Deforestation in SL decreased by 0.4 per cent in past decade: UN
According to the report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, deforestation in Sri Lanka has decreased to 0.4 per cent during the past decade, Conservator General of Forests Anura Sathurusinghe said yesterday.
Mr. Sathurusinghe told the Daily Mirror that the FAO report, issued every five years, has rated Sri Lanka as a country with less deforestation during the period of years 2000 – 2010. “During the past decade (2000-2010), the deforestation in the country has decreased to 58, 791 hectares of forest land, which was rated as 1.3 per cent as against 104, 380 hectares during the period 1990 – 2000. At present the FAO has rated Sri Lanka as a country with minimum forest cover,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said they had decided to launch an web portal to detect the places where deforestation was prevalent around the country. “The website will be launched in the coming month. Any person who has information of deforestation taking place in their areas can inform us so that we can investigate it,” he said, adding this would help immeasurably to control deforestation in the country. (Kalathma Jayawardhane) –
Source – 03/03/2017 ,Daily mirror ,See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Deforestation-in-SL-decreased-by-per-cent-in-past-decade-UN-124891.html#sthash.ftdFkKYF.dpuf
People in wet zone cry for water
By Wasantha Kumara and
Kulasiri Amarasinghe
Kalutara is a wet zone district with 26 waterfalls and streams. But today thousands of people in the Kalutara District are waiting for the water bowser to meet their requirements.
The people in the Kalutara District rarely experienced any drought. Instead, floods devastated the district several times a year. It is said that the people who over exploited natural resources are now reaping the harvest.
The Water Resources Board and environmentalists urge the people to use water from streams and even the wells carefully because most of the water resources in the district are drying up.
There are 26 well-known waterfalls in the Kalutara District. Some of them are Makeliya Ella, Athwelthota Ella, Thambadola Ella, Thudugala Ella, Ginigedara Ella, Ahas Bokku Ella, Thotas Ella, Kapuru Ella, Peelithudu Ella and Raja Meruna Ella. There are 10 other unidentified waterfalls too, which nourish the Kalu Ganga.
Kalu Ganga
In addition to the main river Kalu Ganga, nine sub rivers, namely Bolgoda, Magura, Pelanda, Kukuleganga, Athwelthota Ganga, Benthara Ganga and Panadura Ganga also flow across the district.
There are several forest reserves such as Kalugala, Runakanda and Yagirala which have a wide bio-diversity, but threatened by humans. They are formerly part of the Sinharaja rain forest.
All the streams, waterfalls and forest reserves are now threatened due to human activities.
The Kalutara District was famous for rubber plantations. Even the Sri Lanka Rubber Research Institute is situated in Agalawatta.
However, the Kalutara District has been invaded by oil palm cultivation which dries up the soil.
Illegal sand mining
The Kalu Ganga is severely affected by the illegal sand mining. The river bed has been deepened and the banks have been washed away. This has led to the destruction of mangrove swamps. During droughts, salt water flows upstream about 10 kilometres. The water purifying plant in Kethhena provides water to people in areas such as Kalutara, Dodangoda, and Wadduwa.
Today the residents in those areas are compelled to drink salty water. About 50, 000 residents on the river banks cannot use the water for their day-to-day activities.
Sea water flowing upstream started about 50 years ago, the residents of the river valleys say. None of the efforts taken by the authorities succeeded to stop it.
The District Secretary of Kalutara said 411 water tanks have been put up and water is distributed using bowsers by the Water Supply and Drainage Board to 500, 000 members of 63, 000 families with the help of the Disaster Management Centre and the Army.
Human activities
Environmental organizations say the human activities have led to the drying up of water resources. Replacing rubber with oil palm has also been identified as a reason for drought. Closing the gate only after the horse has bolted, the District Coordinating Committee banned the expansion of oil palm cultivation only last month. However, Apehanda Environmental Media Organization has alleged that the existing cultivation of palm oil is sufficient for drying up the land.
The Secretary of the organization Nandana Ariyathilaka said unregulated sand mining in the Kalu Ganga is a more serious problem than oil palm cultivation.
