Mayhem

Reproduction
Below there is a list of journalists who were killed.

Premakeerthi, Richard Zoyza and Lasantha stand tall among them.


ප්‍රේමකීර්ති ද අල්විස්

ශ්‍රී ලංකා පෙලපාලියෙ මුලින්ම ගිය පීටර්
සටන් පාඨ කොඩි සේසත් අරගෙන ගිය පීටර්
මැතිණිගෙ පින්තූරෙ පපුවෙ පැළඳ ගත්තු පීටර්
මැතිනි අපිට අපි මැතිණිට කියා නටපු පීටර්

බණ්ඩරනායක මැතිඳුගෙ ගුණ ගී කියු පීටර්
ශ්‍රී ලංකා ආණ්ඩුවෙන් තෑගි දිනපු පීටර්
ශ්‍රී ලංකා මීටින්වල කතා අහපු පීටර්
අපි අතටයි අත අපිටයි කියා කියපු පීටර්

ඡන්දෙ දවසෙ නිල් ඇඳගෙන ඡන්දෙට ගිය පීටර්
මෙදා පොටෙත් අපි එනවයි ඔට්ටු තිබ්බ පීටර්
අපි කැපුවත් නිල් පාටයි කියා කිව්ව පීටර්
UNP දින්න දවසෙ කොළ ඇඳලා පීටර්

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Career

De Alwis father wanted him join the railway department but de Alwis was attracted to radio broadcasting. De Alwis joined the Visithura magazine, part of the Davasa group, in 1966 as a feature writer. He started working for Radio Ceylon as a freelance announcer on 17 December 1967.
He became a permanent announcer in June 1971 and was promoted to programme producer.
He became a Grade Two announcer in 1974 and afterwards presented programmes such as Sonduru Sevana, Serisara Puvath Sangarawa and Shanida Sadaya on Radio Ceylon's successor Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).
He later joined the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, presenting programmes such as Anduna, Ayubowan and Sampath Rekha (National Lotteries Board).
De Alwis was a prolific lyricist, writing hundreds of songs. He wrote his first song, Hada Puda Asune Senehasa Bendune, in 1969 for Rupa Indumathi and Malkanthi Nandasiri.
In the same year he wrote his first film song, for Lokuma Hinawa directed by K. A. W. Perera.
He wrote songs for more than 150 films.
He wrote songs for numerous singers including Mohideen Baig, Malini Bulathsinhala, Milton Mallawarachchi, J. A. Milton Perera, Mervyn Perera, Victor Ratnayake, Freddie Silva and Priya Suriyasena.
Popular songs written by de Alwis include "Aatha ran viman thulin", Aaron Mama, Adaraneeya Neranjana, Adare Ran Bingun Nesu, Beri Bara Hindai Daruwan Dunne, Eda Re Guwan Thotupoledi, Eka Gini Koorai Mulu Gedarama Thibune, Kurullanta Gee Gayanna, Ma Ekkala Amanapawa Wee Dabara, Mannaram Piti Welle, Me Nagaraya, Mudu Parama Supiwithuru, Oba Dedunna Akasaye, Raththaran Menik Muthu Mokatada Ewa and Sanda Midulata Enawa.

