| Hello Children,
Fathers play a major role in the lives of their children. But
do we know this? No. Because mothers are always in the limelight. This
week however we have two letters sent by you about fathers, and it is nice
to know that fathers too are thought of and appreciated.
Fathers who have the time do many things like playing with their
children, taking them to the parks even sometimes taking them shopping
too.
But sometimes fathers go through a lot that you children do not
know, maybe a job problem or financial crisis and when you ask them to
get you what you want and they can't they feel very bad. In cases like
this talk to your dad and say 'It does not matter as long as you love me
and care for me.' This will help your father and maybe you. For dads like
to hear comforting words from you too.
So be a good daughter or son and do try to be a source of strength
to both parents.
Until next time
Aunty Sunshine
Be my dad forever....
So nervous were you,
Outside the theatre,
till mum came out,
With the new born babe.
that was me....
So lucky to have you,
as my father,
you kissed me and,
Put that eternal mark
on my forehead,
you were so busy choosing
Fruits, flowers and dresses for me.
The world around you,
was a heaven for me,
the stories you told,
The sweets you brought.
and your loving touch
which I yearned to get,
The tears you shed,
When I touched your feet,
as a grown-up girl,
the times I hung on your finger
on the way to school,
are the moments of that golden clock
of the eternal earth,
you are the giant shadow
behind me, leading me on,
The correct path,
There's no art to find the heart
from the face they say,
yet, it's not the truth
when I see your eyes
Proud to say you are my dad!!!
be my dad forever...
I love you dad....!!!
Sunethra Kumari Karunaratne
Pushpadana Girls' College
Kandy
Love is beautiful
Love is such a wonderful thing.
But do we know what it really is?
Have we a love deep in our hearts
Like Jesus had in His Heart?
When unkind words are spoken
Do we smile and go our way?
And are we ready to forgive
Every minute of every day?
When we learn to forgive and forget
Like Jesus our Lord up above,
Then dear friend, we can truly say,
We know the meaning of love.
Ruth Perera
Princess of wales College
Moratuwa
My Dada
My father's name is Mohamed Fazir. He is 49 years old. He studied at
St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya.
My Dada is working at Palace Hotel in Saudi Arabia as an Executive.
In 1985 he played Cricket for Riyadh Intercontinental Hotel and got lots
of presents and certificates.
His favourite cricketer is Steve Waugh. My Dada's hobby are listening
to Hindi Music. I love my Dada very much.
Sent by - Hafeeza Fazir
Mt. Lavinia
My special friend
There are good friends,
Who are kind and nice,
There are bad friends,
Who are cruel and cunning.
But among these groups,
I found a good friend.
She was so loving.
Words just can't say.
She never deserted others,
Or broke other hearts,
Everybody loves her a lot,
But I love her most.
The most special friend I've ever met,
A friend who would make my future brighter
She's so special to me always,
Cause she's simply my friend in every way
By Ishiya Isack
Negombo International School
Myself
My name is Madushani Chathuruka. I'm 13 years old. I live in Moratuwa.
My school is Shikshadana Maha vidyalaya. I'm in year 8 A. My favourite
subject is English. As a hobby I read books and newspapers. My mother is
Champa. She is a housewife. My father's name is Vijendra. He is a carpenter.
I have one sister and one brother. My class teacher is Miss Anusha. I hope
to be a doctor.
Mudushani Chathurika
Shikshadana M/V
Lakshapathiya - Moratuwa
Tea
Tea is the most common beverage in the world. It was about 5,000 years
ago that the Chinese first started drinking tea not only to quench their
thirst but also to get their nerves stimulated. The British started tea
planting only 300 years ago.
Sri Lanka's tea industry is a legacy of the British. Today many countries
in the world grow tea. Sri Lanka, Burma, China, India and Japan are some
of them. It's also the main export of many countries of the world including
Sri Lanka. The country which consumes the largest quantity of tea is said
to be England.
J. Sharmila Bernadeth Joseph
K/ Ellakanda Tamil Vidyalaya, Horana
My favourite sport
The game I like very much is chess. Chess is one of the oldest war games.
Chess was invented in India. From India it spread to many other countries.
Until the peresent century chess was regarded primarily as a game for the
wealthy classes in the society. Today chess has a much broader appeal and
it is played by millions of people throughout the world.
Chess combines elements of both art and science. There is also the competitive
aspect of the game. It is also a battle between two individuals, a struggle
of mind and will. I enjoy playing chess and it is the game I like very
much.
