Esric…in the forefront

Aug 09, 2023

Published

on

By

Veteran singer Esric Jackson is still very much in demand in the Melbourne scene and he continues to keep the Sri Lankans enthralled with his music, and singing style.

Esric generally performs with his band Replay 6 but is also seen in action with No Limit and Ebony.

He was in Sydney, mid-August, with Replay 6, for the annual CDF Charity Ball, and will be doing a few more gigs, with Replay 6, over the next few weeks.

Although Esric won’t be on stage for another much-looked-forward-to event, ‘ELVIS Lives Anniversary Special’, scheduled to be held on 29th September, at the Grand On Princes, in Melbourne, the band Replay 6, will be doing the needful, backing Bill Cherry (Elvis), from the USA, with Sri Lanka Rob Foenander being featured as a guest artiste.

According to Esric, Rob, who now resides in Australia, will open the show, with a 30-minute set, and then it will be…all Bill Cherry.

On 21st October, at Gaelic Park Hall, Keysborough, in Melbourne, Esric will be doing his thing at ‘Country Night’, along with the band No Limit, and with Suzi Croner in the spotlight.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Foreign Affair…honouring the late Desmond

That Midnight Knock on the Door:Sundarampuram: Janel Piyanpath – part II

A little bit of shake, rattle and roll …in Melbourne

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Published

on

By

It is no coincidence that US President Joe Biden has decided to initiate moves to ‘modernize multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank, in a bid to reassure the South’, in the immediate aftermath of the BRICS decision to open its doors to some new member states. Clearly, the West sees the danger of more and more countries of the South being drawn to BRICS, which is viewed as rivaling the G7 for the position of the world’s foremost power bloc.

At its recent summit in Johannesburg, BRICS opted to induct into its fold Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as full members. Announcing this historic development South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, current chair of BRICS said, among other things: ‘We value the interests of other countries in building partnerships with BRICS and have tasked our foreign ministers to further develop the BRICS partnership model and draw a list of prospective countries, which want to join the grouping.’

Most Southern countries, regardless of economic status, are likely to see much merit in joining the BRICS grouping, considering that some of the foremost global economic powers are members of the bloc. In fact they figure as the principal drivers of the world economy. The world’s poorest countries in particular, therefore, should find the prospect of joining BRICS rather tempting.

Of special importance to the developing world is BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB), which has emerged as an attractive lending alternative for the South, to the IMF and the World Bank, whose stiff loan conditions have, more often than not, contributed towards the economic detriment of the Southern countries concerned rather than brought the latter debtor nations any substantive relief. Sri Lanka has just begun to taste of this bitter fruit.

The NDB has put in place a liquidity mechanism, referred to as the ‘Contingent Reserve Mechanism’, which promises financial support to economically weak countries of the South on comparatively favourable terms, as they struggle to meet their external financial commitments.

Given this backdrop, President Biden’s concern to ‘restructure’ Western financial institutions, such as the World Bank, to ‘reassure’ the South ought to be understandable, from a Western perspective. From the West’s viewpoint, a South that is increasingly obliged and beholden to the likes of China, could be worrisome. Hence, from the US and Western point of view distancing the South in particular from BRICS is the thing to do urgently.

Accordingly, the world is just witnessing an uptick in global power rivalries in the wake of the BRICS’ decision to expand its membership. For the poorest in particular of the global South, these are extremely trying situations from a foreign policy formulation point of view. They face the difficult challenge of maintaining an equidistance between the world’s foremost power blocs; that is, honestly practising Non-alignment.

It needs to be reiterated that from the perspective of the poor, Non-alignment, or ‘dynamic neutrality’, is the policy path to traverse. They are in dire need of the goodwill and largesse of the entirety of the international community and Non-alignment, therefore, could serve their legitimate needs best. For example, in Sri Lanka’s case, Non-alignment, understood essentially as amity towards all countries, is the only way to go.

To be sure, some of the most dynamic and growth-oriented countries are currently prime members of BRICS. They are said to account for more than one third of the world’s GDP. For example, China’s GDP grew from $6 trillion in 2010 to nearly $18 trillion in 2021, while India’s GDP grew from $ 1.7 trillion to $3.1 trillion over the same period. In the not too distant future they will be at the pinnacle of global economic power.

