Power-Generator photos on Flickr

Ork Power Generator by Mark

2 1

LOW LANDS 2 by Eric Ervani

4 1

Wind Power in Ontario by tai viinikka

4 44

See the most recent month of data at

www.flickr.com/photos/eastpole/6312718230/in/photostream

Grey bar represents the theoretical maximum capacity at the time.

2008 saw the total wind power generation capacity in Ontario double (again -- it also doubled in 2007.) On the best day, we can now exceed 800 MW. On the worst day, the entire province's wind turbines put out, basically, 0 MW.

Can the rest of the system adapt to this variability?

So far, of course it can. Note that the power generators already need to deal with demand variability that can go from 13 GW to 25 GW daily. You can see some of this output modulation occurring at a coal plant:

www.flickr.com/photos/eastpole/3064004004/

And it turns out natural gas power plants can and do modulate up and down much faster than coal plants, so the replacement of coal with natural gas means more stability for the grid, as well as cleaner emissions and somewhat less CO2 per kilowatt*hour. In Ontario, this replacement is almost complete.

Note that Ontario gained additional ability to handle load and wind variability on 11 Sep 2013 when OPA introduced curtailment, a policy that lets the system operator turn off production at wind farms when demand is low and total production is higher than needed.

www.energy.gov.on.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=english.news&am...

Scripty goodness, based on data from:

www.theimo.com/imoweb/pubs/marketreports/download/HourlyW...

#!/bin/sh

# Datasource:

# www.theimo.com/imoweb/pubs/marketreports/download/HourlyW...

logfile="/home/tai/bin/HourlyWindGen_20090106.csv"

lineswanted=`cat $logfile | wc -l | tr -d " "`

output="/home/tai/bin/ontario-wind.png"

spline="1E-21"

/usr/bin/gnuplot << EOF

# A Gnuplot script, ontario-wind.plt

set terminal png giant size 1024,768 nocrop

# set terminal dumb

set output "$output"

# set output

set title "IESO data from all Ontario wind farms \n generated by $0 at `date +"%F %T"` \n from $lineswanted lines of $logfile"

set xdata time

# set timefmt is for INPUT

# 1205349849

# set timefmt "%s"

# 2008-03-12 15:06:56

# set timefmt "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"

# 2008-03-12

# set timefmt "%Y-%m-%d"

set timefmt "%d-%b-%y,%H"

# 16/12/08 24 222 # is that right!??

# 31-Dec-08,24,78 # that looks more like it.

#

# set format x is for OUTPUT

set format x "%b%y"

set datafile separator ","

set ylabel "Megawatts"

# set yrange [15:70]

# set xrange ["15/02/06":"15/01/09"]

set xlabel "Date"

# Linestyle!

set style line 1 lt 2 lw 4 lc rgb "#1111FF"

# Why is it 1:3? Note space within date. $2 is the time column

# \ because we must escape the shell var name. Wheee!

plot "$logfile" using 1:(\$3) \

with points \

pointsize 0.3 \

title "Total wind farm output", \

"" using 1:3:($spline) \

smooth acspline \

with line ls 1 \

title "spline fit"

EOF

Rainbow & Wind Turbines by Allen Hsu

11 9

Power Storm…. by Martyn ~

5 5

Off the Lincolnshire coast of England a new wind farm has grown from the North Sea. Over 115 wind turbines already in place…..

engulfing terror, badabaug jaisalmer by nevil zaveri

9 13

cluster of windmills erected for generating power, around the royal cenotaph cluster at badabaug.

somehow, this picture evoke feelings in me that someday, future technologies will swallow our heritage past.

see more SILHOUETTEs here.

www.nevilzaveri.com

Lorain Harbor Light (1917) by Jaci Starkey

3

The History of the "Jewel of the Port®"

The symbol many people have come to identify with Lorain is the Lorain Lighthouse. Its image has been reproduced thousands of times in photographs, scale models, paintings, postcards, sweatshirts, logos, pins, needlework projects, posters, the covers of the Lorain County phone book, the 1990 state map of Ohio, etc. Standing at the north end of the West Harbor Breakwater in Lorain Harbor, its light is no longer lit, its fog horn no longer sounds, but it remains a silent reminder of Lorain’s historic relationship with Lake Erie shipping.

Lorain’s first "light" was a simple lantern hanging on a pole at the water’s edge. The first "light station", a wooden structure, was established in 1837 at the end of the West River Pier. Its beam was powered by lard oil, then later by kerosene. In the next 80 years, Lorain’s light was rebuilt at least twice, with continuing repairs to the walkway to the light, until the outer harbor West Breakwater was completed in 1908.

The "beacon building" that was installed in 1898 saw Lorain’s first lighthouse keeper, James Connolly, on duty starting in 1899. Connolly served until 1903 with one assistant. As time went by the kerosene light was replaced by an "oil vapor light".

Many dates are given for when the Lighthouse we see today was built - an article from the Lorain Journal, September 23, 1953 indicates 1898, with the title, "Lorain’s Lighthouse in 55th Year of Duty", but that date isn’t close. Most sources give 1909 as the date, but the blueprint for the current structure is dated 1916. Information from the Lighthouse Board in the National Archives states: "On June 30, 1917, the concrete structure had been erected, roof completed except shingling, metal work of lantern erected, and concrete forms removed. Temporary light in commission shone from new lantern. It is expected to install permanent light this season and place fog signal commission early next season." Also, an act of October 22, 1913 appropriated $35,000 for a light and fog station at Lorain Harbor. Thus the date 1917 is the most accurate available for the construction of the current Lorain Lighthouse structure.

The Lorain Lighthouse was built with poured concrete and steel walls that were over ten inches thick. The concrete structure included door jams, baseboards and window frames made of steel. In 1932 an electric light was installed. The lighthouse’s rotating beam projected fifteen miles out over the lake waters by means of a "fresnel" lens. This type of lens was invented by Frenchman, Jean Augustin Fresnel. The lens consisted of a large glass cylinder with mirrors that refracted parallel beams of light. The 50,000 candle power beacon was located 58 feet above Lake Erie. The beam flashed in the direction of the observer every ten seconds and its range was about 15 miles.

In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard took over operation of the Lighthouse. As illustrated in a Lorain Journal article of July 5, 1954, three men from the local Coast Guard unit were stationed at the Lighthouse. According to William Deverick, Lighthouse Keeper from 1957 to 1960, the inside of the Lighthouse consisted of a basement inside the crib of the structure with three floors above and a light tower. Four fuel tanks were stored in the basement along with a paint locker and a fresh water pump. On the first floor were located the engine room, the control panel, bath room, air compressors for a fog horn, auxiliary power generators, a tool room and the furnace. The second floor housed the office, fog horn air storage tank, sleeping quarters for the staff and a large galley. The third floor contained the fog horn house, the spare parts locker and a fresh water tank. The main light motor and weight controls were located in the light tower. The Coast Guard workers did their own cooking and housekeeping while living in the Lighthouse. They worked six days and were off three days, with two men at the Lighthouse at all times. Mr. Deverick estimated that the Lighthouse received over 60 distress calls a month during the late 1950’s. The Coast Guard crew served as lookouts for the lifeboat station and also served as ground observers’ lookout for the Air Force. In 1959 the Lighthouse was painted for the first time in 20 years by the Coast Guard staff. They were given 50 gallons of paint and told to complete the work in their spare time. It took them one year to complete the project using four-inch brushes.

