world, all humanity
is my fraternity”
Yavarum Kelir”
are better than gold "
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th American President (1809-1865)
27, 2004
The Turkey: A World Traveler [Loudoun Times-Mirror]
The turkey's estimated arrival in England was 1541 and its name
was changed to turkey-cock. There are several theories as to why
the British changed its name. One of the most interesting is that
Columbus, who still thought he had landed in India, and that the
turkey was a relative of the peacock, called the bird a tuka the
Tamil word for peacock.
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1447, Gerrard Street,
Toronto
Tel: 416-778-4542
The Sri Lankan government is setting up a special security unit to
protect the judiciary after the killing of a judge.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga also reaffirmed her country's
commitment to capital punishment, saying it applied for murder,
rape and drugs trafficking.
No executions have been carried out for 28 years, although a
move to commute all death sentences to life in prison was revoked
in January 2001.
[Bloomberg]
Sri Lanka will raise taxes on goods and services to help cut the
budget deficit and fund pay increases for government workers,
easing investor concern that individual and corporate taxes may
rise as part of the 2005 budget.
The government will increase duties on luxury goods and impose
new taxes on stock transactions as part of measures to cut the
deficit to 7.5 percent of gross domestic product next year from an
estimate of as much as 8.5 percent this year, Finance Minister
Sarath Amunugama said today in his budget speech in Colombo.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga needs to boost revenue to
fund rural spending and pay increases for more than 500,000 civil
servants, pledges that helped her win elections in April. Investors
say the decision not to raise corporate taxes may help extend the
economy's recovery from a two-decade civil war. ``It's good that
there's no change in corporate tax and income taxes, that's really
good for companies,'' Hasitha Premaratne, head of research at
HNB Stockbrokers Pvt in Colombo, said in a telephone interview.
``Taxes on luxury items were expected and I don't think that's a
bad thing for the economy, they are just widening the tax net,
which is necessary to pay for the higher expenditure next year.''
Rising oil prices, accelerating inflation, political uncertainties and a
drought that damaged crops threaten to slow economic growth in
Sri Lanka, which is enjoying its longest respite from a civil war
after a cease-fire was reached between the government and
Tamil Tiger rebels in February 2002.
A Hindu priest was run over and killed by an Army bowser. As a
result tension was high in Kodikaman in Jaffna, the Thinakaran
said on Monday. The paper added that following this incident Sri
Lanka Monitoring Mission officials and TNA parliamentarians
intervened and brought the situation under control. In another
front page story the paper said the LTTE would keep under wraps
their intimation to the government on the resumption of peace
talks sent through the Norwegian Foreign Minister until the
President's response on the issue.
UPFA's policy
However, the Sudaroli said Tigers had informed President
Kumaratunga through Norway that they would like to know the
UPFA's policy on the recommencement of peace talks and not just
the President's stand since the government comprises various
political parties and added the President was yet to respond.
The paper quoted JVP Minister K. D. Lalkanth and said all JVP
ministers would resign their portfolios if the government talks
peace based on the LTTE's ISGA proposals. The UNP warned
that it would rally the masses and resort to civil disobedience if the
President extends her term after December 2005.
Interim authority
The Thinakkural quoted a website and said top EPDP members
including former Jaffna District MP V. K. Jegan, Editor of the EPDP
weekly paper Baskaran and former Jaffna leader Nisandan
escaped to foreign countries.
The paper in another story said President Kumaratunga had
informed the LTTE through Norway that she would talk peace only
on the basis of an interim authority and not on the Interim Self
Governing Authority.
The Thinakaran on Tuesday quoted JVP Tamil Parliamentarian R.
Chandrasekeran and said the government had accepted many of
the JVP proposals in the forthcoming Budget and this was a
victory of the poor masses.
The Thinakkural quoted a Foreign Ministry official and said
handbills have been distributed in all major cities in Iraq urging the
abductors of Sri Lankan truck driver Dinesh Rajaratnam be
released.
A great director returns home [Sunday Observer]
Most past students of St. Benedict's College, Kotahena who
passed through the portals of the school during the 1950s to the
1990s would agree that their beloved teacher Rev Bro Edward
(now 75 and living in retirement) was their most unforgettable
character. For, the charisma, selflessness, chosen words and
organising genius of this amazingly diversified character, held us
in awe. And his popularity was widespread for he was equally
articulate in English and Sinhala. But soon, St Benedict's lost their
genial teacher, when in 1979 he was ordained a Catholic priest in
Oklahoma City, USA, taking the name of Fr. Joe Vas.
think there is something wrong "
- Muttiah Muralitharan [BBC News]
Murali said: "The [Australian] people are not a problem, it is the
cricket-playing people that are a problem, they are a little bit
ignorant." But Cricket Australia said: "It is unfair on individuals
for their names to be used in emotional public debate."
According to Skanda Puranam, Muruga was created in order to
destroy the evil forces and protect His devotees. Skanda Sashti is
celebrated every year in all Muruga temples. At Tiruchendur
where the actual annihilation of demon Soorapadman took place,
the celebrations start six days in advance and culminate in
Soorasamharam.
AJIT HAS not disappointed his fans in Vijayam Cine Combines'
"Attagaasam". The film once again proves the screenplay writing
talent of Saran who has not only made the film in a short span of
time but has also intelligently tied up nearly all the loose ends of
the film with so many characters.
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