tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10605615075302763802011-07-23T01:28:40.989+05:30Cos it's a whacked out world out thereTheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.comBlogger1171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-54225674278670134262009-08-25T11:03:00.001+05:302009-08-25T11:05:23.991+05:30

Pulled some change (you can believe it) and moved herehttp://abdulhalik.wordpress.com/Update your links etc. And if you haven't linked here before, start now!

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-31148450893764836552009-08-21T15:04:00.004+05:302009-08-21T15:12:21.120+05:30

i was watching ICE AGE 3 the other day and some furry creatures suddenly fell into a pit of bubbling tar. Thats not the absurd bit, that kind of stuff probably took place all the time in prehistoric times. They probably had a mother of a public awareness campaign to stop it. Even the floating bubbles were not that absurd. While the non physcs academia/ professional (i.e. the layman) may not

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-34239285420832576492009-08-21T11:25:00.002+05:302009-08-21T15:55:24.125+05:30

The case for Small Software, A paradigm shift (or a structural change) in software business models brought on by Apple's App Store.. Playstation 3 cuts prices Purely of interest from a business perspective. Its largely irrelevant to us Sri Lankans from a consumers persepective cos of the lack of opportunity for cough*piracy*cough and other various reasons. More international discourse on Sri

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-68652689982396304982009-08-17T10:39:00.002+05:302009-08-17T10:56:06.120+05:30

 Flattering art by The Puppeteer 'The Media and the Government is Bigger than you or me' is a ridiculously defeatist statement. A budding journalist once told me this. Are they all this brainwashed? What is our worth as human beings if we continuously bow down to the way things are and never question accepted norms and their irrationality? Some of you out there may be system puppets, dancing on

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-14283076385400103982009-08-14T13:57:00.001+05:302009-08-14T14:20:32.880+05:30

A mail I recieved from a credible source claiming to be written by Kavindi's best friend's mom. I'll leave it upto you to judge its authenticity. Dear All, I am the best friend of Mrs. Sandhya Kumari Jayawardene, the mother of Anuththara Kavindi Jayawardene, the 14-year old girl who is said to have hung herself with her school tie on 22nd July 2009 . Kavindi's mother and I are best friends

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-92118524857038312832009-08-14T12:21:00.000+05:302009-08-14T12:21:29.439+05:30

reposted The mainstream media of Sri Lanka has failed to do its job; again and again and again. Absurdity after absurdity of the government’s actions have passed repeatedly into the public limelight only to be cast aside by the media by the means of ridiculous well-quoted statements from top government officials. Take Dayan Jayathileke for instance. He was reduced from hero to zero when he was

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-90006806606184358562009-08-13T10:49:00.003+05:302009-08-13T10:53:45.476+05:30

Press AdDialog Telekom, still the market leader in a heavily contested Sri Lankan telco market, made 'history' yesterday by becoming the first mobile operator to penetrate the freshly liberated North/ East markets. "Killinochchi and Mullaittivu were commissioned at around 11am yesterday morning followed by Mankulum, Pooneryne, Elephant Pass and Thunukkai" said a statement released by Dr. Hans

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-41657232624539720572009-08-07T11:35:00.001+05:302009-08-07T11:43:39.709+05:30

Council of Foreign Relations - Crisis guide to the economy. (Also check out the other crisis guides) Bill Clinton to the Rescue! by Oliver Wills Adamsmith. org; The Recession pdf Beetroot Juice Futewuh! Boosts stamina better than excercise Chuck Palahniuk - Guts; Read this if you can stomach it; 25 people fainted on the book tour! Cos it wouldn't be complete without a story on KP

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-82552809024092726152009-08-04T13:59:00.000+05:302009-08-04T13:59:54.371+05:30

According to Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar. On globalization and outsourcing he says You might think that the Pope would hail this as a great development for humanity. Instead he has parroted the bogus claims of the white labour aristocracy. His encyclical says, “the so-called outsourcing of production can weaken the company’s sense of responsibility towards the stakeholders---namely the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-53601561979686504962009-08-04T11:50:00.013+05:302009-08-04T13:11:10.384+05:30

The hotter the waitresses, the weaker the economy. In flush times, there is a robust market for hotness. Selling everything from condos to premium vodka is enhanced by proximity to pretty young people (of both sexes) who get paid for providing this service. That leaves more-punishing work, like waiting tables, to those with less striking genetic gifts... just added to kottke.org 's expanding list

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-28733821104777105322009-08-03T10:03:00.009+05:302009-08-03T13:14:41.983+05:30

There has been an influx of new rules and regulations, mostly seemingly meaningless, imposed upon the general public. Take new motor traffic regulations. Some of the stuff I’ve heard belies all logic, like the imposition of restrictions on modifications. Let’s not even go near the banning of cell phones in schools which is obviously a badly thought out knee jerk reaction that bears almost no

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-37995559985117101902009-07-31T12:30:00.004+05:302009-07-31T12:40:20.231+05:30

