GIRIJA PRASAD KOIRALA PASSES AWAY Last rites with state honor; Govt declares Sunday public holiday; National flag at half mast for three days
KATHMANDU, March 20: Nepali Congress President and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala passed away at his daughter’s home in Mandikhatar, Kathmandu at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday.
Minister for Irrigation Bal Krishna Khand confirmed the passing away the 86-year-old leader after a NC CWC meeting.
His body will be kept at the Dasharath Stadium, Tripureshwor between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said. His body will be covered by the national flag.
Until then, the body will be kept at his daughter and Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala´s residence at Mandikhatar where people can pay their last homage on Saturday.
The last rites would be performed on Sunday with state honors as he was the former head of states, an emergency meeting of the cabinet decided on Saturday afternoon.
The government also declared Sunday a public holiday and decided to keep the national flag at half mast for three days. Condolence books will be kept open in Nepali diplomatic missions and consulate throughout the world for two days.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal reached Mandikhatar to pay last homage to Koirala, who was appointed Prime Minister four times and acting head of the state after monarch was abolished.
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Koirala, born in 1925 in India when his father was on exile for showing dissent to the-then autocratic Rana regime, rose to the iconic politician in his political career. The highest point of his career was the inking of the peace accord with the Maoists, who left 10-year-long bloody conflict to join the mainstream politics.
He led the 2006 April Uprising that led to the re-establishment the democracy, end the Maoist conflict and abolishment of the monarchy. Koirala and Maoist rebels signed the historic peace accord in November 2006.
Koirala was a fighter throughout his life - his leadership in 2006 was only the iceberg of his life full of leading movements. In 1947, he began his political career as a trade union leader in a jute mill in Biratnagar.
In the shadow of elder brother B P Koirala, who was the first people-elected PM of Nepal, he took time to rise high in politics.
In 1960, the then King Mahendra ended democracy and established partyless Panchayat system imprisoning the-then PM B P Koirala along with many others including Girija Prasad Koirala. He spent seven years in prison and after release, he masterminded the 1973 hijacking of a Royal Nepal Airlines plane on domestic flight with money to fund party activities.
He led four of 18 governments since the establishment of democracy in 1990 through a popular movement. He was one of the leading forces during the movement.
When he became the prime minister for the first time in 1991, he continued a family legacy which saw two of his brothers led the nation. He dissolved the parliament after three years. The general election that followed failed to give any party the majority.
He led the minority government in 1998 and again Nepali Congress government in 2000 after ´forcing´ party’s own PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to resign. During his third tenure, the Royal Massacre in which 10 of the Royal family members including the King, Queen and Crown Prince were killed happened.
Following the April Uprising in 2006, he sworn in for the fourth term and sign one of the most important documents in Nepal’s political history – the peace accord with the Maoists. After abolishment of monarchy and establishment of republic Nepal, he became the acting head of the state until the election of Dr Ram Baran Yadav as the first president.
The grand old man of Nepali politics was dogged by illnesses in the eve of his life but continued to be the axis of politics playing crucial role in times of political impasses. He was the co-ordinator of much-hyped High Level Political Mechanism (HLPM) when he passed away.
India pays tribute
India paid tribute to former Nepal prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala after his death on Saturday, describing him as a wise leader who guided the Himalayan nation in the right direction.
"Koirala was a mass leader and a statesman, whose knowledge and wisdom guided the polity of Nepal in the right direction at critical junctures in the country´s history," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
His death "marks the end of an era in Nepalese politics" Singh said in a statement in New Delhi.
Nepal peace broker Girija Prasad Koirala dies
Nepal peace broker Girija Prasad Koirala dies
KATHMANDU: Girija Prasad Koirala, the former Nepalese Prime Minister who brokered the peace deal that ended a bloody 10-year civil war, died on Saturday aged 85, said Nepali Congress party's Vice-President Gopal Man Shrestha
Koirala, who had been suffering from respiratory disease for many years, died at his daughter's home in Kathmandu, Nepal Television reported.
The veteran leader staked his political career on making peace with the Maoist rebels who waged a decade-long insurgency against the state.
The peace deal signed in 2006 ended a conflict that had killed at least 16,000 people, with thousands more still unaccounted for.
Witnesses said thousands of people had gathered at his daughter's home to pay their respects to the four-time prime minister, a member of a political dynasty credited with helping to bring democracy to Nepal.
