ගුරු දිනය

 

ගරු පාදං නමාමහං..

       මුල්ම වරට යුනෙස්කෝව විසින් ලෝක ගුරු දිනය ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන ලද්දේ 1994 ඔක්තෝබර් 5 වනදාය. එම නිසා බොහෝ රටවල් ඔක්⁣තෝබර් 5 ගුරු දිනය ලෙස සමරනු ලබයි. ආජන්ටිනාව, ඉන්දියාව, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වැනි රටවල මීට වෙනස් දිනවල ගුරු දිනය සමරන අතර එම එක් එක් රටවල ඔවුනොවුන්ට සුවිශේෂී වූ සිදුවීම් මුල් කරගෙන මෙම ගුරු දිනය සමරයි. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ගුරු දිනය සමරනු ලබන්නේ ඔක්තෝබර් 6 වැනිදාය.

        ගුරු දිනය ජාත්‍යන්තර වශයෙන් සමරන දිනයක් බවට පත්ව ඇත්තේ ගුරුවරුන්ගේ අසීමිත කැපවීම, ඔවුන් තුළ පවතින ශ්‍රෙෂ්ඨ ගුණාංග අගයනුවස් ය. සදිසා නමස්කාරය තුළ බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේ විසින් "ආචාරියා දක්ඛිණා දිසා" ලෙස ගුරුවරයා ශිෂ්‍යයාගේ දකුණු අත වනබව දැක්වූ සේක. ලොව අන් සියලු වෘත්තින් තනනා වෘත්තිය වන්නේ ගුරු වෘත්තියයි. රටට දැයට වැඩදායි මිනිසුන් මෙන්ම යහපත්, ගුණගරුක පුරවැසියන් දායාද කිරීමෙහිලා ගුරුවරයා මහඟු කාර්යයක් ඉටු කරයි. සිසුන්ට තවත් එක් ගුරුවරයෙක් පමණක් නොව දයාබර මවක, දයාබර පියෙකු ලෙස ඔවුන්ගේ ජීවිත එළිය කරනා ගුරුවරුන් ද මේ අතර වන බව කිව යුතුය. අවසානයේ, එලෙස තම සිසුන්ගේ සාර්ථකත්වයන් ඉදිරියේ මව, පියා සේම සතුටු කඳුළු හෙලන තවත් අයෙකු වේ නම් ඒ ගුරුවරයාමය. එබඳු ගුරුවරුන්ට මෙය උපහාරයක් ම වේවා!

Leo Hiruni Aththanayaka

First Year

Faculty of Arts

The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century

 

4. The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century

 

9:59 A.M

THE SOUTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSES

 

At 9:59 a.m., the south tower of the World Trade Center, which had been damaged by United Airlines Flight 175, collapsed with a deafening roar.

Smoke billowed across the city, filled with crushed concrete. TV viewers initially thought it was another explosion, but when the wind cleared, they realized what had happened because the south tower was no longer there. At 10:00 a.m., the fire commander ordered all firefighters to leave the North Tower.

 

10:03 A.M

UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 93

At around 10:03 a.m., terrorists were unable to carry out their target due to a passenger revolt. Passengers attempted to enter the cockpit, resulting in the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 at 583 miles per hour in Shanksville, southeast of Pittsburgh, Somerset, Pennsylvania. Everyone on board perished. It was later revealed that its intended target was the Capitol building in Washington.

 

At 10:10 a.m., part of the Pentagon collapsed, and the UN headquarters in New York were closed. President Bush also authorized the Vice President to engage aircraft if necessary. The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) did not claim responsibility for the attack.

 

10:28 A.M

THE NORTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSED

 

At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed due to the damage caused by American Airlines Flight 11, releasing a large cloud of dust that engulfed the city, causing severe damage to many surrounding buildings.

 

At 10:35 a.m., Air Force One landed with President Bush at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier, Louisiana.

 

At 10:41 a.m., President Bush received information about the plane crash in Somerset County.

 

At 10:43 a.m., CNN reported on the evacuation of people in Washington, New York, and the mayor of New York ordered the evacuation of lower Manhattan.

