      |
|
|
|
Morning Spice by Ginger
Instant laundries - easing work load of housewifeThe one thing that does not seem to have caught on here as in the west are instant laundries where you bring your clothes and wait till they are done and read a magazine or something to take your boredom away while you wait. True the washing machine has done much to minimize your visit to the laundry and has made the man who called at home with the washing superflous. There are however some items that cannot be washed too well in domestic machines.
These items need tougher handling that only heavy duty machines are capable of. That is why such units in more crowded areas and places where there are housing schemes and such would play a useful role in easing the work load of the housewife and also be a viable business prospect. There are yet a few more services that could be offered the family on an area basis to make life more convenient for the average middle class family. It has been the most heavily battered income group after the total conversion to the market economy and any relief will be welcomed.
Popular drugs
Medical science has produced some drugs that produce some very sensational results. Among them are those that boost an individuals performance in various things. They are Anabolic steroids and tetesterone is one of the most popular of them. These hormones get the body to pump out more animo acids such as creative.On the other hand there are certain draw backs in taking such hormones. You may have a higher cholesterol level, lose your temper or even develop liver disease or some form of cancer. Males can develop low sperm counts while women may lose hair on their heads and get it in the face instead. Their breasts may shrink and it may affect normal menstrubation.
Different social habits
Each country has different manners and what it considers proper ettiquette. Now with travel getting so common and many locals visiting foreign countries it may be worth knowing some of the common customs in use. Each country in one particular region may have different social habits.Now take Singapore for instance. Once you go there be sure not to point at any one with your fore finger (bad manner anywhere) but if you are compelled to do so do it with your thumb or else it could be interpreted to mean an obscene gesture. If you are in Russia be carefull not to shake hands with anyone on the threshold. You could bring that individual back luck.
Valachchenai and Embilipitiya for years were the factories of the National Paper Corporation which manufactured new paper out of woody matter, as well as waste paper. The manufacture of paper out of hay or other plant material released a black liquor, which is the waste water which when directly discharged into water bodies lead to the death of fish. This manufacturing process also required the use of imported chemicals. On the other hand the manufacture of new paper using the waste paper does not either require the usage of imported chemical nor produce waste water harmful to the environment. The recycling of waste paper which include materials such as bus tickets, exercise books, magazines, boxes, torn pieces of paper as well as cardboard boxes is done by dissolving these material in water. During the high speed rotation of these materials in water the fibres which make up the paper separates out. The separated fibres are taken, cleaned and formed into a new paper using a pressor equipment.
The recycling of waste paper to form new paper had the advantage of enabling people to collect the waste paper and sell it to the National Paper Corporation. The people who earned an income through this way are the poor, who had the choice between stealing and earning an income through the hard way. They generally collected waste paper that were on the roadsides, at companies or shops or at the dump sites. The amount of money paid by the National Paper Corporation for the waste paper ranged from Rs. 1.75 per kilogram to Rs. 8.00 per kilogram.
Unfortunately all the recycling of paper activities came to a halt with the closuer of the factory. At the time of closuer of the factory already through out the island programs were launched through Multi-Purpose Corporatives and through local authorities and through the schools to collect waste paper.
National Paper Corporation earned a net profit of Rs. 72 million in 1995, this went up to Rs. 101 million in 1996. But due to some odd reason which no one even discussed the net profit in 1997 came down to Rs. 13 million. The questions one can raise regarding this sudden drop can point to bad management or deliberate attempt by the heirarchies to shut down the mill.
Two factors played a significant role in closing Valachchenai. The main reason is the budget cut on paper imports duty from 35% to 10%. This allowed a large flow of new paper, recycled paper from foreign countries to Sri Lanka. Though in 1995 the president herself was informed by the writer regarding the negative effects of this lowering of duty, no action was taken. The Presidential Secretariate informed that if there is a sufficient production of paper in the country they would increase the duty. At the time of closing of Valachchenai factory the total quantity of newly manufactured paper in the factory stores was 5000 tons. Infact upto 1995 monthly 50 lakhs worth of waste paper was sold to India by the private companies. By creating an awareness in the country the waste paper was diverted instead to our local industries. All that effort has now been a real waste.
