Monday, January 31, 2011

Centre Mondial du Cyclisme

photo

Centre Mondial du cyclisme

Centre Mondial du Cyclisme Aigle Switzerland

Tags

switzerland

fabrizio

europe

cantinotti

canoneos7d

canon7d

canon

7d

CMC

Cyclisme

Aigle

centre mondial, aigle, cyclisme

Flickr.com

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Passeio de Catraia

photo

Passeio de Catraia

Evento promovido pelo Foto Clube Amigos de Santos - www.fotoamigos.com.br

Tags

Barco

Boat

CFAS

Catraia

Diana

Fotoclube

Mar

Navio

Ocean

Porto

Santos

Sea

Ship
Flickr.com

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Ducks at Lake Taal, Destiny Park, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (Tennessee)

photo

ducks at Lake Taal, Destiny Park, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (Tennessee)

A number of views of the resident duck population at Lake Taal in Destiny Park at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (actually on the Tennessee side of the installation). These were all taken this past Wednesday evening following our latest snowfall (1-26-2011).

Tags

Lake Taal

Destiny Park

Ft. Campbell

Kentucky

KY

Tennessee

TN

reflective

reflections

winter

snow

snowy

water

waterway

scenic

scenery

ice

icy

birds

ducks

waterfowl

ft campbell kentucky, lake taal, tennessee side, wednesday evening, snowfall, ducks, destiny, population

Flickr.com

IMG_4233

photo

IMG_4233

Tags

Raw
Flickr.com

Friday, January 28, 2011

Nubble with snow

photo

Nubble with snow

Cape Neddick "Nubble" lighthouse in York, Maine, after yet another snowfall.

100_7346adj

Tags

Cape neddick lighthouse

Cape neddick light

Cape neddick

nubble lighthouse

nubble light

nubble

Maine

york

lighthouse

snow

winter

USA

SerenityNow

WBNAW_NE_ME

nubble, york maine, snowcape, snowfall, quot, lighthouse
qtdz
Flickr.com

5 Things Not to Buy in a Supermarket

We love grocery stores. Their stock and trade is food — fresh, frozen, canned or prepared — and kitchen staples like paper towels and laundry detergent. But there are a whole host of other items that cost a premium in grocery stores because of the “convenience” factor. You can get them cheaper at a discount department or hardware store, dollar store, or drug store so leave the following items off your shopping list:

1. Cookware and Kitchen Utensils

It may be convenient to pick up a frying pan while you’re buying your bacon, but you’ll be paying much more than you ought to for it.

2. Cosmetics, toiletries, and personal care items

It might save time to buy your lip-gloss, moisturizer, toothpaste, razor blades, and deodorant at the same time and place you’re getting your food, but you’ll be paying a premium price.

Plus: 15 Foods You Should Never Buy Again

3. Small appliances

Why buy a toaster for $40 when you can buy the same toaster for $20 dollars at a discount house? The same theory applies to coffee makers, electric tea kettles, and hot plates.

4. Party supplies

Buy your balloons, funny hats, place cards, candles, and name tags in bulk at a party supply store and you'll pay a whole lot less.

5. Batteries, light bulbs, extension cords

Again, these are pricey specialty items at the grocery store, but cheap impulse buys at a discount hardware, department, or dollar store!

From Discounts, Deals & Steals

Plus:
19 Weight Loss Secrets From Around the World
8 Kitchen Cabinet Makeovers for Weight Loss
5 Foods You Can Only Get Now
20 Secrets Your Waiter Won't Tell You
5 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda
7 Home Health Checks That Can Save Your Life
13 Things You Never Knew About Your Weight
11 Secrets of Getting Better Doctor Care
13 Things Your Supermarket Isn't Telling You
13 Camp Counselor Secrets
13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You
13 Things Your Plumber Won't Tell You
13 Teacher Secrets
13 Things Your Shoe Salesman Won't Tell You
13 Hotel Secrets
Get more insider secrets!

Sign up for the 13 Things newsletter to receive insider secrets.