Assassination

Assassinations of Journalists

during the Sri Lankan Civil War

• Nadarajah Atputharajah
  
• Premakeerthi de Alwis
  
• Richard De Soyza
  
• Thevis Guruge
  
• Balanadarajah Iyer
  
• Aiyathurai Nadesan
  
• Mylvaganam Nimalrajan
  
• K.S.Raja
  
• Taraki Sivaram
  
• Relangi Selvarajah
  
• I. Shanmugalingam
  
• S. Sivamaharajah
  
• Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan
  
• Rajani Thiranagama
  
• Lasantha Wickramatunge

During the 1987–89 JVP Insurrection de Alwis received death threats allegedly from the Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya, the armed wing of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), but as a socialist he did not take them seriously.
At around 8.30pm on 31 July 1989, armed men, allegedly belonging to the DJV/JVP, stormed into de Alwis' home in Homagama.
De Alwis tried to escape through the back door but more armed men were waiting in his back garden.
His wife pleaded with the armed men and they assured her that they only wanted to question de Alwis.
They dragged him outside and shot him dead.
His bullet ridden body was later found 200 yards from his home.
His remains were cremated at the General Cemetery, Kanatte on 7 August 1989.
A member of JVP was found guilty of the murder on 17 December 1992 by the High Court of Colombo.
In July 2014 a part of Independence Square Mawatha, the road leading to the SLBC headquarters in Colombo, was renamed Premakeerthi de Alwis Mawatha.

Open Software at its Best

Open Software at its Best 

If you are “stuck up” with windows with mkv file following reproduction would help.
Both MKV format and VLC Player are Open Source and Linux based.
MKV file is a container with Linux libraries (codecs).
Best thing is to dual boot Windows with Linux Distribution.
There are many Linux distributions and won't elaborate except saying I am Using Peppermint Linux which is minimalistic with a Chrome Browser (I use Firefox instead) and web utilities.
Then I download my requirements at my leisure (all open source and free).


Following is a reproduction.

From Humble Beginnings

Before we talk about what the files are, let’s talk a little history. MKV files, also known as Matroska Video files originated in Russia in 2002. The lead developer, Lasse Kärkkäinen, worked with the founder of Matroska, Steve Lhomme, and a team of programmers to create this comprehensive multimedia container file format. It got its name from the Russian word for Nesting Dolls, matryoshka.
The Matroska project was developed as an open standards project which means that it is open source and is completely free for anyone who wants it for personal use. The company also has a lot of resources on their website, including a list of playback options. As time went on, the format was improved and in 2010, it became the basis for the WebM multimedia format.

What Are MKV Files?

Contrary to popular belief, MKV files are not an audio or video compression format. In reality, MKV files are actually multimedia container formats. This essentially means that it is a container that can incorporate audio, video, and subtitles into a single file even if they use a different type of encoding. For instance, you could have a MKV file using VP8 video with Vorbis audio, or more commonly, using H.264 for video and something like MP3 or AAC for audio.
MKV container files were designed to be future proof, meaning that the files would not become outdated. For this reason, Matroska developers included several key features. These include fast seeking, chapter, menu, and metadata support, different selectable audio and video streams, online streaming compatibility, subtitle (hard-coded and soft-coded) support, and error recovery (allows for playback of corrupted files). The container itself also supports almost any audio and video format, which makes it highly adaptive and easy to use.
Because it isn’t an industry standard, not all media players support it yet, even though support is rapidly growing. There are two main options for playing MKV files. These include, using an MKV compatible media player or downloading the appropriate codecs.

Best Option: Use VLC Media Player

The best choice to play MKV files is VLC media player. Downloading and installing the program is easy if you follow these directions. Begin by navigating to the official download page at videolan.org (and beware of going anywhere else, because a lot of crapware vendors have fake VLC download sites.
Once you have downloaded the appropriate file simply run it to install VLC. The entire installation process should take no more than two to three minutes. The best part is that you don’t need to worry about bloatware coming with the program because it is a clean install, as long as you get it from the right place.
To associate MKV files with VLC, you can right-click on one of them, click Properties, and then the Change button on the General page to switch out the default application. Find VLC media player in the list, and select it.

Bugger the Bankers

Lyrics of Bugger the Bankers

When I was a lass I was proud of me class

Like my father and mother before me

They taught me to fight for my civil rights

But it’s always the same old story.

The rich reign supreme while the poor only dream

And they don’t give a damn, Tory, Lib’ral or Labour.

Chorus

Bugger the bankers and politicians

Bugger the bureaucrats too

Bugger the buggers who make up the rules

And if you’re one of them – bugger you!

The system is bad and the money’s all spent

We’re buggered from every direction

The workers are taxed, the wealthy relax

With nary a moment for reflection

Chorus

Now all you good people with passion to vent

Don’t give up your struggle for justice

I’ve done my time in the protesters’ line

And these days I show my dissent

By loitering within my tent, my tent.

