Let us look back at Europe too. King Parkramabahu's era.

References to acts of cannibalism are sprinkled throughout many religious and historical documents, such as reports of cooked human flesh being sold in 11th-century English markets during times of famine.

Here, an engraving by Theodor de Bry depicts hungry Spaniards cutting down the bodies of thieves hanged by Pedro de Mendoza in order to eat them. (© Stapleton Collection/Corbis)

Europe’s Hypocritical History of Cannibalism

From prehistory to the present with many episodes in between, the region has a surprisingly meaty history of humans eating humans

By Sarah Everts

smithsonianmag.com
April 25, 2013

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/europes-hypocritical-history-of-cannibalism-42642371/#ixzz2q67mpob5
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Cannibalism was reported from Leningrad (Present St. Petersburgh) during the siege of the city, for nearly a thousand days by the Germans, during the Second World War. During the intense cold and hunger there were a group of well nourished people who apparently resorted to cannibalism. This was speculated on by Harrison Salisbury on his book about this epic fight, during the days of Stalin. Needless to say any one caught doing it would have been summarily shot.(PGV)

Australian Medical - email from Lesley Sirimanne

PLEASE CLICK ON  VIDEO CLIP

 

http://www.youtube.com/embed/gSw4CLV14sQ?rel=0

 

 

Journey to Manipay, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on the 20th December 2013.

I did a road trip by van to Jaffna on the 20th December 2013. I have broken up the collection of pictures I took on this journey into the following five parts. Please click on each of the web-links to get a grand-stand view of the journey. I used a Nikon D90 to take the pictures.

1. Mihinthale to Vavuniya:-

http://youtu.be/Tc_Oqy-_Vx4

2. Vavuniya to Mankulam:-

http://youtu.be/wNl4Z0S9jeY

3. Mankulam to Murikandy:-

http://youtu.be/9imAkTN4kJ4

4. Murikandy to Kaithady:-

http://youtu.be/Mgf1Ejv0t7k

5. Kaithady to Manipay:-

http://youtu.be/_Mgp9S9KHuI

Controlled chaos, Saigon, Vietnam.

Traffic in Saigon, Viet Nam .... NOTE:  They all seem to wear helmets. Unbelievable!!! http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4phFYiMGCIY?rel=0"

OPENING A WINE BOTTLE WITHOUT CORKSCREW

http://www.flixxy.com/how-to-open-wine-bottle-with-shoe.htm

 at least you should calm down and air the wine after this opening procedure…………..

EVE'S SIDE OF THE STORY ! - email from Sunil Liyanage.

After three weeks in the Garden of Eden, God came to visit Eve. 'So, how is everything going?' inquired God. 'It is all so beautiful, God,' she replied. 'The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, the smells, the sights, everything is wonderful, but I have just one problem.. It's these breasts you have given me. The middle one pushes the other two out and I am constantly knocking them with my arms, catching them on branches and snagging them on bushes. They're a real pain..' And Eve went on to tell God that since many other parts of her body came in pairs, such as her limbs, eyes, ears, etc. She felt that having only two breasts might leave her body more 'symmetrically balanced'. 'That's a fair point,' replied God, 'But it was my first shot at this, you know. I gave the animals six breasts, so I figured that you needed only half of those, but I see that you are right. I will fix it up right away.' And God reached down, removed the middle breast and tossed it into the bushes Three weeks passed and God once again visited Eve in the Garden of Eden. ' Well, Eve, how is my favourite creation?' 'Just fantastic,' she replied, 'But for one oversight. You see, all the animals are paired off.. The ewe has a ram and the cow has her bull. All the animals have a mate except me. I feel so alone.' God thought for a moment and said, 'You know, Eve, you are right. How could I have overlooked this? You do need a mate and I will immediately create a man from a part of you.. Let's see...where did I put that useless tit?' Now doesn't THAT make more sense than all that stuff about the rib? Send to men with a sense of humour & women who figure this makes sense  !

Just a small Story - email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

A man died, when he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand.
- God said: Alright son its time to go.
- surprised the man responded: Now? So soon? I had a lot of plans...
- I'm sorry but its time to go.
- What do you have in that suitcase? the man asked.
- God answered: Your belongings.
- My belongings? you mean my things, my clothes, my money?
-God answered: Those things were not yours they belonged to the earth.
- Is it my memories? the man asked.
-God answered: those never belonged to you they belonged to Time
- Is it my talents?
-God answered: those were never yours they belonged to the circumstances.
- Is it my friends and family?
-God answered: I'm sorry they were never yours they belonged to the path.
- Is it my wife and son?
- God answered: They were never yours they belonged to your heart.
- Is it my body?
- God answered: that was never yours it belonged to the dust.
-Is it my soul?
God answered: No that is mine.
Full of fear, the man took the suitcase from god and opened it just to find out the suitcase was empty.
- With a tear coming down his cheek the man said: I never had anything???
-God answered: that is correct, every moment you lived were only yours. Life is just a moment. a moment that belongs to you. For this reason enjoy this time while you have it. Don't let anything that you think you own stop you from doing so.
-Live Now
-Live your life
- Don't forget to be happy, that is the only thing that matters.
- Material things and everything else that you fought for stay here.
-YOU CAN'T TAKE ANYTHING
 Enjoy every second you live. 

