business

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Geography

The province is divided into two major parts, the low river valley of the Prachin Buri River, and the higher lands with plateaus and mountains of the Dong Phaya Yen mountains. In those areas are also two national parks, Khao Yai and the Tab Larn National Park.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the Bodhi tree. It symbolizes the first Bodhi tree planted about 2000 years ago in the temple Wat Si Maha Phot. The provincial colors are red and yellow - red stands for the land, and yellow for Buddhism.

Provincial tree is the Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa), provincial flower is the Cork Tree (Millingtonia hortensis) , garden table set .

Administrative division , cast iron umbrella base .

The province is subdivided in 7 districts (amphoe). These are further subdivided into 65 subdistricts (tambon) and 658 villages (muban).

1.

Mueang Prachinburi

2.

Kabin Buri

3.

Na Di

6.

Ban Sang

7.

Prachantakham

8.

Si Maha Phot

9.

Si Mahosot



The missing numbers 4 and 5 as well as 10 to 12 are the districts split off to form the province Sa Kaeo.

Tourism

Sights

Amphoe Mueang ()

King Naresuan the Great Shrine () The shrine houses a standing statue of King Naresuan the Great to commemorate his camping at Prachin Buri on the way from Ayutthaya to Cambodia in 1589. People in Prachin Buri and nearby provinces normally come to pay respect.

Phrakhru Uthai Thammathari (Seng Sukhito) Museum ( ( ) This museum houses prehistoric archaeological finds, various artefacts and art objects from neighbouring countries, as well as, reproduction of antiquities. There are about 900 pieces of these archaeological objects such as bronze bangles, pottery, ceramics, Buddha images in various positions, Thai coins, ancient coins from the neighbouring countries, spur disc supports, etc.

2nd Infantry Division, Queen’s Guard ( 2 ) This Queen’s Guard Unit offers many activities such as golfing, horse riding, and shooting.

Yusuksuwan Museum () This museum houses everyday objects from the past. Many collector’s items feature various pressure lanterns, coins, bank-notes, different types of cabinets like teak cabinets, dressing tables, and fans using kerosene. Another interesting item is the 70-year old lottery (Thailand’s first issue).

Wat Kaeo Phichit () Being the very first Dhammayutika Buddhist temple in Prachin Buri, it was built in 1879 by a Prachin Buri millionaire who was a wife of Khun Pramunphakdi. In 1918, Chaophya Abhaibhubejhr (Chum Aphaiwong) constructed a new ordination hall (Phra Ubosot) to replace the old dilapidated one. The unique characteristic of this hall is the combination between the Thai, Chinese, European, and Cambodian art.

Prachin Buri Cultural Centre () This centre was built by Phra Prichakonlakan (Sam-ang Amattayakun) in the reign of King Rama V. Its architecture is a mixture of the Thai and western style. After having undergone renovation and been registered as an ancient monument by the Department of Fine Arts, it is currently the Prachin Buri Cultural and Red Cross Offices.

Prachin Buri National Museum ( ) This archaeological museum displays artefacts discovered within the eastern region and neighbouring provinces like Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Nakhon Nayok, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Trat, and Rayong. The museum mostly displays important artefacts discovered from the ancient city of Mueang Si Mahosot.

Chaophya Abhaibhubejhr Building () It was constructed by the personal budget of Chaophya Abhaibhubejhr in 1909 as a residence for King Rama V on his next royal visit to Prachin Buri. He died in 1910. King Rama VI and his family stayed here instead during his royal visit in 1912. It can be seen that the owner never did stay in this building at all. The building used to serve as the administrative office of the hospital. Chaophya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, a pilot hospital on Thai medicine, won the 4th Thailand Tourism Award (2003) in the category of tourism promotion and development project.

Wat Sa-nga Ngam () Wat Sa-nga Ngam was granted consecrated boundaries on 10 April, 1917, and the Ubosot, where devoted Buddhists duck under and pass through it for good luck and pray to recover from their illnesses, was officially constructed on 12 March, 1971.The whole Ubosot was lifted and underwent major renovation on 15 February, 2002. This was when the ducking ritual and gilding the statue of Luangpu Phio, a former abbot (Phrakhru Silawisutthachan), began.

Wat Bot () Located in Tambon Wat Bot, the temple is on the west of town. It was built in 1278 on the bank of the Prachin Buri or Bang Pakong River and covers an area of 45 rai. There are 3 Buddha images along the bank; namely, Phra Siri Mongkhon Nimit (the walking Buddha), Phra Sapphasitthi Nawa (the Buddha sitting in the European style), and Phra Maha Chinasaiyat (the reclining Buddha). The temple is peaceful and shady.

Bamboo Garden () Supervised by the Department of Corrections, the garden is located in Tambon Noen Hom with an area of about 300 rai. It has a wide collection of bamboo species for research and breeding. One area is allocated as a training centre cut bamboo, growing vegetables, building furniture - for good behaviour inmates.

