End of Linux Dominance

This post was started when cellphone were expensive and PCs and Laptops we’re popular.

Sadly Google and cellphones are ruling the world now.

I hope Linux will remain a dominant force even if the desktop waning it’s demand.

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Revisiting my Asokaplus blog post

It took a bit of a hassle to blog a post, new.

I left this post idly by after joining Google blog post.

I forgot the password to begin with.

It was easy to set up a new password.

Thank you.

The dashboard is superb with the mobile.

I started this site from my computer.

My transfer to cellphone was not smooth.

I was not good at all with cellphones and it’s typefaces and keyboards.

Luckily I found Grammarly keyboard and it made my transition from PC to mobile easy.

I will stop blogging at Google with my last post “Live and Let Live”.

I started my blogging at WordPress.

It was a humble beginning with lot of typos and grammatical errors.

I will now edit the posts and update them if necessary.

I was nostalgic feeling but pleasing all the same

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Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21stcentury?

Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21stcentury?

My simple answer to that is a BIG NO.

Religion divides people and it was a creation of mankind somewhere around 3000 years ago in the rich and fertile Middle East.

The time scale of three thousand years is statistically insignificant, if the man’s current estimated evolutionary diversion, if we assume it had taken place at about 50,000 years ago.

Drastic genetic change occurred around 3 to five million years ago and it took minimum of two and a half million years for establishment of humanoids.

In that sense 3000 years is nothing but from the time man started counting millenniums, this 3000 years had become historically important.

I believe it is the time of resurgence of the idea or the need for some form of arbitrary religion for exploitation.

After 40,000 (10,000 years ago) years from that point agricultural civilization started to emerge and in which part of the world, I would not guess.

It could have been anywhere, given the evolution of grasses to present grain producing wild cereals.

This estimation go haywire, if we assume humanoids were galactic explorers, in the style of “Star Wars.

My classification during this period of 50,000 can be simplified in few term.

1. Man hunted by the beast.

2. Hunting the beast including woolly mammoth.

The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans, who used its bones and tusks for making art, tools, and dwellings, and the species was also hunted for food. 

It disappeared from its mainland range at the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 years ago, most likely through climate change and consequent shrinkage of its habitat, hunting by humans, or a combination of the two. 

Isolated populations survived on St. Paul Island until 6,400 years ago and Wrangell Island until 4,000 years ago.

3. Gatherer

4. Trader

Around 5000 years ago trading elephants hunted from North Africa.

They were supplying war effort of Romans before their decline.

These traders coming probably from Middle east probable did not have a religion.

5. Current civilization was seeded around Egypt.

6. Theory of God emerged somewhere around 3000 probably nearer Israel.

7. Explosion of religions in Indian subcontinent except Russia and China.

8. The current working religion is Money.

There is no place for any other religion.

Whichever way one looks this scenario, the final working philosophy is to generate money.

The concepts of Capitalism or Socialism does not mater if they are weighed with money.

My analysis is based on right and wrong principle.

It differs from the good or bad principle of all the religions.

My definition of Right is neither good nor bad or neutral.

Its appropriateness is current not to the past.

If a Muslim can kill another as an infidel and say it is godly thing and good, there is something radically wrong.

Killing or war is not the right way.

It is the beastly behavior in our gene makeup expressed at random.

In the 21st century we need our animal genes to be suppressed.

The religion originated in the name of god and good but it has not delivered its key concepts to the current needs of the mankind.

Christianity and Muslim divide started the Bible War.

Judaism in the Middle East and the Oil needs of America instituted the ongoing terrorism and war in the Middle east.

The way UNO drew lines in the world map quite arbitrarily after the World War II and made countries to whims and fancies of UK, USA and France (Italy, Germany and Japan were left out) and left Palestine to their own devices.

It is not rectified to this day.

So it is time for the UNO to declare “A day for People Without Religion” (in other words people without division) is timely and appropriate.