Download our Life IQ trivia game for your iPhone.

home health checks, electric tea kettles, kitchen staples, weight loss secrets, cosmetics toiletries, laundry detergent, convenience factor, razor blades, camp counselor, lip gloss, light bulbs, paper towels, discount house, insider secrets, shoe salesman, discount hardware, hardware department, coffee makers, premium price, place cards
qtdz
Shine.yahoo.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Ice skating

photo

Ice skating

Called "Lngfrdsskridskor" in swedish. This lake is a very popular place to skate on during the winter time. It is also very beautiful here.

Tags

snow

cold

ice

sun

winter

skate

skating

justpentax

dalarna

dalecarlia

falun

sverige

swedenqtdz
Flickr.com

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

2010-01-16 01-23 Portland, Oregon 001

photo

2010-01-16 01-23 Portland, Oregon 001

Tags

Foto

photo

image

picture

Bild

flickr

high resolution

hi-res

jpg

jpeg

geotagged

geo

Stockphoto

cc

Sony

SLT-A55

Alpha

55

A55

2011

Januar

Winter

Portland

Oregon

USA

Amerika

America

Westkste

west

coast

OR

Downtown

cityqtdz
Flickr.com

Monday, January 24, 2011

clouds cold west philly

photo

clouds cold west philly

Tags

365

cameraphone

city

clouds

cold

frozen

frozenlandscape

mobilephotography

philadelphia

Shuttersisters

streetphotography

universitycity

urban

urbanlandscape

urbanstreetscape

usa

utata

westphilly

winter

PAqtdz
Flickr.com

Badlands4_1531SharpWM

photo

badlands4_1531SharpWM

An old juniper in dawn light in the Oregon Badlands.

Tags

Boulders

Central Oregon

Events

Junipers

Landscapes

Mountains

Nature

Other Keywords

Photography

Places

rock formations

Rocks and Trees

Seasons

The Badlands

trees

Winter

Bend

Oregon

USA

dawn light, badlands download, juniper
qtdz
Flickr.com

Sunday, January 23, 2011

023-06 G518 at Glenlee

photo

023-06 G518 at Glenlee

Tags

AUS

Australia

geotagged

Menangle

Menangle Park

New South Walesqtdz
Flickr.com

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Weedy Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus Sydney Aquarium_7490

photo

Weedy Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus Sydney Aquarium_7490

Weedy Seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus at the Sydney Aquarium, Sydney, Australia

Tags

au-nz10

Australia

Pipefish-seahorses(Syngnathiformes)

rayfinned-fish(Actinopterygii)

Sydney

weedy seadragon, sydney aquarium, actinopterygii, phyllopteryx taeniolatus, seahorses, fish
qtdz
Flickr.com

Friday, January 21, 2011

here we are...

photo

here we are...

Tags

venezia2011

venezia

cavalieri

tavola

table

king

artur

me

ideanaorricophotography

ideana

didy

italy

venice

red

torquaise

water

boathqtdz
Flickr.com

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Mtra 2010 - 0595

photo

Mtra 2010 - 0595

A Mtra sszel / the Mtra in autumn

Mtraszentlszl s krnyke - Mtra album

Diavetts / slideshow

GPS geotagged

Tags

CsabX

Canon

DSLR

EOS

40D

Tamron AF SP 17-50 mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF)

Europe

Hungary

Mtra

mountain

hegy

tra

bartok

sz

autumn

colors

tree

touring

hiking

daypacking

landscape

GPS

geotaggedqtdz
Flickr.com

Dodonaea viscosa

photo

dodonaea viscosa

Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq., male plant with flowers, Black Mountain, Canberra, ACT, 19 January 2011

Tags

Black Mountain

Canberra

ACT

Australia

January

2011

Sapindaceae

Dodonaea

viscosa

canberra act, dodonaea, viscosa, 19 january, flowers, male plant
qtdz
Flickr.com

Nest

photo

Nest

Active Assignment Weekly: Macro Mode

Tags

hornet

nest

babies

eggs

macroqtdz
Flickr.com

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Violette Aturine?

photo

Violette Aturine?