 

At 10:50 a.m., word spread that part of the Pentagon had collapsed, leading to the cancellation of the primary election in New York.

 

Meanwhile, at 11:16 a.m., American Airlines confirmed that it had lost two of its aircraft, and at 11:53 a.m., United Airlines confirmed that it had lost two of its aircraft.

 

At 12:04 p.m., Los Angeles International Airport, the expected destination for flights 11, 77, and 175, was closed. Also, at 12:15 p.m., Flight 93's expected destination, San Francisco International Airport, was closed.

 

At 1:04 p.m., President Bush addressed the media from Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier, Louisiana. He said, "Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended... United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." He was then taken to a military bunker in Offutt, Nebraska.

 

At 1:27 p.m., the mayor of Washington, D.C., declared a state of emergency.

 

At 4:00 p.m., Federal Intelligence identified Osama bin Laden as the mastermind of the attack.

 

The 7th World Trade Center collapsed at around 5:20 p.m., and no casualties were reported as everyone there had been evacuated.

 

President Bush arrived at the White House at 6:54 p.m., and a search for those trapped in the rubble began around 7:00 p.m.

 

At 8:00 p.m., President Bush addressed the nation from the White House. He said, "Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts... we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." He concluded his speech.

 

At 9:00 p.m., President Bush convened a Security Council meeting to discuss whether Osama bin Laden was behind the attack and whether the Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda were involved. "Tell the Taliban we're finished with them," Bush said.

 

Before going to bed that night, President Bush wrote in his diary: "The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century took place today."

Leo Kasun Sapumohotti

Zone Director 

Zone B1

Leo District 306 A1

The Pearl Harbor of the 21st Century

 

3. AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK

At 9:02 a.m., the New York Fire Chief announced the evacuation of everyone in the North Tower, and the news was already being broadcast live on all channels.

 

 9:03 A.M

UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 175

At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed at 950 kilometers per hour and struck between the 77th and 85th floors on the south face of the World Trade Center's south tower. The event was broadcast live worldwide and was witnessed by over a million people. Everyone on board perished, and hundreds in the tower lost their lives on the spot.

 

Smoke billowed from the blaze, rendering rescue operations impossible, and people jumped from seventy floors in a desperate bid for survival. Sadly, they only found death.

 

At the same time, President Bush entered the classroom where the children were, and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Boston headquarters suspended flights from all airports in its territory around 9:04 a.m.

 

At 9:05 a.m., students at Emma E Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, and President Bush read the story "The Pet Goat," while White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card quickly arrived and whispered in the President's ear, saying,

"Sir, a second plane has hit the second tower. America is under attack."

Bush did not display any signs of distress, and his face appeared as if he were lost in another world. Later, he stated that he was contemplating who could attack the United States.

 

From 9:06 a.m., the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) imposed various rules on air travel, and at 9:14 a.m., President Bush arrived in the operating room of an adjoining classroom set up by the U.S. Secret Service and held discussions with the Vice President, the Governor of New York, and the Director of the FBI.

 

Eddie Blinger made an announcement on all United Airlines flights at 9:19 a.m., "Beware of entering any cockpit - two planes hit the World Trade Center." Warnings were sent, and the message was received by United Airlines Flight 93 at around 9:23 a.m.

 

Around 9:24 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed the North American Air Defense Force (NORAD) that American Airlines Flight 77 was suspected to have been hijacked. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the suspension of all civilian flights, regardless of destination, at 9:26 a.m.

 

Meanwhile, White House counter-terrorism chief Richard Clark ordered the security level to be elevated to DEFCON 3 at all U.S. military bases worldwide.

 

At 9:28 a.m., terrorists stormed the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93 and took control of the aircraft.

 

Meanwhile, at 9:29 a.m., Bush held a press conference in front of Emma Booker College students and teachers, saying he wanted to go to Washington soon. There he made a brief statement,

"Today, we've had a national tragedy, two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country,"

and then left. He was taken to Air Force One, located at Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota.

