Himalaya glacier deadline 'wrong

The UN panel on climate change warning that Himalayan glaciers could melt to a fifth of current levels by 2035 is wildly inaccurate, an academic says.

J Graham Cogley, a professor at Ontario Trent University, says he believes the UN authors got the date from an earlier report wrong by more than 300 years.
He is astonished they "misread 2350 as 2035". The authors deny the claims.
Leading glaciologists say the report has caused confusion and "a catalogue of errors in Himalayan glaciology".

The Himalayas hold the planet's largest body of ice outside the polar caps - an estimated 12,000 cubic kilometres of water.
They feed many of the world's great rivers - the Ganges, the Indus, the Brahmaputra - on which hundreds of millions of people depend.
'Catastrophic rate'
In its 2007 report, the Nobel Prize-winning Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said: "Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate.

“ It is not plausible that Himalayan glaciers are disappearing completely within the next few decades ”
Michael Zemp, World Glacier Monitoring Service

"Its total area will likely shrink from the present 500,000 to 100,000 square kilometres by the year 2035," the report said.
It suggested three quarters of a billion people who depend on glacier melt for water supplies in Asia could be affected.
But Professor Cogley has found a 1996 document by a leading hydrologist, VM Kotlyakov, that mentions 2350 as the year by which there will be massive and precipitate melting of glaciers.
"The extrapolar glaciation of the Earth will be decaying at rapid, catastrophic rates - its total area will shrink from 500,000 to 100,000 square kilometres by the year 2350," Mr Kotlyakov's report said.
Mr Cogley says it is astonishing that none of the 10 authors of the 2007 IPCC report could spot the error and "misread 2350 as 2035".
"I do suggest that the glaciological community might consider advising the IPCC about ways to avoid such egregious errors as the 2035 versus 2350 confusion in the future," says Mr Cogley.
He said the error might also have its origins in a 1999 news report on retreating glaciers in the New Scientist magazine.
The article quoted Syed I Hasnain, the then chairman of the International Commission for Snow and Ice's (ICSI) Working group on Himalayan glaciology, as saying that most glaciers in the Himalayan region "will vanish within 40 years as a result of global warming".

When asked how this "error" could have happened, RK Pachauri, the Indian scientist who heads the IPCC, said: "I don't have anything to add on glaciers."
The IPCC relied on three documents to arrive at 2035 as the "outer year" for shrinkage of glaciers.
They are: a 2005 World Wide Fund for Nature report on glaciers; a 1996 Unesco document on hydrology; and a 1999 news report in New Scientist.
Incidentally, none of these documents have been reviewed by peer professionals, which is what the IPCC is mandated to be doing.
Murari Lal, a climate expert who was one of the leading authors of the 2007 IPCC report, denied it had its facts wrong about melting Himalayan glaciers.
But he admitted the report relied on non-peer reviewed - or 'unpublished' - documents when assessing the status of the glaciers.
'Alarmist'
Recently India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh released a study on Himalayan glaciers that suggested that they may be not melting as much due to global warming as it is widely feared.
He accused the IPCC of being "alarmist".

Mr Pachauri dismissed the study as "voodoo science" and said the IPCC was a "sober body" whose work was verified by governments.
But in a joint statement some the world's leading glaciologists who are also participants to the IPCC have said: "This catalogue of errors in Himalayan glaciology... has caused much confusion that could have been avoided had the norms of scientific publication, including peer review and concentration upon peer-reviewed work, been respected."
Michael Zemp from the World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich also said the IPCC statement on Himalayan glaciers had caused "some major confusion in the media".
"Under strict consideration of the IPCC rules, it should actually not have been published as it is not based on a sound scientific reference.
"From a present state of knowledge it is not plausible that Himalayan glaciers are disappearing completely within the next few decades. I do not know of any scientific study that does support a complete vanishing of glaciers in the Himalayas within this century."
Pallava Bagla is science editor for New Delhi Television (NDTV) and author of Destination Moon - India's quest for Moon, Mars and Beyond.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/8387737.stm

Published: 2009/12/05 10:04:34 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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Property Right and Freedom

Private property is essential for a free nation. It gives meaning to the concept of freedom. It is a prerequisite for trading in a market economy. If the founders of a free nation are to have any chance of succeeding, they must have a moral theory of property rights.

Freedom and property rights are tightly related. Freedom means doing what you want to do rather than what someone else tells you to do. The right to do as you please with your own property makes up a large part of your freedom. On the other hand, other people's property rights limit your freedom. Each person's freedom ends where another person's freedom begins. A free nation would be a place where each person is free to acquire property and do whatever he wants with it without interference, as long as he does not trespass on the rights of others.

Freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of speech cannot be fully realized without private property. For example, there cannot be freedom of the press in a society where all printing presses are owned and controlled by the state. Even if the rulers do not want to practice censorship, unless they are willing to publish absolutely everything, which could require them to devote almost all resources to the publishing industry, they must decide, somehow, what to publish and what not to publish. They must also decide how many copies they will print of each publication, how to distribute them, what price to charge (if any) for each copy, and many other things that can affect the impact that the publication will have on society.

