Food for thought…

When President John F. Kennedy welcomed 49 Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House – with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” And taking a look at some of Thomas Jefferson’s quotes, it is not difficult to understand why Kennedy thought that way. Have a look at the quotes reproduced below and see how perceptive Jefferson was – not just during his era, but all the way down the line to where we are at right now. The ‘truths’ don’t just apply to the US of A, but pretty much encompasses the global village of today.

Here are some of them:

Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

And this one (circa 1802) that hits the nail squarely…

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered..

What do you think?

Vegetarian sex?

Yesterday’s post on what some may consider to be ‘deviant’ sex got Java thinking about terminology and semantics.

We know that to be sexually attracted to, or to have sexual relations with a member of the opposite sex is to be ‘heterosexual’, and to be sexually attracted to, or to have sexual relations with a member of the same sex is termed ‘homosexuality’. To have sexual relations with animals is termed ‘bestiality’ and folk who have sex with corpses are ‘necrophiliacs’. A quick Google search for other sexual terminology unearthed terms such as asphyxiphilia, apotomnophilia and autogynophilia, corophilia, exhibitionism, fetishism and toucherism. However, these terms are more descriptive of specific sexual acts, rather than being descriptive of different ‘categories’ of sexual preferences.  There were also  references to women who had sex using vegetables as a matter of course and even references to men who not only penetrated veggies like pumpkins, but who used suitable veggies to  penetrate themselves. However, we couldn’t find a term that described the specific act (of someone who had sex with a vegetable).

Then, as we pointed out in some previous posts here and here, folk also have sex with stuff like bicycles and furniture, and I’m reasonably certain that words to describe these acts have not yet been coined.

Can someone out there help us out on this by providing the existing terminology? Or maybe come up with a suitable term? Prize for the winning ‘terminologist’ will be a year’s supply of the heaviest-duty condoms available (just in case…) – entries close next week, so there’s no need to rush.

Another one of those ‘deviant’ (to some) sex trips

We have a few posts on what some may consider to be ‘deviant sex’ (you could check here, here and here if you want to see them) and this one from our mate Kranzloid was received a couple of days ago. It is a recent article out of the Washington Post and is food for thought – and more – particularly if you are vegetarian! See what you think about the incident…

In summary, the police arrested Patrick Lawrence, 22 year old white male, in a pumpkin patch 11:38 pm on Friday night.

On Monday, at the Gwinnett County (GA) courthouse, Lawrence was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, public indecency, and public intoxication.

The suspect explained that as he was passing a pumpkin patch on his way home from a drinking session when he decided to stop, ‘You know how a pumpkin is soft and squishy inside, and there was no one around for miles or at least I thought there wasn’t anyone around’ he stated in a telephone interview.

Lawrence went on to say that he pulled over to the side of the road, picked out a pumpkin that he felt was appropriate to his purpose, cut a hole in it, and proceeded to satisfy his alleged need. ‘Guess I was really into it, you know?’ he commented with evident embarrassment. In the process of doing the deed, Lawrence failed to notice an approaching police car and was unaware of his audience until Officer Brenda Taylor approached him.

‘It was an unusual situation, that’s for sure,’ said Officer Taylor. ‘I walked up to Lawrence and he’s just banging away at this pumpkin.’

Officer Taylor went on to describe what happened when she approached Lawrence.

‘I said, ‘Excuse me sir, but do you realize that you’re having sex with a pumpkin?

‘He froze and was clearly very surprised that I was there, and then he looked me straight in the face and said… ‘A pumpkin? Shit …. Is it midnight already?’

The title of the article was ‘Best Come Back Line Ever’…

Architect of Sri Lanka

The book was launched yesterday – titled ‘Anjalendran, Architect of Sri Lanka’ – and for those of you who are interested in architecture and appreciative of the aesthetics involved, it is well worthy of the investment. Authored by David Robson, with photographs by Waruna Gomis, the book is not only a captivating collection of some of Anjalendran’s favourite projects, but is also a fascinating glimpse into the life and times of an architect with a difference.

