C alifornia Outdoors

CALIFORNIA OUTDOORS


YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Yosemite National Park has grandiose rock formations together with the majestic waterfalls and its breathtaking scenic valleys. The park has about 1,200 sq m with beautiful scenic plains that would borders the eastern Sierra Nevada of the state.

You can also explore the park’s natural resources and treasures while driving or hiking along the plain roads and trails as you enjoy the breathtaking scenes of the place.


LAKE TAHOE

Together with the lake’s deep waters, its stunning beaches, the golf courses, bright and lively casinos and with the dazzling Sierra Nevada’s top mountain ski areas.

It is considered as the state’s ultimate year round holiday resort as the sports extremists would enjoy the following:

Skiing
Snowboarding
Fishing
Boating
Water skiing
Hiking


LAKE HAVASU

The Lake Havasu is located along the Chemehuevi Mountains of California. It surely is the perfect oasis with its rich natural beauty. With more than 400 m of spectacular coastline beauty, you will definitely enjoy the water adventures / sports such as:

Fishing
Skiing
Kayaking
Canoeing
Sailing
House boating

Lake Havasu is the home sweet home of the famous bridge – London Bridge. The lake also boasts its gorgeous beaches, its awesome scenery hiking trails and the vistas. Discover and explore the lake’s quiet canyons and its historic spots.

It is an adventure of a lifetime as you enjoy Lake Havasu’s desert tours, the hiking adventures as well as climbing the famous Havasu’s Outback.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

The Joshua Tree National Park is a true sanctuary park for your restless spirit. The park has about 794,000 acres with impressive tranquility and scenery. It is bordered by the magnificent Mojave and the Colorado deserts.

The park – Joshua Tree National Park has an enormous yet very fragile land that has an extensive stands with a rich undisciplined Joshua Trees and those fan palm oases that are scattered all over the plains. Its rugged mountains that are twisted with rock & granite monoliths that are against with those huge trees and plants as it create a beautiful mosaic of complexity and beauty.


MONTEREY BAY WHALE WATCHING TOURS

Monterey Bay is the ultimate whale watching destinations throughout the globe. It provides a great memorable adventure of whale watching through exciting boat tours in order to fully observe the following whales in their natural habitat – the Monterey Bay and also the Monterey Harbor.

Gray whales
Killer whales
Humpback whales
Blue whales
Orca whales


NAPA VALLEY AND SONOMA VALLEY WINE COUNTRY

It is considered as the leader in world’s wine regions. Napa Valley can surely mesmerize your sense with its 250 award winning wineries, its old fashioned vineyards, and the tasting rooms with diverse and superior wines.

Its sun kissed vineyards which ahs more than 160 scenic wineries are lined across the area. The Sonoma Valley proudly produces the most flavorful wines in the entire globe.


PETRIFIED FOREST

Petrified Forest is the state’s matchless destinations. Experience the adventure of the Redwood Trails at the stunning wine country – California.


SANTA CRUZ BEACH

Santa Cruz Beach is more commonly known as the “Surf City” is regarded as the prototypical California beach. It is located south of San Francisco together with a pier, vintage boardwalk, Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, the state’s oldest amusement park and the majestic beach that is suitable for surfing, swimming and making sand castles.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which is located at the beach, proudly features the following:

Amusement parks
Rides
Eateries
Beach Vistas


POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE

Explore the north side of San Francisco and discover the rich Point Reyes National Seashore. It is a beautiful landscape with vivid ocean breakers, grasslands, forested ridges, windswept beaches and hillsides.

The enjoyable activities that can be indulged in Point Reyes National Seashore are the following:

Hiking
Mountain Biking
Swimming
Kayaking
Horseback Riding
Biking
Beachcombing
Whale Watching




Reference:


http://gowest.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/gowest/california/CA/Outdoors?sid=979$M.njvNNggfN.46

know before you go

AFRICA
Know Before You Go/Traveling Tips
-Climate/Weather
African Climate ranges from tropical to sub arctic. The northern half of it is mainly a desert, while the central and southern part of it contains both savanna plains and very opaque jungle.