Koirala led the Himalayan nation through some of its biggest upheavals including its most notorious upset when 10 members of the royal family were shot dead by the crown prince in a drunken rampage.
He was seen as a stabilizing force in a country that has seen 18 governments in the last 20 years -- although like many politicians in Nepal he faced frequent allegations of corruption.
His lasting legacy began in April 2006 when he sided with Maoist rebels to force former king Gyanendra to relinquish dictatorial powers.
Political change ensued at a breakneck pace, with the former rebel Maoists winning landmark elections in 2008, abolishing the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and transforming the impoverished country into a secular republic.
गल्दैछन् गिरिजा
नेपाली राजनीतिलाई लामो समयसम्म सकारात्मक वा नकारात्मक जुनसुकै पक्षबाट भए पनि केन्द्रमा राख्न सफल गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइराला रोगले झन् झन् गल्दैछन्। उनका बारेमा नराम्रा हल्ला फैलिएको यति धेरै पटक भइसक्यो कि अब साँचो कुरा कसैले सुनाउँदा पनि नपत्याउने हो कि भन्ने भान भइसक्यो। पोहरपरार पनि उनी बिरामी हुन्थे। तर यस पटक मानसिक रुपमा पनि उनी कमजोर भइसकेका छन्। केही अघि राष्ट्रसंघीय उपमहासचिवसित भेट्दा उनले आफू जीवनको अन्तिम क्षणमा रहेको बताएका थिए। मानसिक रुपमा कमजोर हुनु चिन्ताको विषय हो।
उनलाई गत साता अस्पतालबाट घर फर्काइएको थियो। तर उनको स्वास्थ्य राम्रो भएर हैन, स्थितिमा केही सुधार आएको र उनले अस्पतालमा बस्न रुचि नदेखाएकोले उनलाई डिस्चार्ज गरिएको थियो। बिहीबार रातिदेखि अचानक उनको अवस्था गम्भीर भएको छ। अस्पताल जान नमानेकाले उनलाई घरैमा विशेष कक्षमा उपचार गराइएको छ। घरमा नै आईसीयुको जस्तो सुविधा दिने भनिएको छ। स्थिति अझ बिग्रिए उनलाई कृत्रिम श्वास प्रणालीमा राख्ने तयारी पनि गरिसकिएको छ। टेलिभिजनहरुले उनको घरअगाडिबाट राति अबेरसम्म उनको स्वास्थ्यबारे प्रत्यक्ष प्रसारण गरिरहेका छन्।
'बंकर्स पार्टी' गर्नेहरुलाई पुलिसले 'र्याक' गरे
अरु बेला पनि उनीहरु हरेक ‘फ्राइडे’ त्यसै गर्थे। फ्राइडेलाई उनीहरु त्यही भएर TGIF भन्छन् अर्थात् थ्याङ्क गड इट्स फ्राइडे। कलेज बङ्क गर्यो, डिस्कोमा मन मिल्ने साथीहरुसँग गएर मस्तसित नाच्यो। उनीहरुलाई नै लक्षित गरेर बिहान अरु ठाउँमा भजन गाइरहेको बेला सुन्धाराको त्यो डिस्को जोनबाट बिहान सबेरैदेखि अंग्रेजी गीतका चर्को आवाज आउँथ्यो। तर आज सँधैभन्दा फरक भयो। कलेज ड्रेसमा नाचिरहेकै बेला प्रहरीले बेबिलोन डिस्कोमा घेरा हाल्यो र ३ सय १३ जनालाई पक्रेर भ्यानहरुमा कोच्चाउँदै पुलिस क्लब लगेर थुनिदियो। कार्यथलो नजिकै भएकोले म पनि गएको थिएँ त्यहाँ। हेरौँ केही फोटोहरु- कसरी र्याक गरे बंकर्स पार्टी गर्नेहरुलाई प्रहरीले-
You CAN Train Animals
You CANNOT “Train” People!
I am oftentimes introduced as a “trainer”, or “sales trainer” and I quickly deny that description of what I do.
Some people claim, “People are a part of the animal kingdom, if you can you train one, you should be able to train the other”. I can accept the “should be” part of that statement, but the reality is that there are some major differences between the human animal and the others.
A dolphin can be “taught” and then “trained” through repetition and reward to jump over a bar every time the whistle blows and the little stick is held out. The dolphin (or other animals) will do what they have been “trained” to do, regardless of their mood that day, the weather, or what the other animals are doing.
