Donnerstag, 10. April 2008
Montag, 31. März 2008
Walk down memory lane
100 Peso Banco Espanol Filipino 1908 Banknote
An extremely rare banknote of the Philippine Islands circulated during the early years of the American occupation. It was issued by the defunct Banco Espanol Filipino and circulated circa 1908.
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Where is Siargao
Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a land mass of approximately 437 kilometers. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet- Port Pilar with a coastline marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white sandy beaches. There are similar neighboring islands and islets with similar landforms. The Island's Pacific-facing reefs are situated on the edge of the Philippine Trench, and the extremely deep offshore waters assure the ocean swells have undiluted power when they encounter the many coral and rock reefs, giving Siargao excellent surfing conditions, particularly during the southwest "habagat" monsoon from August to November, when the prevailing wind is offshore.
The best known surfing wave on Siargao with a worldwide reputation for thick, hollow tubes is "Cloud 9". This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup, a domestic and international surfing competition sponsored by the provincial government of Surigao del Norte. The wave was discovered by travelling surfers in the late 1980's, and named and made famous by American photographer John S Callahan, who published the first major feature on Siargao Island in the US based SURFER Magazine in March 1993, and hundreds of photos in many other books and magazines since. Callahan has returned to the island many times since his first visit in 1992, and his efforts to photograph and publish surfing related and general location material from Siargao in books and magazines around the world has put the island on the international map and drawn thousands of surfers and toursts to Siargao.
There are several other quality waves on Siargao and nearby islands, but Cloud 9 has received more publicity than any other wave in the area, indeed in the Philippines as a whole. It is the only wave in the area accessible without a boat, leading to overcrowding and the nickname of "Crowd 9" among surfers worldwide as eager foreign and locally owned accommodation and tourist facilities attempt to profit from the magazine publicity and the annual influx of visitors drawn by the Siargao Cup competition in September.
Siargao Island contain the biggest mangrove forest reserves in Mindanao on the opposite coastline. Long stretches of wetlands likewise indicate potentials for commercial seaweed propagation. Siargao Island is greatly influenced by the winds and currents coming uninterrupted from the Pacific Ocean, intensified by the Mindanao current running westward through the Siargao Strait.
Offshore, a classic tropical island lay protected within its surrounding coral reef and the dozen coconut palms dressed in the center circle of the island rustled gently in the morning breeze. Off to the right, well within the massive coastal reef, lay a shining white sand bar some 200 meters long, claimed by a flock of some forty black-headed terns that stood chattering among themselves at the waters edge. The tide of Siargao is diurnal with tidal curves typically present especially on the east coast of the island.
It is the Surfing Capital of the Philippines.
The best known surfing wave on Siargao with a worldwide reputation for thick, hollow tubes is "Cloud 9". This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup, a domestic and international surfing competition sponsored by the provincial government of Surigao del Norte. The wave was discovered by travelling surfers in the late 1980's, and named and made famous by American photographer John S Callahan, who published the first major feature on Siargao Island in the US based SURFER Magazine in March 1993, and hundreds of photos in many other books and magazines since. Callahan has returned to the island many times since his first visit in 1992, and his efforts to photograph and publish surfing related and general location material from Siargao in books and magazines around the world has put the island on the international map and drawn thousands of surfers and toursts to Siargao.
There are several other quality waves on Siargao and nearby islands, but Cloud 9 has received more publicity than any other wave in the area, indeed in the Philippines as a whole. It is the only wave in the area accessible without a boat, leading to overcrowding and the nickname of "Crowd 9" among surfers worldwide as eager foreign and locally owned accommodation and tourist facilities attempt to profit from the magazine publicity and the annual influx of visitors drawn by the Siargao Cup competition in September.
Siargao Island contain the biggest mangrove forest reserves in Mindanao on the opposite coastline. Long stretches of wetlands likewise indicate potentials for commercial seaweed propagation. Siargao Island is greatly influenced by the winds and currents coming uninterrupted from the Pacific Ocean, intensified by the Mindanao current running westward through the Siargao Strait.
Offshore, a classic tropical island lay protected within its surrounding coral reef and the dozen coconut palms dressed in the center circle of the island rustled gently in the morning breeze. Off to the right, well within the massive coastal reef, lay a shining white sand bar some 200 meters long, claimed by a flock of some forty black-headed terns that stood chattering among themselves at the waters edge. The tide of Siargao is diurnal with tidal curves typically present especially on the east coast of the island.
It is the Surfing Capital of the Philippines.
Sonntag, 30. März 2008
There are 8 million Filipinos living and working abroad. Last year, overseas Filipinos sent the amount of US$ 12.6 billion. Assuming that the amount is spent on education and at least one migrant supports the education of one child; we can conclude that 8 million children go to school funded by remittances without relying on the government or development aid. This is an optimistic estimate.
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