-Language
Africa got the most number of languages in the entire continent of the world. Studies said Africa contains over a thousand languages (while some estimated it to over two thousand languages). However, there are four major language families native to African continent.

* Afro-Asiatic language - consists of 240 languages and has 285 million users throughout the Horn of Africa, North Africa, the Sahel, and Southwest Asia.
* Nilo-Saharan language – consist of more than a hundred languages and used by 30 million people of Nilotic tribes in Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
* Niger-Congo language – this is actually the largest language family in the world in terms of different languages and this is widely used in Sub-Sahara Africa.
* Khoisan language – consist of about fifty languages and used in Southern part of Africa with around 120,000 people. Studies show that the Khoi and the San people are known to be the original inhabitants of Southern Africa. Nevertheless, many of the Khoisan languages are now consider as endangered.

Countries of Africa, its Capital, Currency, Official Language, and Area.

Name (official name)
Capital
Currency
Official languages
Area (km²)

Algeria[3] (People's Democratic Republic of Algeria) Algiers
Algerian dinar
Arabic
2,381,740
Angola[4] (Republic of Angola) Luanda
Kwanza
Portuguese
1,246,700
Benin[5] (Republic of Benin) Porto Novo
West African CFA franc
French
112,622
Botswana[6] (Republic of Botswana) Gaborone
Pula
English, Setswana
581,726
Burkina Faso[7]
Ouagadougou
West African CFA franc
French
274,000
Burundi[8] (Republic of Burundi) Bujumbura
Burundi franc
Kirundi, French, Swahili
27,830
Cameroon[9] (Republic of Cameroon) Yaoundé
Central African CFA franc
French, English
475,442
Canary Islands (Spain)[10][n 1]
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Euro
Spanish
7,447
Cape Verde[11] (Republic of Cape Verde) Praia
Cape Verdean escudo
Portuguese
4,033
Central African Republic[12] (Central African Republic) Bangui
Central African CFA franc
Sango, French
622,984
Ceuta (Spain)[10][n 1]
Ceuta Euro
Spanish
28
Chad[13] (Republic of Chad) N'Djamena
Central African CFA franc
French, Arabic
1,284,000
Comoros[14] (Union of the Comoros) Moroni
Comorian franc
Arabic, French
2,235
Côte d'Ivoire[15] (Republic of Côte d'Ivoire) Yamoussoukro
Abidjan
West African CFA franc
French
322,460
Democratic Republic of the Congo[16][n 2] (Democratic Republic of the Congo) Kinshasa
Congolese franc
French
2,344,858
Djibouti[17] (Republic of Djibouti) Djibouti
Djiboutian Franc
Arabic, French
23,200
Egypt[18][n 3] (Arab Republic of Egypt) Cairo
Egyptian Pound
Arabic
1,001,449
Equatorial Guinea[19] (Republic of Equatorial Guinea) Malabo
Central African CFA franc
Spanish, French, Portuguese
28,051
Eritrea[20] (State of Eritrea) Asmara
Nakfa
None at national level 117,600
Ethiopia[21] (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) Addis Ababa
Birr
Amharic
1,104,300
Gabon[22] (Gabonese Republic) Libreville
Central African CFA franc
French
267,668
Gambia[23] (Republic of The Gambia) Banjul
Dalasi
English
10,380
Ghana[24] (Republic of Ghana) Accra
Ghanaian cedi
English
238,534
Guinea[25] (Republic of Guinea) Conakry
Guinean franc
French
245,857
Guinea-Bissau[26] (Republic of Guinea-Bissau) Bissau
West African CFA franc
Portuguese
36,125
Kenya[27] (Republic of Kenya) Nairobi
Kenyan shilling
Swahili, English
580,367
Lesotho[28] (Kingdom of Lesotho) Maseru
Loti
Southern Sotho, English
