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Inter Observer Variability in the Specificity of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for External Impingement of the Shoulder—Is There Agreement among Radiologists?
N. Baraza, K. Goswam, S. A. Shahban
Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract: Purpose: External impingement in the shoulder is a condition characterised by tenderness in the antero-lateral aspect of the shoulder on arm elevation due to an absolute or relative decrease in the subacromial space. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently utilised to confirm the condition and rule out other differential diagnoses. We conducted a study to look at the inter observer variability in specificity of MRI scanning in impingement of the shoulder. Methods: Twenty-six shoulders aged between 20 and 34 who all presented with shoulder instability only were included in the study. Three experienced consultant musculoskeletal radiologists were then asked to comment on the presence or absence of impingement on reviewing their MRI scans. Results: Radiologist 1 (R1) diagnosed 7 shoulders with impingement and 19 shoulders without. Radiologist 2 (R2) observed that 13 shoulders had radiological signs of impingement and 13 did not, and radiologist 3 (R3) suspected impingement in 20 shoulders with 6 shoulders normal. For R1 and R2, the agreement was 0.58 with a kappa value of 0.16. Between R2 and R3, the agreement was also 0.58 with a kappa value of 0.16. Comparing R1 and R3, the agreement was 0.46 and the kappa value was 0.14. Across all three radiologists, there was agreement in 8 out of the 26 MRI scans (31%) but only in 4 out of the 26 (15.4%) did they all agree that impingement was not present. Conclusion: MRI should be used judiciously in the work up of patients with external impingement of the shoulder.
Keywords: Shoulder Pain, Impingement, External Impingement, MRI Scanning in Shoulders, Shoulder Imaging, Specificity of MRI in External Impingement
External impingement of the shoulder is a condition characterised by tenderness in the antero-lateral aspect of the shoulder on arm elevation due to an absolute or relative decrease in the space between the humeral head and the coraco-ac- romial arch. This space contains, from inferior to superior, the tendon of the long head of the biceps, the rotator cuff, the subacromial bursa, and the coraco- acromial ligament. Pathology of any one of these structures or their bony boundaries, the head of the humerus or the acromion process can lead to impingement, a common cause of shoulder morbidity in the middle aged. The diagnosis is mainly clinically made after a history and examination, though increasingly MRI scanning is utilised to confirm the condition and rule out other differential diagnoses such as rotator cuff tears that may affect the treatment plan. We conducted a study to look at the specificity of MRI scanning in impingement of the shoulder and discuss the relevance of this imaging modality in aiding the clinician.
Twenty four patients, 21 males and 3 females, (26 shoulders) who all presented with shoulder instability only and no clinical signs of impingement were included in the study (Figure 1). They had all been assessed either directly by or under the supervision of a consultant shoulder orthopaedic surgeon. They had their MRI scans reviewed by 3 independent experienced consultant musculoskeletal radiologists who were blinded to the indications of the scans, patient age and the previous reports. We asked the radiologists to comment on whether or not impingement was present on the MRI images. The agreement between the three radiologists was then statistically determined.
Radiologist 1 (R1) diagnosed 7 shoulders with impingement and 19 shoulders without. Radiologist 2 (R2) observed that 13 shoulders had radiological signs of
Figure 1. Age spread.
impingement and 13 did not, and radiologist 3 (R3) suspected impingement in 20 shoulders with 6 shoulders normal (Figure 2).
In order to compare inter-rater variability, the kappa value is utilised. This figure is calculated by first finding out the agreement between the observers then factoring in the individual cases they agreed on and the possibility of this agreement being down the chance. This gives a kappa value between 0 and 1, where 1 denotes perfect agreement and 0 demonstrates that the agreement was no better than chance. Landis and Koch [1] published guidelines on the adequacy of inter observer reliability and interpretation of the kappa value and is summarised in Table 1.
The agreement and kappa values of the study are summarised in Table 2. Across all three radiologists, there was agreement in 8 out of the 26 MRI scans (31%) but only in 4 out of the 26 (15.4%) did they all agree that impingement was not present.
Figure 2. Bar chart of shoulders diagnosed with impingement by each radiologist.
Table 1. Landis and Koch table on interpretation of kappa values.
Table 2. Agreement and kappa values across all 3 radiologists.
External impingement occurs due to compression of the structures between the humeral head and the coraco-acromial arch on arm elevation. Clinically, provocative tests such as Neer's and Hawkin's are invaluable in making the diagnosis but recent studies have shown that Hawkins test may actually create internal impingement [2] ―abutment of the articular surface of the rotator cuff between humeral head on the edge of the glenoid―and subacromial decompressions performed on patients with internal impingement will be of limited benefit. Furthermore, in the Neer's provocative position (full flexion in internal rotation) the space between the rotator cuff and the acromion was found to be increased [3] . This makes accurate clinical diagnosis challenging and often to aid the clinician imaging is utilised.
The use of MRI scans in picking up shoulder pathology is controversial. An early study by Ianotti et al. [4] showed a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95% for complete tears of the rotator cuff, and sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 93% for differentiation between normal and inflamed tendon. Nelson et al. [5] demonstrated the superiority of MRI in establishing the aetiology of a painful shoulder and with its superior soft tissue detail, Uri [6] reported that MRI was the favoured imaging tool in rotator cuff pathologies, a claim supported by Bachman et al. [7] who, in a cadaveric study, found MRI had a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100% in differentiating between normal and abnormal cuff tendons. This was challenged by Torstensen et al. [8] who compared MRI to arthroscopic findings and reported a sensitivity of 96% but a lower specificity of 49% in picking rotator cuff tears.
On MRI, possible features of external impingement are a large amount of fluid within the subacromial bursa and medial to the acromioclavicular joint [9] , a reduction in the acromiohumeral distance [10] , the presence of downward facing acromioclavicular joint osteophytes [11] , the shape of the acromion [12] [13] [14] , an os acromiale [15] and rotator cuff lesions [16] [17] . However, many of the above lesions have been found in asymptomatic shoulders making radiological diagnosis unreliable.
In our study, the patients had MRI taken using a ToshibaTM 1.5 Tesla scanner with 4mm slices. On the axial T2 weighted views a field echo was applied with a repetition time (TR) of 551 milliseconds and an echo time (TE) of 15 milliseconds. The coronal T1 weighted images had a spin echo and a TR of 416 ms and a TE of 12 ms. The T2 weighted coronal images had a TR of 3136 ms and a TE of 96 ms. The coronal STIR images had a TR of 4483 ms and TE of 48 ms. In the sagittal view, the TR was 3136 ms and the TE 96 ms. All were sent to radiology because of instability and had a plain MRI as a first line of investigation prior to later having an MRI arthrogram if any doubts persisted as to the cause of their symptoms after a normal initial MRI. In this study, the radiologists were asked to comment on the MRI arthrogram. Though none had clinical signs of impingement, in several of the cases there were signals picked up by the radiologists that led them to believe that in the majority of patient's external impingement was present.
There was very little agreement however amongst the three radiologists, as shown by the low kappa values (<0.2). One possible explanation for this is the lack of standardised protocol for assessing impingement. The radiologists used the above parameters of external impingement in different measure to determine whether they thought impingement was present. Also, the limits of acceptable radiological signs will vary depending on training, previous experience and differing patient anatomy.
Another possible reason for variation in reporting of the MRI scans is that they were contrast pictures, as the initial clinical pathology in question was instability rather than impingement, and this may have interfered with the usual signal given off in the presence of cuff tendinopathy leading to a false positive. Only one radiologist of the three thought that this interfered with their ability to make a confident diagnosis. In addition to this, signal intensity is influenced by the orientation of tendon fibres relative to the magnetic field, which may lead to misdiagnosis of normal rotator cuffs [18] .
There were a few limitations to our study which we fully acknowledge. Firstly, the acromio-humeral distance is dependent on gender and arm position, this distance in men being 1.2 mm more on average with the arm in 30˚ abduction; and at 90˚ this distance is reduced further in both sexes. In our study, there was no standardisation of arm position whilst patients were in the MRI scanner and slight variations in positions may have led to an increased chance of an erroneous report by the radiologists. Ideally, we would have also had in this study a cohort of patients who clinically had impingement and MRI scans to compare with the patients who were included in this study to establish the sensitivity of MRI in this series as well. In our unit though, patients who are clinically thought to have impingement do not routinely have MRI scans so it was not possible to make this comparison [19] . The radiologists taking part in the study were prone to reporting bias when asked to comment on whether impingement was present on the MRI scan. With this condition being one of the most common shoulder pathologies, they may have had a lower threshold of "diagnosing" it on the scan. Lastly, in this paper, the kappa values were used to determine inter-rater reliability. However, it has been shown that with small sample sizes the kappa values tend to be lower [20] so with a larger sample size the values may have differed.
