The Common misinterpretations of a Pali Verse that states the body decays but the Name and the Tribe does not

The Common misinterpretations of a Pali Verse that states the body decays but the Name and the Tribe does not

This verse I have heard many politicians of yesteryear utter in tandem with political speeches, I often wonder from where it originated.

This has nothing to do with Buddhism or Dhamma.

Somebody with knowledge with Pali had coined this verse and all politicians of yesteryear and present use this as a phrase to propagate his or her name and tribe. 

This is how the post-colonial culture and politics developed.

“Rupam Jirati Majjanam (Body decays)

Nama Gottam Najirathi” (name and tribe do not)

The face value seems all Buddhist in nature but its implication in modern day is really disruptive to the nature of Dhamma as stated in the Tripitaka (the Three Baskets).

There is no problem with the first statement.

The second statement destroys the whole tenet of Dhamma in its entirety.

In Buddhist phenomenology self (Nama or Soul) does not exist and the tribe (Gothra) is an illusion that originate from the above wrong premise.

I have to restate the same with my own invention as below.

The meaning I am trying to derive at is, that the Mind State does not vanish at death but (Patisandhi) re-link with the next Bhava using Kamma as the vehicle or the driving force.

Rupam Jirati Majjanam

Nama (means Mind here) Kittam (means Kamma) Najirathi

(The Gotham is substituted with Kittam-Kriya)

In Abhidhamma context it is realistic to use the above version of the verse (even though I am not a Pali scholar) to express the conditional existence of Bhava. 

The term Nama Rupa occurs frequently in Abhidhamma and Nama is used interchangeably with the Mind. 

The term for body is corporeality and not Rupa in Pali context.

Who perpetuated this myth is immaterial but the damage it has done is enormous. In that context writing something of my own contradicting the statement is appropriate even though it is a departure from the original tenets of my discussions.

This I think originated with the British rule. 

It is common for us to blame the British for every little mishap we are going through in our modern history. But this one is a direct antecedent. They are the one who started naming the streets even in Kandy with British names of inheritance and their Governors. All the streets in Colombo have some relevance to British authorship. In their tradition it is a normal and is all welcome by every British administrators big and small.

What went wrong was that we adapted this tradition without scrutiny in the post-colonial period and continue to do so even now. Instead of naming the street with some meaningful road traditions like main street, cross street, first lane or second lane we started adapting our own names. Politicians in turn for their gain started naming these streets with the names of their kith and kin. 

They invented and used the above jargon riddled Pali verse for the propagation of the political agenda.

Even though, the tradition is British the wrongful doing is our own ill vision, political patronage and heritage.