30,355
Liberia[29] (Republic of Liberia) Monrovia
Liberian dollar
English
111,369
Libya[30] (Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) Tripoli
Libyan dinar
Arabic
1,759,540
Madagascar[31] (Republic of Madagascar) Antananarivo
Malagasy ariary
Malagasy, French, English
587,041
Madeira (Portugal)[n 4]
Funchal
Euro
Portuguese
828
Malawi[32] (Republic of Malawi) Lilongwe
Malawian kwacha
English, Chichewa
118,484
Mali[33] (Republic of Mali) Bamako
West African CFA franc
French
1,240,192
Mauritania[34] (Islamic Republic of Mauritania) Nouakchott
Mauritanian ouguiya
Arabic
1,030,700
Mauritius[35] (Republic of Mauritius) Port Louis
Mauritian rupee
English
2,040
Mayotte[36] (France)[n 5]
Mamoudzou
Euro
French
374
Melilla (Spain)[n 1](Autonomous City of Melilla) N/A Euro
Spanish
20
Morocco[37] (Kingdom of Morocco) Rabat
Moroccan dirham
Arabic
446,550
Mozambique[38] (Republic of Mozambique) Maputo
Mozambican metical
Portuguese
801,590
Namibia[39] (Republic of Namibia) Windhoek
Namibian dollar
English
825,418
Niger[40] ( Republic of Niger) Niamey
West African CFA franc
French, Hausa
1,267,000
Nigeria[41] (Federal Republic of Nigeria) Abuja
Nigerian naira
English
923,768
Republic of the Congo[42][n 6] (Republic of the Congo) Brazzaville
Central African CFA franc
French
342,000
Réunion (France)[n 5]
Saint-Denis
Euro
French
2,512
Rwanda[43] (Republic of Rwanda) Kigali
Rwandan franc
Kinyarwanda, French, English
26,798
Saint Helena[44]
Jamestown
Saint Helenian pound
English
3,926
São Tomé and Príncipe[45] (Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe) São Tomé
São Tomé and Príncipe Dobra
Portuguese
964
Senegal[46] (Republic of Senegal) Dakar
West African CFA franc
French
196,723
Seychelles[47] (Republic of Seychelles) Victoria
Seychellois rupee
English, French, Seychellois Creole
451
Sierra Leone[48] (Republic of Sierra Leone) Freetown
Leone
English
71,740
Somalia[49] (Somali Republic) Mogadishu
Somali shilling
Somali
637,661
South Africa[50] (Republic of South Africa) Pretoria (executive)
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Cape Town (legislative) South African rand
Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
1,221,037
Sudan[51] (Republic of Sudan) Khartoum
Sudanese pound
Arabic, English
2,505,813
Swaziland[52] (Kingdom of Swaziland) Lobamba (royal and legislative)
Mbabane (administrative) Lilangeni
English, Swati
17,364
Tanzania[53] (United Republic of Tanzania) Dar es Salaam (traditional capital)
Dodoma (legislative) Tanzanian shilling
Swahili, English
945,087
Togo[54] (Togolese Republic) Lomé
West African CFA franc
French
56,785
Tunisia[55] (Tunisian Republic) Tunis
Tunisian dinar
Arabic
163,610
Uganda[56] ( Republic of Uganda) Kampala
Ugandan shilling
English, Swahili
236,040
Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)[n 7]
El Aaiún (Moroccan), Bir Lehlou (temporary)[n 8]
Moroccan dirham
N/A.[n 9]
267,405
Zambia[57] (Republic of Zambia) Lusaka
Zambian kwacha
English
752,614
Zimbabwe[58] (Republic of Zimbabwe) Harare
Zimbabwean dollar
Shona, Ndebele, English
390,757








-Business Hours
-When to Go
-Electric Power Use
-Do’s and Don’ts
-Tipping
-Time Zone

Pops Side on the Break Up Issue!

On the August issue of the PEP magazine, Jomari Yllana denies all the speculations that he and his three years girlfriend Pops Fernandez already broke up. But certain rumors continue to spread out as the Concert Queen Pops Fernandez chooses to be quiet regarding the status of their relationship.

