Our drinking problem

August 5, 2011Posted inHealth17 Comments
We have a drinking problem. We reportedly consume 7.5 liters of alcohol per person per year. Much of that is served in the more than 3,000 licensed bars that we have. That works out to one bar for every 250 people. And that does not take into consideration the large-scale production, sale and consumption of home brewed alcohol throughout our country. That’s why alcohol abuse is a leading cause of non-communicable diseases. That’s why alcohol-related diseases make up a whopping 27% of all hospital inpatients. That’s why they account for a staggering 58% of all inpatient mortality. That's why…

Thimphu’s lifestyle

July 25, 2011Posted inHealth2 Comments
In 2007 the Ministry of Health conducted a survey in Thimphu to assess the state of non-communicable diseases in the capital. The results showed that we live dangerously. For example: One out of every five adults consumed tobacco – they either smoked or used smokeless tobacco. One third of the adult population consumed alcohol regularly. One third of them were associated with hazardous drinking and binging. Most adults did not exercise to meet minimum health requirement. More than three-fourths of adults did not get any exercise at all during their free time. Two thirds of the adult population did…

Talkin’ Takin

April 5, 2010Posted inNature
Takin, reindeer, yak calf, takin calf, sheep’s head, donkey, deer, drey daza, goat, sheep, lamb face, blue sheep, foal, cow calf, shaw, black foal, jatsham, mitun, thra –bum. The last Big Picture contest generated a rich variety of answers, including the right one, takin calf. “Karma S.” is our winner. The takin mother and calf was photographed in the Motithang Takin Preserve, a 20-acre sprawling blue-pine forest that was established in the early 1970’s to accommodate a pair of young takins that was gifted to Bhutan during the coronation of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. The two takin thrived. And…