the central committee, as the posts need to be filled up,” said Luxman Pradhan, AIGL vice-president.
However AIGL sources have further hinted that the post of the working president could be abolished altogether. The post of working president had not been in the party since inception in 1943, but was created in 2010 essentially to accommodate Sherpa in the party ranks. 
Following the murder of AIGL president Madan Tamang on May 21, 2010, Sherpa, then with the BJP, switched to AIGL. The existing Darjeeling town committee of the Bimal Gurung-led outfit could be dissolved after May. Though the GJM has preferred to remain tight-lipped on the organisational reshuffle, sources claimed that Gurung had issued directives on these lines.
Lepcha film selected for Film festival
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, 07 May: “Ritual Journeys”, a documentary film by cinematographer, activist and passionate archivist of Lepcha culture and way of life, Dawa Lepcha, with Anna Balicki Denjongpa as anthropologist consultant, has been selected for the prestigious Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Films 2011. Dawa will be travelling to London to present the film at the festival to be held from 23-26 June 2011. Significantly, Dawa has also been selected for a 10-day [12 to 22 June] course on film editing at the University of Manchester. The film has also been selected for the Freiburg Film Festival, Germany.Before London film Ritual Journeys has  release today by Nekung’ Keepu T Lepcha at the main hall, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.
Inter school competition

Mukesh Sharma, KalimNews, Kalimpong,  7th May: The semi final and final for second Inter School Volleyball Competition for boys and girls and first Inter School Throw Ball Competition for girls was organized by the Kalimpong Sports Association at Mela Ground today. The first semifinal for the Throw Ball Tournament was played between Mount Carmel and Jubilee Higher Secondary School. The second Semifinal was played between Rockvale Academy and Girls Higher Secondary School. In the finals Mount Carmel and Rockvale locked their horns in which Rockvale Academy defeated Mount Carmel by two sets to one.In the finals of the girls Volleyball Janta Junior defeated the Saptashree Gyanpeeth Girls and reached the Finals with their opponent the Rockvale Academy who defeated Girls Higher Secondary School in the second Semifinal. 

In the finals Janta Junior defeated the Rockvale Girls by 21-19 capturing the Second Meena Silal Memorial Cup. In the finals of the boys Volleyball Saptashree Gyan Peeth defeated the boys of S.U.M.I by three sets to one capturing the second K.B Gurung Memorial Cup.The winners were awarded with trophies by the Chief Guest of the day, the Vice Principal Of S.U.M.I Zion Lepcha and Sonam Yakha  who also presented a cash Prize of Rs 10,000 to the girls of the Janta Junior School .
KalimNews: A 5 year boy died when he suddenly fell into a pit constructed for sceptic tank of a building at Bhotey Dhara near Hat Bazar. Gaurav kumar Bhagat  died inside the pit of the constructing building.

IN HIS HIDEOUT: This grab from an undated video released by the United States Department of Defence on Saturday show al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden watching television at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. According to the Department, the video was seized from his hideout during the May 1 operation by U.S. special forces:AP
Seized videos show Osama watching himself on TV
AP, PTI: Treasure-trove of terrorist material seized from Abbottabad compound
Newly released videos show Osama bin Laden inside his hideout, watching himself on television and rehearsing for terrorist propaganda videos.
The videos, released by U.S. intelligence officials on Saturday, were offered as further proof that Navy SEALs killed the world's most wanted terrorist this week. But they also served to show Osama as vain, someone obsessed with his portrayal by the world's media.
One of the movies shows Osama, wrapped in a brown blanket and holding a remote control, flipping back and forth between clips of himself. The small television was perched on top of a desk with wires running to a nearby cable or control box.
In another, he has apparently dyed and neatly trimmed his beard for the filming of a propaganda video.
The videos were seized from Osama's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Officials said the clips shown to reporters were just part of the largest collection of senior terrorist materials ever collected. The evidence seized during the raid also includes phone numbers and documents that officials hope will help break the back of the organisation behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Osama bin Laden was active, in plotting terrorist strikes, issuing directives to the commanders on the ground and was not just simply a strategic planner and leader of the al-Qaeda, a senior U.S. intelligence officer told journalists at a Pentaqon briefing while releasing the five rare videos.
One of the videos is described by Osama as “A message to the American people” that is believed to have been recorded in October or November last, the official said.
He said there had been no indication so far that the Pakistan government was aware of the presence of Osama in Abbottabad.
The U.S. government is sharing information obtained from the materials recovered from the Abbottabad compound with other foreign countries but did not specify if India was one of them.
Describing the material obtained and the treasure-trove of terrorist material, the official said it would take some time for the U.S. to scan through all the information.
Video of raid
A media report has said United States President Barack Obama and his key national security team in the White House situation room watched a soundless video feed of the raid on Osama's hideout in Pakistan.
“In the White House Situation Room on Sunday night, the President and his national security team watched a soundless video feed of the raid,” eminent author and journalist Bob Woodward wrote in The Washington Post, bringing to the light several unknown aspects of the covert U.S. operation that killed Osama on May 2.
Mr. Woodward also wrote how Osama was measured for his height after he was shot dead by the Navy SEALs.
“When Osama bin Laden's corpse was laid out, one of the Navy SEALs was asked to stretch out next to it to compare heights.
The SEAL was 6 feet tall. The body was several inches taller,” he said.
“After the information was relayed to Mr. Obama, he turned to his advisers and said: “We donated a $60 million helicopter to this operation. Could we not afford to buy a tape measure?” the report said.
Woodward wrote it was a telephone conversation last year between Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the pseudonym for a Pakistani known to U.S. intelligence as the main courier for Osama, and his old friend that gave the U.S. intelligence agencies a big lead which finally ended up in the Abbottabad compound.
“Where have you been?” inquired the friend. “We've missed you. What's going on in your life? And what are you doing now?” Kuwaiti's response was vague but heavy with portent: “I'm back with the people I was with before.”
There was a pause, as if the friend knew that Kuwaiti's words meant he had returned to Osama's inner circle, and was perhaps at the side of the al-Qaeda leader himself. The friend replied, “May God facilitate.”

