Mangoes

 

Mangoes

අඹ

Mangifera zeylanica, or Sri Lanka wild mango, is a wild species of mango relative endemic to Ceylon. This stately tree is the tallest member of the mango genus, Mangifera and one of the two tallest trees in the family Anacardiaceae. The mango fruits are edible and have an excellent taste. It is called "aetamba" (ඇටඹ) or "wal amba" in Sinhala. Sri Lanka has over 50 varieties of mangoes, with popular types including the sweet Karuthakolomban (Jaffna mango), large purple-tinged Vellai Colomban, small fibrous Mee amba and modern commercial varieties like TJC, Willard, and Malwana. Other notable types include Gira amba, Betti amba  Atamba and Malvana.

Karuthakolomban:

Often considered the "King of Sri Lankan mangoes," this large, sweet and firm fleshed.

TJC:

A highly popular, modern commercial variety developed in 2003, known for having low fiber and high pulp content.

Vellai Colomban:

A large, sweet variety that develops a distinct purple colour when ripe.

Willard:

A highly favoured, small and juicy variety with a deep orange flesh.

Malwana:

A medium-sized, light green variety with a very sweet taste.

Mee Amba:

A very small, sweet variety known for its soft flesh, which is often eaten by sucking it through the skin.

Betti Amba:

Small, green, and tangy mangoes frequently used for achcharu (pickles).

Gira Amba:

A medium-sized variety known for its unique flavour.

Mangifera zeylanica (Atamba):

Vilad: 

A reddish-skinned, sweet mango.

These mangoes are famously used in Sri Lankan cuisine, particularly in curries, fresh fruit salads, and as roadside snacks (achcharu) prepared with salt, vinegar, and chili.

The botanical name more common mango is Mangifera indica.

While there are other species within the Mangifera genus,Mangifera indica is the primary species cultivated worldwide for its fruits.

 The mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical evergreen tree Mangifera indica, belonging to the Anacardiaceae family. Native to South Asia, it is known as the "king of fruits," cultivated worldwide for its sweet, fleshy fruit which varies in colour, size and shape. The tree is long lived, often growing up to 30 meters (100 feet). It is evergreen,  tall with dense canopy and dark glossy green leaves. It is  drupe (stone fruit) that is oval-elliptical, with yellow, green or red skin and yellow orange flesh. The flowers are small, fragrant, pinkish/cream-coloured clusters. It requires a tropical and subtropical climate while a dry, cool period is necessary for flowering. Primarily by grafting to ensure quality fruit, although they can grow from seed. Trees begin producing fruit within 2 to 4 years and some can live over 100 years.

Eaten fresh, in smoothies, or in processed foods like jams, juice, and chutney.

Mangoes are rich in ACE and Folic acid.

It can be eaten as fruit or as a curry if not ripe.

It has fiber and helps in digestion of food.

It is a fruit that can be recommended to pregnant mothers and child both.

The primary benefit, in addition to being a really good source of vitamin C, is that mangoes are      a decent source of vitamin A, folate and are pretty high in fiber, which is beneficial for colon cancer prevention, heart disease and weight control.

Banana Logic

Banana Logic 

 
I gave up banana watching few years ago when the price of a single banana (not a bunch) went up beyond my purse but kept on practicing Banana Logic to the core which I learned from the politicians of this Banana Republic.

It is a very simple logic.

Take no responsibility of the events and consequences and tame the masses with slippery excuses and logic.
Latest is the flood in Batti’coloa and the government’s inability to provide relief and not even believing that the masses are suffering untold hardships. Not only they slip the responsibility to weather gods but exaggerate the loss to the vegetation (not people) especially with very accurate number of paddy fields lost from air conditioned offices in Colombo without ever visiting the flood victims or the area under floods. They release statistics by the minute and they appear on Media and TV as Gullible Truths of the this century, which everybody knows even with aerial shot it is hard to estimate.

The devastation was more than the tsunami and it outlasted it by many weeks.
The tsunami was matter of hours but flood was a matter of weeks not days.
We of course capitalized on the political and economic fronts and the monetary benefit some got by promoting the disaster was fabulous to say the least.

Some by standers got rich leaps and bounds.

That is history.

But this time the paucity of the response and the inability to get even UNO involved was stark reminder that we cannot change the minds of the UNO officers trapped in glasshouses and in real frozen state to change their goals of undermining the underdogs in diplomacy since our antic delivering MPs spoiled soup of even the banana logic too much.

This essay is not on that banana logic spoiled by our own efforts and less said about it is better for our body politics which is in downward trend anyway.

This is about the mega bananas one sees in the supermarkets.

They are big and weight for weight expensive and I cannot believe that our soil has become rich in spite of overuse and the floods washing the top soil away.

I was very inquisitive in a scientific way.

It took few months to discover the truths that also did not come from the agrarian officers but from vendors.
It is a truth that one cannot harvest plantain vegetation for for than two years.
The soil gets absolutely drained off and one cannot grow anything else afterward.

In years gone by in Kandy bucket latrines were the vogue (now one has to pay 10 rupees for a piss in a city mall) the the contents of the buckets were loaded in Guhagoda (near Isolation Hospital) and covered with at least 4 feet of soil and were allowed to season out for 4 years and then leased out for growing banana.

The banana yield was the best in Kandy and they were of healthy size but not of the elephantine of today.

There is something amiss.

Not only they are big but the skin of the banana splits before ripening.
That is quite abnormal as if somebody has injected water (this can be done) under the skin.

My investigation reveal stark reality of that banana logic.

The bigger the size bigger the price and the economic weight.

What the growers do is that they inject UREA (contaminated with cadmium that causes kidney failure) into the flower stem to get them bigger.

Now I believe after the last UREA dose they even inject plain water dose to make them plump. With drug abusers are increasing in number in the country the thrown away plastic syringes are readily available anywhere including hospital dumps. I think even bizarre epidemics may emerge from eating these elephantine bananas. The water injected and the UREA injected are not sterilized.

They are raw contaminated water.

We were healthy eating bananas that came off nutritious from the nourishing off bucket latrines in Kandy yesteryear and not anymore.

My recommendation are
1. Do not pay for big bananas
2. If the skin is split do not buy them (sure sign of overdose)
3. Even supermarkets are suspicious of their dealing with the vendors
4. Buy a reputable product
5. Visit a banana plantation and see it for yourself
6. Taste before buying
7. Make pressure groups of customers
8. Invest on home garden
9. Invest on a bio-degrader container
10. Wash them thoroughly before eating (applies to all vegetables and fruits)
11. Do not put them in the fridge (many reasons including watching what happens to them)
12. Be vigilant
13. Do not buy cheap stuff (paw paw at 10 rupee/kg)
14. These are my observations and I can add many more but all of them are common sense practices.

In a country with chain of corrupt practices from grower to vender to super markets chains we are eating colossal amount of poisons everyday. The idea is to become rich and the poor customer is of no value to the Mudhalali and the Government (except just prior to an election).

90% of the fruits and vegetables are poisoned at various levels.

There is only perpetuation.

No remedy is available in sight or distant future.
It is only a money matter.

There is no controlling authority but corruption at all levels including food inspectors.

If one is eating poisons it is ones own responsibility and that is the the way the officials and government operate and look at the problem.

Good example is that government would not provide free medicine to drunkards (all of us are drunkards politically) and does not look at the root problem of drinking beahaviour.

If you look at the the liqueur bill of House of Parliament we can see where the root cause is.

This is somewhat similar to how we handled and handling ethnic issue.
There is absolutely no difference.

 

Ash Plantain - අලු කෙහෙල්

 

Ash Plantain

අලු කෙහෙල්

The botanical name is Musa paradisiaca.

Ash Plantain is a cooking variety of banana highly valued for its culinary and nutritional properties. It is a starchy cultivar often referred in Ceylon as Alu Kesel. The family is Musaceae. It is a hybrid, usually belonging to the AAB genome group, similar to other plantains, though it is specifically recognized for its cooking applications. The name "Ash" or "Grey" comes from the dusty, silvery grey coating on the surface of the green peel. Unlike dessert bananas, ash plantain is consumed when unripe as a vegetable.