China does not have a religion for 5000 years.

Does it mater to Chinese citizens?

Russia does not have a state religion for the last 150 years, like it is Sri-Lanka after the demise of the Zsar and Rasputin, the devil in the Church of Russia.

Does it matter to Russians?

According to one of my Indian friends, there are 1 billion Indians and one billion gods.

Does it make an Indian free of abject poverty?

The whole African continent did not have a religion until Muslims from the North and Christianity from the South almost by force (Belgium was the biggest culprit) converted them.

Does it mean now the Africa is liberated?

I suppose Nelson Mandela (astute vision) never declared his religious status.

For him humanity was more important.

(The right thing is to decimate terrorism be that it may be, white supremacists, JVP, LTTE, ISIS, Mossads, Natzy Hitler or any other dictator).

In fact, we got rid of one dictator by popular vote but he is waiting in the wing for another fling, his God willing (not any other God).

I sometime think this tiny country was the breeding ground for radicalism and terrorists.

It is the minority who rules the majority.

Even in this country, Buddhism has fallen prey to politicians with ulterior motives and corrupt monks trading elephants.

This country would become a better place if we declare once a months a holiday for people without a religion, just like the Poya (including Satara Poya) day (for Buddhists), Friday (Muslims) and Sunday (Christians).

Unfortunately there is no day for Hindus.

If one set off 12 days for the above and another four the Tamils we still have 14 days left.

We must reserve at least one day a month (before these 14 days are grabbed by various extreme sets of religious or political groups)  in the coming Constitution for the non believers of religion and specially for the non believers of our politicians and politics.

On that day, the government should keep all liqueur bars open for only non believers (believers should be restrained in their own houses or in the Church, Mosque or Temple).

Come to think about and looking at the budget figures I am convinced believers (all religions combined) drink much more than non believers.

The non believers although in the minority should contribute to the state coffers by enjoying a drink once a month.

For some in this country (not me) democracy is as sacred as religion but we find away to send only the corrupt people to the parliament by default.

For me it is one fool out 100 non fools who makes the decisive vote (49 against 51).

He is often the most foolish of the lot but ends up as the leader of the country.

This is why, I never register for the vote (over 40 years) come elections and feel proud that I am liberated from not only religion but also from DUD political leaders of this country.

In other words, I am emancipated by default, not out of convention, contention or context or conviction.

I suppose all the other guys and girls consider me gone nuts.

It does not matter to me, this country is full of nutty people and they are in one asylum called august assembly or the parliament.

There is a section in the Apaya International reserved for them when they demise.

I wish I become the Director General there, since our Solicitor General always sees lines between lines in the interpretation of our law.

It is called transparency.

Our Minister for Justice say hooray to this mediocre guy / girl in the name of noninterference (Mara Logic Ekkak!).

Strangely, he happens to be the Minister for Buddhism.

I think he trying to attain SOVAN or higher sublime state during this term of office.

I hope he will give up the post when that happens.

An average citizen until then should bite his teeth (not in he courts of law, he will be charged).

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My Re-Entry to WordPress

I started my first free domain with http://www.WordPress.com in 2014 or 2015.

I put everything about Linux in there.

I used my PC and was never adept with cellphones.

Over the years I bought several cellphones from KitKat 4.3 to version 10.

In the mean time, I used Google blog.spot.

I was new to Google and Yahoo mail was my workhorse untilled then.

I thank WordPress for allowing me to use Yahoo mail.

I thank Yahoo for its longterm contribution to my web presence.

I have almost quitted Internet and continue to use WordPress as and alternative to Google blogs.

Let me thank both but I take a break from Google to use Yahoo for blog pieces here in WordPress.

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French Keyboard

Check out this blog “French Keyboard” http://parafox-asoka.blogspot.com/2021/03/french-keyboard.html

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Vulgar Deeds of Monks

Vulgar Deeds of Monks

One should read this in tandem with “Vulgar Talks for Monks”.