Prof Lama addressing the First Meeting of South Asia
Forum Steering Committee in New Delhi

First meeting of SA forum ends
Sikkim Reporter, Gangtok: The first meeting of the prestigious and newly created South Asia Forum ended in New Delhi. In the meeting it was decided that the theme of the first South Asia Forum Summit slated for September 2011 to be “South Asian Economic Union”. Over 100 top business leaders, public figures, academics, politicians and representatives of civil society organizations are expected to participate.
The South Asia Forum Summit will be an annual event to be held before the SAARC Summit. It will be organized in the pattern of BOAO Forum for Asia (BFA) based in China, the World Economic Forum (WEF) based in Davos, Switzerland and the Asia Pacific Roundtable (APR) based in Australia.
In the first meeting, India was represented by Prof Mahendra P Lama, Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University and Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Bangladesh by its former Foreign Secretary and Bhutan by its former Home Minister. The South Asia Forum was established at the 16th SAARC Summit held at Thimphu, Bhutan in April 2010, by the head of the state and governments of eight South Asian countries. (Courtesy: http://sikkimreporter.com/otherstories.htm)

Mobile Mania

I watched with interest, the recent IPL series. However, more distracting than constant replays and zoozoo endorsements were those intermittent SMS vote requests that kept popping up on the screen. In India cool ringtones and text messaging seems to be the ‘in’ thing- from the jingle of the Vedic prayer to a Thought for the Day and what the Stars Fortell for you this week.
Cell phones have taken over the way we think or act. A US survey revealed that Americans as of today would gladly give up their TV sets or telephones in exchange for that precious gadget. Most of the respondents apparently used their mobiles for text messaging, followed by those who took pictures at the slightest provocation or recorded scenes randomly. Other participants said they browsed the internet or looked up directions. The survey failed to mention how many of these people actually used the device for making calls!
Today, cellphones have morphed from brick sized gadgets of the 1980s to captivatingly svelte beauties. There are too many things that these gizmos let you do these days – organise your life, take pictures, play music, watch TV, offer games, check the stock market, turn into flashlights, create your presentation and even wake you up without that cup of coffee!
These ‘Weapons of mass Destruction’ are like psychological props – like pets, these make their owners feel truly wanted. I see people walking around like mindless zombies everywhere from airports to malls, holding the thing close to their ears, whispering empty nothings. If their fingers are itching for something to do, they pick up their cell phones and caress them, much like a baby seeking out its soggy thumb.
Pressing buttons randomly they check their e-mail, invoke the weather man or text someone just for fun. The way these things are shaping to be our lifelong companions, one day flip phones may also double up as stress busters, nutcrackers or even aids for a holistic massage. These gadgets have other real uses today. For instance it is common practice to call and bore someone when they are stuck in traffic. There are also subscriptions that let you schedule interruptions in the middle of a meeting. It could be your cousin in ‘dire need’, if you wish to be excused immediately. I hear my cell phone ringing- Sorry, need to take this call… (Kritika Malhotra)