Gamini Dissanayake — a politician with a vision
When Theodore Roosevelt once remarked, “The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency” he may have expected the emergence in civilized societies of at least a few politicians of the calibre of the late Gamini Dissanayake. Everyone who knew him is certain to treasure many distinct memories of a man who lived [...]
Those who live by the Dhamma will be protected by it
Some people appear to have forgotten our country’s past and even their own past. People have become ungrateful. Though they have become rich outwardly they have become poor inside. This is due to their forgetting the past. Three years ago we discussed and began publishing articles in the Sunday Lankadeepa to educate people on correcting [...]
Did sex with extinct species help humans spread?
DNA from mysterious Denisovans may have allowed Pacific Islanders to adapt to new environments Denisovans were a sister species to the Neanderthals; Denisovan DNA in modern day Melanesians They are one of our closest extinct relatives yet we know almost nothing about them. Now a new study has shown that a mysterious species of early human, [...]
CONSTITUTING A CONSTITUTION
In the early 1960’s, while a student at Trinity College Kandy, a particular issue arose out of a proposal to change the constitution of one of the three boarding houses. A brave lad from the concerned Napier House approached the House Master, Mr.Theodore (“Toughie”) Silva, and informed him that the membership wanted to change the [...]
Steamy Sunday’s blackout cooks Government’s goose
Nation’s outrage over third nationwide power outage in 6 months President: ‘Officials ignored power crisis warning months before’ Phew! What a scorcher. If the prevailing drought driven heat wave was not enough to boil tempers in a greasy sweat, the record breaking nationwide power failure last Sunday afternoon compounded the torrid crisis to send temperatures [...]
The elusive search for a female UN chief
UNITED NATIONS – When South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was elected UN Secretary-General in late 2006 and took office in January 2007, he was the eighth male to hold the office in a slate of predominantly all-male candidates. The only female candidate, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, never made it to the 38th floor of [...]
General Meeting of the Desha Seva Sangamaya- Obeysekera Pura
The Desha Seva Sangamaya of Obeysekerapura Rajagiriya held its 42nd annual general meeting recently at the Obeysekera Pura Praja Sakawa. Picture shows chief guest Jayantha de Silva Pragna Pradeepa Sankalpaya founder and Western Province Councillor lighting the oil lamp to open the meeting.
Sri Lankan youth team felicitated for excellent performance at Scrabble Championship
The Sri Lanka Scrabble League hosted a ceremony on February 28 at the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka to felicitate the Sri Lanka Youth Team for their excellent performance at the World Youth Scrabble Championship held in Perth, Australia in late 2015. The 10th World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) the world premier [...]
‘Shilpa Kala’: Showcasing shared handicraft traditions of Sri Lanka and India
Craftsmen from India and Sri Lanka will come together on a common platform to showcase the finest and shared handicraft traditions of both countries during the ‘Shilpa Kala’ exhibition to be held from March 23-27 at Mihilaka Medura BMICH from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. An exhibition cum sale of traditional Sri Lankan and Indian [...]
University of Peradeniya alumni AGM
The Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya – Colombo Chapter elected the following officials at its Annual General Meeting held on March 6. President: C. Sooriyaarachi General Secretary: K.M.D Gunaratne Vice presidents: Godwin Perera, Dr. D.M.D.V Jayampathi, Nalini de Silva, G.P Priyasena and G.HP Dharmaratne Treasurer: M.P Premasiri Assistant Secretaries: Sujatha Karunaratne and T.H [...]
Janaprith gets World Scouts Internal Quality Auditor certificate
Janaprith Fernando Chairman, Global Support Core Group of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), Member Asia Pacific Regional Scout Committee and International Commissioner of Sri Lanka Scouts has been awarded the Certificate of Competence on being the first in Asia Pacific Region of WOSM to Qualify as an Internal Quality Auditor. The certificate [...]
Who can stop Trump? Republicans may have little choice but to vote Clinton
Just a few steps from the White House, the latest secret gathering of Republicans seeking an answer to the question of who can still stop Donald Trump reached a demoralising answer for their party on Thursday night: Hillary Clinton. A bleak mood has swept over the Grand Old Party in the past 24 hours as [...]
Was Jesus really nailed to the cross?
Jesus’ crucifixion is one of the most familiar images from Christianity and Good Friday – approaching next week – marks this iconic event. But what was crucifixion, and why was Jesus killed that way? Meredith Warren, Lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies at the University of Sheffield reveals that there are conflicting reports about whether [...]
Crime and cost of living race for the moon; government leaders play politics
Crime and lawlessness on the one hand and cost of living on the other hand, are racing for the moon while government leaders are busy fiddling in political games while burning questions go unattended. Yahapalanaya promises of the Government are centered on containing crime and lowering the cost of living. But these two promises have [...]
Crisis diplomacy
Negotiations are at the heart of diplomacy and the agreements they create are the main instruments by which countries foster bilateral relations and promote friendship between each other. As the two oldest state formations in South Asia, bolstered by common racial, religious and social linkages, the bilateral relationship with our nearest neighbor India must be [...]