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Morning Spice by
Ginger Often the question of sea erosion is glossed over without due thought being given to the threat it poses to those who live on the coast line. Ginger was watching TV news the other night where they showed even a burial ground being pushed away. The sea had evidently come in at least 30 meters inwards dehousing many fisherfolk in the process possibly and also destroying quite a few coconut trees. Now this is a situation the authorities cannot merely watch and do nothing about. The history of the sea and receding shore lines has never been pleasant. In the South of course man has virtually offered the sea chunk's of island soil by mining. Patriotism may have been referred to as the refuge of scoundrels but concern for ones own surroundings if patriotism has become contumely in the present lexicon, is vital for those living in any location in any country. So far the official response to this warning cry has been rather slow and this is largely because of the corruption that goes on at a certain level. Unless the powers that be address this problem the situation would lead to thousands being pushed further back and millions lost as a result of the sea coming into the land. A special committee to deal with the situation should be set up without delay. A coffee cup will cheer you Over eighty thousand nurses between thirty five and sixty were involved in the study. At the end of it they discovered that those who drank over two cups of coffee a day were sixty five percent or so less likely to commit suicide than those who don't. This really stunned many critics of the coffee habit because coffee drinkers often consume alcohol and smoke and are often under stress. World's Oldest Person Maria was born a slave in Brazil. About a year or so ago she stole the spotlight at a carnival in Rio. She rode on top of red and gold float and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. The authorities ofcourse ever mindful of her age had an ambulance following her all the way. Serious action should be taken against killer bus drivers We read, hear and see in the national news media the death, destruction, disability, etc. caused daily by the so-called drivers of busses. If statistics are taken an average of three persons a day are either killed, disfigured or crippled by the bus drivers on the roads of Sri Lanka. We see reports of buses ramming in to other vehicles or knocking down persons, hitting lamp posts, or ending up in paddy fields and sometimes inside buildings. The reports denote only mishaps in which buses are involved directly. How many reports are received of this six-wheeled menace on the street, the bus, driving other road uses off the street and continuing on careless. How many reports are received of people falling off buses due to the negligent and careless driving? If any person could devote some of his/her time and observe the bus on the street how many offences would one see? How roadworthy are the public transport vehicles. Do the lights work properly in the night? Do the direction indicators work? The above is mechanical. Overloading, how about the nuisance the buses cause on the street, by stopping outside bus halts, stopping point blank on the road, obstructing all other vehicles that follow, cutting directly on to incoming traffic when pulling out of bus stops, especially trying to overtake another parked bus. The wrong use of the horn. Most drivers have a habit of sounding the horn to attract passengers to his bus when approaching bus stops causing sound pollution and being a nuisance. All this happens right under the nose of the police. Can the Inspector General of Police publicly state how many bus drivers have been spot fined or charged for breaking the motor transport laws of the country. I request the authorities concerned to take serious note of the above and take remedial action to correct the bus driver murderers of Sri Lanka, before the bus becomes the major destroyer of Sri Lanka and not terrorism. Tissa Jayaweera, Lankans use 10.5 million condoms per year We Sri Lankans living under the various races termed as Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims, Malays & Burghers, are lusty, or gusty eaters and consume with utmost relish our local dishes, such as rice & curries, prepared with generous proportions of spices and chillies. A second favourite with us is the taste acquired for ‘Chinese’ food, and this taste is amply supported, when in every conceivable town there is a Chinese Restaurant! Of course our brethren who have lived in the West, go crazy over their newly acquired taste for bacon and eggs, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and what not! However reading the mornings Island Newspaper (dated 30th June 98) which is a ‘MUST’ with my morning cuppa, I was astounded to read a headline that Sri Lankans use 10.5 million condoms a year. Of course this was not so astounding when I read further down, that of all the imported condoms by the Family Planning Association and Private sector, to keep ‘sex ticking’, a Belgium Firm has manufactured condoms with a flavour. Well! Well! being rather old