Monday, October 31, 2011

A GREETING POEM TO PROF.NADARAJAH SHANMUGARATNAM, NOR-AGRIC, UMB, ÅS,NORWAY.!!!

A GREETING POEM TO PROF.NADARAJAH SHANMUGARATNAM, NOR-AGRIC, UMB, ÅS,NORWAY

WE SAY "LONG LIVE WITH HAPPINESS & GREAT RESPECT" TO YOU SIR! DO MORE TO THE NEEDY HUMANITY!
SUFFERING PEOPLE OF ASIA,AFRICA,LA AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE GLOBAL RESEARCHERS NEED YOU SIR MORE!
PLEASE OFFER YOUR GREAT SERVICES TO ALL AS YOU HAVE TREMENDOUS KNOWLEDGE & CAPACITY TO OFFER!
WE 90 MILLION WORLD TAMILS ARE PROUD OF YOU! AS YOU CONTRIBUTED YOUR GREAT SERVICE TO HUMANITY!

YOUR ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT IN GLOBAL ISSUES! SUCH AS ENVIRONMENT & DEVELOPMENT! CONFLICTS & PEACE!
POVERTY & NATURAL DISASTERS! GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABLITY! HUMAN SECURITY & HUMAN RIGHTS!
MAN-MADE DISASTERS & POLITICAL CRITICISMS! SOCIAL FUNCTIONS & LITERARY EVENTS! TNH,NTF ETC! ETC!
AS A GOOD FATHER, HUSBAND, FRIEND, ADVISER,YOU DID A GREAT TASK! LONG LIVE SIR!
WE LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR TALK EVER SIR!!!

SHAN NALLIAH,
GANDHIYIST, LEADER-DHKS, SECRETARY-DTVF
http://worldtamilthinktank.blogspot.com

Thursday, October 13, 2011

OH MY FELLOW HUMANS..!!! WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU..? READ THIS.!!! YOU REALISE THAT.!!!



OH! MY MOTHER! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR MILK,FOOD,CLOTHS,PROTECTION &LOVE IN NEED!
OH! MY FATHER! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING ME EDUCATION,GUIDANCE,ADVICE AS YOUNG!
OH MY SISTERS &BROTHER! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR AFFECTION,TRUE CRITISM &HAPPINESS!
OH MY WIFE! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR AFFECTION,CARE,PROTECTION,TOLERANCE&TASTY FOOD
OH MY CHILDREN! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LAUGHTER,PROGRESS,AFFECTION & COURTECY!
OH MY UNCLES & AUNTS! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE,LAUGHTER,FRIENDLINESS&SMILES!
OH MY FRIENDS &RELATIVES! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR JOKES,LAUGHTER,HOSPTALITY,SMILE!
OH MY POLITICAL,RELIGIOUS,SOCIAL,SPRITUAL,MENTORS!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE!
OH MY VILLAGE! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVELY NATURE,GREEN VIEWS & LOVELY TEMPLES!
OH MY JAFFNA! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT-HISTORY,EDUCATION,CULTURE&HOSPITALITY!
OH MY LANKA!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR NATURAL-BEAUTY,SEA,NICE FOOD & WARM CLIMATE!
OH MY NORWAY! HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME&MY FAMILY PROTECTION,SAFETY,LIFE& CARE!
OH MY WORLD!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR YOUR REGULAR DAY&NIGHT;SUMMER&WINTER CYCLE SAFELY!
OH MY SUN!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR LIGHT/HEAT FOR ALL!NOT COME CLOSER OR GO FAR AWAY!
OH MY UNIVERSE!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING HARMONY!NOT DESTROYING LOVELY WORLD!
OH MY GOD!HOW CAN I THANK YOU FOR THIS LOVELY WORLD/UNIVERSE&MY HEART WORKING SO FAR!

SHAN NALLIAH...DRAMMEN, NORWAY 13-10-2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

All religions pagan and current refer to the light and dark side of religious worship and indeed the similar aspects in humans. That we all have a dark side to our persons is an undisputed fact but we are adept at hiding it from society and love to display our "goodness" in the most hypocritical way. Likewise, the divine is a source of light and darkness.!!!

Animal sacrifice appeases darker aspect of divinity September 29, 2011, 7:45 pm article_image All religions pagan and current refer to the light and dark side of religious worship and indeed the similar aspects in humans. That we all have a dark side to our persons is an undisputed fact but we are adept at hiding it from society and love to display our "goodness" in the most hypocritical way. Likewise, the divine is a source of light and darkness. For millennia, Gods have been appeased with the blood of human and animal sacrifices. The Judaic faith is very specific about sacrifices. To quote from Exodus of the Old Testament: "You will then slaughter the bull before Yahweh (Yahweh in Hebrew literally means Warrior God). You will then take some of the bull’s blood and with your finger put it on the horns of the altar. And then take all the fat covering the entrails, the fatty mass of the liver, the two kindness with the covering fat and burn them on the altar." Rams were also burnt. Burnt offerings were a smell pleasing before Yahweh and used to consecrate the Temple and expiate human sins. Jesus, the son of God, was the ultimate human/divine sacrifice and Christians are exempted from carrying out animal sacrifices, but at Holy Communion the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine are continuing symbols of Jesus’ body and blood spilt on the cross. I received communion only once after conformation. I found it repugnant. During the Hajj pilgrimage, there is an exclusive area for animal sacrifice. As there is a great deal of controversy over the animal sacrifice ritual at the Temple of Kali Amman in Munneswaran – an annual event after harvest. In at least two Temples in India over two hundred years ago, human sacrifices were conducted until laws were passed to put an end to the practice, but belief that Kali’s favour can be obtained through blood sacrifice remains popular even today. Those who shy away from blood sacrifice offer Kali sour lemons or lime, pungent chillies and bitter neem. Kali, in her inimical style, rejects things conventionally considered auspicious and seeks the inauspicious, even in food. Kali is portrayed as dark, naked and with dishevelled hair. She stands on Shiva’s chest, holds in her hand a bloodstained scythe and a human head dripping blood into a human skull she holds under the head. What is striking about her form is her tongue outstretched and smeared with blood. The form of Kali and its symbols are meant to evoke Bhaya and Vibhitsa – fear and revulsion – forcing the observer to acknowledge the dark and unpleasant aspect of the cosmos and the divine that one often tries to deny, repress and suppress. With the outstretched tongue, Kali teases and mocks her devotees – she sees through their social façade and know the dark desires they try so hard to deny or suppress. She makes us realize the hypocrisy in us – we show one side to the world and hide the darker aspects of us. She tries to remove the ego in us to liberate us from worldly ties. The skull in one of her hands, used as a cup, is believed to contain the nectar of immortality. Minister Mervyn Silva has no right to interfere in the religious rituals of any religion (a constitutional right). He is merely playing to the audience of "animal activists" hypocrites who have never expressed outrage when elephants and other hapless animals had their jaws blown up with the explosive Hakka Pattas, had burning oil and water poured on them, died slowly and painfully of gangrene due to bullets from rifles, been electrocuted, killed by speeding trains and vehicles, poached for their tusks, and all other horrific things wildlife has been exposed to in recent times. None of those activists have petitioned against the tearing down of wildlife sanctuaries to make way for illegal banana cultivations and all other threats to our flora and fauna. Whilst I personally find the taking of life abhorrent, we have to be tolerant towards the religious rituals especially of minority religions. People of other faiths also participate in these religious rituals, not just Hindus. Linda van Schagen www island.lk

Thursday, August 25, 2011

‘Migration Resource Centre’ set up for the benefit of migrant workers IN SRILANKA..!!!


‘Migration Resource Centre’ set up for the benefit of migrant workers
August 24, 2011, 10:48 pm


By Jayantha de Silva


All foreign employment agencies would come under a rating system similar to the prevalent system for luxury star class hotels, Minister of Foreign Employment Dilan Perera said on Tuesday.


He was speaking at the launch of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau’s newest facility named ‘Migration Resource Centre’ at the SLFEB where a 24-hour hot line enables all migrant workers to contact resource personnel for any purpose or access any information they may require.


The occasion was attended by a large gathering of foreign employment agents.


During a recent tour to Malaysia he found that certain employment agencies were resorting to unethical practices. Steps would be taken to suspend the license of those unscrupulous agencies after giving them a time frame to rectify their short comings, he said.


A fourth of the employment agencies were found to be corrupt, the Minister said.


He said that the current emphasis is on training trainees for the Malaysian job market.


He described the newly inaugurated facility as the ‘e ombudsman’ which empowers those Sri Lankans who had gone to the desert (Velikathara) to share their grievances with those from their motherland.


He expressed optimism that the facility would surpass the government information centre which acts in a similar capacity.


Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunge said that the remittance earned last year from migrant workers amounted to US$ 4.1 Billion.


Outlining the importance of migrant workers for the country’s coffers, he said, that they toiled under difficult conditions and the launch of the facility was in line with the Mahinda Chintana concept for the development of the worker.


He urged that the issues of these workers accessed via this facility be speedily redressed.


Chairman of the SLFEB Kingsley Ranawaka said that the 7,000 complaints received per year had been reduced to 3,000.


He said that welfare centres for the benefit of migrant families would also be set up.


The Resource Centre became a reality as a result of SLFEB’s endeavour to reach the people. It will be functioning 24 hours all 7 days a week.


Richard Danziger Chief de Mission International Organisation for Migrants said that Sri Lanka was the 5th country to have established a Migration Resource Centre. The European Union had financially assisted the venture which is a great benefit to people of Sri Lanka.


www island.lk

Monday, August 22, 2011

SEE! HOW SINHALA REGIME/ADMN DISCRIMINATE TAMIL MUSLIMS IN NW-SRILANKA! IC/UN INTERVENTION TO SAVE TAMIL SPEAKING PEOPLE NOW...!!!

Parents say they were chased away when requested the examination officials to provide teachers who spoke and understood Tamil

A group of students who sat for the year-five scholarship exam in north western Sri Lanka complain of serious difficulties to answer exam papers due to lack of Tamil language supervisors.
65 Tamil-medium school children have sat for the exam in Monnekulama Maha Vidayalaya in the Kurunegala district.