I have eaten it when ripe but quite unlike regular banana and has a starchy flavour.

It has a firm, starchy and dense texture that makes it an excellent potato alternative. Common preparations include curries, stir fries and deep fried chips.Alu Kehel (also known as Ash Plantain or Cooking Banana) is a variety of plantain commonly used in Ceylon. It generally has a low to moderate glycemic index (GI), especially when consumed in its unripe, green stage.

It is rich in dietary fiber (high hemicellulose content), potassium, and vitamins A and C. It is known for its high nutritional value and low fat. In traditional medicine, it is used for managing high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney ailments.

When cooked with spices (like ginger, garlic, and onion), it is considered a potential dietary aid in managing putative reproductive health of erectile dysfunction and low sperm count.

Ash plantains are green, starchy fruits from the banana family used in savoury dishes, rich in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, potassium and calcium. Key benefits include aiding digestion, supporting a healthy immune system, promoting heart health, contributing to bone strength and providing a low glycemic index alternative for individuals with diabetes.

Based on studies of banana varieties in Sri Lanka, Alu Kehel (Musa spp.) contains notable amounts of fat soluble vitamins, specifically Vitamin E (tocopherols) and Vitamin A.

Along with other Sri Lankan banana varieties like Puwalu and Kolikuttu, Alu Kehel contains α-linolenic, oleic, and other fatty acids that contribute to its Vitamin E profile. It is commonly consumed as a staple in Sri Lanka for its high fiber and mineral content rather than as a primary source of Vitamin E. Studies indicate that while Puwalu had the highest fat-soluble vitamins among the varieties tested, Alu Kehel still provides a nutritious dietary option. While studies confirm the presence of Vitamin E, specific numeric mg/100g values for Alu Kehel's Vitamin E content are not as widely published as its Vitamin C.

Ash plantains are a versatile ingredient, particularly in Sri Lankan cuisine, with a firm, starchy texture that makes them ideal for cooking. Common uses and ingredients found with ash plantain include:

Cooked in dishes with spices, coconut milk and other vegetables.

Can be fried into chips or incorporated into gluten-free baked products.

Peeled, sliced, dried, and ground into a powder for use as a gluten free alternative.

Health benefits of ash plantain includes:

The high dietary fiber content helps regulate the digestive tract and prevent constipation.

A good source of Vitamin C, which helps boost the immune system and acts as an antioxidant against free radical damage. Contains potassium, which helps regulate fluid levels and other minerals beneficial for cardiac protection, and blood pressure control.  Contains calcium, which is essential for building and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin A in ash plantain acts as an antioxidant, protecting against cellular damage and supporting healthy skin and vision.

Due to its slow digestion and low glycemic index, plantain can be a good food choice for managing blood sugar levels, especially for people with type 2 diabetes.

Contains B vitamins like B6 and B9 (folate), which help the body convert food into energy and support the growth of cells and tissues.

Philosophical Breakdown in CEYLON

This piece is in evolution.

Bear with me with some incoherence.

Written as they emerged in my mind without any inhibition.

If a mad man in America demented due to alcohol beef eating and old age utter nonsense, why not other inhabitants on this Planet.

I blame Americans for not rising up to the Global Challenge.

This man is gearing up against IRAN.

He is being blackmailed by ISRAEL by Epstein SAGA.

I declare myself antiIndian and I do not want the Modi's bizarre Baratha Dream scuttled at all cost.He cannot treat CEYLON as a province of India.

It is utter madnesses Modi was curry favouring Israel and provided spy service to Mossad.

Sooner he is ousted from his meteoritic rise is better fir the Indian Subcontinent.

This piece is ongoing and it is a tribute to Professor A. D.. P. Kalansuriya.

He was my Philosophical Guru.

The first time in my life I started thinking "Outside the Box".

I had read Professor De Bono and that had given me a head start outside Science.

My mind revolved round Science.

Then I moved into DHAMMA in a literal sense. I haven't mastered anything substantial in Dhamma.

I just finished editing the book on "Vegetarian Paradox".

The name was chosen to create an illusion. That illusion is that one cannot survive on a Vegetarian Diet. One need beef and beef produts for survival.

It is a myth propagated by CIA and Amercan Food Industry.

I have no ambiguity with seafood which was one of my favourites of Yesteryear. During my stay at Negambo, I had enough and more of seafood and prawns on almost daily basis. Unlike in KANDY they were fresh from the boats without Histamine. I used to go to the Chlaw Jetty not for fish but for Karawala or Dry Fish. Katta with lot of bones were my favourite. Sprats of course was my favourites. My strong bones for running was a due to sprats. Nobody in our household ate beeef or chicken. My mother craved for liver and I gradually weaned her off due to Vitamin A and D poisoning. Fat soluble vitamins in excess cause kidney damage. 

Vitamin E was a late addition to my list.

I missed several fruits.

Nelli

Jumbu

Sapodilla 

Anoda

Mora

Bilin

Gaduguda

Added Shoeflower or Wada Mal to the list

If elephants can last on only vegetables why not humans.

I have got over 125 fruits and Vegetables in my new book. It has gone over 500 pages and I would give missing list at the end.

Some of these like Mora has gone extinct. Thanks to Rajapkasa regimes decimation of our Forest.

Mora Surana Vesaa comes from Mora in CEYLON.

The word Monsoon comes from Mora.

Only a very few are indigenous but majority have come from abroad. 

My understanding is our politicians including NPP and JVP destroyed our country by bizarre imported ideology.

Nobody should let them destroy our heritage and Buddhist Outlook.

We need to revisit and recover our prestige.

Only Jayarathna Pathiraarchchi is trying. Everbody should support him.

Those corrupt monks who make money by taking pilgrims to India should be EXPOSED. They are working according to RAW and Indian agenda.

One Night of Trouble with Linux

 Saturday, November 28, 2015
One Night of TROUBLE with Linux

I was trying to upgrade my computer with Linux derivatives and take an early Christmas Break.

I list the Linux Nuances not on any order of merit here.
All these are Human Errors and can be rectified.

I believe all the Linux developers are Doing a great Job but by rushing to put out the distribution before Christmas leave behind some ugly nuances.

They should be excused for minor lapses.

1. Peppermint Front end is Dark and Ugly.

I get a headache after few minutes of work.

2. Libre Office has No Thesaurus in Linux.

3. Ubuntu 14.04 takes four hours, mind you it is not their fault.

Our Internet speed is down to 5 KB / per second by the default action of the Service Provider.

I Pay over Rs.8000 per month and get only 20 GB of downloads which I finish in one day of downloads and the rest of the month GO on in snail space even to read my email.

This they Call the Five Star Service. 

I hope during the Christmas holiday at least, they allow a leeway. 
 

But at the end of the installation delete the Tmp File which takes a bit of time.

Why can't they Install first in English and give the User to download his or her language afterwards?

4. Knoppix 7.6 is beautiful on a Live Session but has a major glitch.

I downloaded the English version and Installed it to reiserfs partition.
It is not in English but probably in Danish.

I tried to convert it to English at boot time but it boots so fast that touching the Del Key or F2 has no effect.

5. Boot loaders are finicky, especially Knoppix but it gives the option of not installing it and let one configure manually.

6. None of them detect the UEFI based Window's 8 in my second hard drive. 
I deliberately shifted its UEFI partition.

7. DVD booting of Pinguy, and Knoppix were halted abruptly due to sectors not written properly on the boot disk. 
They were burned by K3B on Peppermint. 
One disk did not finish writing on it.

I am not a novice to Linux and I have gone through these nuances many a times, I can tolerate all this in one night of Linux Dance but what I cannot tolerate is our Telecom restricting my access to Internet even at 5 KB per second.

It is killing me softly.

