August 27, 2018 · 1:43 am

Michelle de Kretser secures Miles Franklin Award Once Again: Two Reports

I = Jason Steger: “Michelle de Kretser wins her second Miles Franklin award,” Sydney Morning Herald, 27 August 2018

The first time Michelle de Kretser​ won the Miles Franklin Literary Award she missed out on much of the excitement and fuss – she was overseas at a writers festival and was woken in the middle of the night to hear the good news. On Sunday, however, she was fully rested and firmly ensconced at the Melbourne Writers Festival, ready to pick up the prize for her most recent novel, The Life to Come.

Winner of the 2018 Miles Franklin Literary Award Michelle de Kretser. Winner of the 2018 Miles Franklin Literary Award Michelle de Kretser …. Photo: Meredith O’Shea

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August 26, 2018 · 9:37 am

Goodness Gracious Me!….. Mama Mia to perform in Sri Lanka

Tina Edward Gunawardhana, in Daily Mirror, 26 August 2018

Mamma Mia will be staged at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapakse Theatre for an eight day run from 22-30 December as part of their international tour and will be their first ever performance in South Asia.

Mamma Mia is Just Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story telling magic of Abba’s timeless songs with an enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolding on a Greek island. Mamma Mia’s appeal is such that it has been seen by over 60 million people in 50 productions in 16 different languages worldwide. When it was first released in 2008 Mamma Mia the movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all times. A sequel Mamma Mia Here we go again had its global release in July 2018. Continue reading →

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August 26, 2018 · 9:09 am

Sagara Nuwan Bandara of Watagala: War Hero now a Fishmonger

Pushpa Weerasekera, courtesy of Daily Mirror, 15 August 2018 , where the title reads“Celebrated war hero now sells fish”

The untold suffering and dedication of the war heroes, who were engaged in a thirty-year-armed-conflict, are indescribable. They were once treated as the saviours of this nation. However, this is the tragic story of a war hero, who waged war on behalf of territorial integrity and peace.

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August 26, 2018 · 8:25 am

Politics in Cricket and Cricket for Politics

Meera Srinivasan:, in The Hindu, 17 August 2017, where the title is  “Evoking the Politics of Cricket in Sri Lanka,”

Sparked by Imran Khan’s ascent to the Prime Minister’s chair in Pakistan, sporting fans in Sri Lanka have been quick to pitch their own cricket stars as prospective leaders. And going by social media endorsements, Kumar Sangakkara is clearly a favourite.

In their eyes, ‘Sanga’, with his known record of speaking truth to power, has potential of becoming President in 2020. Some even came up with a “dream team” led by the prudent batsman — not test or one day, but a Cabinet of Ministers under his leadership. For those who nurtured hope for Mr. Sangakkara’s political entry, especially after his thoughtful tweet on Sri Lanka’s Civil War anniversary this year, calling for solemn reflection to remember all Sri Lankan lives lost to war and to “open our hearts so that we are able to feel another’s pain without judgement…”, it didn’t last long.

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August 26, 2018 · 3:08 am

Al -Jazeera’s Summary History of the LTTE, April 2009

Borrowed from http://www.aljazeera.com/focus/2008/11/2008112019115851343.html =/where the title reads “The history of the Tamil Tigers” .… emphasis has been added by The Editor, Thuppahi

Formed in 1975, the group has vowed to carve out a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka.:The conflict between Sri Lanka’s government forces and armed Tamil rebels has raged for nearly 60 years. Thousands have died and many more have been made h omeless by the fighting. Here we answer questions about the Tamil rebels, their composition and their stated goals. Continue reading →

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August 26, 2018 · 1:46 am

Serena’s Black Panther Suit outlawed from Roland Garros

AFP News Item in Sunday Observer, 26 August 2018, where the title is “Serena Williams banned from wearing Black Panther catsuit”

Serena Williams will be banned from wearing her ‘Black Panther’ catsuit again at the French Open after Roland Garros chiefs described the outfit as “going too far”. The 36-year-old American star stunned Paris this year in her body-hugging outfit which she said was inspired by the ‘Black Panther’ movie and made her feel like a ‘warrior princess’.As well as describing it as “fun and functional”, Williams insisted it helped her prevent a return of the blood clots which put her life in danger after giving birth last year. Continue reading →

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August 25, 2018 · 2:18 pm

The Way to FLY! ….. WHERE to fly!

Serendipity

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August 24, 2018 · 3:31 pm

Kumar as an Imran Khan? No, No, My Friend

Rip Van Winkle, in The Sunday Times, August 2018, where the title is “The corridor of uncertainty” .… with emphasis added by  The Editor, Thuppahi

I thought of writing to you when I heard you saying that you will not be running for the top job when the contest is held in little over a year. Hearing that, I was very disappointed – and quite surprised too because I always thought you would have been the ideal candidate to run the race next time around.

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August 24, 2018 · 1:16 am

The Wolvendaal Church in Colombo

Hugh Karunanayake, courtesy of The CEYLANKAN, Vol XXI, No. 3, August 2018

The Wolvendaal Church, that almost neglected but historical building in the Pettah, is unique in many ways. It is one of the few buildings in Sri Lanka which link the Portuguese period of occupation of Sri Lanka right through the Dutch and British periods, to independent Ceylon, and finally exists as a repository of culture of the Dutch who unsuccessfully sought to conquer the whole country. Some  recent photographs show weather related damage to the exterior of the building, which seem to be  receiving the attention of those who are in charge of the church.

Wolvendaal Church in 1938 – Pic by Lionel Wendt …. and

Dutch_Reformed_Church,_Colombo Watercolour painting of the Dutch Reformed Church (Wolvendaal), Colombo by J. L. K. van Dort (1888)Watercolour painting of the Dutch Reformed Church by J. L. K. van Dort (1888)

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August 23, 2018 · 3:04 pm

Potency, Power and People in Groups– British Ceylon to Modern Times via Pictures

  Penance on road, Sri Maurpthy Pathirikaali Temple, 2009

This book is both a display and a reflective exercise on the power of imagery, whether from camera or painting or etching. Images can be as captivating as seductive as misleading.  They can serve as raw data that provides glimpses of facets of life lost to the modern generations. They must, of course, be deployed by social scientists with attention to context and in association with other forms of data.

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