Conspiracies in Science

Conspiracies in Science
In mid nineteen sixties in USA there was a lady scientist who postulated that mitochondria probably originated from bacteria and took a symbiotic existence in evolution in eukaryotic cells. 

She would have had some good reasons which was deliberately not recorded in scientific history.
She was ridiculed by her male colleagues and she committed suicide.
 
Mind you mitochondrial DNA was not known then.
 
They reproduce by binary fission.
Mitochondrial DNA is always inherited by the mother and the few mitochondria of paternal origin (from the sperm) have no significant role.

Quite unknown to the above incident few years later I had the same premonition that mitochondria are almost similar to bacteria in size and  structure.
My sense was sharp enough never to say this in medical school to my colleagues or to my teachers.
But I dig in and found there are giant mitochondria in  glandular adenomas.
I let it rest at that level till I started teaching pathology many years later.
 
I was very happy now that concept is accepted but very unhappy a young life was lost by being forthcoming in science.

This is one example in conspiracies in science.
 
There are many of course.
By way of suppressing information or manufacturing bogus facts.
 
There is another conspiracy in America where Federal Governments operate.
In some federal states they do not allow the teaching of Evolutionary Concept in Biology.

That is a conspiracy by the evangelical politicians!

Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory comes in conflict with god’s creation.

So do not teach it to American Students is the Evangelical message.In evolutionary studies mitochondrial DNA is very important. They can record changes that occurred million years apart.

There is something called Mitchondrial Genetics that helps in answering evolutionary puzzles.
There is a protein in evolutionary history called heat shock protein.
The heat shock protein of bacteria has remarkable resemblance to heat shock protein in us.
Not only mitochondrial DNA but proteins of prokaryotic cells have links with eukaryotic cells.

Genomic projects is currently unraveling the evolutionary secrets one by one.
So it time for us to forget about the god's creation.

Big Bang Conspiracy

Big Bang Conspiracy

Big Bang was a big conspiracy to satisfy the church 100 years ago.

The church was very powerful and was dictatorial in its past.

Its first conspiracy was killing Socrates.

From then there were many more occurrences.

However, the most recent one was the hanging of the Vatican Banker under the London Bridge.

I was in London when that happened but police removed the body before I could have a look with a forensic intent. 

But police never investigated it in full or published the details for public consumption.

Mafia had connection with Vatican and the death of one of the Popes soon after coming to office was not a mystery.

If one wants the details please read the “God Father Series" or see the films.

I have all the books and the films with me and I recommend the book "Mafia Republic".

Before coming back to Big Bang conspiracy, let me summarize the current scientific knowledge, thanks to the Hubble Telescope (named after the greatest scientist who predicted the expansion of the universe).

Dark matter is roughly 23%.

Dark force 73%.

The matter we can see is only 5% (probably the god saw this matter 7250 odd years ago-according to the Bible the life of this planet is little over 7000 years-and the Bible was written 2300 odd years ago).

Even in this 5% of matter, the byrons are not accounted for and are probably mingled among the gas clouds in the universe.

I have my own hypothesis and there are two books at Amazon if one is interested.

My hypothesis (not proven) is that the matter tends to settle to (transformation) a low energy level of dark matter and immense amount of dark force.

If one push this theory far, all matter will disappear with time.

Byrons may be a manifestation.

But my counter theory proposes that dark matter and dark force turns back to matter right in the middle of the galaxies forming stars.

Why I am stating these hypotheses is/are for one to look at fresh at the current theory including Big Bang.

We have not fully understood the mechanics and new physics (current physics, only applies to matter real) is necessary for virtual matter (dark Matter).

Big Bang was proposed to satisfy the Church.

It is not the final theory.

There are two big holes in Big Bang theory.

I have explained them elsewhere.

The original matter comes from nothing.

Something cannot come from nothing and this supposition pleased the church 100 years ago.

