Prof. Chandana Jayaratne Chairman-Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT)Head of the Department of Physics and Director, Astronomy and Space Science Unit, Department of Physics, University of Colombo,
eclipse on November 8th at moonrise
(A lunar eclipse on the 8thfull moonday)
On November 8, 2022 full moon day, there will be a total lunar eclipse that will be visible in Asia, Australia, America and part of Europe. However, this eclipse is visible to Sri Lanka as a partial lunar eclipse at the moon’s rise.
The total eclipse begins at 1.32 p.m., the maximum occurs at 4.29 p.m. and the eclipse ends up at 7.26 p. m., Sri Lanka Standard time. Sri Lankans can view only the latter part of this safe naked-eye event as a partial eclipse with the moon rise at 5.48 p.m. from the eastern horizon. The partial phase of the eclipse ends up at 6.19 p.m. said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, the Director of the Astronomy and Space Science Unit, Department of Physics, Colombo University.
This is the second and final total lunar eclipse of 2022 and is famously known as the Beaver Blood Moon lunar eclipse. The true maximum point of this eclipse cannot be seen in Sri Lanka because the Moon is below the horizon at that time. Since the Moon is near the horizon at this time, it is better to select a high point or find an unobstructed area with free sight to the east-northeast for the best view of the eclipse, said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne.
The next total lunar eclipse won‘t take place untilMarch 14, 2025.
Why do we call it a Beaver Blood Moon Eclipse?
All the full moons have popular nicknames. If the full moon in November falls before November 7, it is called the Hunter’s Moon. Otherwise, like this year, it is called the full Beaver Moon. The name Beaver is given due to the time of year when beavers available in many countries in the northern parts of the world prepare their dens for the coming cold months and stock up on food.
Despite its nickname blood moon”, at the totally, eclipsed moon looks an orangey-copper reddish color and not a blood-red color.
During a total lunar eclipse, a full moon passes first into the penumbra or less dark outer shadow of the Earth and then enters into the Earth’s umbra or deep central shadow. At the totality, the only sunlight reaching the moon is light that passes through Earth’s atmosphere. Instead of expected black, it turns the lunar surface red because of Rayleigh scattering. The more the environmental pollution, dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear.
Prof. Chandana Jayaratne
Director, Astronomy and Space Science Unit, University of Colombo
Head of the Department of Physics, Universityof Colombo
Immediate Past General President-Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science
Chairman, Arthur C ClarkeInstitute for Modern Technologies and
National Coordinator and Board Member-International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics
Interesting question, and in an ethnically divided society like ours, it is better to find answers and how some, if not all, of their methods, can be adopted by others as well.
One of the most successful business communities in the world for centuries has been the Jews.
What are the secrets of their success?
They are no longer secrets, and a few methods that they practice can be adopted and practised by others as well.
The first and foremost one is honesty in all dealings.
Many would disagree with me when I say this.
I do not want to deal with dissenters, but if honesty was missing in their dealing, they would not have been in business for this long.
Most of the practices are commandments and they follow them diligently.
One is that a father should teach his son how to make an honest living and, further, it goes to say, to teach him how to swim.
It should not be taken literally and what it means is to teach how to navigate in different and difficult conditions to survive.
The next one is to have a very positive relationship with money.
Money is yet another tool to be used for the betterment of oneself and others, and it is not as evil as some belief.
Never be too shy or proud to ask for help from your community.
If the person standing next to you in prayer would not help, do you think a total stranger would?
The same with giving.
Give back to your community first.
Make it a practice to give to charity.
Muslims recommend 3%, while Jews recommend 10%.
You can’t wipe out all evils by just giving to charity, but even if a few would get help, it is better than doing nothing.
Always aspire to be an owner rather than a worker.
This rings the entrepreneurial bell in most people, and it makes good sense too.
Further, never be envious of another’s success, but rather be happy as you can learn from their experience and incorporate their methods into your business too.
Another important thing is not to neglect your bread and butter.
When success knocks, many get distracted and tend to take their eyes off the ball to pay more attention to other matters and ventures.
Their success formula is to pay 90% of your attention to your bread and butter, 8% to any future projects, and the balance of 2% to your dreams.
