|
Child-mother and her baby in Children's Home
By Ranee Mohamed
A
thirteen year old mother and her one and a half year old baby
have been sent to a Children's Home in Kurunegala. "This is a
sad story, a kind of story which we have never heard of in
the history of this home. In this case, the mother is a child
too," said a source from the home situated in Kurunegala.
The
13 year old mother, hailing from Bingiriya had entered into a
strong friendship with a boy aged 23 years when she was 11
years old. According to police sources, the girl had been
taken away by the young man to Wanathawiluwa in the 8th
milepost area in Ampara.
After having lived together for about two weeks the young man
had married her by declaring her age as 18 years.
The
man who worked as a barber had been living in a shack with
his child bride, eking out an existence with his meagre
income.
His father's home
When he could not make ends meet, he had brought her back home
to Bingiriya where he had kept her in the home of his father
in Bowatte, Panawewa. Meanwhile the mother of the girl who
had earlier lodged a complaint with the Bingiriya police that
her young daughter was missing had been delighted when her
daughter showed up in a house in the neighbourhood.
Struck by poverty, hardship and helplessness, the mother had
been distressed to learn that her child was pregnant but there
had been nothing she could do.
"The young man and his child bride had lived together. But
there had been frequent squabbles. Much of these squabbles had
centered around another woman that the girl had suspected her
'husband' was seeing. When the fights had got violent the
young girl had been subject to beatings. It was then that a
complaint had been lodged with the Kurunegala police," said a
police source.
Back to the police station
On
the day of the complaint however the Kurunegala police had
been able to resolve the differences between the young couple
and then send them home. But on that same evening, the
fighting had begun again, forcing the couple to return to the
police station.
"It
was only then that police officers inquiring into the case
stumbled upon the real age of the wife of the barber," said
police sources.
The
girl had then been 13 years old with a child aged one and a
half years.
It
was then that the Women and Children's Bureau was alerted to
this case.
In
a sad turn of events, the young girl found herself in the
Women and Children's Bureau.
The
young mother and child are now in the care of a Children's
Home in Kurunegala, where she lives, ironically with her
child.
Disappointment
Police have expressed disappointment that neither the doctors
who attended on this young mother, nor the witnesses were able
to ascertain her real age. However, the suspect, the two
witnesses to the marriage and the registrar who registered
the marriage have been remanded by the Women and Children's
Bureau pending further inquiries.
Meanwhile, in a complete change of surroundings and of life
itself, the young child-mother spends her time at the
Children's Home. She says, her child is crying
uncontrollably and that she is unable to breast-feed her child
anymore. With her 'family life' now over, and her 'husband' in
police custody, this 13 year old who is just stepping into her
teenage has the double task of consoling her child and the
child in herself. Chief Inspector Balachandra, SI Amila,
Sergeant Asoka, PCs Janka, Premasiri and WPC Priyanthi under
the guidance of Director SSP Ravi Vaidyalankara are conducting
investigations.
Coconut is going beyond
our reach
|
A coconut
tree producing fewer nuts |
By Nirmala Kannangara
Despite Sri Lanka being a tropical country and coconut being
one of its main crops the present price of coconut and its
products have become unreachable to the common man.
The
price of a coconut has now gone up to about Rs. 35 - 40 in and
around Colombo, making a litre of coconut oil to reach up to
Rs. 180 in Colombo and the suburbs. Adding to the ever rising
CoL which is beyond the control of the common man, he has to
strive to buy even a small coconut at the lowest possible
price to make his curries.
What is the reason for this huge price hike in coconuts and
coconut products? Is it due of a poor yield or is it because
of the present trend in the rising CoL? This has now become
the talk of the town and everyone including the harassed
housewife is thoroughly unhappy over this situation.
The
high price of coconut has made the poor man's delicacy - rice
and pol sambol - a luxury so much so he has now to consider
eating rice with salt only.
"Pol
sambol was our main curry as we are not so fortunate enough to
taste vegetables, fish, meat or even a piece of dried fish.
But if the price goes up further then I don't know what would
happen to us. Perhaps we should get used to eating rice
with salt," said a sweep ticket vendor at Mt. Lavinia.
