GNH “Gross National Happiness"

The Story of GNH. “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product” – His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan. With his famous declaration in the 1970s, the former King of Bhutan challenged conventional, narrow and materialistic notions of human progress

The foundation is made of four pillars:

1. Equitable and equal socio-economic development

2. Preservation and promotion of cultural and spiritual heritage

3. Conservation of environment

4. Environmental Conservation.

Hema Hema (Sing Me A Song While I Wait) was condemns ban..

Jeremy Thomas condemns ban on Bhutanese drama 'Hema Hema'

UK producer Jeremy Thomas has condemned the ban in Bhutan on Hema Hema (Sing Me A Song While I Wait), the Bhutanese film he helped produce.

The mystery-drama, about a Bhutanese ritual, secured berths at Locarno, Toronto, Busan and London last year, but will not get a release in its home market.

Tibetan Buddhist lama and writer Khyentse Norbu’s fourth film was banned by the National Films Review Board and the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs on the grounds that it demeans religious symbols, including masks worn by actors.

Recorded Picture Company founder Thomas, an executive producer on the mystery-drama, told Screen: “I hate censorship. I fight against it. I had no idea that Khyentse’s film would be viewed this way and I was shocked to hear that it had been banned from the very people it was made for.”

“The authorities have totally misinterpreted the rules and regulations, and it is obvious that we have been banned for reasons that are not listed in the laws of our country”, added producer Pawo Choying Dorj.

“This is a direct effort by the authorities to undermine the freedom of expression in Bhutan,” he continued.

“It is very discouraging not just for our film but also for all the artists of Bhutan as the authorities have sent a loud and clear message that in Bhutan, there are boundaries to one’s creativity and dreams.”

“We have submitted a letter to The Bhutan Infocomm and Media Authority (BICMA) requesting clarifications on the grounds of the ban. However, we are yet to receive any response from them.”

Hema Hema was filmed with mostly non-professional actors. However, there were minor roles for Hong Kong star Tony Leung and Chinese actress Xun Zhou.

Director Norbu was a technical adviser on Thomas’ 1993 drama Little Buddha.

Dolphins Deliberately Get High

Dolphins are generally known as intelligent creatures. However the latest discovery is that dolphins have mastered the art of getting ‘high’!

Footage for a BBC documentary shows how dolphins use the toxins released by a puffer fish to reach a level of intoxication. The dolphins then pass around the fish to take turns…almost movie like!

By gently chewing the puffer fish, the dolphins mastered the technique to make the puffer fish release just the right amount of toxins to ‘get high’.

After reaching the state of ‘high’, the dolphins then proceed to the surface, appearing to be fascinated by the sight of their own reflections!

It is not the first time other animals have been used for recreational purposes such as this. There was a craze once with humans, who would lick toads to get high.

Three Women Drug, Kidnap, and Gang Rape a 23-Year-Old Man for Three Days

Gang rape is a horror no human should experience, be it a woman or a man. While the world is accustomed to reading stories of sexual exploitation of woman, the sexual abuse of men hardly gets the attention it deserves. But when it does, it sends chills down your spine.

In a recent shocking incident, a 23-year-old man in South Africa was drugged, kidnapped and repeatedly raped by three women in a hotel room. The victim was found traumatized and exhausted in Nellmapius‚ east of Pretoria, after being dumped in a field semi-naked. Later, he managed to flag down a passing car and escaped. The police are still trying to trace his assailants.

According to the South African police service, the victim hailed a 15-seater communal taxi on the night of May 26 but he had no idea that the three female co-passengers would turn out to be his rapists. Captain Colette Weilbach, the South African Police Service spokesperson, told South African newspaper Times Live:

“En route to town, the taxi driver changed direction. The young man was then ordered to come to the front. One of the women then allegedly injected him with an unknown substance and he passed out. He stated that he woke up in an unfamiliar room on a single bed.

“The female suspects then allegedly forced the man to drink an energy drink‚ before taking turns raping him numerous times a day. On Sunday afternoon he was dropped off in an open field in Benoni. The man was very traumatized by his ordeal and received medical treatment.”.

Did You Know Jackie Chan Once Thought He Had Killed Someone?

Jackie Chan wanted to be a bouncer when he you was young and learned martial arts to help him achieve this ambition. However an event that led him petrified that he had killed someone made him change his mind.

When Jackie Chan was 18 years old, he was still at martial arts school. It was then when Jackie and a few of his friends became involved in a scuffle with motor bikers.

Things got physical with the bikers and Jackie Chan and his two friends ended up flooring all of the bikers! One of the people Jackie knocked out left him worried as he had no idea if he was unconscious or dead.

Jackie injured his hand and thought he had a bone sticking out in his hand but did not want to go the hospital because the police may have got involved and Jackie was still unsure if he had killed someone.

After two days, whilst trying push the bone back in, it popped out and it turned out it was actually the other guy’s tooth!

Jackie checked the papers continuously for the next month or so to see if any reports of a death were apparent but to his relief there were none.

The Human Thigh Bone Is Stronger Than Concrete

The thigh bone of a human is so strong, it’s actually stronger than concrete. It makes sense as well, given that it’s the thigh bones which are pretty much supporting our whole body.

The thigh bones, scientific name femur, are thought to be around eight times stronger than concrete. In fact, most bones are around this strong when matched for size.

It is thought that the the thigh bones can support up to 1 ton of weight before eventually snapping, but I certainly won’t be testing to see if that’s true!

Despite the extreme solidity of human bones, they are still light weight and flexible. The wonders of nature eh?

So there you go, the next time you see a human fighting a concrete wall, you’ll know whose going to win!

Did You Know In 2006 Mark Zuckerberg Rejected A $1 Billion Deal For Facebook?

You’d think that there is no one in the world who would reject $1 billion. However there is one such person. Mark Zuckerberg rejected a $1 billion takeover of Facebook in 2006 from search giant Yahoo.

What makes it more amazing is that Zuckerberg was only 22 at the time. Well, at 22, to be offered so much money and then to reject it….never mind.

Zuckerberg’s partner in the business, Peter Thiel reveals that he did not even give much consideration to the deal and did not treat the meeting with Yahoo very seriously.

Zuckerberg apparently said that the meeting is just a formality, a quick 10 minute board meeting and that they weren’t going to sell anyway.

Thiel and and a third board member thought it would be a good idea to just take the money, Zuckerberg thought quite the contrary.

Thiel revealed that Zuckerberg did not want to sell as Yahoo did not really have any clear vision for the future of the social network.

Thiel comoforted himself with the fact that Yahoo had previously offered $1 billion deals for other companies such as eBay and Google and they were rejected. For them both, it was the correct decision.

Guess what, it was the correct decision from Zuckerberg as well.