National Parks of Sri Lanka

The long awaited day is here at last. Today (Oct 15th) is Blog Action Day, where bloggers worldwide unite and write for a common cause, the environment.

Our environment is an essential part of our lives, without it we can not and will not survive. This fact seems to be lost on many people today. Rampant destruction of the environment is slowly killing off the planet.

Well I’m not going ramble on about the causes and effects of environmental destruction. You can find more than enough articles about it on the net and other media. Instead I’m going to put the spotlight on the National Parks of Sri Lanka, which are playing an important role in nature conservation and protecting whatever wildlife that is left from total destruction.

Although we are only a tiny island with only 65,610 sq. km of solid ground to stand on, we can proudly say that we have set aside 12.4% (8135.64 Sq.km) of that land mass as protected areas. That may not be much, but considering the land area and the population, it is significant. With the growth of the population, this is also getting threatened.

All of these protected areas are administered by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, which was set up just for this purpose. There are 18 such national parks established up to now. These are from a range of ecological zones and they are designed to preserve and protect a variety of flora and fauna that is unique to these particular areas.

Conservation of nature has been a part of our tradition, since the ancient times. We should be proud that one of the world’s first wildlife sanctuaries was established in Sri Lanka, as far back as the 3rd century BC. This was established by King Devanampiyatissa, during his reign. It was during his reign that Buddhism was introduced to the country.

The first legal provision to protect wildlife through the establishment of wildlife sanctuaries was the Forrest Ordinance, enacted in 1885, during the colonial period. The Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of 1937 abolished game sanctuaries. This ordinance also introduced 4 categories of national reserves.

1. Strict Nature Reserve
2. National Parks
3. Nature Reserve
4. Sanctuaries

Presently there are 18 national parks established around the country. They are as follows:
(Please note all area values are approximate)



Ruhuna (Yala) National Park

This park consist of 5 blocks.
Block I – est. 25th February 1938
Block II – est. 3rd September 1954
Block III – est. 28th April 1967
Block IV – est. 9th October 1969
Block V – est. 5th October 1973

The total area covered by this park is 960 Sq.km, but only 138 sq km is open to the public.

More Details

Yala East National Park

Consists of two blocks

Block II – est. 26th December 1969
Block I – est. 2nd January 1970

Total area covered is 178 sq km

Udawalawa National Park

Declared as the 5th national park in the country on 30th June 1972
Total area cover 302 sq km

More Details

Willpattu National Park

One of the oldest parks in the country, it was established as a sanctuary in 1905 and upgraded to national park status on 25th February 1938. Willpattu North Sanctuary was declared on 7th November 1947.

Now there is also a marine extension to the park with the Dutch and Portugal Bay areas also declared as protected under the reserve.

Total area of the park is 1290 sq km

More Details

Wasgomuwa National Park

This park probably has the least amount of human disturbance and infrastructure, being isolated by large rivers on all sides except one. It probably has more wildlife and diversity among the wild fauna and flora in any park.

This was originally established as a game sanctuary in 1902 and part of it declared as a strict nature reserve in 1938 and the rest as an intermediate zone in 1945. These two areas and additional areas ware brought together and decaled as a national park on 7th August 1984.

Total area of the park is 385 sq km

More Details

Somawathiya Chaitiya National Park

This park has the largest concentration of wild elephants in the country, together with the adjacent Flood Plains National Park.

This was initially designated as a sanctuary on 9th August 1966 and declared a national park on 2nd September 1986. it was later extended on 12th May 1987 with the addition of Block II.

Total area of the park is 370 sq km

Flood Plains National Park

This park was created along part of the River Mahaweli, the largest river in Sri Lanka, with the river flowing along the middle of the park. Its importance is because it creates a link between the Wasgomuwa National Park and the Somawathiya Chaitiya National Park, providing a safe corridor of passage for migrating wildlife, especially elephants between the two parks.

Declared as a national park on 7th August 1984

Total area of the park is 170 sq km.

Minneriya National Park

This covers an uninhabited area of the country’s most diverse natural systems. The park basically covers the Minneriya Tank (Reservoir) and the surrounding areas. This tank was built during 3rd century AD by King Mahasen.
The Minneriya – Giritale area was initially declared as a sanctuary on 29th July 1938 and declared as a national park on 12th August 1997

Total area of the park in 87 sq km

More Details

Lahugala Kitulana National Park

One of the smallest parks in the country, it is in the basin of the Heda Oya (River). It covers three tanks (reservoirs) Lahugala, Kitulana and Sangamuwa.

Initialy declared as a sanctuary on 1st July 1966 and upgraded to national park status on 31st October 1980.

Total area of the park is 15 sq km

Maduru Oya National Park

Created to protect the catchment areas of five reservoirs of the Mahaweli Project.

Declared as a national park on 9th November 1983.

Total area of the park is 576 sq km

More Details

Gal Oya National Park

Established to protect the catchment areas of the reservoir Senanayaka Samudraya on 12th February 1954.

Total area of the park is 253 sq km

More Details

Horton Plains National Park

Probably the most scenic of the park and is situated in the hill country. It covers the Horton Plains and the surrounding forest and Peak wilderness, which has the county’s most important catchment areas of almost all the major rivers of the country.

Initially declared as a sanctuary on 5th December 1969 and upgraded to a national park on 16th March 1988.

The altitude of the park ranges from 1800 m to 2400 m from sea level, and the plateau at 2100 m is the highest in the country.

More Details


Bundala National Park

An important wetland for birds and one of the most important wintering areas for migratory shore birds.

Initially declared as a sanctuary on 5th December 1969 and declared a Wetland of International Importance on 15th October 1990, during the time of Sri Lanka ratifying the Ramsar convention.

Total area of the park is 60 sq km.

More Details

Lunugamvehera National Park

This is the immediate catchment area for the Lunugamvehera Reservoir and provides a link between the Yala National Park and the Udawalawe National Park, for safe passage for migrating Elephants.

Established on 8th December 1995.

Total area of the park is 198 sq km

More Details

Kaudulla National Park

Recently created by covering the Kudulla Tank and surrounding areas. This tank is one of the oldest in the country.

Established on 1st April 2002.

Total area of the park is 70 sq km

More Details

Horagolla National Park

The youngest and the smallest of the parks, it was established on 28th July 2004 and cover only 33 acres.

More Details

Hikkaduwa National Park

One of the two marine parks of the country, it protects the coral reefs along the western coasts Hikkaduwa area.

Created as a marine sanctuary in 1979 and upgraded to a national park on 19th September 2002.

Total area of the park is 0.5 sq km in the sea.

Paravi Dupatha National Park

This covers part of the Indian Ocean on the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka, near Trincomalee

Established on 4th June 2003.

Total area of the park is 4.6 sq km.

With the growth of the population, the battle between humans and the wilderness is on the increase. The need for land for agriculture and human habitation is taking away whatever wilderness that is left. The aim of these nature reserves is to protect at lest some of these wilderness areas from total destruction. This way we can ensure that future generations too can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful fauna, flora and the wilderness of the beautiful island we call home.

