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I can’t breathe, Ms Teplitz
On the 25th of May, 2020, something terrible happened in Colombo. A set of police officers accosted a citizen who did not belong to the majority community. The man was suspected of giving a bad cheque....
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Where have all the ‘internationalists’ gone?
Nation. National. Nationalism. Nationalist. The are words that make certain people react the way a cobra does when encountering andu leaves as the idiom goes. Of course its certain nations, certain...
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ජාත්යන්තරවාදීන්ට මොකද වුනේ?
රට. දේශය. දේශප්රේමය. දේශීයත්වය. ජාතිය. ජාතිකත්වය. ජාතිකවාදය. සමහරුන්ට මේවා නයාට අඳු කොළ වගේ. ඒ වුනාට එයාල සමහර ජාතිකත්වවලට, වර්ගවාදවලට සහ වර්ගවාදීන්ට, ජාතිකවාදවලට සහ ජාතිකවාදීන්ට, ආගම් සහ ආගම්වාදවලට...
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David Dungay couldn’t breathe either!
Workers of the world unite! We shall overcome! The people united (‘and armed,’ some interject) will never be defeated! Sí, se puede (‘Yes, we can,’ motto of the United Farm Workers of America, proposed...
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The 'never give up' of sports
Marvan Atapattu -- his story is a classic; he kept going.This is for parents. Children are their darlings. Every little act of progress is a delight, especially with first born children. Having...
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Finding paths to being enslaved by the USA
The USA is in the news. Exposed. Exposed to those who believed the balderdash about that country being the greatest success story of democracy, freedom and the good life, to be more precise. The USA...
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The plus, minus and equal of improvement
He was a fierce competitor, good student and generous in sharing his knowledge My friend Sarath Weerakoon makes life easier for me. He shares with me little gems that he frequently sends out to the...
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The far and near of police brutality and racism
The website 'www.educationworld.in' lists the most barbaric and brutal prisons in the world. Three of the top twelve are located in the USA. Number three on the list is Riker's Island, New York City....
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Monumental Blunders
An oft-quoted line from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘Idylls of the King’ has King Arthur reflecting on change thus: ‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new, and God fulfils himself in many ways, lest...
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New Zealand and Sri Lanka: Two narratives of ‘the compassionate exemption’
‘Compassionate Exemption’ is a term that has been used mostly in relation to cancer treatment. It refers to someone receiving a drug even though he/she does not meet the eligibility criteria of a...
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Wildlife in the departments
Wild life in every sense of the word -- worth conserving, do you think?I remember the last time I visited the Dehiwala Zoo. It was a humbling experience. Humbling because a girl less than 10 years old...
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Paul Robeson didn’t scream ‘BLM’ but he knew what mattered
The Biddle. What’s that? And what has that got to do with sport? Legitimate questions. The Biddle came about at a time when countries such as the United States of America (USA) didn’t have to be cute...
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Racism and police brutality: the USA and Sri Lanka
T. Greg Doucette, a US lawyer, and a mathematician named Jason Miller have compiled a list of 780 videos (as of June 16) showing police brutality. The investigative journalism website Bellingcat has...
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Anyone for inclusive grieving?
'Those mothers and these mothers.' That would be a caption for a two-part visual of two sets of mothers, Tamil and Sinhala, grieving over the deaths of their children. Those and these are words that...
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Is the MCC ‘dead and buried’?
Perhaps the lady's career plans are at stake! I wouldn’t blame anyone for believing that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact is dead. Indeed many thought it was effectively shot down in...
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Let’s take a moment to take a knee
‘Taking a knee’ is a phrase that didn’t have currency not too long ago. Strange, in a sense, considering that the history of the world is a lot about kneeling and being kneed. The term is not new in...
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Error cuts heroes down, humility resurrects
‘He who acquired the undisturbed sovereignty of the three worlds by dint of sacrifice, austere fervor, sacred study, self-restraint, and valor, was nevertheless ruined for want of virtuous humility.’...
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SYBIL WETTASINGHE and umbrellas that will never be stolen
‘Kuda Hora’ (Umbrella Thief) is a story that many have grown up with. It’s a fascinating tale of umbrella after umbrella being stolen to the consternation of not just those who lost theirs but the...
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Turning Points
Sometimes we know right then and there and sometimes we recognize the point where decisive turns were taken only later. It happens to individuals, communities, cities, nations and even the world, but...
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The MCC Compact: US Embassy should stop being cagey
Maybe Mangala Samaraweera knows what happened to the USD 10 million pledged!The committee appointed to review the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact has raised serious concerns about the...
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