Coal Power-Ecological Disaster

 Coal Power-Ecological Disaster
Most of my long term predictions had come true and I may not live long enough (but my great grand children would) to see the effects of my present predictions.
One of my predictions in the past was that introducing science in Sinhala medium was a disaster. I was not even 14 years then. The fact that I have to write this piece is an example of that prediction. It is somebody else who should be writing this certainly not me. It should be a bioscientist. But biologists of note are few in this country.
Another prediction was that the introduction of private practice to health sector individuals (while still remaining within the system and having best of both worlds) would make irreparable damage to the system and was a lack of social responsibility of then health planners. I have no objections to anybody doing full time private practice (not part time as it is now). It is bad for both systems. That is my point and I do not want to delve into that anymore.
The present prediction is an ecological one and it is about the planned Coal Power Plant. It is an ecological disaster of the highest (first) order not only to the Norochcholai people but to all Sri-Lankans. I would be brief but someday should write a detail article illustrating the points that I have failed to cover in this short content.
Historical facts about Niagara River, Niagara Falls and the hydroelectric power projects are good eye openers to our energy planners. There is a unique two part hydroelectric generating system on the United States side of the falls. Water is diverted from the river before the falls to make a man-made river to feed a power plant. The second part of the power project at night pumps water from Niagara into a reservoir and held until morning when energy demand rises. The pumps are reversed and become generators as the water from the reservoirs is released. These dual purpose hydroelectric power plants illustrate economy of policies and water management without disrupting the ecological sensitivities. A treaty signed by Canada and the United states allows both countries to generate electricity from the river. It guarantees that half of the normal volume of water is allowed to go over Niagara Falls during the day so that the falls still look spectacular to the visitors. During the night and throughout the winter, the generating stations get to use the three quarters of the river’s volume of water.
Why can’t our planners think in similar lines as regard to the feasibility of similar alterations to the project (upper Kotmale)instead of having the dam right across a natural fall?
It beats me. It is simply because of lack of knowledge and foresight.
Coming back to Coal Power plants I start with some medical points. In 1952 in England heavy smog in London and suburbs caused severe asthma attacks, car accidents due to poor visibility and many deaths (due to respiratory illnesses). All these were related to the air pollution and coal power plants were the major contributor. Very same problem is now evident in major cities of China. The energy demands have increased exponentially world over and the demand is going to go up irrespective of any aggressive planning. It will not improve for a foreseeable future and ad hoc planning in this century would cause irreparable ecological catastrophes. Until population growth is checked, current trends in energy demand would continue and any targets perceived would be unachievable. When one enters Colombo from Kandy the smog that one sees near Kalaniya power plant is a good example how a small thermo plant is contributing to city pollution. The other contributory factor is the exhaust fumes emitted by all vehicles. When in Kandy if one looks at the sky from Peradeniya the gloom that hangs over the sky in Kandy in the morning is another example how a provincial city is experiencing the same problem in a different magnitude. Incidentally there is an increase of asthma especially in children in Kandy and this is probably related to air pollution (exhaust from vehicles). We in Sri-Lanka and India have the policy of subsidizing the diesel (the polluter) at the expense of petrol. Encouraging pollution is a firm policy of our energy planners and successive governments have encourages this for political reasons but not for economic reasons. Unfortunately the car owners have to pay the penalty for the polluter.
Contrasting style of governance and hypocrisy (also of stupidity) of our planners and experts is self evident. Eco-principles are only on paper and during election campaigns and quickly forgotten thereafter.
One reason we don’t have a Green Party in this country is due to lack of proper scientific training especially in bioscience. Majority of the top level students take up medicine and only a few would take up bioscience with interest We do not have a course in environment science of high (world) quality in any of the universities in Sri-Lanka. By training our children only in Swabaha mediums all successive governments have produced poor quality scientists in this country. The books they are reading are 30 years old. The fact that our banana growers are injecting urea into the stem of the banana flower is the result of this anomaly.
Coming back to the Coal Power, with one monsoon the pollutants from the power plant would be to be blown inwards. The other monsoon will take the pollution to South Indian cities. The monsoons blowing the pollutants all over the world who is responsible for the air pollution worldwide?
Nobody knows.
Who would predict the outcome to our health status?
Nobody except the poor patients with asthma and emphysema would predict.
These patients would witness an increase in the recurrences of their illnesses and debility.
There is lack of concern for the neighbours when it comes to Asian Economic Principles. The Sethusundaram Project is an example when India hurriedly started the project without adequate safeguards (with an election in Sri-Lanka around the corner). Now they cannot make any protest over coal plant since they have not developed mutual trust and economic corporations as seen with Canada and America. This is the problem with Asians neighbours except perhaps China.
The devastating effect on the inland lakes is my primary concern. Nobody can exactly predict how much damage would occur in ten years but one thing is certain it is not going to be any better than what is now. The acid rain would destroy remaining ecological systems especially the rain forest already damaged by felling and tea plantations. The rains would fail and the hydroelectric power also would fail in the long run. The coal power plant is counter productive to the hydroelectric power plants. We will have to sacrifice one sources of power in the long run and sadly it is the ecofriendly hydroelectric power (hydroelectric power is also not full proof ecologically). Even though there will be a slight increase in power generation over short period of time on long term outlook is for the worse. We will never be able to satisfy self sufficiency in power needs with the current rate of population expansion however good our plans may be. Beyond 60% self sufficiency in energy is going to be counter productive in many ways. Whether one is using coal or nuclear energy (both are irreplaceable) the energy production is going to be unsustainable in the long run.
Renewable energy source is the only solution in the long run and why we are not tapping solar power is a mystery?
We should protect the hydroelectric power generation but should not cripple it with short term plans. Lack of enough power sources should not be used as a counter argument to destroy the remaining rain forests. Water is the life line of all Sri-Lankans. Water is the primary resource of our historic living style and power projects are only secondary. If the rains fail everything else in Sri-Lanka will fail whether we have electricity or not.
We cannot eat electricity for our hunger.
The coal power plant is going to have permanent effect on our rain forest and the water reservoirs (tanks).We lived without power for centuries and present craze of uncontrolled modernization is a total madness of our energy economists and strategists. They see power (energy) as a merchandisable commodity and not a service.
The acid rain that falls on the Pollonnaruwa and Anuradhapura will do the same destruction the Sphinx of Egypt suffered in no time. The Gal Vihara and the rocks will erode faster and the Ruwanwali Saya would be covered in black soot. It is a waste of having an Archaeological Department. For what reason they preserve the artifacts if they are going to be destroyed by the mad-made elements produced by the Coal Power Plant.
They would come out with plans to minimize the emissions. The key word is minimizing the pollutants but they can never eliminate them totally and effects are cumulative and they come in small doses. But the effect is the same and destructive. I do not like to go into technical side somebody else should do that for me. But they are only talking at the production time but nothing about transportation and the pollution it causes in transport and storage. The type of coal that is coming is not pure as diamond (is the crystal carbon) and there are many forms of carbon atoms and some of them are very harmful to the lungs. Coastal line and the seaside will not be golden and the houses would be covered in black soot in no time.
I had been living in a mining village and I have seen the coal fires, coal mines and the Coal Power Plants in my own eyes and nothing of this is an exaggeration. I spent three or four times in my bills (for the cost of my heating) as compared to the miners since I could not tolerate the air with the smell of coal. I always have a soft corner for the Yorkshire miners whose children were my patients and they were the nicest of people to befriend.
But I would like to finish with an item that nobody else has gone into detail. The Coal Board that would be formed to import the coal from abroad would be the most corrupt institution even before it is formed. It would be more corrupt than the Paddy Marketing Board. Why do I say so? It is simple.
Successive governments could not run an important board like Paddy Marketing Board and how can they run (in white suits and in air conditioned rooms) a Coal Board?
The point I am going to get at is simple. There will be 50% pilfering of coal before it reaches the target audience. Coal does not come in gunny bags like paddy and neither do they come in sealed containers. They are transported in open wagons and people start pilfering them from every storage site. The gas is expensive and the fire wood is hard to come by the people will realize its fire power (coal) soon and use coal for domestic activities and later on commercial activities. The Poll Kato irons will die a natural death and coal irons will take over.  Even our (who ever who are still in service) local blacksmiths will find coal attractive. There will be a side industry providing services to the people and pilfering is going to be a lucrative trade. With marketing wheeler dealing (with open market economic principles in operation) the actual turnover of coal to electricity would be only 30% or less and the Minister in Charge will be an important man. There are also other dark sides of coal which involve officials which I do not intend to go into that in case I am violating professional ethics.

