“President visited my house with Shiranthi to extend their wedding invitation
My professional charges are very high. Hence I am not given the opportunity to sing in musical concerts and not given programmes in the television channels:”
- ANJALEEN GUNATILLAKE
Although the versatile singer Anjaleen Gunatillake had been singing for almost 40 years, she is yet to perform a solo musical concert in this country. However her first solo musical concert is planned to be held in the month of February this year. The reason she had given the music directors do not offer her assignments as her charges are very high.
She had disclosed that she does not believe in going to ‘boutique’ on behalf of politicians. She had said that she does not possess those low qualities. She had confessed that the President and Shiranthi as close associates had come to her place to extend to her their wedding invitation. She also disclosed that many young singers sing her songs and earn a lot of money. The authorities of television channels do not invite her as a judge in reality shows as her charges are very high. She had complained in that manner.
In this regard she had given an interview to the newspaper ‘ADA’. Some excerpts from this interview are appended below:
After been in the singing field for so long why did it take so long for you to have a solo musical concert?
“As a principle as a singer I do not sing for meagre payments. Hence the organisers of these musical concerts hesitate to invite me. However on behalf of Sri Lankans living in Australia two solo concerts of mine was organised by Fahim Mawjood. He is organising my first solo concert on my behalf at the ‘Nelum Pokuna’ ,Mahinda Rajapaksa performing arts theatre in February this year.”
Today veteran singers prefer to sing in indoor than in outdoor concerts?
“These are stories that are told by people having two tongues. This is a real laughing matter for our people. They will very willingly participate when invited to outdoor television programmes. I too will participate if I am paid my fee.”
New stars are born. But they sing songs of veteran singers?
“When they sing songs of veteran singers they do not attempt to bring in new compositions and new songs nor emerge. The excel singing our songs and earn a lot of money and had bought houses and cars. But they never extend respect to us”.
There are conflicts about the lyric writers?
“I of course never participate in these meetings and discussions. Today most lyric writers and musicians are real rogues. Although they earn a lot, I have not been given a red cent. They have no business to talk about songs. Certain television channels also sell us and earn. They act like innocents. They never invite to judge boards in reality shows as my charges are high.”
Some artistes have become stooges of politicians?
“Really speaking it is me who should go to ‘Temple trees” first. This is because the president and Shiranthi came to my house to extend their wedding invitation to me for their wedding. We have had close links. But still we remain at alms length as artistes, but never go boutique to them. However those who go to ‘boutique’ for them get high posts and other benefits. We never bend down to politicians and become their stooges.”
Newspaper Article by Marlon Vidanapathirana
'Cobra girl' wants Govt. to have Sharia law on her Arab boyfriend
Nirosha Wimalaratne, better-known as the 'cobra girl' told Ceylon Today that she does not want to live any longer as all her dreams of a happy life have been ruined. "I want the government to apply the Sharia law on my Arab boyfriend and punish him, the way they beheaded our sister Rizana Nafeek," she demanded.
The story in vogue during the last few days was about the harrowing experience of the much talked-about 'cobra girl' or the night club dancer named Nirosha, tearfully explained how she had been assaulted and injured by her alleged Arab boyfriend and leaving her unconscious in a roadside ditch, bleeding from several cut injuries. She had later been admitted to hospital by a Good Samaritan.
When we met her at the National Hospital, Colombo to speak to her, she was lying in bed. When asked her "Nirosha what actually happened to you?" the sobbing girl said, "I really do not know what happened to me. All my dreams of a happy life were ruined. Now I do not want to live any longer."
It would seem rather ironic that she also fell in love with a human male of the species, an Arab youth around the same time she regained her slithery pet. When she fell in love with Abdullah al Amari (38) she moved in with him to a Meethotamulla house as his live-in companion. She said, she did so, after obtaining a solemn promise of marriage from him.