Namtok Heo Narok () Located on the Prachin Buri - Khao Yai route, Namtok Heo Narok is part of Khao Yai National Park, which covers the area of Prachin Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Saraburi provinces. It is a gigantic and beautiful waterfall 60 metres in height and a steep cliff. The water, running to the valley down below, is very vigorous during the rainy months.

Chakkraphong Dam () The reservoir is an earth dam of 16.50 metres high and 740 metres long. From the entrance to the dam on the left, there is an 11-kilometre road up to the top of the mountain for viewing the scenic atmosphere. At km. 7-8, there is a 150-metre long wonder hill. It is believed that if you stop your car and leave it in neutral gear, the car seems to run up hill because of illusions affected by the surroundings.

Namtok Khao Ito () This not-so-high waterfall in Tambon Ban Phra is a popular tourist attraction, which runs through rocks at different levels. Surroundings are full of timber forests. There is plenty of water only in the rainy season.

Amphoe Ban Sang ()

Bats at Wat Bang Krabao () The highlight of this temple is the spectacular sight of thousands of bats living on the trees.

Amphoe Si Mahosot ()

Ton Pho Si Maha Pho (The Great Bodhi Tree) () The country’s oldest and largest bodhi tree, it was recorded that 2000 years ago, the seedling stock of this bodhi tree was brought from Buddhgaya, India. The tree is about 20 metres in circumference, 30 metres in height, and 25 metres in diameter. Legend has it that Phrachao Thawanampayadit, the ruler of Mueang Si Mahosot during the Khmer empire sent his representatives to Nakhon Patuliputra in India for a branch of the Pho tree, under which the Lord Buddha had sat during his enlightenment. This Pho tree has been the symbol of Prachin Buri.

Luangpho Thawarawadi() Currently situated in the Wihan in front of the Si Mahosot District office, this 1.63-metre greenish sandstone Buddha image in a standing posture and giving the sermon, believed to be from the 7th -9th Century or Dvaravati Period, was discovered at the leprosy settlement, Camilo Hospital, to the south of Mueang Si Mahosot.

Sa Morakot Archaeological Site ( ) This gigantic complex of Buddhist ancient monuments, lying on top of one another since the 9th 13th Century, comprises laterite and brick architectures with only the bases left. The most fascinating attraction is Thailand’s largest and oldest Lord Buddha’s Footprints () - - like a human’s - - carved on the natural laterite floor. More attractions are holy well () and a rectangular pond called Sa Morakot ().

Si Mahosot Ancient Town () Tthis oval or rectangular shape with round edge ancient town dates back to the Dvaravati period, covering an area of about 700 rai. Remains of the moat, mound, and more than 100 interesting ancient monuments such as various architecture, knolls, ponds, and wells are found scattered in the area. Most of the archaeological finds are related to Hinduism such as shrines, graven images, and Shiva Linga. The most important venue is the complex in the centre of town ().

Amphoe Si Maha Phot ()

Royal Handwriting Monument () This inscription of the royal initials was made during the visit of King Rama V to Prachin Buri in 1908. The inscription was made on a laterite artefact from the Lop Buri Period, dating back to the 7th - 8th Century.

Lum Mueang () This is a place with about 48 holes or “Lum” of different sizes dug deep on laterite ground. The date of the digging is unknown. During his royal visit on 18 December, 1908, King Rama V assumed that the holes were mortars for mixing cement for architectural decoration. But some elderly believed that these holes were meant for a local game known as “Lum Mueang”.

Phan Hin Ancient Monument () This large square Phan Hin ancient monument is made solely of laterite. It is 15.50 metres wide on each side, and 3.5 metres high, with 4 porches. It is assumed that the building was a shrine for the Hindu God, Vishnu, built during the 7th - 9th Century in the reign of King Jayavarman I of Chenla. The shape of a sculptural pedestal found in the centre of the ancient remains is similar to a tray or “Phan” in Thai. Therefore, the place has been called “Phan Hin” or stone tray since.

Amphoe Prachantakham ()

Namtok Than Thip () The waterfall runs through different rocky levels. At some point, it passes a…

Turning And Dancing Christmas Tree ,



Ecology

Growth

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 121 cm (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period, and can also reach maximal growth rate exceeding one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time. Many prehistoric bamboos exceeded heights of 75 meters (250 feet). Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the Cretaceous, vast fields existed in what is now Asia. Modern bamboos can only sustain their maximal growth rate for short periods of time.[clarification needed]

Unlike trees, all bamboos grow to full height and girth in a single growing season of 34 months. During this first year the young shoots strike skyward supported by photosynthesis from the rest of the clump with no time to sprout their own branches and leaves. Over the next year the pulpy wall of each culm slowly dries and hardens, sprouting branches and leaves during the second year from juvenile sheathes that form from each node. Over the following year the culm hardens still further shedding its juvenile sheaths and commencing its life as a fully mature culm. Over the next 25 years depending on species, fungus and mould begin to form on the outside of the culm, eventually penetrating and overcoming the culm so that by around 5 8 years depending on species and climate the culms begin to collapse and decay. This brief life means culms are ready for harvest and suitable for use in construction from 3 7 years.

Leachin , swimwear for kids .