Even so-called free countries, whose governments do not directly interfere with religious practices and which permit private property, impose general regulations and taxes that limit religious activity more than a truly free nation would. Local governments restrict religious freedom indirectly through zoning laws and building codes. All levels of government that collect taxes thereby limit the resources that taxpayers can spend on religion. By demanding tax payments under penalty of the law, all states imply that what they want is more important than what any god or religious community or individual wants.
Freedom of speech is the right to say whatever you want on your own property and the right to stipulate the rules that others must obey when they speak on your property. It is not the right to speak at the same time as everyone else, to interrupt, to shout down, or to disregard the rights of others. You should always get permission from the owner before using his property as your stage. If the streets and parks and town halls and theaters and all other meeting places are owned by the state, the state must decide whether to permit assemblies, protest marches, and speeches. The state has the right to say how the public property may be used, including who may speak there and what they may say. Under communism there is likely to be less freedom of expression and freedom of religion than in a private property system. Any freedom allowed in these areas under communism is at the pleasure of the ruling class and they can end it whenever they choose.
The more private property you own, the more ability you have to exercise these freedoms. But what about the poor man who has no property? What difference does it make to him whether all property is in private hands or whether it is in the hands of the state? In either kind of society, he can't do anything or have any freedom unless someone who owns property allows him the use of it. In either case, someone other than he decides what actions he is allowed to perform, if any. This poor wretch is clearly in a bad situation under either system. Even so, he should prefer the private property system, because it offers him more hope of improving his situation. First, in the private property system there are many property owners ranging from struggling poor folks to small businessmen to big tycoons. Somewhere in this range there is bound to be someone looking to hire workers or someone with compassion looking to help people in need. The propertyless man has many different people he can plead with or try to negotiate with to get temporary use of property. If one property owner turns him down, he can try another, and another, and another. But when the state owns all the property, the state is the only one he can plead with or try to negotiate with. If the state turns him down, he is done. Second, if he understands economics or history, our vagrant will realize that a free-market economy produces more and more wealth and, consequently, more and more total freedom, whereas a centrally planned economy wastes resources and produces less and less wealth and less total freedom. In a free-market economy there is an increasing amount of wealth available for charity and there are more new business opportunities for people who are looking for work. In a centrally planned economy, the amount of wealth available for distribution constantly shrinks as the planners inevitably misallocate resources. Third, in the private property system, the propertyless wretch has a possibility of someday owning property and, thereby, gaining some freedom and independence. Under the state-ownership system, he has no chance of ever owning property and being free.

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नेपाली राजनीतिका अचम्म लाग्दा पक्षहरु

नेपाल गजबको देश भएको छ। नेपालको राजनीतिक यस्तै हुन्छ भनेर कसैले भन्न नसक्ने भएको छ। २०४६ सालमा प्रजातन्त्रको पुनःप्राप्तिपछि नेपालको राजनीतिमा भविष्यवाणी गर्न नसकिने उतारचढावहरू आएका छन्। नेपालको राजनीतिमा पहिले १० वर्षमा परिवर्तन हुन्छ भन्ने गरिन्थ्यो। १९९७ साल, २००७ साल, २०१७ साल, २०२७/२८ साल, २०३६ साल र २०४६ सालका परिवर्तनहरू यसका उदाहरणहरू हुन्। तर २०४६ सालपछि नेपालको राजनीतिमा आउने परिवर्तन १० वर्षे घेराबाट घटेर वर्ष, महिना वा दिनको सीमाभित्र आइपुगेको देखिन्छ। नेपालमा तत्काल के राजनीतिक परिवर्तन हुँदैछ र त्यसमा कसको अडान के हुन्छ भन्ने कुरा कसैले अनुमान गर्न सक्दैन। संघीयता र खासगरी जातीय संघीयताको सन्दर्भमा विभिन्न पक्षहरूबाट आएका विचारहरूलाई केलाउँदा पनि कुन पक्षले, कुन कुरा किन वकालत गरिरहेछ भन्ने अनुमान गर्न धेरै अप्ठेरो पर्ने अवस्था छ। कुनै पक्षले आफ्नो अडानभन्दा बिल्कुल फरक खालको कुनै मत ल्याएको अवस्थामा त्यो किन आयो बुझ्न अप्ठेरो पर्नु स्वभाविक हुन आउँछ। यस्ता कुराहरूलाई पहलु पनि भन्न सकिन्छ। नेपालमा संघीय शासन र त्यसमा जातीय संघीय शासनको सन्दर्भमा विभिन्न पक्षहरूबाट आएका विचारहरूलाई यस्तै पहलुको रूपमा लिन सकिन्छ। केही यस्ता पहलुहरू यसप्रकार देखिन्छन्: 

नेकपा माओवादीले जातीय संघीयताको माग गर्नु 

चिनियाँ नेता कमरेड माओको विचारलाई मूल आधार बनाएर गाउँबाट शहर घेर्ने नीति अन्तर्गत संचालित पार्टी नेकपा(माओवादी) हो। एक त कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी त्यो पनि युद्धमा रहेको हुनाले त्यस पार्टींले निभाउने भूमिकाको सन्दर्भमा निर्णय गर्ने सम्पूर्ण अधिकार कमरेड प्रचण्डमा केन्द्रित रहेको देखिन्छ। यो पार्टी जनवादी केन्द्रिीयता अन्तर्गत चल्ने पार्टी हो। जनवादी केन्द्रीयता भन्नाले तल्ला संगठनहरू माथिल्ला संगठन अन्तर्गत रहन्छन्, अल्पमत बहुमत अन्तर्गत रहन्छ, व्यक्ति संगठनको अन्तर्गत रहन्छ र सम्पूर्ण पार्टी महाधिवेशन अन्तर्गत रहने गर्दछ। जनवादी केन्द्रियता अन्तर्गत मूलतः केन्द्र नै बलियो भएर रहेको हुन्छ। त्यहाँ सबै अधिकार केन्द्रमा रहेको देखिन्छ। यसरी सम्पूर्ण अधिकार केन्द्रमा रहेका र केन्द्रले नै नीति निर्माण गरी भूमिसुधार लगायतका क्रान्तिकारी कदम चाल्ने नीति लिएको पार्टीले नेपालका लागि संघीता र त्यो पनि जातीय आधारमा भन्ने माग गरिरहेको छ। बारम्बार स्विट्जरल्याण्डको उदाहरण दिने त्यस पार्टीका नेता प्रचण्डले स्वट्जरल्याण्ड जातीय हिसाबमा मूलतः तीनवटा जाति रहेको र ती जातिहरू आ–आफ्नो क्षेत्रमा सघन रूपमा बसेको हुँदाहुँदै पनि जातीय राज्य नबनेको कुरालाई याद नगरी नेपाल जहाँ कुनै पनि क्षेत्रमा खास जातिको सघन बसोबास छैन, त्यहाँ जातीय राज्य आवश्यक छ भनिरहेका छन्। नेपालमा सबै जातजातिलाई राज्य दिन सकिंदैन तर यस मेसोमा गएपछि हरेक जातिमा यो भावना आउने र अनन्त संघर्षमा पसिन्छ भन्ने पनि त्यसलाई थाहा छ। अर्को तर्फबाट हेर्दा नेपालभन्दा झण्डै ६६ गुना ठूलो चीनले अस्वीकार गरेको संघीयतालाई नेपाल जस्तो सानो मुलुकमा लागु गर्न खोज्नु कुन माओवाद हो त्यो पनि देखिंदैन। संघीय देश भारतले पनि आफ्नो बाटो तय गर्दा एक त जातीय आधारमा नगरेर केही राज्यमा भाषिक अधारमा र त्यो पनि धेरै अधिकारहरू केन्द्रमा रहने गरी गरेको छ भन्ने कुरा पनि त्यस पार्टीलाई थाहा छ। त्यस्तै समाजवादी व्यवस्थाका लागि केही न केही केन्द्रीय हस्तक्षेप हुनुपर्छ भन्ने मान्यतालाई बिर्सेर केन्द्रका अधिकारहरू निक्षेपणको नाउँमा पूरै अराजकता तर्फ जाने कुरा कति सान्दर्भिक छ? यी सबै कुराहरूको आधारमा हेर्दा माओवादीको नीति नेपाली जनताका लागि पहलु नै भएको देखिन्छ।
हुंकारको हिसाबले हेर्दा नेपालमा अब्बल दर्जाको कम्युनिष्ट आफू मात्र रहेको कुरा म ाओवादीले घोषणा गरेको छ। तर यसले लिएको विचार भने कम्युनिष्ट आन्दोलनलाई सखाप पार्ने खालको देखिन्छ। यसले बोकेको जातीय रुाज्यको सिद्धान्त नै पश्चिमा देशहरू र नेपालमै पनि बाम आन्दोलनबाट पलायन भएकाहरूले उठाएको इतिहासलाई हेर्दा माओवादी पार्टी पनि विस्तारै त्यतैतिर जाँदैछ भन्ने देखिन्छ। जातीय राजनीतिको अनिवार्य परिणाम जातीय पार्टी भएकाले नेकपा माओवादी पनि वर्तमान मूलधारका पार्टीहरूलाई विघटन गराई जातीय मोर्चा फार्त् शासन गर्न चाहन्छ भन्ने प्रष्ट हुन आउँछ। साम्राज्यवादको उग्र विरोध गर्ने माओवादी र वामपन्थी आन्दोलनलाई खतम बनाउन जातीय आन्दोलनलाई अगाडि बढाउन चाहने साम्राज्यवादीहरूको बीचमा ठ्याक्कै लक्ष्य मिल्नु चाहिं अर्को अचम्म देखिन्छ। त्यसैगरी इथियोपियाको बाटो हिंडेर स्वीट्जरल्याण्ड पुगिने त्यस पार्टीको गफ पनि सुन्न मजै लाग्ने खालकेा देखिन्छ।