Her Saudi boyfriend Abdullah al Amari, a businessman in Pettah area was a libertine, and a die-hard follower of Bacchus, God of Spirits. During daytime, she was a virtual prisoner in his home. Nights were sickening and pure hell, she said. Then they began to squabble. Fighting got worse with the arrival of one Maruban, a relation of Al Amari into the house and both of them allegedly went on alcoholic binges. According to her, she was watching TV while munching on some food at around 1:00 a.m., on 23 Wednesday, when suddenly her lover hit her hard on her right ear without any provocation. Next, both of them started to hit her while one was holding her down. While still hitting, her lover using a sharp object cut her neck. Then he tried to kill her by squeezing her neck. Thereafter, he dragged her outside the house and pushed her towards a roadside ditch. Thereupon she lost consciousness.
"When I regained consciousness, I started shouting saying that I was the cobra girl and to save me from the two savages who were trying to kill me, and my two pet cobras, I don't mind even if I am killed, but my two cobras are more precious to me than my life. I then saw a lady at a nearby house and asked her to save me. Then a crowd gathered and they called the Wellampitiya Police, who came on the scene immediately and took me to the Colombo National Hospital. I am fed up with life now. This is what happened to me when I was looking for a happier life," she said ruefully.
The man who assaulted the 'cobra girl' and caused her injuries has gone scot-free though police are said to be on the look out.
Nirosha Wimalaratne came into the limelight after 28 August last year, when she was taken into police custody at a popular night club in Colpetty with the cobra and was known since then, as the 'cobra girl.' Colpetty Police charged her for animal cruelty and the Fort Magistrate ordered the police to place the cobra under the care of National Zoological Gardens. Nirosha fought back filing legal action and was successful in the end. She then returned to the night club with her cobra companion, on 11 December.
Dehiwela zoo sea lion 'Carl' dies
The sea lion known as 'Carl' which enamored hundreds and thousands of both local and foreign visitors to the Dehiwela Zoo for the past three years, is alleged to have died under mysterious circumstances on Friday (Jan 25) evening, sources from the Dehiwela Zoo told LAKBIMANEWS online.
This sea lion which was brought to the country back in 2009 through the German - Sri Lanka animal exchange programme from the Krefelied zoo in Germany was born on June 7, 2007 at that particular zoo.
It is said by the time of its death, 'Carl' had been 5 and a half years old and sources said that with the demise of 'Carl' they have only a male and a female sea lion left at the Dehiwela zoo.
They further said inquiries will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death of the sea lion 'Carl' before long.
Question papers to be printed in digital system.
Commissioner General of Examinations, Mr W.M.N.J.Pushpakumara, says that, basic measures are being taken to print the question papers in Digital system.
“Accordingly, necessary printing machines which relevant to the new process are being purchased now”, he said.
Through this new system, all processes of the question paper printing are expected to be functioned automatically.
Accordingly, the Staff Officer, who is in charge of the relevant subject, will feed the computer with the question paper, while the question paper will be sent to the printing machine by the computer,automatically.
He has further said that, the question paper will be printed and come out of the machine as a well protected packet. Therefore, the confidentiality of the question paper will be secured, since only one person is involved in the process, which was earlier conducted by 50 persons.
Apple's iPhone disappointment fans doubt on growth
Apple Inc missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for the third straight quarter after iPhone sales came in below expectations, fanning fears that its dominance of consumer electronics is slipping.
Shares of the world's largest tech company fell 10 percent to $463 in after-hours trade, wiping out some $50 billion of its market value - nearly equivalent to that of Hewlett-Packard and Dell combined.
On Wednesday, Apple said it shipped a record 47.8 million iPhones in the December quarter, up 29 percent from a year earlier. But that lagged the 50 million that analysts on average had projected.
Expectations heading into the results had been subdued by news of possible production cutbacks by some component suppliers in Asia, triggering fears that demand for the iPhone, which accounts for half of Apple's revenue, and the iPad could be slowing.
But some investors clung to hopes for a repeat of years of historical outperformance, analysts said.
"It's going to call into question Apple's dominance in the space. It's still one of the strong players, the others being Samsung and Google. It's still a two-horse race, but Android continues to grow rapidly," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
"If you step back a bit, it's clear they shipped a lot of phones. But the problem is the high expectations that investors have. Apple's conservative guidance highlights the concerns over production cuts coming out of Asia recently."
