Spend Vacations in Costa Rica

When some one planning to pass the vacations, the main issue that sometime make hurdle is the choosing of place where to visit.If you are looking for an all-inclusive vacation that will manageable within your budget? Look no further, Costa Rica vacations may be just the right answer.

Before going anywhere chose the place of your interest which can make you enjoy more adventurous and remembrance vacations. In Costa Rica,there are many famous places which can attarct the visitors due to there mouth-open beauty and tropical paradise in which Quepos, Heredia, San Jose, Puerto, Monteverdi includes the best.

Below I try to describe these places which I hope so make you to better explore Costa Rica Vacations.


Quepos:
Quepos is a city in Puntarenas Province, located in Costa Rica.There are numerous famous Costa Rican hotels, bars and restaurants in the city.It is located about 160KM from San Jose,on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and famous due to fishing destination and sports activities.This city contains the best Costa Rica Condos, Costa Rica Villas and lots.Manuel Antonio has the most popular National Park and beach in Costa Rica.

Puerto:
Puerto is a small beach town located at 130 miles from San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.Puerto Viejo is a popular destination for all types of tourists who visits Costa Rica. It is well famous in the surfing community and also home to beautiful Costa Rican beaches, such as Playa Negra, and Punta Uva, Playa Chiquita.Spend your vacatios in Puerto Viejo where clear water, coconut palms, great surf and a laid-back Caribbean atmosphere make a favorite among travelers and the Costa Rica real estate is boosting day by day due to these stumble places.

San Jose:
San Jose is the capital and largest city and located in the heart of Costa Rica.You can spend your time hiking and hunting through the San Jose tropical forest or resting on the sandy beaches that outline the Costa Rican coast.You can enjoy the best Costa Rica Restaurant, Museum, night life and most visiting Costa Rican hotels which make spraying on your face .While travelling you can glance up the surrounding mountains, farm fields which are planted with the golden beans.The pleasant climate and the beautiful views of mountainous city makes San Jose a memorable city.

Monteverde:
Monteverde is the famous city of Costa Rica having wide range of Costa Rican accommodations,hotels, Costa Rican Rental houses and apartments which are affordable under manageable budget of the visitors and tourists.It is situated almost 150 KM from the capital San Jose and famous due to the home of the most popular cloud forest jungle.

Due to the capability of accommodate a large number of visitors,the real estate margin is increasing day by day which is so fruitful for the Costa Rica real estate.

I hope so these information must be helpful for those who want to visit costa rica and will make the vacations memorable.Best of luck for your vacations.

Clearance Hardwood Flooring

Clearance Hardwood Flooring is "a product manufactured from timber that is designed for use as flooring.

Video Documentaries On Pakistan

Pakistan Gandhara Heritage

Pakistan - where Nature is your Host

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Pakistan Hunza

Pakistan - The Cradle of Civilizations

Pakistan Balochistan

Pakistan Rhythm of Unity

Pakistan - Lahore

Pakistan Land of Adventure

Pakistan - Symphony of Nature

State of Pakistan Economy 2010-11 (Data from Economic Survey 2010-11)

PAKISTAN ECONOMIC SURVEY 2010-11

CHAPTER NAME CHAPTER AUTHOR Overview of the Economy S.Ejaz Wasti Growth and Investment Zafar-ul-Hassan Agriculture Omer Farooq Manufacturing Attaullah Shah Fiscal Development Nazia Gul Money and Credit Nazia Gul Capital Market Norina Bibi Inflation Ahmed Khan Trade and Payments Mushtaq Ali Hub External and Domestic Debt Nazia Gul Education Omer Farooq Health & Nutrition Ahmed Khan Population, Labor Force and Employment Norina Bibi Poverty Absar Hassan Siddique Transport and Communications Attaullah Shah Energy Muhammad Usman Raja Environment S.Natiq Hussain Naqvi Special Section 1: Cost of War on Terror for Pakistan Economy Special Section 2: Pakistan: Flood Impact Assessment Contingent Liabilities Tax Expenditure Economic and Social Indicators Download Statistical Appandix Highlights of the Economic Survey

Geographical perspective of human evolution

"History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." Those who domesticated plants and animals early got a head start on developing writing, government, technology, weapons of war, and immunity to deadly germs.