High price
Although the situation in and around Colombo is bad it is
worse is in the coconut triangle. In Kurunegala a coconut is
sold at Rs. 30-35 while in Chilaw, Negombo and Kegalle the
prices vary. The smallest nut could be bought for Rs. 30
while the bigger ones are sold around Rs.40. The worst thing
is that the people are cheated by most of the boutique owners
who sell nuts that are not mature.
"With the greatest difficulty we buy a coconut but when it is
split only we find that we have been cheated by the mudalali,"
says a man who is angrily.
According to him the mudalali does not take the responsibility
for selling the tender coconut, but passes the blame on to
the wholesale dealer.
Meanwhile The Sunday Leader visited some of the boutiques in
the Mt. Lavinia area to check the price of coconut and coconut
oil. Every body in the boutiques including the customers and
the mudalalis blamed the government for the present
situation. When The Sunday Leader asked them what the
government could have done to check the increase in the price
of coconuts and coconut oil the people chorused that the
government had failed to introduce a law to ban the cutting
down coconut trees.
"We
knew this would happen from the way the coconut plantations
were being destroyed by real estate developers. The real
estate developers felled tens of thousands of trees to build
houses although the people in the know predicted such a
situation in the future. Similar to the ban on the cutting
down cutting down of jak trees the government could have
introduced a law to save the coconut cultivation in the
country," said Arunasiri Pinto.
Poor yield
However according to coconut estate owners the present price
hike is due to a poor yield and once this situation was
overcome the prices would drastically reduce. "Earlier we
plucked around 50,000 nuts every two months from this
plantation, but from last September the yield has fallen to
around 25,000. The coconut land owners know that this
situation developed not during the past few weeks but since
July. So I presume the situation would not prevail for long as
now there are more nuts in trees than in the past few
months," claimed one estate owner.
With the price hike in coconut oil in the market the prices of
imported and local brands of cooking oil too are also being
increased every fortnight. When The Sunday Leader visited some
super markets in Colombo the personnel there said that the
prices of imported and local cooking oil too had gone up
within the last few months and that they did not know whether
it was due to the imposition of taxes to keep in line with the
price of locally produced coconut oil. "We are not quite sure
whether the price increase is to protect the local
production or due to newly imposed taxes but there is a price
revision on all brands of cooking oil very regularly for the
past two months," said a manager at a leading supermarket in
Bambalapitiya.
Less oil lamps
With the price hike on coconut oil people have cut down on
lighting of oil lamps at places of worship. A Buddhist priest
of a temple in Kottawa, said he has requested his devotees
not to light many oil lamps since he knew the sufferings of
the people due to the present CoL.
"My
devotees are very poor. I know for certain that although they
are suffering immensely they still do not fail to offer dana
to the temple, offer Buddha Pooja and even to spend money on
coconut oil and joss sticks to pay reverence to Lord Buddha.
"But if the prices are going up there is no other way but
request my devotees to cut down the number of oil lamps they
light every day. One oil lamp for Lord Buddha is more than
enough," the village Buddhist priest told The Sunday Leader.
Customers affected
The usual coconut wholesale dealers are now supplying coconut
to most of the boutiques according to some mudalalis in
Pepiliyana. "For the past two weeks our wholesale dealer did
not bring coconut to Pepiliyana and this has affected out
customers very badly," said one mudalali.
According to him the price started going up from September
and when new stocks are delivered to him it has been always
at a higher price. "We buy small, Medium and big nuts
together for an agreed price and then we separate small,
medium and the big nuts and sell them to customers at
different prices," he added.
A
small nut is being sold in Pepiliyana for Rs.30 while a medium
size nut is sold between Rs.34-37. A big coconut is sold at
Rs.40. It is learnt that in Piliyandala coconuts are sold at
Rs.40 irrespective of the size of the nut.
However when we hear the prices quoted by the shopkeeper we
see stars because it is unimaginable. Coconut has become a
luxury food item now and people hope the prices will come down
in the near future for coconut sambol is the common curry
among the poorest of the poor. This dish goes on well with
rice, bread and even with string hoppers which form the common
man's diet.
Is it a boon or a bane?
By Shezna Shums
Today almost everybody uses a mobile phone, because being
contactible is very important not only for business purposes
but also to check if someone is safe and well.
A
mobile phone on the one hand can be a god- sent in case of an
emergency. On the other hand it can also be a devil in
disguise especially when it is used to pass on illegitimate
pictures and videos of persons.