The children are students from Abukkagama Muslim Maha Vidyalaya and Galpanawa Muslim Vidayalaya.



Sinhala medium teachers could not answer when they raised queries, say children who sat for the exam
Their parents have requested the examination officials on Sunday to provide teachers who spoke and understood Tamil.

Instead of meeting with their request, the officials chased them away, parents told journalist Prasad Purnimal Jaymanne who visited Monnekulama Maha Vidayalaya.

When the parents raised the issue after the exam, officials have called the police in.

Muslim children who sat for the exam told BBC Sandeshaya that the Sinhala medium teachers could not answer when they raised queries with regard to the Tamil-medium question papers.

A discrimination that has carried on for ages against a minority in Sri Lanka, the parents said, has now reached school level exams.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Creativity........!!! ...Rosaine Cooray

When I prepare for lectures I try to remember a line from the movie 'A Beautiful Mind' in which John Nash mentions to his students how 'classes will dull your mind and destroy the potential for authentic creativity.' Hence, I include as many activities, discussions, role plays as possible that enable students to think on their feet, to demonstrate their contribution to the lectures and finally to have fun when learning.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to assess students in groups of three on their presentations, where they had to showcase their knowledge in their chosen area, along with a video clip for three minutes, which they had produced as support material. Many strategies where used to drive the message home; enacting the beggar culture ruled by beggar masters to show the leader-follower relationships, storytelling about real life, humble transformational leaders who make a difference in everyday life, videos that clearly portrayed the stereotypes and discrimination at work or team dynamics using analogies from the natural world of ant trails and bee hives. They were all good particularly for an undergraduate, almost reaching the bar of excellence. However, the last presentation for the day, made me re-evaluate my assessment criteria altogether.

This last team proposed a novel and ground breaking idea to leadership that challenged parenting and the education system. The video was created with interviews of people from different ages and socio economic backgrounds. What they proposed was to identify and select street-smart children from all strata, who show tremendous amount of will in their childhood.

They would then be groomed with moral guidance and exposed to new experiences, thereby encouraging them to embrace growth in all areas, with a structured support system. How unethical? How can you select only a few so called 'promising' children? They all change as they grow up, don't they? And why do you have to put them into a box from the very beginning? How about the other children? Children are children; are they not entitled to the same privileges of support and guidance? My initial reaction was 'have I not taught them ethics?' I could see even other students in the audience becoming uneasy, like I felt at that moment. Of course the Q&A was a heated debate.

It took me a couple of minutes of silence after the class to truly appreciate that last presentation. It was not about 'how' I felt; it was about getting me to feel something in the first place. Only true creativity can do that. Regardless of its outcome or its viability, the courage in approaching this controversial idea was commendable. The greatest forte of this team was that they got the audience to think differently, as they stretched the boundaries of our philosophy. It was a compelling idea that paved the way to more divergent thinking about how we rear, nurture, educate, expose, morally help and mould the young generation to become future leaders who make a positive difference in the society. And, this is a very timely topic that is both local and universal.

It is not leadership that I focus on today; it is creativity that is both original and adaptive, in that they make a meaningful contribution. We require creativity in everything from mathematics, social sciences and performing arts, to planning a trip, dressing up to work and preparing a meal. 'Big C' creativity is typified by extreme originality and inventiveness like in the case of an artist or a poet. The 'little c' creativity refers to everyday creativity and ingenuity in which people come up with creative solutions for daily problems.
Many managers complain how their teams have to be told, how they don't take initiative or think outside the box. We all know that the future requires more than followers of Arthur C. Clark or Geoffrey Bawa or Carl Muller. The future needs people who believe that they are crazy enough to go against the herd to bring about innovation and change.

Even though some are inherently more creative than others, almost all of us have the capacity to rise up to the occasion when required. In fact, research reveals that the lack of creativity is a habit acquired through conformity and rigid systems. Apart from the passive and hard-grounded circuits of thinking resulting from our spoon-feeding education and tuition cultures, creativity at work does not take place due to lack of freedom given, discouragement of calculated risk taking, fear of being judged and evaluated or a few dominant personalities who always think that only they are right.

We cannot be creative, not because we can't think but because we can't stop thinking. Normally, it strikes you when your mind is quiet. Being creative requires love for learning, curiosity, engagement, open-mindedness, breaking mental sets, reframing familiar problems in unique ways, understanding complexities, keeping all options open, avoiding premature judgements and 'productive forgetting' of ideas that stubbornly repress all other novel thoughts. One has got to be prepared to be creative; it has to be invited and welcomed, so you could also allow ideas to incubate.

However, in an organization, after one puts it all together, the ideas have to be verified by others for feasibility and further fine-tuning. How can you promote creativity in organisations? You can train people to be creative, make jobs intrinsically interesting, encourage openness to new experiences and take them on thinking expeditions. You can also give your people the time to question the same problem from different angles and solutions to cross-pollinate, have realistic deadlines for creative projects, promote diversity, provide support from the top and reward and recognise people for creativity.

What if you are an individual wanting to be creative and innovative? We all have a great need to belong, to be a part of the wave, but you must trust that your personality is unique, hence your contribution to whatever you do. Even at first when nothing is favouring you and when others may think that your ideas are odd and unpopular, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. And of course I am proud of my students!

(The writer is a Business Psychologist working in Colombo and can be reached at rozaine@forte.lk).

Island.lk

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Did youknow by the time you finish reading this you will have travelled 1000s of kilometres without any bumps.!!!


IRAIWA உண்டென்று சொல்வதுன்த​ன் படைப்பல்லவா​!


Rajes Yasmin William

ARE YOU GOING FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET?


Did youknow by the time you finish reading this you will have travelled thousands of kilometres without any bumps!


Considerthe following:
The earthis 40,000 kilometres incircumference and rotates once every 24 hours.
Thus,points near the equator move atabout 1,600 kilometres an hour. (The poles ofcourse just spin on the spot)
Again theEarth itself orbits the Sun at 30 kilometres a second,
while thesolar system as a wholetravels around the hub of the Milky Way at an astonishing249 kilometres a second!


Bullets, bycomparison, travel at less than 1.2 kilometres a second.


Our planetearth is truly a wonder- a rare, beautiful, blue and white jewel in space in asuperbly organised Solar system.


The sunwhich is a medium sized star is the ‘nucleus’ around which the earth and the otherplanets with their moons
move inPRECISE orbits.Year after year they revolve with such mathematical certaintythat astronomers can
accuratelypredict where they will beat any future time.


As the earthorbits the sun once a year the earth travels at a speed of about 108,000 km anhour.
That speedis JUST RIGHT to offset the gravitational pull of the sun and keep the earth atthe proper distance.
If thatspeed were decreased the earth would be pulled toward the sun and become ascorched wasteland like Mercury.
However, ifEarth’s orbital speed wereincreased, it would move farther away from the sunand could become an icywaste like Pluto.


Inaddition, the earth consistently makes a complete rotation on its axis every 24hours.
Thisprovides regular periods of light and darkness. IF the earth rotated on its axisjust once a year
it wouldmean the same side of the earth would be facing the sun all year long and
that sidewould become a furnace likedesert, while the side away would become a sub zerowasteland
where fewor no living things could exist.


WE LIVE INA VERY FINELY TUNED UNIVERSE. (And get a free trip around the sun every year!!!!!!!!!)


Could this really have come about by chance? Take the back cover of your watch and lookingat the precise timing mechanism,

simply askyourself ‘was this designed by an intelligent person or is it a resolve ofan explosion in a metal factory?


CREATION ISTHE PROOF OF OUR CREATOR

AND WE HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO BELIEVE. Romans 1:20









ஒருங்கிணைந்த புலம்பெயர்ந்த தமிழ்நெஞ்சங்களே!
Let us recognize
we are praying to the King of the universe

Creator of the world

who made the mountains
and who can move them
From இமயம் to இலங்கை
I-F NECESSARY!! Matthew 17:20


PLEASE DEDICATE
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
TO ALMIGHTY GOD
WITH ALL DAY PRAYERS AND FASTING
FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF OUR OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN CEYLON

This Sunday 7th August 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

CAN WE UNITE, PLEASE..!!!


CAN WE UNITE, PLEASE

“Is it the community isunited and the leaders are divided”



When I work ONLY for money and my own selfish purpose, sometimes, I getdiscouraged and sometimes disappointed. But when I do work to improve the livesof all of us I find myself enthused and exhilarated, I feel a sense ofrelaxation and satisfaction.



If every Tamil brother and sister, put aside our personal differencesand selfish motives, at least for a while unite in the name of our community wecan achieve a lot.

Rest assured that if you want to make a big slash in life, you have tobecome community oriented. The people who got rich from the Diaspora Tamil willwitness to it. When you meet a man, who is lonely and emaciated inquire abouthim and you will find that he lost his community, family and friends.



When I read the news about TGTE invited to the South Sudan freedom day celebrations, I wondered whythe other Tamils were not invited or correctly put why the other Tamils werenot incorporated.



The problem Tamil people face is not from outside, it is the lack ofcommunity coherence and adherence. Or is it the community is united and the leaders are divided?



worldclasstamil.com Moderator

info@worldclasstamil.com

-------------------------

Massey Subra

massey@tidolcorp.com

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The realization of a free & just society & a govt that speaks for all & is responsive to the voice of the people is the ideal we all seek...!!!


Information & ideas flow, innovative thinking key to good governance
June 4, 2011, 4:35 pm

Gnana Moonesinghe


Well entrenched dictators with seemingly endless life spans have suddenly been shaken to the roots of their 30/ 40 years of authoritarian rule. Many of them have planned dynastic longevity by grooming their offspring to succeed them. Secure with a loyal, well equipped military no threat was envisaged. The people even in oil rich countries in the Middle- East remained in poverty sheltered through religious fervour for solace of which the authorities made sure there was no short supply. This could have gone on but for the action of one man who having found no way of having his complaint registered in the police station decided to demonstrate his frustration by dousing himself with petrol and burning himself to death; he used the only option left to him, to commit suicide.


