Arugam.info is happy to confirm that all is well and quiet in sunny Arugambay.
We are lucky to report that the entire area is in NO Way affected by recent events in the North and West.
We are happy; No! Indeed we are: Grifulvin v online episodes Overwhelmed! to see, suddenly, many new visitors coming to us from Colombo to celebrate relaxed Vesak this week in our peaceful Bay.
Sadly, in these troubled days we have to admit that our friends in the distant capital city are not as happy as we are here in the remote, but totally safe & sleepy Buy evecare capsules AbaY……
However, let us pray & hope for Peace, island wide, one day. Together.
Archive for the 'From our own Correspondent' Category
Page 23 of 24
Arugam.info has received this update from our resident Civil Engineer:
“I inspected the site on15th April and it appears that no work in progress. Excavators have gone and no more local labourers are seen to be filling ‘sand’ bags.
On the East to the existing bridge a landfill dam has been completed. It appears that the USAid engineers are planning to construct concrete piers at this location.”
Our correspondent is concerned that a ‘traditional’ if not to say: ‘outdated’ and potentially environmentally damaging method is used to construct bridge piers. In his report he mentioned that any modern Company would have used simple Cofferdams or Caissons instead of polluting the natural lagoon with hundred of Thousands of non- degradable PVC/Nylon bags.
Overall, Cheap zyloprim medication Arugam Bay seems to be ending up with:
1.) A bridge nobody really needs
2.) A simple, cheap, unimpressive design
3.) A lagoon full of polluting Nylon fiber strands and bags for years to come
However, we remain vigilant and may be proven wrong.
Arugam.info Metoprolol online no prescription crosses fingers and hopes…….
Archive photo below shows the ‘impressive Work’
on the Arugam Bay – PottuVille ‘Landmark’ bridge
AbHa –Arugam B Buy prednisone no script ay Hotel Association (est. 1999) usually publishes its annual report on 31st March.
This year, 2007, we dismissed the more appropriate idea of posting our views and experiences on the troubled Eastern Coast on April Fools Day, 1st April, 2007.
Following the impressive WW1 style air show at our int. airport recently, that is.
And the ongoing saga with useless organizations wasting donor’s cash where they can on doubtful ‘projects’.
Nobody could possibly believe what we are going through right now, in any event.
The situation here, locally, is far worse than after the natural disaster of 2004.
We are facing a huge man made problem, for some time to come as it seems.
It has been made worse, because this time round nobody seems to care, worldwide.
But most of all: Because all our hope of sanity returning one fine day has nearby gone.
AbHa has now, sadly, lost its only sponsor, the SVH at Arugam Bay.
The Siam Order urispas 200mg View Hotel, itself a very badly affected Tsu. victim, has always been the only source of AbHa’s moderate income.
AbHa itself never received a single rupee from anyone else – and all our services were provided totally FREE to everyone. AbHa never charged anyone for anything.
Looking back, we are proud to recall how much we managed to achieve with so few funds!
Now the little SV Hotel is itself as good as bankrupt, and fighting for its own survival.
In short, all home grown and our true Community based projects are shelved – the ENJOY’s with all their financial might have won this particular round.
By ignoring and even obstructing AbHa.
AbHa will remain active just on this web site, and may gain strength to fight for the poor people in the East once again – if someone comes forward to trust us with a few rupees to carry out any given ‘Project’ for the Common good.
Meanwhile we just continue to sit back, watch and report what is going on around your famous Bay.
Don’t expect any huge progress from any of the so-called ‘active’ NGO’s:
Most of them are busy in Berlin, London, New York or Bangkok – and of course they are always ready to be seen at the Happy Hours at our top hotels in Colombo!
…well, but not the VERY big one a la 2004…… of course.
Arugam Bay’s surfing season has a slow, late start this year.
The political situation does not exactly help; and surfers are never irritated – but right now at Easter we have as good as no waves; the sea is very calm:
Very unusual for this time of year.
Forecasts expect good swell to be heading our way after theA?A? (Tamil & Singhalese) New Year. In a week or so. We will keep you informed!
(Photos by our 2006 competition winner Mr. Philip)
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As from today Arugambay has lost its connection to the reliable Thai Government Early Warning system.
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The locally monitored, innovative and highly efficient Early Warning System has finally run out of money Purchase kemadrin substitute .
The only sponsor, the SVH has been unable to attract any financial help and had to pull the plug on the population.
With good reason, people in the remote Bay learned to rely on homegrown systems and do not trust outside help or Colombo Government warnings.
For example, should a sea quake happen 50 miles offshore, the warning period is a mere 5 Minutes. AbaY’s systems would have detected that, and given quick, local response by activating high sirens, potentially saving hundreds of lives.
The attached SMS system also is no longer in operation; subscribers have been notified.
Should you wish to find out more, and the history of our system, there is ample coverage on this site: simply use the search facility and most articles should come up.
Arugam.info regrets that with all the collected Millions a few hundred $$ could not be found to protect residents and visitors from forthcoming events.
And: Make no mistake: They will happen!
So much for supporting a ‘true sustainable’ and worthwhile Community ‘Project’.
For the sake of all the ‘helpful’ NGO – “ENJOYS” we hope that nothing drastic happens soon!
Warning!
Your concerned Arugam.info webmistress informs:
Many, if not all private Internet providers in Sri Lanka may soon go out of business.
The main reason is that they can no longer compete with the speed and services and prices SLT (Sri Lanka Telecon Glucophage price ) offers.
Only SLT has a low rate access number (1250) and gives low cost high speed packages.
The population in the East, however, has to pay more than 10times the amount of a typical Colombo subscriber.
The now, sadly closed Community Internet office at Arugam Bay Where can i get synthroid without prescription , for example is charged 32,000Rs./ /month for a 64kb lease line circuit. This is the lowest prices package.
CASP pays near 2,000US$/ month for their 512kb line at the new office at Akkaraipattu.
In Colombo, Kandy, Galle etc. a 64kb connection would be a mere 2,650/month or so.
Yet another blow and added burden for the poor guys out East.
But no power.
What to do? Wobble the head?
Most so-called “active” NGO’s actually hate Arugam.info.
We only seem to run them down in public.
We do. With good reason.
Why on earth don’t they ever come up with a real bright idea for a change?
Arugam.info is not part of any ENJOY and we never have been given any official funds to this day.
Q.:
What would AbHa do if they had just a tiny fraction of the cash all the Orgas. waste, every day?
A.:
The priorities of the concerned underdog change all the time.
To demonstrate allow us to give you one single example of what worries us right now.
USAid has used its obvious influence and they had a brand new transformer installed near their office. In record time.
Something we tried to do for the past 10 years was completed yesterday, in just 3 days: The US air conditioners were not performing well at their end of Arugambay or whatever.
But of course there is a serious power problem, everywhere.
As a result the mains voltage now drops at the other, opposing end of town.
What to do? As the Sri Lankans would say? And wobble with the head.
Today, is the day when Australia has outlawed the old, incandescent highly inefficient light bulbs. We quote: “saving the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tonnes by 2012″.
Arugam.info recalls that with very limited funds and very little power as from January 2005 only energy efficient lights were supplied by AbHa to AbaY residents – free of charge.
Why doesn’t some Donation dripping NGO come up with the idea to change one for one:
One museum-type 1879 Edison patent’s heat bulb for a new, low energy bulb for EVERY household in the famous, but underpowered Bay?
What is wrong with making remote AbaY the first energy efficient village in Asia: Wouldn’t that be a real compliment to sanity and progress?
Further, it would actually be a low cost, high profile, ecological and highly “sustainable” “Project” (sorry: but we are truly sick of all these empty NGO slogans!!) which the locals would really LOVE. It would also educate the Natives to become more power efficient. And as a result, Arugam would have decent power again, at both ends of town, consume less fossil fuels and save cash for the Nation and every home.
Why?
Because the poor population can’t afford the new low energy lamps! They cost more than twice as much, but actually last more than 4x longer! Cheaper in the long run, but costly to buy in the first place. That’s why everyone keeps on buying the ancient cheap, crap, heat bulbs. This great “project” would save everyone money on high CEB bills.
And better still they get it for FREE, perhaps with a pretty Mercy Corpse (or so) sticker on each bulb…..sorry: Oprah Whinfrey’s preferred partners embrace only Las Vegas “Lights of Hope” to show their highly paid TV & PR teams what US help and changing lives is all about.
Q.: How many Americans does it take to change a 100W light bulb??
A.: Arugam.info does not have an answer we could print.
Sadly we are still not funded by anyone, but we remain confident that we have better ideas than most. We are locals as well as professionals after all.
And for a change 😉 we feel that our own ‘Community’ based “Sustainable” ‘Projects’ actually are what they claim and aim to be Order levlen ingredients .
Meanwhile nearby NGO’s light up their brand new buildings with power guzzling lamps.
The uneducated natives have an excuse. They have no knowledge and no funds.
What justification will we eventually hear from XXXX???? organization when judgment day has come? (We will name and shame them; don’t worry! Right now AbHa simply wants to record local events for future history).
Will they say “We had no funds available to buy 10 energy bulbs”?
To light up the new Community Tourist Office and local show piece?
Or do the XXX-experts Cheap biaxin 500 have no knowledge or education?
Or maybe the simple answer is: ‘We don’t really care’.
…..As long as their own jobs are secure they don’t.
This appears to be the thinking of our E.N.J.O.Y.s -In a nutters shell…..
See today’s related links and more info on this subject:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4667354.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6378161.stm
http://www.banthebulb.co.uk/
Arugam.info was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Japanese Government has quietly and without the usual NGO publicity constructed a small township just North of PottuVille.
An almost identical Japanese mirror project is located north of Trincomalee, again for the benefit of Tsunami sufferers.
At Pottuvil, a total of 200 houses are near completion, complete with all modern infrastructure, with wide access roads, water tower, sewage treatment plants, mains power station and best of all:
They have included a nice Pre school, a Social Centre and a shopping arcade and bus stops.
The total cost of the project is about 380 Mill. Each modern home has its own bathroom, shower room and kitchen and will cost about 1.2 Mill/each
Now here we have a decent project for a change!
Also, in marked contrast, there are NO flash 4×4 Jeeps, no Flags or blue lights, no huge posters and banners. There is only one single Japanese project Consultant, and he himself collected our reporter in his own private, unmarked and very modest car.
At the obligatory tea ceremony in his plain site office it became obvious that they were not used to any media exposure.
Arugam.info Order cardura dosage is …highly …..IMPRESSED!
We wish and pray that the Prevacid over the counter reviews Bay itself will, one day hopefully, receive the benefit of such brilliant guys, who just get on with their task and produce such excellent results.
more photos are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/arugamsurf/JapanVillage
The beneficiaries were identified by the PottuVille Divisional Secretary, Mr. Mohammed M. Nowfel and we are informed that they consist of 180 Muslim and 20 Tamil families.
Arugam.info has been informed that a popular and well known local elephant was shot and badly wounded by a home guard in Panama a few days ago.
Sadly this conflict exists, but what makes this particular event so tragic is the fact that the injured animal is believed to be the last remaining How much keftab Cross Tusker in Sri Lanka.
Arugam.info is about to obtain and issue recent photographs of the injured bull.
The authorities, in this case take the event extremely serious:
A Helicopter was scrambled, the wild life director and leading vets are on location and the animal, shot above the knee is receiving all possible attention.
The big worry is that the tusker cannot stand up unaided and might not be able to recover.
Mercy Corps received 1 Mill. US$ from the Oprah Winfrey Show, to be spent on “Changing Lives” in Arugam Bay.
The idealistic and well motivated Ms. Lyn Robinson implemented various “lively hood programs”, until her departure last autumn.
Nombre generico de arcoxia AbHa and Arugam.info has always been cold shouldered by Mercy Corps, and there has been an uneasy relationship, which resulted in a a lack of information flow and some misunderstandings.
However, Arugam.info Purchase lasunana is happy to admit that M/c was perhaps the best of any NGO ‘active’ in the Bay.
However, can we now ask “How wise was the 1 Mill.$ actually invested?”
1.) Concrete Block factory: No longer in operation
2.) Bicycle rentals: Never worked,all bikes sold for cash
3.) Kali Motorbike rentals: All 5 motorbikes sold for cash – at a fraction of the value
4.) Garment factory: Bankrupt – No orders!
5.) Garbage Tractor: Parked up, never goes out, no money for Diesel
6.) Chicken Farm: No Chickens
7.) Donated Fridges: Compressors burned out due to mains power fluctuation’s
8.) 100,000 ‘Las Vegas’ lights of Hope: All broke, see above, + rain
9.) Street Trees: OK, growing. But many will be uprooted when the road is done
10.) Street lights: Never on. House owners can’t pay the electricity bills anymore
11.) Boats, nets, engines: All sold for minimal cash
12.) Small side Roads: Substandard, unprofessional.A?A? All will be redone by UNOPS
12.) Small restaurants: All closed. No business, too much competition all round
13.) Internet: No more Internet in the entire Bay. Cut off by SLT (bill arrears)
AbHa advised Ms. Lyn that the American Dream might simply not work in Sri Lanka.
Here not everyone is cut out to be a successful business man.
