හඳෙන් ආ විදේශිකයාට ස්වදේශිකයාගෙන් අපූරු පාඩමක්

හලාවත බලා යන දුම්රියට මරදානෙන් ගොඩ වූ විදේශීය සංචාරකයෙකි. ඔහු දුටු මගියෙක් තම අසුන ලබා දීමට තරම් කාරුණික විය. දුම්රිය ධාවනය වන අතර තරුණ සංචාරකයා දෙස බැලූ යාබද අසුණේ මගියා, ‘‘වෙයාර් ආර් යූ ෆ්‍රොම්’’ (ඔබ කොහේ ඉඳන්ද?) යැයි විමසීය. ‘‘ෆ්‍රොම් මූන් (හඳේ ඉඳන්) සංචාරකයා සමච්චලයෙන් පවසා අනෙක් මගීන් දෙස ද බැලීය. ඉංග‍්‍රීසි බස තේරුණු මගීහු ඉවත බලා ගත්හ. සුළු වේලාවකින් විදේශිකයා නිදි කිරන්නට විය. ඔහුගේ හිස ප‍්‍රශ්නය ඇසූ මගියාගේ උරහිසේ තදින් වැදුනි. ‘‘වෙරි සොරි සර්’’ විදේශිකයා සමාව අයැදීය. පසුව ඇති වූ දෙබස මෙසේය.

මගියා:x ඔයාට සමාව එකට සිය පාරක් දෙන්න පුළුවන්. හැබැයි මම ඔයාගේ රට ගැන අහද්දී ඔයා දුන්න පිළිතුර නම් අවිනීතයි.

විදේශිකයා:- මම විහිළුවක්නේ කළේ.

මගියා:- ඒ වුණාට මගේ හිත හොඳටම රිදුනනේ. අපි ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයෝ ආගන්තුක සත්කාරයට කැමතියි. ඔයාට කරදරයක් වුණානම් මේ අය ඔක්කොම ඔයාට උදව් කරාවි. ඔයා මේ කෝච්චියෙන් බැහැලා ඕනෑම දුප්පත් ගෙදරකට ගිහින් කෑමට මොනාහරි ඉල්ලන්න. තමන් කන කෑම එක හරි එයාලා දේවි.

විදේශිකයා:- මම එච්චර දුරට හිතුවේ නැහැ

මගියා:- දැන් බලන්න. ඔයාගේ රටේදී ඔයා විදේශිකයෙකුගෙන් ඇහුවොත් කොහේ ඉඳන් ද ආවේ කියලා. එයා කීවොත් හඳේ ඉඳන් කියලා ඔයාගේ හිත රිදෙන්නේ නැද්ද?

විදේශිකයා:- (කඳුළු පිරි දෙනෙතින්) දැන් මට තේරුණා. මගේ තමයි වැරැුද්ද. මම නැවත වාරයක් සමාව ඉල්ලනවා කියලා

මගියා:- හොඳයි. මම ඔයාට සමාව දෙනවා. දැන් මට හේත්තු වෙලා නිදා ගන්න. ඊට ඉස්සරවෙලා කියන්න කොහෙන්ද බහින්නේ කියලා.

http://www.lankadeepa.lk

Hackophobia?

The Internet is a reality created by the Human Mind. Today everything ranging from jobs to shopping can be done in front of a computer screen on the Internet. It is coming to the point where we will hardly need to leave our homes to attend to our day- to- day activities. If you can stretch your imagination a bit, we may live in a world where you can place an order on the internet and the lunch packet or medicine may be delivered to your house by a robot.

If you want entertainment just place an order on the internet and the DVD will be delivered to your house by a robot. The internet is the link between human needs and machines.

Human labour may be replaced to a greater degree by machines. And the internet can help facilitate this.The internet is a world which is being built on top of the world that we know.

However this perfect world can be disrupted by the ever present threat of crime. Crime will completely take on Digital and Binary form. Crime has now become bloodless and more dangerous than ever before. We may soon live in an age where crime will be committed wholly by weapons taking the form of the Personal Computer and Viruses. And the defense against this Cyber Crime is what is known as Internet Security.

This Daily News journalist took the cyber route when doing this article proving how effective the internet really is!

Daily News spoke to Principal Consultant - Project Manager John Keells Holdings Strategic Group Information Technology Buddhike Perera to gain some insights into Internet Security.

A commercial value

“Hacking is the practice of modifying the features of a system, in order to accomplish a goal outside of the creator’s original purpose. The person, who is consistently engaging in hacking activities, has accepted hacking as a lifestyle and philosophy of their choice.

Hackers have different flavours of interest areas based on the end objectives, some go after intelligence information, hacking into military sites. Some are interested in stealing financial information by hacking into corporate and state banks, even stock markets. But some are even interested in hacking into travel sites, air line sites, to gain miles, reward points, and elite status. They are looking for every possible way to game the system for as much free travel as they can.

Hacking depends on the complexity and the importance of the target or the victims. And the worst part is Cyber Hacking has become the new cold war between the elite nations across this planet,” said Perera.

The big question is how do these tricksters hack without knowing passwords?

“These can range from poor password protection to leaving a computer turned on which is physically accessible to visitors to the office. But if you look at this from a different angle they have to inject some code or a programme in to the target computer to gain digital access. If I explain this another way, injecting a programme into a computer cracks the internal passwords and will gain access to the computer. Most hackers use programmes, tools available in internet to crack into computer systems, but these tools are complex in nature.

While no computer networks are impenetrable and devote significant resources to guard their computer networks, they also have in place rules to protect sensitive data.

No matter how strong your perimeter is, still you are vulnerable for such mass scale attacks on sophisticated networks. One recent incident reported in the U.S. that Chinese hackers are believed to have stolen the designs for more than two dozen major weapons systems, potentially weakening the U.S. military advantage over China,” he further added.

Whistle blower Edward Snowden’s recent revelations of the federal government’s massive and intrusive surveillance of Americans have shown that major Internet giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google have not only been compliant with the surveillance programmes, but have themselves violated the privacy of their users. All the social network sites would like to know as much as possible about our hobbies and shopping habits because the information has a commercial value and they will sell these information to others.

A contract killer

Computer viruses are growing so rapidly with the phase of technology reshaping over day by day. Viruses which were deadly last year are no longer a threat but there are new sets of viruses taking the lead in damaging digital information.

“A computer virus is just like any other piece of software; written by programmers. It is what they are programmed to do that makes them harmful (falling under the banner of malicious software, or malware for short; a ‘virus’ specifically is a piece of malware that ‘self-replicates’ (and may even ‘mutate’; change the way it works in order to fool anti-virus software), or in other words, copies itself to as many other PCs as it can via USB drives, networks and the internet.

If a target system is very strongly protected and difficult to access remotely, a Hacker might employ low-technology attacks. These tactics may include bribing an authorized user, taking a temporary job with a janitorial services firm, or dumpster diving (rifling through trash in search of information). If the target system is not so strongly protected, then a hacker can use technical exploits to gain access.”

“Being a hacker is like a contract killer to me. For monitory or any other means they steal and disrupt civil society. They are risk takers in life and they are always keeping their neck in the firing line if they get caught by the law. Someone who hacks into another person’s computer could be punished by a number of different laws, depending on the circumstances. The law punishes hacking under the computer crime statutes. These crimes carry penalties ranging from a prison sentence, or larger sum of monitory fines are the common types,” said Perera.

Two - way security

Hacking tools are developed by some really good coders out there to ease out many complex tasks which have to be done manually and take painstakingly great deal of time and effort. Loads of free hacking tools are available on internet. Some of these tools are Nessus Remote Security Scanne , Wireshark, Nmap, NetStumbler. But there are thousands of tools available in internet for hackers.

ඔබ හා මම

සඳ තනියම

රෑ තුන්යම

ඔබ හා මම

හැම භවයෙම...

ගිම්හානය මා මඟ හැර

යළි නො එනා ලෙස ගියේද

වසන්තයේ මල් පියවිලි

යන එන මඟ තොට තියේ ද...

මිහිදන්වු ප්‍රාර්ථනා 

යළි අවදිව හිනැහුනේ ද

ඒ පැතුමට නව අරුතක් 

ළං කෙරුවේ ඔබ නොවේ ද...

Sri Lanka President opens Chinese funded expressway linking Katunayake airport to capital

Oct 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa today declared opened the Colombo - Katunayake Expressway (CKE) , the 26 kilometer high speed expressway linking the country's main Colombo International Airport to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

Opening Sri Lanka's second expressway, President unveiled a commemorative plaque at the entrance to the CKE at Peliyagoda and drove his vehicle to the Seeduwa Control Exchange where he paid the toll.

