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Jackie Sherrill
Jackie Wayne Sherrill (born November 28, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Washington State University (1976), the University of Pittsburgh (1977–1981), Texas A&M University (1982–1988), and Mississippi State University (1991–2003), compiling a career college football record of 180–120–4. Sherrill is a studio analyst for Fox Sports Net's college football coverage.
(1943-11-28) November 28, 1943 (age 75)
Duncan, Oklahoma
Fullback, linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Alabama (GA)
Arkansas (GA)
Iowa State (DB)
Iowa State (AHC/DC)
Pittsburgh (AHC/DC)
Head coaching record
Accomplishments and honors
3 SWC (1985–1987)
1 SEC Western Division (1998)
Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1981)
SWC Coach of the Year (1985, 1986, 1987)[1]
Playing careerEdit
Sherrill played football at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant from 1962 to 1965, helping the Crimson Tide win two national championships.
Washington StateEdit
Sherrill was the head coach at Washington State for one year, in 1976. During his one season, the Cougars had a win-loss record of 3-8.
PittsburghEdit
Sherrill was the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1977 to 1981. Before going to Washington State, Sherrill had served as an assistant at Pittsburgh under head coach Johnny Majors. When Majors left Pittsburgh to return to his alma mater at the University of Tennessee, Sherrill returned to become the head coach of the Panthers. He is credited with grooming quarterback Dan Marino, who went on to a prolific Hall of Fame career in the National Football League after being Sherrill's last quarterback at Pitt, from 1979 to 1982. During his tenure, Sherrill's coaching staff included future NFL head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt. In Sherrill's five seasons at Pittsburgh, the Panthers won 50 games, lost nine, and had one tie.
When asked about retirement, Joe Paterno once said that he would not, because it would leave college football in the hands of "the Jackie Sherrills and the Barry Switzers".[2] Paterno apologized to Switzer for the comment, but wrote in his book that he "didn't give a damn about what Sherrill felt."[3] Paterno later said that the comment was made off-the-record and in jest during a party at Paterno's house, but it was printed anyway. Sherrill and Paterno later became friends – and Sherrill and his wife were guests of the Paternos in State College in 2004.[4] Notably, Sherrill went 2–3 in five games leading Pitt against Penn State, including a 48–14 loss in 1981 that destroyed Pitt's chances at a second national championship in six years.[5]
Texas A&MEdit
On January 19, 1982, Sherrill was hired by Texas A&M as a replacement for Tom Wilson, signing a record six year contract for over $1.7 million.[6] Sherrill was the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies from 1982 to 1988. While head coach at A&M Sherrill started the tradition of the "12th Man Kickoff Team", this tradition is still observed by A&M today only in a significantly scaled back form, including a single walk-on rather than an entire kicking team unit. In his seven seasons as the coach of the Aggies, Texas A&M won 52 games, lost 28, and had one tie. Texas A&M won three consecutive Southwest Conference championships under Sherrill, in 1985, 1986 and 1987. As a result, the Aggies played in the Cotton Bowl Classic at the end of each season, defeating Auburn University 36–16 on January 1, 1986 and Notre Dame 35–10 on January 1, 1988, and losing to Ohio State University 28–12 on January 1, 1987. He is also one of the few coaches to leave Texas A&M with a winning record against the Longhorns, winning his last five against Texas after losing his first two. However, he only won two out of seven games versus Texas A&M's other conference rival, Arkansas, in that same time span.
In 1988, Sherrill's Aggies were put under probation by the NCAA for a period of two years. Violations included improper employment, extra benefits, unethical conduct and lack of institutional control.[7][8] Sherrill was not personally found guilty of any infractions. However, in December 1988, Sherrill resigned.
Mississippi StateEdit
After two seasons away from the game (1989 and 1990), Sherrill was hired as head coach at Mississippi State University in 1991. He took over a program that hadn't had a winning season since 1986, winning only 14 games in that stretch. Mississippi State hadn't had a winning record in Southeastern Conference play since 1981. Sherrill began his Mississippi State career with an upset victory over the defending Southwest Conference champion Texas Longhorns.
In thirteen seasons in Starkville, Sherrill coached the Bulldogs to a record of 75–75–2. His 75 wins are the most in school history. He led the team to a share of the SEC West title in 1998. A 22-21 win over Arkansas garnered the Bulldogs an appearance in the SEC Championship Game, but they lost to eventual national champion Tennessee. To date, it is MSU's only SEC West division title. They finished the season with a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic—the Bulldogs' most prestigious bowl game in decades. A year later, he notched a 10–2 record, a final ranking of #12 in the AP Poll, and an appearance in the Peach Bowl. That #12 ranking was the highest final ranking achieved by any NCAA Division I-A school in Mississippi in over 30 years. Sherrill, along with Bill Snyder of Kansas State, were among the first to use the JUCO systems of their respective states to help their programs progress.
Sherrill built Mississippi State into a consistent winner despite playing in the same division as Alabama, Auburn and LSU. He finished with a winning record against rival Ole Miss (7–6), and led the Bulldogs to six bowl games. Before his arrival they'd been to seven bowls in their history. Although he only won a total of eight games in his final three seasons, he is credited with resurrecting the Bulldog program.
Sherrill also achieved notoriety by having his team observe the castration of a bull as a motivational technique prior to a game versus Texas. Unranked Mississippi State subsequently beat the #13 ranked Longhorns.[9]
Sherrill retired after the 2003 season, which was followed by the NCAA levying probation for four years on the program.[10] Despite a 3-year investigation by the NCAA, Mississippi State was [11] not found guilty of any major violations, and Sherrill was not found guilty of any NCAA rules violations at Mississippi State or Texas A&M.
Sherrill filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, Rich Johanningmeier (principal NCAA investigator in the MSU probation), and Julie Gibert (an Ole Miss booster), alleging 18 counts of wrongdoing. Among the allegations include charges that the NCAA defamed him and conspired to drive him out of coaching, that Johanningmeier was unethically influenced by Gilbert in his investigation of MSU, and that they conspired to fabricate NCAA charges against him.[12][13][14][15] Johanningmeier has stated that he stands by the recordings and transcripts in the case.[16]
Head coaching recordEdit
Bowl/playoffs
Coaches#
AP°
Washington State Cougars (Pacific-8 Conference) (1976)
1976 Washington State 3–8 2–5
Washington State: 3–8 2–5
Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA Division I / I-A independent) (1977–1981)
1977 Pittsburgh 9–2–1 W Gator 7 8
1978 Pittsburgh 8–4 L Tangerine
1979 Pittsburgh 11–1 W Fiesta 6 7
1981 Pittsburgh 11–1 W Sugar 2 4
Pittsburgh: 50–9–1
Texas A&M Aggies (Southwest Conference) (1982–1988)
1982 Texas A&M 5–6 3–5 T–6th
1983 Texas A&M 5–5–1 4–3–1 T–3rd
1984 Texas A&M 6–5 3–5 7th
1985 Texas A&M 10–2 7–1 1st W Cotton 6 6
1986 Texas A&M 9–3 7–1 1st L Cotton 12 13
1987 Texas A&M 10–2 6–1 1st W Cotton 9 10
1988 Texas A&M 7–5 6–1 2nd
Texas A&M: 52–28–1 36–17–1
Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (1991–2003)
1991 Mississippi State 7–5 4–3 T–4th L Liberty
1992 Mississippi State 7–5 4–4 3rd (Western) L Peach 23
1993 Mississippi State 4–5–2 3–4–1 4th (Western)
1994 Mississippi State 8–4 5–3 2nd (Western) L Peach 25 24
1995 Mississippi State 3–8 1–7 4th (Western)
1997 Mississippi State 7–4 4–4 T–3rd (Western)
1998 Mississippi State 8–5 6–2 1st (Western) L Cotton
1999 Mississippi State 10–2 6–2 2nd (Western) W Peach 12 13
2000 Mississippi State 8–4 4–4 T–3rd (Western) W Independence 22 24
2003 Mississippi State 2–10 1–7 6th (Western)
Mississippi State: 75–75–2 43–59–1
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.
Coaching treeEdit
Assistant coaches under Jackie Sherrill who became NCAA or NFL head coaches:
Bruce Arians: Indianapolis Colts (2012), Arizona Cardinals (2013–2017), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019–present)
Bob Davie: Notre Dame (1997–2001), New Mexico (2012–present)
Wally English: Tulane (1983–1984)
Kirk Ferentz: Maine (1990–1992), Iowa (1999–present)
Sparky Woods: VMI (2008–2014)
Curley Hallman: Southern Mississippi (1988-1991), LSU (1991-1994)
R.C. Slocum: Texas A&M (1989-2002)
Jerry Pettibone: Northern Illinois (1985-1990), Oregon State (1991-1996)
Jimmy Johnson: Oklahoma State (1979 - 1983), Miami (FL) (1984–1988), Dallas Cowboys (1989–1993), Miami Dolphins (1996–1999)
Dave Wannstedt: Chicago Bears (1993–1998), Miami Dolphins (2000–2004), Pittsburgh (2005–2010)
Carroll McCray: Austin Peay (2003-2006), North Greenville (2012), Gardner-Webb (2013-Present)
^ http://denveraggies.com/uploads/newsletter/2011.pdf[permanent dead link]
^ SPORTS PEOPLE; Lingering Hurt
^ Forde, Pat (October 8, 2004). "Sherrill played the rivalry game perfectly". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (November 3, 2004). "One-time rivals Paterno and Sherrill find grounds for friendship". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ NY Times: Texas A&M signs Sherrill to richest college pact
^ Slocum enjoys new role at Texas A&M
^ Public Infraction Report at NCAA.org[permanent dead link]
^ Mark Schlabach, Richt's motivational gamble pays off for Georgia, ESPN.com, October 29, 2007.
^ Mississippi State penalized for violations in football[permanent dead link]
^ http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1910571
^ http://www.freewebs.com/sherrill-vs-ncaa/index.htm Archived February 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ http://www.freewebs.com/sherrill-vs-ncaa/thebackground.htm Archived February 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ http://www.freewebs.com/sherrill-vs-ncaa/casechronicles.htm Archived February 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090412/SPORTS030102/904120347/1079
MStateAthletics.com (August 31, 2000). ""Head Coach Jackie Sherrill"". Archived from the original on November 19, 2003. Retrieved March 21, 2017. . Archived page of November 19, 2003.
Jackie Sherrill on IMDb
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jackie_Sherrill&oldid=892815442"