When Islamophobia Isn’t Funny - Loonwatch on rising right wing extremism and violence against Muslims in the West Cannibis and mental health; correlation vs causation - ElectEcon The post links to a study (unfortunately not free). Apparently the 'main finding is that using cannabis increases the likelihood of mental health problems, with current use having a larger effect than past use'. Like

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-3501334106887925852009-07-28T12:53:00.003+05:302009-07-28T23:44:08.719+05:30

Pic from TIME Army of Dude links to this interesting article on soldiers who return home after war; namely Iraq. In the US, statistics have shown that war vets are 148% more likely to die in auto accidents than normal people are. Soldiers in the US take to motorbikes and bar fights to relieve adrenaline overloads. What of Sri Lankan soldiers though? Being used to the adrenaline rush of war, and

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-6944709709378918802009-07-28T10:37:00.009+05:302009-07-29T00:04:06.180+05:30

Makes this shocking accusation By establishing a civil administration with its military personnel, under the guise of reconstruction and development the Government is attempting to change the demography of Tamil homelands in favour of the majority Sinhala population.Like you mean, replace all the Tamils in there with Sinhalese? Or ensure that the 300,000 soldiers we have in the army settle down

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-90426305639435706582009-07-28T00:57:00.007+05:302009-07-28T10:57:03.054+05:30

All that glitters is not green; and we thought only diamonds were bloody... The recession is over! technically... War IS a drug. And we've got a lot of addicts too... Tweeting all the way to the bank.. how social networks are making money, finally. Why Sri Lankan transport is stuck in the dark ages, or almost. KPs new blog. and why he simply had to be abroad at the time... thanks ICT4peace.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-20026952479431975612009-07-27T09:20:00.001+05:302009-07-27T10:26:40.617+05:30

The IMF has just approved the long awaited loan and also agreed to release some 300 million of it immediately. But what of the conditions? Earlier, reports indicated that the IMF was looking for concrete policy reforms in order to release the money. We are all aware of the Government's apparent dislike of IMF interference or 'conditions' but in this case it would seem that they have caved to a

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-83631719003180564742009-07-23T17:21:00.014+05:302009-07-24T15:44:39.553+05:30

Shadows. That’s all that remain from the riots of 83. at least to me. almost twenty five years now I’ve been a resident in this island and this is the first year in living memory that i do not recall a single person bring up the riots of '83 on or before the anniversary of that fateful day. Except for Mr Cerno over here. As a matter of fact, i only remembered that black July was a couple of day’

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-71906106496774652092009-07-22T14:22:00.004+05:302009-07-22T14:52:12.995+05:30

I read this article in the New York Times about the changing face of the music industry. Whenever we think of the internet and the music industry, we think about illegal downloads. In fact, the internet has been the bane of the establishment since its inception. Metallica and Napster anyone? But now, as CD sales drop and digital music sales increase through stores like I tunes etc, artistes

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-6024983337268233772009-07-21T11:18:00.005+05:302009-07-21T12:05:32.607+05:30

Not economies in recession, economics; the science that its proponets are calling 'dismal' to the 'uninitiated'. A series of articles published by The Economist has brought the discussion of the death of modern economic theory to blogs and armchairs. to quote OF ALL the economic bubbles that have been pricked, few have burst more spectacularly than the reputation of economics itself. A few

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-3289184692196910682009-07-16T11:35:00.005+05:302009-07-16T16:44:05.015+05:30

So whats the relationship? Does oppression necessarily result in fundamentalism? This is a theme explored in a book i'm reading right now. As per the authors and evidence put forward there is a clear correlation between the rising of fundamentalist groups and the opression of those classes of a society. This is plainly obvious generally, one has just got to look at numerous examples all over the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-43303682237595623232009-07-14T12:34:00.004+05:302009-07-14T13:51:23.807+05:30

A mercantilist or neo mercantilist stance is what helped economies like China, India, Japan etc to rise to be the economic powerhouses they are today. it was also the cause behind most of the greatest empires ever seen on earth, and is the root of American industrial power. It involves a bit of protectionism of course; no doubt angering most liberal thinkers on matters concernig the economy, but

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-87930363356159386542009-07-09T10:19:00.000+05:302009-07-09T10:19:23.356+05:30

Government stimulants seem to be working in China, car sales have been boosted 48% as of June. With GM getting a good share of the profits. China seems to be on the rise again, at least as per some optimists. Stimulants are a main element of Keynesian economics and are credited to have brough about the end of the Great Depression.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-12508036649566125642009-07-07T14:10:00.004+05:302009-07-07T15:31:54.088+05:30

Courtesy; Tehran Times What is the world doing about Israeli war crimes in Gaza? Last December Israel launched a massive assault on Palastine comlpetely out of proportion to attacks from Hamas, the Palastinian instigator. Over 1300 palastinians died including more than 300 hundred children, while 13 Israelis died; only one of them was a civillian. 5300 Palastinians were injured; mutilated and