Sorry can’t provide any good online links since I sourced the details from a book

Source: A Guide to National Parks of Sri Lanka
Published by: Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka

Other Links

Nature Reserves - Wikipedia
Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka
National Parks - InfotravelSriLanka
Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society

The Case of the Disappearing Fish

I have this small fish tank that I keep in my room, with six little fishies in it, four gold fish and two Scavengers. Last night I came home and went to say hi to the buggers and what do I see? There were only five of them swimming around. One dude has gone AWOL. One of the Scavengers was not in the tank. I checked with me dad, and he say all 6 were there about an hour ago. So the mystery deepens. How can a fish disappear from a tank in a closed room?

I was brooding on this and looking around the room and what do I see? Mr. AWOL lying on the floor all the way across the room. It seems like he has jumped out of the tank and gone for a little stroll. He was on the other end of the room from where the tank is. I thought the dude was dead, but when picked up he was still alive and kicking, so quickly put him back. I didn’t bother to cover up the tank earlier, but with these adventurous dude around I might have to reconsider :D.

Most commonly known here as “Scavengers” they are also known as “Plecostomus” meaning “folded mouth” or “Plecos” for short. Other common names include “Suckerfish” and “Suckermouth Catfish”. Their scientific name is “Hypostomus plecostomus”.

Generally peaceful animals, so they can be kept with other species without any trouble. It seems that the grow up to about 18 inches, which means I might have to get a bigger tank in the near future.

Pleco Profile

Pleco Profile - Wikipedia




Fishy Jones aka Mr. AWOL
Ain't the greatest pics, but the dude wont stay in one place :D



(Got this off the net)

Oasis of Silence

Photography exhibition “Oasis of Silence” by Beat Presser will be shown at the Lighthouse Hotel & Spa in Galle, from the 7th to the 27th of October. The workshop exhibition "My Oasis of Silence" by the 26 Sri Lankan photographers, who participated in Beat Presser's workshop, will also be displayed.

The book entitled “Oasis of Silence: will also be available during the exhibition and in all leading bookshops.



Beat Presser

World Teachers Day (WTD)

October 5th is designated as World Teachers Day, celebrated since 1994. According to UNESCO, WTD represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development.

As I see it, teaching is one of the most important professions in the world. Ok you may disagree saying that doctors or scientists and even, god forbid politicians are better, but a doctor wouldn’t be a doctor if someone hadn’t taught him/ her in the first place. All of us have had teacher in our life, and still do, and we wouldn’t be where we are if not for them would we? Yet somehow the profession of teaching does not get the due respect which it deservers.

In the good old days, at a time when knowledge was held in high esteem (yes, there was a time like that), teachers were held in high regard. However as the world became more money mad and where wealth, instead of knowledge got you respect, teachers have been reduced to mere servants to look after kids. Dumbass politicians, drug lords and others of their sort are the one’s getting the “respect” now. It’s a sad world today. Most teachers get paid in peanuts, and we wonder why they complain and have strikes. In my perfect world teachers and the profession of teaching would be held in high regards, with pay scales to match.
Ok during the school years (a long time ago :D, a time which I sadly miss), nobody likes their teachers and will make fun of them behind their backs at every given chance, but the respect was there. While in school you don’t realize it, but teachers does play a big part in how you turn out in life. I am not saying that all teachers are saints, there are some despicable ones around, but the majority is truly concerned with nurturing the minds of the young.

So I say a heartfelt thanks to all my teachers who have taught me something along this potholed road of life. The truth is that I haven’t seen or heard about many of them after leaving school, but where ever they are they do deserver a big thank you.

Something from the official site:

We, teachers of the world, demand

* A decent working environment - a safe and healthy learning environment for teachers and learners, appropriate class-sizes and adequate pedagogical resources in the classroom;
* Living wages - salaries that allow for decent living conditions and that are regularly paid;
* Equal pay and equal rights for women - female teachers should not experience discrimination of any form and governments should ensure the empowerment of women in the education setting, in decision making and in the workplace;
* Initial and ongoing professional development - the opportunity to gain and to develop professional skills, to be kept uptodate with new information and pedagogical techniques, and to develop a career;
* Involvement in policy-making - to ensure that new policies reflect the reality of the classroom, social dialogue should be an integral part of education planning and policy formulation;
* Collective bargaining to defend and enhance teachers’ rights - working conditions, as well as quality assessments of teaching procedures, must be negotiated between representatives of the government/employers and the representative education unions.

The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence.
Amos Bronson Alcott (1799 - 1888)

Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.
Chinese Proverb

Cheers!!!

50 Years of Sputnik

On a day like today 50 years ago, a revolution took place. A revolution that changed the way people saw the world and ushered in a new era of technological development. It all started because a hunk of metal the size of a Basketball, weighing 183 pounds was hurled into space where it orbited our lovely little planet in an elliptical path.

October 4th 1957 was the day that the first ever artificial satellite was launched into space. It was named Sputnik and was launched by the Russians, the former USSR, from their Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. To make sure that every one back on Earth knew that it was up there, the equipped it with transmitters that broadcasted on 20 to 40 MHz frequencies.

Now these were the days of the good old cold war. A time when the US of A was the self-proclaimed capitalist good guys, and USSR the commie baddies, who were basically worthless. So when the so called bad guys were the first to launch a space satellite, the good guys blew their tops off and vowed never to let the baddies win again. This gave birth to the “Space Race” between USA and USSR, on top of the existing race of “Bigger and Better Nuclear Weapons”. (The term WMD hadn’t still caught on). They kept on building bigger and better stuff to keep ahead of the others. In a way it was good, in that it speeded up the technological development.

Years went by, USSR became capitalist Russia and became pals with USA. Now they work together, instead of against each other to further space exploration. A result of this cooperation is the “International Space Station (ISS)”.

Even though many countries have some sort of space program, only USA, Russia and China have successfully put a human into space.

"In 1957 while anxiously awaiting a successful launch of Vanguard I, I was listening to Radio Moscow on the evening of Oct. 4 and heard the original announcement to the world of Sputnik, the first successful space satellite. Listening on the 27MHz frequency announced on Radio Moscow, I heard the Beep, Beep, Beep that was heard around the world. It was not there at first and I had to listen for a while to get it, gradually building up then dying out. Thus I heard the actual Sputnik before it was even announced on American radio and TV news. Some thought it a hoax at the time but I knew better. Listening to the Beeps getting stronger then fading with a Doppler shift quite evident. 27 MHz was a strange choice of frequency, never figured out why the Russians chose it."

Rich Tweedie – An amateur radio operator who was one of the first people to hear Sputnik



(Pic source Wikipedia)

External Links

NASA History Page

Sputnik

Space Exploration

Space Agencies

International Space Station

Ask a Stupid Question Day

Yes there is a day for it and today is it. So ask all the stupid questions you have and nobody will call you a dumbass. Just for today that is. They might call you a dumbass tomorrow but that’s a different story. Go on don’t be shy, ask away!!!

