k now here's some news. woke up early this morning and switched on Rupavahini to maybe catch a glimpse of the Olympics and there is apparently a 'Live' foreign news program going on at that forsaken hour. Who would watch Rupavahini for foreign news that early? well i suppose they must have some viewer segment somewhere that does it or they wouldn’t have it would they? I mean Rupavahini is the most sensible of all Sri Lankan stations right? er, Right?
Anyways i was up watching it but what’s with the Live gimmick? I mean surely just cos those poor presenters are coming all the way from home to be there at 6 am sharp to project yesterdays news live from the studio doesn’t warrant calling it Live?? i mean, where’s the consumer benefit from labeling the news Live? when the only things that are live are the slightly bleary eyed, overly bright presenters trying way too hard to look really cheerful and here's the stinky part, righteous.
So first there was a segment on the Spanish plane crash. Conflicting views. Tragic incident. over 150 people dead. Crazy the plane crashes we get these days. Then onto Georgia, and get this, they show the Russian point of view. I mean why not the US? are'nt we, or at least our giovernment, supposed to sucking upto Bush? and as the government's media machine isnt Rupavahini supposed to exemplify thise vews? So i was waiting for a couter argument. heavy with western views.. But it never came.
They talk about how the US is condemning the attacks but how Russia is defending them and paint the Russians in an innocent light claiming that their sovereignty was breached first. While technically that might be correct, the incidents that followed painted the Russians hands with a significant amount of blood that would IMHO, definitely warrant some mention from a media organization that values integrity and freedom of expression. Then they go on about the US attacking Panama and Iraq and so on and so forth and ask if those attacks were justifiable as a response to US bad talk with regard to the whole conflict. Those facts are not irrelevant and I support their sentiments. But you can’t use them as an excuse to carry out your own killings can you?
Did anyone notice how smoothly the US went ahead with their missile plan in Poland and Putin kept shut like little mouse? After all that big talk of 'we will not let you belittle us in our own region' etc etc? signs of a bit of a deal? bit of a 'if you turn the blind eye on our atrocity , we let you go ahead and build a missile defence center right next to us' sort of deal?
Then onto the presidential race of the US. Our national TV station states that the US media is highlighting the fact that McCain is ahead of the polls by 7% a little bit too much and (this is what cracked me up) Rupavahini says that 'the US media is famous for such propagandist activities that go against the nature of unbiased media'
So righteous. So disgusting. Audacious. But plain ridiculous if you ask me. Rupavahini can’t even fool the people properly. As a government propaganda machine, they absolutely suck.
Of Rupavahini, and Irony
Clean Energy by 2010; Will Marketing save the World?
I just read this awesome blog post on clean energy and Al Gore's ominous target of achieving all energy from green sources in 10 years. Sure i dont think scientists alone can achieve such a goal alone. Besides with the majority of the world struggling for their very survival investing what little income they get on greener sources of energy mught seem impractical.
But in raising funds from the rich and affluent classes by invoking a guilty sense of responsibility towards the health of the planet, marketing and entreprneurship can probably play a great role. Transferring some of the economic imbalance towards saving the planet sounds a great idea to me. if the Richies can be coerced to part with their dough, then maybe they could make the world a better place for the rest of it's population, or at least prevent it from being a much worse place in a few years.
Have a look at it here.
Nimal Siripala Silva; We are not ready to accept any ceasefire that would supply 'oxygen' to the LTTE
Quite right too. I mean you can't expect to be in a war and suddenly expect the other side to give you a break just as they start kicking your ass. And the Tigers have been recieving quite a yammering over the past few weeks (if intelligence reports are anything to go by). But i think even the somewhat sceptical have to believe that the government have taken a few positive steps in the war with the capturing of the naval base in Veditthaldivu and the major base 10 clicks or so north of it.But statements like Mr. Silva's could end up antagonizing the tigers and make them malignant enough to damn the international community to hell and deploy what resources they have to do what destruction they can next week in Colombo. Sure, they will be risking quite a lot. The SAARC is a set of countries that the Tigers would not want to piss off. but if the are desperate enough or pissed of enough, who knows what they could do.
Historically, the LTTE have been adept at using ceasefires to regather their strength and retaliate strongly. The Sri Lankan government has been sucker punched before, so it seems madly irrational to accept a ceasefire when you are trouncing your opponents. There doesnt seem to be any indication of them doing so at least yet, with the Air Force confirming the killing of 22 LTTE 'black tigers' today as the result of an air strike at Udayankattikulam. but military top brass has reasserted the commonly held belief that this insurgency can never be completely wiped off although they can be largely conquored, at least for the foreseeable future and that is, if they manage to finally win the war.
Meanwhile, more and more Sri Lankans are getting bogged down with the increasing costs of basic commodities and as the economy slips further into gloom there is an increasing sense of being a citizen of an autocratic rule rather than a democracy. The last thing we want is for us to have a permanent ruling family headed by a president with enough siblings and offspring to rule the country for a long time to come.