An excerpt from the inner sleeve of the book: Over the past two decades Anjalendran has established himself as one of Sri Lanka’s leading architects and his work has attracted interest across the entire Indian subcontinent.
His buildings have a simple directness and although totally modern in spirit, they acknowledge the rich traditions of Sri Lanka. Anjalendran’s architecture is about using the simplest of materials to create magic. Whether working with ample budgets or at rock bottom cost (sic), his projects focus on not only creative buildings, but – a la Frank Lloyd Wright – also their landscaping, furniture and decoration.

Java and I have had the good fortune to be associated with Anjalen from the early days of his career when we first worked together on a project in 1982, and from then on a friendship and long working association began through our work with SOS Children’s Villages, which only came to an end in 1987. Always slightly eccentric, but with an unmistakable brilliance, both in his architectural work, as well as with his unerring eye for beauty, Anjalen has always been a collector of works of art – be they paintings, sculpture, photographs, music or anything else that caught his fancy. Traveling with him is an adventure in itself, as he would prepare for the trip by documenting and studying places of historical, cultural or artistic interest and acting as guide, provide intriguing insights into them all. Suffice it to say that on a joint trip to India in the early 1980s, The Dancer and I would never have seen or experienced anything close to what we did if not for Anjalen. And what’s more, there was never a dull moment in his company, as when we were not arguing about something or the other, we would be spending our time together giggling about one thing or another and having lots of fun – his sense of humour being as keen as his other qualities.

An enigma of sorts, Anjalen is not your run-of-the-mill architect. Another extract from the inner sleeve describes this aspect as follows: The process through which he creates his architecture is just as interesting as his architecture itself. During the past twenty-five years Anjalendran has worked from home, never employing more than four student assistants at any one time. He has no office as such, no secretary, no car, no mobile phone. He operates without a bank account and has never signed a contract with either a client or a builder.

Having designed and completed well over one hundred buildings of various sorts, Anjalen is one of the most prolific architects in Sri Lanka and is now well recognized and respected in the region.

To conclude, a final excerpt from the inner sleeve of the book: These same twenty-five years in Sri Lanka have been blighted by a cruel and destructive civil war. Many of his fellow Tamils (sic) have left the island for good, but Anjalendran has stayed on, maintaining always that he is first a Sri Lankan and second a Tamil; that he is, first and foremost, an architect of Sri Lanka.

Buy the book and check it out – it’s surely one of the best books that you will find on Sri Lanka architecture.

The story of the architect is the bonus!

Going with the flow…

There’s a certain freedom that descends on the psyche when the urge to blog wanes – at least for Java. Or so he says. As for me, it was a reluctant start to begin with, and if not for the persistency that Java is sometimes known for, I probably never would have got into it at all. However, all that’s now so much water under the culvert and I have to admit, closing in on three years of blogging, we have had a pretty good time of it. Leaving aside the fact that it provided a forum for putting out some thoughts and ideas, it also provided substantial feedback (over time) by way of comments and other interactions with folk – some of whose admiration was mutually reciprocated and some whose wasn’t. There were also the odd confrontations and vitriolic exchanges which added to the excitement, and then there were the meetings-up with a few where confirmation of first impressions were realized and relationships ensued – happily, for all concerned.

Early days were also quite exciting and full of anticipation, with frequent checking of stats and hoping for comments. Posting was an almost compulsive exercise and it boggled the mind how easily stuff came pouring out of the head in those early days. And then, as time went on, although the compulsion to post on a regular basis diminished, we still wanted to retain a reasonable consistency to keep the blog active and keep in touch with the regular visitors. But this too waned – perhaps due to changing values, but more, we think, due to a change in lifestyle that put more emphasis on the ‘here and now’.

So now we are content to wait until something meaningful nudges one of us to construct a post without much effort. There are views on many of the happenings on the political scene, but we have decided to stay out of this due to pressure from the near and dear for fear of repercussions – and at this stage of our lives we have no intention of having to deal with the thugs and assholes that are at the beck and call of those that pull their strings, so that is a no-go zone for now.