But the real score between them is finally cleared up after Pops speak out in an interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal last October 6, 2008.

As many people surmise the real status of their relationship, the actress and Diva has learned to deal with all the intrigues that she considered as so stressful. It’s either way they were getting married or already broke up, the actress still chose to enjoy her life for now.

And to put end over those rumors with his relationship with Jomari, “We are still together, wala kaming problema and walang ibang chicks (we don’t have any problem and he has no other woman)” cleared the actress.

The gossip started to come out when they first have a misunderstanding that was spread all over the press. It was the very first time that they argued over certain thing that the actress admitted has nearly resulted to a break up. It was maybe because they were new to that situation and they don’t communicate well.

It was a four day lover’s quarrel that has nearly ended their long relationship. But Pops admitted that she learned a lot of things about what had happened and it feels right to make up with him which she promise to do it more often.

She realizes that she wasn’t able to give him the fair chance to speak for himself. When she chooses to give in, they are able to be very candid to each other when they talked since both of them were no longer affected.

But just like the sun that comes out after the storm, the two not only made it up but was able to add rainbow in their relationship by doing a lot of date after.

The breaks up issue are all speculation after all! Settled?


Source: Showbiz news - pep

New Technology… a Threat?

The development of science and technology creates big changes in everybody’s lifestyle, from what we wear, and we what we intake in our body to every single thing around us.
We all enjoy this big changes and how this high technologies benefits us. Does we forget some primitive things are still best to use and practice despite the millennium dilemma.
Foods cook from fire and twigs are surely more tasteful than the one cook over the stove. And pizza and breads that is baked in the “Pugon” or the traditional oven using charcoal is a lot better too.
Above all what this traditional thing matters most is its safety and quality assurance that will not put our health in danger.
Currently the whole world is facing the distress of the alarming news of milk contamination in China and Hong Kong. Milk products from China is contaminated with chemical melamine that has killed 4 children and hospitalized 53,000 children for kidney stones caused by the tainted milk.
It’s quite frightening especially for the working moms who rely on formula milks for their babies. Though our government has banned all the dairy products from China, we still could not assure the safety of our children’s health.
Because of the fast track of development of our technology, mother forgets the basic yet the best thing they could provide to their babies, the benefits and advances of breastfeeding than using formula milks.
Before the China contamination outbreak, most parents failed to check the contents of the milk they buy in the market.
Ingredients of formula milk that can be found in the label at the back of the container are not safe and ideal. The main ingredient in all formula milks is Whey which is a waste by-product of producing dairy products particularly cheeses.
Other ingredients of milk as you try to check are Coconut, Palm and safflower oils. These oils are use in many snack foods like popcorn in theaters that is least expensive oil.
Formula milk is only one of the thousand products technology provides that is harmful to our health. Awareness is the most important thing you should do before using anything. Not all available in the market is good for you.
Advertisement on TV’s grabs the people from buying their product, beauty products that may be harmful to your skin and shampoos and conditioners that may make your hair dry or may cause baldness.
Accordingly, Conditioners contains silicon that could cause head cancer. An alarming message that is passed on me through Friendster (December 2007) about that certain shampoo on the market that contains Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde or commonly known as Formalin is being use to preserve things like dead bodies in funeral homes.
These products may contain less amount of this chemical but as we use it every day it will be stored on our scalp. You may later notice excessive hair fall and unfortunately develop a cancer.
I automatically check all the shampoos in every grocery and stores I’ve gone to and only3 shampoo brands do not contain Formaldehyde. I then inform all my friends I have on my phonebook list.
It makes me think how our grandparents have their hair look great while using only gogos and coconut oil.
So before you grab on what technology has to offer, check it first before you apply or use it. Prevention is still better than cure…you might put your health and of your family at risk!

The Hottie And The Nottie

The Hottie and The Nottie is a romantic-comedy movie of the year featuring Paris Hilton, Christine Lakin, Joel Moore and The Greg Wilson.