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Frisco realtor Jenna Ryan sentenced to 60 days for role in Capitol riot
By Macy Jenkins and FOX 4 Staff
Updated 11:33AM
Jenna Ryan appeared in court in Washington D.C. Thursday to be sentenced. This came after she bragged online that she was "definitely not going to jail."
A Frisco real estate agent got 60 days in prison for her role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by fellow Trump supporters.
In addition to the sentence, she'll also have to pay a $500 fine.
RELATED: Capitol riot coverage
Earlier this year, she pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol.
She flew from North Texas to Washington on a private plane and posted photos and videos on social media. Surveillance photos showed her entering the Capitol building.
Ryan has said on camera and on social media she doesn't believe she did anything wrong.
"I do not feel as if I did anything wrong. In fact, I felt that I did something noble and I'm proud of being there," she said in an interview with FOX 4 News previously.
She even tweeted it was one of the best days of her life.
RELATED: Frisco realtor Jenna Ryan pleads guilty to misdemeanor charge for role in Capitol riot
She posed for several pictures in front of the Capitol and posted video of herself in the crowd.
"They said someone in there was shot in the face. I don't care. Shoot me in the face. I will freaking fight for our country," she said in a video tweeted during the attack on the Capitol.
Ryan faced up to six months in prison. Federal prosecutors only asked for 60 days but her lawyers wanted probation.
Prosecutors argued her lack of remorse proved why she needed to spend some time in prison.
According to reporters who were in the courtroom, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Christopher Cooper doubted Ryan's apology for her role in the riot, claiming that there were too many actions she took afterward that showed she has no remorse.
On January 15, Ryan was arrested while FBI agents collected evidence from her home in Carrollton.
And on March 26, she tweeted: "Definitely not going to jail. Sorry I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I'm not going to jail. Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong."
"What we've seen with her blatant disregard for our democratic process, is that this is somebody who might re-engage in this type of conduct and that's dangerous," former prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office Bree West said.
In court documents, prosecutors cite the March tweet as evidence that she "holds herself above the law."
"This is, in the grand scheme of things, quite frankly, a light sentence," West said. "What doesn't seem appropriate is there's no term of supervised release because what that means ultimately is that nobody can monitor her."
West said this case may impact future similar cases around the country.
"I think that the government and judges alike will look at her case as a baseline to try to ensure that they don't have insane sentencing discrepancies that could generate appeals and things like that," she added.
Frisco realtor Jenna Ryan faces two additional charges for alleged role in Capitol riot
Frisco realtor who flew on private plane to Capitol riot can no longer raise funds on PayPal
Frisco realtor Jenna Ryan arrested, charged for role in U.S. Capitol riot

