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Lies, damned lies and more damned lies! (The funny side of government propaganda in Sri Lanka)

Breaking News and other Tall Stories brought to you by Mr.Daily Noise and Mrs.Roopa Vahini.
Their motto: "We Report What We Want - You Believe What You Like!"

Katubedda February 30th 2008. (11pm GMT)

2.5 liter Kassippu bottle found behind a transformer in Katubedda and safely consumed by 2 policemen. Informed sources said that there were no casualties, unless you take into account the 2 slightly tipsy police heroes who risked life, limb and liver consuming the kassippu! Further investigations are being conducted by a special police team.

Weli Oya August 41st 2008. (4am GMT)

Military Spokesman Brigadier Pachagoris Pinocchio told reporters that heavy fighting occurred in the Tamil Nadu region in the south east of Austria between government forces and the El Tee Tee Hoo. 25,000 El Tee Tee Hoo carders were reportedly killed in these confrontations. Two soldiers sustained slight injuries. One of them had a sprained ankle and the other broke his toenail when he stepped on an anti personal mine. Both soldiers were airlifted to China, where they received honorary Gold Medals for the heroics shown on the battle field by the Beijing Olympic Committee.

Mannar April 1st 2008. (27pm GMT)

Troops advanced 4500 miles into enemy territory and captured the North Pole, Government Spokesman Kehel Mala Rambutang told Chinese reporters with pony tails (konday bandapu cheennoo). He said that the armed forces embarked on this "Maanushika Meheuma" or "Humanitarian Operation" to save the penguins from the evil polar bears who claim to be the sole representatives of the penguins! Spokesman Kehel Mala Rambutang also said that air force jets bombed "The Voice of Polar Bears," a radio station belonging to the "Liberation Polar Bears of North Pole Eland."

Polonnaruwa August 34th 2008. (21pm GMT)

Military Spokesman Brigadier Pachagoris Pinocchio was amongst 13,500 deserters who accepted an amnesty and returned to the battle front. The Defence Ministry is clueless as to how 13,500 returned when only 12,000 had deserted. The deserters claim that they did not desert, but were abducted by Aliens who had appeared in Unidentified Four Weeled Objects (UFOs) which looked similar to white vans. Investigations are in progress to ascertain if the Unidentified Four Weeled Objects (UFOs) were from the Planet Japan or the Planet Korea.

Colombo August 39th 2008. (13am GMT)

Minister Moda Seal Var, 'Mad dog of the Nation,' who is infamous for his attacks on the press, the "Watch dogs of the Nation," was interviewed by SNN Reporter Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea.

Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea of SNN:
Seal Var Sir, were you responsible for biting a camera man and stealing his camera?

Minister Moda Seal Var: Woof…woof !

Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea of SNN: President Chinthana Paksharajas pet names for you are 'Merv the Perv,' and 'Mental Merv,'….true or false?

Minister Moda Seal Var: Bow…wow…wow !

Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea of SNN: Is your bark worse than your bite?

Minister Moda Seal Var: Arf…arf…arf !

Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea of SNN: Will you continue to terrorize the media in future?

Minister Moda Seal Var: Arf…arf…woof f$#k u grrrr… grrrrr…woof….c$#t….arf…arf…

Christianne Amanpour me a cup of tea of SNN: Thank you…thank you very much…that will be all sir!

Minister Mervin and goons attack Sirasa journalists and seize cameras

Aug 04, 2008

Minister Mervin Silva's goons assaulted the Sirasa media crew that had gone to report the ceremonial opening of the second phase of the Jeyaraj Fernandopullai Memorial flyover in Kelaniya and seized the two video cameras they had right inside the venue of the function.
As the cameramen were getting ready to record the declare opening of the bridge by Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka, the Minister came there and ordered them to go away. Then the goons of the Minister came to the scene, assaulted the cameramen and seized their cameras.

While a Police Superintendent was observing the incident, at least the police security personnel who were there for his security did not come to the rescue of the journalists.

The two victims, Sampath Varuna and Provincial cameraman Saliya lodged complaints in Peliyagoda police station in this regard.