Apple is forecasting revenue of $41 billion to $43 billion in the current, second fiscal quarter, lagging the average Wall Street forecast of more than $45 billion.
Fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 18 percent to $54.5 billion, below the average analyst estimate of $54.73 billion, though earnings per share of $13.81 beat the Street forecast of $13.47, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Apple also undershot revenue targets in the previous two quarters, and these results will prompt more questions on what Apple has in its product pipeline, and what it can do to attract new sales and maintain its growth trajectory, analysts said.
Net income of $13.07 billion was virtually flat with $13.06 billion a year earlier on higher manufacturing costs. The year-ago quarter also had an extra week compared to this year.
Gross margins consequently slid to 38.6 percent, from 44.7 percent previously.
"You can't just keep rolling out iPhones and iPads and think that everybody needs a new one," said Jeffrey Gundlach, who runs DoubleLine Capital LP, the $53 billion bond firm. "The mini? What is that all about? It is a slightly smaller iPad — so what? So that is our new definition of innovation?"
"There are plenty of competitors like Samsung and other legitimate competitors like them," added Gundlach, one of the highest-profile Apple bears. He maintains a $425 price target.
Taking into account the drop in shares in Wednesday's after-hours trading, Apple's stock is now down 34 percent from its September record high and the company has lost about $227 billion in market value.
Shares of several of Apple's suppliers crumbled. Chip suppliers Skyworks and Cirrus Logic both fell more than 6 percent. Qualcomm Inc slipped 1.8 percent.
Intense competition from Samsung's cheaper phones - powered by Google's Android software - and signs that the premium smartphone market may be close to saturation in developed markets have also caused a lot of investor anxiety.
Meanwhile, sales of the iPad came in at 22.9 million in the fiscal first quarter, roughly in line with forecasts.
On the brighter side, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters that iPhone sales more than doubled in greater China - a region that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has vowed to focus on as its next big growth driver.
The company will begin detailing results from that country going forward. Revenue from the region totaled $7.3 billion, up 60 percent from the year-ago December quarter.
"These results were OK, but they definitely raised a few questions," said Shannon Cross, analyst with Cross Research. "Gross margin trajectory looks fine so that's a positive and cash continues to grow. But I think investors are going to want to know what Apple plans to do with growing cash balance."
"And other questions are going to be around innovation and where the next products are coming from and what does Tim Cook see in the next 12 to 18 months."
In an unusual move for Apple, which typically does not respond to speculation, Cook addressed the production cutback rumors at length on the conference call and questioned the accuracy of rumors about its plans.
Media reports earlier this month said the company is slashing orders for iPhone 5 and iPad screens and other components from its Asian suppliers.
"Even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to accurately interpret the data point as to what it meant for our overall business, because the supply chain is very complex," he said, adding that Apple has multiple sources for components.
"Yields might vary. Supplier performance can vary. The beginning inventory positions can vary. There's just an inordinately long list of things that would make any single data point not a great proxy for what's going on," he said.
Apple's initial iPhone and iPad mini sales were hurt by supply constraints, but Cook expects supply to balance demand for the iPad mini this quarter. He also acknowledged that iPad was cannibalizing its high-margin Macintosh computers, but said it was a huge opportunity for the company.
"On iPad in particular, we have the mother of all opportunities here, because the Windows market is much, much larger than the Mac market is," he said. "And I think it is clear that it's already cannibalizing some."
In another departure from tradition, Apple intends to tweak the way it both reports results and publishes forecasts.
Apart from breaking out results from China, the company also will no longer provide a single revenue or gross margin outlook. From Wednesday, it began providing the range it expects to hit, rather than the often-ludicrously conservative estimates that Apple was once notorious for.
The new policy took many by surprise.
"Before people could always ignore the guidance," said Dan Niles, Chief Investment Officer of AlphaOne Capital Partners, LLC. "Apple is telling investors that they need to pay attention to the guidance and you can't ignore it, which is basically what we all did in the past."