It hurts to see that this seems to be the sad result of the best funded, most involved and most successful organization the Bay has had the pleasure of welcoming after Dec/2004.
As mentioned, Mercy Corps ignores us, our advice and this web site – so maybe there are many more successful investments we don’t know about.
The Bay’s own Tsunami warning system will also be switched off as soon as the Inmarsat prepaid credit is run out – Mercy Corpse had no funds available for this Community project, run by proven survivors, in every way.
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All coast roads around Arugam Bay and PottuVille are flooded, bridges to Panama damaged, the track is eroded and impassible.
Hamlets are cut off due to very heavy up country rainfalls, now beginning to reach the East Coast via the rivers.
photo: Cc Reuters News feed
The brand new, white coloured EU funded construction machinery, parked at Panama during the past 6 months had been withdrawn in the dry season – before Christmas – without being put to use locally.
The US 10Mill$ Arugam to Pottuvil bridge has widely been reported at global level.
It is the first, large and most welcome investment right there in the -still- worst affected area of Tsu. hit Sri Lanka.
Locals are happy and express some hope:
But: Will it help US?
Arugam.info has been asked why we just reprint USAID and US State Dept. PR press releases.
And why don’t we cover the actual construction progress, being right here on our doorstep.
The simple answer is that there is no real progress to report from bridge head.
However, an eminent Chartered Civil Engineer is busy with an extensive study of this impressive Public Service project.
We are promised frequent reports, once work has commenced.
A local quantity surveyor has also kindly agreed to let us have frequent details and realistic cost estimates, as observed at local level.
At present, there is no activity at all. To date some Labourers have basically, partly and simply rebuild the southern 70m causeway, using sandbags and aggregate. USA Contractors CH2MHill have therefore just replaced the earth & material which was in fact the only major damage the road link sustained during the Tsunami.
We recall that this quick and low cost, very simple landfill operation was in fact proposed back in December 2004, partly or mainly using rubble from all the broken buildings, from both ends of the bridge. As a result Arugam Bay would have been re-connected to the mainland within days and may have progressed quicker in its own recovery. The anticipated side effect would have been that all rubbish would not have been scattered without any plan throughout the Countryside. And of course it would have totally eliminated the need of the small Bailey bridge constructed by the Indian Army as a temporary measure.
However, the funds and contracts are in place and we will let you know how this impressive landmark Friendship Bridge progresses.
Reports that the same multi Million Dollar US Contract includes various other improvements such as fishing harbours relate, as usual, to the South Coast and have no obvious connection with the dire situation experienced at Arugam Bay.
Below is a link to last year’s USAid “Environmental Assessment” study – known ever since asA?A? “US – AbaY Turtle” or EMU study in some quarters.
If you are somewhat qualified or interested just download the (virus free) pdf file, consider its merits and let us simple Arugam peasants know if you are also totally impressed; as all the invited natives were ( expats or qualified local professionals were not invited or considered to be worthwhile ‘stakeholders’ at its initial presentation, see appendix page 95)
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Saturday, December 30, 2006
Chicken Salad
I had lunch at the Star Dust, Arugam bay on the 14th of December It was quite amazing. The chicken salad is dressed in yogurt, which is really well complemented by soft, succulent stalks of asparagus, and sautA?A?ed mushrooms. It is attractively plated, as you can see, with a topping of julienned Tomatoes. I only had one dish here on this visit, but I look forward to more.
Arugam.info recalls that a few months ago an exhibitition was traveling around the hotspots of the Nation.
They never went East, of course.
In vivid pictures, photos, sound & vision someone BIG like the UN staged a few shows around the western part of the island recalling the Country’s saddest day, just two years ago.
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Nature’s huge event could have been a blessing in disguise for this little island; but what did we make of this unique and rather unparalelled opportunity?
Why not take a look yourself at what is what it was like 24 months ago?
A bit later, if we are connected to the East Coast, we may be bold enough to attempt to show you how much similar it still looks there, in the forgotten East.
Nothing, it seems has changed.
To this very day; two years on.
In fact, the road is worse now than after the Tsunami.
Today, and all day there is no electricy at Arugam Bay.
The phones are largely dead, there is no proper Internet access.
All shops and outlets have stopped selling GSM mobile phone cards and nobay can recharge their accounts
There has not been a single prepaid Internet card for sale for ages.
In other words, many feel that the Bay is a lot, lot worse off than one, or indeed two years ago.
One important, pretty sad observation:
All local hope that things get better have almost vanished.
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