• An Invention that changed the World
• Destitution
• Who was Picasso?
• The Lion Flag
• Promoting Sport
• Types of Fish

An Invention that changed the World

Experiments to create television began in the late 19th century. In 1884 a German scientist named Paul Nipkow and Vladimir Zworykir in 1923 put down their ideas of the television system. In 1926 an Englishman John Logie Baird invented and developed the television system. Since then more improvements have been made. Remote controlling was the result of such improvements made with the help of modern technology.

As this new system is audio visual it's very useful in many ways. It's one way of communication. We are able to watch historical and special events that take place even in other countries, news about the happenings in the world such as civil and world wars and political affairs. It helps us to improve our general knowledge. It is also helpful to students as many educational programmes such as Quiz programmes about space, modern technology and scientific inventions are arranged. The television is also a form of relaxation. All of us students and elders would like to relax by watching our favourite programmes on television after a hard day's work such as musical programmes.

We are also able to watch international sport events such as cricket matches, basket ball and tennis. How fascinating it is that we are able to refresh our minds and gain knowledge by only switching on a button and in the comfort of our homes.

There is a good and bad side of television. Sometimes they give us good information at the same time they give us other items also such as advertisements, films and dramas. Many people enjoy seeing them . Some advertisements give information to catch the eye of the people but sometimes these are not good health wise for human beings. Some items which are advertised on the TV screen are full of harmful chemicals so we should not blindly believe all that we see from it.

There is an old saying that "TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING IS GOOD FOR NOTHING." Spending too much of time on television is not so good. Students might neglect their studies. Scientists have found that the radiation emitted by the TV is bad for man's health. Radiation can affect man's heart, nervous system, eyes and can even cause cancer. Doctors and scientists have warned that one must not sit in front of the TV screen more than three or four hours.

These disadvantages can be avoided easily by watching TV from a distance and watching a limited number of programmes. Teachers and elders can guide children on how to make the best use of this incredible television system.

Harshini Rasangika Denesh
Royal Institute
Colombo 5.

Destitution

Blinking at a world of mystery
Surrounded by a mist of poverty
Haunted by starvation
Lacking a roof for shelter
Not attained the love desired
The castles dreamed and yearned
They're convinced they'll never reach
Blinded by the weight ahead
My friend did you see them?
Did you look back
At the helpless eyes
The pleading hand
Infinite fortunes showered upon us
With the grace above we should share
To abate their burden
To inspire their hearts.
But perhaps behind their burdened life
Rest the Lord's love divine.

Nilushika Alwis
Holy Family Convent
Bambalapitiya

Who was Picasso?

Pablo Ruiz Picasso was the greatest and most influential artist of the 20th century. He was not only a famous painter, but also a renowned sculptor print-maker, ceramicist and stage designer. During his lifetime he made more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, potteries etc. In his work he has touched upon almost all the aspects of life. His paintings are highly appreciated throughout the world.

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga (Spain) on Oct. 25, 1881. His father Jose Ruiz Blasco was an art teacher in Malaga. Picasso had a keen interest in painting right from his childhood. Many of his early paintings, made when he was only nine, show exceptional talent. At the age of 15, after passing an entrance examination, he was admitted to the Barcelona School of Fine Arts. In 1904, he settled down in Paris and married a young woman called Fernande Oliver. He became famous only after his marriage.

During the period between 1899 and 1905, he painted cabarets, race courses, prostitutes, beggars, drunkards etc. Later, however, he turned to the varied facets of human life. After 1925, Picasso began to produce emotionally charged pictorial formulations of bodies and heads. Picasso may be called the father of Modern Art. After the age of 85, till he was 90, he produced mythological scenes. This great artist died on April 8, 1973, at Mougins in France.

Farrah Farook
Hillwood College
Kandy

The Lion Flag

The Lion Flag is our national flag. We must respect our flag. The crimson colour on the flag represents the Sinhalese. The orange colour on the flag represents Tamils and the green colour on the flag represents Muslims. The lion is for bravery and strength. The sword is for Justice. The four Bo leaves represent the four noble truths of Buddhism. Sri Lankans celebrate their Independence day on the 4th of February. The national flag is hoisted on special occasions such as the Independence day and National days. It signifies unity and strength among communities in the country.

By Gopinath
Kingston College International,
Colombo 15.

Promoting Sport

In 1896, a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin lit a flame in the heart of the world. The flame of the Olympic Games. Today that light shines as brightly as ever, uniting people all over the world in celebration of a festival of sport. A combination of emotion, pride and the sheer determination to succeed, that no other athletic event can equal. This is how the Wills Book of Excellence on Olympics introduces the modern Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games is an international athletic competition held once in four years at a different venue. Two years ago, the Games celebrated its centenary at Atlanta. The United Nations lent its support to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in commemorating the Centennial Games by issuing a set of stamps on the theme 'Sport and the Environment.

Been formed in 1894, the IOC's first major task was to revive the Olympic Games of antiquity, which had been held between 776 B.C and 393 A.D. In 1896 the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece with athletes from 13 countries taking part. By 1996 when the Centennial Games took place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, there were 197 National Olympic Committees participating. Only 42 events in nine sports with 285 athletes competing, were scheduled for the 1896 Games.