External impingement is a largely clinical diagnosis, and this study has shown that MRI can be misleading. Moreover, there is little agreement even among experienced musculoskeletal radiologists regarding the possible appearance of lesions in the shoulder. For these reasons, clinicians should be judicious in the use of this imaging modality, and closer communication between surgeon and radiologist should be developed prior to and, if the MRI scan is performed, after imaging so that the most effective treatment plan can be instituted. In our experience, this imaging modality has the limited value in assisting the clinician when deciding whether or not patients require the operative treatment of this common condition.
Cite this paper: Baraza, N. , Goswam, K. and Shahban, S. (2017) Inter Observer Variability in the Specificity of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for External Impingement of the Shoulder—Is There Agreement among Radiologists?. Open Access Library Journal, 4, 1-7. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1103472.
[1] Landis, R.J. and Koch, G.G. (1977) The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data. Biometrics, 33, 159-174.
[2] Edelson, G. and Teitz, C. (2000) Internal Impingement in the Shoulder. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 9, 308-315.
https://doi.org/10.1067/mse.2000.105449
[3] Roberts, C.S., Davila, J.N., Hushek, S.G., Tillett, E.D. and Corrigan, T.M. (2002) Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of the Subacromial Space in the Impingement Sign Positions. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 11, 595-599.
[4] Ianotti, J.P., Zlatkin, M.B., Esterhai, J.L., Kressel, H.Y., Dalinka, M.K. and Spindler, K.P. (1991) Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Shoulder. Sensitivity, Specificity and Predictive Value. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery America, 73, 17-29.
[5] Nelson, M.C., Leather, G.P., Nirschl, R.P., Pettrone, F.A. and Freedman, M.T. (1991) Evaluation of the Painful Shoulder. A Prospective Comparison of MRI, Computerized Tomographic Arthrography, Ultrasonography and Operative Findings. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery America, 73, 707-716.
[6] Uri, D.S. (1997) MR Imaging of Shoulder Impingement in Rotator Cuff Disease. Radiologic Clinics of North America, 35, 77-96.
[7] Bachman, G.F., Melzer, C., Heinrichs, C.M., Mohring, B. and Rominger, M.B. (1997) Diagnosis of Rotator Cuff Lesions: Comparison of US and MRI on 38 Joint Specimens. European Radiology, 7, 192-197.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s003300050133
[8] Torstenten, T.C. and Hollinshead, R.M. (1999) Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Arthroscopy in the Evaluation of Shoulder Pathology. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 8, 42-45.
[9] White, E.A., Schweitzer, M.E. and Haims, A.H. (2006) Range of Normal and Abnormal Subacromial/Subdeltoid Bursa Fluid. Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 30, 316-320.
[10] Mayerhoefer, M.E., Breitenseher, M.J., Wurnig, C., et al. (2009) Shoulder Impingement: Relationship of Clinical Symptoms and Imaging Criteria. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 19, 83-89.
https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e318198e2e3
[11] Cuomo, F., Kummer, F.J., Zuckerman, J.D., et al. (1998) The Influence of Acromioclavicular Joint Morphology on Rotator Cuff Tears. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 7, 555-559.
[12] Neer, C.S. (1983) Impingement Lesions. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 173, 70-77.
[13] Bigliani, L.U. (1991) Impingement Syndrome: Etiology and Overview. In: Watson M.S., Ed., Surgical Disorders of the Shoulder, Churchill Livingstone, New York, 237-246.
[14] Bigliani, L.U., Morrison, D.S. and April, E.W. (1986) The Morphology of the Acromion and Its Relationship to Rotator Cuff Tears. Orthopaedic Transactions, 10, 228.
[15] Davlin, C.D. and Fluker, D. (2003) Bilateral Os Acromiale in a Division I Basketball Player. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2, 175-179.
[16] Sein, M.L., Walton, J., Linklater, J., et al. (2007) Reliability of MRI Assessment of Supraspinatus Tendinopathy. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41, e9.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2006.034421
[17] Manvar, A.M., Kamireddi, A., Bhalani, S.M., et al. (2009) Clinical Significance of Intramuscular Cysts in the Rotator Cuff and Their Relationship to Full and Partial-Thickness Rotator cuff Tears. American Journal of Roentgenology, 192, 719-724.
https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.07.3727
[18] Erickson, S.J., Cox, I.H., Hyde, J.S., et al. (1991) Effect of Tendon Orientation of MR Imaging Signal Intensity: A Manifestation of the "Magic Angle" Phenomenon. Radiology, 181, 389-392.
https://doi.org/10.1148/radiology.181.2.1924777
[19] Graichen, H., Bonel, H., Stammberger, T., Englmeier, K.H., Reiser, M. and Eckstein, F. (2001) Sex-Specific Differences of Subacromial Space Width during Abduction, with and without Muscular Activity, and Correlation with Anthropometric Variables. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 10, 129-135.
[20] Bakeman, R., Quera, V., McArthur, D. and Robinson, B.F. (1997) Detecting Sequential Patterns and Determining Their Reliability with Fallible Observers. Psychological Methods, 2, 357-370.
https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.2.4.357


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OxyElite Pro Linked to Acute Hepatitis and Liver Failure
October 4, 2013 — The Hawaii Department of Health is warning that 32 cases of acute hepatitis (liver inflammation) and liver failure have been associated with OxyElite Pro. At least one person has had a transplant, and many more are on the waiting list.
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The liver is responsible for removing toxins from the bloodstream, but certain toxins can overcome enzymes in the liver, destroy cells, and cause liver damage. If enough cells are damaged, the liver will become inflamed and swollen — also known as acute hepatitis. If the source of the problem is not treated, hepatitis can lead to permanent liver damage, organ damage, liver failure, and death.
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Stomach or abdominal pain
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Do I have an OxyElite Pro Lawsuit?
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Transform Scotland are pleased to publish its Members' Briefing 'Sustrans Scotland's role in the development of the new National Transport Strategy', written by Sustrans Scotland's director John Lauder.
"We look forward to the conclusion of the National Transport Strategy (NTS) and a strategy that better integrates and prioritises active travel. In tandem, Transport Scotland have started preliminary work on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), the government's shopping list of potential transport infrastructure projects for the next decade. The first STPR delivered the Queensferry Crossing.
"One of the first tests of the new NTS will be the outputs of this STPR. The NTS intends to deliver a strategy to tackle the challenges of the next twenty years. Top of the list is undoubtedly the growing physical inactivity and public health crisis.


text:
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Nate Berkus Remembers … Arugam Bay
Published on 23/08/2019 in front page, Money Matters, people and press coverage. 0 Comments
Nate Berkus Remembers Late Partner Who Died in Asian Tsunami on his Birthday
The interior designer and TV host is upholding the legacy of the late photographer, who died tragically in 2004
Nate Berkus is paying tribute to his late partner to mark what would have been his 54th birthday.
The celebrity interior designer and Oprah protege lost his longtime love, Argentinian photographer Fernando Bengoechea, in the 2004 Asia tsunami. The couple were on vacation in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, when the natural disaster occurred and were swept out of their accommodation, a beachfront hut, by the force of the wave, Berkus told Oprah in 2005. They managed to stay together through the rushing water, but were eventually separated. When the waves receded, Bengoechea was reported as missing and was never found.
His family released a statement soon after saying, "Based on all of the information we have gathered and the search team's extraordinary efforts, we still have not heard any word of Fernando. Therefore, it is with great sadness, we are forced to presume Fernando died in the tsunami."
RELATED: Meet Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's Baby Boy, Oskar! Why He's Named After Berkus' Late Partner
"It's been almost 15 years since the tsunami, when we lost Fernando. Every day I think of him, but especially today on his birthday," Berkus wrote on Instagram.
"Fernando's brother Marcelo keeps his art alive by hand weaving photographs using the same technique and museum quality materials," he continued. And while Marcelo's project is ongoing, Berkus notes, "this month, @fernando_bengoechea_photo is donating 10% of proceeds from the sale of each woven photograph to the Tsunami Relief Fund via @globalgiving."
The designer shared an old snapshot of Fernando and an image of the woven artwork made from his photography. The image of a Joshua tree is similar to one Berkus displays in his own home, and can be seen in his former Chicago apartment, published in Elle Decor in 2008, and his former New York home in Architectural Digest in 2012.
