20 July 2014

Mahela's timely retirement and other tidbits

Mahela's decision

Mahela Jayawardena has announced his retirement from Test Cricket.  Good.  He's realized he has reached his peak and is on the way out anyway.  Best time to go.  Like Murali did. Like Sanath did not.  Now if only everyone knew how to pick that moment to say 'This is it, I am done, thanks for the good times, bye-bye!'  Sarath Fonseka had a good thing.  He blew it. Mahinda Rajapaksa...well, some would say he's had his ups and downs and perhaps has already had his last 'up'.  Ranil?  Did he ever peak?  Anyway, thanks Mahela for all the great moments.  

NGO Security
All Non Governmental Organizations are to come under the Ministry of Defence, we are told.  This could mean one of two things.  One, many NGOs are paying the price for the crimes of a few NGOs whose track records indicate that they were and/or are a threat to national security. There could be a difference reason for this decision.  Maybe the Government believes that NGOs NEED security.  Maybe this is because there are some NGO personalities who can't stop whining about their lives being under threat.  If this is the case, these NGOs should applaud this move.  Now, if something goes wrong, if some NGO activist is insulted, assaulted, abducted or killed, the blame will fall squarely on the defence establishment.  Maybe that's the silver lining to this move which some have described as being 'black' and 'ominous'.  Hardly discernible of course, but a line surely and silver-colored too!


Mental disorders and teaching disorders
It is reported that over 250 teachers in the Eastern Province are suffering from mental disorders and that the authorities don't know what to do with them.  The authorities can be forgiven.  After all they are not physicians and treating illnesses is not their job.  On the other hand what are the authorities doing about the thousands of teachers in and out of the Eastern Province who are suffering from 'teaching disorders', i.e. who don't do a stroke of work in class and/or are totally incompetent and therefore unable to offer proper instruction?

  


Sachithra's degrees
Sachithra Senanayake exceeds 43 degrees, the headline of a news story blared out.  Wow!  Even Mervin Silva (Dr) has just one.  But 43 degrees?  Where did he have the time to collect them?  It would be tall order to imagine Sachithra with a single 'degree cap but impossible to think of him wearing 43?!  Now we hear that he wants to bring it down to less than 15 degrees.  Good on him.  When will Mervin follow suit?


What the Govt can do, the NGOs can do better!
The Government of Sri Lanka has called upon the concerned parties to exercise utmost restraint in a bid to halt the violence and ensure a climate conducive to the recommencement of negotiations for a lasting solution to the conflict in Gaza.  The Government certain took its own cool time to issue this call, but then again the Govt was also slow in calling people to 'exercise utmost restraint' when 'Alutgama' happened.  On the other hand, sections of the NGO community that's so big on reconciliation and conflict resolution, and which operates much like voice-cut advocacy artists could have been prompt in response. Didn't happen.  

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