People can surely be taught to do something, however they may or may not do it depending entirely upon their mood that day, the weather, or what other people are doing.
Bill Gates
Secrets of His Success
Forbes Magazine reports Bill Gates as having a net worth of $46.5 billion dollars, making him the richest person of the world.
He fell in love with the computer at a very young age and created Microsoft while his friends were still getting into trouble.
Bill Gates was recently asked why he closed his Facebook account and opened a Twitter feed. His reply, “I had too many people that I don’t know wanting to be my ‘friend.’ Facebook is about who you know; Twitter is about what you know.”
It is said that he is a very hardworking and benevolent person. The world has been talking about his secrets of success for many years. When asked what they were, he offered his five-point master formula of success:
1-Passion
2-Intelligence
3-Integrity
4-A Good Team
5-Leadership Read more...
Job Hunting
It’s Tough These Days
I was amazed this week when I ran an ad on Craig’s List for a successful client of mine that is hiring. The ad broke on Sunday and I was immediately bombarded with inquiries. By the end of the day on Monday the number totaled over 50. What amazed me more than anything were the sloppy e-mails and horrible resumes I got. You would think that someone looking for work would realize the importance of the first impression made via e-mail. I saw such things as blank subject lines, empty text boxes, attachments without labels, basic misspelling and poor grammar with no sense of punctuation rules. Most amazing of all were the college students and even graduates that were among the poorly worded applications.
Besides the bad imagery and poor wording, I had people applying for a clearly defined retail selling job with absolutely no relative experience. I got the feeling that they were just responding to every ad listed. I wanted to send most of them a copy of E-Mail Etiquette Made Easy, but I doubted if it would ever be read.
What Gets YOU Going?
Different Strokes…
We’ve all heard that old saying, “Different strokes for different folks.” Truer words were never spoken. Sales managers are always looking for the right “hot buttons” to get their salespeople motivated. Selling is a tough profession. There are always dissapointments and potential discouragements. Nobody likes rejection and salespeople live with it daily. That’s why commissions, contests and other incentives are so prevelent in the world of selling.
Not everyone however is motivated by money. The assumption that commissions are enough to cause people to do their best leads to a lot of management frustration. Basically there are three things that motivate people to try harder.
Recognition
Recognition
It’s been said, and I believe it, that some people will work harder for recognition than for money. These are the people that welcome competition and like to win. “Winning” could be a prize, a trophy, or just some praise from the boss. One of our goals with the Morning Report is to institutionalize recognition. We make certain that good performance is known by all, and it’s not uncommon to see the same names on the Stars Page day after day and month after month.
As a manager you owe it to yourself and your staff to determine what motivates each of your employees and press those hot buttons. If you are the employee, you owe it to yourself, your customers and your company to do your best. Think about what motivates you and be sure to put yourself in a position to get the motivation you need. And, if it turns out to be fear of loss, welcome the “heads up” and get going, you’ll be glad you did.
Desire for Gain
Desire for Gain
People who are driven by success will see every possibility as an opportunity, and continue to “go for it.” They are in it for the money and want all they can get. These people are focused on betterment and need very little outside motivation. It comes from within. Their mantra is, “Give me the money.”
I quit
Do It Now!
Quitting a job where you are not succeeding is fine, even honorable. We all hate to see someone quit and leave, but it’s worse when they quit and stay. Listening to the sour grapes of this particular person made it clear that he had “quit” long before saying, “I quit.”
Everyone can be successfull when on right job, and staying on the wrong one, just to get the money delays future success.
The FAILING FINGER
The FAILING FINGER
Society now regards what George W Bush called 'the one-fingered victory salute' differently.
Is the world having a hand-wringing moment over what former US president George W Bush calls "the one-fingered victory salute"? Earlier this month, after Senator Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky , raised his middle finger at an ABC News producer , the flare-up on blogs lasted as long as the gesture itself. But after Rex Ryan, the coach of the New York Jets, did the same thing at a recent martial arts competition, the Jets fined him $50,000. And when Robert Ekas of Clackamas, Ore., gestured at a sheriff's cruiser in 2007, he received a traffic citation. Ekas is suing, saying his First Amendment rights were violated. Remember the hoopla over Greg Chappell's sly 'up yours' to the Kolkata media in 2005? The same gesture from hockey star Prabhjot Singh barely caused a flutter.
