American golfer Brian Harman is opening up about a near-drowning incident that nearly took the life of his six-year-old son and left a family friend in a coma. Harman, 37, revealed that family friend Cathy Dowdy was "injured really badly" after she attempted to rescue his son from "an abnormally bad" riptide as Dowdy and his family vacationed in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Oct. 13. Harman was competing at a golf tournament in China at the time of the incident. “My son was involved, he was out boogie boarding with one of his really good friends, got ripped out to sea by just a rip current,” Harman said Tuesday ahead of The RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia, where he's currently tied for 80th place after shooting par in the first round on Thursday. He continued: "(Cathy Dowdy) went in the water after my son. He's 6. Couldn't get to him... She's been in a coma for going on six weeks now and so obviously our world down here was kind of turned on its head.” Harman said his son was ultimately rescued by a man named Crane Cantrell, who was walking down to the beach at the time. A lifeguard was able to reach Dowdy, pull her to shore and perform CPR on her until emergency crews rushed her to a hospital, according to St. Johns Citizen . Dowdy remains on a ventilator, as of Monday, according to the latest update shared on a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for Dowdy's medical expenses. The 2023 Open Championship winner applauded the bravery of Dowdy and Cantrell for selflessly jumping in the water to save his son, one of three children he shares with wife Kelly Van Slyke. “I wanted to use whatever platform I have to bring awareness to what Cathy did, what Crane did,” Harman said. “They disregarded their selves, went into the water, saved my son and how do you thank people like that? I don't know other than to just say what you think. I think that bravery and doing something like that for people who aren't your blood is just the most beautiful thing you can do in this life. Harman continued: "We call 'em family friends but they're family... We're with 'em till the end, and I appreciate everybody that's helped us out through all this. You know, prayers for Cathy.” The GoFundMe for Dowdy has raised more than $84K as of Thursday afternoon. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast . Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more .The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Garry Clark scored 15 points as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beat Stephen F. Austin 67-48 on Saturday night. Clark had 12 rebounds for the Islanders (6-4, 1-1 Southland Conference). Owen Dease went 3 of 3 from the field to add 10 points. Jordan Roberts had 10 points and shot 4 for 9. Nana Antwi-Boasiako led the Lumberjacks (5-5, 0-2) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Clayton Southwick added 10 points and two steals. Myles Jenkins had five points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Maravai LifeSciences Appoints R. Andrew Eckert as Chairman of the Board of Directors
NEW YORK , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) between February 8, 2024 and October 29, 2024 , both dates inclusive (the "Class Period") and those who purchased Chipotle call options or sold put options during the Class Period, of the important January 10, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action first filed by the Firm. So what: If you purchased Chipotle securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. What to do next: To join the Chipotle class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30587 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 10, 2025 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Details of the case: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Chipotle's portion sizes were inconsistent and left many customers dissatisfied with the Company's offerings; (2) in order to address the issue and retain customer loyalty, Chipotle would have to ensure more generous portion sizes, which would increase cost of sales; and (3) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Chipotle class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=30587 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40 th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cmg-deadline-alert-cmg-investors-with-losses-in-excess-of-100k-have-opportunity-to-lead-chipotle-mexican-grill-inc-securities-fraud-lawsuit-filed-by-the-rosen-law-firm-302339657.html SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
What Snoop wants: Arizona Bowl gives NIL opportunities to players for Colorado State, Miami (Ohio)
NEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans . Lamenting the contretemps, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement Sunday that he'd let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code. He said Carlsen's stand — which culminated in his quitting the tournament Friday — highlighted a need for more discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” Carlsen, meanwhile, said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship when it begins Monday. “I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz — a fast-paced form of chess — and wanted fans to be able to watch, and that he was encouraged by his discussions with the federation after Friday's showdown. “I think we sort of all want the same thing,” he suggested in the video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. “We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.” The events began when Carlsen wore jeans and a sportcoat Friday to the Rapid World Championship, which is separate from but held in conjunction with the blitz event. The chess federation said Friday that longstanding rules prohibit jeans at those tournaments, and players are lodged nearby to make sartorial switch-ups easy if needed. An official fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change pants, but he refused and wasn't paired for a ninth-round game, the federation said at the time. The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed and continued to play. Carlsen has said that he offered to wear something else the next day, but officials were unyielding. He said “it became a bit of a matter of principle,” so he quit the rapid and blitz championships. In the video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he had indeed broken a rule and said changing clothes would have needlessly interrupted his concentration between games. He called the punishment “unbelievably harsh.” “Of course, I could have changed. Obviously, I didn’t want to,” he said, and “I stand by that.”
