Sri Lanka, scenes and Blue Whales.

Click on each of the blue underlined links below to watch these videos.

Magnificent Sri Lanka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBNM8025rzU&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

Blue Whales off Sri Lanka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5MPbZZ4xJA

9 Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifeime - email from Imelda de Sayrah

 

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

 

1. The Post Office

Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

 

2. The Check

Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018.  It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks.   Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check.  This plays right into the death of the post office.  If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

 

3. The Newspaper

The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

 

4. The Book

You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD.  But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy.  And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience!  Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

 

5. The Land Line Telephone

Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore.  Most people keep it simply because they've always had it.  But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

 

6. Music

This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

 7. Television

Revenues to the networks are down dramatically.  Not just because of the economy.  People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV.  Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds.  I say good riddance to most of it.  It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery.  Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

 

8. The "Things" That You Own

Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

 

9. Privacy

If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

 

All we will have left that can't be changed are "Memories". 

And then probably Alzheimers will take that away from you too! 

--

Chimpanzees and a blonde - email from Lesley Sirimanne

 

---

A blonde lady motorist was about two hours from the Gold Coast  when she was flagged down by a man whose truck had broken down. The man walked up to the car and asked, 'Are you going to the Gold Coast?' 'Sure,' answered the blonde, 'do you need a lift ?' 'Not for me. I'll be spending the next three hours fixing my truck.  My problem is I've got two chimpanzees in the back which have to be taken to the Gold Coast Zoo. They're a bit stressed already so I don't want to keep  them on the road all day.. Could you possibly take them to the zoo for me ?  I'll give you $100 for your trouble...’ 'I'd be happy to,' said the blonde. So the two chimpanzees were ushered into the back seat of the blonde's car and carefully strapped into their seat belts. Off they went. Five hours later, the truck driver was driving through the heart of the Gold Coast when suddenly he was horrified!! There was  the blonde walking down the street and holding hands with the two chimps,  much to the amusement of a big crowd. With a screech of brakes he pulled off the road and ran over to the blonde. 'What the heck are you doing here ?' he demanded, 'I gave you $100 to take these chimpanzees to the zoo.' 'Yes, I know you did,' said the blonde,' but we had money left over --- So now we're going to Sea World.

Mango festival, Hyderabad, India.

Hyderabad Mango Festival / Competition

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Daily News - Books by Sri Lankans.

Readable Lankan writing in English This week's column introduces a few latest books in English by Lankan writers. The introduction is not a review, but a notice that keen readers of contemporary literature may find interesting to note and possibly seek to read. A review needs exhaustive study and detail, but in a weekly column only the bare essentials are given in a nutshell. I have before me eight books of varied and quality writing: Doomsday and Between Two Wars by Mahasara Gunaratne Arathi by Nihal de Silva (incomplete and published posthumously) The Lament of the Dhobi Woman by Karen Roberts The Dance of Life by Maleeha Rajon The Shadow by Siri Gunasinghe (a translation from Sinhala by Hemamali Gunasinghe) The Cry of the Devil Bird by Dr Philip G Veerasingam (edited by Dr Tissa Kappagoda) The Whirlwind by Ayathurai Santhan Seven of these books are fiction and therefore creative writing. Among them one is a collection of short stories. While the two books by Mahasara Gunaratne are short fiction, the others are short novels with varied lengths. Only one book, Veerasingam's book, is non-fiction. They are all Lankan born writers with fluency in English. Two of them are medical practitioners. Two of them Tamils, one a Malay, one a Burgher and three Sinhala. This is interesting. Prof Mahasara's books belong to the detective or crime genre. Dr Philip G Veerasingam's book is almost an autobiography of a surgeon's encounter in the medical field. Prof Mahasara Gunaratne, though a distinguished medicine man, writes in beautiful English and is extremely fond of mystery in a colonial history setup, as evidenced from his writing in two books. Like Sir Coonan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Gunaratne has created a character named Arthur in his series of mystery fiction. I enjoyed his two books which took me back to my enjoyment of such fiction as a teenager. The books are published by Bay Owl Press - an imprint of the Perera Hussein Publishing House. The above publishing house has also published the non-fiction by a surgeon who has a master's degree in Buddhist Studies. Dr Philip G Veerasingam is married to a Sinhala lady. Prof Tissa Kappagoda at the University of California has edited this book. This is a sequel to an earlier book on travels by Dr P G V. I like to read such books that give a lot of information on the life experienced in rural Lanka in the past. Santhan Ayathurai (pronounced Saanthan Aiyathurai) is an exceptional Lankan Tamil writer now writing original fiction in English. In 2000 he won the Sri Lankan Sahitya Award for his writing in English. His first novel in English, The Whirlwind was shortlisted in the latest Gratiaen Award selections. This book is published by V U S Pathippagam in Chennai and may be available in local bookstalls. Vihanga Perera and Lynn Ockersz have already written favourable reviews on the book. Prof Siri Gunasinghe is one of the innovative writers in Sinhala culture and arts. His Havenella is beautifully translated into English by his partner in life, Hemamali Gunasinghe, herself an academic and translator. This book is by Vijitha Yapa Publications and added feature included is a critique by Prof K N O Dharmadasa. The book is worth reading to any readers especially students of all literature. The late Maleeha Rajon's collection of short stories was first published eight years ago by Godage International Publishers and was received well. Prof Ashley Halpe's foreword explains the talent of the writer: "permeating all the stories is a generous sympathy with the human condition." The late Nihal de Silva's incomplete novel is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications. Writers are asked to compete in a competition that would fetch 500 Sterling Pounds. The writer, a winner of several prizes was one of the finest writers in the country, E M G Edirasinghe has translated one of his works into Sinhala. His Road From Elephant Pass has been adapted into a fine film by Chandran Rutnam. Finally, Lankan born expatriate writer Karen Roberts' fiction is about class and caste consciousness in the metropolis. This book is published by Perera Hussein Publishers. It is also quite interesting. As we mentioned earlier in the column ours is not a critical analysis of the works mentioned but basically this is an informative piece to bring to the notice of discerning readers the existence of some books by Lankan authors to be read. sivakumaran.ks@gmail.com

..................................

The crimes of the Colonials in Sri Lanka.

From: Osmund Rajakarier <orajakarier@optusnet.com.au>
Date: 10 May 2013 12:35
Subject: FW: FW: History of the Exploitation of Sri Lanka - written by a Burgher, J. B. M...

noname.eml 34K   View   Download

Carrot, egg and coffee - email Denis Aloysius

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...
 

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
 
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying A word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."  "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
>
> Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

If you don't (re)send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message!

                                        May we all be COFFEE!!!!!! !!