Minister Mervin Silva has not allowed the Sirasa Media Network to report the functions in Kelaniya since a long time. He threatened and chased away Sirasa journalists in several previous occasions as well.

What if?

What if....
the LTTE tried to form a separate state in Hell?
answer: The devil would seek political asylum in Sri Lanka.


What if ...
Bin Ladan owned Sri Lanka and Hell?
answer: He would rent out Sri Lanka and live in Hell!


What if...
women stopped having periods?
answer: They would stop having babies! They would not have to take the pill or get their partners to wear condoms! They would not be able to give excuses like 'Sorry dear, not today, I have a headache!' or 'Sorry dear, I'm having my periods!' And manufactures of 'Tampon's' and 'Sanitary Napkins' will go out of business!

What if...
the sale of cigarettes and alcohol was banned in Sri Lanka?
answer: People would turn to smoking illegal cigarettes and drinking kassippu. The Government would lose billions in tax revenue. More people would fall ill by consuming substandard liquor.

What if...
it was compulsory that all the people in Sri Lanka had to attend a temple, church, mosque or kovil at least once a day?
answer: There would be peace and harmony in Sri Lanka...there would be a heaven on earth....( ha! ha! ha! only in your dreams!)

What if...
Sri Lanka ruled the World?
answer: Sri Lanka would invade any country that sold meat and alcohol and kept film halls open on poya day!
Banna programmes would be shown on televisions around the world. American women would work as housemaids in Sri Lanka. The rupee would be the World currency. Sinhala would be the lingua franca of the world. Sri Lanka would issue green cards to people around the world, to live and work in the country. Amaradeva and Nandamalini will out sell Michael Jackson and Maddona in record sales! There will be an influx of economic refugees and political asylum seekers in the country!

What if...
Hitler was a Jew?
answer: There would never have been World War 2! 6 million Jews would not have been murdered! 50 million people's lives would have been spared! There would no Jewish State called Israel! Yasir Arafat would have been a normal civilian working for a living in Palastine!

What if...
Chandrika Kumaranatunga was a man, and Ranil Wickramasinghe was a woman?
answer: It wouldn't make much of a difference!

What if...
50 years ago, Prabahakaran's father had worn a condom?
answer: There would still be a Tamil problem!

What if...
Sharks used fishing rods to catch humans?
answer: They would use currency notes as bait!

What if...
the eating of pork was no longer banned in Islamic countries?
answer: Pigs would seek asylum on the moon!

What if...
Sri Lanka was invaded by Aliens?
answer: Politician's would contact Will Smith! The general population would welcome them with open arms!

What if...
­carnivores animals and all humans became vegetarians?
answer: Pigs would fly....and Hell would freeze over!

Buddhist Supremacy In Sri Lanka

Thailand should not follow Sri Lanka’s lead in sanctifying a state religion.


Thailand is a warm, welcoming society. The people are friendly, dress is informal, temperatures are pleasant. Foreigners are welcome and can enjoy beautiful beaches, explore primitive countrysides, or climb challenging hills, and then retreat to first-world luxuries in Bangkok and Chiang-mai.


A Buddhist-majority society, Thailand leaves religious minorities alone. In theory, the government limits which groups can register and how many missionaries can enter, but in practice, reports the State Department: “Unregistered religious organizations operated freely, and the government’s practice of not recognizing any new religious faiths has not restricted the activities of unregistered religious groups,” or foreign missionaries.


The main limits are “laws prohibiting speech likely to insult Buddhism,” the State Department notes. Thai authorities don’t suffer national insults gladly: Foreigners have been imprisoned and deported for insulting the king, a revered figure.

Yet Bangkok’s policy of religious tolerance is coming under pressure. The forces of Buddhist nationalism have been active in the campaign over a new constitution, which culminates in a vote Sunday.

A military coup last Fall highlighted the authoritarian undercurrent in Thai politics. Supporters of the ousted government were targets of the military junta last year; next it could be minority religious faiths.

The Thai state has always been secular. The last constitution, suspended by the military, required the government to “patronize and protect Buddhism and other religions.” Christian and Muslim activities also were subsidized.

