Political deadlock: President, Parliament and protesters
Sri Lanka is at a political deadlock. Protesters want the President and parliamentarians to go home. Parliament wants the President to go home. And the President wants the protesters to go home. But no one is going home. Meanwhile, we cannot change the President without changing the prime minister. We cannot change the prime minister [...]
The battle against gun violence being fought at the grassroots
NEW YORK — A sign outside a gun store in the United States was dead on target: “We sell guns to every Dick, Tom and Dirty Harry.” Clint Eastwood, one of Hollywood’s enduring tough guys, played the role of the maverick San Francisco cop “Dirty Harry” in the 1971 crime thriller in which he took [...]
Soft Power after Ukraine
CAMBRIDGE – As Russian missiles pound Ukrainian cities, and as Ukrainians fight to defend their country, some avowed realists might say, “So much for soft power.” But such a response betrays a shallow analysis. Power is the ability to affect others to get the outcomes you want. A smart realist understands that you can do [...]
Free health clinic
The Gethsamane Society, Wattala organised a health clinic for diabetes patients, where blood pressure was monitored and blood sugar tested. This community service project took place at the society’s headquarters with Pastor Anton Rajamani II present. Picture shows blood being drawn from a patient for testing. This service is to be held free-of-charge every Sunday [...]
The predicament of being an MP
It was a celebration of more than three decades spent at the helm of the parliament – through pivotal years weathering so many fundamental changes – when Nihal Seneviratne launched his new book Memories of 33 Years in Parliament, amidst an eminent gathering on April 30, at the Foundation Institute. Amidst the speakers for the [...]