Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Biggest cruise ship on its maiden trip from Finland to Florida, USA
It’s the Oasis of the Sea, the largest cruise liner ever built is on its first trip its home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The giant sea liner which is 20 stories tall and 40% bigger than the next big ship in the business, cleared a bridge in Denmark to the delight of onlookers who watched the cylindrical smokestack lowered so it could pass.
“Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members...
The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.”---AP (11/01/09, Olsen, J. M.)
Built by STX Finland for the Royal Caribbean International, the immense liner with fabulous amenities will make its debut on November 20 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo Credit: AP/ Yahoo.news.com; Reuters/ Royal Caribbean) =0=
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UP Ibalon Bicol prez visits NYC
Jose (Butch) Robredo, the president of UP Ibalon Bicol visits New York City from Naga City, Philippines. With him is only daughter Dr. Irene Gaile Robredo, a newly-minted physician from UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.
In their trip, Butch had a happy reunion with his old time pals from Ateneo de Naga HS'73 last Monday, October 26, 2009. Leon (Tong) Pilar of New Jersey and Dr. Augusto (Totie) Mesia of Astoria, New York are shown with them in the pictures above.(Photo Credit: AFM) =0=
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A $15,000 dinner tab in Washington DC adds more fire to GMA’s extravagance
It’s really easy to spend money when someone gets cash for a song. No matter how much Malacanang Palace says that not a single centavo come from the Filipino, when When Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo travels on official trips abroad, the expenses fall on the shoulders of taxpayers. She and her entourage don’t have qualms in the amount to spend for they think they are giving the Filipinos a big favor. In foreign land, they think of themselves as public servants who represent the best interest of the country.
With the estimated P8 billion already spent by GMA in her trips, there are ways to hide unbridled abuse and extravagance. Having a patron like Rep. Martin Romualdez to pay for a $20,000 dinner in their pricey splurge in NY’s Le Cirque Restaurant is a good way to confuse and divert attention. Stupefied by the irrational display of pomp and self-indulgence, New York Post can’t resist commenting on the GMA’s controversial meal about the time she declared national mourning for Pres. Cory Aquino.
Now it’s the Washington’s Post turn to tell another story. According to Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger, writers of the influential newspaper in Capitol Hill, Pres. Arroyo and her delegation dined on "lobster, steak and fine wines" in Washington and spent $15,000 for the meal on July 30, 2009.
In the column “The Reliable Source” they said an "unidentified woman opened a handbag stuffed with cash" and paid for the tab plus the sizeable tips for Arroyo and its bloated entourage of 65 people at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street.
Surely these spectacular dinners are just the tip of the ice-berg. Many agree they are scandalous and deplorable when a third of Filipinos are languishing in poverty. So what more is there to say of corruption and abuse in the Pearl of the Orient Seas? (Photo Credit: Oustgloria) =0=
RELATED BLOGS: New York City's dining lesson for GMA: Le Cirque versus Elvie’s Turo-Turo Posted by mesiamd at 8/11/2009; GMA’s NY dinner and the discordant ritzy lifestyle of Filipinos Posted by mesiamd at 8/10/2009
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GMA’s NY dinner and the discordant ritzy lifestyle of Filipinos
It was estimated the Philippines spent at least P8 billion in some 71 official travels President Gloria M. Arroyo made since she took office. Sen. Francis Escudero said the president went to trips local and abroad lasting for at least 130 days since 2001. Her meeting with Pres. Barack Obama last week that coincided with the death of ex-president Cory Aquino was her 16th US visit during her term.
Accusations of abuse, spending and extravagance are expected. It’s because the benefit derived from such official foreign travels cannot be accounted for with certainty. The public looks at them with suspicion and derision for they can’t see how these presidential jet-settings, numbering at least 16 in US alone, trickle down to benefit the country.
Filipinos had known how public officials and Malacanang friends scrambled to join GMA’s trips. Undoubtedly many people believed her companions were unneeded, but nonetheless became part of the entourage that combined business and pleasure. Who could forget the 56 congressmen asking to join a US delegation for an official visit but many openly wanted to watch Manny Pacquiao fight in a Las Vegas boxing match? Their shameful unprofessional behavior wasn’t far from what Imelda Marcos did during her time.
