Free Press
of the Free World... Manufacturing
Consent? ".... the media present news and events in a manner that
not only agrees with the views of the powerful, but actually supports
their domination...(by articulating) different visions of the world
in such a way
that their potential antagonism (to that domination) is
neutralised."
John Harrington,
1998
Project Syndicate - an international
association of 244 newspapers in 114 countries
One World
"Globalisation permits money and goods to move around
the world unimpeded, yet criminalises the other
indispensable element of production, labour, when it seeks
to move to where it can command a decent livelihood."
Jeremy Seabrook in the
New
Internationalist, February 1999
Awakening - Painting in Oils
by Jayalakshmi Satyendra
"....we have learnt (and continue to learn) on the hard anvil of experience that
whilst power without principle is unprincipled, equally
principle without power is powerless. We are not a people of servile
pleaders for fair play and abject supplicants for justice...The success of our struggle will depend on our own
efforts, on our own strength, and, above all else, on our own
determination to live in freedom and with dignity - and every Tamil
wherever he or she may live, has a lawful contribution to make, however small
or large and in whatever form or shape that may be... "
Nadesan Satyendra in Power & Principle, 1994
I'm doing my thing yo, Can't stereotype my thing yo
- "bongo
with my lingo
- And beat it like a wing yo -
To Congo
To Colombo
- Can't stereotype my thing yo
- I salt and pepper my mango
- Shoot spit
Out the window
Bingo I got em in the thing yo
- Now what? - I'm doing my thing yo
- Quit bending all my fingo
-
Quit beating me like you're Ringo
You wanna go?
You wanna win a war? - Like P.L.O don't surrendo..."
M.I.A.- Maya
Arulpragasam in Sunshowers...
Tamil National Forum
Brian
Senewiratne writes from Australia
A protest to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Colombo"..I lie awake
worrying about what is happening to my Tamil people in the North and East, at
the hands of one of the most brutal regimes imaginable. How do you sleep?
They are my people, whose only crime was to be born Tamil. Those on the other
side are my Sinhalese people whose only crime was to be born poor, and hence
have to be the cannon fodder for this useless war. The other is
a hypothetical question. Rt. Rev. Dr Oswald Gomis, Archbishop of Colombo, let me
ask you the same hypothetical question that I asked Rt Rev Rowan Williams,
Archbishop of Canterbury. If your Lord and Master Jesus Christ, were to suddenly
appear, and heard what the two of you said, do you think it would find His
approval? I doubt it. That is why I remain a Christian, despite the best efforts
of the two of you, and others of your ilk, to make me a non-believer. Amen."
more
The European Union & the Listing of LTTE
as a Terrorist Organisation: Some Reflections - Nadesan Satyendra
"The question of initiating legal proceedings to
challenge the listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation by the United
Kingdom and the
European Union has been raised with me from time to time by concerned Tamils
during the past several months. As 2008
draws to a close, I felt that it may be helpful to place on record some of
my responses." more
United States
& the Tamil Eelam Struggle for Freedom
U.S.
State Department Undertakes Review of Designation of
LTTE as a Terrorist Organisationtogether with Comment by
tamilnation.org
"..the politics of the ban
usually takes a predictable course. First you threaten to
ban unless the organisation falls in line with your perceived
strategic interests. Then you ban, to show that you were
serious about that which you said. But you do not implement
the ban so that you may continue to engage with the banned
organisation and its supporters. Then you start implementing the ban but in a calibrated
fashion and negotiate to secure 'appropriate' responses from the
banned organisation on a piece meal basis. You may then go on to suggest that the ban may be removed if the
banned organisation plays 'ball' and drops its political goal.
more
Sinhala Buddhist Ethno
Nationalism - Masquerading as Sri Lankan 'Civic Nationalism'
to include
".. Success is a journey, not a destination... In the
international best selling book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, that sold
millions of copies, its author Richard Bach describes how his imaginary hero
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull
seeks total perfection in his actions .. " For most gulls, it is
not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not
eating that mattered, but flight..." We all have our own
'seagull spirits' within ourselves
seeking perfection through total action. It is up to us to bring them 'out
to life' whilst being mindful of the pitfalls described by the Kural."
Rajah Viknarasah in Rising Through The Wheels - The
Tirukkural Way - Ancient Tamil wisdom for Success
1. Unfolding Consciousness: Alex Pattakos -
Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work"...Exercise
the freedom to choose your attitude - in all situations, no matter how desperate they may appear or actually
be, you always have the ultimate freedom to choose your
attitude. Realize your will to meaning—commit authentically to
meaningful values and goals that only you can actualize and
fulfill. Detect the meaning of life's moments—only you can
answer for your own life by detecting the meaning at any given
moment and assuming responsibility for weaving your unique tapestry
of existence. " more
2.
Eelam: British Tamil Forum,
The Unspeakable Truth, 2008 "This book
traces the poignant history of Tamils in Sri Lanka after
independence.It catalogues the Sri Lankan Tamils’ descent from a
once thriving vibrant Nation to one that is today fighting for its
very survival. This is a story about how a majority population
consumed with religious chauvinism can corrupt a democratic process
with untold consequences.The book is organised into three sections
covering the physical harm suffered by the Tamil community, the
destruction of their cultural heritage and the attempts at
negotiating a settlement which has come to nothing. The book also
strikes a hopeful note at the end on how lasting peace can be
achieved from the rubble of destruction."
more
. " The Sri
Lankan press has been accused of war mongering,
racism and ignorance about the country's ethnic
conflict.....It
is as if all journalistic norms have been discarded
in the frenzy to criminalise Tamils and to create an
atmosphere of suspicion bordering on paranoia...''
Centre
for Policy Alternatives (CPA)