 

At 9:32 a.m., a transmission from United Airlines Flight 93 was heard on the radio transmitter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the captain; please sit down. Keep remaining seated. We have a bomb on board. So, sit."

 

Meanwhile, a director at Reagan Airport called the White House Secret Service and reported that a plane was approaching without communication. Around 9:35 a.m., the Secret Service ordered the Vice President to be evacuated from the White House immediately and taken to a secret bunker in the eastern part of the White House.

 

Meanwhile, United Airlines Flight 93 changed its course eastward in the skies over Ohio.

 

9:37 A.M

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 77

At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77, which had spiraled west of the Pentagon to the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, descended 2200 feet and crashed into the western part of the Pentagon at 853 kilometers per hour. It claimed the lives of at least 125 people at the Pentagon, as well as everyone else on board.

 

Meanwhile, Saïd Zaraï, the terrorist controlling United Airlines Flight 93, made another transmission at 9:39 a.m., saying: "Uh, this is the captain. I would like you all to remain seated. We have a bomb on board and are going back to the airport, and to have our demands met, please remain quiet."

 

The Pentagon announced that an explosion had occurred, and the White House and the Capitol building were immediately closed. Also, the U.S. skies were closed, and no civilian aircraft were allowed to take off; all aircraft were ordered to land at the nearest airport. All incoming flights to the United States were diverted to Canada or Mexico.

 

Meanwhile, rescue work at the twin towers was underway. CNN News Network confirmed the plane crash at 9:53 a.m. in the Pentagon. President Bush departed from Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota aboard Air Force One at 9:55 a.m.

 

At around 9:57 a.m., passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 received information over the phone that passengers and crew had initiated a revolt against the terrorists, suspecting that the plane had been hijacked for a destructive purpose.

 

Leo Kasun Sapumohotti

Zone Director 

Zone B1

Leo District 306 A1

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Day of Older Persons

 

International Day of Older Persons

On December 14th, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP). This was preceded by the initiation of Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing (VIPAA), adopted by the World Assembly on Ageing (WAA) in 1982 and approved by the UN General Assembly later in the same year.

International Day of Older Persons is a global healthcare event celebrated on the 1st of October every year that emphasises public awareness with respect to challenges and opportunities that are associated with ageing and mobilizes community organizations, families and stakeholders to aid older people who are facing the challenges.

On this day, various international and national organizations join together to conduct events, national surveys, social campaigns and other awareness programmes and workshops to create awareness irrespective of the well-being and dignity of older individuals.

This year 2023, the International Day of Older Persons Theme is "Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations", a call to draw attention to the unique needs of older people globally in terms of their rights and reporting violations, in addition to fostering solidarity through equity and reciprocity between the generations offers long-term solutions to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals' (SDG) promise.

Leo Ilanka Laksiri

Second year

Faculty of Arts

 

ලෝක ළමා දිනය

 

ලෝක ළමා දිනය

ළමයින් සඳහා මෙවැනි දිනයක් වෙන් කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් දීර්ඝ ඉතිහාසයක් පවතී. ඒ අනුව ඇමරිකානු ජාතික ආචාර්ය ලෙනාඩ් පියතුමා විසින් ප්‍රථම වරට ළමයින් වෙනුවෙන් මෙවැනි දිනයක් නම් කිරීම පිළිබඳ ලෝක අවධානය යොමු කරවා ඇත. රටක අනාගත පුරවැසියන් වන ළමා පරපුර සුරක්ෂිත කිරීම හා ඔවුන්ගේ සුබ සිද්ධිය අරමුණු කර ගනිමින් මුල් වරට ළමයින් සඳහා වෙන් වූ දිනයක් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර ඇත.  ලෙනාර්ඩ් පියතුමා විසින් එය රෝස දිනය ලෙස නම් කර තිබුණි. එලෙස ආරම්භ වූ ළමා දිනය තුර්කි රජය විසින් පළමු වරට ජාතික දිනයක් ලෙස වාර්ෂිකව සැමරීම ආරම්භ කර ඇත.

