👀 Boomer Banter

Namaste! We hope your Tihars were filled with more selroti than your stomach could handle, and that you dominated in Taas, winning enough money to fund your winter wardrobe. Speaking of winter, if your laakhu topi isn't in action yet, what are you even doing? Now, let's address the not-so-great things – the country's in a bit of a mess, and we're not holding back on the colorful language in this edition. If your kids are around, send them on a mission to clean the paani taanki while you enjoy this read solo.

La Eta Hernus

Desh

TikTok ban: The government, citing concerns about "social harmony," dropped the ban hammer on TikTok, accusing it of fueling hate speech and wreaking havoc on family relations. TikTok, being its rebellious self, apparently snubbed the Nepali government's attempts at a chit-chat, leading to an all-out ban proposal. The move follows a new rulebook for social media, outlawing everything from hate speech to sneakily-posted private pics.

Prachanda Baaje didn't just ban it on a public holiday to quell the outcry from the public. He actually brought in media bigwigs like Kantipur and made them write editorials on how many other democratic governments have banned the app (some have, not all those that Kantipur claims have, haven’t, tara kaslai matab cha yo deshma)?

Prachanda Baaje also claimed he discussed this matter with all ruling and opposition political parties, but Gagan sir (Congress) and Rabi sir (RaSwaPa) were like, "Girl, literally when? This is all cap!"

What followed was insanity. Eva Giri went on Rishi Dhamala’s show to talk about how bikriti isn’t just caused by TikTok, and we should focus on quelling bikriti parts of the app rather than banning it outright. Many boomers on social media rejoiced in the decision, giving zero f*cks about many people who have started their online home-based business on the app. Many others decried the decision (as they should), claiming it was stupid.

It’s likely the ban doesn’t last long. It’s likely China come through and goes “That’s not chill, Prachanda!” But even the very fact that a bunch of boomers sit down and ban an entire app to maintain whatever the f*ck social harmony that is so fragile that it’s broken by an app like TikTok is problematic, to say the least. What are these boomers going to do when there’s deepfake videos circulating during election time? Porn, Pubg, TikTok, what else are we going to ban? What in the absolute f**k is happening in this country? Sorry for all the swearing, we really like freedom of speech.

Boomers been beefin’: Kanakmani Dixit and Rabindra Mishra took their beef public on Twitter yesterday. Kunda Sir commented on a Nepali Congress member’s claim that Rabindra sir used a pen name back in the day to write pro-monarchy articles. Rabindra sir didn’t deny those claims, but he shot back at Kunda sir, asking which one is more fraudulent: penning articles with a different name or sucking up to Prachanda baaje. Read it for yourself.

Good news (finally): Onto some actually good news, Nepali scientist Maheswar Rupakheti just made history as the first scientist from Nepal to join the 34-member bureau of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) after 35 years. Curious about his journey? Dive into his interview for all the deets!

Tech 

• Thousands are eagerly lining up for Elon Musk's Neuralink brain chip implant, designed to turn thoughts into computer commands. The procedure involves replacing a part of the skull with electrodes and wires to read and analyze brain activity, wirelessly transmitting information to a nearby device. Despite the excitement, Neuralink is yet to find its first volunteer, aiming to operate on 11 people next year and over 22,000 by 2030, while facing competition from companies like Synchron and Onward with a head start in human trials. As the world awaits this brain-machine interaction revolution, the stakes and anticipation are high.

• One year into the ChatGPT era, it's not just a chatbot; it's a Pandora's box of linguistic wizardry. Fueled by a brain the size of 570 gigabytes of internet data, this chatty genius mimics human talk, making some believe it's about to flip the script on work, art, and basically everything else. The excitement is real – Hollywood big shots are cheering that it could make animated films cheaper than a cup of coffee. But, hold the virtual phone, because governments worldwide are scrambling to put a leash on this tech beast. Elon Musk's calling it the ultimate disruptor, and even the CEO of ChatGPT's creator, OpenAI, is sounding the alarm. From fake Pentagon explosions to a startup swimming in a $100 million seed round, ChatGPT's first year has been a rollercoaster ride.

Fatafat

Stat: The recent earthquake on November 3 wreaked havoc in Jajarkot and Rukum West districts, demolishing over 20 healthcare facilities, including a district hospital and birthing centers. With the institutional delivery rate already at just 50 percent, the destruction poses a significant threat to maternal health, potentially increasing home deliveries and raising concerns about maternal and newborn well-being, according to maternal health experts.

Quote: This isn't just a quote but an entire essay that lawmaker Toshima Karki wrote to her brothers, who flew in all the way from Australia to meet her for Tihar. However, she decided not to meet them because she's in Jajarkot, helping the earthquake victims. It's a noble effort, for sure, but why pen a whole letter in a daily newspaper? Our advice to her? Text them.

Read: The sextortion scammers of rural India (restofworld)

Kahi Nabhako Jaatra

Sports

Three news briefs and a lie

Three of these news briefs are real, and one is faker than the benefits of Himalayan salt lamps. Can you spot the odd one out? (Scroll all the way to the bottom for the answer).

1. 5 wannabe scam artists got nabbed for trying to pull off an old trick in the book—pretending to be eSewa employees and swindling 15 lakh 20 thousand rupees from 18 unsuspecting folks in Rautahat! The police busted them from different hideouts, where they were probably rehearsing their next "official" call.

2. Looks like the drama at the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) is heating up! A group led by Rajendra Kumar Sharma is on a mission—they've filed paperwork to put the NRNA's bank accounts on ice, claiming there was some serious vote rigging shenanigans in their 11th Convention. Not stopping there, they've even formed a rebel committee, demanding a redo like it's a langur burja game gone wrong.

3. 347 folks in Saptari, led by the illustrious TikToker Paraaaa, pulled off a protest extravaganza against the government's TikTok ban. Armed with dance moves and viral potential, they claimed TikTok was their monthly breadwinner. Looks like the ban hit harder than a dance challenge gone wrong!

4. Ramchandra Thapa, the Houdini of pardons, strikes again! After a presidential get-out-of-jail card last May, he's making headlines with a kidnapping and murder threat. Looks like good behavior is in the eye of the beholder—especially if you're the Chitwan police trying to keep up with this 55-year-old troublemaker from Bharatpur!

Bidesh Tira Hernus

• The Israeli state continues to bomb hospitals (and other places) in Gaza.

• New research reveals a concerning gender gap in life expectancy in the U.S., with men lagging behind women by nearly six years, marking the widest divide since 1996. The decline in overall life expectancy, dropping from 78.8 years in 2019 to 76.1 in 2022, highlights a significant setback, mainly attributed to factors like the opioid epidemic, mental health challenges, and chronic metabolic diseases, which disproportionately affect men. The study emphasizes the need for a shift towards preventive care, as ongoing public health crises overshadow medical treatment advancements and underscores the socio-cultural influences impacting men's healthcare-seeking behaviors.

• India broke the record for sending brainpower to American campuses last academic year. A whopping 35% more students hopped across the pond, almost restoring the international student party back to its pre-pandemic levels at around 1.1 million. Blame it on India's economic swagger and a booming population, turning US colleges into the Bollywood of education with grads chasing STEM dreams.

A request

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(Answer to three newsbriefs and a lie: Paraaa is a lie.)