He lost his life but he achieved the attention of his countrymen. Tunisia where this happened erupted, followed by Egypt, Lybia, Syria and Lebanon. The spontaneous uprisings in such large numbers have shaken the governments; some have already been thrown out some are in the process of being removed. That it was an impressive shake up, among otherwise politically ‘silent’ people impressed the world to the possible potential of the surge. As time passes what seems to come as the awakening moment is that the unplanned protests had no quick fix plans for the future. If opportunists get control of the transition governments it can put to rest the hopes of the people who spearheaded the protests for change.


This brings us to a significant moment for our times - the absolute imperative to encourage the flow of new information from independent international sources for alternative systems of effective governance. All countries must recognize the power of ideas and the urgency to foster the culture of ideas; this type of intellectual activity remains the focus of think tanks that employ its energy and resources to work on selected subjects in order to generate ‘social capital’, discourage elitist group power and demonstrate ways and means of scrutinising government performance that would empower people to work towards good governance. Such resource centers have become vital at a time when retention of political power has become the end of political ambition and the growing trend of suspicion of intellectualism becomes the lingua franca of most administrations. Intellectualism is increasingly viewed as a contradiction to ‘simple’ thinking, opposing viewpoints have no place in the policy making dialogue.


Home grown ideas


In Sri Lanka home grown ideas and home grown systems and systems management are welcomed, the claim being that in the final analysis the people, and policy makers, and all others familiar with home grown ‘wisdom’ will find it easy to disseminate such ideas because such thought processes have the ‘localness’ that is considered feasible for adaptability. Home grown is equated to the inspiration provided from the collective wisdom of the indigenous people. This was one of the reasons for several politicians to raise opposition to the 1948 constitution as an imposition by the British and wanted it replaced with an autochthonous constitution, a Sri Lankan product as in the 1972 Constitution. The subsequent remedies by way of new constitutions and constitutional amendments have not provided the solutions on the expected scale to the politicians, bureaucrats or the civil society.


It is essential to emphasise to the politicians, the bureaucrats and the civil society, that in the modern world, ideas and exchange of ideas, has become the umbilical cord that creates the intellectual stimulus for linking the world of humanity to the world of innovative thinking. Interactions with such independent movements engaged in intellectual activity and absorption of what is essential for one’s personal, group or national requirements, helps humanity to forge ahead making gainful use of new ideas that is made available to them. Overdependence on home grown ideas, in sterile conditions without the injection of new thought waves from external sources, pigmy the growth of intellectualism in any country.


Sri Lanka, a developing country suffers from a patent shortfall in scholarship among the political leaders as well as among the bureaucrats and civil society largely due to the consequences of the language policy of 1956. Education in the vernacular was introduced without providing facilities for translations of available literature as well as of the new addition to the later publications that would have helped the students keep abreast with developments in the international knowledge systems. The students who came through with lean access to research guidance are those who are now in charge of positions of influence in the public sector. It is therefore imperative that responsible and competent Think Tanks make available for the policy makers and to the public, research focussed on subjects required by the government and the bureaucracy. Factual information based on acknowledged methods of scientific research and analysis will come in handy for policy making, to the day to day movements in administration and to the general public. This will increase the information flow in such short supply in the country. Options for choice based on academic research and the experience in other countries in similar situations will inflate the ‘knowledge fund’.


Think Tanks – source of dissemination of ideas for informed policy making.


It is in this context that this contribution attempts to assess the significance of organizations such as Think Tanks that can fill the vacuum in independent scholarly research. Think Tanks are usually organizations which engage in academic research that address public concerns in any area that is of interest to the public. There are different types of Think Tanks but what would be greatly appreciated in Sri Lanka would be those that can provide ‘policy relevant’ research that will benefit needs of the policy makers, bureaucrats, civil rights activists. True that the purely academic research oriented Think Tanks are capable of producing scholarly, objective research on matters selected by them and their publications are valuable to all because of their credibility as non partisan, independent, ‘cerebral’ organizations. However too often such research is accessed largely by the intellectual elite who are not always able to influence decision makers nor are they interested to ‘walk the talk’ down the corridors of the powerful in the country. On the other hand the think tanks engaged in research focussed on the immediate needs of the country can make their research available to politicians and policy makers. Such focussed information will be invaluable to civil rights organizations that are engaged in empowering the people. Information will be available on critical issues that will facilitate people to take knowledgeable and balanced decisions without being influenced by the rhetoric of the politician, or in default by the lack of information flow from the bureaucracy or the biased reporting in the media.


The role of Think Tanks will be to provide research that reflects divergent opinions and view points to the policy makers and to the public. This will show that there is just not one way but several others to reach the same goal. Braced with such information political leaders can weigh the value of different options and make their decisions. It will also show the leaders that it is not necessary to hold rigid view points and that one can on the basis of information at their command change one’s earlier held positions. Back tracking in view of weightier counsel is a sign of maturity and not weakness.


To be able to win the confidence of recipients the Think Tanks must have demonstrable strengths on their staff that should consist of men and women of academic excellence with practical experience. Of the notable Think Tanks we have in this country, many of them are independent institutions working in one or more chosen agendas. Sometimes some are viewed as being partial in their research because of their enthusiastic support of particular causes or policy line. This makes it difficult to give credibility to their findings, and ‘truth’ as presented by them becomes questionable. Under such circumstances governments select personnel to advice them from among trusted officials, friends and relations to ensure ‘loyalty’. With no time lost these positions become coveted powerful situations to be secured at all cost. Soon objectivity becomes the casualty and advice rendered is what is perceived to be acceptable to the powers rather than what is relevant and good for the country. In UK too, not long ago ‘special advisors" were appointed who were rather derogatorily referred to as ‘mere gatekeepers’. Of late it has been commented that there is recognition that ‘there is political utility in thinking, for few things are politically toxic than a lack of ideas’. This can apply to any country. (Thinking Capital)


It is therefore timely that we in Sri Lanka too open ourselves to fresh thought waves and encourage the establishment of Think Tanks manned by academia, members of the private sector and retired public servants recognised for their contributions to pubic policy and well known for their non partisanship and integrity. As in other places it will be useful to encourage visiting scholars as well as journalists, lawyers, private sector personnel, and members from the military to participate for specified periods. The hoped for end result will be to draw new thinking and high quality research material from the mix of diverse specialization, such a mix of scholarship and experience can produce.


The agenda for Sri Lanka will always cover the following:


* Tstrengthen democratic structures that will recognize the principle of equity for all and the establishment of a reasonably acceptable quality of life for its citizens from all walks of life.


* Independent bureaucracy subject to the rules of a public service commission and open to public scrutiny for the maintenance of efficiency and integrity free from temptations of corruption.


* MMore participatory governance responsive to people’s needs, where dissent is possible and citizens are equipped to assert their freedoms constitutionally, administratively and by public assertion.


* IIndependence of the judiciary and the aggressive imposition of the rule of law - protected from invasive intrusions through executive or administrative fiats.


* RResolve the twin challenge to Sri Lanka- the limited space available for equal access to economic opportunities and the absence of a concerted attempt to resolve the ethnic differences as priority number one.


* PPower sharing mechanisms aimed to unify the multi ethnic multi cultural communities into the national mould of inclusivity and ownership.


* SStructures and roles of institutions to work the democratic framework be clearly defined and insulated from political interference.


* EEncourage independence of the media where ‘facts are sacred and comment free’.


Think tanks should provide various policy lines available to the public and make choices open to both the government and policy makers. It is important to have leaders and the public responsive to research findings. "The political tsunami in Singapore ….. serves as a sounding board for the future political landscape in Southeast Asia. . … Economic performance that has led to double -digit development is no longer sufficient criteria to sustain power holding without democracy and acceptable governance." (Financial Review 24.5.2011 –The Island) The Singaporean predicament is not for want of information flow but a classic example of a failure by the political leaders to hear people’s voices as well as to a lack of political will to respond to ‘information flow.’


It is necessary that contributions to fresh ‘thinking’ be taken in the spirit it is given and be viewed without distrust. The realization of a free and just society and a government that speaks for all and is responsive to the voice of the people is the ideal we all seek and which the research programs of the Think Tanks should deliver.



www island.lk

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Whirlwind Tour of the Forces shaping the World in which we Live.!!


Bas Baskaran


We are all affected by socio-economic trends in our careers and personal lives. At the recent annual meeting in Savannah, GA, of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), a group composed of major U.S. manufacturers of industrial safety products, economist Brian Beaulieu presented a 2.5-hour whirlwind tour of the forces shaping the world in which we live.

Beaulieu's views have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron's, Reuters and Forbes, among other outlets. He is chief economist for Vistage International, a global organization comprised of 14,000+ CEOs. He and his twin brother Alan currently have a show, "Make Your Move," on Voice America Business Channel.

The summary of highlights that follows does not specifically focus on workplace safety. But in Beaulieu's big picture blend of research-based facts and trends, plus predictions and opinions, you will see forces affecting professional health and safety careers, as well as current and emerging issues in the profession.

You won't agree with every opinion and prediction here - the old saying, "You can put economist end-to-end around the world and they'll never reach an agreement" - but Beaulieu's breadth of trends reporting is worth considering.



Predictions and Recommendations


1 - Buy agriculture commodity stocks.

2 - Our earth has a billion more people to feed.

3 - Be prepared for weather disruptions in the next 10-15 years worse than anything in the past 20 years.

4 - Long-term: look for a Great Depression between 2030-2040. You'll likely be on the sidelines, but your kids...

5 - Short-term: Not another recession until 2013-14, and it won't be nearly as bad as the last one.

6 - President Obama will be re-elected in 2012, due to good, positive economic conditions and weak GOP opposition.

7 - Japan's industrial production is dying.

8 - Who's afraid of China? The U.S. out-manufactures China on an everyday basis. Outsourced manufacturing is returning to the U.S. Strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base is a question of will, not ability.

9 - Pay no mind to Chinese economic data. No one does. It has no credibility.

10 - China faces a looming demographic crisis. China and the U.S. have roughly the same land mass. But China has four times the population of the U.S. China will not overtake the U.S. as the world's number one economic power. It lacks mineral wealth. China will be a consistent number two. We should stop looking over our shoulder for China coming up from behind. It ain't going to happen.