That’s why there is controversy about a supposed article regarding the July-August 2009 US visit of Arroyo by New York Post’s Richard Johnson. In the newspaper’s “Eat and Drink” section on August 7, 2009, it was written:
“The economic downturn hasn’t persuaded everyone to pinch pennies. Philippines President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was at Le Cirque the other night with a large entourage enjoying the good life, even though the former comptroller of her country’s armed services, Carlos Garcia, was found guilty earlier this year of perjury and two of his sons were arrested in the US on bulk cash-smuggling charges. Macapagal-Arroyo ordered several bottles of very expensive wine, pushing the dinner tab up to $20,000.”
So alas! A flag to put our leaders in attention! Even foreign observers are critical of how we spend government money. This doesn’t come as a surprise for they know of our penchant to borrow cash and use them that is incongruent to our means.
It is a simple lesson in arithmetic and corruption. The world sees how some of us live beyond our capacities. Isn’t it that our spending habits aren't compatible with our salaries and the lifestyle we live? Don’t we try to hide it by acting like those with less than a dollar to spend each day? Surely, one can argue, the Philippine president on her offical functions can't be tavelling like a pauper. She must keep the standards of foreign affairs to keep Filipino pride. But how come she goes abroad too often?
Back home however, palatial houses valued in millions are owned by our influential government officials and top military men in plush villages in Manila and the provinces. In their privacies, lavish parties are thrown by the noveau riche Filipinos. They ride in big cars which are difficult to maintain if they only bank on their honest incomes. And many go for vacations to America, Europe and Caribbean tagging along their maids and children for their usual rest and recreation.
So if no single taxpayers’ money is spent in travels of government officials abroad, where do they get their funds? How did they suddenly get so rich? The discordance of lifestyle breeds suspicion---The only way to disprove doubts is to be straightforwardly honest. Why is there only denials from the government and no disclosures of spending?
Even on tight budget, New Yorkers will say (including myself) it’s an expensive place to visit. Eating out in Manhattan with a hungry entourage using our currency back home is truly costly unless we dine at Elvie's Turo-Turo in Eastside somewhere in 12th Street and First Avenue. Without public accounting, many of us are convinced somebody sheds blood money to keep the jet-setting Joneses splurging in Waldorf Astoria or Times Square. (Photo Credit: Yummyinthetummyblog) =0=
RELATED BLOGS: Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned Posted by mesiamd at 6/28/2009; Another US trip for Pres. Gloria Arroyo Posted by mesiamd at 7/29/2009; Arroyo-Obama meeting: beholding the face of "god" & the desire to have a photo-op Posted by mesiamd at 8/01/2009
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Arroyo-Obama meeting: beholding the face of "god" & the desire to have a photo-op
There is unexplained elation in Gloria M. Arroyo’s “successful” meeting with Pres. Barack Obama. The president and her supporters show palpable delight, as if something big has been achieved after seeing the face of “god.” Whatever the achievement, the Filipinos are still scrambling to know.
If there is something uniquely surprising about the Filipino's expectation on the gains of meeting Pres. Obama, ask Sen. Lito Lapid. He said he would do anything to have a photograph with the most powerful man in the world---"I hope I’d be lucky enough to be chosen among the five that would be allowed to accompany the President when she meets Obama.” Such slobbering from a senator is odd.
Obama who is extremely popular in the Philippines sees that the county as the chief ally of America in Asia. In blurry terms, his statement that country will serve a “coordinating link” to the ASEAN countries is flattering. His conversation with GMA on regional security, the economy, foreign aid, and mutual cooperation may have pushed through, but the question is: how do their words become success for the country? What do their pronouncements mean? At best, if Arroyo achieved anything, not so many Filipinos understand.