In 1965, the Coast Guard decommissioned the Lighthouse. The building was slated for demolition in 1965 to make way for a planned $22 million harbor improvement program. The Lighthouse was to be replaced by a fully automatic light that would be erected at the west tip of the new outer harbor break wall. (The automated light was to be visible for 18 to 20 miles away compared to the Lighthouse’s 15-mile range.) When the light beacon was installed in the new breakwater the Lighthouse’s lens was removed and a small, red Coast Guard warning marker light was inserted in its place. The presence of the automated light released the three Lighthouse Coast Guardsmen for other duty. Unfortunately, the lack of staff being stationed at the Lighthouse ushered in a years-long period of intermittent vandalism at the structure. The building, without any furnishings in it, did not suffer any structural damage. The Coast Guard had to resort to welding the shutters and doors closed in an attempt to deny access to trespassers.

A group of concerned citizens led by Wayne Conn, William Parker, John and Clara Corogin and the Lorain County Historical Society mobilized to prevent the demolition of the Lighthouse. During the summer Mayor Woodrow Mathna and Wayne Conn met with Congressman Charles Mosher (R-Oberlin) and representatives of the United States Coast Guard in Washington, D.C. The Coast Guard later that year turned down the group’s request that the demolition be canceled. In early 1966 Conn negotiated directly with the company hired to construct the new break wall and demolish the Lighthouse. Due to severe winter weather the company decided to go along with Mr. Conn’s request to delay demolition until spring of 1967. Destruction had been scheduled for October 1965, but bad weather kept the demolition from proceeding. Since the weather stopped work on laying cable for the new beacon the old Lighthouse’s beam was still needed. By the time spring arrived good news came from Congressman Mosher’s office: the Coast Guard had decided to retain the Lighthouse after all due to the community’s interest in keeping the structure because of its historic value.

In 1974 international attention was brought to the Lorain Lighthouse. The General Services Administration abruptly announced that the Coast Guard had turned the structure over to them and that the General Services Administration was accepting bids for its purchase. The Associated Press newspaper wire service spread the story around the world accompanied by a photograph of the Lighthouse. The picture, by the local photographer, Jim Fiedler, showed the Lighthouse silhouetted against the setting sun. The headline read, "a place to get away from it all … with a magnificent view of the setting sun". A Lorain couple, vacationing in France, was surprised to find Fiedler’s picture of the Lorain Lighthouse with the "for sale" story, printed in a Parisian newspaper. Luckily for local conservation efforts, the General Services Administration was fussy about the qualifications of potential buyers. The General Services Administration reserved sale to not-for-profit organizations with historical purposes. Any purchasing organization would have to be able to demonstrate the financial resources needed to take over ownership and maintenance of the Lighthouse.

The Save-the-Lighthouse Committee continued to look for a buyer to save the structure from being destroyed. They approached the Great Lakes Historical Society since it met the General Service Administration’s criteria and was a logical local owner. The Great Lakes Historical Society attorney, Howard Baxter, and Leonard Sandelli of the Chicago Office of the General Services Administration, communicated often in efforts to work out a purchase.

Robert Jaycox, the Lorain Harbormaster, invited the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee to tour the Lighthouse in March 1975. They toured the Lighthouse with members of the Great Lakes Historical Society and found that the structure was basically sound.

In 1976 the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee applied for a grant to help fund preservation of the Lighthouse. The Committee assembled a scrapbook about the Lighthouse that demonstrated the local concerns about its future. Among those who provided valuable assistance in applying for the grant were John Corogin (Lake Erie Electric), Gene Sofranko (Lorain Glass), Loren Burgett (Lorain Builders Supply), Leo Weingarten (Lorain House Lumber) and Al Doane (Doane Electric). A $1,000 Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial grant was awarded to the Committee.

Although the Great Lakes Historical Society did consider the purchase of the Lighthouse for a time it finally decided not to purchase the Lighthouse. This decision was influenced by financial obligations facing the Great Lakes Historical Society. During the summer of 1976 there were real estate problems with the Vermilion Museum and some Great Lakes Historical Society board members did not favor taking on new projects which would require extra financial commitments. In October of 1976 Howard Baxter informed the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee that his organization was no longer interested in the purchase.

Al Doane, Al Fauver and Wayne Conn had sensed this change of interest on the part of the Great Lakes Historical Society for some months and had been re-establishing contacts with the Lorain County Historical Society. Actually there had been on-going contacts with the Lorain County Historical Society since the first saving of the Lighthouse in 1965-1966.

Lorain County Historical Society board members George Strom and Dale Kellogg stressed that their organization could not afford any financial drain on its own stressed budget. Therefore the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee pledged to hand over to the Lorain County Historical Society the $1,000 received from the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial grant. The grant money was to be reserved for payment of liability insurance premiums on the Lighthouse structure. This was the primary financial outlay that the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee had mutually identified with the Lorain County Historical Society as being needed at that time for the Lighthouse.

Once they had been convinced of the project’s financial feasibility, the Lorain County Historical Society Board and the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee agreed to enter into negotiations with the General Services Administration.

In 1977 the Lorain County Historical Society was awarded the deed to the Lorain Lighthouse by the General Services Administration for $1.00. The Lorain County Historical Society received the deed with the stipulation that the Lighthouse be maintained as an historic landmark. For the second time the Lighthouse had been "saved"! In December of the 1978 the Lorain Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

An underwater examination of the Lighthouse base was conducted in February of 1980 by divers hired with funds provided by a $9,000 grant from Ohio Coastal Zone Management. That inspection discovered that the base was in good condition.

The painting job done in 1959 was looking very weather-beaten in 1981. Robert Kowalczyk (formerly known as Reid Kollins), director of the Greater Lorain Chamber of Commerce, led the drive to recruit materials, supplies and labor for a repainting and refurbishing job. Due to the efforts of Gerry Amato, former Lorain Councilman and a Glidden Company executive, the Glidden Company (of Cleveland) donated more than 160 gallons of paint and other coatings for a repainting project of the Lighthouse exterior. (The Glidden Company later used "before and after" photos of the Lighthouse in an advertisement for its products.)

The 1981 painting work was done by professional painters whose time was donated by the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel. More than seventeen other local companies and individuals donated other work during the clean-up process. In addition to repainting the structure with white latex masonry paint, the work crews sandblasted the rust-corroded shutters and railings and then painted them ship gray. The shingles on the roof were treated with a sealer after being re-painted the distinctive tile-red. Comprehensive Employment Training Act workers transported the work crews to the Lighthouse by boat. Heavy equipment had to be transported by barge. John Sulpizio of the Lorain Port Authority, Al Doane of Doane Electric and Chief Mike Amato of the local Coast Guard were of great help during the process. Although the project took 17 days to complete it was more than a month in the doing because work was canceled six times due to threatening lake weather conditions. Total value of the donated materials and labor for "Operation Lighthouse" was estimated at over $30,000.

