Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

University students are significantly less likely to visit a library than their counterparts a decade ago, reveals a survey.
There has been a 22% long-term decline in student library visits, show statistics from the Society of College, National and University Libraries.

This reflects an increased use of online resources, suggests the university libraries` organisation.

The figures show an annual fall of 3% in student library visits.

The statistics, covering a large majority of higher education institutions, show that students are withdrawing an average of 56 books per year - compared to 57 in the previous year.

Freedom of speech is the concept of being able to speak freely without censorship. It is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies. The right to freedom of speech is guaranteed under international law through numerous human rights instruments, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, although implementation remains lacking in many countries. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes preferred, since the right is not confined to verbal speech but is understood to protect any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

Sri Lanka`s aboriginal inhabitants, the Veddhas, are truly a fascinating people. Descended from the country`s stone age inhabitants, these primitive folk cling tenaciously to their age-old life-style by living off the hunt and gathering the fruit of the land, despite the ongoing process of industrialization and modernization. The Veddhas are proud of their distinct sylvan heritage and call themselves Vanniyalette, Those of the forest.

The term Veddha by which their Sinhalese neighbours denote them, comes from the Sanskrit Vyadha meaning hunter with bow and arrow. The pure Veddhas, unlike the Sinhalese who speak an Indo-Aryan language and claim Aryan descent, are related to the Austro-Asiatic peoples found scattered today in many parts of southern Asia.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-8219165849550855499&q=ian+botham

I came across some historic cricketing snaps on this video provided by the google.

In fact, it was played in Feb 1982 at P Saravanamuttu Stadium in baking sunshine. Sri Lanka captained by Bandula Warnapura while Keith Fletcher skippered England.

We had numerous talented players as well as rising stars from that match. Dias, Mendis, Wettamuni, Madugalle from the old lot and Ranatunga emerged as the rising star.

CINEMA: Filmologist Amaranath Jayatilaka is now making preparations to begin the Production of two movies to coincide with the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi.

One of Amarnath`s main objectives is to use the medium of the Moving Image to portray Buddhist Culture and to disseminate the Message of Buddhism throughout the world. He believes that this Buddha Jayanthi Year is the appropriate occasion to fulfill this ambition.

The first in a series of movies based on `Tales From Buddha`s Time` titled `Patachara` is the oldest recorded love story with the most tragic end that happened in human history 2500 years ago in India. This film is to be made originally in Sinhala and will also be dubbed into Hindi and other Indian languages for exhibition in India.

Imagine a world without the beauty, peace and harmony?

What is the difference between an analogue recording and a digital recording?

An analogue event remains constant and unbroken. During the process of recording music digitally, digital recording device takes a momentary bite at the signal, a certain number of times per second (often termed as Kbps or Kilo bytes per second, a term very much associates with computers/internet etc.). But in the analogue technology there is no break in signals or else no measure of times per second units (constant and unbroken).