Captain Cook masterminded his "Timing and Batting"

Captain Cook masterminded his Timing and Batting

They say class is permanent and form may have temporary setbacks.

Two examples are Mahela and Sanga.

They go through patches of bad form but when they come back, they come back in style.

I think Cook as a batsman is a Class Act.

He knows it and poor English commentators should “Eat the humble Pie, NOW.

What the selectors should do is to find him a partner, and possibly make him come, one down.

One does not send the best batman to guillotine, first up especially when the guy is out of form.

There is a lot to learn from Mahela and Suaga.

Not only they are friends but complement each other.

Poor Captain Cook does not have good pal to comfort him in the thick of things and in the field.

I am writing this before he gets his ton.

Whether he gets his ton or not, Iwil always watch him play.

I say you won't see a guy like Mahela for another 20 years but watch him play all the “wrist-ky” play for a few moments, even he makes only 30 runs.

This phrase is applied to Sanga too, but with a little revision, watch when you are in 70 to 80 and do not get out to a part time baller.

Getting run out, I do not blame.

Your legs are “achy backy” at thirties.

The last phrase applies to Captain Cook, too.

Do not let him run a lot.

He is a big guy unlike Mahela and Sanga, and has to carry a Big Frame on his legs.

Straight Back Syndrome of Mine

Straight Back Syndrome of Mine

 

This description has no relationship to the medical conditions stated below.

Fortunately my initial are also S.B. and I am known to be a genetically predisposed be having a straight back aggravated by my early childhood sports activities.

It started to dawn on me that, I have had several minor spinal stress fractures.

They started affecting me in my internship.

As a kid I could touch my toes with hands by bending (while keeping the back straight).

I have long legs particularly suitable for short distance running and jumping.

I noticed that I was losing this ability gradually while in the university.

I did lot of long jump and hop step and jump as part of my training ending with military drill around the university track daily.

I never practiced short distance running in the track.

I did that with my dog around the lake of Kandy.

My dog was my trainer.

I could never beat him and I had the leash to restrain him when I needed to catch my breath and rest.

On the days (over the weekend) I wasn't in the campus, I did my running with the dog. My dog was perfect companion and sporting match and wizard. Unfortunately, dog died tragically when I went away for my internship. I should have taken him with me.

I won't tell you the story, I was told about its death.

I still believe it was cooked up story to pacify my anger.

He died due to his separation from its dearly loved master companion.

There was nobody to take him round the lake.

I did not have a dog for nearly 25 years after this episode.

My campus dog (called the lone ranger) and roommate of course lasted the full life cycle since I handed over the dog to Nicholus Uncle who was our physiology technician.

He was there even when I returned from UK, in good condition.

My Straight Back Syndrome started affecting me in my internship with constant back pain. I did not give up sporting activity but continued on badminton and table tennis and never running and long jump.

Over time with heat treatment (we did not have warm hydrotherapy) and constant alert and avoidance of further damage, I was without pain in about four years.

But my back became straight and I cannot touch my toes as I used to do as a kid.

This gave me an added advantage and good stead. 

I never bend down even to a politician. 

Also I never go with bended knees like an average Sri-Lanka. 

When, I went abroad, it was very useful.

All Asians, who are vociferous in front of the local voters go bended back and knees when in Western countries. 

I always kept my back straight in front of white men well over 6 foot 6 inches and most of them thought, I was smart and I never told anybody, I had a stiff back probably due to spinal fractures or the straight back syndrome. 

 But I regularly went for hydrotherapy which was available free in hospitals, there. Now my back does not bend to even monks of BBS. leave alone, the politicians. Below are medical explanations.

Flat Back Syndrome

Spinal Curvatures

The human spine has natural curvatures.

When you look at a back from behind, the spine should be straight and centered over the pelvis. However, when you look at the spine from the side, the curves are designed to maintain balance as the spine is behind organs in the chest and abdomen.

The spine has two alternating curves to create an “S” like shape.

In the neck and low back there is normally an inward curvature or sway back known as lordosis.

In the thoracic spine and sacrum there is an outward curvature known has kyphosis or hunchback. These curves normally balance out each other so that when the patient stands they are well balanced with their head straight above their hips when viewed from the side.

Standing in this position minimizes the effect of gravity and allows the patient to stand with the best posture and use the least energy when moving or walking.