Never do to others anything you would not want them to do to you.
In other words, to avoid karmic repercussions.
Their recommendation for wealth is to be segregated and hedged, so if one goes bad for a period, others will provide the necessary cushioning.
The ideal ratio is to have 1/3 of your wealth in cash, 1/3 in inventory, and the other 1/3 in real estate.
They are more risk-takers than others because of their strong belief in God.
If we try hard enough, God will make it happen, is what they believe
If we do not try hard and are ready to give up, then divine intervention will not come.
Finally, take a day off from your busy schedule each week to have time for yourself, to pay attention to family and others’ needs, and to be able to come back and resume your day fully charged for the next six days.
I do not think that any of them are non-adoptable practices, and therefore anyone can duplicate their success by simply following those steps.
Disclaimer: The goal of this post is not to elevate or denigrate any group in our society; rather, it is to highlight some simple, doable alternatives for those that struggle.
Geneva, 2 November 2022: Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global media safety and rights body, while marking the 2022 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Wednesday commented, ‘more needs to be done to fight impunity on the ground’. Slow progress is made, but still very insufficient, said the PEC after appealing to launch the work for an international convention.
Recently, five years after the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017 in Malta, two brothers were sentenced to 40 years in prison on 14 October, Justice is very slow but better than nothing,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC, adding that in Mexico, three persons were condemned on 28 October for the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado (killed in January 2021).
Despite these rare examples, impunity is prevailing in most crimes.
The masterminds of the crime are not prosecuted. According to a recent UNESCO report, 86% of the crimes against journalists remained unpunished. In 10 years, the drop is only 9%. UNESCO reported an upward trend of resolved cases worldwide from 11% in 2018 to 14% in 2022.
2022 will be a particularly deadly year for journalists with 107 media workers (the latest one is Pakistani female journalist Sadaf
Naeem) killed. It is an increase of 57% in 10 months compared to last year. So far Ukraine, Mexico, Pakistan, Haiti emerge as the most dangerous countries for journalists this year. It is important that the killing of journalists in Ukraine don’t go unpunished and those crimes must be investigated independently,” added Lempen.
PEC is calling again on governments to support the adoption of a United Nations convention on the safety of journalists and other media professionals. Despite 13 resolutions on the safety of journalists adopted at the UN and the adoption of the United Nations plan of action on the safety of journalists and impunity which commemorates its 10th anniversary, the journalists continue to be attacked for doing their job.
In this regard, PEC welcomes the global campaign for the adoption of an international convention dedicated to the protection of journalists and media professionals, formally launched by the International Federation of Journalists at the 51st session of the UNHRC in Geneva on 30 September last. The convention highlights existing weaknesses and loopholes in international humanitarian and human rights law and the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms.
PEC’s south Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that Pak television reporter Naeem (40) was crushed to death as she fell from a truck during the political march led by former PM Imran Khan on 30 October. The mother of two children, associated with Channel 5 in Lahore, followed the convoy which was proceeding towards Islamabad.
Thus, the hard-working journalist died in the line of duty.
Pakistan earlier lost journalists Arshad Sharif, Muhammad Younis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar and Athar Mateen to assailants since 1 January. It’s neighbour India witnessed the murder of journalists Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini, Juned Khan Pathan and Subhash Kumar Mahato. Three journalists (Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem and Abdul Bari) were killed in Bangladesh and Myanmar lost photojournalist Aye Kyaw and reporter Pu Tui Dim to military atrocities.
Nov 1 (Bloomberg) – Sri Lanka’s inflation slowed in October for the first time in a year as shortages of food and fuel eased.
The consumer price index in the capital Colombo cooled to 66% from a year ago, the statistics department said in a statement Monday. That’s down from 69.8% in September and a median of 68.5% in a Bloomberg survey.
Transport costs stood at 150.4% and food prices came in at 94.9%, the data showed
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and several members from the SJB were today seen leaving the anti government protest site after they failed to move past the human barricade set up by the police.
https://youtu.be/P9ym7Bb39ZA
Much to the displeasure of the protestors who were seen urging Premadasa and the SJB members to move past the human barricade, the opposition Leader and opposition members were seen getting into their vehicles and leaving the protest site to maintain calm and non violence.