Leaching is the removal of sap post-harvest. In many areas of the world the sap levels in harvested bamboo are reduced either through leaching or post-harvest photosynthesis. Examples of this practice include , comfortable kids .

Cut bamboo is raised clear of the ground and leant against the rest of the clump for 12 weeks until leaves turn yellow to allow full consumption of sugars by the plant

A similar method is undertaken but with the base of the culm standing in fresh water, either in a large drum or stream to leach out sap

Cut culms are immersed in a running stream and weighted down for 34 weeks

Water is pumped through the freshly cut culms forcing out the sap (this method is often used in conjunction with the injection of some form of treatment)

In the process of water leaching, the bamboo is dried slowly and evenly in the shade to avoid cracking in the outer skin of the bamboo, thereby reducing opportunities for pest infestation.

Durability of bamboo in construction is directly related to how well it is handled from the moment of planting through harvesting, transportation, storage, design, construction and maintenance. Bamboo harvested at the correct time of year and then exposed to ground contact or rain, will break down just as quickly as incorrectly harvested material.

Mass flowering

Although some bamboos flower every year, most species flower infrequently. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years. These taxa exhibit mass flowering (or gregarious flowering), with all plants in the population flowering simultaneously. The longest mass flowering interval known is 130 years, and is found for all the species Phyllostachys bambusoides (Sieb. & Zucc.). In this species, all plants of the same stock flower at the same time, regardless of differences in geographic locations or climatic conditions, then the bamboo dies. The lack of environmental impact on the time of flowering indicates the presence of some sort of larm clock in each cell of the plant which signals the diversion of all energy to flower production and the cessation of vegetative growth. This mechanism, as well as the evolutionary cause behind it, is still largely a mystery.

One theory to explain the evolution of this semelparous mass flowering is the predator satiation hypothesis. This theory argues that by fruiting at the same time, a population increases the survival rate of their seeds by flooding the area with fruit so that even if predators eat their fill, there will still be seeds left over. By having a flowering cycle longer than the lifespan of the rodent predators, bamboos can regulate animal populations by causing starvation during the period between flowering events. Thus, according to this hypothesis, the death of the adult clone is due to resource exhaustion, as it would be more effective for parent plants to devote all resources to creating a large seed crop than to hold back energy for their own regeneration.

A second theory, the fire cycle hypothesis, argues that periodic flowering followed by death of the adult plants has evolved as a mechanism to create disturbance in the habitat, thus providing the seedlings with a gap in which to grow. This hypothesis argues that the dead culms create a large fuel load, and also a large target for lightning strikes, increasing the likelihood of wildfire. Because bamboos are very aggressive as early successional plants, the seedlings would be able to outstrip other plants and take over the space left by their parents.

However, both have been disputed for different reasons. The predator satiation theory does not explain why the flowering cycle is 10 times longer than the lifespan of the local rodents, something not predicted by the theory. The bamboo fire cycle theory is considered by a few scientists to be unreasonable because, as argued by fires only result from humans and there is no natural fire in India. This notion is considered wrong based on distribution of lightning strike data during the dry season throughout India

The mass fruiting also has direct economic and ecological consequences, however. The huge increase in available fruit in the forests often causes a boom in rodent populations, leading to increases in disease and famine in nearby human populations. For example, there are devastating consequences when the Melocanna bambusoides population flowers and fruits once every 3035 years around the Bay of Bengal. The death of the bamboo plants following their fruiting means the local people lose their building material, and the large increase in bamboo fruit leads to a rapid increase in rodent populations. As the number of rodents increase, they consume all available food, including grain fields and stored food, sometimes leading to famine. These rats can also carry dangerous diseases such as typhus, typhoid, and bubonic plague, which can reach epidemic proportions as the rodents increase in number.

Cultivation

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Bamboo foliage with yellow stems (probably Phyllostachys aurea)

Commercial timber

Timber is harvested from cultivated and wild stands and some of the larger bamboos, particularly species in the genus Phyllostachys, are known as “timber bamboos”.

Harvesting

If using bamboo for construction purposes it is critical to harvest the culms when at their greatest strength and when sugar levels in the sap are at their lowest, as high sugar content increases the ease and rate of pest infestation.

Harvesting of bamboo should be undertaken according to the following cycles.

1) Life cycle of the clump: As each individual culm goes through a 5-7 year life cycle, culms should ideally be allowed to reach this level of maturity prior to full capacity harvesting. The clearing out, thinning of culms particularly older decaying culms will help ensure adequate light and resources for new growth. Well maintained clumps may have a productivity 3-4 times that of an un harvested wild clump.

2) Life cycle of the culm: As per the life cycle described above, bamboo should be harvested from 23 years through to 57 years, depending on the species.

3) Annual cycle: As all growth of new bamboo occurs during the wet season, disturbing the clump during this phase will potentially damage the upcoming crop. Also during this high rain fall period sap levels are at their highest, with sap levels diminishing towards the dry season. Picking immediately prior to the wet/growth season may also damage new shoots. Hence harvesting is best at the end of the dry season, a few months prior to the start of the wet.

