Safe drinking water for Ampara district

Safe drinking water for war affected and poverty stricken people in the Ampara district is to be provided under a project implemented by the Child Rehabilitation Centre with Japanese aid amounting to Rs. 8.6 million.

The project helps to complete the construction of a safe drinking water system, which was suspended since 2002 due to shortage of funds after the construction of a water storage tank by the village society.

This project will contribute to provide safe drinking water to 600 families and improve the living environments and hygiene of the conflict affected people in Damana Divisional Secretary Division in the Ampara district.

This grant contract was signed between Japanese Ambassador Kunio Takahashi and Chairman of the Child Rehabilitation Centre Chamila Kodagoda, recently at the Japanese Embassy in Colombo.

Two cockroaches were munching on garbage in an alley when one engages in a discussion about a new restaurant.

“I was in that new restaurant across the street,” said one. “It’s so clean! The kitchen is spotless, and the floors are gleaming white. There is no dirt anywhere—it’s so sanitary that the whole place shines.”

“Please,” said the other cockroach frowning. “Not while I’m eating!”

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What do monsters make with cars?

Traffic Jam

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What do you call the elephant witch doctor? 

Mumbo Jumbo

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 Why did the pony cough?

He was a little hoarse!

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What do sheep do on sunny days? 

 Have a baa - baa - cue!

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Where do Aliens keep their sandwiches? 

In a Launch box

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Why did the spaceship land outside your bedroom?

I must have left the landing

light on

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 What do you call a vampire that lives in the kitchen?

 Spatula! 

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October 18

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, a former Prime Minister of Canada (1968-1979) was born in 1919.

Thomas Alva Edison, American scientist who received 1093 patent rights for his inventions died in 1931.

Roy Dias, a former test cricketer was born in 1952.

October 19

Jonathan Swift,Anglo-Irish writer died in 1745.

Lord Rutherford, New Zealand born founder of the modern atomic theory died in 1937.

Evander Hollyfield ,two time heavy- weight boxing champion was born in 1962.

October 20

D.S.Senanayake ,the first Prime Minister of Ceylon was born in 1884.

Sir Oliver Goonethilake,the first Ceylonese Governor of Ceylon was born in 1892.

Neville Samarakoon, a former Chief Justice was born in 1919.

October 21

Lord Nelson ,English General in the Battle of Trafalgar died in 1805.

Samuel Coleridge Taylor, English poet was born in 1772.

Alfred Nobel,Swedish inventor of dynamite and founder of Nobel Prize Foundation was born in 1833.

Geoffrey Boycott, a former English cricketer was born in 1940.

October 22

F.R.Senanayake,a philanthrophist was born in 1882.

W.Dahanayake, a former Prme Minister of Ceylon was born in 1902.

Arnold Toynbee,English historian died in 1975.

October 23

Edison Pele,world famous Brazilian football player was born in 1940.

M.H.M.Ashroff, a former M.P.and founder leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was born in 1948.

W.G.Grace, a former English Test cricketer, died in 1915.

John Boyd Dunlop,Scottish inventor of Dunlop tyre died in 1921.

October 24

Antony Van Leewenhoek,Dutch microscopist who discovered bacteria was born in 1632.

J.A.Milton Perera,Sinhalese singer died in 1991.Premasiri Khemadasa,music director died in 2008.

October 18

British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C.) was established in 1922.

National Textile Corporation was dissolved in 1979.

Walt Disney's famous animated movie, The Jungle Book was released in 1968.

October 19

Mauritania gained independence from France in 1960.

H.Don Carolis and Company was founded in 1860.

Sri Lanka State Trading Corporation was founded in 1978.

Discovery of Sodium was announced by Sir Humprey Davy in 1807.

October 20

World Osteoporosis Day.

Sunday Times(London) commenced publication in 1822.

October 21

The telegraph system between Ceylon and Australia commenced in 1872.

October 22

Vatican national day.

Laos gained independence from France in 1953.

First recorded parachute jump performed by Andy Jacques Garnerin in France in 1797.

October 23

South Eastern University of Sri Lanka was inaugurated in 1995.

October 24

United Nations Day.

World Development Information Day.

Zambia gained independence from Britain in 1964.

World famous Kodak camera company was founded by George Eastman in1901.

Compiled by W.A. Rusiru JAYASURIYA

New super grade schools to be set up

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Education Minister Susil Premjayantha said last week that the standard of education in the rural and remote sectors will be upgraded to the high level of most other popular schools in the country.

Accordingly, the Government has decided to establish 325 super grade new schools in all Divisional Secretariats within the next few months.

He said the Government has also decided to upgrade more remote and rural schools as 'Isuru Schools' and every school in the rural sector will be provided with Rs. 50 million to carry out sports and other development activities.