Ask a Stupid Question Day

On a more serious note, today (September 28th) is also “Freedom from Hunger” day. The first event was held in 2006 to increase awareness about global hunger and promote Freedom from Hunger's empowerment of women around the world.

The Freedom from Hunger organization was founded back in 1946, with the goal of fighting hunger with innovative self help programs. It’s a non profit, non governmental, non sectarian charitable organization operating in 17 countries around the world.

For more information, you can visit their site www.freedomfromhunger.org

A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
Jack London (1876 - 1916)

Cheers!!!

Primordial Dwarfism

Dwarfism is defined as "… a condition characterized by short stature. Technically, that means an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or under, according to the advocacy group Little People of America (LPA)." In most cases short stature is caused by skeletal or endocrine disorders. The most common type, which accounts for 70% of all cases of short stature, is called Achondroplasia. Currently there are more than 200 identified types of dwarfism in the world, and one of them is "Primordial Dwarfism".

This condition, primordial dwarfism is defined as, “…a diagnostic category including specific types of profoundly proportionate dwarfism, in which individuals are extremely small for their age, beginning from their conception.” It is a rare form of dwarfism, which results in a smaller body size in all stages of life, beginning from before birth. So this makes it possible to identify the condition even in when in the womb. There are only about 100 estimated individuals in the world with this particular type of disorder, which makes it one of the rarest forms of dwarfism. It’s is also unlikely that sufferers will live past the age of 30.

The first recorded case of primordial dwarfism was a girl named Caroline Crachami, who was born in 1815 in Palermo, Italy. Her measurements were published by a journalist named William Jordan, shortly before her death in 1824, aged nine. Her height was 19 ½ inches. That is just a few inches more than the height of your average computer casing. Length of her foot 3 1/8 inches and the length of her forefinger 1 7/8 inches. Her head circumference was 12 3/8 inches and waist 11 ¼ inches.

William Jordan described her as follows, "Only imagine a creature about half as large as a new-born infant; perfect in all its parts and lineaments, uttering words in a strange, unearthly voice, understanding what you say and replying to your questions. Imagine I say, this figure of about 19 ½ inches in height and 5 pounds in weight, and you will have some idea of this most extraordinary phenomenon."

I first came across this on an episode of the Tyra show. (Ok Ok so I watch the Tyra show when I get a chance, so sue me :P). All her guests were people suffering from primordial dwarfism and their families. The great things about all of them was that they hadn’t let there condition keep them from succeeding in life. One of them was a 25 year old named Kristin who is 42 inches tall and weighs 38 pounds. She works as a consultant while studying towards an associate degree. She even has a driver’s permit and a specially modified car with higher seats, a smaller steering wheel and pedal extensions.

The reason I wrote about this is that after watching how these people have succeeded in life overcoming their problems, you kinda wonder about your own life. Most of us are of sound mind (Although I seriously doubt that…) and health, but we take that for granted. Are we thankful for them? Oh no, all we do is bitch and moan about the things we don’t have. A little bit taller, little bit thinner, more fairer and many other things. It’s not just about your body, it’s about you life, your job, your relationship and whatever. We are never satisfied. I too am part of this group. I guess it’s a part of human nature and it’s a habit that is difficult to break.

There are many people in the world who are not as lucky as we are. Many people suffer from various disorders and disabilities that prevent them from leading a normal life. Do they complain about it? I don’t think so. No matter what the hardships, they have overcome them and succeeded in leading a full life. It seems to me that it is the people who have everything that is never happy with their lot and cry over what they don’t have. Differently able people put us to shame and we should admire the strength and courage they have.

For those who are interested, visit the following links

Dwarfism

Primordial Dwarfism

Tyra show episode on Primordial Dwarfism

Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley's Official Site

Tyler White’s Website

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
Anais Nin (1903 - 1977), The Diary of Anais Nin, volume 3, 1939-1944

Cheers!!!

Blood Brothers

This is the story about two brothers, born as twins, but grew up separately. One in a poor family, one in a rich family. As time passes fate brings them together and they become the best of friends, without ever knowing what they are. So what does fate have in store for them?

“Blood Brothers” is the story of the Johnstone twins and their lives, whose lyrics and music was done by Willy Russell. The first production went on boards in 1983, with the 1988 West End production still running after nearly 20 years, which makes it one of the longest running production up to date. It is an intriguing story, and unlike many other plays, does not have a happy ending.

Sri Lankan theater goers can now enjoy this superb play thanks to the hard work of Jerome L De Silva and the Workshop Players. I caught the last night show and what a show it was. Another excellent Workshop Production. Ok I’m not a critic, and I maybe biased coz I have friends in Workshop, but no matter what, it was a superb performance. The acting as usual was great, on par with any Broadway Production. Kisholi De Mel gave a powerful and emotional performance as Mrs. Johnstone, the mother of the twins and a pivotal character in the play, so hats off to her. (The role is played by three actors on different days, so my apologies to the other two coz I only saw one show. I’m sure all of you are great :D. The same goes for the other roles as well). The character of Mickey was also superbly portrayed by Mario De Soysa. All in all I give 5 out of 5 stars to the whole production.

Well I’m not going into detail, because it’s a play that you must watch, and I urge all to go. It’s on for another 7 days, till the 23rd Sunday at the Lionel Wendt from 7.30 pm onwards. Parking is available at Maitland Crescent car park (near Clancy’s), and they have arranged for a shuttle service to take you from the car park to the theater and back again. So you don’t have to worry about that.

GO WATCH IT!

Hats off to Jerome and all the guys and gals of the Workshop Players on putting out another excellent, two thumbs up production. Your hard work has paid off. Cant’ wait for the next one.

Cheers to you all!!!

SO DID Y' HEAR THE STORY
OF THE JOHNSTONE TWINS?
AS LIKE EACH OTHER AS TWO NEW PINS
OF ONE WOMB BORN, ON THE SELF SAME DAY,
HOW ONE WAS KEPT AND ONE GIVEN AWAY?

AN' DID YOU NEVER HEAR HOW THE JOHNSTONES DIED,
NEVER KNOWING THAT THEY SHARED ONE NAME,
TILL THE DAY THEY DIED, WHEN A MOTHER CRIED
MY OWN DEAR SONS LIE SLAIN.

AN DID Y' NEVER HEAR OF THE MOTHER SO CRUEL,
THERE'S A STONE IN PLACE OF HER HEART?
THEN BRING HER ON AND COME JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES
HOW SHE CAME TO PLAY THIS PART.

(Wiily Russell – Blood Brothers)

Article on Sunday Times

Poster on Shehals Kanabona blog.

Thotupola Adventure

The people from my previous office which went bust decided to have a small get together, mainly as a treat for the individuals who worked to get the settlement, and to keep old friendships alive. So on the 8th of September we all got together at the Thotupola in Piliyandala for the bash.