4) Daily cycle: During the height of the day, Photosynthesis is at its peak producing the highest levels of sugar in sap, making this the least ideal time of day to harvest. Many traditional practitioners believe that the best time to harvest is at dawn or dusk on a full moon. This practice makes sense in terms of both moon cycles, visibility and daily cycles.

Ornamental bamboos

Many bamboos are popular in cultivation as garden trees. There are two general patterns for the growth of bamboo: “clumping” (sympodial) and “running” (monopodial). Clumping bamboo species tend to spread slowly, as the growth pattern of the rhizomes is to simply expand the root mass gradually, similar to ornamental grasses. “Running” bamboos, on the other hand, need to be taken care of in cultivation because of their potential for aggressive behavior. They spread mainly through their roots and/or rhizomes, which can spread widely underground and send up new culms to break through the surface. Running bamboo species are highly variable in their tendency to spread; this is related to both the species and the soil and climate conditions. Some can send out runners of…

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e Fuji Bamboo Garden () is a botanical garden specializing in bamboo, located at 885 Minami-Isshiki, Nagaizumi, Shizuoka, at the base of Mount Fuji, southwest of Tokyo in Japan. It is open to the public daily except Tuesdays; an admission fee is charged.

The garden was founded in 1955, and current contains roughly 100,000 bamboo plants, classified into about 450 varieties from around the world. It describes itself as the world’s largest bamboo collection, and also contains a museum for bamboo crafts such as instruments, baskets, and furniture.

References

Fuji Bamboo Garden (Japanese)

BGCI entr , outdoor wood bench .

Shizuoka Guide entr , dirt bikes for kids .

Reports of the Fuji Bamboo Garden

See also

List of botanical gardens in Japan

Categories: Botanical gardens in Japan | BambooHidden categories: Japan articles missing geocoordinate data

Gift set of Cheju Fruit Teas ,



History

Portuguese rule

Map of Cabinda

Portuguese explorers, missionaries and traders arrived at the mouth of the Congo River in the mid-fifteenth century, making contact with the Manikongo, the powerful King of the Congo. The Manikongo controlled much of the region through affiliation with smaller kingdoms, such as the Kingdoms of Ngoyo, Loango and Kakongo in present-day Cabinda.

Over the years, the Portuguese, Dutch, and English established trading posts, logging camps and small palm oil processing factories in Cabinda. Trade continued and the European presence grew, resulting in conflicts between the rival colonial powers , natural palm oil .

Portugal first claimed sovereignty over Cabinda in the February 1885 Treaty of Simulanbuco, which gave Cabinda the status of a protectorate of the Portuguese Crown under the request of he princes and governors of Cabinda. This is often the basis upon which the legal and historical arguments in defence of self-determination of modern-day Cabinda are constructed. Article 1, for example, states, he princes and chiefs and their successors declare, voluntarily, their recognition of Portuguese sovereignty, placing under the protectorate of this nation all the territories by them governed [sic]. Article 2, which is often used in separatist arguments, goes even further: ortugal is obliged to maintain the integrity of the territories placed under its protection. FLEC-R case, for instance, rests on the fact that the above-mentioned treaty was signed between the emissaries of the Portuguese Crown and the princes and notables of Cabinda, giving rise to not one, but three protectorates: Cacongo, Loango and Ngoio , tuscany olive oil .

Through the Treaty of Simulambuco in 1885 between the kings of Portugal and Cabinda’s princes, a Portuguese protectorate was decreed, reserving rights to the local princes and independent of Angola. Cabinda once had the Congo River as the only natural boundary with Angola, but in 1885, the Conference of Berlin extended the Congo Free State’s territory along the Congo River to the river’s mouth at the sea.

Under Portuguese rule, the territory of Cabinda developed as an important agricultural and forestry centre, and in 1967 it discovered huge offshore oil fields. Oil, timber and cocoa were its main exports by then. The town of Cabinda, the capital of the territory was a Portuguese administrative and services centre with a port and airfield. The beaches of Cabinda were popular among the Portuguese Angolans.

After independence of Angola from Portugal

A 1974 leftist military coup in Lisbon changed the Portuguese regime and led to the independence of all Portuguese Overseas Provinces in Africa, and many Portuguese settlers in Cabinda stepped out. In 1975, the Treaty of Alvor integrated Cabinda into Angola, but this treaty was rejected by all Cabindan political organizations. These organizations argue that because they had no input on the document, it was, and is, illegal, and therefore does not bind them to Angola.[dubious discuss][citation needed]

