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Jurassic World : What a noted dinosaur expert thinks
Friday, 26 June 2015 11:03Does Jurassic World actually get much right about dinosaurs? Paul Barrett from London’s Natural History Museum weighs in.
Female Literacy: What the Indian economy needs to learn from Sri Lanka
Friday, 19 June 2015 09:58I had visited Colombo five years ago, just after the civil war ended, and had found it to be a pleasant but unremarkable city.
For whom are electoral reforms sans voters?
Wednesday, 17 June 2015 20:33There was a political necessity in society over a long time to have decent electoral reforms effected. Necessity was to strengthen people’s representation in an improved parliamentary democracy. That required the whole electoral system to be clean and devoid of corruption. That in turn required political parties to be democratic, corruption free and accountable to the people. We therefore wish to note that electoral reforms brought to straighten the tail of the system as proposed in 20A will not meet the aspirations of the people in establishing a democratic change, says a statement issued on behalf of the coordinating committee of DecentLanka 2015, by attorney at law Harishke Samaranayake.
Do butterflies hold the answer to life's mysteries?
Tuesday, 16 June 2015 11:12Throughout history, butterflies have been seen as symbols of many things - not only transformation and purity, but also death and sin. Today though, scientists study them to see what they can tell us about our changing planet, writes Mary Colwell.
Can music lead to social harmony in Sri Lanka?
Monday, 15 June 2015 14:14Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka - Although Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war ended in 2009, an entire generation remains scarred by the conflict.
The jewel that is Sri Lanka
Thursday, 11 June 2015 11:54here is nothing more annoying than the ugly Indian traveller. He is loud, obnoxious and hugely obstreperous. Add to that, incessant photography with a blinding flash, off-key piano playing by a certifiably tone-deaf musician and loud peels of laughter, and you get a gaggle of excited people in the gorgeous heritage property of Tintagel in Colombo 7. Please note, I am not referring to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. I suspect that during CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) 2013, Charles and Camilla were far better behaved than my friends and I; we were dubbed “the disturbers of the peace”. But we had an airtight excuse: Sri Lanka makes you giddy. With joy. This tiny island, once wracked by the Civil War (26-year-long), contains so much beauty that it is hard to imagine that peace is just six years old.
20A must have a referendum
Wednesday, 10 June 2015 13:32After a long battle fought hard with his own men, President Maithripala Sirisena finally had 20A approved by the Cabinet on Monday 08 June. This incidentally was a special cabinet meeting convened by the President himself for the special purpose of forging consensus among quarrelling party leaders on 20th Amendment. The irony was, he only wanted “20A” and did not have any serious stand on what electoral reforms should be in 20A. It now goes the 20A approved by the cabinet had compromised on PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s formula of sticking to the 225 MP parliament with 125 elected on FPP system, 75 on proportional representation and the balance 25 from the national list.
Ranil’s rallying call
Wednesday, 10 June 2015 11:30Outlines Rajapaksa regime errors, tackles CB Bond issue, explains stance on foreign citizenship, and way forward