Posted on June 4, 2011. Posted in Coal Power, Coal Power

Global warming, Coal Power and the Port of Call

 Global warming, Coal Power and the Port of Call

The port of call for Thaprobane in another half a century perhaps may be closer to Gampaha or near about! This was a prediction I made in 1989 on the dark days of violence and mayhem.

I was working for an internal organization and my commitment to them was round the clock especially because of the then prevailing conditions and for my recuperations I dropped into their small library when ever I had free time. Fortunately I was working with young and middle age adults and they were healthy. Apart from their children’s illnesses and an occasional call for a delivery (child birth) or an acute appendix I was relatively free. Unfortunately for me the foreign consultants especially Americans needed up to date medical information and I did not have simple medical books to  give them and I decided to order some books on Tropical Medicine. When I received them they did not have enough and relevant information for Sri-Lanka. Japanese B Encephalitis, snake venoms and many other trivial things. There was nothing on those topics in the books I received.Finally I decided to write an introductory note for all the visiting consultants and the management was pleased to see that I was so inclined.

I forged ahead with my secondary intentions not declared as such i.e. reading all American publications including Scientific American which I loved more than the medical journals. It was like fish back in calm waters and reading for leisure was something I cherished during the dark days of internal violence(1989. Fun while on the job was quite unexpected.

No sooner I got bored I picked up a non medical book and in one of these sporadic episodes I happen to find a book with contour maps of Sri-Lanka. My first perusal was the contours of the North and East where LTTE was dominating and then the Western Coast where the politicians of the South were dominating. The gut reaction and aberration in mind of some significance was enough to lead to new frontiers. I got the librarian who happened to be one my wife’s friends to photocopy several of those contour maps. There after I went home and coloured them according to the elevation from the sea. My finding lead to the above prediction with a certain level of rise in sea level the land would be encroached by certain distance and ultimately at a certain level of see rise the port of call would be nearer to Gampaha with Colombo completely submerged. I cannot remember the figures since the notes were thrown away subsequently but the punch lines remained in my mind.

For the same reasoning the 90% of the land controlled by LTTE would be under water and it is an aberration of history in the making. Thanks to tsunami now that all Sri-Lankan including the LTTE are aware of the might of the ocean and Water Power the punch line resurfaced with Coal Power Plant in the offing and Water Day celebrated recently. All of us fear the sea and the LTTE is especially investing considerable amount of resources on sea faring because of this awareness.

That brings me to the point of relevant discussion of global warming and the contribution of coal power to that scenario. There is direct and indirect link of CO2 with global warming and coal power plant and vehicles produce excess of CO2 that cannot be mopped up readily by the photosynthesizing plants. Small island countries like ours would be better off asking bigger countries to cut down on coal power. The irony is we go for coal power not only one unit but two on the trot.

Very clever aren’t they?

The historical fact would be that the grand children of the present day planners would face the curse of the raging sea.