Tags

Venice

Beach

Santa

Monica

Los Angeles

Californiaqtdz
Flickr.com

Griffith Park

photo

Griffith Park

Here are some shots from Griffith Park's Travel Town and Observatory.

Travel Town is an outdoor pre-WWII train museum. Many of these trains where used for cargo, travel and military travel.

The Observatory is where you can go and get a spectacular view of the city and get up and close with the planets.

I highly recommend Griffith Park as a must visit in the Los Angeles area.

Tags

iPad

photofxultra

office

traffic

downtown

Pentax

Art

2011

photografia

california

Photogene

los angeles

editedontheipad

photo project

Photo

iPadography

iphonography

LA

potholes

railroad

los angels

photogs

WWII

palm

sky

flag

blackandwhite

project

flag pole

365

togs

trains

Vintage

US Flag

project 365

beautiful day

filterstorm

Flowers

Pentax K-X

apple

observatory

blue sky

Griffith park

casa

moon

iArt

travel town

Pentax Art

pot

observatory travel, cargo travel, travel town, train museum, griffith park, military travel, spectacular view, planets, trains
qtdz
Flickr.com

Monday, January 17, 2011

Guinea Bissau Flag

photo

Guinea Bissau Flag

Tags

flags

metroflags

flag

flag gallery

flag pictures

metroflags.com

metroflags.net

usa flags

flags of the world

united states flags

guinea bissau, flags, download
qtdz
Flickr.com

green line in winter 2

photo

green line in winter 2

Tags

mbta

t

boston

brookline

greenline

coolidgecorner

trains

transportation

snow

blizzard

nor'easter

MA

United Statesqtdz
Flickr.com

Sunday, January 16, 2011

P1040292.JPG

photo

P1040292.JPG

Dim Sum Lamma Island Hong Kong

Tags

Panasonic G1

G1

Chinese

Din Sum

Food

Hong Kong

Lamma

Restaurantqtdz
Flickr.com

Saturday, January 15, 2011

le muse national de la marine

photo

le muse national de la marine

Tags

muse de la marine

maritime museum

oeuvre d'art

nikon D200

model kit

wood

bois

sail

sailing

nikon

pontfire

face

portrait

bateau

bateaux

voilier

voiliers

histoire

history

muse

museum

marine

maritime

ship

ships

vessel

vessels

paris

trocadro

velero

vela

buque

arte

navio

velerio

france

maquette

model

kitqtdz
Flickr.com

Bush River

photo

Bush River

Tags

Papua New Guinea

5DmkII

24-70L

jundy

landscape

nature

forest

bush

river

jundytiu

5Dmk2

helicopter

chopper

aerial

shot

trees

greenqtdz
Flickr.com

Friday, January 14, 2011

Turtle

photo

Turtle

Tags

canoneos5dmarkII

ef24105f4l

southafrica

pilanesberg

turtle

water

eyesqtdz
Flickr.com

View from top op Empire State Building

photo

View from top op Empire State Building

Tags

USAqtdz
Flickr.com

Primates at Jungle Island in South Florida

photo

Primates at Jungle Island in South Florida

Primates at Jungle Island in South Florida

Jungle Island
1111 Parrot Jungle Trail
Miami, Florida 33132 USA
305-400-7000
guestrelations@jungleisland.com
www.jungleisland.com

Photo
Miami Florida USA
11-24-2010

Tags

www.jungleisland.com

Jungle Island

Jungle

Jungles

Island

Islands

Miami Florida

Miami

Florida

South Florida

305

area code 305

33132

zip code 33132

Animal

Animals

Wild Animal

Wild Animals

Caged Animal

Caged Animals

zoo

nature

Primate

Primates

lemurs

lorises

galagos

tarsiers

monkey

monkeys

ape

apes

Animalia

Chordata

Mammalia

Eutheria

Euarchontoglires

PETA

Science

Evolution

earth

man

Evoludtion of Man

Human

Human being

humans

safari

pet

pets

exotic pet

exotic animal

exotic animals

Nature Photography

photo

photos

photography

Evolution of Man

Human Evolution

Evolution of Humans

baboon

baboons

animal fur

fur

natural beauty

naturalqtdz
Flickr.com

Heldenplatz Sunset

<a href=photo" width="640" height="425">

Heldenplatz sunset

A peaceful sunset sets a colorful contrast to the monument of Archduke Charles at Heldenplatz in Vienna, Austra.