नेकपा एमालेले संघीयताको माग गर्नु

नेकपा एमाले त्यस्तो पार्टी हो जुन संगठनभित्र जनवादी केन्द्रीयताको सिद्धान्तलाई पालना गर्छ र पार्टीको मूल नीति निर्माण गर्ने केन्द्रीय कमिटि छ। पाँचौं महाधिवेशनभन्दा अघि यस पार्टीको महाधिवेशन नभएको बेलामा सार्वभौमिकता रहने केन्द्र राष्ट्रिय परिषद्मा थियो तर त्यस अधिवेशनपछि पार्टीको सामान्य जीवनमा सार्वभौम केन्द्र केन्द्रीय कमिटि रहँदै आएको छ। एमाले पार्टी त्यस्तो पार्टी पनि हो। जसले बहुदलीय प्रतिस्पर्धामा आफूलाई समावेश गरेदेखि नै पूर्ण विकेन्द्रीकरण (निक्षेपण) को पक्षमा आवाज बुलन्द गर्दै आएको छ। बहुदलीय जनवाद लगायत यसका समग्र नीतिगत दस्तावेजले पूर्ण विकेन्द्रीकरणको पक्षमा वकालत गरेका छन्। विभिन्न समुदायहरूको उन्नति का लागि धर्म निरपेक्षता, स्वशासन, भाषिक स्वतन्त्रता, सांस्कृतिक उन्नति आदि समस्याहरूलाई यस पार्टीले निक्षेपणकै अधीनमा रहेर समाधान गर्ने नीति लिएको हो। खास भन्ने हो भने नेपालको विकेन्द्रीकरणको सन्दर्भमा प्रवक्ताको भूमिक ा निर्वाह गर्दै आएको पार्टी यही नै हो। २०५१ सालमा बनेको यस पार्टीको अल्पमतको सरकारले ल्याएको आफ्नो गाउँ आफै ब नाउँ भन्ने कार्यक्रमको प्रभावकारिताले नै नेपालमा केन्द्रीय तहबाट भन्दा तल्ला निकायहरूबाट प्रभावकारी रूपमा काम हुन सक्तछन् भन्ने प्रमाणित भएको हो। आफ्नो गाउँ आफै बनाऔं कार्यक्रमलाई कनिका छर्ने कार्यक्रम भन्ने नेपाली कांग्रेसले पनि गाउँको अधिकार गाउँलाई नै भन्ने नारा लगाउनु पर्ने स्थितिमा यही पार्टीको नीतिले पुर्यानएको हो। निवर्तमान स्थानीय निकायका पदाधिकारीहरूलाई पुनर्वहाली गर्नुपर्ने कुरा अहिले पनि यस पार्टीको एउटा एजेन्डा ब न्दै आएको छ। तर यही पार्टीले आफ्नो समाजवादी सिद्धान्तको विपरीत र आ्कपूले बसाएको विकेन्द्रीकरणको वस्ती अरूलाई जिम्मा लगाएर संघीयताको अपरिचित गाउँतिर किन जानु पर्यो त्यो पनि बुझि नसक्नुको कुरो देखिन्छ। किन आफ्नो भूमिलाई छोडेर विदेशतिर लाग्नु परेको हो।त्यसको उचित जवाफ नेकपा एमालेका कार्यकर्ता, समर्थक र नेपाली जनताहरूले अहिलेसम्म प्रष्ट रूपमा प्राप्त गर्न सकेका छैनन्। यी सबै विषयहरू नेपाली जनता र यस पार्टीका कार्यकर्ताहरूका लागि पहलु नै भएको देखिन्छ।