The second reason for the closure of Valachchenai lies in the fact that the Government Press, and the State Printing Corporation did not buy paper from the National Paper Corporation, instead they brought paper for printing even exercise books from foreign countries.
The closure of the paper recycling industry of Valachchenai is sad. As a result the places where waste paper was bought are closed. People who earned an income through collecting paper are lost and may learn to steal to live. All this happened because of an unplanned, inconsiderate budget and the carefree attitude of the Government Press and the local Printing Corporations. Embilipitiya too will be closed soon. Should the politicians always be given the chance decide on National issues?
Why can't the people of Sri Lanka also make decision. With regard to this situation regarding the recycling of paper the people of Sri Lanka must decide before its too late. We Sri Lankans must hold on to, protect and improve what is ours rather than loose it.
Dr. (Mrs.) Ajantha Perera,
Founder, National Program on
Recycling of Solid Waste
Traffic lights at Dehiwala roundabout - a bright idea
Would a kind soul kindly enlighten us Sri Lankans as to who was responsible for the installation of traffic lights at the Dehiwala roundabout?
If ever there is a prize awarded such a prize should be awarded to the person behind this move. Quite apart from the fact that Sri Lankans are perhaps the most indisciplined drivers in the world with private buses and trishaws blatantly violating road rules and even ignoring traffic lights, its a chaotic situation that has to be seen and experienced to believe. I have never witnessed such confusion at a roundabout in any country be it East or West, as I have at the Dehiwala roundabout.
R. de Silva.
Uses and abuses of information Technology
There is now no human activity that has not been affected by Information Technology, be it in the field of medicine, engineering, science, education etc, its benefits have been enormous. It has broken down barriers of financial services, trade and even in warfare it has been given high priority. Hence the incentives offered in the budget for its development should be welcome specially as it will apart from other benefits, create many employment opportunities which are a crying need.
However, as had happened in the developed countries, there have also been harmful consequences which have become a matter of much concern. Exploting human craving for sensual pleasures, it has become a booming business for the pornography industry because, children, because of its ready access to Websites through the Internet, have been lured to its harmful influences, so much so, President Bill Clinton has recently signed "The Child Online Protection Act" into the law to prevent minors gaining access to what is aptly called Cyber smut. With incentives granted for the promotion of I.T., it will not be long before our children too, who are already exposed to salacious material through the print and electronic media, will have access to these Websites.
This is not a far fetched possibility as would have been observed by the recent Credit Card scandal. While acknowledging its benefits, it seems necessary that parents, teachers and the clergy should pay heed to its morally debasing effect on the up and coming generation on whom the future of our country rests, to prepare and plan ahead to eliminate or mitigate its baneful effects.
Tissa Amarasekera,
Kandy.
It had been reported in your valuable journal (29.12.98) that mobs in the Indian state of Gujarat had attacked churches, a missionary school and even nuns. This should have been avoided during the season of Christmas festivities.
The heinous activities of the infuriated mobs and the damages were given in detail. The United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCFHR) had released in detail the various violent incidents commited by the Hindu mobs, in the long news description.
Our inquisitiveness arose to know whether the church premises had been the birth place of any Hindu God as the place of the historical Ayodya mosque destroyed by the Hindus, led by a political leader. Words were minimised to express the reasons.
Hindu activists accuse Christians of converting the poor by force. But missionaries say they are only offering charity. The plausibility of their argument depends whether by charity given the poor Hindus have been converted to Christianity or they remain as Hindus irrespective of the financial assistance.
Recently, in Sri Lanka, financial charity had facilitated converting the poor to Christianity. In the north the poor Tamils and the low caste Hindus, and in the other parts the Veddha community is a glaring example. In the Matale district we met after a long time our family carpenter who was a Buddhist. His paternal grandfather was a staunch Buddhist who was a very popular Ayurvedic physician, of the area. The carpenter told us without any hesitation that he was no more a Buddhist. His entire family had become Christians. What made them Christians?
