“As his face broke into a grateful smile, I felt a palpable twinge of unease rather than pleasure. In those fleeting seconds, Sri Lanka’s venerable past and bright future came together—and I felt awkwardly, uncomfortably, at the center.” This Thought Catalog essay somehow ended up in the Philadelphia Inquirer?
Over 100 People Buried Alive, 16 Confirmed Dead in Sri Lankan Mudslide
Disaster officials in Sri Lanka are saying that at least 100 people have been buried alive under a mudslide that was brought on by recent monsoon weathers. According to the AFP, at least 16 are confirmed dead.
A Muslim man waits outside a closed shop in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Muslims throughout the country's capital have shut down their stores to protest recent attacks by hard-line Buddhists. Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press)
Country Has 400 Inmates That Need Executing, But Can't Find a Hangman
Americans need jobs! Are any Americans willing to relocate to strangle criminals until they stop breathing? If so, contact these guys:
The Global Salon
The salon sat at the bottom floor of the developing world’s version of a gated community— a five star hotel. The hotel was precariously perched, hosting an army of foreigners working on war, while staying in business under a regime denying war crimes. As a Tamil-Sri-Lankan-American I am neither entirely foreign, nor…
Sleep Tight: Venomous Tarantula the Size of a Human Face Found in Sri Lanka
Just when you thought spiders couldn't possibly get any worse, along comes Poecilotheria rajaei.
Chickens Are People Now, Waiting Inside Their Moms to Be Born, People-Style
Do you ever feel like, no matter what you do, some chicken, somewhere, is tryna copy?
M.I.A.'s Weird Twitter Fight with Anderson Cooper
Last time agitprop pop star M.I.A. fought a journalist, she tweeted Lynn Hirschberg's phone number. This time around, M.I.A. accused Anderson Cooper of calling her a terrorist—and then backed down when Anderson turned out to be an M.I.A. whisperer. Apparently you just have to compliment her middle finger, and all will…
Adorable Primate Photographed for First Time Ever
[This delightful furry fellow is a Horton Plains slender loris, a species thought to be extinct until it was photographed in Sri Lanka by the Zoological Society of London. Next time let's use red-eye reduction, okay guys? Pic via AP.]
M.I.A. Is Anxious to Join the Controversial Video Hall of Fame
The almost-nine-minute mini-movie for M.I.A.'s single "Born Free" came out today and it's already been taken down from YouTube in the U.S. It's definitely NSFW, but it's also her latest attempt to drum up some attention.
The Silver Lining for Raj Rajaratnam
It's been a crappy week for Raj Rajaratnam, the hedge funder accused of masterminding an insider trading ring. But at least he isn't facing justice in his native Sri Lanka! [The Lede]
Is The Economist Being Censored In Post-War Sri Lanka?
Maybe. There's a report out there of shipments of the latest issue of The Economist being held back in customs. In the issue is an article about the Sri Lankan government's "unpleasant triumphalism" over the Liberation Tigers. [ICT]