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Very Happy Christmas from THECUPBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!
We have been having a brilliant time this year, thanks to everyone for reading the blog, submiting amazing work and listening to our endless plans for what we want to do after one too many!
Phase one = collecting. Collecting designers, makers, products, illustrators, research, inspiration in ideas and visually. This has come out in the blog and with all the people getting involved.
We've also focused our eye in to one-off objects, limited editions, handmade/hand finished objects.
Phase two next year is all about popup shops, shows and spaces to show/sell! We really want to make it work and to promote new design, and it looks like its going to happen hurah! Interesting spaces, an investment of cash, and some wicked new people supporting the idea look good for next year!
The more diversity of talented people the better, so send us your work ASAP you lazy sods….
Have a super jolly Christmas time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged christmas, fanny craddock, festive, the cupboard. Bookmark the permalink.


The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has denied that the state government has launched a vendetta against the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh. Addressing a press conference here last night, Mr Dhumal said that the government had not interfered in the functioning of government agencies and law was talking its own course.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP chief, Mr Jai Krishen Sharma, has summoned some BJP functionaries and leaders from Kangra to attend his office in Shimla on September 29, to resolve the controversy which triggered in the Kangra unit of the BJP following demand by the Agriculture Minister for disciplinary action against those BJP functionaries who had attended the meeting on September 22.
In spite of claims by AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai that there are no differences among Congress workers, she was welcomed twice, once by Stokes loyalists at Ajauli and next by Virbhadra loyalists at Mehatpur yesterday.
The Himachal Pradesh Government today approved the proposal for signing a tripartite agreement involving the Union Ministry of Finance, the state and the Reserve Bank of India to securitise the conversion of the outstanding liabilities of the state electricity board into long term loans to be repaid by the state government over a period of 15 years in 20 equal six-monthly instalments commencing from October 1,2006, after a moratorium of five years.
Dr P.M. Bhargava, founder-Director of the Centre for Cellullar and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, has cautioned the country about excessive dependence on biotechnology in agriculture where it has not been tested and proved.
A meeting between parents, teachers and other staff members of the local NIT ended in a deadlock here today. No decision was taken about the reopening of the institution.
Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor, has underlined the need for creating an environment conducive for the multifaceted development of a student's personality.
The president, Italian Parliamentary Group on Tibet, Mr Gianni Vernetti, has assured the Tibetan-government-in-exile that a resolution on Tibet, signed by 214 members of the Chamber of Deputies belonging to 10 political parties of Italy, will be soon handed over to the Dalai Lama.
Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor, presented medals to police, Home Guard and civil defence personnel for their distinguished services at an investiture ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, here today.
Dr Tej Partap, Vice-Chancellor, CSK HP Agricultural University, inaugurated the 19th annual conference of the Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists and a national symposium on recent advances in diagnosis of diseases of livestock, poultry and wildlife with special emphasis on the hill area diseases here today.
Plagued by the problem of over-staffing Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, gave salaries of August to its staff only after the agitated for 12 days.
Mortal remains of Grenadier Hitesh Kumar of 29 Rashtriya Rifles were consigned to flames today morning at his native village Palu in Rajgarh subdivision of this district.
The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has denied that the state government has launched a vendetta against the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh.
Addressing a press conference here last night, Mr Dhumal said that the government had not interfered in the functioning of government agencies and law was talking its own course.
Commenting on the criticism of the Opposition over the enforcement of a new youth policy on the eve of the ensuing Assembly elections, Mr Dhumal said the Congress which has ruled the state for over four decades had failed to formulate any welfare policy for the youth and so it had no right to criticise the present government which had not only formulated but also enforced this policy within four and a half years. "Apart from this, 65,000 job opportunities had been created during the same period," he claimed.
Mr Dhumal said his government would not face any anti-incumbency factor in the Assembly election as it had fulfilled the aspirations of the people.
On the grant of reservation to the Other Backward Classes as promised in the BJP's poll manifesto, Mr Dhumal said government was awaiting the report of the OBC commission constituted for this purpose.
He came down heavily on Congress leaders for spreading political canards by presenting a wrong picture of financial position of the state. He clarified that the government had repaid the loan, including interest to the tune of Rs 985 crore, within four years but the previous Virbhadra government could repay only Rs 221 crore during the five years of its term.
He also explained that the present government had also enforced the recommendations of the fifth. Pay Commission and was disbursing salaries to its employees worth Rs 2,200 crore per annum.
About the delay in the reconstruction of a bridge in Kangra district, the Chief Minister informed that the issue had been taken up with the Union Ministry of Surface Transport and it had declared the Himachal Pradesh Government's National Highway Department as the executing agency. Earlier, the maintenance of the bridge had been undertaken jointly by the Punjab and HP Governments. He said the state had also pleaded for declaring the Kandwal-Bhadroya road as a national highway as it connected two national highways.
Mr Sharma said yesterday that senior party functionaries would sit together to take proper decision after the two-member committee submits its report. Mr Sharma said he was in touch with Mr Ganesh Dutt in this connection and would take an appropriate action as per the party constitution soon.
Meanwhile, the controversy took a new turn yesterday when the Agriculture Minister, Mr Vidiaya Sagar, who was served a show-cause notice by the district BJP general secretary denied that he had called senior district BJP leaders, who attended the Sunday's meeting here, as Congress men, but reiterated that the meeting was "illegal" as neither he nor other office-bearers were informed about the meeting.
Mr Sagar was addressing a conference at IPH Rest House here yesterday before he left for the Shimla.
Regarding the show-cause notice served on him by the district unit of the BJP, Mr Sagar said he was yet to receive it. He came to know about the notice through 'The Tribune' report. He said when he receives the show-cause notice he would take the issue to the party workers and the people of his Assembly constituency.
Mr Sagar said he was in touch with the party high command in this regard.
Meanwhile, Mr Kamal Padda, district BJP general secretary, said today that the show-cause notice was sent to the Agriculture Minister on Wednesday by Speed Post and another copy was delivered to him through a messenger at his residence yesterday.
Mr Dulo Ram, district BJP president, when contacted said it was on the insistence of the Agriculture Minister that the meeting was convened to sort out Mr Barsola's resignation issue.
Mr Sagar said seven office-bearers of BJP women's wing which include Ms Vijay Chadda and Ms Maya Awasthi, president and general secretary, respectively, had resigned. He said 24-member and office-bearers of the OBC BJP Cell and 19 members of the BJP, Kangra unit had also resigned yesterday and sent their resignation letters to Prof Dhumal taking the number of office-bearers of the Kangra BJP unit who had resigned to 73.
In spite of claims by AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai that there are no differences among Congress workers, she was welcomed twice, once by Stokes loyalists at Ajauli and next by Virbhadra loyalists at Mehatpur yesterday. According to information, the Stokes group decided to shift from Mehatpur, where the Virbhadra group had assembled to welcome Ms Kidwai to avoid any confrontation.
Mrs Kidwai, among with AICC Secretary Krishna Tirath, Ms Vidya Stokes, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mr Kaul Singh, Mr K.D. Sultanpuri and other office-bearers of the HPCC and MLAs of the HP Vidhan Sabha reached the venue of the workers' meeting here three hours late at about 6.30 p.m., where more than 3,000 workers were waiting for them.
Ms Kidwai said that the Congress had decided to tone up the party keeping in view the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha election in HP and with this view, she has visited Paonta Sahib, Nahan, Solan and Una.
She said the Congress party had one goal: to remove "the corrupt, inefficient and communal BJP government". She said sitting MLAs would be given party ticket for the elections only after assessing their capability to win.
Mrs Stokes, HPCC president, said there are 26 sitting MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha and remaining 42 seats would be distributed to candidates keeping in view their capacity to win. Youth, weaker sections and women would be given representation. She denied having any differences with Mr Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the House.
Mr Virbhadra Singh, former CM and leader of the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha, said the people of Himachal Pradesh were fed up with the "corrupt and ineffective" state government and throw it out in the next elections. He said that BJP was a divided house. It was using government machinery for party use.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet presided over by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, here today.
Giving details, Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary, said the state government would issue bonds to the Central Public Sector Undertakings which would be free to trade them in the market in a phased manner. As many as 10 per cent of the bonds would be eligible for trading in the market every year on a cumulative basis, thus releasing all bonds for trading. He said Himachal Pradesh would be the 18th state in the country to sign the tripartite agreement. The signing of the agreement was in the larger interests of the state and a part of the power sector reforms.
The Cabinet approved the setting up of the state medical council and state para-medical council to facilitate the registration of medical practitioners, enforce the code of ethics and professional conduct and also to investigate complaints about negligence and professional misconduct. The councils will help to regulate the mushroom growth of para-medical institutions, prescribe standards for such institutions and register para-medical personnels. The Cabinet also approved the promulgation of ordinances to set up these councils, which would be autonomous bodies.
The Cabinet approved the setting up of the Satluj valley watershed development society to ensure implementation of the catchment area treatment plans for various hydel power projects in the Satluj basin. At present, these plans were implemented by the Forest Department which was the administrative department for the CAT plans and for which funds were provided by the developers of the project.