Geography played an important role in human evolution. One of the biggest reasons of stratification in modern world is the difference among peoples' environments which divided them into "the haves and haves-nots.
Environmentalism, a basic concept of geography, played major role in current diversification in the world. 

Watch the first part of documentary based on Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, in which author tries to explain why "people of Eurasian origin... dominate the world in wealth and power."

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The fates of Human Societies - Part 1

Diamond argues that Eurasian civilization is not so much a product of ingenuity, but of opportunity and necessity. That is, civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions.


Guns, Germs, and Steel also offers a very brief explanation of why western European societies, rather than other powers such as China, have been the dominant colonizers.


Read More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel#The_theory_outlined

Buy Book:
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Operation Smile - CHILDREN’S CHARITY ORGANIZATION

Operation Smile is a charity organization healing children's smiles, making the world a better place.


More than 200,000 children are born with a severe cleft condition each year — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.

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Visit their website at http://www.operationsmile.org/


The say, "Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year and, today, more than 160,000 girls and boys have a new chance at a new life because of our work. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?"


Share this post with your friends and spread the message.

History of Merriam-Webster dictionary

Noah Webster Picture

On April 14, 1828, Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of the now famous Merriam-Webster dictionary. Webster was a brilliant American textbook pioneer and prolific author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." His blue-backed speller books taught five generations of children in the United States how to spell and read, and made their education more secular and less religious. We could use another Noah Webster today.
Courtesy: World Atlas

Some facts about Africa Migration

Following are some facts about Africa Migration which has been taken from  'Leveraging Migration for Africa: Remittances, Skills, and Investments'.

• About 30 million Africans live outside their home countries, and migration is a vital lifeline for the continent.
• These migrants sent home over $40 billion in remittances last year.
• Their annual estimated saving, usually held in foreign countries, exceeds $50 billion.
• Skilled migration poses special challenges of service delivery and loss of human capital, especially in poor countries with low education base, thus in part subtracting from the benefits of large remittances. 
• Large investments in training people are going to be needed to bridge the gap between demand for and supply of skills in Africa. Restricting the emigration of high-skilled professionals in any form is a no-no.
• Migration is mostly intra-regional, and informal. 
• Migrants are mostly young and male. 
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• The educated migrate to the North whereas the unskilled migrate within the region. 
• The major reason for migration is to seek employment.
• Land purchases, building a home, and starting a business were the highest uses of remittances sent home by African diaspora. As a share of total investment, these represented 36 percent in Burkina Faso, 55 percent in Kenya, 57 percent in Nigeria, 15 percent in Senegal, and 20 percent in Uganda. 
• Education was the second-highest use of remittances from outside Africa into Nigeria and Uganda, the third highest into Burkina Faso, and the fourth highest into Kenya.

The report also outlines innovative financing mechanisms such as issuance of diaspora bonds and securitization of future remittance flows that can help finance big-ticket projects like railways, roads, power plants, and higher-education institutions that will, step by step, help to transform Africa.

The pdf version of this report, two companion volumes and 6 household survey data involving migration and remittances can be accessed at www.worldbank.org/migration. A report is completed. But a deeper engagement on leveraging migration for Africa’s development has begun.

Source: worldbank.org

Related Books:

            NEW IDEAS OF PROGRESSIVE PARTIES ON MIGRATION IN WEST AFRICA : FINAL CONFERENCE REPORT

Gmail Motion BETA

The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then, countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.

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Gmail Motion BETA

The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then, countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.

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Crackdown on Christians in Vietnam

The Vietnamese government has intensified repression of indigenous minority Christians from the country's Central Highland provinces who are pressing for religious freedom and land rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.


The 46-page report, "Montagnard Christians in Vietnam: A Case Study in Religious Repression," details the latest government crackdowns on these indigenous peoples, known collectively as Montagnards. The report documents police sweeps to root out Montagnards in hiding. It details how the authorities have dissolved house church gatherings, orchestrated coerced renunciations of faith, and sealed off the border to prevent asylum seekers from fleeing to Cambodia.

