Give children a quality education

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane urged all parents to give quality education to their children since it will help them follow the correct path and refrain from being involved in unwanted activities.

He said children, even teenagers are not mature enough to make many decisions with regard to life and as a result many easily get involved in wrongful activities not acceptable in society.

Minister Gunawardane made the remarks at the prize-giving of Zahira College, Colombo held recently presided over by Principal Mohamed Jiffry.

The Minister enlightened the students of Zahira College about the invaluable service rendered by the late Education Minister, Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmood to uplift the field of education in the country.

He urged schoolchildren to get involved in extra-curricular activities, especially sports.

He said it is the duty of both teachers and parents to encourage children not only to engage in studies, but also in sports, social and religious activities, so that they would be discouraged in getting involved in activities that could mar their entire future.

He said it was a pathetic situation that many children have stopped their education at a tender age due to various social reasons.

He appealed to all parents in the country to reap the benefits of the free eduction system and ensure that their children are well educated.

"They should not keep their children at home without sending them to school.

It is when they are idling that children easily get involved in unwanted activities."

Minister Gunawardane also advised children to improve their moral values as they are as important as education to lead a successful life.

World's tallest man has stopped growing

Sultan Kosen of Turkey has the longest body of any living person, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. He's 8 feet 3 inches tall.

Kosen, 29, might now lead a longer life because University of Virginia Medical Center specialists have helped him stop growing, said Dr. Jason Sheehan, who performed surgery in 2010 on Kosen's pituitary gland. The surgery, along with new medicine has stopped him growing any taller in the future., h

as Heredity is also a factor. None of the famous tall basketball players has been linked to gigantism. But popular 1980s wrestler Andre the Giant (Andre Rene Roussinoff of France) was diagnosed with acromegaly, although his height was a mere 6-foot-11. Roussinoff had primative facial features and weighed nearly 500 pounds.

Excessive size in the past has led to premature death. Robert Wadlow of Alton, Ill., regarded as the tallest man in recorded history at 8 feet, 11 inches, was 22 years old when he died in 1940. Roussinoff was 46 when he died in 1993.

Kosen, who walks with the aid of crutches due to his condition's stress on his knees, toured the world in 2009 on behalf of the Guinness Book of World Records and appeared on NBC's "Today Show." He described a difficult childhood with his low-income rural farm family but emphasized the Guinness-aided medical assistance has given him a more positive outlook on life.

Join the Earth Hour campaign on March 31

The Earth Hour is a global movement organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which originated in Sydney , Australia .It is held to encourage people the world over to combat climate change and commit themselves to a greener , safer environment by switching off non- essential electrical appliances for an hour on the last Saturday of March every year. You too can join the campaign and help protect Mother Earth.

'Pirates of the Curry Bean ' will keep you in stitches!

'Pirates of the Curry Bean' will keep you in stitches! The Junior Section of Colombo International School goes pirating this year with the heavy duty entertainment package 'Pirates of the Curry Bean!'

Written by the British writer Craig Hawes and set in the Caribbean Seas of the early 1700s, this spicy tale is full of thrills and laughter, guaranteed to have you in stitches!

The play is produced and directed by Gopitha Kiribandara; the Choral Director is Jayanthi Sivapragasam; the choreographers for this event are Shanika Weerasinghe and Lakmali Weerawardana.

The play boasts of a cast of over 200 children, who have worked tirelessly during the past few months and vows to have the audience rolling in mirth within minutes! 'The Pirates of The Curry Bean' will be staged on March 27 and 28 at the CIS auditorium. The cast has been able to showcase their talent in various aspects of performance such as acting, dance, music and even beat-boxing !

The story starts with the pirate / narrator Deadeye Dinghy as he relates the tale of the tragic loss of Captain Swaggersword, who disappeared many years ago leaving his chest of treasure hidden in a far and distant land.

The action then switches to the 'Squirty Squid', dockside tavern in Old London Town, kept by the Periwinkle family - feisty landlady Pearl, her fun-loving twins Jack and Liza and their rat-catching cat, Fiddlesticks. The family is not left in peace however as they are overrun by Captain Redbeard and his band of dodgy pirates, who steal a treasure map off the safe and kidnap Pearl.

It is up to the children to search for their 'missing map and their missing mother', as Deadeye poetically points out. Jack and Liza hire out their services as rat catchers to the resourceful Captain Cod and the hopelessly incompetent Admiral Hornhonker, in return for a free sea voyage to hunt for the pirates.

But... will anybody manage to outwit Redbeard and his gang and steal the map and the treasure? Will the children find their mother? Or will the pirates make them walk the plank? Find out on March, 27 and 28 as the 'Pirates of the curry Bean' sing, dance and act their way to adventure at the CIS Auditorium.