Economy

Consisting largely of tropical forest, Cabinda produces hardwoods, coffee, cocoa, crude rubber and palm oil. The product for which it is best known, however, is its oil. Conservative estimates are that Cabinda accounts for close to 60% of Angola oil production, estimated at approximately 900,000 barrels a day, and it is estimated that oil exports from the province are worth the equivalent of US$100,000 per annum for every Cabindan. Yet, it remains one of the poorest provinces in Angola. An agreement in 1996 between the national and provincial governments stipulated that 10% of Cabinda taxes on oil revenues should be given back to the province, but Cabindans often feel that these revenues are not benefiting the population as a whole, largely because of corruption. The private sector, particularly the oil industry, has both affected and been affected by the secessionist conflict. During the early days of Cabinda’s struggle, the oil companies were perceived to be sympathetic to, if not supportive of, Cabinda self-determination cause. The strategy used by the separatists to gain international attention, was most evident in 1999 and 2000. During 1999, FLEC-R kidnapped four foreign workers (two Portuguese and two French citizens), but released them after several months, having failed to attract the attention of the international community. FLEC-FAC also increased its activities during 2000 with the more widely publicized kidnapping of three Portuguese workers employed by a construction company, while FLEC-R kidnapped another five Portuguese civilians. These hostages were not freed until June 2001, following the diplomatic intervention of the governments of Gabon and Congo Brazzaville.

Secessionism

A secessionist movement, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) actively campaigned for independence, fighting against Portuguese colonial authorities during the War for Independence and the MPLA during Angola’s civil war.

In the early 1960s, several movements advocating a separate status for Cabinda came into being. The MLEC (Movement for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda) was formed in 1960 under the leadership of Luis Ranque Franque. Resulting from the merger of various migr associations in Brazzaville, the MLEC rapidly became the most prominent of the separatist movements. A further group was the Alliama (Alliance of the Mayombe), representing the Mayombe, a small minority of the population. In an important development, these movements united in August 1963 to form a common, united front. They called themselves the FLEC (Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda), and the leadership role was taken by the MLEC Ranque Franque. However, in marked contrast with the FNLA, the FLEC efforts to mobilize international support for its government in exile met with little success. In fact, the majority of Organization of African Unity (OAU) members, concerned that this could encourage separatism elsewhere on the continent and duly committed to the sanctity of African state borders, firmly rejected recognition of the FLEC government in exile.

Later, in the course of Angola’s turbulent decolonisation process, Ranque Franque proclaimed the independence of the “Republic of Cabinda” in Kampala on 1 August 1975 at an OAU summit which was discussing Angola at that precise moment. Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko called for a referendum on the future of the Cabinda. Lopes is reported to have said at the time that “Cabinda exists as a reality and is historically and geographically different from Angola.”

FLEC formed a provisional government led by Henriques Tiago. The independence of Cabinda from Portugal was proclaimed on 1 August 1975. Luiz Branque Franque was elected president. After the declaration of Angolan independence in November 1975, Cabinda was invaded by forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) with support of troops from Cuba. The MPLA overthrew the provisional FLEC government and incorporated Cabinda into Angola. FLEC has continued its political and military struggle for Cabindan independence since the invasion, with little success. FLEC has since split into several groups, some urging violent resistance, and some peaceful resistance.

The regional context changed dramatically in the late 1990s, particularly in Congo-Brazzaville and the Congo-Kinshasa a change that was actively pursued by Luanda. If previous regimes (particularly that of Pascal Lissouba in Brazzaville, which actively supported it materially and diplomatically[citation needed]) had been sympathetic to the Cabinda cause, this situation does not pertain today.

Thus when, in January 1975, Angola three liberation movements (MPLA, FNLA and UNITA) met with the colonial power in Alvor, Portugal, to establish the modalities of the transition to independence, FLEC was not invited. Subsequently, and for much of the 1970s and 1980s, FLEC operated a low intensity, guerrilla war, attacking Angolan government troops and economic targets or creating havoc by kidnapping foreign employees working in the province oil and construction businesses. In fact, for the first 15 years of Angola independence, the government had, at any point, approximately 2,000 troops stationed in Cabinda[citation needed].

In April 1997, Cabinda joined the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, a democratic and international organization whose members are indigenous peoples, occupied nations, minorities and independent states or territories.

An ad-hoc United Nations commission for human rights in Cabinda reported in 2003 that many atrocities had been perpetrated by the MPLA. In 2004, according to Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Human Rights Watch mission for Africa, the Angolan army continued to commit crimes against civilians in Cabinda.

Although the Angolan government says FLEC is no longer operative, this is disputed by the Republic of Cabinda and its President, Antonio Luis Lopes. Recent hikes in oil prices have made Cabinda’s untapped onshore oil reserves a valuable commodity. Both the Republic of Cabinda and Angola have awarded onshore oil and gas leases.

Ethnic arguments for self-determination

The set of arguments for self-determination is based on Cabindans’ cultural and ethnic specificity. Prior to the Treaty of Simulambuco, three main kingdoms existed in what is now referred to as Cabinda: Cacongo, Ngoyo and Loango. From an ethnic point of view, the Cabindans belong to the Bakongo ethnicity and the Kikongo ethno-linguistic group. The Bakongo comprise the majority of the population in both Uige and Zaire Provinces of Angola. However,…

Body Butter Spice ,

bassu

Scientific classification

Kingdom:

Plantae

(unranked):

Angiosperms

(unranked):

Monocots

(unranked):

Commelinids

Order:

Arecales

Family:

Arecacea , green chilli .

Genus , refined crude oil .

Attalea

Species:

A. speciosa

Binomial name

Attalea speciosa

Mart.