I take my hat off for all the developers.
I am making these comments before Microsoft guys try to bash (not the hash script) your back with critical comments.
If  you  hear these comments from a Microsoft Guy / Girl please ignore them and have a Patch ready by January.

Mind you Microsoft takes one year  patch their faults by that time they have a new release for which you have to Pay.

Only foolish guys Pay for their own faults and make Microsoft Rich.

Linux, You Guys/Girls need a holiday and you richly deserve a holiday.

In any case I am going into recess any time from now and if you do not hear from me please do not assume I am dead and gone with the wind.

I will be back with all cylinders firing at top level.

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, 2016.

My Debian Beginning = Debian 6 = Squeeze

I am not sure when I started Debian.

I think it was in 2011 judging by my own blog pieces.

I was hooked to PCLinuxOS and its KDE.

When 64 bits came in Linux Star took a big back step.

That was the beginning of my entry into DEBIAN and I never looked back. 

It was the first Debian without proprietary software.

I do not think I ever used Lenny.

Pingue UBUNTU based

Sabayon 

PCLinuxOS were my early ENTRY.

I may have used MEPIS with its easy to use graphic Installer. Then slowly moved to Debian.

Simply MEPIS 7 in 2007 was probably my proper entry into Linux Domain 4 years before PCLinux.

I have also tried Mandrake, Suse and Redhat.

Simple MEPIS had the best graphic Installer and currently MX Linux and AV Linux use the MEPIS base which went defunct for no reason.

Natural Cures

Natural Cures

I deliberately avoided two key elements that are relevant in the discussion of long life of the monks and ascetics.
One is sex life or absence of it.

Majority of working people have some form of sexual orientation unlike the monks. 

There is no attempt to change the sex life of an individual in this book or try to convert somebody to an ascetic life.

It is an individual’s decision to enter priesthood. 

What I am against is ordaining very young into priesthood. They have not adequately developed adult concepts and do not have the maturity to make such a decision, which they might repent sometime later.

Equally, they are not mature sexually.

I also have reason to believe when ordained young some religious sectors make them to become homosexual at an early life.

Two is the use of ancient medicinal ingredients as psychedelic or mood changing drugs in addition to their putative medicinal properties. Instead of claiming their putative benefits or absence of the benefits, I have reproduced below some of the claimed benefits.

I must say, I have never used them or encouraged anybody to take them or have case records to prove or disprove the claims.

The same information applies to the long life of elderly monks, except a very few, I have associated with.

I have no case records and not recorded their secrets to success in one to one interview.

The impressions created in this book are general impressions that are true in many respects but not scientifically validated.

What is called the gut feeling as it were.

The reader should be mindful and should not try to adopt any method (except moment meditation) or secret medications, ill advised by the converts, which they are many in the East. 

He or she is at his or her own peril or misadventure.

Below are some of them vigorously promoted in the World Wide Web.

Mushroom
Kombucha mushroom is well known for its medicinal properties while its name is of Japanese origin. 

Therefore it is called Japanese mushroom. Many experiements show that Kombucha tea has many health benefits for humans.
Kombucha mushroom tea is a sour drink of Mongol origin, obtained through the symbiosis of bacteria and yeast in herbal tea. On Asian continent, Kombucha tea is used as a therapeutic drug for over two thousand years. 

It is traditionally prepared in Russia and China with green tea or black tea.

Kombucha health benefits
Experience shows that Kombucha tea can lower blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels in the blood. This curative drink favorably affects the operation of glands, speeds up the circulation, stimulates the metabolism and encourages fat burning and thus weight loss. It regulates function of the stomach, liver and kidney, helps in cases of rheumatism and arthritis, facilitates the mobility of joints. Kombucha tea has beneficial effects for all skin diseases and arteriosclerosis. It helps in the treatment of constipation, increases immunity, purifying the body, lowers blood urea, relieves insomnia and stress, stimulates hair growth.
Eastern peoples believe that Kombucha mushroom can restore youth, vitality, and extend the life span. The nations who daily drank kombucha tea have no wrinkles on the face or other visible signs of aging, such as white hair or the age spots on hands.

So, kombucha mushroom actually has great health benefits.

How to Prepare Kombucha Tea?
Bring 3 qts. of distilled water to a boil on the stove top.
Pour in 1 cup of white sugar once the water comes to a rolling boil. Stir the sugar until it dissolves, and then boil the sugar and water mixture for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat off on the stove top.
Add 5 black or green tea bags.
Allow the tea bags to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard them. Let the tea cool completely.
Pour the cooled tea into a gallon sized glass container.
Add a Kombucha mushroom to the glass container. The smooth and shiny surface needs to face upwards. Add a cup of distilled white vinegar.
Cover the opening of the glass jar with cheesecloth. Secure the cheesecloth to the jar with a rubber band.
Place the glass jar in a well-ventilated location away from direct sunlight. The ideal temperature range to store the tea is between 74 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the Kombucha tea for six to 15 days.
Brew the Kombucha tea until it reaches your desired taste. It will have a sparkling apple cider taste and then the longer it brews the more you will be able to taste the vinegar.
Remove the Kombucha mushroom from the tea with tongs carefully. Store the Kombucha mushroom in individual glass bowls. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. The Kombucha mushroom will last for four months.
Pour the tea through a coffee filter into quart sized plastic bottles. Place the tea in the refrigerator.
And finally, how to drink Kombucha tea?
Kombucha tea drink three times a day, a small cup in the morning on an empty stomach, then after lunch, and at night just before bedtime.

Tibetan Cure
Old Tibetan cure is written from more than 2000 years. It was found in the old Tibetan monastery inscribed on clay tablets. This Tibetan cure with garlic and lemon is used for treatment of high blood cholesterol, triglycerides, lime deposits in blood vessels, as well as for long life. Besides which it successfully clears the blood vessels, it improves elasticity of blood vessels, prevents heart attacks, strokes and angina pectoris. Moreover, Tibetan cure improves eyesight, prevents cancer and rejuvenates the body.

Cashew
Cashew, also known as Indian nuts, is a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients.
Did you know that cashew contain five times more vitamin C than oranges?
In addition, cashew is rich in proteins, cellulose, potassium, magnesium, vitamins B1, E, K.
Today we know that cashew has antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.
Did you know that cashew is an excellent natural means to lose weight?
A handful of cashews increase the secretion of hormones that send a signal to brain that we are not hungry. 

Indian nuts are very tasty, so it can be a real treasure for those who are on a diet. Although the cashews are rich in fat, this nuts are not dangerous for health because they contains so-called "good fats ".
It is also a good natural diuretic. 

Good for the nerves and useful for the health of joints and bones, thanks to the calcium and magnesium. Besides, it can regulates blood pressure, lowers blood sugar and acts as a mild aphrodisiac.
Cashew is most popular in Brazil and the Caribbean islands, where it is considered a delicacy.
You need to know that cashews is not only delicious, but nutritious and healthy food, which brings many health benefits. 

It can be bought at almost any supermarket throughout the year and here are some ideas how to include cashews in nutrition.

1. Towards the end of cooking, add the cashews to the meal or to vegetables.
2. Decorate the cabbage salad with Indian nuts.
3. You can also add the cashews in a fruit salad.

Ginkgo Biloba is the oldest tree on the planet. Today, the Ginkgo tree grows naturally only in China. The Chinese people this tree considered as a sacred tree. It is used in oriental medicine for centuries.

Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba has a very medicinal properties that are a great natural remedy for improving brain function and for memory loss.
Ginkgo leaves contain many active ingredients, such as: quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, proanthocyanidins, tannic acid and essential oils. Besides, Ginkgo Biloba contains ginkgolides and bilobalide, which prevents the formation of thrombus.
Ginkgo is particularly useful for treatment of disorders of peripheral and cerebral circulation. 

This means that it is recommended to people who have survived a brain stroke.
In our modern world, Ginkgo Biloba is known as an effective natural agent that improves brain activity, especially memory and concentration. 