The replacement constitution may not be so ecumenical. The military has produced a more authoritarian document: The Senate would be appointed, for instance. More ominously, though the Constitution Drafting Assembly refused demands by Buddhist nationalists to make Buddhism Thailand’s official religion, they have been campaigning against the proposal as a result.

They claim their faith is at risk: “Buddhism is increasingly coming under threat,” contends Thongchai Kuasakul, who heads the Buddhists’ Network of Thailand. A Muslim insurgency in south Thailand, where Islamic fighters have targeted Buddhist monks and bombed Buddhist temples, fuels these fears.

The military originally dismissed the idea of turning Buddhism into a state religion, but a minuscule march in Bangkok — by just 4,000 people — apparently spooked the junta. The public mood has been shifting against the regime because of its mediocre economic performance and slow return to democracy. Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, moreover, are attempting to turn the Buddhist proposal to their advantage.

So army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, a Muslim who heads the ruling Council for National Security, responded that he wouldn’t block an amendment turning Buddhism into the state religion. “If a stipulation in the charter to this effect would lead to peace in the country,” he said, “then it would be better to include it.”

Although the drafting committee decided against doing so, the Thai people might reject the constitution, which would send the issue back to the military regime. Moreover, the Buddhist campaign is making Muslims and Christians nervous. In the end, religious repression initiated by Buddhists doesn’t look much different than repression initiated by Muslims, or communists, or anyone else.

Some Thai observers dismiss the controversy as without substance. There is, for instance, no Buddhist equivalent to Islamic law, says Ammar Siamwalla, a Muslim economist from Bangkok. “Our constitution is the least respected document in the country. It’s been torn up too many times [17 to be exact] to be so obsessive about.”

But even as a purely symbolic step, raising the status of Buddhism risks inflaming an ongoing Muslim insurgency in Thailand. “It’s going to make the situation in southern Thailand a hell of a lot worse,” argues Zachary Abuza, a terrorist specialist.

Thai monk Mettanando Bhikkhu warns his nation against following Sri Lanka, where Buddhist nationalists formed a political party, joined the governing coalition, and worked against peace negotiations with Tamil guerrillas. The Sri Lankan constitution provides Buddhism with the “foremost place” in Sri Lankan society.

Although many forces are to blame for Sri Lanka’s descent into civil war, Buddhist nationalism has inflamed the conflict. After decolonization in 1948, the Buddhist Sinhalese majority enhanced its position at the expense of the largely Hindu Tamil minority. The U.S. Agency for International Development reported: “The notion of the Sri Lankan nation subscribed to by many Sinhalese — including most of Sri Lanka’s politically influential Buddhist monks — is based on a firmly-rooted belief in the primacy of the Sinhalese/Buddhist majority and its culture.”

Buddhism has a special place in Sri Lankan politics; officials pay fealty to Buddhist clerics after assuming power, and the military has incorporated Buddhist rituals into its ceremonies.

Religious liberty remains tenuous even in areas far away from military conflict. Buddhist mobs, sometimes led by monks, have frequently attacked Christians, their churches, and their ministers. The authorities have been reluctant to arrest those responsible. With the constitutional sanction of Buddhism as a state religion as its guide, the Sri Lankan supreme court has ruled that proselytizing is not a protected religious activity under the constitution. (The jurists refused to recognize a Catholic medical group which, it declared, had provided an improper “allurement,” health care, to procure a conversion.)

Some Buddhist nationalists want more. Three years ago extremist monks formed the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), or the Pure Sinhala National Heritage party, to promote Buddhist nationalism. The party has opposed negotiations to end the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict, which has cost tens of thousands of lives.

Although the JHU possesses only nine seats in the 225 member parliament, it provided important support for the 2005 election of the Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapakse. The candidate agreed to an election program to revise the ceasefire and reject federalism as a basis for peace.

The JHU formally joined the government in January, boosting a narrow majority. The party’s influence likely ensures an even more bitter civil war. “Talk can come later,” says JHU’s parliamentary leader, about the peace process.