View this photo on a nice gallery page

Tags

vienna

travel

sunset

viakali

archduke charles

scenic

heldenplatz

city

Wien

Austria

archduke charles, colorful contrast, austra, nice gallery, vienna, sunset, photo
qtdz
Flickr.com

Thursday, January 13, 2011

stuck in the headlights

photo

stuck in the headlights

driving home one night i found this bunny blocking the road. Not sure if it is wild or the escaped plaything of a 6yr old.

Tags

rabbit

bunny

animal

night

manhole

street

2011

ears

furry

capetown

canoneos30d

south africa

nature

pet

cute

wild

hare

tarmac

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

ef 50mm, plaything
qtdz
Flickr.com

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Cloud 9

photo

Cloud 9

more "helicopter view" shots of png to come so bear with me... :-)

Tags

Papua New Guinea

5Dmk2

24-70L

jundy

clouds

helicopter

sky

aerial shot

5DmkII

chopper

mountains

PNG

blue

helicopter view, png
qtdz
Flickr.com

The Truck

photo

The Truck

Megan

Tags

Bridgewater

MA

mass

massachusetts

new england

outside

winter

cold

model

girl

curly

hair

snow

truck

abandoned

jeans

denim

plaid

fordqtdz
Flickr.com

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

21

photo

21

Tags

21

museumqtdz
Flickr.com

Il pleut sur La Defense

photo

Il pleut sur La Defense

...st sempre giocando con i nuovi plugin... : D

Tags

La Defense

Paris

France

rain

clouds

vintage

framed

texture

eva

in eva vae

reflections

modern

place

piazza

colori

citt

city

grattaceli

skyscrapers

cityscape

architecture

kodak

peach

photoshop

pioggia

nuvoleqtdz
Flickr.com

Monday, January 10, 2011

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Herbig Family Tree (9/365)

photo

Herbig Family Tree (9/365)

Springton, South Australia (near the Adelaide Hills/Barossa Valley Border)

Our Daily Challenge group. Topic: Tree.

This tree was home to J. F. Herbig and later his family from 1855-1860. He arrived by ship in Port Adelaide in October 1855 from Gruenberg (now the Polish city of Zielona Gora), in Silesia, Prussia.

He made his home in the gnarled old hollow red gum, 20 feet wide at its base and standing some 70 feet high. Located near the bank of a stream which falls into the River Rhine, it was to be his dwelling for the next five years.

He lived alone in the tree until July 1858 when he was married and joined by his 18-year old wife Anna Caroline Rattery. 13 months later they had their first son. After the birth of their second son they built a pine and pug dwelling nearby. They went on to have a total of 16 children.

As of 2004, there were five families of their descendants who still lived in the area. They erected signs inside the tree and created the memorial (which this information comes from).

Tags

ourdailychallenge

Red Gum Tree

Tree

Unusual House

Tree House

Evening

Springton

Adelaide Hills

Barossa Valley

South Australia

Day 9

January 9

365:2011

Herbig Family

barossa valley, river rhine, red gum, adelaide hills, port adelaide, polish city, group topic, herbig, old wife, silesia, gruenberg, south australia, australiaday, prussia, next five years, gora, descendants, dwelling, family tree, signs
qtdz
Flickr.com

Snow 2011 04

photo

Snow 2011 04

Tags

Mission

BC

Canada

CA

Snow

Snow201101qtdz
Flickr.com

Saturday, January 8, 2011

La chapelle d'tretat (version 2011)

photo

La chapelle d'tretat (version 2011)

Tags

Chapel

Etretat

Normandy

beach

cliff

water

Hdr

BEJqtdz
Flickr.com

Is Olympic superheavy weight bronze medallist David Price being side-stepped by Brit rivals?