Excellent cure for memory loss.
It is important to say that this plant stimulates microcirculation of the brain, so it is recommended for older people and those with bad memory, tinnitus, vertigo and headaches. 

Ginkgo plant can alleviate symptoms in Alzheimer's disease, migraine, circulatory disorders, phlebitis (prevents thrombosis), impotence.
This herb also helps in the fight against free radicals.
Ginkgo Biloba can be bought in pharmacies in the form of tea, tablets, capsules or as a tincture.

Note: 

Long-term excess of the recommended dosage, as side effects can occur anxiety, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea and dermatitis. Ginkgo Biloba is not recommended for people who suffer from epilepsy because it may increase the risk of developing new epileptic seizure and for people who use anticoagulants.

Each of these two world renowned herbs are often use together with enhanced effects as a powerful brain tonic. Ginkgo Biloba benefits include circulatory and memory augmentation which works perfectly alongside Gotu kola benefits as a brain booster and nervous system relaxer. Certain medicinal extracts are now available that combined the two healing properties of both these amazing herbs.

Benefits of Ginkgo and Gotu Kola Herbal Extracts:
Increases blood flow to the brain
Promotes longevity and anti-aging effects
Protects the brain against dangerous free radicals
Advances capillary utilization
Gives the brain the ability to handle stress more effectively
The uses Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) have been used as medicine since prehistoric times in India and in the science of Ayurveda. It was used both internally and externally in Indonesia, with its known effects to heal wounds and relieve leprosy.
Ginkgo Biloba can be traced back to ancient China and the traditions of using ginkgo to treat the brain and alleviate symptoms of coughs and allergies. Standardized extracts are still used widely today in medical establishments in France and Germany.
In China it is one of the reported "miracle elixirs of life". Gotu kola extract holds the reputation as an herb that promotes longevity. This stems from the report of Chinese herbalist Li Ching Yun, who lived to 256 years. 

Li Ching Yun's longevity was supposedly a result of his regular use of an herbal mixture chiefly composed of Gotu kola.
The brain requires basically two things to provide energy: glucose and oxygen. A Ginkgo Biloba extract is extraordinary in its ability to prevent metabolic disturbances in the experimental models of insufficient blood supply to the brain. This is achieved by an enhanced utilization of oxygen and an increased cellular uptake of glucose, thus restoring energy production.
Gotu kola or is an herbaceous perennial plant native to Asian and Indonesia. This viney, creeping plant flourishes in and around water, although it grows best in damp, swampy areas. Gotu kola is often found growing along stone walls or other rocky, sunny areas at elevations of approximately 2,000 feet in regions of the world.
It is also beneficial to:
Wound healing
Mental function
Varicose veins
The primary active constituents of Gotu kola are known to be the triterpenoid compounds. Its extracts were incorporated into the Indian pharmacopeia, where it was recommended for treatment of various skin conditions such as lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema and psoriasis. It was also used to treat diarrhea, fever, amenorrhea, and diseases of the female urinary tract.

Why They Are Good For The Brain
A significant increase in the mental abilities in a number of case studies using Gotu kola benefits has been reported. It's triterpenes have demonstrated mild tranquilizing, anti-stress and anti-anxiety action via enhancement of cholinergic mechanisms. Presumably this mechanism is responsible for the enhancement of mental function as well.
Ginkgo Biloba benefits the brain include membrane stabilization, free radical scavenging, and antioxidant advantages. It is a most effective inhibitor of lipid per-oxidation of cellular membranes. This results in the health enhancement of brain and nerve cells to function optimally.
Both Ginkgo Biloba extract and Gotu kola are well tolerated when taken orally. They work well together and seem to promote and increase the healing properties of one another.

Sleep and Dreams

 Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Sleep and Dreams

I have taken sleep as a bit a routine and did not write anything scientific or substantial.
If you read the contents below it was always (with a bit of slant and satire attached) not to the point but somewhat bizarre in attitude.
Simply because sleep was not a problem for me.
I can sleep standing in a bus plying to Colombo but awake quickly enough to grab a hand of a pickpocket.
Equally, I can keep up awake with only coffee and tea in between for 48 hours.
I took a challenge and won.
I kept up 48 hours without sleeping with the challengers watching me.
Funnily enough, my watchers, could not keep up with me and they went into snooze mode while observing me.
 
Then of course, I go into sleep mode immediately after, and I won’t wake up until I had recovered fully.
The bottom line is nobody tries to wake me up (that includes my mother) while I am in sleep mode.
 
I dip into deep sleep without an intervention.
 
Nutty things to do when one is young but I won’t recommend the above to any living soul.
 
I can switch my wake and sleep cycle almost at will and I believed that others have the same ability.
 
I am proven wrong.
 
Let me expand.
 
1. I have never given a sleeping tablet to a patient for dropping to sleep except pre-medication for major surgery.

2. I am very liberal on pain relief (if one is not a drug addict).
The practice of medicine relies solely on taking grief and pain factor away from patients.

3. Sleeping tablets are lethal and one gets addicted after 48 hours.
The sleep one gets with these tablets is not normal and they upset the diurnal rhythm up to two weeks.

4. One needs minimum of 4 hours of deep sleep.
Buddha was an example who slept only 4 hours and if not occupied, he was in meditative bliss and wide awake.

5. An average adult (children needs more sleep) needs about 8 hours of sleep, not necessarily continuous (in one go).
 
One can have it in two slots which is much better, if one can afford it.

6. The bottom line is how to get the most needed 4 hours of deep sleep.

7. Many does not have the ability to roll into this mode, simply because of the inhibitions that precedes the rest or the night cap.

8. Even if one is in bed for 10 hours and not got the required 4 hours of deep sleep, he/she feels sleepy during waking hours, the next day.
 
How to avoid it?

9. Few guide lines but none might work at the beginning but with perseverance one can achieve the target of 4 hours of deep sleep unless one’s physiology is deranged or has chronic painful illnesses.
 
This advice is for one who has no other disability including major depressive illness or manic depression.

10. One should retire to bed only when days work is finished and not before. 
 
Similarly, one should have a mental sketch of what has to be done the next day (not the next week).

11. Humans work on 24 to 28 hour cycles (unfortunately little longer than the earth cycle) not less.
This is why finishing the days major chores is of paramount importance.
 
Do not leave the work for the weekends.
 
In other words “Moment Meditation” (my coining) in practice.
 
Do the things as they ought to be, at the right time.
 
No procrastination.
 
The principle here is one should not detail more work than one can accomplish in a day or day time.
 
Nothing pending at bed time.
 
If you practice this dropping to sleep is spontaneous.
 
More than likely you get to the deep sleep mode quickly.
 
It is the mental anxiety that keeps you awake the first few moments in bed.

12. When you wake up (unless you are retired and nothing else to day the next morning) in the morning do not deliberate and stay in bed for few more minutes.
 
Your sleep is interrupted by normal biological rhythm or the alarm.
 
You cannot go back to good sleep again.
 
Wake up and if you are bit early tidy up the morning work.

13. Mind you when you do not have a good sleep the first casualty is YOUR MEMORY.
 
You forget things.

14. Let me now dispense the factors that hinder your sleep.
 
Number one is excess of coffee.
No coffee at bedtime.
It is an addiction.
 
Number two is tea.
 
Both items impair your sleep and more importantly dropping to sleep is delayed.
 
Others includes heavy rice meal or alcohol.
 
Both items cause mid night hyopglycaemia and interrupt your sleep when deep sleep is about to commence.
 
In our set up rice and alcohol are culprits of breaking the sleep pattern.
 
Not only that both items cause regurgitation of stomach contents while flat on bed.
 
They cause acid irritation since starch and alcohol cannot neutralize acid secretions.
 
Light beefy (not necessarily beef but soya meat, egg omelette would do) meal and milk are the antidotes not tea or coffee. 
 
If tea is desired add lot of MILK.
 