After a democratic voting process a date and venue was chosen. Unfortunately the place chosen initially was fully booked on the 8th so we had to settle for the second option, which was Thotupola. Our friend who organized the event had earlier talked with them on the phone and was informed that the price for the buffet only was LKR 750.00 per person. All additional activities, including the use of the swimming pool was at a charge of LKR 350.00 per person. This seemed reasonable since most of us were going there for the buffet so we decided on this spot. Even if anyone wanted to do activities they could pay separately and do it.

So we all met up on Saturday for a day of fun. Some of the guys decided to do some of the activities like canoeing in the lake, while some spent the day doing much more important things like getting drunk. You can guess as to which group I belonged to.

Anyway, by the end of the day everyone enjoyed themselves and all were happy and it was time to go. That’s when the real fun began. They had gone and charged us at a higher rate, as opposed to the rate quoted earlier to us for the buffet, and I think they tried to charge more for the activities as well.

Well anyway, this is what happened as told by our organizer CB

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Please broadcast this message to as many people as you possibly can, and help make more people be aware, about bogus charges and artificially inflated bills at the Thotupola Retreat in Delthara, Piliyandala, yes it is the same place that often carry a full page ad in the Hit Ad section of the Sunday Times.

The practice is to lure in clients by lying about their prices, when you are looking to get a quote over the phone, which, the girl who answers the phone (to me it was somebody by the name Nadeeka) mentions as RS 750 for the buffet and RS 350 each if you want to engage in any other activities on offer.

Since it was just a gathering of friends, who were actually more interested in spending some time together and have the buffet after, than engaging in any of the other activities, tempted by what seem to be a reasonable price, I booked this place initially for 20 people and said to Nadeeka that it was just a ball park figure but more people would come at the time of the event, and as said, the number grew until it was 32 people.

After enjoying the outing, when it was time for us to pay the bill, we were amazed, when we were asked to pay RS 1325 each, for the same buffet I was told costs only RS 750 at the time of making the reservation. When inquired why the inflated price, the answer we got was there is no such thing as buffet only but we have to pay for the entire package including all the activities, which was never mentioned to me before.

We were also charged RS 100 for a welcome drink that was never even served to us in the first place! Plus though we never requested for one, we were given a room under the pretence it was for free since we were a large crowed, as this is normal practice with any hotel, some used the room to get a change of clothes before going home, only because it was thrust upon us. And at the time of settling the bill we were asked to pay for a room that we never even asked to be kept reserved for us!

When we refused to pay for these bogus charges added to our bill, the manager rushed his security guys to lock the gates, thinking we are trying to escape without settling the dues! The manager feeling secure with the presence of his security guys beside him, suddenly turned arrogant and started arguing and threatening us, trying to force us pay this bogus bill. Since there were many ladies amongst us, it was getting dark out side and everybody was tired and needed to go home ASAP, in the end, we agreed to pay for a room that was supposedly given to us for free and RS100 each for a drink that was never served. Since we at least agreed to do that, the manager said it was due to some miscommunication between the head office and him that we were asked to pay more than the previously agreed RS 750 for the buffet, and now we don’t have to pay the difference of RS 575 each that was charged as the activity fee though we never engaged in non!!

As you can see, this place is run buy a bunch of thugs who inflate the bills of their guests with bogus charges, these guys will even go to the extent of holding their guests hostage till they are willing to pay at least part of it, simply because they just want to get out of the premises! Avoid going to Thotopola and avoid getting robbed by a bunch of thugs.

Thank you

===

This type of behavior is very unprofessional, especially for an establishment in the hospitality industry. Companies can’t expect clients to pay for their mistakes. They finally claimed it was a miscommunication between offices, but that is not the fault of the client is it? That is their internal problem.

You can find another instance of their unprofessional behavior here. Check the second comment .

The best way to avoid this type of situation is to always get a written quotation. Then you have some kind of proof if there are any problems later. That's my advice to anyone who is planning to go there.

Anyway it was good to see the guys again and we did have a lot of fun no matter what :D. A big thank you to the organizer CB.

Cheers!!!

Send Your Robot to Work

Got this in an email today, and I’m ordering one right now. It’s a solution for all our telecommuting woes…

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Man telecommutes by sending in a robot replacement


We've been warning of humankind's eventual obsolescence at the hands of our robot overlords as long as we can remember, so it's basically horrifying to see someone not only fail to heed our advice, but actively hasten our eventual extinction by replacing himself with a robot. Programmer Ivan Bowman works from home, but still maintains his presence in the office through the use of a bot he calls IvanAnywhere -- a clever play on his name and the name of his employer, iAnywhere. Basically a webcam-on-wheels, IvanAnywhere motors around the office, takes meetings, and even gives presentations, all while the real Ivan remains safely pantless in his home office. Actually, that sounds pretty smart -- anyone got a spare webcam?



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This is great idea for those who want to work from, but still need that office feeling and office colleagues around. You stay home and send in the robot to office, go to meetings and when you get bored chat up with friends, and you don’t have to deal with annoying bosses. As an additional plus point you can get a second job at office as the night watchmen. Send robo buddy to do the rounds at night while you lay in your bed. :D

Cheers

Weird Beards

Every little boy eagerly awaits till his adolescent age comes, and the first whiskers sprout from his face, either to boast about it or to start shaving. Now there’s a good reason for them to stop shaving. The World Beard and Moustache Championships. Yes, you heard me right, there is a world championship for this. The only qualification you need is a very long and bushy beard or a moustache.

This event is held every two years, and this year it was in Brighton, England on the 1st of September. The competition is carried out according to three different categories, moustache, partial beard, and full beard, with several classes under them as well. The judging is pretty tough too.

This year the top honors were taken by Beard Team USA, who took away four titles. Phil Olsen of California is the founder and captain of Team USA and according to his blog profile, his mission is to “make the United States a power in international beard and moustache competitions”. I say the best of luck to him.

The first event of this kind was held in 1990, in Höfen/Enz, Germany, organized by the First Höfener Beard Club. The next event was in 1995, and after that an event was held every two years, organized by one of the many Beard Clubs around the world.

After seeing some of the pictures of the contestants I must say that these guys put a lot of effort into the grooming of their facial hair. Most of these are unbelievable. I guess most of them have never seen a razor in their lifetime. These guys can be admired for their dedication and consistency to it. I don’t know about others, but I get pretty annoyed with it if I don’t shave for a week or so. Shaving is a drag but it’s better than having to clean and groom a waist long beard every day.

For those who are interested, check out the following links. Who knows, someone might start a beard club in good ole SL too.

World Beard Championships Official Site
Categories
Pictures of contestants
Beard Team USA Blog
Phil Olsen Blog Profile



Bearded Dudes from here

Who wants to buy a US$100 million skull?

Wondering what to do with that spare US$100 million in your account, well why don’t you get yourself a diamond encrusted human skull to keep by your bedside.

This is the latest piece of art by the artist Damien Hirst and is considered to be the highest valued work of contemporary art by a living artist. The piece, called the “For the Love of God” is an actual human skull that is covered entirely with 8,601 jewels and with a pear shaped pink diamond as the centre piece.