The JHU continues to press a constitutional amendment to institutionalize Buddhism, which has yet to come to a vote in parliament. The party also is pressing legislation that would ban “unethical” religious conversions. A similar bill has been approved by the Sri Lankan cabinet and was referred to a special parliamentary committee last year.

Thailand is not Sri Lanka. Adding a couple lines about Buddhism to the Thai constitution might have little practical impact. Sri Lanka, however, offers a dramatic warning: Buddhism and nationalism constitute a violent, combustible mix. Thailand’s military rulers should not toss aside their nation’s reputation for tolerance in pursuit of short-term political gain.

Facts & Fiction on the consumption of Alcohol

Myth
Alcohol destroys brain cells.
Fact
The moderate consumption of alcohol does not destroy brain cells. In fact it is often associated with improved cognitive (mental) functioning.
Myth
White wine is a good choice for a person who wants a light drink with less alcohol.
Fact
A glass of white or red wine, a bottle of beer, and a shot of whiskey or other distilled spirits all contain equivalent amounts of alcohol and are they same to a Breathalyzer. A standard drink is:
•A 12-ounce bottle or can of regular beer
•A 5-ounce glass of wine
•A one and 1/2 ounce of 80 proof distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink).

Myth
A "beer belly" is caused by drinking beer.
Fact
A "beer belly" is caused by eating too much food. No beer or other alcohol beverage is necessary.
Myth
Switching between beer, wine and spirits will lead to intoxication more quickly than sticking to one type of alcohol beverage.
Fact
The level of blood alcohol content (BAC) is what determines sobriety or intoxication. Remember that a standard drink of beer, wine, or spirits contain equivalent amounts of alcohol. Alcohol is alcohol and a drink is a drink.
Myth
Drinking coffee will help a drunk person sober up.
Fact
Only time can sober up a person...not black coffee, cold showers, exercise, or any other common "cures." Alcohol leaves the body of virtually everyone at a constant rate of about .015 percent of blood alcohol content (BAC) per hour. Thus, a person with a BAC of .015 would be completely sober in an hour while a person with a BAC of ten times that (.15) would require 10 hours to become completely sober. This is true regardless of sex, age, weight, and similar factors.
Myth
Drinking long enough will cause a person to become alcoholic.
Fact
There is simply no scientific basis for this misperception, which appears to have its origin in temperance and prohibitionist ideology.
Myth
Drinking alcohol causes weight gain.
Fact
This is a very commonly believed myth, even among medical professionals, because alcohol has caloric value. However, extensive research around the world has found alcohol consumption does not cause weight gain in men and is often associated with a small weight loss in women.
Myth
Alcohol stunts the growth of children and retards their development.
Fact
Scientific medical research does not support this old temperance scare tactic promoted by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Anti-Saloon League, the Prohibition Party, and similar groups.
Myth
Binge drinking is an epidemic problem on college campuses.
Fact
Binge drinking is clinically and commonly viewed as a period of extended intoxication lasting at least several days during which time the binger drops out of usual life activities. Few university students engage in such bingeing behavior. However, a number sometimes consume at least four drinks in day (or at least five for men). Although many of these young people may never even become intoxicated, they are branded as binge drinkers by some researchers. This practice deceptively inflates the number of apparent binge drinkers. In reality, the proportion of college students who drink continues to decline, as does the percentage of those who drink heavily.
Myth
Men and women of the same height and weight can drink the same.
Fact
Women are affected more rapidly because they tend to have a slightly higher proportion of fat to lean muscle tissue, thus concentrating alcohol a little more easily in their lower percentage of body water. They also have less of an enzyme (dehydrogenase) that metabolizes or breaks down alcohol, 9 and hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle might also affect alcohol absorption to some degree.
Myth
A single sip of alcohol by a pregnant woman can cause her child to have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Fact
Extensive medical research studying hundreds of thousands of women from around the world fails to find scientific evidence that light drinking, much less a sip of alcohol by an expectant mother, can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Of course, the very safest choice would be to abstain during the period of gestation.
Myth
People who abstain from alcohol are "alcohol-free."
Fact
Every person produces alcohol normally in the body 24 hours each and every day from birth until death. Therefore, we always have alcohol in our bodies.
Myth
Alcohol abuse is an increasing problem among young people.
Fact
Heavy alcohol use among people in the US 17 years of age or younger actually dropped by an amazing two-thirds (65.9 percent) between 1985 and 1997, according to federal government research. The proportion of young people who consumed any alcohol within the previous month dropped from 50% to 19% in about the same period. Other federally funded research also documents the continuing decline in both drinking and drinking abuse among young people. Similarly, alcohol-related traffic injuries and fatalities among young people continue to drop. Deaths associated with young drinking drivers aged 16 to 24 decreased almost half (47%) in a recent 15-year period.