Adding milk has no effect on coffee.
 
So take the mental and physical hindrances to your sleep as cardinal sins.

15. I have not talked about the bed, the room, the temperature, humidity and lighting (they are individual variables) BUT your cellphone is the nasty invention of modern times.

Switch it off FIRST, before any preparation (for sleep).
 
I do not have one.

16. Watching TV (passive attention) late at night (unless the next morning is an off day or holiday) is another reason for interrupted sleep and bizarre dreams.
 
Unlike natural vision digital flashes of memory of TV irritate your brain.
 
What one need is brain getting ready to relax and then sleep mode eventually.
 
It is not good for your health.

17. Computer (not cellphone) with a keyboard (you can hit the keys as they were made of steel) is a good anxiety reliever before bedtime.
 
My routine is to look at the emails and deleting the junk.
 
That routine start always after mid night.
 
Looking at your email is the most boring activity.
 
So boring YOU feel like dropping to sleep on your keyboard.
 
The advantage is that you save lot of TIME, the next morning.
 
Nobody expects (only paranoid person would take emails seriously NOW) YOU to answer emails as they come.
 
You must be liberal with DELETE action.
 
It should be like “the knee jerk reaction”.
 
This is why I prefer blogging (hate Facebook and social media) to social media.
 
Who cares if you had million hits?
 
Is it like an orgasm?
 
I doubt its impact.

18. Dreams are vital ingredients of your sleep and I will enlarge upon them with my own dreams.
 
Or you read my books on Dreams available at Amazon’s.
 
My recommendation of Sleep and Dream habits for Married Couples.
 
This applies only to married couples.
 
The young lovers should do whatever dreaming they do at lib and they should not read this article which is very obnoxious when infatuated.
 
I’ll try to be as brief as possible since married people have no time for heavy reading but reflex action only.
 
My advice to a young couple on sleep and never on dreams (since they are in a dream world which is going to end soon after the honeymoon) in good old days was one should match a couple with synchronized sleep.
 
Night sleeper who gets up early, late or indifferent.
 
Day time napper or of 8 hour 10 or 6 hour sleeper.
 
Idea was when two of them sleep which is synchronized, they get up together and the home and office work is synchronized.
 
The advantage is only to the employer and not to the married couple any way.
 
That is my new finding not disclosed.

My old advice do not stand to reality of married life.
 
One should have two erratic sleepers so that when one dreams other one is up and doing home or office chores.
 
Married life is 24/7 schedule and never 9 to 5.
 
One has to be working while the other is having a nap unlike in office life where everybody has to work whether enough work is there or not.

My recent but not published or disclosed data suggest the only time married people have a respite is in their real dream world.

So enjoy them even they are bitter to the opposite sex.

After all they are dreams.

Have you ever seen a couple who relate their dreams when woken up to the opposite spouse.
 
In my experience never.
 
The reality is that the dream is heavily edited to satisfy the opposite spouse.

Usually all the dreams are if not majority are obnoxious ones which even in reality extend from blue murder or downright slanderous.

If they truly relate these dreams the marriage won’t last even three months.

Most of the breakup are due to recurrent incidences of these obnoxious dreams.
 
One should never go to hypnotherapist for help and they (are the worse) will record them and use them to blackmail when his/her income is dwindling or volunteer to supply the information secretly to the defense lawyer of the other side for inappropriate black income.

This specially happens in Ceylon

If these dreams recur it is alright to go to a divorce lawyer but never to a hypnotherapist.

Who knows one may take undue advantage.

One has to bear them, bite the teeth and boldly take them in, one go at a time, like a true and mature married man or woman.

One should not give this information to doctors since they will give you a sleeping pill and inadvertently stop the only entertainment one has at his/her leisure time activity.

That is simply a disaster.

If you want to prolong and succeed in marriage one has to edit every dream to suit the partner and occasionally relate them saying,
 
I had a lovely dream about You KNOW with all the blah blah.

This has worked for me and I do not know about my wife.
 
All bad dreams are censored by default.

Now I write about dreams, nobody trust my dreams except Maha Brahma who never dreams in real life.
 
His hobby is to listen to my ones and interpret them with wisdom.
 
If you have any bad dream about your spouse (not your secret lover) please post them under comments.
 
I may consider sending them to Maha’s perusal and interpretation.
 
I assure you he never keeps any record of them since I am the virtual registrar.

Total Quality Management (T.Q.M) and my SLEEP
 
I have not had good sleep for the last one year or so.
There were many reasons.
Fact that, I had to published a book on “My Dreams” and their Interpretation was a good omen, not an inconvenience.
I only dream when I am down with fever or recovering form a flu episode.
I probably dream a lot but never remember them unless I am incapacitated.
Be that, as may be, for the coming year it is not a healthy pastime and this years resolution is for me to catch up all the lost sleep.
In fact, I am practicing it for the last few days and it seems to be becoming infectious in the family.
The reason for lack of sleep was my obsession of downloading 100 Linux distributions to begin with but it ended up passing over 200 and not out, which Tandurkar should be bit concerned with.
It was shear perseverance.
Lot of odds!
 
I wish Tandukar make it this year for the record.
 
Good luck it will be on your way soon.
 
Do not believe on lucky stars but believe in yourself.
My reason for keeping up in the night is that I could never get our Telecoms

 the speed above 5 to 10 bits in day time even though I pay for 50 bits/sec.
This is where lack of quality (Telecom) is judged by every minute of loss of my sleep.
Then there was regular electricity breaks downs.
I had to get up (before UPS shuts up) before the download stream breaks down and shutdown the computer and restart again when power is restored almost every other day due to sudden interruption to electricity supply.
That is number two in my list of lack of Quality.
Number three is the water supply.
All of the above three I pay through my nose and I have decided to terminate my Linux adventure soon.
That is after I have downloaded a few Linux gamers for demonstration.
I am trying the Ultimate gamer for the last two weeks and there is still 1 GiB left.
Hopefully without any break I would be able to download it from a point to point server.
Hope they place the image in Linux-tracker soon.
Ultimate Linux 3.0 (without games) I was able to download through Linux-tracker in 2 days.
My quality of sleep is interrupted by two or more sources.
Number one is Global Warming and its attendant increase of mosquito menace.
Number two is my dog barking at night.
Number three is the fire crackers which my dog hates.
He does not sleep and so do I.
So to solve my quality problem, I need to bring down the ambient temperature.
With coal power and the rest of the factors contributing to its upward mobility I won’t be able to solve it.
I will try my ZERO carbon out put (that means I have to die) and failing which low carbon output.
I must go into Metta Meditation and the Dream Mode to conserve energy and low CO2 output.
When I do that mosquito attraction is less.
I will encourage the misquotes to breed in my water buckets.
Then add two or three Guppy fish when full of larvae.
Water plants of course I cannot use as vegetables but I will try to find a water plant that prevent mosquito breeding.
When I sleep well my dog also sleep well.
The mosquitoes reach me first and then the dog who is under the bed.
I cannot do anything about the fire crackers.
I will put some ear plugs and possibly to my dog’s ears too.
I do not think my dog will love ear plugs.
So those are the few steps of quality control I may employ coming year.
Mind you I will stop downloading Linux within the next few weeks.
I have enough in my archives now.

One of My Typical Dreams and its interpretation from Heaven
I had two bad nights in which I kept up all night doing some bizarre routines of editing a long text file into print form, downloading, burning iso images and testing them, blogging and making PowerPoint type of presentation with Google’s Free TripWoW.
 
I had a good night sleep yesterday and woke with a nice dream.
I thought Maha Brahma would be happy since the dream was related to heaven itself.
 
I was fed up with living on this planet with so much mosquitoes and very warm weather and sleeping only a brief period at night (reason for my keeping up at night is to thrash mosquitoes and send them to heaven instantaneously with my blessings).
They are crushed with rapid alternative and reciprocal movements of my hands closing together in symphony with mosquito music beating down by ears and the mosquitoes are not spared a moment of thought (thought block) of their own (when they die) and when they wake up, really reborn, they are there in heaven with Maha, fanning the senior Devas with hand held fans (instead of beating drums like on earth).
 