The skull is believed to be of a 35-year-old European man who had lived between 1720 and 1810. Where ever that guy might be I am guessing that he’s a very happy ghost these days. Hey how many guys can boast that his head is stuffed with diamonds and worth the GDP of a small country? He probably couldn’t sell it off for a few cents in those days. Either that or he’s really pissed. Hope that who ever buys it doesn’t get nightly visits from a headless spook wanting his head back.

Prices of artwork like this are skyrocketing because many consider them good investments. In an earlier post I mentioned about the highest valued painting, a Jackson Pollock worth a cool US$140 million.

Personally I find the whole thing a bit ghastly, not the skull, but the prices some people are wiling to pay for these artworks. It’s not like the artist is even getting a cut, mainly because they are dead now. I too appreciate a good piece of art, but I just think they should be left in museums for all to enjoy. The truth is that these are unique masterpieces born out of the imagination of genius minds and something like that would never be recreated again. However I just don’t get how people can spend these amounts on such frivolous things knowing that somewhere in the world people are dying because they don’t even have the basic necessities to survive. It’s a sad situation, but that’s the reality of things. The rich keeps getting richer and the poor keeps getting poorer.


(Source: www.boingboing.com)

Another Year Gone...Yeay!!!

Well another year of my life has gone by, and so far things have been good. I'm pretty happy with it. It hasn't always been hunky dory and had its low points as well as the high ones. But then that's what life is all about isn't it? It won't be exciting if your high all the time, and I believe it's the low points of life that makes us stronger. I always try to live by the motto "No Regrets". Shit happens and you deal with it. It's not an easy thing to do all the time, but so far I’ve somehow managed it. :D About the future I have no bloody clue. What will happen will happen he he…

I know some people like to wallow in the past, thing about the things they've done, or should've done, shouldn't have done etc, but what’s the point in that? Thinking about it isn’t' going to bring back the past. I say move on people.

I don't get why some people have a problem with growing old. It's part of life. I know some people who lie about their age and pretend to be younger than they are, and it goes for guys as well as girls :D, and I’m not talking about people in their forties, but people in their late twenties who doesn’t like to admit it. Sheeezz what’s up with that? Do they think that you’ll have to stop having fun when they grow older? Man people are weird.

Anyways enough of this boring stuff…Adios and Cheers to you all!!!

Desert Island Music Mix

I’ve been tagged again. This time by Theena for five albums I would take if I was marooned in a deserted island. Well first of all five ain’t enough. Second I’m going mostly by artists’ coz in most of their albums there are songs that I like and songs that I done like. Anyway this list is bound to change as time goes by :D (Except #1)

#1. Guns n’ Roses – Ok ok may not be everyone’s taste but, this is like my pick-me-upper. Whenever I’m down in the dumps, put on some G n R and by the time the first track is over I’m back to my old self, ready to kick some ass. These guys will never get off the list

#2. Bond – As far as instrumental stuff goes, these four gals are my current favorites. They do things with a string quartet you would only dream of ;)

#3. K T Turnstall – Another one of my current favorites. Just a reminder that sometimes unplugged stuff are better.

#4. Cranberries – Another excellent product of the Irish. The haunting voice of Dolores O’Riordan is enough to gimme goosebumps :D

#5. Korn – Just to evenly round things off I’ll add in some Korn to the mix.

Well there’s more on the list but I guess these will have to do if I’m forced only to take five albums. Who is this evil creature who decided that you’ll be only allowed 5 eh?

In spite of being hated for doing this :D I’m going to tag these fellow bloggers. No there’s no obligation for you to accept it…

Harshadewa
Lady Divine
Mia
The Jester – I know he’s going to nuke me now :D
And last but not least… Darwin

Couldn’t really think of a title… :)

I mentioned in a post earlier this year that the “Company” I was working for “supposedly” went bust and closed down shop, kicking all us employees out. Well some good news has happened at last. They’ve finally agreed to a settlement.

Initially they put forward two options. 1. They settle due salaries and the employees agree not to sue. Or 2. The employees take the company to court. Well considering how long a court case can drag out, a majority of the employees agreed for option one. It’s basically they pay the due salaries and the employees agree not to sue their pants off.

I was only there for 8 months so I’m not that bothered about it. Well I’m bothered by it, but on the other hand what happened happened. Nothings going to change it so I say forget about it and move on. Luckily I’ve found another job and I’ve moved on and so have most of the others. Credit for the management for the work they did in getting job placements for the employees. However for people who have been with the company for long does feel something I guess.

One of the best things about the place was that I got to know some great people. For me not working with them is the saddest part of it. It was great to meet most of them again after a long time yesterday.

A handful of people tirelessly worked to make this settlement a reality so I must say a very big, big thank you to all of them.

Cheers to you all!!!

Yet Another Twisted Rhyme…

Georgie Porgie, puddin' and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
They all ganged up and made a wail
And sent the lawmen on his tail

Gorgie Porgie ran like hell
To the ranks of an outlaw he fell
The men of law came out in hordes
Come and catch me, he dared them all

High and low, near and far
They searched for him night and day
All hidey holes with a fine-toothed comb
No stone unturned all across the world

Search they may every nook and cranny
Hide nor hair could they find of this laddie
Always ahead of the chasing law
He made a fool out of all who dared

But alas his luck ran out at last
A cruel joke played by fate
Men of the law soon came knocking
To drag him back to give him a kicking

People rejoiced when the good news came
Georgie Porgie was a menace no more
Celebrations rang all across the town
Their little girls were safe once more

They dragged him into court upstate
To pass judgment and seal his fate
The mean old judge grinned with pleasure
And thus passed judgment on our little gangster

Georgie Porgie you've been a bad boy
You kissed them girls and made ‘em cry
For your evil deeds you must suffer
Hung from the noose till you’re a goner

Thus ends the saga of Georgie Porgie
A perverted little boy who made girls cry
When he should have stayed at home
Eating puddin and pie all day long



[All characters appearing in this post are purely fictional. Any resemblance to individuals living or dead is coincidental…and not my problem]

Children under Threat

There is a very informative article on this month’s issue of the Readers Digest about the expansion of the child sex industry in Asia. I know this is not a new thing and there probably have been many discussions and post about it, but you just feel sad to think that it’s not getting any better.

According to a report put out by the Asia Foundation in 2006, there are an estimated 20, 000 children sexually exploited in Cambodia. In Philippines the number they estimate is around 100,000. In India the numbers are up a staggering 500,000. Unfortunately our little paradise doesn’t fare well either. According to the following article in Lanka Library - (Sri Lanka has 40,000 child prostitutes), the NCPA , quoting UNICEF and ILO reports says, there are about 40,000 child prostitutes in the country. In addition, they estimate that there are over 100,000 children working as domestic aids.

The RD article sites three developments that have contributed to the current trend:

Greater demand for child sex from Asian men
Indifference among lawmakers and enforcers
Widespread corruption

Some people would say that they are driven by poverty, but I don’t think you can use poverty as an excuse. No matter how poor you are you can’t justify selling your child as a sex slave. Those are the people who should be shot first. These types of situations where the parents are involved maybe a small percentage, but they do exist. In most other cases the parents have no knowledge of the fact. Unscrupulous criminals may take advantage of the poverty and ignorance of the parents and take the children, promising them a bright future and all the riches. Unfortunately they end up in a brothel somewhere and the parents never hear from their children again. The worse case scenario is when the children are kidnapped right off the roads.