LTTE declares ceasefire for the duration of the SAARC summit
Now wait a minute, why are they getting all excited? The governmrnt is whoring the whole country to the summit as it is, i mean, whats in it for them?
The general opinion seems to be that they are scared shitless of offending any of the nations coming down for a visit here. So while the governement tightens up security and makes up roads and gives the visiting countries the feather cushion of luxury and prays and hopes to god the LTTE does not do anything silly and make ma-hinder look bad, heres the LTTE playing right into our hands and saying ' Aww c'mon, do you really think we'd harm our fellow SAARC nations? we're not THAT bad, look here, we're going to declare a ceasefire just to reassure you'
hmmm.. will somebody please enlighten me?
Barack Obama is an urban terrorist with a secret agenda that is aligned with al-Qaeda!!
Or so says the New Yorker who claims that these rumors and smear campaigns inspired it to produce this controversial cover page which is meant to ridicule such attacks on the democratic candidate.
The page shows Obama in traditional Muslim dress and his wife as a terrorist while an American flag burns in the background in a room with portrait of Osama Bin-Laden.
Needless to say, it was not well received by the Obama campaign...
From CBS news;
”...political author Jeffrey Feldman said in an interview with CBC News.
"The idea [is] that somehow Barack Obama is an urban terrorist with a secret agenda that is aligned with al-Qaeda and the second he gets in the White House, he's going to launch some covert plan in order to bring down the United States," Feldman said.
"It's such a ridiculous claim, but no matter how many times people fight back against it — including on the Obama website [where] they have an entire section dedicated to just fighting these smears…it still seems to be gaining ground. There's almost an exhaustion, a frustration that this type of smear campaign is working to spread these ideas."
Hmmm, so the New Yorker is just helping out Obama? Or was it helping to fire up and give more credibility to these 'Smear Campaign'?
The idea of Obama as a secret al-Quaeda opeartive, to me, is bit hard to imagine. lol but then again, who imagined the twin towers would go down right? This is porbably just the sort of thing that's just too ridiculous to believe and for that very reason, might create a significant subconcious impact and succeed in taking away those crucial independent and non-hardliners away from him. McCain in the meanwhile, has quite righteously disapproved of the cover. I wonder of he thinks it's good or bad for his campaign?
IPL Shocker! Unknown player tests positive for D.O.P.E!
Skimpily clad cheerleaders offending ‘traditional’ Indian values, Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth and making the poor chap cry (and getting banned for 11 matches in the process) and now in the latest controversy surrounding India’s IPL, it has been revealed that one player has tested positive for a banned substance. (The reason for the delay in carrying out the tests of course was based on advice of doctors who said that new players might not be aware of the specifics and that they needed to be informed prior to conducting them.)
Anyway, the identity of the player in question has not yet been revealed. Indeed, officials are in the process of matching the sample with the player identity and will then compare his list of pre-declared drugs (if any) to see if he is in the clear. If not there will be another sample sent in for testing and if that tests positive, kerrthump! Down on the chopping block.
Prime suspect of course is recently notorious Mohammed Asif who had a bit of a mash up with drugs in Dubai and was detained for a while as a consequence. Asif has claimed that since he had cleared two doping tests during the IPL, it proved he had not consumed the drug. Also under suspicion is the Rawalpindi Express Akhtar who is alleged to have been carrying around syringes along with him during the time of the league (diabetes, I bet). Another high profile former offender is the ultimate winning captain Shane Warne. All this however, Is speculation for now and we will not know for sure who the offender is until (and if) the tests are taken to the next level and the players identity is eventually revealed.Ajantha Mendis Promoted?? I don't see the sense in that...
Excuse me, but are'nt soldiers supposed to be promoted and 'recognized for their achievements' based on how they do their actual jobs? i.e. being a soldier?? here's the official statement;
"GUNNER Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslow Mendis (S/158405) of Sri Lanka Artillery
who created history in the Asia Cup Tournament, bringing laurels not only to the
Sri Lanka Army but also to the entire Nation was promoted to the rank of
Sergeant last evening (7) on the instructions of Commander of the Army
Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka in recognition of his achievements." states
the official website
of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.
Now dont get me wrong, i love cricket as much as the next Sri Lankan and watched the Asia Cup final and saw how Mendis almost sigle handedly won the match for us but the last time i checked there was no militarism involved in his actions at all! unless of course he shot the Indian players' balls with rubber bullets before the game started.
The Sri Lanka Army, dont they need to get their helmets on straight? how would this boost troop morale on the battlefield? 'here we are drinking dirty water and starving. Not knowing when we're going to take a bullet for our country, and they promote some chap who's never seen the jungles of Vanni cos he played cricket and bowled some Indians out?'
Sports and War, i dont think should be mixed up. Mendis is a great cricketer. But the Army is still the Army. This is a typical Sri Lankan decision agian. lol.
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