Berkus wrote candidly about his life after the tsunami in 2005, recalling that the year began with him "lying in my bed, unable to eat, unable to string a sentence together." It wasn't until nine-and-a-half months later that he says he found a "new normal" and wasn't solely focussed on grief.
Remembering a celebration at his home, he wrote, "My best friend had organized the evening, my best friend who had flown to London to save me. Fernando's ex-boyfriend of seven years was at the table too. They were laughing and smiling. I was laughing and smiling too. He was a stranger to me before the tsunami. Now he is my brother."
He continued: "That night it occurred to me that I could again be 'happy,' that I was not defined only by loss and fear and grief, but also by love and joy and light."
Berkus married designer Jeremiah Brent in 2014 and the couple now share two children, Poppy, 4, and Oskar Michael, 1. Oskar's name is also a tribute to Fernando.
"[Fernando's] middle name was Oskar," Berkus, 47, told PEOPLE exclusively of the poignant inspiration in April 2018 — and what's more surprising, the tribute "was actually Jeremiah's idea."
"We have always honored Fernando's memory in our relationship. He's a part of our love story," explains Brent, 34. "It's such an important chapter in Nate's life. So the idea that we can honor his memory in a beautiful way was exciting to us."
Fernando Bangoechea's woven photographs are available on fernandobengoechea.com
Source: https://people.com/home/nate-berkus-remembers-late-partner-who-died-in-asia-tsunami-on-his-birthday/
Related links: http://www.arugam.info/2008/10/10/nate-berkus-life-changed-in-arugam-bay/
Related Links: http://www.arugam.info/2008/10/09/nate-berkus-arugam-bay/
We need YOUR help !
Published on 12/04/2019 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, front page, Money Matters, people, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments
Arugam Bay is truly a beautiful place on Earth.
We like to keep it that way.
And also weed out frauds and land thefts.
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Don't Change The Old Siam View
Luftwaffe Magazin mentions AbaY !
Published on 07/08/2018 in Arugam Surf Club, bars, blog, Blogs, front page, press coverage, presse-deutsch and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments Tags: German Airlines, Lufthansa, Luftwaffe, Siam View Hotel, SVH.
Aragum is a working Bay
ARUGAM BAY: POTHEADS, SURFERS AND A GREAT DREAM Cheap nasonex nasal spray A?Exploring the real Sri Lanka is best done by bus. What you should know: Buses never use their brakes, and love to overtake. Rock-hard benches, diesel engines that sound like tractors and a Bollywood-style soundtrack are all part of the trip to Arugam Bay. Ita??s a genuine experience and takes ten hours.
A two-kilometer stretch of street lined with huts, houses and small hotels: This is the east coasta??s legendary surf spot. West of the place also known as a??A-Bay,a?? peacocks strut across paddy fields, and further south, elephants lumber through the wilderness. I arrive with a headache, a backache and hurting ears: I need a beer. The Siam View Hotel, owned by A-Bay veteran Fred Netzband-A?Miller, 65, serves the best beer, I am told. a??I came here in the seventies, to smoke pot and surf,a?? says the Dutchman. a??Then I met a A?local woman. She said therea??d be nothing happening between us unless I married her first. So I did a?? ten days later.a??
We are on the roof of his hotel, on the Flower Power Terrace. Over a beer a?? homemade and excellent, by the way a?? Fred talks about the wild days in A-Bay a?? and about the civil war, the battles that raged on other beaches not far from here. Surfers still came to A-Bay, though a?? for the spectacular waves a?? if necessary even traveling through the region occupied by the rebel Tamil Tigers. Fred also experienced and survived the 2004 tsunami in A-Bay: a??I was up here, partying with my staff. All of a sudden, there was salt water sloshing into my gin and tonic. Absolutely unacceptable!a?? Then the easy smile he has worn until now disappears. a??But seriously, you know: The party saved our lives.a??
Others were not so fortunate: Up to 38 000 Sri Lankans lost their lives in the tsunami, among them the father of Irsah and Irfan. On the beach in the morning, I meet the 25-year-old twins, who work as surf instructors and fishermen today. a??We were 14,a?? Irfan says, a??and had to quit school because our mother had no money.a?? Today, they are short of cash again; this time to fullfill the great dream they share. Irsah points to a structure at the top of the beach with no walls, but a large roof about 14 to 15 square meters in area, made of palm leaves and supported by tree trunks. a??Thata??s going to be our surf school,a?? Irsah tells me, a??as soon as we have a few spare rupees, wea??ll carry on building, buy some second-hand boards. And then wea??ll really make a splash a?? youa??ll see!a??
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Extract from a Lufthansa Magazine Article
https://magazin.lufthansa.com/xx/en/travel-en/back-to-a-future-sri-lanka/
September Sunny sets
Published on 01/09/2017 in Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, blog, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Music, parties and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
Col. Karuna Beach Event
Explore Arugam Bay (Tours)
Published on 22/06/2017 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, From our own Correspondent, front page and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
A local tour operator offers Kumana Safaris, Lagoon Trips and much more.
www.arugam.info has not tested them personally, but by all accounts they offer a decent, honest and good service.
You can contact them on their web site, as well as Facebook page.
On Tripadvisor it's also mentioned, and the ranking seems to be good.
In their own words, here are the services offered: Cheap cardizem er
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We at, explore Arugam Bay organizing tours including but not limited ted to surf safaris, wild salaries, Lagoon eco tours and heritage salaries. A?also arranging transportation.
We are organising events and group meals for any size of group.
A?Also we arranging surf lessons and local culinary classes to learn the way of preparing Sri Lankan meals.
A?Our pre designed packages and other services are in detail in our website Order isoptin 40mg
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Perfect Weather in AbaY
Published on 27/05/2017 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, blog and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
Sunday, 27th May 2017
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Novel Prize for Literature goes to AbaY
Published on 31/03/2017 in 1st April, Blogs, books, Culture, Education, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Fun, Humour, Literature, press coverage, presse-deutsch and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
Awarded for the 1983 account of life in Arugam Bay, Eastern Sri Lanka
German author Frau Claudia ACKERMANN, hasA?won the Novel Prize in LiteratureA?for "having created new and deep insights" into events of 1983 in Sri Lanka. Written in graceful, impressive literaryA?style by anA?impartial, foreign tourist & traveler during the long running conflict of this paradise island. Social Media, Facebook and A?Twitter is going off at the news. The prize winning travel novel is set in remote Arugam Bay, in the 1980's.
Author and Laureate's's own Web site
Some people, critics and fans alike, are thrilled at the news that the "greatest living author of our time" has won the esteemed award.A?Sarai Dumminus, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, called Frau ACKERMANN a great author in the German speaking tradition" before adding that "for many years now she's been at it reinventing herself, constantly creating a new identity." Other fans called her a "master" while one fan said that they are "Not so surprise[d]. She is a great contemporary writer of our time."
Novel Prize 2016 for Peace & Music
Novel Prize Winner Laureate Chris Sherpa
Meanwhile, the Nobel Prize for peaceful Music A?(NPPM) has been awarded to CHRIS SHERPA. An Australian Songwriter and Musician. For his outstanding composition of the "Arugam Bay" Song. He is the "first Nobel Laureate since George Bernhard Shaw to have been awarded both a #Novel Prize and an Oscar." President Obama also seems happy about the choice and took to Twitter to congratulate Chris , "Together with Jock Johnson Chris is one of my favorite Surf Composers." Check out the only known unplugged version of this awesome song. Performed LIVE at AbaY below:
Where to purchase rogaine foam Award winning "Arugam Bay" Song
Chris Scherpa & THE PLONK Bio:
The music of Chris Scherpa is melodic without baby baby schmalz, dirty without being sloppy, the music and lyrics dig deep but stay light and groovy. The songs tell stories. Acoustic sound with punch!
Order acivir injection For his songs the songwriter Chris Scherpa uses influences ranging from folk to funk, alternative rock, reggae, blues and even hip hop. Very notable is Chris Scherpa's special style of acoustic guitar playing – sometimes sounding like 2 guys at once.
Sherpa @ Aragum Bay, 2014 (DPA A?file photo)
ALL Rs./ 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 & 500 Notes declared invalid !
Published on 30/03/2017 in 1st April, front page, Humour and Money Matters. 1 Comment
As from midnight tonight, 31st March 2017
Qatar News 31/03/2017
President Sillysena has declared that all large notes in circulation will cease to be legal tender as from midnight, tonight (31st March, 2017)
This follows the overwhelming success of a similar masterstroke by his Indian Counterpart, Prime Minister MOGLI in November last year.
