View allAll Photos Tagged commerce
This is a detailed look at the shopping options page. Lots of people either forget or neglect to look closely at these - don't make the same mistake :)
I finally made it out shooting just for kicks last night. Dave and I explored the many parking decks around downtown Peoria. We settled on this deck for awhile with nice views of the Commerce Bank Building.
Im still learning PS 6 and there is lots of experimentation here. This is a blend of three shots to get the best traffic lights and I played with the tilt shift effect a bit (and I already see a change I want to make - sigh, so much to learn!)
Hey at least a shot something...anything!
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
Gainsborough's Church Street, taken a few years ago now, though little has changed. The semi-circular apse of the Grade 1 listed All Saints' Parish Church still dominates, and the Grade 2 listed Georgian shops are still pretty much unchanged.
Camera: Lomo Cosmic 35
Film: Fujicolor 100
Ahmedabad; also known as Amdavad Gujarati pronunciation: [ˈəmdɑːvɑːd]) is the largest city and former capital of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. With a population of more than 6.3 million and an extended population of 7.2 million, it is the sixth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area of India. Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River, 30 km from the state capital Gandhinagar.
Ahmedabad has emerged as an important economic and industrial hub in India. It is the second largest producer of cotton in India, and its stock exchange is the country's second oldest. Cricket is a popular sport in Ahmedabad, which houses the 54,000-seat Sardar Patel Stadium. The effects of liberalisation of the Indian economy have energised the city's economy towards tertiary sector activities like commerce, communication and construction. Ahmedabad's increasing population has resulted in an increase in the construction and housing industries resulting in recent development of skyscrapers.
In 2010, it was ranked third in Forbes's list of fastest growing cities of the decade. In 2012, The Times of India chose Ahmedabad as the best city to live in in India. As of 2014, Ahmedabad's estimated gross domestic product was $119 billion.
HISTORY
The area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval (or Ashapalli). At that time, Karandev I, the Solanki ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval, and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati. Solanki rule lasted until the 13th century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dholka. Gujarat subsequently came under the control of the Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century. However, by the earlier 15th century, the local governor Zafar Khan Muzaffar established his independence from the Delhi Sultanate and crowned himself Sultan of Gujarat as Muzaffar Shah I, thereby founding the Muzaffarid dynasty. This area finally came under the control of his grandson Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D. who while at the banks of Sabarmati liked the forested area for a new capital city and laid the foundation of a new walled city near Karnavati and named it Ahmedabad after the four saints in the area by the name Ahmed. According to other sources, he named it after himself. It is said that the birthday of Ahmedabad city is February 26, 1412.
In 1487, Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer wall 10 km in circumference and consisting of twelve gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements. In 1535 Humayun briefly occupied Ahmedabad after capturing Champaner when the ruler of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, fled to Diu. Ahmedabad was then reoccupied by the Muzaffarid dynasty until 1573 when Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the Empire's thriving centres of trade, mainly in textiles, which were exported as far as Europe. The Mughal ruler Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, sponsoring the construction of the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. The Deccan Famine of 1630–32 affected the city, as did famines in 1650 and 1686. Ahmedabad remained the provincial headquarters of the Mughals until 1758, when they surrendered the city to the Marathas.
During the period of Maratha Empire governance, the city became the centre of a conflict between two Maratha clans; the Peshwa of Poona and the Gaekwad of Baroda. In 1780, during the First Anglo-Maratha War, a British force under James Hartley stormed and captured Ahmedabad, but it was handed back to the Marathas at the end of the war. The British East India Company took over the city in 1818 during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. A military cantonment was established in 1824 and a municipal government in 1858.[16] Incorporated into the Bombay Presidency during British rule, Ahmedabad became one of the most important cities in the Gujarat region. In 1864, a railway link between Ahmedabad and Mumbai (then Bombay) was established by the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CI), enabling traffic and trade between northern and southern India via the city. Over time, the city established itself as the home of a developing textile industry, which earned it the nickname "Manchester of the East".
The Indian independence movement developed roots in the city when Mahatma Gandhi established two ashrams – the Kochrab Ashram near Paldi in 1915 and the Satyagraha Ashram (now Sabarmati Ashram) on the banks of the Sabarmati in 1917 – which would become centres of nationalist activities. During the mass protests against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, textile workers burned down 51 government buildings across the city in protest at a British attempt to extend wartime regulations after the First World War. In the 1920s, textile workers and teachers went on strike, demanding civil rights and better pay and working conditions. In 1930, Gandhi initiated the Salt Satyagraha from Ahmedabad by embarking from his ashram on the Dandi Salt March. The city's administration and economic institutions were rendered inoperative in the early 1930s by the large numbers of people who took to the streets in peaceful protests, and again in 1942 during the Quit India Movement. Following independence and the partition of India in 1947, the city was scarred by the intense communal violence that broke out between Hindus and Muslims in 1947, Ahmedabad was the focus for settlement by Hindu migrants from Pakistan, who expanded the city's population and transformed its demographics and economy.
