Yala National wild life Park යාල ජාතික වන උද්‍යානය

Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. The park consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public, and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names such as, Ruhuna National Park (block 1) and Kumana National Park or 'Yala East' for the adjoining area. It is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province andUva Province. The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with Wilpattu was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds.

There are six national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries in the vicinity of Yala. The park is situated in the dry semi-arid climatic region and rain is received mainly during the northeast monsoon. Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. It is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.

The area around Yala has hosted several ancient civilisations. Two important pilgrim sites, Sithulpahuwa and Magul Vihara, are situated within the park. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused severe damage on the Yala National Park and 250 people died in its vicinity. The number of visitors has been on the rise since 2009 after the security situation in the park improved.

History

In 1560 Spanish cartographer Cipriano Sanchez noted Yala in his map "is abandoned for 300 years due to insalubrious conditions." Chief Justice Sir Alexander Johnston wrote a detailed account on Yala in 1806 after travelling from Trincomalee to Hambantota. On March 23, 1900 the government proclaimed Yala and Wilpattu reserves under the Forest Ordinance. Initially the extent of the reserve was 389 square kilometres (150 sq mi) between the Menik and Kumbukkan Rivers. At that time the reserve did not bear the name Yala. The Game Protection Society (now the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society) was instrumental in establishing the reserve. The forest area between Palatupana and Yala was declared a hunting site reserved only for the resident sportsmen. Henry Engelbrecht was appointed as the first park warden.

On 1 March 1938 Yala became a national park when the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance was passed into law by D. S. Senanayake, the minister of agriculture. The park consists of five blocks. Subsequently four other blocks were incorporated to the park. There are six national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries in the vicinity of Yala. Kumana National Park, Yala Strict Nature Reserve and Kataragama, Katagamuwa, and Nimalawa sanctuaries are continuous with the park.

Physical features

The Yala area is mostly composed of metamorphic rock belonging to the Precambrian era and classified into two series, Vijayan series and Highland series. Reddish brown soil and low humic grey soil are prominent among six soil types. Yala is situated in the lowest peneplain of Sri Lanka, which extends from Trincomalee to Hambantota. Topographically the area is a flat and mildly undulating plain that runs to the coast with elevation is 30 metres (98 ft) close to the coast while rising in the interior to 100–125 metres 330–410 ft). The national park is situated in the dry semi-arid climatic region and rain is received mainly during the northeast monsoon. The mean annual rainfall ranges between 500–775 millimetres (20–30.5 in) while the mean temperature ranges between 26.4 °C (79.5 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in April. It is windier in Yala, during the southwest monsoon compared to the wind during the northeast monsoon with wind speeds from 23 kilometres per hour (14 mph) to 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph).

Water is abundant after the northeast monsoon, but during the dry season surface water becomes an important factor. The bodies of surface water appear in the forms of streams, tanks, waterholes, rock pools, and lagoons. Waterholes occur in low lying places while rock pools of varying size are capable of containing water year-round, and are hence an important source of water for elephants. For many water birds and water buffaloes natural waterholes are ideal habitats. Such reservoirs are largely concentrated to the Block I followed by Block II. Several tanks are there including, Maha Seelawa, Buthawa, Uraniya, and Pilinnawa tanks.Many rivers and streams flow in a southeasterly direction, originating in the highlands of adjacent Uva and central hills. Kumbukkan Oya in the east and Menik River and its tributaries in the west flow across the park, and provide an important water source in the dry season to wild animals of the park. Normally the streams of the park are dry during the drought season. These rivers and streams exhibit a degree of runoff fluctuations between wet and dry seasons. Kumbukkan Oyadischarges seven times as much water in the rainy season than in the dry season. A number of lagoons are situated along the coast line of the park. There are several routes to get to Yala fromColombo, while the route via Ratnapura and Tissamaharama is the shortest with 270 kilometres (170 mi).

Impact of 2004 tsunami

Yala lay in the direct path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which impacted Sri Lanka 90 minutes after its generation. The tsunami caused severe but localised damage on the park, with around 250 people being killed. The tsunami wave was reported to be 20 feet (6.1 m) high. The tsunami waves reached inland only through the river-mouth gaps in the coastal dunes.Inundation distances from ranged up to 392 to 1,490 metres (429 to 1,630 yd). The main habitats affected were scrub forest and grasslands. About 5,000 hectares (19 sq mi) of grassland, forest and wetland are directly affected by the tsunami. The satellite images revealed that mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) range from 0.245-0.772 in the Block I and II. After the disaster the NDVI value fell dramatically to 0.2111. Around 60% of the area along the coastline has changed. The damage was worse close to the sea.The movement patterns of two radio collared elephants were analyzed. The study found out that their movements were consistent with behaviour prompted by immediate cues generated by the tsunami waves rather than a response to a "sixth sense".