Then the time zero (time is a concept) was brought to fit in with the "something from nothing" and Big Bang was born and the god had an upper hand 100 years ago.

Not any more.

Both Albert Einstein and Fred Hoyle were under tremendous pressure from the church to suppress free thinking and inquiry.

That is why I say the church had been always dictatorial and helped dictatorial regimes in the past.

True scientist had no place and few were beheaded at the behest of the church.
 
When a new concept came in and if it did not fit in with the god creation, the church was at loggerhead with the emerging science.

If you read the Bible, god creation was added few centuries after its original scripture.

So with new science coming into prominence the Bible has to be rewritten just like the Kuran does for many centuries.

There are two or three things Christianity has monopoly.
1. Even Mafiosi boss can be excused by Redemption.
The god takes the crimes to his hand.

 Penance is repentance of sins and Confession / Reconciliation.

I believe one has to own his or her good or bad deeds in this world.
Prison is notorious option for criminals but there is no virtual heaven for good guys like us,just to see how it feels like to be in heaven.

Only option in this world is some wine.

Religious parole is not in my book.

2. There are miracles

3. Eternal hell (where is penance?) or heaven are undemocratic institutions.
One cannot go from one to the other (mutually antagonistic)

My Night Terror

Memories
 
It was many moons ago
I was just a kid
Barely seven years old
The war broke in

Yes, we were moved
From here to there
There were not a place
To hide
Except the trenches

I had four sisters
Two were taken for cadres
And rest were sent to
A far away place
Over and beyond the sea
I never saw them again

I was smuggled out
And grew up
In a Foreign Land

I grew up fast,
Very successful in
My academy
Met lot of
Guys and gals

One day,
I met a beautiful
Blue eyed girl
They used to say
Irish blue eyes

We fell in love
It was natural
Whenever I tried to
Kiss her
In her blue eyes,
Yes I saw
My Sisters eyes
In red, green
And dark shades

I could not
Bear it
We broke up
As friends
Promising never to
Kiss again!

Many moons passed
I met a gal
Much older
We were in bed
In no time

But the moment
We were under the blanket
I had a night terrors
"Crawling in,
The dark trenches
Bombs falling
Near by"
It was horrible

She had gone
Secretly,
In the morning
Leaving a note
Please take treatment
For night terrors

Very morning,
I booked
A ticket home
To see my
Aging mother

Yes,
I was dreaming
I had never seen a bomb
Or a trench in my life
Why I am dreaming
Like this?

If my night terror
Was not bad enough,
How could it had been
The days and nights
For the guys and gals
Of the Yesteryear War?
Living without a roof,
I wonder

Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”?

Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”?
 
I hate the phrase or metaphor lotus eaters.

There is no inherent reason except, I love all types FLOWERS of water lilies.

Are we lotus eaters?
 
In Greek mythology the Lotus-eaters, also referred to as the lotophagi or lotophaguses (singular lotophagus ) or lotophages (singular lotophage), were a race of people living on an island dominated by lotus plants. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy.

1. Lotus-eater or Lotus Eater Greek Mythology One of a people described in the Odyssey who lived in a drugged, indolent state from feeding on the lotus.

2. A lazy person devoted to pleasure and luxury.

If we take the above definitions this island fits nicely, especially after ex-president’s period.
 
The narcotic sales hit a zenith.
 
People were elated (especially with racial dogma) but lazy.
 
Expansion of temples all over the country needed large amount of water lilies for worshiping. 

Then of course, the people eat most of the  parts of the plant including the rhizome.
 
My gut feeling is these rhizomes concentrate arsenic and heavy metals which can be poisonous after about 30 to 40 years of eating.

Increase detection (I won’t use an epidemic) of chronic renal disease is relevant here.
 
Other relevant point is from C. P De Silva’s (1960s) time we had been importing and using poisonous pesticides and artificial fertilizer loaded with heavy metals.
The coal that we import from China will also be contributory where Coal Power Plants are located.
 