By 1960, Ahmedabad had become a metropolis with a population of slightly under half a million people, with classical and colonial European-style buildings lining the city's thoroughfares. It was chosen as the capital of Gujarat state after the partition of the State of Bombay on 1 May 1960. During this period, a large number of educational and research institutions were founded in the city, making it a centre for higher education, science and technology. Ahmedabad's economic base became more diverse with the establishment of heavy and chemical industry during the same period. Many countries sought to emulate India's economic planning strategy and one of them, South Korea, copied the city's second "Five-Year Plan".
In the late 1970s, the capital shifted to the newly built, well planned city of Gandhinagar. This marked the start of a long period of decline in the city, marked by a lack of development. The 1974 Nav Nirman agitation – a protest against a 20% hike in the hostel food fees at the L.D. College of Engineering in Ahmedabad – snowballed into a movement to remove Chimanbhai Patel, then chief minister of Gujarat. In the 1980s, a reservation policy was introduced in the country, which led to anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to various castes. The city suffered some of the impact of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake; up to 50 multi-storey buildings collapsed, killing 752 people and causing much damage. The following year, a three-day period of violence between Hindus and Muslims in the western Indian state of Gujarat, known as the 2002 Gujarat riots, spread to Ahmedabad; refugee camps were set up around the city.
The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings, a series of seventeen bomb blasts, killed and injured several people.[34] Militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad claimed responsibility for the attacks.
CITYSCAPE
Early in Ahmedabad's history, under Ahmed Shah, builders fused Hindu craftsmanship with Persian architecture, giving rise to the Indo-Saracenic style. Many mosques in the city were built in this fashion. Sidi Saiyyed Mosque was built in the last year of the Sultanate of Gujarat. It is entirely arched and has ten stone latticework windows or jali on the side and rear arches. Private mansions or haveli from this era have carvings. A Pol is a typical housing cluster of Old Ahmedabad.
After independence, modern buildings appeared in Ahmedabad. Architects given commissions in the city included Louis Kahn, who designed the IIM-A; Le Corbusier, who designed the Shodhan and Sarabhai Villas, the Sanskar Kendra and the Mill Owner's Association Building, and Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the administrative building of Calico Mills and the Calico Dome. B. V. Doshi came to the city from Paris to supervise Le Corbusier's works and later set up the School of Architecture. His local works include Sangath, Amdavad ni Gufa and the School of Architecture. Charles Correa, who became a partner of Doshi's, designed the Gandhi Ashram and Achyut Kanvinde, and the Indian Textile Industries Research Association. Christopher Charles Benninger's first work, the Alliance Française, is located in the Ellis Bridge area. Anant Raje designed major additions to Louis Kahn's IIM-A campus, namely the Ravi Mathai Auditorium and KLMD.
Some of the most visited gardens in the city include Law Garden, Victoria Garden and Bal Vatika. Law Garden was named after the College of Law situated close to it. Victoria Garden is located at the southern edge of the Bhadra Fort and contains a statue of Queen Victoria. Bal Vatika is a children's park situated on the grounds of Kankaria Lake and also houses an amusement park. Other gardens in the city include Parimal Garden, Usmanpura Garden, Prahlad Nagar Garden and Lal Darwaja Garden. Ahmedabad's Kamla Nehru Zoological Park houses a number of endangered species including flamingoes, caracals, Asiatic wolves and chinkara.
The Kankaria Lake, built in 1451 AD, is one of the biggest lakes in Ahmedabad. In earlier days, it was known by the name Qutub Hoj or Hauj-e-Kutub. Vastrapur Lake is located in the western part of Ahmedabad. Lal Bahadur Shastri lake in Bapunagar is almost 136,000 square metres. In 2010, another 34 lakes were planned in and around Ahmedabad of which five lakes will be developed by AMC; the other 29 will be developed by the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA). Chandola Lake covers an area of 1200 hectares. It is home for cormorants, painted storks and spoonbills. During the evening time, many people visit this place and take a leisurely stroll. There is a recently developed Naroda lake and the world's largest collection of antique cars in KathWada at IB farm (Dastan Farm). AMC has also developed the Sabarmati Riverfront.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Ahmedabad is the fifth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area in India. According to the 2014 census the population of Ahmedabad metropolitan was 7,250,000. Ahmedabad has a literacy rate of 89.62%; 93.96% of the men and 84.81% of the women are literate. Ahmedabad's sex ratio in 2011 was 897 women per 1000 men. According to the census for the Ninth Plan, there are 30,737 rural families living in Ahmedabad. Of those, 5.41% (1663 families) live below the poverty line. Approximately 440,000 people live in slums within the city. Ahmedabad is home to a large population of Vanias (i.e., traders), belonging to the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism and various sects of Jainism. Most of the residents of Ahmedabad are native Gujaratis. Over 18% of the population is Muslim, numbering over 300,000 in the 2001 census. In addition, the city is home to some 2000 Parsis and some 125 members of the Bene Israel Jewish community. There is also one synagogue in the city. In 2008, there were 2273 registered non-resident Indians living in Ahmedabad.In 2010, Forbes magazine rated Ahmedabad as the fastest-growing city in India, and listed it as third fastest-growing in the world after the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. In 2011, it was rated India's best megacity to live in by leading market research firm IMRB. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2003, Ahmedabad has the lowest crime rate of the 35 Indian cities with a population of more than one million. In December 2011 market research firm IMRB declared Ahmedabad the best megacity to live in, when compared to India's other megacities. Slightly less than half of all real estate in Ahmedabad is owned by "community organisations" (i.e. cooperatives), and according to Prof. Vrajlal Sapovadia of the B.K. School of Business Management, "the spatial growth of the city is to [an] extent [a] contribution of these organisations". Ahmedabad Cantonment provides residential zones for Indian Army officials.