The foremost powers within BRICS are part of what has been described by commentators as the Asian Economic Zone (AEZ) and it goes without saying that future global economic growth hinges crucially on this region. The vast area represents 50 percent of global GDP and two-thirds of world economic growth. Besides, Asia accounts for 60 percent of the world’s population. The AEZ spreads from the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey in the west to Japan and New Zealand in the east and from Russia in the north to Australia in the South. (See, ‘The Future is Asian’ by Parag Khanna, publisher- WEIDENFELD & NICHOLSON).

Considering the above phenomenal strengths of the Asian region, which is home to some principal BRICS countries, it should not come as a surprise to the observer if the majority of Southern countries choose to integrate their economies increasingly closely with the BRICS bloc and be politically aligned to grouping in a major way.

However, considering that the West will continue to remain powerful and influential for the foreseeable future, the South would be acting injudiciously by precipitously writing-off the West as a spent-force, so to speak, in international politics. The better course to follow would be to interact positively, in equal measure, with both East and West. That is, Non-alignment remains the most suitable foreign policy principle for the South.

Moreover, it is difficult to see powers such as India, acquiescing tamely to be part of a bloc that would be dominated by the likes of China and Russia. Currently, India is capable of squaring-off on equal terms in any conceivable field, with any of the principal world powers. It is likely to be her endeavour to ensure that BRICS would, more or less, follow a policy of neutrality in dealing with the foremost international economic, political and military powers.

Ironically, the mind-boggling complexities of the present world political order are likely to compel most bourgeoning powers of the South to follow a policy of Non-alignment in the area of foreign policy formulation and implementation. Over the past two decades world politics, besides becoming increasingly multi-polar, has cast on states the responsibility of following highly nuanced foreign policy trajectories. No longer is it possible to view international politics in stark black-and-white, simplistic terms.

While a country’s national interest will remain the foremost good, so to speak, for it, it will require states to engage in quite a lot of ‘out of the box’ thinking to come within reach of this principal good. The complex realities introduced to the world system by BRICS, for instance, constitute some of the evidence of these new challenges.

Published

on

By

The role of a school is to enable the development of our youngsters into right-minded and competent members of the society giving opportunities for intellectual, moral, social, physical and aesthetic growth all of which contribute towards the nurturing to be responsible citizens. In accomplishing this task, it is important to remember those who have done great and noble deeds. The past allows those living in the present time to learn without having to endure, which can be considered as a gift. Our present will soon be our past and it will have an effect on the future.

By R N A de [email protected]

What is the oldest school in Sri Lanka? Perhaps it is Richmond College, Galle, as it was founded in 1814. Recently, I visited another very old school in Galle called Buonavista College. Although not well known as the other prestigious schools in the Galle District, it is the school that educated Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, the first Sri Lankan Governor General. The other prominent alumni of the school include former President of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, legendary sri Lankan archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana, renowned author Martin Wickramasighe, founder of the Sarvodaya movement A T Ariyeratne and the acclaimed journalist Edwin Ariyedasa. Buonavista College was founded in 1848 and later upgraded as a high school in 1869. It is a school with limited resources but through the insight and dedication of its Principal and the senior teachers, the students are given the opportunity to flourish through the creation of a learning environment.

One of the functions of education is to bridge the past and the present and thereby prepare children for the future. School traditions play a vital role in this regard as it looks to the past and seeks to learn from its inheritance. It provides opportunities to meet the challenges of the present time reflecting on the wisdom of the past generations. Most schools have their own school anthems, emblems and mottos. These mottos maybe sometimes expressions in languages such as Pali, Sanskrit, Latin and Greek. I have worked in two Sri Lankan schools. One of them which is 167 years old has a Latin phrase Lux De Coelo as its motto which means ‘Light from Heaven’. The other school is the oldest international school in Sri Lanka and its motto is ‘Unity in Diversity’. Shared values and beliefs are passed on from generation to generation through these practices.

I was invited to make a presentation about the beauty and usefulness of mathematics to the senior students at Bounavista College and was amazed at the interest and enthusiasm they evinced. When there is a general criticism that the Sri Lankan students are passive learners, I was pleasantly surprised when a student brought up this question during my presentation: “We have just begun learning graphs. What is the history behind this topic and how is it going to help us in the real world?” Thereafter, we had a lively discussion as to how algebra and geometry were treated as separate subjects in the past and the role that the French mathematician Rene Descartes played in combining the two thereby giving birth to graphs and how any curve can be expressed as an algebraic equation and therefore giving opportunities to analyse all its properties. At the end of the presentation, I gifted them with copies of my book, titled ‘Mathematics in Action’, which is about the applications of mathematics in various fields.