Given the current trend of taking pictures and videos of
people especially ladies and children without their consent
and passing them on to others or even selling them, which is
unlawful since this is an intrusion into a persons privacy,
the police now carry out random checks on mobile phones to see
whether those phones are being used by unscrupulous persons
for these unlawful activities.
The
police say that mobile phone pornography can be punished under
the Indecent Publications Act No.22 of 1983.
Meanwhile the government is considering banning school
children below the age of 18 years owning or using mobile
phones.
This proposal has come from the Child Development and Women's
Empowerment Ministry, which believes that though there will
be opposition to this move, it is to actually aimed at
safeguarding the younger generation from going astray.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader regarding this proposal,
Executive Director, Lawyers for Human Rights and Development,
Kalyananda Tiranagama says, there is a need for such
restrictions.
"It
is the society's right and duty to protect children from
abuse," he said.
"To
stop children from falling into such traps, there is
justification to protect them from abuse," he added.
At
the same time he also felt that such a move is a restriction
of ones freedom but justified the restriction in the context
of protecting children from abuse and commended its
implementation.
He
also added that most parents do not understand the gravity of
this problem.
Tiranagama further pointed out that new steps were being taken
to curb the menace by the using today's technology.
"Internet providers are now required to ensure that their
service is not used for child abuse," he said.
"In
the larger picture a ban on children having a mobile phone is
a good thing, but this is still a restriction of ones
freedom," he emphasised.
Also speaking to The Sunday Leader were some school leavers
who had mixed views regarding the proposal to ban the use of
mobile phones for children below the age of 18 years.
One
boy said that if this ban is being done to stop abuses from
taking place then it is a good move.
However another said that when a phone connection is sought
one is required to show one's Identity Card, and if a person
below the age of 18 is to get one then usually a parent's ID
card is given.
"So
if the parents do not have a problem with the child using a
mobile phone, then there is no problem," said the second said.
He
also added that apart from the mobile phone, today there are
other ways abuse can take place such as by way of the
internet.
But
the fact is, there are police cases were people have been
filmed unwillingly and these mobile videos being passed around
to cause the victim harm and distress.
In
some cases the victims have been young children. There was a
case where a school girl was abused and the incident was
filmed and the video was later passed around the community
resulting in her being unable to even attend school and being
stigmatised.
There are reports that such videos are being circulated among
school children and that they are being viewed by school
children within the school premises.
The
latest mobile phones which have video , blue tooth or infra
red facilities make it a whole lot easier to circulate a
number of videos quickly, and if not controlled, this
technology could be used for the detriment of society
especially children.
Kos - the wonder food that we
ignore
 For
several decades bread was our staple food item for break fast
or dinner, as cereals were for Europeans. But what did our
ancestors eat before bread was introduced to the country? Rice
might have been in the main list of staple food items.
Throughout these years jackfruit or kos was mainly made use
of as a side dish or a curry, but evidence suggests that
jackfruit was also used as staple food before the introduction
of bread. Due to this reason the jack tree was also known as
the rice tree or bath gasa by our ancestors.
The jack tree
The
jack tree (Artocarpus integrifolia) flourishes in great
luxuriance mainly in the southern part of the island. It
produces an extraordinary quantity of fruit from its branches,
its trunk, even from its roots. The average weight of a kos
fruit is around 50 pounds and each has around two to three
hundred kernels. The fleshy coats as well as the seeds of the
jackfruit are a delicacy amongst Sri Lankans.
The
wood which receives a stain of Mahogany is softer and of a
coarser grain. It is valuable in the furniture industry.
As staple food
By
definition, staple food is a food that forms the basis of a
traditional diet. Staple foods vary from place to place, but
are typically inexpensive starchy foods of vegetable origin
that are high in food energy (Calories) and carbohydrate and
that can be stored for use throughout the year. Although
nutritious, staple foods generally do not by themselves
provide a full range of nutrients, so other foods need to be
added to the diet to prevent malnutrition. If jackfruit can be
preserved, it can be used as staple food throughout the year.
It yields a large harvest and both the flesh of the jackfruit
as well as the seeds are edible. Dried and packed jackfruit is
currently sold at certain food processing factories in Sri
Lanka. When boiled water is added to the contents, an instant
dish of jackfruit can be prepared.