Same finger, different consequences. So how should we regard The Gesture? Criminal offense, merely offensive or, after all this time - about 2,500 years - no big deal?
Ira P Robbins, a professor of criminal law at American University in Washington, tries to strike a balance between bad law and good taste. "The long arm of the law should not extend to the middle finger," said Robbins, an authority on gesture prosecutions. "That's not to say it's smart to give the finger to a police officer."
Typically it's impulse, rather than intelligence, that lands middle-finger extenders in legal trouble: students to principals, motorists to police officers, defendants to judges. The punishment for disorderly conduct, the charge often brought, can range from a $20 fine to a year in jail.
But when defendants appeal convictions on freespeech or related grounds, Robbins wrote in an 83-page law review article in 2008, they often prevail. After a Tul sa judge dismissed one such case, the arresting officer, on his way out of the courtroom, said, "Thank you very much, Judge" - and aimed the gesture at him.
In recent years, the sheer welter of its use seems to be wearing the fingerprints off the offending finger. Internet sites merrily display photos of famous flippers - Johnny Cash, Mike Ditka, Charlize Theron - as do ads and T-shirts. So how can it possibly still be taboo?
Strung by Big Pharma, long live USA
Strung by Big Pharma, long live USA
A lot of people are going to be feeling or looking very happy over the next few weeks because of a bizarre, rather unprecedented, event, in the US last weekend. In a heist worthy of Hollywood attention (surely!) a gang of thieves slipped into the warehouse of the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly in Connecticut on a quiet Sunday morning, disabled the alarm systems, and made away with drugs worth $75 million. It was the biggest pharmaceutical heist in history, comparable with great robberies involving diamonds, gold, and other valuables. The stash was so large that thieves commandeered a tractor-trailer to haul it away.
So why would that make a lot of people happy? Well, it turns out that much of the stash consisted of Prozac and Cymbalta, two of Eli Lilly's best selling drugs used for treating depression. Millions of Americans take anti-depressants, enough to merit a book and a movie titled Prozac Nation that came out almost a decade ago. The problem has gotten worse since; there were nearly 200 million prescriptions in 2007. Although Prozac, which came to the market in 1988, has since been challenged by other anti-depressants such as Pfizer's Zoloft (now the biggest selling), Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Paxil, and Eli Lilly's own Cymbalta, it is the mother of all uppers.
The expectation now is the loot will now be sold and resold on largely unregulated internet pharmacies at cut rate prices. Hence, many happy customers becoming "happier". Just to give you a sense of the lolly involved - a 20mg capsule of Prozac can cost $3 without prescription. Taken twice a day, it can add up to $180 a month. Online, you can get it for less than a buck a day; and now, with the goods from the heist expected to flood the market, perhaps even cheaper.
Much of the American media reported the story of the heist as a crime caper, even as a battle raged on the streets and in the political arena over a proposed healthcare bill that is roiling the country. But the two are related. The criminals hit upon the idea of looting a pharma company because medicines are now as lucrative as many valuables. America is hooked on to pharmaceutical drugs, particularly anti-depressants , and they know it.
According to one account, there were at least 31 pharmaceutical thefts in which more than $500,000 worth of drugs was stolen in the US in 2008 and 2009. It's all a question of supply and demand - and cost. Many Americans cannot afford expensive medication in these dire times.
There are two ways of looking at this issue. One is that America is an over-medicated society. Americans spend more on health care than any other country. In 2007, the total US spending for health care was almost $2 trillion, accounting for 16% of the country's gross domestic product, almost double the rich world's average. On a per capita basis, the US spent $7,290 annually on just health care, some seven times an Indian average overall income. A number of drugs that would have been considered recreational a generation ago are prescriptive now - such as the ones for depression and erectile dysfunction. It is generally acknowledged that such US spending unsustainable and this is why the crisis and debate on health care is overshadowing everything - including war - right now.
The other way to look at it is Americans hate to suffer, much less die, and will go to any extent to be "happy" and prolong life in contrast to attitudes in India and many other developing countries. This was brought home rather starkly when a family elder in India, who was only 66, recently died of an illness which could have been better treated and given him a few more years, while cheerfully declaiming that since average Indian male life expectancy was 64, he was ahead of the game and had no issues meeting his maker.