He inspected the video system at the Seeduwa control stations and proceeded to the Katunayake Exchange where he was received by flag-waving school students.

Addressing the occasion the President said with the opening of the highway the government has proven that it can successfully meet any challenge thrown at the government.

He emphasized that the development of a country is gauged by the development of a road network in a country and the expressway declared open today will provide benefits to both the local and foreign people.

Reiterating that the country has achieved peace and there was no bloodshed or terrorist activity in the country after 19th May 2009, the President appealed to the people to give their fullest cooperation to the development programme being implemented by the government for the benefit of the future generation.

He noted that when the government is making effort to develop the country certain elements are making various allegations against the government and therefore, the government has to spend much precious time to file response in Geneva to the allegations.

The 25.8 kilometer long expressway was built at a cost of US$ 291 million with a loan from China.

The CKE is expected to reduce the travel time between Colombo and the Airport to about 20 minutes. Speed limit will be 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) for the first eight kilometers (5.0 mi) and 110 km/h (68 mph) for the rest of the road.

First Lady Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, Chinese diplomats, ministers and parliamentarians also participated in the event.

(Photos by Sudath Silva)

කඳුළ

කඳුළු කියන්නෙ ඔබටත් මටත් සුපුරුදු දෙයක් නොවෙයි. මේ ලෝකෙ කොතැනකවත් එක වතාවක් හරි කඳුළක් නොහෙළපු කෙනෙක් සොයා ගන්න නෑ. කෙනෙකුට දුකක් හෝ සතුටක් දැනුණු විට කඳුළ ඒ පුද්ගලයා වෙතට ළං වෙන්නෙ නිරායාසයෙන්මයි. අපි හැමදෙනාම මේ ලෝකෙ එළිය දකින්නෙ හඬාගෙන. ඒ වගේම අලුත උපන් දරුවගෙ මූණ බලන මවකගේ දෑස සතුටු කඳුළින් ඉතිරිලා යනවා.

සමහරු කියනවා කඳුළු හෙළන්නෙ සිත දුර්වල පුද්ගලයන් කියලා. එහෙම කිව්වට දුකක්, වේදනාවක්, සතුටක් දැනුණු විට කඳුළුවලින් ඒ හැඟීම පිටකරගත්තම මනසට දැනෙන පීඩනය අඩු වෙනවා. කඳුළු කෙනෙක් දුර්වල කරනවා සේම කෙනෙකුට ශක්තියක් වෙන්නත් පුළුවන්.

අද සමාජය දිහා බැලුවම කඳුළුවලට කදිම වෙළෙඳපොළක් තියෙනවා. කඳුළු අලෙවි කරලා දිවිගෙවන පුද්ගලයන් වගේම අනුන්ගෙ කඳුළු අලෙවි කරන පුද්ගලයොත් බොහෝ සෙයින් ඉන්නවා. ඒ වගේම සතුටින් ඉන්න කෙනෙකුගේ ඇහැට ඇඟිල්ලෙන් ඇනලා අඬවන අයත් අද නොඅඩුවම දක්නට ලැබෙනවා. මේ අතරෙ ලෝකයට පෙනෙන්නට මුවින් සිනාසෙමින් සිතින් දහස් වාරයක් හඬන පුද්ගලයොත් අපේ සමාජයෙ ඉන්නවා. ඔවුන්ගෙ හදවතේ ගලන කඳුළු ගංගාව කාටවත් පේන්නෙ නෑ.

යස ඉසුරු මහල් මන්දිර හමුවේ සොම්නසින් ජය පැන් පානය කරන විට වටේ කැරකෙන දහස් දෙනා අතරෙදි ඔබේ ඇසට කඳුළක් නැඟුණා මතකද? පසුකලෙකදී කිතු යසස් ගිලිහී අතේ සතේ නැතිවුණු දා ඔබේ ළඟ ඉතුරු වුණේ ඒ කඳුළ පමණයි. අපට කරදරයක් වුණාම කඳුළ අපේ ළඟ ඉඳගෙන දුක තුනී කරනවා. ලැබීම් හා නොලැබීම් හමුවේ කඳුළු අපට මිතුරෙකු වෙනවා.

ඔබත් මමත් මීට පෙර හඬන්නට ඇත. තවමත් හඬනවා ඇති. අපි කඳුළු අතරින් නැඟිටින්න උත්සාහ කරමු. මන්ද ලෝකයේ නැවුම් වෙනසක් ඇති කළේ කඳුළු අතරින් නැඟිට්ට මිනිස්සු නිසා. ඒ වගේම ලෝකයේ අද ඉහළින්ම වැජඹෙන්නෙ කඳුළු හමුවේ නොසැලුණු මිනිස්සු නිසා.

ඔබේ හදට වැඩියෙන් තව ලංවේ....................

සැන්දෑ කලුවර ගලා හැලෙන විට 
සෙනෙහස දැල්වුනු නිවෙස සොයා එමි.......... 
ඔබේ සිනා සඳ මඩල මුවාවෙන් 
ජීවිතයේ දුක් වෙහෙස නිවා ගමි............. 

කුරුළු කැදැල්ලක උණුසුම කැටිවුන 
අමා සුවය දෙන අතුපැල හෙවනේ......... 
අසරණ වූදා මට ඔබ පමණයි 
මදකට හෝ සැනසුම ගෙනදෙන්නේ.............. 

පිබිදෙන ලොව හා තරඟකරන්නට 
හෙට අළුයම යලි පිටවිය යුතුවේ............ 
ඔබෙන් දුරව සිටිනා හැම මොහොතෙම 
ඔබේ හදට වැඩියෙන් තව ලංවේ.................... 

Songs and lyrics -

http://youtu.be/SwFqkRqxLEQ

Profiles of Commonwealth member-countries

The origins of the Commonwealth lie in the former British Empire but today it is an inter governmental organisation of 54 nations which has equal voice and status ‘regardless of size or economic stature'. It means even the smallest country has a say in shaping the Commonwealth Policy.

The Commonwealth today comprises countries which have no relation to the British Monarchy. Thirty two member countries of the commonwealth are classified as small states with a population of 1.5 million or less and it consists of the world's most developed and influential nations.

The following is a brief profile of member countries and their history with the Commonwealth. In our first article of a series of four, 14 states which were members between 1931 to 1961 have been featured. This includes the Commonwealth's founding members; Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 and its side events will be held from November 10 to 17 in selected venues in Colombo, Galle and Hambantota.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand, called Land of the Long White Cloud by the native Maoris, consist of two large islands – North Island and South Island. It is a somewhat isolated country situated 1600km east of Australia, the country is a well-watered and fertile mountainous island in the South Pacific. Sir Don McKinnon of New Zealand was Commonwealth Secretary-General from 2000–08. Six New Zealanders have won overall Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes – Witi lhimaera in 1987 (Best First Book), Janet Frame in 1989, John Cranna in 1990 (Best First Book), Lloyd Jones in 2007, Craig Cliff in 2011 (Best First Book) and Emma Martin in 2012 (Short Story Prize).

New Zealand is a member of UN, WTC, OECD, Pacific Community and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation among others.

Most fauna and flora in the island nation are unique due to its geographical isolation and includes flightless birds such as kiwi, kakapo and weka. The most significant environment issues are deforestation and soil erosion.

UK

The UK is a union of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is a union of a group of islands in the western coast of Europe. The largest island Great Britain comprises three countries. The Commonwealth Secretariat is based in London, capital of Britain. The UK also hosts Commonwealth Foundation, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Local Government Forum and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The UK awards scholarships and fellowships covering politics, academia, journalism, business, judiciary, performing arts, etc. to citizens of other commonwealth countries under Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.

Queen Elizabeth II is the head of commonwealth and Head of State of 16 commonwealth countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The UK is a member of EU, UN, WTO, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Three Britons have won the overall Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and four the Best First Book award.

AUSTRALIA

The Commonwealth of Australia is a Federation with six states – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania and two territories - Northern Territory (capital Darwin) and the Australian Capital Territory, where the federal capital, Canberra, is situated. It is one of 28 island nations in the association; the mainland of Australia is the largest island in the world. Of the many internationally acclaimed Australian writers, 11 have won overall Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, eight for Best Book and three for Best First Book.

Australia is a member of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, IOR-ARC, OECD, UN and WTO among others. The environment issues include, soil erosion, desertification and damage to Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world.

CANADA

The largest member of the commonwealth is Canada, at nearly 10 million square kilometers. It is the second largest country in the world and comprises the northern half of the North American continent, bordering with the USA to the south and Alaska north-west. Indented shores and numerous islands give it the longest coastline of any country at 202,100km.

Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three territories. Nunavut territory was formed in April 1999 as a semi-autonomous region. The country has over 1000 airports, 800 with paved runways. Some remote areas of the country are accessible only via air.