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-33211748322059700122009-07-07T13:45:00.000+05:302009-07-07T14:13:05.389+05:30

Where is the Sri Lankan economy heading? Recently HSBC economist Prakriti Sofat created a stir in the local media by saying that the Sri Lankan economy would grow by four percent this year. The stir was created by the beautiful and intelligent Ms. Sofat herself just as much as what she had to say on the economy i suspect but lets leave the idle goss out and focus on the question here; is the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-24272773090454387482009-07-03T10:24:00.002+05:302009-07-03T10:26:52.125+05:30

Sri Lanka's Public Sector: Scamming the public. From LBO - Sunk tax revenues, corrupt and inefficient state organzations, who needs Sakvithi with a public sector like this? Freakonomics, Why Skinny Stays in the Picture - Muscular men get more sex. I.e. they are more attactive to females. Therefore nature should favour muscular men, and scrawny men would vanish over the course of time. Right? not

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-48516191623042517552009-07-02T11:22:00.006+05:302009-07-02T11:43:56.933+05:30

Milinda Moragoda, accused of corruption and mishandling in many corporate scandals leading from Pramuka Bank to the recent Ceylinco and SLIC brouhahas, crossed over to the government (in an effort to escape these allegations?) a while ago. Today he was appointed the Minister of Justice and Law Reform before the president. This must herald a new age of disintegration in the Sri Lankan judiciary

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-37545905380350939712009-07-01T11:46:00.002+05:302009-07-01T11:51:40.138+05:30

Freakonomics points to a study which researched why the Chinese save so much. Of all the more obvious answers that subsequent commenters on the post came up with (like economic prosperity, social values of thrift etc) they link it it to China's one child policy; Apparently China’s “one child” policy, which created a huge surplus of men in the country, has driven up the cost of getting married,

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-84245785892315140362009-06-30T11:03:00.004+05:302009-06-30T16:31:55.366+05:30

Germany; Stimulating spending; Courtesy Yah Germany just announced a plan to cut taxes in order to stimulate their economy. The worlds third largest economy is in a small patch of quicksand right now. It has already hit recession and forcasts are that it will contract around 3% more this year. Exports are not doing too well as demand for German products fall along with global spending power.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-90634059820016929742009-06-26T16:35:00.006+05:302009-07-29T00:10:49.162+05:30

GM has been on the verge of selling their Hummer brand to the Chinese Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery company. Thats quite a mouthful. I wonder why Chinese companies have such weird names. But i digress. But GM's plans of downsizing and rightsizing itself while it shelters itself under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy may suffer a setback because it seems like the Chinese government is about

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-27120177913525698912009-06-24T11:05:00.003+05:302009-06-24T11:10:05.137+05:30

Image courtesy Artismyhustle Sri Lankans are Encouraged to be Poor - Dr. Sarath Amunugama. Since the advent of independence, most governments have focused on concepts like 'nationalism', 'national pride' etc as a method of winning elections. Their policies have alienated segmentsof the population, created huge inefficiencies in the public sector, fostered corruption, and have let self defeating

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-28372994342930741382009-06-23T13:01:00.005+05:302009-07-03T14:19:19.944+05:30

The Iranian Revolution - BBC The supreme leader of Iran has accused the UK and US of meddling in its internal affairs. They just kicked out the BBC correspondent to Iran although they have allowed the BBC office to remain open. Is there credibility to their claims? Economic Hitmen Back in the fifties a similar incident happened in Iran. The US friendly Shah was overthrown by a Mohammed

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-16546456861613225402009-06-22T13:29:00.005+05:302009-06-22T21:04:44.239+05:30

The hot seat On Saturday i was coming into Colombo from Wattala to attend a wedding with a few friends. There was a major traffic jam and we were consequently stuck on the road for quite some time. The reason being of course that His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka was on his way to receive some rare (read: probably obscure) honor for his efforts for providing us with freedom. There are

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-24543644339012312072009-06-19T14:25:00.002+05:302009-06-19T15:24:23.904+05:30

A member of the Iranian soccer team protests in Seoul - NY Daily News. This media hallabaloo about Iran seems to be based on nothing but cheap conjecture. No facts were uncovered about actual malpractice occuring with regard to the elections. Accusations were made that there was a shortage of ballot papers, 'pressurizing' of voters to vote for Ahmedinejad and candidate's representatives not

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-14969678282538420442009-06-18T11:53:00.014+05:302009-06-18T23:05:50.933+05:30

The Theme: “Dawning of a new Era … Opportunities and Challenges” The When: 30th June to 2nd July The Where: Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand Hotel To quote the official release by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing it; "The war has hampered the country on many fronts for decades and much of the economic and human resources of the country have been wasted on the war. This has, over the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0Asia7.013667927566642 80.15625-32.95320357243336 20.390625 46.98053942756665 139.921875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-71821236569338734332009-06-17T15:43:00.007+05:302009-06-17T17:03:39.578+05:30

