Shifting focus from diseases to patients
Following are excerpts of the speech of Dr. Ruvaiz Haniffa after being inducted as the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) on January 20. In today’s medical practice the focus on the holistic/comprehensive care of the individual (as opposed to the patient) has become subservient to attempting to treat/manage illness in patients. The [...]
Diplomat by day, guitarist by night
UNITED NATIONS – Madhuka Wickramarachchi, Minister Counsellor at Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, is successfully juggling two jobs simultaneously: a diplomat by day and an amateur guitarist and vocalist by night. The manager of a new musical group called ‘Red Lines’, he is leading a band of junior UN diplomats from Europe, [...]
Vijinipatha for Kolonnawa prelate
A Vijinipatha (a traditional fan) was offered to the Ven. Kolonnawe Dhammika Thera, the chief incumbent of the Kolonnawa Rajamaha Viharaya at a recent ceremony held at the temple premises. The Thera is seen here showing the vijinipatha to chief guest Jayantha de Silva, Western Provincial Councillor and Pragna Pradeepa Initiator.
Sri Lanka Press Association elects officials, exco for 2018 /2019
The 62nd Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Press Association was held recently at the Kumaratunga Munidasa Studio of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. The association’s new executive committee for 2018 and 2019 was also appointed at the AGM. The new office bearers and the executive committee members are as follows; President – Muditha [...]
Distance between political elite and everybody else is the biggest failure: Prof. Spencer
“The biggest failure of post-colonial Sri Lankan politics is the continued structural distance between the political elite and everybody else,” said Prof. Jonathan Spencer quoting James Manor. He was speaking at the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo, on ‘Sri Lanka: Forty Years of Change and Crisis’, on February 20. The RCSS invited Prof. [...]
India’s war on science, Darwinism
NEW DELHI – India’s junior education minister, Satyapal Singh, recently declared that Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was “unscientific,” on the grounds that “nobody, including our ancestors, have said or written that they ever saw an ape turning into a human being.” It was a startling statement – and just the latest salvo [...]
An uncontested advocate
KANDIAH NEELAKANDAN This week, Colombo saw the passing away of a legal giant. Kandiah Neelakandan, my first boss and mentor. I attribute all that I know in instructing cases to drafting deeds to Mr. Neelakandan’s training. In retrospect, I couldn’t have learnt my work from anyone better. By his action, he taught me hard work, [...]