11 - Waiting on India: Conditions are ripe for India to become a stronger world economic power. Infrastructure is the number one problem facing the country. India has been poised to break out for 20 years.

12 - A lack of mobility exists in the U.S. workforce. There are 13 million unemployed, with three million job openings that can't be filled. People cannot up and move to where the jobs are due in part to the lousy housing market. They can't sell their homes.

13 - Mining is and will be one of the U.S. economy's stronger sectors.

14 - U.S. manufacturing produces only moderate job increases. A lack of skilled workers exists. Also, there exists a preference to employ machines over people.

15 - Unemployment will remain high. In 2014, look for the unemployment rate to be at 7.4 percent. Barriers to lowering unemployment: lack of workforce mobility; lack of workforce skills; the U.S. government has incentivized people not to work. It pays people not to work.

16 - Federal budget cuts will not be draconian. Any cut is met with the question: What is this going to do to jobs? Cuts hurt jobs. Politicians need to stay in office. They will not inflict severe budget cuts.

17 - Both Democrat and GOP deficit reduction plans are based on the assumption that the U.S. economy will grow at a 5.0 percent clip from 2010-2019. Since World War 2, average Gross Domestic Policy (GDP) has been 3.3 percent. Current deficit reduction plans on both sides of the aisle ain't gonna happen.

18 - Current U.S. federal government spending outlays: #1 Social Security; #2 Non-discretionary spending; #3 Defense; #4 Medicare; #5 Net interest; #6 All other entitlements; #7 Medicaid; #8 Obamacare subsidies; #9 Iraq and Afghanistan.

19 - Healthcare in the scheme of overall federal spending is not a big number.

20 - 80 percent of healthcare costs are incurred in the last two years of life.

21 - The definition of "fair" in U.S. healthcare spending is not equal opportunity but equal outcomes.

22 - It's not about politics, about Dems or the GOP. The biggest factor influencing economic policy today is the times we live in.

23 - There is no credit crunch in 2011. Cash is sloshing all around. Main Street bankers (not Wall Street) want to loan money, but regulators sitting in their lobby restrain them. Need a loan? Be persistent. Ask 21 times for a loan. Shop around. The average is to ask for a loan only four times, and then give up.

24 - Corporate balance sheets look good. They are very clean.

25 - An economically realistic price for a barrel of oil is $97. The price could reach $140-$150 in 2013. Any price north of $130 will make consumer consumption difficult. At that price point consumers must make choices about how to consume oil.

26 - Natural gas is the best bet for U.S. energy independence. Natural gas = electricity generation. If one-third of the U.S. population drove hybrid autos or diesel-powered vehicles, we wouldn't need Saudi oil. We wouldn't need the Middle East. Energy independence is within our grasp. But independence comes at a premium price most of us cannot afford.

27 - Look outside of the U.S. for your stock choices. Foreign firms or global U.S. firms with more than 50 percent of their revenue coming from sales outside of the U.S. Bonds will be going down in value.

28 - It will be an inflationary world in the next 20 years. Winners will be those countries wealthy in natural resources. Canada and Brazil, for instance. Australia and New Zealand.

29 - The U.S. economy is currently running on six of eight cylinders. Residential and non-residential construction is still down and out. But the recovery is better than the last one in 2004. Businesses are investing. The restaurant business is coming back. Hotel, motels and lodging business is rebounding. Consumers are spending again.

30 - Invest in eye care and bladder care healthcare companies. Demographics favor these kinds of healthcare businesses.

31 - We possess three-year memories. After a three-year period we tend to forget experiences. The Great Recession ended in 2009. By mid-2012 it will be out of mind. It will no longer be a behavioral determinant.

32 - Invest in residential real estate. New housing starts are as dead as a doornail. Existing homes and apartments are where 130 million new Americans by 2050 will live.

33 - Population winners and losers at the state level: Biggest gains - Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida; Biggest losses - Michigan, New York, Ohio, Idaho, and New Jersey.

34 - The low-cost global labor pool will move to Africa from Asia.

35 - Pot shops are making a comeback, have you noticed? So, too, record album turntables and long-playing (LP) vinyl records. Life, like the economy and the seasons, is cyclical, not a non-stop linear progression. Currently, Baby Boomers are nostalgic for the 1960s, and their kids are curious about the decade's zeitgeist.


--------------------------------
Bas Baskaran

Quality Manager

e-mail: bbaskaran@rocknel.com

Ph: 815.873.4042

Friday, May 6, 2011

200,000 school-going children drop-out of school annually in SRILANKA..!!!



School drop-outs Friday, 06 May 2011 09:27
By Olindhi Jayasundere


An estimated 200,000 school-going children drop-out of school annually in the country, Commissioner of Probation and Childcare Services, Sarath Abeygunawardena said

Abeygunawardena said that most drop-outs quit school at the ages between 10 years and 14 years. He said however that dropping out of school sometimes starts as early as the age of five. Due to the lack of education some parents believe that a school education up to grade five is more than adequate for their children, he said.

He added that the issue was most common in single parent homes where families are run solely by women, families in which mothers are employed in the Middle East or due to poverty. “There are a number of social and economic issues that lead to this problem,” Abeygunawardena said. “If we can control the number of school drop-outs we can control child labor, child trafficking and other types of abuse that children are subject to,” he said.

The Probation and Childcare Services Department along with the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs will organize an awareness program for children who drop out of school today in the Palindha Divisional Secretariat in Kalutara. Abeygunawardena said that the department began an awareness and development program in 2009 to address the problem. “Since then the number of drop-outs in the area have declined from an estimated 500 to about 200,” he said.

Similar programs have been held in other areas in the Kalutara, Kurunegala and Moneragala district, he said. “We hope to implement such programs in other areas of the country to reduce the number of drop-outs island wide,” he said.

He said a multi-disciplinary approach was necessary to address the issue by including parents, teachers, principals, childcare authorities, the police and other stakeholders.

courtesy to 'dailymirror.lk'

Thursday, May 5, 2011

We are born, we learn, we mature, we reproduce, we age, we forget and ultimately we are forgotten! Collectively we induce great change in the world.!!


It all begins and ends in your head

"You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you" Heraclitus of Ephesus (540 BC - 480 BC)

We are born, we learn, we mature, we reproduce, we age, we forget and ultimately we are forgotten. Collectively we induce great change in the world. These dynamics of living makes a constancy of philosophy even during an individual life time seem inappropriate.

There is a very long tradition of thought that focuses on the importance of belief revision. As we can see from the two quotes above, even more than two and half thousand years ago it became obvious to people of different cultures that is productive to consider the importance of change.

Our beliefs help us provide stability in our lives by separating into isolate compartments everything in order to make sense of the world. As an example if you see a group of youths on the street on trailer motor cycles, wearing black T-shirts and tattoos on wrists and being rowdy, you might immediately try and separate them as follows: youths - loud - black T-shirts- Trailer bicycles - tattoos - street corner - dark = dangerous = steer clear = fight or flight.

This is a very simple example but one that shows where our beliefs lead us and what actions it prompts us to take once we have boxed all the relevant categories and then put them together and then formulate a belief. Obviously beliefs are upheld the more we come into contact with that particular scenario, like the one quoted.

Digging deep
Just think for a while. How many of your beliefs have you questioned in your life? Not that many I suspect because you have never had to question them, you've never had evidence to the contrary to cause a massive shift from one belief to another.

Let me give you a little exercise: List the things you believe to be true about yourself: My list would be; intelligent, honest, good looking, a bit overweight, inner confident, and so on. Now try to think of each belief and ask where it came from. For example I believe I am intelligent because I have a degree, I read a lot, I pick up things easily etc. Now, all of these reasons are beliefs within themselves e.g. I believe that people who read a lot is a sign of intelligence. Now this is not the case as it would depend on what the person was reading, so therefore I have to refine that belief to; people who read, what I class, as intelligent books are intelligent.

Break this down further; how do I know that the people reading these intelligent books? Are they actually grasping the words they are reading? So therefore I have to refine the belief again to; people who read and comprehend intelligent books are intelligent.

Now I have the dilemma of asking what comprehension really is. We can dig deeper and deeper until we unearth the core of a belief which is nothing really than a set of other beliefs.

Where does this leave us? Does it mean all our beliefs are unsubstantiated? No, it means if we dig deep enough we may find some of our beliefs are unfounded, find they are outdated, and do not fit with our lives.

Placebo effect
Our beliefs are important for they strongly influence our sense of well being and our actions in the world. Scientific beliefs shape the way we see the world and the way we develop technology. Political beliefs affect our welfare.

Legal beliefs help to make our societies function in the way that they do. Moral beliefs influence the way we treat others. Religious beliefs, in the widest sense, strongly influence our view of our origins, our deaths and the nature of reality as well as having a strong social influence

Thinkers
I, like many others, contend that we should become a civilisation of questioning thinkers rather than unquestioning believers. Scientific and analytical philosophical methods show us the advantage of learning to modify beliefs in the light of observation and the value in making new observations.

Studies of the placebo response reveal our ability to alleviate every imaginable health condition and symptom 30 to 90 percent of the time, based only on our belief in the effectiveness of medical treatment. Hypnosis, which is successfully used to control or eliminate a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms, also shows the power of expectation and attitude on health.

Spontaneous remissions from cancer often come about when beliefs change-when patients reinterpret their symptoms and alter their attitudes about their lives.

The influence of beliefs upon health cannot be overstated. This is in keeping with the main rule of consciousness, "You get what you concentrate upon." Our thoughts and emotions follow our beliefs and create the attitudes, assumptions, expectations, and behaviours that determine how we react to life events and what we think is possible.

Radicalism
Our beliefs are the furnishings of our mind, put in place by us. They are not the result of mysterious unconscious forces that are beyond our control. Choosing to become aware of our beliefs is the first step in rearranging them to better suit us.

Technology is fuelling radical change in beliefs. Five years ago who would have "believed" that over 500 million people globally would be engaged on Facebook? Who would have "believed" that the internet would have drawn billions of dollars annual in advertising revenue? Who would have "believed" that real-time communications would create addictive behaviour from the human network? What business leader would have "believed" that everything they say and do would be transparent to the marketplace? These changes would have been and still are consider radical. More importantly these changes are indeed changing our beliefs.