You'll rarely hear such fatalism in the west. Americans will pretty much spend their last dime to squeeze the last breath out of life before departing - kicking and screaming. They do not go gentle into the night, as the poet Dylan Thomas wrote; they'll rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Man ends life, poisons his 2 kids
Man ends life, poisons his 2 kids
NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old man, an employee of Delhi Jal Board (DJB), killed himself and his two children — six-month-old son Jatin and two-year-old daughter Jaya — by lacing the food with poison at his residence in New Mahavir Nagar in West Delhi on Friday night.
His wife, who too consumed the poisoned food, is battling for life at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.
"Pramod's wife Seema was conscious even after consuming poison. She alerted the neighbours. Her condition is critical," said a senior police officer. He said that Pramod did not leave behind any suicide note.
Kidnapped British boy reunited with parents
Kidnapped British boy reunited with parents
ISLAMABAD: Smiling and in high spirits, a five-year-old British boy boarded a flight home from Pakistan on Thursday after being reunited with his overjoyed father following a 12-day kidnapping ordeal.
Sporting a new hair cut, Sahil Saeed kicked around a football on the lawn of the British high commissioner's residence in Islamabad, joined by a little girl playmate, and was smothered in hugs and kisses from relatives.
Smiling and waving as he was cuddled by his relieved father, Sahil seemed in high spirits and gulped down a drink brought out by a member of the household staff, television footage showed.
The emotional reunion came after his father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, flew back to Pakistan to collect his son and return him to Britain, days after the boy's uncle dropped off a 110,000 pound (168,000 dollar) ransom in Paris.
"I am completely overjoyed that I have been reunited with my son after such a long ordeal," the father said in a statement released by the high commission.
"Sahil is doing well, is in good spirits and can't wait to return to the UK to see his Mum, his family and join his friends back at school," he added, thanking British and Pakistani authorities for assisting in his son's return.
The father, son and an uncle took off for Manchester aboard Pakistan International Airlines flight 701 at 3:15 pm (1015 GMT), PIA official Mohammad Imran told AFP.
Saeed's mother Akila Naqqash, who spoke to her son by telephone from her home in Oldham, northern England, promised him a "big party" on his return.
The ordeal began when Sahil was snatched at gunpoint from his grandmother's house in the town of Jhelum, about 100 kilometres (65 miles) south of Islamabad, in the early hours of March 4 at the end of a family holiday.
Pakistani authorities, helped by British officials, launched a hunt for the boy, and 12 days later Sahil was recovered safe and sound in a field not far from Jhelum as the focus of the investigation switched to France and Spain.
British High Commissioner Adam Thomson said he was "thrilled" that Sahil was back with his father.
"This brings to an end a long period of terrible anxiety and uncertainty. I wish them all the best as they rejoin the rest of their family back in the UK," he said in a statement.
A Pakistani man and a Romanian woman, who have been charged with murder and are awaiting trial, were among five people arrested by police Tuesday.
The couple travelled from the northeastern Spanish town of Constanti, which has a large Pakistani community, to Paris, where they collected the ransom and returned to Spain, where they were arrested.
Another Pakistani man was also arrested in Constanti while French police detained two family members of the man who went to Paris for being accomplices. They had put up the couple at their Paris apartment.
The authorities made the arrests once they were informed that Sahil had been recovered in Pakistan and was safe, said the head of the Spanish police's economic and violent crime unit, commander Serafin Castro.
Police found nearly 104,000 pounds and over 3,000 euros in the couple's flat in Constanti as well as several mobile telephones, including one used to make calls to the boy's father in Paris, and a new computer.
Castro said the kidnapping began when four men armed with grenades and Kalashnikov rifles stormed the house in Jhelum and tied up all the family members as well as the driver of a taxi booked to go to the airport, before leaving with the boy.
Woody Allen to drop 'risky' Carla Bruni from film?
Woody Allen to drop 'risky' Carla Bruni from film...
London:After finally getting Carla Bruni's nod to act in his film, Woody Allen is now considering leaving the French First Lady for his next flick.
The legendary director, 74, last year convinced the wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy to take a role in 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger' after hailing her as "wonderful". But now, it seems Allen has had a change of heart, and he has admitted that he might drop the supermodel-turned-singer because of the "risk" of her duties as France's First Lady interfering with filming.
"Carla Bruni is not a woman who earns her living as an actress. She is a First Lady. She could be taken away at any moment by other duties, like a political crisis or an important event. I have to take account of the risks that there could be, and hiring her is far from certain," Woody told the Daily Express.
