July 17, 2024 · 1:48 pm

Senaka Weeraratna presses His Claims as Inventor of the DRS in Cricket

Michael Roberts

Senaka Weeraratna of Royal College and Sri Lanka has been persistent in his campaign for recognition being accorded to his role in conceiving the revolutonary DECISION REVIEW SYSTEM in cricket matches. On one occasion he even visited me at my sister’s house in Hampden Lane,Wellawatte, Colombo, in order to persuade me about the validity of his cause. I never had any objection to his position; but I have no clout within the ICC and limited capacities in investigating such an issue. All I can say is that SENAKA reminds me of one Anagarika Dharmapala — one of Senaka’s relatives — in the zealousness and persistence devoted to a cause. 

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July 15, 2024 · 4:19 pm

Facing the West: Three Strands of Russian Thinking Today

Observer in a Black Sea Port, …. with highlighting mpasis imposed by Thuppahi

Broadly speaking, today, there are three types of Russians as follows, 

1) Pro-Western Russians. This group love the West, want Russia to be fully integrated in the West, and believe that can only happen if Putin is killed or removed. They use words like “fascist”, “tyrant”, “bloodthirsty”, “war criminal”, and “genocidal maniac” to describe Putin. All of this is dangerous hyperbole because they don’t appreciate that if Putin were removed, a hardcore nationalist would likely replace him — which will be far worse than Mr. Putin. Continue reading →

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July 15, 2024 · 12:58 pm

Where Wisdom outbowls Intelligence

Lines of Wisdom …. from a Cricketing Professor and Thomian

1. Intelligence leads to arguments. Wisdom leads to settlements.
2. Intelligence is power of will. Wisdom is power OVER will.
3. Intelligence is heat, it burns. Wisdom is warmth, it comforts.
4. Intelligence is pursuit of knowledge, it tires the seeker. Wisdom is pursuit of truth, it inspires the seeker.
5. Intelligence is holding on. Wisdom is letting go.
6. Intelligence leads you. Wisdom guides you.
7. An intelligent man thinks he knows everything. A wise man knows that there is still something to learn.
8. An intelligent man always tries to prove his point. A wise man knows there really is no point.
9. An intelligent man freely gives unsolicited advice. A wise man keeps his counsel until all options are considered.
10. An intelligent man understands what is being said. A wise man understands what is left unsaid.
11. An intelligent man speaks when he has to say something. A wise man speaks when he has something to say.
12. An intelligent man sees  everything as relative. A wise man sees everything as related.
13. An intelligent man tries to control the mass flow. A wise man navigates the mass flow.
14. An intelligent man preaches. A wise man reaches.
 
*Intelligence is good but wisdom achieves better results.*🌈😊🌹

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July 14, 2024 · 8:32 pm

Trump’s Demagogic March leaps further ….

Mayura Botejue in USA

Trump’s marketing instincts are sharp and he seized the moment!

This image will circulate widely. It will draw more adulation from his voter base and help to sway undecided others who admire courage, toughness, defiance, etc. Especially powerful when his campaign casts his opponent Biden as frail and senile.

     ****   ****

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July 14, 2024 · 8:12 pm

NATO’s Global Ambitions on the Path to Imperial Conquest

Observer in a Black Sea Port

This You Tube item serves up an excellent discussion and critical analysis of some of the key clauses of the recent NATO communique. It is entertaining too. There is a vast gap between the intellectual rigour applied in this discussion, compared to NATO’s communique which is a distortion of reality and historical truth, and is sheer propaganda.

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July 13, 2024 · 12:40 pm

Trump, Biden + Fei-Yu-Ching sing ”A Spray of Plum Blossoms”

Theodore K

In this duo performance, Donald Trump and Joe Biden come together to sing the Chinese song  一剪梅 (in pinyin it reads, “Yī jiǎn méi”).   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtKSHJKzia4

一(Yī) = One

剪(jiǎn) = to cut

梅(méi) = plum

The title of the song may be rendered as A Spray of Plum Blossoms.

The song was made famous by the popular Taiwanese singer Fei Yu-ching and his rendition can be found at https;//www.youtube.co/watch/v=AjitR7RZEQU

 

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July 13, 2024 · 12:33 am

The Lanka Premier League Cricket Contest approaches the Final Strait

iNFO in ESPNcricinfo – https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/lanka-premier-league-2024-1421415/fan-ratings/6

The JAFFNA KINGS and GALLE STALLIONS head the table with 4 wins and eight points from 06 matches each; while KANDY FALCONS languish at the bottom with only two wins [thus 4 points from 06 matches. COLOMBO STRIKERS and DAMBULLA SIXERS have played one less match than the other teams and have 4 points.

Avishka Fernando — batting stats at present

LPL 2024 POINTS TABLE

TEAM M W L PT NRR
JK 6 4 2 8 0.302
GAM 6 4 2 8 0.087
CLS 5 2 3 4 0.067
DAS 5 2 3 4 -0.171
KAF 6 2 4 4 -0.317

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July 12, 2024 · 6:34 pm

Elongation … Garner rises to the Occasion

Item sent by Dulip Karunaratne of Brisbane, 12 July 2024

Joel Garner*, Cricket legendary fast bowler from West Indies, is 6 feet 8 inches tall.  In his playing years, his height was a big attraction.

Once at a dinner in Australia, he was approached by two ladies, who asked, “You are so tall, with long arms and limbs. We are dying to know whether everything else is in proportion to your height.”

Sportingly, Garner replied, “Ladies, if I were built in proportion, I would be 9 feet  tall.”

😆😂😜

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July 12, 2024 · 4:37 pm

Kalupahana shines as Sri Lankan U19 Cricketers overshadow England in UK

ECB Reporters Network in ESPNcricinfo, 11 July 2024 .… with this headline “Dinura Kalupahana leads from the front as Sri Lanka U19s rally at Wormsley”

Sri Lanka U19s 324 (Kalupahana 104, Caldera 55, French 4-81) and 192 for 4 (Shanmuganathan 73) drew with England U19s 247 (McCann 92, Fonseka 86, Maneesha 6-56)
England Men Under-19s will head to Chelmsford for a series decider after the first Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s ended in a rain-affected draw.
Any hopes of a result had been dulled when the second day was completely washed out, after which the tourists controlled the contest to earn a deserved 77-run first-innings lead. Sri Lanka U19s then batted out the remainder of the match to be 192 for 4 when stumps was called at 5.30pm.
Dinura Kalupahana in elegsnt offdrive
Keshana Fonseka batting … for England

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July 11, 2024 · 1:11 am

NATO’s Military Reach expands into the Indo-Pacific

Ken Moriyasu, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent, in  NIKKEI Web … Alternative Title = “NATO’s New Swordsmiths”

NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners — Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — will discuss defense industrial cooperation when they meet on Thursday, according to a senior U.S. official.

 A U.S. soldier inspects a Patriot missile defense battery near Warsaw in 2015. Precision munitions and air defense are seen as key areas of need as NATO looks to expand defense industrial cooperation …. Agencja Gazeta via Reuters

Michael Carpenter, senior director for Europe at the U.S. National Security Council, said on Monday that the security of Europe is intertwined with that of the Indo-Pacific — a concept often mentioned by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

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