जनजातिले संघीयताको माग गर्नु 

नेपालमा अनेक जनजातिहरू दुर्गम पहाडी इलाकामा बस्छन्। अधिकांश जनजातिहरूको औसत जीवनस्तर नेपालको औसत स्तरभन्दा तल रहेको छ। नेपालमा पहाडी जनजातिहरू पहाडका दुरदराजमा बस्छन् र उनीहरूको ठाउँमा यातायात, संचार र आधुनिक विकासको चेतना पुग्न सकेको छैन। जीवनयापनका उपायहरूको खोजीमा जनजातिकै मानिसहरू विदेशी भूमिमा पलायन भएका छन्। पहाडी जनजातिहरू बस्ने अधिकांश ठाउँहरूमा आधुनिक अर्थव्यवस्थाले आफ्नो पहिचान कायम गर्न सकेको छैन। स्थानीय आर्थिक गतिविधि कम भउकाले त्यहाँ स्थानीय राजस्व पनि कम उठ्ने गरेको देखिन्छ। त्यसैगरी तराईका जनजातिहरू नेपालका सबैभन्दा बढी शोषित मानिसहरू हुन्। जनजातिहरलाई मात्र हिसाब गर्ने हो भने पहाडमा भन्दा तराईमा झन् बढी शोषण र चेतनाको अभाव छ। हिजोका खासगरी सामन्ती सरकारहरूले विभाजन गर र शासन गर भन्ने नीति अन्तर्गत तराई पहाड, खस जनजाति, दलित उच्चवर्ग, महिला पुरूष, दुर्गम सुगम आदिको विभेद सिर्जना गरेकोमा अबको लोकतान्त्रिक नेपालमा यस्ता विभेदहरूलाई खतम गरी सम्पूर्ण जातजातिको उचित प्रतिनिधित्वको हिसाबमा न्यायपूर्ण नेपाल निर्माण गर्नुपर्ने स्थिति छ। तर यस्तो स्थितिमा जनजातिहरू नै जातीय आधारमा नेपाललाई विभाजन गरी अनावश्यक द्वन्द्व निम्त्याउने र साधन र स्रोत सम्पन्न ठाउँमा केन्द्रित गरी दुर्गम ठाउँहरूलाई अझै दुर्गम बनाउने नीतिको माग गरिरहेका छन्। मधेशकाहरू मधेसको साधन र स्रोत समधेसमै राख्न चाहन्छन् तर जनजातिहरू मधेसमा उठेको राजस्व जनजातिको ठाउँमा खर्च नपाइने नीतिको समर्थन गरिरहेका छन्। के देखिन्छ भने अहिलेको अवस्थामा यदि उपत्यका र मधेसमा उठेको राजस्व जनजातिहरू बस्ने ठाउँमा खर्च नगर्ने हो भने त्यहाँ कुनै पनि प्रकारको सरकार चल्न सक्दैन। यसरी आफू खस्ने खाडल आफै किन खनिरहेका छन् प्रष्ट बुझ्न सकिएको छैन। साथै नेपालमा भ एका १०० भन्दा बढी जनजातिहरूको राज्य बन्न सक्दैन भन्ने कुरा पनि बिर्सिएर जातीय राज्यको माग गरिरहेका छन्। यो मागमा राज्य पाउने आशामा रहेका र नरहेकाहरू पनि उत्तिकै लागि परेका छन्। संसारमा कतै पनि जातीय आधारमा राज्य विभाजन भएका देशहरू सफल भएका छैनन्। सोभियत संघ, युगोस्लाभिया र चेकोस्लोभाकिया विभाजन नै भइसक्यो भने नाइजेरिया जातीयताबाट गैर जातीयतातर्फ लागेको छ। इथियोपिया अहिले जातीय आधारमा विभाजित छ, तर यो देश पनि अहिले बाटो थाहा नभएको दोबाटोमा उभिएको बटुवा जस्तो भएको छ। बेल्जियम, स्पेन आदि देशहरू पनि धेरै मात्रामा अस्थिरताको शिकार हुँदैछन्। त्यहाँ पनि कुनै पनि दिन राज्य विभाजन हुने थरहरी कायम नै छ। यदि जातीयताको मुद्दालाई उचाल्दै लगिएमा नेपालमा पनि त्यो स्थिति नआउला भन्न सकिंदैन। यसरी जातीय आन्दोलनको अन्तिम परिणाम देशको विभाजन हो भ न्ने कुरा घाम जत्तिकै छर्लङग हुँदाहुँदै पनि त्यही समुदायको त्यतातिर ध्यान नजानु अर्को अचम्म लाग्दो विषय देखिन्छ।
नेपालमा लोकतन्त्रका लागि लडेका तमाम नेताहरू नेपाल जनजाति महासंघमा रहेका देखिन्छन्। यसबाट के प्रष्ट हुन्छ भने त्यो संगठन लोकतान्त्रिक छ। तर त्यसका कतिपय नेताहरूले प्रतिगमनलाई पुग्ने अभिव्यक्ति दिनु, लोकतान्त्रिक मान्यताविरूद्ध जातीय अग्राधिकार खोज्नु, प्रतिगमनका नाइके र जनआन्दोलनमा कहिल्यै नलागेकाहरू त्यस संगठनका अगुवा बन्नु, त्यसको विचार र प्रतिगमनकारीहरूको विचार ठ्याक्कै मिल्नु आदि पनि नेपाली राजनीतिका पहलुहरू हुन् भन्न सकिन्छ।

दलितहरू नबोल्नु

नेपालका विभिन्न जातीय समुदायहरूमध्ये दलितहरू सबैभन्दा पिछडिएका समुदाय हुन्। दलितहरू पहाडमा भन्दा पनि मधेशमा बढी शोषित, पीडित देखिन्छन्। पहाडमा नै पनि दलितहरूको आर्थिक स्थिति अत्यन्त क मजोर छ। यस्तो अवस्थामा राज्यको पुनःसंरचना गर्दा सबैभन्दा बढी प्राथमिकता यही दलित समुदायलाई नै दिनुपर्ने हो। तर विभिन्न पार्टी तथा समुदायहरूको पुनःसंरचना सम्बन्धी दस्तावेजहरूले दलितको समस्यालाई गम्भीरतापूर्वक चर्चा गरेका छैनन्। साँच्चै भन्ने हो भने यस सम्बन्धमा कसैको पनि प्रष्ट धारणा आएको छैन। अहिले केन्द्रीय सरकार र उच्च जातिहरूको थिचोमिचामा परेको दलितहरूको बारेमा कसैले प्रष्ट कुरा गरेका छनन्। जुन मुल समस्या हो त्यसको बारेमा प्रष्ट कुरा नगरी आ–आफ्ना लागि मात्र बोल्नुबाट आजका नेपाली कति नेपालीवादी छन् भन्ने देखिन्छ। साथै आफुलाई यसरी अन्यायमा पारेको कुरा थाहा पाउँदा पनि त्यस समुदायबाट जुझारू कार्यक्रम नआउनु अर्को चाखलाग्दो विषय भएको छ।