Tsunami that comes asunder in waves would pale into insignificance with the magnitude of the rising sea with melting of ice from the polar caps.

A recent study and a prediction differ with the earlier estimates of the sea level rise by five times. What the prediction states is that not only surface warming but the warming sea currents have an effect in magnitude much more than surface warming. In the not so distant future we are going to experience catastrophes of nature not experienced before.

The freaks weathers we are experiencing are partly the result of global warming and even though pointing a finger is difficult for most scientists some of them are becoming vociferous and alarmed. These changes are irreversible and if the mankind is not going to heed wiser counsel and become proactive much more calamities would ensue. Ad hoc environmental advice is counter productive in the long run especially in terms of energy policies.

Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21st century?

Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21st century?

My simple answer to that is a BIG NO.

Religion divides people and it was a creation of mankind somewhere around 3000 years ago in the rich and fertile Middle East.

The time scale of three thousand years is statistically insignificant, if the man’s current estimated evolutionary diversion, if we assume it had taken place at about 50,000 years ago.

Drastic genetic change occurred around 3 to five million years ago and it took minimum of two and a half million years for establishment of humanoids.

In that sense 3000 years is nothing but from the time man started counting millenniums, this 3000 years had become historically important.

I believe it is the time of resurgence of the idea or the need for some form of arbitrary religion for exploitation.

After 40,000 (10,000 years ago) years from that point agricultural civilization started to emerge and in which part of the world, I would not guess.

It could have been anywhere, given the evolution of grasses to present grain producing wild cereals.

This estimation goes haywire, if we assume humanoids were galactic explorers, in the style of “Star Wars.

My classification during this period of 50,000 can be simplified in few term.

1. Man hunted by the beast.

2. Hunting the beast including woolly mammoth.

The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans, who used its bones and tusks for making art, tools, and dwellings, and the species was also hunted for food. 

It disappeared from its mainland range at the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 years ago, most likely through climate change and consequent shrinkage of its habitat, hunting by humans, or a combination of the two. 

Isolated populations survived on St. Paul Island until 6,400 years ago and Wrangell Island until 4,000 years ago.

3. Gatherer

4. Trader

Around 5000 years ago trading elephants hunted from North Africa.

They were supplying war effort of Romans before their decline.

These traders coming probably from Middle east probable did not have a religion.

5. Current civilization was seeded around Egypt.

6. Theory of God emerged somewhere around 3000 probably nearer Israel.

7. Explosion of religions in Indian subcontinent except Russia and China.

8. The current working religion is Money.

There is no place for any other religion.

Whichever way one looks this scenario, the final working philosophy is to generate money.

The concepts of Capitalism or Socialism does not mater if they are weighed with money.

My analysis is based on right and wrong principle.

It differs from the good or bad principle of all the religions.

My definition of Right is neither good nor bad or neutral.

Its appropriateness is current not to the past.

If a Muslim can kill another as an infidel and say it is godly thing and good, there is something radically wrong.

Killing or war is not the right way.

It is the beastly behavior in our gene makeup expressed at random.

In the 21^st century we need our animal genes to be suppressed.

The religion originated in the name of god and good but it has not delivered its key concepts to the current needs of the mankind.

Christianity and Muslim divide started the Bible War.

Judaism in the Middle East and the Oil needs of America instituted the ongoing terrorism and war in the Middle East.

The way UNO drew lines in the world map quite arbitrarily after the World War II and made countries to whims and fancies of UK, USA and France (Italy, Germany and Japan were left out) and left Palestine to their own devices.

It is not rectified to this day.

So it is time for the UNO to declare “A day for People Without Religion” (in other words people without division) is timely and appropriate.

China does not have a religion for 5000 years.

Does it mater to Chinese citizens?

Russia does not have a state religion for the last 150 years, after the demise of the Zsar and Rasputin, the devil in the Church of Russia.

Does it matter to Russians?

According to one of my Indian friends, there are 1 billion Indians and one billion gods.

Does it make an Indian free of abject poverty?

The whole African continent did not have a religion until Muslims from the North and Christianity from the South almost by force (Belgium was the biggest culprit) converted them.

Does it mean now the Africa is liberated?

I suppose Nelson Mandela (astute vision) never declared his religious status.

For him humanity was more important.

(The right thing is to decimate terrorism be that it may be, White Supremacists, JVP, LTTE, ISIS, Mossads, Natzy Hitler or any other dictator).

In fact, we got rid of one dictator by popular vote but he is waiting in the wing for another fling, his God willing (not any other God).

I sometime think this tiny country was the breeding ground for radicalism and terrorists.

It is the minority who rules the majority.

Even in this country, Buddhism has fallen prey to politicians with ulterior motives and corrupt monks trading elephants.