Want to know where is Japan ?

Want to know where is the Japan on map? Check the image below

Political map of Japan

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US launches missile attack on Libya

March 20 - 19:55GMT:  US reportedly launches missile attack on Libya, France says US would enhance assault on Gaddafi forces.

Political map of Libya

Political map of Africa

Political map of Africa

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U.S., France and England Geared for Libya War

The French government is opposing any aggression by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi against the population of Benghazi. According to CNN, French fighter jets patrolled over Libya today.

March 20 - 19:55GMT:  US reportedly launches middle attack on Libya, France says US would enhance assault on Gaddafi forces.

Political map of Libya with respect to France:

Political map of Libya - France

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WAR ON TERROR AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON PAKISTAN

Check this document to get an essay outline about War On Terror and Its Implications on Pakistan.

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What is Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in large lakes.Owing to the immense volumes of water and the high energy involved, tsunamis can devastate coastal regions.

The principal sources of tsunami are:

• Large submarine or coastal earthquakes, in which there is significant displacement of the seafloor or coast
• Underwater landslides (which may be triggered by an earthquake or volcanic activity)
• Large coastal cliff or lakeside landslides
• Underwater volcanic eruptions

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Anatomy of a Tsunami:

A tsunami wave in the open ocean can be more than 100 km across,That’s roughly the length of 1000 American football fields!

As the the tsunami wave reaches the coast it grows in height and slows.  Tsunami wavesn may grow to be many meters high near thecoast and have a tremendous amount of energy.

The following picture explains how a tsunami works:

How a tsunami works (Geological representation)

How tsunami works ( What is Tsunami ) 

A designer's representation of tsunami in America

Tsunamis: how safe is the United States?: An article from: Focus on Geography

Read more about Tsunami:

      

Steve Jobs launches Apple's iPad 2

Apple CEO Steve Jobs today took a San Francisco stage to introduce his company's newest iPad.


The new iPad 2 -- the name wags had stuck on the new device, and the one Apple confirmed today -- is faster, thinner and lighter, said Jobs.


But it's not cheaper: Apple will retain the prices of 2010's iPad. The Wi-Fi versions start at $499 for a 16GB model and climb to $699 for a 64GB configuration, while the 3G iPads are priced at $629 to $829.

The iPad 2 will ship March 11 in the U.S., and on March 25 in at least 26 other countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.


Jobs boasted of the iPad 2's new features and components, with the latter including a new dual-core processor -- an Apple-designed chip dubbed the A5 -- that he said doubled the speed of the tablet. Graphics processing, he added, is up to nine times faster.


As most pundits expected, the iPad 2 includes a pair of cameras, one facing the front of the device. The new tablet is 33% thinner, and tips the scales at 1.3 lbs., said Jobs.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com

      

New Zealand Earthquake Map

Dozens trapped by New Zealand quake that killed 65. It was a 6.3-magnitude quake. 

Some Important facts about New Zealand Earthquake:

• The February 21, 2011 South Island, New Zealand earthquake occurred as part of the aftershock sequence of the M 7.0 September 3, 2010 Darfield, NZ earthquake.
• The February 21st earthquake involved oblique-thrust faulting at the easternmost limit of previous aftershocks, and like the mainshock itself is broadly associated with regional plate boundary deformation as the Pacific and Australia plates interact in the central South Island, New Zealand.
• This latest shock is significantly closer to the main population center of Christchurch, NZ.
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•  Since the September 3, 2010 mainshock, there have been approximately 6 M>=5.0 aftershocks in the Christchurch region.

Following image shows the Instrumental Intensity of New Zealand quake:

Below is the map of New Zealand:

Map of New Zealand

What is happening in Bahrain

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain is the latest autocrat to choose brutality, rather than reform, to try to silence his people's demands for a more just government. His actions are unconscionable and miss the lessons of Egypt and Tunisia where violence only fed popular anger. Hosni Mubarak and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali are now gone.