Flat back syndrome is an abnormal condition where the spine loses its natural low back curve to become flat. The spine becomes imbalanced and the patient leans forward. Patients with flat back syndrome typically notice troubles standing upright or have ongoing back or leg pain. Symptoms usually worsen as the day goes on and the patient feels they lean further and further forward the longer they try to stand upright. The severity of the symptoms usually depends on the amount of curvature present and difficulties with standing erect.

In patients with flat back syndrome, a loss of normal lumbar curvature causes an imbalance of the spine. The patient’s head begins to lean forward, away from the body and they may have trouble standing upright.
This imbalance can cause muscle fatigue and pain.

Today, the term flat back syndrome has been broadened to include any patient with a decrease in lumbar lordosis causing symptoms.

As such, flat back syndrome can occur as a result of any condition that shortens the front portion of the spine, causing the patient to lean forward.

Flat back syndrome may develop as the result of the following causes:

Degenerative Disc Disease,

Lumbar Post Laminectomy Syndrome,

Compression Fractures,

Ankylosing Spondylolitis.

Degenerative Disc Disease:

For some patients, progressive degeneration of the intervertebral discs or the shock absorbers of the spine may lead to a loss of height in the front part of the spine. As discs degenerate the spine begins to lean forward and lumbar lordosis decreases.

The patient may develop pain as a result of the degenerative disc disease or as a result of the spinal imbalance.

Lumbar Post Laminectomy Syndrome:

Lumbar flat back syndrome may develop in patients previously treated with a laminectomy or other lumbar surgery to decompress the spinal nerves to treat stenosis.

These procedures can lead to a decrease in lumbar lordosis and in some cases spinal instability.

Vertebral Compression Fractures:

Compression fractures are often the result of weak spinal bones due to osteoporosis. A fracture can lead to loss of height of the bone in the thoracic and lumbar spine. This may occur in one bone or in multiple bones throughout the spine, resulting in flat back syndrome.

Ankylosing Spondylitis:

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes stiffness and arthritis throughout the entire spine. Some patients with AS notice an increasing forward posture of the spine, including an increase in thoracic kyphosis or decrease in lumbar lordosis.

This can lead to symptoms of lumbar flat back syndrome.

Straight back syndrome (SBS)

Straight back syndrome (SBS) is a thoracic deformity characterized by loss of the normal upper thoracic spinal kyphosis. This deformity leads to a reduced antero-posterior diameter of the chest causing a compression or “pancaking” of the heart and great vessels so as to appear enlarged. This is accompanied by a leftward displacement of the heart, resulting in cardiac murmurs¹, chest pain and tracheal compression^.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been reported in 64% of patients.

Misdiagnosis of straight back syndrome as pericardial absence has also been cited.

A study investigating the relationship between SBS and MVP showed echocardiograms to be normal in 36% of patients diagnosed with SBS; however, 58% of these patients demonstrated mitral valve prolapsed.

Despite the fact that this syndrome has been recognized for over 50 years, it is not commonly considered as a differential diagnose and thus the incidence is unknown.

However, given that this syndrome is often associated with heart symptoms, it is important that health care practitioners are made aware of SBS and consider it as a differential diagnosis in a patient presenting with symptoms that can appear to be cardiac in nature.

This is especially true in cases of atrial septal defect which can resemble the symptom picture of SBS.

In using Old Hardware, is value added or value lost?

In using Old Hardware, is value added or value lost?

The simple answer today, is Value Lost.

I want this piece to be brief.

There many for and against and counter argument to this statement.

My argument is based on “Energy Saving”.

But I have a big alibi now.

He is nobody other than Jon Hall.

His nick name or is it his pet name I never say, simply due to my respect for him and his co-author Peter Parfitt.

I got the fear out Linux by reading the book "Joy of Linux", written in hilarious way, in the same tone as “Joy of Sex”.

I had that book, the latter book, and gave it away free in the first opportunity, I had.

A man who has read, “Kinsey Report” as a Medical Student, Joy of Sex was not illuminating to me physiologically.

I must tell you we had only one more book on sex in the faculty.

It was lost.

A junior girl to my batch of students stole it from the medical library.

We had to do some detective and forensic work to nail her down.

Thank good she was our junior and she became a laughing sock/stock in no time.