CULTURE
Ahmedabad observes a wide range of festivals. Popular celebrations and observances include Uttarayan, an annual kite-flying day on 14 and 15 January. Nine nights of Navratri are celebrated with people performing Garba, the most popular folk dance of Gujarat, at venues across the city. The festival of lights, Deepavali, is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, decorating the floors with rangoli, and the lighting of firecrackers. The annual Rath Yatra procession on the Ashadh-sud-bij date of the Hindu calendar at the Jagannath Temple and the procession of Tajia during the Muslim holy month of Muharram are important events.
One of the most popular forms of meal in Ahmedabad is a typical Gujarati thali which was first served commercially by Chandvilas Hotel in 1900. It consists of roti (Chapati), dal, rice and shaak (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted papads. Beverages include buttermilk and tea; sweet dishes include laddoo, mango, and vedhmi. Dhoklas, theplas and dhebras are also very popular dishes in Ahmedabad.
There are many restaurants, which serve a wide array of Indian and international cuisines. Most of the food outlets serve only vegetarian food, as a strong tradition of vegetarianism is maintained by the city's Jain and Hindu communities. The first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in the world opened in Ahmedabad. KFC has a separate staff uniform for serving vegetarian items and prepares vegetarian food in a separate kitchen, as does McDonald's. Ahmedabad has a quite a few restaurants serving typical Mughlai non-vegetarian food in older areas like Bhatiyar Gali, Kalupur and Jamalpur.
Manek Chowk is an open square near the centre of the city that functions as a vegetable market in the morning and a jewellery market in the afternoon. However, it is better known for its food stalls in the evening, which sell local street food. It is named after the Hindu saint Baba Maneknath. Parts of Ahmedabad are known for their folk art. The artisans of Rangeela pol make tie-dyed bandhinis, while the cobbler shops of Madhupura sell traditional mojdi (also known as mojri) footwear. Idols of Ganesha and other religious icons are made in huge numbers in the Gulbai Tekra area. The shops at the Law Garden sell mirror work handicraft.
Three main literary institutions were established in Ahmedabad for the promotion of Gujarati literature: Gujarat Vidhya Sabha, Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and Gujarat Sahitya Sabha. Saptak School of Music festival is held in the first week of the new year. This event was inaugurated by Ravi Shankar.
The Sanskar Kendra, one of the several buildings in Ahmedabad designed by Le Corbusier, is a city museum depicting its history, art, culture and architecture. The Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial have permanent displays of photographs, documents and other articles relating to Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. The Calico Museum of Textiles has a large collection of Indian and international fabrics, garments and textiles. The Hazrat Pir Mohammad Shah Library has a collection of rare original manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi and Turkish. There is Vechaar Utensils Museum which has of stainless steel, glass, brass, copper, bronze, zinc and German silver tools.
Shreyas Foundation has four museums on the same campus. Shreyas Folk Museum (Lokayatan Museum) has art forms and artefacts from communities of Gujarat. Kalpana Mangaldas Children's Museum has a collection of toys, puppets, dance and drama costumes, coins and a repository of recorded music from traditional shows from all over the world. Kahani houses photographs of fairs and festivals of Gujarat. Sangeeta Vadyakhand is a gallery of musical instruments from India and other countries.
L D Institute of Indology houses about 76,000 hand-written Jain manuscripts with 500 illustrated versions and 45,000 printed books, making it the largest collection of Jain scripts, Indian sculptures, terracottas, miniature paintings, cloth paintings, painted scrolls, bronzes, woodwork, Indian coins, textiles and decorative art, paintings of Rabindranath Tagore and art of Nepal and Tibet. N C Mehta Gallery of Miniature Paintings has a collection of ornate miniature paintings and manuscripts from all over India.