Flora

Yala National Park has a variety of ecosystems including moist monsoon forests, dry monsoon forests, semi deciduous forests, thorn forests,grasslands, fresh water and marine wetlands, and sandy beaches. The area under forest cover mainly consists of Block I and rangelands of open parkland (Pelessa grasslands) including some extensive grasslands. The forest area is restricted to around the Menik River while rangelands are found towards the sea side. Other habitat types of the Block I are tanks and water holes, lagoons and mangroves and chena lands. The mangrove vegetation in the Buthuwa lagoon is largely Rhizophora mucronata while Avicennia spp. and Aegiceras spp. are less abundant. The vegetation of Block II is similar to those of Block I, and Yalawela, once a fertile paddy field, represents Pitiya grasslands. The mangroves of Block II occur around the estuary of Menik River, which extent to 100 hectares (0.39 sq mi). The common mangrove plants are Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia caseolaris, Avicennia spp., andAegiceras corniculatum. The lagoons of Pilinnawa, Mahapothana, and Pahalapothana are also located in this block.^[3] The other common mangrove species are Sonneratia caseolaris, Acanthus ilicifolius, Excoecaria agallocha, and Lumnitzera racemosa. In the bare sand Crinum zeylanicum is found.

In the Blocks III, IV, and V, forests are more widespread. The canopy of the forest mainly contains Drypetes sepiaria and Manilkara hexandra plant species. The Pitiya grasslands are important for grazing animals. The Cynodon barberi is the common grass in Pitiya grasslands while Zoysia matrellabecomes dominant near the beach. Among 300 odd floral species are Manilkara hexandra, Drypetes sepiaria, Ceylon Satinwood, Terminalia arjuna, Limonia, Berrya cordifolia, Randia dumetorum,Pleurostylia opposita, Gymnema sylvestre, Bell mimosa, Neem, Banyan, Toothbrush tree, Schleichera oleosa, Vitex pinnata, Indian blackberry, Gmelina asiatica, Carissa spinarum, Euphorbia antiquorum, and Acacia eburnea. In the seasonally flooded areas of Block II, a wild species of rice (Oryza sp.) is found. The Glenniea unijuga is an endemic plant species found around the wetlands of the park. The Munronia pumila, Salacia reticulata, and Asparagus racemosus are the medicinal plants.

Fauna

Yala is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Of 215 bird species of the park, six are endemic to Sri Lanka. They are Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Wood-pigeon, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Black-capped Bulbul, and Brown-capped Babbler. The number of waterbirds inhabiting wetlands of Yala is 90 and half of them are migrants. Waterfowls (Lesser Whistling Duck, Garganey), Cormorants (Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant), large waterbirds (Grey Heron, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork), medium-sized waders Tringa spp., and small waders Charadrius spp. are among the common waterbirds. Black-necked Stork and Lesser Adjutant are the rare birds that can be seen in the park. The migrant Great White Pelican and resident Spot-billed Pelican are also have been recorded. Other waterbirds attracted to the Yala lagoons include Lesser Flamingo, and Pelicans, and rare species such as Purple Heron, Night herons, Egrets, Purple Swamphen, andOriental Darter. Thousands of waterfowls migrate to the lagoons of Yala during the northeast monsoon. They are Northern Pintail, White-winged Tern,Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Godwits, and Ruddy Turnstone. The visiting species mingled with residing Lesser Whistling Duck, Yellow-wattled Lapwing,Red-wattled Lapwing, and Great Stone-curlew. Rock Pigeon, Barred Buttonquail, Indian Peafowl, Black Stork, Black-winged Stilt, and Greater Flamingoare among the other bird species. Crested Serpent-eagle and White-bellied Sea Eagle are the raptors of the park. The forest birds are Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Hornbills, Old World flycatchers, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Asian barbets, and Orioles.

Including Sri Lankan Elephant, 44 species of mammals are resident in Yala National Park, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world. 25 individual leopards are estimated to roam in Block I.The elephant herd of Yala contains 300–350 individuals. Sri Lankan Sloth Bear, Sri Lankan Leopard, Sri Lankan Elephant, Wild water buffalo are threatened species that Yala is harbouring. Although water buffaloes are indigenous to Sri Lanka, most populations contain genes of the domestic stock or are descended fromferal stock. Toque Macaque, Golden Palm Civet, Red Slender Loris, and Fishing Cat are among the other mammals that can be seen in Yala. The elephant population of the park varies seasonally.