I can remember two names of women from that batch.

One is a professor in Geneva and the other girl is the when mentioned above.

I do not know what sex exploits she had made and never seen her again in my life.

The professor was wife of my boss who recruited me to the university after a long gap and lapse aboard.

I have the same respect to Jon Hall to my boss and he is a guy like Tin Tin's Captain Haddock at times.

He is not absent minded like him, though.

He writes a value piece for Linux magazine, every month and this is only a summary.

1. I had 6 to 9 computers doing various work for me and three years ago started dismantling one by one.

One and only one reason.

They were consuming huge amount of electricity and my electricity bill was sky rocketing.

One of the reasons is downloading Linux Isos and testing them and writing (always) nice piece, just to keep the developers interested.

They do it free and in their spare time.

My calculation was it is far better to subscribe to Linux magazine (that is less than my one months Electricity Bill) and wait for the DVD that comes with the magazine.

Often double sided.

It saves me on the daily consumption of CD/DVDs which is more than my research slides (Pathology Slides), too.

But I never knew that the Cooling Fan consumes twice as much electricity (must be thrice with the room temperature over 35 degrees centigrade, in day time.)

2. I did not want to donate the old computers to a poor guy who cannot afford it.

He/she won't be able to pay his electricity bill.

On both counts I am in agreement with Jon Hall.

Now the facts I did not know.

1. I always ask the vendor how much electricity it consumes?

Nobody was able to give me the values.

Average “old” desktop consumes 250 to 350 watts.

Gaming computer over 1000 watts.

2. for every watt of usage cooling system consumes two watts.

It is like an electric kettle running not for two minutes for hours on end.

I have cut down my units by 100 units by operating only two computers now.

3. Laptops consume 100 watts.

4. Netbook 17 watts.

5. Tablets, I do not know.

6. One may have to consider the cost of refurbishing.

7. Transport and shipping also costs a lot.

8. New computers are more energy efficient.

So consider sending them to scrap, metal specially to save energy.

Think twice before accepting old hardware.

This was something, I said during tsunami.

Lot of people gave old cloths to the victims.

Most of the victims considered it as a curse or insult than a blessing.

That does not apply to money, even if there is dog shit in it one would wipe it and use them, in this country.

Money corrupts even the best street hawker.

So when you give something FREE make sure to give a new one.

Rest do a garage sale!
 

I gave a very expensive book to a guy who is poor but an intellectual.

I made sure I put a nice cover too.

I let him choose it at the book shop.

I told him, I need to brush through the first few chapters on computer tips.

That time was used to put an adhesive cover and I did not write (donated by) anything on it.

He loves it.

Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School

  Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School
This is something will inspire Indian computer guys/Girls
Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School
Sri-Lankans are good at squandering money available for computer education.
 Copied from Raspberry Site.
I heard about plans for a new Indiegogo fundraiser last week. It launches today, and it really deserves your attention. (And, dare I say it, some of your money.)
Seventy-seven percent of schools in South Africa don’t have any computers – and 40% don’t even have access to electricity.
United Twenty-13, a South African non-profit organization, is looking to bootstrap a new model of solar-powered school computer lab, with the intent of scaling and reproducing the lab all over South Africa.
Taskeen Adam, one of the founders, says: “The fact that you are reading this online means that you already have more computer knowledge than the average South African public school student.” It’s a situation she and her colleagues at United Twenty-13 are making serious efforts to change, with the help of a certain small, affordable, low-power computer.
They’ve already raised sufficient funds for the lab design, for teacher training and for a prefabricated building to house it all in. But they’re looking for additional money to buy hardware (all the software they’re using is open source) – not just the Raspberry Pis and accompanying peripherals, but the expensive solar panels too.
Projects like this, democratizing access to computing and access to information, are key in making improvements to local and national economies; and they’re key in empowering and changing the lives of the young people who are exposed to them. We wish the Solar Powered Raspberry Pi School project all the success in the world – you can donate to the project at their Indiegogo. If you’d like a full project brief before you consider donating, you can find that too at www.solarpoweredlearning

Matrix and Raspberry Pi

This is something I should have written many moons ago.

Copies from their web sites.

I won't quote the prizes since I have no commercial interests.

I am waiting to order one by mail but my worry is Voltage specification and converter for our country.

