USA’s Military Build-Up in Europe: Frightening Precursors

Christopher Black, courtesy of New Eastern Outlook, 17 February 2016, with the title  “Operation Barbarossa 2: American Occupation of Europe Intensifies”

34534534544On February 1 the New York Times ran a front page story by two of their journalists confirming the intentions of the United States to increase its occupation of and military presence in Europe particularly the east. Under the title “U.S. Fortifying Europe’s East to Deter Putin” the story sets out just one in a continuing series of acts of aggression against Russia. At the same time as the Americans announced this action they pretended to negotiate with Russia in Geneva about a solution to the American and allied aggression against Syria.

 

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Doom and Gloom Forecast for Sri Lanka … and USA … and the World!

ONE: IT is the BUDGET Nap-Time in Sri Lankan Parliament

After a tasty rice & curry meal for lunch with Fruit salad, Ice cream, watalappam etc. provided by the Parliament Cafeteria, (for a subsidized price of Rs150) this is what you can expect !

ALSO SEE

* Shenali Waduge:   “IMF bailout : Sri Lanka’s troubles only beginning,” 18 February 2016, …. http://www.sinhalanet.net/imf-bailout-sri-lankas-troubles-only-beginning

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Mihintale in Lanka adds a Toxic Frog to the World’s Endemic Problems

, courtesy of Sunday Times, where the title is “Toxic frog joins elite endemic club”

The Mihintale narrow-mouthed frog and below, the tadpole of this frog

The Mihintale narrow-mouthed frog and below, the tadpole of this frog

 

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Viran Corea’s Thoughts on Constitutional Reform

Himal Kotelawela in Q and A with Viran Corea

Himal-Kotelawala_ Himal aa-ViranViran
Major changes to the Constitution of Sri Lanka are on the cards, with the Government encouraging citizens to submit their own suggestions for constitutional amendments that seek to, among other things, abolish the Executive Presidency, change the electoral system, and bring about meaningful and lasting reconciliation. Roar spoke to legal expert and Research Associate at Verité Research, Viran Corea on what the people of Sri Lanka can expect from the proposed amendments.
Parliament of Sri Lanka. Image Credit: hemmathagama.lk
Parliament of Sri Lanka. Image Credit: hemmathagama.lk

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Was the “Federal” Party a separatist party from the outset, or NOT?

Chandre Dharmawardana

 “Those in the forefront of the Tamils’ agitation for devolution of power have always been  vague, deliberately or unconsciously, in the terminology used in their arguments, and the distinction between provincial autonomy, states’ rights in a federal union, and a separate state have been blurred by a fog of verbiage, and obfuscation K. M. de Silva [1]”

ITAKfront page

In this essay I will try to give an account of how the “Federalist” politics of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi is seen by me, an outsider who had no real access to the main players, except indirectly. In my reading, it  is incorrect to claim that Federalism or  Eelam was the clear aim of the 1949 Maradana resolution. Both tendencies existed. The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) name was deliberate, and satisfied the separatist ginger group of the ITAK, while the “Federal” name in English satisfied the moderate politicians from Colombo-7.  Mr. V. Navaratnam is representative of the important separatist  group inside the ITAK as he was the early theoretician of the ITAK.  He wrote the then well-known book  “Ceylon Faces Crisis”, with an Eelam Map distributed in 1957 [2].  A Separatist Postage stamp was designed by Navaratnam in 1956, and issued in 1961 [3]. Continue reading

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US Alliance enmeshed in Middle Eastern Mess without an Exit Route

David Kilcullen, from The Weekend Australian 13-14 February 2016, where the title is “Already Weary of the long war that we are not winning” … and where Kilcullen clarifies the spread-effects of the Bush administration’s disastrous intervention in Iraq and its efforts to “spread democracy at the barrel of a gun” (in Maajid Nawaz’s words) reaching a point  “when there is no drawbridge NOW” — Editorial Comment

