A must read article for Sri Lankans (and others).Some ExcerptsIf growth is a substitute for redistribution, then redistribution can be a substitute for growth.If we want to have any hope of averting catastrophe, we’re going to have to do something about our addiction to growth. This is tricky, because GDP growth is the main policy objective of virtually every government ...
The All Girl tuk tuk team on the way to Jaffna, thru Wilpattu National Park, with a stopover here at Wilpattu House.Therese (Austria), Monika (Poland) and Nadja (Germany) about to leave for Jafna. Out Swimming at the nearby Lunu Ela
Smartphones all come with a GPS locator. This post will walk you thru the basic steps of getting GPS from your phone and then importing the data into a Google My Maps. IMPORTANT: you need a google/gmail account and you should be logged in to use Google My Maps.You can use this info to create markers, measure distance in My ...
In Apr 2012 I found that I had high sugar (500mg/dl) and BPH (Benign prostatic hyperplasia).The issue with BPH is that you have to urinate often and very little each time. I could not travel from Colombo to Puttalam without getting off the bus twice, in a 3 hour ride.BPH is a nasty little problem, which affects many men over ...
Beautiful Earth Kitchen This is a great kitchen made completely with Earth (matti in Sinhala), Not only is it eye catching it is cost effective and very functional. The kitchen was built by Mr. Dayananda and his wife Sumana by themselves. Mr. Dayananda's wife runs a medium scale plant nursery out in Wanathavillu (on the old Mannar Puttalam road). You ...
Some tips on Preventive Maintenance of Brush Cutter/Back Pack lawn Mower. (sent by Anil Ratnayake)Always Mix 2T Oil - 250 ml in 5 litres Petrol. (50 ml / liter) After work is over for the day - DO NOT use stop switch because 2T oil will condense in the engine and cause Damage when re starting. ALWAYS shut off petrol ...
First my personal opinion, I think whatever the consequences of increased human activity such as C02 emissions, increased population and deforestation are already baked into whats going to happen in the next 30-40 years. The consequences maybe (and its a big maybe) mitigated by actions now, but it will be 30-40 years before results will be seen. I'll be dead ...
The Gathering (of elephants) in Minneriya or Kaudulla National park are considered one of the great wild life spectacles of the world, comparable to the Great migration in Serengeti. The gathering of over 300 elephants in Minneriya occurs during the dry season of May-Sep.The gathering is however a result of environmental engineering two thousand years ago. The 87 km (54 ...
Mustard PlantsThere is nasty debate going on about the use of a Indian developed Genetically Modified (GM) mustard plant to be commercially cultivated. Mustard DMH-11, has been developed by Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants at Delhi University. It is a cautionary tale for Sri Lanka. The ProsPurported to be 20%-30% more productive than most mustard varieties. Is resistant ...
Glyphosate, labeled a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s cancer agency IARC in 2015, has now been revealed to be ubiquitous in the first ever comprehensive and validated LC/MS/MS testing project to be carried out across America.In a unique public testing project carried out by a laboratory at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), glyphosate was discovered ...
Many Sri Lankans may remember from school geography the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka is from North West (Puttalam) to East (Batticoloa) and South East (Hambanthota). In this area rain is received only from the North East (NE) monsoon, i.e. mid-late October to January. May to November is dry with hardly any rain.Has this changed. Last year (2015) there ...
Chundikulam Sanctuary LagoonTrying to leave the Jaffna Peninsula travelling by the East Coast Mullaithivu road thru the Chundikulam Sanctuary. Bad news: Maybe in SUV with a snorkel or trail motor bike. As Olivier and Benoît (from France) say: The lagoon of Chundikulam Sanctuary, we have to pass in the ocean, no beach road at this season (NE Monsoon).Maybe possible to ...
Prof. Dharmawardana has an article that dismisses links between CKDu, glyphosate and chemical fertilizers. However this analysis is severely flawed.To quote Prof. Dharmawardana: New Zealand is one of the biggest users of synthetic fertilizer, applying 1700 kg/hectare in 2012. Other comparative figures (per hectare, World Bank data) are, Malaysia,1600, Singapore 3400, Holland 300, India 165, Sri Lanka 198, Nicaragua 50. ...
Kala-Oya/Lunu-Ela 200m away from proposed Garbage siteThe Garbage in Colombo is becoming a political nightmare and is standing in the way of the Colombo Megalopolis project. Is Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe advocating the move of the Colombo Garbage to the Holcim Aruwakkalu Old Quarry 200m from the Wilpattu National Park border.The surrounding area of the proposed garbage site is pristine ...
Perth, Australia. The materials used for land reclamation, included general household rubbish.Opposing or being critical of a project should be accompanied by alternative suggestions.Obviously I am critical of Garbage of Colombo shipped to a Landfill in the Wilpattu Buffer zone or for that matter to any interior part of the Sri Lanka. This is simply because the large amount of ...
A very interesting theory from an article in 2002. American Prairie and Amazon forest have been shaped by humans over thousands of years, and are not pristine environments as previously thought. The Native Americans burned the Prairie Grasses to create a habitat ideal for bison, elk and deer; i.e. a gigantic farm for meat. In the Amazon Forest, Amazonians created ...
This is an update to some of the questions on Colombo Garbage to Wilpattu. The previous post pointed out that Colombo Garbage dumped in Gangewadiya would seriously degrade the beautiful Kala-Oya, kill pristine Mangroves in Wilpattu National Park and kill breeding and fish stocks in Puttalam Lagoon.Now to answer some of questions I was asked. Who wants this DoneThe Ministry ...
Kala-Oya/Lunu-Ela 200m away from proposed Garbage siteThe old Quarry and proposed garbage site Wilpattu National Park is the latest location proposed to dump 470,000 cubic meters of garbage every year. That is the equivalent of a building 3 story high 33 feet x 33 feet of garbage every day. That garbage will grow to a mountain 250 feet high every ...