The
glycaemic load is the most practical way to apply glycaemic
index to dieting.
This is calculated by multiplying food's glycaemic index
percentage by the number of net carbohydrates in a given
serving. It gives a relative indication of how much that
serving of food is likely to increase your blood sugar levels.
As a rule of thumb most nutritional experts consider glycaemic
loads below 10 as low and above 20 to be high.
Because glycaemic load is related to food's effect on blood
sugar, low glycaemic load meals are often recommended for
diabetic control and weight loss.
Jackfruit has a lower glycaemic index than white bread, and
therefore more suitable for people with impaired blood sugar
levels.
Jackfruit is very low in sodium. And it is a good source of
Vitamin C and Magnesium. It has Vitamin A compared to bread
and rice, and also has higher amount of dietary fiber.
Arthur V. Dias and Jackfruit
Introducing jackfruit as a staple food is no novel concept.
Arthur V.Dias was the pioneer in promoting jackfruit in our
country several decades back. He made it a habit to gift
jackfruit seeds and plants to whoever he met with. Arthur
V.Dias also had several sub species of jack trees in his own
garden and distributed the plants free of charge. A unique
moment in his campaign was when he made a wedding cake
structure in the shape of a jackfruit for display. Arthur
V.Dias also brought a special seed type from Malaysia which
yielded Jackfruit in eighteen months. Jack tree seeds were
also sent by post to distant parts of the country with the aid
of Minister of Posts during this era.
The
world food programme warns of a global food shortage in the
near future. Sri Lanka is still relying on food imports to
feed its people. Countries like India have imposed laws
against exporting rice as the government has realised that the
production has not fulfilled the demand for food.
We
need a staple food item that is easy to grow, nutritious and
yield a good harvest in a short duration. Jack fruit meets
these criteria and is indeed the food of the future for Sri
Lankans.
(References - Nutrition Data - UDSA SR20, An historical,
political and statistical account of Ceylon and its
dependencies, Pujitha Jeewitha - 2ød volume)
Dr.Himantha Atukorale
A doctorate for Lady
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala
 By
Ranee Mohamed
Lady Sicille P.C. Kotelawala, Deputy Chair man of Ceylinco
Consolidated was honoured with a doctorate based
on Business Entrepreneurship with Corporate and Social
Responsibility in the presence of several eminent
personalities -among them medical and legal -at the BMICH on
Sunday, on November 11.
The
doctorate was awarded by the Open International University of
Complementary Medicines for Business Entrepreneurship with a
Corporate Social Responsibility, amidst a distinguished
gathering.
The
honorary doctorate was personally awarded by First Lady Madam
Shiranthi Rajapakse who was the chief guest at this academic
session. Sicille P.C. Kotelawala was among five others to
receive this academic honour
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala is the daughter of the former Minister
of Justice in the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government, Senator
Sam P.C. Fernando and a reputed English teacher Agnes Stella
Fernando who taught English to the British.
Senator Sam P.C. Fernando was also the Ambassador to Egypt
accredited to Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan and Yugoslavia. However,
it must be observed that this lawyer cum diplomat also passed
another rich talent of his - literature and the love of the
arts to his younger daughter Sicille.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala is easily a lady who has achieved it
all. She is a rare blend of business, traditional Sri Lankan
dance, knighthood, jewellery designing, diplomacy,
international relations and a humaneness unmatched.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala had her early education at Bishop's
College and her higher education in Economics in the United
Kingdom. Today she is honoured with many responsibilities
among which last Sunday's doctorate brought her to her
academic zenith.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala is the Honorary Consul General for the
Republic of Cyprus, the Counsellor for International Trade for
the Kingdom of Belgium appointed by His Majesty King of the
Belgians. Last November, she was knighted by His Majesty
Albert II, King of the Belgians.
After her knighthood she was invited to be on the Advisory
Board of the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala is also the sole representative of the
Asia Society, New York in Sri Lanka. She is also the Honouree
of Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World by Star Group,
USA. Naturally so, for Sicille Kotelawala is the Deputy
Chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated, a conglomerate of
approximately 400 companies. She is also the Deputy Chairman
of one of the more successful banks in Sri Lanka, the Seylan
Bank and another financial giant, The Finance Company;
Ceylinco Limited and Ceylinco Savings Bank.