The reptile fauna recorded from the park is 46 and five of them are endemic. Sri Lankan Krait, Boulenger's Keelback, Sri Lankan Flying Snake, Painted-lip Lizard and Wiegmann's Agama are the endemic species. The coastal line of the park is visited by the all five globally endangered sea turtles(Leatherback turtle, Olive Ridley, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Hawksbill turtle, and Green turtle) that visit Sri Lanka. The two breeding crocodile species of Sri Lanka, Mugger crocodile and Saltwater Crocodile inhabit the park. The Indian Cobra and Russell's viper are among the other reptiles. There are 18 amphibians species that have been recorded from Yala while Bufo atukoralei and Adenomus kelaartii are endemic to Sri Lanka. In the water courses of Yala, 21 fresh water fishes are found. The fish population in the perennial reservoirs contain mostly exotic food fish Mozambique tilapia. The Stone sucker and Esomus thermoicos are endemic among other species. The Blackspot barb, Olive Barb, Orange chromide and Common Spiny Loach are the common fish species. Crabs and prawns include the fauna in the lagoons of the park. A variety of butterfly species is found here. The Common bluebottle, Common Lime Butterfly, Crimson Rose, Common Jezebel, and Common Mormon are the common species.

Cultural importance

Yala had been a center of past civilisations. The great King Ravana established his kingdom here with Ravana Kotte, now submerged in the sea, as its boundary. Seafaring traders brought Indo-Aryan civilisation with them, as Yala is situated in their trading route. A large number of ancient although disrepaired tanks are the evidence of a rich hydraulic and agricultural civilisation dating back to 5th century BC. Situlpahuwa, which was the home for 12,000 arahants, is situated within the park area along with Magul Vihara, which built in 87 BC and Akasa Chaitiya, which constructed in 2nd century BC. Agriculture flourished in area during the period of Ruhuna Kingdom. According to Mahavamsa, the Kingdom of Ruhuna began to decline by the end of the 13th Century AD. During the colonial period Yala became a popular hunting ground. Yala is annually visited by 400,000 pilgrims.

Threats and conservation

Poaching, gem mining, logging, encroachment by agriculture, and free-roaming domestic livestock entering are the main threats to the park. Three wardens have been killed in clashes with poachers. Gems are mined along the Menik River and holes created by gem mining which extend up to 30 metres (98 ft) can be seen along the Kumbukkan Oya. In Blocks III and IV, the encroachment is severe aschena cultivation and burning, to provide grazing in the dry season, collide with the boundary. A large grove of Sonneratia caseolaris is faced with forest dieback in the Menik River's estuary. Cultivation of tobacco, noise and air pollutions caused by uncontrolled tourism are the other conservation issues. The growth of invasive alien species such as Lantana camara, Opuntia dillenii, Chromolaena odorata is threatening the native plants.

Deep within the forest Ganja is cultivated in cleared areas.The wildlife is poached and disturbed by the fishermen at Patanangala. The turtles are caught in fishing nets and the fishermen also litter the beach with debris. They have also set traps inland and dig up turtle nests. In the absence of hand-weeding which was practiced until the 1950s, the transformation of interior grasslands to scrub jungle is unavoidable. The tourism has created problems in the past, such as vehicles harassing wild animals. The issue is most severe in Sithulpahuwa where thousands of pilgrims are attracted leading to a great degree of commercialisation. Department of Wildlife Conservation has taken some conservation measures such as management of grazing lands, conservation of small water ponds, and irradiation of invasive alien species. A 40 kilometres (25 mi) long electric fence was erected to prevent elephants from moving into nearby villages.

