Related quotes

    Historians are like deaf people who go on answering questions that no one has asked them.

– Leo Tolstoy
 

Red herrings of Sri Lanka

 Since the earliest known occurrences in Sri Lanka, I can recollect that most daily events seem to be mere 'red herrings.' The government, media, policymakers, and at times, international interest groups present these distractions to us, akin to cats eagerly seeking food. A recent problematic event is the ICC and Sri Lankan cricket issue, emerging just before the budget and persisting. Notably, there are announcements of high-profile criminals' deaths before fuel price hikes and potential scandals involving famous individuals before the passage of bills. Whether these are relevant remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that our inclination towards these red herrings seems to be growing, and perhaps, all involved parties are well aware of this trend.

 

(Image source. https://haroldrhenisch.com/2012/11/07/what-is-art/)

Coastal changes - Lankapatuna

 

On the left is an aerial photograph of the Lankapatuna coastal area in 1963, clearly depicting numerous sandy beach ridges extending towards the adjacent coastal plain. The photo on the right is a 2023 Google Earth image, revealing recent settlements and land clearance that have impacted this geomorphological feature. The aerial photograph is sourced from Erb, 1963. These changes are evident throughout the coast of the island and require careful attention to mitigate their impact on coastal erosion and marine biota.