Ma lil’ homies ‘Cool’ Hair-cut is ‘Un-cool’ for STC (Mt) Authorities?

Yeah, WTF?

Ma teenage – AL student – Mt. St Thomas College boys - cool - shaved head – well, latest hair-do’s too 'un-cool' for the school authorities... hence, they have ordered the boy to stay away from school until the crop grows to an acceptable length – the length that will be decided by no scientific method but according to the whims and fancy of the prefects – who are nothing but school boys given the licence to intimidate in the name of ‘discipline’ – what’s with one’s personal hair-style that rattles school authorities – which I have ignored during my school years even while the threat of expulsion was thrown at me many a times – but that was a government gulag compared to these private ‘concentration camps’ where some old-religiously-twisted-maniac(s) will decide what is good for us and what is not... damn.. This pisses me off so much – why can’t the bloody grownups leave the youth to express themselves, to identify themselves with current trends and fads, be creative...?

What The Fuck is wrong with being creative? Isn‘t that how the world is changed for the better and isn’t it how smart-special people standout from the rest...?

There’s hardly any difference in this bloody ‘conformist doctrine’s and the old fascist regimes where the ‘the party’ decided everything about peoples’ lives and how they lived it – what they wore, what they ate, what they did, what they didn’t do, what they listened to, and the list goes on... and in this new century, STC (and other neo-cons like them) should open their eyes and get realistic and down their thorny tools for the sake of future – for the youth – the future of our world without mental torture that drive them to suicide and self-destruction because of a simple image content stored in a mobile phone or because of a hair-cut...

Open your eyes you Mo-Fos!

Leave those kids alone...!

University academics should grow up...

Found this interesting para in the special commission report on the violence at the Sri Jayawardenapura University:

The university is a community of adults who value the freedom of people to hold diverse views, eschew coercion and oppression, and is committed to the process of knowledge creation. It is a special place that provides the space, time and resources for young people to grow to their full intellectual statute. The academics and students are partners in the education process. Everyone irrespective of rank and seniority is on a "growth curve." In such a context there is a serous problem regarding attitudes when the students are referred to as "children" and the students prefer to be identified as such. There is a tendancy to treat the students as children. In return students also trend to exploit the relationsip by desiring connections that are normally given to adults.

(quoted from: The Report of The Presidential Commission on the violence at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura - December 2003)

Impromptu Architecture: SLIA Style

Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) is the legal body that police the practice of architecture in Sri Lanka. Its headquarters is situated in Vidya Mawatha, Colombo 7. Sometimes what happens outside the Institute is far more interesting and thought provoking than what happens within. It was hard to ignore this 'accidental installation' outside the building a few days ago and the SLIA's valiant attempt to claim ownership of it! If only more architects passing through the system had the creative energy as much as that of the cleaners.

U.S. Govt. should reciprocate to Al-Qaeda ceasefire - David Miliband

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in a statement today called the U.S.Government to reciprocate to the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Al-Qaeda yesterday. He also added that a ceasefire would facilitate civilians who remain trapped in the conflict zone to move to safety.

David Miliband's statement...

We reiterate and maintain our call for a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. I have noted the Al-Qaeda's announcement of a unilateral ceasefire earlier today. I therefore urge the Government of United States of America to reinstate their own ceasefire, so that those civilians who remain trapped in the conflict zone can move to safety. The safety of civilians is of paramount importance and both sides must comply fully with international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians at all times?

I welcome the current visit to United States of America by Sir John Holmes, UN Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs. As discussed by the Prime Minister and President Obama earlier today, I will be visiting United States of America on Wednesday, 29 April, together with my French and Swedish counterparts. My priority will be to address the humanitarian situation in northern frontiers and the continuing grave risk to civilians in the conflict zone.