That’s why in USA and in the Philippines there are murmurs of dissent. Fil-Am activists staged rallies in Washington and California to protest Arroyo’s corruption and human rights records. In Manila, Bayan members lambasted the president for a trip that they think won’t benefit the people. Many who disapprove of GMA took to the streets in a new wave of condemnation. There are those who are bitter to be reminded that the Philippines is still a “colony” and serves as an “errand” boy of America. (Photo Credit: Reuters/Jim Young; Reuters/ Romeo Ranoco) =0=
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GMA meets with Barack Obama
The meeting of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo which is drummed up in the Philippines as "historic" occured Friday, July 31, 2009. In spite of high hopes of Filipinos that something big will happen to such a meeting, it barely made a stir in the US media.
Arroyo's and her coterie of 20 congressmen beheld the face of the US president and defended their travel with familiar justifications of advancing the diplomatic relationship of the Philippines with the US, an old time ally. Philippine authorities speak of a 45-minute talk on the economy, security, the Mindanao conflict and regional cooperation among Asian nations---something glowing that makes the trip look essential. Few disagree except fot the money to spend.
Yet, it is hard to quantify what benefits ordinary Filipinos will get from this recent US travel. In the fading days of her presidency, GMA is beset with poor popularity, charges of corruption, human rights violations, and a weak economy. With some gains, many look at the White House visit as another political move which combines government business with pleasure.
As before, many legislators and administration supporters scramble to join the travel wagon to be part of an official trip underwritten by taxpayer's money. Many of them include in their travel side trips to Las Vegas, tourist attractions, and shopping malls in various cities of America. It is unclear what this group of GMA companions will do after the Washington DC meeting with Obama. =0=
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Another US trip for Pres. Gloria Arroyo
In an astonishing display of enthusiasm to travel, RP president Gloria M. Arroyo left for a 4-city tour to the United States. In her 16th official trip to USA, a meeting with Pres. Barack Obama was scheduled on July 30. She boarded a commercial Philippine Airlines plane two days earlier and will be back on August 2, 2008
Accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa, and a delegation of 20 congressmen, the president will meet with the American president on “peace and security issues.”
This foreign trip is the 72nd travel of GMA abroad, one among 41 countries she visited during her term. Her expenses have ballooned to an estimated P8 billion prompting critics to question whether such expense brings enough benefit to a country reeling in poverty. There are allegations that some of her trips with bloated claims of success have turned into "vacations" for her family, political allies, and friends.(Photo Credit: GMAnews.TV/ Galvez, J.) =0=
RELATED BLOG: Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned Posted by mesiamd at 6/28/2009
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Crash of another Iranian aircraft
A little more than a week when the Caspian Airways flight 7908 with 168 passengers aboard en route to the Armenian city of Yerevan crashed this month, another Iranian aircraft owned by Aria Airlines skidded in an airport and crashed on July 24, 2009, Northeast of the country, killing at least 17 people and injuring about 20 people. The airline was carrying 153passengers.
The crash could be the result of poor maintenance of planes in a country plagued by economic sanctions. Spare parts for Iran’s aging aircrafts, many Russian-made, had been difficult to procure.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the availability of airplane parts had been a problem for the outdated aircraft fleet now susceptible to mechanical problems. Iran experienced difficulty buying plane parts even in Europe. Source: AP (Photo Credit: Sheltercrow) =0=
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In the hospital
On Tuesday, July 7, 2009, I was to join my New York visitors to a trip to
West Point in Upstate New York. Poppa Lossiette Oracion from California was a Philippine Military Academy (PMA) professor in the Philippines and I knew it would be a treat to have him and his family see the sprawling American military academy near Hudson, a nostalgic recall of the stretch of attractive land of similar beauty in Baguio City, Philippines where he used to teach.
Yet the day before our trip, I realized I wasn’t feeling well. Before I slept that night, I said to Lossiette I might not join them to see the rustic wooded camp less than 2 hours by car north of New York city. I thought it wise to rest as my body was telling me.
When I woke up the next day, they were gone. I was left at home feeling weak with high fever, an indicator that I need to go to the emergency room alone. In a background of a chronic immuno-suppression, I had to do it. I must be having an infection.
It happened to me before. I developed a rapidly progressive sepsis---something that is understandably dangerous. My quick decision to go to the ER saved my life back then, in time before shock from overwhelming infection destroyed my body. That was a learning experience, a real brush with death that I couldn't forget.
