New opportunities for South Asian collaboration in space technologies can help reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. Both China and India are keen to enhance links with smaller Asian countries in using satellites for communications, weather services, land use monitoring and navigation. They have also realised the value of ‘space diplomacy’, or using space related […]
Sinhala children’s weekly newspaper Mihira has just completed 50 years of publication. The paper holds nostalgic memories for those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s with limited access to reading material. The tabloid was launched by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL, or Lake House) on 27 July 1964. Its founder […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 8 August 2014 Dr Chandra Wickramasinghe At 75, astronomer Dr Chandra Wickramasinghe is still very much the scientific maverick that he has been for several decades. He loves to challenge orthodoxy even if…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I look at how to prevent death and disability caused by drowning in Sri Lanka. Around 1,200 people die every year in Sri Lanka from drowning — several times the number of deaths from dengue fever, but this distributed tragedy gets much less public and media attention. Most […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I pay tribute to South African writer and social activist Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014). I focus on how she never hesitated to speak out for justice, fairness and equality even when that elicited ridicule and harassment from her own government that quickly labeled her a ‘traitor’. I also recall […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I revisit the on-going debate on social media and social accountability, this time from the perspective of freedom of expression. Unless a user takes consistent precautions, everything published online is ultimately traceable to the point of origin. However, for most practical purposes, options of anonymity and pseudonymity are […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 18 July 2014 Road safety infographic – courtesy WHO The Apollo 8 space mission, which lasted from 21 to 27 December 1968, was the first time that a manned spacecraft left Earth orbit,…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I return to the oft-discussed topic of social media in today’s Lankan society. If media mirror the realities of its land and times, don’t social media reflect its society as well? And if some among us don’t like what is expressed by fellow citizens using social media platforms, […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 11 July 2014 Last time the FIFA World Cup was approaching its climax in mid July 2010, I did my bit for interstellar cooperation (or conquest). If you’re an alien planning to invade…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I salute a fellow traveler in journalism and conservation who departed two years ago: Manel Tampoe (1927-2012). I wrote a tribute in English in September 2012, which appeared in Groundviews.org: Manel Tampoe: Perceptive Chronicler of Sri Lanka’s DDT Generation (This Sinhala column is not a translation.) මෙරට පුවත්පත් […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 4 July 2014 How a tsunami warning system works. AFP FILE PHOTO Timely warnings about on-coming disasters can literally save lives – provided the word reaches those at risk. And they know what…
AMAZING SCIENCE comes to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 4 July 2014 as part of the French Spring Festival organised by Alliance Française de Kotte in COLOMBO and its partners. Here’s the day’s program, to be held at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Independence Avenue, Colombo. I’ll be speaking on “Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular […]
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I discuss the role of mainstream and social media in the immediate aftermath of serious communal riots in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town in Sri Lanka on 15 June 2014. For over 48 hours, there was little coverage of the incidents in newspapers, or on radio and TV. […]
June 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese government’s brutal crackdown on protesting students at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. There was one iconic image from that tragedy. It shows a solitary, unarmed Chinese man standing up against a column of battle tanks rolling down a street. In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I salute […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 20 June 2014 Many Muslim-owned properties have been attacked and some set alight – AP photo What is the best way to manage public information in times of national crises – whether disasters,…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala, published on 15 June 2014), I turn the spotlight on the world of media itself. In particular, how the Lankan print and broadcast media exploits freelance writers and other creative professionals who are paid extremely low rates even by highly profitable media companies. I cite my own experiences […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 13 June 2014 Indo Pak Nuclear rivalry seen by Himal Southasian magazine Years ago, as a young science journalist working for Asia Technology magazine of Hong Kong, I was shown around Pakistan’s space…
In this week’s Ravaya column (in Sinhala), I explore the formidable policy dilemmas posed by tobacco control in Sri Lanka. I argue that it isn’t a simple or simplistic battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ as anti-tobacco activists would make us believe. There is no doubt that tobacco kills many smokers — and some non-smokers, too. […]
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 6 June 2014 One man against a mighty army – Tank Man in Beijing This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese government’s brutal crackdown on protesting students at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.…
Originally posted on When Worlds Collide, by Nalaka Gunawardene:Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today newspaper on 31 May 2014 May 31 is World No Tobacco Day Tobacco control presents formidable policy dilemmas. It isn’t a simple or simplistic battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ as anti-tobacco activists would make us…