The Land that made me ME

Email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

https://www.youtube.com/v/J55S38xwxnQ

What is Politics?

Email from jks weerasekera

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes

from the poor and campaign funds from the rich,

by promising to protect each from the other.

~Oscar Am ringer, "the Mark Twain of American Socialism."

I offered my opponents a deal:

"if they stop telling lies about me,

I will stop telling the truth about them".

~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952..

A politician is a fellow who will lay down

your life for his country.

~Texas Guinan. 19th century American businessman

I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious

a matter to be left to the politicians.

~Charles de Gaulle, French general & politician

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city,

it might be better to change the locks.

~Doug Larson (English middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, 1902-1981)

We hang petty thieves and appoint the bigger thieves to public office.
~Aesop, Greek slave & fable author 

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
~Plato, ancient Greek Philosopher

Politicians are the same all over.

They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.
~Nikita Khrushchev, Russian Soviet politician

When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become PM;

I'm beginning to believe it.

~Quoted in 'Clarence Darrow for the Defense' by Irving Stone.

Politicians are people who,

when they see light at the end of the tunnel, 
go out and buy some more tunnel.
~John Quinton, American actor/writer

What happens if a politician drowns in a river?

That is pollution.

What happens if all of them drown?

That is a solution .....!!!

--
MAY GOD BLESS YOU

Childhood toys, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Photo of children in a village around the hills of  Kandy enjoying the
ride on the arecanut leaf. 
Note the dog and serenity.
Stuck for lunch, we were hosted far an impromptu rotti meal by these people
who did not know us at all previously. 
The song goes ' mata denna mage punchi kaale' Give me my childhood.
jksw

Went Fishing, Caught 4 Deer

email sent by Gallege De Silva

Good story.
Pictures were in a format that I could not put on the blog. Sorry about that.

What a wonderful story, hope you all enjoy it................ Went Fishing, Caught 4 Deer A once in the history of mankind kind of thing. The Best Day Of Fishing Ever! Some fishing stories are a little  hard to believe but this guy has pictures to prove his story... I've heard of salmon jumping into boats, but never anything quite like this... Tom Satre told the Sitka Gazette that he was out with a charter group on his 62-foot fishing vessel when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat.            "Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us            We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed. I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I've never seen anything quite like it! Once on board, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering." "This is a picture I took of the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the Alaska Quest.   We headed for Taku Harbour.  Once we reached the dock, the first buck that we had pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back as if to say 'thank you' and disappeared into the forest. After a bit of prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a little more help.                       This is me carrying the little guy. My daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn't know how long they had been in the icy waters or if there had been others who did not survive. My daughter later told me that the experience was something that she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the same way as well!" ................. I told you! Awesome! "Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear." - Mark Twain

The value of a Catholic education.

.

Little Doris was not the best student in Catholic School.  Usually she slept through her classes.  

One day her teacher, a nun, called on her while she was sleeping.  'Tell me Doris, who created the universe?'  When Doris didn't stir, little Johnny who was her friend sitting behind her, took his pencil and jabbed her in the rear.  'God Almighty!' shouted Doris. 

The Nun said, 'Very good' and continued teaching her class.   A little later the Nun asked Doris, 'Who is our Lord and Savior?'  But Doris didn't stir from her slumber.  Once again, Johnny came to her rescue and stuck her in the butt.  'Jesus Christ!' shouted Doris. And the Nun once again said, 'Very good,' and Doris fell back asleep.  

The nun later asked her a third question...'What did Eve say to Adam after she had her twenty-third child?'  Again, Johnny came to the rescue.  This time Doris jumped up and shouted, 'If you stick that damn thing in me one more time, I'll break it in half!'  

The nun fainted!

Exotic Orchid Flower called Hanging Naked Men!

Exotic Orchid Flower called Hanging Naked Men!
Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 21:16:38 +1030

*Nature has a great sense of humour..!*

 This Exotic Orchid is called Hanging Naked Men...........

It is called Orchis Italica, or The Naked Man Orchid. So funny.

They come in all sorts of shapes and, umm... sizes.

Where are your Glasses?

email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

-     Yesterday my daughter e-mailed me again, asking why I didn't do something useful with my time. “Like sitting around the pool and drinking wine is not a good thing …”,  I said. Talking about my  "doing-something-useful"  seems to be her favourite topic of conversation. She was  "only thinking of me"  she said and suggested I go down to the Senior Centre and hang out with the guys. I did this and when I got home last night, I decided to play a prank on her. I e-mailed her and told her that I had joined a Parachute Club. She replied,  "Are you nuts?  You are 73 years old and now you're going to start jumping out of airplanes?" I told her that I even got a Membership Card and e-mailed a copy to her. She immediately telephoned  me,  "Good grief, where are your glasses!  This is a Membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club." "Oh man, I'm in trouble again;  I really don't know what to do ... I signed up for five jumps a week!!" The line went quiet and her friend picked up the phone and said that my daughter had fainted. Life as a Senior Citizen is not getting any easier, but sometimes it can be fun.

The dangers of silence

email from Dennis Aloysius

An indian couple remains silent in bed.

Wife thinks : Why is he not talking to me?

Is he thinking of another woman?

Is he seeing someone? 

Don’t I appeal to him anymore?

Are wrinkles showing on my face?

Is he trying to dump me? 

Have I put on weight at the wrong places?

Does my make up repel him these days?

Is he upset with my nagging?

Why??? Why ?? Why ??

??

??

??

??

??

 

??

 

and the husband is thinking 

"Oh why the hell did Dhoni send in Yuvaraj to bat ???  

The 11th husband

A young man married a beautiful woman  who had previously divorced 10 husbands. On their wedding  night, she told her new husband to "Please be gentle; I'm  still a Virgin". 

