Daily News Online
   

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Home

 | SHARE MARKET  | EXCHANGE RATE  | TRADING  | OTHER PUBLICATIONS   | ARCHIVES | 

dailynews
 ONLINE


OTHER PUBLICATIONS


OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals
Classified
Government Gazette

 

‘If music be the food of love, play on...’

I chuckled heartily, reading Gaston de Roysayro's “Wishing You All a Good Fa-La-La” in the Daily News on December 12. How true were his words? I still can't get rid of the scenario of the colourful dangling balls and balloons hanging all over, adding colour to the season and the monotonous variety of “Jingle Bells.”

Today it is not music that is dished out locally and internationally. It sounds like feeding time at a Zoo or a rowdy brawl in a fish market. This brings to mind a line from one of Shakespeare's plays – “if music be the food of love, play on”... Not anymore I would say. Those “memorable and moving tunes” are given such a twisted “rapping,” they are more crap than rap. As for others, the lyrics as well as the music are far from soothing or entertaining.

Tuning into radio the words of a song sounded like “you are my dumb bum” with jarring dumbfounded background music and this went on for two to three minutes. I thought the CD was damaged and the announcer was inattentive but when it finally stopped the announcer vociferously hoped the listeners enjoyed every bit of it and more disgusting was the history of the recording as if the announcer was the composer. Classical composers’ (Brahms, Beethoven, Handel) music is not revered or respected anymore.

Some current stakeholders in the music scene (players, singers, conductors, impersonators, dancers) hardly know a note of music and basics.

Dances are even more appalling. One wonders whether they are trained in a gymnasium or Chinese circus.

Even some judges at musical shows I doubt are certified judges by any standards. Their bilingual comments degrade them further but perhaps match the display on stage.

The underlying factor is, some participants have talent but no quality and standard due to lack of academic guidance and end up with advertising jingles.

Hope the newly opened Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Art Theatre in Colombo will be the answer.

This letter has no reference to our cultural musical items.

However it is observed that Kandyan Dancers are seen in advertisements which have no relevance which I consider an abuse of this cultural icon.


Inactive clock tower

Clock tower at the Naula town is inactive for a few months. This is under the control of Naula Pradeshiya Sabha.

The public have informed to the local authority but it has neglected so far.


Law and order snarls

Recently, I was a victim of an offense which I could not understand. The offense was not obeying the Traffic Police at a pedestrian crossing. It must be said that the pedestrian crossing was not visible.

However, I had to go to the Courts and go through the procedure for having committed a traffic offense.

I saw the area where people had to gather before being summoned, it was crowded, didn’t have enough space to stand or sit. Moreover, from time to time the police officer opened the door, called people and took them in even the inside was crowded.

The relevant authorities have to undertake plenty of work concerning the Traffic Police.


Interviews for medical students

On the subject of Medical Education, there are some negative stories about the Private Medical College and the intake. We should interview all those who want to do medicine, so that the Interview Board can decide whether that person is fit to be a doctor or not.

Till the latter part of the 1950s our universities used to interview all the students before they were taken in. This may be the time to go back to that old good system.

S K


General Hospital, Colombo home to stray dogs

General Hospital Colombo is home to a swarm of dogs. I use the word swarm on purpose to show the number of dogs found there is so much, that it is virtually a swarm like a swarm of flies or mosquitoes. Like mosquitoes or flies their existence is ubiquitous. They are found every where and can be seen running round in large packs any time of the day or night.

Their presence in the night is the most irritating. One call; bark or howl by one dog is joined in chorus by about 50 dogs which sometimes goes on for about half an hour.

Worst is when they mate. During mating season, dogs fight to the end.

Presence of stray dogs is an irritation to all hospital users and the staff. According to the hospital authorities controlling dogs is the duty of the municipal council.

Catching dogs once in a way would not solve the problem. It has to be a continuous exercise, may be once a month till all the dogs are caught and relocated.


Posted letter dropped on highway

Recently around 8.30 am I dropped into the pillar post box near the Rawatawatta Methodist Church a Christmas card and another letter properly addressed and stamped, with my rubber stamp, indicating my name, address and telephone number affixed on the reverse.

Around 3.30 pm, on the same day, I got a call from a fruit vendor that he picked a letter just near his stall along Galle Road, carrying the name and address and my rubber seal on reverse.

I promptly collected it to see that it was the letter I posted that morning.

Had it not been for the fruit vendor, that letter would have gone astray causing me inconvenience.

I have reported the matter to the postmaster Moratuwa, and I hope that this letter will catch the eye of the higher ups at the Postal Department, to see how this type of negligence on the part of its employees could be arrested.

EMAIL |   PRINTABLE VIEW | FEEDBACK

TENDER NOTICE - WEB OFFSET NEWSPRINT - ANCL
ANCL TENDER for CTP PLATES
Kapruka Online Shopping
Donate Now | defence.lk
www.apiwenuwenapi.co.uk
LANKAPUVATH - National News Agency of Sri Lanka
www.army.lk
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL)
www.news.lk
www.defence.lk

| News | Editorial | Business | Features | Political | Security | Sport | World | Letters | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2012 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Editor