The name lilies is a broad term and many lilies can be poisonous to cats and dogs.

Below is a Reproduction
Quick warning:
No matter the circumstance, NEVER eat any plant unless you're absolutely sure that it's safe. This means either a) having bought it from a grocery store, or b) having it identified with all possible certainty (both as a particular species and as edible) by a reliable authority.
Don't just take my word for it!


That said... The word "lily" covers an astonishingly wide variety of plants, most of which are indeed poisonous.
I'll go over them a few at a time, by botanical categories.
True lilies (genus Lilium -- Easter lilies, stargazer lilies, etc.) are definitely toxic to cats.
My sources are more dubious regarding humans: they are at very least dubious. Numerous species are outright poisonous (if only mildly), while many others are inedible and bitter.
Do not eat.

Daylilies (genus Hemerocallis) are not at all poisonous -- in fact, they're lauded as tasty in numerous books of edible wild plants.
Apparently all parts of the plant are edible, and many are pretty good eating.

One plant sometimes referred to as "Easter lily" is also called the calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica): it is toxic.
All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate, which causes swelling, burning, and highly unpleasant digestive symptoms.
Do not eat.
 
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majus) is highly toxic -- it's full of cardiac glycosides, to the point that merely handling it and then licking one's fingers could cause some symptoms.
Do NOT eat.

Water lilies (Nymphaeaceae spp.) are too large a group for me to say anything definite.
They seem mostly innocuous, but it'd be advisable to research any given species individually before trying to eat or plant it.

Sonia Barnett was delighted to receive a beautiful bouquet on Valentine’s Day.
But her joy turned to horror when the flowers poisoned and killed three of her beloved cats.
Miss Barnett did not know that ingesting any part of a lily can be fatal to felines, with even a small amount of pollen enough to kill them.

Myths and Conspiracies in Human History

Myths and Conspiracies in Human History
 
Myths I can excuse but conspiracies I cannot.
 
It looks like the entire history of mankind is either filled with myth or conspiracies.
No matter, whether it is philosophy, religion, war, power politics or democracy, there is subtle hint that for success or failure,  conspiracy had a bigger role to play.
 
It turned events in history for better or worse.
 
But when there is a conspiracy in science and medicine, it is outrageous and deplorable.
 
I have seen that happening in my entire adult career.
 
The story is the cholesterol and the saga is coconut oil or saturated oil.
 
They promoted polyunsaturated oil and peanut oil as a remedy.
It was a comedy.
Highly reactive bonds with reactive chemicals were introduced.
From heart attacks to degenerative disease to cancer to dementia ensued.

Who benefited.
 
Drug companies and doctors.
 
American Heart Association was instrumental in the grand conspiracy.

Why I am writing this? 

In another 100 years, when our descendants analyze the history, they will look at as jokers in history. 

This piece for redemption only.

Nihalsingha is No More

But he has left landmarks and milestones in our cinematic history.














One of Sri Lanka’s foremost filmmakers, D. B. Nihalsingha passed away yesterday afternoon after a brief illness. He was 77. Nihalsingha was the only Sri Lankan to be honoured with the title, ‘Professor in Cinema and Television’

Having made several award winning movies including Welikathara, Maldeniye Simion, Ridee Nimnaya and Kelimadala Nihalsingha made the country’s first tele serial ‘Dimuthu Muthu’ and followed it up with ‘Rekha.’ The cinema veteran was the founding CEO and General Manager of the National Film Corporation from 1972 to 1978.

Nihalsingha’s parents were veteran journalist D.B. Dhanapala and the late Rathi Dhanapala. 
His brother was veteran photo-journalist D.B. Suranimala.

 

Why Worship with Flower?

Why Worship with Flower?

In evolution, plants with flowers were recent.

They had a reason for existence.

Propagation of the species with added tolerance to extinction under adverse conditions was the purpose.

Flowers tend to bloom seasonally when there is scarcity of water.

Fruits are formed to take the next generation of seeds.