His reply was that the Christians (nuns) who visited their house as social service workers expressed their high sympathy on the condition of their house. Sympathetic feelings is their powerful bait. They promised to grant financial aid to reconstruct the house. They were induced to become Christians and the entire family did. Further he remarked that the Buddhist clergy are interested only in fleecing the Buddhists.
We advocate complete freedom for a person to follow any religion he/she is convinced of. Conviction should be by public lectures and religious literature. Communal pandemonium and destruction of property arise when they resort to other methods of conversion.
R. M. A. Latiff,
Katugastota.
India's nuclear testing - a rationale?
India's recent action in testing Nuclear Bombs came under wide criticism world-wide. Different countries condemned India's action for different reasons. Japan, the only country subjected to the horrors of atomic warfare on a large scale, was critical for reasons connected with memories of her own traumatic past. Many in the sub- continent took exception to India's action on the grounds the region must be kept free of nuclear weapons and warfare. While this debate lingers on, it is interesting to note global reaction - and, particularly by the well- informed sections of the media in the US and Europe - some of whom have gone to the extent of sympathising with India's action. While the US Government was vociferous and went to the extent of slapping down sanctions here's what the influential US Press has to say.
'The New York Post' in May 1998 said 'The Indians are uncomfortably aware that the US has turned a blind eye to the arming of hostile Pakistan by North Korea and China. They also know that China is building airfields and storing weapons on their Tibetan border and arming their other hostile neighbours in (Pakistan) and Burma'.
The influential 'Washington Post' said in June 1998 'China's immense population, its trade and market potential its place among the Permanent Five at the U.N. Security Council and its role as a nuclear power with a modernizing military. With these qualifications China has been able to win top priority and attention from U.S. government and business leaders ...The message sent by the Clinton foreign policy team has encouraged India to conclude that the most effective way to ensure that its interests are protected from an increasingly powerful Asian superpower, and to garner greater diplomatic and commercial attention from the West, is to remind the world of its nuclear deterrent capability.'
As friends of China and India, we are happy while in the process of both these Asian giants taking those necessary steps which they consider to be in their greater national interest of preparedness - both - countries in recent months have held many high-level talks aimed at narrowing differences between in a wide range of contentious issues - including border disputes. Happily, India and Pakistan too are engaged in official talks to reduce tension between them. We hope that these fraternal countries will soon succeed in reducing differences between them so that the need for them even to reluctantly go nuclear will not arise - so that the millions in the region are not subject to an already polluted environment further worsened by radio-active material.
A. Kandappah,
Colombo 7.
I was enlisted in the Ceylon Army on 1st June, 1951 in the rank of Sgt. and was posted to the Ceylon Artillery.
The conditions were that an OR could either serve for 22 years with the colours or on reaching the age of 55 years. To fulfil these conditions I had to sign a contract with the Ceylon Army to serve for 05 years and at the end of the 5th year I was permitted to sign another contract to serve for a further period of 07 years after which I was permitted to serve till I reached the age of 55 years.
This was not to be as the Army discharged me after having served for 15 years and 278 days. At the time of my discharge I was 51 years of age and held the rank of WO Class I.
If I were to have been discharged on reaching the age of 55 years, I should have been discharged on 2nd June, 1971 when I would have completed 19 years of service in the Ceylon Army.
I was not given the opportunity to serve till my proper date of discharge, but the Army counted my War Service in the Ceylon Garrison Artillery of 06 years and 78 days to make up for the 22 years service and discharged me with an endorsement in the Discharge Certificate that I had completed my service in the Army which is a miscarriage of justice. This rule did not apply to me only, but to all ORs who served in the World War.
Subsequently, a Gazette Notification was published on 15th November, 1970 bearing No. 14932/3 by the Minister of Public Administration, Local Government and Home Affairs that personnel who were discharged from the Ceylon Army on or before 1st October, 1968 are not eligible to contribute to the W & OP Fund. This Gazette Notification was published 03 years after my discharge, thus taking me unawares. If I was discharged on the due date, i.e. 2nd June, 1971, I could have contributed to the W & OP Fund and my wife would receive a pension.