TRANSPORT
Ahmedabad is one of six operating divisions in the Western Railway zone. Railway lines connect the city to towns in Gujarat and major Indian cities. Ahmedabad railway station, locally known as Kalupur station is the main terminus with 11 others. The Government of Gujarat and Ahmedabad Mahanagar Sevasadan had initiated a feasibility study into the possibility of a mass-transit metro system for the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The state government set up a ₹2 billion company for the execution of the project.
National Highway 8, linking Delhi to Mumbai, passes though Ahmedabad and connects it with Gandhinagar, Delhi and Mumbai. The National Highway 8C also links Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar. It is connected to Vadodara through National Expressway 1, a 94 km long expressway with two exits. This expressway is part of the Golden Quadrilateral project.
In 2001, Ahmedabad was ranked as the most polluted city in India, out of 85 cities, by the Central Pollution Control Board. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board gave auto rickshaw drivers an incentive of ₹10,000 to convert all 37,733 auto rickshaws in Ahmedabad to cleaner burning compressed natural gas to reduce pollution. As a result, in 2008, Ahmedabad was ranked as 50th most polluted city in India.
Ahmedabad has a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), maintained by the Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL). Ahmedabad BRTS was given the Sustainable Transport Award in 2010 by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy for reducing carbon emissions and improving residents' access. The first phase connecting RTO to Pirana was inaugurated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on 14 October 2009 and the second half of the first phase connecting Chandranagar to Pushpa Kunj gate at Kankaria
was inaugurated on 25 December 2009. It is extended from Shivranjani to Iskcon Temple on 15 September 2012. On 28 September 2012 it also include the sketch from Soni ni Chali to Odhav. Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (also known as AMTS), maintained by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, runs the public bus service in the city of Ahmedabad. At present, AMTS has 750 buses serving the city.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, 15 km from the city centre, provides domestic and international flights. It is the busiest airport in Gujarat and the eighth busiest in India with an average of 250 aircraft movements a day. The Dholera International Airport is proposed near Fedara. It will be the largest airport in India with a total area of 7,500 hectares.
EDUCATION
Ahmedabad had a literacy rate of 79.89% in 2001 which rose to 89.62 percent in 2011. As of 2011, literacy rate among male and female were 93.96 and 84.81 percent respectively. Schools in Ahmedabad are run either by the municipal corporation, or privately by entities, trusts and corporations. The majority of schools are affiliated with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, although some are affiliated with the Central Board for Secondary Education, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, International Baccalaureate and National Institute of Open School. A large number of colleges in the city are affiliated with Gujarat University; Gujarat Technological University and other deemed universities in Ahmedabad include the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University, Nirma University of Science & Technology, Centre for Heritage Management Ganpat university and the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University. The Gujarat Vidyapith was established in 1920 by Mahatma Gandhi without a charter from the British Raj and became a deemed university in 1963.
Other educational institutions in Ahmedabad include the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, the Gujarat National Law University, the Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, the National Institute of Design, the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, the Mudra Institute of Communications, the Ahmedabad University, the Center for environmental planning and technology, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, the B.J. Medical College, the NHL Medical College, the Ahmedabad Management Association, the L.D. College of Engineering and the Vishwakarma Government Engineering College. Many national academic and scientific institutions, such as the Physical Research Laboratory and the Indian Space Research Organisation are also based in the city.
WIKIPEDIA
Governor Hogan Speaks at the Commerce Staff Event by Patrick Siebert at 401 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
Mitgardian Commerce
Providing Historica with the best
All the mountains in Mitgardia provide a lot of treasures. So mining is done a lot. Also in Ondylion, the best crystals, diamonds and other precious stones are sold here. Ondylion has the best quality, and as the Drow have a weekness for shiny things. Ofcourse they pay a visist to Ondylion.
Nothing tastes better than an Ondylion steak. So a lot of Avalonians come here to get some. And it's not just the steak, also the chicken is outstanding.
And well, people from Kaliplin like to come here to cool off. And checking out the Mitgardian girls, but they will never admit that!
Looking east on Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, Texas. The modern Statler Hilton hotel rises in the background. To the right is the Mercantile Continental Building, prior to receiving additional floors.
The Future of Healthcare in Virtual Worlds
Moderator: Dave Taylor, Imperial College London
SL: Davee Commerce
dave.taylor@imperial.ac.uk
Panel:
John Lester (Pathfinder), Linden Lab
Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
Dr Maurice Slevin, London Oncology Clinic
Shireen Lewis, Strategic Planning and Innovation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Victor Cid, Senior Computer Scientist, National Library of Medicine, NIH, HHS
Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
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FURTHER DETAILS
++++++++++++
++++++++
James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
BSST Imperial College
Head of Department: Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham
Programme Lead, Virtual Worlds and Medical Media: Dave Taylor
++++++++
The department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology at Imperial College first entered Second Life in 2007.