DAILYNEWS.LK

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Extraverts, who are energetic and talkative, were much more likely to remember the past positively and be happier as a result.!!!



Happiness is looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses
May 4, 2011, 9:22 pm


Remembering the good times and forgetting about the bad are the keys to happiness, claims a new study.


By Richard Alleyne,
Science Corresponden


Researchers found that people with personality traits that allow them to be nostalgic about the past have higher life satisfaction than those who exaggerate or mull over their failures.


They found that extroverted people had the best ability to do this whereas those with neurotic tendencies were the worst.


The study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, suggests that outlook rather than experience and fortune has a strong influence on overall happiness.


It also suggests that by changing certain traits, rather than a whole personality, individuals could greatly improve their happiness levels.


The researchers at San Francisco State University looked at the personality traits and the relative happiness levels of 750 student volunteers.


The used a standardised personality test to see how it relates to their outlook and life satisfaction.


The "Big Five" test assesses how extroverted, neurotic, open, conscientious and agreeable a person is by rating them on a scale for each personality trait.


Each volunteer was asked to describe how accurately each trait describes them on a one to nine scale with one being extremely inaccurate and nine being extremely accurate.


They were assessed about their "time perspective" – a concept coined by Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo to describe whether an individual is past, present or future orientated.


This was done by asking them to evaluate their past, present and future describing whether they felt they saw them in a positive or negative light.


Finally they were tested for overall life satisfaction.


"We found that highly extroverted people are happier with their lives because they tend to hold a positive, nostalgic view of the past and are less likely to have negative thoughts and regrets, said the study author Professor Ryan Howell, a psychologist at San Francisco State University.


"People high on the neurotic scale essentially have the exact opposite view of the past and are less happy as a result.


"This is good news because although it may be difficult to change your personality, you may be able to alter your view of time and boost your happiness," Prof Howell said.


The authors suggest that "savouring" happy memories or "reframing" painful past experiences in a positive light could be effective ways for individuals to increase their life satisfaction.


Numerous studies over the last 30 years have suggested that personality is a powerful predictor of a person’s life satisfaction.


These latest findings help explain the reason behind this relationship.


"Personality traits influence how people look at the past, present and future and it is these different perspectives on time which drive a person’s happiness," Prof Howell said.


To assess time perspective, participants were asked such questions as whether they enjoy reminiscing about the "good old days" or whether they believe their future is determined by themselves or by fate.


People’s view of the past had the greatest effect on life satisfaction.


Extraverts, who are energetic and talkative, were much more likely to remember the past positively and be happier as a result.


People high on the neurotic scale, which can mean being moody, emotionally unstable and fretful, were more likely to have an anguished remembrance of the past and to be less happy.


© The Telegraph Group


www island.lk

Monday, May 2, 2011

Self-esteem is a major key to success! The development of a positive self concept/ healthy self esteem is extremely important to happiness & success!


Self esteem boosts personality development

Self-esteem is a major key to success. The development of a positive self concept or healthy self esteem is extremely important to happiness and success of children and teenagers. This is very important even for the adults.

All humans have a need to be respected. Also known as the 'belonging need', esteem represents the normal human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People need to engage themselves in something to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give them a sense of contribution, to feel accepted and valued, be it a profession or hobby. Imbalances at this level can result in low self esteem or an inferiority complex.

In other words, self esteem is how we feel about ourselves and our behaviour clearly reflects those feelings. According to eminent psychologists, the first five years of any human is the deciding factor or the best period of life.


Our behaviour reflects how we feel about ourselves

During this period the child should make his path to high self esteem. For example a child with high self esteem will later be able to:
* act independently
* assume responsibility
* take pride in his accomplishments
* tolerate frustration
* attempt new tasks and challenges
* handle positive and negative emotions
* offer assistance to others

On the other hand, a child with low self-esteem will:
* avoid trying new things
* feel unloved and unwanted
* blame others for his own shortcomings
* feel or pretend to feel emotionally indifferent
* be unable to tolerate normal level of frustration
* look down on his own talents and abilities
* be easily influenced

Parents, more than anyone else can promote their child's self esteem. Most parents do it without even realizing that their words and actions have great impact on how their child or teenager feels about himself.

Suggestions for boosting self esteem
When you come across something commendable about your child, mention it to him. A mother of two daughters aged 11 and 13 in Kamburupitiya maintains a note book to record all good deeds of her daughters, each marked with a star. At the end of the month she counts the stars and rewards each child accordingly.

But in our country, a majority of parents are often quick to express their disappointment, but do not get around to commending their children. Children do not know when you are feeling good about them and they need to hear it from you. Especially in the mornings as children get ready to go to school, they could hear only the negative and frustrating comments of parents. Parents forget that children remember positive statements.

They store them up and 'replay' these statements to themselves. Practice giving your child words of encouragement.

Praise should be in public and discipline in private. Use 'descriptive praise' to let your child know when they are doing something well. You must of course be in the habit of noticing situations in which your child is doing a good or displaying talent.

When your child completes a task or chore you could say, "I really like the way you arranged your room. You found a place for everything and put each thing in its place." This is Seiton.

When you observe them showing a talent you may say, "That song you sung a little while ago was great. You really have a talent for music." Don't be afraid to praise them, even in front of family or friends. Use praise to point out positive traits. For instance, "You are a very kind" or, "I like the way you stick to things even when it's tough." You can even praise a child for something he did not do by saying "I really liked how you accepted 'no' for an answer without losing your temper."

Teach your child to practice making positive self statements. Self talk is very important. Psychologists have found that negative self talk is behind depression and anxiety. What we think determines how we feel and how we feel determines how we behave. Therefore, it is important to teach children to be positive about how they 'talk to themselves'.

Arrange some kind of tapes for your child to listen on 'Self image for children' or 'Successful teens'. These tapes combine relaxation techniques along with positive self statements and mental pictures to help kids and teens develop their self esteem.

Criticism that takes the form of ridicule or shame should be avoided. There is no argument that sometimes it becomes necessary to criticize a child's actions and the parents have every right to do so. When, however the criticism is directed at the child's personality, it can easily turn into ridicule. It is important to use 'I statements' rather than 'You statements' when criticising. For instance say, "I would like you to keep your clothes in your closet or drawers not lying all over your room," rather than saying "Why are you such a lazy slob? Can't you take care of anything?"

Teach your child about decision making and to recognize when he or she has made a good decision. Have you noticed that Children make decisions? The reality is that they make decisions all the time, but often are not aware that they are doing so. There are a number of ways parents can help children improve their ability to consciously make wise decisions.

1. Help the child clarify the problem that is creating the need for a decision. Ask him questions that pinpoint how he see, hear and feel about a situation and what may need to be changed.

2. Brainstorm the possible solutions. Usually there is more than one solution or choice to a given dilemma and the parent can make an important contribution by pointing out this fact and by suggesting alternatives if the child has none.

3. Allow the child to choose one of the solutions only after fully considering the consequences. The best solution will be one that solves the problem and simultaneously makes the child feel good about him or herself.

4. Later join the child in evaluating the results of that particular solution. Did it work out well? Or did it fail? If so, why? Reviewing the tactics will equip the child to make a better decision the next time around. Develop a positive approach to providing structure for the child. All kids and teens need to accept responsibility for their behaviour. They should learn self discipline.

To help children learn self discipline, the parent needs to adopt the role of coach or teacher rather than that of disciplinarian and punisher. Learn the 'Three Fs' of positive parenting. (Discipline should be fair, firm and friendly).


DAILYNEWS.LK

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

All sciences are based on reasoning. Logic examines the very nature of reasoning.!!!

Be logical

K S Sivakumaran

Clear thinking is necessary for clear writing. Though it is common knowledge, not many of us put it into practice. Even in a piece of essay writing or composition as it is called, logic is necessary, for which clear thinking is necessary.

Thinking is the intellectual activity by means of which knowledge is obtained. We do not know any fact until we think of it. The aims of Logic are to decide whether a statement is valid or invalid. In short, Logic deals with the nature of reasoning. Logic is correct reasoning
Great stylists have said that clear thinking produces clarity in writing. It is true. We could communicate well if there is clarity in speech and writing.

A simple style is always understood well by many. If thinking is logical, writing too would be convincing. Logic plays an important part in effective communication.

Logical thinking leads to forming an attitude and evolving a philosophy of our own. Logic is a branch of philosophy which reflects upon the nature of thinking itself. Logic does not deal with all types of thinking, however, but only with ‘reasoning’.

They say logic is ‘prescriptive science’. It is an ‘autonomous discipline’. It is also a ‘science of good reasons’ Most importantly logic is a discipline which deals with the relations between sentences or statements.

We produce reasons as evidence for a certain conclusion we wish to establish and reasoning is closely connected with inferring. The reasons we provide allow us to infer a certain conclusion. If true, they serve the function of providing evidence for the conclusion. Inference is considered to be a process which allows us to establish the truth of a certain sentence - of an argument - from the truth of other sentences which constitute the evidence for the conclusion. There are two branches of Logic – ‘Deductive’ and ‘Inductive’. Both are rules for correct reasoning or correct argumentation. There are only four possible types of sentences dealt with by logic. They are ‘affirmative’, ‘negative’, ‘universal’ and ‘particular’.

Thinking is the intellectual activity by means of which knowledge is obtained. We do not know any fact until we think of it. The aims of Logic are to decide whether a statement is valid or invalid. In short, Logic deals with the nature of reasoning. Logic is correct reasoning. To be logical is to argue reasonably says Professor Emeritus Cohen. He adds that ‘By means of logic we can find out what follows in given statements are true” Logic was made a very technical study and a special science by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. But this does not mean that Logic is found in a text book. Ordinary people like us very often make inferences. They make connections between various statements and come to conclusions.

All sciences are based on reasoning. Logic examines the very nature of reasoning. Literary styles are determined by logical thinking. Aspiring young writers should learn to think clearly if they are to produce non-imaginative critical writing.

dailynews.lk

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Leading Geneticist Francis Collins (head/ Human Genome Project), argues that his delving into Genetics has only increased his faith in God.!!!