This country would become a better place if we declare once a months a holiday for people without a religion, just like the Poya (including Satara Poya) day (for Buddhists), Friday (Muslims) and Sunday (Christians).

Unfortunately there is no day for Hindus.

If one sets off 12 days for the above and another four the Tamils we still have 14 days left.

We must reserve at least one day a month (before these 14 days are grabbed by various extreme sets of religious or political groups)  in the coming Constitution for the non believers of religion and specially for the non believers of our politicians and politics.

On that day, the government should keep all liqueur bars open for only non believers (believers should be restrained in their own houses or in the Church, Mosque or Temple).

Come to think about and looking at the budget figures I am convinced believers (all religions combined) drink much more than non believers.

The non believers although in the minority should contribute to the state coffers by enjoying a drink once a month.

For some in this country (not me) democracy is as sacred as religion but we find a way to send only the corrupt people to the parliament by default.

For me it is one fool out 100 non fools who makes the decisive vote (49 against 51).

He is often the most foolish of the lot but ends up as the leader of the country.

This is why, I never register for the vote (over 40 years) come elections and feel proud that I am liberated from not only religion but also from DUD political leaders of this country.

In other words, I am emancipated by default, not out of convention, contention or context or conviction.

I suppose all the other guys and girls consider me gone nuts.

It does not matter to me, this country is full of nutty people and they are in one asylum called august assembly or the parliament.

There is a section in the Apaya International reserved for them when they demise.

I wish I become the Director General there, since our Solicitor General always sees lines between lines in the interpretation of our law.

It is called transparency.

Our Minister for Justice say hooray to this mediocre guy / girl in the name of noninterference (Mara Logic Ekkak!).

Strangely, he happens to be the Minister for Buddhism.

I think he trying to attain SOVAN or higher sublime state during this term of office.

I hope he will give up the post when that happens.

An average citizen until then should bite his teeth (not in his courts of law, he will be charged).

Ten or More Things Apple Mac won’t tell its customers.

Ten or More Things Apple Mac won’t tell its customers.

Ten or More Things Apple Mac won’t tell its customers.

1. It is a Unix derivative i.e. BSD (Berkeley Systems Distribution) which form the basis for both Mac OS X and the iOS that powers the iPhone.

 

2. It was hooked to a O.E.M platform (Power PC) till recently.

 

3. BSD is what Darwin is based on.

 

4. Darwin is Apple’s Open Source Unix operating system foundation.

Somebody should revive this, now that Steve Job is no more.

The Darwin kernel is equivalent to the Mac OS X kernel plus the BSD libraries and commands essential to the BSD Commands environment.

 

5  It uses Open Source OpenGL – Standard 3D graphics library

 

6. jEdit  4.3

 

7. Perl  5.10  Accessible through Terminal under Utilities

 

8. Python  2.6.1  Accessible through Terminal under Utilities

 

9. Python  3.3  Accessible through Terminal under Utilities

 

10. Ruby  1.8.7  Accessible through Terminal under Utilities

 

Items 6 to 10  are programming languages (now mostly platform independent) which made the backbone of  Linux.

 

11. Audacity   is a Linux derivative

 

12. Thunderbird is a Linux derivative

 

13. VLC    Media Player is a Linux derivative

 

14. Geogebra             is a Linux derivative

 

15.TeX

 

No operating system is Pure and I have  used OpenOffice or Libre Office since they originated from Sun Solaris system and later became Open Source.

Resume for Heaven

Resume for Heaven

If one wants to go to heaven one has to sacrifice some of the earthly things we are used to.

1. One cannot gossip in heaven.

2. For this reason cell phones are banned totally in heaven.

3. One has to make personal errands in heaven but this has changed with my friend becoming the Chief’s Assistant.

He was a stray dog now born in heaven as the Maha's Assistant.

3. One cannot think in heaven lest one tries to create some new heavens above the current one.

4. They have a high scrutiny when people like Steve Job tries to enter heaven.

I  cannot talk about it here, now.

His application is pending approval.

5. Email was introduced (this is where I got involved in) recently with the present Maha Brahma’s Assistant taking Office.

6. There is only outgoing mails only.

7. Onward post from Earth is banned.

8. I have a Virtual Email Facility by the courtesy of present incumbent.

9. They are not allowed to sleep or dream except the highest of the order of gods when on duty.

The reason for this is that the gods have to be watchful all the time to prevent any undesirable from Earth entering there without scrutiny.

This is about the only job they have to do in heaven.

 Like American and British Visas.

10. Leave is abundant in heaven one can take as much leave as possible and then one can dream as much as possible. 

But unfortunately most of the gods cannot dream well, especially the Chief himself.

Most of the gods, the last dream  they had before entering from any sentinel point in the Universe was going to heaven and once one achieves that target there are no dreams left for them to indulge in.