The US was officially classed as an economy in recession after its last peak in December 2007 (NBER) after which it had two consecutive quarters of negative growth. A recession as defined by the National Bureau of Economic Research is  A significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-36518555494142021182009-06-17T10:56:00.002+05:302009-06-17T11:06:54.405+05:30

Here are some really great stories that i thought i'd share. Inflation, a double edged sword? - The Mises Economics Blog explores the inflationary implications of the US's trillion dollar bailout of the banks. It talks of how although pushing the inflation button and increasing the money supply is easy to do, the hard part is reigning it back in. Although its presumtion that contrationary

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-76420029688921646542009-06-05T21:13:00.000+05:302009-06-05T21:13:43.967+05:30

US and world car giant General Motors finally files a chapter 11. They already owe a lot of money to the government. They have already lost a good few amount of workers, but this will only increase now. A chapter 11 bankruptcy is where companies take the option of temporary protection from takeovers (hostile or otherwise) and dissolution. the general idea is that the Bankruptcy filing gives them

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-75431495778653634862009-05-27T13:33:00.009+05:302009-05-27T16:19:31.042+05:30

the drivers of civilization After years of being ravaged by the war the North-East is set for more Booms. But this time we are hoping for a good boom. As in an economic boom. With the opening up of the territory, firms have already begun to show interest in expanding into the North East. The obvious beginning would be to start with production, like agriculture and fisheries. Once these base

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-58463628396951663772009-05-26T21:50:00.003+05:302009-05-26T22:23:09.918+05:30

There is a trillion dollar scam happening in the US and its spelt like P-O-N-Z-I. Except that the perpetrator is no Bernard Madoff type investment fraudist, it is the US government itself. The Social security system wroks like a very large Ponzi scheme according to this Mises Inst article, and its hitting deep deep trouble. The Social Security program is much like a mass pension scheme akin to

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-53508069718734384022009-05-26T13:54:00.005+05:302009-05-27T18:14:56.679+05:30

Looks like we'll be soon confronting higher oil prices again. But the paradox is that the prices will remain low as long as the economy is in a slump. The moment it picks up the pace and starts wanting more fuel to power its machine the prices will start flying. This Economist report quotes analysts as predicting the arising of more 'super cycles' where the usual boom bust commodity cyles are

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-61806375593186985422009-05-23T22:35:00.003+05:302009-05-23T22:40:51.487+05:30

The UN, in the wake of the visit of Mr. Ban Ki Moon has said that they will press for access to the IDP camps. Overall i think this is a very good thing. Now obviously there are reasons why the government is not allowing them in but we are hearing of goings on in IDP camps that smack of horrible things. These people need help, and it is our duty to ensure they get it. There is the question of

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-34931463688999886442009-05-13T10:52:00.002+05:302009-05-23T22:37:30.223+05:30

The Watchtower's W.A Wijewardena again offers a great piece on the basics of stimulus packages. A must read for anyone trying make sense of this burgeoning phenomenon.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-73025192267419584672009-05-12T12:30:00.001+05:302009-05-12T12:54:57.545+05:30

The Illusion of rational man, enter the economics of fear; by W.A Wijewardena, is a great read. He offers a simple look into a basically intrinsic assumption in economic theory, that of the existence of the rational man. Rational man as we all practically know, is a figment of the collective imagination. Everything thinks they are rational, but our rationality is also based on our emotions. So

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-82142201385395297602009-05-11T16:06:00.003+05:302009-05-11T16:27:47.583+05:30

heres a quick fix to the financial crisis. The whole thing happened cos the housing market failed right? So people defaulted on their loans and cleared outta their homes. Leaving banks stuck with useless debt and unsellable houses. So what do they do? They sell the houses to the Indians! and the Chinese and the Sri Lankans! im sure we'll (speaking for all Asians) be glad enough to lap up good

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-60214925774909025262009-05-06T11:05:00.001+05:302009-05-06T11:06:53.962+05:30

So what has Obama done so far? Where is this 'change' that has been going around apparently for the whole world to see? Only change I see is a darker tone of skin in the white house. People are still dying in Iraq, casualties have only increased lately including those of US soldiers. Violence has exacerbated in Pakistan, the Taliban has expanded its control. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-45135911704034550092009-04-20T11:33:00.001+05:302009-05-07T16:03:29.456+05:30

After World War II, laissez-faire economists had a big intellectual problem: the Great Depression. How could you argue for dismantling the post-WW II social insurance states and returning to the small-government laissez-faire of the past when that past contained the Great Depression? Some argued that the real problem was that the laissez of the past had not been faire enough: that everyone since

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-89349191765377502522009-03-31T10:29:00.005+05:302009-03-31T10:39:33.413+05:30

Something i recieved in the mail. I thought i'd share this..highlighted a few phrases that stood out in particular. ***** ‘Chance of political settlement open’ SHELLEY WALIA Interview with Noam Chomsky on the situation in West Asia following the Israeli assault on Gaza. ISRAEL continues to terrorise and bomb at will. West Asia waits for a malicious twist to the already dead road map. A