The Minister was speaking at a ceremony held at Kalutara Vidyalaya to coincide with the `International Teachers Day' which was celebrated by schools islandwide last week. The students, their parents and the members of the school OBA had made arrangements to felicitate present as well as past teachers on this occasion. The two oldest living teachers, Mrs. Malani Singhabahu who had 38 years teaching experience as an English trained teacher at Kalutara Vidyalaya and Mrs Pearl Senaratne were felicitated.

Minister Premajayantha also valued the meritorious act by students for felicitating their teachers and thanked National Hospital Director, Dr. Hector Weerasinghe, Somawansa Amarasinghe, former Chief of Defence Staff, Nissanka Wijesinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer, Tilakaratna Dilshan and Senior journalist, Ranjan Paranawithana for making their representation at the occasion as old boys of the school.

He said that it was the very first occasion during his tenure as the Minister of Education, that he attended such a 'Teachers Day' programme, conducted by a school OBA and thanked the members for remembering their teachers in this manner. He said teachers are doing a yeoman service to the country and therefore it is the duty of children also to remember them in various ways.

Speaking further, the Minister highlighted the performances done by children in rural school when compared to children in the urban sector, who have lot of educational facilities and commended the performance of the Grade five student from a school in Hambantota at the recently held Year Five Scholarship Examination.He also highlighted the vast development of Sri Lanka's education and said that the country's literacy rate of 46 per cent, recorded in 1950 had improved to 93 per cent today.Principal, Kalutara Vidyalaya, K. Ratnaweera Perera said he would organise a meeting of former teachers and principals to form an association in addition to the OBA.Former principal Nelson Perera, teacher J.A. Piyasena, President, OBA Susantha Chandrasiri, OBA, Secretary Kithsiri Abeyaratne also spoke on this occasion.

New ring around Saturn found!

Saturn has an additional ring according to a discovery made by the Spitzer Space Telescope. This new Saturn ring was discovered because it glows with thermal radiation, something that the Spitzer Space Telescope is able to spot. This new finding was reported by CNN on October 7, presenting an amazing glimpse into space that we hadn't seen before. It's always interesting to find that something new has been discovered in our known Universe, and quite fascinating that something so large wasn't seen before this point.

Finding a new ring around Saturn had to be especially exciting for the scientists that were first able to see it with their flashy new telescope.The most interesting fact about the new Saturn ring is the sheer size that it is reporting to encompass. According to scientists, the ring is so large that it would take one billion Earths to fill it.

Saying that number out loud is just mind-boggling, because it is very difficult to think of terms that are bigger than the Earth as we see it. One billion is a term that is so far out there that it's hard to wrap one's mind around the sheer size.

The picture that CNN presented is exciting, because it really resembles a ring that we could all picture in our minds; the ring is just larger to scale than we would have imagined.One question people are going to be asking is how it is possible that such a large ring existed for so long without anyone noticing it. The first fact to look at is that apparently the ring doesn't receive a lot of light, and the light that it receives isn't reflected to a great extent. It also wasn't visible to a regular telescope, but when NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope took at look at it, they were able to see the heat giving off by the ring. That heat is thermal radiation that is causing the extended Saturn ring to glow in the middle of space. It all seems very science fiction that there is a ring out there in the middle of nowhere that can only be seen under the right conditions.

Courtesy: Internet

The UN has its own special day!

The world body of nations the united Nationas which is responsible for designating special world days to observe in connection with various events also has its own special day to celebrate. On October 24, 1945, the United Nations (UN) came into force when the five permanent members of the security council ratified the charter that had been drawn up earlier that year. These members were: France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since 1948, the event's anniversary has been known as United Nations Day. It is an occasion to highlight, celebrate and reflect on the work of the United Nations and its family of specialized agencies.

On and around October 24, many activities are organised by all parts of the UN, particularly in the main offices in New York, the Hague (Netherlands), Geneva (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Nairobi (Kenya). These include: concerts; flying the UN flag on important buildings; debates on the relevance of the work of the UN in modern times; and proclamations by state heads and other leaders.

The foundations for a 'League of Nations' were laid in the Treaty of Versailles, which was one of the treaties to formally end World War I. The treaty was signed in Versailles, France, on June 28, 1919. The league aimed to encourage disarmament, prevent outbreaks of war, encourage negotiations and diplomatic measures to settle international disputes and to improve the quality of life around the world. However, the outbreak of World War II suggested that the League of Nations needed to take on a different form.

The ideas around the United Nations were developed in the last years of World War II, particularly during the UN Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, the United States, beginning on April 25, 1945. The UN was officially created when a UN charter was ratified on October 24 that year. United Nations Day was first observed on October 24, 1948.

The UN does not work alone but together with many specialised agencies, including: the World Health Organization (WHO); the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); International Labour Organization (ILO); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).