I therefore called a limousine to pick me up from home to NYU Medical Center. Not for long, I was given a bed in the busy ER after a brief triage in the crowded action spot. Before the afternoon ended, I was settled at Room 1654 in Tisch Hospital building. My gut instinct was right. I was started on IV antibiotics for what turned out to be a lung infection.
It was only later that I was able to tell with certainty my airway was a bit irritated with a developing cold. I was coughing like crazy. At home, my visitors returned and read my short note telling them where I went. They quickly understood.
Poppa Lossiette and wife Tita Celi were able to tour the West Point without me. They embarked on an exciting discover adventure with newcomer Tita Meding in the bowels of Manhattan while I recuperated in the hospital. I had to direct their moves as they visited tourist spots, rode subways and buses. My hospital bed turned as the command center that made their tour of the city quite happy and meaningful. (Photo Credit: Pidgeons at Times Square) =0=
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Pres. Gloria Arroyo’s foreign travels questioned
It’s not only how frequent Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo travels abroad that legislators question---but the sheer number of companions in those costly trips. These travels are suspected to be extensions of abuse and corruption.
According to Sen. Francis (Chiz) Escudero, the president went to at least 50 trips local and abroad lasting at least 130 days since 2001. In these travels, there are few benefits that trickle down to the Filipinos except the bloated claims of furthering “business relations, foreign investments, jobs for Filipinos, enhanced tourism, greater foreign economic assistance and other unspecified benefits.”
Imagine:
“In September 2004, the President turned a state visit to China into a family vacation with members of her family joining the delegation. The entourage also included 41 complementary staff from the Presidential Security Group and the Office of the Press Secretary as well as crews of state-owned broadcast stations, he said.
In December 2007, a contingent of close to 200 people that included more than 30 lawmakers joined President Arroyo in her trip to France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
In her latest overseas trip, the senator observed that Mrs. Arroyo is practically circumnavigating the world in just eight days in her latest overseas trip.
“President Arroyo’s on-going Manila-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Cartagena-Recife-Rio-Dubai-Hong Kong-Manila voyage is practically a circumnavigation of the globe. And she will be doing all of these in just eight days, Escudero said. ” Daily Tribune (O6/25/09, Rosales, A. M.)
Filipinos are known to pride themselves of their stints abroad---especially if they are paid for by taxpayer’s money and for reasons that are flimsy. Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo is no exception. She tags along friends and relatives no different than the ways of Imelda Marcos.
Many are wondering what hidden reasons the president of the Philippines has for leaving the country so often. It’s just right to investigate so the Filipinos will know.
Arroyo brings along many companions very characteristic of a politician who uses money of the government. She easily decides to make side-trips jacking up expenses that can better pay for budgets in underfunded public schools, hospitals, penitentiary, and orphanages back home.
For all the justifications the Arroyo administration gives, the stark reality is the government hardly can afford the waste and thus must cut down on these questionable trips. (Photo Credit: OustGloria) =0=
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Teary-eyed, Imelda Marcos swears on poverty anew
In a tragi-comic declaration, Imelda R. Marcos, the ageing widow of strong-man dictator Ferdinand Marcos asked the Sandiganbayan to spare her from “persecution” citing she is old and poor. The well-known extravagant lady complains of having to pay a P750,000 travel bond in her recent trip abroad.
Insisting on her innocence and protesting the sluggishness of the judicial rulings on the corruption charges she was accused of since the 1980’s, the 79 year-old pompous former first lady, said,
"Why is this taking so long? When they filed these cases in 1986, I was only 56 years old. In three weeks I will be 80! Justice delayed is justice denied. Ano bang kasalanan ko? Maawa naman kayo sa akin… I did so many projects … Heart Center, Lung Center, Kidney Center… and I am being punished for it.
Bakit hanggang ngayon kinakastigo ako. Ganito ba talaga ang judicial system sa ating bansa? Bakit ako ginaganito? Ano ba ang naging kasalanan ko? Minahal ko kayong lahat," she said. Malaya (06/12/09, Tabingo, P.)
It's unclear whether her audience is taking her seriously.