The Dream
I decided to vacate my post on earth and made an early entry to heaven, with the message in a long electronic PHP form.
1 made sure, I entered every cage, like when you fill the USA Visa forms, similar to our elderly politicians who wish to be born in America instead of heaven.
They call America the heaven on earth and only the most corrupt politicians that curry favour America, including Indians organizing IPL Cricket are allowed (Not Qaddafi Type) Visa to America and reborn again, there.
In my case I made sure I did not leave any gaps fearing anybody who enter the data into the computer might add unnecessary details that might prevent my qualification for entry to heaven.
Then I saw Maha himself going through the form personally because it was recognized as my personal writing by Maha.
However, he was not happy for not leaving any room inside and between cages where he can make some entries, if he so desires and put his stamp of approval.
This was very unusual for me unlike e-forms in the web where they make it compulsory for almost all the entries to be filled so that search engines can put you in some form of commercial category to market web goods and services at lib.
I was making a big fuss why do you make it so difficult like pension claims and Maha put his hand on my shoulder and said, you are trying to be very clever aren’t you?
With the press of his hand I felt very heavy shock and woke up.
Sadly I was not in heaven in my bed.
But I had a very pleasant sense of some ease and happiness that even in my dream I was speaking to the all almighty the Maha and not to a political big wig or a Ceylonese cricket selector who is a decider cum political leader who invites a yesteryear cricketer out of his skeleton cupboard to represent at Kingston Oval having looked at his previous record book on political affiliations.
Of course one gets a ticket to London and return on Cricket Board expenses.
Maha was bit puzzled.
He thought I really wanted to join him in a hurry and deprive him some good dreams from earth.
Equally he was concerned I was pulling a fast one to get some facilitator for rear entry like our old politicians and national thinkers who are almost demented but want to secure a National List MP Post.
Did you really dream this?
Of course, I replied.
Do you know how the leave is granted in heaven?
Not a slightest bit of idea, Sir.
Then he calmed down a lot and said, this was a good dream and it is futuristic and does not apply to you.
I was relieved.
Why were you concerned about NOT leaving gaps in the e-form.
It is like this.
In heaven we grant leave to all applicants irrespective of their need.
But one has to leave a little space as a grace, offering me some administrative work space which is mandatory.
You have to mention the date of commencement only and not the date of return.
In our case what is important is the date of return.
Not the date of commencement, Sir.
We tend to fall sick for no reason, if the leave is not granted and if the date of return is not entered, then there is a bigger problem.
It is not like that in heaven since we leave the date of return cage empty, I can just put a date at random when things demand and automatically the server sends an email alert with nice music to wake up the angels on leave on the right day.
By doing this I never have the problem of everybody applying for leave at the same time.
Or I see.
Do they sleep on holidays and do you go to other heavens for vacation?
I suppose they do so, but they get easily bored when on leave and want to come back and activate their inborn desires and pastimes like listening to music, bit of gossiping about earth and it’s politics and interpreting dreams like what I am doing, now.
Did your boss real Maha leave an empty space.
No.
My goodness.
That is why I am stuck here.
I do not have a space to make an entry and call him back even if I wanted to.
So this new regulation is one of your own creations to call back whenever you need somebody.
Yes, that was why I was bit worried and thought you are trying a fast one to get to grips with administration here even before coming here.
It is like our U.G.C Chairman putting a backdated regulation for his own survival.
Can I put an entry without empty spaces.
I will let you do that since now you know my devises but do not tell other gods and angles.
OK,OK.
 
Dream Interpretation.
The interpretation is very simple because it relates mostly to Ceylon.
In future when the future presidents want some things for himself he calls the guy /girls to the president house and give them a sumptuous meal.
Then he gets you to sign some blank papers undated and make you to leave gaps in the entry form.
For example you have a Tourist Hotel which is very popular at the beach side.
He comes there for a holiday and become interested in the property.
He invites you to his house for a drink and get all the papers ready for a 10 year rolling lease period.
So that is the end of the property, I guess.
Yes, especially if the guy or girl rub shoulders at a re-election or of the ruling party.
The problem is he will do this to the entire registered population with in one year of election.
Only one census is enough and he will own the entire length and breath of the country.
How big is the country then?
The sea has advanced almost to Kandy and all the population is now in the hills and population is 100 times now.
If they do not sign what happens?.
They are loaded and sent as refugees to India by boat and India has 100,000 times more people than now and their sea has advanced almost to foothills of Himalaya.
There is no room for someone to lie down and all are standing upright and one out of thousand get a chance to lie down once a year for a holiday break for 10 to 15 minutes.
The humans have mutated a lot and have very strong legs and very long tapering hands to reach even trees (or for begging) and hang on for few minutes a day to give the legs a break and that also has to be done in turns and there is a token that handshake like a tablet (Like in Ethernet and railway) that pass around from hand to hand and one can keep it only for few minutes lest you get a teaser shock with a laser satellite in orbit.
One takes the table in one hand and reach a branch of a tree and let go the tablet before the tracer shock is given.
What about the toilets.
There is no problem, there is an automatic suction tube that sucks urine and scat separately even when one does not have the urge to go and they are used for new form of energy and water is recycled for reuse.
This is similar to the space technology developed in the shuttle.
What about the air one breaths.
One has to open an insurance policy, the moment one is born for air safety (security) and it is controlled by the Government in power and the President himself is in charge.
Process is similar to water and electricity bills but more expensive and the cleaning plants for air are connected to the same tube that suck out all excreta but with a different and safe viaduct for (breathing) air.
Free air is polluted and one cannot breath it.
I do not think you should worry about these little things you will be gone many moons before this happens.
Where to?
I am not suppose to tell you when you are still a human.
 
OK;
See you soon.
He disappeared in a flash.

Do Dogs Dream=D.D.D?
The next question is, if they do, can you detect when your dog dreams?
I am convinced that my dog dreams as well as me when on holidays.
In my case I dream on working days not on holidays.
If I dream on a holiday I consider myself sick or going to be sick.
So make sure that you do not dream on holidays; otherwise it will make the next day of YOUR holiday a misery.
In actual fact, on holidays we sleep less, do more things (as far as I am concerned) and enjoy life more.
We do not have to dream like when we are working, on holidays.
When on holidays do not dream BUT make better use of the holiday.
In any case holiday is dream come true so act on your instinct.
I have cut and pasted the probable answer/s to above but let me tell my story.
Our prolong strike (please note, I made a resolution not to write anything to amuse the readers, during the srike period) made me to observe my dog and it was a welcome change.
I was bored to death.
To begin with we synchronized our sleep.
My dreams became less and less.
I was sleeping a lot and started getting up at bizarre times when my dog was fast sleep.
Fearing I disturb his sleep, I stealthily get out of my bed and do something mundane, like sorting out my books or files or photographs.
Then I quickly lost interested in them and one day, started watching my dog who was well into its sleep.
This became a habit.
He gets into postures which were its puppy days’ habits and happy days reproductions
The dog was in complete meditative relaxation.
He does not get up at these times and enjoy them.
I am convinced he dreams well when I am on holiday without any E.E.G. records.
So if you are bored try watching your dog and try to identify the times he or she dreams.
I believe dogs need a good dose of happy dreams.
Well there is another question to wind up.
What is the single most common dream in Ceylon?
According to my survey results, every Ceylonese dreams of becoming the president of this country.
Then he gets up happy but when he realises that it was a dream he is frightened to death.
He knows only one can become the president and that is also indefinitely and he does not have a fighting chance even in a dream state.

He/She does not tell the dream even to the respective spouse.

Please do not tell this to the president.
If you do so, I am sure it will be gazetted soon “dreaming is prohibited”.

Read the article below if you have time.