Is Olympic superheavy weight bronze medallist David Price being side-stepped by Brit rivals?

Frank Maloney insists he is running out of options for top British heavyweights to step up and face Olympic bronze medallist David Price, the 6ft 8in Liverpool boxer, whom the promoter assures will be ready to fight at world class level this year, but needs the giant hopeful to face the best in Britain first moving up in class.

Is Olympic superheavy bronze medallist David Price being side-stepped by Brit rivals?

Who next? Frank Maloney has found finding a top-class domestic opponent for David Price tough Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Gareth Davies

By Gareth A Davies 11:05AM GMT 05 Jan 2011

Price, 9-0 as a professional, returns to action at Brentwood Centre on Saturday Feb 5 yet finding a top-class domestic opponent has been problematic for Maloney to find to face the unbeaten 27-year-old.

Maloney listed Tyson Fury, the Mick Hennessy prospect, Audley Harrison, John McDermott, Larry Olubamiwo, Martin Rogan, Sam Sexton, Michael Sprott and Matt Skelton, as opponents who had been approached.

Maloney explained: “Skelton took the job, but has since been sent to prison and the only other boxers to offer encouragement were Sam Sexton and John McDermott.

“An offer was made to Sam&rsquo;s promoter on Sunday, but he wants to get a win first and it is the same with John. Big Larry turned down the job when I promoted him, Sprott is waiting for a bigger offer for another fight, while Harrison and Rogan don’t want to know either. An offer were made to Fury, but I haven't heard back.”

Maloney added: “The heavyweight scene is wide open and this time next year, Pricey could be very close to a world title shot. David Haye is retiring in October and it would be no surprise if this was also the final year for Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.”

The only name Britons Maloney hasn't approached is WBA heavyweight holder title David Haye and British and Commonwealth champion Dereck Chisora.

Maloney added: “Haye obviously has the Klitschkos to worry about and is adamant he’ll pack up in October. Chisora is also hopeful of a world title fight soon, but if that doesn’t come off we would take Del boy in a heart beat.”

Sam Webb (17-1), heads the Brentwood card, defending his British light-middleweight title against hard-hitting Bradley Pryce (31-8).

sam sexton, david haye, getty images, commonwealth champion, audley harrison, wladimir klitschko, matt skelton, michael sprott, john mcdermott, heavyweight scene, moving up in class, olympic bronze, frank maloney, klitschkos, bronze medallist, david price, rsquo, superheavy, harrison john, dereck
qtdz
Telegraph.co.uk

Friday, January 7, 2011

U.S. Looks to End Mexico Truck Fight

The Obama administration launched a bid to resolve a festering trade dispute with Mexico over allowing foreign truckers onto U.S. roads.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Washington would seek talks with Mexico over a U.S. ban on that country's trucks operating north of the border. The ban has prompted Mexico to slap punitive tariffs on some $2 billion in U.S. goods.

View Full Image

MEXTRUCK

Getty Images

Mexican trucks enter the U.S. in March 2009, the month Washington ended a pilot program allowing them in.

MEXTRUCK

MEXTRUCK

Mr. LaHood sent a blueprint to Congress outlining principles the White House would push. Mr. Obama could end the ban without congressional approval, but he is seeking to get key Democrats and others on board.

The transportation secretary said a formal proposal could emerge in coming months, and another U.S. official said the goal was to have the nearly two-year-old ban lifted "as soon as possible."

A Mexican official said that while Mexico welcomed the proposal, it was "just an initiative" and would not yet prompt the country to lift the punitive tariffs. Mexico says the ban violates the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The White House move will anger some Democratic lawmakers and unions that have opposed lifting the ban on the grounds that Mexican trucks are unsafe and the move would kill U.S. jobs.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said Thursday he was "deeply disappointed" by the White House proposal.

"Why would the DOT propose to threaten U.S. truck drivers' and warehouse workers' jobs when unemployment is so high?" he said.

A congressional ally of the union, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D., Ore.), would call for a hearing on the matter, his spokeswoman said.