In 1987, another underwater examination of the Lighthouse’s base was done. That examination along with inspection of the structure itself, led to a determination that over $700,000 was needed to accomplish all the repairs that were needed to restore the Lighthouse to a safe and sound condition.

Through the years much help in the restoration was provided to the Save-the-Lighthouse Committee by Congressman Charles A. Mosher and then by his successor, Congressman Donald Pease. Support and encouragement of efforts to save the Lighthouse were publicized often by the Lorain Journal whose spokespersons (Jim Mahony, Mel Hartley, Irving Leibowitz, James Lonergan and John Cole) and numerous photographers were instrumental in keeping the Lighthouse’s needs and image before the public.

The first Lorain Lighthouse Celebration was held August 5, 1989 to honor the Lighthouse and its place in Lorain’s history. The timing was chosen to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the passage of the Lighthouse Act which established the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The Celebration was another example of cooperation among many local groups - Black River Historical Society, Marina International, Lorain County Historical Society, the Lorain Port Authority, the city of Lorain, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Lorain County Visitors Bureau, Lorain National Bank and numerous other area businesses and private individuals.

On December 21, 1989 Steven G. Luca, CPA, Robert Milovich, and Frank Lucas, desiring to form a corporation not for profit under Section 1702.01 of the Revised Code of Ohio, applied for the incorporation of the Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc.

The Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc., an IRC section 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit, charitable foundation, was created in 1989 and incorporated on December 26, 1989 under the laws of the State of Ohio and commenced operations on January 1, 1990, to spearhead the preservation of the Lorain Lighthouse. It was also established to maintain the history and integrity of Lorain’s Waterfront. On February 12, 1990, the Port of Lorain Foundation bought the Lorain Lighthouse building for $1.00 from the Lorain County Historical Society. The Port of Lorain Foundation received grants from the Ohio Historical Society and the Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County. The grant money was awarded to perform an engineering study to determine the repairs necessary to restore the structure and strengthen its base. Grants were also received from the Stocker Foundation and the TRW Foundation.

As this record of the Lighthouse’s history is written at the end of May, 1991, the Port of Lorain Foundation continues its fund-raising efforts. Preservation of the Lighthouse will involve restoration of the base with installation of sheet piling around the structure to protect it from further deterioration (estimated to cost $750,000), and repair and restoration of the exterior and restoration of the interior. Upon completion of repairs to the base of the structure the Foundation’s efforts will then be directed toward restoration of the Lighthouse structure itself.

By spring of 1991, approximately $250,000 had been collected or pledged toward the project’s cost including funds allocated by the state and through the fund-raising campaign. Cooperative projects were led by the Lorain City Schools during 1990-91. Irving Middle School 7th and 8th graders constructed wooden model Lighthouse banks that were displayed in area businesses soliciting donations for the renovation. Twenty-four Lorain city public and private schools also worked together to collect pennies in large glass bottles in their buildings. The "Pounds of Pennies" effort collected 2,861 pounds of pennies. The winning school was St. John School with 548 pounds of pennies donated. Whittier Middle School was second place winner and Irving Middle School placed third. The total amount raised by the Pounds of Pennies campaign was $5,000.05.

Michael VanWagnen, a local photographer, donated 2,000 posters of the Lighthouse as gifts to accompany donations to the renovation campaign of $20 or more. Other area artists also offered percentages of sales of Lighthouse artworks for the campaign coffers.

On May 30, 1991, it was announced in the Morning Journal that the House of Representatives in Washington, DC had voted in favor of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. That bill included a line-item appropriation of $500,000 for the repair of the foundation of the Lighthouse. The repair appropriation had been requested by Rep. Donald J. Pease who said he was confident that the bill would pass including the appropriation for the Lighthouse money.

On June 8-9, 1991, the third annual Port Awareness Weekend and Lighthouse Celebration will be held in Lorain. The annual celebrations mark the continuing efforts of the Port of Lorain Foundation and other local groups to publicize the Lighthouse and encourage involvement in fund-raising to completely restore it for enjoyment by present and future generations of Lorain’s residents.

On June 24, 1991 the Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc. received IRS Determination letter and recognition of exemption from federal income tax under Section 501(a) as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC.

Lorain Lighthouse Chronology

1837 Light station erected at outer end of the West River Pier

1857 Lighthouse rebuilt 1875

1875 New light established at head of West Pier, old brick tower on shore torn down

1903 Construction of West Breakwater begun

1908 West Breakwater completed

Light erected at head of outer West Breakwater Pier, cost $19,800

1913 $35,000 appropriated for a light and fog signal station

1016 Date on original blueprint for current Lorain Lighthouse

1917 Concrete structure erected, roof complete except shingling

1919 Building rebuilt

1932 Electric beacon installed

1939 U.S. Coast Guard takes over operation; Lighthouse is painted

1957 William J. Deverick appointed Lighthouse Keeper by Coast Guard

1959 Exterior repainted for 50th Anniversary; Floodlights installed to beam at Lighthouse

11/60 Deverick tour-of-duty ended; Lighthouse cleaned up and brought up to "Coast Guard Standards" (Outstanding Rating) during his term

1965 Lighthouse light automated; Coast Guard staffing discontinued; Lighthouse decommissioned by Coast Guard.

7/12/65 Governor announces contract for Oct. 1 destruction as part of $22 million harbor renovation project

7/30/65 Wayne Conn appointed by Mayor Mathna to head Save-the-Lighthouse Committee

7/65 Citizens’ Committee, Lorain Journal, Congressman Mosher and City Officials organize to preserve structure

8/65 City Council passes resolution expressing hope that Lighthouse is preserved; resolution forwarded to Rep. Mosher

8/18/65 Congressman Mosher, Mayor Mathna and Wayne Conn meet with United States Coast Guard (U.S.C.G.) officials in Washington, D.C.

9/65 U.S.C.G. position adamant; committee fights on

10/65 Destruction contract is postponed but not cancelled

11/65 Lorain County Historical Society is approached and expresses interest in helping save Lighthouse

12/65 Weather precludes procedure on destruction contract

1965-66 Campaign to save the Lighthouse

1/66 Electrical wiring at Lighthouse disconnected; Last light shines from Lighthouse beacon

1/66 Lorain Civic Memorial Association contacted; it indicates interest and money available

2/66-4/66 Bad weather; no destruction of Lighthouse

5/5/66 U.S.C.G. cancels demolition contract; continues restricted operation of Lighthouse

5/19/73 General Services Administration declares the building surplus and up for disposal (sale)

1973 Journal begins campaign to keep interest in rescuing the Lighthouse alive in the community

7/73 Contacts initiated with the Great Lakes Historical Society (to continue for a period of over two years)

9/73 Ohio State University becomes interested in the Lighthouse as a research site; Lorain Civic Memorial Association and Great Lakes Historical Society still interested

1973-74 Continued negotiations with Great Lakes Historical Association

7/74 Problems regarding Vermilion Museum hold up action with Great Lakes Historical Society

7/12/74 Contract negotiations with Great Lakes Historical Society continue

3/75 Local group visits Lighthouse with Great Lakes Historical Society officials. They determine that the structure is basically sound with regard to restoring cosmetic appearance of the exterior. No use of the interior is contemplated due to personal liability exposure in getting on and off the site.