The role of a school is to enable the development of our youngsters into right-minded and competent members of the society giving opportunities for intellectual, moral, social, physical and aesthetic growth all of which contribute towards the nurturing to be responsible citizens. In accomplishing this task, it is important to remember those who have done great and noble deeds. The past allows those living in the present time to learn without having to endure, which can be considered as a gift. Our present will soon be our past and it will have an effect on the future. Albert Einstein stated “The future is an unknown, but a somewhat predictable unknown. To look for the future we must look back upon the past. That is where the seeds of the future were planted”. Education is the passport for the future. Let us hope that our youngsters will move earnestly towards obtaining this passport and use it to move confidently into an unknown world.

The author is a senior examiner for mathematics at the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Published

on

By

The local beauty pageant scene is certainly turning out to be a big joke, with various competitions sprouting up – here, there, and everywhere!

The question being asked is whether the winners of such contests, are qualified enough to wear the crown, and then go on to represent the country, internationally.

Unfortunately, what I’ve seen on social media doesn’t answer that question in the affirmative.

In fact, some of them look pathetic and give the impression that they badly lack what is required to wear…even the local crown.

I wonder if such contestants have a purpose and a reason for participating in a pageant!

First and foremost, you need to have a rational outlook to social issues, be confident, and have a positive aura and an inspiring personality, in addition to beauty.

The organisers are the key to all this and must keep in mind that when a winner is selected, that particular girl should be trained for the big event – starting from the basic personality skills, like communication and social graces, and then the shaping of a normal person into a model like personality, which includes catwalk training, dressing, microphone utility, preparation for Q &A round, dress rehearsal, and so on.

Without proper guidance, the language barrier could be a problem for our queens at international events

According to knowledgeable sources, and experts in the beauty pageant industry, you need three important qualities to win an international pageant – Attitude, Personality and Confidence.

1. Attitude:

Go into the pageant check-in with your Attitude turned on; walk in with energy and a smile. A contestant’s energy and smile can be contagious to everyone around her.

Every contestant will start the pageant ready and excited to compete, but it is the Attitude that sticks with you throughout the week, or weekend, that is a tell-tale sign of a contestant ready to take on the title. If you have the Attitude of a queen, it needs to shine through at all times, not just when you are on stage.

2. Personality:

You are the only one who has your Personality, so let it shine through, and be proud of all that you are and all that you have worked for! A contestant needs to be able to be herself on that stage, in the interview room, at rehearsals and everywhere in between. Remember, you have to feel comfortable in your own skin to be able to convince others that you are the right contestant. A contestant who is energetic, compassionate and entertaining will win over the judges’ and audience’s hearts.

3. Confidence:

Be proud of all that you do during the pageant…whether it is during your interview, the onstage question, or the evening wear competition. Remember that a confident contestant will make her point a lot stronger. Be confident in your walk across the stage. Be confident in your introduction and in your answers to an interview question. When you are confident, it makes the competition a lot less nerve-wracking and the judges can also tell the difference between a confident contestant, with energy, and a nervous one just waiting to get out of there.

Yes, remember to turn on that Attitude, show your Personality by being yourself, and have Confidence in all that you do. If you remember these three aspects during the pageant, you’ll be one step closer to the crown.

Local organisers must remember that selecting a winner and sending her abroad for the sole purpose of participating at an international event is a waste of money, time and energy.

Our franchise holders must get their act together or else we will have to be satisfied with some minor, insignificant title, which the international organisers dish out in order to keep the participating countries happy.

St. Peter’s firm favourites as rugby knockouts set to commence sans Royal

At least 1,000 lecturers urgently needed

Some plastics used in SL hard to recycle

Daytime robbery called DDO

The Happiest Man

That Midnight Knock on the Door:Sundarampuram: Janel Piyanpath

UNDP provides recommendations to GoSL on realigning and leveraging taxes to achieve the SDGs in Lanka

Standby pilot too declared unfit; UL flight rescheduled