The protestors however showing their displeasure, even went as far as to asking why Premadasa had arrived at the scene if he could not move past the police human barricade.
Some protestors had also jeered at him and the other opposition members as they were seen leaving the area.
The protest ended peacefully a short while ago with police re-opening the routes towards Fort from the Technical Junction.
Family politics is a concerning matter for all Sri Lankans because there has been severe criticism against family politics which promoted corruption in the country. In history, before foreign invasions, families got the power to become kings and queens. Since the beginning of the Donormore administration in 1932, the political leadership has been transferred from one family to another and this tradition will be ended after the next election. The last family in the political administration was the Rajapaksa family, which has lost its respect because the family has been associated with disgraceful management and corruption and the new situation denotes that Sri Lanka needs a new family for political leadership.
The Rajapaksa family had an opportunity to go further but so-called corrupt practices and conflicts between the family members forced people to reject the family politics and it shows that the country, Sri Lanka needs a new family for political leadership possibly to bring new philosophy that will bring justice. Although Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family, and Basil Rajapaksa will attempt to take over power, such efforts will be rejected by people, the wish of the Rajapaksa family would be in the water, and people informally express a view that they need a new family.
There is an informal talk among influential people that a lady doctor who is the daughter of assassinated Upatissa Gamanayake may willing to be the leader of JVP, and the current political refugee situation might change if there will be result-oriented thinker for the leadership is selected. It may not be like so-called branch stacking or improperly increasing voting groups in political parties. If the daughter of Upatissa Gamanayake becomes the leader of JVP no doubt that she will attract the support of the political bureau.
The leaders of current major political parties are not acceptable to the public and a new leader like the late Bob Hawke in Australia, and Sri Lanka also needs to inject new blood from outside and a lady leader like the daughter of Late Gamanayake from outside will be acceptable to Sri Lankans.
There are many active politicians in JVP and they are not capable of modernizing the party policies. The leadership in the current party is self-centred and in this century JVP needs to critically think about policies and how to change them consistent with the requirements of the young generation. Like Rishi Sunak, political leaders in this century must be able to judge the validity of political and economic policies and the potential response from social and religious leaders towards policies.
The views of people toward JVP and other registered political parties are aforementioned and the new family leader to govern the country should be an efficacious figure.
A National Council has been established within the Parliament consisting of 35 members representing all political parties with the objective of
a) Determine priorities on guidelines for the formulation of National short-, medium- and long-term policies.
b) To reach a consensus on a common minimum short-, medium- and long-term program to stabilize the economy.
There is serious doubt whether the members of this Council have the capacity and the will to deliver the tasks assigned. Most of them have been in Parliament for decades and some have held ministerial responsibilities. When even the very Parliament which had overarching power over finance had no sense of priorities and allowed the present crisis to develop over so many years failed miserably, serious doubts on these 35 members making an impact is justified. National policies and priorities should be devoid of partisan politics. It would be impossible for these members to determine national interest over political interest.
In 1956 Sri Lanka introduced the National Planning Council Act where the Council was to advise the Cabinet on the planning of agriculture, industry, commerce, education, housing, health and social services, public utilities, and all other matters pertaining to the national economy. SWRD envisaged a 10-year national development plan. It was after 1977 that National planning was given up.
Priorities on National Development cannot be plucked out of thin air but must be based on potential and prospects of the economy based on in depth studies. This is the task of a National Planning body staffed with trained technocrats. Political manifestos provide visions on national development. We had such broad visions in Regaining Sri Lanka, Mahinda Chintanaya, and Visions of Prosperity but did not have any well formulated plans for implementations.
The number of countries with a national development plan has more than doubled, from about 62 in 2006 to 134 in 2018. More than 80 per cent of the global population now lives in a country with a national development plan of one form or another. This is a stunning recovery of a practice that had been discredited in the 1980s and 1990s as a relic of directed economies and state-led development.
China is on their 14th 5-year Plan and South Korea is on the fifth 5 year plan.
What we need is a scientifically formulated National Development Plan and a strong mechanism for plan implementation and not a political declaration of the state of the Union”.