I never thought that I might have to use this phrase to describe some of the deeds of Monks with political power.

This has nothing to do with Vinaya (Set of rules passed down by oral tradition) which outlines 300 odd major and 1000 odd minor strictures.

I will list a few below.

1. Possession of more than two robes.

2. Possession of money more than what is required of travel (this was a concession when public transport came into existence).

They are meant to be walking spreading Dhamma and no two monks should take the same path having come to a four way intersection.

3. Possession of vehicle for transport.

4. Possession of land.

5. Possession of books other than Thripitaka, which is colossal.

6. Possession of Televisions.

7. Possession of Elephants.

The sole purpose of this is to highlight the number 7.

I think very soon our monks will ascend to Nibbana on the back of a poor elephant.

I am sure once they ascend there the poor animal is dispensed for good to rot probably in hell.

I am not sure how the modern articles like mobiles, laptops, digital texts and multimedia applications would apply in the context of Vinaya.

A modern Sangayana is necessary to validate them in posterity as essential items ‘On the road to Nibbana’.

I am also not sure of Television Displays in the trend of TV stars.

I sometime incline to think when the Thripitaka is fully digitalized and translated to many languages as possible (this is not happening now) the existence of Monks may become redundant except for the SOLE practice of meditation for ultimate goal SEEKING of TRUE salvation or Nibbana.

The way the things are developing there may be monasteries dishing out Nibbana certificates at four levels, Sovan, Sukrudhagami, Anagami, and Arhath.

I hope, I should kick the bucket before that eventuality of having to register for salvation and is open for all, in the World Wide Web.

I am ambivalent about the right of the monks to become politicians and a member of the parliament.

As a true democrat, I say YES for an individual’s right to exercise political right, if not the Wisdom or the better judgment.

 Having said that I am uneasy if they continue to done the robe after being duly elected.

 The point is conflict of interest, priesthood or the legislative functions (law of the land).

Suppose the legislature agrees for capital punishment would they vote YES or NO.

I feel very uneasy to see any person (whatever the religion that does not matter) in official capacity especially in the parliament (sometimes in civil capacity, too) display their identity in dress code, hair style, facial hair decoration or by any other mean.

It is a hindrance in the name of fair judgment and a Universal dress code for the assembly is mandatory.

I hope this fact is taken into consideration when drafting the new constitution.

I have no problem with any form of national dress (in the form of kilt in Scotland) however ugly and cumbersome for it to be worn.

I prefer the loin cloth for those without any educational qualifications and the dress should indicate their educational level but not their professional status (Army, Navy, Air Force, Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, professor or University cloak).

The NEW dress, with neutral colour (not the party colour) should be very simple and no civilian should be permitted to wear this dress for any civilian function.

It should be smart and should not look like a school UNIFORM or Police, Army or Navy. 

The idea is, the moment they wear this dress they are in a different mold and feel proud (whether in power or in opposition).

This stricture like VINAYA for monks is only inside the assembly to discipline the present unruly Guys / Girls trained by MA Ra and the CLAN in our legislature.

In other words if a monk wears a particular robe they are expected to behave as such upholding the VINAYA and not like The BBS THUGS.

Under Ma Ra their status was steamrolled like RATS and this new TREND would harbinger good behavior in parliament and uplift their status in the legislature as TRUE DEMOCRATS (listen to the alternative views). 

Equally, the politician should not wear this dress for civilian functions other than the official duties in the assembly. 

They are free to wear any other dress including PARTY dress and colour in public so that they can freely mix with their electorate or supporters.

If the speaker wears a particular dress why not MPs?

I never EXPECT this proposal could see the day light.

It is only a wishful thinking.

 

Vulgar talk to Monks

So I delve into Dhamma in that sense to Samutta Nikaya (56:10) to repeat a verse told to monks would suffice to convince myself why I should not be a journalist. 
This can be rephrased why a Buddhist monk should be a conveyor of Dhamma message sans journalistic endeavour.

