News about Myanmar(YaDaNarBon Zay (Market) in Mandalay burned by Big Fire)

I Feel Upset to hear about huge fire in Mandalay.

Since 25-2-08 morning around 7 A.M, Fire start burned at Yadanarpon Market, the largest market and biggest shopping mall in Myanmar’s second city Mandalay where I was born.

YaDaNarBon Zay (Market) is located between 78th & 77th and 34th & 33rd streets in Mandalay, Myanmar. It has YaDaNarBon market in ground floor, Skywalk shopping mall in first floor, MCC and other education centers and organization in second floor, Relax restaurant, Mandalay ICT park in third floor and Ray World Office in fourth floor.
See this photo from the following links Myo Kyaw Tun collected.
http://www.myokyawhtun.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/fire-mandalay-01.jpg
Fire at YadanarBon Market Mandalay

Some of My friends' losing their properties there, about that news burned my ears as bad news constantly.
That fire cannot extinguished yet till Myanmar time 21:55(25-2-08).
There is only one fire engine which can try to extinguish to higher building.
Mostly other fire engines can only surround near by and may be wait till all are burned.( not join with other blocks)
Feel better is no injured and died person(losing of life) as I hear.
But No one can bring out their things from each store. If they would try, it may be fire-trap.
Huuuuuuuuh
Mandalay Fire is like this ever.

If you want to know more information and see photos related this occur, please kindly visit here: http://www.myokyawhtun.com/2008/02/26/mandalay-yadanarbon-market-fired.html/

Aegis ship crashed fish boat

Aegis ship crashed fish boat.
Two men in the fish boat are missing and feared dead.
Japan Self-Defense Forces have Aegis ships.
Aeges ship is equipped with cutting-edge technology.
Government conducts a thorough investigation to determine the cause.

They seem to be too dependent on the technology.

Whales and dolphins protected by government decree

Whales and dolphins enjoy Costa Rican government protection now that President Oscar Arias has signed a ban on the “pursuit, capture, injury, netting or commercialization” of these creatures in the country's 640,000 square kilometer marine territory. While the decree makes the policy official, Costa Rica has traditionally never had a whale hunt, unlike nations such as Japan and Iceland, and dolphins have rarely been the target of commercial fishermen here.

Presidents Day, USA

Our schools are out today, as well as government employees. I will receive no 'snail mail', no trash will be picked up, no licenses sold. We are observing Presidents Day on this third Monday in February. However, the only celebrating seems to be sales at the stores :-P

We used to observe Lincoln's Birthday on Feb 12 and Washington's Birthday on Feb 22, but these were combined into Presidents Day back in 1971. Congress shuffled these days and moved some others to Mondays to give federal workers three-day weekends (Sat, Sun, Mon), rather than holidays in the middle of the week. Most of the states go along with these designated holidays, but a few use different dates.

If you could choose, would you move a holiday to a convenient day, or stick to the original date?

At last.....snowing in Athens!!!!

After the latest years' warm winters at last it is snowing since last night. Snowing will continue until tomorrow!!!

Despite the fact that some problems will occur, snowing is a need for earth which is thirsty.

The first photo shows mount Ymittos of Athens, while the second shows a little olive tree at my balcon!!!

I wish to all of you an excellent week!!!!!

It Is Snowing...Finally

We have seen snowing finally in Istanbul. We really need it. There is short of water during summer. However snowing will last tomorrow. I have taken this picture from our house.

Update!

I have been away for a long time- please forgive me!

Zim has been a fun place lately... This year has brought many new things: new currency denominations (see above), and a new player on the political scene (presidential candidate Simba Makoni). Oh, and inflation officially at 66,000 % (yes, you read that right). What that means, in layman's language (that is, if you live here), is that one litre of milk that cost ZD2,000,000 last week costs almost ZD9,000,000 this week.. That a banana costs ZD1,000,000... Not too many Zimbabwean are economists, but I think everyone now understands the language of inflation...

Election fever is starting to grip the nation. Elections are set for Mar 29, when we will choose a president (new or otherwise, lol). It is a "harmonized election", which means we will choose both a president, and also members of parliament etc (a general election). Just how this will be done and completed on one day remains to be seen.... Due to a quirk in our constitution, we used to have the general and presidential elections two years apart, which apparently was not efficient.. So this is a better system. Most people are (and the world is, too!) only interested in finding out who Zimbabwe's next president will be. There are three candidates: (current) President Robert Mugabe, MDC (main opposition) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and a new independent candidate, Dr Simba Makoni, who is formerly of the ruling party, ZANU-PF. I will try and keep everyone posted on how things progress. All I can say for now is that the advent of Simba Makoni has got Zimbabweans talking about and interested in this election, which I can assure you was not the case in January. There are even , groups about him.. (see here or here). And here is a BBC article on him.