Tourism

The Yala National Park is the most visited park in Sri Lanka. In 2002 around 156,867 tourists visited the park. Foreigners, especially Europeans, account for 30% of total visitors. Block I is the main area for visits. Block III (main gate in Galge area, on Buttala-Kataragama Road) and the adjoining Kumana Park or 'Yala East' (main gate at Okanda, on the east coast not far from Pottuvil) however are becoming popular in their own right too. See Note that the Situlpahuwa pilgrimage site, geographically in Block III, has kind of an 'enclave' status and is accessible FOC through separate roads from Tissa and Kataragama. Most of the visitors stated that reasons for their visit is to see wild animals, and elephant is the most preferred animal. The visitors like to see bears, leopards, birds as well. In 2000 the income from visitors including lodge fees was approximately US$468,629. Due to security conditions revenue was lost. The Yala National Park has been susceptible to terrorist attacks. On 17 October 2007 a group of LTTE cadres attacked an army detachment in Thalgasmankada in the park. The attack killed six army soldiers and another was caught up in a landmine explosion. On 11 July 2008 four people died in an attack launched by the LTTE. The cadres opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims to Kataragama. Since the end of the civil war, May 2009, no violence has occurred in Yala area also and it is fully safe for visitors; this was also the main factor in opening blocks III and V for tourists. From January to June in 2008, 9,078 local tourists and 7,532 foreigners have visited Yala. For the same period of time in 2009 the arrivals have risen to 18,031 locals and foreigners to 10,439. Accordingly the revenue increased to Rs. 27 millions (US$235,000) in 2009 from Rs. 16.6 millions (US$154,000) in 2008. The visitors are allowed to see the wild animals from 5.30 am to 6.30 pm.Due to droughts the park used to be closed to tourists from 1 September, to 15 October annually; however in 2009 and 2010 the closure was skipped and lakes filled with water bowsers for drinking water for the animals, a future strategy on drought handling is not yet clear.

The attraction to evil TV series review

The attraction to evil TV series review 

 

Isn't it ironic that someone who has watched "Silence of the lambs" or "Red Dragon", would always remember the name of Hannibal Lecter but not the lead good guy or good female cop?
 
Serial killers or extremely twisted characters always seem to have a magnetic attraction with the public and it is alarming that psychopaths and bad boy personalities have such charisma. Marlon Brando for example is for many film buffs the ultimate ruffian as the unforgettable Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams's "Streetcar named Desire" and years later "The Godfather" who could love and slaughter with as much dedication and passion. Take even some of these super heroes which the public does not seem to get enough of. Very rarely are they regular men (and women) with a family life and a normal work routine. They always have some dark element in their past; murdered parents or childhood abductions....
 
 
So really nothing predestined Walter White to become one of television greatest heroes." Breaking Bad" begins with Walter an average Joe, a timid high school chemistry teacher who is forced to do extra hours at a car wash because finances are tight, his wife is pregnant with their second child and his son has a few physical issues which require extra medical care. He has a terrible cough which eventually leaves him gasping for air before he collapses. The final blow for his already awful day is that he is diagnosed with stage three cancer of the lungs and could have less than a year to live. He decides to hold off on sharing that piece of information with his family and instead goes on a drug bust with his cop brother in law. Walter quietly watches the main Crystal Meth dealer (Jesse, a former student of his) get away. Instead of helping to catch him, Walter offers Jesse a deal, he will cook, the best possible meth and Jesse will sell it; all this to ensure the financial stability of his family once he is gone. On a moral point of view, it is of course completely wrong. But when survival is the only target, how far can we all be pushed? When countries offer no free medical aid, no concessions for education, mortgages,infant children who lose their parents , what wouldn't a father do to protect his loved ones?
 
 
One of the most fascinating aspects of this series is Walter's character played by the brilliant Bryan Cranston. As I mentioned before, he is at the beginning of the story just your average timid man who becomes a drug lord and sinks into moral depravity.
Yet the more he seems to very brightly manipulate the law, the more interesting and attractive he gets. Even his lovely wife who clearly loved him seems to look at Walter with awe and fear as he displays more and more signs of psychotic behavior.
 
 
Walter is the perfect example of what one would call "the Dark Triad Traits". He is narcissistic, more worryingly machiavellic as he does not hesitate in being manipulative and deceitful even towards those who do love him deeply and of course he is a psychopath with a high level of stress tolerance, lack of empathy and emotion. Walter will find a way of reaching his target whether it means jeopardizing the safety of a child of manipulating the weaker minded Jesse. The triggering factor in his character change is of course initially his illness and his very noble desire to protect his family from an impending financial disaster after his death. But gradually it becomes about control and not letting cancer dictate its conditions. In one sadly funny scene, Walter is waiting to go for his routine scan check up and a young man who has just learnt that he is also suffering from cancer is seated next to Walter pouring his heart out at our hero who really couldn't care less about this whiney cancer patient!. Of course he does not get a dot of compassion from Walter who gives the poor baffled man a speech on fighting and taking control of his life when something as terrible as this happens.! As cruel as this may seem, the scene is hilarious because of Walter's facial expressions which show that he can't wait to get out of the room and as far away as possible from the moping man and to quickly go and cook his next batch of blue Crystal Meth.
 