But the White House has been under increasing political and economic pressure to resolve the dispute. Mexico's retaliatory tariffs have hit dozens of American products, from apples to pork to pistachios. That has angered powerful U.S. industries and their congressional allies, who say thousands of U.S. jobs have been lost or jeopardized as a result.

Mexico is one of the U.S.'s biggest trade partners, and the spat has hampered the Obama administration's goal of expanding U.S. exports to create jobs.

"If we're going to double exports within five years, we must hold on to export markets, such as Mexico, where American companies are already doing well," said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.

Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington think tank, said the move by the White House reflected a shift in the Obama administration's approach to free-trade issues.

"It's another tilt in the direction of pulling trade policy out of the basement, up into at least the first floor," Mr. Hubauer said.

He noted that the White House announcement came on the day that President Obama selected as his chief of staff William M. Daley, who helped the Clinton Administration push the North American Free Trade Agreement through Congress in the early 1990s.

Tensions over Mexican trucks operating in the U.S. heated up in early 2009 when Mr. Obama, shortly after taking office, signed legislation canceling a pilot program that had allowed Mexican trucks to carry cargo on U.S. roads.

The Teamsters union argued that Mexican trucks were unsafe, that some drivers didn't know English and that Mexican authorities didn't keep adequate safety records on drivers.

Mr. LaHood's blueprint says U.S. regulators will screen Mexican truckers for compliance with safety regulations, and keep tabs on their operations.

—Paul Kiernan
contributed to this article.

Write to Josh Mitchell at joshua.mitchell@dowjones.com

rep peter defazio, international brotherhood of teamsters, ray lahood, jim hoffa, peter defazio, punitive tariffs, image getty, retaliatory tariffs, congressional allies, democratic lawmakers, mexican trucks, formal proposal, brotherhood of teamsters, warehouse workers, union rep, pilot program, economic pressure, congressional approval, trade dispute, transportation secretary
qtdz
Online.wsj.com

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Walking on the white rice-sand beach

photo

Walking on the white rice-sand beach

Is Arutas

Tags

sand

white

beach

shoreline

foam

sea

sinis

Sardinia

Cabras

Is Arutas

Is Aruttas

Sardegna

sabbia

bianca

riso

mare

spiaggia

battigia

bagnasciuga

schiumaqtdz
Flickr.com

Bellmonte

photo

Bellmonte

Built in the early 1800's for Dr. John R Bellamy. Their is a two story back section that may be on older house. This house was abandoned and neglected in the 1980's when it was moved about 1/4 mile to the campus of NC Wesleyan College and restored. I think it is now used for offices.

I thought they may have some lights on this house at night but I was wrong so I ended up taking a 15 second exposure.
It was still snowing a little but that didnt show up.

Nash County, North Carolina.

Tags

Nash County

North Carolina

Antebellum

southern

plantation

south

Bellemont

historic

Snow

long exposure

Rocky Mount

Hwy 301

restored

Portico

Federal

night

Dr. John R Bellamy

nc wesleyan college, nash county north carolina, dr john, county north carolina
qtdz
Flickr.com

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Shwedagon Pagoda

photo

The Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon, Myanmar. I don't think this is a local monk from Myanmar, but one on holiday as he is wearing different coloured robes.

he Shwedagon Pagoda or Paya is the single most important religious site in all of Myanmar. The pagoda stands on the top of Singuttara Hill, and, according to legend, that spot has been sacred since the beginning of time, just before our present world was created. At that time, five lotus buds popped up on the hill, each bud signifying the five Buddhas who would appear in the world and guide it to Nirvana. Gautama, the Buddha as we know him, is the fourth of these five (Maitreya, the fifth, will announce the end of the world with his appearance) and, according to the legend, two brothers brought eight hairs of the Buddha to be enshrined in this sacred location, inaugurating the Shwedagon Pagoda. Whatever the truth of the legend, verifiable history records a pagoda at the site since the 6th Century AD. Built and rebuilt, guilded and reguilded, almost nothing in the pagoda is likely to be old, except whatever is hidden deep inside the stupa. An earthquake (18th century) destroyed the upper half of the pagoda spire and many buildings. The British used the platform and the temples to house their soldiers and armory and, allegedly, made off with anything of value. And Burmese Buddhists are inherently practical people who constantly build and rebuild pagodas for merit.