I urge the Government of United States of America to allow civilian oversight of all Internally Displaced Persons as soon as they have left the conflict zone; and to fulfill the commitments it has made to improve conditions in the IDP camps, including: better access to medical facilities; transparent registration processes; international monitoring; and freedom of movement in and out of the camps.

geoffrey bawa: the future works

I bet you heard about the plan to demolish the Ena De Silva house to make way for a Car park for the Durdens Hospital. It's quite hard to get the logic behind such a move but when it comes to private property and what their owners intend to do, it's not for others to pass judgments. Still it's sad to see an iconic piece of architecture disappear from Colombo.

There are talks of trying to re-erect this house in University of Moratuwa premises with the help of people who are willing to part with some of their cash for the purpose. The university intends to turn it into a museum and it sounds like the best option compared to seeing it vanish from the face of the planet forever.

Yesterday (26th), the house was opened to the public for the last time before the contractors moved in. It is quite disturbing when such things happen and we can see it happening with other rare gems in the future. So what can we do?

I believe it will be useful to decide what to do with a building when it’s no longer 'fit-for-purpose'. It might be useful to consider this at the inception and imbibe ideas of 'after-life' into the design itself. We can see this happening in other parts of the world where they talk about a 'life-span' of a building, then design and construct in such a way something useful can arise at the demise of the building.

It might also be interesting to see how the architect, in this instance the late great Bawa would've reacted to see one of his first masterpieces (I have no doubt that this is one of the Best pieces of Modern houses in the world) perish in the face of rapid urbanisation to make way for a car park for a private hospital next door?

If these acts are allowed to happen without any resistance, others too will follow.

What rights can the public exercise to preserve something of great value to its history, culture and heritage when the legal ownership is held by a private entity?

Marriage and Economics

Marriage and Economics

Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) blogs,
http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/marriage_and_economies/

Single people are free to take more economic risks than married people. It makes me wonder if there is a correlation between the average age of marriage in a particular area and its economy.

My hypothesis is that places where marriage happens early, by custom or religion, will also be the places with the slowest rate of development. In such places there might be fewer entrepreneurs and everyone would take fewer risks.

Exceptions would abound since economies are influenced by many factors, so if there is a correlation it would be on average and not apply to every region. And obviously the causation could work the other way too; a good economy provides the option of staying single longer.

On a similar theme, easy access to divorce, and a high divorce rate, might also contribute to entrepreneurial energy. And again this could work both ways because a risk-taking spouse is probably more likely to get a divorce.  

His argument is supported by UN data and it looks like there’s something to learn here. May be this is something that we should consider (well, it’s too late for some of us) but we can encourage others who are not married as yet to stay single a little longer thus positively contributing to economic development of the country. It is a bit hypocritical to suggest others follow this pattern while we aren’t doing so but that doesn’t mean that we have no choice at all. Yes, as painful as it seems in a society like ours, the simple option available is ‘divorce’ and if done in the ‘right spirit’ (huh, ‘entrepreneurial commitment for sake of economic prosperity’) this may not be so bad after all.

But, I fear the ‘opportunity social cost’ of such an effort as marriage in our part of the world is expected to be followed by production of children. We can however get over this fact simply by following the western example of copulation without the pre-requisite of legal marriage. This also seems to be in tune with physiological development and with sexual development of the human animal where reproduction cycle peak around the age of 30-35 years for the female animal (I’m guessing here).

Anyway, I believe such a suggestion might generate much resistance from religious quarters and god related enterprise as their fundamental survival seem to depend on more and more people subscribing to their doctrines and the on fact that it is easier to get people brainwashed at a younger age than later. Also, most of these enterprises seem to feed on the suffering of the human animal as it is most likely the weak and the desperate will yearn for some spiritual salvation where economic forces have failed.

The choice is ours!

Architect 2009

Brown, Brown, Silliband and a Tiger

Dawgs' take on British PM's attempt to send a 'special envoy' to Sri Lanka. Frankly, Dawg thinks that they should go and fly a kite instead of trying to meddle with internal politics of an independent state!

my island

enough enough

Us n Dem

Sheep Watch - Sri Lanka