Description:

This is a hot topic in Linux magazines and there is a Magazine for Raspbery Pi.

Rasberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It is a capable little computer which can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn how computers work, how to manipulate the electronic world around them, and how to program.

Matrix

Matrix is a single board mini computer based on ARM with a wide range of interface, equipped with a powerful i.MX6
Freescale processor, it can run Android, Linux and other operating systems, a switch between different operating
systems can be done within just a few minutes! Matrix also has great support for TBS USB tuners and popular
software such as XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend, DVBLast and so on.


TBS Tuner Support
Equipped with the mini PCIe slot and USB ports, Matrix works perfectly with TBS USB tuners.


Freescale Quad Core
Based on Freescale i.MX6, Matrix provides a much more powerful ready-to- run 
platform.


Open Source
It’s 100% open source, Matrix runs Linux, Android, Ubuntu, and any other OS you like.
To switch from one OS to another, you only need to burn the new OS into the eMMC on the Matrix board, and then reboot it.


XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend Support
Popular software like XBMC, VDR, Tvheadend are ready for Matrix.

Libre Office and Peppermint-Error Correction

Libre Office and Peppermint
Error Correction

I have to revise my opinion regarding Libre Office.

I stated sometime earlier that Libre Office freezes on me.

Yes, it happened again.

But this time, I investigated.

I had a one tetra bite Seagate external SATA hard drive (still prefer SATA to SSD due to low capacity and very high prize) and removed all my images to it and Libre Office is back, working smoothly.

Unlike Peppermint Linux Libre Office keeps track of its history, thereby consumes little extra MiB in its files (I think, they should introduce some form of downsizing the working memory and removing unnecessary macros at run time).

But the problem with, Peppermint is, when it uses torrents, it reserves all its hard drive memory to the files even not yet downloaded and interfere with running of Libre Office, rudely.

So if you have a small capacity hard drive you may run into problem, as I did with Libre Office.

I suppose, Libre Office should to some home work and do like torrents do and take over and reserve ample amount of memory for it, disregarding the torrent and the Linux platform, one may use.

I have no experience of using Libre Office in a window platform and Microsoft Office might find this GAP and exploit it to ruin the Libre Office in its infancy, rather robust toddler with unlimited capacity.

If one is using Libre Office with, images, video and presentation, one who is using, widows may run into problems.

Way about to solve this, is to reserve at least 2 GiB of working memory (assuming the largest file is 2 GiB) of hard drive (memory) at start up, like torrents do.

It can be easily done on a Linux desktop platform but what about Windows platform?

I have resolved my problem for the time being.

I had been formatting and reinstalling Peppermint up till now.

That minor irritation is out of context for me now.

Thank Libre Office and Peppermint and Linux family of Desktop Distributions for your untiring efforts which am reaping benefits with a Pipe Smoke of a Cigar (not literally but metaphorically).

I know most of the Linux (especially developer) Guy/Girls have a Pipe Dream of their own.

Postscript; 
Not only, Libre Office, even Fire Fox was frozen this time. 
Worst was it did not have memory to sign up my regular and root account.
Could be booted up with Guest account.


Procedure I followed
1. I had to shutdown.
2. Wait for the RAM to clear up.
3. Boot again
4. Transfer and delete unnecessary files.
5. Clear torrent fully.
6. Restart.
7. No Reinstall and I am back again in full swing (I did not want to Install Peppermint 5, I am happy with Peppermint 4 for the time being. If it freezes again, I probably will try it. My experience with Ubuntu 14-04 is not healthy especially Pinguy Linux which I have stated elsewhere).

Swift Linux with Taylor Swift Music

Swift Linux with Taylor Swift
This is a light weight, Debian Derivative for old computers (and new) came from Mepis base.
It is pretty good but slow to (necessity if one is having low RAM) boot up.

Gets the hang of using Linux with a bottom up approach.
One need to configure Network manually which is nice thing if you have no Ethernet.
It has libreOffice.
When you get to the home page one can get images of Taylor Swift, in plenty.
At start up it plays a tune of Taylor Swift, which is cool.
Lot of instruction available (how to configure Network for example).
if you need to learn Linux on a bottom up approach with a Live CD this what you should try.