In April 6, 2009, GMANews.TV reported that Imelda came out in Newsweek magazine's most greedy people of all time along with Marcus Licinius Crassus, Genghis Khan, Pope Sixtus IV, William Vanderbilt, Willam Tweed, Empress Dowager Cixi, Charles Ponzi, Ivan Boesky, Dennis Kozlowski, and Bernard Madoff.
The flamboyant lady traveled to Singapore last June 2, 2009 for eye treatment. She appeared in Sandiganbayan to comply with the stipulations of her travel permit that she presents herself before the Clerk of Court within five days of her return. She said her travel was paid for by her children. (Photo Credit: ReikoChan) =0=
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Air France jetliner with 228 passengers vanished on the way to Paris
The search of the missing Air France jetliner with 228 passengers is on. The aifcraft lost communication on its way from Rio Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France last night. The plane reported the loss of pressure and some electrical problem before it vanished in the radar screen.
It is believed that the twin engine airbus AF Flight number 447 was somewhere between Natal on the Brazilian shore and Cape Verde, off the coast of Senegal when it encountered bad weather and crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.
So far the search has not yielded the location of the missing plane. French President Nicolas Sarkozy told worried relatives that the chance of having survivors in the vast plane crash area is nil.
Most of the victims are French and Brazilian nationals, but there are passengers from about 30 countries including American, Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Belgian, German, and Moroccan. A French doctor and his wife narrowly escaped the tragedy when they were refused to board because the aircraft was full. (Photo Credit: caribb) =0=
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Wasteful RP Congress holiday after 50 representatives watched the Pacquiao-Hatton boxing match
There is something obscenely wrong each time Manny Pacquiao comes to Las Vegas, Nevada to fight in the boxing arena. Last Saturday, just like his fight against Oscar de la Hoya, the match between him and Englishman Ricky Hatton was attended by 50 Philippine congressmen even if it lasted only for 3 minutes.
The next day in Manila, the House of Representative had only 131 congressmen out 263 who reported for work. The number of lawmakers was too small to meet the quorum needed so they could work on the job.
“No matter how the alibis are turned inside and out among the congressmen, they would be in a bind in justifying to their constituents the need for going to Las Vegas while there is a lot of job to do at Congress.” ----Daily Tribune (05/06/09)
Many Filipinos are silent about their congressmen’s disruptive travels, but it is clear these elected officials are immaturely abusive. It’s so easy to see how wasteful and extravagant they are each time they go abroad to watch and be seen with RP’s most influential sports hero. Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales think going abroad to watch Pacquiao is a waste of money.
Not to mention airfare and hotel accommodation, a good seat close to the boxing rimg runs in the thousands of dollars, but the congressmen don’t mind of the expense. They like to think money is easy to find. Not one among the 20% of the lower house seems to care that the flu pandemic is at their door.
In spite of the swine flu scare, the lawmakers go to see boxing, risking their health and that of their people when they come home. It’s unlikely they will follow quarantine rules as prescribed by the health authorities. Photo Credit: Congress of the Philippines) =0=
RELATED BLOGS: “Manny Pacquiao: RP’s legendary boxer and what people say about him” Posted by mesiamd at 5/04/2009; "Pacquiao KOs Hatton in 2 Rounds" Posted by upibalonbicol at 5/03/2009; "50 Congressmen and the harm they do for watching Pacquiao in Nevada when the swine epidemic rages" Posted by mesiamd at 5/02/2009; "Pacquiao among Time Magazine’s most influential people of 2009" Posted by mesiamd at 5/01/2009; "Philippine Congress attendance drops to 100 out of 263 as Pacquiao-Hatton match draws near" Posted by mesiamd at 5/01/2009
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Northeast Visit
In their recent vacation, UP Ibalon friends Gisbert and Jean Beringuela of Mandaluyong and Naga City visited the Big Apple with their affable children Loren Jane, Nina and Eric. The loving family got to enjoy New York’s springtime wonders, one among the many memorable places they visited. They were feted by Leon C. Pilar and Mel Tapang of New Jersey and Totie Mesia, M.D. of New York. =0=
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Tropical depression ”Dante” brings death and destruction to Bicol
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) disclosed 2 deaths in Quezon Province and Camarines Norte as a result of tropical depression “Dante.” In Sorsogon, 6 people died and 18 were reported missing after a landslide in the town of Magallanes. Heavy rain was the cause of the land collapse which occurred in Friday, May 1, 2009.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services (PAGASA), tracked the tropical depression which forced about 500 families to leave their homes in Lucena. In Bicol, 145 families or 725 people evacuated in Camarines Norte’s Vinzons Pilot Elementary School and Solong Elementary School in Catanduanes.
