66 years ago…
The pealing of temple and church bells, and the sound of joyful drums awakened the people of Ceylon in the first hours of February 4, 1948 from their ‘slumber of servitude’ into the unfamiliar consciousness of a free people. The “Appointed Day” had arrived and the Ceylon Independence Act passed unanimously by the British Parliament [...]
Kala Pola 2014: An expert’s pick
Browsing through Kala Pola 2014 held last Sunday, veteran architect and designer Tilak Samarawickrema found his eye drawn to many works , both paintings and sculpture done by past and present students of the Faculty of Visual Arts of the University of Visual and Performing Arts. R.C. Wimalasekara, Damith Krishantha, Asoka Sellakapu,Shaminda Priyantha Rajapaksha and [...]
SLSI appoints new Deputy Director General
Gamini Dharmawardena, Director (Product Certification) of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) has been appointed as its new Deputy Director General. Mr. Dharmawardena has been at the SLSI since 1984 and has held different posts within the institution. He holds a BSc in Natural Science (Honours) from the University of Colombo and a Masters in [...]
A vibrant and exciting Sri Lankan art scene
That the Sri Lankan art scene is vibrant and exciting was proved once again as artists from all parts of the island showed their works at Kala Pola 2014. The event which took place last Sunday was organised by the George Keyt Foundation and the CSR unit at John Keells. The open air art fair, [...]
Rich art heritage: Iranian paintings and handicrafts exhibition
An exhibition of paintings and handicrafts presented by the Cultural Section of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is now on at the National Art Gallery, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7 and will continue until February 7. Seen as one of the richest art heritages in world history, Persian or Iranian art encompasses [...]
“Anuradhapura”, another far off Asteroid
Anuradhapura, the name of Sri Lanka’s ancient city has been assigned to Asteroid #311231 which was discovered on January 16, 2005 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak and been known as 2005 BC23. It was found to be the same as 2000 WT178 observed previously by Dr. Nalin Samarasingha. The name was suggested by Dr. Samarasinha [...]
Sri Lanka should be called Sinhale
History is a methodical record of past events while traditional stories and myth coming down for generations are legend. Two thousand five hundred years of history from the advent of Prince Vijaya is recorded as written history in the great chronicle of Mahavamsa. Myth and traditional stories take us beyond this written history in the [...]
US Attorney General will seek the death penalty for Boston bomber
Federal prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty for 20-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombing. Though US Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to press for Tsarnaev’s execution was widely expected, the move instantly raised the stakes in what could be one of the most wrenching trials the city has ever seen. [...]
Genocide: A loaded word, anyone’s for use and manipulation
It was interesting to read in the Daily Mirror recently that Northern Province Chief Minister and former Supreme Court Justice C V. Wigneswaran has cautioned his council members about using the word genocide. In the style of a cautious legal mind, he has highlighted that the word needs to be used in context and qualified [...]
India’s women on the march
CHENNAI – Sometimes countries suddenly take a mighty leap forward, forcing everyone else to take notice. On one critical issue — sexual harassment and rape — India has moved far into the lead. Following a number of brutal rapes that became notorious worldwide, Indian women are pushing back in radical, innovative, and transformational ways. The [...]
Slow reactions could mean an early grave
If you are slow off the mark, you won’t just get left behind. You might also die young. A study found that men and women with slow reaction times were at higher risk than others of an early grave. Even those in their 20s and 30s were at risk. The British researchers said that lack [...]
Smart handbag locks wallet when it thinks you need to stop shopping
A new hi-tech handbag claims to be able to curb the spending of shopaholics. Called the iBag, it uses a smart sensor on the owner’s wallet to track their spending. If it detects a shopping spree, or the owner walks into their favourite store, it can automatically lock itself. The iBag was created following a [...]
Farmer weeded out in Seed Act
“Seed is the first link in the food chain. It is both a result of farmers breeding over centuries, as well as the primary means of production. Any Act on seed that does not address farmers’ rights is anti-farmer. The Act should be Seed and Farmers Rights Act. The proposed Act is designed for the [...]
The political birth of another Bhutto
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has played a role in Pakistani politics since before he was even born. I remember his heavily pregnant mother Benazir Bhutto campaigning in 1988, as Pakistan returned to electoral politics after the sudden end of martial law. “There was a story that the elections had been timed to coincide when I was [...]
Scientists hail breakthrough in embryonic-like stem cells
LONDON (Reuters) – In experiments that could open a new era in stem cell biology, scientists have found a simple way to reprogram mature animal cells back into an embryonic-like state that allows them to generate many types of tissue. The research, described as game-changing by experts in the field, suggests human cells could in [...]
