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Big Ten could place four teams in playoff, thanks to IU's riseThe current Government’s biggest blunder is the neglect of fertiliser to paddy farmers Over the past few weeks, TV channel ‘Derana’ reported on a number of occasions, the plight of the paddy farmers in Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Amparai districts due to non-availability of fertiliser for their paddy cultivation. But the Government TV channels were silent over the issue. Maha rainy season started in early October as usual and will continue until early January. Rains start in early October during the evenings and intensity will increase reaching a maximum in December and rains will end in early January, allowing the farmers to harvest from late January onwards. The paddy farmers prepare fields after first rains having softened the grounds, mostly with tractors. With increase in rains, fields become muddy and are prepared for sowing of seed paddy generally in early November. Sown paddy seeds take root and grow slowly, by November-end they are 6 to 9 inches in height and need to become taller to face inundation during heavier rains expected in December. For getting taller they need nitrogen fertiliser, generally urea. Thus urea and other fertilisers need to be available in the market for the farmers to purchase. Earlier, they were given free fertiliser or a financial subsidy to enable them to buy from private suppliers. On 26 September, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the Treasury to increase the fertiliser subsidy to Rs. 25,000 from earlier Rs. 15,000 per hectare to paddy farmers for the Maha season of 2024/25, starting from 1 October, the President’s Media Division informed. After the new Government came into power, there were only three ministers and the President himself took over agriculture. The President and the ministers were busy on forthcoming General elections and had no time to deal with paddy farmers. Earlier JVP concentrated on Government servants also on private workers. They had no time for farmers, also as they will not join the strikes. When the new Minister for Agriculture K.D. Lalkantha was appointed on 21 November, he was questioned on the supply of fertiliser to paddy farmers. He replied that he will take immediate action. But his action will require preparing a Cabinet paper to be presented to the next Cabinet meeting and approved minutes of the meeting be submitted to Treasury. The Finance Minister (the President) approving and instructing the release of funds and transferring the funds (same amount as last Maha season and to same farmers) by the respective authorities. But how long will the procedure take? Earliest instructions will reach the local authorities by early December. Due to the Government’s long silence, fertiliser availability is poor, as only rich farmers could purchase fertiliser. When the Government announces fertiliser subsidy to farmers, the shop owners will order fertiliser from the wholesalers. Also due to long silence of the Government have the importers ordered the fertilisers from abroad? When their locally available stocks exhaust, they will have to wait for the arrival of imported stocks. According to former Minister Mahindananda Amaraweera the Government had decided to provide a subsidy to paddy farmers to purchase fertilisers required by them for the Yala season. Accordingly, arrangements have been made to provide a subsidy of Rs. 20,000 per hectare and Rs. 40,000 per two hectares. The minister stated that the voucher for obtaining fertiliser will be given to the farmers. The voucher will be printed by the Government Printing Office and will take several weeks to issue these vouchers, which will be printed with a special watermark, to be issued to farmers. The voucher will allow farmers to buy Bandi fertiliser (MOP) or organic fertiliser for their cultivation. Presently, due to poor demand the price of urea fertiliser has decreased to Rs. 9,000 in the market. Therefore, farmers can purchase urea at a lower price than the fertilisers provided by the two Government fertiliser companies. Also, we provided mud fertiliser free of charge to all farmers. Farmers need Bandi fertiliser in the upcoming period. Therefore, farmers can purchase Bandi fertiliser and organic fertiliser if needed through this voucher. The minister stated that the Government is expected to spend Rs. 11 billion for this purpose. Above shows the normal Government procedure and the time taken for the process. Paddy farmers in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Ampara districts have already commenced farming and are awaiting fertilisers which should have been applied a couple of weeks ago. But when can the farmers expect the fertilisers? Meaning, poor farmers who depended on the Government to supply them with fertilisers would be forced a crop failure, resulting in a massive paddy and rice shortage, resulting in increased prices. The Government had decided to import 70,000 tons of Nadu rice to control the excessive prices of rice in the market. By January when shortage of paddy is felt in the market, the Government will be forced to import possibly 700,000 tons of Nadu rice to stabilise market prices. But how about foreign exchange? On 21 November, with the opening of the new Parliament, when the President delivered the NPP’s one-hour policy statement, the only item missed was the paddy farmers and their cultivation, showing JVP’s concentration on Government servants and private sector employees. No wonder NPP’s failure in getting a majority only in the Batticaloa district. The current Government’s biggest blunder is the neglect of fertiliser to paddy farmers. Considering the Maha season supplies majority of paddy (rice) requirement, until Yala season paddy/rice is in the market the country will have to depend on imported rice needing valuable foreign exchange.
