It’s been over eight years since Facebook became a thing in Sri Lanka. Only a handful of people were on it then, a few of whom had migrated from the only other locally popular social networking site at the time, Hi5. Eight years is a long time and today, Facebook here is huge, in every sense of the word. Not ...
Remember the evil Queen in ‘Snow White’, who used to stand in front of her mirror and ask this question? Dreading the answer, in case she was not deemed the ‘fairest’ (which, in the fairy tale, meant ‘the most beautiful’)? Who’s the fairest of us all? Image courtesy disneyscreencaps.com As people with dark skin, Sri Lankans face a challenge which ...
‘Techy’ or not, all of us have come to gradually realise the sheer scale and power of modern social media. ‘Gangnam Style’ from the previously unknown South Korean rapper ‘Psy’ reached over two billion views on YouTube and reportedly forced the website to upgrade, showing the vast muscle of today’s ‘social media machine’. Likewise the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ which kicked off in ...
Last month’s Insider Post promised some interesting projects ahead, and we’re now happy to announce that Roar has moved beyond Sri Lankan shores, with the launch of Roar Bangladesh. This is the first step in our goal to expand into the South Asian region by doing what we do best ‒ providing quality content to our readers and audiences. It’s ...
The Colombo Design Market July 2015 The Colombo Design Market (CDM) held on Sunday 19th July featured numerous exciting stalls – everything from handicrafts to custom-made t-shirts, to paintings and even men’s underwear. This time, Roar had its own lion-faced postcard installation but that wasn’t all we did at the CDM. We also did a bit of poking and prying ...
For the days following November 10, you can expect all your local media outlets to concentrate their energies on a single subject: the national budget. Expect experts to wax eloquent on whether the budget is good for the country’s growth, whether the amount allocated for certain ministries is justified, whether the taxes proposed are the last nail in the middle-class ...
When it comes to showcasing their work, artists have had little choice but to set up an exhibition. Of course the more tech savvy artists may opt for Facebook, Instagram or any other social media platform to get their work noticed, but who and how many they reach depends on their friend circles. Artspace Sri Lanka changes this. The Art ...
Tea estates in the hill country are well known for their killer views and tranquility, but if there is only one plantation you will see this year, make sure it’s Lipton’s Seat in Haputale. The view is to die for, and the sheer peace and quiet enough to rejuvenate your senses. Fun fact: Named after the renowned tea planter Thomas ...
It has been a rather serious week for local news, following the demise of Ven. Sobitha Thero, and the resignation of Minister of Prison Reforms and Law and Order, Thilak Marapana. Local News #SpaceDebrisDay For those of you who missed out (or have forgotten), today is #SpaceDebrisDay and the Government has declared a No Fly Zone with effect from 11am ...
Recently, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe noted that his wife gets paid a higher salary in comparison to his monthly wage as the Premier of the country. His wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe, a university professor, is reportedly paid a six-figure salary. Public representatives who are voted into office, such as parliamentarians and cabinet ministers, are paid a monthly salary, like any other ...
On September 5, 2016, Sri Lanka was finally declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) after over a century-long campaign to eradicate the disease. It is the second country in Southeast Asia, after Maldives, to completely eliminate malaria. Having once been among the countries most ravaged by the life-threatening disease, Sri Lanka’s newly acquired malaria-free status was hailed by ...
It is a gloomy Sunday morning. From the Gorakala bus stop, a turn off the Ratnapura – Horana main road leads down a narrow road, muddy after the previous night’s heavy rain. A quiet, uneventful walk of 2.5 km leads to a semi-forest area, with a paddy field to the right. Another 500 metres away is what we have ...
At times it feels like Colombo needs to be more happening. It’s not like we don’t have events, but there needs to be more variety, something beyond the usual concerts, plays, sporting events and beach parties. Thankfully, there’s the Colombo Design Market (CDM) to look forward to this Sunday (19th) – and this time, it’s bigger and better. The general ...
Arjan Dwarshuis is a man with a mission: to break the world record for bird watching. More specifically, he wishes to spot over 6,000 species by the end of 2016, in an attempt to raise funds for the Birdlife Extinction Prevention Programme. That’s more than half of the global avian population he’s aiming to spot over a period of 365 ...
Attention all engineers, creatives and anyone who had an awesome childhood! Remember the paper planes and the boats you made as a kid to see which could fly the furthest or stay afloat without tipping on its side? What if we were to tell you those endless hours you spent making paper planes are about to take you on a ...
After a decade of incurring losses and piggybacking off national carrier SriLankan Airlines, budget airline Mihin Lanka has finally decided to cease all flights from October 30, 2016. The airline released a statement confirming that Mihin Lanka has been making a net loss since taking to the skies in 2007. The statement read “It was decided to discontinue the services ...
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa began the year by expressing his desire to topple the democratically elected yet increasingly unpopular Yahapalana Government in 2017. He fired his first salvo by sending in his troops from the Joint Opposition to bear the brunt of the government water canons in his home turf of Hambantota (for the cameras at least) when a protest ...