Endowed with a life studded with business successes has not
stopped Sicille P.C. Kotelawala from being actively involved
along with her husband to uplift the lives of the poor and the
underprivileged. Sicille and Lalith Kotelawala have brought
about a whole new change in the lives of the needy by their
very own, nourished Grameen Banking. They have been applauded
by the very Pioneer of Grameen, Nobel Laureate Prof. Mohammed
Yoonus for the added features to Grameen as housing and health
insurance - all to make life better for the poor.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala together with her husband was also
instrumental in founding SOLO-U (Society for Love and
Understanding), an organisation created to further the cause
of peace, whilst bringing an end to the ethnic conflict in Sri
Lanka.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala has been responsible for restoring six
ancient tanks in the country and building a massive new tank
to enable hundreds of rural farmers to get water for their
cultivation. These tanks have changed the lives of thousands
of villagers in rural areas who have had to face much hardship
in the past. The tank named Sicille Samudraya has eased the
lives of a countless number of poor villagers who would
otherwise have to go for miles in search of water.
A
dancer who brought pride to Sri Lanka by receiving a first
time Standing Ovation at Carnegie Hall, New York, the
Smithsonian Institute and UCLA (University of California, Los
Angeles) Sicille P.C. Kotelawala was a celebrity who took her
country to the pages of the Washington Post, Los Angeles
Times, New York Times and the USA Today by being featured in
their pages with rave reviews. With a graceful sway, Sicille
P.C. Kotelawala danced her way into hearts and minds,
sometimes as Kuveni and Sita and then again as the leading
lady in the English theatre in Sri Lanka. She not only played
the lead role Kuveni in Kandyan dance, but was Kuveni and in
other different lead roles in the English plays too. Every
year, Sicille P.C. Kotelawala brought forth an English play.
Each year was remembered with the main roles she did in the
plays and ballets of that particular era. In her residence
was her Dance Academy, a prestigious school of dance of that
time.
Sicille P.C. Kotelawala, her guru Heen Baba and troupe went to
22 cities in the USA - from coast to coast. Thus it came as no
surprise when the first time International Encyclopaedia of
Dance, Oxford University Press, New York published six of
photographs of Sicille P.C. Kotelawala and five entries from
her on the aspects of Kandyan dance forms and Southern
Province dance forms in 1998.
Today she uses her grace to soothe the downtrodden; from the
disabled to the diseased, to the refugees of the Tsunami to
differently abled children, hers is the smile that they
remember, hers is the gesture that changed their lives..
In
October this year, Sicille P.C.Kotelawala spearheaded a very
different project - one to end the gruesome suffering of cows
and calves in the various abattoirs in the country. She is the
one who personally visited the abattoirs and saved pregnant
cows from a gruesome death, she is the one who longed for a
sanctuary for cows - one hundred of which now colour our
horizon. That her love is not only for human beings, but
also for every living being is evident in this single
gesture.
Today, she emerges as the heroine of our time. The successful
entrepreneur, the celebrated jewellery designer, the
philanthropist, the Lady with a heart of gold.
scence & heard
Gateway students win All-Island Competition
Four students of Gateway College bagged top places in a
countrywide essay competition organised by the Ministry of
Child Development and Women's Empowerment. Picture shows from
left to right: Devin Serasinghe (3rd place, Junior category),
Mandakini Amarasekera (2nd place, Junior Category), Noreyana
Fernando (3rd place, Senior Category and Chanindu Ranatunge
(1st place, Junior Category) with Headmaster, Somabandhu
Kodikkara; Managing Director, Gateway College, Rohini Alles
and Coordinator, Anthony Frances Chelliah.
The fragrance of October Showers
The
Dehiwela Housewives' Welfare Society held their annual fund
raiser October Showers, a coffee morning at the Mount Lavinia
Hotel recently. Picture shows Chief Guest, Otara Gunawardena
and the Guest of Honour, Dr. Kayathri Periasamy with
President, Dehiwela Housewives' Welfare Society, Rahila Khan
at the event.
Part of the proceeds of this show will be utilised towards
the welfare projects in the area and also towards helping the
underprivileged and the needy.
The
society has contributed towards the National Cancer Institute
and have lined up many other projects as well on the agenda.
Outstanding contribution recognised and
rewarded
Dr.