Do Dogs Dream?
Dogs dream like humans and about similar things.
Published on October 28, 2010 by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. in Canine Corner
Many people believe that dogs do dream.
Most dog owners have noticed that at various times during their sleep, some dogs may quiver, make leg twitches or may even growl or snap at some sleep-created phantom, giving the impression that they are dreaming about something.
At the structural level, the brains of dogs are similar to those of humans. Also, during sleep the brain wave patterns of dogs are similar that of people, and go through the same stages of electrical activity observed in humans, all of which is consistent with the idea that dogs are dreaming.
Actually if dogs didn't dream this would be a much greater surprise given that recent evidence suggests that animals that are simpler and less intelligent than dogs seem to dream.
Matthew Wilson and Kenway Louie of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have evidence that the brains of sleeping rats are functioning in a way that irresistibly suggests dreaming.
Much of the dreaming that you do at night is associated with the activities that you engaged in that day. The same seems to be the case in rats. Thus if a rat ran a complex maze during the day he might be expected to dream about it at night. While a rat was awake and learning the maze, electrical recordings were taken from its hippocampus (an area of the brain associated with memory formation and storage).
Researchers found that some of these electrical patterns were quite specific and identifiable depending upon what the rat was doing. Later, when the rats were asleep and their brain waves indicated that they had entered the stage where humans normally dream, these same patterns of brain waves appeared. In fact the patterns were so clear and specific that the researchers were able to tell where in the maze the rat would be if it were awake, and whether it would be moving or standing still. Wilson cautiously described the results, saying, "The animal is certainly recalling memories of those events as they occurred during the awake state, and it is doing so during dream sleep and that's just what people do when they dream."
Find a Therapist
Since a dog's brain is more complex and shows the same electrical sequences, it is reasonable to assume that dogs are dreaming, as well. There is also evidence that they dream about common dog activities. This kind of research takes advantage of the fact that there is a special structure in the brain-stem (the pons) that keeps all of us from acting out our dreams. When scientists removed or inactivated the part of the brain that suppresses acting out of dreams in dogs, they observed that they began to move around, despite the fact that electrical recordings of their brains indicated that the dogs were still fast asleep. The dogs only started to move when the brain entered that stage of sleep associated with dreaming. During the course of a dream episode these dogs actually began to execute the actions that they were performing in their dreams. Thus researchers found that a dreaming pointer may immediately start searching for game and may even go on point, a sleeping Springer Spaniel may flush an imaginary bird in his dreams, while a dreaming Doberman pincher may pick a fight with a dream burglar.
It is really quite easy to determine when your dog is dreaming without resorting to brain surgery or electrical recordings. All that you have to do is to watch him from the time he starts to doze off. As the dog's sleep becomes deeper his breathing will become more regular. After a period of about 20 minutes for an average-sized dog his first dream should start. You will recognize the change because his breathing will become shallow and irregular. There may be odd muscle twitches, and you can even see the dog's eyes moving behind its closed lids if you look closely enough. The eyes are moving because the dog is actually looking at the dream images as if they were real images of the world. These eye movements are most characteristic of dreaming sleep. When human beings are awakened during this rapid eye movement or REM sleep phase, they virtually always report that they were dreaming.
I recently received a letter from Joseph Baker, which seems to confirm the idea of dogs having dreams about their everyday activities. I have taken the liberty of reproducing part of it here.
"I have an anecdote that you may find interesting, however it requires some back story. About three years ago I heard a story on the radio about a cognitive scientist who was trying to understand sleep and dreams. He had a hypothesis describing how sensory memories replay themselves during early REM sleep. The study he published had subjects play Tetris [a computer game where you try to line up falling blocks of various colors] and then report whether or not they saw the little Tetris bricks in their dreams. This stuck with me because the previous night I had very vivid dreams involving a hike I had been on earlier. I could feel the snow and smell the air as though it were real.
"This brings me to my dog. Goober is a basenji, and like many basenjis he hates water and being bathed. As soon as my wife finishes bathing him he bolts out of the bathroom door, finds me, and tries to hide behind me or under me. So one day Goober was forced to be cleaned and underwent his ritual of hiding behind me. Later that night he was sleep running. He awoke with a start, and then bolted to my location to hide under my legs. This was very awkward as I was sitting on the toilet at the time. I believe that he was dreaming, and I believe that he was dreaming about having a bath. I believe this because he only engages in this behavior when a bath is involved."
Well Joe, I believe that there are at least two psychologists at MIT who would agree with you.

Linux Revisited

 Thursday, October 29, 2015

Epilogue-Linux Revisited
There may be lot of missing items in this book.
I did not try to be comprehensive.
Then it becomes a Linux Bible.
I have avoided partitioning and hardware support deliberately.
Little is changed in partitioning skills except the partitioning type. 

My only warning is be careful when choosing the new partitioning types.
I tried to be bit narrative this time round instead of being analytical and scientific.

 

The analytical approach was necessary when the Linux was in early stage of development and when there was an activity hype.

Now it is on stable ground except where cutting edge changes are made to take the benefit of hardware and platform changes.

It is mature and robust now.

One has to make a choice depending on one’s needs.

I will summarize my subjective / objective selection for my use and the reader has to decide his or her own choices.
If you are using it as a hobby one need at least two computers (I had 10) or perhaps three one being a laptop/netbook.

One can be dedicated for testing.

Now I have gone down to only one computer, there will be less and less input from me in the immediate future even at web / Internet level.

If I do not put them in writing or digital form my time testing them would be a void. 

That is the very reason I am publishing this book for an entry level Linux user to browse before he//she start experimenting with Linux. Teething problems and pain is taken care of, for one who is without a proper Guru.
 

My choices are
1. General Use
Peppermint for Light Weight
Debian for all six desktops
 

2. Hobby
Puppy Linux
Knoppix
 

3. Education
Uberstudent
 

4. Scientific
Poseidon Linux
 

5. Technical Use
Dynabolic for Music
ArtistiX for Graphics
Debian for Programming
 

6. Kids and Games
Picaros Diego
 

7. Games
Steam OS with New 64 bit computer

If you analyze the above there is glaring and missing distribution.
 

That is Ubuntu.
 

The reason being I have never used it except for demonstration and Ubuntu was not in existence when I started Linux.

I cut my teeth in Linux with Redhat 7 and 8 and Fedora is a Redhat derivative. 

It is also not in the above list. 

Hantana Linux is based on Fedora!

All the other distribution fall in between the above specifications. 

Any one can be used without a problem as long as there is no conflict with hardware compatibility.
If I am allowed only one choice I would go for Debian because it has vast repository.
I prefer light weight distributions since cloud computing is the way things are moving. I have minimal requirements and that is writing and for that also I find Abiword is just as robust as LibreOffice.
Its outstanding feature is its files are light weight and I can upload and download them quickly. 

There is another reason.

 It's word format is dedicated to it.

Other office formats, cannot steal or modify them from my cloud hosting base unless they have Abiword with them.

One thing that nobody can take away from you is if you master a skill using one utility or software that remains with you for Life.
 

Skills I have learned having migrated from Microsoft to Linux is making my life easy and has expanded my horizon.
 
There is no limit to my exploration.
 
I feel free and not being subjected by exploitation.
That is a wonderful feeling.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

When One is troubled with Windows What one can do? 

Reproduction Unedited!
When One is troubled with Windows What one can do?
It is strange that when one is troubled with Windows he or she goes into shell and blame oneself and not the operating system.
It is the opposite when one is troubled with Linux.
If he / she is a one who comes from the windows background without batting an eyelid he / she blames the distribution as if the whole hell has descended on him / her.
It is often a minor glitch he or she has overlooked to configure or may be downloading a suitable alternative package or at worse, file a bug report to which a ready solution is available within 6 weeks.
 

If that does not help one can swap the distribution and select one that suits and download it.
 
(I have two books already available, not digital yet selecting a distribution and also the utilities and packages, if this blog entry is not adequate enough).
 