Attalea speciosa (Babassu, Babassu palm, Babau, Cusi; syn. Orbignya phalerata, Orbignya martiana Barb.Rodr., Orbygnia speciosa (Mart. ex Spreng.) Barb.Rodr.) is a palm native to the Amazon Rainforest region in South America. The Babassu palm is the predominant species in the Maranho Babau forests of Maranho and Piau states.

Babassu palms in Brazil

This plant has commercial value because its seeds produce an edible oil called babassu oil, which is also used in cleaners and skin care products. The fruit is used to produce products such as medicines, beauty aids, and beverages. Traditional communities of the Maranho region also produce a flour from the fruit and this is commercialized as a nutritional supplement. The leaves are also used to provide thatch for houses and can be woven into mats for constructing house walls. The stems are used for timbers. The Babassu palm is considered a weed in pasture areas of Cerrado vegetation in Brazil.

Its fruits and leaves are one of the main materials used by the artisans of Tocantins (Brazil) to manufacture different products very popular with tourists.

Biofuel

In February 2008, Babassu Palm oil was used in a blend with Coconut oil and jet fuel to power one engine of a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 during a flight test. It is considered to be less environmentally friendly than biofuel made from the Jatropha plant that Air New Zealand tested in December 2008. This is because Babassu grows in forested areas that require deforestation, rather than in arid and land with marginal use like the Jatropha plant.

See also

List of plants of Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil

Taquarussu.com Artesanato de Taquarussu (Tocantins)

External links

Orbignya phalerata

CIRAD-FLHOR/IPGRI Project for Neotropical Fruits: Orbignya phalerata

(Spanish) rboles en Espaa: Manual de Identificacin: Orbignya phalerata

One Planet episode on babassu cultivation from the BBC

This Cocoeae article is a stub. Please help Wikipedia grow by expanding it.

This tree-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Categories: Energy crops | Attalea | Trees of the Amazon | Native crops of South America | Cocoeae stubs | Tree stubs

xs0905gd-16 watch ,



Reading a modern clock face

‘12:14′ in both analog and digital representations.

A ship’s radio room wall clock during the age of Wireless telegraphy showing ‘10:09′ and 36 seconds’

Most modern clocks have the numbers 1 through 12 printed on the face indicating the hour, and on many models, sixty dots or lines evenly spaced in a ring around the outside of the dial, indicating minutes and seconds.

The time is read by observing the placement of several “hands” which emanate from the center of the dial:

A short thick hand (hour);

A long, thinner hand (minute); and on some models,

A very thin ’sweep’ hand (seconds)

…all of which continuously rotate around the dial in a ‘clockwise’ pattern - moving from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and so on.

The sweep hand moves relatively quickly, taking a full minute (sixty seconds) to make a complete rotation from ‘12 to 12.’ As the sweep had makes its rotation, the minute hand will slowly move from one minute mark to the next one , wrist phone watch .

As the minute hand rotates more slowly around the dial, it will take a full hour (sixty minutes) to make a complete rotation from ‘12 to 12.’ As the minute hand makes its complete rotation, the hour hand will slowly move from one hour mark to the next one , charles raymond watch .

When all three hands are pointing at ‘12′ it is either Noon or Midnight and the process begins again.

In the example picture, showing a two handed clock, the minute hand is on “14″ minutes and the hour hand is moving from ‘12′ to ‘1′ - this indicates a time of ‘12:14′

Historical development

15th century rotating dial clock face, St. Mary’s Church, Gdansk, Poland.

Clocks existed before clock faces. The first mechanical clocks, built in 13th century Europe, were striking clocks: their purpose was to ring bells upon the canonical hours, to call the public to prayer. These were erected as tower clocks in public places, to ensure that the bells were audible. It was not until these mechanical clocks were in place that their creators realized that their wheels could be used to drive an indicator on a dial on the outside of the tower, where it could be widely seen.

Before the late 14th century, a fixed hand (often a carving shaped like a hand) indicated the hour by pointing to numbers on a rotating dial; after this time the current convention of a rotating hand on a fixed dial was adopted. Minute hands (so named because they indicated the small or minute divisions of the hour) only came into regular use around 1690, after the invention of the pendulum and anchor escapement increased the precision of time-telling enough to justify it. In some precision clocks a third hand, which rotated once a minute, was added in a separate subdial. This was called the ’second-minute’ hand (because it measured the secondary minute divisions of the hour), which was shortened to ’second’ hand. The convention of the hands moving clockwise evolved in imitation of the sundial. In the Northern hemisphere, where the clock face originated, the shadow of the gnomon on a sundial moves clockwise during the day. This was also why noon or 12 o’clock was conventionally located at the top of the dial.

French decimal clock face

French Decimal Time

During the French Revolution in 1793, in connection with its Republican calendar, France attempted to introduce a decimal time system. This had 10 hours in the day, 100 decimal minutes per hour, and 100 decimal seconds per minute. Therefore the decimal hour was more than twice as long as the present hour, the decimal minute was slightly longer than the present minute and the decimal second was slightly shorter than the present second. Clocks were manufactured with this alternate face, usually combined with traditional hour markings. However, it didn’t catch on, and France discontinued the mandatory use of decimal time on 1795-04-07, although some French cities used decimal time until 1801.