Initial work focused on the development of social platforms that would inform health policy within London's National Health Service (NHS). The aim was to create health infrastructure and treatment pathways of the future that patients and medical professionals could experience virtually. This quickly expanded into consultation meetings and the creation of the Second Health islands (www.secondhealth.org.uk). As the pace of real world health reform quickened, so did the project. We are now working on creating virtual care networks across a simulated london borough.
Surgical simulation and education have formed the basis for much of the research within the department. Therefore, reserachers are now exploring the feasibility of Second Life as an educational platform for training medical professionals. This has initially focused on team training within the operating theatre environment, but it is seeking to explore the unlocked potential of virtual worlds in the fields of patient safety and undergraduate education.
++++++++++++
Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Game-based learning for virtual patients in Second Life
++++++++++++
This project aims to develop an effective model for the delivery of virtual patients following a game-based learning approach in Second Life.
The four-dimensional framework described by De Freitas and Martin (2006), plus the learning types described by Helmer (2007), as well as the different aspects of emergent narrative described by Murray (1997) have provided the basis for the design of these game-based learning activities for virtual patients under two different categories: context and learner specification, and narrative and modes of representation.
Phase I of this project focused on the delivery of a virtual patient in the area of Respiratory Medicine following a game-based learning model in Second Life. A pilot was carried out in March 2008 with 43 students. The feedback received has informed the development of Phase II which incorporates a multi-patient approach. Five virtual patients suffering from different respiratory problems, such as Asthma and COPD have been implemented. The same narrative and Activity Model is applied for all these patients including different modes of representation. The learner is asked to make decisions based on current information and acquires new information as a result of different decisions. Phase II will be released in August 2008.
A web world environment has been implemented consisting of a three-tier architecture based on J2EE’s Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern – tier 1: web-server; tier 2: application server; and tier 3: database. This model accommodates the delivery of a one-to-many relationship between the user/student and several virtual patients.
For more information please contact Maria Toro-Troconis: m.toro@imperial.ac.uk
SLURL: slurl.com/secondlife/Imperial College London/150/86/27/
Demo on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=WnPYhSbSABA
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Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
::::Massachusetts General Hospital Relaxation Response Study in Second Life::::
+++++++++++
Do you enjoy using Second Life to communicate with others? Are you interested in learning about stress reduction techniques? Are you able to travel to downtown Boston?
We are recruiting healthy people and their Second Life Avatars to take part in a research study. The study involves teaching the Relaxation Response within Second Life. The Relaxation Response is a form of stress reduction therapy.
The eight week study comprises 8 training sessions in Second Life, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes. All participants will receive a Razer Piranha headsets to be used in the study and kept after the study ends. Additionally, study participants will be given $25 toward travel expenses to the Massachusetts General Hospital. The study does not involve any medication or blood draws.
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to RRSLStudy@partners.org or call 617-643-6240. You may also IM our in world contact, Halton Alsop.
or check out the study web page at:
www.connected-health.org/programs/second-life/center-for-...
[[Benson-Henry Instituet for Mind Body Medicine -- Center for Connected Health -- Department of Neurology]]
:::::Questions?:::::
Our plot will be staffed by a member of our research team during the following times:
Monday June 30th 9a-5p PST
Tuesday July 1st 9a-5p PST
Wednesday July 2nd 9a-1p PST
Thursday July 3rd 9a-1p PST
Thanks for listening to our principal investigator Dr. Dan Hoch discuss healthcare in virtual worlds during the SL5B speaker series!
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John Lester (Pathfinder)
"Linden Lab's Perspective on Healthcare in Second Life: Cultivating Ecosystems and Strategies for Success"
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Pathfinder Linden (RL: John Lester) currently serves as Linden Lab's Boston Operations Director, coordinating the growth of Linden Lab's East Coast presence. He also leads Linden Lab's Proactive Education and Healthcare Mentoring Program, acting as a mentoring resource and academic evangelist for people using Second Life for teaching, academic and healthcare research, medical education/simulation, and scientific visualization. Pathfinder will talk about Linden Lab's perspective on healthcare applications in Second Life, the critical connection between the healthcare and education communities, and future visions of how healthcare might best leverage virtual worlds.
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Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
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Medipelago and our partners are beginning a new era for professional societies in the digital immersive 21st century. We believe social networking in 3D spaces changes everything. So, we are offering access controlled 3D peer spaces and scalable virtual rentals for your business meetings, research collaborations, and educational courses. We have a simple mission: move photons, not people and use more silicon, and less carbon. It is less costly to meet in an immersive digital world, and its more flexible to use 3D software to make you productive, responsive, and motivated.