11. Games are plenty and allowed  all the time but betting is completely banned. 

Apart from email facility one of the reasons they introduced computers  was to play games but war games are completely banned.

12. They are now considering touch system tabloids (without phone facility) to play games and on that ground alone they might consider taking Steve Job to heaven but the entry is still pending and they are waiting for the approval from the real Maha Brahma to return from vacation.

Unfortunately his vacations are in eons.

So if you think of going to heaven read my resume carefully before one makes an entry.

It is painfully boring to be a God! 

 

Mind You; Christian gods are only interested in creating matter, not dark matter.

They have no understanding of the dark matter and dark energy and multiverse.

Their sphere of influence is one universe at a time. 

They have to wait till it "busts up' by Nuclear Energy (Americans, Iranians and Korean never go to heaven until they abandon the nuclear ambitions).

That is why the current God created, Americans, Koreans and Iranians to bust up things so that they can create "a Worse World" than what it is now.

Ten or more things I did not know about the Pineapple Plant.

Ten or more things I did not know about the Pineapple Plant.
Story of My Pineapple Plant
After about two years the stem of the original plant is flowering now.
It almost died due to competition of a robust weed.
I took the weed with diffuse roots away and the stem of the pineapple plant was rotten due to competition for nutrition.
I thought it might die and just placed it between other plants and put plenty of water.

Below is things I did not know but discovered during the last two years.
1. Even though I knew that the crown of the fruit can be used to grow it, I did not know what happens to the mother plant when the fruit is separated.
2. I did not know it leaves can be used to make a fine silk like thread (it is in fact finer than the silk thread) and prepare fabrics.

3. It grows very slow and one can have only one fruit for year.
4. It has a very beautiful flower.
5. Its roots does not go deep.

6. I did not know from which part of the tropics it originated. Now I know it is from south America.
7. Mother plant produce shoots called suckers once the fruit is removed. They can be used to grow new plants.
8. I do not know how many shoots / suckers it make certainly more than one.
9. I did not know other plants with diffuse root system compete with its growth and lot of chemical are used in commercial growing.
10 I did not know it is rich in manganese.

Linux is it Convergence or Divergence?

Linux is it Convergence or Divergence?

Posted on September 17, 2010

While Linux had been going on diverse and diverging pathways over the last decade there are significant converging strategies developing in the World Wide Web.  More and more people are using it everyday it has come to stay with the trends of the time.
Telecom’s innovations are coming to its peak that less and less people (except the young) are willing to invest and pay for everything they use or partake.
Ordinary people are more conscious of the price since everything else is going up in prices.

This is where V.O.I.P will take a center stage in couple of years since it is cost effective and one does not have to pay twice for the same article or service.

Similarly Television channels are offered through the pulse line of telephone and slowly but surely everything is becoming digitalized.

Analog years are numbered just as the music turntables of the past.
Similarly Video formats would change.
This is where Linux will and can steam role and go forward faster than our imagination can take us.

In the third world we are not yet ready for this scenario changing but billions of consumers are there in the East in Asia and China.
That is where the profits are going to be.
In time to come everything is going to be computer generated and only Linux can penetrate all these markets.

Linux have to move in different directions while converging on the desktop market. 
Server market and netbooks (rather O.E.Ms).
Live CDs showed the convergence pathway but what about the divergent pathway.
1. V.O.I.P is one pathway.
2. Video Generation (New Fast and reliable web format) and its different formats.
3. TV and Web TV is another pathway.
4. Education and Multimedia is another pathway.
5. Cloud Computing is yet another.
6. Business packages and MySQL is another pathway.
7. Science. Technology and Mathematics is another.
8. Web Utilities (like Google’s Chrome)is another and sports is another.
9. Venture into Government and Universities is another.
10. Sports and Entertainment (Music and Films) is another
11. Web Storage is another since Linux will work tirelessly without breaking the system or the hardware.
There are many more avenues for Linux enthusiasts.
Linux also should have a market philosophy.
Merging with big companies and committing harakiri is not the way forward.
Linux should generate reasonable income to its developers and community.
Just like medical service operates the vaccination and community health should be free but people who get sick with indulgence (alcohol and cigarettes and unconventional life style should pay or should have a reasonable health insurance).
In other words people who can afford they should pay reasonable price for the service.
If one gives something free its market value will go down. 
The best example is Free Books to school children in Ceylon. 
I would have never entered the University on Free Book Service.
That would have killed my interest in reading, especially English books.

This is seen in our country very well. 
We give free education and after 11 years of teaching English they cannot utter a sentence with 10 words clearly. 
This is true for Mathematics and Science and there is no training in IT.