Myth
People in the US are generally heavy consumers of alcohol.
Fact
The US isn't even among the top ten alcohol consuming countries. Top 10 Alcohol Consuming Countries on per capita Basis Country / Consumption in Gallons of absolute or pure alcohol: At a consumption rate of only 1.74 per person, the US falls far down at 32nd on the list.
Myth
The US has very lenient underage drinking laws.
Fact
The US has the most strict youth drinking laws in the Western world, including the highest minimum drinking age in the entire world. And this is buttressed by a public policy of zero tolerance.
Myth
Alcohol advertising increases drinking problems.
Fact
Hundreds of scientific research studies around the world have clearly demonstrated that alcohol advertising does not lead to increases in drinking abuse or drinking problems. Alcohol advertising continues because effective ads can increase a brand's share of the total market.
Myth
Bottles of tequila contain a worm.
Fact
There is no worm in tequila. It's in mescal, a spirit beverage distilled from a different plant. And it's not actually a worm, but a butterfly caterpillar (Hipopta Agavis) called a gurano.
Myth
People who can "hold their liquor" are to be envied.
Fact
People who can drink heavily without becoming intoxicated have probably developed a tolerance for alcohol, which can indicate the onset of dependency.
Myth
Many lives would be saved if everyone abstained from alcohol.
Fact
Some lives would be saved from accidents now caused by intoxication and from health problems caused by alcohol abuse. However, many other lives would be lost from increases in coronary heart disease. For example, estimates from 13 studies suggest that as many as 135,884 additional deaths would occur each year in the US from coronary heart disease alone because of abstinence.
Myth
Drunkenness and alcoholism are the same thing.
Fact
Many non-alcoholics on occasion become intoxicated or drunk. However, if they are not addicted to alcohol, they are not alcoholic. Of course, intoxication is never completely safe or risk-free and should be avoided. It is better either to abstain or to drink in moderation. While consuming alcohol sensibly is associated with better health and longer life, the abuse of alcohol is associated with many undesirable health outcomes.
Myth
Alcohol is the cause of alcoholism.
Fact
As a governmental alcohol agency has explained, "Alcohol no more causes alcoholism than sugar causes diabetes." The agency points out that if alcohol caused alcoholism then all drinkers would be alcoholics. In fact, a belief common among members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is that people are born alcoholic and are not caused to be alcoholic by alcohol or anything in their experience. They argue that many people are born and die alcoholic without ever having had a sip of alcohol. Of course, a person can't be a drinking or practicing alcoholic without alcohol.

Myth
If alcohol were less available there would be fewer alcoholics.
Fact
This is an idea that has been tested through prohibition in the US and a number of other countries. There is no association between the availability of alcohol and alcoholism.
Myth
College life leads to drinking by most students who enter as abstainers.
Fact
According to Federal statistics, most students arrive at college with prior drinking experience and te proportion of drinkers doesn't increase greatly during college.
Myth
Although not totally incorrect, but certainly not the whole truth, is the assertion that the younger children are when they have their first drink the more likely they are to experience drinking problems.
Fact
Generally speaking, people who on their own begin drinking either much earlier or much later than their peers begin are more likely to experience subsequent drinking problems. This appears to result from the fact that either behavior tends to reflect a tendency to be deviant. Therefore, delaying the age of first drink would not influence the incidence of drinking problems because it would not change the underlying predisposition to be deviant and to experience drinking problems. And, of course, children who are taught moderation by their parents are less likely to abuse alcohol or have drinking problems.