The Regional Manager of the Water Supply and Drainage Board Kamal Senevirathna said the environmental impact report of a new project to prevent sea water flowing upstream had been submitted and it would be implemented soon.
The river bed deepening of the Benthara Ganga has adversely affected 18, 000 acres of paddy lands in Walallawita and Aviththawa.
Tube wells
It was revealed at the District Agricultural Committee of Kalutara that only one of 25 tube wells dug in the 1980s and 1990s still operate. Two third of the water resources in the district are not registered under the Water Resources Board.
The District Secretary has directed the Grama Niladharis to document the water resources in the remote areas and take measures to protect them.
The Kalutara District was resilient even to six months of drought in the past, but now it cannot endure a week of drought. All water sources have gone dry. But three days of rain will cause floods again.
In all the 14 divisional Secretariat areas – hundreds of acres of paddy fields and marshlands have been reclaimed for constructions. Clearing and plotting of land for sale has dried many lands.
Massive granite mining takes place in areas like Neboda, Matugama, Narthupana and Wellatha areas ignoring the concerns of environmentalists and even law enforcement officers. Most of the quarries are in the mountains which are the water resources.
Dry weather
Meanwhile the tea small growers and planters say the situation has threatened the tea cultivation as well. The District Manager of Tea Small Holding Authority D.M.J. Nakandala said the dry weather had affected the tea cultivation. Temperature of 18-25 celsius is necessary for tea cultivation but the present temperature in Matugama and Agalawatta areas is 32-35 celsius. Nakandala said the trend of increasing temperature would adversely affect the tea cultivation.
Not only humans but also land animals and fish are affected due to the prevailing drought. Many varieties of living beings in the district are now extinct. An environmentalist of Runakanda Bio Diversity Friends Organization Lalith Pushpakumara said the fish varieties known as Bulath Hapaya, Dankola Pethiya, Rathu Waral Pethiya, Hora Pandiya, Gal Pandiya, Puwakbadilla, Iri Ankutta, and Hal Mal Dandiya are already extinct.
Birds like Sudu Redi Hora, Kaha Kurulla, Mal Kurulla, Bata Ati Kukula, Pulli Wal Avic-hchiya, Maha Kerala, Lanka Pilalichcha, and Panduwan Bassa are severely threa-tened. Likewise some animals and plants like orchids are also threatened.
Soon the people will really understand the seriousness of the environmental degradation taking place in the Kalutara District, he said.
Source – 02/03/2017 ,Ceylon Today, See more at – http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=16269
Agricultural livelihoods in Sri Lanka impacted by salinisation
Agriculture is one of the main sectors impacted by the impacts of climate change and its effects are very much felt due to the dependency on the natural resources that this livelihood has. Among the impacts on the agriculture sector are the impacts of the slow onset events of climate change.
Under the Cancun Adaptation Framework, the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognized the impact of the slow onset events in the context of loss and damage.
The slow onset events formulate part of the climate change-induced extreme weather events that evolve gradually from incremental changes occurring over many years or from an increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. The slow onset events or slow onset processes, hazards or impacts are listed by the UNFCCC as sea level rise, increasing temperatures, ocean acidification, glacial retreat and related impacts, land and forest degradation, loss of biodiversity, desertification and salinisation. Affecting the people over a long period of time, the slow onset events have wide-ranging implications on food security, health and livelihoods of people, particularly in the agricultural sector.
What is salinity?
Salinity is the presence of soluble salts in soils or waters – a natural process which is accelerated and aggravated due to anthropocentric activities and due to the impacts caused by climate change, defined under the slow onset processes. The UNFCCC has recognized two causes for salinisation: the increasing evaporation due to the rising temperatures and the saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers as a result of the increased evaporation and sea-level rise or flooding. With the increased accumulation of salt or sodium in the soil and water, particularly in arid environments, salinisation affects the soil structure causing soil degradation, soil erosion and lack of water retention, which adversely affect the agriculture-based livelihoods. Saline soils, which contain large amounts of water-soluble salts, hinder seed germination and plant growth, thereby reducing crop yields.