Arnold Smith of Canada was the first Commonwealth Secretary-General (1965–75). Three Canadians have won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Mordecai Richler, in 1990, Rohinton Mistry (born in Bombay, India), in 1992 and 1996, and Lawrence Hill, in 2008. The Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management has its HQ in Ottawa, the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver and the Commonwealth Journalists Association in Toronto.

It is a member of North America Free Trade Association, UN, WTO, OECD, and Asia Pafic Economic Cooperation among others. Acid rain and contamination of ocean are the significant environment issues faced by Canada.

SOUTH AFRICA

Soutrh Africa is located in the southern most tip of the African continent and borders with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland.

Its sea borders are with the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Lesotho is enclosed within its land area. The country comprises nine provinces Two South African writers – Nadine Gordimer (in 1991) and John Maxwell

Coetzee (in 2003) – have won Nobel Prizes and Coetzee (2000) and Manu Herbstein who won ‘Best First Book in 2002’ have been overall winners in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Scholarships for postgraduate study are awarded by South Africa to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.

South Africa is a member of the African Union, Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), Non Aligned Movement, UN and WTO among others. South Africa’s wildlife includes large mammals characteristic of African grassland as well as species such as the white rhino that are endangered elsewhere.

The game reserves such as the Kruger and Hluhluwe are considered among the world’s best. Desertification and air pollution are among the serious environment issues the country has faced.

INDIA

India is a federal republic with 29 states (including the Delhi National Capital Territory), and six union territories.

Kamalesh Sharma of India became Commonwealth Secretary-General in 2008.

Twelve Indians have been regional winners in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and three have gone on to take the overall Best Book or Best First Book awards.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative established its HQ in New Delhi in 1993. The country is also host to the Commonwealth Youth Programme Asia Centre in Chandigarh.

Scholarships for postgraduate study are awarded by India to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.

India is a member of the IOR-ARC, Non-Aligned Movement, SAARC, the UN and WTO. Desertification, soil erosion, deforestation, water and air pollution are some of significant environment issues facing India.

PAKISTAN

The country comprises four provinces: Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa. Dr Asma Jahangir of Pakistan was in 2010 appointed to the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, which presented its recommendations for reform in the Commonwealth to Commonwealth leaders at CHOGM in Australia in October 2011. Cricketers Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, achieved the ‘all-rounder’s double’ and Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World. Mohammed Hanif won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award, in 2009, with A Case of Exploding Mangoes.

Pakistan is a member of Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), SAARC, UN and WTO. Soil erosion, deforestation, desertification, and water pollution are some of the country’s major environment issues.

SRI LANKA

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean, separated from south-east India by the Palk Strait. The country comprises nine provinces.

The 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference was held in Colombo in September 2012. Sri Lanka was the first Commonwealth state to have a female prime minister.

Shehan Karunatilaka won the Commonwealth Writers’ Book Prize in 2012. Sanath Jayasuriya was Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 1996, Muttiah Muralitharan in 2000 and 2006, and K C Sangakkara in 2011.

Sri Lanka is a member of the SAARC, IOR-ARC, UN, WTO and Non Aligned Movement. The country has rich and luxuriant vegetation and Nature Reserves cover 10% of the land. Deforestation, soil erosion, coastal degradation and threat to wildlife are significant environment issues.

GHANA

The Republic of Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, is a West African country lying on the Gulf of Guinea. It is surrounded by Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo. Ghana has ten regions. Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, delivered the 3rd Annual Commonwealth Lecture, on ‘Africa Wants to Trade its Way out of Poverty’, in 2000.

Four Ghanaians have been regional winners in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Ama Ata Aidoo (1992), Lawrence Darmani (1992), Lucy Safo (1994) and Benjamin Kwakye (1999 and 2006). Abédi Pelé, born in Accra, Ghana, in 1964, was voted African Footballer of the Year in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Ghana is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, Non-Aligned Movement, UN and the WTO.

The country is rich in animal life and the environment issues include deforestation, overgrazing, water pollution and poaching of wildlife.

SIERRA LEONE

The Republic of Sierra Leone, the name with the meaning ‘Lion Mountain’ in Portuguese, lies in West Africa, bordered by Guinea to the north, Liberia to the south-east, and the Atlantic to the south and west. Aminatta Forna, who was raised in Sierra Leone and the UK, won the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize with her novel The Memory of Love.

Sierra Leone is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, NAM, OIC, UN and WTO among others. Kilimi National Park in the north of the country has the largest concentration of chimpanzees in West Africa. The most significant environmental issues include depletion of natural resources during the civil war and deforestation.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia is positioned in central South-East Asia, above Singapore and south of Thailand. It shares the island of Borneo with Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. The Federation of Malaysia comprises three federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan) and 13 states.

Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was in 2010 appointed to chair the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, which presented its recommendations for reform in the Commonwealth to Commonwealth leaders at CHOGM in Australia in October 2011.

Tash Aw was a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize regional winner with The Harmony Silk Factory in 2006. Sri Lankan Rani Manicka, who was born in Malaysia, won the award in 2003 with her novel, The Rice Mother. Scholarships for postgraduate study are awarded by Malaysia to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan. Malaysia is a member of Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), IOR-ARC, Non-Aligned Movement, OIC, UN and WTO. East Malaysia has one of the largest and most varied bird populations in the world, including many species of parrots, hornbills and broadbills. Environment issues include deforestation, smoke or haze from forest fires and air pollution.

NIGERIA

The Federal Republic of Nigeria lies on the Gulf of Guinea and has borders with Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It comprises the Abuja Federal Capital Territory and 36 states. Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria was Commonwealth Secretary-General

1990–2000. Wole Soyinka, born in Abeokuta in July 1934, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. Nigerians have won 14 Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes. The Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning will be held in Abuja in

December 2013. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a population of over 160 million.

Nigeria is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, NAM, OIC, UN and WTO. The most significant environmental issues are rapid deforestation, soil degradation, and desertification. Some 600 species of migrating birds stop over at Nigeria’s Yankari National park and Okomo sanctuary is home to endangered white throated monkey.

CYPRUS

Cyprus is an oval-shaped island with ‘pan-handle’ north-east peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean. Its closest mainland neighbours are Turkey,Syria and Lebanon.

It is one of only three Commonwealth member countries located in Europe, all of which are island states and members of the European Union. Cyprus is a member of the Council of Europe, European Union, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, UN and WTO. Environmental issues include limited water resources due to lack of rain and water pollution.

TANZANIA

The United Republic of Tanzania in the African region borders the Indian Ocean to the east, and has land borders with eight countries. Filbert Bayi took the Commonwealth Games Men’s 1,500 Metres record at the Christchurch Games (New Zealand) in 1974.

Tanzanian national Dr William Shija was appointed Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 2007, and Dr Asha-Rose Migiro served as UN Deputy Secretary-General from 2007–12. The country includes the highest and lowest points in Africa – the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895m above sea level) and the floor of Lake Tanganyika (358m below sea level). Tanzania is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, East African Community, IOR-ARC, NAM, UN and WTO among others. Serengeti National Park is famous for its vast migratory herds of plains animals, notably wildebeest, zebra, eland and kudu. Drought, soil degradation, deforestation, desertification and destruction of coral reefsare among ithe country’s environment issues.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk by Compiled by Manjula Fernando

Tweet Sweet !

And now it’s the era of brevity. The ess stands for not only short in SMS, but also simple, sweet, and smart. If simplicity is smart, then that is Twitter. That is what you get in Twitter. It is not another app like Facebook where you expose whole your life before an unknown audience. Everything is brief in this social medium.

Say, you meet up with friends for lunch and wandering for a good place to hang out. What is your option? You need to share your sentiments on some breaking news. What is your option? Gossiping about some pop idol... Keeping your closest allies posted on your whereabouts...

The answer, dear friend, is blowing in Twitter.

‘Tweet’ or ‘status update’

For smartphone users, it is simply a matter of keying the username and password in that little bluebird app called twitter. Once your particulars are accepted, boom... you are connected to the virtual world of restaurants, shout outs, parades, celebrity news, protests and many more.

Ever seen folks sitting, right next to each other, or opposite each other, glued to their smartphone? Yes, they must be tweeting with each other. That is zombie apocalypse. Their phones hardly lie within the comfortable confines of a handbag or rest on a table. They work almost every time.

It could be a cup of steaming coffee, and you are about to add sugar and cream. Immediately you decide to share that with the world. The coffee poses for a picture and travels across to Twitter, and here is what you call ‘tweet’ or ‘status update’ in more comfortable social media lingo.