It’s Really True: They Know they are Killing the Babies
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***
Incisive analysis by Dr. Naomi Wolf, first published by Global Research on May 31, 2022
***
I’ve been silent for some weeks. Forgive me.
The truth is: I’ve been rendered almost speechless — or the literary equivalent of that — because recently I’ve had the unenviable task of trying to announce to the world that indeed, a genocide — or what I’ve called, clumsily but urgently, a baby die-off” — is underway.
The WarRoom/DailyClout Pfizer Documents Research Volunteers, a group of 3000 highly credentialled doctors, RNs, biostatisticians, medical fraud investigators, lab clinicians and research scientists, have been turning out report after report, as you may know, to tell the world what is in the 55,000 internal Pfizer documents which the FDA had asked a court to keep under wraps for 75 years.
By court order, these documents were forcibly disclosed. And our experts are serving humanity by reading through these documents and explaining them in lay terms. You can find all of the Volunteers’ reports on DailyClout.io.
The lies revealed are stunning.
The WarRoom/DailyClout Volunteers have confirmed:
that Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew by December 2020 that the MRNA vaccines did not work — that they waned in efficacy” and presented vaccine failure.” One side effect of getting vaccinated, as they knew by one month after the mass 2020 rollout, was COVID.”
Pfizer knew in May of 2021 that 35 minors’ hearts had been damaged a week after MRNA injection — but the FDA rolled out the EUA for teens a month later anyway, and parents did not get a press release from the US government about heart harms til August of 2021, after thousands of teens were vaccinated. [See this]
Pfizer (and thus the FDA; many of the documents say FDA: CONFIDENTIAL” at the lower boundary) knew that, contrary to what the highly paid spokesmodels and bought-off physicians were assuring people, the MRNA, spike protein and lipid nanoparticles did not stay in the injection site in the deltoid, but rather went, within 48 hours, into the bloodstream, from there to lodge in the liver, spleen, adrenals, lymph nodes, and, if you are a woman, in the ovaries. [See this]
Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew that the Moderna vaccine had 100 mcg of MRNA, lipid nanoparticles and spike protein, which was more than three times the 30 mcg of the adult Pfizer dose; the company’s internal documents show a higher rate of adverse events with the 100 mcg dose, so they stopped experimenting with that amount internally due to its reactogenicity” — Pfizer’s words — but no one told all of the millions of Americans who all got the first and second 100 mcg Moderna dose, and the boosters.
Pfizer skewed the trial subjects so that almost three quarters were female — a gender that is less prone to cardiac damage. Pfizer lost the records of what became of hundreds of their trial subjects.
In the internal trials, there were over 42,000 adverse events and more than 1200 people died. Four of the people who died, died on the day they were injected.
Adverse events tallied up in the internal Pfizer documents are completely different from those reported on the CDC website or announced by corrupted physicians and medical organizations and hospitals. These include vast columns of joint pain, muscle pain (myalgia), masses of neurological effects include MS, Guillain Barre and Bell’s Palsy, encephaly, every iteration possible of blood clotting, thrombocytopenia at scale, strokes, hemorrhages, and many kinds of ruptures of membranes throughout the human body.
The side effects about which Pfizer and the FDA knew but you did not, include blistering problems, rashes, shingles, and herpetic conditions (indeed, a range of blistering conditions oddly foreshadowing the symptoms of monkeypox).
The internal documents show that Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew that angry red welts or hives were a common reaction to the PEG, a petroleum-derived allergen in the vaccine ingredients — one that you are certainly not supposed to ingest. Indeed, PEG is an allergen so severe that many people can go into anaphylactic shock if they are exposed to it. But people with a PEG allergy were not warned away from the vaccines or even carefully watched by their doctors, EpiPen in hand. They were left to their shock.
Pfizer knew that exposure” to the vaccine was defined — in their own words – as sexual contact (especially at time of conception), skin contact, inhalation or lactation. [See this]. ‘Fact-checkers’ can deny this all they want. The documents speak for themselves.
Of course, people who have tried to raise any of these issues have been deplatformed, scolded by the President, called insane, and roundly punished.