राप्रपा जनशक्ति पार्टी लगायत केही राजनीतिक पार्टीहरूले संघात्मकताको समर्थन गर्नु

राप्रपा लागयतका हिजोका राजावादी पार्टीहरू पनि अहिले संघीयताको वकालत गरिरहेका छन्। राप्रपा र जनशक्ति पार्टी अहिले सबैभन्दा बढी संघीयता र मधेसमाथि भएको अन्यायको विरोधी भएको छन्। यी दुई पार्टीले मधेसमा भएको विभेदको बारेमा बोल्नु भनेको हजार मुसा खाएर बिरालो धर्म गर्न काशी गए जस्तै हो। यस्तो किन हो भने हिजो मधेस र पहाडको बीचमा विभेद सिर्जना गर्ने राजतन्त्रको मूल् मतियार यी दुवै पार्टीहरू नै हुन्। निरंकुश तन्त्रले नै पहाड र मधेसको बीचमा विभाजन ल्ार्य शासन सत्ता चलाएको हो। त्यसैले राप्रपा र जनशक्तिले यसको समर्थन गर्नु नयाँ जोगीले बढी खरानी घसे जस्तै देखिन्छ। नेपाली जनताका लागि यो पनि हेर्न लायक अचम्मको जादु भएको छ।

सिंगो तराईलाई एउटै बनाउन खोज्नु

नेपालमा हिजो निरंकुश राजतन्त्रले मधेसलाई आम्दानीको स्रोतको रूपमा अघि बढायो। नेपालको एकीकरणपछि मधेसी जनता कहिल्यै पनि नेपालको मूलधारमा आउने स्थितिमा पुगेनन्। तर अहिले परिस्थिति बदलिएको छ। लोकतन्त्रको प्राप्ति र खासगरी मधेशीहरूको जनसंख्याको आधारमा संविधानसभाको निर्वाचनमा प्रतिनिधित्व गर्न पाउने सहमतिपछि मधेस राजनीतिको केन्द्र बन्न पुगेको छ। झण्डै आधा प्रतिनिधि मधेसबाट आउने निश्चित छ। भविष्यमा मधेस नेपालको राजनीतिको मूल केन्द्र हुने निश्चित छ। अबको नेपाल मधेसको नेपाल हो। अब यो देशलाई एकीकृत राख्ने नराख्ने, यसको उन्नति गर्ने नगर्ने आदि कुराहरूको सम्पूर्ण जिम्मा मधेसीहरूको हो। अबको राजनीतिमा मधेस नै मूल प्रवाह हो। मधेश देशको आर्थिक केन्द्रविन्दु त पहिलेदेखि नै थियो नै अब राजनीतिक केन्द्रविन्दु पनि रहनेछ। पृथ्वीनारायण शाहको नेतृत्व र मूलतः पहाडीहरूको सहभागितामा निर्माण भएको नेपालको आवश्यकता छ–छैन निर्क्योल गर्ने जिम्मा पनि मधेसको काँधमा आएको छ। मधेसले हिजोदेखि नेपालको मूल प्रवाहमा समावेश हुनका लागि गरेको संघर्षको चरण पनि समाप्त भएको छ। यस्तो स्थितिमा मधेसीले आफूभित्र रहेका विभाजनका खाडलहरूलाई निमिट्यान्न पादै समग्र नेपालको नेतृत्व गर्न अघि बढ्नुपर्ने स्थितिमा मधेस दुइ राष्ट्रको नाउँमा अलग हुने कुरा गर्दैछ। कताक ता अभागीलाई खाने बेलामा रिस उठ्छ भने जस्तै मधेसीहरूलाई पनि खाने बेलामा बुद्धि बिग्रन थालेको त होइन? यो पनि एउटा पहलु नै रहेको देखिन्छ। साथै आफ्नो अधिकार माग गर्नेले अरूको अधिकारलाई पनि सम्मान गर्नुपर्ने हो। मधेसले आफ्नो अधिकार माग गर्ने सन्दर्भमा अरूमाथि आफ्ना आग्रहहरूलाई बलजफ्ती लाद्ने काम पनि गरिरहेको छ। संघीयताको सवाल त्यस्तै सवाल हो। सकेसम्म जनमत संग्रह र नसकेपनि संविधानसभाद्वारा निर्क्योल हुनुपर्ने देशलाई संघीयतामा लैजाने सवालाई बजलफ्ती संविधानमा राख्न लगाइएको छ। देशको संरचना छान्ने नेपाली जनताको अधिकारलाई खोसिएको छ। अब यो प्रावधान २०४७ सालको संविधानमा राखिएको राजतन्त्रको सवाल जस्तै भएको छ। जसको बारेमा कुनै बहस गर्न पाइँदैन। लोकतन्त्रप्रेमी मधेसीहरूले किन यसरी आफ्ना मान्यताहरूर्ला बलजफ्ती अरूमाथि लाद्न काम गरे यो पनि बुझ्न नसकिने कुरा देखिएको छ। साथै मधेसलामई लागेको छ, पहाडमा कुनै साधन र स्रोत छैन, त्यसैले पहाडले हामीलाई शोषण गरिरहेको छ। तर कुरा त्यति मात्र होइन। पहाडमा थुप्रै साधन र स्रोतहरू छन् जसको सोध र दोहन हुन बाँकी छ र अथाह जल प्रवाहको प्रयोग पनि हुन सकिरहेको छैन। यदि कुनै दिन यी साधन र स्रोतको उचित प्रयोग हुन सकेमा मधेसभन्दा पहाड धेरै गुना प्रगतिमा जाने सम्भावना छ। भुटान जत्तिकोले पनि यो कुरा बुझिसकेको छ। पहाडमा केही छैन, पहाडियाहरू मधेसको शोषणा गर्नका लागि आएका छन् त्यसैले उनीहरूले मधेसको आदेश मान्नुपर्छ भन्ने कुरा पनि अनौठो छ। अर्को कुरा मधेस एउटा मात्र छैन भन्ने कुरा पनि त्यहाँका नेताहरूले बुझ्नु आवश्यक छ। यदि पहाडविरूद्ध मधेस एउटै बनाउने हो भने पहाडबाट छुट्टिएको भोलिपल्ट त्यहाँ पनि विभाजनका श्रृंखला शुरू हुनेछन्। किनभने मधेस नेपालको सबैभन्दा बढी सामाजिक आन्तरिक विभेद भएको क्षेत्र हो। साथै राजवंशी, थारू आदिले सिंगो मधेस सिद्धान्तको विरोध गरिरहेका छन्। नेपाली राजनीतिको तर मारेर पाखा लागेका, क्रान्तिकारी भूमिसुधारले आफ्नो शोषणको अन्त्य होलाा भन्ने डर बोकेकाहरूले हाँकेको यो राजनीतिमा सम्पूर्ण मधेस सधै एकाकार हुन सक्दैन भन्ने पनि प्रष्ट छ।