More importantly, Twitter closes the gap between celebrities and their fans. It is platform to Bollywood legends such as Amitabh Bachchan (@AmitabhBachan) and statesmen such as Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) and Barack Obama (@BarackObama). Their staffs handle their accounts, while their personal tweets are signed as ‘MR’ and ‘-bo’. President Rajapaksa’s twitter account is updated in all three languages.

At Facebook, these public figures are linked with many fake accounts. Locating the official account of either President Rajapaksa or President Obama is a tougher nut to crack. Thankfully that ilk is not possible on Twitter, as each account has to contain authentic information coming right from the relevant personality.

Number one social network

But in Sri Lanka, Twitter is still lagging behind. Most Lankans, though they have Twitter accounts, do not tweet much. They enjoy posting family pictures and videos on Facebook more. Only a few chirpers have a lively dialogue going on their tweets. Secretary to President, Lalith Weeratunga (@askLW) and Mass Media Secretary Dr Charitha Herath (@charith9) are among them. Dr Herath would immediately update his tweet following any speech he delivers at a function.

Twitter has fast become the number one social network that allows people to voice what they have to say about a person, war, music, books and movies. It is a media network that breaks news faster than a news channel, allows people to debate on some sizzling topics that in turn go on breaking news, allows people to speak freely, it allows artists to promote their new song or album, actors to promote an awareness programme they are supporting and the fashion industry to tweet out their latest collection for the year.

As the social networks do not charge a cent for any of the updates, announcements, corporate companies have a time of their life having teaser promotions, asking fans to participate for special discounts and prizes, and increasing likes of their products.

Even smarter

Twitter remains upright in the social media platform. Smarter people opt for Twitter more than Facebook. With Twitter, the status update is only 140 characters. You need to manipulate and rework your linguistic skills to update your status in simply 140 characters, as its founder, Jack Dorsey, stated in within the word quota: ‘one could change the world with one hundred and forty characters.’ The Guardian found a platform for a play of words with this. They challenged well known writers such as Ian Rankin and Jeffrey Archer to pen in a 140-character story.

The most voted story belonged to Rankin: “I opened the door to our flat and you were standing there, cleaver raised. Somehow you’d found out about the photos. My jaw hit the floor.”

Interestingly, former English Cricketer Andrew Flintoff tweeted Rankin’s ‘The Impossible Dead’ as the ‘dullest book ever’ on his account.

Quite in contrast to Facebook, Twitter does not offer many options: no games, no videos, no photos and so on. That makes it even smarter. However, Facebook and Twitter reside in no rivalry. A tweet could appear as a Facebook status update too. The social media account receives 1.6 billion search queries per day. It is now one of the ten most visited websites, being baptized as ‘the SMS of the Internet.’

The project was initially named as ‘twitter’ as an SMS code name.

“...we came across the word ‘twitter’, and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information,’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.” When Jack Dorsey explained how it will work, one of the Twitter’s architects cry memory hark, all his friends dropped cutlery and stopped eating. The idea had fascinated them. Dorsey defined this as a service that uses SMS to tell small groups what they do. Dorsey elaborated on how they phrased ‘Twitter’: “We came across the word ‘twitter’, and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.” 

www.dailynews.lk by Demi Hewamanna and Sachitra Mahendra

House at the End of the Street - Built on flimsy foundation

‘The Hunger Games’ star Jennifer Lawrence leaves her Katniss Everdeen avatar in the woods for a dark thriller ‘House at the End of the Street’.

Feeling disappointed

Lawrence plays Elissa, an angst ridden high school student with vocalist aspirations. She meets Ryan, the quiet and sensitive good looking kid on the block who has been marginalized by the community because he lives in a house in which two murders had taken place. It turns out Ryan’s sister, Carrie Anne, butchered her parents four years ago. This crime echoes throughout the film and brings about unexpected consequences. As the film goes a chilling truth is revealed. Carrie Anne is alive and kept under lock and key by her brother in a room hidden under the basement of the house.

‘House at the End of the Street’ manages to impress in its camera angles. The shadows and light are used superbly to reflect the dark nature of the tale. This adds the much needed boost to the movie because it has nothing much to boast about.

Though bloodless, ‘House at the End of the Street’ has its chilling side with dark gloomy imagery dominating the scene. However once the scary bits are over one cannot help feeling disappointed because the terror does not live up to the viewer’s expectations.

One of the major loopholes in the storyline is why the citizens in the town had not become aware of Carrie Anne’s presence before Elissa and her mother made it to the scene. Carrie Anne’s escapes from the basement are regular but Ryan does not take steps to prevent her from seeking out her next escape. Since she managed to wriggle her way out several times in the short period that the movie runs one wonders why the citizens in the village were not at least suspicious about what is going on in the house. Director Mark Tonderai and screenplay writer David Louka should have thought about this aspect while going through the plot of the tale. They should have penned a story which would convince the audience that such an incident did take place. Instead what we get is an unstable story with underdeveloped characters.

Nothing exceptional

Another minus point in ‘House at the End of the Street’ is that hardly anything takes you by surprise. Most of the scenes like the dinner bawl, the daughter siding with the village outcast and the heroine being kept prisoner after the truth is revealed is borrowed from other movies from this genre. There are no visually pleasing scenes which leave you awestruck or particularly horrifying episodes which chill you to your bones. Therefore you are bored when you have reached half way through the story.

Lawrence tries hard to impress but even she cannot add life into this bland production. It seems a pity that an actress of her caliber should even consider a role in this kind of movie. We have seen her dish out many exceptional performances in movies like the Academy award wining ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and though this film too was made during the same period she could have reserved her energy for something more in her league.

Max Thieriot gives a poor performance as Ryan Jacobson. Since it is an extremely challenging role which demands the character to reflect his inner turmoil Thieriot could have made maximum use of this opportunity to bask in the limelight. Instead he seemed to have sleep walked through the role because his act is forgettable. Supporting characters like Officer Bill Weaver and Sarah Cassidy played by actors Gil Bellows and Elizabeth Shue do a better job in capturing the audience’s attention. You have seen every twist and turn of this movie before it is played on screen. Do not expect the unexpected when you watch this production because there is nothing exceptional which will take you by surprise. If you have better things to do with your time, give this one a miss. 

සිත් බිඳීම් සුව වෙන්න කාලයක් ගතවෙනවා

දැඩි සිත් ‍ෙව්දනාවකට මුහුණදීමෙන් පසුව ඉදිරියේදී කුමක් කළ යුතු ද යන ප්‍රශ්නය නිතර නිතර අපගේ සිතට නැ‍ඟෙන දෙයකි. එම සිදුවීමට මුහුණ දුන් පුද්ගලයාට ඉදිරිය පිළිබඳව ප්‍රශ්න වැලක් මතුව එයි. ඒවාට පිළිතුරු සොයා ගන්නේ කෙසේද යන ගැටලුව ද නිතර මතුව එයි.

එම ගැටලු සියල්ලට ම එකවර පිළිතුරු සොයා ගැනීමට නොහැකි ය. ඒවාට පිළිතුරු ලැබෙන්නේ නියම කාලය පැමිණි විට ය. එතෙක් එම ප්‍රශ්නවලට පිළිතුරු සෙවීම අසාර්ථක දෙයකි.

හදිසියේ ම අනපේක්ෂිත ලෙස මුහුණ දුන් කනගාටුදායක සිදුවීම් නිසා දැඩි ලෙස සිත් පීඩාවට පත්වූ තිදෙනෙක් තමන් මුහුණ දුන් සිදුවීම් මෙසේ විස්තර කළහ.

පළමු පුද්ගලයාගේ මිත්‍රයෙකු ඔහුට විශාල මුදලක් වංචාකර පලාගොස් තිබුණි. මුදල මෙන් ම මිත්‍රයාද අහිමි වීම නිසා ඔහුට කරකියාගත හැකි දෙයක් නොවී ය.

දෙවන පුද්ගලයාට හදිසියේ ම තම රැකියාව අහිමි විය. එයට හේතුව වෙනත් පුද්ගලයන්ගේ කුමන්ත්‍රණයක් යැයි ඔහු පවසයි. රැකියාව අහිමි වීමත් සමඟ ම ඔහු ආර්ථික ප්‍රශ්න පවුල් ප්‍රශ්න සහ සමාජීය ගැටලු රැසකට මුහුණ දී සිටී. ඔහුට වෙනත් රැකියාවක් කිරීමට තරම් මානසිකත්වයක් ද නැත.

තෙවන පුද්ගලයාගේ ගැටලුව වූයේ තමන්ගේ ආදර සම්බන්ධය හදිසියේ ම දෙදරා යාමයි. තමන්ගේ ජීවිතයේ එකම සතුට, සැනසීම වූ එය අනපේක්ෂිත ලෙස තමන්ගෙන් ගිලිහී යාම ‍ඔහුට දරා ගැනීමට අපොහොසත් වී ඇත.

