Live happily with a gracious heart

Two days before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, I met Janaki. Last time when I saw her it was somewhere in late ’80s just before she migrated to United States with her husband and children. Although very much younger than me, she was one of my office colleagues in 80s.

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Vignettes

Plato avenges Socrates’s death

Unknown to most of us Plato is actually the nickname of Aristocles. He was the son of the oldest and most elite Athenian families. Through his mother’s family he was related to Solon, the celebrated lawgiver. Even his father’s family had links with ancient kings of Athens. As a young man he studied music, logic, mathematics and poetry. He made his mark as a wrestler and served in the army. His name ‘Aristocles’ meant “best, most renowned.” His nickname “Plato” meant “broad or wide.” In fact, he had wide shoulders and a wide forehead.

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In the face of trade regulations :

Tobacco companies use 19th century tactic

Today the global tobacco epidemic is exhibiting a similar trend. According to the World Health Institute, “nearly 80% of the world's one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.” Multinational corporations are seeking their own Treaty of Nanjing: they are using free trade agreements to usurp national sovereignty and stymy economic development. Tobacco kills six million people each year, and if current trends continue, it will kill one billion people in the twenty-first century.

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