Nepal revives border feud with India
Nepal revives border feud with India
KATHMANDU: Two years after India’s then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Nepal and said 98 percent of the border disputes between the two neighbours had been resolved and a new boundary would be delineated soon, Nepal’s lawmakers have demanded a revision in the completed survey, saying problems persisted in at least 15 districts in southern Nepal, adjoining India’s Terai plains.
The Foreign Relations and Human Rights Committee of Nepal’s interim parliament has released a report based on lawmakers’ visits to contentious districts, asking the government to reclaim the land it says has been encroached on by India. Read more...
No foreign monitors during general elections: Lankan Election Commission
Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake 
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Election Commission has turned down the demand for presence of foreign poll observers at the counting centres for the upcoming parliamentary polls.
The demand was made by some opposition parties including United National Party (UNP) which said that such a presence would ensure accuracy in election results. The opposition request comes in the backdrop of allegations of malpractices in the vote count for Presidential elections.
Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake did not outright reject the proposal but said that the political parties should have made such a request on the nominations day.
The main Opposition United National Party (UNP) has sent a written request to the Election Commissioner asking for the presence of foreign poll observers at the counting centres to ensure accuracy of election results.
Meanwhile, Rohana Hettiarachi, Director of People's action for Free and Fair elections (PAFFREL), said the organisation has sent several letters and reminders to the EC regarding the appointment of observers at the forthcoming general elections without avail.
"The Elections Commissioner did not even dwell on the subject, it was pointed out, the UNP website claimed.
Stanley Ho Denies Gaming Regulator Claims That He Has Mob Ties
About gambling news
Stanley Ho is aging, but that does not mean the casino tycoon is going to take it lightly when accusations against him fly. That is why on Thursday he denied any association with organized crime in China.
Gaming regulators in New Jersey claimed in a report that Ho had knowingly allowed organized crime groups to operate inside his Asian casinos. The report stems from the regulators finding that Pansy Ho, Stanley's daughter, was not suited to partner with MGM Mirage.
Instead of going along with the ruling, MGM chose to sell their share of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. The company has vowed to move away from the Atlantic City casino industry rather than cut ties with Pansy Ho.
A statement issued by MGM claims that the company has a "spotless operating record at MGM Grand in Macau." Stanley Ho gave his response to the allegations on Thursday.
"But his position on the record is clear that there is absolutely no foundation in any suggestion that he is associated with organized crime or triads," said Janet Wong, a spokeswoman for Ho. She stated that Ho had not yet seen the report before issuing her statement.
MGM has taken issue with the connection that gaming regulators made between Pansy Ho and her father. The company explained that the elder Ho had nothing to do with their business relationship with his daughter, and that he was not involved in the deal.
Massachusetts Residents Continue To Support Gambling Expansion
Massachusetts Residents Continue To Support Gambling Expansion
The debate over gambling expansion is one that has been taking place in Massachusetts over the past several years. With House Speaker Robert DeLeo offering legislation to legalize resort casinos and slots at state racetracks, the issue is again front and center.
Many polls have been conducted over the past couple of years by the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, all worded differently. The one constant, however, is that the majority of people polled are in favor of expanded gambling.
The latest poll asked residents if they were in favor of DeLeo's proposal. It is the first time that people have been asked about casino resorts and slots in the same poll question, but the results were the same. Fifty-three percent of those polled said they were in favor of the gambling expansion plan.
This comes as no surprise for those who have followed the recent history in Massachusetts in regards to casino gambling. Governor Duval Patrick was voted into office by residents when he ran on a platform heavily weighted towards gambling expansion.
Patrick's first attempt to bring casino resorts to the state were shot down last year. At the time, Salvatore DiMasi, a staunch opponent of gambling, was the House Speaker. Once DiMasi left office and DeLeo took over, the gambling talks have turned towards how to expand gambling instead of whether or not to expand.
Senate President Therese Murray is also in favor of gambling expansion. According to all three political leaders, Massachusetts would benefit greatly from the financial ramifications of bringing slots and casino resorts to the state.
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Hearing Set For Table Game Gambling At Pennsylvania Casino...
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will have their hands full over the next couple of months. The regulators will be holding public hearings regarding table game petitions that have been submitted by casinos around the state.
On March 31st, those in Erie County will get their opportunity to discuss the table games. A hearing has been called by regulators on behalf of the Presque Isle Downs and Casino. The parent company of the casino is seeking to add the table games as early as this summer.