 
I will of course avoid telling more of "Breaking Bad's" plot simply because it is worth watching and discovering on your own plus if I do reveal the ending I don't think I will make many "Breaking Bad" fans very happy!
But I don't remember a television hero/ character being so well written and with this much depth and one cannot help but wonder if we do not all have in us this Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities which can just pop up for various reasons .
 
 
Walter's transformation is fascinating and one feels that it is his impending death which makes him fearless and void of any morality. Plus he seems to become more and more clever as the plot goes along.
Despite never deviating from his aim which is to provide financial stability to his family, he also becomes harder and more self absorbed so much so that this once gentle man begins to generate fear in his partner, his lawyer and even his wife. His self image begins to matter. When the series started, Walter wore classic clothes which he neatly folded before beginning to "cook". Mid way during the show, he develops an image, wears a black hat, looks threatening and seems to enjoy it.
 
 
"Breaking Bad" has five seasons and unlike many other television serials whose producers don't know when to gracefully put an end to show; this one actually ends and believe me your withdrawal symptoms will last a long time. Bryan Cranston's work was commended by fellow villain Anthony Hopkins who said "What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production, it was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy".
By Sumaya Samarasinghe
Ceylon Today Features
 

Night work 'throws body into chaos'

Doing the night shift throws the body "into chaos" and could cause long-term damage, warn researchers.

Shift work has been linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and cancer.

Now scientists at the Sleep Research Centre in Surrey have uncovered the disruption shift work causes at the deepest molecular level.

Experts said the scale, speed and severity of damage caused by being awake at night was a surprise.

The human body has its own natural rhythm or body clock tuned to sleep at night and be active during the day.

It has profound effects on the body, altering everything from hormones and body temperature to athletic ability, mood and brain function.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, followed 22 people as their body was shifted from a normal pattern to that of a night-shift worker.

Blood tests showed that normally 6% of genes - the instructions contained in DNA - were precisely timed to be more or less active at specific times of the day.

Once the volunteers were working through the night, that genetic fine-tuning was lost.

Chrono-chaos

"Over 97% of rhythmic genes become out of sync with mistimed sleep and this really explains why we feel so bad during jet lag, or if we have to work irregular shifts," said Dr Simon Archer, one of the researchers at the University of Surrey.

Fellow researcher Prof Derk-Jan Dijk said every tissue in the body had its own daily rhythm, but with shifts that was lost with the heart running to a different time to the kidneys running to a different time to the brain.

He told the BBC: "It's chrono-chaos. It's like living in a house. There's a clock in every room in the house and in all of those rooms those clocks are now disrupted, which of course leads to chaos in the household."

Studies have shown that shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of day may beincreasing their risk of type-2 diabetes and obesity.

Others analyses suggest heart attacks are more common in night workers.

Prof Dijk added: "We of course know that shift work and jet lag is associated with negative side effects and health consequences.

"They show up after several years of shift work. We believe these changes in rhythmic patterns of gene expression are likely to be related to some of those long-term health consequences."

Prof Hugh Piggins, a body-clock researcher from the University of Manchester, told the BBC: "The study indicated that the acute effects are quite severe.

"It is surprising how large an effect was noticed so quickly, it's perhaps a larger disruption than might have been appreciated."

He cautioned that it was a short-term study so any lasting changes are uncertain, but "you could imagine this would lead to a lot of health-related problems".

By James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News

Samsung 'infringed' Apple's auto-complete text patent

Apple alleges that several Samsung handsets infringe its auto-complete patent

Continue reading the main story

A US judge has ruled that Samsung infringed Apple's patent-protected word recommendation technology.

The invention describes a way for touchscreen devices to suggest completed words after a user has part-typed them to speed up text input.

Experts say the ruling could have implications for other Android devices that offer the facility.

The judgement comes ahead of a trial in which both firms plan to claim the other copied several of their features.

This means that when the case comes to court on March 31, Apple is set to allege five cases of patent infringement - one of which has already been secured - and Samsung will claim four cases.Judge Lucy Koh - who presided over a previous dispute between the two companies in 2012 - also denied Samsung the opportunity to claim Apple had infringed one of its synchronisation technologies on the basis that the South Korean firm was not the first to register the idea.

News of the decision was first reported by patent consultant Florian Mueller, who has published the summary judgement in full.