I sincerely hope that the SL authorities are doing something to solve this problem. I know it’s not going to be easy or will happen in a day or so, but working on it is the important thing. There maybe independent groups and NGO’s working on it, but they can’t do it alone, mainly because they can’t enforce the laws or punish the guilty. That is the job of the authorities. They need to take a much tougher stance on these activities.

In my opinion the following things can be done:

Tougher penalties for offenders: This includes pedophiles and all those who support these activities.

Educate the people: Sometimes people really don’t know about these things. Especially poor parents should be made knowledgeable about the danger of sending their children away. Not only the parents, but older children should also be educated in these things. In the same way, educate people involved in the tourism industry as well.

Help the poor children: Educating the people is not going to solve their problems. If the parents can’t feed the children they might have to take drastic measures to keep them from starving. Children of poor families could be given some sort of aid, a monthly pension sort of. However their should also be a strict monitoring system in place to make sure the children are the ones who get the benefit and it’s not spent on the fathers booze. Where do we get the money? You might ask. Well if you kick out half the cabinet, there’d be plenty left over.

Support the people who do something: The government should give more support to the independent groups and NGO’s who are already working on these problems. Maybe like a special citizen’s arrest type of authority, for them to conduct raids and arrest suspects. But again there should be a strict monitoring process implemented.

More private sector involvement: Especially organizations and people related to the tourism industry should get involved in this. Currently there is a program called “Zero tolerance’ for child sex tourism“.

Provide adequate care and help for children saved: Children who are sexually exploited can have severe emotional damage and psychological problems. There should be a proper way to help them deal with it and adjust back to normal life. Ensure that they don’t fall into the same hole as before. The general populace should also learn not to judge them and not treat them like outcasts. It only makes matters worse.

I’m not an expert on this subject so I don’t have much information on it. Some of these things are probably being done already. I salute all those people who are working on these problems and who are making a difference in the world.

I don’t understand how people can treat children this way. This is not a problem limited to Asia, it’s a global problem. The problem is there in all countries to some extent. Humans are supposed to be the civilized ones, but some of them act worse than animals. I guess all of it has to do with psychology, which I have no clue about.

The following are some articles you might find interesting.

RD – Suffer the Children (you need to register to read the full article, and yes it’s free)
Lanka Library - Sri Lanka has 40,000 child prostitutes
Lanka Library - Action plan against child sex tourism
UNICEF - Sri Lanka campaign promotes ‘zero tolerance’ for child sex tourism

As I said my knowledge in this is limited, so please feel free to enlighten me…

Be gentle with the young.
Juvenal (55 AD - 127 AD)

Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation.
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Barrayar", 1991

Fun on Two Wheels

I’m hovering on cloud nine these days coz I just bought me very own motorcycle. Yipikayea…

It’s a dream come true coz I’ve been a bike nut since I was a kid. I think it started after watching the TV series "Renegade" with Lorenzo Lamas, if anybody remembers that. Watched it mostly because of the bike I think (and the cute chick of course :D). It gave my first introduction to the world of the Harley’s. Well mine ain’t a Harley, but its as close as I can get :D.

There’s something wild and exiting about riding a two wheeler, unlike four wheelers. I really can’t explain what it is, so don’t ask me to. It could be the added element of danger and risk factor. There are only a few pieces of metal and rubber between you and the hard top of the road. An angry wild beast is under your control and you have to make it do what you want. The power and the speed is enough to get your adrenalin rush. There’s nothing like it. You feel you’re more tuned in with the road and the environment. I guess it’s because you have to have a higher level of concentration and be more alert while riding. Unlike a four wheeler, one false move and you’ll be kissing the tarmac. The worse case would be you’ll be singing with the Devils (or the Angels, depending on which side you root for).

Cities aren’t the best place to get the best out of your beast. Too much bloody traffic. You have to get it to a nice open stretch of road and then you can really fly. Unleash the full force and get the max out of it.

Small confession to make though, I maybe a bike nut, but I know jack shit about the mechanical stuff. It’s the riding part that gets to me. In hopes changing this, I’m slowly doing some research and reading up on the mechanical stuff. Hopefully will become and expert in the (very )distant future :D.

I don’t know how long I will be able to do all this, looking at the way petrol prices are going up. I’d be less than broke pretty soon, but till then I’m going to cruise the badlands, with the wind on my face and not a care in the world…

Cheers!!!



Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.
-Author Unknown

Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle.
-Author Unknown

Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.
-Author Unknown

It takes more love to share the saddle than it does to share the bed.
-Author Unknown

7 Random Facts about My Self

Well I’ve been tagged by Lady Divine to write up 7 random facts about me self. Hmmm… what to say?

Oh well here goes

1. I am a loner – Well not the psycho type hiding out in a cabin somewhere deep inside a forest, shooting at people (although it does sound appealing…). True, I’m not a people person. They annoy and irritate me. Not that big on socializing, but I don’t actively shun the social life either. Occasional wild mad parties I don’t mind, but not frequently. I don’t have a lot of friends, but a few very good ones. They know who they are. Very bad at having relationships, mainly because I’m a selfish bastard he he…

2. I like to take life easy – Don’t mistake that for laziness, when working on something I give it a 110%, but rest of the time I like to take it easy. No point in worrying about things which are out of your control is there? I have a loose idea of fate. I like to believe that fate is not a strict authoritarian. It gives us a whole bag load of choices and the outcome depends on the decisions we take. When things just don’t go the way you want, you just have to believe that it happened for a good reason. Beats worrying about it and a lot less stressful.

3. I’m a cat person – I like all animals, including dogs, but given the choice between a dog and cat, I’d choose the kitty in a flash. Why do I like them? I guess it’s their independent nature, a lot like me. A free spirit, who doesn’t like to be bound to anything. And there’s definitely something evil about those furry little critters.

4. I like watching cartoons and reading comics – A very big fan of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Toones Gang. Bugsy, Slyvester, Daffy, Porky and of course who could forget Foghorn Leghorn. “Ah say…Now look here son, listen to me when Ah ma talking to you”. Still love them and will keep on watching till my dying day, no matter what people say. Also a very big fan of Garfield. Hmm… must write a separate post about these important individuals.

5. Coffee addict – weeell not that much, but cant function properly in the morning without a cup. Usually have about 5 cups a day. I shouldn’t say this, seeing that Tea is our #1 export and all that, but not a big fan of Tea.

6. I love good food and I love cooking – It’s a hobby and it’s great. I don’t know about other people, but it’s like a stress buster. (the cooking I mean, and no I don’t stuff myself with food)

7. I enjoy the simple things in life – A good book and some good music and I’m more than happy. Add to that a sizzling barbeque and a bottle of Vodka and I’m in Heaven.