ඉහත සඳහන් කළ තුන් දෙනා ම සිටියේ ජීවිතය පිළිබඳව දැඩි කලකිරීමකිනි. තම ප්‍රශ්නයෙන් කිසි දිනක, කිසි ලෙසකින් වත් නිදහස්වීමට නොහැකි වෙතැයි ඔවුහු සිතූහ. ඒ නිසා කිසිවක් සිතා ගැනීමටවත් කරගැනීමටවත් නොහැකි ව තම ජීවිතය පවා එපා වන තත්ත්වයකට ඔවුහු පත්වී සිටියහ.

ඉහත සඳහන් කළ ආකා‍රයේ අත් දැකීම්වලට ඔබ ද මුහුණ දී ඇතුවාට සැකයක් නැත. එවැනි අවස්ථාවලට මුහුණදීමට නොහැකිව, කළයුතු දේ කුමක් දැයි නොදැන අසරණව, රෝගී බවට පත්වී, තම ජීවිතවලින් පවා සමුගන්නා අය ද සිටිති.

අපට අපගේ ජීවිත කාලයේදී සෑදෙන විවිධ අමාරු අතරින් සුලභවම සෑදෙන අමාරුව කුමක් දැයි ඔබ දන්නවාද? සැබවින් ම අපට වැඩියෙන් ම සෑදෙන අමාරුව වන්නේ හිතේ අමාරුවයි. එයට හේතුව අප එදිනෙදා කියන කරන හැම දෙයක් ම සමඟ ඍජුවම බැඳී පවතින්නේ අපගේ සිත බැවිනි.

නිතර නිතර ඇතිවන හිතේ අමාරු නිසා කලක් ගතවන විට විශාදය (Depression) වැනි මානසික රෝග ඇතිවිය හැකි ය. එසේ ම සිත ලෙඩ වන විට අපගේ ගත ද ලෙඩ වීම වැළැක්විය නොහැකි ය.

එහෙත් හදිසියේ, අනපේක්ෂිත ලෙස ඇතිවන සිත් තැවුල මීට වඩා වෙනස් ය. එය සිදුවන්නේ යම් කිසි සිදුවීමක් ඇසුරු කරගෙන ය. ඉහත සඳහන් කළ උදාහරණවලට අමතරව, වෙනත් හේතු ද ඊට තිබිය හැකි ය. උදාහරණ ලෙස යම් සමීපතම පුද්ගලයෙකුගේ මරණයක් හෝ දැඩි ගිලන් බවක්, යම් ජයග්‍රහණයක් අහිමි වීමක්, අධික බයට පත්වීමක් වැනි දෙයක් වුව ද විය හැකියි.

එවැනි අවස්ථාවකදී අපගේ සිතත්, ගතත් දැඩි වෙනසකට භාජනය වෙයි.

ඇතැම් අය එකවරම සිහිසුන් වෙති. එය එක් අතකට ආරක්ෂක ක්‍රමවේදයක් යැයි සිතිය හැකිය. දැඩි කම්පනයක් එක දිගට දරාගෙන සිටීම අපට අහිතකර දෙයකි. ඇතැම් අය හඬමින් හෝ කෑගසමින් තමන්ගේ පීඩනය එළියට මුදාහරිති. දැඩි පීඩනයක් හිත තුළ සිරකර තබාගන්නවාට වඩා එය මුදාහැරීම හොඳ දෙයකි.

හිත ශක්තිමත් අයට නම් ජීවිතයේ ඕනෑම දෙයක් විඳදරා ගත හැකි ය. නමුත් එම හැකියාව සෑම කෙනෙකුටම නැත.

ප්‍රබල සිත් තැවුලක් ඇතිවූ විගස බොහෝ අය කරන්නේ තම ප්‍රිය මනාප අයගෙන්, සමාජයෙන් වෙන් වී හුදකලාව සිටීමට උත්සාහ කිරීමයි. එයට හේතුව එම දුකට හේතුවූ ගැටලුව විසඳා ගැනීමට වත් හිතට ශක්තියක් නැති වීම ය. ඔවුහු කරකියා ගැනීමට කිසිවක් නැතිව අසරණ වෙති. ඉදිරියට කළ යුතු දේ පිළිබඳව කිසිවක් සිතා ගැනීමටවත් නොහැකි තත්ත්වයට පත්වෙති. ඒ නිසා සමහරු ජීවිතය එපා වී සිය දිවි නසාගන්න තත්ත්වයට පවා පත්වෙති.

එවැනි තත්ත්වයට පත්වූ ඇතැම් අය කලහකාරී ලෙස ද හැසිරෙති. අධික කෝපයෙන් තමාව පීඩාවට පත්කළ අයගෙන් පළි ගැනීමට පවා පෙලඹෙති. ඇතැමුන් උත්සාහ කරන්නේ අනුන්ගෙන් නොව තමාගෙන් ම පළි ගැනීමට ය. තමන්ට ම දඬුවම් ලබාදීමට ය. මේ නිසා ඔවුහු හුදකලා වී සියලු වැඩ කටයුතු නවතා දමා නොකා නොබී සිටීමට උත්සාහ කරති.‍

කිසිවෙකුටත් තමන්ට ළං වීමට ඉඩ නොදී තමන්ගේ ම හිතට ඉබි යතුරු දමාගෙන සිටිති. දුක විඳවීමම තම ජීවිතය කරගෙන සිටිති. ඇතැම් අය මත්පැන් මත්ද්‍රව්‍ය වල පිහිට පතති.

ඒ දේවල් ඉතාම වැරදි ය. සිතෙන් ගතෙන් සෞඛ්‍යයට අහිතකර ය‍. එලෙස හැසිරීම නිසා ඔවුහු අනිවාර්යයෙන් ම රෝගීන් බවට පත් වෙති. නැතහොත් දැනටමත් ඔවුන් සතු රෝග ඇත්නම් ඒවා උත්සන්න වෙයි. ඒ නිසා එවැනි හදිසි සිත්තැවුලක් ඇති වූ විට ක්‍රියා කළ යුතු ආකාරය පිළිබඳව අවබෝධයක් තිබීම වැදගත් ය.

පහත දක්වා තිබෙන්නේ එවැනි අවස්ථාවලදී යොදාගත හැකි උපක්‍රම කීපයකි.

දුක සැප බෙදා ගැනීමට හොඳ හිත මිතුරන් අවශ්‍යයි

දුකට පත්වූ අය කළයුතු වන්නේ සමාජයෙන් හුදකලා වී තනිවී සිටීම නොව තමන්ට වඩාත් ප්‍රිය මනාප පුද්ගලයන් වැඩි වැඩියෙන් ඇසුරු කිරීම ය. එලෙස වෙනත් අය සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කිරීම මඟින් තමන්ගේ දුක තුනී වී යයි. දුක සැප බෙදා ගැනීම සඳහා ඕනෑ ම කෙනෙකුගේ ජීවිතයට හොඳ නෑදෑ හිත මිතුරන් සිටිය යුතු යැයි කියන්නේ ඒ නිසා ය.

යම් නිවසක අවමඟුලක් සිදුවූ සැණින් ඒ අවට සිටින නෑදෑ හිත මිතුරන් එම නිවසට රොක් වන්නේ ඒ නිසා ය. තම ඥාතියෙකු ගේ හදිසි වියෝව නිසා දැඩි කම්පනයට පත්වී සිටින එම නිවැසියන්ට එය මහත් සහනයකි‍. තමන්ගේ ආහාර පාන ආදී මූලික කටයුතු වත් කරගත නොහැකිව සිටින අයට අන් අයගේ උදවු අත්‍යවශ්‍ය වෙයි.

පෞද්ගලික ප්‍රශ්න හිතේ තද කරගෙන නොසිට මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක උපදෙස් පතන්න

ඕනෑම දුක් මුසු සිදුවීමකින් පසුව ඇති වන සිත් තැවුල කාලයත් සමඟ සංසිඳී යන බව අප අත්දැකීමෙන් දනිමු. නමුත් බොහෝ දෙනෙකුට ඇති ගැටලුව එසේ තම සිත සාමාන්‍ය තත්ත්වයට පත් වන තුරු කාලය ගත කරන්නේ කෙසේද යන්නයි. ඒ සඳහා ඉහත සඳහන් කළ පරිදි තමන්ගේ නෑදෑ, හිත මිතුරන්ගේ ඇසුර පොත්පත්, පුවත්පත් කියවීම, වෙනත් ප්‍රදේශයක සංචාරය කිරීම වැනි කටයුත්තක් කළ හැකි ය.