Java thinks it’s just great to free-flow, not to be urged on by the inner voices that come up with all sorts of ‘excuses’ to bung in a post at frequent intervals – and I have to agree. Let’s just see how it goes – and how it flows…

Reflections on a bygone week

It was just like old times. Weelll, not all that ‘old’, but after spending an extended period of time at Flowerbook, more than a few days in the city is never a pleasing prospect for Java or yours truly. This time, however, was decidedly different.

First, there were the final rehearsals for ‘Kumbi Kathawa’, which we had to attend, given our close association with the producers. Next, there was this evening at the Deeb, where old mates Cinimod, The Gee Man and his lovely Icy Jane, Estev, Mr. Zippy, and quite a few other mates, some we hadn’t seen in quite a while, were all enjoying the vibe that only the Deeb can provide. The old Burgher genes were stirred as familiar sensations were evoked by the goings on and a sterling time was had by all. Then there was the Brazilian group Acuri performing at Bareass Boulevard, which was an excellent evening of Brazilian Jazz. The climax was of course the final night of ‘Kumbi Kathawa’ (check here and here for reviews), where Thaji excelled along with the cast and crew and blew us away for the umpteenth time.

Acuri was a revelation. Five young Brazilian musicians played their brand of Jazz that evoked vibes of Weather Report, combined with their particular Brazilian flavour. The place was packed – mostly with expats and foreign visitors – so much so that someone cracked he had to get a visa to get in! Anyway, the audience, rather noisy and distracted to begin with, soon started to appreciate the music and musical skills of the band and expressed their appreciation in no uncertain terms. The encores were extended, until they were finally allowed to quit.

Rapping with some of the members of the band in the aftermath, Java learned that David Mello on lead guitar and viola wasn’t all that influenced by Joe Zawinul and Weather Report, but was more into guys like Pacquito D’Rivera, traditional jazz, which he combined with Brazilian music and, he had also mentioned (with a chuckle), “a little bit of Jimi Hendrix”. Ricardo Sa Reston who appeared to be the leader of the group, played bass guitar and was credited with the compositions and arrangements. He told Java that he was more into the Weather Report pieces that featured Jaco Pastorius – naturally, what better influence for a bass player?! The wind instruments – sax and flute, were handled by Caca Guifer, who did a splendid job of it. Pedro Carneiro was on keyboards and Roberto Kauffmann played drums and percussion. Ricardo mentioned that the band would be playing for a short time here before leaving Sri Lanka, so if you can get information on the venue and you are interested in the type of music we described, do try to make it. Well worth the effort.

And so the time in the city was very well spent – for a change! And now, back in the haven that is Flowerbook, reflections on a bygone week seem so far away, it’s almost like a faded dream.

Do you wash or do you wipe?

Saw this piece in Newsweek that made me flash instantly on  RD – no doubt due to his earlier posts on, and fairly consistent references to taking a crap, different types of turds, wiping himself and other related issues. The short article is titled ‘Wiping is washed up’ and relates to the differences brought about between washing one’s butt after taking a crap, against wiping it with toilet paper.

Apparently a “classic survey” revealed that half the ‘paper’ users “..spend their days with fecal contamination – anything from wasp coloured stains to frank massive feces in their underpants”. Uurrggghh and yuuuccckkk! In spite of this, it was also reported that Americans “continue to mock the bidet..”. However, the crux of the piece is not just a matter of commenting on personal hygiene, but more importantly, it reflects on the future of the planet.

We are told that the average American uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day, which means that collectively, they burn through 36.5 billion rolls each year – which also means that “tossing all the TP in America would save 15 million trees, 17.3 terawatts of electricity, and more than 473 billion gallons of water annually”. We are also told that “the environmental impact of bidets is minimal in comparison”.

So! Isn’t it time that the folk that are so concerned about personal hygiene and spend billions of dollars on advertising and advertised related products, think about the traces of crap they carry around almost all the time? And what about all those ‘Green’ brothers and sisters who wipe – shouldn’t they switch to water from paper?

