All those who are convinced King G gambled his throne with the February First coup last year won't be surprised to know that his erstwhile majesty has always had a proclivity for games of chance. Poker is his favourite, it seems, and he has apparently been known to work his way through marathon sessions in the company of cronies.

The stakes have always been high, although not as high as when he engaged in a bit of internet gaming a few years ago or when he actually bet his throne on being able to return his kingdom to his father's Panchayat.

This Tihar, the Ass has reliably learnt, relatively modest lakhs were reportedly being won and lost at every poker sitting on Nagarjun. We don't know if his ex-majesty had any royal flushes, but given the string of bad luck that has been haunting him lately we wouldn't be surprised if he was caught high-handed with a wild card just before a showdown.

And there is less and less to fall back on as the government readies the nationalisation of his brother's property. While Nagarjun and Gokarna will probably be turned into national parks we wonder what will happen to the strobe light that was installed at Narayanhiti's east turret after last year's coup. Why is it still winking? Does it know something we don't?

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While all this nationalisation is going on, this may be the best time for the army to hand Tundikhel back to the people. The king's army is busying itself with UN peacekeeping, and readying for the prospect of fellow-blue helmets installing close-circuit cameras with bells and whistles at armouries and barracks across the land. In the past, successive commanders in chief gradually encroached on Tundikhel thinking that if they did it slowly and quietly no one would notice. Well, Kathmandu's lungs, which during the 1934 earthquake stretched from what is now Dasrat Stadium to Ranipokhari, have now shrunk to a fraction of their former selves.

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A sign of things to come: this is an actual news item this week in the government mouth organ, Gorkhapatra. The editors thought this item actually belonged on page 1, but the Ass thought otherwise.

Prachanda keen to help cine industry

7 November, Kathmandu (RSS) - Chairman of CPN (Maoist) Prachanda has expressed his commitment to help for better functioning of the cinema industry in consonance with the changing context of the country. Addressing a large meeting of cine workers, organised by All Nepal People's Cultural Federation and Republican Cine-workers Front, here today, Chairman Prachanda said past movements had sought cultural change for a new Nepal.

"The cinema industry must produce new motion pictures that could depict reality of Nepali society as politics has been seeking new direction," he said.

Stressing the need to make self-assessment on ten years people's war from all sectors of society, Chairman Prachanda said after resolving the prime agenda of the country, the problem faced by the cine-industry would be solved.

Pesident of Cultural Federation Sivaji Lamichhane, Leader of CPN-UMl Bam Dev Gautam and gen sec of Republican Cine-workers Front...

We'll spare you the rest of the gory details. But just to remark in closing that the more things change, the more they stay the same. It's clear Nepal's Pravda is the same no matter who rules.

ass@nepalitimes.com