fashioned and old aged, these were not even thought of during the good old days and every thing was ‘neat’ and tidy, with no fear of AIDS. Getting back to my desertion on Lankan food. I thought that we would never come to the stage, where after the first course of rice and curry, we would have to eat ‘flavoured’ condoms for the second course which is generally fruit or a sweet. Intercourse is fun, but should we eat our condoms when the job is done, however much it is flavoured, this is what this enterprising Belgian Company wants us to do? For old fashioned me, flavoured condoms, may be good & safe to put on but definitely not to ‘chew the cud’ when the fun is over!! Rexy Where are all Susanthika's supporters? When she had a problem with a powerful person a few months ago, opposition politicians, media personnel, feminists, lawyers, her fans and even some government politicians, not only supported her but actively campaigned to bring justice to this great athlete. Today everyone seems to be silent. This is all the more surprising because there is overwhelming evidence to show that she is victimised by powerful people, just because she did not continue to yield in to their demands, as reported in the media. Didn't the baladariya try to resign, when the cat was out of the bag, and was persuaded not to do so by his friends? Didn't he hire two rooms, in two separate hotels, during the Athens meet? Didn't he say I will teach her lesson? Didn't Susanthika protest about the manner in which the urine examples were taken and not sealed properly? There is enough evidence to show that revenge had been taken from her. In the meantime the media person who interviewed her was at the receiving end, getting thirty rounds of bullets to his house and vehicles. How can the country remain silent when a great injustice is meted out to the greatest woman athlete produced by Sri Lanka? How apt the words of Martin Luther King (Jr)? We shall have to repent in this generation, not for the cruelty of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. L. Jayawardena, Advocating the consultative system Dr. George R. Wijegunaratne has correctly pointed out in his recent letter, that the Consultative Committee system as the best recipe for our political ills that besiege the country today. It is indeed a very welcome food for thought and merits serious thinking; as he has rightly pointed out that this principle evolved is for a change in the parliamentarian practice followed today. The Executive Committees are inspired by the system of executive administration that prevailed consequent in the reforms of 1931 under what is popularly known as the Donoughmore Constitution. The formation of Executive Committees leading to a consultative system is provided for by draft Articles 134 and 135 of the proposed new constitution. The number of regional ministries as stipulated in the first schedule will be apportioned among the several political parties in proportion to the number of votes polled by such parties. Thus, political parties have the option of participating in executive government at the regional level. Also, all members of the regional council have the option of participating in an executive committee and contributing to executive governance in the region. The other important point raised by Dr. Wijegunaratne is that a change is desired to revert back to the first-past-the post electoral system, where each electorate is represented by an elected parliamentarian. This indeed is a prudent suggestion and undoubtedly it will be best reflected in the electoral representation system serving the electorate and the country much better. The confrontational attitudes and stances adopted in the past on partisan differences should cease forthwith. This system has led to bitterness, rancour and even violence. The challenge now is to provide all Sri Lankans with an opportunity to face the new millennium and the challenges of the future with hope and to secure peace and prosperity for the future generations. J. P. Pathirana, Spare a thought for neighbours when celebrating birthdays Today celebrating birthdays has become a must in certain middle and upper class homes. The educated and sensible people who realise that the birthday celebration is entirely a private and personal affair and should not in any way cause an inconvenience to others celebrate in the quietest possible manner. But those who consider themselves socialites and trend-setters with little commonsense and the money to throw about make show of it with the maximum possible noise. Such celebrations start late in the evening and invariably go on till the wee hours of the following morning. The inevitable song and dance with hi-fi stereo sets at full blast, drumming and clapping becomes a nuisance to the neighbours - the elderly, the sick, students, infants, etc. who suffer in silence through sheer need to maintain (or pretend?) good relations. People have to spend sleepless nights for the enjoyment of one family. With a few rounds of drinks and or youthful enthusiasm the tempo rises and gradually songs of some tolerable taste give way to those of poor and low taste with a'go' in them. Singing