The coastal areas contribute to the country’s economy and almost a third of the country’s population is concentrated along the coastal belt. With the increasing incidence of extreme and slow onset events such as sea-level rise and inundation, the coastal and low-lying areas are particularly vulnerable to salinisation. The land degradation due to salinity in Sri Lanka is about 223,000 hectares of the total agricultural land area in the country.
Farmer stories from Morawewa
SLYCAN Trust as part of its research work focuses on the areas of Morawewa and Athabendiwewa in the Trincomalee District. During the field visits to these villages, the organisation has interviewed the farmers whose agriculture land is impacted by salinity. During the course of the visit and in the follow-up interviews with the farmers, it was made clear that salinisation is a real impediment faced by the farmer communities of the region. The farmers we interviewed were mostly dependent on agriculture for livelihood and the land dedicated to paddy cultivation was affected by salinisation.
The farmers also indicated that there were changes in the crop with discolouration in the plants and grains of rice. Many farmers have indicated that even if they are able to carry out agricultural activity on the affected lands, there are other impacts that reduce the price of the crops. Salinisation therefore could be seen as having a major impact on the quality of the crop and the quantity, given the decreased crop yield. Moreover, soil salinity affects the water sources and irrigation system in this area and in turn contributes to the problems faced in agriculture.
Through research conducted in the area, it was also revealed that the crop yield from an acre of agricultural land was affected on an average by a 50 percent reduction of crop yield. The farmers emphasized that the discolouration of the grain of rice and noticeably the lesser weight, result in having to sell rice at a lower price.
What causes soil salinity?
According to the farmers, one of the possible reasons for increased soil salinity is the increase in temperature resulting in higher amount of evaporation and lack of rain resulting in lesser water retention in the soil and also human activity.
One farmer in Morawewa-North expressed that salinity had affected his crop yield as well and that he has used organic fertilizer and seen improvements in the yield of crops. Similarly, the farmers of the area are considering an experimental shift to climate smart agricultural practices, which would lessen the impacts on the natural nutrient of the soil.
Addressing soil salinity
Using local knowledge, the farmers have tried to find solutions to the issue of soil salinity. Some of these include using paddy husks and ginisiriya (Gliricidiasipium) as a way to desalinise the land. The farmers indicated that leaving the residue of the paddy in the field after the harvesting process helped control the salinity problem to a certain extent.
Even though this seems to be a long-term solution, a farmer in the Morawewa North area attested to the use of dried cow dung and paddy husk as a continuous and long-term method of reducing soil salinity. He said that it took him around seven years to tend to a plot of three acres, one acre of which was affected by salinity, in order to render the soil that could be cultivated.
The slow onset events, as seen in salinisation encountered by the farmers in the Trincomalee area, have socio-economic implications on the lives of these communities. With the increasing incidence of weather events such as drought, the prolonged effects of salinisation are aggravated, further affecting the capacity to cultivate these agricultural lands.
Research, resilience building and capacity building in terms of developing solutions to the salinisation issue are seen as urgent action to be taken. The process of developing policy and climate solutions for salinisation should be focused on and such knowledge disseminated among the farmers, so as to help them address the impacts of salinity that create losses and damages to their agricultural activities.
(Avanthi Jayasuriya works as Programme and Communication Officer at SLYCAN Trust. She holds a degree specialising in English from the University of Colombo and is currently focused on her postgraduate studies in developmental economics. Her research interests include climate change, animal welfare, gender studies, economic development, transitional justice and peace studies)
source – 15/02/2017 , Daily Mirror, See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Agricultural-livelihoods-in-Sri-Lanka-impacted-by-salinisation-123819.html#sthash.4BejY58V.dpuf
Achieving a sustainable future through commercial forestry
Although Sri Lanka is very rich in natural resources including a significant amount of natural forests, their utilisation should have been restricted for the sake of conservation so that the generations to come in future can utilise them in a sustainable manner. However, strict conservation does not generate a considerable financial return for the country’s economy and therefore looking for alternatives while protecting the environment and soil has become a priority.
In such circumstances, an achievement of the financial goals through commercial forestry can be sought as one of the viable investments in today’s economic platform. Thereby one can also reap the benefits from exporting the timber or non-timber forest products while preserving the country’s environment.