Mr Gupta said the Cabinet also approved the creation of a revolving fund for progressive utilisation of the funds deposited by the developer with the state government. It directed that proper coordination be maintained among the concerned agriculture, horticulture, PWD, IPH departments and monitoring of the progress of works at field level be ensured.
The Cabinet approved the creation of a post of engineer-in-chief in the Irrigation and Public Health Department and abolishing of a post of chief engineer.
Dr P.M. Bhargava, founder-Director of the Centre for Cellullar and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, has cautioned the country about excessive dependence on biotechnology in agriculture where it has not been tested and proved. Delivering his foundation day lecture on the "Scope and implications of biotechnology today", Dr Bhargava said advances in the scientific field, particularly biological sciences, had opened new vistas of research and development which were helping mankind. At the same time new inventions were giving rise to legal, moral and ethical questions which had not been answered by the scientific community fully. He said many actions were leading to a dilemma among scientists.
Dr Bhargava voiced his concern about many new seeds developed biotechnically which had not been tested but had been introduced by multinational companies whose sole motive was profit. He said this might lead to problems later as living microbes once released in the air could not be recalled at will.
In his presidential address, Prof P.K. Khosla, senior adviser to the Biotechnology Department of Himachal Pradesh, said biotechnology had the capacity to bring poor states like Himachal on a sound economic footing. He said with the help of biotechnology bioresources of the Himalayas could be saved and even multiplied which would not only benefit the state but also the country.
The Director of the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Dr P.S. Ahuja, presented a brief account of the institute and said that many inventions had been successfully marketed through industry. He said the IHBT had also launched projects to take science to villages for day-to-day application and commercial use.
The institute also honoured brilliant school students on the occasion.
However, insiders in the NIT say that it will reopen only after the Dusehra vacations as the teachers are adamant to go ahead with the teaching schedule. There will be Dusehra holidays from October 12 to 22.
Today's meeting was called by Dr S.K. Bhowmick, acting Director of the institution, as per directions received from the Ministry of the HRD and the Board of Governors of the institute. Nearly 200 people, including parents and teachers, participated in today's meeting that lasted for about two-and-half hour. Dr Bhowmick chaired the meeting.
The authorities had earlier reinstated Mr P.K. Sood, who was placed under suspension after the August 25 incidents, as per demands of the students.
Divergent views were expressed in the meeting by parents and teachers. While many parents alleged that their wards were subjected to inhuman treatment even by the mess boys not to speak of the teachers. One of them said mess boys used to threaten students if they objected to their serving of food or complained about the improper services in the hostels.
The teachers, on other hand, denied these allegations and said they used to treat the boys and girls as their own children.
However, two of the teachers openly blasted the students for their role during the August 25 incidents. They demanded action against the erring students.
They urged the parents to ask their wards to name the persons responsible for the August 25 incidents so that miscreants could be booked.
Many parents in the meeting demanded the re-opening of the institution at an earliest but urged the teachers to adopt the policy of forget and forgive. However, teachers turned down their request saying that whatever was discussed in today's meeting would be taken to the general house of the association before taking a final decision. They took part in the meeting wearing black badges.
Dr Bhowmick said efforts would be made to reopen institution shortly.
Dr Bhowmick said he would again meet the Chairman of Board of Governors of the institution before taking a final decision to reopen it. He said the institution would be reopened in a phased manner and dates would be decided later on.
A number of parents told the reporters outside the institution that they were in favour of re-opening of the institution. They said incidents that rocked the institution were shocking.
Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor, has underlined the need for creating an environment conducive for the multifaceted development of a student's personality. He said ample opportunities should be provided to the students for developing their talent. Besides general studies, proper attention should be paid on co-curricular and social activities with a view to broaden their vision.
Speaking at the annual function of DAV Senior Secondary Public School, here today, he called upon teachers to explore, identify and bring out the hidden talent of the students by taking a personal interest in their development. He emphasised on maintaining a proper teacher-student ratio in schools which was essential for better understanding and rapport between them.
He said it was strange that no educational qualification had been prescribed for public representatives whereas minimum educational qualifications, condition of good character and medical fitness were laid down for even the lowest post. He suggested that there should be a minimum qualification of matric for MLAs and graduation for MPs and added that till such time these were prescribed, the people should exercise their discretion in the matter.
The six-member delegation which is on the four-day official visit to this place had a round of meetings with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan parliament deputies and officials of the Tibetan-Government-in-exile also heard views of various organisations working for the Tibetan cause.
Talking to mediapersons here today, the delegates said that the resolution would be discussed in Italian parliament soon. They are likely to demand the resumption of dialogue between the Tibetan-Government-in-exile and the Chinese government under UN auspices to find a solution to the future status of Tibet. The Tibetan-Government-in-exile is to be recognised as the only and real representative of the Tibetan people by Italy and other European Union members in case China refuses to grant full autonomy to Tibet.
The delegation will leave for Delhi tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Convenor, Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch, Dr Kuldeep Agnihotri, has demanded that the resolution passed by the Indian Parliament unanimously in November 1962 about getting the areas occupied by China vacated, should be implemented in full. He said the country should not be scared of waging a war to get these areas liberated.
Dr Agnihotri said that India's security depended upon free Tibet as both countries had long borders. He said Tibet's occupation was a threat for Indian security. Increasing influence of China on all Himalayan countries, particularly Nepal and Mayanmar, can be a security threat. India should come out openly in support of Tibet's freedom struggle, he asserted.
While Mr D.S. Amist, Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Mr Vijay Pal Singh, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), were presented the President's Police Medal for their outstanding services. Mr J.R. Thakur, Superintendent of Police, Mr Mohan Lal, DSP, Mr A.N.Sharma Commissioner of the Shimla Municipal Corporation. Mr Hari Ram, Sub Inspector and Mr Babu Ram, Head Constable were decorated with police medals.
Mr Man Chand Kulvi, Instructor with Home Guards, was presented the civil defence medal.
Dr Bhan also presented the Jeevan Raksha Medals to Mr Gautam Prasad of Maniara village in Palampur, and Mr Ashwani Kumar of Samroli village in Dehra.
While addressing over 200 delegates from all over the country, he said farmers in hill areas were poor because the scientific community had not paid adequate attention towards their problems.
He asked scientists to introspect and keep the general welfare of farmers in mind while conducting the research work so that adequate knowledge was generated about the challenges and opportunities in the hills. He also advised them to work in groups.
Dr Partap Singh the large-scale changes in the environment had affected the livestock and wildlife and the nature of disease had also undergone a change in the past two decades. The Vice-Chancellor also emphasised the need to combine indigenous knowledge with modern scientific knowledge so that it may become more applicable.
Capt Atma Ram, Vice-Chairman, Forest Corporation and local MLA dwelt upon the problem of infertility in animals and urged the scientists to evolve effective methods to treat it.
The university has not received any information till date about the salaries of September. The university does not have its own corpus fund from which this expenditure could be met.
The Joint Action Committee of Teachers and Non-Teaching Staff has already served a notice on the university that in case the salaries were not paid on October 1, they would start an indefinite strike and stop the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, from inaugurating the four-day international conference on the university campus.
Various committees have recommended pruning the 2100-odd staff. Instead more employees have been appointed.
The university wage bill for this year is around Rs 30 crore. The annual aid has been slashed to Rs 21 crore. This leaves a gap of more than Rs 11 crore. The State Finance Department had last month stated that funds would only be available in October. The ministers also refused to help the university.
It was only after the directions from the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, that funds were released to the university to pay wages for August. The employees argue that if the state government does not increase the grant by Rs 10 crore for the current year, the employees would not get their salaries after December. Hence the employees are demanding solution now.
Hitesh Kumar laid down his life while fighting Pakistan-trained terrorists in Baramula district of Jammu and Kashmir September 24.
His cremation was largely attended. His brother lit the pyre as Hitesh Kumar was still unmarried.
The mortal remains of the martyr arrived at 5 a.m. at Rajgarh from where the body was accompanied by Mr S.P. Rolta, SDM, and Mr Anupam Sharma, Deputy SP, Rajgarh, to his native village. Thousands of people were standing on the both sides of the road to pay their last respect.
Meanwhile, sepoy Balbir Singh of the ITBPF, also laid down his life in Jammu and Kashmir.
The mortal remains of the martyr arrived at his native village Bherewala in Paonta tehsil at about 3 p.m. An ITBPF official arrived here with the body of martyr, Balbir Singh, 28, who laid down his life while protecting road and clearing land mines laid by terrorists at Beri Nag in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The mortal remains of the martyr were consigned to the flames on the bank the Yamuna near his village. His elder brother lit the pyre. He was youngest among three brothers.
Mr Sanjay Sharma, SDM Paonta, and the Additional SHO, Paonta, were among those who attended the funeral.
The Student Federation of India organised a blood donation camp to mark the birth anniversary of martyr Bhagat Singh on Thursday. More than 70 activists of the SFI donated blood. The Himachal Pradesh University SCA president, Mr Kuldeep Bhardwaj, said the SFI had organised blood donation camps throughout the state. He said SFI activists would spread the message of Bhagat Singh among the youth to build an integrated India.


