Features | Online edition of Daily News

Mexico City, the Federal District, is the capital and major hub of government, culture and business in Mexico. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. Pic. courtesy: Google

Mexico is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the North by the United States; on the South and West by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the East by the Gulf of Mexico.

Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest independent nation in the world.

With an estimated population of 111 million, it is the 11th most populous country and the most populous Hispanophone country on earth. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory, which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain which would eventually become Mexico as the colony gained independence in 1821.

The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, territorial secession and civil war, including foreign intervention, two empires and two long domestic dictatorships.

The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system.

Mexico boasts a long tradition in the arts, renowned cuisine, and culture, ranking as the world's fifth country with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites to date and first in the Americas.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

SAARC Summit in Bhutan

Dear Children,

You must be all very busy back at school. Those of you who keep up with the news will know that the 16th SAARC Summit is being held in Thimpu Bhutan.

Sri Lanka will be represented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the SAARC Summit.

SAARC which stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was established on December 8, 1985.

The founding seven members of SAARC were Bangladesh, Bhutan India Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan became the eighth member of SAARC at the 14th Summit in April 2007. All SAARC leaders show their solidarity for the betterment of the region. You may remember that the SAARC Summit was held in Sri Lanka in 2008.

World Dance Day

I wonder how many of you children like dancing. I am sure most of you love to dance and some others love to see a dance performance. Today is an important day for all you dance lovers because April 29 is World Dance Day.

Among the goals of the Dance Day are to increase the awareness of the importance of dance among the general public, as well as to persuade governments all over the world to provide a proper place for dance in all systems of education, from primary to higher.

While dance has been an integral part of human culture throughout its history, it is not given the due place by official establishments in the world.

Don't forget to take your umbrella, caps when you go out as we experience heavy rains now and then. Children should be careful specially when crossing the road as the roads are slippery. You must not watch TV or listen to the radio when there's thunder and lightning. It is safe to remove all plugs and make sure you wear slippers. It is also not safe to answer the phone when it is lightning

Aunt Anji

A drought has come

It is a silent inconspicuous death. Life is gasping its last breaths, what was left was disappearing through the smirking cracks on the ground. The trees weep; or rather, howl to the empty miles; naked branches forlornly dance with an exuberant breeze.

Wise fat cows, pleading dogs, once cheeky birds.. for a casual observer, they could just as well be pieces of rags thrown over wooden frames.

Here and there, reddish carcasses suggest of life that has given up, the famished dogs licking the bones are symbols of pure desperation.

Now scattered around the land are empty houses-some-wide-open skeletons, others carefully shut and preserved; as if perhaps, the inhabitants had thought that this leave was only temporary.

The silence is made even drearier, for an endless web of footsteps reaching the horizon prove that this dead land was, once, a human civilization. And above everything was a dry coat of dust... so persistent was it that after a while, the dogs ignored their clogged noses, the pigs closed their eyes and snored.

Miles higher a sharp yellow sun beamed, the sky painted itself an innocently ecstatic blue. So nature was hushed, for a drought has come.

Sugee Liyanage , Grade 10 , Visakha Vidyalaya , Colombo 5

My Country

My country is Sri Lanka. It's an island in the Indian Ocean. There are many communities in my country.

They are Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burgers and Malays. They follow different types of religions.

The Capital of my country is Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte. The longest river in Sri Lanka is Mahaweli River.

The highest mountain in Sri Lanka is Piduruthalagala mountain. The highest waterfall in Sri Lanka is Bambarakanda waterfall. The main crops grown in our country are tea, rugger and coconut. My country is proud of its natural beauty.

Chandana K. Polgampala , 4EA , Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda

My new class

I have passed to Grade Five.
My new teacher is Madam D. M. M. Atapattu.
I meet new friends in the class.
There are 36 children in the class.
I study well in the new class.

Venura Santhush Hettiarachchi , Grade 5 A , Ramasinghe Vidyalaya , Dalugama , Kelaniya

To the Elders' headquarters

- Part 19

Four children, Pramodaka, Nalaka, Champika and Chinthaka, go on a trip to the woods with their parents for their school holidays. In the middle of the night the children are awakened by a strange noise. On following their dog, Scooby, Chinthaka is snared by the spell of the 'luring stones'. Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book of spell to cast off the spell while the others remain behind with Sachi, a gnome. A storm breaks and the kids are scattered.

Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make trouble for the mythical creatures, comes up with a nasty plan. She rushes off gang up the rest of her pack and reveals an age old secret.

However the group discovers that it is not only Sulo's secret that is uncovered by the storm. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...

"Have you heard the details? Sachi had been called back before his assignment is over. Disgraceful!," Rook, a brownie with curly locks and upturned nose whispered to Andy, a pixie. Anuka in turn spread the news to his brownie friends Sanju, Dunn and Raji. It did not take long for the information to reach Ruwi's group. Zira tugged at her sleeve thoughtfully after skipping ahead and talking to a couple of brownies ahead.

"What is it?" Ruwi asked noticing that the gnome was far from his usually cheery mood.

Shamilka and Pramu watched as words were exchanged between them. Ruwi looked grave.

"Time is changing indeed, and not for better. Jay once said that he sensed storms ahead. Arizack had predicted that too. He is never wrong. I wish we had a better predictor now. Melvin is useless," she cried.

"What are we going to do now?" Pramu asked after Zira had repeated the story to both him and Shamilka.

"We had better find Sachi. No doubt Mallie is grilling him at the Elders' headquarters," Ruwi sighed. She asked herself why trouble always occurs at a stretch and is never isolated. First the youngest kid gets trapped in the luring spell, then the kids disappear with Maggi's book and finally when she had managed to put the notice in the 'Mythicscope' (she desperately hopes that IBB had managed to drop the page in JVK's folder behind Eagle Eye's back) Sachi had to bring more trouble. She wondered, unhappily, if he had changed his way...

"To the Elders' headquarters," Zira shouted, noting Ruwi's pensive mood. He too hoped that Sachi had not taken on some dramatic changes. All the mythical creatures and forest animals were fond of him, though he did tend to be forgetful and mishear certain things they pronounced but that is what made him Sachi.

"And besides, he is much more fun that way," Zira thought to himself as he clutched Ruwi's hand and hurried her along with Shamilka and Pramu in tow.

Soon they were within sight of the tall building which resembled a castle. Shamilka gasped. It was magnificent, just like one out of a fairytale!

"The Elders perform their duties here with the elves. This was built more then 50 million years ago by the elf kind and this was the only building that Zelda failed to conquer during her time," Pramu explained to Shamilka.

"The main problem is how to get in... Not everyone is allowed in here, unless you get special permission... Have you ever been here?" Zira asked Ruwi. She shook her head.

"I have been to the grounds once to meet the Graceful One but never inside," she answered.

It was the same in Pramu's case. Anu was in a fix once so we came here to meet Ronnie but we did not get beyond the gate," he said.

Ruwi's mind wandered to the past. She recalled her meeting with the Graceful One.

The gardens at the Elders' headquarters were one of the most beautiful sights on earth.

She heard that it was sprinkled with a special potion brewed by the elves every day so that flowers with ever-lasting fragrance bloomed day and night.

It was said that the place held the key too many wonders of the world. The mortals rarely glimpse some of these in their life.

To be continued

Avurudu celebrations

The Methodist Vidyalaya at Dagonne held its annual New Year festival at the school grounds recently. Here Madushika Siriwardena who came first in the Avurudu Kumari contest, principal M. A. D. S. Pushpakumara also participated. Picture by Ivon Nissnaka, Divulapitiya Group Corr.	The Nilpanagoda Nipuni pre-school held its annual New Year Festival in the school premises recently where children participated in many games. Here competitors preparing for the Goni Race. Picture by Ivon Nissanka, Divulapitiya Group correspondent

Children of the ‘Little flowers’ pre-school, Kelaniya held a Singithi Bak Maha Ulela recently. Here the children waiting for the auspicious time for the overflowing of the ‘Milk pot’ which they lit with the support of their teachers. Picture by Edward Weerasinghe, Kelaniya group correspondent