Both Java and I prefer the less cumbersome and more environmentally-friendly bidet-spray to the bidet itself, but that’s just a personal preference. And ‘personally’ we don’t give a crap whether folk wash or wipe themselves – unless of course we have reason to be intimate with them. The fate of the planet, however, could well hang in the balance.

On Freedom (or the lack of it)

The pronouncements have been coming in thick and fast, so much so that Java has been muttering under his breath about George Orwell getting his dates wrong by about twenty-five years.

We’re not exactly sure of the order of the pronouncements, but the ones to catch our attention were the ones about banning ‘adults only’ films, taking off the porn sites (again, not sure of the extent of this exercise) that could be accessed by Sri Lankans at home, banning school children from having mobile phones in school, getting heavy on the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs and generally creating an atmosphere that seems (to freedom loving folks anyway) to be very ‘Talibanish’, or repressive. And if this is only the beginning, God (for want of a more suitable term) help us!

Just what the hell is going on with the mindsets of those in power? The recent victory over the enemy created a sense of relief and hope in most of us – hope of ‘reconciliation’ and ‘rehabilitation’, not to mention hope to have the freedom to move around without restraint and paranoia. However, it doesn’t appear that much has changed, particularly considering the fact that efforts are underway to increase the number of soldiers by many thousands. Does any of this make sense to anyone other than those who are making these decisions?

‘Freedom’ is loosely defined as ‘the ability to act freely – a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any undue restraints or restrictions’. Obviously there is a whole lot more that is encompassed by the term and there are many different types of ‘freedom’. For instance, the section on ‘political freedom’ in Wikpedia, states: “Political freedom can be described as the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression, a definition which is also known as negative liberty. Political freedom can also be described as having the power and resources to act to fulfill one’s own potential, as in the definition of positive liberty. Presumably within both definitions, the members of a free society have full dominion over their public and private lives but positive liberty addresses the notion of human agency, whereas, the definition attributed to negative liberty addresses only an individual’s actions and not his/her social circumstances.

The opposite of a free society would be a totalitarian state, which highly restricts political freedom in order to regulate almost every aspect of behavior. In this sense ‘freedom’ refers solely to the relation of humans to other humans, and the only infringement on it is coercion by humans[1], as suggested within the definition of negative liberty.

Milton Friedman, another classical liberal, strongly incorporated the absence from coercion into his description of political freedom: The essence of political freedom is the absence of coercion of one man by his fellow men. The fundamental danger to political freedom is the concentration of power. The existence of a large measure of power in the hands of a relatively few individuals enables them to use it to coerce their fellow men. Preservation of freedom requires either the elimination of power where that is possible or its dispersal where it cannot be eliminated.“

Here in Sri Lanka we have already been subjected to a number of ‘laws’, one of which tell us what not to eat and drink on specific days – it doesn’t matter that this ‘law’ is based on one of the  religions practiced in the country, but must apply to even those who do not practice the particular religion. What is even more absurd with this ‘law’ is that even tourists and other non-nationals are forced to comply.

Just what is wrong with adults watching ‘adults only’ films? Is this a new kind of morality being foisted on Sri Lankans? Will they ban books that have any sexually explicit content in them next? And just how far will they go to control the freedom we have been used to for so long? Is there a ‘process’ that is used to come up with these decisions or are these the ideas of one man or perhaps a group of men in power? Don’t the citizens have any say in the matters at all? Is this democratic? And are these pronouncements made in the best interests of the citizens of this country in this day and age?

What do you think?

And please don’t tell us that to question all this will make us ‘traitors’.

The legacy lives on

Chitrasena, doyen of Sri Lankan traditional dance and its evolution, died four years ago today (July 18, 2005). His accomplishments have been well documented and its results are manifest in his productions – not only in the theatrical masterpieces he was responsible for, but also in the production of Vajira, Sri Lanka’s first prima ballerina, their daughter Upeka, who succeeded her mother in this role, countless numbers of students that include Ravibandu, Channa, and now Thaji (Chitrasena’s grand-daughter), who is succeeding her aunt Upeka as principal dancer of the Chitrasena Dance Company. The Chitrasena Kalayathanya , now in its sixty-fifth year, is also a monument to Chitrasena’s accomplishments and continues to provide the facilities for young students of Sri Lankan dance forms to learn and further their studies in this endemic art-form.