Stylistic development

Until the last quarter of the 17th century hour markings were etched into metal faces and the recesses filled with black wax. Subsequently, higher contrast and improved readability was achieved with white enamel plaques painted with black numbers. Initially, the numbers were printed on small, individual plaques mounted on a brass substructure. This was not a stylistic decision, rather enamel production technology had not yet achieved the ability to create large pieces of enamel. The “13 piece face” was an early attempt to create an entirely white enamel face. As the name suggests, it was composed of 13 enamel plaques: 12 numbered wedges fitted around a circle. The first single piece enamel faces, not unlike those in production today, began to appear c. 1735.

Footnotes

^ a b Milham, Willis I. (1945). Time and Timekeepers. New York: MacMillan. pp. 195. ISBN 0780800087.

^ Lathrop, Don Haven (1996). “Why is clockwise Clockwise?”. Workshop Hints. British Horological Institute. http://www.bhi.co.uk/aHints/clckwse.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-27.

^ “The Republican Calendar and Decimal Time”. History. The Horological Foundation, Netherlands. 2008. http://www.antique-horology.org/_Editorial/RepublicanCalendar/default.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-08.

Categories: Clocks | Horology

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Background

The entire tetralogy is devoted to the Others - humans able to draw on the magical force flowing through the world. They can enter into the Twilight, a shadowy dimension next to our own, from where they also draw power to perform their magic. The Twilight itself is divided into levels, with each level harder to access than the one above it. While every Other may enter the first level, only the most powerful ones can get as far as the fifth, and the select few can get through to the sixth. While the first levels are unpleasant and devoid of life (apart from blue moss in the first level), fifth and sixth levels are quite hospitable, with life and vegetation. Nobody knows what is in the seventh level, as no one has enough power to get there.

The Others are divided into the Light Others and Dark Others. They are opposed to each other and once they were at constant war. After realising that no side is likely to win, and that the world and ordinary people would suffer too much from magical wars, both sides signed a Great Treaty. The Treaty forces both sides to keep the balance on both sides and limits the ways in which they can use their powers. Light Others created Night Watch, to make sure that the Dark Ones keep the Treaty while the Dark Others created Day Watch, to watch the Light Ones. The Inquisition oversees both sides and ensures balance between them. Both sides watch out for potential new Others, whom they can initiate into the use of magic. Each Other must either choose Light or Dark - usually they make their choice the first time they enter the Twilight and neither Watch may influence their decision. The decision, once made, is final except in cases where an Other has so much influence over the course of human affairs that any act of Good causes evil and any act of evil cause good such as in the case of Merlin.

The Others live for centuries and can easily influence human minds, making people do their bidding. There are many different ways they can hone their abilities and specialize, both on the sides of Light and Dark. Vampires and werewolves, lowest form of Others, are always Dark and they are the only kind of Others who are able to pass their abilities to ordinary humans - otherwise an Other cannot be made, only born. This is of course, excluding the use of the Fuaran, a powerful magical book, which when used, may turn any number of ordinary humans into potential Others. It is also able to raise the power level of any Other. Others can recharge their strength using human emotions - Light ones from positive emotions, like joy or happiness, and Dark ones from negative ones, like hatred and pain. When a Light Other uses someone’s positive emotions, the emotions become weaker. When a Dark Other uses someone’s pain or hatred to recharge, those feelings become stronger. Dark Others occasionaly choose to remove the cause of the pain or fear from the humans mind (see twilight watch).

The Others’ magical powers do not come from extra magic they have. In reality, magical force is produced by ordinary living people - the Others produce less magic, therefore instead of emitting it, their bodies absorb it, allowing them to use it. The less magic one’s body emits, the stronger their magical abilities will be. This knowledge is acquired by entering the fifth level of the Twilight , louis vuitton watches .

The English title of the book is Last Watch and was released on 6 November 2008 in the UK and was scheduled to be released on November 25 2008 in the U.S./Canada. However, due to a misprint with the US and Canadian copies of the book, Chapter 5 of Book 2 was missing and the book was rescheduled for January 29, 2009 , german watches .

Structure and style

Last Watch has a very similar structure to Night Watch and Twilight Watch. Last Watch is divided into three stories- Common Cause, A Common Enemy, and A Common Destiny. Each story begins with a prologue followed by six numbered chapters and concluding with an epilogue. Except for the prologues, the events of each story are written in a first person narrative using the voice of the Higher Magician character Anton Gorodetsky, a member of the Night Watch. Events in each of the prologues are written in a third person narrative and take place entirely outside of Gordetsky’s presence. The entire novel is written in the past tense.