Well I guess that’s about it…

Since I’m supposed to tag seven other bloggers, I’d like to call upon Harshadewa, Leisel, Pissu Perera, Mia, The Jester, Darwin & Rhythmic to do the honors.

Cheers people!

The Hills of Nuwaraeliya

Two of my friends and I decided to take a much deserved break from the daily grind, so we took a road trip to Nuwaraeliya over the last weekend. It’s so refreshing to get away Colombo and to at least spend a couple of days without the smog, dust, dirt and the noise.

We started off at around 5.30. The original time of departure was around 3.00 am but no one got up at that time :D. Since we stayed the night at RC’s place in Wattala, we decided to take the Kandy route. Fortunately due to a navigational error we ended up going to Hatton from Gampola and going through that route. I call it fortunate because we were planning to come back through that route, but the return journey was in the nighttime and we would have missed a lot of the scenery and great photo ops. It worked out for the best anyway. So after taking the longer scenic route, we finally made it to Nuwaraeliya around 2.00pm. Spent rest of the day wandering around the town and taking some photos. Sunday went to Horton Plains and did the whole runaround.

One thing I’m proud of is that this is the first fully sober trip I’ve been since leaving school. Thanks to the other two, who are civilized, respectable people, who don’t drink…he he :D. Otherwise would never have managed the whole Horton Plains route.

No matter how many times I go there I always love going to Nuwaraeliya. Not just the town, but the whole route itself. Reminds one how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country. Truly a paradise island like none other in the world.

Anyway, enjoy the photos. You can see more of them in our officially unofficial photographer Harshadewa’s Flikr page.

More Pics here

Cheers!

St Clair's Falls

© 2007 Harshadewa

Bakers Falls

© 2007 Harshadewa

Brrr... Someone Gimme a Coat

© 2007 Harshadewa

A view of the town

© 2007 Harshadewa

Reading

Lady Divine mentioned in one of her comments that I must be someone who likes to read a lot, and I thank her for reminding me of a topic to write a post about. Reading is my #1 hobby so I thought it should deserve a mentioning.

I’m not sure when I got addicted to it or anything, but it’s something I’ve been doing since I was a little kid. I would read anything that I could get my hands on. In the early days it was the Enid Blyton series, The Famous Five. The Five Find-Outers, Secret Seven and so on. Then came the Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators, and now, anything and everything. From Asteriks, to the works of Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, P. D. James… well the list goes on and on and on…

A special mention must be made of Enid Blyton. All of her series are timeless. I still love reading one of those old books, especially the Five Find-Outers series, Fatty and the Gang on one of their adventures, with Mr. Goon the policeman trying to meddle in them. I think I’ll enjoy them even when I’m old and grey.

I guess I can thank my grandfather for my love of reading. He was a big reader too. Most of his stuff is gone now, but I do have his collection of Reader’s Digest magz, dating back to 1940s through to the seventies. And yes, I think I’ve read them all at least twice over. ( Not all at once, but over the span of 20 years or so :D). Guess I’m still continuing his tradition.

So why do I like reading so much? Because it creates a world where you can loose yourself, have adventures, be a hero, a lover or even the bad guy. You can go to the ends of the world, fly through space and time, discover new worlds, fight evil sorcerers and many more. And you can do all these things without leaving home. In my case I prefer to create my own movies when I’m reading, putting my favorite actors in the roles and so on. Makes the whole thing definitely more fun.

The other thing is that while engrossed in reading, you can forget about the real world, at least for a while. Personally I am someone who likes to be alone. I know what you are imagining, a psychotic loner holed up in a room stacked with books, who hasn’t seen sunlight for a long time. Well you can stop right there, coz that’s far from the truth as can be. I like hanging out with my friends and traveling all over. It’s just that I am someone who wouldn’t mind solitary confinement, as long as there’s an infinite supply of reading material.

I do have a small confession to make, which I feel guilty about. I don’t read Sinhala Fiction. Non-fiction, informative stuff I don’t mind but, not fictional stuff. It’s just maybe I haven’t come across any good contemporary Sinhala fictional works. I’m not talking about the old stuff from the likes of Martin Wickremasinghe and others of that genre, but new stuff. Ok maybe I haven’t done a good enough search, but most of the stuff I’ve seen on racks is the usual sob stories about girl meets boy, boy dumps girl, or parents put a stop to affair and both kill themselves, or something similar along these lines. No thank you… I’d rather read a label off a packet of biscuits. I must do a search and see if I can find anything interesting in the Sinhala fiction arena.

I take my leave with a few quotes about books and reading.

Cheers!

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
Sir Richard Steele


Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
Arnold Lobel


Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year.
Horace Mann (1796 - 1859)


Never judge a book by its movie.
J. W. Eagan

Riding the Rails

Ever since I was a little kid I loved trains and riding the rails. I know… I know it’s one of those boys and their toys stories, but what the heck! And no, I’m not a train fanatic either. It’s just that traveling by train is more fun than traveling by roads, especially in a bus. There’s something about those big diesel engines that is cool. The power generated is impressive, more than enough to tow several rail cars full of passengers through all kinds of terrain.

An average diesel engine weighs about 270, 000 pounds or 122, 470 kg. It can generate about 3,200 horsepower and the generator in turn converts this into about 4,700 amps of electricity. This electricity is used by the four drive motors to generate about 64,000 pounds of thrust, which can take a locomotive into speeds of up to 177 kph.

More on how diesels engine work

More on SL Railways

I guess trains are in my blood too. My grandfather was a station master and some of his relatives were engine drivers. So my father and uncle practically grew up on the tracks with the trains. During his career, my grandfather was posted in various stations all over the country and the family too traveled as the job took him. The best thing about that is that they got to experience a lot of wonderful things during these stints, traveling all across the country. My dad still talks about the stuff they used to do in the good old days. That’s probably where I get my love for traveling too.

Anyway I too recently became a member of the Train Gang. No they are not a bunch of train robbers. They are the people who commute to and from work in trains. It happened because we changed houses. We were living closer to Colombo and the new place is bit further, but I love the new place coz I grew up there and it’s a great neighborhood. A lot of people are commenting why we want to move further away from Colombo when all the other people are trying to get closer to Colombo and blah blah blah. That is the EXACT reason I want to get away from Colombo. I HATE COLOMBO!!! It’s crowded, noisy and dirty. Unfortunately all the jobs, especially in the IT sector are concentrated here. The day the whole islands get a high bandwidth, reliable broadband network, I’m going to pack up my things and set up home somewhere in the hill country and find a stay at home job. Ok that’s for another story…

As I was saying, since we moved, the only downside I can see is that I can’t walk to office anymore. I’ve had to join the ranks of the commuters. The problem is traveling on the roads in the morning is an absolute nightmare. Get caught to rush hour traffic and you spend more time idling than moving ahead. Add to that overcrowded buses, without any breathing space and you just feel like quitting your job and staying at home. One solution to all of that is to catch a train.