 

Buddha states 28 of his qualifications of vulgar talk to monks.

Numerically in order as was said by the Lord Buddha are as follows.

Manifold vulgar talks are

1. Talk about Kings (Presidents, Prime Ministers and Tyrants)
2. Talk about Robbers (Robber barons, the multinational businessmen)
3. Talk about Ministers
4. Talk about armies
5. Talk about dangers
6. Talk about wars
7. Talk about food
8. Talk about drink
9. Talk about cloths
10. Talk about dwellings
11. Talk about garlands 
12. Talk about perfumes
13. Talk about relations
14. Talk about conveyances (transfer of property)
15. Talk about villages
16. Talk about hamlets
17. Talk about towns
18. Talk about countries
19. Talk about women
20. Talk about heroes
21. Talk about street talk
22. Talk about ghosts
23. Talk about ancestors
24. Talk about gossip
25. Talk about land
26. Talk about sea
27. Talk about gain (credit market)

28. Talk about loss (stock exchange)

 

To this another four are added in another verse
1. Eternity (unending)
2. Annihilation (reduced to nothing)
3. Sensual gratification

4. Self mortification

What a Buddhist monk as a journalist should talk about are about greedlessness, hatelessness and undeludedness (wisdom) and any other talk is senseless and does not lead to liberation or salvation.

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Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21stcentury?

Do we, the Mankind need a religion in the 21stcentury?
My simple answer to that is a BIG NO.
Religion divides people and it was a creation of mankind somewhere around 3000 years ago in the rich and fertile Middle East.
The time scale of three thousand years is statistically insignificant, if the man’s current estimated evolutionary diversion, if we assume it had taken place at about 50,000 years ago.
Drastic genetic change occurred around 3 to 5million years ago and it took minimum of two and a half million years for establishment of humanoids.
In that sense 3000 years is nothing but from the time man started counting millenniums, this 3000 years had become historically important.
I believe it is the time of resurgence of the idea or the need for some form of arbitrary religion for exploitation.
After 40,000 (10,000 years ago) years from that point agricultural civilization started to emerge and in which part of the world, I would not guess.
It could have been anywhere, given the evolution of grasses to present grain producing wild cereals.
This estimation go haywire, if we assume humanoids were galactic explorers, in the style of “Star Wars and visitors from outer space or aliens.
My classification during this period of 50,000 can be simplified in few term.
1. Man hunted by the beast.
2. Man hunting the beast including woolly mammoth.
The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans, who used its bones and tusks for making art, tools, and dwellings, and the species was also hunted for food.
It disappeared from its mainland range at the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 years ago, most likely through climate change and consequent shrinkage of its habitat, or hunting by humans, or a combination of the two.
Isolated populations survived on St. Paul Island until 6,400 years ago and Wrangell Island until 4,000 years ago.
3. Gatherer
4. Trader
Around 5000 years ago trading elephants hunted from North Africa.
They were supplying war effort of Romans before their decline.
These traders coming probably from Middle East probably did not have a religion.
5. Current civilization was seeded around Egypt.
6. Theory of God emerged somewhere around 3000 probably nearer Israel.
7. Explosion of religions in Indian subcontinent except Russia and China.
8. The current working religion is Money.
There is no place for any other religion.
Whichever way one looks this scenario, the final working philosophy is to generate money.
The concepts of Capitalism or Socialism does not mater if they are weighed with money.
My analysis is based on right and wrong principle.
It differs from the good or bad principle of all the religions.
My definition of Right is neither good nor bad or neutral.

In other words might is right.

Its appropriateness is to current needs and not to the past.