It strikes the screen in US as a blockbuster hit earning $9,000 on its first day. It is directed by Tom Putnam as his first full-feature film and written by Dawson’s Creek writer Heidi Ferrer.

The story was about Nate Cooper (Joel Moore) who could not get together with a woman. He can’t forget his childhood crush he meets in first grade and their times together in elementary, Cristabel Abbott (Paris Hilton).

Cristabel has grown up into a really hot chick and Cooper sends out to the beaches of California to meet her geeky best friend June Phigg (Christine Lakin).

Everyday Cristabel jogs on the beach with many suitors who try to catch her eyes that include an albino stalker. But because of Cristabel being best friends with the same ugly little girl Nate met in First Grade, she still remains single.

Cristabel won’t go out for a date if her best friend doesn’t have one. And when Nate and Cristabel hits off after he was able to re-introduced his self to her, she refuses his offer for the date because he wants him first to find a boyfriend for June.

But the guys he sets for her turn coil with her looks. As they spend time together and became friends, June finally turn out from his cocoon after her make over with the help of a dentist friend who works part-time as a model.

Nate then realizes that she might be the girl for him!

Smother

Smother is a drama-comedy film directed by Vince Di Meglio and Tim Rasmussen. The film is about the life of a man whose life was thrown into chaos when at a time he gets into a difficult situation.

Noah (Dax Shepard)has just lost his job as a Physical Therapist. He was planning to start up his own practice but gets abstracted when his slightly crazy, overbearing mother Marilyn Cooper (Diane Keaton) shows up in his door with her bags and 5 foster dogs in tow on Haloween.

Marilyn is a kind of mother who will wake you up at 6:30 a.m. and drop in into your place on unannounced visit. She left Noah’s father after a big clash where she accused him for having an affair with another woman.

Making the situation worst, his wife Clair (Liv Tyler) wants them to try to start a family when he was still not ready to have the responsibility.

Noah’s life was in distress thinking of the pressures he have plus the presence of someone he’s been trying to escape but he always find her in every corner of his house and won't quit smothering.

Trying to get his life together, Noah has to cope up to make ends meet, keeping his mother out of mess and avoiding his wife advances.

R-Point

R-Point is a horror film directed and written by Su-chang Kong. The story was set on 1972 in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Timeline before the film are from 11 BCE to 939 CE when the Chinese soldiers killed many Vietnamese villagers. Their bodies where dump into the lake which was covered and erected with a temple in honor of the dead Vietnamese.
In Mid 20th Century, French Jacques and Paul with other French colonist stay on the island and settle in a plantation that were then killed at some point during the Indochina War.
In 1970, Some Americans were shot down in their helicopters over that island and killed. Battalion 53 goes missing somewhere on that island in 1972.
The movie then set in 1972 when a group of South Korean soldiers from battalion 53 wasn’t able to report back from that strategically important island during the Vietnam War. That island is 150 kilometers south of Saigon that is referred to as R-Point.
After being missing for six months, they were presumed dead until they receive a shortwave radio transmission from R- Point. It keeps repeating a message saying “Donkey 30, Long-Horned Beetle do you copy? Donkey 30, Long-horned Beetle, do you copy? We are dying…” that continues to transmit at irregular interval over the next three months.
The sole survivor of the team, LT Choi Tae-in insisted that he saw all of the men dying and that he was the one who collected their dog-tags but the HQ prompts to dispatch a search-and-rescue party to find the missing men. Just recovering for the hospital, LT Choi was sent to R-Point that is so called as the Bermuda triangle like area.
With the platoon of psychos, hicks and nuts, they went to discover the source of the signal.
The men then set to sail to the R-Point and took 2 photos of the expedition team after they dock upon their arrival. But after proceeding to the jungle not long after that, they were ambushed by the Vietcong. For 5 days, the motley crew digs up a mansion where they were shot by invincible Viet Cong. They later realize it was a haunted mansion by people who were massacred 100 years earlier by the Chinese.
One of the members goes down one by one… who will survive? Discover the mystery of R-Point!