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-83375483792152883782009-03-25T10:36:00.001+05:302009-03-25T10:37:19.985+05:30

March 23, 2009 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's top listed firms, John Keells Holdings, Sri Lanka Telecom and Dialog Telekom, have been included in a new Dow Jones stock market index for the South Asian Region..(more) The Dow SAFE (South Asian Federation of Exchanges) 100 index measures the performance of the top 100 blue chip firms of five of the eight countries in the er, SAFE. Namely Sri Lanka, Pakistan,

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-7387742674790260222009-03-18T10:31:00.002+05:302009-03-18T10:33:19.296+05:30

Sri Lanka will not accept any conditions on a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the island's president has said. "We will not pawn or sell our motherland to obtain any monetary aid," said Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Sri Lankan government is in talks with the IMF about a $1.9bn (£1.4bn) loan to help combat the economic downturn and pay for reconstruction. The IMF usually insists on

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-68598024251733216292009-03-16T11:57:00.003+05:302009-03-16T13:56:21.314+05:30

The death of laissez faire is being proclaimed left right and centre. Government spending and Keynesian economics are coming to the fore and free market ideology is taking a hit. Keynesian economics is often seen as the middle ground between Marxism and laissez faire as put forward by Adam Smith. The cause of the resurrection of the economy after the Great Depression, British economist John

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-58393035141550399012009-03-12T16:58:00.004+05:302009-03-16T11:59:45.541+05:30

The economy is about to be rescued from a potential plunge into the deep waters of crisis by an injection of cash from the IMF. Apparently historically, all nations ever to adopt the soft peg approach to currency buoyancy have faced that same fate. Now there is talk that the IMF money is coming from a new 'condition-free' fund established exclusively for developing nations in trouble. Sri Lanka

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-61761386820900296782009-03-11T11:51:00.002+05:302009-03-11T11:53:08.044+05:30

Whoever said that democracy was the fairest way to rule a country i think has been proven wrong again and again and again so many times over that we really need re-look at the whole concept of it and see if we really have stumbled upon the best base for governance known by man. First of all, look at all the corruption and failures that stem from democratic states. Look at all the people killed

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-48004707866308822472009-03-08T00:52:00.000+05:302009-03-08T00:52:01.441+05:30

“Many important economic and social decisions are being made today on long-term projects…based on the assumption that past climate data…are a reliable guide to the future. This is no longer a good assumption…” UNEP/WMO/ICSU Conference Villach, Austria 1985

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-66622177087104972009-03-06T15:51:00.001+05:302009-03-06T15:52:04.376+05:30

A cartoon i just received in the mail. click to enlarge.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-58064645938077332792009-03-06T14:48:00.000+05:302009-03-06T14:48:26.716+05:30

We are in a place and position where the word 'freedom' seems to have lost it's meaning. This is a day and age where everyone is talking about it, sure. But what, if anything, does it mean, If a human being is free?

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-26316843555700604402009-03-05T15:55:00.010+05:302009-03-05T16:37:21.952+05:30

Yes. Again. And this time it seems, on a far bigger scale. The Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka an 'investment bank' and a listed subsidiary of state-run Bank of Ceylon has taken over and is planning to 'restructure' Ceyliinco Group's Finance and Guarantee group of companies. According to this LBO report. Meanwhile, all refunds from these companies have been stopped. Mainly to prevent 'influential'

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-51472900187468096402009-03-04T16:19:00.045+05:302009-03-04T16:56:56.675+05:30

What really happened? A day after the attacks, speculation is still rife. The story hit the top of the economist web site today, which followed up with a long account of the incidents and Sri Lanka's gesture of solidarity that ended up in their cricket team getting shot. But then dwindles down into a rather pointless review of religion and the Pakistani cricket team and irrelevant ramblings

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-57203871642838062152009-03-03T14:10:00.001+05:302009-03-03T14:15:16.363+05:30

From Desperate Taxes For Desperate Times from the Democracy in America blog: THE states are facing their greatest revenue crunches since 1939, and they're run by legislators who—understandably—don't want to lose re-election by raising taxes on everyone. Thus, they're getting creative. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a freshman from San Francisco, made a proposal intended to increase revenue, and, no

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-36747553142446239612009-03-03T10:30:00.003+05:302009-03-03T10:42:46.335+05:30

Dude, the cricketers have been shot at? In Pakistan, yes. Now wait a minute, whenever we hear about injuries to cricketers in India and Pakistan its mostly injuries to their own cricketers at the handsof enraged fans. But why in the world would anybody in Pakistan shoot to kill Sri Lankan cricketers? Thats just really strange. At least four players are reported injured. Among them Sangakkara,

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-3700613834491151212009-03-02T10:39:00.054+05:302009-03-02T11:12:15.241+05:30