Shanika Karunasekera, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering,
University of Melbourne was recently awarded a National
Carrick Citation in recognition of her outstanding
contribution to university teaching in Australia. The Carrick
awards scheme was initiated by the Australian Government in
2006, to recognise excellence in university teaching.
Karunasekera also received the prestigious Kelvin Medal for
the Best Lecturer in Teaching at the Faculty of Engineering,
2006. Karunasekera received this award within five years of
joining the academia which is a significant achievement.
Before joining the University of Melbourne in 2003,
Karunasekera was a distinguished engineer at Lucent
Technologies Bell Labs Innovations, USA.
A
student of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo 4, Karunasekera
graduated from the University of Moratuwa in 1990, with First
Class Honours in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
and received the UNESCO Gold Medal for the Best Engineering
Student. She completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering at
the University of Cambridge, UK in 1994.
Picture shows Shanika Karunasekera receiving her Carrick
Citation from Professor John Hay, Vice Chancellor, University
of Queensland at a ceremony held in Melbourne.
Ring found after 89 years
A
ring found at the bottom of the sea has been traced as a
sailor's engagement ring and has been returned to his family
- after 89 years on the bottom of the sea. Stanley Cubis
drowned when his ship sank during the First World War, reports
the Daily Mail. Amateur diver, Peter Brady, 51, spotted the
engraved engagement ring from his sweetheart Florence
half-buried on the seabed during a dive around the wreck of
HMS Opal, off the Orkney Islands, two months ago. Initially,
Brady thought it was a piece of the ship's machinery but on
closer inspection he realised it was a ring bearing the
inscription: "To Stanley from Flo, March 1916." Cubiss, 25,
who worked in the ship's engine room, perished with 187 other
men when the Opal, along with HMS Narborough, ran aground in a
snowstorm on January 12, 1918. Brady and diving partner, Bob
Hamilton, 61, found the ship's casualty list on the internet
and managed to track down Stanley's 78-year-old nephew,
Malcolm Cubiss. "I received a call out of the blue telling me
that divers had found this ring," said the retired brigadier
from York." My uncle is often spoken of in the family and I
know the tragedy of the Opal well. They came to show me the
ring and I was astonished. It's a million-to-one chance."
Brady added: "When I got to the surface I realised it was a
ring and it was perfectly preserved. It was an amazing
moment."
-
Courtesy Ananowa
Catching up and reminiscing
I
discovered quite by accident, the very latest hot spot to
conduct a serious religious discussion. Now, hang on to your
hats, everybody, the venue I'm talking about is, at a
nightclub! I know this sounds crazy, but let me elaborate. I
had some of my classmates down from overseas. So of course,
that gave us another excuse to meet up.
One
of the most hospitable and affable couples I know promptly
volunteered to host us to dinner. We had lots of catching up
to do, and last minute phone calls to arrange minor details,
until finally, one of the vacationers yelled, "Shut up and
bloody well come men! Why the hell are you all wasting time on
the phone instead of getting here fast?"
ÿI
had to pick some of them on the way, and at our last stop, my
friend's elder sister came out. When we asked her where her
sister was, her explanation was," You see, darlings, we have
to maintain our reputation of being always late. Can't let
down family tradition and all that, no? It would be simply
horrendous if she was actually ready on time!"
Then I remembered how true this was, one day she made me late
for Sunday Mass and we arrived almost at the end. (not that I
minded so much!) If I waited for her to go to any school
function, I was invariably pulled up for being late.
Late Family
ÿÿHer older sister, on the other hand, was so fed up of being
labeled as one of the Late Family, went for everything extra
early! When I went anywhere with her, you can be sure we were
well ahead of schedule. In fact our sisters and brothers used
to joke about us saying we had to be there to open up the
school gates! You can be sure that she was always early for
Mass, especially due to the fact that she had decided to
become a nun at that time.
Luckily, fate introduced her to a young man and they are one
of the most happily married couples I have come across. I
remember all of us holding our sides and cackling with
merriment at the thought of her becoming a nun! She was very
pretty, (still is beautiful) and when a member of the opposite
sex tried to approach her, she would either freeze them with a
stare or burst into tears! Then some would say, "She's holy
men, she wants to be a nun." And others agree; Aaah! That's
why she's like that!"
ÿSo
we caught up with what was on in her life, until the Late
Member of this family strolled out! She was severely
reprimanded by the more punctual ladies. She replied that this
was totally our fault for not giving her the correct time we
were picking her up. So, according to her, given the original
time, she was merely 15 minutes late. What a lot of noise we
made, catching up and reminiscing! We had the most delicious
cocktails, based mainly on Cointreau and orange. Yum! Then we
all trundled off to the nightclub near by.
Irresistible music
ÿAfter fortifying ourselves with Margaritas, since the music
was irresistible, we went on the dance floor. All of us
happened to be wearing black. What lame pick up lines some of
these guys use! We were itching to volunteer to coach them a
bit. One wanted to know why all us ladies were dancing
together. Obviously, dumbo, because we had come without our
partners.
Then he wanted to know why we all were dressed alike. Someone
who was either absolutely clueless about fashion or else was
vision impaired by alcohol. We replied that we were all
sisters! He took about 10 minutes to digest that, and then
announced loudly, (one had to yell to be heard over the
music)" Ah, you all are playing the fool with me, no?" Utterly
pathetic!
ÿWe
sat outside since it was too smoky and noisy for us. Amidst
loud rolls of thunder and streaks of freaky lightening, with
music throbbing loudly in the background, someone started
airing her views on religion.
Of
course we all had to pipe in and voice our opinion, so it was
quite a heated and animated discussion. The funky crowd
glanced at us curiously, maybe wondering what we were all
arguing about. Suddenly one of us noticed that it was long
past our time to get back. Convent upbringing is hard to lose!
Honky Tonk Woman
No supermen on parade
November 24 this year is election day. As in the federal
election day. The day we vote in the majority party at the
federal level and hence decide who the Prime Minister is going
to be. And it is fast approaching. Here in Australia, we have
compulsory voting. Every citizen over the age of eighteen has
to vote in the major elections at state and federal level - if
they don't they are fined. It doesn't always do the job of
forcing people to think about who they are going to vote for.
There are quite huge segments of the population that will vote
for whoever has the catchiest slogan or whoever their parents
or friends tell them to vote for. Not quite a democratic
process then.
The parade
It's also summer here now - well, at this phase of the
weather's impromptu Jekyll and Hyde impersonation, it seems to
be - so it's suddenly either balmy or baking hot. And so I
did what anyone with any common sense would do - I opened the
windows looking out on to High Street and sat on the window
sill.
And
sure enough, along came a parade. It was the Walk Against
Warming (Global Warming) parade. The Greens (a political
party) had organised it and I had decided against going
because (a) anything The Greens usually organise falls flat
because of a lack of understanding of the actual science and
(b) because I was annoyed at the grammar in the title. You
can't walk or do anything against an ecological phenomenon,
can you? What they meant was they were going to walk in
protests against all the decisions made by the current federal
and state governments that did not in fact help solve the
issues of climate change, pollution and global warming.
Impact
They had scheduled it for that Sunday because they wanted it
to be right before the election. They wanted the maximum
amount of impact because they really want things to change
politically. And so they came marching down the length of High
Street.
And
you know what? They surpassed my expectations. They had a huge
crowd of at least over 500 people turn up to walk around
Fremantle and it was not restricted to party lines. They had
all sorts of banners about mining in cultural areas to climate
change policies to coal mining and the nuclear power debate
and renewable energy as well as the ubiquitous "Ratify Kyoto!"
and it wasn't just The Greens but also the Australian
Democrats and even the Department of CALM - that's now the
Department of Environment and Heritage.
Attractions
And they were attracting attention - lots of it. They had
huge banners, they had dressed up, and they had no less than
four or five steel drum bands positioned at regular intervals
along the procession, creating the most beautiful but
unimaginably loud din you have ever heard in your entire life.
And right in the middle of the procession was a Brazilian
steel drum band with a Brazilian samba dancer in her bikini
dancing down the street. I daresay she was the main attraction
so it was a good thing that they had a banner right behind
her. It took almost an hour for the procession to pass by my
window.
Big news
Parades in Fremantle are big news. Television and newspaper
cameras were everywhere. People dancing, yelling slogans,
passing out flyers and doing somersaults in some rather
amusing but genuine display of enthusiasm ... all this and
more came down High Street last Sunday at around one in the
afternoon on a sweltering day.
But the funniest thing was at the end of the parade. The sole
representative of the Labour party in a mostly Labour bound
electorate was one guy wearing a shirt with "Kevin 07" on it -
the tagline for the Labour Party leader in his electoral
campaign. And then right behind him came the punchline to this
parade. Every parade in Fremantle has to have an escort of
police and firemen coming up behind it or alongside it at
regular intervals to ensure no one gets too rowdy. This parade
had it's police too. But given the fact that it was a "Walk
Against Warming," the police had been obliged to find bicycles
and bicycle helmets and cycle behind the parade rather than
turn up with motorbikes or cars that would consume fossil
fuels and render the whole point of the parade null and void.
And so everyone watched as the policemen - only recognisable
because of their luminescent vests that had "Police" blazoned
on them - who obviously had not ridden bicycles in years,
struggled valiantly to keep up with the parade without
swerving too much and endangering the people they were
supposed to protect. It was somehow very sweet and touching to
watch them cycle nervously at snail's pace down the street.
Freedom
The whole affair was sweet and touching. Two weeks to the
election and people were worried and cared enough to stage
something like this to get a message across that they wanted
people to genuinely think about which would be the best party
to address these issues. And it's a humbling thought that in
this country even with all the problems it has, that it is
still possible to organise a parade or march or walk and get
people to attend and to state your opinion. It's a wonderful
thing to watch because it reminds you that here at least, even
if people aren't listening, you still have the right to voice
your opinion. You still have the right to protest. To march,
to walk - for something you believe in.
Pertinent questions
And so you have to ask yourself, why don't we have that right
to do the same at home anymore and when people threaten us for
exercising that right, why don't we fight to protect it? Or
is it just that we have now reached that horrifying state of
mind where we have convinced ourselves that our own opinions
and rights and freedoms don't matter anymore? Are we waiting
instead for superheros to come and put everything right? To
save the day? For leaders that we can idolise in the hope that
they will reciprocate by changing what needs to be changed?
Are we just cowards? Why are we not protecting ourselves and
our rights? The small things as well as the big things that we
believe in? Why aren't we standing up for ourselves and what
we believe in anymore?
- Marisa Wikramanayake
HUMOUR
Jigsaw puzzle
The
vice-president of a large company walks into the office of
president of the company and sees the President whooping and
hollering. "What's the matter, Mr. President?" the vice
president inquired. "Nothing at all, boss. I just done
finished a jigsaw puzzle in record time!" The president
beamed. "How long did it take you?" "Well, the box said '3 to
5 years' but I did it in a month!"
Spooky Car
This happened in a little town, Norris Arm, in Newfoundland,
and even though it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it is
absolutely true.
This guy was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very
dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, and no cars
were on the road. The storm was so strong the guy could hardly
see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car come
toward him and stop. The guy, without thinking about it, got
in the car and closed the door and only then did he realise
that there was nobody behind the wheel!
The
car started to move very slowly.The guy looked at the road and
saw a curve coming his way. Petrified, he started to pray,
begging for his life. He had not come out of shock when, just
before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through
the window and moved the steering wheel. The guy, now
paralysed in terror, watched how the hand appeared every time
the car was approaching a curve. Finally, although terrified,
the guy managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky
car. Without looking back, the guy ran through the storm all
the way to the nearest town. Soaking wet exhausted and in a
state of utter shock the pale, visibly shaken guy, walked into
a nearby bar and asked for two shots of Scotch.
Then, still trembling with fright, he started telling
everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just
went through with the spooky car with no driver and the
mysterious hand that kept appearing. Everyone in the bar
listened in silence and became frightened, listening to this
eerie story, hairs stood on end when they realised the guy was
telling the truth because he was crying and he definitely was
not drunk!
About half an hour later two guys walked into the same bar and
one said to the other, "Hey, there's the fool who jumped into
the car while we were pushing it!"
What's in a name?
A
pregnant woman from Washington, DC gets in a car accident and
falls into a deep coma. Asleep for nearly six months, when she
wakes up she sees that she is no longer pregnant and
frantically asks the doctor about her baby.
The
doctor replies, "Ma'am you had twins! A boy and a girl. Your
brother from Maryland came in and named them."
The
woman thinks to herself, "No, not my brother. he's an idiot!"
She
asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"
"Denise."
"Wow, that's not a bad name, I like it! What's the boy's
name?"
"Denephew."
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