Kadirgamar’s blunt advice to UN: Stick to malaria and mosquitoes
UNITED NATIONS – When the late Lakshman Kadirgamar made his annual pilgrimage to the United Nations General Assembly sessions in the mid-1990s and early 2000s, he used the world body as a platform to continue his intense diplomatic campaign to have the Tigers banned — particularly in the US, the UK and other European countries. [...]
Was democracy in Lanka a game of tennis?
While awaiting the results of the most spiritless election campaign devoid of any excitement and hoping that the new cardboard ballot boxes have not been breached or substituted overnight wittingly or unwittingly, our thoughts went out to a slogan sounded in the background of the campaign: What has democracy contributed to Lanka since Independence? The [...]
Whither justice, Mother Lanka?
The ideal of a good judge originates from the ancient goddesses of justice, who were personification of the moral force in judicial systems. The Roman goddess Justitia (Lady Justice) symbolised perfect justice, which was expected to be pursued by human judges as well. Their female character was due to the high rank of women in [...]
COVID-19 and Common Sense
ITHACA – As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, our understanding of it is improving. Through a combination of epidemiology and physics – including knowledge of the virus’s character and how aerosols float in the air – we are learning more about how the microbe infects new hosts. This understanding is fueling hopes that we will [...]