B. Osandi Mihiri Dharamasena
Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya
Matara
Stamp News 59
The Kandyan dancer
By Uncle D.C.R
In recent weeks you may have noticed new stamps bearing the picture
of a Kandyan dancer. These are stamps which were issued on February 3,
1999 by the Philatelic Bureau for day to day postal transactions. These
are definitive stamps as opposed to commemorative stamps, and are issued
for long term use. Being for continuous use they will be printed over and
over again unlike the  commemoratives
which are printed once and are sold until stocks last.
This is the first time that a series of ten definitive stamps has been
released.
All ten stamps feature the traditional dancer and are printed in ten
different colours for easy identification. The denominations are Rs 1,2,3,3.50
(current rate for a letter), 4, 5, 10, 13.50, 17 & 20. Pulasthi Ediriweera
is the designer.
According to the postal authorities, the new set of stamps fulfils a
long felt need for a complete set of definitive stamps. They are intended
to ease the postal customer's needs. Being smaller than most others, the
new stamps will not occupy a lot of space, particularly on documents where
stamps have to be pasted.
The colours used are:
Value(Rs) Colour
1.0 Sepia
2.0 Turquoise blue
3.0 Purple
3.50 Prussian blue
4.0 Carmine (Deep blue)
5.0 Green
10.0 Bluish violet
13.50 Vermillion (Red)
17.0 Blue-Green
20.00Bistre
 Monkey
troops
In the animal kingdom, death other than through
old age can occur in several ways. One major cause is disease. Another
is being preyed on for food by larger carnivores or insectivores. Young
animals with little experience of life are particularly open to these dangers.
Should the young die in too high numbers then the future of that species
is endangered. This is avoided in two ways.
Among most of the lower animals it is done by "safety in numbers".
Large numbers of eggs or young are produced, and although there is a heavy
death rate, some will escape to grow up and reproduce.
Among higher animals, such as birds and mammals, the families are very
much smaller, but the young are given some means of protection. The parents
provide some kind of shelter, such as a bird's nest or a mammal's burrow.
Also they protect their young from danger, and feed them.
Social organization
With primates, the highest animals, this is commonplace, and families
may even join up to form groups or societies. The size of a baboon troop
varies from 20 in a dry area to 80 where food is plentiful. The young thus
stay much longer in their parent's care. A young monkey clings to its mother's
belly for the first five weeks of life. After that it rides on her back.
This social organization is typical of monkeys and apes.
Within a monkey tribe there are many families all living together. Since
baboons live mostly on the ground they have been studied in some detail.
In charge is a dominant male whose word of law must be obeyed or there
will be trouble. He usually lives apart from the rest of the troop. If
threatened by another male, he will immedately take up the challenge. Fighting
does not always result, as some movement or gesture on the part of the
dominant male is usually sufficient to stop any attack. The males are usually
much larger than the females. Where several males live in the same troop
they are ranked in strength from the strongest downwards. Males that are
driven from the troop often form  small
bachelor groups on their own.
Monkeys clean one another's fur to remove any loose particles of skin
and dirt. Monkeys and apes do not have fleas, only humans do. Once a flea
has fed on blood it leaves its host in order to lay eggs. Since monkeys
and apes are always on the move, newly-hatched fleas would not have a chance
to find a new host. Humans on the other hand live in one place, and fleas
are thus able to find a new home.
This "grooming" behaviour is very important to primates. It
is a pleasant sensation to be touched or stroked, and it helps to keep
up friendly relations within the troop.
Pecking order
Each baboon knows exactly its position or rank in the troop, from the
leader downwards. This is called the ''pecking order'' because it was first
studied among farmyard hens. The rank of a particular monkey is shown by
the way it behaves when it meets other monkeys. If its head and tail are
upright and erect, it considers itself superior. Females with a young baby
acquire a temporary rank but there appears to be no strict order among
female baboons in a troop.
In every tribe there are lookouts ready to warn about any danger. Should
a lion or leopard be spotted then the baboons close ranks. The males face
up to the enemy, and with threats and barks try to drive it away.
Communication
The way in which monkeys and apes communicate or keep in touch varies.
For example, the cry may be in anger, pleasure, pain or as a warning. Animals
who have no voice tend to rely on colour and signals, such as the raising
of a tail. Monkeys use both methods. The expression on a monkey's face
could mean "keep away" or "this is my branch" and so
on. Making faces is as important to apes as it is to us. Monkeys of Africa
and Asia make a repetitive sound by smacking their lips together. This
is equivalent to smiling. The easiest primate signals for us to understand
are the threatening gestures, such as a gorilla beating his chest. The
colouring of parts of their bodies helps to emphasize the signals.
The young in particular rely on sound and touch. A young bird recognizes
its mother's call, and a lamb knows its mother by smell. With monkeys,
touch is important. A baby monkey will cling to its mother's hairy body.
If removed and placed on a bare model it becomes unhappy. If the model
is covered with some fur it will appear content.
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