Do not follow this stupid idea in the name cheap socialism.
For Linux workers (like labour laws) there should be some sort of compensation for the time and effort of the community and the developers. 
This can take the form of cooperative movement at Internet level.
If one’s idea is quoted and referred there should be a way of paying some royalty value through a cooperative fund. The fund should be developed from donations and charities. This has to be formulated with some strong checks and balances otherwise one rogue (we have our Sakwithies, here) will drain it overnight.
Then only it will go from strength to strength.
If we have repeated episodes of economic crisis one after another crisis, the community will strangle itself and quietly dwindle it’s human resources (which is natural with the present day youth) and the big companies will jump in for the kill.
Microsoft is waiting in the wing for windfall.
We should not let this happen. 
We should be mindful.

Waterholes and Bird Watching

Waterholes and Bird Watching

This is a reproduction and with climate change taking considerable impact within  five (5) years it is worth reproducing, lest I miss the connections.

The waterhole is no more filled up with soil by developers of new kind and a vehicle that parked on the filled up earth got stuck this Saturday and they could not move it out.

I did come home by stroke of luck bit earlier (it was getting dark anyway) and with the help of two three wheeler drivers and more importantly a crowbar we manged to pull it up.

The vehicle was a brand new automatic (not a 4 wheeler by the way, and driver was a granddad who did not any idea what he was doing).

Yes, I sometimes become a good Samaritan.

The granddad was asking me to push which I did not till I got the problem pictured out and with a likely solution to go with it.

My wife who tried to help ended up with a mild asthmatic attack.

The lesson to learn is “do not help a guy/girl” who in the first instance made a wrong judgment in parking on a private piece of land without asking permission from the owner.

Waterholes and bird watching do not go hand in hand. I believe people frequent waterholes when they are fed with watching birds. But, the connection I have made with waterholes and bird watching is of a different kind.

There was unduly high activity of birds and bees (really there were no bees) in the neighbourhood, for me to venture into investigating this simple phenomenon was spontaneous. The reason of this high activity was the perennial (but infrequent) rain we experienced over the past year or so. There was no scarcity of water except at times when the Water Board decides to divert our water to Kandy Municipality and forgets to turn our pipeline on (to cater to the commercial needs disregarding our needs who live outside the municipality).

The birds that visited our neighbourhood included were Greater Coucal, Common Coucal (Crow Pheasant) and the Red-vented Bul Bul and the increase in number of crows (from two to four to be precise in two seasons).

The reason and the only reason the abundance of rain and water. The birds want survive without the unusually high insect activity and snail population (especially the Common Coucal) which was well supported by the rain. The butterflies and their numbers increased proportionately in the dry periods in between the rainy spells.

Why is this unusual congregation of wild life in our neighbourhood?

To my mind there are two reasons.

We happen to live on their migratory pathway is one reason.

The other was the little waterhole and the water purification unit that stand in front of our house. Birds frequent this place because of the abundance of water certainly, not for food.  I of course do not believe in feeding them because the constant threat for birds from domestic cats. It was on the other night we managed to rescue a King Fisher from a domestic cat. He had one piercing wound on the head and another through the wings and there was bleeding. I did not know how to manage an injured bird. Got my daughter to read something on first aid and advise me until I attended to TLC (tender loving care). Luckily we had a visitor who was a bird watcher and we decided to keep him till morning expecting its demise. Come morning he was still living and quickly handed over the bird to the Veterinary Hospital for necessary care. Quickly had a chat with the Professor (who unlike medical doctors visit the hospital even on Sundays and Poya days) and she assured me that the bird would be released in a few days.

An unusual happening on Saturday was worth a little film (discovery). I was amazed to see a crow chasing an eagle three times as big as itself. The cunning eagle was using the air current to float and the crow behind vigorously chasing behind the eagle was a fascinating site worth a documentary. The eagle floated himself above the clouds and the crow gave up probably with exhaustion and lack of oxygen in the higher stratum.

In a minute about six to ten crows gathered around the sky and signaled the impending danger to the mother bird and the event ended up peacefully.

The young Coucal

Perhaps he may have to wait for the next season for a mate. Crow population has not matured enough to support two young ones.

25th of July 2006

What determines the Flight Paths of Birds?

What determines the Flight Paths of Birds?

The long drawn out trade Union Action gave me some free time to watch bird migration. This year the weather pattern was bizarre and in keeping with that the birds that came in also differed in type if not numbers. Numbers never approached the 30 which I used to count 30 years. Numbers have come down to 3 to 5 and only fluctuation was seen in the migratory birds. Unsusal finding was there were three types of woodpeckers. The common one without a distinct crown feather with a big beak. Another tiny woodpecker (not young ones) and the third was exotic hooded varity very beautiful. All of them were looking for nesting site and were exploring the bread fruit tree for boring holes. They came for about three days and vanished. I am fortunate but (birds are not and their flypath is now interrupted by rapid development and there is no food or water. surface well that the birds came was closed in the name of development and the little stream is dry now.