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania lawmakers legalized table games for casinos throughout the state. The casinos, however, had to follow the procedure of applying for the table games. Once the application is received, the Gaming Board then schedules a public hearing.
The likely outcome of these hearings will be the addition of table games. Once that occurs, many analysts believe that Pennsylvania could surpass New Jersey as the new gaming capital of the Northeast.
"Already Pennsylvania casinos have shown the ability to compete with Atlantic City casinos," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz, "With table games, it may become inevitable that Pennsylvania passes New Jersey in the gaming market."
In December, Pennsylvania casinos had higher slot revenue than their Atlantic City counterparts for the first time in history. Adding games such as blackjack, roulette, and craps will make the state's casinos even more attractive to gamblers who are traveling and looking for a state that combines strong casinos with other tourist attractions.
Casino Company Opens Universal Studios In Singapore
Singapore took another step on Thursday towards becoming one of the top tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. Genting, a casino development company based in Malaysia, opened the areas first Universal Studios.
Several years ago, the government in Singapore authorized two new casino entertainment facilities in the country. Resorts World is one of the casino projects, and the casino opened last month.
The other casino is being developed by Las Vegas Sands. The Marina Bay Sands is expected to be opening in the next month. Originally, Sands had hoped that Marina Bay would be the first casino open, but the economy caused the company to slow the building process.
This is not the first time that a Universal Studios has been built outside of the US. Osaka, Japan, has a theme park, but the Singapore park will be aided by the casino and other entertainment options within Resorts World.
US-based gaming companies have made it a priority in recent years to expand their brands into Asia. Sands, Wynn Resorts, and MGM Mirage all have casino properties in Macau, the new gambling capital of the world.
Wynn Resorts and LVS have held initial public offerings in Asia last year. They both have listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and MGM is expected to do the same sometime later this year. Read more...
कोइरालालाई भेट्न सुजाता निबास मण्डिखाटार पुगेका एकीकृत नेकपा माओवादीका अध्यक्ष पुष्पकमल दाहाल ‘प्रचण्ड’ र उपाध्यक्ष डा. बाबुराम भट्टराईले बोलाउँदा कोइराला बोल्न नसकेको उपचारमा संलग्न चिकित्सक डा.मनबहादुर केसीले जानकारी दिनुभयो । पार्टी कामको शिलशिलामा सिन्धुली पुगेका काङ्ग्रेस बरिष्ठ नेता शेरबहादुर देउवा सबै कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरेर राजधानी फर्कनु भएको छ । काङ्ग्रेस सभापति कोइरालाको स्वास्थ्य अबस्थाबारे जानकारी लिन विभिन्न राजनीतिक दलका नेता, शुभेच्छुकहरु मण्डिखाटारस्थित सुजाता निबास पुगेका छन् । समाचार संकलनका लागि पत्रकारहरु पनि उल्लेख्य संख्यामा त्यहाँ पुगेका छन् । सर्बसाधारण र पत्रकारहरुलाई सुजाता निबासको मुख्य गेट भित्र प्रवेश गर्न दिइएको छैन । कोइरालाको उपचारमा संलग्न तीनै जना चिकित्सकहरु डा. मनबहादुर केसी, डा.जगदीश अग्रवाल र डा. अर्जुन कार्कीको टोलीले गेट बाहिर जम्मा भएका पत्रकारहरुलाई कोइरालाको स्वास्थ्य अबस्था चिन्ताजनक रहेको जानकारी दिएका छन् । नायिका मनिसा कोइराला पनि कोइरालाको स्वास्थ्य अबस्थाबारे जानकारी लिएर फर्कनु भएको छ । कोइरालाको स्वास्थ्य गम्भीर भएपछि गएरातिदेखि नै चिकित्सकहरुले अस्पतालमा जस्तै विशेष व्यवस्था मिलाएर सुजाता निबासमै उपचार गरिरहेका छन् ।कोइराला अन्तिम अबस्थामा, मण्डिखाटारमा नेता कार्यकर्ताको घुइचो
७ चैत, काठमाडौं । पूर्व प्रधानमन्त्री एवं नेपाली काङ्ग्रेसका सभापति गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइरालाको स्वास्थ्य अबस्था थप गम्भीर भएको छ । कोइराला गएरातिदेखि नै अचेत हुनुहुन्छ । उहाँलाई दिँदै आएको कृत्रिम अक्सिजनको मात्रामा बृद्धि गरिएको छ ।