Top 10 Alcohol Consuming Countries
1. Portugal 2.98
2. Luxembourg 2.95
3. France 2.87
4. Hungary 2.66
5. Spain 2.66
6. Czech Republic 2.64
7. Denmark 2.61
8. Germany 2.50
9. Austria 2.50
10. Switzerland 2.43

Prohibition Problems
Unfortunately, prohibition leads to a number of alcohol and other problems such as death and disability from contaminated illegal alcohol, the growth of organized crime, an increase in heavy drinking when alcohol can be obtained, a serious loss of tax revenue, the discouragement of moderation in consumption, a widespread disrespect for the law, and many other social ills.
Even if it were somehow possible to prohibit the consumption of alcohol, people who have emotional or psychological problems and need a "crutch" would simply turn to the abuse of other, frequently illegal, substances.

Fun Facts About Alcohol

Did you know that the human body produces its own supply of alcohol naturally on a continious basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Did you know that the world's oldest known recipe is for beer?

Alchohol Trivia

The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

Would You Believe...
Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels.

It's The Law!
Anyone under the age of 21 who takes out household trash containing even a single empty alcohol beverage container can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol in Missouri.

Cavemen to Columbus
The early Church declared that alcohol was an inherently good gift of God to be used and enjoyed. While individuals might choose not to drink, to despise alcohol was heresy.

Puritans to Prohibition
While there wasn't any cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie to eat at the first Thanksgiving, there was beer, brandy, gin, and wine to drink.

Prohibition: The Noble Experiment
During Prohibition, temperance activists hired a scholar to rewrite the Bible by removing all references to alcohol beverage.

Beverages: Ales to Zombies
Bourbon takes its name from Bourbon County in Kentucky, where it was first produced in 1789 by a Baptist minister.

Health and Safety
The alcohol in drinks of either low alcohol content (below 15%) or high alcohol content (over 30%) tend to be absorbed into the body more slowly.

Alcohol and the Bible

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus drank wine (Matthew 15:11; Luke 7:33-35) and approved of its moderate consumption (Matthew 15:11). On the other hand, he was critical of drunkenness (Luke 21:34, 12:42; Matthew 24:45-51).

The later writings of St. Paul (d. 64?) deal with alcohol in detail and are important to traditional Christian doctrine on the subject. He considered wine to be a creation of God and therefore inherently good (1 Timothy 4:4), recommended its use for medicinal purposes (1 Timothy 5:23), condemned drunkenness (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 5:11, 6:10; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 13:3) and recommended abstinence for those who could not control their drinking.

However, late in the second century, several heretical Christian sects rejected alcohol and called for abstinence. By the late fourth and early fifth centuries, the Church responded by asserting that wine was an inherently good gift of God to be used and enjoyed. While individuals may choose not to drink, to despise wine was heresy. The Church advocated its moderate use but rejected excessive or abusive use as a sin. Those individuals who could not drink in moderation were urged to abstain.

Royce has observed that "there seems to be neither historical nor theological basis for the total abstinence movement, since...the Jews, Christ, and the founders of the major Protestant denominations all drank. Although drunkenness is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments, there is no condemnation of drinking in either."

However, some Christians today argue that whenever "wine" was used by Jesus or praised as a gift of God, it was really grape juice; only when it caused drunkenness was it wine. Thus, they interpret the Bible as asserting that grape juice is good and that drinking it is acceptable to God but that alcohol is bad and that drinking it is religiously unacceptable.

This reasoning appears to be incorrect for at least two reasons. First, neither the Hebrew nor Biblical Greek words for wine can be translated or interpreted as referring to grape juice. 4 The same Hebrew and Greek word is used for the wine that Jesus drank and the wine that made Noah drunk. 5 Second, grape juice would very quickly ferment into wine in the warm climate of the Mediterranean region without refrigeration or modern methods of preservation.