Things to do with USB Hard Disk-Use MultiSystem Boot Utility

Things to do with USB Hard Disk

My hard disk was getting filled with downloads (Linux Images) and I went and bought a 1 Terra Bite Seagate USB hardisk.
My hard disk is only 150 GiB SATA (with second hard disk IDE is only 80 GiB) and it has two distributions.
SuSe and Peppermint on SATA and MEPIS on the IDE.
Peppermint is my work horse.
Nothing else to do with world cup football over and I decided to fill the disk with Linux images.
That was easy.

I used Gparted to partition it to 12 partitions, having re-sized the original one big NTFS partition.
Instead of installing a Single Linux distribution (my first reaction) I decided to use MultiSystem boot utility to mount several Linux distributions.

MultiSystem won't let you mount distributions on NTFS, so I formatted it with FAT 32 and mounted 10 or more distributions (except Knoppix, since it is bit finicky) and guess which one booted fast.

It was Peppermint 5.

Uses
1. It is my Multi-Live System booting platform.
2. It stores all my Linux images.
3. My personal data is very little and 16 GiB Pendrive is enough.

I wonder what am I going to do with the remaining space?
If the balance was sugary I would have used it for my dinner.

I think I am going to use it for few years.
This is why always say "small is beautiful", big is extra luggage to carry.

Beauty is it is light weight and small fit in, inside my front pocket.

It does not say how much it ways!

Are boxing Injuries Justified-BBS

Are boxing Injuries Justified-BBS

BBS stands not for Bodu Bala Sena but to Buruwan Bihikarana Sirasa.

This is the second installment related to sports injuries.

Are boxing Injuries Justified?

The simple answer is NO.

Could they be prevented?

The answer is No and Never.

Sirasa is Head in Sinhala and is a Mogul Media meant for headless and heedless guys and girls.

I met an old friend in Kandy today who was guy who retired from Bank to devote his time for social work.

He is an amiable guy with soft spoken way of life, known among his clientele for his free thinking capacity.

The topic to begin was football and I cleverly slanted it to my last blog piece's opening questions, to open a free for all discussion on, in the middle of the pavement.

In this FREE city of Kandy there is no space for free thinkers to gather and discuss something topical.

But there were massive billboards advertising a school boy's last boxing bout.

If we had a sane Mayor in Kandy he would have banned this advertisement for the sake sanity.

Not to be.

My friend told me the mother (she has become an authority in boxing) of the young guy had claimed that there won't be any risk in boxing.

He wanted me to educate the masses.

I think we need a Public Apology from the Moguls without brains who are running Headless. Heedless “Sirasa Media”.

For torturing facts for media gain and misinformation at large.

If you want tone down version of sports injuries please read blog piece, “Are Sports Injuries justified?”.

If you need real facts and figures read the reproduced piece from British Medical Journal (BMJ) below.

Are Sports Injuries justified?

Are Sports Injuries justified?

The simple answer is NO.
Could they be prevented?
The answer is Yes and No.
Why?
We never find perfect gentlemen/ladies playing it by the rules.
What is my resolve/or reaction?
It is always guarded optimism but in reality never achieved.



Reproduction from BMJ.

This predates the TV Media of Sirasa and is from Veritable Print Era.

This is for the Pol Buruwas and Puththalam Buruwas of Our Media to Read.

News Item
Boxing should be counted out, says BMA Report.

Amateur and professional boxing causes brain damage and should be banned, says the BMA IN A LATEST REPORT ON BOXING. The BMA argues that there is now enough evidence for secretary of state for national heritage to call an independent inquiry into the risks. The report, which reviews in detail 20 new research papers on boxing, looks particularly at amateur boxers in Britain. 
Its previous study in 1984 was criticized by the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) for concentrating on foreign studies of professional boxers. The BABA has 35,000 registered amateur boxers between ages of 11 and 35.

“ We have when Joseph Striclan, a 15 year old British amateur, was killed in his second fight that if anyone throws a punch hard enough it can kill.” said, Dr. Jeffrey Cundy, a member of BMA board of science and education. “the report makes this evidence conclusive. There are now more sensitive techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychometric testing that show that not only is there immediate brain damage after a bout of boxing but also an accumulation of damage that can continue for 20 years after the boxer retires. 
 

There is 15-20% CHANCE A BOXER DEVELOPING DEMENTIA AFTER PROFESSIONAL CAREER.

