Someone had to say it

This past week’s news came with plot twists, parrots, and people showing more spine than most governments. We had a rare macaw stolen (again) from a zoo that can barely hold its gates together, a gentle reminder that being loud online isn’t the same as being right, and 11 brave civilians who sailed into dangerous waters just to deliver food and medicine. Let’s get into it.

The Macaws Are Trying to Tell Us Something

So a rare Blue-and-Yellow Macaw worth over Rs. 500,000 was stolen from the Dehiwala Zoo last week. Just vanished. One minute it’s in its cage, the next, poof. Gone.

And babe, this isn’t even new. The exact same thing happened back in 2021. Same species. Same zoo. Same energy. That one ended up in someone’s house in Ratmalana like it was a pet parrot from a Sunday pola.

This time, CCTV footage from a nearby shop caught someone hanging around the zoo late at night, and by morning, the lock on the enclosure had been busted. You’d think after the first macaw heist, they’d at least spring for stronger padlocks. But here we are again.

Honestly? Maybe the macaws are trying to tell us something. Maybe the real crime isn’t the theft, it’s the fact that these birds are still in cages to begin with. Sri Lanka’s zoos have been a mess for years. Underfed animals, outdated enclosures, and now, exotic bird burglaries every few years like it’s part of the enrichment program.

Last Word: If your rare birds keep getting stolen and it’s starting to feel normal, maybe the real issue isn’t just weak locks, it’s that zoos like this have no business existing in 2025.

Being Loud Isn’t the Same as Being Right

We really need to relearn how to have conversations online. Not arguments. Not comment-section cage matches. Actual conversations.

Some of you treat being corrected like a personal attack. Like someone calmly saying, “Hey, that’s not accurate,” is the same as slapping your amma. The ego leaps out, the tone shifts, and suddenly you're writing a 12-post thread just to prove… you didn’t read the article.

But let’s be real,  most of us were never taught how to admit we’re wrong with grace. Especially not in public. Online, your opinion is your identity. Changing it? That’s basically social suicide.

And psychologically speaking (because we love receipts), your brain literally panics when your beliefs are challenged. It triggers ego threat, a fancy way of saying, “You hurt my feelings by being correct.”
But here’s the grown-up truth: you can be wrong and still be brilliant. You can learn something and not lose face. You don’t have to triple down on a bad take just because people are watching.

We keep mistaking defensiveness for strength. But humility? That’s the real flex.

Last Word: You don’t need to win every argument. Sometimes the biggest mic drop is just saying, “You’re right. I didn’t know that.” Try it. It won’t kill you.

Bravery Looks Like This

Yesterday, the Madleen, a civilian ship carrying food, medicine, and baby formula bound for Gaza, was intercepted in international waters. The unarmed crew was detained, and the humanitarian cargo was confiscated.

The ship, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had departed from Catania, Sicily, on June 1. It was named after Gaza’s first and only fisherwoman, and its mission was clear: to deliver aid and solidarity where it’s needed most.

This came just a month after another aid ship in the flotilla, Conscience, was bombed off the coast of Malta, a warning shot the activists clearly understood. And still, they went.

On board were: Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan, Reva Viard, Mark Van Rennes, Thiago Ávila, Pascal Maurieras, Suayb Ordu, Sergio Toribio, Baptiste Andre, Yanis Mhamdi, and Yasemin Acar.

The FFC has called the interception unlawful and says the crew was abducted while sailing peacefully in international waters. Before departure, the activists had recorded video messages in case something like this happened. Not because they feared the sea, but because they knew that doing the right thing often comes with consequences.

These weren’t politicians or soldiers. They were young people, artists, lawyers, climate activists, and they chose to act. To sail. To speak.

Last Word: When young people risk arrest just to deliver food and medicine, that’s not radical. That’s leadership. The kind the world desperately needs.

Until next week, protect your birds, pick your battles, and if you don’t know what to say, maybe just listen.
– Rihaab