As this developed, in ports of Bataan, Catbalogan City, Northern Samar, Roxas in Oriental Mindoro; Pio Duran in Albay; Bapor in Masbate; Pilar and Matnog in Sorsogon; and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, more than 3,500 passengers were stranded. Because of flash floods, some roads were impassable. The sea was rough and dangerous for travel. There was interruption of electrical power in some areas. Movement of passengers was temporarily suspended to protect the safety of the public. (Photo Credit: Mandysu797) =0=
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Bicolandia Association of Eastern Seaboard Fundraiser on May 3, 2009
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The Bicolandia Association of Eastern Seaboard, Inc. and its incoming illustrious national president Angelita de Leon-Pena extend their invitation to all Bicolanos and Fil-Ams in this year's fun trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday, May 3, 2009. The bus will be waiting at 24 Culver Avenue, Jersey City between 8-8:30 AM and will depart at 8:30 AM sharp for Atlantic City.
Be on time! Since available seats are limited, make reservations ASAP by calling the following contact persons: Lita Peña @ 201-232-1742; Linda Arellano @201-240-0872 and Gidget Revilleza @201-983-1335.
The event is in preparatiom for this year's grand Bicol National Association of America (BNAA) all-state convention slated on July 17-19, 2009 to be held in Sheraton Newark Hotel, New Jersey. Proceeds of the fundraiser will be donated to the organization's charities.(Photo Credit: LDP; CharlesW1)) =0=
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Migration tragedy: 21 dead and hundreds missing as boat sinks in Mediterranean sea
In the cold waters off Libya, a frail fishing boat carrying about 250 aspiring migrants to Europe sank during stormy weather on Friday, March 27, 2009. At least 20 illegal aliens drowned and more than 200 hundred were reported missing. Mostly from Africa and Middle East, the victims were part of an undetermined number of illegal travelers who perish each year in their bid for a better life.
“Thousands of African, Asian and Middle Eastern migrants fleeing wars and poverty use Libya and other North African countries as a launching pads for the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to southern Europe — often in rickety, overloaded boats. Another flimsy vessel with about 350 migrants was rescued about a day later in the same area where the fishing boat capsized.” AP (03/31/09, Fergany, AM; Santana, R)
Although 350 migrants in a second boat with no casualties were rescued and brought back to Tripoli, Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in Geneva, Switzerland said this sea mishap could be the biggest in terms of the number of dead and missing of a sea vessel leaving North Africa to Europe.
The cause of the sinking has not been known, but a Libyan police officer said the boat was overloaded, and bad weather could be a contributory factor. Some survivors however spoke of a hole that caused the boat to capsize.
The death of the migrants brings to light the growing problem of illegal immigration. In spite of efforts to curb unlawful movement of people in Europe, nationals from impoverished countries worldwide risk their lives in search for better economic opportunities.
Even those who travel with valid papers also face hardships and alienation in their search for jobs. A recent case is the humiliation and abuse by Chip Tsao, an arrogant HK journalist who disparagingly insulted overseas Filipinos whose country he referred to as “a nation of servants.” (Photo Credit: Holvic) =0=
RELATED BLOG: "New Immigration Laws Worry Illegal Aliens In Europe " Posted by mesiamd at 6/22/2008
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Kazakhstan's Caspian Seascape
by Pitoy Moreno
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime? It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset?”
I may rarely see the flight of fireflies at dusk, the feel of warm air coming from a buffalo’s nostrils in the cold of winter, or the shadows that moves when nightfall sets in, but I can show you some breath-taking views of a place known for its taigas, flatlands, snow-capped mountains and picturesque seas.