If a Muslim can kill another as an infidel and say it is godly thing and good, there is something radically wrong.
Killing or war is not the right way.
It is the beastly behavior in our gene makeup expressed at random.
In the 21st century we need our animal genes to be suppressed.
The religion originated in the name of god and good but it has not delivered its key concepts to the current needs of the mankind.
Christianity and Muslim Divide started the Bible War.
Judaism in the Middle East and the Oil needs of America instituted the ongoing terrorism and war in the Middle east.
The way UNO drew lines in the world map quite arbitrarily after the World War II and made countries to whims and fancies of UK, USA and France (Italy, Germany and Japan were left out) and left Palestine to their own devices.
It is not rectified to this day.
So it is time for the UNO to declare “A day for People Without Religion” (in other words people without division) is timely and appropriate.
China did not have a religion for over 5000 years.

The Buddhism reached there about 1700 years ago and was established in there in 1400 years ago and over 1000 years it gradually disintegrated.For some reason or other, they hated Buddhism and Ma’O Se Tung did the finishing touch.

Does it mater to Chinese citizens?
Russia does not have a state religion for the last 150 years, like it is Sri-Lanka after the demise of the Zsar and Rasputin, the devil in the Church of Russia.
Does it matter to Russians?
According to one of my Indian friends, there are 1 billion Indians and one billion gods.
Does it make an Indian free of abject poverty?
The whole African continent did not have a religion until Muslims from the North and Christianity from the South almost by force (Belgium was the biggest culprit) converted them.
Does it mean now the Africa is liberated?
I suppose Nelson Mandela (astute vision) never declared his religious status.
For him humanity was more important.
(The right thing is to decimate terrorism be that it may be, white supremacists, JVP, LTTE, ISIS, Mossads, Natzy Hitler or any other dictator).
In fact, we got rid of one dictator by popular vote but he is waiting in the wing for another fling, his God willing (not any other God).
I sometime think this tiny country was the breeding ground for radicalism and terrorists.
It is the minority who rules the majority.
Even in this country, Buddhism has fallen prey to politicians with ulterior motives and corrupt monks trading elephants.
This country would become a better place if we declare once a months a holiday for people without a religion, just like the Poya (including Satara Poya) day (for Buddhists), Friday (Muslims) and Sunday (Christians).
Unfortunately there is no day for Hindus.
If one set off 12 days for the above and another four the Tamils we still have 14 days left.
We must reserve at least one day a month (before these 14 days are grabbed by various extreme sets of religious or political groups) in the coming Constitution for the non believers of religion and specially for the non believers of our politicians and politics.
On that day, the government should keep all liqueur bars open for only non believers (believers should be restrained in their own houses or in the Church, Mosque or Temple).
Come to think about and looking at the budget figures I am convinced believers (all religions combined) drink much more than non believers.
The non believers although in the minority should contribute to the state coffers by enjoying a drink once a month.
For some in this country (not me) democracy is as sacred as religion but we find away to send only the corrupt people to the parliament by default.
For me it is one fool out 100 non fools who makes the decisive vote (49 against 51).
He is often the most foolish of the lot but ends up as the leader of the country.
This is why, I never register for the vote (over 40 years) come elections and feel proud that I am liberated from not only religion but also from DUD political leaders of this country.
In other words, I am emancipated by default, not out of convention, contention or context or conviction.
I suppose all the other guys and girls consider me gone nuts.
It does not matter to me, this country is full of nutty people and they are in one asylum called august assembly or the parliament.
There is a section in the Apaya International reserved for them when they demise.
I wish I become the Director General there, since our Solicitor General always sees lines between lines in the interpretation of our law.
It is called transparency.
Our Minister for Justice say hooray to this mediocre guy / girl in the name of noninterference (Mara Logic Ekkak!).
Strangely, he happens to be the Minister for Buddhism.
I think he trying to attain SOVAN or higher sublime state during this term of office.
I hope he will give up the post when that happens.
An average citizen until then should bite his teeth (not in he courts of law, he will be charged).

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I am getting a hang of Mobile WordPress

Thank you  guys and girls at http://www.wordpress.com.

You are doing a wonderful job.