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83WATERTOWN — Like Steve Board and Robert Stocks , Troy Socwell is the latest Watertown resident to toss his hat in the Watertown mayoral race. Socwell, 55, said, if elected to the position, he won’t take a salary for it.“Barbenheimer” was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to make “Glicked” — or even “Babyratu” — happen. The counterprogramming of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office. This combination of images shows promotional art for "Gladiator II," left, and "Wicked." And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, “Saw Patrol” ). People are also reading... This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked” opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic “Gladiator II.” Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: “Wickiator,” “Wadiator,” “Gladwick” and even the eyebrow raising “Gladicked” have all been suggested. Movie review: 'Wicked' is designed to wow and wow again “'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more,” actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of “Gladiator II” this week. “I think we should all band around ‘Glicked.’ It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it.” As with “Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, “Glicked” also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging muscles. Both films topped Fandango’s most anticipated holiday movie survey, where 65% of respondents said that they were interested in the “Glicked” double feature. Theaters big and small are also pulling out the stops with movie-themed tie-ins. B&B Theaters will have Roman guards tearing tickets at some locations and Maximus popcorn tubs. Marcus Theaters is doing Oz photo ops and friendship bracelet-making. Alamo Drafthouse is leaning into the singalong aspect (beware, though, not all theaters are embracing this) and the punny drinks like “Defying Gravi-Tea.” This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film "Wicked." “Rather than it being in competition, I think they’re in conversation,” “Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal said. “This industry needs a shot in the arm. Those films gave it last year. We hope to do it this year.” And the hope is that audiences will flock to theaters to be part of this moment as well. It's a sorely needed influx of could-be blockbusters into a marketplace that's still at an 11% deficit from last year and down 27.2% from 2019, according to data from Comscore. “Competition is good for the marketplace. It’s good for consumers,” said Michael O'Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “Having two great movies coming out at the same time is simply a multiplier effect.” “Glicked” is currently tracking for a combined North American debut in the $165 million range, with “Wicked” forecast to earn around $100 million (up from the $80 million estimates a few weeks ago) and “Gladiator II” pegged for the $65 million range. “Barbenheimer” shattered its projections last July. Going into that weekend, “Barbie” had been pegged for $90 million and “Oppenheimer” around $40 million. Ultimately, they brought in a combined $244 million in that first outing, and nearly $2.4 billion by the end of their runs. It’s possible “Glicked” will exceed expectations, too. And it has the advantage of another behemoth coming close behind: “Moana 2,” which opens just five days later on the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday. “Glickedana” triple feature anyone? This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Pedro Pascal, left, and Paul Mescal in a scene from "Gladiator II." “These are 10 important days,” O'Leary said. “It’s going to show the moviegoing audience that there’s a lot of compelling stuff out there for them to see.” There are infinite caveats to the imperfect comparison to “Barbenheimer,” as well. “Wicked” is a “Part One.” Musicals carry their own baggage with moviegoers, even those based on wildly successful productions (ahem, “Cats”). “Gladiator II” got a head start and opened internationally last weekend. In fact, in the U.K. it played alongside “Paddington in Peru,” where that double was pegged “Gladdington.” “Gladiator” reviews, while positive, are a little more divided than the others. And neither directors Ridley Scott nor Jon M. Chu has the built-in box office cache that Christopher Nolan’s name alone carries at the moment. The new films also cost more than “Barbie” ($145 million) and “Oppenheimer” ($100 million). According to reports, “Gladiator II” had a $250 million price tag; “Wicked” reportedly cost $150 million to produce (and that does not include the cost of the second film, due next year). The narrative, though, has shifted away from “who will win the weekend.” Earlier this year, Chu told The Associated Press that he loves that this is a moment where “we can root for all movies all the time.” Close behind are a bevy of Christmas releases with double feature potential, but those feel a little more niche. There’s the remake of “Nosferatu,” the Nicole Kidman kink pic “Babygirl” and the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.” The internet can’t even seem to decide on its angle for that batch of contenders, and none exactly screams blockbuster. Sometimes the joy is just in the game, however. Some are sticking with the one-name mashup (“Babyratu”); others are suggesting that the fact that two of the movies feature real-life exes (Timothée Chalamet and Lily-Rose Depp) is enough reason for a double feature. And getting people talking is half the battle. When in doubt, or lacking a catchy name, there’s always the default: “This is my Barbenheimer.” Associated Press journalist John Carucci and Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed reporting. Last summer, Malibu's iconic blonde faced off against Cillian Murphy and the hydrogen bomb in the unforgettable "Barbenheimer" double feature. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!Composer Tyler Bates has been sued for allegedly pilfering a singer and former collaborator’s voice on productions he scored. Azam Ali, in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges Bates created a “digital replica” of her voice, which was used on new projects, including Cartoon Network’s animated series , without consent or compensation to the singer. Ali’s voice has appeared on scores for major studios films, including and . She met Bates in 2001, when he was looking for a vocalist to assist him on scoring the soundtrack to . The pair went on to collaborate on , and . Last year, Ali claims she was contacted by a fan congratulating her for appearing on a soundtrack to an unnamed production scored by Bates. When she reached out to the composer, he allegedly told her in a text message that he had “made an EXS 24 sample instrument,” which refers to a sampler used to manipulate sound files when arranging music, from recordings of her voice. “Azam’s investigation further revealed that Bates appeared to have included samples of [her] voice in audio libraries that were then distributed to his collaborators for use on their shared projects,” states the complaint. Ali alleges that these samples appeared in and , a game released in 2010. She brings a trio of claims related to breach of contract and seeks unspecified damages. Bates has faced accusations of plagiarism. In 2007, Warner Bros. issued a statement acknowledging that “a number of the music cues for the score of were, without our knowledge or participation, derived from music composed by Academy Award winning composer Elliot Goldenthal for the motion picture .” The composer — who scored the soundtracks for the franchise, and — was also sued in 2018 by Kurt Oldman and Dieter Hartmann in a dispute over credit and compensation on . They accused him of going back on a deal to give them credit on the film and 15 percent of royalties from its score. The two sides later settled the case. A representative for Bates didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter
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