For a time I thought I was the only Filipino living here in Kazakhstan, but diaspora made sure it wasn’t true. The saying that “in every nook of the earth, there is a Filipino” came real. As one among the few expatriates working in an enchanting place somewhere in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, I could say so.
About the size of Texas in the USA, Kazakhstan is nestled south of Russia. On its eastern border is China while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are located in the south. The Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan are in the west.
The territory is rich in mineral resources. From out of the 1,177 mi (1,894 km) of coastline of Caspian Sea, is a huge deposit of oil discovered in 2000, the largest ever found in the last 30 years. A fuel pipeline connects the Tengiz oil field of western Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk, a Russian Black Sea port. Another pipeline brings oil to China.
From the beginnings of human history, it is in this country where the first horses have been first domesticated. From the tribes of the once nomadic Kazakhs and their neighbors has evolved the distillation of a cultures so diverse and interesting.
Sparsely populated through the ages, Kazakhstan has been part of the Soviet Union until its independence in December 16, 1991. In this beautiful locale are memorable awesome red sunsets, pristine blue skies, and numberless grains of sand on the seashore---among the most wonderful scenes I have seen. In addition, there is this buzz of industrial and cultural activity that spurs the country’s growth and hope for the 21st century. They make me remember our country, the Philippines. (Photo Credits: Pitoy Moreno,Xhancock; Anguskirk)=0=
Republic of Kazakhstan
National name: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
President: Nursultan A. Nazarbayev (1990)
Prime Minister: Karim Masimov (2007)
Land area: 1,049,150 sq mi (2,717,300 sq km); total area: 1,049,150 sq mi (2,717,300 sq km)
Population (2008 est.): 15,340,533 (growth rate: 0.3%); birth rate: 16.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 26.5/1000; life expectancy: 67.5; density per sq km: 5
Capital (2003 est.): Astana, 288,200 (formerly Aqmola; capital since 1997)
Largest cities: Almaty (former capital), 1,045,900; Karaganda, 404,600; Shymkent, 333,500; Taraz, 305,700; Pavlodar, 299,500; Ust-Kamenogorsk, 288,000; Aqtöbe, 234,400
Monetary unit: Tenge
Languages: Kazak (Qazaq, state language) 64%; Russian (official, used in everyday business) 95% (2001 est.)
Ethnicity/race: Kazak (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999)
Religions: Islam 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
National Holiday: Independence Day, December 16
Source: www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107674.html
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"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime? It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset?”
I may rarely see the flight of fireflies at dusk, the feel of warm air coming from a buffalo’s nostrils in the cold of winter, or the shadows that moves when nightfall sets in, but I can show you some breath-taking views of a place known for its taigas, flatlands, snow-capped mountains and picturesque seas.
For a time I thought I was the only Filipino living here in Kazakhstan, but diaspora made sure it wasn’t true. The saying that “in every nook of the earth, there is a Filipino” came real. As one among the few expatriates working in an enchanting place somewhere in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, I could say so.
About the size of Texas in the USA, Kazakhstan is nestled south of Russia. On its eastern border is China while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are located in the south. The Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan are in the west.
The territory is rich in mineral resources. From out of the 1,177 mi (1,894 km) of coastline of Caspian Sea, is a huge deposit of oil discovered in 2000, the largest ever found in the last 30 years. A fuel pipeline connects the Tengiz oil field of western Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk, a Russian Black Sea port. Another pipeline brings oil to China.
From the beginnings of human history, it is in this country where the first horses have been first domesticated. From the tribes of the once nomadic Kazakhs and their neighbors has evolved the distillation of a cultures so diverse and interesting.
