Meirsheimer’s Forecast in 2009 — Seeking to ”Save Israel From Itself”

John Meirsheimer, in The American Conservative, 18 May 2009….. article entitled “Saving Israel From Itself” …. with highlighting emphasis imposed by Tthe editor, Thuppahi

The two-state solution is the only way to guarantee the Jewish state’s long-term security—and our own.

Israel and Palestine in Middle East on contour map. Palestinian territories of Gaza and West Bank. Jerusalem and Jordan River on outline map. Theme of Israel, war, conflict.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The United States and Israel fundamentally disagree about the need to establish a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel. President Obama is committed to a two-state solution, while Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is opposed and has been for many years. To avoid a direct confrontation with Washington, Netanyahu will probably change his rhetoric and talk favorably about two states. But that will not affect Israel’s actions. The never-ending peace process will go on, Israel will continue building settlements, and the Palestinians will remain locked up in a handful of impoverished enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza. Anticipating this outcome, Obama has told Congress to expect a clash with Israel.

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The Mahaweli Development Project In Hindsight

Chandre Dharmawardena … an original article …with highlighting imposed by The Editor. TPS

It is interesting to look at the agenda of the workshop held at GANNORUWA in August 1974 [see references below] and ask what questions (and topics) should have been raised at that time, in hindsight, in the context of a number of issues where the Mahaweli project went very badly wrong.

Although there are many issues to consider where the Mahaweli project made mistakes, I will here write on just one issue that led to the deaths of thousands of farmers, beginning from late 1990s,  initially mostly in the Mahaweli C project area (I think).

The map is adapted from Balasooriya et al 2020.

 

 

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Kamindu Mendis Leaps Unto The World Cricket Stage

Nick Brookes, writing at MURALI END where the title runs ”How Kamindu set the world alight”

It’s been quite the year for Kamindu Mendis.

Cast your mind back to January. Kamindu was on the outside looking in – yet to make a mark in any form of international cricket. For years, he’d been ‘the next cab off the rank’, yet that tag is misleading. Kamindu was more like a tuk-tuk driver searching for passengers in the wilderness; waiting for a fare which increasingly looked like it may never arrive.

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Luxury Cars — Typical Extravaganza in Sri Lanka

Bedgar Perera, in The Island, 8 October 2024

In recent days, [a] vehicle display at Galle Face attracted much interest. Most of them were fuel guzzling, power packed automobiles, expensive to run and unaffordable to most unless somebody like the government or a big company picks up the tab. They were lavishly used by political appointees of many sorts at no cost to themselves.

 

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Hendrik Ambrosius Johnson: A Tale of Survival Across Three Continents

Nick Van Der Hoeven … with the highlights being the work of the Editor, Thuppahi

Before I discuss the incredible life of Hendrik Ambrosius Johnson, I just wanted to state that my interest in my Ceylonese genealogy was not deliberate, nor has it been a long -time passion. Quite the opposite. It was thrust upon me in fairly strange circumstances. Sitting at my work desk close to 20 years ago, then in my early 30’s with a young family, I decided to google ‘Sri Lankan Genealogy’.

Within 20 minutes I had met a second cousin (Kyle Joustra) and within 4 hours he had given me a 152-page Bloodline report outlining a staggering 22 generations dating back to medieval Brugge to a direct descendant born around 1270. Staggering. Not only did a line go back that far, the document contained pretty much all my direct grandparents going back at least 7 generations (or about 250 years). Again staggering. In that document, which I let sit in a filing cabinet for 15 years, there are over 1,800 relatives either direct or great uncles or aunts by blood or marriage.

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Agriculture in the Economic Development of Sri Lanka Conference held at Gannoruwa in August 1974 — PROGRAMME Circulated Then

AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SRI LANKA’ … conference organised by the Ceylon Studies Seminar ……16th – 19th August, 1974 …… at the In Service Training Centre, Gannoruwa

** The times of the mid-morning and afternoon tea-breaks will be announced each day.

** The names of the chairman and the discussant for each session will be indicated in a list which will be circulated later.

** The two papers marked with an asterisk may not be available for discussion.

A symbolic natural phenomenon from the Peradeniya University campus …. anticipaing potential prospects from the intellectual flowerings generated within its portals

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Harry Solomons stars in Over 70s World Cup

Johnny De Silva — ”You just cannot keep this bloke down … can you?”

Representing Sri Lanka in the Over 70s Cricket World Cup being played in the UK, Harry knocked up a great 78 in 134 balls playing against the usual team he represents in Seniors Cricket – Australia. I was fortunate enough to see Harry’s innings in the dead of night via social media.  Australia remains the only team that has won all their matches so far.

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Vale … Carl Fernando …. Aloysian

Johnny De Silva 

 Fernando, Anthony Carl, Son of the late Felix and Etta Fernando, loving brother of Audrey and brother-in-law of the late Quintus de S. Wijeyeratne, beloved Uncle of Sriyan and Geraldine, Samantha, Sanith and Ashuntha, Surein and Anushka, cherished Grand Uncle of Ashinsa and Nishan, Rashmi, Sahein, Chelan, Shanya and Shevin, passed away peacefully on the 18th April. His remains lay in state at A.F. Raymonds Funeral Parlour on Saturday, 20th April from 8 AM – 1 PM. Cremation was at Mount Lavinia Cemetery at 2 PM.

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Addressing the Place of Agriculture & the Mahaweli in Lanka’s Economic Future–In August 1974

Michael Roberts

The three-day conference on 16-19 August 1974 devoted to the topic of AGRICULTURE  IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SRI LANKA held at the excellent conference facility at the Department of Agriculture at Gannoruwa – within easy distance from the Peradeniya University campus – was an instance of the capacities and vitality of the Ceylon Studies Seminar at the Peradeniya University. The CSS had been launched in 1968 and its story has been documented elsewhere with an emphasis on the roles of Prof Gananath Obeyesekere, myself, Vijaya Samaraweera, SWR de Samarasinghe, CR de Silva, typists Mrs Hettiaratchchi & Kumaraswamy and cyclostyle-operator Sathiah (see …………………………………. https://thuppahis.com/2018/10/02/nationalist-studies-and-the-ceylon-studies-seminar-at-peradeniya-1968-1970s/).

Piyasiri

CR …. and Sathiah

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Nationalist Studies and the Ceylon Studies Seminar at Peradeniya, 1968-1970s

Michael Roberts …. repeating an old TPS item [with highlighting added] because of the implications of the recent TPS item  by Bedgar Perera re Prof Rex Clements.

The years 1966 to 1975 were heady days in Ceylon. Especially so for some of us in Peradeniya Univeristy where the CEYLON STUDIES SEMINAR was launched in November 1968 by a few members of the Arts Faculty assisted by the facilities provided by Professor Gananath Obeyesekera at the Sociology Departmentlocated then on Lower Hantane Road away from the centre of teaching. Not least among these facilities was the service provided by the Sociology Department peon Sathiah[1] who cyclostyled the written seminar papers beforehand for circulation so that those who were keen could read any presentation beforehand if they so wished – a procedure that also maximized discussion time. This background service was seconded by the typing services of Mrs Hettiarachchi in the History Department and Mr Kumaraswamy in the Sociology Department.

   Sathiah — an essential servicing hand …

  & Bishop Lakshman Wickremasinghe, who perceived the depth of the festering ethnic split early on

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