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Groundviews

Author: Nalaka Gunawardene

Year
Month
Colombo, Media and Communications, Science and Technology

Living in the Global Glass House: An Open Letter to Sir Arthur C Clarke

Colombo, Sri Lanka: 16 December 2010 Dear Sir Arthur, I write this on your 93rd birth anniversary. Just over a thousand days have passed since you departed. Like all true rationalists, you…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 12/19/201012/22/2010
Colombo, Language, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance

Political Satire in Sri Lanka: When Making Fun is No Laughing Matter

Review of a collection of satirical columns by Wimalanath Weeraratne Sinhala; 232 pp; Author publication; September 2010 Political satire is nothing new: it has been around for as long as organised government…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 10/21/2010
Colombo, Development

Feature article: Who Speaks for Small Farmers, Earthworms and Cow Dung?

The late Ray Wijewardene in conversation with Nalaka Gunawardene Sri Lanka 2048 panel on Living with Climate Change – Ray Wijewardene is second from right [Authors note: Dr Philip Revatha (Ray) Wijewardene,…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 08/19/201008/19/2010
Colombo, Sport

Beam Me Up to Planet Football!

If you’re an alien planning to invade the Earth, choose July 11. Chances are that our planet will offer little or no resistance. Today, most members of the Earth’s dominant species –…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 07/11/201007/08/2010
Colombo, Economy, Science and Technology

Sacred Cows and Orbital Dreams in Sri Lanka

It happened 20 years ago, but I still remember the incident. In early 1990, as a young science journalist working for the magazine of Hong Kong, I was being shown around the…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 06/16/201006/15/2010
Colombo, Elections, Politics and Governance

Voting for the ‘Undiscovered Country’?

Today, over 14 million Lankan voters get to elect a new government. They can also pick from among 7,620 candidates vying for 225 seats in the national legislature. The election campaigns for…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 04/08/201004/08/2010
Colombo, Environment

Death of a Green Activist: Tribute to Piyal Parakrama (1960 – 2010)

Piyal Parakrama’s smile was regular and genuine, but it could be also be a bit misleading. Those who engaged him found that there was a keen mind, passionate heart and a sharp…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 03/09/201003/09/2010
Colombo, Identity, Religion and faith

Living Secular in the ‘Sinhala Buddhist Republic’ of Sri Lanka

Two years ago, in a moment of panic, I rushed my young daughter to Colombo’s only children’s hospital. To be honest, I don’t normally turn to our overcrowded government hospitals for healthcare….

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 02/27/201002/27/2010
Colombo, Elections, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Reconciliation

26 January 2010: ‘Open Moment’, Closed Minds!

: Today marks exactly 250 days since Sri Lanka’s civil war officially ended on 18 May 2009. On that momentous day, all Lankans shared at least one sentiment: a huge sense of relief….

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 01/22/2010
Disaster Management, Media and Communications, Politics and Governance

Who’s Afraid of Amateur Radio? Tsunami’s heroic technology has few backers in Sri Lanka

Five years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, amateur radio helped revive emergency communications with some of the worst affected locations. The decades old practice was hailed as…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 12/31/200912/30/2009
Colombo, Disaster Management, Media and Communications

Better Governance: The Biggest Lesson of 2004 Tsunami

On 26 December 2009, we mark the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, one of the biggest and deadliest disasters in history. It left a trail of destruction across South and…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 12/26/200912/25/2009
Colombo, Education, Media and Communications, Science and Technology

Dr. Cyril Ponnamperuma (1923-1994): A Passionate Champion of Public Science

On 20 December 2009, we mark the 15th death anniversary of Professor Cyril Ponnamperuma, one of the best known scientists produced by Sri Lanka during the Twentieth Century. He was both an internationally…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 12/20/200912/20/2009
Colombo, Media and Communications

Confessions of a Digital Immigrant

My daughter Dhara, 13, finds it incredible that I had never seen a working television until I had reached her current age — that’s when broadcast television was finally introduced in Sri…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 11/21/200911/17/2009
Disaster Management, Environment, Human Rights

“Don’t be stupid! The climate deed is done, so let’s move on to solutions!” – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives

The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia – it packs 325,000 people into a land area just under 300 square kilometres. With an average ground level…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 10/23/2009
Colombo, Foreign Relations

How Sri Lanka Missed the Moon

When Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the Moon 40 years ago this month, they were more than just Americans taking that historic first step on to another celestial body. They did plant…

Nalaka Gunawardene Nalaka Gunawardene on 07/18/200907/18/2009

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