The development of the "two-wine" doctrine occurred in the 19th century. Before that time, the moderate consumption of alcohol was widely accepted as natural and normal by Christian teachings. However, as the temperance movement spread, some Christian churches began to preach that the consumption of alcohol was not only undesirable but was actually sinful.... and that the substance of alcohol itself was evil. This was a rejection of the earlier Christian view that alcohol was the "good gift of God" and its replacement by the view that alcohol was "Demon Rum."

Obviously this new assertion that alcohol was evil and that consuming it was sinful faced a major problem: Jesus, himself, had used wine and had approved of its moderate consumption. Thus, the "two-wine" doctrine was formulated to deal with these otherwise inconsistent facts.

War will go on, but it won’t provide the solution

Internationally acclaimed astrologer who made spectacular political predictions says
the planetary change that took place last week will be in existence till September 12, 2009 and this period is going to be very crucial, an internationally acclaimed astrologer told Daily Mirror.

“The war in this country will go on since President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government is adamant to crush the Tigers militarily, but I must say that a military move is not going to solve this long-standing problem. Some day this problem will be solved only through negotiations and eventually through the devolution of power,” Galle-based Desha Shakthi award-winning astrologer S.T. S. Sumanadasa Abeygunawardana said.
Sumanadasa Abeygunawardana who had clinched so many awards and titles for his works has made accurate predictions, especially with regard to our political scenario and that has made him one of the most sought after professional astrologers not only in Sri Lanka but also in other countries.“An astrologer who makes political predictions is never going to be a popular figure. He will always be looked down by the losers, but I am glad to have cultivated a very good rapport with frontliners in all political parties.
It’s not easy to maintain such a relationship unless you are extremely impartial. Being a man from the South I have been associated with President Mahinda Rajapaksa for quite a long period. While many people had different views about the last Presidential election, I was sure that President Rajapaksa would emerge victorious and so I made the prediction.
Though there are some people in our profession who hesitate to make the right predictions largely due to pressure, I have never stooped to such levels and probably that’s why people from all walks of life, belonging to all colours come to me with a sense of confidence,” he said.
“You can never buy me. That’s for sure. When former President Chandrika Kumaratunga was in England in the early nineties, I predicted that she would soon become one of our powerful leaders. At the time of announcing the prediction there was no move at all by Ms. Kumaratunga to even contest the election. But that happened.
Though some people try to label me as a man closer to President Rajapaksa, it was I who first made the prediction that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would form a government in December 2001. When the whole country was confused as to who would be SLFP’s candidate for the last presidential election, I made it clear that it was going to be Mr. Rajapaksa.
I made all these political predictions on all elections through the country’s well-known astrological weeklies especially Ira Handa and Sampatha. I don’t only cater to politicians. There are top celebrities who come to me and even those living in other countries make social trips to Sri Lanka to obtain my services.
“As I said earlier President Rajapaksa will use his best to crush the Tigers but at the same time it will have a telling on the masses due to the rising defence budget. There will be little natural disasters like the tsunami in the country within the next few years, but the battlefront is going to be tough. The ultimate solution would someday emerge as a result of talks and devolution of power,” says the man whose prediction had never gone wrong in the past 12 years.
Sumanadsa Abeygunawardana is the only Sri Lankan astrologer to make a joint prediction on the Indian political situation in 1996.
“I predicted that the Congress party would lose and that the BJP would gain power. I told that A.B. Vajpayee would become Prime Minister but he would not last in the position for more than 14 days. Mr vajpayee reigned on the 13th day after he became Prime Minister. My stories were splashed in Indian newspapers too. I consider the recent award for excellence I received from India as a very prestigious one. I am extremely careful in my calculations and interpretations and that is the story behind my success. Today even the West believes in astrology and horoscopes. Even the British Royal family gives prominence to astrology.

“My father D.S. Abeygunawardana was the head of the Morawak Korale Gam Sabhawa and he closely associated with political leaders like the late Dudley Senanayake, Sir John Kothelawela and J.R. Jayawardene. I have two daughters.
The eldest studies astrology and is due to follow an intensive course in India. My younger daughter is also leaving abroad for higher studies. I always believe that whatever gift we possess to serve the people is a blessing and we should never exploit it,” concluded Mr. Abeygunawardana.

