This blog post was inspired by Richard Simon's: Ceylon Tea: The Trade That Made A Nation. This is about an employee of the tea trade who had descendants who ended up in S Thomas College and eventually as academics.Thillainayagam Tambypillai(probably late 1875)Thillainayagam Tambypillai was the Head Clerk of the New Dimbulla Tea Company, Ltd in Agrapatana. He had a couple ...

Obama on March 2011 said the following to Justify the war on Libya. "For more than four decades, the Libyan people have been ruled by a tyrant -– Muammar Qaddafi. He has denied his people freedom, exploited their wealth, murdered opponents at home and abroad, and terrorized innocent people around the world –- including Americans who were killed by Libyan ...

I keep getting this question of low unemployment numbers of US reported in the media, whereas I say there is high unemployment in the US.So first the point form answer.a) What the media reports is U3 from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). U3 are those unemployed and participating in the labor force, i.e looking for a job.b) There ...

Ex-LTTE cadres, carrying placards went in the procession, chanting slogans demanding that their livelihood not be hampered by handing over the agricultural farms, managed by the Army, to the Northern Provincial Council.The participants at the demonstration pointed out that more than 10,000 ex-LTTE cadres would be jobless if the farms run by the Army are taken over by the NPC ...

Saudi Arabia is now on UN Commission on the Status of Women. SA is also Head (or is it Behead) of the UN Human Rights Council..Twelve other countries were also elected by the council in Geneva to serve for a four-year term, ending in 2022: Algeria, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Turkmenistan, ...

Trump really is the menace we have all been warned about. Not only is Trump kicking a black family out of its longtime limewashed home, he also ends U.S. government support for the disenfranchised Jihadis in Syria and elsewhere. This even months before taking office. Without commentTrump maybe a jerk that makes sexist comments. However, he has not been proven ...

Rohan Samarajiva has a post advocating removal of import tariffs (gobalization). He did not recall any countries where import control policies were implemented except for North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.He could start with the the US which is the most protectionist nation. . http://www.globaltradealert.org/measure?tid=All&tid_1=494&tid_3=AllSome protectionism is not obvious, such as the massive subsidies to agriculture in the US. Whereas international ...

Very high possibility of a Trump win, regardless of the polls. Trump winning the US elections will be a repudiation of globalism (the Anglo-Saxon version, the new version being the Silk Road).Whether he can deliver on his promises is different, e.g.a) Protectionism. No trade agreements that will shift US jobs to another country. (e.g. 35% tax on cars built in ...

Hmm, wonder if there are parallels with Sri Lanka. The ICTY’s exoneration of the late Slobodan Milosevic, the former President of Yugoslavia, for war crimes committed in the Bosnia war, proves again we should take NATO claims regarding its ’official enemies’ not with a pinch of salt, but a huge lorry load. For the past twenty odd years, neocon commentators ...

Another Fantastic article by Satyajit Das. Much of what he observes is probably applicable to ECTA. e.g. “The reality is that experts [and elite] no longer relate to ordinary people.“ or as EU Martin Schultz said: “It is not the EU philosophy that the crowd can decide its fate”. [also read How businesses refuse to spend a few cents more ...

Sometimes you wonder about the chutzpah of US.In February 2010 a night raid by special operations forces in Afghanistan killed seven civilians including two pregnant women and two children.Defense Department investigators concluded that “the amount of force utilized was necessary, proportional and applied at appropriate time.” The investigation did acknowledge that “tactical mistakes” were made.U.S. soldiers dug the bullets out ...

A law passed on May 22 by Iceland's parliament is offering the foreign holders of about $2.3 billion worth of krona-denominated bonds a choice of either selling out in June at a below-market exchange rate, or have the money they receive upon maturity be impounded indefinitely in low interest bank accounts. In other words, Iceland is trying to kick out ...

Excerpts from a comment by Kieth on Income InequalityFeudalism – exploit the masses through land ownershipCapitalism – exploit the masses through wealth (Capital)Today this is done through the parasitic, rentier trickle up of Capitalism:a) Those with excess capital invest it and collect interest and rent.b) Those with insufficient capital borrow money and pay interest and rent.All this was much easier ...

The most listed occupation in Panama Papers is Politician. One thing is very clear, as officials are hypocritically denouncing the strategies they practice themselves.I dont agree with much of the referencing article, but link given belowhttp://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-05-22/guess-what-occupation-most-frequently-cited-panama-papers

A fantastic article on the Enclosure/Inclosure Acts in England which resulted 0.06 percent (40,000) owing half the land in the UK. Below are excerpts from the article and some comments comparisons with the Paddy Lands Act of 1958 and Land Reform Act of 1972. On reading the excerpts, please think abouta) Sri Lanka's decision to pursue a Agricultural Economy vs ...

This week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a 159-page report titled, “No More Excuses: A Roadmap to Justice for CIA Torture.” This detailed report sets forth a compelling legal case for the criminal prosecution of senior US officials for their roles as conspirators and accomplices in the illegal Central Intelligence Agency torture program (2001-2009).The report names names: “US officials who ...

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"Now is not the time for the U.S. to deprioritize the issues which could help heal a war-torn nation. Transitional justice, including accountability" writes Taylor DibbertFor a start Samantha Power could help heal war torn Libya. The invasion ...

Indira Gandhi/India armed and trained the LTTE. They went on to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.The July 83 riots allowed the LTTE become become stronger and better funded and resulted in a 30 year war.Europe and France were instrumental in overthrowing Gaddafi. Now Libya is a failed state and one of the gateways for migrants and refugees to enter Europe in the ...

Quartz is mined in Sri Lanka and exported mainly for the use in the micro chip/silicon wafers in the semi conductor industry. There is very little value addition even though some of the mining companies are BOI. Basically the women workers break the stone into little pieces and then it is crushed into powder and exported.Powdered Quartz is Rs. ...

Just a few hours ago Jack Point had an article against Tariffs that protect the local farmer. One of the arguments he uses are the Corn Laws of 1840''s that protected aristocrat large landowners in the UK. For a start there no comparison because Corn Laws refers to large aristocrat landowners in UK, whereas most agricultural land in Sri Lanka ...