deteriorates to some kind of raucous braying and in the middle of a song someone in the crowd would suddenly change over to another and so the singing becomes an intolerable cacophony with screams, peels of loud laughter and shouting. Those twisting and turning in their beds unable to fall asleep are thus doubly trotted by this cacophony those enjoying the fund being blissfully ignorant or mercilessly indifferent to the sufferings of their fellowmen. We are said to be a highly civilised nation. But can we claim to be a disciplined lot today. The situation was not so a few decades ago. The people were far more disciplined and considerate, and would not wittingly cause any inconvenience to others. But the modern culture is far, far different. The more noise they make the more cultured they are! In western countries and those with a western background where celebrating birthdays is the accepted custom people make sure that the celebrations cause no annoyance to others. In certain Christian countries not single cracker is lit on Christmas or New Year eve whereas in Sri Lanka certain people squander thousands on ushering the so-called good day, again to the utter annoyance of neighbours. Having said the above as a preamble I would now make the following earnest appeal. 'My dear good neighbours, please do henceforth treat birthdays, etc. as strictly private and personal affairs and enjoy yourself in the quietest possible manner without disturbing my much needed sleep and causing heartburn. If you really think that all that noise is a must please hold the celebration in a hotel. You will have to spend more but it will serve as a good ego booster and we will be spared the inconvenience. Just as you have the right to celebrate any occasions you like, I have also an inalienable right coming from birth to enjoy a good night's sleep after a hard day. Please do not deny my right the next time you decide to hold a tamasha. Let me also remind you that I have never ever caused any disturbance in the neighbourhood, and so I expect you to reciprocate. You have no right whatsoever to disturb the neighbourhood after 10 p.m. 'I have also to tell you very frankly that after a sleepless night caused by you I will not be temperamentally inclined to give you the usual hearty smile (or the grin if you prefer that) and the friendly wave when I see you the next morning. 'I am sorry I have to remain anonymous because, otherwise, you will think that I am feeling jealous of you and because of the need to continue our good (?) relations that have existed so far.' Silent Sufferer, Doctors mustn't be swayed by money' I like to make a comment to the article which appeared in the features column in your newspaper on 28-06-98. I agree totally with the heading. But I think the newspaper should use its considerable powers to show the shortcomings of the Ministry of Health, particularly regards the Teaching Hospitals. It is becoming increasingly common to see fully qualified consultants return from training abroad, to be sent to hospitals to 'start a unit'! They are not given a ward, doctors, nurses, operating theatre time or basic equipment. Since it is the Ministry itself who give the release for these doctors to go abroad, they are well aware as to who and what specialist is training abroad. This gives the ministry adequate time (2-3 years usually) to plan the unit. But the Planning Unit of the Ministry fail to do so again and again. To make it worse the Ministry have a Specialist Cadre, set according to the needs of the country and published and distributed to all the hospitals. But they advertise the vacancy in only some of the hospitals, suppressing others. This is not acceptable in the case of higher-specialist units (Neurology, Neurosurgery, Genito-Urinary Surgery, ENT Surgeons etc.) and Teaching Hospitals as it retards the development of some of the, thus retarding the medical students and postgraduate students in some of the Teaching Hospitals. It is time the Ministry and the Director Planning in particular, did something about it. By advertising all the planned units in the teaching hospitals, and by allowing the specialists and the even postgraduates who are undergoing training in these specialities to apply. Then they could start developing the infrastructure well in hand, so that the specialists do not come to waste a couple of years running up and down to the ministry trying to develop their Units! While I am comfortably set in the NHSL, now, I too underwent this experience at the beginning in another Teaching Hospital. I do hope that the reporters of your newspaper should go around the Teaching Hospitals (the ones to set 'standards in care') and see for themselves. A Medical Specialist I too would like to join the funny group! Here are four funny notices that I have come across. 1. 'Antiques made to Order'. 2. Trespassers will be persecuted'. 3. 'Go slow - bride under repairs'. ('Bride' for bridge) 4. 'No flowers by request'. (This is found in most obituaries. The idea conveyed by this is, that flowers should be sent only if requested). It should be 'No flowers please'. Canon Gamini Seresinhe |
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