"What?"  said the puzzled groom. "How can that be if you've been  married ten times?" 

"Well,  husband #1 was a Sales  Representative; he  kept telling me how great it was going to  be. 

"Husband  # 2 was in Software  Services; he  was never really sure how it was supposed to function; but he  said he'd look into it and get back with  me. 

"Husband  # 3 was from Field  Services; he  said that everything checked out diagnostically but he just  couldn't get the system up. 

"Husband  # 4 was in Telemarketing; even  though he knew he had the order,  he didn't know when he would be able to  deliver. 

"Husband  # 5 was an Engineer, he  understood the basic process but he wanted three years to  research, implement, and design a new state of the-art  method. 

"Husband  #6 was from Administration; he  thought he knew how but he wasn't sure whether it was his job  or not. 

"Husband  # 7 was in Marketing; although  he had a product, he was never sure how to position  it...

"Husband  # 8 was a Psychiatrist; all  he did was talk about it. 

"Husband  # 9 was a Gynecologist; all  he did was look at it. 

"Husband  # 10 was a Stamp  Collector; all  he ever did was lick it..... God I miss  him. 

"  But now that I've married you, I'm so excited". 

"Wonderful",  said the husband, "but why? 

"You're  with the 
"GOVERNMENT"   

  This  time I  KNOW I'M gonna  get screwed."

" First the Apple"....When will WE ever learn?

 

 

A woman runs a red traffic light and crashes into a  man's car. Both of their cars are demolished, but amazingly, neither of them is hurt.

 

After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says; "Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."

 

The man replies, "I agree with you completely. This must be a sign from God!"

 

The woman continues, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished, but my bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune." She then hands the bottle to the man.

 

The man nods his head in agreement, opens it, drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

 

The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The woman replies, "Nah. I think I'll just wait for the police."

 

Adam ate the apple, too.

Men will never learn...

 

The Amazing Lyre Bird

email from Gallege De Silva.

 Able to imitate just about anything 

     http://www.flixxy.com/lyrebird.htm#.UV8baWZWoKA.email

PS 

We have in Sri Lanka the 'Drongo' called 'Kathura' in Sinhalese. This bird imitates sounds like the mewing of a cat and also various bird calls.

Sri Lanka issues stamps honouring Ho Chi Minh .

email forwarded by jks weerasekera.

Sri Lanka issues stamps honouring Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam News) Inbox x Sri Lanka issues stamps honouring Ho Chi Minh  http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/254569/sri-lanka-issues-stamps-honouring-ho-chi-minh.html The stamp collection featuring Ho Chi Minh has seven designs. – Photo courtesy of the Vietnamese embassy in Sri LankaSRI LANKA (Biz Hub) — Sri Lanka has issued about 500,000 new stamps with seven designs featuring former President Ho Chi Minh to celebrate his 102th birthday on May 19. The collection has been designed by Sri Lankan artist Kumudu Tharaka who has depicted Ho Chi Minh with vivid and bright colours. All the stamps feature Minh's portrait and a red flag with a yellow star. Minh had visited Sri Lanka several times during his revolutionary life, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ton Sinh Thanh. Minh is one of few international political figures to feature on Sri Lankan stamps. "We believe that the issuance of the Ho Chi Minh stamps would be another step to promote bilateral cooperation, and people-to-people and business interaction between our two countries," said Thanh. The ambassador said the first agreement signed with Sri Lanka after the country's re-unification in 1975 was a postal deal. — VNS Courtesy: Vietnam News See also Vesak Day celebrations begin in Ninh Binh  http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/254570/vesak-day-celebrations-begin-in-ninh-binh.html

ITS RAINING FISH!, Sri Lanka.

Date: Sat, 10 May 2014 21:08:20 +0530
Subject: FW:

From Kitta Rajaratnam.

jksw

fish rain down on Sri Lanka village

BBC 6 May 2014 17:30

Villagers in west Sri Lanka have said they have been surprised and delighted by an unusual rainfall of small fish.  The edible fish fell during a storm and are believed to have been lifted out of a river during a strong wind.

Villagers in the district of Chilaw said they heard something heavy falling and found scores of fish with a total weight of 50kg (110lbs). It is not the first such incident in Sri Lanka - in 2012, a case of "prawn rain" was recorded in the south.

Villagers collected the contents of the "fish shower" into buckets and enjoyed an unusual free meal

Scientists say that "fish rain" usually occurs when swirling whirlwinds over relatively shallow water develops into waterspouts and sucks in almost anything in the water including fish, eels and even frogs. The marine life can be carried long distances by buffeting clouds even when the waterspout stops spinning.

Villagers say that the "fish rain shower" took place on Monday with the creatures falling on the village green, roads and roofs. Some of the fish - each three to five inches (5cm-8cm) in length - were still alive and were put in a buckets of water by villagers who ate them later. This is the third time this has happened in Sri Lanka, but not from the same area.

In addition to the reported "prawn rain" of 2012 in the south, there was yellow and red "meteor rain" the same year - a weather development that is reportedly still being investigated by US and British scientists. Fish is a valued commodity in Sri Lanka.

Many of the fish that rained down were still alive when villagers collected them

Analysis: Steve Cleaton Forecaster, BBC Weather Centre

The most likely cause of this unusual event probably relates to the formation of a tornado. Tornadoes tend to form in areas where large differences in both temperature, humidity and wind speed and direction occur.

Complex meteorological processes result in a rapidly rotating column of air spinning out of the base of storm clouds, often causing huge damage and acting like vacuum cleaners, sucking up any material in their path.

In the Sri Lankan storm, a tornado probably formed over land, drifted over river systems or coastal waters and sucked up light fish that were lifted all the way into the base of the storm cloud. Later the fish were rained out of the cloud.