With one single directive, all black cash was eliminated and the banks recorded record deposits ever since. Being hard pushed to raise funds to repay foreign loans, the GOSL had to act swiftly.
The Victory Rs./ 1,000 note
Parliament was not privy to this bombshell announcement. Ministers and Members of Parliament were only told, in strict confidence, to A?quickly dispose of their hordings of A?the controversial Rs./ 1,000 "Victory" A?note. This was issued by a former Government.
Many believe that a huge warehouse full of such notes still exists.
Largest legal tender note as from today:
This is enough to buy 2 Cigarettes.
Statement from Temple Trees:
"I have reached today's decision to demonetize Rs./500 up to the Rs./5000 currency notes in circulation in the economy as bold and revolutionary, and one that will have tectonic impact on the ubiquitous parallel economy in the country. The move will significantly strengthen the government'sA?systematic effortsA?(including special investigation team on black money, amending DTAA with India, Mauritius and Cyprus, amending the Benami Transactions Act, and the more recent Income Declaration Scheme) over the last two years to curb black money in the economy"
A?USAIDs Press release:
"In a single master stroke, the government of Sri Lanka has tackled all three malaises plaguing the economya??a parallel economy, counterfeit currency and terror financing"
Statement by Central Bank warden Mr. India Rancit Coma- Rastaswammy:
"I am honoured that the Government has followed my advice"
With our latest move, it is reasonably clear that the economy stands to benefit on several fronts:
1. Boost deposit base and savings
Global agencies have pegged the size of the parallel economy with the US $ at close to 23% as of 2007. Basis this, we estimate unaccounted cash in the economy to the tune of Rs./4500 billion, of which a certain significant proportion will make its way to the banks, thus boosting deposit base as well as financial savings:
The banks' deposit base is expected to receive a fillip of 0.5-1.4% of GDP.
In turn, financing savings can be expected to rise by close to this proportion due to switch from savings from unproductive physical assets to financial assets.
2. Improve monetary transmission and reduce lending rates
A rise in deposit base will allow banks to lower the blended cost of funds as higher CASA (current accounts, savings accounts) deposits help to replace the high cost of borrowing and lower overall cost of funds. We expect banks to reduce deposit rates by ~125 bps over the next six months.
The new regime of MCLR (Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate )will immediately take into account the lower cost and will thereby lead to a decline in lending rates, which will boost economic activity in the medium term.
3. Create room for further monetary accommodation
Continue reading 'ALL Rs./ 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 & 500 Notes declared invalid !'
LuftHansa Magazin: "Back to a future"
Published on 18/03/2017 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, bars, From our own Correspondent, front page, press coverage, presse-deutsch and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
Here is a short version of an article which was 1st published in a German onboard flight magazine:
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ARUGAM BAY: POTHEADS, SURFERS AND A GREAT DREAM
A?Exploring the real Sri Lanka is best done by bus. What you should know: Buses never use their brakes, and love to overtake. Rock-hard benches, diesel engines that sound like tractors and a Bollywood-style soundtrack are all part of the trip to Arugam Bay. Ita??s a genuine experience and takes ten hours.
A two-kilometer stretch of street lined with huts, houses and small hotels: This is the east coasta??s legendary surf spot. West of the place also known as a??A-Bay,a?? peacocks strut across paddy fields, and further south, elephants lumber through the wilderness. I arrive with a headache, a backache and hurting ears: I need a beer. The Siam View Hotel, owned by A-Bay veteran Fred Netzband-A?Miller, 65, serves the best beer, I am told. a??I came here in the seventies, to smoke XXX and surf,a?? says the Dutchman. a??Then I met a A?local woman…….a?? Purchase femcare
Others were not so fortunate: Up to 38?000 Sri Lankans lost their lives in the tsunami, among them the father of Irsah and Irfan. On the beach in the morning, I meet the 25-year-old twins, who work as surf instructors and fishermen today. a??We were 14,a?? Irfan says, a??and had to quit school because our mother had no money.a?? Today, they are short of cash again; this time to fulfill the great dream they share. Irsah points to a structure at the top of the beach with no walls, but a large roof about 14 to 15 square meters in area, made of palm leaves and supported by tree trunks. a??Thata??s going to be our surf school,a?? Irsah tells me, a??as soon as we have a few spare rupees, wea??ll carry on building, buy some second-hand boards. And then wea??ll really make a splash a?? youa??ll see!a??
First civil war, then a tsunami a?? until recently, only fearless travelers sought out Sri Lanka. Thata??s changed and people are flocking to the island again. Our author went in search of its magic and discovered an urban jungle with a soul, legendary beaches and a holy mountain
Happiness, it seems, is here for the taking a?? the ocean so blue, the flowers such a blaze of color, the streets so clean. Glittering towers dreamed up by the worlda??s best architects reach for the sky. A tantalizing vision, but too good to be true. For now, at least, only a computer-generated idyll, this vision is plastered on construction site fences around Colombo. The reality is quite a different story: Sri Lankaa??s city of millions stinks. Ita??s a sweaty, noisy, rattletrap of a place that stifles your breath. Its streets are dangerous and the weather makes you suffer a?? one minute the tropical sun is frying your brain, the next, a cloudburst knocks you off your feet. Tourist attractions, parks, beaches? Palaces or museums? Such things barely exist here a?? as yet.
Civil war raged in Sri Lanka for a bitter 26 years. Although most of the fighting took place in the north and east, the entire island seemed paralyzed, including Colombo on the west coast. Today, more than six years since the end of the war, investors are flocking to the city. Tourists are also returning to Sri Lanka, their number nearly four times that in 2009. Most still give the unlovely urban sprawl that is Colombo a wide berth, but this is set to change. On Galle Road, just steps from the Indian Ocean, hotel tower blocks are taking shape, and therea??s an entire new neighborhood planned next door a?? an ambitious, classy, ultramodern development project built on land to be reclaimed from the ocean.
The mood on the art scene is also euphoric at present. a??We are seeing collectors and curators coming in from all over the world,a?? says Saskia Fernando, 33, whose art gallery shares her name. Its snow-white walls display works vaguely reminiscent of Frida Kahlo and Salvador DalA?: surreal, opulent, brilliantly colored. And yet, a sense of identity grounded somewhere between India and the South Seas is already apparent. a??For the first time in Sri Lanka, artists are able to make a living from their work,a?? says Fernando. a??When I set up my gallery six years ago, that was unthinkable.a??
How does she envision the future? a??Sometimes I am concerned for our soul,a?? she replies. a??Construction is in progress everywhere a?? at the expense of our environment, culture and tradition. But of course we urgently need development, tourism, jobs. And mostly I do feel positive because the soul of Sri Lanka is its people. They are so amazing, so irrepressible.a?? Later on, wandering through the city, I begin to understand what she meant. No matter how crowded, noisy or down-at-heel Colombo is, people smile at you as though their life depended on it; almost as if they had decided to be the happiest people on earth in spite of everything.
source & full article:
http://magazin.lufthansa.com/at/en/travel-en/back-to-a-future-sri-lanka/
Why is No One in Arugam Bay?
Published on 22/02/2017 in Blogs and Traveler's Reports. 1 Comment
Simon Hill asked:
Why is AbaY so empty?
I know it's not the surfing season, but the weather is lovely, the beach is clean and the sea swimmable.
The place is virtually deserted and I have been offered a bungalow on the beach for 800 rupees. I chose an upstairs room with sea view, fronting the beach for 1200.
Absolute bargain for anyone wanting to get away from the crowds and relax for a few days.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-indian-subcontinent/sri-lanka/why-is-no-one-in-arugam-bay?page=1#post_22413168
Answer given:
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**Q.: Why is nobody in Arugam Bay?
A: There are a few reasons for this:
1.) All the guide books claim it's "Off"- Season in the Bay
2.) Others mention: "It's BEST to visit March to November"
3.) West and South Coast propaganda: "Don't go to AbaY" (Tamils, Muslims. Problems…)
4.) There are no facilities (again claims by other jealous resorts in the South)
5.) It's too far (from the airport)
Fact is that Arugam Bay is set to be the No.1 resort on the entire island.
Because there are 333 days of sunshine / year
The Bay has good surf, good swimming, no pollution, great wild life all round and now already there are the best restaurants on the island. In the Bay of Arugam.
There is lots of space, and wonderful historical sites to explore: ALL YEAR ROUND
Arugam Bay has been a secret insider only destination. But now the Bay has been discovered. By critical people just as you.