One problem with this approach is if one is not using a torrent download (even this can be painful if there is one seeder who has gone into hibernation at night-simply switched off the computer) it can be time consuming. 

The download time can be awfully long and and painful (I have enough of stories often due to failure of the our Telecom but now, never or do not complain because I download several at a time and I know one will be finished by morning when I am in deep sleep mode dreaming some bizarre episode of Cloud Computing like star wars of yesteryear).
 
But once one has a CD (ideally D.V.D with almost everything one needs in one pack) the live session is breezy and installation is cakewalk if not catwalk.
 
Only thing Linux guys forget is to keep it running 24 hours (cron jobs at midnight are vital to get rid of the junk files that collect if one switches off the computer regularly; leave seeds for others to access) at least once or twice a week.
 
If you are lazy use a the sweeper or do it manually which I prefer now because of the frequent downloads.
 
Now come to Window guys/girls.

Steps

1. Do not blame yourself.

2. It is often the operating system at fault.

3. It can be due to a corrupt file or large macro sitting on the file and spying on you.

4. The pet devise to blame is the latest virus and I bet you you will not have a solution this side of 6 months.

With so many holes in the operating system which Microsoft will never be able to  plug. Then they will promise you the new version is very beautiful (but very slow to run unless you doubled up your RAM) and one should change and upgrade and says it works better (of course till the next ultra new version is ready for upgrade).

You are in this vicious cycle (V.C) and never get out of it.

If a guy of my age descends on me with a problem, I do not try to convert the guy to Linux fearing one gets a heart attack.
 
I ask a few questions.
If it it a pirated copy.
If the answer is yes, thrash the pirated copy and get a copyrighted version.
This is, I am openly campaigning for the guy to remain with Microsoft. 

Microsoft should be happy with my efforts now but I do not charge anything for this advice.
 
The poor guy has to pay through his nose anyway.
 
Do not forget the virus guard and that also will cost you some quids.
Get somebody to format and install, I won't do that for you unless he or wishes to have a Linux distribution dual booted.
He has to spend a half a day with me with food and beverages ready and ample.
This is Christmas time anyway.
If the guy has not got the money, then the scenario changes.
I ask what are the things that he uses the computer for, regularly.
Invariably, the answer is that he uses the email and nothing else to be in contact with the family and friends.

Then I give him a breezy Live CD and ask the guy to use it till he himself try to find a remedy for the malady or ultimately ditch Microsoft and ask me to install the new Linux distribution in his computer.

The last course, of course works well for Linux and I of course have to have two visits instead of one.

That of course keeps our friendship lasting and viable.
 
Who says Microsoft is bad.

It makes "my sphere of activity" to enlarge and expand.

Mahanuwara Bambaragala = Buddha was Born There

This site where Buddha was born is blocked by a Buddha Statue and with huge granite stone by the guys of the Archaeology Department to perpetuate Senath Paranavithanage's bogus story of BRITISH creation. British of course created the Bowatenna Tank in Teldeniya of CEYLON to further cover up Stone Edits in the name of diverting water to Queen Victoria Tank. Gaminie Dissanayake unfortunately was caught up in this SAGA and he had to pay with his life subsequently.

These facts are exposed by our own Jayarathna Pathiraarchchi.

These are not my claims.

I am a guy who was fortunate enogh to be born and bread in KANDY.

My interest in the past was Mahaveli Nadiya or River. 

My born of contention is why our ancient kings did not divert the Mahaveli River.

The kings of course used the Mahaveli River diversion to protect the Kamdy City from BRITISH invasion.

It was big toll for the BRITISH but John Doyle craftily created a conspiracy to capture Kandy by Divide and Rule Principle.

Situl Pawwa is also in CEYLON and not in INDIA. 

Mihintale Galwawe Wimalakamthi Himi who is paid by RAW of India is saying Buddha was born in India without the support of Stone Edits.

Indians want to destroy Buddha Dhamma. 

It is an age old tradition from the time of Tamil kings, Kalinga and Maga of Ceylon.

New Year Treat- Aasmee and Kudu Dawla (කුඩු දවුල)

Aasmee and Kudu Dawla

කුඩු දවුල

Its thickening properties are used to make popular New Year treat in Ceylon called Asmi.   Aasmee is a traditional, popular Sri Lankan deep fried sweet treat, essential ingredient for April New Year (Avurudu). 

It is a crispy, web like, or lacy made from rice flour and coconut milk, often mixed with Daul Kurundu leaf juice.

It is deep fried a second time, which makes it extra crispy. The mixture is fried in coconut oil, then topped with colored sugar syrup.

The batter traditionally uses juice from Dawul Kurundu, though okra (ladies' fingers) juice is now commonly used as a substitute. 

The batter is poured into hot oil in a web like pattern, fried, and then rested for a few days to develop its unique texture.

Asmi represents the festive spirit of prosperity and is a major highlight among other traditional sweets (Kavili). 

Typically finished with a treacle or pink coloured sugar syrup drizzled over the top. My major interst here is to finish my book on "Exotic Fruits and Vegetables of CEYLON". 

Unfortunately, my research indicates that locals tend to call local species often deriding/degrading them as Wal Del against imported species Rata Del. 

Additionallly, 80% to 90% now in CEYLON are imported species with larger fruits taking the market share.

Mee Ammba and large mango varieties and banana varities are fast dissappearing. There is an ugly banana variety called Devi Kesel which looks like a sickle. I have no inclination to taste any of these sickle shaped ones which are promoted as good for vision. 

Any fruit with Vitamin A and D promotes vision. Keratomalacia is another name for Vitsmin A deficiency.

Kudu Dawula -Neolitsea cassia

කුඩු දවුල

Kudu Dawula often referred to as Dawul Kurundu  is an endemic tree species found in Ceylon, primarily recognised by the scientific name Neolitsea cassia. 

It belongs to the Lauraceae (laurel) family. 

Also known Neolitsea zeylanica.

A small to medium sized tree, often with thick grey bark and a dense, crowded appearance of leaves at the ends of branches. The leaves are aromatic, ovate to oblong, and distinctly three nerved at the base, often with pale green yellow, silky haired young foliage. The flowers are tiny, pale green yellow flowers are found in compact clusters. The fruit is globose berrie, around 4-12 mm in diameter, which turn red and then dark purple/black when ripe.

The bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine, particularly for treating fractures and skin rashes.

It is a canopy species often found in forests, specifically in less disturbed, higher altitude areas in Ceylon. It acts as a host plant for the Common Bluebottle butterfly (Graphium sarpedon luctatius).

My knowledge of local trees is none to zero. 

We have a tree of this kind grown in front our garden and its branches are chopped regularly and during the dry season when food is scare, the squirrels nibble on the tiny fruits probably as a cure for constipation, (the slime used in Assmee).

We used to use them as pods for our barrel gun made of bamboo stick or for the catapult. 

I have close relative brother five years older than me who is very versatile on local plants as a home garden expert. Lot of information on here including Assmee comes from long discussions I have had with him over the land phone.

This piece is dedicated to him during Avurudu festival in CEYLON.

BlueStar Linux Latest Image is Fantastic

Yes, I installed BlueStar Linux Distribution after some voluntary dissociation due to UPDATES not working with the Old Image, I had on a USB stick. What I do then is to wait a while until New Image is released.

This Pear OS guys erased my Hard Disk with all my DATA and I had to Reinstall all six distributions including GNOPPIX.

In, 48 hours I am back to my self and getting ready for New Year Celebrations in CEYLON, even though, I am in AUSTRALIA. 

Except for hoppers, Pol Sambol, Coconut milk curry, Kithul Pani and curd, I do miss soursop drink at Kheel Super Market.

BlueStar UPDATE was OK and I got GNOME 50.1.

I am having some problem with REBORN OS. It has so many option at boot up I do not know what suit my NUC.

LTS Kernel did not boot up.

I would try one by one.

Norm Set did work not work. It is going through Endless Loop.

I do not have NVIDIA.