Our recommendation is simple-people should not hit each other on head (It is alright hitting the Media Head of SIRASA on his Vertex)”.

The report estimates that the heaviest blow in boxing can be equal to a 12 pound padded wooden mallet traveling at 20 miles an hour. A swinging hook to one side of the jaw is the most dangerous as it causes the head to rotate in vertical plane. “All the boxers know that a strong punch landing in this are is likely to lead, to win a knock out, because of the brain damage that this movement produces”, says the report.

The effects on the brain include surface damage to the cortex, particularly the frontal and temporal lobes and multiple tears of neuronal networks called Strich Lesions. 
Tension between the brain tissue and blood vessels can cause bleeding, especially in the substantia nigra and deep periventricula tissues.

In the long term, the BMA's report says, professional boxer are at risk of developing the Punch Drunk Syndrome (our politicians have this syndrome-especially when they are in opposition-most of them in power are moribund and brain damaged), dementia pugilistica. The syndrome, which can develop years later after boxer has retired, results in blurred speech, loss of coordination, dementia and premature death. The report finds conclusive evidence of long term brain damage in professional boxers, but the evidence for amateur boxers, because of the small number studied is less clear (that is the caveat).

The news article goes on;

Learning and Memory Deficit (applies to children)

Other neuropathological studies of boxers' brain show that gliosis and atrophy are concentrated in the medial structures of temporal lobe-limbic system-concerned with memory and behaviour (BMJ forgets to mention about sexual functions).

The report states this is why neuropsychiatric testing of memory and behaviour pattern are more sensitive than imaging in detecting brain damage.

Postscript

Cassius Clay, lately known as Mohammad Ali for his Muslim faith was my favorite star only second to Nelsen Mandela, not due to his achievements in sports arena, but due to his vociferous fight against American War Machine against the Communist Vietnam.

He choose to go to prison for 7 years by refusing the compulsory conscription and his title was striped and he came back and won it.

In my book freedom revisited, I have a special mention of Nelson Mandela and Ali.

Cassius Clay was Classic Figure both in sports and politics.

He has all the features mentioned in this article and BMJ diplomatically avoid mentioning him but it was implied in retrospect.

The lyrics of the “black superman” is another hit in our time.

I dedicate this blog piece to Actor Christopher Reeve and Michael Schumacher, too.

Riding Accident Paralyzes Actor Christopher Reeve

Actor Christopher Reeve, best known for his role as Superman, is paralyzed and cannot breathe without the help of a respirator after breaking his neck in a riding accident in Culpeper, Va., on Saturday.

Reeve suffered fractures to the top two vertebrae, considered the most serious of cervical injuries, and also damaged his spinal cord, John A. Jane, the University of Virginia neurosurgeon treating Reeve in Charlottesville, revealed yesterday. 
 

Reeve, who is 42 and has enjoyed a prolific screen and stage career, was thrown from his horse and landed on his head during the second of three trial events in an equestrian competition. 
 

He was wearing a helmet and a protective vest at the time. 
 

"He has sustained complex fractures to the first and second cervical vertebrae . . .," Jane read from a statement at a news briefing. 

"Mr. Reeve currently has no movement or spontaneous respiration. 
He may require surgery to stabilize the upper spine in the near future."

Michael Schumacher in Critical Condition After Ski Accident

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher survived 307 F1 races, winning 91 of them, and his racing career was not without serious accidents. But it was a family ski trip to France that has caused the most serious injury yet for the 44-year-old German. Schumacher was skiing on an unmarked trail with his 14-year-old son at a resort in Méribel in the French Alps on Sunday morning, and reportedly fell and hit his head on a rock. 

It’s said that Schumacher was wearing a helmet.

He was rescued by two members of the ski patrol, and promptly airlifted to a hospital in Moutiers, then transferred to another in Grenoble better equipped to handle head trauma. While initial reports insisted the accident was not serious, the news became more ominous as day turned to night. As Europe went to sleep, its presses printed headlines like The Mirror‘s: “Michael Schumacher Fighting For His Life.”

This is a story that can and will change hourly, but at this point it’s understood that Schumacher underwent emergency brain surgery, and while early reports said he was conscious, subsequent ones confirmed he was in a coma upon arrival in Grenoble.

Are Sports Injuries justified?