देशको परिस्थितिको सन्दर्भमा नेपाली कांग्रेसले कानमा तेल हाल्नु

नेपालको राजनीतिक सन्दर्भमा अर्को अचम्म लाग्दो विषय नेपाली कांग्रेसको व्यवहार देखिन्छ। यो पार्टी नेपालको पुरानो र अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समर्थन प्राप्त पार्टी हो। बुढापाका नेताहरू र प्रजातान्त्रिक सिद्धान्तको कारणले नेपालको लोकतान्त्रिक आन्दोलनमा ७ पार्टीमध्ये एउटा प्रमुख पार्टीको रूपमा रहेको थियो। आन्दोलनमा नेतृत्व गरेकै र अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समर्थन भएकै कारणले सरकारको नेतृत्व गर्ने अवसर पनि यस पार्टीले पाएको छ। तर सत्तामा गएपछि यस पार्टीको भूमिका सधै अत्यन्त यथास्थितिवादी रहने गरेको छ। जसले गर्दा यस पार्टीको स्थिति पनि बिस्तारै खस्कँदै गएको छ। यही यथास्थितिवादिताकै कारणले आन्तरिक बिग्रह बढेर त्यस पार्टीमा विभाजन पनि आएको हो। यस पार्टीले सहकारिताको संस्कृतिलाई पनि कहिल्यै अगाडि बढाउन सकेन। अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समर्थनको आडमा हैकम चलाउनु यसको प्रवृत्ति हुँदै आएको छ। देशको अहिलेको अराजकताको स्थितिमा पनि कतिपय मामिलाहरूमा निर्णय दिन नसक्नु र कतिपय अवस्थामा साझेदारहरूको भावनालाई नबुझी सधै आफ्नो सत्ता स्वार्थमा लिप्त हुनु यसको विशेषता भएको छ। यथास्थितिवादकै कारणले आफू निरन्तर खस्कँदै गइरहेको र आफूसँ नेपाल पनि भासमा गईरहेको अवस्थामा पनि आफूलाई मूल्यांकन गर्नतर्फ नलाग्ने यस पार्टीको प्रवृत्ति पनि अनौठो खालको रहेको देखिन्छ। नेपाली कांग्रेस विगतमा अत्यन्त यथास्थितिवादी पार्टीको भएको छ। विकेन्द्रीकरणको सम्बन्धमा यसले थोरै मात्र पनि अग्रगमनको नीति लिएको भए र स्थानीय तहलाई अधिकार सम्पन्न गराउने तर्फ गएको भए अहिले देशले संघीयतामा जानुपर्ने अवस्था आउने थिएन। स्थानीय निकायलाई पुनर्वहाली गरेको भए तापनि त्यस्तो स्थिति आउँदैन थियो होला। नेपाली कांग्रेस पार्टीले यो महशुस नगर्नु पनि अचम्म छ।

--पुष्पराज कंडेल

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Rising sea levels: A tale of two cities

When people talk about the impact of rising sea levels, they often think of small island states that risk being submerged if global warming continues unchecked.

But it's not only those on low-lying islands who are in danger. Millions of people live by the sea - and are dependent on it for their livelihoods - and many of the world's largest cities are on the coast.
By 2050 the number of people living in delta cities is set to increase by as much as 70%, experts suggest, vastly increasing the number of those at risk.
To shed light the impact of rising sea levels, we are taking a close look at two very different cities,

and

, and their varying responses to the problem.

 Glaciers: If the world's mountain glaciers and icecaps melt, sea levels will rise by an estimated 0.5m

 Thermal expansion: The expansion of warming oceans was the main factor contributing to sea level rise, in the 20th Century, and currently accounts for more than half of the observed rise in sea levels

 Ice sheets: These vast reserves contain billions of tonnes of frozen water - if the largest of them (the East Antarctic Ice Sheet) melts, the global sea level will rise by an estimated 64m

Much of Rotterdam - Europe's busiest port city - lies several metres below sea level, and this vulnerable position has led it to develop some of the best flood protection in the world.
As the capital of Mozambique - one of the world's poorest countries, and one that is already feeling the effects of climate change - Maputo is struggling to provide cost-effective measures to mitigate the effects of the rising waters.
Authorities in both cities know urgent action is needed to protect their populations, and both are trying to rise to the challenge.
Weaker Gulf Stream

A rise in temperatures around the world due to carbon emissions since the industrial revolution means many icecaps and glaciers are steadily melting.
Rising temperatures have also caused ocean waters to expand - the main cause of sea level rise in the 20th Century.
The 2007

projected a likely sea level rise of 28-43cm this century, but it acknowledged that this was probably an underestimate, as not enough was known about how ice behaves."The fact that sea levels are rising is a major reason for concern and it's a combination of the global average rise together with the natural variability leading to larger regional rises," said Dr John Church, from Australia's government-funded science and research body, the CSIRO.
The weakening of the Gulf Stream coupled with the gravitational effects of being closer to the North Pole mean waters in the northern hemisphere are experiencing the biggest rise.