 

May all be happy.

May all enjoy health and freedom from disease.

May all have prosperity and good luck.

May none suffer or fall on evil days.

                 Life is too short to hold grudges    

 

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." ― Mahatma Gandhi             

Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavanthu ~"Let all the worlds be happy,"

Mc Donalds Vs Roti, email sent by jksw.

An hour's nap = a night's sleep - email from jksw

Explaining how the hell we ever passed our exams napping during afternoon lectures.

And Vit B12 injections where it hurts to wake us up.

Jksw

​An hour's nap = a night's sleep

​ “Researchers in the U.S. found that volunteers who dozed off during the day performed far better afterwards than those who stayed awake.”

“As for Baroness Thatcher, it seems she may have needed some help to get by on four hours a night. Her former assistant has revealed that the then Prime Minister relied on vitamin B 12 injections to maintain her energy levels throughout the day.”

An hour's nap = a night's sleep

Winston Churchill swore by a mid-afternoon siesta,

while Margaret Thatcher famously maintained that she needed only four hours of sleep a night to run the country.

Tony Blair gets by on less than six.

Now scientists have discovered that an hour-long power nap can be as beneficial as a whole night's sleep.

But only if you dream while you're napping.

Researchers in the U.S. found that volunteers who dozed off during the day performed far better afterwards than those who stayed awake.

But napping only works when it includes two kinds of sleep - slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep, according to the psychologists at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The two kinds of sleep are characterised by different brainwave patterns.

Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep, when a person's eyes flick back and forth rapidly. Volunteers in the study were given a visual learning task - which involved identifying the position of bars on a screen - at 9am, 7pm, and 9am the following morning.

Those who were not allowed to nap during the day saw their performance decline when tested in the evening.

But those who napped for an hour - with both kinds of sleep - did significantly better than the no-nappers at 7pm.

Nappers who never entered REM sleep showed no improvement.

The scientists, led by Dr Sara Mednick, wrote in the journal Nature Neuroscience: "From the perspective of behavioural improvement, a nap is as good as a night of sleep for learning on this perceptual task."

Volunteers who took a 90-minute nap on the first day were 50 per cent better at remembering the task 24 hours later than the no-nappers.

 "Indeed, 24-hour improvement in the nap group was as great as that previously reported after two nights of sleep," the researchers said.

 More studies will be needed to determine the full benefits of napping.

Churchill's siestas, usually followed by a bath, were credited with giving him the stamina to work through the night until 4am during the Second World War.

 Among other prominent figures from history, Napoleon Bonaparte advocated 'six hours of sleep for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool'.

 Leonardo da Vinci was also not a big sleeper.

 Among modern high achievers, yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur revealed that she needed very little sleep to function at record-breaking efficiency.

During her time sailing Kingfisher around the world, Miss MacArthur never slept for longer than two hours.

 As for Baroness Thatcher, it seems she may have needed some help to get by on four hours a night.

 Her former assistant has revealed that the then Prime Minister relied on vitamin B 12 injections to maintain her energy levels throughout the day.

​​

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-185715/An-hours-nap--nights-sleep.html

'Gokkola' S, 'Kuruththolai' T, ( young coconut palm leaves) used in a fashion show - email from jksw.

Serendib.

Paradise.

Yes, it was gokkola all the way,

not a silly fig leaf.

Happy N Y!

jksw

Young coconut leaves are used in decorating in Sri Lanka. It is an art-form cultivated over the centuries. Each village has an expert who has a few tricks up his sleeve. These are passed down to the next generation.

Signs displayed in various countries - email forwarded by Dr.Dennis Aloysius.

YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY READ SOME OF THESE .

 

Meaning becomes lost in the translations!
 

In a Bangkok temple: IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.  Cocktail lounge, Norway  : LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR. Doctor's office, Rome : SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES. Dry cleaners, Bangkok  : DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS. In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER. On the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi : TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE. On a poster at Kencom : ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP. In a City restaurant: OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS. In a cemetery: PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES. Tokyo hotel ' s rules and regulations: GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR. In a Tokyo bar: SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS. Hotel, Yugoslavia : THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.  Hotel, Japan  : YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY. A sign posted in Germany ' s Black Forest: IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.  Hotel, Zurich : BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE. Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand  : WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS? Airline ticket office, Copenhagen  : WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.   Anya

Manipay to Point-Pedro, Sri Lanka.

I did a trip to Jaffna in December 2013 with my family. One of the most enjoyable was a trip by van at dawn from Manipay to Point-Pedro. We went through Maruthanaamadam, Urimpirai, KKS road, Puththur, Vallai, and Nelliady to Point-Pedro. The scenes of the rosy dawn were breath taking. I collected some of the photos I took on my Nikon D90 and made this presentation. The accompanying music I added on is from a Tamil film of the 1960s. I hope you enjoy the photos and music. Turn down the volume on your speakers, sit and watch the scenes succeeding each other. Click on the link below.

http://youtu.be/iiLEun74hMg

Pope Francis - email from Lakshman Karalliedde

I read this admiring a human with an open mind, kind heart and above all courage to vocalise inner beliefs. 

http://diversitychronicle.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/pope-francis-condemns-racism-and-declares-that-all-religions-are-true-at-historic-third-vatican-council/
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