Sparsely populated through the ages, Kazakhstan has been part of the Soviet Union until its independence in December 16, 1991. In this beautiful locale are memorable awesome red sunsets, pristine blue skies, and numberless grains of sand on the seashore---among the most wonderful scenes I have seen. In addition, there is this buzz of industrial and cultural activity that spurs the country’s growth and hope for the 21st century. They make me remember our country, the Philippines. (Photo Credits: Pitoy Moreno,Xhancock; Anguskirk)=0=
Republic of Kazakhstan
National name: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
President: Nursultan A. Nazarbayev (1990)
Prime Minister: Karim Masimov (2007)
Land area: 1,049,150 sq mi (2,717,300 sq km); total area: 1,049,150 sq mi (2,717,300 sq km)
Population (2008 est.): 15,340,533 (growth rate: 0.3%); birth rate: 16.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 26.5/1000; life expectancy: 67.5; density per sq km: 5
Capital (2003 est.): Astana, 288,200 (formerly Aqmola; capital since 1997)
Largest cities: Almaty (former capital), 1,045,900; Karaganda, 404,600; Shymkent, 333,500; Taraz, 305,700; Pavlodar, 299,500; Ust-Kamenogorsk, 288,000; Aqtöbe, 234,400
Monetary unit: Tenge
Languages: Kazak (Qazaq, state language) 64%; Russian (official, used in everyday business) 95% (2001 est.)
Ethnicity/race: Kazak (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.4%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999)
Religions: Islam 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
National Holiday: Independence Day, December 16
Source: www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107674.html
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Buhi-Malinao road ushers in more commerce for Bicol
Linking communication is the most obvious benefit of having a road between towns and villages. Alternative routes of trade and commerce are made easy. These are expected in the recent completion of the 35 kilometer road (about half of 66 kilometer highway) which connects the 2nd and 4th districts of Camarines Sur to that of 1st district of Albay.
Leading to the port area of Tabaco, Albay, the highway makes it easier to reach Catanduanes Island in Bicol. Travel from Manila will be shorter than before.
The new road starts from Hanawan Ocampo, Camarines Sur onwards to Barangay Burokbusoc and Sagrada in Buhi, Camarines Sur, reaching up to Malinao, Albay. It is heralded as an accomplishment by LV Castaneda of the Department of Public Highways, (DPH.)
But Buhinon Jesus Valenciano (in a letter to Bicol Mail's editor,) writes to question the integrity of the road. He fears that the "all-weather road" in some sections need cementing or asphalting. He says, without good maintenance, this road can easily fall into disrepair. ----Bicol Mail (02/19/09; 02/26/09) (Photo Credit: www.freewebs.com/infocenterbuhi/) =0=
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US-Mexican drug bust yields 750 suspects, $59 million worth of drugs & weapons
Affirming the gravity of the drug wars in Mexico, federal agents from the United States have rounded up 750 suspected members of narcotics cartels from south of the border. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) picked up more than 50 drug gang members in separate overnight raids in California, Minnesota, Washington DC, and various US cities.
The arrests were mainly Sinaloa cartel members who were linked to the bloody drug wars over controls of narcotics smuggling routes in Mexico and USA. In a international law enforcement operation which spanned for about 2 years in Mexico, USA and Canada, had earlier snared 700 notorious law-breakers in the crime wave. $59 million worth of drugs and weapons, $12,000 kg. of cocaine, 1200 kg. of methampethamines, more than 1,300 ecstasy pills and 160 weapons were recovered.
"The department (US State) warns of the increased border violence and advises revelers to several destinations, including Matamoros and Nuevo Progresso, popular destinations for spring breakers on South Padre Island, Texas, to ‘exercise commonsense precautions such as visiting only the well-traveled business and tourism areas of border towns during daylight and early-evening hours.'“ ---AOL News/ AP (02/25/09, Barrett, D)
Attorney General Eric Holder says the illegal narcotics trade, kidnappings, and murders have crossed over into the US territory. The problem can be minimized if the ban to sell assault weapons which are used in turf wars of drug kingpins is reinstituted.
About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence last year. American law enforcers laud Mexican president Felipe Calderon’s on-going campaign against narcotics cartels which exert influence over corrupt government officials.
Because of the dangers brought about by illegal drugs, money laundering, and narctics traffic, the US State Department has issued warnings of violence, kidnappings, and murders to prospective American travelers. This advisory is extended to an estimated 100,000 US students who’re planning to come to Mexico in the coming spring break. Private individuals have to take responsibility to counter the drug problems in their community. (Photo Credit: Aziritt) =0=
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