Protests in Bahrain were peaceful and festive on Wednesday when thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators - including children - bedded down in Pearl Square for the night. Hours later, hundreds of riot police stormed the area without warning, firing tear gas, concussion grenades, rubber bullets and shotguns.

Nicholas D. Kristof of The Times interviewed paramedics who said they were beaten for treating the injured. At least five people were killed. Two other protesters were killed earlier in the week.

Bahrain's pro-democracy movement was inspired by Egypt and Tunisia, but the grievances of its Shiite majority are longstanding. They compose 70 percent of the citizenry but hold only four of 23 cabinet slots. They are excluded from serving in the police and army. In last October's election, the Shiites won less than half of the seats in the National Assembly, raising charges of vote-rigging.

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King Hamad has repeatedly vowed both political and economic reforms but has never really delivered. Now the government is looking for a scapegoat - blaming Iran for the unrest. Tehran certainly never misses a chance to foment trouble. But the Shiites' demands are legitimate, and the appeal of Iran and other extremists will only grow if the government continues on this path.

For too long, the United States has muted its criticism of what goes in Bahrain, to ensure the kingdom's cooperation on security issues. Bahrain is home to the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet and an ally in efforts to counter Iran, terrorism and piracy.

After all of its backing and forthing on Egypt, we hoped the White House would have figured this one out. On Wednesday, President Obama criticized Iran's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, and pointedly did not mention Bahrain. On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did better, expressing strong opposition to the violence and support for reform.

Bahrain's brutality is not only at odds with American values, it is a threat to the country's long-term stability. Washington will need to push harder.

Source: The New York Times

What is National Margarita Day 2011?

The Margarita is a much loved cocktail that’s got a taste like no other. A unique and flavorful drink, the Margarita is enjoyed so much that today, we even celebrate National Margarita Day 2011. Every year on February 22^nd, many people celebrate the life of this extraordinary drink by hosting parties, creating new mixes and most importantly – enjoying the Margarita, This special celebratory occasion is the perfect excuse to enjoy cocktails and to celebrate what must be one of the most unique special occasions in the western world.

Source: HubPages

      

Bahrain

Geography of Bahrain:

• Bahrain comprises of thirty-three islands in the Persian Gulf, situated close to the shore of Arabian Peninsula.
• The islands are about twenty-four kilometers from the east cost of Saudi Arabia and twenty-eight kilometers from Qatar.
• The total area of the Bahrain is about 691 square kilometers. 
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• The largest island, accounting for 83% of the area, is Bahrain island, which has an extent of 572 square kilometers. 
• From north to south, Bahrain is forty-eight kilometers long; at its widest point in the north, it is sixteen kilometers from east to west.

         

What is Collective Bargaining?

Collective bargaining is a type of negotiation used by employees to work with their employers. During a collective bargaining period, workers' representatives approach the employer and attempt to negotiate a contract which both sides can agree with. Typical issues covered in a labor contract are hours, wages, benefits, working conditions, and the rules of the workplace. Once both sides have reached a contract that they find agreeable, it is signed and kept in place for a set period of time, most commonly three years. The final contract is called a collective bargaining agreement, to reflect the fact that it is the result of a collective bargaining effort.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com

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Egypt Erupts in Jubilation as Mubarak Steps Down

An 18-day-old revolt led by the young people of Egypt ousted President Hosni Mubarak on Friday, shattering three decades of political stasis here and overturning the established order of the Arab world. Shouts of “God is great” erupted from Tahrir Square at twilight as Mr. Mubarak’s vice president and longtime intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, announced that Mr. Mubarak had passed all authority to a council of military leaders. 

Tens of thousands who had bowed down for evening prayers leapt to their feet, bouncing and dancing in joy. “Lift your head high, you’re an Egyptian,” they cried. Revising the tense of the revolution’s rallying cry, they chanted, “The people, at last, have brought down the regime.” 

“We can breathe fresh air, we can feel our freedom,” said Gamal Heshamt, a former independent member of Parliament. “After 30 years of absence from the world, Egypt is back.” 