ඇතැම් අයගේ ගැටලු ඉතා පෞද්ගලික ප්‍රශ්න වන අතර ඒවා කිසිවෙකුටත් පැවසීමට අපහසු ය. ඒ නිසා ඔවුහු ඒවා තම සිත් තුළ ම හිර කරගෙන සිතින් විඳවති.

එවැනි අයට මනෝ විද්‍යාත්මක උපදේශන සහ මනෝ චිකිත්සක ක්‍රමවල පිහිට ලබාගත හැකි ය. බටහිර රටවල නම් බොහෝ දෙනෙක් එවැනි මනෝවිද්‍යාත්මක උපක්‍රම වෙත නැඹුරු වෙති. නමුත් අප රටේ ඒ සඳහා ඇති නැඹුරුව ඉතා අඩු වීම කනගාටුවට කරුණකි.

අමිහිරි සිදුවීම් බලෙන් අමතක කිරීමට උත්සාහ ගැනීම නිෂ්ඵල ක්‍රියාවක්

තමන් එම සිදුවීමට මුහුණ දුන් පරිසරයෙන් තාවකාලිකව ඉවත් වී වෙනත් තැනකට යාම ද සුදුසු උපක්‍රමයකි. පැරණි පුද්ගලයන් සහ ස්ථාන මුණ ගැසෙන විට නැවතත් තමන්ගේ සිත පෑරීමට ඉඩ තිබේ. එසේ ම ඇතැම් අය එම අමිහිරි සිදුවීම අමතක වීම සඳහා වෙනත් වැඩ කටයුතුවල නිරත වෙති. වැඩ වැඩියෙන් කරති. තම ජීවිතය කාර්ය බහුල කර ගනිති. එවිට දුක්මුසු දේ ගැන සිතන්නට හෝ සිතෙන්නට වත් වෙලාවක් නැති වෙයි.

යම්කිසි අමිහිරි සිදුවීමක් බලෙන් අමතක කිරීමට ඇතැම් අය උත්සාහ කරති. එය අසාර්ථක දෙයක් බව කිව යුතු ය. අප යම් දෙයක් අමතක කිරීම සඳහා උත්සාහ දරන විට එය වැඩි වැඩියෙන් මතකයට නැඟී එයි. ඒ නිසා ඒ වෙනුවට කළ යුත්තේ එම සිදුවීම මතක් කිරීමට හෝ අමතක කිරීමට විශේෂ උත්සාහයක් නොගෙන වෙනත් වැඩ වල නිරත වීමයි. එවිට කාලයත් සමඟ සිතේ ඇති පීඩාව තුනී වී යයි. එම සිදුවීම සාමාන්‍ය දෙයක් ලෙස හැඟීමට පටන් ගනියි.

සමහර ප්‍රශ්නවලට පිළිතුරු ලැබෙන්නේ නියම කාලය පැමිණි විට ය

දැඩි කම්පනයකට මුහුණදීමෙන් පසුව ඉදිරියේදී කුමක් කළ යුතු ද යන ප්‍රශ්නය නිතර නිතර අපගේ සිතට නැ‍ඟෙන දෙයකි.

එම සිදුවීමට මුහුණ දුන් පුද්ගලයාට ඔහුගේ සිත් තුළට ඉදිරිය පිළිබඳව ප්‍රශ්න වැලක් මතුව එයි. ඒවාට පිළිතුරු සොයා ගන්නේ කෙසේද යන ගැටලුව ද නිතර මතුව එයි.

එම ගැටලු සියල්ලට ම එකවර පිළිතුරු සොයා ගැනීමට නොහැකි ය. ඒවාට පිළිතුරු ලැබෙන්නේ නියම කාලය පැමිණි විට ය. එතෙක් එම ප්‍රශ්නවලට පිළිතුරු සෙවීම අසාර්ථක දෙයකි.

එබැවින් එම ප්‍රශ්න යම් පොතක සටහන් කර තබා ඒවාට පිළිතුරු සෙවීම නිතර කළ යුතු ය. කාලය විසින් ඒවාට පිළිතුරු ලබාදෙනු ඇත.

දුක අමතක කරන්න බෙහෙත් නෑ

හදිසි සිදුවීමකදී ඇතිවන සිත් කම්පනය සඳහා ඖෂධ ප්‍රතිකාර යොදා ගත හැකි දැයි ඇතැම් අය විමසා සිටිති. ඇත්තෙන්ම ඒ සඳහා ඍජු ඖෂධයක් නැත. දැඩි කම්පනය නිසා සිතේ හා සිරුරේ ඇතිවන විවිධ අතුරු ආබාධ සඳහා යම් යම් ඖෂධ ප්‍රතිකාර නිර්දේශ කරන අවස්ථා ඇත. කෙසේ වෙතත් මේ කාරණයේදී ඖෂධවලට කළහැකි දෙය අවමය. එයට හේතුව හිත හදාගත යුත්තේ හිතෙන්ම වීමය.

දුක අමතක කිරීමට මත්පැන් වල පිහිට පැතීම තරම් අනුවණ කමක් තවත් නැත. එසේ කරන්නේ ප්‍රශ්නයට මුහුණ දීමට අසමත් දුර්වල පුද්ගලයෝය. ප්‍රශ්නයට මුහුණ නොදී ප්‍රශ්නයෙන් පලායාම තවත් ප්‍රශ්න රාශියක් ඇති කරවිය හැකි දෙයකි. ‍

මානසික ගැටලුවලට මුහුණ දීමට කල් තියා සූදානම් වෙමු

ඉහත ආකාරයේ මානසික ගැටලු ඕනෑම කෙනෙකුට ඇති විය හැකි බැවින් ඒ සඳහා කලින් සූදානම් වී සිටීම ඉතා වැදගත්ය. ප්‍රශ්නයකට මැදිවී අසරණ භාවයට පත්වූවාට පසු එයට විසඳුම් සොයනවාට වඩා කල්තියාම ඒ සඳහා සූදානමකින් පසුවීම ද ඉතා වැදගත් වෙයි.

දැඩි කලකිරීමක් ඇති වූ අය සියල්ල අතහැර දමා එක්වරම භාවනා කිරීම සඳහා යති. තවත් අය එවැනි වෙනත් ක්‍රියාකාරකම්වල නිරත‍ වෙති. එම දේවල් හොඳ දේවල් වුවද, ගැටලුවකට මැදිවුණ පුද්ගලයෙකුට එකවරම එවැනි දේවල නිරත වීම ලෙහෙසි පහසු කාර්යයක් නොවේ. උදාහරණයක් ලෙස භාවනා කිරීම සඳහා ඉතා විශාල කැපවීමක් හා උත්සාහයක් අවශ්‍යය. ඊට අමතරව ඒ සඳහා සුදුසු පරිසරයක්, ගුරුවරුන් මෙන්ම හොඳ මානසික සෞඛ්‍ය මට්ටමක් අවශ්‍ය වෙයි. එය දැඩි ලෙස කලකිරීමෙන් පසුවන අයෙකුට කළහැකි දෙයක් නොවේ.

ඒ නිසා අප හොඳින් සිටින කාල සීමාවේදී යම් භාවනාවක් වැනි දෙයක් හුරු කළහොත් යම් දිනකදී ඉහත සඳහන් කළ ආකාරයේ කලකිරීමක් හෝ සිත් පීඩාවක් ඇති වූ විට හිත හදා ගැනීම පහසුය.

භාවනා කිරීම අපහසු අයට නිදහස් පරිසරවල කාලය ගත කිරීම, සෞම්‍ය සංගීතය හෝ ස්වාභාවික ශබ්දවලට සවන් දීම වැනි අභ්‍යාසවල නිරත විය හැකිය. සායනික මෝහන ප්‍රතිකාර ද ඒ සඳහා ඉවහල් වෙයි. මෝහන ක්‍රමය මඟින් ඍජුවම කෙනෙකුගේ යටි සිතෙහි තැන්පත් වී ඇති පීඩාවල්, කම්පන ආදිය ඉවත් කොට ඔහුව සුවපත් කළ හැකිය.

දුක් කරදර එන්නේ විඳවන්න නොව යමක් ඉගෙන ගැනීමට බව සිතට ගන්න

අපට ජීවිතයේ හමුවන ඕනෑම ගැටලුවකට අවසාන වශයෙන් විසඳුම පවතින්නේ ඒවා පිළිබඳව නිවැරදි අවබෝධය ලබාගැනීම තුළය. හදිසි කම්පන, සිත් තැවුල් ඇති වීම ලෝකයේ කිසිවෙකුටත් වෙනස් නොකළ හැකි ස්වභාවයකි. මේ නිසා තම ජීවිත අත්දැකීම් ඇසුරෙන් සහ වෙනත් ආකාරයෙන් ලබාගන්නා දැනුම ඇසුරෙන් තම සිත් ශක්තිමත් කරගත යුතුය. එවිට එම ඕනෑම තත්වයකට මුහුණ දීමට අවශ්‍ය ශක්තිය තමාට ලැබෙයි.