4/10/75 Negotiations with Great Lakes Historical Society and General Services Administration continue

11/75 Great Lakes Historical Society indicates lack of interest in completing contract

12/75 Re-establishment of negotiations with Lorain County Historical Society

1/3/76 Lorain County Historical Society and General Services Administration continue contract negotiations

3/76 Local committee, through Lorain County Historical Society, files an application for O.A.R.B. Horizon’s ’76 Federal Matching Funds Grant.

1/77 Purchased by the Lorain Historical Society for $1.00 and receives deed

12/78 Placed on the National Register of Historic Places

1980 Lighthouse renovation study carried out by Lorain County. Regional Planning Commission for Lorain Historical Society.

1981 Lighthouse T-shirts available for sale from Lake Screen Printing

10/81 "Operation Lighthouse" results in complete repainting of exterior with sandblasting of shutters and railings and treatment of the roof shingles

1987 Cracks in Lighthouse base worry volunteers; underwater examination of base conducted and building is examined

8/5/89 Celebration of the Lighthouse

12/26/89 Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio and commenced operations on January 1, 1990.

1/90 Lorain Lighthouse featured on cover of the newest Ohio roadmap

2/12/90 The Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc., buys the Lighthouse for $1.00.

6/90 Second annual Port Awareness Weekend and Lighthouse Celebration

12/3/90 Port of Lorain Foundation receives $19,168 grant from Ohio Historical Society

1991 Port of Lorain Foundation sponsors fund-raising drive for Lighthouse restoration.

1991 Ohio 1991/1992 budget has $150,000 allocation reserved in the Capital Appropriation Budget for Lighthouse restoration.

5/91 Schools conclude their "Pounds of Pennies" fund-raiser for Lighthouse. They raise $5,000.05.

5/30/91 House of Representatives votes in favor of appropriation including funds for Lighthouse base repairs.

1991 June 8 and 9 - Port Awareness Weekend and Lighthouse Celebration.

6/24/1991 Received IRS determination of 501(c)(3) status.

1992 to present Restoration of the Lorain Lighthouse continues through the efforts of the Port of Lorain Foundation, Inc. and its dedicated supporters.

2007 Additional content coming soon!

Information provided by the Lorain Public Library and others.

M3 Compact Hammerhead Corvette: Front-Right View by Evrant

3

Changes from the M2A include a dorsal cannon gimbal rotation of 90°, viewports for gunner, upgraded thrusters, 50% increase in cargo clamper capacity, upgraded power generator and hyperdrive, Fore cannons with greater orientation capabilities, and a couple viewports in the main corridor. Oh, and it's colored differently.

Don't worry. Be happy. by Romeo Banias

7 9

Just got back from a three day getaway at my brother Raul's beach house in Concepcion town in Northern Iloilo. Shot this on a moonlit night with the beach house lit by solar powered LED lights and the Pan De Azucar mountain in the back. There is also a power generator to supplement the solar energy. It was great to be away from the hustle and bustle, and smog of the city. It was also great to have no internet and cell phone signals the whole time we were there. Just the cool ocean breeze, the lapping of the waves and great company. Of course there was plenty of fresh seafood, lechon (pig roast) and alcohol. It was a TOUCHDOWN !

AGHOSH-E-SYEDA ORPHANAGE NO.1 #MUHARRAM16 by Charity Organisation

Syeda Amina Trust® is looking to complete its first orphanage, Aghosh-e-Syeda Amina for Girls. The project is now in its final stage and we require £50k to complete this project.

We require urgent funds to so we can provide: orphanage roof, doors, windows, clean water system, electricity, furniture (wardrobes, beds, bedding, desks, dining table and chairs, sofas), fixtures and fittings, light fittings, marble floors, wall plaster, bathrooms/toilets, kitchen equipment (cookers, oven, microwave, kettle, cooking utensils, plates, cups, knife and forks, spoons, bowls etc), power generator, solar panels, learning equipment ( computers, internet connection, books, stationary, quran etc).

Help us complete our first orphanage by making an online donation: www.syedaaminatrust.co.uk/what-we-do/orphanages/

Face on a water droplet by Randolf David

6 10

The night before the 2011/03/11 Japan earthquake and tsunami , I was shooting some water droplets .

Upon reviewing my photos I'ved taken , I'ved noticed this one and scarred me a littlebit . I immediately posted it on my facebook's wall .

I don't know what this means but on the next day , the eathquake and the devasting tsunami happened . Hundreds of people died on this tsunami . And a lot more are still missing .

Now the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant is pausing danger to the people arround this area . I just wish that the melt down wouldn't happen . Because if this happens , not only this area will greatly affected but also the surrounding country as well specially Korea and the country on the east of Japan . The radioactive material can be blown away by wind to its neighboring countries and a radioactive rain can happen . Posiblly contaminating drinking water .

I hope some developed contries like US and British send some power generators to the site to help on solving the problem .

Myanmar - Yangon - Street Life - 26 by Manfred Sommer

3

Yangon (Burmese: ရန်ကုန်, MLCTS rankun mrui, pronounced: [jàɴɡòʊɴ mjo̰]; formerly known as Rangoon, literally: "End of Strife") is the capital of the Yangon Region of Myanmar, also known as Burma. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the capital to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw in central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and is its most important commercial centre.

Yangon boasts the largest number of colonial-era buildings in the region, and has a unique colonial-era urban core that is remarkably intact. The colonial-era commercial core is centred around the Sule Pagoda, which reputed to be over 2,000 years old. The city is also home to the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda — Myanmar's most sacred Buddhist pagoda. The mausoleum of the last Mughal Emperor is located in Yangon, where he had been exiled following the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

Yangon suffers from deeply inadequate infrastructure, especially compared to other major cities in Southeast Asia. Though many historic residential and commercial buildings have been renovated throughout central Yangon, most satellite towns that ring the city continue to be profoundly impoverished and lack basic infrastructure.

ETYMOLOGY

Yangon (ရန်ကုန်) is a combination of the two words yan (ရန်) and koun (ကုန်), which mean "enemies" and "run out of", respectively. It is also translated as "End of Strife". "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British imitation of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the Arakanese language, which is [rɔ̀ɴɡʊ́ɴ].

HISTORY

EARLY HISTORY

Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th century (c. 1028–1043) by the Mon, who dominated Lower Burma at that time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755, King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon, renamed it "Yangon", and added settlements around Dagon. The British captured Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26), but returned it to Burmese administration after the war. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841.