Athletes and college students and teenagers are collapsing on football and soccer fields. Doctors wring their hands and express mystification. But BioNTech’s SEC filing shows a fact about which the CDC and the AMA breathe not a word: fainting so violently that you may hurt yourself is one of the side effects important enough for BioNTech to highlight to the SEC.
But not to highlight to you and me.
I was able to process all of this and keep simply reporting. But in the last few weeks the horror overcame me. Because now, the Volunteers, under the excellent leadership of Program Manager Amy Kelly, have confirmed that there is a genocide underway, intentionally driven or not. And Israeli journalist Etana Hecht has added her own superb analysis. Here is Ms Hecht’s summary of the Volunteers’ findings:
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss allegedly sent a message saying ‘It’s Done’ to the U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately after the Nord Stream attack. Kim Dotcom, a German-Finnish internet entrepreneur who resides in New Zealand, said the text message is the reason Russia claims the UK was involved in blowing up the pipeline. He has credited iCLOUD admin access for the disclosure. The Russian Foreign Ministry has asked the British government to officially comment on the explosive claims against Truss. Last week, several British media outlets reported that the personal phone of Liz Truss was allegedly hacked by Putin’s spies. Notably, Russia’s claims that the British Navy was involved in the Nord Stream “terror attack” came just after Liz Truss’s phone hacking allegations. This report has full information.
(Bloomberg) — Sri Lanka is still struggling to afford international fuel prices and is unable to fully procure the country’s requirements, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said.
The cash-strapped country is still seeking financial assistance from oil-producing nations, but has yet to secure any aid apart from an existing deal with India, Wijesekera said Tuesday on the sidelines of the Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka’s financial crisis has been stretching on for months, impeding its ability to pay for food and fuel.
It’s very difficult for us to access letters of credit or give any other guarantees on payments,” he said.
The country expects a diesel cargo from China to arrive by the end of November, which will help meet its needs for several months, he said.
Beijing is donating 10.6 million liters of diesel to Sri Lankan farmers and fishermen in remote areas of the South Asian island nation, to upgrade livelihood,” the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said in a tweet.
READ: Bankrupt Sri Lanka Takes Russia Oil as Fuel Crisis Persists
Sri Lanka is seeking to privatize its oil industry, but has yet to make a deal, he added. It earlier implemented a national fuel-management program that helped reduce consumption by 40%, and is still in discussions with the International Monetary Fund for financial aid, he said.
Imports of Russian oil and fuel are also still under consideration. It doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, as long its affordable for Sri Lanka,” he said.
A total of 14 suspects are under arrest in connection with the tense situation in Kebithogollewa in which a police officer succumbed to injuries after being assaulted last night.
Several police officers, responding to a report on the death of a woman caused by a wild elephant attack, had shown up in Rambakapuwewa area in Kebithigollewa.
When the police officers arrived at the location, at least 100 people including a Buddhist monk had blocked the road, staging a protest against the authorities’ inaction to resolve the human-elephant conflict.
A tense situation then ensued as a group of individuals wielding clubs attacked the police officers.
The police officers fired shots in the air to take the situation under control.
However, a police officer sustained critical injuries after one of the individuals brutally assaulted him with a club. He was rushed to the Kebithigollewa Hospital and was transferred to the Anuradhapura Hospital for further treatment. As his condition exacerbated, the injured police officer was moved to the Base Hospital in Medawachchiya, where he was pronounced dead.
The deceased is a 54-year-old sergeant attached to the Kebithigollewa Police. He is reportedly a resident of Wariyapola area.
Soon after the incident, a Buddhist monk and four others were arrested in connection with the death of the police officer. However, nine more suspects were later taken into custody over the incident.
Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara has questioned if individuals participating in tomorrow’s (2) demonstration are joining the protest as the government brought an end to the era of queues.
The Minister speaking at a media briefing today (1) said the Cabinet of Ministers informally discussed the protest planned for tomorrow and questioned if individuals joining the protest were those who were attending after waiting in fuel or gas queues and having to endure more than 10-12 hours of power cuts with their children unable to study or businessmen unable to continue operations at factories.
Minister Nanayakkara added that prices of goods have reduced to a certain extent while fuel prices have also decreased while Sri Lanka has also begun receiving foreign exchange through various products.