Formed in 2012, entrotech life sciences (ELS) is a privately held materials science company that specializes in thin film technologies. By leveraging the innovation and manufacturing capabilities of the parent company, entrotech, inc., ELS is pioneering chlorhexidine-impregnated film technology.
The entrogroup of companies first introduced non-antimicrobial polymer film technology into tactical combat casualty care products for the United States Military's Special Forces, where its first priority was saving lives. That same mandate has not changed, and ELS has since developed PrevahexCHX to offer an innovative new infection control technology to hospitals worldwide. ELS exists to save lives.
Founder and CEO, Jim McGuire, has more than 75 patents for innovative technologies and processes – all inspired by and directed towards solving real-world problems.
Jim McGuire founded entrogroup in 1999 with the vision to solve problems, save lives and provide opportunities for students to learn and grow. After deploying seven advanced life-saving products to battle environments around the world, Jim set out to create a new paradigm in healthcare, creating PrevahexCHX, an inventive chlorhexidine polymer delivery device, in 2014.
Jim currently holds 81 issued and pending patents. He has a BS in chemistry from The Ohio State University where he received an internship with Dupont that changed his goal of achieving a PhD in chemistry to focus on a multifunctional career based on the combination of business and science. At Ohio State University he serves on the Technology Oversight Committee for the Department of Chemistry and on the advisory board for the Institute of Materials Research.
Jim and his family live in Palm Beach, Florida, for nine months of the year, and spend their summers in Columbus, Ohio. He has a passion for motorsports, and currently drives an LMP3 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Europe.
Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu is the President and CEO of First Samurai Consulting, LLC, a firm specializing in health consulting focused on public health systems and policies.
Rear Admiral Moritsugu was the Acting Surgeon General of the United States, in 2002 and again from July 2006 until September 2007. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions such as the Surgeon General's Medallion with two gold stars. Dr. Moritsugu was a career officer in the USPHS for 37 years and has a personal expertise in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii, a medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health in health administration and planning from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jack Querio has spent over 35 years in the biotech, medical device, pharmaceutical and health care consumer products industries in senior management roles. He has worked with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, VWR International and Medline Industries, leading national account and government teams and national field sales organizations. He holds awards, such as the prestigious "Chairman's Award" from Johnson & Johnson and has extensive experience on Capitol Hill working with lobbyists, patient advocacy groups, congressional leaders/staff and legal entities to advance patient care and safety. Jack holds a bachelor's degree in health science from Western Illinois University and is a graduate of the Wharton Executive Management Academy of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Melanie has been an infection prevention marketer for over 10 years and is passionate for products that save lives. Previously, she worked at PDI where she managed and developed products and programs for FDA regulated products (drug and medical devices), EPA regulated products and cosmetic products used in the prevention of healthcare and community associated infections. She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Baruch College in New York City and bachelor degrees from the University at Albany, State University of New York in both business administration with a marketing concentration and psychology.
Dr. George Holinga serves as the Chief Technology Officer at entrotech life sciences inc. where he has played a significant role in the development and execution of its product portfolio since 2010. Prior to entrotech life sciences, George worked as a graduate student research assistant at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, investigating the surface science of biomaterials. He has also served as a scientific consultant working on the development of prototype blood purification therapy products.
George holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in both chemistry and physics from Ohio State University. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from biomolecular surface science to the development of new, non-linear spectroscopic techniques.


text:
Q: Setting up local virtual host I'm trying to setup a local working copy of my domain and I've modified the "domain" file within /etc/apache2/sites-available/, executed "sudo a2ensite domain" and then restarted apache and my browser is not looking locally for the domain.  What step am I missing?
NameVirtualHost domain:80

<VirtualHost domain:80>
  ServerName domain
  DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com/
</VirtualHost>

I should also point out that I am aware that the folder name has .com and the virtual host does not.
Update
When I use *:80 instead of domain:80 I get the following error...
[Wed Mar 24 15:22:28 2010] [warn] NameVirtualHost *:80 has no VirtualHosts

A: Your Apache config looks OK. It seems that your server resolves domain address as the remote one. Try to add a line to your local /etc/hosts to fix this. The line should look like:
127.0.0.1  domain

If your local Apache is listening on the other network interface, replace 127.0.0.1 with the proper IP address

A: This FAQ will help shed some light, I think. http://wiki.apache.org/httpd/CommonMisconfigurations.
The NameVirtualHost directive should refer to an interface (0.0.0.0, *, 192.168.0.1, etc).
Something along the lines of
NameVirtualHost *:80

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName domain
  DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com/
</VirtualHost>

You then need to verify that domain does resolve to either the listed interface in the NameVirtualHost directive, or to the specific addresses used.  If you're working from the web server you can add domain to the local hosts file for 127.0.0.1, or whatever address you used.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
St. Paul's is an Episcopal church located on Fair Street in the heart of the Nantucket's historic district. The church was founded in 1838, and it moved to its current location in 1901, when benefactor Caroline French commissioned and paid for the current church building.
We are a congregation of faithful people who work together to fulfill our mission: To Make the Love of God More Widely Known. We happily welcome new members and visitors, and we have an open table where all are welcome to Holy Communion. We support our community through a number of different programs. You can find us feeding the hungry; providing laundry services to needy families; working with our school system; supplying leadership in broad-based community assistance programs and continuously evaluating our presence to see where we can do more. We welcome your involvement at church services and in our community work.
Our benefactor, Caroline French, left us a beautiful church. It seats up to 400 people and it is graced by beautiful stained glass windows. The Chancel windows and the window in the foot of the nave were designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and executed in his studio. The Chancel windows behind the altar depict scenes of natural life on Nantucket and the larger Nave window imagines the River of Life. The side aisle windows depict scenes from the life of Jesus and were executed in the 1950s by the Connick Studio. Our chapel has contemporary "slab glass" windows celebrating God's Creation, made in 19687 by the Willet company. In the ceiling of the Nave are clerestory windows known as the "I Am" series and were again created by Willet.
The Church Campus
St. Paul's is blessed with a campus that, in addition to the church, includes three other buildings: a parish house, a rectory and a small cottage. They are adjacent to one another on Fair Street in the heart of Nantucket's Historic District. There is parking for about 10 cars between the parish house and the church.
St. Paul's Church
Gifted by Caroline W. French, St. Paul's was consecrated in 1902. The church architecture is Romanesque in style, with a pink granite exterior and brown-stone detailing. The interior is basilica style, with a central aisle and two side aisles in the nave. The nave leads to the semicircular apse that houses the choir stalls and altar. The interior of the church is largely in oak with ash trim; the roof is supported by carved wooden pillars.
Wonderful stained glass windows combined with its fine details make St. Paul's a handsome church. Most notably, in the apse there are five windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. They depict scenes of Nantucket flora; at the foot central aisle, there is a large window, again designed by Tiffany, depicting the "River of Life" at the west end of the central aisle. The Tiffany windows date from the church's founding. In 1955, 16 stained glass windows were commissioned from the Connick Studio to decorate the side aisles and the narthex. These windows depict scenes from the life of Christ. In 1968, the Willet Glass Studio designed 12 "I Am" windows for the clerestory. About the same time, Willet designed a set of more contemporary windows for the chapel, which had originally served as the sacristy and choir room.
During 2013-14, the Church building was renovated to make it fully accessible; to upgrade and restore the organ; to renew our sacristy and robing rooms, and refinish the floors. A new entrance constructed in matching stone – The Daume Entrance – included a lift to the church's main floor, providing access for all. The church kitchen in the sub croft, Gardner Hall, was renovated as well and today, has a licensed commercial kitchen.
Click here for a link to a self-guided video tour of St. Paul's.
The Parish House
The parish house serves as the administrative heart of St. Paul's. It houses the church offices; a conference room that holds about 20 people; a choir rehearsal room and a full basement used for storage.
The Memorial Garden
Between the church and the rectory is the Memorial Garden that is often used for church services, receptions and events. It has served as a site for wedding receptions as well as Easter egg rolls. In the back of the Memorial Garden is an area where ashes of the deceased may be interred. Their names are inscribed on a memorial plaque inside the Daume entrance.
Originally constructed in the late 18th century, the rectory was renovated in 2001 and today is sunlit and airy. It houses our clergy families and has two ground-level living areas, a large kitchen, and four bedrooms and baths. It is often used as a reception area for church events.
The Jelleme Cottage
Located to the rear of the Memorial Garden and the rectory is a quaint two bedroom cottage currently occupied by our .