COLONIAL RANGOON

The British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Yangon is also the place where the British sent Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, to live after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Based on the design by army engineer Lt. Alexander Fraser, the British constructed a new city on a grid plan on delta land, bounded to the east by the Pazundaung Creek and to the south and west by the Yangon River. Yangon became the capital of all British-ruled Burma after the British had captured Upper Burma in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885. By the 1890s Yangon's increasing population and commerce gave birth to prosperous residential suburbs to the north of Royal Lake (Kandawgyi) and Inya Lake. The British also established hospitals including Rangoon General Hospital and colleges including Rangoon University.

Colonial Yangon, with its spacious parks and lakes and mix of modern buildings and traditional wooden architecture, was known as "the garden city of the East." By the early 20th century, Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London.

Before World War II, about 55% of Yangon's population of 500,000 was Indian or South Asian, and only about a third was Bamar (Burman). Karens, the Chinese, the Anglo-Burmese and others made up the rest.

After World War I, Yangon became the epicentre of Burmese independence movement, with leftist Rangoon University students leading the way. Three nationwide strikes against the British Empire in 1920, 1936 and 1938 all began in Yangon. Yangon was under Japanese occupation (1942–45), and incurred heavy damage during World War II. The city was retaken by the Allies in May 1945.

Yangon became the capital of Union of Burma on 4 January 1948 when the country regained independence from the British Empire.

CONTEMPORARY YANGON

Soon after Burma's independence in 1948, many colonial names of streets and parks were changed to more nationalistic Burmese names. In 1989, the current military junta changed the city's English name to "Yangon", along with many other changes in English transliteration of Burmese names. (The changes have not been accepted by many Burmese who consider the junta unfit to make such changes, nor by many publications, news bureaus including, most notably, the BBC and foreign nations including the United Kingdom and United States.)

Since independence, Yangon has expanded outwards. Successive governments have built satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa in the 1950s to Hlaingthaya,

Shwepyitha and South Dagon in the 1980s. Today, Greater Yangon encompasses an area covering nearly 600 square kilometres.

During Ne Win's isolationist rule (1962–88), Yangon's infrastructure deteriorated through poor maintenance and did not keep up with its increasing population. In the 1990s, the current military government's more open market policies attracted domestic and foreign investment, bringing a modicum of modernity to the city's infrastructure. Some inner city residents were forcibly relocated to new satellite towns. Many colonial-period buildings were demolished to make way for high-rise hotels, office buildings, and shopping malls, leading the city government to place about 200 notable colonial-period buildings under the Yangon City Heritage List in 1996. Major building programs have resulted in six new bridges and five new highways linking the city to its industrial back country. Still, much of Yangon remains without basic municipal services such as 24-hour electricity and regular garbage collection.

Yangon has become much more indigenous Burmese in its ethnic make-up since independence. After independence, many South Asians and Anglo-Burmese left. Many more South Asians were forced to leave during the 1960s by Ne Win's xenophobic government. Nevertheless, sizable South Asian and Chinese communities still exist in Yangon. The Anglo-Burmese have effectively disappeared, having left the country or intermarried with other Burmese groups.

Yangon was the centre of major anti-government protests in 1974, 1988 and 2007. The 1988 People Power Uprising resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of Burmese civilians, many in Yangoon where hundreds of thousands of people flooded into the streets of the then capital city. The Saffron Revolution saw mass shootings and the use of crematoria in Yangoon by the Burmese government to erase evidence of their crimes against monks, unarmed protesters, journalists and students.

The city's streets saw bloodshed each time as protesters were gunned down by the government.

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Yangon. While the city had few human casualties, three quarters of Yangon's industrial infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, with losses estimated at US$800 million.

In November 2005, the military government designated Naypyidaw, 320 kilometres north of Yangon, as the new administrative capital, and subsequently moved much of the government to the newly developed city. At any rate, Yangon remains the largest city, and the most important commercial centre of Myanmar.

GEOGRAPHY

Yangon is located in Lower Burma (Myanmar) at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers about 30 km away from the Gulf of Martaban at 16°48' North, 96°09' East (16.8, 96.15). Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours.

CLIMATE

Yangon has a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification system. The city features a lengthy wet season from May through October where a substantial amount of rainfall is received; and a dry season from November through April, where little rainfall is seen. It is primarily due to the heavy rainfall received during the rainy season that Yangon falls under the tropical monsoon climate category. During the course of the year 1961 to 1990s, average temperatures show little variance, with average highs ranging from 29 to 36 °C and average lows ranging from 18 to 25 °C.

CITYSCAPE

Until the mid-1990s, Yangon remained largely constrained to its traditional peninsula setting between the Bago, Yangon and Hlaing rivers. People moved in, but little of the city moved out. Maps from 1944 show little development north of Inya Lake and areas that are now layered in cement and stacked with houses were then virtual backwaters. Since the late 1980s, however, the city began a rapid spread north to where Yangon International airport now stands. But the result is a stretching tail on the city, with the downtown area well removed from its geographic centre. The city's area has steadily increased from 72.52 square kilometres in 1901 to 86.2 square kilometres in 1940 to 208.51 square kilometres in 1974, to 346.13 square kilometres in 1985, and to 598.75 square kilometres in 2008.

ARCHITECTURE

Downtown Yangon is known for its leafy avenues and fin-de-siècle architecture. The former British colonial capital has the highest number of colonial period buildings in south-east Asia. Downtown Yangon is still mainly made up of decaying colonial buildings. The former High Court, the former Secretariat buildings, the former St. Paul's English High School and the Strand Hotel are excellent examples of the bygone era. Most downtown buildings from this era are four-story mix-use (residential and commercial) buildings with 4.3 m ceilings, allowing for the construction of mezzanines. Despite their less-than-perfect conditions, the buildings remain highly sought after and most expensive in the city's property market.

In 1996, the Yangon City Development Committee created a Yangon City Heritage List of old buildings and structures in the city that cannot be modified or torn down without approval. In 2012, the city of Yangon imposed a 50-year moratorium on demolition of buildings older than 50 years. The Yangon Heritage Trust, an NGO started by Thant Myint-U, aims to create heritage areas in Downtown, and attract investors to renovate buildings for commercial use.

A latter day hallmark of Yangon is the eight-story apartment building. (In Yangon parlance, a building with no elevators (lifts) is called an apartment building and one with elevators is called a condominium. Condos which have to invest in a local power generator to ensure 24-hour electricity for the elevators are beyond the reach of most Yangonites.) Found throughout the city in various forms, eight-story apartment buildings provide relatively inexpensive housing for many Yangonites. The apartments are usually eight stories high (including the ground floor) mainly because city regulations, until February 2008, required that all buildings higher than 23 m or eight stories to install lifts. The current code calls for elevators in buildings higher than 19 m or six stories, likely ushering in the era of the six-story apartment building. Although most apartment buildings were built only within the last 20 years, they look much older and rundown due to shoddy construction and lack of proper maintenance.