Rejected argument

Apple's auto-complete patent was first filed in January 2007, days before Steve Jobs unveiled the firm's first iPhone.

It noted that the size of existing mobile phones made typing difficult and suggested offering the auto-complete function via a graphical user interface as a solution.

Samsung later claimed that the patent applied only to handsets and tablets that included physical keyboards.

However, Judge Koh rejected this argument, noting that Apple's invention had specifically described the feature being accessed via a touchscreen virtual keyboard.

"We are disappointed by the court's decision, and look forward to the jury trial, when the jury is expected to consider the claims related to the remaining summary judgment requests that were denied," said a spokesman for Samsung, referring to the fact the judge had rejected Apple's request that other claims be dismissed.

The iPhone-maker has not commented on the decision.

'Not earth-shattering'

Apple contends that several Samsung products infringe its technology, including the Galaxy Nexus handset and early versions of the Galaxy Note phablet.

The ruling means it can now seek to have these blocked from sale.

But one expert said the judgement could also have wider ramifications.

"That could include more recent Samsung devices, but it will depend whether the same methodology is being used.""This judgement has the potential to affect any mobile company that uses auto-complete functionality," said Vicki Salmon, a member of the UK's Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.

Another patent lawyer added that the ruling was not as "earth-shattering" as it might first seem.

"This doesn't completely preclude there being other versions of auto-complete," said Andrew Alton from Urquhart-Dykes & Lord.

"For example, they could still use the keyboard rather than part of the screen to enter instructions. However, this would probably be less elegant."

The ruling may affect the negotiating stance taken by the firms at mediation talks.

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is due to meet his counterpart at Samsung Electronics, Oh-Hyun Kwon, by February 19 to discuss "settlement opportunities".

(bbc)

Which is 2013's best music album

Which is 2013's best music album 

Among the numerous film fraternities exist all over the globe and are a part of the international arena with their choices of films, bollywood brings in a refreshing change , thanks to the numerous song and dances that pump up the fervor in Hindi films. While some consider it as a decadent trend , most have been  fascinated by what we call it the typical bollywood numbers that pop up every now and then in the film’s sequential plotline.

Although 2013 had shown a stark change, with Indian films aiming towards the contemporary cinema with less songs,dance numbers and more of background drama, we still had a few films whose album stood out as powerful, goofy and sometimes upbeat and most times arousing!

Let’s take a look at the contenders for the best music album of 2013:

Race 2 by Pritam:

When it comes to franchises’ Race 2 did live upto the expectation of its predecessor in terms of music(only). While the thrills and the twists remained guessable the songs added a particular zing to the movie. With party on my mind and lat lag gayeeadding that groove to the album’ we also had aperfectly placed by intehaan to transcend us to romantic platforms. But the revamed version of allah duhayi hai was nothing more than njust passable. All in all’ a moderately nice album with few songs that can jive up a party without much a do.

 Yeh jawaani hai deewani by Pritam:

 One of the best musical album of the year, one that outshone most of its contemporaries in terms of variety and life, is definitely pritam’s work for KJo’s yeh jawaani hai deewani. Whether it was the folksy tunes from balam pichkari or the adrenaline pumping dance – in-year-boots badtameez dil number, crows kept moving to the YJHD numbers. With kabira and illahi by powerful voices adding that pitch and tone we also had dilliwali girlfriend in tow. But it was definitely Ghahra’ the munni-Sheila of the film’ that clearly added the rustic touch. And we couldn’t stop playing them non-stop on our I pods!

Aashiqui 2 by jeet ganguly, mithoon and ankit tiwary:

Another brilliantly concocted number, rendered by some powerful singers and made effortlessly as one of the best romantic album ever aashiqui 2 a album will surely join the hall of flme of one of the best albums ever made. A chahu main ya na to start the tendencies of coy romance within, a tum hi ho to fall in love with a sun raha hai na tu to deal with the heartback and a bhula dena and a piya aaye na to lose ourselves to aashiqui 2’ s splendid album reverberated the different stages of love and life one usually is witness to. And that was just wow!

Lootera by amit trivedi:

More than the beats,if a film’s songs made sense, it had to be this amit trivedi album which spoke volumes of his hard work and dedication. A  perfectly fitting odo to o henry’ last leaf and making a period album based on the era of the 50s was astoundingly difficult but trivedi succeeded in tugging a tapestry of emotions within the human soul. With only six songs in the album, the music composer weaved magic as sawar loon spoke of romance uncalled for while all the others, be it zinda, shikayatein and ankahee left us teary-eyed. Adding that traditional baul feel to monta re and the pangs of death in manmarzian was an interesting move. We loved!