PROF.Pathmanathan Umaharan,UNIV.WEST INDIES,TRINIDAD

Dear friends,

I have been following your very interesting discussion on “Karma”. Thanks for beginning it and sustaining the discussion.

Dogmas are difficult to prove or disprove – that’s why they are called as such. These are created by the collective experiences of persons or groups, personal, cultural or religious. So they cannot be argued as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

One’s perspectives are shaped by their personal and cultural experiences. Nalayini’s beautiful recollection of her experiences shows how her perspectives were influenced by those sometimes very trying experiences. Some would have used the same experiences to justify ‘Karma’ but Nalayini uses it to justify God’s grace – again perspective. Thayalan puts this across very nicely when he talks of the ‘bunny’s heaven’ vs ‘human heaven’. Maurie’s analysis also shows how again the perspective of ‘Karma’ has been a source of consolation for many.

I was recently reading a book by Steven Covey, who argues that by changing the perspectives one can create a paradigm shift in one’s personality, outlook and life success. This is what our ‘Saints’ and ‘Yogis’ been saying. Meditation (read ‘Thiyanam’ or ‘Thavam’) can create a shift in the perspective of the mind, which can create ‘God’ within yourself. Have you read the book “Change your Brain Change your Body” by Daniel Amen. If you haven’t it is very interesting reading. It helps to explain how the brain can influence what we think and what we do?? Here he analysis ‘Yogi’s” who are in ‘meditation’ and what changes it creates in the brain and hence in their outlook.

Nalayini, in the previous email I mistakenly thought you were arguing what is coded in the DNA explains everything. I was thinking that your experiences may have shaped you into an atheist. But your recent email clarifies this. (See again how my own perspectives influenced my thought).

While what is coded in the DNA can influence some behavioral characteristics, the science of genetics has been stumped by the rising field of ‘epigenetics’ which is showing how the experiences even diet of a person can not only affect how the genes express, but also those in your children and grand children. Do you know studies have shown in animal models that what you eat can influence the health of your children and even grandchildren. This brings memories of the Larmarkian inheritance which was discarded as a fallacy.

One of the leading Geneticists of the era Francis Collins (who headed the Human Genome Project), argues that his delving into Genetics has only increased his faith in God, not diminished it. His book is entitled “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief”. If you are interested in this, it is good reading.


Best regards,

Umaharan
-----------------------------------------------------

KARMA IS THE ONE WHICH BIND PEOPLE CLOSER! OR FARTHER AWAY!
BAD KARMA OR GOOD KARMA! WHICH GUIDE YOU ON THE RIGHT PATH!
WHATEVER YOU SOW, SHOULD BE REAPED BY YOU ONLY! NONE ELSE!
KARMA BIND YOU!KARMA DIVIDE YOU!ACCORDING TO PREVIOUS LIFE TOO!
GOD SEND THE VEHICLE OF KARMA TO YOU TO PLAY THE GAME BY YOU!

IF YOU SAFEGUARD THE ANGEL OF JUSTICE(ARAM/DHARMA),
ANGEL OF JUSTICE SAFEGUARD YOU! IT KNEW THE TRUTH!
IF YOU HELP OTHERS IN NEED, SOMEONE HELP YOU IN NEED!
WHEN YOU DIE NOTHING FOLLOW YOU!EXCEPT YOUR "ARAM"
YOUR KARMA MEANS + & - ACTIONS!"ARAM" IS THE + BALANCE!


SHAN NALLIAH
http://worldtamilhinduforum.blogspot.com

Monday, March 7, 2011

Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka must look at Tamils as their brethren not as enemies..!!!

http://www.worldclasstamil.com/?q=node/128


SRI LANKA, FROM SINGAPORE TO SOMALIA IN SIXTY YEARS



“An invitation to Singhalese people to discard their past sixty years of racism and fanaticism and join the Tamils for a free, just and dignified society”



The then prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan yew said I want to make Singapore in the image of Sri Lanka, it was the called Ceylon. Today Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world with a per capita income of $50,000 surpassing Canada.



In 1950 all you needed was Rs10 to buy one British pound sterling, today you need about Rs200. That shows how far your country has gone down relative to the world. Sri Lanka cannot be a frog in the Indian Ocean, but it behaves like one.



What happened then for Sri Lanka to be one of the 10 worst countries? Once upon time Sri Lankan teachers went to the Middle East to educate the Muslims, now the children of those teachers are going to work in the menial jobs, as one Saudi friend put it, we had goats to do the scavenging; now we have Sri Lankans to do the cleaning. If you don’t believe me read the book on the confessions of an economic hit man. What you tried to do to the Tamils you have done it to yourself. Life is what happens when you are busy doing something else.

What you do to others come back to you.



Sri Lanka had three Singhalese leaders who brought this country to its knees. In the last 60 years in their arrogance to degrade the Tamils they degraded them to the bottom 10. Were they able to degrade the Tamils, yes to a certain extent, but most of the Tamil migrated to greener pastures and keep their kith and kin in good standing in Sri Lanka. Don’t you ever forget that the Tamils don’t need a government they are self empowering people. Besides we understand the need for a community so we despite our competitive nature we nurture and foster the community in our own self interest. Some people need a government some people need only empowerment. I am glad that I am a Tamil



The fundamental problem in Sri Lanka is not racial it is hydrological, the lack of good water in the north where the Tamils live. The Singhalese refused to give water so the Tamils started migrating to the south or to Europe and America. Water is essential, for our body is about 70% water and Agriculture and Industry needs water. The Singhalese do not want to allow us either, they resented us migrating south and they do not want to give us water. They have a morality problem, they have a human sensitivity problem, they wanted go against nature by denying life sustaining source to Tamils. All in all Sri Lanka cannot be a prosperous country due to its geography, demography and land man ratio. It has population of over 300 per square kilometer, which needs a hi-tech export based economy.



Since independence, Sri Lankan politics was mired with racism perpetrated by the politicians, fanaticism perpetrated by the religious establishment and state terrorism perpetrated by the military and paramilitary. On tracing the Sri Lankan strife we found that it was the triangle of evil as it is called, the Mahavamsa equivalent version of Hitler’s mein kampf, the Mahasangha the religious organization and the Mahanayakes the human side of fanaticism. We cannot blame the ordinary Singhalese people for they become what the state wants them to be. It is how the country nurtures its people. The Singhalese people are the biggest losers in this strife as moral laws says what you do to others you will do it yourself.

Or the corollary is “Do unto others as you would have do unto you” This is moral law several societies adhere to it except in Sri Lanka; something was masking their clear vision.



May be Sri Lankans fail to understand the moral laws of the universe. They looked at themselves as visitors to the earth instead of part and parcel of the earth. The earth operates on certain immutable laws; one of them is retribution, what you do to others come back to you. If you have not felt the impact of this law, you have not yet looked into to the cause of your misery in life.



What successive governments have done is to either undermine good motives or misappropriate other people’s hard work. In the 1970s they nationalized all assets belong to the foreigners, and then alienated the Tamils by looting their hard earned properties. These are self defeating policies and bahaviours. It is not a patriotic endeavour, it is a plundering exercise. There is no more gravy train to scoop from so they go to foreign lands to live as second class subject and work as menials. What they did to Tamils they are doing it to themselves. What goes around comes around.



So it is time for the Singhalese people to about turn 180 degrees and join the Tamils on a different journey. Come to Toronto, London, Paris, Frankfurt or Sydney and see what we have done. We are running neck to neck with Chinese and they like us for our astuteness; a china man is man of substance when he sees something good he likes it. Chinese are one of hardest working people and they like our hard work. You go to Chinese area in any part on the world and see Tamil businesses interposed, Tamils are welcome.



So what we can do for our southern brethren is a model on which they can reshape their lives, of course it is a highly disciplined long term trans-generational process. That is what the Singhalese people need, to wake up and see the children and grand children becoming great citizens. Not sacrificial lambs to kill and be killed or menial goats in the Middle East.



Your leaders have leaded you, leased you, sold you, and mortgaged you to plunder the nation. Ask Mahinda Rajapaksa and his inner circle to reveal their foreign assets, and then you will realize in the name of nationalism they plundered you to your bare bone. You have to either declare a moratorium on your debt or working the sweat shops or serve the tourist with the finest of your assert and you live like paupers. Nothing is free, nothing comes free and there is no free lunch. . There is no escape,



Mahinda Rajapaksa is prompting cricket, what for? His son is promoting golf, what for? These will not put food on the table, roof over the head or computer on the school desk. We want to offer you a better alternative. Come to us, come live with us, come and be our neighbours and friends and we will give you the ultimate formula for meaningful life. Do not let your plunderers use fanaticism and racism to make your adrenaline rise for no reason. Look back, when I was in Sri Lanka, I earned and saved out of my RS700, but today you have take the money in a lorry and bring the grocery in a shopping bag. That is what happens when you print money without corresponding wealth creation. All the good meat, fish and food are gone to keep the fun seeking tourist well fed and they get the other perks too. Why a young mother, wife, sister or daughter does should have to sell their body for pittance. Everyone knows what in going on among confinement of four walls. When fun seeking father encounter his fund seeking daughter at a massage parlour what becomes of the family? What becomes of nation?

You politician has brought your self esteem to that far down. Do you still want to part of that community or want to join community like ours which has the trans-generational family structure. Don’t tell me there is no rampant prostitution in Colombo, Gothabaya Rajapaksa recently sent in the police to a brothel to find top government (police) officials in compromising positions. As Pope Benedict said sex the river of fire has to be contained and moderated otherwise it will bring down the whole civilization.

When a young man joins the military and goes to war knowing that he may die, he has given up all hope on life; he has nothing to look forward to, so he kills and in the process killed. Mahinda rajapaksa is not in the field, he lives in his palace with personal body guards.



If I am in Sri Lanka, I will not able to write like this, but it is our duty to stand up against all odds to what is right. Denying life or taking away life has no pardon, no penance or pity, he has to suffer the same fate. That deterrence must overhang every charlatan’s head.