Unlike other major Asian cities, Yangon does not have any skyscrapers. Aside from a few high-rise hotels and office towers, most high-rise buildings (usually 10 stories and up) are "condos" scattered across prosperous neighbourhoods north of downtown such as Bahan, Dagon, Kamayut and Mayangon. The tallest building in Yangon, Pyay Gardens, is a 25-story condo in the city's north.

Older satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa are lined mostly with one to two story detached houses with access to the city's electricity grid. Newer satellite towns such as North Dagon and South Dagon are still essentially slums in a grid layout. The satellite towns - old or new - receive little or no municipal services.

ROAD LAYOUT

Downtown Yangon's road layout follows a grid pattern, based on four types of roads:

Broad 49-m wide roads running west to east

Broad 30-m wide roads running south to north

Two narrow 9.1-m wide streets running south to north

Mid-size 15-m wide streets running south to north

The east-west grid of central was laid out by British military engineers Fraser and Montgomerie after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The city was later developed by the Public Works Department and Bengal Corps of Engineers. The pattern of south to north roads is as follows: one broad 30 m wide broad road, two narrow streets, one mid-size street, two more narrow streets, and then another 30 m wide broad road. This order is repeated from west to east. The narrow streets are numbered; the medium and broad roads are named.

For example, the 30 m Lanmadaw Road is followed by 9.1 m-wide 17th and 18th streets then the medium 15 m Sint-Oh-Dan Road, the 30-foot 19th and 20th streets, followed by another 30 m wide Latha Road, followed again by the two numbered small roads 21st and 22nd streets, and so on.

The roads running parallel west to east were the Strand Road, Merchant Road, Maha Bandula (née Dalhousie) Road, Anawrahta (Fraser) Road, and Bogyoke Aung San (Montgomerie) Road.

PARKS AND GARDENS

The largest and best maintained parks in Yangon are located around Shwedagon Pagoda. To the south-east of the gilded stupa is the most popular recreational area in the city – Kandawgyi Lake. The 61-ha lake is surrounded by the 45-ha Kandawgyi Nature Park, and the 28-ha Yangon Zoological Gardens, which consists of a zoo, an aquarium and an amusement park. West of the pagoda towards the former Hluttaw (Parliament) complex is the 53-ha People's Square and Park, (the former parading ground on important national days when Yangon was the capital.) A few miles north of the pagoda lies the 15-ha Inya Lake Park – a favorite hangout place of Yangon University students, and a well-known place of romance in Burmese popular culture.

Hlawga National Park and Allied War Memorial at the outskirts of the city are popular day-trip destinations with the well-to-do and tourists.

Yangon Book Plaza, the first and biggest book shop in Myanmar was opened on February 26, 2017 on the fifth floor of Than Zay Market in Lanmadaw Township, Yangon.

ADMINISTRATION

Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). YCDC also coordinates urban planning. The city is divided into four districts. The districts combined have a total of 33 townships. The current mayor of Yangon is Maung Maung Soe. Each township is administered by a committee of township leaders, who make decisions regarding city beautification and infrastructure. Myo-thit (lit. "New Towns", or satellite towns) are not within such jurisdictions.

TRANSPORT

Yangon is Burma's main domestic and international hub for air, rail, and ground transportation.

AIR

Yangon International Airport, located 19 km from the centre, is the country's main gateway for domestic and international air travel. The airport has three terminals, known as T1, T2 and T3 which is also known as Domestic. It has direct flights to regional cities in Asia – mainly, Doha, Dubai, Dhaka, Kolkata, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Guangzhou, Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming and Singapore. Although domestic airlines offer service to about twenty domestic locations, most flights are to tourist destinations such as Bagan, Mandalay, Heho and Ngapali, and to the capital Naypyidaw.

RAILWAYS

Yangon Central Railway Station is the main terminus of Myanmar Railways' 5,403-kilometre rail network whose reach covers Upper Myanmar (Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Shwebo), upcountry (Myitkyina), Shan hills (Taunggyi, Lashio) and the Taninthayi coast (Mawlamyaing, Dawei).

Yangon Circular Railway operates a 45.9-kilometre 39-station commuter rail network that connects Yangon's satellite towns. The system is heavily utilized by the local populace, selling about 150,000 tickets daily. The popularity of the commuter line has jumped since the government reduced petrol subsidies in August 2007.

BUSES AND CARS

Yangon has a 4,456-kilometre road network of all types (tar, concrete and dirt) in March 2011. Many of the roads are in poor condition and not wide enough to accommodate an increasing number of cars. The vast majority of Yangon residents cannot afford a car and rely on an extensive network of buses to get around. Over 300 public and private bus lines operate about 6,300 crowded buses around the city, carrying over 4.4 million passengers a day. All buses and 80% of the taxis in Yangon run on compressed natural gas (CNG), following the 2005 government decree to save money on imported petroleum. Highway buses to other cities depart from Dagon Ayeyar Highway Bus Terminal for Irrawaddy delta region and Aung Mingala Highway Bus Terminal for other parts of the country.

Motor transportation in Yangon is highly expensive for most of its citizens. As the government allows only a few thousand cars to be imported each year in a country with over 50 million people, car prices in Yangon (and in Burma) are among the highest in the world. In July 2008, the two most popular cars in Yangon, 1986/87 Nissan Sunny Super Saloon and 1988 Toyota Corolla SE Limited, cost the equivalent of about US$20,000 and US$29,000 respectively. A sports utility vehicle, imported for the equivalent of around US$50,000, goes for US$250,000. Illegally imported unregistered cars are cheaper – typically about half the price of registered cars. Nonetheless, car usage in Yangon is on the rise, a sign of rising incomes for some, and already causes much traffic congestion in highway-less Yangon's streets. In 2011, Yangon had about 300,000 registered motor vehicles in addition to an unknown number of unregistered ones.

Since 1970, cars have been driven on the right side of the road in Burma, as part of a military decree. However, as the government has not required left hand drive (LHD) cars to accompany the right side road rules, many cars on the road are still right hand drive (RHD) made for driving on the left side. Japanese used cars, which make up most of the country's imports, still arrive with RHD and are never converted to LHD. As a result, Burmese drivers have to rely on their passengers when passing other cars.

Within Yangon city limits, it is illegal to drive trishaws, bicycles, and motorcycles. Since February 2010, pickup truck bus lines have been forbidden to run in 6 townships of central Yangon, namely Latha, Lanmadaw, Pabedan, Kyauktada, Botahtaung and Pazundaung Townships. In May 2003, a ban on using car horns was implemented in six townships of Downtown Yangon to reduce noise pollution. In April 2004, the car horn ban was expanded to cover the entire city.