Macaw sanctuary in Costa Rica

(Reuters) - An American couple has spent decades in Costa Rica providing sanctuary for Macaws. Some fear the Macaw, already an endangered species could disappear from Costa Rica in 10 years. Here's their story in a video by Reuters. Deborah Lutterbeck reports. Speakers: Richard and Margot Frisius

Japanese Art : Taikan Yokoyama

Today I introduce you one of the famous artist in Japan.
His name is Taikan Yokoyama .
His retrospective exhibition is now held at the national art center,tokyo.

Protests against FARC in Costa Rica

A Colombian holds a poster that reads "No More FARC" during a protest against the FARC rebel group in San Jose, Costa Rica, February 4, 2008. Hundreds of Colombians took to the streets across the country and around the world on Monday in a huge protest to demand FARC guerrillas free hostages who have been captive for years in secret jungle camps. (REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate)

Pena Palace, Sintra, Portugal

Photo: http://www.sapo.pt/

Palácio da Pena originated in 1839, when the king consort D. Fernando II acquired 'Our Lady of Pena Monastery' ruins to adapt it to a palace. The original building, once occupied by the Jeronimos monks, dates from 1503. The main facade of the convent was kept and so was the church and cloister, whose galleries are covered with tiles placed there around 1520.

Being born in Germany, D. Fernando II brought to Portugal the romantic Germanic architecture. The palace, a project of the Eschwege Baron, is inspired by Bavaria’s palaces and brings together Moorish, Gothic and Manueline influences.

In the 90's, the palace faced significant restoration and the most important alteration can be seen from afar: the yellow and pink exterior. Although it shocked the inhabitants of Sintra, used to seeing it 'dressed' in grey, the truth is that these were the original colours of Pena Palace!

The fourth most visited national monument in Portugal is furnished with pieces of the period and the visitor can enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding areas from the verandas.

Daddy Yankee returns to Costa Rica

Puerto Rican star Daddy Yankee performs during the Jaco Beach Music Festival in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, February 2, 2008. The concert was part of an 11-hour music festival that brought together reggaeton disc jockeys and artists from several nations including Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. This was Daddy Yankee's first concert in Costa Rica since 2006. (Photo by Eyleen Vargas / La Nacion)

Internet Blackout..!

Couple of underwater cables...streched from Italy and France..aross the Mediterranean ..caused such two-day- blackout of the ADSL service in Egypt!
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Egypt woke up one day to find that the internet connection is all over disconnected! Such a "disconnection" in fact caused the frustration of all people, not to mention big companies..whose work has come to a halt! Hospitals.. companies...had to go back to the primitive manual way..using fax..and telephones..and delay in many transactions!
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After two days..the connection resumed...but in as "slow-motion"! The speaker of the ministery of communications..promised that by the end of the week the connection will get back to its normal rate..and speed! He also added that all customers will be granted a free month of internet from their ISP ..and those who had to use dial up (like myself)..will have the internet's charge credited out of their telephone bill..for January!
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I just wonder...such chaos happened due to loss of connection and communication provided by the cyber world...so how then we lived before the "birth" of internet....??! why such a panic then...!! I wonder! :)
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Pilgrimage to the Book Fair!

It's winter... the mid-year vacation....the biggest carnival of reading; i.e. The Cairo International Book Fair.
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All gathered on a vast space...the famous and emerging publishing houses are all gates opened for the public...introducing celebrities and new pens.. nurturing the stream of culture and thinking.
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Egyptians from all over Egypt in fact insist on visiting the Cairene book fair not once but twice and thrice..for the incredible discounts, and the variety of specialisations..and such a pan of all great names..not only Egyptian thinkers and writers...but also Foreign ones...! On the other hand... seminars and guests held special evenings sharing their experience and thoughts..with the public! Big Universities (like Cairo, Ain Shams and even the American University in Cairo 'AUC' have their own branches there for their latest publications), translation institutions..are all present!
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This year three of the Egyptian blogresses have published their own books... under the guidance of a top-notch publishing house in Egypt (Dar el Sherouk= Dawn's House). The Publishing House's new project is under the name of "blogger"..and it chose for the first year...young writers..who only published their work via blogspot..and this year..celebrating their success "in paper" !
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So far..I've visited the book fair myself for three times...! My books varied..from Orientalism by Edward Said, books on English Literature..and Shakesperean books, selected poems on Robert Browning and Yeats..and the best sellers of Egyptian writer...not to mention a Disney "Beauty and the Beast'' for my little sis! :)
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