What determines the Flight Paths of Birds?

We can assume they migrate in search of food, nesting site and to avoid the harsh winter condition but what determines the flypath?

I wondered and wondered. We have not done adequate studies to postulate any firm scientific theory. I developed a theory based on simple observation. All the birds hate rainclouds. Not only clouds interfere with vision but the cold weather fronts and lightening must surely be frightening to the birds. My observation is relate to the movement of clouds. The clouds h the Hanthana range and breaks into basically two paths. One goes towards Kandy and the other towards Katugastota. Usually one dominate the other. If the clouds come down towards Panideniya it is very likely the clouds will go towards Katugastota. If it does not but hit the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens it will move definitely towards Kandy. All these are very simple observation and nothing extravagant and I see them and avoid the rain especially when I do not carry a an umbrella.

There is a corridor of no clouds and the birds often get it right and come well in advance of the rain in this corridor. No rain or thin drizzle the birds are their in numbers. Heavy rain of course no birds and the local resident birds get out of the way well in advance.

This of course is a very simple observation but I really do not know why these birds take a particular pathway. This is something I will study if I find time or in my retirement.

One thing is sure if we make radical change to the tree cover in the name of development the birds I see now will be never seen again on the same route.

 

Cloning, Maha Brahma and American Pie

Reproduction;
June 10, 2011
Note; 
"The Cell Cycle" has 50 "Cycle Limit"
Cloning, Maha Brahma and American Pie
Maha Brahma (really his assistant) was bit confused with cloning and I need to send him a email with some facts.

Maha is good at making something out of nothing and he never had the pleasure of making something out of something what humans are very good at like making profits.

For example the tea dust costs about Rs. 5 to 10/= for a cup of tea but when tea is made into hot cup of tea it costs Rs.50 to 100/= nowadays in the city.

This we call value added and not profits.

When Maha is thirsty he makes wine (one flavour) from nothing and drinks and there is no value adding.

It nice for humans to visit heaven when they perfected a spacecraft now that endeavour is in limbo and see how they make things without any value added or taxes and enjoy it in one flavour instead of many.  
He was in a hurry and (email chat of course) and I could not dispense him all the details.   
We are now doing nothing except industrial action and new entrants-going to be, are doing physicals in army camps, I was itching to let myself go (four weeks of no lectures is not something we are accustomed to) but he was only interested of my dreams and nothing else.
I missed part of my dream also.
I do not know what happened to the clones (two) and what happen to the originals brothers (twins).  
My guess is that clones would have kill themselves and twins would have retired to grave digging.  

Regard to cloning if one wants best results one has to clone the cells at the time of birth from cord blood and not when one is 60 years old with some underlying cancer brewing and waiting to hit the wall / fit the coffin when cells are old like in the Dolly the sheep and will have multiple deficits.  

So if any of the present day leaders including Qaddafi wanting to clone it is too late for the going and must try next birth if he does wish to come back to earth for war games.  
We have 50 somatic cell cycles and we spend almost 40 to 42 by the time of one year.  
From the rest of it, about 5 are spent by puberty and the last of it is all what we have before we drop dead.
In my estimate none of the present leaders qualify for cloning even if they wish.
They know how, was there only over the past 20 years or so and none of the present leaders are under 20.  
This applies to the kith and kin of the present day leaders if the are of eligible age for cloning.

I hear very damning information from WiKiLeaks.

America is making a stockpile of war heroes like Saddam and Bin laden and incubating them for the next world order.
They used Saddam and Bin Laden for best of 15 years and when they go awry makes 10 to 20 times the effort to get rid of them.
 When it happen in Sri-Lanka, they cry “helter skelter oohh’ and cry foul.  
I suppose intended use of our man was not accomplished to their wishes, namely dividing the country to pieces of cake to eat.  
In Middle East, they waited over 20 to 30 years and when oil resource is dwindling, they make a NATO strikes to get rid of oil shieks.  
This is international “War Games’ played according to their timetable and our time table of ridding of Terror made in India Terror is human rights violation.  
There is nothing nothing to beat this duplicity from Bush, to Blair to Obama.  
They are all horrible democrats!
I hear very damning information from WiKiLeaks.
America is making a stockpile of war heroes like Saddam and Bin laden and incubating them for the next world order.  
They are going to plant them in the Muddle East once the uprisings are over and keep the clones in America for safety and if in case any one of them misbehaves he or she is eliminated and the brainwashed clone is instituted.  
That is the next world order coming from America. They are going to clone IMF leaders too.