RIVER

Yangon's four main passenger jetties, all located on or near downtown waterfront, mainly serve local ferries across the river to Dala and Thanlyin, and regional ferries to the Irrawaddy delta. The 35-km Twante Canal was the quickest route from Yangon to the Irrawaddy delta until the 1990s when roads between Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division became usable year-round. While passenger ferries to the delta are still used, those to Upper Burma via the Irrawaddy river are now limited mostly to tourist river cruises.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Yangon is the most populous city by far in Burma although estimates of the size of its population vary widely. All population figures are estimates since no official census has been conducted in Burma since 1983. A UN estimate puts the population as 4.35 million in 2010 but a 2009 U.S. State Department estimate puts it at 5.5 million. The U.S. State Department's estimate is probably closer to the real number since the UN number is a straight-line projection, and does not appear to take the expansion of city limits in the past two decades into account. The city's population grew sharply after 1948 as many people (mainly, the indigenous Burmese) from other parts of the country moved into the newly built satellite towns of North Okkalapa, South Okkalapa, and Thaketa in the 1950s and East Dagon, North Dagon and South Dagon in the 1990s. Immigrants have founded their regional associations (such as Mandalay Association, Mawlamyaing Association, etc.) in Yangon for networking purposes. The government's decision to move the nation's administrative capital to Naypyidaw has drained an unknown number of civil servants away from Yangon.

Yangon is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. While Indians formed the slight majority prior to World War II, today, the majority of the population is of indigenous Bamar (Burman) descent. Large communities of Indians/South Asian Burmese and the Chinese Burmese exist especially in the traditional downtown neighborhoods. A large number of Rakhine and Karen also live in the city.

Burmese is the principal language of the city. English is by far the preferred second language of the educated class. In recent years, however, the prospect of overseas job opportunities has enticed

some to study other languages: Mandarin Chinese is most popular, followed by Japanese, and French.

RELIGIONS

The primary religions practiced in Yangon are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Shwedagon Pagoda is a famous religious landmark in the city.

MEDIA

Yangon is the country's hub for the movie, music, advertising, newspaper and book publishing industries. All media is heavily regulated by the military government. Television broadcasting is off limits to the private sector. All media content must first be approved by the government's media censor board, Press Scrutiny and Registration Division.

Most television channels in the country are broadcast from Yangon. TV Myanmar and Myawaddy TV are the two main channels, providing Burmese-language programming in news and entertainment. Other special interest channels are MWD-1 and MWD-2, MRTV-3, the English-language channel that targets overseas audiences via satellite and via Internet, MRTV-4 and Channel 7 are with a focus on non-formal education programs and movies, and Movie 5, a pay-TV channel specializing in broadcasting foreign movies.

Yangon has three radio stations. Myanmar Radio National Service is the national radio service and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Pop culture oriented Yangon City FM and Mandalay City FM radio stations specialize in Burmese and English pop music, entertainment programs, live celebrity interviews, etc. New radio channels such as Shwe FM and Pyinsawaddy FM can also be tuned with the city area.

Nearly all print media and industries are based out of Yangon. All three national newspapers – two Burmese language dailies Myanma Alin (မြန်မာ့အလင်း) and Kyemon (ကြေးမုံ), and the English language The New Light of Myanmar — are published by the government. Semi-governmental The Myanmar Times weekly, published in Burmese and in English, is mainly geared for Yangon's expatriate community. Over twenty special interest journals and magazines covering sports, fashion, finance, crime, literature (but never politics) vie for the readership of the general populace.

Access to foreign media is extremely difficult. Satellite television in Yangon, and in Burma, is very expensive as the government imposes an annual registration fee of one million kyats. Certain foreign newspapers and periodicals such as the International Herald Tribune and the Straits Times can be found only in a few (mostly downtown) bookstores. Internet access in Yangon, which has the best telecommunication infrastructure in the country, is slow and erratic at best, and the Burmese government implements one of the world's most restrictive regimes of Internet control. International text messaging and voice messaging was permitted only in August 2008.

COMMUNICATION

Common facilities taken for granted elsewhere are luxury prized items in Yangon and Burma. The price of a GSM mobile phone was about K1.1 million in August 2008. In 2007, the country of 55 million had only 775,000 phone lines (including 275,000 mobile phones), and 400,000 computers. Even in Yangon, which has the best infrastructure, the estimated telephone penetration rate was only 6% at the end of 2004, and the official waiting time for a telephone line was 3.6 years. Most people cannot afford a computer and have to use the city's numerous Internet cafes to access a heavily restricted Internet, and a heavily censored local intranet. According to official statistics, in July 2010, the country had over 400,000 Internet users, with the vast majority hailing from just two cities, Yangon and Mandalay. Although Internet access was available in 42 cities across the country, the number of users outside the two main cities was just over 10,000.

LIFESTYLE

Yangon's property market is the most expensive in the country and beyond the reach of most Yangonites. Most rent outside the centre and few can afford to rent such apartments. (In 2008, rents for a typical 60 to 70 m2 apartments in the centre and vicinity range between K70,000 and K150,000 and those for high end condos between K200,000 and K500,000.)

Most men of all ages (and some women) spend their time at ubiquitous tea-shops, found in any corner or street of the city. Watching European football (mostly English Premier League with occasional La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga) matches while sipping tea is a popular pastime among many Yangonites. The average person stays close to his or her residential neighbourhood. The well-to-do tend to visit shopping malls and parks on weekends. Some leave the city on weekends for Chaungtha and Ngwesaung beach resorts in Ayeyarwady Division.

Yangon is also home to many pagoda festivals (paya pwe), held during dry-season months (November – March). The most famous of all, the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in March, attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the country.

Yangon's museums are the domain of tourists and rarely visited by the locals.

Most of Yangon's larger hotels offer some kind of nightlife entertainment, geared towards tourists and the well-to-do Burmese. Some hotels offer traditional Burmese performing arts shows complete with a traditional Burmese orchestra. The pub scene in larger hotels is more or less the same as elsewhere in Asia. Other options include karaoke bars and pub restaurants in Yangon Chinatown.

Due to the problems of high inflation, the lack of high denomination notes, and the fact that many of the population do not have access to checks, or credit or debit cards, it is common to see citizens carrying a considerable amount of cash. (The highest denomination of Burmese currency kyat is 10 000 (~US$10.)) Credit cards are only rarely used in the city, chiefly in the more lavish hotels. Credit cards are also accepted in the major supermarket and convenience store chains.

SPORTS

As the city has the best sporting facilities in the country, most national-level annual sporting tournaments such as track and field, football, volleyball, tennis and swimming are held in Yangon. The 40,000-seat Aung San Stadium and the 32,000-seat Thuwunna Stadium are the main venues for the highly popular annual State and Division football tournament. Until April 2009, the now defunct Myanmar Premier League, consisted of 16 Yangon-based clubs, played all its matches in Yangon stadiums, and attracted little interest from the general public or commercial success despite the enormous popularity of football in Burma. Most Yangonites prefer watching European football on satellite TV. Teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are among the favorite European teams among the Yangonites. It remains to be seen whether the Myanmar National League, the country's first professional football league, and its Yangon-based club Yangon United FC will attract a sufficient following in the country's most important media market.