Now everybody can’t do this coz the rail network is not wide spread. If there’s no train station near to the start of your journey or end, your better off going by bus or private vehicle. Luckily for me, our new place and the office is closer to their respective train stations, so there’s no extra traveling involved, just a bit of walking.

The SL railways has always has a bad reputation as inefficient, always late and so on. However, at least the morning trains come and go on schedule. Whatever said about the state of the railway department, there are some plus points to consider.

• It’s Cheap – Ticket prices are about 40 – 50 % of bus fares
• Fast – Takes about half the time it takes to travel by bus (this is for short journeys. It goes the other way around for long journeys, especially the upcountry routes. )
• More spacious – Even if you have to travel standing, you can at least travel in comfort, without suffering like in busses.
• It’s a smooth ride – You have to stick to the rail tracks, so no need to worry about death defying antics of drivers, no sudden breaks to send you flying, and no high speed chases with other trains
• And the best thing is, as my friend Harshadewa puts it "No Traffic on Rail Road"!!!

Well here’s hoping for the expansion and development of the SL railways, so that we don’t’ have to suffer in the hands of the private bus operators.


"when the pistons keep on turning and go round and round
and the steel reels are cold and hard and the moutain ain t no down"
(Long Train Running – Doobie Brothers)

Carlos the Jackal

The mere mention of the name should send shivers throughout the western world. Their secret service agents hunting for this elusive criminal mastermind, who has caused much havoc in the world. And until recently I thought he was just a fictional character.

The original Jackal was introduced to the world by Frederick Forsythe in his masterpiece “The Day of the Jackal”, published in 1971. In it “The Jackal” is a master assassin whose identity is a mystery, and he is hired by some terrorists to assassinate the then president of France, Charles de Gaulle. While he makes the assassination plans, the secret service agents are trying to stop him from carrying them out. In the end his plan doesn’t exactly go his way and the Jackal dies. That should have been the end of it, but fortunately or unfortunately the Jackal was reborn into reality and became immortalized.

During the seventies there was guy named Vladimir Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, who was starting out in the terrorism business. Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1942, his father was a devout Marxists, hence the names Vladimir Ilich. During the course of his life he became involved with guerilla warfare which led to the life of terrorism. To make things short, he did the usual terrorists stuff, and made the good guys angry. So the good guys made it their number one priority to catch him. Somewhere along this cat and mouse game, they reportedly found a copy of “The Day of the Jackal” among some of his belongings. That small insignificant find helped to make Ramirez Sanchez the most well know baddie at the time, thanks to the friendly media. They got hold of this information and made him into the larger than life person that he has become.

So now the spy novelists and movie makers have a new bad guy to toy around with. Many novels and movies featured him (or the character) as a lead player in the plot. Two of these (which I have read) is Tom Clancy’s “Rainbow Six” and Robert Ludlum’s “Bourne Ultimatum” the final book of the Bourne Trilogy. (Supposedly Carlos is featured in the first two books as well, but still have to get my hands on them :)...). In both of these books, his real name Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, is used.

Read more about the real life of a terrorist


I seriously didn’t know that this guy was real, and thought all these authors were resurrecting the character created by Frederick Forsythe. For one thing I guess he is old news. He was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997 and he is still there in a prison somewhere in France. Furthermore these days there are much worst terrorist and nutcases around to keep the news media happy. Same also goes for the authors and film makers. As the times change, new bad guys will take the center stage and the old ones are given the boot. Out with Carlos and the Soviet communist cronies and in with Osama, Saddam and the Jihad Gang. After that? Who knows what new maniac the future will give us. Until that time comes, the “War on terror” should keep the storylines moving forward for a long time.

Glorified in Death…

I’m sure some of you out there would have wondered what your kith and kin will put on your gravestones when you’re dead and gone. Or for that matter whether they’ll even a put up a gravestone for you. Some people really don’t care about these things but for some it’s a very big deal. The ego maniacs want nothing better than to be immortalized in granite or marble. For them the bigger the gravestone the better they rest in peace.

The Russian city of Ekaterinburg is famed as the most mafia ridden city in the country and a visit to the local graveyard will shed some light on how far they take it. This is where all the Mafia men ultimately end up. However they don’t want to leave the world without making sure the rest of the people remember them. So what do they do? They get life sized marble sculptures of themselves as gravestones.

These life-like engravings or sculptures show them in their bad-ass posses, smoking, or showing off their tats or clutching the keys of their favorite ride. Some even go the extra mile to get a memorial for their favorite car they drove around in. One Father and son mob duo has two life size figures standing side by side, while in the middle a smaller engraving of their Volvo is placed. Some are even buried with their mobile phones, so they can keep in touch with their gangs. Talk about highly inflated egos.

No matter how bigger a memorial you put up for yourself after your dead, it doesn’t change the way you lived your life. Something some people will never understand…

Read More




(Pic. Source: The Mail on Sunday)

Azrael

I come from the heavens above
For all mortals young and old
When the time is right
To pass judgment on their lives
It matters not
If you are rich
Or if you are poor
All mortals equally I judge
How pure the lives you have led
The only thing that matter at last
Sinners repent
For my judgment is final
Cast off into the depths of hell
Forever more till the end of time
Who am I, you may wonder
Who speak such arrogant words
And pass judgment on others
I am what I am
I am Azrael
The Angel of Death…

New 7 Wonders Announced

As I mentioned in an earlier post, voting was in progress to select the new 7 wonders of the world. After 90 million votes cast by the citizens of the world, the new official list was announced on 07.07.07.

They are:

Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Christ Redeemer, Brazil
The Great Wall, China
Machu Picchu, Peru
Petra, Jordan
The Roman Colloseum, Italy
The Taj Mahal, India
Some people argue that creating such lists are not fair, because there are many more wonders around. That is a 100% true. The world we live in is a unique wonder in it self. However these are man made structure of a bygone era, when they didn’t have the technology we have today.

Just because there is an official seven wonders list it doesn’t mean that we have to forget about the others. This list should be used sort of like ambassadors for all the wonderful things we have in this world, to remind every one to protect them and preserve them for time to come.

Cell

Imagine leisurely walking down the street when that familiar tune comes to your ears. The latest rock song you downloaded on your mobile coming to life. You check to see that your best bud is calling and you answer. Then bang, everything goes blank, your brain is totally wiped out and you don’t even know what you are. All the sanity in you disappears and the primal urges takes over. A maniac is released. Murder becomes the prime directive.

That is exactly what happens to all the mobile users in the world. That is at least according to the King of Horror, Stephen King, on his book ‘Cell’. Just finished reading it and frankly I’m a bit worried to use me mobile now. I guess that’s what he was aiming for in the first place when he started the book. :D. It seems that he doesn’t use a mo-fo either.

I don’t want to give away the plot and ruin it for those who haven’t read it, so I suggest all to read it. Damn good. Not as scary as some of his other works, but this explores some interesting facets of human nature.

"At the bottom you see, we are not Homo sapiens at all. Our core is madness. The prime directive is murder. What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we are the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous mother-fuckers in the jungle. And that is what the pulse exposed five days ago." - Charles Ardai
(Stephen King, CELL)