Category Archives: pulling the leg
The Fake Memoirist’s Survival Guide
Christopher Beam on “How to embellish your life story without getting caught” ….
……… SEE http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/low_concept/2008/03/the_fake_memoirists_survival_guide.html
See JUDY MARIAMPILLAI IN http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2012/09/21/unfolded-truth-about-the-tamil-tigress-book-written-by-niromi-de-soyza-sri-lankan-born
The Fair Niromi
Especially recommended for DBS Jeyaraj, Nikki Barraclough, Shanika Sriyananda and all those who have swallowed the performance of Niromi de Soyza in presenting her so-called autobiographical memoir, Tamil Tigress, wth the assistance of Allen & Unwin [of Demidenko fame]. A careful study will probably indicate, as Arun Ambalavanar suggests, that she has at times leaned on the work of Narayan Swamy — thereby repeating the same little mistakes that he made in relating a few incidents [mistakes that are inevitable in relating a complex story from afar, but are less likely if one is a bystander or participant in the events]
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The real Niromi , namely, Subothini Mariatta Anandarajah
SEE ** Judy Mariampillai in http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2012/09/21/unfolded-truth-about-the-tamil-tigress-book-written-by-niromi-de-soyza-sri-lankan-born/
** Michael Roberts: “Clouds of Deception: Jeyaraj anoints and cloaks Niromi Tigress,” in www.groundviews.org
** Michael Roberts: “Niromi de Soysa’s Path of Redemption with Deception? or Both?” 27 October 2011, http://thuppahis.com/2011/10/27/niromi-de-soysa%E2%80%99s-path-of-redemption-with-deception-or-both/
Ruqaya! Brindha! Little Girls Front Up
Michael Roberts
Brindha Yesterday. Ruqaya Today. Two different scenarios: yet, as it seems, both sharing the manipulation and grooming of sweet little girls by their parents and ethnic adults in order to press political claims. 
Pic by James Crowther
But can’t seven to ten year olds think for themselves? Maybe up to a point. Certainly both Ruqaya and Brindha in their different contexts fronted up confidently and spoke lucidly. Had they not been coached though and fired up, and thus moulded by elders whom they trusted? Probably, most of us would say. Continue reading
Bodies on the Line – from playing Jardine in BODYLINE to Vladimir in GODOT – Hugo Weaving
Michael Roberts
Way back when I was the second stringer in an Anthropology course on “Australian Society” directed by Susan Barham-Baggett at the University of Adelaide, one of my segments was the analysis of Australian sports culture. At that point it so happened that Channel Nine featured a blockbuster television series on the Bodyline Test series in Australia in 1932.
The central historical characters in that film were Donald Bradman, Douglas Jardine, Pelham Warner and Harold Larwood. Bradman’s role was played by Gary Sweet and Jardine’s by Hugo Weaving, an Englishman (4 April 1962) whose family had become domiciled in Australia from 1976.[i]In this script version much the more vital part was that of Jardine, whose unrelenting win-at-all costs character was presented by Weaving with some aristocratic panache. Continue reading
Alex Kuhendrarajah, where are you? Lessons to be learnt by Australian media
Michael Roberts, courtesy of Eurasia Review, 19 August 2012
Alex! Alex! Where art thou? We need you. Australia needs you. As a tale of “high drama” and alleged “piracy” surrounds the Wallenius Wilhelmsen and its detour to unload 67 male asylum-seekers at Christmas Island[i] hits the Australian headlines your experience and grandstanding would be beneficial to all sides. 
RECALL how you bestrode the Australian media waves during the last quarter of the year 2009 after the Jaya Lastari, with its 256 Tamil asylum seekers, was impounded at Merak off Java and all of you attempted to blackmail your way to Australia! Now, in August 2012 as another clutch of asylum-seekersrescued by the Wallenius Wilhelmsen has “threatened to harm themselves” and secured a passage to Christmas Island, thereby raising Scott Morrison’s ire (on behalf of the Liberal Party and Australia at large),[ii] your inside knowledge would be pretty handy. Continue reading
Sri Lankan Monkey captivated by Australian news!
Monkey Read, Momkey DO.
….. and who is it that said that “there is no progress in Sri Lanka” …. !!!!
Over the Top from Down Under: A Boat Person’s Song
I cross ocean, one way trip,
pay people smuggler one big tip
Green man, his name Bob Brown,
he welcomes all of us to town
He big man in Government now I think.
He sends us off to Centrelink
Welfare say, “You come no more, we send cash right to your door”
Welfare cheques, they make you wealthy!
Medicare, it keep you healthy
By and by, I get plenty money
Thanks to you, you Aussie dummy!
Write to friends in motherland.
Tell them “come fast as you can…”
“Before all is changed to Abbott plan”
They come in turbans and Toyota trucks
And buy big house with welfare bucks!
They come here, we live together.
More welfare cheques, it gets better!
Fourteen families, they moving in,
But neighbour patience wearing thin.
Finally, Aussie guy moves away.
Now I buy his house, then say,
“Find more immigrants for house to rent.”
And in the yard I put a tent.
Everything is very good,
And soon we own the neighbourhood.
We have hobby, it’s called breeding.
Welfare pay for baby feeding.
Kids need dentist? Wives need pills?
We get free! We got no bills!
Australians crazy! They work all year,
To keep the welfare running here.
We think Australia darn good place.
Too darn good for Aussie race!
If they not like us, they can scram.
Lots of space in Afghanistan!
PS: all we now need is Desmond Kelly singing this lyric to the tune of suranganita malu genaavaa … or maybe HAI HOI BABI ACHCHIGEY … Continue reading
Michael Roberts held captive in a journalist’s gunsight
Pearl Thevanayagam, in the Sri Lanka Guardian, 30 May 2012 with title “Michael Roberts Inc. — academics living in cloud cuckoo land”
By the time readers go through the likes of Michael Roberts, Dayan Jayetillaka and other long-winded social and political scientists’ essays (what science has got to do with social studies remains a mystery) in the newspapers and websites the world would have moved on faster than a scud missile. Yet, these writers insist the readers should take their seminal works very seriously indeed. Quite literally they are inept at comprehending that the shelf-life of a newspaper is less than 24 hours and those of websites few hours if not minutes. Newspapers are now a luxury to the average person and they had better have their money’s worth and news which are easily digestible rather than reaching for Roget’s Thesaurus. Continue reading
Teasing Abbott with the help of Costello
COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks I’m setting up an office in my den and I’m thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name’s Lou. Continue reading