Considering the demand in the international market for some forestry-based products, one could easily earn a higher return on investing in proper forestry-related activities. This inevitably becomes investing in a greener future, conservation of nature and biodiversity of Sri Lanka. The main objective of commercial forestry, which was implemented in 1950, was to fulfil the timber requirement of the country. Due to the high demand of timber in the local market, plantation owners have not been able to export timber to fulfil the international requirements. Low pricing of timber in the local market is the biggest issue in the forestry industry in the country.
In contrast, high market opportunity has been opened up mainly for non-timber forest products such as sandalwood and agarwood in the international market. Agarwood at present is considered to be the most viable investment in the non-timber forest products sector, which could generate shorter turnaround time of harvest, becoming popular as a green investment in today’s economy. In contrast to the biggest challenge that the timber industry faces due to the long turnaround time, which could be over 15 to 20 years to extract timber to earn profits, non-timber forest products such as agarwood would be able to reduce the turnaround period considerably.
Recently, the leading perfume manufacturers in the world recognized agarwood oil as a base to formulate perfumes. Therefore, the demand for agarwood oil has now spread from the Middle-East market to the European market showing an increased growth on demand-over-supply. It is therefore becoming a viable investment opportunity.
Analysing the global demand statistics for agarwood-based by-products, at present the Far East Asian suppliers have only been able to fulfil 40 percent of the market demand. If the plantations of agarwood are raised and products are manufactured, the future export market of Sri Lanka will be highly benefitted.
In addition, the satisfaction gained by contributing to the conservation of nature by growing forests and preserving the valuable biodiversity will be immense. (Dr. Upul Subasinghe has been conducting research on forest management from 1995. Since 2009, he has been researching on non-timber forest products, especially on aromatic products such as agarwood and sandalwood. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Forestry and Environmental Science Department of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura specializing in Forest and Forest Plantation Management, Forest Certification and Natural Resource Modelling.
Apart from the publications in international journals and proceedings, he presented research findings at various international conferences including International Sandalwood Symposium in Hawaii, International Scientific Symposium on Agarwood in Malaysia, International Conference in Agarwood in Taiwan and International Seminar on Sandalwood in Bangalore, India)
Source – 01/03/2017/ Daily Mirror ,See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Achieving-a-sustainable-future-through-commercial-forestry-124675.html#sthash.HuRZTjXX.dpuf
Drinking water is high priority say civil engineers
Civil engineers have noted that the country at present faced issues with regard to sustainability and technology when it came to water treatment for the purpose of producing drinking water.
Systems for the purpose of measurement must also be created in relation to water testing, specifically for testing of heavy metals, organic compounds, carbonic waste and priority organic pollutants, the mere presence of minute traces of which are carcinogenic in effect.
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Peradeniya, Dr. K.B. Shameen N. Jinadasa explained that appropriate technologies in terms of technologies which were economically, socially, environmentally, culturally, institutionally, administratively and structurally appropriate were not selected and used.
“There are lacunas in this process”, he said.
Another issue is that the systems pertaining to the above are installed separately, according to Jinadasa.
“The country must look at producing and manufacturing membrane filters locally”, Jinadasa further said.
“We should not have to depend on others with regard to membranous filters. When such filters are used in treatment related facilities, and the membrane of the filter breaks, we have to go to the country from which it was imported (China or Japan) or consult an expert in this regard. We must instead find a way to repair them here. We are conducting surveys to look at our weaknesses. This is a long-term process. For self-sustainability, we need a strong foundation and a suitable environment”. (RLJ)
Source – 31/12/2016, Nation, See more at – http://nation.lk/online/2016/12/31/drinking-water-is-high-priority-say-civil-engineers.html
Impure water takes a toll in Uva
There has been an increase reported in the number of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in the Uva Province in areas such as Mahiyanganaya and Girandurukotte.
The relevant authorities are conducting blood tests with the view to identifying those who have yet to be identified as patients suffering from CKDu.
Governor of the Uva Province, MP Jayasinghe pointed out that people in mountainous and hilly regions in the Province were using water which naturally flowed in from such areas where water has contained traces of fertilizer and agrochemicals.
Rideemaliyadda, Moneragala, Badulla, Wellawaya and Diyatalawa are also similarly impacted, according to Jayasinghe.