Mahathanamuktha mumbling again, Mahinda Rajapaksa is spiting venom and racial venom is coming out of his teeth again. This guy looks like a criminal, talks like a criminal, hence think like a criminal and therefore he acts a criminal What Singhalese people must realize is that they will never progress in this racial and fanatical direction. Mahinda and mahanayake will get their 3 plus meals a day and other facilities. When they get sick they can go to the best facility in the world.



I on behalf of the Tamil people ask my Singhalese brethren to look at their life, is there any improvement in your quality of life under Mahinda’s leadership? Ask if your life today any better or worst than when you got freedom. Are you free toady? How comes the whole nation has been turned into a fanatic state?



Let me ask you a question, your leader Mahinda rajapaksa says he won the war with Tamils, then why is he still talking about LTTE. LTTE is gone, rest assured, but he has to keep the LTTE alive to keep you controlled with fear. Trust me if LTTE is alive around the world, he has no control over it. What does he want to do? Send Mervyn Silva to the world cities to kill Tamils. Singhalese people must come to grip with the fact that they cannot live in isolation. You have an export import economy so then the world matters a lot. So obey the international laws, but first your leaders must give credence to your laws. Dictatorship is for a few people to benefit at the loss of masses, so you must insist that your leaders are fair, democratic, just and respect dignity of people. It is your responsibilities to safe guard your sanctuary and chastity of the society, don’t let any leader rape your society. Mahinda rajapaksa is exactly doing the opposite to your society. It is the responsibility of the people to be responsible to their freedom. As it is 20 million people have been incubated and inculcated into racism and fanaticism and the frightening out come is this monster. Look at him, does he look like a statesman, what statement does his attire and attitude tells you? You got a poisonous wiper with venomous fangs. People are too naïve to fathom him!



If any of your leaders bring forward the LTTE, please don’t pay an attention. LTTE has transformed into LIFTING TAMIL TIDE EVERY WHERE, no Singhalese should fear Tamils any more. In fact we can help you to rebuild a once paradise but first of all there should be a 180 degrees about turn. Young misguided boys took up arms and derailed a democratic process and innocent people paid the price and Mahinda got 5 billion in the foreign banks. So in effect you did not win the war, Mahinda won and got money too.

Do not worry about the resurrection of LTTE, we will not let them raise their ugly head again. It was the most expensive experiments a few misguided youth undertook. Don’t let your dictators keep the LTTE alive for them to rob you of your blood and sweat.

If they are Singhalese loving and Tamil hating, why did they kill 150,000 Singhalese youth in 1971 uprising? It is class struggle; it is the nature of dictators. “Among human beings are a segregation of genes that produce offspring that are worst than the worst animal

They have no remorse or reproach; it is their nature to kill its own kind for survival. It is mentally weaker progeny that has preponderance towards materialistic protection. Rajapaksa family fits perfectly into this definition and description. Capital punishment must be preserved and reserved to deal with this genetic aberration exceeding standard deviation”



But you must not forget that Sri Lanka is part of the world and you have fit in with it. You cannot have it both ways. Either perish or prosper. Dictators always keep the people looking in the wrong direction so that they can steal, that is what your Mahinda Rajapaksa and his inner circle and the armed uniformed thugs are doing. Which parent will send a son to war to die; they have over the decades converted decent Buddhist families into butchers and barbarians. How can a mother send her son to war knowing that he may get killed or he will kill some innocent human being. It is unimaginable looking from outside. So you have to change and change the leadership. You cannot continue like that. Don’t look too far, just to your west there is country called Somalia, it did not come about in a few years, it is the culture of impunity, corruption etc.



Look, your President has friends in the wrong places or as they say birds of the same feather flock together. Gaddafi, Ahamanijad, Kim il sung , Zadari etc are all tyrants pretending to be the saviors of people. It is their ignorance than ingenuity that keeps them making the same mistake



To end my insight, Singhalese people of Sri Lankan must look at Tamils as their brethren not as enemies. If any of your leader advances such a theory it is your responsibility to reject them. It is you who make the king and you who suffer the king. So become politically savant and ensure the country sail smoothly, do not let any selfish dictator drive you into the sea of turmoil. If you have not learned in the last 60 years you will never learn. Injustice and injury never achieve anything only it begets injustice and injury.



I hope I have said something useful today to my friends in the south. We can only suggest but you have to make up your mind or it will be marshaled into you.



In the mean time I am going ask my fellow Tamils worldwide to unite, stay together, work hard and never ever give up, the best is yet to come and we are winning.



I am delighted to see a few Tamils have got my disease, they are branding them as world class Tamils.. Very good, excellent.



My Name is Subramaniam Masilamany, One of the world class Tamils, powered by convictions, commitments and conscience. .

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Be a reason for a smile to be born..!!!

From: Yogi Ram Sunthar
Date: 5 March 2011 22:26
Subject: smile
To:


Be a reason for a smile to be born



A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.


A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.



Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.


That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.


The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."

I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."



Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people
that they were so lucky that they were not blind.

Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?



Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
Face your past without regret.
Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.
Keep the faith and drop the fear.

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling, And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason
behind it!!!



Om Kriya Babaji nama Aum

Thursday, February 17, 2011

In search of Leadership Excellence among Tamils

|worldclasstamil.com Moderator to Massey
show details 2:51 PM (16 hours ago)



This is a two part series so take your time to listen and please send in your opinion, views and criticism.

Watch us on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfpGJKvp-_0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzaL2YtDUKI

Read us on
http://www.worldclasstamil.com/?q=node/126


In search of Leadership Excellence among Tamils

A true leader may be defined as a product of nature, who has the inner capacity to capture the universal energy that can attract, connect and hold people together. Or a leader may also be a person who can create emotional intelligence among people and direct them in desirable direction. How many Tamils are there who can fit these definitions. Why are Tamil such a fierce competitors and poor co-operators? I have been struggling for the last 50 years trying to find one leader among Tamils whom I could follow and there was none. Why is it we are unable to produce at least one good leader? Therefore let us begin to send our kids to leadership training so that we can produce a few excellent leaders.

The Singhalese proclaim that they won the war with Tamils, but then why do the Singhalese behave like the vindicated second class subjects? They want to talk with us but who among us are to talk with? None of them have the courage to say lets talk. The Tamils must behave like world-class citizens having the courage and greatness to sit and negotiate as equal partners. But we lack self esteem, self respect, self determination and dignity. They are in chains everywhere; every morning when they wake up they put on chain of slavery and servitude themselves. There is an unknown fear in their faces. Why? That fear and the second class mindset is the cause of lack of leadership among Tamils. Some people want to negotiate with Singhalese out of fear. That is not the right thing to do.

My position is, instead of asking what the Singhalese can give us; I will ask the Singhalese what is that we Tamils have to do to live with them. I do not want to negotiate out of fear but I will never fear to negotiate. This is something Tamil have to learn. Stop being second-class citizens or the vindicated. We are not second class citizens any more. There was never a war to lose. Killing 40,000 innocent people is not a war, it is the lowest act of barbarism, and it is genocide. During the massacre 180000 artillery shells were fired and none hit the civilians according to Shavendra Silva, deputy permanent representative to the UN, who has advanced the art of deception and pulling wool over the eyes of the world. 20 million against 2 million is not a match; it is a walk over. Tamils are not mules, they are horses, the Europeans call them “Teflon Tamils”; try to unite them, and they know how to survive as lone wolves. As the great Russian weight lifter Yuri Vasilov said, they work and work to reach a stage in that process they become self propelling rockets. They want to enjoy the moment again and again. We say 40,000 was killed, UN says 7000 was killed, Mahinda Rajapaksa says none was killed. Did your troops carry the bible in one hand and bread in the other hand when they went to war? If your military was unarmed then comes Tigers didn’t kill them. There is a limit to ignorance beyond which it is evolution.

If this Teflon Tamils are the race of people we are trying to lead, then the leader be a real one. We Tamils need a leader who has the conviction, courage and confidence to tell the Tamils and ask the Singhalese what is the right thing to do. We must ask the Singhalese what should or what can the Tamils do to live in Sri Lanka with Dignity, Freedom and Justice. Our next step will depend on what they say. One day, some say they and us have to live side by side. We are ready? Are they ready? Let us show them that it is in their self interest live in peace. If they agree then let us bring in the United Nations to oversee and help us to formulate a social contract and present it to the parliament and give it the legal assent. This contract will give us the mechanism to deal with minor issues. If the Singhalese as majority do not agree then we have a moral reason to ask for separation. I think, in my opinion we have not done this. I am very certain we can work something out because as individuals we get along very well within Sri Lanka and out side, but as a social group we are arch enemies. Something is not right here. I think the people are willing but the leaders are not genuine.

We have leadership vacuum here on both sides and also leadership vacuum everywhere in the world. Among Tamils we have been lacking leaders and leadership for at least two generations. We need a leader who has the charisma and courage to reach out to both sides and tell them all the good things so that we have the mandate for a unified country. At this time that fertile will is not on either side, let us build that. We can have separate states not separated people, we are all connected.

Let me quote from John W.Gardner from his book “No easy Victories”

Leaders have a significant role in creating the state of mind of the society. They can serve as symbols of a moral unity of the society. They can express the values that hold the society together. Most important, they can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and carry them above the conflicts that tear a society apart, and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts.

If we ask among our Tamil population and among our presumed leaders, who is in charge? The answer is nobody home. There are people, who want to be leaders, but most of them are what is in it for me people, some of them even don’t know what makes people and society. To know what the society needs and to articulate the intelligence of the people to achieve those goals is said to be the quality of divine leaders. In my life time I did not see one or hear of one. They do not have the moral stamina to take the podium and listen to people. They are not ready to listen, learn and lead. People are willing, leaders are missing.

Why is that we could not produce even a single leader? Where have all the leaders gone? Or have the field of leadership soil had gone sterile. It is the people who produce the leadership, we had S.J.V. Selvanayagam, who represented the psyche of the people of the post independence era, and then we produced Prabaharan the man needed to fend of Singhalese aggression, now we need a leader who can guide us to the next stage. The Tamils are no more people of Sri Lankan mentality, they are all over the world and their understanding in the last 30 years have been tremendously improved. To identify the values that will bring and hold them together is vital to the next leader.