මේ  අතරතුර වර්ෂ 1954 දී ළමා අයිතිවාසිකම් පිළිබඳ ප්‍රකාශය රටවල් 13ක අත්සන් සහිතව ප්‍රකාශයට පත් විය. ඒත් සමඟ විශ්ව ළමා දිනයක් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කරන මෙන් සාමාජික රටවලින් ඉල්ලීම් සිදුකර ඇත. ඒ අනුව සෑම වසරකම නොවැම්බර් මස  20වන දින මේ සඳහා තෝරගෙන ඇත. නමුත් තම තමන්ගේ රටවල් සඳහා ගැලපෙන දිනයක් තෝරා ගැනීමට ද එහිදී අවසර ලබා දී ඇත. එම අවසරයට අනුව රුමේනියාව ජුනි මස පළමුවැනි දිනත්,ආර්ජන්ටිනාව අගෝස්තු මස දෙවන ඉරිදාත්, බ්‍රසීලය ඔක්තෝබර් දොලොස්වන දිනත්, කැමරන් හා කොංගෝ රාජ්‍ය දෙසැම්බර් විසිපස්වන දිනත්, ඉන්දියාව හා පකිස්ථානය නොවැම්බර් විසිවන දිනත් ආදී වශයෙන් විවිධ රටවල් තම රටට පහසු දිනයක් මේ සඳහා යොදාගෙන ඇත.

මේ අතරින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සෑම වර්ෂයකම ඔක්තෝබර් මස පලමුවැනි දින මේ සඳහා යොදාගෙන ඇත. එදිනට සමගාමීව ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජයේ අනුග්‍රහය සහිතව UNICEF ආයතනයේ දායකත්වයෙන් විවිධ ළමා සුබ සාධන සහ සංවර්ධන ක්‍රියාවලීන් ළමයින් අරමුණු කර ගනිමින් සිදු කරනු ලබයි. එවැනි වැඩසටහන් ඔස්සේ ළමා පෞරුෂය ගොඩනැංවීම, ළමයින්ගේ සුබ සිද්ධිය අරමුණු වන කතිකාවන් ගොඩනැංවීම ආදී ළමා සුබසාධන කටයුතු  රැසක් සිදුකරනු ලබයි. නමුත් ළමා පරපුර  වෙනුවෙන් කටයුතු කිරීම දිනකට පමණක් සීමා නොකර නිරන්තරයෙන් ඔවුන් පිළිබඳ අවධානයෙන් පසුවීම අධ්‍යතන සමාජ තත්ත්වය පිළිබඳ අධ්‍යනයේදී අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සාධකයක් බව මනාව ප්‍රත්‍යක්ෂ වේ. එසේනම් හෙට ලෝකයේ උරුමකරුවන්   සෙනහසින් රැකබලා ගැනීමට අපි සියලු දෙනාම එක්ව කටයුතු කරමු.

 

Leo Nisansala Pathirana

Second year

Faculty of Arts

The Pearl Harbor of the 21st Century

 

2. SOMETHING WENT WRONG…

At 8:13 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 communicated with the Boston Air Traffic Control Center for the last time. At 8:14 a.m., terrorists entered the cockpit, stabbing two female flight attendants and taking control of the aircraft.

 

Meanwhile, United Airlines Flight 175, carrying 56 passengers and nine crew members, including five terrorists, departed from Logan Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport at 8:14 a.m.

 

Betty Ong, the flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, spoke to American Airlines at around 8:19 a.m.

"The cockpit’s not answering... Somebody’s been stabbed in business class, and I think there's Mace; we can't breathe. I don't know, I think we’re getting hijacked…"

 

At 8:20 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77, carrying 58 passengers and 6 crew members, including 5 terrorists, departed from Dallas International Airport in Washington to Los Angeles International Airport.

 

At 8:21 a.m., the transponder signaling system, set up to detect the location of American Airlines Flight 11, was deactivated, but the control room in Boston could still monitor it through primary radar signals.

 

At 8:24 a.m., the radio was accidentally activated by Mohamed Ata to make an announcement to the passengers, and officials at the Boston Air Traffic Control Center heard what he had to say.