Off the Netherlands, for example, sea levels rose by some 20cm in the last 100 years. But the country's national Delta Commission predicts they will increase by up to 1.3m by 2100 and by as much as 4m by 2200.
"There is a problem and we have to find an answer," said Rotterdam's Vice-Mayor Lucas Bolsius.
"We need to invest. If we don't put money into this issue we'll have a problem surviving."
Cyclones
The Dutch drew this conclusion from a massive storm surge in 1953, which caused widespread flooding and killed nearly 2,000 people.
They set about defending populated areas with a massive network of dykes and dams, and experts now estimate the country is protected from all but a one-in-10,000-year event.
The story is very different in Mozambique.
Already buffeted by regular floods and cyclones, the problem of rising sea levels is one the authorities in Maputo could do without.
But Mozambique has been identified as one of the countries likely to be affected most by climate change, and the issue will not go away.

While scientists cannot give an exact figure of how much the sea has already risen in Mozambique, the effects are already obvious.
"I went to the beach a lot as a child, and I've noticed things are changing," said 34-year-old Jose, who lives in Maputo.
"The water is eating the land - little by little it's eating the land."
Mozambique has compiled an action plan, and has been offered help from the World Bank, UN agencies and a plethora of other aid agencies.
But so far little has been done, and much of what the country would like to do is beyond its budget.
"I think people are still at the stage of 'Oh my God - what are we going to do?'" as environmentalist Antonia Reina puts it.
Mozambique will be going to the Copenhagen summit as part of a united African delegation, to ask for help from richer countries - like the Netherlands.
Africa argues that climate change - including rising sea levels - is a global problem, and demands a global response.
While most would agree with that sentiment, the reality is that every country has its own battles to face - and in this series of articles we examine how our two cities are coping, both at an individual and a municipal level, as the waters rise.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8369236.stm

Published: 2009/11/24 21:48:40 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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BIBAHA PANCHAMI

In the end of November the festival of Bibah Panchami (also referred to as Bibahah Panchami) is an expression of the devotion of Hindus to Lord Rama and Princess Sita, during which the marriage of these two venerated figures is re-enacted. This much anticipated seven-day festival, which is held in Janakpur, eastern Terai, attracts Hindu pilgrims from far and wide.

The story of the marriage of Lord Rama and Princess Sita begins when the princess had many suitors, making it difficult to decide who would most be worthy to marry the daughter of King Janak. To determine which suitor would make the grade, King Janak proposed a test of strength that involved stringing the great bow of Lord Shiva. Kings, chieftains and warriors traveled from far and wide, determined to meet this challenge, but not one of them was even able to lift the bow, let alone string it. Just as it seemed that Princess Sita would never find a suitable husband, along came Lord Rama who managed to lift the bow with no effort at all. However, when he attempted to string the bow, it shattered into countless pieces, proving his immense strength. The delighted Princess Sita had at last found a man worthy of her. Lord Rama and Princess Sita were married in Janakpur.

Female Hindu devotees strive to reach the standard Princess Sita set for an ideal wife. Without a word of complaint, Princess Sita willingly followed her husband anywhere, irrespective of how uncomfortable their journey, or how inhospitable their destination may prove to be. She viewed a wife as being the shadow of her husband, demonstrating self-sacrifice at all times. Husbands may aspire to the moral perfection of Lord Rama. The celebration of Bibah Panchami is also a time for couples to pledge their love for one another and make a commitment to marriage. This story is based on Ramayan.

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Facebook acts on follower trade

Facebook has threatened legal action against a service that sells friends on the social networking site.

It said it would take the action against marketing firm USocial unless it stopped violating Facebook's rights.

It also wanted USocial to stop helping members break the site's terms and conditions, specifically letting people profit from their profile.

In response, USocial agreed to a change in its practices but would not shut down its service.

Facebook sent Cease and Desist letters to USocial claiming that the way the marketing firm operates violates its rights by sending spam, using web tools to harvest pages, getting login names and by accessing accounts that did not belong to the marketing firm.

Customers of USocial use it to boost follower and friend numbers on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

On micro-blogging site Twitter, followers can be bought in blocks starting at £53 for 1,000. The biggest block USocial is selling is 100,000 people.

USocial defended itself against Facebook's claims, saying that it did not spam users or use web tools to gather information about profiles.

However, in response to the legal letters, USocial said it would delete the login information it had collected and broadly stop offering to sell Facebook friends. It also put a notice on its site saying it was not affiliated with Facebook.

However, it said, there was "possibility" that it would resell the service in the future. If it was to re-start the service it said it would let Facebook know beforehand.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8370302.stm

Published: 2009/11/20 13:46:11 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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Large Hadron Collider works again

The Large Hadron Collider experiment has re-started after a 14-month hiatus while the machine was being repaired.

Engineers have made two stable proton beams circulate in opposite directions around the machine, which is in a tunnel beneath the French-Swiss border.
The team may try to increase the £6bn ($10bn) collider's energy to record-breaking levels this weekend.
The LHC is being used to smash together beams of protons in a bid to shed light on the nature of the Universe.

It is the world's largest machine and is housed in a 27km-long circular tunnel.
During the experiment, scientists will search for signs of the Higgs boson, a sub-atomic particle that is crucial to our current understanding of physics. Although it is predicted to exist, scientists have never found it.

“ It happened faster than anyone could have dreamed of, everything went very smoothly ”
James Gillies Cern

Dozens of giant superconducting magnets that accelerate the particles at the speed of light have had to be replaced after faults developed just days after the collider was inaugurated last year.
Operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern), the LHC will create similar conditions to those which were present moments after the Big Bang.
The BBC's Pallab Ghosh in Geneva says the restart of the collider was the moment the scientists had been waiting for.
It means they can once again go in search of the new discoveries they believe will roll back the frontiers of understanding our universe, says our correspondent.
"It's great to see beams circulating in the LHC again," said Cern's director-general Rolf Heuer.

"We've still got some way to go before physics can begin, but with this milestone we're well on the way."
Engineers sent their first beam all the way round the LHC's circumference 100m underground after 1930 GMT on Friday.
Record attempt
The beams themselves are made up of "packets" - each about a metre long - containing billions of protons. But they would disperse if left to their own devices.
Electrical forces had to be used to "capture" the protons. This keeps them tightly huddled in packets, for a stable, circulating beam.

Engineers had not been expected to try for a circulating beam before 0600 GMT on Saturday.