The Chitrasena Kalayathanaya, however, still struggles to establish itself as a well equipped institution due to the lack of funds and continues only due to the dedication and commitment of the Chitrasena family. Having finally been granted the space to establish a permanent location by HE Chandrika Bandaranaike in 1998, the family managed to raise sufficient funds to construct a temporary facility to serve as the Dance School at Elvitigala Mawatha, where classes, rehearsals and workshops are conducted regularly. It is still very much a ‘family affair’, with Vajira (who still teaches) as Principal of the school, Upeka as Director and guiding force, Heshma (another grand-daughter) as chief administrator, choreographer and production manager, Umi (also a grand-daughter) who attends to the day-to–day administration, Thaji, principal dancer in waiting and teacher, and Anjalika (daughter) also conducts classes and produces children’s ballets.

The most recent production by the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya was Kumbi Kathawa, a children’s ballet produced by Anjalika in 2007, that received rave reviews is being re-staged on August 28, 29 and 30, at the Bishop’s College auditorium. This production exemplifies the quality that Chitrasena stressed, in terms of creativity, choreography, theatre arts and the evolution of the traditional dance into an eminent theatrical production. As usual, the Kalayathanaya is yet in search of sponsors and donors for this production, but are determined to go ahead come what may, as a commemoration of Chitrasena’s fourth death anniversary.

No doubt the maestro would have been proud of his family’s dedication towards keeping his tradition alive. It would be fitting if the country recognized Chitrasena’s inestimable contribution to the history of its art and culture by assisting in the establishment of a permanent institution to replace the temporary one to provide the facilities required of an institution of value – both in terms of its historical perspective and the quality that it has sustained in its productions and students.

So if you haven’t already caught Kumbi Kathawa and you are keen on good theatre, don’t miss the production.

Marijuana – the possibilities are overwhelming

“It has been touted as a successful treatment for everything from insomnia and depression to Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Now supporters of legalized marijuana are making perhaps their most extravagant claim yet: that the drug can solve California’s spiraling financial crisis. A series of television ads was launched yesterday…”. This extract from The Independent concurs with what Java and I have been on about all these many years – most recently in the post on whether the war on drugs makes any sense at all.

The State of California was perhaps one of the leaders in decriminalizing Cannabis if used for medical reasons under prescription. The following extract from Wikipedia spells it out:
California passed Proposition 215 in 1996, later renamed the Compassionate Use Act, which would protect anyone from criminal prosecution if recommended by a doctor to use marijuana for relief from some serious illnesses such as cancer, anorexia, AIDS, and glaucoma. In early 2009, California state representative Tom Ammiano introduced a bill, titled Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, to legalize, regulate, and tax the recreational use of cannabis in California.[5] The bill remains pending. The legalization of Marijuana is said to have the potential to generate over one billion dollars of state revenue per year. Marijuana would have the same regulations that alcohol has. With every ounce of marijuana sold, there would be a 50-dollar tax. The State of California has a 26 billion dollar budget deficit right now. Placing a tax on marijuana would definitely be beneficial in helping the state get out of this deficit. California alone is estimated to produce about 14 billion dollars worth of marijuana per year.

Let’s hope that California will be successful in its endeavour to be sensible about this matter which will result in cutting the massive costs that result from the criminalizing of this herb that has been used for centuries by a variety of cultures for medicinal and other purposes. I’ve spelled out some of the benefits of decriminalization in my post referred to earlier and the savings to the tax-payer, as well as income to the coffers of the countries – not to mention the reduction of criminal activities caused by criminalization. And perhaps if California does succeed in this effort, and the results prove the point with regard to solving its “spiraling financial crisis”, it just may pave the way for other states and countries to follow suit.

Jus don make any sense at all, maan…

Java doesn’t have much hope in Establishment policies – never has, really – so he’s already rolling a joint of some sweet smelling sinsemilla and has got The Stones on the machine doing “You can’t always get what you want”