DC Girl, Though I find the ranking a bit surprising (especially when it was calculated by asking a set of questions to journalists and to know that Nepal now ranks just a few notches above North Korea and Cuba), my larger point was NOT to question the truth behind the ranking per se . . . as you seem to indicate with a touch of indignation. I was and am more interested in the other side of this ranking ko kura . . in seeing, as I wrote above, how "this ranking will be used by various parties" [especially the FNJ] to further their own oddball agenda. I expected some sort of a response from FNJ re: this ranking. It has not given any -- and it's been two days since the ranking was made public. I find its silence quite interesting but not at all surprising . . . here are two articles that may give you some context as to FNJ's thinking. -http://www.nation.com.np/archive/archive_23_23_columns_23a.htm -http://www.nation.com.np/column_2.htm ********* Other than that, it's the journalists outside of Kathmandu who have borne the brunt of Maoist violence and that of the state. Doing journalism in Lamki in Kailali is risky. Doing it in Kathandu is NOT. oohi ashu