I hope somebody write a note on how to use the shortcuts.

For example highlighting, change the font colour when using a Mobile.

I will post this now and when I edit it try to change the font colour to blue.

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Mobile WordPress

I am giving up my desktops in favour of android tablets.

This is one of my blog posts.

asokaplus has been inactive over 2 years.

I read that http://www.wordpress.com theme has been attacked by a hacker according to Linux magazine.

Please excuse my typos due  to poor visionvband old age.

 

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Water Lilies

Water Lilies
I am new to water lilies.
It is still in my learning curve.
I brought an expensive water lillie from an open market with the plastic container 2 years ago.
My wife put it an attractive container and pruned it and it died a natural death.
After two years I perseverance I got its yam to sprout a leaf or two.
They disappeared tangled with algae mesh.
I kept on removing the algae and after six months, I managed to get the first flower blooming.
The beauty is that it opens up everyday till the next flower blooms.
Few things I learned over the last three years.
1. They need a lot of sunshine.
2. They are slow to domesticate.
3. If you meddle with them they go into long hibernation.
4. They yams are versatile probably to withstand dry spells hidden in mud.
5. They are vulnerable and sensitive.
This is my worry the vendors at temples (they think it is a commercial item) vandalize them for profit.
Nominal Buddhists now only think of PROFITS and Image but no conviction in precepts but indulge in CHEAP Practice and politics.
I met only one guy in Colombo who had studied this with conviction.
6. He told me that some varieties spread by seeds.
7. I am trying my best for the last three years to get a new sapling but failed.
8. The latest discovery is I have a lillie that is over 15 years old but not yet had flowers.
9. It goes int periodic hibernation but sprouts again.
10 I must confess the love for lilies I acquired from my wife.
11. She brought the first young sapling.
12. Now to the discovery. The first sapling is still in the original place but not in good condition (nutritionally deficient).
This has its own history.
The cement tank belongs to my mother in law who used it for mixing herbal medicines.
It is very heavy and I do not know how it was brought to the highest ground level it is stationed now.
It was not moved an inch from its orbit of influence, first from my mother in law and now from gravity.
I twisted her fingers and quietly made it to a fish tank.
My wife managed to get a tiny tortoise and it loved sun bathing on a little rock (it was nursed in one of my fish tanks and when it was gobbling my fish, it was transferred to the cement tank)placed inside the tank.
13. I did not know my father in law hated the tortoise and it disappeared from the tank when we were in Colombo for few days.
I never inquired about it.
The story was it escaped or eaten by crows.
I never believed it but figured out that it was released to the Mahaveli river and died an unnatural death.
It was too tiny to survive in the wild.
It was pity my father in law did not know the biology of it and it was a foreign species made stunted not by design but by (genetic manipulation) inbreeding.
We have eaten all our tortoises as a taste for illicit toddy (Kassipu) and even the Kandy lake has none now.
14. It was blessing in disguise sine they live long and looking after a tiny tortoise was not my choice either.
15. I had to give up fish keeping nearly 15 years to avoid pscine tuberculosis.
16. It took 2 years for me to diagnose it.
Nobody in Sri-Lanka knew it then.
I believe it is endemic in inland fisheries, now which the government is hiding the facts.
17. Coming back to the fish tank, it was all taken over by my wife for the last two years and she had not put any fish in it.
18. The bottom line and the biological fact is that lilies need a lot of nutrition and that has to come from fish URINE.
But I have to feed the fish with high protein fish food for the lilies to bloom.
The this ecology is hard to reproduce in an artificial environment indoors.
That is why we have to protect our Will Pattu from human habitat and encroachment.
Will Pattu means (1000) thousands of little pools of water in the wet land.
Then only we will have tens of thousands of lilies blooming.
We are destroying every inch of our ecosystem in the name of shoddy development and Chinthanaya cronies.
The Golyas making Kassipu are still in evidence in these ‘will patulas’.
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