Historic Tibet as claimed by exile groupsSo now the hullaballoo has died, the issue of Tibet has slipped down the list of international hot spots for the worlds attention to be drawn to. I had many friends on Facebook who even dedicated their status messages to it; talking about Tianamen square branded defiance and the like. The Olympics at one point looked to be slowed to a crawl when protests

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-84202772210662365422009-02-27T12:56:00.006+05:302009-02-27T13:01:15.527+05:30

The BBC reports Japan's industrial production fell by 10% in January - the biggest monthly drop since records began more than half a century ago, the government says. It is the fourth successive month that factory output has fallen, as the world's second-biggest economy suffers its worst recession in decades. The latest figures come days after the government said exports plunged 45.7% in

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-26520382224540204012009-02-25T11:04:00.004+05:302009-02-25T14:30:57.226+05:30

Dialog just reported a loss of 3 billion for the year ended 31st December 2008. Jack Point seems to think the sole reason for it centred around the Blaster Package. But theres more to the story than just the blaster package, the blaster package was necessary to ensure the non erosion of Dialog's customer base, which was essential taking immediate market implications into consideration. While

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-89099310273727436082009-02-24T15:21:00.002+05:302009-02-24T15:34:13.916+05:30

Many say that lack of regulation brought the world economy to its knees. This interesting paper from the Adam Smith Institute examines 'populist demands' for increased regulation and explores the rationale behind them in the context of UK financial markets, which have taken a tremendous blow post GCC. I won't spoil it for you, but its a pragmatic look at the workings of market regulation and

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-46271594894776417642009-02-19T15:52:00.005+05:302009-02-19T16:57:52.197+05:30

I came across this interesting debate on the economist. Carried out between Mr. Mark Medish (MM) proposing the notion that American shine is still intact and Prof. Kishore Mahbubani (KM) opposing the notion. There were many interesting points raised with a LOT of interventions by readers which contributed to a very diverse flavor of a discussion. When it comes to America, i have often been

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-52183666736186951622009-02-16T09:53:00.000+05:302009-02-16T09:53:59.081+05:30

Former Gitmo Guard Tells All—By Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine): Army Private Brandon Neely served as a prison guard at Guantánamo.... Neely decided to step forward and tell his story. “The stuff I did and the stuff I saw was just wrong,” he told the Associated Press. Neely describes the arrival of detainees in full sensory-deprivation garb, he details their sexual abuse by medical personnel,

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-79373004552454043452009-02-02T16:04:00.062+05:302009-02-02T16:58:10.136+05:30

At the world Economic Forum, David Cameron called for 'capitalism with a conscience' but can capitalism ever have a conscience? Capitalism is built on a single motive; the motive for profit. The only thing that controls the spiraling greed from driving the world to dust is the market. The market acts as a restrictor of capitalism, basically countering various capitalist forces with other

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-88845432736348543742009-01-21T12:47:00.003+05:302009-01-21T13:03:03.901+05:30

But who really gives a fuck anymore? Socialism is dead. It is so dead that even the Russians dont practice it anymore. Its strange to see posters about it on Sri Lankan walls though.. 19th - Martin Luther King day. He had a dream! of a free country. Of equality, of black people living in a united America. 20th - First black president comes to power. In the United States! A free and equal

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-33518885867512661862009-01-19T14:27:00.004+05:302009-01-19T14:44:13.386+05:30

I think there is something very wrong with the hype surrounding Barack Obama and his forthcoming inauguration. The whole thing seems to me more fitting to a totalitarian dictatorship than a great democracy, more like a monarch’s coronation or a Roman general’s triumph than a swearing-in ceremony for an elected president. Take the cost of the event for starters: $160 million (ten or eleven times

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-32554960359902076672009-01-13T14:20:00.003+05:302009-01-13T14:53:00.529+05:30

The supreme court has given the government till January 27th to respond to the earlier ruling to reduce fuel prices to 100 rupees. I guess everyone calling the supreme court wimps kind of inspired them to assert themselves a little. No wait, scrap that. Everyone taking for granted that the supreme courts are wimps must have got to them. So now they have given the government an ultimatum. And the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-59491416943820608292009-01-07T17:38:00.000+05:302009-01-07T17:52:07.877+05:30

So one of India's biggest tech giants just did an Enron. Their head just resigned and stocks plunge 82%. Market watchers are harping about potential implications for Indian business due to loss in confidence. Satyam was the only Indian tech firm to be listed in the Nasdaq as well. The credit crunch hitting India may have been a somewhat muted (or at least a bit turned down) threat, but this kind

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-36263115532070158922009-01-05T15:22:00.001+05:302009-01-05T15:26:22.755+05:30

Face it. 2008 was a culmination in a cyclical period of right royal self screw-age that the American business world just went through. Fortune lists the 21 dumbest moments in business in 2008. Among the dumb stuff highlighted was the Paulson plan, Henry Paulson, Henry Paulson and Henry Paulson. The big 3 'big' automaker's CEOs, jet flights, hybrids also made the list. The housing bubble,