What Snoop wants: Arizona Bowl gives NIL opportunities to players for Colorado State, Miami (Ohio)WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.5 Common Mistakes New Gold Investors Make
US announces nearly $1 bn in new military aid for Ukraine
Grange Hill creator rips into TV bosses saying ‘courage has gone out of broadcasting’ amid rumours BBC show could RETURNIt would be fair to say that as voters in last month’s presidential election were giving Republicans control of all three branches of the federal government, they were tacitly rejecting the left-leaning cultural values that California politicians constantly espouse. Republican Donald Trump’s campaign effectively weaponized Vice President Kamala Harris’ California roots in sweeping the battleground states, most notably in an ad featuring a video clip of her advocating sex-change surgery for transexual prison inmates. “Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you,” the spot concludes. Post-election analysts, including the New York Times, have cited it as the single most effective ad of the campaign. Furthermore, the results also imply that the Harris campaign’s focus on abortion rights, another favorite theme of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California political figures, didn’t help her. Voters in states that opted for Trump, including neighboring Nevada and Arizona, were primarily driven by economic issues, specifically inflation in living costs during the administration of Harris and President Joe Biden. Whether the administration was actually responsible for inflation is debatable, but also beside the point. When voters are dissatisfied with the status quo, for whatever reason, they often take it out on the party in power at the moment. Harris easily defeated Trump in California, as expected, to claim its 54 electoral votes, but the state was not immune to the issues that brought her downfall elsewhere, particularly the cost of living. California’s families must cope with arguably the highest prices for the necessities of life of any state — such things as housing, gasoline and electric power. Even commodities which should be less expensive in California, such as food, are costly because producing, packaging and selling them reflect the high expenses of suppliers. The cost of living is the major factor in California’s having the nation’s highest rate of functional poverty, 15.4%, as calculated by the Census Bureau. Using a similar methodology, the Public Policy Institute of California calculates that in 2023, 31.1% of Californians are living either in or near poverty. In the aftermath of the election, the Democrats who dominate all branches of state government have suddenly discovered that the cost of living is a burning issue that should be addressed. As the Legislature reconvened this week for its biennial session, its leaders said doing something about living costs will be a high priority. “Our constituents don’t feel the state of California is working for them,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas told colleagues as the session began. “That’s their lived experience in this moment. Our task this session is urgent and clear. We must chart a new path forward, and it begins by focusing on affordability. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | The draconian penalties that Hunter Biden escaped affect people whose fathers can’t save them Opinion Columnists | How California ranks as the most active political state Opinion Columnists | Donald Trump must replace Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis Opinion Columnists | Larry Elder: Biden breaks his promise and pardons his son Opinion Columnists | California’s unaccountable homeless industrial complex “California will always be America’s destination for dreams and opportunities,” he added. “But we need to consider every bill through the lens of Californians who are anxious about affordability. Specifically, we must focus on building more housing and lowering energy costs.” However there’s not a lot that Newsom and legislators can do to materially affect the cost of living. If anything, prices for one vital commodity, gasoline, will likely see a big jump because Newsom’s Air Resources Board has just ordered changes in fuel to lower greenhouse emissions. Republicans have been urging Newsom to set aside the decision, but he has defended it as a necessary element of California’s campaign to reduce hydrocarbon use. Moreover, electric power costs are increasing sharply as utilities bury power transmission lines to reduce their role in wildfires. California’s politicos are talking a good game about inflation, but whether they can and will deliver remains very uncertain. Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.Cam Skattebo strikes a pose and makes a statement: He belongs on the sport's biggest stage
Florida State continues torrid star with rout of UMassAbacus Life, Inc. ( NASDAQ:ABL – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 483,200 shares, a decrease of 17.8% from the November 30th total of 587,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 180,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Matthew Ganovsky sold 156,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total value of $1,250,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,847,047 shares in the company, valued at $86,776,376. This trade represents a 1.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, CEO Jay J. Jackson sold 2,031,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total value of $16,250,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 10,562,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,496,000. This trade represents a 16.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 36,367 shares of company stock worth $279,626 and have sold 2,263,300 shares worth $18,106,400. Corporate insiders own 79.20% of the company’s stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abacus Life Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Abacus Life by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,011,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,233,000 after acquiring an additional 74,172 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Abacus Life by 3.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 437,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,382,000 after acquiring an additional 15,308 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abacus Life by 439.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 171,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 140,054 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abacus Life in the 3rd quarter valued at $614,000. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Abacus Life by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 297,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,006,000 after purchasing an additional 77,000 shares during the last quarter. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Get Our Latest Report on ABL Abacus Life Stock Down 2.1 % Abacus Life stock opened at $7.75 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.22. Abacus Life has a twelve month low of $7.07 and a twelve month high of $13.25. The company has a market capitalization of $656.26 million, a P/E ratio of -43.05 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Abacus Life ( NASDAQ:ABL – Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.06. Abacus Life had a negative net margin of 11.65% and a positive return on equity of 12.88%. The firm had revenue of $28.15 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Abacus Life will post 0.64 EPS for the current year. About Abacus Life ( Get Free Report ) Abacus Life, Inc operates as an alternative asset manager specializing in life insurance products. It purchases life insurance policies from consumers seeking liquidity and manages policies over time via trading, holding, and/or servicing. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Orlando, Florida. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Abacus Life Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Abacus Life and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Neal Maupay causes controversy as he aims brutal dig at Everton team-mates
Brushing warning: Unsolicited packages flood Australian doorsteps in unusual conFlorida State continues torrid star with rout of UMass(Excerpted from the autobiography of MDD Peiris, Secretary to the Prime Minister) The end of January saw the arrival of President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and his party. We were involved with the usual organizational and logistical arrangements relevant to such important occasions, as well as preparations and participation at the talks. With the Non-Aligned Conference approaching, President Kaunda’s visit was particularly important in relation to the discussions of African opinion and issues. The Prime Minister had arranged an impressive state dinner in honour of the visiting President and party at President’s House in the Fort, with soft music provided by the Navy band. President Kaunda was jovial and relaxed, and very soon he and his delegation which included the Foreign Minister and other distinguished personalities, were clapping to the tune of the music. At the end of the dinner, after the speeches and toasts, President Kaunda got up and whilst thanking the Prime Minister again for a memorable evening called upon his delegation to stand and sing an African song, the name of which he suggested. Soon we were treated to a beautiful and haunting song sung by a number of deep baritone voices, with the visiting President outstanding. A very relaxed President Kaunda was trying to encourage the Prime Minister to initiate singing on our side. But one could see that she was somewhat shy. Altogether, it was a lovely evening. There were other important visits during 1975. In July, President Echeverria of Mexico arrived. This visit was again, important from the point of view of a discussion on Non-Alignment and other international and bilateral issues. This visit was followed by the arrival of the Yugoslav Prime Minister in September, again extremely important, due to the impending Non-Aligned Conference, where President Tito was expected to play an important role. In November, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Sonny Ramphal arrived. There were discussions, followed by a public lecture he delivered at the BMICH. He was an excellent speaker. The middle of December witnessed the arrival of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan. He was polished, bright and an excellent speaker. The discussions were interesting and thorough and included the situation arising from the break up of Pakistan. In between these visits we had a number of other dignitaries visiting Sri Lanka, including Deputy Ministers from various countries and the Rt. Hon. Malcolm Macdonald of Britain. We therefore had much to do on the international front. In addition, preparations for the Non-Aligned Conference were now taking up a significant portion of our time. The break-up of the coalition On the domestic front a momentous change occurred. In September 1975, came the final break with the LSSP and that party left the government. As my previous comments would have indicated, this was not a sudden break. The interaction of personalities and issues in a negative direction was gradually leading towards this situation. There were undoubtedly differences that surfaced in many areas including constitutional matters; economic polices; nationalization issues and the pace and timing of policies that were even agreed upon. But in the end, what I saw from my vantage point at least, was a serious problem of personal relations. In this, the Minister of Plantation Industries, and Constitutional Affairs Dr. Colvin R.de Silva, was an exception. He projected an image of propriety, reasonableness and courtliness, which the Prime Minister appreciated. The Minister of Communications, Hon. Leslie Goonewardena was a silent person by nature. He didn’t speak much, but the Prime Minister thought he was hard line. The fact that the stormy Vivienne Goonewardena, M.P. was his wife did not improve matters. There was a problem of chemistry. The biggest problem, however, was Dr. N.M. Perera, the Minister of Finance. A D.Sc. from the London University, he was conscious of his intellectual standing. Unfortunately, in his dealings with the Prime Minister, he conveyed a sense of intellectual arrogance and even condescension. Whenever an argument occurred, he appeared to be talking down to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister had no intellectual pretensions. But she was by now a seasoned politician and a charismatic leader, intelligent, quick on the uptake and much respected at home and abroad. It was a serious error to treat her as some kind of lightweight. It was a personality flaw, which led to serious repercussions. This was amply demonstrated by the following reference in a statement made by the Prime Minister on the LSSP leaving the government. “There is another matter on which I should say a few words and that is, that unity within the United Front could only be possible on the basis of the acceptance of the leadership of the Prime Minister who is also the acknowledged leader of the United Front. I regret to say that during