>He questioned if protests are being planned as the country has gained a certain level of stability.
Minister Nanayakkara also noted that following discussions with the International Monetary Fund, a staff level agreement could be reached by the first week of December, while negotiations with creditors have already commenced while talks with Japan, China and India have been successful.
Several business chambers in a joint statement have noted with concern that some organizations have called for mass protests tomorrow (Nov. 02).
While recognizing their freedom of speech and right to express views, the Chambers requested all parties to call off protests of this nature that could undermine the efforts being taken to resolve the current economic crisis with the support of the international community.”
Any act of destabilization taking place at this time and any negative publicity arising from it would seriously derail actions that are being taken to revive the economy including the efforts being taken to promote tourism, the statement read further.
A few airlines have agreed to commence flights to Sri Lanka and given the high cost of energy in Europe during the winter and Sri Lanka will have an ideal opportunity to attract tourists which will support the hospitality industry that has been badly affected since the Easter attacks, the business chambers stressed in their statement. In addition, any instability can affect the recovery process for exports and foreign investment too.
We appeal to all parties to divert their energies and resources towards encouraging positive reforms and focus on how we recover as a nation instead of engaging in acts that can further damage the economy and place more burdens on the people of this country.”
This statement was issued by the following Chambers:
• Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) • Chamber of Young Lanka Entrepreneurs (COYLE) • Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) • International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) • National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) • Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC)
Venerable Borella Sirisumana Thero has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (Nov. 01), the police spokesman says.
He was taken into custody over the information uncovered during investigations into the alleged financial frauds committed by Thilini Priyamali.
The owner of Thico Group of Companies (Pvt.) Ltd., Thilini Priyamali was arrested and remanded on October 06 over alleged multi-billion rupee fraud by swindling businesspersons and VIPs.
Meanwhile, Isuru Bandara who is said to be her business partner was also taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department on October 17 over alleged financial fraud.
Priyamali has allegedly deceived businesspersons and high-profile political figures after befriending them by promising high returns for investing in her business.
The police recently revealed that 12 complaints in total have been received so far against Priyamali for defrauding more than Rs. 1.28 billion.
China has donated 10.6 million litres of diesel to farmers and fishermen in remote areas of Sri Lanka, to upgrade livelihood in the most affected sectors of agriculture and fishery.
The shipment is scheduled to arrive between November and December, according to the Chinese Embassy in Colombo.
Reassuring support for Sri Lanka, the Chinese government has handed over 5,500 metric tons of rice and essential medicines worth LKR 3 billion over the past 5 months as emergency humanitarian donations to the island nation.
The Malaysian government has extended a goodwill gesture by donating a consignment of urgently required medical supplies to Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
Based on a request made by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health seeking assistance in acquiring medical supplies for the island nation, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Kuala Lumpur had reached out to the Malaysian government for their support.
At a symbolic handing-over ceremony held at the Ministry of Health of Malaysia yesterday (Oct. 31), Minister of Health of Malaysia, Khairy Jamaluddin handed over the donation worth USD 63,100 to the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Malaysia, Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Sumangala Dias.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the national carrier SriLankan Airlines has agreed to airlift the donation free of charge. Accordingly, the consignment was dispatched in flight UL 319 which departed Kuala Lumpur on October 29 to Colombo.
According to official data, Sri Lanka’s public sector now employs more than 1.5 million people, doubling in size over the previous 15 years.
Despite having one public servant for every 14 inhabitants, efficiency in the public sector is lower than that of Sri Lanka’s Asian counterparts.
The need for staff reductions in public services has been going on for some time now and there are many suggestions from various corners already percolating in the media.
A reduction drive should have to have a multi-prong approach to be successful.
The first one is to cut down on the cost of maintaining excessive staff.
The second one is to determine the optimum numbers needed to be efficient and accountable.
The third is to create a safety net to avoid retrenchment staff not becoming a burden to the system a few years down the line.
The fourth goal is to encourage and provide incentives for individuals to advance in a new and useful vocation on their own by obtaining additional education and training.
The fifth will be to level the playing field for budding entrepreneurs.
