Dengue a bigger threat this year

Health officials warn the public that the fast-spreading dengue fever may claim more victims this year, with an increase recorded compared to other years.

By March 2009, thirteen confirmed deaths were reported while 2056 cases were reported islandwide. This is an increase compared to the 1600 cases by March 2008.

“The dengue mosquito is adapting to the environment better than previously and we believe that the strength of the virus has developed more in the areas where the population is naïve and has less immunity”, said Dr. Hasitha Tissera, consultant community physician of the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry.

The ministry has declared Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Matale, Kalutara, Trincomalee, Batticoloa, Kegalle, Kalmunai and Ratnapura as vulnerable districts.

“Four deaths were reported from the Colombo district. Three of them were from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) limits. Out of the four deaths, three are reported to be children. One death was reported from Gampaha, one from Kandy, two from Kegalle, two from Kalmunai and two from Ratnapura. These are all confirmed deaths while there are unconfirmed deaths as well,” he said.

“The only way to prevent this disease is to eliminate as much as possible man-made containers which collect water. Do the observing at least once a week. Scattered showers are ideal conditions for the breeding of this mosquito as water stagnates in these containers,” Dr. Tissera said.

Meanwhile officials of the Kandy Municipal Council are attempting to use all possible methods to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. More than one hundred cases have been reported in the Kandy city limits with one death reported in the municipal area.

Two deaths have been reported in the Batticaloa district with more than 120 cases reported in the Aryiyampathy PS area.

A major outbreak of dengue has been reported in Trincomalee town and its suburbs with the detection of 28 positive dengue cases in Manaiyaveli, Orr’s Hill and Linganagar areas since January this year.

Trains

Introduction
Some people may joke that train travel in Sri Lanka is for people with little money and lots of time, but for tourists it is a wonderfully appealing mode of travel, especially in the island’s highlands where the scenery can be breathtaking at times. The downside is that for some routes the train can be slower than a car and delays are common.

Train routes available

The railway network, which began operating in 1864, comprises nine lines radiating from Colombo, the most beautiful of which runs deep into the hills, travelling via Kandy and Nuwara Eliya before terminating in Badulla. This journey offers spectacular hill-country views as the train winds its way past gushing waterfalls and through neatly-clipped tea estates. There is also a useful train line for tourists travelling along the south coast from Colombo to Matara which stops in Bentota and Galle. There is also a train to Trincomalee, which travels through the Cultural Triangle, but travelling by car is preferable in terms of comfort and time.

ஆஸி. அணித்தலைவராக 2011 உலகக்கோப்பை வரை பாண்டிங் நீடிப்பார்

வரும் 2011ஆம் உலகக்கோப்பை கிரிக்கெட் போட்டிகள் முடியும் வரை ஆஸ்ட்ரேலிய கிரிக்கெட் அணியின் தலைவராக ரிக்கி பாண்டிங் நீடிப்பார் என அந்நாட்டு கிரிக்கெட் வாரியத்தின் தலைமைத் தேர்வாளர் ஆண்ட்ரூ ஹில்டிட்ச் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

இதுதொடர்பாக ‘சிட்னி மார்னிங் ஹெரால்ட்’ நாளிதழுக்கு அவர் அளித்துள்ள பேட்டியில், அணித் தலைமை குறித்த விவகாரங்களை நாங்கள் யோசித்து வருகிறோம். ஆனால் 2011ஆம் ஆண்டு நடைபெறும் கிரிக்கெட் உலகக்கோப்பை தொடர் வரை அணியின் தலைவராக ரிக்கி பாண்டிங் சிறப்பாக செயல்படுவார் என்பதில் எங்களுக்கு நம்பிக்கை உள்ளது.

இதையே அவரும் (பாண்டிங்) விரும்புவார் என்பதால், அணித்தலைமை விவகாரத்தில் பிரச்சனை இல்லை என்றார்.

சமீபத்தில் நடந்து முடிந்த பாகிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிரான 5 போட்டிகள் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் தொடரில் பாண்டிங் பங்கேற்கவில்லை. மைக்கேல் கிளார்க் தலைமையிலான ஆஸ்ட்ரேலிய அணி 3-2 என்ற போட்டிக்கணக்கில் தொடரைக் கைப்பற்றியது.

அணியின் துணைத் தலைவராக உள்ள மைக்கேல் கிளார்க்கின் செயல்பாடுகள் சிறப்பாக இருந்தாலும், தற்போது நிலையில் அவரிடம் ஒருநாள் அணியின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பை வழங்கும் காலம் இன்னும் வரவில்லை என்றும் ஹில்டிச் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

பாகிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிரான ஒருநாள் தொடரில் பாண்டிங் பங்கேற்காத காரணத்தால், இனி அவர் டெஸ்ட் போட்டிகளுக்கு மட்டுமே தலைவராக செயல்படுவார் எனச் செய்திகள் வெளியானதைத் தொடர்ந்து, தனது கருத்தை ஹில்டிச் வெளியிட்டுள்ளார்.

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant are called the inflorescence.

In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food.

Sinharaja Rain Fores

Located in south-west Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians.

Sri Lanka's tropical rain forest, the Sinharaja is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. One of the few virgin forests left in the world. Visitors are required to obtain permits from the Wildlife Department in order to visit this sanctuary. Streams, springs, rivers, waterfalls, leopard, monkeys, butterflies and moths, rare trees, valuable shrubs and medicinal herbs are all found within its green canopy. A trek along prescribed paths would provide nature lovers with a never to be forgotten experience of sights and sounds.

The largest mammal in the forest is the rarely spotted leopard, also infrequently glimpsed are the rusty spotted and wild fishing cats. Sambhur, barking deer and wild boar browse on the forest floor. The more common troops of purple-faced langur monkeys will chatter and move through the trees above you, but you're more likely to hear them than actually see them. There are also rats, shrews, giant squirrels, porcupines, civets, mongooses, venomous snakes, 20 species of birds and 45 species of reptiles!.

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity usually accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms. In the atmospheric electrical discharge, a leader of a bolt of lightning can travel at speeds of 60,000 m/s (220,000 km/h), and can reach temperatures approaching 30,000 °C (54,000 °F), hot enough to fuse silica sand into glass channels known as fulgurites which are normally hollow and can extend some distance into the ground. There are some 16 million lightning storms in the world every year.

Lightning can also occur within the ash clouds from volcanic eruptions, or can be caused by violent forest fires which generate sufficient dust to create a static charge.

How lightning initially forms is still a matter of debate:Scientists have studied root causes ranging from atmospheric perturbations (wind, humidity, friction, and atmospheric pressure) to the impact of solar wind and accumulation of charged solar particles.Ice inside a cloud is thought to be a key element in lightning development, and may cause a forcible separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud, thus assisting in the formation of lightning

My first blog

I created my blog on 10th may 2009