Yangon is also home to annual the Myanmar Open golf tournament, and the Myanmar Open tennis tournament. The city hosted the 1961 and 1969 South East Asian Games. During colonial times, cricket was played mostly by British officials in the city. First-class cricket was played in the city in January 1927 when the touring Marylebone Cricket Club played Burma and the Rangoon Gymkhana. Two grounds were used to host these matches, the BAA Ground and the Gymkhana Ground. These matches mark the only time Burma and Rangoon Gymkhana have appeared in first-class cricket, and the only time first-class cricket has been played in Burma. After independence cricket all but died out in the country.

Yangon has a growing population of skateboarders, as documented in the films Altered Focus: Burma and Youth of Yangon. German non-profit organization Make Life Skate Life has received permission from the Yangon City Development Committee to construct a concrete skatepark at Thakin Mya park in downtown, and plans to complete the park in November 2015.

ECONOMY

Yangon is the country's main centre for trade, industry, real estate, media, entertainment and tourism. The city represents about one fifth of the national economy. According to official statistics for FY 2010–2011, the size of the economy of Yangon Region was 8.93 trillion kyats, or 23% of the national GDP.

The city is Lower Burma's main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise – from basic food stuffs to used cars although commerce continues to be hampered by the city's severely underdeveloped banking industry and communication infrastructure. Bayinnaung Market is the largest wholesale centre in the country for rice, beans and pulses, and other agricultural commodities. Much of the country's legal imports and exports go through Thilawa Port, the largest and busiest port in Burma. There is also a great deal of informal trade, especially in street markets that exist alongside street platforms of Downtown Yangon's townships. However, on 17 June 2011, the YCDC announced that street vendors, who had previously been allowed to legally open shop at 3 pm, would be prohibited from selling on the streets, and permitted to sell only in their townships of residence, presumably to clean up the city's image. Since 1 December 2009, high-density polyethylene plastic bags have been banned by city authorities.

Manufacturing accounts for a sizable share of employment. At least 14 light industrial zones ring Yangon, directly employing over 150,000 workers in 4,300 factories in early 2010. The city is the centre of country's garment industry which exported US$292 million in 2008/9 fiscal year. More than 80 percent of factory workers in Yangon work on a day-to-day basis. Most are young women between 15 and 27 years of age who come from the countryside in search of a better life. The manufacturing sector suffers from both structural problems (e.g. chronic power shortages) and political.

problems (e.g. economic sanctions). In 2008, Yangon's 2500 factories alone needed about 120 MW of power; yet, the entire city received only about 250 MW of the 530 MW needed. Chronic power shortages limit the factories' operating hours between 8 am and 6 pm.

Construction is a major source of employment. The construction industry has been negatively affected by the move of state apparatus and civil servants to Naypyidaw, new regulations introduced in August 2009 requiring builders to provide at least 12 parking spaces in every new high-rise building, and the general poor business climate. As of January 2010, the number of new high-rise building starts approved in 2009–2010 was only 334, compared to 582 in 2008–2009.

Tourism represents a major source of foreign currency for the city although by south-east Asian standards the number of foreign visitors to Yangon has always been quite low - about 250,000 before the Saffron Revolution in September 2007. The number of visitors dipped even further following the Saffron Revolution and Cyclone Nargis. The recent improvement in the country's political climate has attracted an increasing number of businessmen and tourists. Between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors that went through Yangon International in 2011. However, after years of underinvestment, Yangon's modest hotel infrastructure - only 3000 of the total 8000 hotel rooms in Yangon are "suitable for tourists" - is already bursting at seams, and will need to be expanded to handle additional visitors. As part of an urban development strategy, a hotel zone has been planned in Yangon's outskirts, encompassing government- and military-owned land in Mingaladon, Hlegu and Htaukkyant Townships.

EDUCATION

Yangon educational facilities has a very high number of qualified teachers but the state spending on education is among the lowest of the world. Around 2007 estimate by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies puts the spending for education at 0.5% of the national budget. The disparity in educational opportunities and achievement between rich and poor schools is quite stark even within the city. With little or no state support forthcoming, schools have to rely on forced "donations" and various fees from parents for nearly everything – school maintenance to teachers' salaries, forcing many poor students to drop out.

While many students in poor districts fail to reach high school, a handful of Yangon high schools in wealthier districts such as Dagon 1, Sanchaung 2, Kamayut 2, Bahan 2, Latha 2, and TTC provide the majority of students admitted to the most selective universities in the country, highlighting the extreme shallowness of talent pool in the country. The wealthy bypass the state education system altogether, sending their children to private English language instruction schools such as YIEC or more widely known as ISM, or abroad (typically Singapore or Australia) for university education. In 2014, international schools in Yangon cost at least US$8,000 a year.

There are over 20 universities and colleges in the city. While Yangon University remains the best known (its main campus is a part of popular Burmese culture e.g. literature, music, film, etc.), the nation's oldest university is now mostly a graduate school, deprived of undergraduate studies. Following the 1988 nationwide uprising, the military government has repeatedly closed universities, and has dispersed most of undergraduate student population to new universities in the suburbs such as Dagon University, the University of East Yangon and the University of West Yangon. Nonetheless many of the country's most selective universities are still in Yangon. Students from around the country still have to come to study in Yangon as some subjects are offered only at its universities. The University of Medicine 1, University of Medicine 2, Yangon Technological University, University of Computer Studies and Myanmar Maritime University are the most selective in the country.

HEALTH CARE

The general state of health care in Yangon is poor. According to a 2007 estimate, the military government spends 0.4% of the national budget on health care, and 40% to 60% on defense. By the government's own figures, it spends 849 kyats (US$0.85) per person. Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals including the flagship Yangon General Hospital lack many of the basic facilities and equipment.

Wealthier Yangonites still have access to country's best medical facilities and internationally qualified doctors. Only Yangon and Mandalay have any sizable number of doctors left as many Burmese doctors have emigrated. The well-to-do go to private clinics or hospitals like Pun Hlaing International Hospital and Bahosi Medical Clinic. Medical malpractice is widespread, even in private clinics and hospitals that serve the well-to-do. In 2009 and 2010, a spate of high-profile deaths brought out the severity of the problem, even for the relatively well off Yangonites. The wealthy do not rely on domestic hospitals and travel abroad, usually Bangkok or Singapore, for treatment.

WIKIPEDIA

Myanmar - Yangon - Street Life - 8 by Manfred Sommer

3

. . . the natural make-up of the women is called Thanaka. It is a cream made out of the bark of specific trees. Thanaka cream has been used by Burmese women for over 2000 years. It has a fragrant scent somewhat similar to sandalwood. The creamy paste is applied to the face in attractive designs, the most common form being a circular patch on each cheek, nose, sometimes made stripey with the fingers known as thanaka bè gya, or patterned in the shape of a leaf, often also highlighting the bridge of the nose with it at the same time. It may be applied from head to toe (thanaka chi zoun gaung zoun). Apart from cosmetic beauty, thanaka also gives a cooling sensation and provides protection from sunburn. It is believed to help remove acne and promote smooth skin. It is also an anti-fungal. The active ingredients of thanaka are coumarin and marmesin.

______________________________________