Contact details of Sumanadasa Abeygunawardana –
No. 6, Kachchiwatte Road, Magalle, Galle
Phone: 09122 24044
Emailsumithabey@slt.lk

Website:www.janase tha.com

Terrorist, Guerrilla, Freedom Fighter: What’s the Difference?

Do terrorists see themselves as terrorists?

No. The French revolutionaries who coined the term "terrorist" in the 1790s thought it had positive connotations, but today, it’s hard to find anyone who wants to be known as a terrorist. Instead, individuals and organizations branded as terrorists tend to prefer calling themselves "freedom fighters," "urban guerrillas," or "holy warriors," among other things. For instance, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (a.k.a. Carlos the Jackal), the mastermind of numerous terrorist attacks in the 1970s and 1980s, described himself in 1994 as a revolutionary and "above all a family man." In seeking to be fair, media organizations sometimes shy away from using "terrorist" and "terrorism" in news reports since all parties involved do not accept the same terms—hence, the old saw that "one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter."


Can terrorism be clearly defined?

Even though most people think they can recognize terrorism when they see it, experts have had difficulty coming up with an ironclad definition. The State Department defines terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience." In another useful attempt to produce a definition, Paul Pillar, a former deputy chief of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center, argues that there are four key elements of terrorism:

• It is premeditated—planned in advance, rather than an impulsive act of rage.
• It is designed to change the existing political order. It is not merely criminal, like the violence that groups such as the mafia use to get money.
• It is aimed at civilians—not at military targets or combat-ready troops.
• It is carried out by subnational groups—not by the army of a country.

What is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?

It’s tough to say, according to experts—largely because they are overlapping categories. Terrorism is a tactic, and "freedom fighting" describes a motivation, so a person or group could be engaged in both at the same time. Experts say whether one calls a particular group "terrorists" or "freedom fighters" often largely depends on whether one thinks the group’s ends justify its violent means—which, in turn, depends on one’s politics. For example, Palestinian suicide bombers are described as terrorists in Israel and the United States, but many Arabs and Muslims and some Europeans view their attacks as a legitimate part of the struggle for Palestinian national liberation.

What is the difference between a terrorist and a guerrilla?

Here again, it’s hard to draw a clear line, experts say. Like terrorists, guerrillas are politically motivated, violent groups that aren’t organized like conventional armies. But unlike terrorists, guerrillas tend to organize in larger groups, seize and hold territory, and send openly armed units to attack opposing military forces.
Another key distinction is terrorists’ deliberate targeting of civilians. Guerrillas typically focus their unconventional warfare on military or government targets. Still, some guerrilla groups use tactics such as kidnapping, assassination, and bombing to frighten civilians as part of their campaigns to overthrow governments or seek power—although guerrillas often use such terrorist tactics early in a rebellion and then move on to other tactics.

Can a group be both guerrilla and terrorist?

Yes, experts say. Some groups could be considered both guerrilla and terrorist, depending on which targets they’re attacking. For instance, the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah won significant Western sympathy for its attacks on Israeli troops occupying a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah associates also garnered widespread Western condemnation for their suicide bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings. Colombia’s rebel FARC and ELN movements are known both for guerrilla attacks on government targets and for terrorist operations aimed at civilians, such as bombings, assassinations, and kidnappings.

Can states be terrorists?

Again, it’s a question of definition. The State Department and many leading experts define terrorists as members of subnational groups, not government leaders or states—thereby placing even such dedicated abusers of human rights as Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia beyond the bounds of the epithet "terrorist." These experts often define Milosevic-style atrocities as human rights abuses or war crimes. But some terrorism scholars do include violence perpetrated by governments in their definitions of terrorism, if these assaults involve state violence intentionally aimed at civilians and designed to instill fear or influence public opinion. Also, states can sponsor terrorism by providing sanctuary; weapons; training; or logistical, financial, or diplomatic support to terrorist groups. The State Department lists seven countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Cuba, Libya, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.