HOT-HOT News Item sent to the Thuppahiya by Nandasiri Jasentuliyana in USA
Category Archives: performance
Nova Peris & Her Roots: Any Sri Lankan Links?
Michael Roberts
Since Nova Peris-Kneebone was one member of the Australian 4 x 100 relay team that secured a medal in the Olympic Games of 1996 ( ….. ), I raised the speculative question: does the name PERIS indicate that one of her grandparents was a Sinhalese merchant, worker or pearl-diver who was among the Sri Lankan personnel known to have particpated in trading, pearl-diving and labouring activities in the north-western, northern coastal areas of Australia from the early twentieth century and perhaps even earlier?
Australia’s gold medal team, (left-right) Sharon Cripps, N. Peris-Kneebone, Catherine Freeman and Tania Van Heer, celebrate their victory (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)
371732 05: Australian gold medalist Peris-Kneebone autographs the “Nova” watch she designed for Swatch Watches June 27, 2000 in Santa Monica, CA. Peris-Kneebone, the first Olympic torch bearer on Australian soil and a member of the Aboriginal Muran Clan was on hand to discuss her part in the 17,000-mile journey the olympic tourch will make. (Photo by Jason Kirk/Online USA)
Filed under Aboriginality, Australian culture, australian media, cultural transmission, demography, economic processes, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, transport and communications, unusual people, world events & processes
Tania Van Heer: Across Continents ….. A Widening Reach
The Thuppahi SITE can pat itself on its bum for featuring the athletic prowess of Tania Murphy nee Van Heer and her son Aidan Murphy over the decades — achievements on the athletic tracks as well as academic fields and moving beyond to a small welfare enterprise in Sri Lanka.
Australia’s gold medal winning team, (left-right) Tania Van Heer, Catherine Freeman, Sharon Cripps and N. Peris-Kneebone, wave to the crowd as they go on a lap of honour (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)
Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, australian media, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, migrant experiences, nationalism, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
World Political Propaganda TODAY: Revelation vs Deception at the Heights
Matt Gable, in an email communication ….where The Editor has taken the liberty of inserting his own highlights
It is worth watching the first 16 minutes of a presentation by Rick Sanchez – a Cuban-born US citizen currently living in Moscow and hosting a TV show for RT. He is a good journalist. Here, Rick looks briefly at common elements in three recent protests in different regions of the world – Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines.
We are told all three protests involved students, Gen Z, were social media driven, and used the same manga pirate flag depicting the Jolly Roger wearing Luffy’s straw hat.Filed under accountability, Americna imperialism, atrocities, australian media, British imperialism, centre-periphery relations, disparagement, doctoring evidence, ethnicity, Fascism, foreign policy, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, news fabrication, Palestine, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, taking the piss, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes
Pakistan Strangle Sri Lanka in Asia Cup
Madusha Balasuriya in ESPNcricinfo, September 2025
Hussain Talat
Pakistan 138 for 5 (Nawaz 38*, Talat 32*, Theekshana 2-24, Hasaranga 2-27) beat Sri Lanka 133 for 8 (Kamindu Mendis 50, Afridi 3-28, Talat 2-18, Rauf 2-37) by five wickets
An unbroken stand of 58 off 41 between Hussain Talat and Mohammad Nawaz saved Pakistan’s blushes as they stumbled their way through a middling chase to eventually come away with a five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Professor JB Disanayake: A Multi-Faceted Career of Achievement, Dedication & Service
Sandagomi Coperahewa, in The Sunday Times, 8 June 2025, where the title reads thus: “Felicitating Lanka’s Foremost Linguist”
I am writing this brief essay in connection with the felicitation ceremony for Emeritus Professor Deshamanya J.B. Disanayaka, the most senior academic and a distinguished figure among contemporary Sinhala scholars in Sri Lanka. The ceremony will be held on 13th June 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the New Arts Theatre, University of Colombo, with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka presiding as the Chief Guest. I take this opportunity to reflect on Professor Disanayaka’s contributions to the advancement of Sinhala studies and on my association with him as a teacher, mentor, and scholar.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake: His Life & Career Thus Far
Sunil Thenabadu, in Brisbane, in CEYLON TODAY, 22 September 2025, where the title runs thus: “Reflecting on One Year of Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Presidency” … presented here with highlighting imposed by The Editor. Thuppahi
“The JVP totally declines violence/aggression.” Twice the JVP took up arms; however, in the future, we assure the people of Sri Lanka that this will never, ever recur. We guarantee the people that the only way we will come into power is by winning their trust. We assure the people of Sri Lanka that we will never, ever take up arms again. During the last 25 years, the JVP has been subjected to violence on numerous occasions; however, we never wish to resort to violence again. AKD has assured the public, so they need not have any fear—the JVP has ‘rejected violence forever’! This is the assurance given by the JVP’s leader, Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayake, one of the most charismatic and extraordinary politicians ever to enter the local political arena. Dissanayake was unanimously named the leader of the JVP at the 7th National Convention of the Party, held on 2 February 2014.
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, communal relations, democratic measures, economic processes, education, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, insurrections, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, unusual people, working class conditions
Huge Flaws in Sri Lanka’s Tax System …. Apoyi!…. Apoyi!
Sanjeewa Jayaweera in the Sunday Island, 21 September 2025, where the title reads “Sri Lanka’s Tax Conundrum–2025“
The eagerly awaited Performance Report of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for 2024 has recently been published. It offers some context regarding the IRD’s tax collections. There is room for wider disclosure that would improve transparency. The timeliness of the report’s release could also be considerably enhanced. After all, most large corporations listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange publish their Annual Reports within two months of the financial year’s end.
Sri Lanka’s Economy Now: After A Honeymoon….
Item in THE ECONOMIST, 6 Sep 2025, entitled “The Sri Lankan government’s honeymoon is nearly over” … & sent to me by Jayantha Somasundaram of Canberra; while the highlights are my imposition
Initial popularity: OPENED IN AUGUST with the stated ambition of making Sri Lanka “India’s Macau”, the City of Dreams development in downtown Colombo houses a casino, luxury hotels, high-end shops and a champagne-and-cocktail bar “floating amid the clouds”. The gleaming but for now largely deserted halls of the vast complex seem a symbol of renewal: a far cry from the mass civil unrest of just three years ago and the accompanying economic collapse—rampant inflation, fuel shortages, mass poverty and foreign-debt default.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, Colombo and Its Spaces, communal relations, debt restructuring, democratic measures, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, growth pole, historical interpretation, human rights, IMF, island economy, JVP, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, migrant experiences, outmigration, performance, plural society, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, tourism, welfare & philanthophy, world events & processes