රට බෙදන්න ආවොත්, ඔලුව කඳ වෙන් කරනවා -හමුදාපති (No one can step outside the boundaries of democracy)

උතුරේ පලාත් සභා ඡන්ද ප්‍රතිඵලයෙන් කුල්මත් වී බෙදුම්වාදය ට යමෙක් ඉදිරිපත් වේ නම් ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් දැඩි පියවර ගන්නා බව හමුදාපති ලුතිනන් ජෙනරාල් දයා රත්නායක මහතා ප්‍රකාශ කර සිටියේය.

උතුරේ සංචාරයක නිරත හමුදාපතිවරයා මේ බව කියා සිටියේ වව්නියාවේ දී හමුදා සෙබළුන් අමතමිනි.

මේ දින වල ඡන්ද ප්‍රතිඵලයෙන් කුල්මත් වූ කණ්ඩායමක් ඒ අයට අවශ්‍ය වෙනම රාජ්‍යයක් ලැබුණු බව සිතා අනුවණ ආකාරයෙන් කටයුතු කිරීමට සැර සෙමින් හමුදාව පෙලඹවීමට එන්නේ නම්, ඔවුන්ට දැඩි දඬුවම් දීමට සිදු වනු ඇති බව ද හමුදාපතිවරයා කියා සිටියේය.

ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය තුළ සිටිනා තුරු සතුටින් සිටිය හැකි බව ද ප්‍රකාශ කළ හමුදාපති දයා රත්නායක මහතා , '' රට බෙදන්න ගියොත් රට නො වෙයි බෙදෙන්නේ ඒ අයගේ ඔලුව කඳ වෙන් වෙන්න පුළුවන්'' යනුවෙන් ද අනතුරු ඇඟවීමක් කළේය.

විනය විරෝධී වැඩ කරන හමුදා සෙබළුන්ට එරෙහිව තරාතිරම නො තකා දැඩි පියවර ගන්නා බව හමුදාපතිවරයා මෙහි දී කියා සිටියේ රතුපස්වල සිදු වූ හමුදා ප්‍රහාරය ද සිහිපත් කරමිනි.

-බිබිසි සංදේශය

Army Commander tells Wanni troops

Beware separatists: what happened to prabha?

No one can step outside the boundaries of democracy

Army Commander Lt. Gen. Daya Ratnayake said there will be no room for separatism on Sri Lankan soil in the future, and those who advocate separatism will be dealt with severely.

"No one will be allowed to step outside the boundaries of democracy to promote extremism and separatism," the Army Commander stated.

The Commander expressed these views during the second leg of his visit to the North which commenced from Vavuniya Tuesday (15) morning, when he arrived at the Security Force Headquarters, Wanni, to be received by Major General Boniface Perera, Commander.

"The world saw how we responded to those who attempted to do things this way in the past,'' he said while adding that people know what happened to Prabhakaran when he tried to separate the country.

Speaking at an event in Wanni, during his first visit to the area following his appointment, he also stated that those who are aware of what has happened in the past will not attempt to go back to those ways. At the parade square, the Commander was greeted to a Guard Turn-out and a Guard of Honour as part of military formalities before he was ushered to the main auditorium at the SFHQ-W where he spoke to a cross section of Wanni troops assembled there for the first time after assuming duties as the 20th Army Commander.

On Monday (14) the Commander was in Jaffna meeting all the troops serving the Security Force Headquarters-Jaffna before he flew to Vavuniya yesterday morning.

Later on, Major General Perera, Wanni Commander presented a briefing to the visiting Army Chief on the SFHQ-W roles and tasks as well as other nation-building projects in place during a separate meeting at the Conference Hall, attended by all ground commanders under the SFHQ-W.

A symbolic tree-planting and exchange of mementos took place before the conclusion of the visit to the SFHQ-W premises.

Later on, the Commander flew to the 54 Division Headquarters in Mannar where he addressed the troops. The day's next visit was to the 25 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Headquarters in Pompemadu,Vavuniya. The visiting Commander, continuing his day's itinerary visited the 561 Brigade Headquarters in Kanagarayankulam.

Concluding his itinerary, the Commander arrived at the 62 Division Headquarters in Welioya, Parakramapura where he interacted with the troops after addressing them.

The Army Chief during his separate speeches to the soldiers emphasized the importance of maintaining the highest degree of discipline and continuous training programs while supporting the country's development drive.

He reminded the soldiers of repercussions if anyone was found guilty for any anti-social act or breach of discipline. 

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Waiting

I was probably the last to leave the cemetery. The funeral pier was wildly ablaze against the waning light of the evening sky. The silence of the dead was occasionally interrupted by the crackle of the burning cinders. Unable to shift my gaze from the fire, I kept seeing the pensive, expectant face of her in the inferno.

Mrs. Harriet Gamlath, the retired head mistress of the village school, affectionately known by the villagers as 'Guru Meniyo', was no more. Born in the village, and having served the district as a teacher, all her life, her ashes have now come to rest in her own soil.

Earlier in the afternoon, I joined the funeral procession that snaked through the narrow lanes leading to the cemetery located in the outskirts of the village. A high pitched melancholic tune of a flute complementing a dull repetitive beat of drums wrapped in white cloth, led the way, setting the emotional tone of the mourners. The villagers had worked hard to celebrate the life of their senior educationist: white flags, and arches made of tender coconut leaves adorned the way; banners with bold letters expressed their collective grief and their wish that she attains 'nirvana'; and white sand sprinkled on the route to the cemetery softened her path to her final destination. Her past pupils had insisted on carrying her coffin on their shoulders, taking on the task in turn, in groups.

The funeral procession reached its destination swelling the crowd that had already gathered around the pier. The majority were dressed in white, many carrying black umbrellas in anticipation of a downpour. Amongst them were many dignitaries - former colleagues, her former pupils who have reached great heights in their chosen professions and a few local politicians. Almost the whole village had turned up for the occasion. There was also a large contingent of Buddhist monks clad in yellow and ochre robes headed by the prelate of the local temple. They all gathered in quiet dignity, some engaged in a soft whisper. They exchanged memories about their association with the beloved teacher and lamented the irreplaceable loss to the community, or simply commented on the modest design of the funeral pier, which aptly reflected the humility and dignity of Mrs. Gamlath.

The monks sat in a crescent of chairs arranged in front of the funeral pier. The closest relatives sat on a mat beside the monks. Amongst them was Lakdas, her son, who cut a lonely figure, distinct by his clean- cut attire and mannerisms. He was noticeably uncomfortable in his posture. Sitting cross-legged and holding his head down, he was pulling on a blade of grass, trying to remove it from its stem. Deep in thought he was trying to hold back his grief rather unsuccessfully; a tear breaking its bounds and running down his cheek. But is sadness the only emotion he was experiencing at that moment? I wondered.

By tapping on the microphone in front of him and clearing his throat, the head priest signaled the start of the funeral orations. The whispering in the crowd subsided.

"Today we are gathered to pay our last respects to one of the most esteemed teachers this district has produced", he said. A cool evening breeze swept across the deadly silence interrupted only by the call of a raven and the flapping of its wings. "This was a natural end to a very fortunate and productive life of eighty-six years", continued the priest in his dignified manner."This should be a happy celebration of a wonderful life rather than a day of grieving". He narrated in detail, her commitment to her profession, her family, and her active role in the past, in various charitable and welfare activities in the village. He revealed that Mrs. Gamlath had confided in him about several requests by her son to join him and his family overseas but that she had refused to do so wishing to live and die in her own village. Many eyes turned to Lakdas at this stage; he was still keeping his head down, deep in contemplation. "She was part of this land - her soul firmly bound to the gravel path, the village school, the paddy field and the village temple". He added that she led her life according to Buddhist principles. "As the Buddha preached, everything is impermanent....and that is reality.....and she was more fortunate than most of us would be having passed away in her sleep. In keeping with our spiritual beliefs she may have accumulated sufficient merit, in this life to shorten her journey towards Nirvana....and let us all pray that she will attain that ultimate goal".

A senior educationist who was a colleague of Mrs. Gamlath and her late husband spoke next. "As a teacher she was without peer. She made teaching an art form that most of our contemporary teachers could emulate. In her professional life she was a guiding light to many of her junior colleagues who came to her for advice. I know many of them are here today to pay their respects. She knew the background of each and every child in her class, and she considered it her personal responsibility to raise the educational standard of the more deprived children, especially when she was appointed as headmistress. It was because of her motherly nature that she came to be affectionately known as 'guru meniyo' by successive generations of her pupils". With a change of pace, he remarked, "I remember she was particularly skillful in reciting poems, vividly dramatizing their content and deeply engaging her pupils", drawing an approving response in the form of a controlled laughter from a section of the crowd.