Bhaag milkha bhaag by Shankar ehsaan loy:

When you need to make an arousing testament to the human spirits its no better than to look out for SEL. Remember the somber beats from my name is khan and the urge of prayers in nor-e-khuda. Istill get goosebumps. But with BMB, they took almost the same route but in a totally different matter. Gurbani, Zinda and mera yaar were refreshingly new but mastodon ka jhund and bhaag milkha bhaag added the much needed gravitas to the biopic!

Ramleela by sanjay leela bhansali:

This years most gutsy romantic saga had the boldest songs as well. A maverick director, who used his finesse for songs to create something so organic and real, made it up for all his fand by churning one blockbuster number after the other.Although my favoritism remains and will stay with lahu munh lag gaya for the sheer seductive eroticism and the orgasmic feel that it brings to the ears nagada sang dhol baaje was brilliant and when bhoomi trivedi went the zany was, delivering a ram chahe leela, it was earthy,rustic and oh so sizzling! With tattad tatted  the director sealed it totally. Period.

Chennai Express by vishal-shekhar and honey singh:

Vishal shekhar seemed to have been lost before as the last song that I loved from their creations was the disco deewane version way back last year until a Chennai express happened this year. The dance floor did not make quite an impact on hearing it for the first time but with time and calculated moves, I guess the song got on like a house on fire . but it was definitely vishal shekhar’s forte the titli number that we lost our hearts to Bringing in S.P.Balasubraminam to sing the title track was a wise move but it was honey singh’s lungi dance that has topped all chartbuster list ever since.

Pakistan claims Test victory against Sri Lanka

Pakistan claims Test victory against Sri Lanka

A magnificent century by Azar Ali and a captain's knock by Misbah-ul-Haq grinded Sri Lanka by five wickets to level the series 1-1 in the third and final test here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium yesterday. Chasing 302 to win in 59 overs Pakistan reached the target with nine balls to spare under fading light.
Pakistan had come here with intent after conceding a 1-0 lead to the visitors in Dubai and despite being firmly on the back foot for more than four days, put a heroic effort to beat the Sri Lankans and keep their unbeaten record intact in the UAE.
Azar Ali was dismissed seven runs short of the target for an outstanding 103 off 137 balls after sharing two match winning partnerships with Sarfraz Ahmed and Misbah, the protagonist of their magnificent chase.
 
Misbah remained unbeaten on 68 off 72 deliveries as they delivered a fitting farewell to their out-going coach Dave Whatmore.
 
Sri Lanka had begun the day five with intent and with clear aggression as they took the bowlers to the sword in the early morning session scoring rapidly but lost their appetite before lunch going about their business on a snail's pace. Jayawardane began to cut loose with a flurry of shots around the stadium while Mathews occupied his wicket with relative calmness as they piled up runs at a regular pace in hope of getting Sri Lanka into a comfortable position before declaring.
 
But this lasted only for a while. When Mathews departed playing a miscued hook in the 14th over of the day, the visitors pushed the reverse gear, as if they had lost their appetite to go for a kill.
The pair added 56 runs off in 13.4 overs in the morning before Mathews perished for 31 attempting to hook off Mohammad Talha. Jayawardane was on 39 and Sri Lanka were well within a score in excess of 350 but the lack of aggression from the lower middle order, fetched Sri Lanka just 25 runs in 18 overs, as Pakistan finish off the Sri Lankan tail in an extended morning session for 214, a lead of 301.
 
If Jayawardane was aggressive early on, he was attritional lately adding just seven runs after occupying the crease for 12.1 overs since Mathews left. He was out for 46.
Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath departed in successive balls off Abdur Rehman before Saeed Ajmal finished off the remaining two as Pakistan took lunch with an imposing 302 to win off 59 overs to level the series. Along the way Herath became the first Sri Lankan to bag a pair in Tests, edging to slip off successive balls.

polar vortex :Are we ready?

polar vortex :Are we ready?

 
When parts of the United States of America (USA) froze over due to the polar vortex recently, the world watched, fascinated, awed and somewhat unaffected. Most conveniently forgot the extreme weather conditions that they would have faced in their own countries.

At times of extreme environmental conditions of fire, snow, rain, floods, storm, hurricanes, droughts, extreme heat (think Australia this January) and so on and so forth, the rampaging weather in any country brings into focus the oft asked question – is it due to climate change?  
 