“The agricultural industry is found in areas such as Welimada and Uva Paranagama which are populated by farmers and farms including jungle (Chena) cultivations where vegetables such as potatoes are grown,” Jayasinghe said.
He pointed out that certain residents lacked the economic essentials to obtain clean water while others were ignorant about the importance of using clean water and how to purify water while addressing issues pertaining to clean water.
Jayasinghe explained that moves to introduce dialysis units and machines for use in domestic settings in houses are presently at a discussion stage.
Source – 14/01/2017, Nation , See more at – http://nation.lk/online/2017/01/14/impure-water-takes-a-toll-in-uva.html
At last environment watchdog gets its teeth
The Central Environmental Authority will be issuing a gazette introducing standards to be complied with regard to industrial gaseous emissions by factories.
The Government has proposed to take stern legal action against industries releasing gases harmful to the environment without adhering to the stipulated standards in terms of the quantities to be released and the air quality to be maintained at all times.
Those engaged in the improper disposal of waste into water bodies and anyone emitting sounds at decibel levels harmful to the environment are presently being dealt with under the National Environmental Act.
Director General of the Authority, K.H. Muthukudaarachchi explained that power plants, those operating industrial boilers and furnaces such as those in the metal industry, the recycling industry, and those engaged in smelting and fabrication were the heaviest polluters as far as the industrial sectors were concerned.
Subsequent to the issuing of the gazette, a national and island-wide programme would be implemented.
While the Authority will conduct quarterly inspections by way of visits to factories island-wide, the law also allows them to conduct raids.
“The gazette has been drafted and sent to the Legal Draftsman’s Department for approval. Industrial treatment plants have to be maintained as per the current law and sound levels too must be maintained at the prescribed levels,” Muthukudaarachchi further said.
Source – 31/12/2016, The Nation, see more at – http://nation.lk/online/2016/12/31/at-last-environment-watchdog-gets-its-teeth.html
Polonnaruwa to be developed under ‘Sukhitha Purawara’ initiative
A special discussion on the development of Polonnaruwa was held yesterday (26th Feb.) at the CECB, Polonnaruwa under the patronage of Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka.
Protecting the history of ancient Polonnaruwa, the development project will be implemented by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) under the ‘Sukhitha Purawara’ initiative. Polonnaruwa will be developed under three phases as the ancient city, Kaduruwela Financial City, and the new town administration city.
The minister instructed the officials to draft a regular program for maintenance before every development program is implemented and to be implemented. Further, the attention was also drawn towards solid waste management, energy management, and traffic congestion. A program should also be implemented to harvest the rain water and use for the public needs.
The minister further said that, the urban development programs implemented previously have been destroyed at present due to the non-availability of a program to maintain them, but the present government is being accused in that regard.
The officials were further instructed by minister Ranawake to finish the basic development programs of Polonnaruwa development project by 2020.
Sourc – 27/02/2017. Ceylon Today, See more at – http://www.ceylontoday.lk/article20170101CT20170331.php?id=4173
Dry zone small tank revival seen mitigating drought impact
Private sector investments have been encouraged to revive small tank cascade systems in the country’s dry zone to mitigate the impact of a severe drought, which has deprived almost a million people of drinking water and cut rice output.
Most long-term recommendations to mitigate the impact of disasters like drought are about overall disaster risk reduction, said Visaka Hidellage, Deputy Country Representative of the United Nations Development Programme.
The island came out of serious floods in 2016 and then went straight into a drought, she told a forum on drought impact organised by the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka (A-PAD Sri Lanka).
“When there are floods, everyone is concerned about getting the water out rather than storing it for a drought,” she said. “There’s a very direct link between drought and floods.”
Disaster risk reduction measures for drought management include the revival of the small tank cascade systems in the dry zone, Hidellage said.
“But rehabilitation of tanks in isolation is not the answer – we need a system-wide approach,” Hidellage said.
A 27 tank cascade system rehabilitated in 2015/16 in Kurunegala had helped farmers continue cultivation of rice and other crops despite the drought, and could be replicated elsewhere.
In Kurunegala. tanks were filled with water so farmers were able to work and cultivation continued into the next season.
