The horror of the tsunami

Most of you would now be getting ready to usher in Christmas and the New Year. Christmas is a joyous occasion, but can any of us forget the day which comes close on its heels?

December 26... this is the day four years ago that Sri Lanka as well as most other countries around the Indian Ocean were battered by the tsunami which has since come to be known as the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. This is the darkest day in Sri Lanka's history; over 30,000 lives, and property worth millions of rupees were wiped out in an instant.

Many children were left orphans, many people lost everything they ever had in life and many others still remain missing. Four years later, many have still not been able to pick up the strands of their lives.

The massive tsunami was caused by an earthquake (measuring 9.3 on the Richter Scale) off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. The worst affected were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh and the Maldives. The total death toll passed 270,000 while many thousands went missing. The ferocious waves wiped out entire cities, carrying many to a watery grave. Many thousands of children, who were too small and too weak to swim to safety, perished in the incident. Now December 26 is named as the National Safety Day in Sri Lanka to remember the victims of the tsunami, increase awareness about threats, both natural and man-made to the safety of the country and its citizens, and improve and enhance methods to minimise the damage from such incidents. So, while we are gearing up for the festive season, it is only right that we spare a thought for all those, especially the children, who are still grieving and still living in makeshift camps.

What is Boxing Day?

Though you may not have been familiar with the word Boxing Day before, after the 2004 tsunami, it would have entered the vocabulary of most as the disaster was known as the Boxing Day Tsunami.

There are many theories as to how the Boxing Day originated.

One is that in feudal times (in the time of kings and lords), Christmas was a time for the gathering of families, and that the servants would also gather their families at the manors of their lords the day after Christmas so that the lords would be able to give them the traditional gifts of clothes, grains and tools. Each family would get a box full of these gifts, thus the name Boxing Day.

Another story is that the servants would carry a box when they return to work after Christmas, so that their lords can put the coins which are supposed to be the end-of-year gifts for these servants into these boxes (like modern day bonuses). Another theory, similar to these, is that the servants of lords would have to work on Christmas Day serving their masters and thus get the next day off. The food that was left over from the previous day's festivities would be packed and boxed and taken by these servants to their families.

Although this day is widely celebrated on the day after Christmas (December 26), it could also be on the first public holiday which follows Christmas if the 26th or 27th fell on the weekend.

It is celebrated in most Commonwealth countries and is a public holiday in some. It coincides with the Feast of St. Stephen, which is observed in some countries. Boxing Day is now mostly a day for sporting activities; another day for families to gather for a special dinner and exchange gifts.

The importance of new year resolutions

A new year is always a time to make resolutions. Most people make hundreds of resolutions at the beginning of the year, but only a very few actually manage to keep to them and achieve their goals during the year.

How did the making of new year resolutions start? The tradition is believed to go back to 153BC to Janus, the mythical king of early Rome who was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, he could look back on past events as well as forward to the future. He became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked to forgiveness from enemies and exchanging gifts before the beginning of a new year.

Some of the most popular resolutions are to study hard, exercise more and help one’s parents. Resolutions should not be impractical or impossible. Most people dump their new year resolutions even before the first month has run out because they are too difficult to follow. A person should always set before him/her a resolution which is easy to follow and stick to.

If adopted and adhered to properly, new year resolutions would help a person change for the better in more ways than one.

Ancient amphibian had a flip-top head

A peculiar amphibian that was clad in bony armour prowled warm lakes 210 million years ago, catching fish and other tasty snacks with one of the most unusual bites in the history of life on Earth.

The creature called Gerrothorax pulcherrimus, which lived alongside some of the early dinosaurs, opened its mouth not by dropping its lower jaw, as other vertebrate animals do.Instead, it lifted back the top of its head in a way that looked a lot like lifting the lid of a toilet seat.

"It's weird. It's the ugliest animal in the world," Harvard University's Farish Jenkins, one of the scientists who describe the mechanics of its bite in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, said.

"You almost can't imagine holding your jaws still and lifting your head back to take a bite," Jenkins said.

"There are some vertebrates that will lift their heads slightly or the upper jaws (when they bite). Some salamanders do it slightly. Some fish do it slightly. But no animal is known to have done it this extensively," Jenkins added.The scientists think Gerrothorax lurked at the bottom of a lake, then with a sudden movement of the skull created a mouth gape that entrapped any fish unfortunate enough to swim by.Gerrothorax measured about 3 feet (1 metre) long and was stoutly protected by bony body armour reminiscent of chain mail. It had a very flat body and very flat head, short, stubby limbs and well-developed gills, Jenkins added.

Reuters

Take care with firecrackers

Some of you may have been waiting the whole year for Christmas and New Year to come around in order to light firecrackers and sparklers. This is sure to be a fun activity for most kids as well as some adults. However, you must be extremely careful when playing with crackers as this is an activity that could harm many people, animals and property if carried out in an irresponsible manner.

You have to be careful with crackers and sparklers right from the moment you buy them. They are best stored in a closed box in a cool and dry place which cannot be reached by small children and pets. Another precaution is never to carry them around in your pockets.

Crackers must always be lit in an open space where there is room for you to move about. Throwing crackers at each other should never, ever be done. Also, a cracker which may not have lit up the first time should not be relit; instead it should be thrown away. Always wear tight-fitting clothes, possibly cotton ones, instead of loose clothing made of synthetic fabrics which may easily catch fire. Another wise move is to keep a bucket of water or sand close at hand to douse a fire. You have to be even more careful when lighting sky rockets. When lighting them, keep them erect, pointing it upwards and not sideways to prevent them striking houses or other objects which may be in the path. Keep the doors and windows of your own home closed too to prevent rockets entering your home and causing damage.

If you are lighting crackers on an open road, prevent accidents by ensuring that there are no people or vehicles around. Another most important thing is to ensure that there are no pets about. The sound of crackers going off terrify and upset a lot of cats and dogs and some even run away from home. So before you start enjoying yourself, ensure that your pets are safely locked up inside.

These could prevent many untoward accidents from happening. You, your family and friends and pets too will be spared a lot of pain and injury if you start following these precautionary measures.

Gimhani’s eighth book

Stubborn Beauty, the eighth book by 12-year-old schoolgirl Gimhani Upeksha Waduge, was released recently. The story is about three pixie children. Gimhani published her first book when she was only nine years old.Stubborn Beauty is her second publication for this year.