2b3d offers information services that feature 3d meeting spaces, collaborative environments and virtual real estate rentals to individuals, companies, professional societies or groups. We leverage virtual worlds and social networking to bring professionals together in a single immersive location. Our services help to reduce travel costs and human resource downtime. At 2b3d locations, you meet peers, access current research, hold conferences, working groups and collaborate with people on the leading edge in your field. Our mission is to build robust information service solutions with innovative tools to advance productivity, tell a story and create a rich environment for you to gather with colleagues and partners.
The Future of Healthcare in Virtual Worlds
Moderator: Dave Taylor, Imperial College London
SL: Davee Commerce
dave.taylor@imperial.ac.uk
Panel:
John Lester (Pathfinder), Linden Lab
Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
Dr Maurice Slevin, London Oncology Clinic
Shireen Lewis, Strategic Planning and Innovation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Victor Cid, Senior Computer Scientist, National Library of Medicine, NIH, HHS
Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FURTHER DETAILS
++++++++++++
++++++++
James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
BSST Imperial College
Head of Department: Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham
Programme Lead, Virtual Worlds and Medical Media: Dave Taylor
++++++++
The department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology at Imperial College first entered Second Life in 2007.
Initial work focused on the development of social platforms that would inform health policy within London's National Health Service (NHS). The aim was to create health infrastructure and treatment pathways of the future that patients and medical professionals could experience virtually. This quickly expanded into consultation meetings and the creation of the Second Health islands (www.secondhealth.org.uk). As the pace of real world health reform quickened, so did the project. We are now working on creating virtual care networks across a simulated london borough.
Surgical simulation and education have formed the basis for much of the research within the department. Therefore, reserachers are now exploring the feasibility of Second Life as an educational platform for training medical professionals. This has initially focused on team training within the operating theatre environment, but it is seeking to explore the unlocked potential of virtual worlds in the fields of patient safety and undergraduate education.
++++++++++++
Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Game-based learning for virtual patients in Second Life
++++++++++++
This project aims to develop an effective model for the delivery of virtual patients following a game-based learning approach in Second Life.
The four-dimensional framework described by De Freitas and Martin (2006), plus the learning types described by Helmer (2007), as well as the different aspects of emergent narrative described by Murray (1997) have provided the basis for the design of these game-based learning activities for virtual patients under two different categories: context and learner specification, and narrative and modes of representation.
Phase I of this project focused on the delivery of a virtual patient in the area of Respiratory Medicine following a game-based learning model in Second Life. A pilot was carried out in March 2008 with 43 students. The feedback received has informed the development of Phase II which incorporates a multi-patient approach. Five virtual patients suffering from different respiratory problems, such as Asthma and COPD have been implemented. The same narrative and Activity Model is applied for all these patients including different modes of representation. The learner is asked to make decisions based on current information and acquires new information as a result of different decisions. Phase II will be released in August 2008.
A web world environment has been implemented consisting of a three-tier architecture based on J2EE’s Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern – tier 1: web-server; tier 2: application server; and tier 3: database. This model accommodates the delivery of a one-to-many relationship between the user/student and several virtual patients.
For more information please contact Maria Toro-Troconis: m.toro@imperial.ac.uk
SLURL: slurl.com/secondlife/Imperial College London/150/86/27/
Demo on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=WnPYhSbSABA
+++++++++++
Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
::::Massachusetts General Hospital Relaxation Response Study in Second Life::::
+++++++++++
Do you enjoy using Second Life to communicate with others? Are you interested in learning about stress reduction techniques? Are you able to travel to downtown Boston?
We are recruiting healthy people and their Second Life Avatars to take part in a research study. The study involves teaching the Relaxation Response within Second Life. The Relaxation Response is a form of stress reduction therapy.
The eight week study comprises 8 training sessions in Second Life, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes. All participants will receive a Razer Piranha headsets to be used in the study and kept after the study ends. Additionally, study participants will be given $25 toward travel expenses to the Massachusetts General Hospital. The study does not involve any medication or blood draws.
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to RRSLStudy@partners.org or call 617-643-6240. You may also IM our in world contact, Halton Alsop.
or check out the study web page at:
www.connected-health.org/programs/second-life/center-for-...
[[Benson-Henry Instituet for Mind Body Medicine -- Center for Connected Health -- Department of Neurology]]
:::::Questions?:::::
Our plot will be staffed by a member of our research team during the following times:
Monday June 30th 9a-5p PST
Tuesday July 1st 9a-5p PST
Wednesday July 2nd 9a-1p PST
Thursday July 3rd 9a-1p PST
Thanks for listening to our principal investigator Dr. Dan Hoch discuss healthcare in virtual worlds during the SL5B speaker series!
