Category Archives: life stories

January 8, 2019 · 3:04 pm

Galle Fort and Its Literary and Pictorial Fare: A Partial Bibliography

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January 8, 2019 · 10:17 am

Roger Federer’s Profound Grief in Recollection of Peter Carter’s Guiding Hand … Today

ABC News Item, 8 January 2019

Roger Federer has broken down while paying tribute to the deceased Australian coach who he credits with forging the playing technique that took him to 20 grand slam titles.

Key points:

  • Roger Federer says deceased Australian coach Peter Carter played an important role in his younger days
  • Carter died in a car accident while on his honeymoon, a year before Federer won his first major title at Wimbledon
  • Federer, who now has 20 grand slam titles, is looking to win a third-straight Australian Open title in 2019

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January 8, 2019 · 12:03 am

In Memory of Tony Greig

James Mettyear, in The CRICKET MONTHLY of ESPN, 27 December 2018, where the chosen title is “Greigy, Robbo, and me” … with its location here in THUPPAHI rather than in CRICKETIQUE marking my appreciation of Tony Grieg’s key role in the Kerry Packer transformation of the cricketing world as well as his sturdy role in protecting Murali from Cricket Australia’s machinations in 1995- 1998 and thereafter …. about which I will say more soon (in repetition of work already in print) Michael Roberts

The Central Recreation Ground, Hastings was where I first saw Tony Greig. I’d heard a lot about him. My cricket chum’s excited description of his debut innings in county cricket earlier in the 1967 season – 156 with 15 fours and two sixes, including one off Brian Statham, over extra cover – had filled me with wide-eyed awe. But Sussex versus Kent in the County Championship was my first sighting.

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January 7, 2019 · 11:13 pm

“Putting The World To Write” …. in Galle

An INVITATION to a Writing Event with a Title that is Right

Talk, Tea & Book Launch Wednesday January 16th …. 3- 5 pm Jetwing Lighthouse

The first Galle Literary Festival was launched in 2007 amid the chaos of the Civil War. Despite the bitterness of that war, the festival projected the country onto the arts stage as a serious global literary force and attracted many big literary heroes from around the world, which it continues to do, up to this day, where the tenth anniversary is going to be the most exciting festival yet. There is no better location for it to be held in and around the Galle Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site and modern bastion of protection, both physically as in the tsunami of 2004 and ideologically, for all kinds of people from all kinds of religious backgrounds, all working together for the good of the fort, its people and its visitors.

Donald Trump and …

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January 7, 2019 · 1:56 pm

Focus on the Eradication of Poverty NOW

Mervyn De Silva, former Director Ministry of Plan Implementation, Ex-Member of Parliament, has formulated a Scheme to eradicate inquality and poverty …. and sent it to Madam Chandrika Kumaratunga recently (see text below)

 

Poverty And Inequality Continue As Persistent, Unjust Socio-economic Issues Of Our Time

In his 84 – page document or, Apostolic exhortation as it is called, Pope Francis, firmly and eloquently drew the attention of all global leaders, big and small, to fight poverty and growing inequality with the sharpest words and phrases ever, on the dominant economic system, which he pointed out derives from “the tyranny of unfettered capitalism and the ideology of money”. Continue reading →

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January 6, 2019 · 10:47 am

Incisive Thoughts on the Presidency in Today’s Situation from Rajan Philips

Rajan Philips, in Sunday Island, 6 January 2019, with this title “Leaving Sirisena alone and finding a way to change the Executive Presidency”

There is redundancy in the 2019 air. Impeach, censure or force his resignation – all targeting Maithripala Sirisena for his rampant violations of the constitution in 2018. He deserves any and all of them. The question is whether he is worth the effort and energy that any one of them will involve. Impeaching him or forcing his resignation will only remove the man but will leave in place the institution of executive presidency that became Sirisena’s wrecking wrench. It would be more worthwhile to spend time in radically reforming the executive presidency than waste time getting rid of Maithripala Sirisena who will be gone in one year anyway. Keeping it simple, leave Sirisena severely alone and keep targeting the executive presidency.

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January 4, 2019 · 9:09 am

Tangram’s Study of the Tamil Tigers enters our world

This book offers an accurate and easy to follow explanation of how the Tamil Tigers, who are officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was defeated. Who were the major players in this conflict? What were the critical strategic decisions that worked? What were the strategic mistakes and their consequences? What actually happened on the battlefield? How did Sri Lanka become the only nation in modern history to completely defeat a terrorist organization? The mind-blowing events of the Sri Lankan civil war are documented in this book to show the truth of how the LTTE terrorist organization was defeated. The defeat of a terrorist organization on the battlefield was so unprecedented that it has rewritten the narrative in the fight against terrorism.

THIS NOTE is from http://www.lulu.com/au/en/shop/damian-tangram/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-tamil-tigers/paperback/product-23830132.html

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January 2, 2019 · 12:51 pm

In Memoriam: Gamini Gunatileka flies West to Another Life in the Skies

Capt Gihan Fernando, in Island, 30 December 2018 … where the title reads “Gamini Flies West”

A few days ago Capt. Gamini Gunatileka, flew west. He had a few initials ahead of his surname, but preferred to be known as Gamini. Gamini, fondly known as ‘GG’ or Capt. ‘GG’ in the flying circles, studied at Isipathana College, Colombo 5. Even from his young days he had been ‘plane crazy’. He joined the Flying Training School Ratmalana soon after leaving school. That was where I met him. Like for most of us, it was a long and arduous struggle for ‘GG’ to achieve his ambition of being an Airline Pilot in Air Ceylon. Learning to fly aeroplanes was relatively very expensive even in those days.

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January 2, 2019 · 2:29 am

As Ominous As Ludicrous: Snaps Epitomizing Our Politics in 2018

…… and …..

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December 31, 2018 · 2:34 pm

A City within Colombo City in the Hands of Cecil Balmond

Alvin Sallay, in Sunday Times, 30 December 2018, … where the title is “Infinity and beyond with Balmond and Cinnamon Life”

Cecil Balmond has borrowed my pen. I’m watching the master at work, bent over my reporter’s notebook, as he sketches the initial drawing which was the blueprint for the ‘iconic’ Cinnamon Life landmark which is set to transform Colombo by 2020. In a previous story I had written on this project for this newspaper, more than a year ago, I learned that the world-renowned architect had sketched his vision on a paper napkin after visiting the site for the first time back in 2011. “I can’t remember, but it must be true, for I tend to do very small drawings at the beginning when I imagine something,” smiles Balmond when I ask him if the story of the genesis of Cinnamon Life is true.

Cecil Balmond. Pic by M.D. Nissanka

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