text:
Sri Lanka Between Elections
Sri Lanka: Under Rajapaksas' Watch, Rule of Law Suffers the Onslaught of Politics
Sri Lankan opposition party workers erect a cutout of their presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena in the north central town of Polonnaruwa on 30 November 2014. AFP/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi
Report 272 / Asia 12 August 2015
Sri Lanka's 17 August parliamentary elections will test the country's fragile democratic opening. With the hardline Sinhala nationalism of ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa challenging the "good governance" agenda of the United National Party and President Sirisena, the outcome will affect chances for reconciliation and lasting resolution of the country's long-running conflicts.
A half year after Maithripala Sirisena's stunning defeat of President Mahinda Rajapaksa raised hopes for democratic renaissance, the complexities of partisan politics, and Rajapaksa himself, have returned to centre stage. Sirisena's initial months with a minority government led by the United National Party (UNP) have opened important political space: robust debate and criticism have replaced the fear under Rajapaksa, and important governance reforms have been made, but much remains undone. By initial steps on reconciliation, the government set a more accommodating tone on the legacy of the civil war and the ethnic conflict that drove it. But divisions within government and Sirisena's failure to take control of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) prevented deeper reform and allowed Rajapaksa and his supporters to mount a comeback. With Sirisena opposing Rajapaksa's return, the 17 August parliamentary elections will test the continued appeal of the ex-president's hardline Sinhala nationalism and give a chance for the fresh start that lasting solutions to the country's social divisions require.
Before running out of steam in June, Sirisena's first six months saw notable achievements. Most important was parliament's April passage of the nineteenth amendment to the constitution. Largely fulfilling the central pledge of the joint opposition campaign, it considerably reduced presidential powers and established independent oversight commissions. Though the original draft was watered down, the amendment is a welcome move away from authoritarianism and could assist in re-establishing the badly-damaged rule of law. As promised in their election manifesto, Sirisena and his UNP partners also launched scores of investigations into alleged major fraud and abuse of power by officials of the former government. While the unprecedented scale of the anti-corruption drive raised public expectations, the lack of indictments thus far has fed rumours of backroom deals and growing doubts that the institutional and political obstacles to effective prosecutions can ever be overcome.
The bright hopes of the government's initial months were increasingly tarnished by unclear, ad hoc policies, frequently contradictory policy statements and missed deadlines for pledged reforms. As parliamentary elections, originally promised for June, were postponed, the coalition that elected Sirisena began to fragment. While the UNP and smaller parties urged him to dissolve parliament and hold elections after passage of the nineteenth amendment, he spent months trying and failing to win over the SLFP, whose nominal leadership he assumed after winning the presidency, following a decade of Rajapaksa at its helm.
The SLFP, which has a large majority in parliament, resented Sirisena's unprecedented experiment with a "national government" dominated by its arch-rival UNP. Many SLFP parliamentarians remain loyal to Rajapaksa; others see the ex-president as the party's best chance to retain its majority in the next parliament, given his popularity among Sinhala voters. After months of resisting Rajapaksa's selection as the prime ministerial candidate of the SLFP-led United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), lack of support in the party forced Sirisena to yield in early July.
Sirisena has since made it clear he opposes Rajapaksa's candidacy and will not appoint him prime minister, even if the UPFA wins an unlikely majority. The ex-president's opponents within the SLFP, along with smaller parties, have joined a new version of the UNP-led coalition that brought Sirisena victory in January, now re-energised by the threat of a Rajapaksa comeback. With the UPFA arguing the UNP threatens national security and supports Tamil separatism, the election will test the strength of Rajapaksa's brand of Sinhala nationalism, as well as the depth of public concern over corruption and abuses of power. Even if he cannot become prime minister, Rajapaksa's leadership of a large Sinhala nationalist bloc in parliament could make it harder for a UNP-led government's to act as promised on reconciliation and accountability.
The Sirisena-UNP government set a new, less Sinhala triumphalist tone on ethnic issues and took some steps for reconciliation: releasing a number of Tamil political prisoners and limited amounts of military-occupied land in Tamil areas, while reducing the presence, though not size, of the military and its involvement in governing the north and east. Despite growing frustration among many Tamils, larger moves have been put off until after elections, as has action on alleged war crimes by both the military and the defeated Tamil Tigers. The government promises a credible domestic inquiry that meets international standards, but doubts about its willingness and ability to tackle institutionalised impunity and prosecute war crimes are widespread and well founded. Successful prosecutions require significant legal and institutional reforms and management of resistance from military leaders and nationalist parties.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) is due to deliver its long-awaited war crimes report to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) before it meets in September. At that session, the newly-elected government should commit to the legal reforms needed to effectively prosecute serious human rights violations suffered by all ethnic communities, including war crimes; to pursue prosecutions with adequate witness protection and international involvement; and to consult widely with victims, survivors and community groups on its longer-term program of transitional justice, including a possible truth commission. To be effective, these processes will require consistent international scrutiny and participation, including OHCHR assistance to investigations and continued monitoring and reporting to the HRC.
The parliamentary elections offer voters the chance to renew the mandate for change they gave Sirisena and the UNP in January. A strong showing by the Rajapaksa-led UPFA, however, would complicate the president's plans to form a broad-based "national" government between the UNP, smaller parties and the reformist wing of the SLFP and place obstacles to further progress on much-needed governance reforms and reconciliation. Sri Lanka's chance to finally start on the road to a sustainable resolution of the country's decades-long ethnic strife, including a negotiated political settlement, depends on the outcome.
Colombo/Brussels, 12 August 2015
Commentary / Asia
"One Country, One Law": The Sri Lankan State's Hostility toward Muslims Grows Deeper
Sri Lanka: Prevention Should Be at Heart of New Human Rights Council Resolution
Op-Ed / Asia
Originally published in The Wire
Op-Ed / Asia 13 November 2020
The politically-motivated Presidential Commission of Enquiry has been distorting politically-connected criminal suspects into victims, and investigators and legal reformers into criminals.
Sri Lanka, long-plagued by political violence and near-complete impunity for crimes by the state and pro-state forces, now faces a new assault on justice and the rule of law. There is a systematic attempt to rewrite the history to make politically-connected criminal suspects into victims, and investigators and legal reformers into criminals.
The unprecedented efforts of the government of Gotabaya Rajapaksa – most strikingly through his presidential commission of enquiry into so-called "political victimisation" – threatens to do more than just eliminate the possibility of justice in the specific cases it is considering. These specific cases relate to that of political allies of the state, and in instances where Rajapaksa family members are being rescued from prosecution. In doing so, it risks distorting judicial and police procedures, by which the very existence of a meaningful justice system is cast into doubt.
International human rights watchdogs have understandably expressed concerns about the return of the Rajapaksa family to power, given the grave crimes committed during the years of Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency from 2005–15. A year into the presidency of his brother, Gotabaya, however, the signs suggest that the threat to dissenting voices and political opponents will, at least at first, be through more subtle means than the murders, assaults and enforced disappearances used to silence critics during their first regime. Legal attacks and legalised lies – not bodies in the street – seem likely to be the preferred means of destroying their opponents. The world needs to be alert to this and to find ways to respond.
International human rights watchdogs have understandably expressed concerns about the return of the Rajapaksa family to power.
Entrenched Impunity
From the first of its multiple post-independence insurrections in 1971 through to the end of its horrific 26-year war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka suffered the gravest of crimes and political violence by state and non-state forces alike. Scores of political leaders were assassinated, hundreds of suicide bombings and massacres, tens of thousands of enforced disappearances and tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the final few months of fighting the Tamil Tigers.
While some LTTE members were prosecuted for terrorist attacks over the years of their failed separatist struggle, just a handful of cases involving police and military and pro-government paramilitary forces have ever been successfully prosecuted.
There were promises – and some limited hopes – that this would change when a new government came to power in January 2015, following the surprise defeat of president Mahinda Rajapaksa by his former ally Maithripala Sirisena. The government Sirisena formed with the backing of his prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe – the leader of Sirisena's long-time opponents, the United National Party (UNP) – pledged to its own citizens and to the United Nations that it would rebuild the independence of the police and judiciary and end institutionalised impunity.
While no progress was made on the most controversial proposal – a criminal tribunal with international assistance to prosecute crimes committed in the final years of the civil war – a whole host of investigations into other high-profile political crimes, long-stalled in courts or buried in police files, began to move.
Released from its former political restrictions, the Criminal Investigation Department, along with other specialised units of the police, vigorously pursued scores of high-profile cases of murder, abduction, disappearances and large-scale fraud committed during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency.
Strong resistance from the military, whose intelligence units were implicated in numerous of the so-called "emblematic cases", skilful legal manoeuvres by the Rajapaksas, and various alleged behind-the-scenes political deals ultimately left the most important cases unfinished by the time Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as president in November 2019.
Facing a major challenge from multiple high-profile cases implicating the family, their allies and police and military units under their commands, the new administration chose the bold path of directly challenging the reality of powerful and widely publicised evidence. The government launched a campaign to discredit the evidence first by carefully cultivating public opinion through accusations of nationalist Buddhist monks and family-backed media outlets, who accused key investigators of being foreign collaborators, in the pay of NGOs.
Then on 22 January 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a quasi-judicial body, Commission of Inquiry, to probe alleged political victimisation of members of the armed forces, police and public service between 2015 and 2019. The Commission has been chaired by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, whose previous conduct was examined by the apex court itself, and found worthy of disciplinary action. The other two members are another retired judge and a retired inspector general of police who served as an advisor to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is now Prime Minister under his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Several international watchdog groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have drawn the attention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to the adverse impact of the commission on judicial proceedings against those charged with "serious human rights violations".
To read the full article, go to The Wire.
Alan Keenan
Senior Consultant, Sri Lanka
akeenan23
K. Mudiyanse (Pseudonym)
Sri Lankan researcher and rights activist