I have explored all avenues to get this injustice resolved without any success.
The Special Provisions Act 30 of 1985 does not provide for a member either to be discharged or retired if that person had served in the former 'British Service' Establishment in Sri Lanka, but only to be reckoned on retirement for the purposes of determining the pension.
I have written to the Director Pay & Records under Registered Cover bearing No. 7942 dated 9th December, 1998 to clarify and awaiting a reply. It is doubtful that he would reply.
Therefore, it will be appreciated if the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army could reply.
Ex-Serviceman.
Readers of the Island would remember how that great document by that great novelist Arundathi Roy was hailed as the 'document of century ' by the Pro-imperialist fraternity world-over and by our own NGO-peacenik fraternity here. When the western world discovered this great novelist it was rather obvious to the more discerning that this discovery would not have been made in vain and that such discoveries are always made by the western world to serve some specific purpose in their agenda. Arundathi Roy no doubt played her role to their entire satisfaction, unburdening her conscience - striker soul and castigating the Indian government for producing bombs and not bread for the poverty striker masses. Now that the Indian Defence Analyst K. Subramanium has exposed in no uncertain terms the crass hypocrasy and the deceit practised by these western powers, we would like to know from our NGO fraternity, our Cat's Eye's what they have to say about that 'document of the century'.
Wimal Abeysingha,
Maharagama.
Ombudsman
Misuse of loudspeakersThere are so many letters written to the media on the misuse of loudspeakers by religious institutions in the propagation of their faith at the expense and discomfort of those living within their vicinity.
I am a resident living close to the old Wellawatte Spinning & Weaving Mill Complex and subject to this unwelcome barrage from two religious institutions, both of them very lavishly use their loudspeakers much to my annoyance. When one stops the other takes over and this sometimes continues throughout the day. We are peace loving citizens and have tolerated this nonsense for many years now and feel that we are driven against the wall with this type of encroachment on our rights. Our country will continue to stay in a hole without any progress if the fundamental rights of its citizens are not safeguarded by the state. We are not asking for too much, our children must be able to study in peace and have a restful sleep. It is high time the authorities take some action to arrest this situation and stop this menace once and for all. The ice cream seller, the sweep seller and anyone who uses an amplifier are contributors to this factor and must be dealt with firmly.
Sridevi Mylvaganam.
Past leaders' contributions remembered
Sri Lankans, particularly the common folk respect and honour, despite politics, past leaders and remember them for their individual contribution, throughout the 50 years of independence.
Late Rt. Hon'ble D. S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, Dr. N. M. Perera, Dr. S. A. Wickramasinghe, S. J. V. Chelvanayagam, G. G. Ponnambalam (Snr), Sir Razik Fareed, Al Haj Dr. Badiuddin Mahmud, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Ranasinghe Premadasa, J. R. Jayewardene among many others, no more in our midst were patriots and statesmen with vast experience. True enough each and everyone of them, differed in style and as human beings were not altogether "perfect". Yet each and everyone of them have immensely contributed to the welfare of our nation.
In the present political scenario, tragically no political leader in our motherland possess the vast experience in the art of statecraft. Today what we witness is an array of rhetory, blossoming from the lips of political leaders, castigating past leaders, who have faced the inevitable, in order to woo the voters, to retain or gain power.
This scenario is unfolded at the political rallies in "Wayamba today", where speeches particularly emanating from the lips of "leaders", - is star studded with aspersions cast at each other and as well as past leaders, and as a matter of fact does not have even an iota of grace, decorum, dignity more so ever "gratitude".
There fore, as one, since 1956, had the privelege of serving and maintaining a friendly dialogue with several leaders and politicoes past and present, hope those in the firmament of politics say goodbye to cheap political gimmicks and make an honest, sincere attempt to give credence to political programmes and policies and not jeopardise in anyway the trust and faith of the voters, to exercise their inalienable civic right to choose their rulers.
M. Hassen El Fassy Sheriff J.P.
Mattegoda.
 |