James Gillies, Cern's director of communications, told BBC News: "It happened faster than anyone could have dreamed of."
"Everything went very smoothly."
Dr Gillies said that if everything continued to go well, Cern might try to reach a record-breaking beam energy of 1.2 trillion electron volts this weekend.
Only the Tevatron particle accelerator in Chicago, US, has approached this energy, operating at just under one trillion electron volts.
But other team members want to keep the beam circulating at low energy and try for the machine's first proton beam collisions.
"The LHC is a far better understood machine than it was a year ago," said Steve Myers, Cern's director for accelerators.
"We've learned from our experience, and engineered the technology that allows us to move on. That's how progress is made."

 1 - 14 quadrupole magnets replaced

 2 - 39 dipole magnets replaced

 3 - More than 200 electrical connections repaired

 4 - Over 4km of beam pipe cleaned

 5 - New restraining system installed for some magnets

 6 - Hundreds of new helium ports being installed around machine

 7 - Thousands of detectors added to early warning system

There are some 1,200 superconducting magnets which form the LHC's main "ring".
These magnets bend proton beams in opposite directions around the tunnel at close to the speed of light.
At allotted points around the tunnel, the proton beams cross paths, smashing into one another with enormous energy. Large "detector" machines located at the crossing points will scour the wreckage of these collisions for discoveries that should extend our knowledge of physics.
Engineers first circulated a beam all the way around the LHC on 10 September 2008.
But just nine days later, an electrical fault in one of the connections between superconducting magnets caused a tonne of liquid helium to leak into the tunnel.
Liquid helium is used to cool the LHC to its operating temperature of 1.9 kelvin (-271C; -456F).
The machine has been shut down ever since the accident, to allow repairs to take place.
Professor Norman McCubbin, from the UK's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Didcot, added: "I'm sure every particle physicist has been feeling just a little bit impatient as the 're-start' of the LHC has drawn nearer. It's great to see beams circulating again."
The damage caused to the collider meant 53 superconducting magnets had to be replaced and about 200 electrical connections repaired.
Engineers have also been installing a new early warning system which could prevent incidents of the kind which shut down the experiment.
Cern has spent some 40m Swiss Francs (£24m) on repairs to the collider.
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8371662.stm

Published: 2009/11/21 02:21:09 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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Peru arrests 'human fat killers'

Four people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing dozens of people in order to sell their fat and tissue for cosmetic uses in Europe.

The gang allegedly targeted people on remote roads, luring them with fake job offers before extracting their fat to sell it for $15,000 (£9,000) a litre.
Other suspected gang members, including two Italian nationals, remain at large.
Police said the gang could be behind the disappearances of up to 60 people in the region.

At a news conference in the capital, police showed reporters two bottles containing human body fat and images of one of the alleged victims.
One of the alleged killings is reported to have taken place in mid-September, with the person's body tissue removed for sale.
Cmdr Angel Toledo told Reuters some of the suspects had "declared and stated how they murdered people with the aim being to extract their fat in rudimentary labs and sell it".
Police said they suspect the fat was sold to cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies in Europe, but have not confirmed any such connection.
'Detailed confession'
Gen Felix Burga, head of Peru's police criminal division, said there were indications that "an international network trafficking human fat" was operating from Peru.
The first person was arrested earlier this month in a bus station in Lima, carrying a shipment of the fat.
The Associated Press news agency quoted Col Jorge Mejia as saying one of the suspects had described to police in detail how the victims were killed and their fat removed.
The suspect said the fat was then sold to intermediaries in Lima and that the gang's leader, Hilario Cudena, had been carrying out such murders for decades, AP reported.
The alleged buyers of the fat are also being hunted by police.
The gang has been referred to as the Pishtacos, after an ancient Peruvian legend of killers who attack people on lonely roads and murder them for their fat.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/8369674.stm

Published: 2009/11/20 01:04:06 GMT

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Tiny chip could diagnose disease

Researchers have demonstrated a tiny chip based on silicon that could be used to diagnose dozens of diseases.

A tiny drop of blood is drawn through the chip, where disease markers are caught and show up under light.
The device uses the tendency of a fluid to travel through small channels under its own force, instead of using pumps.
The design is simpler, requires less blood be taken, and works more quickly than existing "lab on a chip" designs, the team report in Lab on a Chip.

It has a flexible design so that it could be used for a wide range of diagnostics.
Much research in recent years has focused on the chemical and medical possibilities of so-called microfluidic devices at the heart of lab-on-a-chip designs.
These microfluidics contain between dozens and thousands of tiny channels through which fluids can flow, and as micro-manufacturing methods have advanced, so has the potential complexity of microfluidics.

Now, scientists at IBM's research labs in Zurich have developed a cheap lab-on-a-chip that has the potential to diagnose dozens of diseases.
Bind and shine

The device relies on an array of antibody molecules that are designed to latch on to the protein-based molecular markers of disease in blood.
The antibodies are chemically connected to molecules that emit light of a specific colour when illuminated - but only when they have bound to the disease markers.
"There are devices that have been developed in microfluidics to do analysis of proteins, but most of them use active pumping and electrical components," said Luc Gervais, a co-author on the study.
"They're very complex systems; this makes them less easy to use by non-trained personnel - and it makes them a lot more expensive to manufacture," Dr Gervais told BBC News.

Instead, the new device exploits capillary action, the tendency of fluids to climb through narrow channels - the same phenomenon that drives water into a sponge placed on a wet surface.
The speed with which blood is drawn through the chip can be controlled by the design of the micro-channels on the device. Those channels can be designed with incredible precision on a silicon chip - something with which IBM has significant experience.
The microchannel-patterned chip is then sealed with a special polymer called polydimethylsiloxane, to which the "detector" antibodies easily bond.
Different antibodies can be placed in a number of distinct channels, making it possible to diagnose a range of different diseases simultaneously.
Such wide-ranging studies can be done in large analysers, found in the central laboratories of hospitals.
"Typically you'll take a couple of millilitres of blood send it to the central lab and it can take up to an hour or even more to get the results," Dr Gervais said.
"In our case you can get a quantitative analysis of the patient's blood within just a few minutes at the bedside of the patient."
What is more, it can be done with just a few microlitres of blood - a thousand times less - an amount that could be collected with a prick of a finger instead of a syringe.
While the approach will make diagnosis cheaper, co-author Emmanuel Delamarche said the key aspect of the approach is its speed.
"We are giving back precious minutes to doctors so they can make informed and accurate decisions right at the time they need them most to save lives."

Story By Jason Palmer 
Science and technology reporter, BBC News  BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8366405.stm

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