| Plus |
|
|||||
|
Ascot
in the hills Ascot it may
not be just yet, but the ladies and gentlemen, particularly those
making their annual pilgrimage to the hills for 'the season', did
turn out in all their finery. Quite eyecatching were the fashions
displayed by the guests with Santha de Zoysa walking away with the
Most Elegant Lady title and Jith Peiris and Kirthie Sri Karunaratne
A special hat show organised by Maeve Martenstyn also saw some stunning concoctions of feathers and flowers displayed by young models, turning many heads. Next year, when April comes along, the organisers hope to lay on an Ascot week with fashion shows, champagne parties and races for charity. Solar
power for healthy cooking For the past few weeks he has been conducting demonstrations not only for the staff of Mount Lavinia Hotel but also for other interested parties. "The kitchen staff have been supplying him with the necessary ingredients for his experiments, the results of which he has been passing around for any one who cares to taste," says Oshadi de Silva, PR Manager. The cake, we must say, tasted pretty good. "Power consumption is exploding and the present infrastructure cannot handle the demand," asserts Mr. Muhlegg, a regular visitor to Sri Lanka for the past 15 years. He had with him a German model that looks like a satellite dish made with parabolic mirrors. The unit that is even suitable for deep-frying can boil six litres of water in an hour, as it can generate 600 watts of solar energy at a time. Regulating heat is also possible. The second was a portable American model, which consisted of a black box and four sheets of polished stainless steel, also for cooking. Both these models are currently used abroad and only require sunlight, which means they can be used even in snow, regardless of the temperature. Furthermore cooking in this manner ensures that vitamins and natural colours are retained-thus making a healthier dish despite it taking longer to cook. Based on these two factory-made models, Mr. Muhlegg has designed prototypes of five other devices, using locally available material. Further, detailed sketches stating requirements are provided. His inexpensive models use wooden planks, car tyres, sheets of heat resistant glass, foil, even old windscreens and car glass and the standard aluminium cooking pots painted black. Costing approximately Rs.1000 each, they are easy enough to make. Using coconut fibre for insulation, these models can be used even in villages for community cooking. "Sri Lankans
are perfect at copying things and this is a tremendous opportunity
to cope with the power failures here," says Mr. Muhlegg. Major
drilling machine corporation, Hilti, has sponsored the import of
his solar energy samples His inventions apart, he currently runs a pre-school for 35 kids in a village near Sigiriya. Encouraged and supported by friends back home he has initiated LANKA-HELP, an organisation that is receiving regular financial assistance. Perhaps Mr.
Muhlegg should take this concept further and explore possibilities
of directing solar energy into the kitchen, for a more convenient
and comfortable cooking environment. Considering the soaring temperatures
in the country, housewives will hardly enjoy cooking under the scorching
sun. |
||||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
It
was a bright, beautiful morning at Nuwara Eliya, a perfect day for
the races. And vying with the thrills on the course were the sights
at the 
Grandstand
and on the grounds below. 
being
adjudged the Snazziest Gentlemen. 