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-49874006368596350162009-01-05T10:53:00.008+05:302009-01-05T14:32:23.899+05:30

Who is a soldier? Is he a fighter in a noble cause? Or is he a villain used by the forces that are to channel his blood lust in the direction of who is perceived to be the enemy? Then should he be noble in his actions or should he be as dastardly in his deeds as his conscience provides provision for and his superiors give him leeway? Talking about Ajantha Mendis, in a post that directed a fair

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-15540473039795451142008-12-26T10:07:00.005+05:302008-12-26T15:30:52.638+05:30

The year draws to an end and there is still so much wrong with the world. It may be a pessimistic outlook but sadly the human race seems to be defined by the crises that befall it. We are naturally cynical towards the good things in life. an uncorrupt government? a war to be won? Equality and universal acceptance? Not all of us would meet these statements with complete optimism. We believe in the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-88365592874640227422008-12-22T12:11:00.004+05:302008-12-22T12:42:29.460+05:30

for one hundred bucks a few months ago may have seemed like a dream to many, well i know it was dream to me. now, thanks to lanka IOC at least, the dream seems to have materialized again. Now here's the deal though. petrol prices still haven't 'officially' been reduced to one hundred bucks, and IOC controlling only one third of the petrol market, will soon begin to feel the demand pressure with

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-5694782421846609502008-12-19T09:26:00.006+05:302008-12-19T11:26:08.908+05:30

Watch out people. If we're not too careful soon this island could turn into a dictatorship. I am not saying it is now, neither am I saying it is definitely heading that way but look at the signs. A quick look at the ingredients for a healthy dictatorship. 1) Consolidated power base - Gee, I don't know, like maybe family members holding almost all the positions of real power in the government 2)

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-6256634843474513852008-12-15T17:28:00.007+05:302008-12-17T12:07:01.662+05:30

Basically Its a form of security, or insurance if you may. The government took out security against the prices of oil increasing and opted for a zero collar hedging base (where there is a sort of a ceiling and a floor to the price of oil, with a gap in between). So if the prices of oil increases above the ceiling or the highest set limit the bank doing the hedging would pay the difference to the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-35679687152104725302008-12-10T16:57:00.007+05:302008-12-10T17:30:32.073+05:30

There is, surprisingly (?) an overwhelming level of confidence within the company it will survive through the oncoming onslaught. So far all it's been is a war of hype. Like a playground bully threatening unbelievable physical damage if the lunch box is not handed over, but never really having to go through with it due to the fear induced in his victims, the mere news of Airtel, biggest player

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-72937668572366790362008-12-08T16:44:00.006+05:302008-12-10T11:43:47.370+05:30

Violence seems to have taken over the world man. We as human beings have an amazing capacity for evil. Inside each one of us there's a Ripper waiting to break out. We're not born this way. It's our lives and how we live it that shape us, so next time you look in the mirror, know that there's a devil inside just waiting to jump out.I was just watching this jarring video clip. What makes ordinary

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-28414621629017720202008-11-17T11:35:00.016+05:302008-11-17T15:11:39.218+05:30

As a friend quite rightly pointed out, recent increase in taxes in hard liquor will potentially have some crazy socio economic affects mainly as a result of the seemingly ignored existence of locally brewed illicit liquor a.k.a kassippu. Increasing prices of hard liquor will only drive the poorer consumer towards illicit liquor. Increasing health hazardz in an already not-so-healthy workforce.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-39789270278081436332008-11-05T10:48:00.002+05:302008-11-05T10:51:19.400+05:30

Damn! That was fast. And well, you could say I was an Obama supporter if you like. Personally I don’t think things would have been a lot different in many areas even if Mccain came into power but well Obama was, interesting. The man is full of theatrics and I was kind of expecting a nail biting finish. Instead he just breezes through.I will not give you a blow by blow of it since you’re probably

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-41640560108652385452008-11-03T09:47:00.001+05:302008-11-03T09:49:40.897+05:30

I mean what is this place coming to? We have a petroleum corporation that claims it’s making losses no matter how much the Oil price fluctuates in the market and the consumer prices raised nevertheless. They claim the cost of oil is too high and that we barely pay for it with 150 rupees a liter! Well I’ve got news for you my dear Mr. Fowzie, when a corporation such as the PET Corp operates; the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-37570069256037706582008-10-30T09:29:00.008+05:302008-10-30T11:50:26.011+05:30

We are just a few days away from the US presidential elections people and Obama just launched a half hour television commercial. Later on we are going to be all about how Obama, probably the candidate with the toughest chance at winning, grabbed the oval office by the sheer power of a stupendous marketing campaign. Probably the most effective in the history of the presidential elections since

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-80315436762323667042008-10-28T12:41:00.004+05:302008-10-28T15:04:54.464+05:30

Turns out we all dunnit, according to this chap. Many thanks to Deane for the pointer to Swaminomics.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-58488262134809102152008-10-27T12:10:00.002+05:302008-10-27T15:40:31.094+05:30

The Island wants you to live! Linc, The Company is after your son! Hiro, the virus! It was unleashed in the future by The Company. You need to save the bloody world. Again. The Big Brother is watching you. Wiretapping is scary...they are LISTENING!!! Damn. What is this thing about popular culture that simply ices your testicles? Or at least my testicles cos ‘The Company’ (pronounced with full

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-33666064840184978612008-10-21T11:07:00.002+05:302008-10-21T14:46:22.825+05:30

There’s a lot of American outsourcing going on. And not just to Mexico. In addition to Sri Lanka, there’s Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, I’m not too sure about Pakistan but there’s definitely India. Gazillions of Indians work in call centers, and there are more queuing up. Lots of labor availability means lower wages (by US standards), meaning lower costs, translating into higher profits/

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-10232152714318447382008-10-17T10:24:00.002+05:302008-10-17T11:09:31.392+05:30

With McCain joking about replacing his entire team of senior advisers with Joe the Plumber, this pretty much says it all.

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-50101671224936133802008-10-07T11:33:00.008+05:302008-10-21T11:33:28.138+05:30

Karuna Amman took some time off of his busy schedule to have an interesting little chat with us recently.  Here are some choice excerpts; On his latest career move... 'Ah well its been an interesting career move, joining the Sri Lankan parliament. Sure we all had our good times running around in the jungles of Vanni shooting both the LTTE and the Government troops but my rebellious days are

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-62226022139218730242008-10-02T09:48:00.011+05:302008-10-06T12:08:31.371+05:30

The real price of everything, what everything costs to the man who wants to acquire it is the toil and trouble of acquiring it. Whats everything id really worth to the man who has acquired it, and who wants to dispose of it or exchange it for something else, is the toil and trouble which it can save to himself, and which it can impose upon other people.That was Adam Smith. I have always been a

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-90628148620387276922008-09-29T11:01:00.007+05:302008-09-29T16:49:53.339+05:30

Life, is a salmon tin. We are all living inside one. It is called Earth. Previously, us Sri Lankans were living in a smaller tin called Sri Lanka or Serendib/Thmbapanni or any of the other names we called our country. Fact was, the name of the island bore no real relevance, for then we fought and killed each other to our hearts content only identifying ourselves in terms of which highly divisive

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-56063916827572448332008-09-19T10:12:00.006+05:302008-09-19T18:56:11.887+05:30

Babies are a-booming in the modern world. Especially across the western hemisphere, increasing numbers of couples are looking to adopt after exhausting all other methods of procuring offspring. Therefore ‘babies’ have blossomed into a full scale industry. Driven by the same demand that say, fertility clinics are driven by.Supply of course is monopolized by fully legalized adoption agencies. And

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-59795859143449903992008-08-25T14:53:00.010+05:302008-09-19T18:55:19.469+05:30

So the All Island Lottery Dealers' Society (AILDS) is going to strike on Thursday and bring to a standstill one of the main contributors to the Sri Lankan economy is it? 35 million in revenues per day im told. taken at an average of 10 bucks a sweep ticket. thats 3.5 million sweep tickets sold per day and i suppose it would be safe to assume that approximately 3.5 million people buy those tickets

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-91401515900115327792008-08-21T10:04:00.003+05:302008-08-21T13:56:10.918+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-21829036513400983172008-07-22T17:59:00.001+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.639+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-41964381801065615282008-07-22T16:08:00.003+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.678+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-40240449822274879162008-07-22T10:25:00.004+05:302008-07-22T10:36:18.564+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-18096583349051050792008-07-15T12:21:00.004+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.701+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-90438292299470853732008-07-14T11:38:00.003+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.718+05:30

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

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-51065243649130530492008-07-09T10:49:00.008+05:302008-07-09T11:24:47.894+05:30

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 Artillerywho created history in the Asia Cup Tournament, bringing laurels not only to theSri Lanka Army but also to the entire Nation was

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-89893074526926315192008-07-08T14:47:00.000+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.766+05:30

From 1961 to 1970 the US military heavily sprayed the South of Vietnam with a powerful herbicide and a defoliant known by the codename Agent Orange. It is estimated that up to 80000 cubic meters of the stuff were sprayed over the shrub, crop and jungle areas of South Vietnam to destroy what cover that the Vietnamese rebels had. The spraying was harsh and unchecked, hell, it’s the US military

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060561507530276380.post-73631585871675712592008-06-30T15:52:00.006+05:302008-12-10T08:41:50.835+05:30

In more news, everybody’s favorite and Sri Lanka’s golden girl Anarkali Akarsha has suffered another blow. Sources at Dialog Telekom have revealed that there has been a directive from senior management to immediately remove all branding and promotional items containing the model/actress.Anarkali’s pay packet was rumored to have been numbered in the millions and the Telekom giant is said to be the

TheWhacksteRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16163713209619543202noreply@blogger.com3