Carlo Fonseka and his Yesteryear Antics

Carlo Fonseka and his Yesteryear Antics

If I do not write a few lines about Carlo as a university academic, a decade and a bit younger, I feel bit irritated and impatient.

This comment is about fire walking.

Fire is heat or energy, it burns depending on the duration of exposure.

Hot water injury is the commonest in this country.

The treatment for a burn (hot water) is large quantity of cold water (bathe) immediately to take (entropy) away the excess energy that harms the tissues.

It is not physiology but common sense physics.

Thick sole soaked in water and quick steps over the fire, is the way to overcome any injury in fire walking.

I did walk on fire at the physiology department stage quickly once and slowly the second time.

I was OK.

It is a physical act.

Whereas pain and body’s response to burn is physiology, which he did not teach.

That was his academic job.

Second time, I time met him was at a bogus job (I was in private practice) interview for a Neonatal Job.

I was over-qualified but the job was given to a women selected before the interview.

This is where I interviewed the panel and blasted everybody including Carlo for wasting my time.

Third time was when we organized an oration at the Art Faculty with Monty Gopallawa, (Kandy Governor and formerly philosophy department). 

If I remember right Mahinda Rajapaksa came in but did not wait.

That is how he (MR) treated Carlo but he trusted him vainly in politics.

Here is a brief email conversation I had with one of my batch mates after his demise.

Carlo made a big error by trying to experiment on culture. We all know culture is Boru katha but it is foolish to experiment on cultural beliefs. Also Carlo didn't appreciate the strength of mind. He left out mind and took into account only the 5 senses. What can be perceived by the 5 senses only were accepted as proof which I think is incorrect.

My comment

Beauty of science is that one scientist stands on another shoulder and look ahead.

This does not happen in religion and is totally rigid beyond the Kalama Sutta.
 

I do not claimed to be a Vinnus but an open inquirer (not necessarily looking for the absolute truth, if there is of any).

(Vinnus are the learned people. Though Kalama Sutta says to observe and make conclusions it also says to go by the learned people).

By the way beautiful new books are published (thanks to current technology) that we did not have when we were kids or students.
This is real for astronomy after the Hubble Telescope's pictures.

Yes, we may have had bad education but there should not be any obstruction to learning again.

I am currently reading "Trial of Henry Kissinger".

We were taken as suckers by Americans and in that sense I love Carl Marx.

Love for Charles Darwin is at an entirely different level.

Bertram Russel for me a true HERO.

He hid in China when he was persecuted by the Church.

Well all these I read well past fifty (50).

What happened to Carlo by trying to please Ma Ra.

He lost part of his credibility as a rationalist.

I do not bother about Dhamma now with Saffron guys are like terrorists.

There are 28 vulgar talks prohibited for monks by Buddha.

That include country, village, ministers,kings, robbers and many more.......

Plant Senses and the Tiny Ecosystem

Plant Senses and the Tiny Ecosystem

Plant can sense you and please you, at least expected times.

Flowers are there to greet you and the rest of the ecosystem.

Dragon flower bloomed but no fruits.

Unexpected flower was an ornamental plant, similar to the ginger plant but much bigger.

It has narrow white blossom.

Never seen before.

Ginger plants are blossoming, too.

Palm tree blossomed with three generations of fruits, that fed the birds once the mulberry tree stopped flowering.

The ecosystem has a domesticated chameleon in the rooftop garden.

Fruit bat came in to rest during the rain.

Read about the bats and put the indoor light overnight to discourage the visit and daily dropping on the steps to my bedroom.

Now he/she comes and rest in the outdoor veranda.

King fisher comes and have a survey but no crabs.

The open well was filled up (vacant land) and dirty Hi-ace vehicle is parked there permanently, now.

Bread fruit tree is no more.

Jack trees were decimated.

Banana trees blossomed but only tiny fruits.

I hate banana trees.

They ruin the soil.

But hummingbirds come for the honey and they are not worried that I am watching their painful feeding in flight.

Only six of them.

I never try to take a photo (except flowers).

The lens in the camera scare them.

Then there were three exotic birds yesterday.

Never seen before.

Who says a tiny garden with ample water and guppy fish as a delicacy (magpie) discourages lot of visitors including Ceylon civet in the night. He eats the fruit of the sweet Nelli (work of our mother) in addition (comes with young ones).

I have two Kithul plants in pots as a reminder of the Ceylon civet.

I have germinated two plants with difficulty from the dropping.

There is a single Kithul tree in front and that is the hiding place for the squirrels when the eagle comes round for its prey.

Bul Buls and Mynahs and a single crow completes the day.

By the way, I have managed to raise seven types of lilies.

There is flower every day of the rainy season when other terrestrial plants stop flowering and start growing vigorously.