Mr. Mubarak, an 82-year-old former air force commander, left without comment for his home by the Red Sea in Sharm el Sheik. His departure overturns, after six decades, the Arab world’s original secular dictatorship. He was toppled by a radically new force in regional politics — a largely secular, nonviolent, youth-led democracy movement that brought Egypt’s liberal and Islamist opposition groups together for the first time under its banner. 

One by one the protesters withstood each weapon in the arsenal of the Egyptian autocracy — first the heavily armed riot police, then a ruling party militia and finally the state’s powerful propaganda machine. 

Mr. Mubarak’s fall removed a bulwark of American foreign policy in the region. The United States, its Arab allies and Israel are now pondering whether the Egyptian military, which has vowed to hold free elections, will give way to a new era of democratic dynamism or to a perilous lurch into instability or Islamist rule. 

The upheaval comes less than a month after a sudden youth revolt in nearby Tunisia toppled another enduring Arab strongman, President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. And on Friday night some of the revelers celebrating in the streets of Cairo marched under a Tunisian flag and pointed to the surviving autocracies in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen. “We are setting a role model for the dictatorships around us,” said Khalid Shaheen, 39. “Democracy is coming.” 

President Obama, in a televised address, praised the Egyptian revolution. “Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day,” he said. “It was the moral force of nonviolence — not terrorism and mindless killing — that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.” 

The Muslim Brotherhood, the outlawed Islamist movement that until 18 days ago was considered Egypt’s only viable opposition, said it was merely a supporting player in the revolt. 

“We participated with everyone else and did not lead this or raise Islamic slogans so that it can be the revolution of everyone,” said Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, a spokesman for the Brotherhood. “This is a revolution for all Egyptians; there is no room for a single group’s slogans, not the Brotherhood’s or anybody else.” 

The Brotherhood, which was slow to follow the lead of its own youth wing into the streets, has said it will not field a candidate for president or seek a parliamentary majority in the expected elections. 

The Mubarak era ended without any of the stability and predictability that were the hallmarks of his tenure. Western and Egyptian officials had expected Mr. Mubarak to leave office on Thursday and irrevocably delegate his authority to Vice President Suleiman, finishing the last six months of his term with at least his presidential title intact. 

But whether because of pride or stubbornness, Mr. Mubarak instead spoke once again as the unbowed father of the nation, barely alluding to a vague “delegation” of authority. 

The resulting disappointment enraged the Egyptian public, sent a million people into the streets of Cairo on Friday morning and put in motion an unceremonious retreat at the behest of the military he had commanded for so long. 

“Taking into consideration the difficult circumstances the country is going through, President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the post of president of the republic and has tasked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to manage the state’s affairs,” Mr. Suleiman, grave and ashen, said in a brief televised statement. 

Courtesy: NY Times

2010 ‘one of worst’ years for disasters: UN

GENEVA: 2010 was one of the worst years on record for natural disasters over the past two decades, leaving nearly 297,000 people dead, research for the United Nations showed on Monday.

The devastating earthquake in Haiti a year ago accounted for about two thirds of the toll, killing more than 222,500 people, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED).

The CRED found that the summer heatwave in Russia was the second deadliest disaster of the year, leaving 55,736 people dead according to figures it compiled from insurers and media reports of official sources.

The year was “one of the worst in decades in terms of the number of people killed and in terms of economic losses,” Margareta Wahlstroem, UN special representative for disaster risk reduction, told journalists.

“These figures are bad, but could be seen as benign in years to come,” she said, pointing to the impact of unplanned growth of urban areas, environmental degradation and climate change.

The economic cost of the 373 major disasters recorded in 2010 reached 109 billion dollars, headed by an estimated 30 billion dollars in damage caused by the powerful earthquake that struck Chile in February.

The earthquake unleashed a tsunami that swept away villages and claimed most of the 521 dead.

Summer floods and landslides in China caused an estimated 18 billion dollars in damage, while floods in Pakistan cost 9.5 billion dollars, according to the CRED’s annual study.

Although impoverished Haiti is still struggling to recover from the quake that devastated much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, it ranked lower down the global economic scale with an estimated eight billion dollars in losses.

Asians accounted for 89 percent of the 207 million people affected by disasters worldwide last year, the CRED said. – AFP
Source: Daily Dawn