by Ganesh … working wonders with Photoshop
Obamas incorporated into Diwali
by Ganesh … working wonders with Photoshop
A Poetic Appreciation of GK Haththotuwegama … five years after
Chandra Wickremasinghe
Child of unconventionality Of the Peradeniya fifties, When burgeoning creativity, Made avant- garde waves, With the path breaking Maname And Sophocles’ Theban plays, Under such renowned Gurus non-pareil, Of the ilk of Sarathchandra and Ludowyke.
What a wonderfully esoteric world it was! With idyllic evenings Spent languorously, dreamily, Watching the human tragedies As they unfolded on the stage, To the accompaniment of the wailing flute, The muffled drum note and the sad choral voices, In the grassy amphitheatre Which juxtaposed symmetrically, With the sharply curving ‘oscular bend’, On the familiar Galaha road. Continue reading
How “The Gathering” branded the Mass Elephant Congress at Minneriya … Annual and Mid-Year
Srilal Miththapala, in The Island, 28 October 2014, with title ” ‘The Gathering’ — The Unknown Story”
‘The Gathering’ (of elephants) at Minneriya National Park takes place from around June to October each year and has today become a well-known phenomena in the world today. During the drought in the central province of Sri Lanka, some 150-250 wild elephants gather around this ancient man-made reservoir, covering approximately 8,900 hectares, which was constructed by King Mahasen in the 3rd century AD. This large reservoir fills up during the north-east monsoon around November to April each year. When the rain ceases, and the dry season begins, and the drought takes its toll, the water in the reservoir starts to dry up. Although the reservoir shrinks quite dramatically, it never really runs dry, and as the water recedes, it leaves behind fertile, moist soil where lush grass quickly sprouts. The entire reservoir is surrounded by scrub jungle, which opens out in the vast plains of the Minneriya tank. Continue reading
Brigitte Gabriel’s Devastating Criticism of Simple-Minded Political Correctness
SEE her response to the Question from law student Saba Ahmad at http://ozziesaffa.blogspot.com/2014/06/i-bet-she-regrets-asking-her-question.html ,,,
….. a question which replicated the simplistic, seemingly deep but quite obtuse and totally impractical point-of-view that was ALSO embodied in the question from Ursula — another law student — selected by TONY JONES of Q and A on Australian Broadcasting Channel’s popular Monday night show yesterday 27th October. This question was taken seriously by Geoffrey Robertson, HR Lawyer, and given a a partial nod of approval.
Brigitte Gabriel also took it seriously … and then tore it to shreds. Continue reading
Filed under Al Qaeda, democratic measures, historical interpretation, Hitler, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, law of armed conflict, Left politics, life stories, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, security, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, violence of language, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes, zealotry
KP’s Frantic Efforts to Save the Tiger Leaders in 2009 … and USA’s Pursuits
Michael Roberts: “Setting the Context — Fragments of Data”
The recent ‘recovery’ of Fr. Gaspar Raj’s information on the various ideas and lines of endeavour directed towards saving the LTTE leadership in the dire circumstances confronting them in 2009, together with the interjections of PK Balachandran and Muralidhar Reddy that convey indirect information from other sources, provide one with significant wisps of data on the strategic “pursuits” favoured by USA in relation to Sri Lanka in 2008/09. I use the term “pursuits” advisedly here as an omnibus term for the USA’s mixture of goals, a ‘product’ that I hope to clarify, via conjecture and by analytical deduction, in essays to be written after the Wikileaks disclosures of US embassy despatches[1] have been digested.
The information in this respect within the Gaspar Raj item has particular value because this Tamil Jesuit from southern India is a rabid nationalist who has been an ardent supporter of the LTTE and continues to voice extremist claims, including charges of “genocide” levelled at the government of Sri Lanka.[2] Continue reading
Filed under american imperialism
Buddhist Extremists in Sri Lanka and Burma on the Warpath
Latheef Farook, courtesy of Colombo Telegraph, 11 October 2014, where the title is “BBS – Wirathu Agreement: Declaration Of War On Muslims In Sri Lanka And South Asia”
Anti Muslim Sinhala racist outfit Bodu Bala Sena(BBS), which does not represent the mainstream Sinhala Buddhists, but had done considerable damage to pit Sinhalese against Muslims in the name of Sinhalese and Buddhism, together with Myanmar’s convicted criminal Ashin Wirathu, have declared war on Islam and Muslims in Sri Lanka and in South Asia. As part of this program the two sides, BBS and 969, also signed a special agreement aimed at creating South Asia free of what they described as (Islamic) terrorism and religious fundamentalism.
Bhikkhus listen to Wirathu at Sugathadasa stadium, Colombo — Pic AFP
Addressing the Sangha Council meeting, organized with pomp and pageantry by the BBS costing millions of rupees on Sunday 28 September 2014 at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Ashin Wirathu, the dreaded leader of the 969 movement, the architect of the massacre of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and described by TIME magazine as the “face of the Buddhist terror” told, that his organization 969 would work with the BBS to fight so called Islamic terrorism. Continue reading
Filed under Bodu Bala Sena, Buddhism, fundamentalism, historical interpretation, life stories, politIcal discourse, propaganda, psychological urges, racist thinking, religious nationalism, riots and pogroms, sri lankan society, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, violence of language, world affairs, zealotry
China at the Pinnacle of the Buddhist World Today
Kalinga Seneviratne … at Baoji in China, in article entitled “China lays claim to leadership of the Buddhist World”
A Group photograph of all participants at this Conference was taken at the world renowned and extraordinary Famen Temple, Shaanxi Province on the morning of October 16, 2014
With an impressive display of Chinese Buddhist culture and hospitality, China laid claims to giving leadership to the Buddhist world, by hosting over 600 international delegates for the 27th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) at this historic city in north western China from 16th-18th October. The conference theme of “Buddhism and Public-Benefit Charity” laid the path of Buddhist collaboration, especially in mobilizing financial and spiritual resources to advance the development of Buddhist communities across the world in a compassionate and socially harmonious manner.