Some scientists beg to differ. Geologists bring forth arguments such as the Anthropocene saying that we are approaching the human epoch - a departure from the Earth’s operating system, the first in almost 12,000 years.
Call it what you will, the time for proactive measures is now.
 
Facing the future 
A significant change in the distribution of weather patterns, including increases in global temperature, changes in rainfall patterns, changing the character of seasons and increasing the likelihood of extreme events such as flash floods, droughts and cyclones is what climate change generally means to tropical countries such as Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has already witnessed climate change effects.  According to scientists, Sri Lanka being an island nation situated close to the equator is more vulnerable to changes in temperature, floods, landslides, extended droughts causing water shortages; hence crop losses and destruction of natural resources are now becoming more and more frequent.
 
At the International Conference on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations on Environment and Food Security held in 2013, the urgent need to develop and implement a national plan to prepare the communities to meet the challenges of climate change was stressed.
 
The consensus was that while mitigating efforts should continue to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, it is most important to build the adaptive capacity and reduce the vulnerability of natural resources and communities. 
The most pertinent question that needs to be asked is how long will it take before we kick start adaptability measures in the face of oncoming climatic changes?
 
Streamlining needed
Plenty of research is being undertaken by several national research institutions, development agencies and universities on various topics related to climate change, but they are scattered and uncoordinated. The International Conference on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations on Environment and Food Security 2013 recommended that these research projects should be listed under a national research agenda and conducted as multidisciplinary programmes. This in turn should be linked to the implementing agency of the national climate adaptation strategy, the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy for critical analysis and effective dissemination of the findings.
 
Sri Lanka already has the framework in place for climate change adaptations – for example, with regard to food security, The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources have already identified biotechnology is an important area for development in Sri Lanka in the National Report of Sri Lanka,2002. 
It remains to be seen whether the recommendations of all the research undertaken on the subject will see the light of day. Same goes for the adaptations noted in the framework already in place. Hopefully, all of this will take place before it’s too late.

By Apsara Perera
Ceylon Today Features

Study assessed drinking habits over 10 years

Research led by University College London in the UK suggests men who drink heavily in middle age experience a faster rate of mental decline, compared with men who consume light to moderate amounts of alcohol.

The researchers defined heavy drinking in men as consuming 36 g of alcohol or more per day. This is the amount of alcohol in four to five 25 ml measures of spirits, or around two pints of beer, or two 175 ml glasses of wine, depending on strength.

Lead author Dr. Séverine Sabia, of the department of epidemiology and public health at University College, says:

“Much of the research evidence about drinking and a relationship to memory and executive function is based on older populations. Our study focused on middle-aged participants and suggests that heavy drinking is associated with faster decline in all areas of cognitive function in men.”

Middle-aged men who drank more than 36 g of alcohol per day showed memory decline much faster than their counterparts who drank less.

Published recently online in the journal Neurology, the study drew on data from over 5,000 men and 2,000 women who took part in the Whitehall II study of UK civil servants. The participants were aged between 44 and 69 when they joined the study between 1997 and 1999.

Their drinking habits, memory and executive functions were assessed at the start of the study and then twice more over a 10-year follow-up.

Tests of executive function measure certain thinking skills, such as reasoning, attention, and problem-solving.

The results showed there were no differences in memory and executive function decline among men who were light or moderate drinkers (under 20 g of alcohol a day).

But men who were heavy drinkers (36 g or more of alcohol per day) experienced memory and executive function decline that was between 1.5 and 6 years faster than counterparts who were not heavy drinkers.

The study did not find the same was true of women, although this could be because there were not enough heavy drinkers among the female participants.

Memory decline ‘can be a precursor to dementia’

Dr. Simon Ridley, head of research at leading UK charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, says:

“Observational studies such as this can be important for identifying factors that may influence the risk of memory decline or disease, but it’s difficult to pinpoint cause and effect with this type of research.”

He explains that while the people in the study did not have dementia, memory decline can be a precursor to the disease, and we need to know more about the risk factors for this decline so we can prevent it.

He underlines the importance of continuing to invest in research so we can find out how best to keep our brains healthy as we age and prevent diseases that cause dementia, and adds:

“In the meantime, the best evidence suggests that in addition to not drinking to excess we can lower the risk of dementia by eating a healthy, balanced diet, keeping an eye on our blood pressure and weight, and taking regular exercise.”

Funds from the British Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the US National Institute on Aging helped finance the study.

In another study published recently, researchers in Canada found that drinking alcohol can impair vision by up to 30% before we even hit the legal limit.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD