Money Museum in Anuradhapura

Some of you may be aware of the Money Museum operated by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka at its Centre for Banking Studies at Sri Jayewardenapura Mawatha, Rajagiriya. The second such Central Bank Money Museum was opened in Anuradhapura recently at the Central Bank Regional Office there. Ancient currencies, coins and notes used in the island under different colonial periods until the establishment of the Central Bank, and notes and coins issued in various series by the Central Bank since 1951 (notes) and since 1963 (coins) are some of the exhibits on display.

It is expected to provide more opportunities to the public, students and numismatists (those who study coins and medals), especially in the North Central, Northern, Eastern and North Western provinces to gain knowledge and collect information of the history of money in Sri Lanka. The public including schoolchildren, as well as numismatists will be able to gain information about the money used in the island since the Third Century BC to date, as the exhibits in this museum cover this entire period. The museum will be open to the public from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., free of charge. The first museum of the Central Bank was established at the Bank's Head Office building in Fort, Colombo in 1982. Now it has been shifted to the Rajagiriya premises.



 

Nilwala bridge completed

Work on the Nilwala bridge, which runs along the Matara-Kataragama railway line, has now been completed. Sri Lanka's longest railway bridge at 170 metres, the Nilwala bridge was completed at a cost of Rs. 91 million.

The first phase of the project saw 27 kms of the railway line between Matara and Beliatta being set up at an estimated cost of US$ 91 million. The Indian government provided financial assistance for the Matara-Beliatta railway line.

Funds worth Rs. 813 million have been set aside to provide compensation to the families whose land had been taken for the project.

[A LITTLE BIT OF HUMMER]

Teacher: John, why are you doing your maths multiplication

on the floor?

John: You told me to do it without using tables.

Teacher: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile'?

Glenn: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L

Teacher: No, that's wrong.

Glenn: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

Teacher: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?

Donald: H I J K L M N O.

Teacher: What are you talking about?

Donald: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

Teacher: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that

we didn't have ten years ago.

Winnie: Me!

A young lady visited a matchmaker and requested, "I'm looking for a spouse. Can you please help me to find a suitable one?"

The matchmaker said, "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Well, let me see. Needs to be good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, good at singing and dancing. Willing to keep me accompany the whole day. Be able to tell me interesting stories when I need a companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest."

The matchmaker entered the information into the computer and, in a matter of moments, handed the results to the woman.

The results read, "Buy a television."

Teacher: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'

Millie: I is...

Teacher: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'

Millie: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'

Teacher: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

Louis: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

A mother and her young son returned from the grocery store and began putting away the groceries.

The boy opened the box of crackers and spread them all over the table.

"What are you doing?" his mother asked.

"The box says you can't eat them if the seal is broken," the boy explained. "I'm looking for the seal."

The global day for peace

A very important day in the global events calendar, especially for war-ravaged countries such as Sri Lanka, is observed today. This is the International Day of Peace which would be commemorated for the 26th time in almost all corners of the world. Many activities will be organised around the world as well as in our own island to emphasise the need for peace. Some of them would be observing periods of silence; ringing bells and lighting candles for peace; events at schools, places of worship, libraries and parks; and peace vigils. The special day gives an opportunity for individuals, organisations and nations to create and share acts of peace on the same day. It is also used annually to highlight the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001 to 2010. The International Day of Peace was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 and was initially to be commemorated on the third Tuesday of September 1982. Beginning on the 20th anniversary in 2002, the UN General Assembly set September 21 as the permanent date for this event.

In establishing this special day, the UN General Assembly decided that it would be appropriate "to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its member states, as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace, and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways. The day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."

The amended resolution fixing the date for September 21 also added the call for the International Day of Peace to be a global ceasefire. The resolution "Declares that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day..."

School lessons on VCDs

You may be among those students who prefer to study with the aid of computers and computer-related material rather than pouring over books. If so, this news item is sure to be welcomed by you.

The Education Ministry with assistance from the ICTA will issue Video Compact Disks (VCDs) (under the e-Sri Lanka Programme) with the contents found in school textbooks for the benefit of students. These will be issued by the Education Publications Department at nominal rates.

Core subjects will be made available on VCD under the first phase. Students will be able to maximise the usage of textbooks this way as the same lessons, complete with the illustrations, in the textbooks can be accessed with multimedia facilities such as computers, projectors or other media players. The material will be available in Sinhala and Tamil media. The Sinhala and Tamil fonts which may be needed to view the contents of the VCDs can be downloaded free of charge from the web, while the software needed to install these codes would also be enclosed with the VCDs.

Cleaner air through emission testing

We have kept you informed about the government's plan to set up vehicle emission testing mobile stations in different parts ofthe country as a means of minimising envioronmental pollution. It has been decided by the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry to set up the latest of these facilities in Kurunegala. Vehicle engine tuning programmes, as part of this vehicle emission testing programme, are expected to be carried out for the 2.2 million vehicles which currently operate in the country, and will lead to annual national savings of around Rs. 2 million. It will also reduce the costs incurred for the treatment of heart and respiratory disorders as well as other public health concerns arising out of pollution. The programme assures clean air for breathing to the present and future generations.

Water boost rocket competition

The Water Boost Rocket Competetion organised by the Arthur C. Clarke Centre for Modern Technology (ACCIMT) is to be held on September 27 at the University of Moratuwa play ground. The competition is open to children between 12-16 years, who registered earlier and the winners along with their teachers will be sponsored to attend the regional competitions held in the country hosting the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum(APRSAF). The winners will compete at the regionals in Vietnam.Register now for next year's competition.

Predictions on global temperature changes

New research has shown that nature phenomenon will keep the Earth's temperature in check for the next 10 years, but from 2020 onwards, it will start to rise again.

All predictions of global temperature changes are based on complex mathematical models that create future scenario based on parameters and data that scientists feed in.

Due to the numerous physical phenomena involved, these predictions work better when the average temperature increase for a longer period several decades is calculated.

The recent breakthrough has come with scientists being able to predict changes that could occur over 10-year intervals - what climatologists consider a much shorter time period.

The scientists studied temperatures measured on the surface of oceans - a crucial (vital) factor in determining variations of global average temperatures. They were able to predict the workings of a critical phenomenon called the Meridional Overturning Circulation or MOC, which brings warm water into the North Atlantic, releasing heat into the atmosphere.

This then returns to cooler waters in the southern portions of the ocean. But the MOC is known to change in intensity over decades.

Researchers were able to predict that the MOC would weaken over the next decade and as a result would cool the North Atlantic waters, consequently keeping global temperatures under control.

The MOC, in a sense, would work just the way El Nino and La Nina do to impact global temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, which are more familiar in India as they can impact the monsoons.

The Times of India

Ape Katha from twin brothers

Ape Katha , a collection of children's stories written by twin brothers Isiwara Umayanga and Induwara Udayanga Karunaratne, will be launched at 3.00 p.m. today at the International Book Exhibition currently being held at the BMICH. The launch would take place at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Hall under the patronage of veteran author and illustrator, Sybil Wettasinghe.

The 11-year-old twins, who are Grade 7 students of St. Anthony's College, Katugastota had previously released 'Ayyay Malliy' , their maiden collection of stories.