Are Sports Injuries justified?
 
Are Sports Injuries justified?
The simple answer is NO.

Could they be prevented?
The answer is Yes and No.

Why?
We never find perfect gentlemen/ladies playing it by the rules.
What is my resolve/or reaction?
It is always guarded optimism but in reality never achieved.

I have had two injuries related to hockey.

One related to long jump and hop step and jump (most likely, trying to jump to the pit prepared for the seniors, being myself a junior and landing on the hard surface instead of the sand).

I have had few injuries on my knee top but the one I hated was the boil that followed and the traditional treatment my father planted on it.

Boiled rice and salt.

This is well before Mercurochrome and Flavin were available.

That treatment was horrible and I vowed myself not to get injured again in my life.
 
Fortunately we had very smart family doctor who used to give a thumping jab of penicillin over ethyl chloral spray.

If not for the penicillin I could have been a non entity by teen.
 
Such was the status of medical care then.
 
Why did I did not write this before?
For over a month, I stood fast and watched others pain in the comfort of my bedroom.
That is something I never enjoyed for 40 years.

Now after a month of soccer, I cannot drop to sleep.

I was a sports addict and TV addict (TVs were not here in Sri-Lanka) in UK.

What I enjoyed most was snooker and billiards and I was good enough to beat all my mates in UK.

One condition (it was a ploy) I request from my employer in UK always was is there a snooker table within reach of the hospital or within itself.
That tricks the panel and I get the job beating over 60 odd candidates with similar potential.
They used to asked where this brat has learned this game which is typical British.
I tell them, that I played billiard from childhood.

Which is a big lie and I had two more other lies one on chocolates and one on coca cola for the nurses.
And no more lies during the entire period abroad.

They hate lies.
 
If any of my former employers read this, please do not castrate me now.

I learned it from the marker at the University Club before that in the Faculty with trial an error basis.At Digana when it was height of JVP activity in 88-89, I could play only snooker/billiard and squash (I was hopeless in both Tennis and Squash).

We used to play well pass midnight (no patients and no entertainment with blackouts elsewhere) and I was the first to start generators in every private hospital I worked since then.

Thank god, I was working with foreign principles and they were here to launch our first satellite which southern insurgency ruined for good.

I wanted to start some worthwhile academic writing and was looking for a set of typewritten notes I made before we had the first 486 computer in the university.

Quite by accident I found an article from BMJ (I only subscribe to Linux magazine and rarely read medical journals, except the digital NEJM, occasionally) related to sports and boxing.

I have reproduce the data which was 20 years old;

I was astonished to find they have introduced boxing in schools.

It is stupidity at the highest level.

I do not mind BBS monks practicing boxing among themselves and ruin their own brains instead of the “dayakayas”.

One of my mothers (maternal) uncles died in rugby and the British banned it then in schools.

My mother and especially my father were averse to me taking part in any sports and all my sports  honours were secretly achieved. 

All the same I knew the correct balance.

I enjoyed sports but any accolade were little bonus to my emerging ego.

Now the facts.
1. Number one for fatal accidents (death) is riding a horse.
Accidents exceed motor racing.
Less strains, sprains, dislocations and fractures.
But I have seen ruptured spleen with the horse kicking the rider.

But would not even mount an elephant (just the respect for this majestic beast), never mind, not in my life a horse.

I prefer, watching them racing in a racing track and be the doctor in attendance (no betting allowed) for the jockeys and sign their books for a small fee.

That is high fun.

2. Number two is boxing (there is always irreversible and accumulating injuries that culminate in dementia).
(read my blog piece "Is  boxing injuries justified."

3. Number three is Rugger.

4. Number 4 is martial arts.

5. Number five is soccer

6. Hockey my favorite is number six (I have had one injury as an adult, that was due to a guy who never played hockey before hit my shin).

Never in my life I have hit a guy with my stick intentionally but this guy's fingers were squashed by me with a single sharp trick we use to warn the bad guys on field.

He never came again to play.

Of course I have broken the front set of teeth of a non academic staff member unintentionally and he never returned but was duly referred to Dental School at Dangolla.

Then there was a beautiful burger lady who attracted (including the two guys mentioned above), the undesirables when keeping goal, as a reserve.

I was not a saint when I was young and in competitive sports.

It was true to most of us.
But there was no criminal intent. 