Thanks for that!**
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Tripping. On a small road to Arugam
Published on 05/10/2016 in AbTa News, From our own Correspondent, front page, Humour, Share Transfer, stop over Ideas and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments
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"Axit" Poll June 23rd, 2016 !
Published on 31/03/2016 in 1st April, AbTa News, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Fun, Humour and Money Matters. 10 Comments
Arugam Bay will vote for Independence from Sri Lanka
The AbaY EXIT ("Axit") Vote
Will be held on the same day as the UK Exit ("Brexit") poll
A?A decisive AbaY / Ceylon Referendum has been announced for the 23rd June.
Unless the GoSL grants the promised SAR status to the Bay of Arugam.
President Srisena was regarded – just over one year ago- as a new strong leader.
A new, fresh breeze swept the island. It was widely reported that the new, more progressiveA? Government would be looking into the creation of an innovativeA? SAR (Self-Admin. Region) region within Sri Lanka. (arugam.info reported)
The remote enclave Bay of Arugam was earmarked to be a perfect Government designated Tourist Resort to implement and tryA? such forward thinking policies.
Sadly, NOTHING has happened since.
Apart from more and more power cuts than ever. As a result, AbaY relies again on it's own generators, and residents wish to break all commercial ties with distant Colombo.
The only access into the Arugam Bay enclave
Disillusioned, frustrated and following the British/Scotland vote, the recent New Zealand Flag issue as well as the pending UKA? / EU "BREXIT" referendum Arugam Bay Residents have got totally fed up waiting Continue reading '"Axit" Poll June 23rd, 2016 !'
Taxi. Transfers. Feedback
Published on 03/01/2016 in Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Money Matters, taxis and Traveler's Reports. 2 Comments
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AbaY Walk 2015
Published on 13/07/2015 in Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page and Traveler's Reports. 1 Comment
The TraditionalA? Accutane online kaufen Order dulcolax dosage Ashwagandha root price in india 2105 Walk tru AbaY is online now.
Every Year since the 1990's in mid-summer.
We do this to document Arugam's changes and progress
Take a look on our Facebook page:
Surf Competition in July
Published on 29/06/2015 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Money Matters, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 0 Comments
Red Bull Ride my Wave Competition
Benzac ac over the counter Arugam Bay gets ready for Red Bull Ride My Wave
Details and online Entry Form
On 23rd July, Red Bull Ride My Wave returns to the Sri Lankaa??s surf capital, Arugam Bay Casodex 50 mg price .
Red Bull Surf Competition at Arugam Bay
Competing surfers will take on the waves in a head to head competition to be crowned champion of Red Bull Ride My Wave 2015.
Driven by the popularity of the 2014 event, this yeara??s edition of Red Bull Ride My Wave will see domestic and international surfers compete over three days on the islanda??s eastern coastline.
Red Bull Ride My Wave will be hosted by officials from the Association of Surfing Professionals, who will run the event as per international surfing rules and regulations, including three days of heats before culminating in the Finals on July 25th
The islanders will play with home advantage, but will no doubt face stiff competition from the international surfers. The combination of home grown and international talent promises to promote Sri Lanka as one of the best surfing destinations.
Red Bull has been actively involved in surfing events for several years, hosting competitions on every continent around the world. Surfing in Sri Lanka has seen a considerable movement from being a healthy pastime and tourism tool to one of professional sport. This has been driven by both passionate surfers within the country and Red Bulla??s very own series of surfing projects. In 2013, Red Bull Sri Lanka held the Local Hero Tour with Peruvian Pro Surfer, Gabriel VillarA?n, who ran workshops and judged an intense competition where 30 young Sri Lankans showcased their talent on the beaches of Arugam Bay. The success of this event set the foundation for an international surfing stage in Sri Lanka, activating the inaugural Red Bull Ride My Wave last year. The competition pitted the sporta??s greatest local surfers from the Eastern and Southern waters against each other in a quest to determine which region was home to the islanda??s best surfers. Hosted by Costa Rican Pro Surfer, Diego Naranjo, the East Coast team emerged victorious and went on to represent Sri Lanka at Red Bull Both Ways in the Maldives, where they placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively.
To register for Online episodes adalat sony tv Red Bull Ride My Wave 2015, sign up before July 19th 2015 at
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Super-Rich Wild Life
Published on 30/05/2015 in front page, press coverage, Traveler's Reports and wild life. 0 Comments
Why Sri Lanka is super-rich for wildlife
How geology, evolution and ancient cultures forged a super-rich wildlife destination
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"Sri Lanka is a puzzle: it has large animals which a moderately sized island should not have. In fact it has the highest annually recurring concentration of wild elephants and possibly the highest density of leopards"
Hakgala CRW_4472 (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne
above: Toque Monkey 2008 08 05
This article unveils an internationally significant story. It quantifies how the species per unit area in Sri Lanka is unexpectedly anything from 5 to 13 times higher for certain species groups, than predicted by island bio geography in comparison to other large tropical islands such as Borneo, New Guinea and Madagascar. Sri Lanka is a puzzle: it has large animals which a moderately sized island should not have. In fact it has the highest annually recurring concentration of wild elephants and possibly the highest density of leopards. Unusually for a continental island, large whales are close to shore (best for Blue Whale and super-pods of Sperm Whales). This article is the first to provide a cohesive explanation in plain English as to how planetary physics, evolutionary forces and human factors have worked, almost as if with a design to create a wildlife super-rich island; arguably the best all-round wildlife watching destination.
This is the story of how evolutionary forces and ancient civilizations have made a tropical island super-rich for wildlife on a scale that is not seen anywhere on moderately sized or large islands. Sri Lankaa??s super-richness on a proportionate scale eclipses large islands such as Madagascar, Borneo and New Guinea.
Alfred Russell Wallace, the founder of modern bio geography and Charles Darwin with whom he shared the theory of natural selection in evolution were both influenced by what they had observed on islands. Both of them would have been surprised by Sri Lanka. Almost every key driver of evolution seems to have played a part in shaping its biodiversity. The result is an island which is rich in wildlife both in terms of endemic tropical biodiversity as well as large land animals and marine mammals and in concentrations which give rise to some of the worlda??s most interesting wildlife spectacles. Ita??s an island which Wallace and Darwin or modern biologists could not have imagined as so many of the bio geographical and evolutionary forces have come in to play simultaneously, to create an unrivaled richness. To top it all, ita??s a compact country with good tourism infrastructure making it optimal for wildlife tour operators.
This article is about the physical, evolutionary, and human factors that have made Sri Lanka something seemingly imaginary, but yet real.
In a previous article (Sunday Times: Sri Lanka, 13 January 2013) I explained why Sri Lanka has a claim to be the best all-round wildlife destination from a wildlife tour operatora??s perspective. In this article I explain the physical, evolutionary and human-induced forces that have made this happen. In essence, I would simplify it conceptually into a three part a??business modela?? for the creation of a top wildlife destination. The first is a set of physical factors, especially those influencing both surface and underwater topography. These together with other planetary phenomena such as plate tectonics and monsoons create structural or topographical complexity on land and under water. Together with time, the topographical or structural complexity on land with monsoonal rainfall has led to the creation of distinct climatic (and hence ecological) zones that are the engine for specialization. Sri Lanka has benefited from other physical factors such as an ancient Gondwana start and having deep seas close to it unlike other continental islands. Having set up the right conditions for evolutionary factors, the engine of speciation needs to be fed with raw material. The output of the species production factory will be enhanced if besides the operation of long intervals of evolutionary time scales, new species production is boosted by fresh stocks of mainland species through immigrant waves. However, surprisingly, Sri Lanka has managed to produce a phenomenally above normal species richness (explained below with examples) primarily from evolutionary radiations within the island resulting in endemic genera and species. It seems that only later has it supplemented its cargo of species by land-bridging repeatedly with the mainland. This has become more apparent recently through phylogenetic studies using DNA.
I would describe the land-bridging as a five stage process for building up the number of species. During periods of glaciations, water is deposited as ice on land and sea levels fall forming a land bridge in the shallow seas. A land bridge is still physically evident in the discontinuous land bridge between Mannar and India, known as Adama??s Bridge. New waves of immigrants are imported to the island via the land bridge and dispersed and then isolated by rising sea levels drowning the land bridge during warming after an ice age (a post glacial). The new arrivals are physically stressed into niches by complex structural and physical factors of topography and climate. In essence, the process is connect a?? import and disperse a?? isolate a?? stress a?? speciate.
Glaciations have been a key agent of the islanda??s richness in allowing large land mammals to colonise and persist in Sri Lanka. However, phylogenetic studies indicate that most of the radiations of endemic species occurred before the land bridge connections of the Pleistocene epoch in the Quaternary Period. So land-bridging has helped, but still unresolved evolutionary forces have been responsible for the species super-richness which occurred before the recent Pleistocene ice age.
The third of the large scale factors is that it has benefitted from human factors or a cultural overlay. The last has two aspects. Firstly, the decline of ancient kingdoms has resulted in great seasonal gatherings of wild elephants and one of the best sites for leopards. This creates wildlife spectacles which make great viewing on wildlife safaris. (These spectacles have also been complemented by evolutionary factors mentioned above resulting in species radiations which are of great scientific interest even though species such as amphibians are not high on the list of commercial wildlife safaris). The second aspect of the cultural overlay is that the deep respect for life makes wildlife viewing easy as man and animals co-exist with great tolerance.
Taking Stock: What does Sri Lanka have?
Allow me to start by surprising you. If I asked you which country has the largest seasonally recurring gathering of elephants, what would your answer be? You might think it is somewhere in Africa. And if I asked you for an easy and reliable location to see Blue Whales, the largest animals to have lived on Earth and once one of the hardest animals to see, what would it be? Or consider super-pods of Sperm Whales, the largest toothed carnivore. Is there a country where there is a chance of seeing one on a commercial whale watch? Or one of the best to photograph leopards or the Sloth Bear (possibly the largest tropical bear)? The surprise is that the answer to all of these is the same country; Sri Lanka. This is both impressive and surprising given that it is in contradiction to conventional island biogeography according to which a moderately sized island (65,610sq. km.) is unlikely to have large terrestrial animals.
Sri Lankaa??s potential to be the best for big game safaris outside Africa (albeit on a different and smaller scale) is only now beginning to be discovered by wildlife photographers from both within and outside the island.
All-right, I hear you say; top marks for the big stuff. But what about biodiversity? Well, let me surprise you again and illustrate it with a recent statistic. First remember that it is well established that the larger the land area, the larger the number of species will be (the species-area relationship). Of course we also need to compare land areas from similar latitudes because species richness increases as one travels from high latitudes to the tropics. Leta??s take inland snakes for example. Sri Lanka has 89 species in approximately 66,000sq. km. How much more would you estimate that other tropical islands which are approximately between nine to twelve times bigger will have?
The numbers are surprising: New Guinea (86 species in 786,000sq. km.), Madagascar (91 species in 578,000sq. km.) and Borneo (141 species in 734,000sq. km.). One would have expected these islands to have ten times as many species. But none manages even twice as much and the extent which Sri Lanka is above the species-area curve is conspicuous even if you factor in that more species are to be discovered in the bigger islands. The relative species per unit area is extraordinary and is repeated with many species groups.
So why is Sri Lanka off the curve?
Clearly there is something remarkable and special going on with the forces of speciation, about which the island has still received little international publicity, although that will change when wildlife film producers pay it more attention.
For many vertebrate species, Sri Lanka ranks high in terms of species per unit area. Leta??s take a closer look at one vertebrate example where this may not seem to be the case. Costa Rica is synonymous with amphibians. With a land area of 51,000sq. km. it is fifteen per cent smaller than Sri Lanka and has more amphibian species; 199 versus the 120 from Sri Lanka. So is Sri Lanka not special with amphibians? Although Costa Rica is smaller as a political unit, it benefits from being part of the large physical unit of South America. Therefore in a wider sense the species-area still holds as it has benefitted from being a part of the vast South American continent. A better comparison for Sri Lanka would be a similar sized or larger island which is a natural bio-geographical entity. For example, Madagascar, which is nine times bigger, has only two and a half times as many amphibian species.
After mammals, birds are the most a??touristya?? of animals. Sri Lanka has 33 species of endemic birds, largely confined to its lowland and highland wet zones. The number of endemic birds per unit area is high compared to Borneo (52 species) and Madagascar (106 species with a 51% endemism rate), but on par with New Guinea (320 species). A further fifty plus species of birds found in Sri Lanka are shared only with India (subcontinental endemics). Furthermore, it has a special avian spectacle in the Sinharaja Bird Wave. This is the longest continuously studied mixed species bird flock phenomenon in the world, with the largest average number of individuals in a flock from such studies and offers the most stable viewing of usually fast moving tropical bird waves. The island is the last stop on the Central Asian flyway and a million migrant shorebirds were counted one February in a land based census which suggests that Viddathalthivu in the Mannar region may even be the most important integral site for migrants on the Central Asian flyway. The shorebirds make landfall in Sri Lanka funnelling through the once powerful ancient seaport of Mannar through to the Palatupana Salterns and Bundala National Park in the South: the latter two offer some of the best close viewing of waders in the world.
As explained earlier, a three factor a??business modela?? has been at work to create this extraordinary richness and I will expand on this in the sections to follow.
Creating the perfect, super-rich wildlife destination
Imagine your goal was to create the perfect location for wildlife tourism. Sri Lanka would be a good example of how to go about it. You want to keep it small so that tourists dona??t have to travel too far from one location to another. But not too small as small areas dona??t have many animals and also cannot hold on to their animals. An island would be good as isolation allows species to evolve into new species. An ancient start would help. So leta??s begin with Sri Lanka being split off from ancient Southern Gondwana, tethered to India and drifting north on the Indian tectonic plate, carrying an ancient cargo of species which results in affinities between species in Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Next, crash the Indian plate into the Asian land mass (creating the Himalayas) and allowing Palaearctic mammals such as the tiger to drift south into India. Anchor Sri Lanka nearby as a continental island to enable immigration of species from the Asian mainland. But leave the island isolated for sufficiently long interglacial periods (where sea levels rise cutting off the island) for the process of speciation to allow endemics to evolve.
Isolation and physical stresses have resulted in high levels of endemism (e.g. 100% freshwater crabs, 95% amphibians, 80% land molluscs, 53% freshwater-obligate fish, 52% of dragonflies, 25% flowering plants, etc.).These have been supplemented by the a??immigrantsa?? from later land bridge connections. The down-side of repeat connections is that Sri Lanka does not have as high a proportion of endemic species or a number of endemic families as found on an island such as Madagascar.
Physical isolation is not enough and ecological isolation is also desirable, both from Asia and within the island. A good trick here is to create a central mountainous core, with two alternating and diagonally blowing monsoons (the Southwest and North-east) creating a very moist a??wet zonea??, distinct from a a??dry zonea??. The mountains also allow for a further vertical zonation, allowing more speciation to take place as some species diverge into sister species at different altitudes. Horton Plains National Park, the roof of Sri Lanka has many species confined to the highlands.
Build on this theme by up-thrusting a few more rugged, spectacular mountain ranges such as the Knuckles Wilderness creating elevated wet zone a??islands a??within the wet zone.This creates point endemics such as the Tennenta??s Leaf-nosed Lizard in the Knuckles. For extra measure add a few mountainous edges to lowland rainforests like Sinharaja to create more point endemics like Karua??s and Erdelena??s Dragon-lizards in Eastern Sinharaja (15 of the 18 agamid or dragon-lizards are endemic). Indulge in more innovation by throwing up a mountain with a wet zone character; Ritigala, surrounded by a sea of dry zone with more point endemics and build a legend around it that it was a piece of medicinal herb rich mountain from the Himalayas dropped by the Monkey God Hanuman as told in the Indian epic of Ramayana. Culture and wildlife go hand in hand in this area of ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, where the tallest archaeological brick buildings in the whole world; giant stupas, stand. Endemic Toque Monkeys wage ferocious tribal wars watched over by meditating saffron robed monks and are studied in one of the longest running zoological field studies in the world; the Smithsonian Primate Research project.
The process of speciation can be accelerated further by throwing in a few evolutionary tricks like direct development in the Rhacophorid Tree Frogs. This allows them to skip the stage of laying eggs in water and having tadpoles developing in water which leaves them vulnerable to periods when ephemeral bodies of water dry out. Instead, allow them to use foam nests in which the eggs develop into little frogs which plop out fully formed allowing one of the significant species radiations discovered in the 20th century to take place. There are many other examples of species radiations; for example all 20 of the forestdamsels described so far from the island are endemic. In fact Sri Lanka has four, five, and six times as many species of dragonflies per unit area than New Guinea, Borneo and Madagascar respectively. Geological turmoil and variations in the climate creating a??ecological nichesa?? could also have created physical stresses that favoured evolutionary variation. In fact, although I have referred to Sri Lankaa??s land area as 66,000 sq. km., most of the endemism is packed into an area of around 15,000 sq. km. ; less than a quarter of the total in what comprises the wet zone. This a??localisationa?? of small-range endemic species makes the endemicity (e.g. 740 endemic flowering plants in the wet zone) and the species richness in the wet zone even more remarkable.