As I write, Western countries (several, particularly the US, now with severely reduced international credibility) face a larger, more unified, capable, experienced and savage enemy, in a less stable, more fragmented region, with a far higher level of geopolitical competi­tion, and a much more severe risk of great-power conflict, than at any time since 9/11. It isn’t just Islamic State; al-Qa’ida has emerged from its eclipse and is back in the game in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Syria, Somalia and Yemen. We’re dealing with not one but two global terrorist organisations, each with regional branches, plus a vastly larger radicalised population at home, and a flow of foreign terrorist fighters 10 to 12 times the size of anything seen before. Likewise, last year’s Taliban resurgence shows that as bad as things seem now, they can get much worse if the Afghan drawdown creates the same opportunity for Islamic State next year as the Iraqi drawdown did in 2012.

kilcullen-en.wikipedia.org Kilcullen —en.wikipedia.org Continue reading

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Swirling through the Skies. Paratrooper Irosha

Chathuri Dissanayake, in The Daily News, 15 February 2016, with the title “Irosha: Lanka’s silver lining in the clouds”

Irosha Rajapaksha has her head in the clouds, and that’s a good thing. As one of the two female paratroopers in the country, she has a special place in Sri Lanka’s skyline. When Leading Aircraftwoman Rajapaksha replied to an email to join the first course in parachute jumping for women, she didn’t know what she was getting herself into! But she didn’t think twice before jumping at the chance, and since then she has been jumping into the clouds – 485 times, to be exact. The highest number of jumps for any Sri Lankan female jumper.

IROSHA 22 IROSHA 11 Continue reading

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Danno Budunge: “Goodness Gracious Me!”

sasanka pereraSasanka Perera, courtesy of Groundviews where the title runs thus: Shrillness of Nonsensical Cultural Politics and the Social History of a Song” … see http://groundviews.org/2016/02/08/18976/

About a week back in an email exchange I was prompted by ethnographic anecdotes sent by Arun Dias Bandaranaike in Colombo to suggest to him that we should collaborate on an article on the topics of “Insularity” and “Parochiality.” I see those concepts as inter-related and overlapping. My suggestion was/is that the foundation provided by insularity enables and inspires eruptions of chauvinism (in this focus among the Sinhalese peoples but  the reasoning could be extended to other contexts and socio-political settings – for example, among the redneck and hill-billy locales in USA). So, this thoughtful essay from Sasanka Perera is serendipitous. We are on the same song-sheet. I have taken the liberty of highlighting portions of his essay in colour. Michael Roberts

kishani_jayasinghe-soprano Kishani Jayasinghe ….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plaKsOtC3b8

The latest news from Sri Lanka’s often bizarre domains of cultural politics is that Buddhism is under threat along with Sinhala culture. This however, is not due to the corrupt and violent politics that still remain the hallmark of the country’s mainstream politics or because of the unethical and anti-doctrinal work of marauding Buddhist monks who have become storm troopers causing bodily harm to people, disrupting court proceedings and vehicular traffic in the country putting Hitler’s dreaded Brown-shirts to shame. Continue reading

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Heightened Sinhala Patriotism assumes Dangerous Chauvinist Hues

Michael Roberts

These images landed on my computer desk and should be studied and reflected upon in conjunction with the bibliographical items that I will insert in between the pictorial displays — every one of them revealing the heightened agitation among Sinhalese intellectuals at home and abroad. These outpourings indicate several strands of  chauvinist Sinhala nationalism that are extremist in various degrees. Such extremism feeds off the Tamil extremism in display among diaspora Tamils as well as some elements in Sri Lanka. The pressures that have been heaped on Sri Lanka by USA and its handmaidens in the UN secretariat have also been a major force in generating these trends. In brief, this is just what the Global Tamil Forum and the deified ghost of talaivar Prabhakaran want.

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In Appreciation of P. I. Pieris — “Ian” to Some Pals, “PI” to Others

Gerry Suraweera, in Daily News, 13 February 2016, with title “Ian Pieris: The unsung pioneer of Sri Lankan industry and business”

The recent demise of Ian Pieris brought spontaneous appreciations from the field of cricket, where his prowess in bowling, batting or administration was never in doubt! He is also being credited as the only “gentleman” who resigned from the post of President of Sri Lanka Cricket. It is sad to note that since his departure from Richard Pieris Group as the Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, his pioneering achievements as an industry and a business leader has been forgotten.

My objective as an ex-employee of Richard Pieris Group and a person who has been in involved in manufacturing, marketing, publicity and advertising to appreciate this great man’s contributions to the rubber and the plastic industry, international and retail marketing in Sri Lanka.

 

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