Michael Roberts Papers, mainly on Sri Lanka ……MSS 0031 …. AT = University of Adelaide Library………………………………………………. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/mss/roberts/transcripts%20list
Philip Gunawardena
Edmu
nd R Leach
Equanimity in Crunch Situations: Glenn Maxwell and His Lady
A Striking Photo sent to Thuppahi by Keith Bennett of Australia
Fantastic Predictions: WORLD CUP FORECASTS from Lankan Cricketing Fanatics
A FORECAST by Errol FERNANDO, …. A Piano Player from the Heavens, 19 November 2023
After a long tournament, we reach the final that we all predicted many weeks ago, Lorenz – India vs Australia – with the obvious prediction that India will win. Millions will back India,of course.
Let me take a different path by predicting a win for the Aussies, especially if they bat first. Head, Marsh and Maxwell are dangerous players who can take the game away from India.
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From Little Things Big Things Grow: Antonians Who Excelled Beyond Excellence
Bernard Vancuylenburg & Sisira Weragoda
Prologue: As an introduction to the subject of this article I had to choose a title which nails it all in just one line. It is the story of an academic miracle which emanated from a simple school in its infancy, St. Anthony’s College Katugastota, by a group of students who raised the bar of achievement and excellence in the prestigious London Matriculation Examination in 1934, with a 100% pass rate THUS OBTAINING THE BEST RESULTS IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. It was a path breaking year for the College and a validation of the school’s excellence. Twelve students sat the examination that year of whom six obtained first division passes, and six obtained second division passes. Their names which should be emblazoned in letters of gold in the field of education will be mentioned in this article. Paraphrasing the title of the book by Rubeih Murray James, we should “Carve their names with pride”.
“Our Present and Our Future” –Erudite Reflections on Ceylon’s Situation in 1850
A.C.[1]
“But where the stirring crowd, the voice of strife,
The glow of action, and the thrill of life?”
It may not perhaps be altogether useless to ask, How many of our countrymen have reflected seriously upon their condition and their prospects? How many have cast a thought beyond the events of yesterday or the business of to-day? We fear, not many. We are too content to move in the same mechanical circle of samenesses to-day as yesterday, to square our ideas with those of other men, to believe and to speak according to dictates; that we should entertain the remotest idea of comparing our Past with our Present, so as to arrive at a probable conception of the Future. Our life-time passes with the dreamy knowledge that we are, and but little beyond that. But What may we be? What ought we to be? Are questions which are never engendered in our minds. For any one original thought on the subject which may exist, we may be dwelling in Fairyland.
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The Logic behind the Hamas Raid of October 7th 2023
Scott Ritter of Global Research, 14 November 2023, whose chosen title is “The October 7 Hamas Assault on Israel: The Most Successful Military Raid of this Century” …. with highlighting emphasis in purple being that of the Author; while other highlights in blue or red are those imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi … who thanks Jayantha Somasundaram of Canberra for leading him to this important essay
There is a truism that I often cite when discussing the various analytical approaches to assessing the wide variety of geopolitical problems facing the world today—you can’t solve a problem unless you first properly define it. The gist of the argument is quite simple—any solution which has nothing to do with the problem involved is, literally, no solution at all.
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Revelations within Colonial Photographs of Ceylon: “Veins of Influence”
Veins of Influence: Colonial Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in Early Photographs and Collections, by Shalini Amerasinghe Ganendra
[This book is a pioneering monograph that brings a rich array of early and previously unpublished images of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) into the global discourse of photography, pairing a striking lens of visual appreciation with distinctly humanizing perspectives.
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Cricket Levelling Cricket! The Glenn Maxwell Song** …
Michael Roberts, deploying a twist on the West Indian calypso song presented by Lord Superior to sketch the twists and turns in the game exposd by Glenn Maxwell in te couse of two back-to-back matches
Playing against Afghanistan at Wankhede Stadium on the 14th November 2023, Glenn Maxwell produced an extraordinary innings of 201 runs off 138 deliveries that eventually secured an unlikely victory in dire circumstances—one that hauled the Aussies from 7 wkts for 91 runs in the 18th over to 293 for 7 wkts in the 47th over. He amassed amassed an unprecedented double century …. 201 runs in 138 balls at a strike/rate of 157.03.
Heavenly Bliss in Sri Lanka: Holidaying in Galle & Colombo, 24 July–4 August 2023
Ron Slee of Flinders University & Adelaide, …… with highlighting imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi and some End Notes added
My interest in visiting Sri Lanka has been building for decades, generated by my friendship with two Sri Lankan nationals with whom I play tennis, Michael Roberts and Justin La Brooy. Justin had written me a very helpful short history of the country and added his recommendations of where to see wildlife and scenic beauty and Michael had sent hundreds of photos and personal stories that helped me plan my visit.
Unexpectedly this year,[1] I was able to spend 11 memorable days in their country of origin, including two days visiting Galle Fort where Michael had grown up in the 1940s and 50s.
King Abdullah Speaks Out: A “Two-State Solution” for Palestine Arena
Item in Washington Post, 14 November 2023
King Abdullah of Jordan penned an op ed for the Washington Post yesterday. It can be found at, …. https://www.washingtonpost.
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is king of Jordan. For more than a month now, the war in Gaza has been dividing the world, with the deepening split aggravated by intense emotions. Two narratives, Palestinian and Israeli, have pitted demonstrators, media outlets, religions, peoples and regions against each other. In the process, the moral clarity that we should and must share about basic human values has turned into moral confusion.
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