Whilst all this is happening, keep stirring the evolutionary brew with fresh material. A few judiciously spaced out glaciations will lower sea levels forming a land bridge (Adama??s Bridge linking India to Mannar across the Palk Strait) allowing mainland species to immigrate and start anew to evolve into new species. Wildlife tourists like big stuff, so keep the land bridge open to get a good population in of the elephants, leopards and Sloth Bears. Ooops! Closed it too soon as enough tigers did not make it across to establish a viable population.
Having got the big stuff in, one may as well make an eco-tourism spectacle out of it. This requires some human intervention or anthropogenic factors for the technically minded. Throw in a liberal sprinkling of ancient kings who will usher a golden age of hydraulic civilisation. They will dot the islanda??s dry zone with grand civil engineering works, with vast lakes (e.g. the Sea of Parakrama) irrigating agriculture. Allow this to go to ruin and perfect conditions are made for the Elephant Gathering at Kaudulla and Minneriya in the North-Central Province where over 300 elephants may gather on the receding lakes in search of grazing, water, mates and social networking (elephants dona??t use Facebook)! Allow the farmland in the South-East in Yala to turn to grassland where together with the man-made waterholes, conditions are perfect for high densities of Spotted Deer, in turn creating one of the highest densities of leopards. The over 2,000 man-made lakes or wewas create wildlife rich wetlands which pre-date the interventionist conservation efforts of the London Wetland Centre. In Yala at Buttuwa Wewa, this results in the largest seasonal concentration in the world of the Mugger or Freshwater Crocodile, the second largest land reptile in the world. Not far away, the soft sandy beaches are visited by five of the seven species of marine turtle including the Leatherback; a giant!
Introduce Buddhism and Hinduism, two great world religions with a respect for animal life. Most animals lose their fear of people and everything from leopards in Yala, Blue and Sperm Whales in the surrounding oceans to fighting Purple Swamphens in Talangama Wetland (close to the commercial capital Colombo) are embarrassingly curious and camera friendly for tourists.
With the top side sorted out, the marine side needs some attention as well. The trick here is to have deep water close to shore which suits the large whales (unlike an island like Britain which is covered with shallow seas or the islands of the Indonesian archipelago).
Improve on this by having the continental shelf pinching in at the South at Dondra Head near the fishery harbour of Mirissa so that Blue Whales can be seen easily close to shore on a morning whale watch from a coastline studded with luxury villas, boutique hotels and backpacker crash pads. Create a deep 400m depth isobath running north-south for Sperm Whales in Kalpitiya (the Sperm Whale Strip of E 79 35 to E 79 40). Slide a peninsula of golden sandy beaches out onto it so that the Sperm Whales are a mere fifteen minutes by boat. For those for whom boats are not their thing, thrust a deep submarine canyon into Trincomalee in the North-East so that Blue and Sperm Whales can be seen from ashore on some days from the temple atop Swami Rock or very rarely from the pool side of beach hotels. For extra good measure throw in a few more canyons on the east coast which are good for enigmatic and elusive beaked whales. All of this is being a bit greedy as the island also has shallow seas where it needs it most; close to the mainland, to allow intermittent land connections for the immigrant waves to supplement the speciation factory.
The island has the best of everything in terms of underwater topography; now add to this a generous mix of nutrients. Whales need food; lots of it. The two monsoons are in charge of the kitchen, driving a hundred and three river systems (yes, thata??s right, 103) bringing down rich organic nutrients from the mountains, slow released from the lichen cloaked cloud forests to the lowlands creating nutrient rich soup around the island. The Blue Whales and the Cloud Forests are inter-connected. Not content with that, whip up some speed with the monsoons and create upwellings, which generate phytoplankton blooms which show up on Indian remote sensing satellites suspended in space in geo-synchronous orbits. All of this food creates fringing coral reefs which are rich in marine species.
Sri Lankaa??s coastline which is 432km long has approximately 800 species of marine fish recorded. Sites better publicised for their marine wildlife such as the 1,126km long Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) has 700 species of fish. The Maldivian islands which stretch across 1,500km have around 1,200 species recorded and the Great Barrier Reef stretching over 2,600km has 1,500 species. If we consider the number of marine fish species per unit length, we can see that Sri Lanka has roughly treble the statistic for the Gulf of California and double that for the Maldives. This is a very crude measure but it helps to give a flavour to the layperson of the relative species richness. The nutrient rich water in Sri Lanka and the monsoons which lash the shores reduce visibility in the water.
The lack of good viewing has resulted in its species richness not being understood as almost everyone including dive operators in Sri Lanka think the waters are a??poora?? for fish compared to other tropical destinations. I have come to realise that a??poor viewinga?? has been confused with a??poor species richnessa??, which it is not.
To be clear about context, for big game safaris many countries in Africa are unmatched. Large tropical islands such as Madagascar and New Guinea, lack large land mammal herbivores such as elephants or large carnivores such as leopards (Borneo does not have leopards and the origin of its elephants is disputed) but in absolute terms of species, have huge biodiversity. However, from the viewpoint of commercial wildlife tourism, in terms of ease of access, tourism infrastructure, affordability and with a short time frame of say two weeks, there is no country which has the array of terrestrial big game, endemism-rich species density, spectacular marine wildlife, diverse landscapes and close-knit cultural bonds (love-hate with elephants) with wildlife that is found in Sri Lanka.
The proof of the pudding of the physical, evolutionary and human factors is in the viewing. A visit of mine in April 2012 is an example of good evidence. I had an amazing trip where in the space of two weeks I watched courting Blue Whales, scrumming Sperm Whales, had a mother and baby elephant pad silently past my vehicle and drove back to camp in the gathering dusk, passing leopards out on the hunt.
In this article, I have with some speculation on my part drawn together material that is known from Sri Lanka and the mechanics of large scale processes studied elsewhere. Science is dynamic and what is known and conjectured today can change. But the broad principles should hold true and I hope I have explained why Sri Lanka deserves more attention from both those viewing wildlife for pleasure as well as those studying how planetary forces and time, drive the great engine of evolution and biogeographical distributions. At this point I should add a gentle reminder that in reality evolution is a a??blind processa?? although I have for the purpose of telling a story, written it as if evolution had set out to make a super-rich wildlife destination.
I have to add that although it is arguably the best all-round country for multi-faceted wildlife viewing with ease, it comes with a caveat.
Sri Lanka does need improvement in terms of better interpretation and better facilities for visitors at parks and reserves and more responsible guiding. Finally and alarmingly, less than 8% of its biodiversity rich wet zone remains forested and more attention is needed both locally and internationally to lay emphasis on how special this island is for its wildlife.
Island Magic: A summary of how Planetary Physics, Evolution and Ancient Cultures forged a super-rich wildlife destination
Physical Factors
Continental Island – Permitted intermittent land connection with mainland allowing immigrant waves (see below). Also continental islands usually inherit a rich stock of species unlike oceanic islands created from volcanic activity.
Origin – Benefits from an ancient stock of species which have become island endemics but shows affinities to groups as far away as in Madagascar.
Two diagonally blowing monsoons and a central mountain range – Highly distinct and extreme climatic zones found more typically on large continental masses.
Isolation – Despite the intermittent land connections and proximity to the mainland, the creation of a climatically distinct wet zone, allowed speciation to operate in the manner it does in isolated environments.
Mountain ranges – The central mountains together with the monsoons have created a topographical and climatic complexity, driving evolutionary forces to create more species. Some mountain ranges have a??point endemicsa?? and they create pockets of isolation all over the island.
Deep seas close to shore and shallow seas with mainland. Best of both. – Sri Lanka violates the rule about continental islands having shallow seas around them by having deep seas and submarine canyons (except where it needs shallow seas the most, near the mainland to form intermittent land bridges). The deep seas create conditions for Blue Whales and Sperm Whales to be very close to shore, within sight of naked eye at times.
River Systems – The 103 river systems drain a vast flow of organic nutrients into the deep seas around the island. Per unit length of distance, the coral reefs have more species than more famous marine reserves such as the Gulf of California and the Great Barrier Reef. But rich nutrient load and silt results in poorer visibility than other dive destinations.
Indinavir buy
Evolutionary factors
Intermittent land bridge connections to mainland – Allowed successive immigrant waves from mainland to boost the number of species in the island and to a lesser extent supply a speciation factory with new material. Later colonisers if successful may evolve into new species if they penetrated a??pockets of isolationa?? in the wet zones. Sri Lanka breaks the rule that moderately sized or small islands dona??t have large animals thanks to the intermittent land bridge.