Today, the pagoda is a magical place that most visitors to Yangon come again and again. Unlike other religious sites, it has at once a spiritual as well as a secular feel about it. Children run up and down singing songs, monks sit on the steps chatting, young men cast amorous glances at women, women stand around gossiping, all while others are deep in prayer in front of whatever shrine has significance for them. A sort of religious version of Times Square, the Shwedagon captures the essence of both the informal nature as well as the strong ties that signify the relationship that the Burmese have with their Buddhism. There is no other pagoda like it in Burma and there is no other place like the Shwedagon Pagoda in the world and visitors to Burma end up spending a lot of their time there.

wikitravel.org/en/Yangon#See

Tags

Asia

Burma

Myanmar

Travel

Trip 2010qtdz
Flickr.com

Trash Mounts as Snow Melts

The snow is sooo yesterday.

The city resumed limited garbage collection on Monday for the first time following the post-Christmas blizzard, but some elected officials and residents have already begun complaining that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has allowed too much refuse to pile up.

On streets throughout the city, the mounds of snow have been replaced with mounds of garbage, creating a new highly visible eyesore for the mayor.

Journal Community

Vote: How would you grade New York City's response to the blizzard?

"Today we started an aggressive approach to try to clean up the waste that has built up over the last week due to the snow storm," said John Doherty, commissioner of the Department of Sanitation, at a news conference in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan.

"During the course of the week, as we make our rounds, some people will get two pick-ups where they normally receive three, and some other people may get either one or two pick-ups where they receive twice-a-week collection," he said.

Mr. Doherty said he hopes the city will be "pretty well normal" on garbage collection by week's end, and he noted that a week is the longest the city has ever gone without collecting garbage. The city won't resume recycling collection until the weekend, at the earliest, he said.

"We ask the public to please get their garbage out in an area where the sanitation workers can get it easily so that we can move along," he said. "We've got a lot of work out there."

The commissioner estimated there was probably a little less than 50,000 tons of garbage waiting to be collected. But the cold temperatures mean the mounds of garbage, though unsightly, shouldn't pose a major health risk, Mr. Doherty said.

Although the mayor has taken responsibility for the slow snow cleanup, calling it inadequate and unacceptable, Mr. Doherty continued to defend his employees. "From my point of view they did an A-plus. From the public's point of view, we did probably a C-minus," he said.

City Council Member Letitia James, chairwoman of the council's Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, criticized Mr. Doherty for moving forward with limited garbage pick-up.

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TRASH

Ken Maldonado for The Wall Street Journal

A pile of trash sits on the curb outside an apartment complex in Queens on Sunday.

TRASH

TRASH

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"Because the snow has melted thanks to Mother Nature," Ms. James said, "we should actually be doing full sanitation pick-up because the garbage here in central Brooklyn is mounting and we have rodent problems and raccoon problems."

In October, City Hall unveiled plans to demote 100 supervisors at the Department of Sanitation in hopes of saving money and boosting the number of sanitation workers available to pick up trash and plow snow. On Monday, Jason Post, a spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, confirmed that 55 of those possible demotions have been suspended.

"We are hopeful we can negotiate savings with the union," Mr. Post said. The other 45 have already been demoted.

These demotions fueled intense anger at the department. Both Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Doherty said they do not believe there was any deliberate effort by sanitation workers to botch the city's response to the blizzard, but the mayor has nevertheless ordered an investigation

Rose Gill Hearn, commissioner of the city's Department of Investigation, which is probing the possibility of a deliberate slowdown during the blizzard, said her agency has been working "24/7" on the probe.

The Sanitation Department has 400 fewer employees than it had two years ago. While the head of the sanitation union has suggested that the work force reduction contributed to the city's sluggish response to the storm, the mayor and Mr. Doherty have insisted that's not the case.

Write to Michael Howard Saul at michael.saul@wsj.comqtdz
Online.wsj.com

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

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