DIJ Flame Wheel F450 drones are a popular choice for many people starting out in drone flying. The F450 kit is a simple kit that is good the enthusiast that wants to build a quadcopter that is relatively easy to learn and fly.
They have the capabilities to hover and roll and are perfect for those wanted to learn the basics. It offers a maximum altitude of 1528 ft, a top speed of 80.07 mph and a maximum ascent of 1277 ft.


The Spine Center at Cookeville Regional offers patients cutting-edge knowledge and technology in the treatment options provided by highly qualified specialists. Those suffering from back pain and spine disorders can be treated close to home. Spine procedures often involve multiple office visits: initial consultation, exam, surgery, post-operative visits and rehabilitation. Cookeville Regional brings the services of the specialists at The Spine Center right to your own backyard.
The Spine Center at Cookeville Regional is dedicated to providing the highest quality treatment to the patients of the Upper Cumberland. Keeping in tune with the latest technology is part of that commitment. The highly trained specialists of the neurosurgeons on staff at Cookeville Regional strive to provide the latest treatments for their patients. What do our specialists have to say about The Spine Center?
"At The Spine Center of Cookeville Regional, we perform cutting-edge surgery that is typically only seen in large cities such as New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Patients benefit from the state-of-the-art neurosurgical operating room and the neurosurgical nursing unit with highly specialized staff for post-operative patients. The Inpatient Rehabilitation Center allows neuroscience patients to recover and have therapy sessions locally." Leonardo Rodriguez-Cruz, M.D.
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