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| Sunday, 30 October 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Disarmament Week ends today
As we all know, countries around the world are now plagued by wars. As a result, the number of weapons in circulation have gone up by leaps and bounds and they are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous each day. These weapons are used not only by a country's legal military forces, but also by terrorists, criminals and others. The proliferation (increase) of arms is a problem we encounter in our own country with people being killed almost everyday. Children have not been spared in this arms race, with some handling weapons as child soldiers and others becoming victims to these brutal weapons. This is why disarmament is important. It is for this reason that the World Disarmament Week is observed annually from October 24 to 30. The observance, which begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, was called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly 1978 Special Session on Disarmament. The event calls on states to highlight the danger of the arms race, communicate the need for its cessation (ending) and increase public understanding on the urgent tasks of disarmament. The UN has always taken a keen interest in arms control and disarmament issues. In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments as well as non-governmental organisations to continue taking an active part in the Disarmament Week. The UN Secretary General was encouraged to use the UN information sources as widely as possible to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament issues and the aims of the Week. Through the Disarmament Week, the world body strives to make the world a progressively safer place for all of us. ######### Lankan students link up with the Japanese by Ananda Kannangara
Schoolchildren from two different parts of the world, Sri Lanka and Japan, enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience recently when they got the opportunity to participate in a live video conference with each other via satellites. The Colombo end of the conference was held at the Distance Learning Centre under the guidance of its Manager Shalika Subasinghe and Master in Charge of Japanese Language at Royal College, Colombo Nimal Senaratne. Director of Japan and Asia Pacific Sales Force, Makiko Akabane also assisted in conducting the conference. It was a memorable occasion for the participant children of both countries. Royal College, Visakha Vidyalaya and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya from Colombo and Newstead Girls College, Negombo represented Sri Lanka at the video conference while the Japanese children represented well-known schools such as Soka Elementary School in Tokyo, Fukazawa Junior High School, Nagayata Elementary School, Sarugaku Elementary School and Hanamido Elementary School. The conference was held to coincide with the World Children's Day which fell on October 1, and was conducted entirely in Japanese. At the commencement of the conference, Dilini Gunaratne of Sirimavo presented an invaluable introduction to Sri Lanka including its people, the culture, the environment and climatic and geographical conditions. Bhagya Senaratne of Visakha Vidyalaya made a vivid description about the arts and crafts of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan history and the renowned Sigiriya rock. Newstead student Kethaki Wijesinghe presented some paintings which portrayed the culture of Japan. The Japanese children were also fascinated by the paintings of a Grade Three Royalist Dilhan Jayasinghe. The latter part of the conference saw children of both countries singing songs in Japanese. Visakhian Kenisha Subasinghe sang the famous Sinhala song `Nil Ahastale Pura' in Japanese. The Master in Charge of Japanese at Royal College, Nimal Senaratne said the knowledge of Japanese among the local students was of a high standard. "More programmes of this nature will be conducted in the near future," he said. ############ Halloween - when the ghosts come out to play How do you celebrate Halloween? Or do you celebrate it at all? Although this special day, which falls on October 31, may still not be recognised in Sri Lanka, it is celebrated with vigour in Western countries such as America, England and Ireland and even in places like Australia and New Zealand. The day is dedicated to all things spooky and scary and people, especially children, go around dressed up as ghosts, witches and ghouls. People of yesteryear believed that spirits of dead people rose from their graves and walked the earth on this day. As this day fell close to the pumpkin harvesting season, they used carved pumpkins with candles lit inside to scare away these 'evil spirits'. These pumpkins were known as jack-o-lanterns. They also believed that if they dressed up as ghosts, the real ghosts would be deceived into believing that they are also from the spirit world, and thus not harm them. The wearing of masks also originated as a ploy to scare away ghosts. The olden day traditions of Halloween were introduced into America by Irish and Scottish immigrants. The modern day customs associated with the holiday, which originated in America, started spreading around the world during the 20th century. Trick or treat is a favourite activity children indulge in during Halloween. A group of children dressed up as various spooky characters go from house to house shouting 'trick or treat' and are rewarded with candy, chocolates and other sweet treats. The trick or treat activity is used by UNICEF in America, Canada and Mexico as a charity project as well. Schools give small boxes to children going trick or treating to collect small change their neighbours may have. To date, 119 million dollars have been collected through this scheme to fund various UNICEF projects. The teenagers and adults may take part in costume parties. Ghosts, ghouls, witches, bats, black cats, owls, goblins, zombies, vampires, skeletons and demons are associated with the day and are chosen by most people as their costumes for Halloween parties. It is a day of fun and is enjoyed by children and adults alike. ############## Deepavali and Ramazan celebrated this week This week will be important for our Hindu and Muslim readers. Hindus all over the world will celebrate Deepavali on November 1 while Muslims will be celebrating Ramazan towards the end of the week (November 3/4) with the sighting of the new moon. Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated as Hindus believe the festival dispels the darkness and lights up their lives. They believe that the demon Narakasura was defeated by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama on a day like this. Hindus celebrate this event every year by lighting clay lamps, decorating their houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting loved ones for feasts. Lamps are lit to pay homage to gods for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valour and fame. The month of Ramazan (Id-ul-Fitr) is the holiest month in the calendar for Muslims. It is on Id-ul-Fitr that they see the culmination of a month of fasting and intense prayer. It is a time when Muslims all over the world focus on their faith and practise God's commandments. They renew their commitment to lead lives of honesty, integrity and compassion. The day also teaches them the value of being more caring towards underprivileged people. We wish all our Hindu and Muslim readers a Happy Deepavali and Eid Mubarak! |
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Do you know what disarmament is? It is getting rid of or reducing the
number of arms (weapons) in a country. Why is disarmament so important?