the last five years there have been several instances of reluctance to accept this fundamental necessity, particularly on the part of the Minister of Finance, who is the leader of the LSSP, as well as on the part of the Minister of Transport, perhaps to a lesser extent. I have with me several letters and documents which support this.” In the end, it was a collapse of chemistry. This is not to say that Dr. Perera was some kind of boor. He was in many ways quite charming and a gentleman. I remember the occasion when I had invited him, in my capacity as the President of the Government Services’ Cricket Association to the distribution of shields and awards to the winners and runners up of the various Divisions under which the tournament was conducted. I did not invite him because he was Minister of Finance. I did so because of his background as a fine cricketer; a former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka and as President of the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) one of the leading Cricket Clubs in the country. He graciously accepted the invitation, but fairly close to the date of the ceremony came down with pneumonia. I kept in touch with Sena Gunasekera his Private Secretary, because in case he could not come I had to invite someone else. Sena always replied that Dr. Perera said that he would somehow come and not let me down. I was quite touched by this. However, I told Sena to remind him that the function was to take place in the cool of a December evening, out in the open, since group photographs had to be taken, and in view of his bout of pneumonia, I would not advice the Minister to come. But Dr. Perera was determined to come, and in fact he did come wearing his customary suit and a thick pullover. Such was the graciousness of Dr. Perera. The problem was, that at this time he appeared to be subject to considerable mood swings, from absolute charm at one end, to anger and asperity at the other. At the same time, he was quite a sport having the ability to laugh at a joke or barb directed against him. A classic instance of this was when the Cabinet was debating the issue of our de-linking from Sterling and linking the Rupee to a basket of currencies. The Cabinet Secretary told me of the most amusing episode that occurred at this meeting. Dr. N.M. Perera as the Minister of Finance had given a most erudite lecture on this complex subject to his Cabinet colleagues reciting in the process economic history, explaining the workings of the gold standard, the current economic thinking of floating currencies, exchange rates, etc. Now everybody was aware that for quite sometime Dr. Perera was being lampooned in the press as “the golden brains.” At the conclusion of his learned lecture, there had been dead silence in the Cabinet. It had been evident that it had gone over the heads of many. After the moment of silence, one Minister had stood up. He was dressed in white cloth and the flowing banian, of what we loosely term “the National dress.” The Minister was Hon. TB Tennekoon, Minister of Social Services, a Sinhala poet and excellent Sinhala speaker who did not pretend to know too much English. Mr. Tennekoon had addressed himself to the Prime Minister and said, “Madam Prime Minister, I did not understand a word of what the Finance Minister said. I think he referred several times to gold. All I know is that all the gold is abroad, but the brains are here!” This was vintage TB Tennekoon. It was a telling comment on “the golden brains.” The Cabinet had roared with laughter, the Minister of Finance being among the loudest. Such was the complex personality of Dr. Perera. It would be unfair if I were to create the impression that among other things, Dr. Perera’s personality was almost the sole or principal factor that led to the breach with the LSSP. In my view, the Prime Minister must also share at least part of this responsibility. Those were days of very stringent Exchange Controls and the government did not favour much foreign travel. There also existed at this time a cumbersome process of obtaining “Exit Permits,” in order to leave the country. In this environment the Prime Minister was very strict about her Ministers traveling abroad. In fact she was too strict, and this was causing considerable irritation. She also liked to check whether the Ministers were back on the day they had stated they would return. I remember an occasion when an indignant Prime Minister called me and asked me to check whether her Minister of Posts & Telecommunications, Mr. Kumarasuriar, was back from his visit abroad, because he had promised to return the previous day. When I checked I found that he was due the next day, that is, one and half days later than originally planned. The Prime Minister was quite upset at this. I told her that she was being too strict with her Ministers on matters like this and that these were not major infringements. Sometimes a plane could be delayed, or there could be some other matter, which could cause a small delay. She was not prepared to agree with me. I told her that this was causing considerable irritation among her Ministers. She disagreed. She thought that they should be more responsible. I enjoyed complete freedom of speech with her, and on one occasion I told her “Madam, you are acting like the Principal of a school dealing with some errant pupils.” She enjoyed that. This kind of thing unfortunately caused a degree of irritation and frustration among members of her Cabinet, more so in the case of persons such as Dr. N.M. Perera, who would have found these Prime Ministerial interventions carping, somewhat demeaning, and unnecessary in the case of someone of his stature. In the end, the break-up was accelerated as a result of personality conflicts and a rapidly eroding understanding and trust among the two main coalition parties. There was stubbornness on both sides, and once there is a diminution of trust even small matters tend to get magnified, and when there were two interpretations possible of a given matter, the more negative one tended to be given credence. With the break up of the coalition, there was a Cabinet reshuffle, and once again, we were spending hours on the allocation of the new Departments, Subjects and Functions to Ministers. We also had to work on a major statement to Parliament by the Prime Minister on the reconstitution of the government. 1976, was quite hectic. The Prime Minister had to undertake a number of foreign visits. Elections were approaching in 1977 and there were many domestic political and economic issues that engaged her time and attention. Besides, the Non-Aligned Summit was due to take place in August, and the preparations for it were quite formidable.