The Atlanta Games also saw a large number of sports 26 in all on the calendar. These included aquatics (diving, swimming, synchronised swimming & water polo), archery, association football, badminton, basket ball, boxing, canoeing and kayaking, cycling, equestrian sports, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, softball, table tennis, team handball, tennis, track & field, volley ball, weight lifting, wrestling and yachting. Some 10,800 competitors participated.

Politics has had its say in the Olympic Games. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler refused to recognise the achievements of Jesse Owens, a black African who won four gold medals. The Munich Games (1972) were marred by a tragedy when members of an Arab guerilla organisation killed two Israeli athletes and took nine hostages who were killed later, along with five of the guerillas and a West German policeman, in a gun battle in the Munich airport.

The 1976 Games in Montreal saw the host Canadian government refusing to allow the Taiwanese team to carry its flag or have its national anthem played at the Games. The team then left. The black African nations demanded that New Zealand be excluded from the Games because one of its rugby teams had recently played in South Africa whose racial policies the black African nations opposed. When their demand was refused 31 nations withdrew their teams from the competition in support of the black African nations.

In the eighties, the United States withdrew from the Moscow Games (1980) in protest against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. 64 other nations too withdrew. The USSR refused to participate in the Los Angeles Games (1984) citing doubts about security measures. Fifteen other nations joined the USSR move.

In the nineties, the Barcelona Games (1992) saw a Unified Team (with athletes from Russia & 11 other former Soviet republics) among the 172 participating teams. It also saw a reunited Germany and South Africa competing for the first time since 1960. The Atlanta Games was the largest so far.

The IOC has pledged to contribute towards building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal requires that the Olympic Games be held in conditions which demonstrate ecological responsibility, and the IOC co-operates with authorized public and private organisations and agencies in efforts to preserve and protect the environment.

Types of Fish

Fish are found wherever there is enough water to live in. They inhabit the seas, freshwater ponds, lakes and rivers, swamps and even puddles. They can exist in warm tropical waters and below ice.

Fish range in size from midgets two centimetres long, to giants like the whale shark, which is up to 14 metres long. Altogether there are 25,000 different kinds of fish.

They can be divided into two main groups. The bony fish are the most abundant. They are found in all types of water. For example, the herring lives in the sea, the trout in a river, and the stickleback in a pond. The second group, the cartilaginous fish, have a much softer skeleton and include sharks, rays and skates. All the fish in this group live in the sea.

Fish were the first animals on earth to grow an internal skeleton of backbone and a skull with jaws and teeth. All vertebrates are descended from them.

Prehistoric survivor

The coelacanth is an interesting fish whi ch has remained virtually unchanged since the Devonian Period, some 300 million years ago. It has curious fins on stalks quite unlike the fins on any other living fish. Another odd kind of fish is the lungfish which can breathe air if the lake water it lives in dries up. Lungfish burrow into the mud to wait until the rains come.

Since fish live in fresh or salt water, and at all depths, they feed differently and vary in shape. A fish like a salmon which has to swim in moving water, often against the current, has a streamlined shape. In a pond the water is still, so a carp or goldfish moves more slowly. Some slow-moving fish with fat and rounded bodies are protected with spines or armour. Long and slender fish like the eel can wriggle into hiding places to escape from their enemies.

Fish that live near the sea bottom have flatter bodies. Flatfish such as the sole and plaice actually rest on their sides. When a baby plaice hatches it is a tiny but perfectly normal-looking fish. Then it grows thinner and deeper in shape. The skull starts to twist and one eye moves over to meet the other. The adult plaice can lie almost undetected on the sea bed.

Among the cartilaginous fish, shape also varies. A shark swims freely and is streamlined for fast movement when hunting. Skates and rays have flattened bodies with widespread "wings" which are actually the pectoral fins. They live mostly on the sea bed and feed on shellfish. The largest ray is the giant manta or devil-fish. It is up to seven metres wide, and weighs 1,000 kilograms. Like the whale shark, it is harmless.

Strange kinds of fish live down in the ocean depths where it is dark. Many of them possess organs which can light up. This must help them to find one another, especially for mating. One kind of fish has a tiny male which fixes itself to the female and never lets go. Scientists have learned much about this deep-sea world by going down in special pressurized chambers called bathyspheres.

Finding food

Fish feed in very different ways. A hunting fish like the pike remains hidden among the water plants, then suddenly rushes out to catch its prey. A carp will browse quietly on water plants. A catfish grubs in the mud using its whiskers, or barbels, to pick up food.

Angler fish have a kind of rod with a "bait" on top of their heads. This attracts other fish which are then suddenly snapped up in its huge mouth. The archer fish of tropical Asia comes to the surface and spits a drop of water at an insect to knock it off a branch.

There are some fish which are filter-feeders, like many whales. The giant whale shark takes in water full of tiny sea animals called plankton. The water passes out of the gills and the trapped plankton is swallowed.

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