“We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and we’ll be okay. We are returning to the airport.”

This took about 2 minutes. At 8:26 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 took a 100-degree turn across the Hudson River toward New York City.

 

At 8:34 a.m., Mohammad Atta's voice was heard on the radio again.

"Nobody move; everything will be okay. If you try to make any moves, you will injure yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet."

 

At the same time, the Boston Air Force Control Room reported the hijacking to NEADS, the Northeastern Fleet of NORAD (NORAD - The North American Air Defense Force).

 

At 8:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 began descending from an altitude of 29,000 feet at a speed of 3,200 feet per minute. Two F9 aircraft from NEADS, NORAD's Northeast Fleet, set out to investigate American Airlines Flight 11. However, they were unable to locate the exact location of the aircraft because its transponder signaling system was deactivated.

 

From Newark International Airport at 8:42 a.m., with a delay of 40 minutes, United Airlines Flight 93 departed for San Francisco International Airport with 37 passengers and seven crew members, including four terrorists.

 

Between 8:42 a.m. and 8:46 a.m., terrorists Faisal Banihammed and Mohammed al-Shehri, who were on board Flight 175, forcibly entered the cockpit and hijacked the plane.

 

American Airlines Flight 11 descended to 10,000 feet by 8:43 a.m., and it took its final turn, targeting the World Trade Center.

 

Amy Sweeney, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, spoke with Michael Woodward of American Airlines in Boston at about 8:44 a.m., and she said,

"Something is wrong. Our plane is going down fast. I can see the water. I can see the buildings. Oh! God, we are going very low..."

 

8:46 A.M

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11

At 8:46:30 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 hit at approximately 790 kilometers per hour and crashed between the 93rd and 99th floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. The shock was felt in nearby buildings.

 

The building caught fire, damaging the building's main frame with fuel from the plane. Everyone on board and more than a thousand people in the North Tower died on the spot, and even their body parts had been burnt.

 

The first battalion commander of the New York Fire Department (FDNY) reported the accident to the North Tower at their headquarters around 8:46:43 a.m.

“We just had a plane crash into the upper floor of the World Trade Center. Transmit a 2nd Alarm and start relocating companies into the area.”

And the North Tower of the World Trade Center burned, emitting a haze of smoke.

 

At 8:49 p.m., "This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center… That is, once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.”

 

CNN stopped in the middle of a Ditech ad. Journalist Carol Lynn covered the news under the headline "WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER" without a theme play. After that, ABC NEWS, MSNBC, and NBC NEWS immediately stopped their programs and began airing special news.

 

Terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 in the skies over Ohio between 8:50 a.m. and 8:54 a.m. Honey Hanjour and the terrorists broke into the cockpit and took the pilots back, and Honey Hanjour took control of the plane. He changed the flight path by turning the plane to the right.

 

At around 8:55 a.m., officials at the South Tower of the World Trade Center issued a statement saying that the South Tower was safe and that people should go to their offices. This was only heard by some and not by all. Also, some people ignored it and left the building.

 

President Bush arrived at Emma E Booker Elementary School at about 8:55 a.m., and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. But before entering a school classroom, Condoleezza Rice, the White House National Security Adviser, was contacted, and she said it was a commercial aircraft, and that was all that was known at that moment.

 

At 8:56 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 deactivated its transponder signals, and they were not even visible on primary radar. They took advantage of this and were able to fly to Washington for 36 minutes without being tracked by any air traffic control center.

 

United Airlines Flight 175 turned for New York City at 8:58 a.m., and Peter Hanson called his father, Lee Hanson, from the same plane at 9:00 a.m. He said,

"Dad, the situation is getting worse. The flight attendant was stabbed. They have knives and socks. They say they have a bomb. The situation inside the plane is very bad… I think they're going to take the plane to Chicago or another city and crash it into a building. Don't worry. If something like that happens, it will happen very quickly… My God!"

At the same time, the phone turned off with a loud scream.

Leo Kasun Sapumohotti

Zone Director 

Zone B1

Leo District 306 A1