Therefore, the first step is the formation of a panel of experts assembled with local talents to assess and recommend the optimum numbers required in each field.
If any financial and or further expert assistance is needed in this venture, we should seek experts assistance from world-renowned lending agencies for support for the drive.
Unless a very safe and attractive safety net is created first, voluntary retirement and or enticing staff to accept the so-called Golden Handshake will not be possible.
Taking up training in other useful fields can be facilitated with institutes like the Open University of Sri Lanka, vocational training institutes and other state universities.
Creating a fair playing field for budding entrepreneurs means cutting down on bureaucracy and red tape in business registrations, export/import licensing, and obtaining funds from leading banks and other financial institutes.
My recommendations for a golden handshake are as below.
· Pay a lump sum equal to 60 times (five years’ salary) the net pay.
· Transfer the amount to one of his or her designated bank accounts,
· Either a fixed or fluctuating interest payment is agreed upon based on the prevailing rates.
o Currently, one can easily obtain up to 20–25 per cent, depending on the institute.
· Hold the deposit as a 60-month deposit while receiving a monthly interest payment,
· Encourage financial institutes to extend loan facilities up to a maximum of 40% against the capital sum deposited on self-employment,
· Allow depositors the freedom to negotiate further interest rates with the respective institutes after the 60-month holding period has expired.
Assuming an individual’s monthly take-home pay is LKR 35,000.00.
35,000 x 60 = 2,100,000
The interest is assuming 20% per annum (with monthly withdrawals),
Per Annum,
LKR 420,000
(20/100 x 2,100,000 = 420,000),
Or monthly,
LKR 35,000
(420,000 / 12 = 35,000).
Those who avail themselves of the golden handshake opportunity will get the same amount of money each month as interest payment and without even having to work, which will be a bonus as most of their other hidden expenditures will be drastically reduced due to having to stop working, such as transportation, clothes, and other maintenance requirements.
Further, there are many indirect social benefits as well. Being able to spend more time with his or her family will improve both mental health and physical health as well.
The unit of the family will be bonded together.
Further, lesser environmental degradation.
Even the financial institutions will be in a better position with a load of cash in their care to disburse without having to raise further capital to meet regulatory requirements from time to time.
Even if 50% of them opted for reemployment in the private sector, it would be a boost to the current flagrant manpower shortages, plus the market gene pool would be healthier and more competitive too.
The digitalization of state sector activities will go hand in hand with these reforms for better and healthier outputs.
Assuming the panel of experts’ recommendation is to let go at least 60% of the current total, that means that 900,000 must be removed.
Now the next question is how to raise such a large sum of money for the project.
Naturally from the local money supply market issuing an attractive government bond to mature in five years.
Even if the rate is slightly higher than the current market rate, with the money saved on non-paying salaries, it will be a big blessing for the country in the long run.
Acres of newsprint have been devoted to Rishi Sunak’s rise. He is said to be the first Asian to occupy No. 10 Downing Street.
This is not correct. Asia begins with the Tigris river. Boris Johnson’s great grandfather was a Turkish politician. He should have been called Boris Kemal, as Johnson is the maiden name of his great grandmother.
Sunak is definitely the first person of Indian Subcontinental origin, as well as the first Hindu. Not many are aware that Sunak’s path may have been forged by Ceylonese in 19th century Britain.
Ceylon was separately administered from British India. It separated from British India in 1802 and was administered as a crown colony.
But, the island was informally part of British India. Some Indian laws applied like the Indian Penal Code in Ceylon. The Ceylon Rupee was pegged was to the Indian Rupee, which was in turn pegged to Silver.
Ceylonese who visited Britain were known as Indians or Hindus (irrespective of their religion). The word Hindu was then not a religious affiliation but a generic term for people from the subcontinent.
Three people from Ceylon were path breakers for the vast Indian subcontinent. The first Asian to be called to the bar was a Sinhalese Christian Harry Dias. The word Cinghalese” was used to describe all the people from the island.
Sir Harry, as he was later known, was admitted to the bar in 1847. Sir Harry’s admission to the Middle Temple was cheered throughout the British Empire. It was only in the mid 1830s that Catholics and Jews were allowed in the professions. In the case of Sir Harry, he was an Anglican, which dominated the British establishment.