Nuts are often bitter, so that animals do not eat them.

If they eat them they are not digested in the digestive system.

They make the flesh of the fruits attractive so that they eat and spread the seeds far away from their origin.

Fact that they are edible should not be taken as a license to store them in cold storage.

If one destroys a flower he/she in fact upset the balance of nature.

Buddhist offer the flowers at the shrines of Buddha, to remind themselves of the unsatisfactory and transient nature of life.

They recite a Gatha as they do that.

Actually plucking of water lillie flowers, make the plant to go into hibernation and often end up with death of the mother plant.

That is my discovery.

My bone of contention is even if they are not producing fruits, say jasmine they attract a plethora of insects who live on the pollens and nectar.

Not only we destroy the flowers we destroy the insect life, too.

Buddhist who say “Let all living beings be happy and content” are violating one principle while acquiring merits on Anitta Meditation while offering flowers at the temple.

One can argue that merits acquired with offering flowers are devalued by demerits of interfering with insect life.

Why not remind oneself of Annita every time one sees a flower.

Why one has to pluck them?

Attachment to the flower is as bad, in Buddhist way of thinking.

Why pick fresh flowers?

One can easily choose the fallen flowers, instead.

Which show their demise glaringly and epitomize the principle of Anitta, much better.

There is a paradox here.

If one sees a beautiful flower and set in motion Anitta principle, instead of enjoying the very nature of natural beauty, to me it is sadistic.

 

Let them blossom in the place they have chosen for themselves.

Enjoy the beauty.

Don't be a sadist or a lovebird, unless you have cared them yourself.

If you cared for them, it is hard to pick them or destroy them, even if they are in the plenty.

Adore them but do not treat them like plastic toys.

They are living creatures and there is a purpose of their existence.

I do not mind a little girl wearing them on their hair to enhance their natural beauty.

But teach them the nature's secrets while fixing one or two flowers on the head or hair band in the hairdo.

Tell them a plastic flower lasts long.

Do not tell them the Anitta Concept too early and make them sadistic in formative years.

This is where I come in conflict with Buddhist notions.

Why only animals are sacred.

Evolutionary-wise plants are more sacred, since they support all life including animals.

This is why I say Buddhism does not teach science, especially biological science in its core themes.

This might upset some mafiosi Buddhists but it is not as bad as Victor Ivan stating kill all the cows when they are at the end of the milking cycle, old and feeble, for beef.

Take him to task if a Buddhist gets agitated by my above comments.

It is far better extend some Metta to Me and My Flowers.

That will make you feel better.

It feels much better if you have few flowers in your garden.

This April I had five exotic flowers.

It put my April joy at a high level, all together.

The NASA Clean Air Study

 Reproduction

The NASA Clean Air Study
 
The NASA Clean Air Study has been led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). Its results suggest that certain common indoor plants may provide a natural way of removing toxic agents such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air, helping neutralize the effects of sick building syndrome.

The first list of air-filtering plants was compiled by NASA as part of a clean air study published in 1989, which researched ways to clean air in space stations. 

As well as absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as all plants do, these plants also eliminate significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

NASA researchers suggest efficient air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or office space. 

Other research has shown that micro-organisms in the potting mix (soil) of a potted plant remove benzene from the air, and that some plant species also contribute to removing benzene.

New Year One Liners

Only a Sri-Lankan would enjoy these one liners.
You may add, delete or modify!
No copyright attached
 
1. No Hair on Konda Kavum

2. No (coconut) Coir in Pol Pani
 
3. Dead ants (on full tommy) on  Kithul Treacle
 
4. Tooth stuck on a Krispy  Kokis
 
5. New Rupee coin stuck in a Mung Kavum
 
6. Politician fallen sleep in a Kotta Pora
 
7. Prime Minister Oiling a Grease Tree

8. President singing Nelum Kavi dressed in loin cloth
 
9. Astrologer stolen Maru (or Sankramana) Grahaya
 
10. Pickpocket picking an empty pocket in Nona Gathaya