She only had one go at her solar plexus with a tone down strait from my stick, the ball landing on the middle of her chest (if my aim was bit to the right or left it would have been disaster for her bulging breasts) and we practiced uninterrupted for the rest of the season and we emerged as the champions beating Colombo, in a penalty shoot out.
She never came agian for hockey.
I thank god for that!
 
I think my download of Bodhi Linux is finishing and I am feeling sleepy and next installment will come when I wake up again.

Mind you cricket comes last.

Football, Officials and Referees.

Football, Officials and Referees.


I totally agree with Diego Maradona that the Colombia play maker James Rodriguez should have received the award.

I have to make few more comments.

I watched all the games and slept over 180 minutes (not by choice but by accident) of only two.

First was with Argentina and Brazil.

Other was the final. I woke up at about 4 A.M. To see 0 and 0 at 88 minutes.

I enjoyed the last 30 minutes.

I started supporting Italy.
Then when they were out I started supporting France.
Then lastly Argentina and never Brazil.
Why I did not cheer Brazil.
1. There was heavy bias on Brazil on referring.
If they did not blunder, Colombia would have been in the semi final having ousted Brazil and we may.
Almost all the football coaches cut a poor image in front of the camera except German Coach.
I feel sorry for Brazil for having a coach like Solari!
Then the Holland coach made an excellent move to send in the reserve goally in an earlier game and did try it when it really mattered.


3. Why I did not like Germany?
Well they were the most disciplined and clinical in their display.
They did not have the flair of South Americans, Italy, France or Spain.
It is dull to watch them PLAY and WIN.
I prefer Digital Football instead on the computer.


It was not players that did the damage to the game.
I pity the players.


1. First the referees.
2. Then the officials (Suaraz incident).
There were much worse fouls and the poor star of b Brazil would have been paralyzed.
The offender escaped with little remorse.
With these guys running FIFA football will get from bad to worse.




Argentina legend Diego Maradona called the decision "unfair".
All the goals from World Cup 2014
The 53-year-old, who was named the best player when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986, said "marketing people" had chosen the wrong man.
Speaking on his television programme, De Zurda, Maradona said Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez should have received the award.
The Golden Ball and other individual prizes, such as the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper, are decided by world governing body Fifa's Technical Study Group, a panel including former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.


Blatter said: "I was a little bit surprised when I saw Messi coming up to collect the best player of the competition."
Blatter believes Messi was given the award on the strength of his four goals during the group stage.
"If you compare the beginning of the tournament and why the Argentina team got into the final, they were decisive," he said.

VSIDO - Debian Sid with FluxBox

VSIDO - Debian Sid with FluxBox

This is a Debian Derivative with FluxBox  Window Manager.
The beauty of this distribution is that it runs its desktop on 125 MiB.
If you hate the gorilla sized KDE, this one is for you.
Another feature is one has to only Right Click to get the menu.
The IceWeasle, my favorite browser now can block advertisements and has a script writing ability too.

Enjoy the freedom of FluxBox.

Undermentioned but Useful Linux Distributions

Undermentioned but Useful Linux Distributions

It is more than three years ago I analyzed and rated over 25 Linux Distributions.

It is time for me to mention few of those not mentioned then but altogether very useful, handy and light weight distributions.

1. Bodhi Linux with Enlightenment Desktop

It used to be down below 400 MiB then but has expanded to over 650 MiB.

2. ArchBang

Arch derivative much user friendly than Arch (not for newbies)

Ther are two other Arch derivatives Manjaro and Antegos with graphical installer.

Manjora has many desktops and Antegos is only on gnome desktop.

3. Bridge Linux that bridges the gap between Arch Linux with experts to Linux user with minimal skilss with command line activity.

It bridges the gap.

4. Gentoo Linux Minimal

This is the Linux distribution that build up from scratch.

I have never tried it, since my download speed is prohibitive but I have tried it with the live DVD which is very impressive.

It totally different experience.

Go to its web site and follow its detailed instruction if you have a fast internet.

5. CrunchBand Linux

It is a Debian derivative over 800 MiB.

6. Clonezilla

Clones images and just over 100 MiB.

7. My favorite is AnitX or MX 4.2 a Mepis/Debian derivative.

Then there is Linux from scratch Ebook with detailed instructions.