Today’s media reports state that the much anticipated meeting between G.L. Peiris and Hillary Clinton was a fruitful one. Yes, apparently the Americans were highly complimentary of our plan of reconciliation. Of course no one in Sri Lanka has seen this plan, in fact when G.L. left to the States there was speculation over whether he would have anything at ...
So I have just returned to my hotel room after the first official day of the US election tour 2012. Having met the journalists from all around the world who have been selected for this program, I am now ready to start on the campaign trail. Day one, like day two will be, was full of seminars designed at giving ...
For those who have not noticed Sri Lanka’s diplomatic service is a joke. You just need to look at our recent record at overseas events to see what I see. The worst part is, we werent always like this. For a long time (back in the 60s-80s) we were a shining example for many countries. Of course like so many ...
For the past few weeks I have been asking people to join the Samagi Youth Corp, and rightly so many of them have asked me what exactly is the Samagi and what are the goals of the Samagi Youth. I am taking this time to write a brief summary of what the Samagi is and how the youth corp will ...
“Political Dynasties”, a term that is as old as politics. For the ancient civilisations their rulers were concerned with maintaining their legacy, the crown would be passed from parent to child to ensure the family name continues on down the ages. In today’s political spectrum the idea of dynasties is not too far away (especially in Asia). Sri Lanka, India, ...
Keheliya Rambukwella is back in Sri Lanka; for those who cannot remember but he was our Minister of Mass Media, the same man who fell off the balcony of a hotel in Melbourne. This accident happened back in February this year, it’s now nearing the end of May and finally the Minister has returned. I do not for a minute ...
Seminars are over, now the weekend is upon us and on the other side of it I am off to Ohio where the real fun begins. Just heard that Obama and Bill Clinton are going to be in Ohio on Monday, fingers crossed I will get the chance to go to the rally. Of course there is the slight issue ...
Polling stations have closed in Ohio and now the public eagerly awaits the results of the key swing state. Ohio has 18 electoral votes up for grabs and whoever wins the state has been predicted as winning the 2012 Presidential election. To make matters more interesting, no Republican candidate has won the Presidential election without winning this state. Republican candidate ...
When one day cricket was first seen in the late 1970s, in the form of the controversial “World Series Cricket”, supporters of the game described it as a “game played in pyjamas”. Now, 20/20 is here and it can only be likened to a fancy dress party whose hosts have never been to a party before. The World T20, which ...
The government is preparing for the Victory Day parade, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday. For some people in Colombo they have chosen to criticise both the armed forces and the government with sentiment such as “why should we be celebrating a war” or “this is just another opportunity to pump up the forces”. I personally do not ...
The US involvement in Asia has come about with the ever growing presence of China. From the 1950s onwards America has shown an unwillingness to return to their old ways of “isolationism”. The Cold War being the biggest attribute to this. In the 21st Century the Cold War, I believe, is still going strong only the theatre has changed. We ...
I wrote an article the other day about religious intolerance around Asia and it prompted discussion both online and among friends. One of the interesting comments, which can also be seen on the article, was that I had been making “a mountain out of a mole-hill”. Now obviously I do not agree with this otherwise I would not have written the ...
At 64 years, Marie Jenson has been a volunteer for the past 6 presidential elections in the Democrats’ camp. Back in 1988, while Democrat candidate Michael Dukakis was soundly beaten, winning only 111 electoral votes, Jenson was bitten by the election bug. “I was forty years old and a stay at home mother when I first volunteered. Elections were not ...
I went last night to observe Halloween first hand in Ohio, and it certainly was an experience like none other. In today’s modern word Halloween seems to be celebrated by everyone, costumes parties are held all over and even in some countries kids go trick or treating. But it got me thinking why is Halloween so big in America, in ...
Today I was greeted with the news that Sarath Fonseka was going to be released, sources confirmed the news. Personally this was depressing news, not because I in any way support the govt. but because I feel that he emphasises the Sri Lankan way of turning a blind eye to something provided we get what we want. When I returned ...
While the whole world prepares for the United States presidential election, many, both inside and outside America, are still unsure how the system works. The 2000 presidential election debacle involving George W. Bush and Al Gore fueled this confusion with Gore winning the popular vote but still failing to win the election. In the US, despite a candidate winning the ...
It only struck me a couple of days ago but Sri Lankans have very little in the way of entertainment or leisure activities. For the kids, outside of sports and tuition classes, there is little to nothing in the way of entertainment. For the adults, we are left with nothing but bars and restaurants (no wonder Colombo society is getting ...
The weekend is coming to an end, and with it starts the final week of campaigning for the Presidential election. As for me, I bid farewell to Washington D.C. and say hello to Ohio. I spent Saturday (my free day) exploring the capital, and it was an amazing experience seeing all that history in one place. Americans have been known ...
Hurricane Sandy has taken the US by storm, literally, and in doing so has swept aside the focus that has been on the Presidential election. For the past two days cable news has been dominated by coverage of the storm; live reports from the ground showing the impending arrival of Sandy, explanations of precautions that can be taken, continuos updates ...
Egypt’s newly instated President, Mohamed Morsi, successfully orchestrated a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel this past week. In doing so he has announced himself as a key player in the post Arab Spring Middle East. For many outside of Egypt, Morsi was a relatively unknown character prior to the ousting of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Despite being a political figure ...