Species Radiations – For example, rainforest tree frogs in the genus Philautus have evolved direct development, skipping egg laying and tadpoles in the water allowing them to radiate into new species. Other groups such as the Shadowdamsels have all 20 plus species endemic to the island. Evolutionary forces have resulted in Sri Lanka breaking the species-area relationship for islands. Land bridges may have played a part, although present evidence is that it has been a small influence.
Ancient Civilisations and Religion – The Elephant Gathering and the high density of Leopards in Yala are both results of intense agricultural farming. A religious respect for other living beings means Blue Whales and Sperm Whales swim up to boats. Birds and other animals are prolific and tame.
Wildlife spectacles, high proportion of endemism, large number of species, large animals and easy viewing Sri Lanka is the best in world for some of the most charismatic or desired species (e.g. Blue Whale a??largest animal, Sperm Whale super-pods a?? largest toothed carnivore) or has special spectacles (e.g. the largest recurring elephant gathering, the Sinharaja Bird Wave, high density of Leopards) all in a compact island with good tourism infrastructure and good specialist guides.
Ice Ages and Speciation
The table below summarises a 5 stage process in which a continental island like Sri Lanka would have benefitted by ice ages in enhancing species diversity. This assumes that ice ages acted to lower sea levels in the tropics but did not cover the land with ice sheets as it did in temperate latitudes with islands like Britain. If an island is covered with ice sheets, it will kill species and leave it poor. Britain for example has only 35 species of trees which are native. On the other hand a tropical island like Sri Lanka which was not covered in ice would benefit from a two way exchange of species with the mainland. The dry zone has benefitted from this connection and has species which are found in Southern India and in the northern half of Sri Lanka. The island also has large land mammals such as the elephant and large carnivores such as the leopard not typically found on moderately sized islands.
Puzzlingly and inconveniently, the phylogenetic studies on plants and animals suggest that radiation of species in Sri Lanka took place in the Tertiary age before the series of ice ages in the Pleistocene Epoch (in the Quaternary Period) with the last land bridge connection being as recent as 10,000 years ago. This poses two questions. Firstly, we see that evolutionary events happened in Sri Lanka so many millions of years ago that have left it richer in species compared to much larger tropical islands. New Guinea and Borneo also have varied topographies and have the structural complexity and physical stresses that Sri Lanka has.
If evolutionary events happen because of physical factors combining with random mutations in genes, why has the species per unit area not remained proportionate? Secondly, during the recent ice ages in the Quaternary Period, did the wet zone remain isolated from the Indian mainland surrounded by a sea of dry zone? For answers to the latter question more work will need to be done on the fossil record on plant pollen to understand the extent of different types of forest on the island. The five stage process I have outlined below is a useful general model, but based on what is known at present does not provide the evolutionary answers for Sri Lanka being super-rich in species. This is still a puzzle.
How ice ages could drive a 5 stage speciation process
Isolate and Disperse
Speciate
Repeat to enhance species richness
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Structural improvements were made to the article from comments from Pippa Jacks (Managing Editor of Travel Trade Gazette) and other useful comments were received from Tara Wikramanayake who also performed an extensive copy edit. Many others were used as a sounding board by me before I wrote this article. None of these people necessarily agree with the views and speculation the author makes in this article. My thanks to Keith Wijesuriya and his team at OMD Sri Lanka for designing the booklet which was released on 1 July 2014. The graphics showing the relative species richness is reproduced with permission from the Sunday Times: Sri Lanka and was prepared by Nalin Balasuriya. This article was first published as two articles in the Sunday Times Sri Lanka on 20 April 2014 and 27 April 2014. This version has been amended and expanded. The citations for the original articles are given below.
de Silva Wijeyeratne. G. (2014). Why Sri Lanka is super-rich for wildlife. Sunday Times: Sri Lanka. Sunday Times Plus. Page 8. Sunday 20 April 2014. Part 01.
de Silva Wijeyeratne. G. (2014). Creating a super-rich wildlife destination. Sunday Times: Sri Lanka. Sunday Times Plus. Page 8. Sunday 27 April 2014. Part 02.
The following citation is suggested for the expanded version of the articles which was released as a pdf.
de Silva Wijeyeratne. G. (2014). Why Sri Lanka is super-rich for wildlife. Pdf, circulated electronically. Version 1 July 2014.
Continue reading 'Super-Rich Wild Life'
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Arugam Bay Surf Report and Forecast


Generally downwinders are not suitable for beginners. You have to be able to kitesurf safely in waves and high winds an be able to relaunch your kite quickly from the water. The downwind takes 3 – 6 hours per day (with breaks), a decent basic fitness and reliable material are therefore a prerequisite.
You don't need to be very fast or very experienced. Our vehicle accompanies us all the time on the beach. If the waves get too big or if you are tired just jump on the Car at any time. The most important thing you have to know on a Downwinder is, how to switch into toeside, to be able to go downwind and kite parallel to the Beach. This is easy to learn!
If you book a tour together with your friends we will customize the downwinder to your level. For example downwind shorter and only easy parts and kite more on different spots, like lagoons. As we are all Kite instructors we will help you and teach you if necessary.
Because the wind is strong in Brazil, we need small kite sizes. You should definitely take with you a 7m2 (Female), 8/9m2 (Man). Of course, it is advantageous to carry a 2nd or 3rd kite with you to. Do not forget to check your material (screws, for example) and bring repair materials with you. Take your big Kitebag where you can put all your Kites and your Board.
The other luggage(clothes) should be small. 1 pair of flip flops, 5-6 T-shirts and shorts is enough. It never gets cold in Brasil even not at night. Without problems you can leave a few things that you do not need on the downwind, in the pousada.
A Lycra and good sun protection is important, as we are all day in the sun.
From Summer on is dry season. The wind at this time is strong and constant. The further north we kite the stronger is the wind. If we can still kite well with a 9m2/10m2 in Cumbuco, we will be overpowered with this size of this kite at Jericoacoara.
Normally the wind remains like this until December, after that the rainy season begins. Of course it may happen that the rainy season starts mid-December, or even in January. During the period in which the downwinders are planned it normally has a good and strong wind. It can always happen that there is no wind or rain for one day. In that case, we must be flexible and possibly wait half a day to continue.


"April Just Wants to Have Fun" is the fifteenth episode in Season 1 of Chasing Life. It aired on ABC Family February 9, 2015.
April starts to regret becoming such a homebody, especially when she learns Beth has been partying without her. When Beth hosts a house party, April lets loose - a little too loose - which leads to a major blowout with her friend. The new school year finds Brenna feeling alone and bullied, but an old friend proposes a truce to take down a common enemy.
Meanwhile, Leo gets some valuable advice from Sara and ends up getting a job, but he finds the new experience more challenging than he expected. Dominic has an awkward encounter with Natalie.
Weekend Warrior by Eytan and The Embassy - Montage of April wakes up and getting ready for the party.
Shake It Up by Fire In The Hamptons - April hangs out with Beth at the Charles when Natalie arrive after talking about Beth & Natalie night out April suggest they throw a party then Natalie invites them out the club first.
Good Life by Sunday Lane - April meets her mom at a restaurant then Leo arrives as Sara asks April if there anything she should know about him.
Lovedrug by Johnny Stimson - Natalie gets dressed when Beth returns home, they talk when their neighbor, Doug, knocks complains to them then Natalie invites Beth to go out dancing with her at Pure.
Mind Games by Leagues - Beth arrives at the Charles as Dominic & Natalie make out and decides they stop then break them apart then explain their 'six degrees of separation' to them and warn then leaves with Graham.
Come On Out Into The Sun by Right The Stars - At lunch, Leo tells Sara about himself then things get uncomfortable when Sara begins to psychoanalyze Leo.
Feeling Good by The TVC - April goes to a party; Graham gives Beth & Natalie a housewarming present; Beth & Natalie take a self; April leave to get a drink; Doug complains about the party; Dominic arrives; Leo calls April.
Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) [feat. Rob Kerkovich] by Chasing Life Cast - Graham sings karaoke; Natalie, Dominic & Beth take a picture together as April watches from afar; April makes a snappy comment to Beth; Doug complains and a drunken April tells him off.
I Think We're Alone Now (feat. Italia Ricci) by Chasing Life Cast - April drunkenly sings karaoke as Danny records her and Graham, Beth, Natalie & Dominic watch.