We have identified at least four groups that are trying to lead the community, but are these so call groups understand the needs and the mindset of the Modern Diaspora Tamils? When we are producing university graduates at a rate or 15,000 per year, it is not an easy community to convince. The leader has to be a Doctor of Science, so to say, so that there is some edge in him or her worth looking up to. Since 1960s the intelligence quotients of Tamils have multiplied several times in Sri Lanka and around the world among the Diaspora, since exodus. To have the exposure to some of the modern civilization is the blessing we got out of the Sri Lankan misery.

How does this modern Tamil community communicate? The days of political meetings, radio, television, and news paper are all gone. This is how an investor put it, one day I went home and my little granddaughter stood on top of the 4 inch thick telephone directory and tried to use the key board on the computer. Next day I sold all my stocks in telephone directory company. If you do not get the idea and the trend then you cannot lead people. A leader must know where the society is, what it wants and at least where it wants to be in the next 10 years.

How does one reach people today? They do so via Social net working, youtube, face book, twitter and very many. Now let me ask the four groups that are trying to lead the Tamil community how many of you reach out and touch your people? Look I am not a 16 years old boy, I am retired, and I use computers extensively. It is a new society. Tamil are not Pannam Koddais and Dosais, that is what some leaders think. Why is that we don’t see our leaders, because they are not there where we are. Where are the leaders? Who is charge? I was mentioned four people as potential leaders, but we don’t hear from them, they want to lead us by being in the dark, they are scared to come out in the lime light. I took on this task because I was fed up with our leaders from SJV up to now. Why are they scared to talk? I have never seen or heard Rudrakumarn, Emmanual, Ethiriveersingham and Sampanthan listening to people talking. When Mahinda Rajapaksa speaks only racial venom comes out of his teeth. When Shavendra Silva speaks, his body language speaks so loud we cannot hear his mouth speaking. Please some one conveys this message to him. Let me give a simple advice to my Tamil leaders, dress appropriately, it is your attire, your facial expression, your body language are seen, heard and felt louder than your voice. Please cut your hair clean, shave and put on a suit. Tell the audiance that we belong to a group of civilized people..

Lets talk more about our leaders. We knocked at several doors, nobody home. In the modern terms our emails neither returned nor replied. Why? Our leaders are living about 10,000 years behind, when the world functions on nano-seconds these people are living in the dinosaurs era. In 10 years people will ask what is a telephone? Today the telephone is a mobile information centre and a weapon of mass destruction. I can, at my low level of cyber knowledge reach 4000 people in one second. Early bird gets the worm. Right? A man with a computer, a key board, a solar panel and a wireless internet connection is going to penetrate the impenetrable empires.

BREAK, SECOND HALF

Our leaders must understand that the concept of Government, National borders, Immigration, and Sovereign nation are outdated ideas. Look behind and you see, United Tamil Nation, a nation without borders. We are not stupid to call it borderless nation. Let me give you an example in the year of 2009 month of May, the Singhalese won the war over the Tamils, so they say, I am not interested in dinner table talk. It was a war between Tamils and Singhalese and they claim they won, but then they behave like losers. Why are they behaving like the vindicated? They are asking us come, lets live as one nation one people. Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, you are trying to sell an out dated idea. Your fanaticism is gone, your heritage is gone, your intimidation is gone and you have to even beg to come out of your country. Your own people are going to come and get you, get ready for it. You can neither go out nor stay in. what a pathetic situation you are in. that is your problem. You are the master of your own destiny.

So if the Tamil community is freedom loving democratic people who know their rights and freedoms and also know their rules and regulation, what kind of person can lead them? This pulling wool over their eyes will not work. Sometimes I smell rat is some leaders or smell chicken in others, neither has place in the modern Tamil society. I hope our self proclaimed leaders get this one right.

I had a discussion with a friend in England, he said lets us all get together and go as one unified people and ask Mahinda Rajapaksa and see what he can give us. In the first place he has nothing to give us and there is nothing for us to get from them. Unfortunately we live in that naïve world without understanding the human nature. Man is an animal with a mind. As long as Sri Lanka is a poor country, the law of the jungle will prevail, there is not enough to share hence stealing is the right, the right of the might is the law. It is the law in any uncreative and unproductive society. Neither the Tamil leaders nor the Singhalese leaders ever paid any attention to the economy.

There is only one thing we Tamils can do, invest heavily and help the Singhalese to “have” something worth living for. Once they have a home, food, healthcare etc they will become modern people who want to protect their new found comfort. They will not go to war, a man goes to war as a last resort, and 18 million people do not have enough that is why they are in the Middle East toiling. The Tamil leadership must understand that. We must understand them before they understand us. Let us give them the head start. Let us give them the benefit of the doubt, let us behave like world-class Tamils, we are magnanimous and magnificent people. They through their inability destroyed a beautiful country. Now they want to pollute it with tourism. Tourism is not the way to build a just and decent society, but it the easiest way out. We Tamils always thought we were at the receiving end, but you have not seen the life of ordinary Singhalese in the villages, he is being fleeced, skinned and skimmed by their own people.

Therefore the Tamil leadership must reach out to the Singhalese people and offer our greatness despite their leader’s misguidance. That is the value that will bring the community together. We have to offer our greatness to the Singhalese people. God has for some strange reason put some extra gray matter in our heads, warm blood in our hearts, ability to persevere and a cornucopia in our minds. Tell you the truth some days I hate the cash in my pocket, a nuisance in my pocket. Give me a man and I will turn him into magic money machine. Why did God give us the fountain of never ending wealth? In Toronto I live there are three important languages English, Chinese and Tamil. Mahinda Rajapaksa did you hear that? You and your people are missing a lot, because there are too many Mahathanamukthas among you.

So who is going to be the next Tamil leader? In my opinion the one who can reach out to the Singhalese and say let us all live as one people. Let us show you the money magic. Let us show you how to create an economic to suit your country. There are some resources that are unique to Sri Lanka, but you need people with the knack for ingenuity and creativity. A leader who will not negotiate out of fear but without fear, a leader who can stand on firm moral high ground and say we are all people. Let us look for the internal diversity of intellect than the external complexes of language, religion and class, these are acquired characters and can be changed, today Singhalese tomorrow Tamil or something else. You can force the Tamil to be Singhalese, Hindu to a Buddhist etc, but you cannot change who we are inside, the true human, that is what Tamils are. You cannot move the light house, the ship has to move.

But the way Sri Lanka is progressing; it will be a fun paradise for the others, that is what is being created by The Singhalese, India and china; a place to relax after a good days work. Sri Lankan men do the foot massaging and women do the room service. That is not the culture we Tamils are willing to venture into, we have a rich cultural heritage which other communities are fast adopting around the world, we are not willing to compromise it at any cost. It is time tested elegance; there is nothing to improve upon.

The world has become and becoming uncontrollable, freedom has seeped into the minds defying borders and armies. Even the armies are vulnerable to freedom. Why should a poor village boy sitting with military uniform and gun in his hand hoping to kill an enemy who is not really his enemy, but of the establishment? We are only protecting the rich not the people for people are all gone; there are no more people to govern. A revolution has taken place, about 4 -5 people changed the world. There are no more people to manage and no nation to call a sovereign. People are learning to manage themselves and they understand that in their own selfish interest they respect the neighbour’s interest. We are on our way to Utopia. Governments have become a liability and clumsy disorganized, divided organization.
To tell the truth governments are the source trouble than a source of relief for people.

Leadership is about listening and learning. I function with one assumption that every one is intelligent and well informed in their own way. When I assume like that, I become a great student, I become a listener; I do not guide people, I do not teach them , but they learn on their own. All I display is a wider, greater and larger vision of what my community should be in the next 1000 years for the next 1000 years. I provide the nourishing media and people do their job so well. They day you stop listening to people you are done with. Do you think Barack Obama can do the work of 300 million Americans? No, all he can do is to provide the charisma that people are looking for, the social energy, that mesmerizing look, that look of all positive qualities in his eyes. That ability to look straight into peoples eyes and we got a life to live, lets live it up. People will do the rest, rest assured.

Let us listen to Plato for a minute or two, “Until philosophers are kings, and the princes of this world have sprit and power of philosophy, and when the greatness and political wisdom meet in one, (cities will never cease from ill, nor the human race, as I believe and ) then only will our states have a possibility of life, and see the light of the day. The truth is, that the state in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is the best and most quietly governed, and a state which they are willing govern is the worst”

If Plato gave life to leadership, Marcus Aurelius lived it. He is the standard against whom others are measured. One of the kings who passed Plato’s test is Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. All other leaders are evaluated on his scale of 100. If Marcus Aurelius is 100, where will Mahinda rajapksa be? Minus 10?! How about among Tamils, there is none to evaluate. Why are the Tamils struggling; because there is no one to show them the values of belonging and social virtues that create a prosperous community? There is nothing to be gained or to be bargained being in this Tamil community so they drift like a ship without a captain, a sail and a rudder What we are doing here is stimulating the community to much higher plateau, trying to show them a highly enriched living. Will we be the future leaders? May be, we don’t know only time and people will tell us, but rest assured we are in the right direction. We have to build trust and become high trust society.

Ultimately what sustain a society of people is freedom and Justice. The freedom to associate or not to. Justice is absolute, you cannot tamper with. Man is born with a moral foundation and moral compass. So we all know what is right and wrong. Mahinda Rajapaksa says one leader, one people, and one nation. I think G.L.Peries must have given that line to him. No it we are the leaders, we are the people and we are the nation. That will work. When you sit in Hambantota and look either you see the jungle or the sea, you cannot see the world.

I want make my contribution to my people; It is my passion to see people succeed. I come to work everyday to see my young associates have a place they can come and be creative in their own way. When a new recruit ask me what to do, I tell them go find your own niche and find your own vocation and find your own quest and answer that call. Our enterprise will never fail.
I hope I have said something useful today. As I always say.
All Tamils worldwide unite, stay together, work hard and never ever give up, the best is yet to come and we are winning.

I am Subramaniam Masilamany, A world class Tamil, powered by convictions, commitments and conscience.