At the conclusion of this eulogy a local politician who offered to say "a few words" was politely dissuaded by a family elder stating that it was the expressed wish of Mrs. Gamlath to keep her funeral proceedings to a minimum. Following a brief 'thank you speech' by the elder, the coffin was placed in the pier and was ignited in accordance with tradition, by two nephews of the diseased clad in white, carrying torches, after they performed the ritual of circling the pier three times in opposite directions.

As custom demanded, the closest friends and relatives of the deceased were expected to gather at the 'funeral house' in the wake of the cremation. A simple meal of rice and curry, prepared by volunteers from the village awaited them. Preparations of dried fish and pumpkin were invariably included in the menu. The atmosphere at the house was much more relaxed. The gathering provided the opportunity for many to 'catch up' with long lost friends and relatives and to renew their relationships. Some reminisced about their school days and their association with the teacher they loved, reminding each other of little incidents, yarns and even romances between fellow students to spice up the conversation triggering an occasional laughter. A few were engaged in deep conversation about their work and issues relating to their employment while others indulged in conversations about politics or just light-hearted natter. Many were gathered around Lakdas to express their condolences and to inquire about his future plans. He regretted that his wife and children were unable to attend due to work and study commitments respectively. He added that he had to return to Australia soon as several of his research projects had reached their final stage. Turning to me, he said he was eager to meet me and thank me for the support I had given his mother. "You were mentioned in almost every letter she sent me over the last couple of years", he said. I felt honoured.

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I first met Mrs. Gamlath at her gate, nearly two years ago. Propped by her walking stick, she held on to the shaky gate post-a scene that became familiar to me over a period. She appeared at the gate more often than not at mid morning on Thursdays as she has come to realize that overseas post was delivered on that day. She waited with anticipation for the postman to arrive, often stating that she came out just to stretch her legs. The day she received a letter from overseas she would rush back to her home with less reliance on her walking stick; her equally enthusiastic dog following her.

On other days Mrs. Gamlath was given to sitting in her armchair in the front verandah of her home, watching the occasional passer-by on the gravel path to the village bazaar a mile away. Old and frail she rested her legs on a stool comforted by the cool breeze that swept through the coconut grove that surrounded her home. Her companion, the dog Sunaka sat beside her curled up and panting with its tongue out as if it had run a mile getting up occasionally to chase its tail and returning to its comfortable position.

"You must be Senarath Dissanayake's son?" she asked me one day, as she stood by the gate. I stopped and respectfully nodded in acknowledgement. "You look very much like your father. He was a colleague of mine... a member of my staff for many years", she said in a commanding voice. "His death was a big loss...you don't find good teachers like him anymore". I was both saddened and flattered to hear about my father from this grand old lady. After holding me to a lengthy conversation regarding my family and the welfare of its members she released me to hurry my way to my lectures at the university.

Meeting Mrs. Gamlath at her gate on most Thursdays became a regular event for me. She would engage me in a conversation regarding my studies and my teachers. I began to appreciate and feel benefited by my acquaintance with this lady whom I came to realize was of great 'social worth'. She encouraged me in my studies, inquiring about my progress and the grades I have achieved, always emphasizing the need to serve the village I was born to, after my graduation. I noticed a covert pressure for me to take up teaching as a profession.

On one such meeting, Mrs. Gamlath invited me to her home. I felt privileged to have been given access to this grand old home, respectfully known by the villagers as 'guru gedara' - the teachers' residence-and held in awe by them as the 'home of the learned'. As our relationship grew I became a regular visitor to be greeted initially by Sunaka who rushed out wagging his tail. I was often led to the 'drawing room' where a set of ageing ebony furniture surrounded a worn out Afghan carpet. A pair of mounted elephant tusks arched over a couch and framed the fading photograph of her late husband. A grandfather clock -with its arms stuck in the past-stood against the opposite wall. In the dining area two antique cupboards stored crockery of a bygone era. And in the so called office room, on one end of the corridor, a large collection of time-worn books and bundles of paper were gathering dust. Soon after we sat for a chat we were served with tea by Laisa, the ageing maid, who came in limping, with cups and saucers shaking on a silver tray.

On one such visit, Mrs. Gamlath was eager to show me recent photographs of her two grand children-both in their school uniform. "This is Sudesh: he looks very much like his father....he too wants to be a research scientist like his father!" she said with a chuckle. "They say my granddaughter, Priya, is very much like me. This is her. I hope she will take up teaching...to continue with the family tradition".

"When did you last see them?" I asked.

"I have not seen them since they were over here for a wedding three years ago. I haven't even spoken to them since they left. You see, we don't have a telephone service to this part of the village. It is a major handicap for me. But even if I have a telephone connection, I can't communicate with them because I do not speak English, and they don't speak their mother tongue...how sad". She pulled out the drape of her saree to wipe a tear. "There is a lot they are missing out on. There are so many good things about our culture. There is so much I could contribute to in their upbringing....I only hope they will come back".

My visits to Guru Gedara became more frequent as I felt more comfortable and relaxed in the presence of Mrs. Gamlath. I was inspired by her wealth of experience and the wisdom that came with age. She too appeared to be benefited by my company, and spoke freely about anything - her childhood and youth; her marriage, which was idolized; her commitment to her profession; her past pupils; and her teaching strategies. She also confided in me about her son, his family, and her regret regarding their recent decision not to return to their country of birth to live.

As months passed by, Mrs. Gamlath was seen less often at the gate. It appeared that, gradually, her spirit was breaking. She found it an effort to raise a smile. She was less steady on her feet. Her flower plants in pots in the verandah were starting to droop. From time to time she appeared preoccupied and non-attentive. The 'bana potha' that she often read stayed open on the same page. One day Laisa whispered in my ear that 'madam' hardly ate what was brought to the table. When asked about her absence at the gate she muttered, with her head turned down: "I waited for his letters, I waited for 'him 'and his family....now there is only one thing for me to wait for".

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Almost a year had passed since the death of Mrs. Gamlath. Having graduated from University I found employment in the capital city. But whenever I returned to my village, I stopped at the gate of guru gedara and gazed at the grand old home of guru meniyo with a heavy heart. Weeds have started to invade the foot-path that led to the house. The flower pots have disappeared. The roof was cluttered with decaying leaves. Stray cattle have crossed the fallen boundary fences, and were seen feasting on the overgrown grass in the coconut grove.

Is food addiction a step closer to formal diagnostic status?

Food addiction is not yet recognised as a mental disorder but certain obese individuals clearly display addictive-like behaviour towards food. To achieve a formal diagnostic status, ‘food addiction’ requires a stronger evidence base to support the claim that certain ingredients have addictive properties identical to addictive drugs of abuse. This topic is up for debate in the session, ‘Binge eating obesity is a food addiction'.

This year's fifth edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) recognises ‘binge eating disorder’ (BED) as distinct from Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa, but it remains debatable whether BED is underpinned by an addiction disorder and should be prevented and treated like other addictive disorders.

The new category ‘Substance related and addictive disorders’ in DSM-5 combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and substance dependence into a single disorder measured on a continuum from mild to severe.

Importantly, the term ‘dependence’ is not used any more in DSM-5, because most people link dependence with addiction when, in fact, dependence can be a normal body response to a substance.

Speaking at the 26th ECNP Congress Professor Suzanne Dickson, neuroscientist from the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden said, “the introduction of ‘addictive disorders’ allows classification of behavioural addiction for the first time, for example with pathological gambling, but this does not apply to food addiction.

Although there might be neurobiological and clinical overlaps between ‘addictive-like’ overeating and substance related and addictive disorders, a major difference is that is that food consumption, unlike alcohol, cocaine, or gambling or internet gaming behaviour, is necessary for survival.”

“A subgroup of obese patients indeed show ‘addictive-like’ properties with regard to overeating, such as loss of control,” continued Prof Dickson, “but this does not automatically mean they are addicted.”

According to some studies, at least 10-15 percent of obese individuals suffer from BED. However, BED also occurs in people that are normal weight.

The term ‘food addiction’ has been coined by the popular press and by many sufferers as a reasonable explanation for their predicament. Studies exploring the brains of obese patients that score highly for food addiction on the Yale

Food Addiction Scale show that certain areas known to be involved in reward and addiction have an altered response to both images of appetising foods and even to the taste of food.

However, more evidence is needed to support inclusion of food addiction as a diagnostic category.

Prof Dickson said: “This evidence itself is insufficient to support the idea that food addiction is a mental disorder.

- Medicalxpress