“Not just paddy but alternative crops can be looked at. We need to think long term for an effective disaster risk reduction strategy,” Hidellage said.
The work was started in 2015, and by mid-2016, some tanks in the cascade system were completed, so water got filled and despite a failed crop elsewhere, people were able to cultivate.
Investments in tank rehabilitation could be a way of channelling drought relief to farmers, she said.
“The UN wants to start a mapping exercise of all tanks in 12 districts – small tank cascades – to give guidance to those who want to invest in drought risk reduction,” Hidellage said. (ECONOMYNEXT)
Source – 27/02/2017, The Island, See more at – http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=161065
Green cities are not just for the elite
Green cities have become a key goal of urban development. They are environmentally friendly, provide clean water, protect green space and offer an enhanced public experience. However, they’re not perfect. In fact, some of the different needs of citizens may have been neglected amid all the attention lavished on green cities. A green city in many real-life cases is neither green everywhere, nor green for everyone. Also, a green city neither guarantees an economically strong city nor a
However, they’re not perfect. In fact, some of the different needs of citizens may have been neglected amid all the attention lavished on green cities. A green city in many real-life cases is neither green everywhere, nor green for everyone. Also, a green city neither guarantees an economically strong city nor a liveable place for people of all income classes. While the reference to income classes may sound like an old debate about class war, inequality between citizens of different financial means should be acknowledged. A city that aims to provide for the diverse needs of its population has to formulate a correspondingly diverse urban development agenda.
Seen from the perspective of urban dwellers of different socio-economic status, there are five urban development objectives that can be considered as ascending stages on a scale of liveability. First, in its most basic form, urban life needs to ensure a livelihood for citizens. Second, it should enable accessibility, allowing its residents to participate fully in daily urban life. Third, urban life should be affordable, ensuring that urban infrastructure, such as housing and urban services, such as healthcare, are affordable for citizens. Fourth, it requires resilience, enabling people to withstand social threats such as crime or environmental impacts like extreme weather events. Finally, at the highest stage, urban life has to provide for liveability, which allows people to fully enjoy what their city has to offer.
Focus on citizen needs
One can argue that some city governments have focused a lot of attention and resources toward developing environmentally sustainable cities that offer residents spaces to enjoy and thrive in. Although this is laudable and the five urban development objectives are not mutually exclusive, this policy focus might not deliver what many citizens most urgently need in developing Asia – shelter and a decent income.
This discrepancy is evident in the widespread housing insecurity and lack of economic opportunities we can see in many cities across the region. If a person’s main concern is to find a place to stay and to sustain a life for themselves and their families, a refurbished park in the city centre won’t do.
I formulate this in a provocative, obviously simplified way, not to discredit a green urban development agenda but to underscore that local governments have many other objectives to consider besides developing environmentally friendly cities. And even with regard to the green or other parts of the urban agenda, local governments have to pay special care to ensure that benefits are enjoyed by the whole urban population or at least a large majority.
Local solutions for inclusive green cities People of different socio-economic status should be able to benefit from their cities in physical, economic, environmental and social terms. The first three premises of a good urban life—basic livelihood, accessibility and affordability—need to be delivered. This doesn’t mean that resilience and liveability—the other two of the five urban development objectives—are any less worthwhile as goals. But if you don’t have livelihood, can’t participate fully in the city and can’t afford to live there, the final two objectives are attainable only by a small urban elite.
Local governments have to carefully evaluate which thematic areas are most relevant to the daily needs of their citizens. If a city lacks access to clean water and sanitation, hospitals, or public safety, the urban development agenda should reflect this – even if it diverges from current urban planning trends
Localized urban development policies should identify and reflect cross-sectoral benefits. For example, an economic growth programme should aim to improve a city’s competitiveness and also provide job opportunities to a broader array of citizens so they can afford housing, medical bills or the entrance fee to a cultural event.
Only then can green urban development have a genuine and positive impact on the lives of all citizens.
(Renard Teipelke is Consultant, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department at the Asian Development Bank)
Source – 28/02/2017,Daily Mirror, See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Green-cities-are-not-just-for-the-elite-124585.html#sthash.O0gjNkZZ.dpuf