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John Lester (Pathfinder)
"Linden Lab's Perspective on Healthcare in Second Life: Cultivating Ecosystems and Strategies for Success"
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Pathfinder Linden (RL: John Lester) currently serves as Linden Lab's Boston Operations Director, coordinating the growth of Linden Lab's East Coast presence. He also leads Linden Lab's Proactive Education and Healthcare Mentoring Program, acting as a mentoring resource and academic evangelist for people using Second Life for teaching, academic and healthcare research, medical education/simulation, and scientific visualization. Pathfinder will talk about Linden Lab's perspective on healthcare applications in Second Life, the critical connection between the healthcare and education communities, and future visions of how healthcare might best leverage virtual worlds.
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Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
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Medipelago and our partners are beginning a new era for professional societies in the digital immersive 21st century. We believe social networking in 3D spaces changes everything. So, we are offering access controlled 3D peer spaces and scalable virtual rentals for your business meetings, research collaborations, and educational courses. We have a simple mission: move photons, not people and use more silicon, and less carbon. It is less costly to meet in an immersive digital world, and its more flexible to use 3D software to make you productive, responsive, and motivated.
2b3d offers information services that feature 3d meeting spaces, collaborative environments and virtual real estate rentals to individuals, companies, professional societies or groups. We leverage virtual worlds and social networking to bring professionals together in a single immersive location. Our services help to reduce travel costs and human resource downtime. At 2b3d locations, you meet peers, access current research, hold conferences, working groups and collaborate with people on the leading edge in your field. Our mission is to build robust information service solutions with innovative tools to advance productivity, tell a story and create a rich environment for you to gather with colleagues and partners.
The Future of Healthcare in Virtual Worlds
Moderator: Dave Taylor, Imperial College London
SL: Davee Commerce
dave.taylor@imperial.ac.uk
Panel:
John Lester (Pathfinder), Linden Lab
Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
Dr Maurice Slevin, London Oncology Clinic
Shireen Lewis, Strategic Planning and Innovation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Victor Cid, Senior Computer Scientist, National Library of Medicine, NIH, HHS
Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
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FURTHER DETAILS
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James Kinross, Surgeon, Imperial College London
BSST Imperial College
Head of Department: Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham
Programme Lead, Virtual Worlds and Medical Media: Dave Taylor
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The department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology at Imperial College first entered Second Life in 2007.
Initial work focused on the development of social platforms that would inform health policy within London's National Health Service (NHS). The aim was to create health infrastructure and treatment pathways of the future that patients and medical professionals could experience virtually. This quickly expanded into consultation meetings and the creation of the Second Health islands (www.secondhealth.org.uk). As the pace of real world health reform quickened, so did the project. We are now working on creating virtual care networks across a simulated london borough.
Surgical simulation and education have formed the basis for much of the research within the department. Therefore, reserachers are now exploring the feasibility of Second Life as an educational platform for training medical professionals. This has initially focused on team training within the operating theatre environment, but it is seeking to explore the unlocked potential of virtual worlds in the fields of patient safety and undergraduate education.
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Maria Toro-Troconis, Senior Learning Technologist, Imperial College London
Game-based learning for virtual patients in Second Life
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This project aims to develop an effective model for the delivery of virtual patients following a game-based learning approach in Second Life.
The four-dimensional framework described by De Freitas and Martin (2006), plus the learning types described by Helmer (2007), as well as the different aspects of emergent narrative described by Murray (1997) have provided the basis for the design of these game-based learning activities for virtual patients under two different categories: context and learner specification, and narrative and modes of representation.
Phase I of this project focused on the delivery of a virtual patient in the area of Respiratory Medicine following a game-based learning model in Second Life. A pilot was carried out in March 2008 with 43 students. The feedback received has informed the development of Phase II which incorporates a multi-patient approach. Five virtual patients suffering from different respiratory problems, such as Asthma and COPD have been implemented. The same narrative and Activity Model is applied for all these patients including different modes of representation. The learner is asked to make decisions based on current information and acquires new information as a result of different decisions. Phase II will be released in August 2008.
A web world environment has been implemented consisting of a three-tier architecture based on J2EE’s Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern – tier 1: web-server; tier 2: application server; and tier 3: database. This model accommodates the delivery of a one-to-many relationship between the user/student and several virtual patients.
For more information please contact Maria Toro-Troconis: m.toro@imperial.ac.uk
SLURL: slurl.com/secondlife/Imperial College London/150/86/27/
Demo on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=WnPYhSbSABA
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Dan Hoch, Neurologist, Massachussets General Hospital
::::Massachusetts General Hospital Relaxation Response Study in Second Life::::
+++++++++++
Do you enjoy using Second Life to communicate with others? Are you interested in learning about stress reduction techniques? Are you able to travel to downtown Boston?
We are recruiting healthy people and their Second Life Avatars to take part in a research study. The study involves teaching the Relaxation Response within Second Life. The Relaxation Response is a form of stress reduction therapy.