Sir Harry was the first non-European to be allowed in the British Empire. He later became the first Sinhalese to be knighted.
He paved the way for another statesman from Ceylon – Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy. Sir Muthu was the most prominent family in Ceylon. He was the Tamil member of the Ceylon Legislative Council, a post that his family monopolised for many years.
Sir Muthu became the first Hindu (in a religious sense) to be called to the Bar. Sir Muthu was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn in 1862. Like Sunak, Sir Muthu may have taken his oaths with the Bhagvad Gita. He was the first non-Christian or non-Jew to be called to bar.
Sir Muthu was a path breaker. The barrister was a bridge builder between the East and the West. He was an expert in Western and Eastern languages. While practicing law in London, he translated the Sanskrit play Harischandra into English. The play was performed for Queen Victoria in 1863 with Sir Muthu as a lead player.
He was not just a bridge builder in the arts. Sir Muthu was the first Asian to break into the upper echelons of British society. The Tory Prime Ministers David Gladstone and Lord Palmerston were his friends.
Sir Muthu was one of the few from the East who socialized with the British establishment. In the 1860s, he once ran into a British official in a London bar. He had known the British official when he was a domineering administrator in Ceylon. The administrator had been condescending toward Sir Muthu. He had been treated as a lowly native.
In London, the tables were turned. The administrator was just minor colonial civil servant. Sir Muthu was moving in exalted circles. As it happened, Sir Muthu was about to attend a party hosted by Lord Palmerston that evening. Sir Muthu asked the official will I meet you at Pam’s tonight?” to drive home the change in status.
Sir Muthu cleared the way for another Asian pioneer, who was also from Ceylon. James Peiris was a Sinhalese Christian who was an undergraduate at Cambridge in 1880s.
In 1882, Sir James (as he was later known) was elected the President of the Cambridge Union. Sir James was the first non-European President of the Oxford or Cambridge Union. No other coloured was elected as Oxford or Cambridge Union for nearly another fifty years.
Sir James was a Liberal in Britain and later became one of Ceylon’s leaders. He was the Vice President of the Ceylon Legislative Council and was the Acting Governor of Ceylon. He was one of the very few natives who acted as Governor in the British Empire.
There was other Asians path-breakers in the 19th century. In the 1890s, two Parsi gentlemen from Bombay Sir Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Mancherjee Bhownaggree were elected to the House of Commons.
Sunak’s elevation is the culmination of a long series of events. The British have been broad minded towards Asian from the 1800s. This is in contrast to many other societies.
Sunak’s rise is not surprising. In fact, it was overdue given the advances made by Asians, particularly Ceylon, that were made in 1800s.
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Sri Lanka’s key inflation rate eased to 66 per cent in October after hitting 69.8 per cent in September, the crisis-struck country’s statistics department said on Monday.
The still extremely elevated Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) reflected a 85.6 per cent jump in food prices in October and a 56.3 per cent climb in the non-food group, the Census and Statistics Department said in a statement.
However, the pace of food inflation slowed from a all-time high of 94.9 per cent in September.
Sri Lanka has been struggling with soaring inflation for nearly a year, partly triggered by its worst financial crisis in seven decades and a ill-thought out ban on chemical fertiliser implemented last year, which has since been reversed.
“We are finally seeing a drop in inflation and expect this to continue over the next few months. However, inflation is only likely to hit single digits after the second quarter of next year,” said Dimantha Mathew, head of research at First Capital Holdings.
The CCPI, released at the end of each month and closely watched by central bank policymakers, acts as a lead indicator for broader national prices and shows how inflation is evolving in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s biggest city.
Sri Lanka’s other main inflation measure, the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), which captures broader retail price inflation, also touched a record 73.7 per cent in September.
In an effort to tame prices and stabilise markets, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has raised interest rates by 900 basis points so far this year. Its final policy announcement for the year will be in the last week of November.
Sustained high inflation would make it tricky for the government to introduce fresh indirect taxes in its upcoming budget for next year that will be presented to parliament on Nov. 14, analysts said.
Higher taxes are essential to boost public revenue to anchor fiscal consolidation and lock down a $2.9 billion bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