The eight week study comprises 8 training sessions in Second Life, each lasting 60 to 90 minutes. All participants will receive a Razer Piranha headsets to be used in the study and kept after the study ends. Additionally, study participants will be given $25 toward travel expenses to the Massachusetts General Hospital. The study does not involve any medication or blood draws.
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to RRSLStudy@partners.org or call 617-643-6240. You may also IM our in world contact, Halton Alsop.
or check out the study web page at:
www.connected-health.org/programs/second-life/center-for-...
[[Benson-Henry Instituet for Mind Body Medicine -- Center for Connected Health -- Department of Neurology]]
:::::Questions?:::::
Our plot will be staffed by a member of our research team during the following times:
Monday June 30th 9a-5p PST
Tuesday July 1st 9a-5p PST
Wednesday July 2nd 9a-1p PST
Thursday July 3rd 9a-1p PST
Thanks for listening to our principal investigator Dr. Dan Hoch discuss healthcare in virtual worlds during the SL5B speaker series!
+++++++++++++
John Lester (Pathfinder)
"Linden Lab's Perspective on Healthcare in Second Life: Cultivating Ecosystems and Strategies for Success"
++++++++++++
Pathfinder Linden (RL: John Lester) currently serves as Linden Lab's Boston Operations Director, coordinating the growth of Linden Lab's East Coast presence. He also leads Linden Lab's Proactive Education and Healthcare Mentoring Program, acting as a mentoring resource and academic evangelist for people using Second Life for teaching, academic and healthcare research, medical education/simulation, and scientific visualization. Pathfinder will talk about Linden Lab's perspective on healthcare applications in Second Life, the critical connection between the healthcare and education communities, and future visions of how healthcare might best leverage virtual worlds.
+++++++++++
Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d
+++++++++++
Medipelago and our partners are beginning a new era for professional societies in the digital immersive 21st century. We believe social networking in 3D spaces changes everything. So, we are offering access controlled 3D peer spaces and scalable virtual rentals for your business meetings, research collaborations, and educational courses. We have a simple mission: move photons, not people and use more silicon, and less carbon. It is less costly to meet in an immersive digital world, and its more flexible to use 3D software to make you productive, responsive, and motivated.
2b3d offers information services that feature 3d meeting spaces, collaborative environments and virtual real estate rentals to individuals, companies, professional societies or groups. We leverage virtual worlds and social networking to bring professionals together in a single immersive location. Our services help to reduce travel costs and human resource downtime. At 2b3d locations, you meet peers, access current research, hold conferences, working groups and collaborate with people on the leading edge in your field. Our mission is to build robust information service solutions with innovative tools to advance productivity, tell a story and create a rich environment for you to gather with colleagues and partners.
The City of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. Commerce City is a northern suburb of Denver and as of 2013 is the 18th most populous municipality in Colorado. The city population was 45,913 at the 2010 United States Census, a population increase of 118.7% in the ten years since the 2000 census.
Commerce City is a mixed residential and industrial community that is known for an oil refinery with a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day (14,000 m3/d), operated by Suncor. Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a soccer stadium in Commerce City, hosts the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Commerce City is home to an oil refinery with a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day (14,000 m3/d). Originally, this facility existed as two separately owned refineries, one on each side of Brighton Boulevard.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_City,_Colorado
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Governor Hogan Speaks at the Commerce Staff Event by Patrick Siebert at 401 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson testifies before the Senate Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee during a hearing on NASA’s budget request, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Détail de l'auberge Ravoux où vécut Van Gogh (Auvers-sur-Oise - Val d'Oise - France)
Il y mourra le 29 juillet 1890.
Commerce de vin et restaurant plus que centenaire, c’est une auberge typique de la fin du XIXème siècle
Hellas Kenya Business Forum was a two day conference that was held in Athens at 7-8th of November 2013. The first day was dedicated to commerce, trade, agriculture, constructions and the second to tourism.
Governor Hogan Speaks at the Commerce Staff Event by Patrick Siebert at 401 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202
Protótipo para Home de E-commerce Goodyear - Venda on-line de Pneus.
Criação, Direção de Arte
Cliente: Goodyear
Status: On-line, com modificações by Rafaela Ornellas
Desenvolvido na agência Foster
Taken with a Nikon 1 J2, edited with Snapseed. Part of my Street Blur photo series.
Visit my website and join the mailing list at obscuran.tk.
free pic no repro fee
pictured at the Cork Chamber , US Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland joined forces at a breakfast meeting entitled Economic Leaders Forum , Drivers of Growth in the US-Irish Relationship in the Clarion Hotel, Cork.
pictures Gerard McCarthy 087 8537228
more info contact Katie Keogh Office of Public Affairs U.S. Embassy Dublin 01 237 5843 087 682 3845