Plot summary

Common Cause

Anton Gorodetsky is learning to use his new power when Gesar sends him to assist the Scottish Night Watch in Edinburgh in a murder investigation. A young Russian man has been murdered in a “Vampire Castle”, a tourist attraction; the evidence shows that he was apparently killed by a vampire. The mystery is greater than it seemed. Someone tries to attack Anton using remote controlled guns. Finally the head of Scottish Night Watch, Thomas Lermont, reveals that someone stole an artifact from Merlin’s grave and is apparently trying to use this artifact to open Merlin’s secret storage. In that mysterious place Merlin apparently hid the “Crown of All Things” (nobody knows what it is). After the Night Watch is attacked by ordinary humans equipped with magical amulets and bullets, Thomas and Anton follow someone to the Twilight. They get as far as the sixth level (first time for Anton), but all they find out is that there are three people behind this - a Light Other, a Dark Other and an Inquisitor. Thomas also tells Anton that the seventh level of the Twilight is the Others’ paradise, where they can exist in peace together (upon death, Others just vanish into the Twilight). Merlin has hidden the Crown of All Things in the seventh level of the Twilight.

A Common Enemy

All Others are very worried about these happenings. Gesar sends Anton to Uzbekistan, to look up Rustam, a contemporary and friend of Merlin, and a former friend - later an enemy - of Gesar. He might know something about where the Crown is hidden and what it is. When Anton is visiting the Night Watch in Uzbekistan, they are once again attacked by humans with amulets and magical weapons. Various clues begin to point to Anton’s friend, Kostya Saushkin, as one of the perpetrators, even though he is certainly dead. Anton manages to find Rustam. He tells him that the Crown of All Things is a spell which will destroy the barriers dividing individual levels of the Twilight, as well as the barrier between the Twilight and reality. It might cause the end of the world, strip all Others of their powers or maybe kill them - Rustam doesn’t know, nor does he care. They are attacked again and Anton learns that his one-time friend, the Inquisitor Edgar, is one of the mysterious trio of Others.

A Common Destiny

Back in Moscow, Anton figures out who is the Dark Other in the mysterious trio - it is Gennady Saushkin, Kostya’s father. They can’t identify the Light Other. Both Watches assign operatives to protect Anton’s and Svetlana’s five-year-old daughter, Nadya, the only zero-level Other in the world (she does not produce any magical energy, she can only absorb, therefore her power is practically unlimited; Merlin was also a zero-level Other). Only zero-level Others may get to the seventh level of the Twilight. Edgar and Gennadiy kidnap Anton (they can’t get to Nadya) and take him to Edinburgh, so that he can help them figure out a way to get to the Crown. They tell Anton that Nadya is dead due to them planting a nuclear explosive near his apartment building. A nuclear bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying matter on all Twilight levels. Edgar found some information in the archives of the Inquisition saying that the Crown of All Things will give all the Others who departed into the Twilight the thing they want most. In Edgar’s interpretation it will bring them back to life, and he wants to reunite with his wife who was killed. Gennady wants to get his son and wife back. They meet the third part of the trio, or as they call themselves, the Final Watch - the witch Arina, who managed to change her affiliation to Light. She also reveals that she sabotaged the nuclear bomb not to go off, as her new Light affiliation forbids the destruction of so many innocents. Anton does figure out Merlin’s secret, but he knows the Final Watch will not like it and he manages to lie to them. They take him to the fifth level of the Twilight, where they encounter Merlin’s guardian. While the Final Watch is busy fighting it, Anton gets to the sixth level. There he meets Merlin as well as Tiger Cub, Igor, Alice and all his Other friends who departed into the Twilight, including Kostya (who tells Anton that he does not blame Anton for killing him). They are all hoping he will activate the Crown. However, he cannot go back, because the Final Watch is there and he cannot go forward to the seventh level, because he doesn’t have enough power. At this point Nadya appears - Svetlana just initiated her and sent her to get her father. Traveling through all levels of the Twilight is not a problem for Nadya. She takes Anton forward - back to the real world. The Twilight goes in a circle. The seventh level is the one we all live in.

Anton goes to activate the Crown of All Things, which is indeed hidden in the seventh level. Merlin put the spell in the ancient stones of the Edinburgh Castle. The Final Watch appears, but Anton will not be bothered with them. Edgar got things wrong. The thing the Others in the Twilight want most is not resurrection, but death. There is no paradise there, they are stuck forever in a world where everything is just a pale copy, trapped in an imitation of life. They want it to end, because once they fully die, they can be reborn. Merlin has foreseen this and created his spell (its Twilight-destroying effect is temporary). However, the lost Others asked Anton…

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Early life and modeling career

In her Seventeen Magazine interview, Saleisha stated she had a rough life growing up. She lived with her grandmother in Madera, California. When she was 14, she attended Camp T-Zone, Tyra Banks’ self-esteem camp just for girls. Saleisha worked as a receptionist in Los Angeles. Before appearing on Cycle 9, Saleisha was signed with Photogenics Model Management and had also appeared in a commercial for fast-food restaurant Wendy’s, with actor Tom Lenk. She had modeled for DOMIJ clothing., and d.e.m.o. She was also an extra in an episode of the TV series Ugly Betty and on two episodes of the Tyra Banks Show, modeling for Rami, Project Runway season four contestant. Saleisha appeared in the “Welcome Back” music video, and had an ad for 24 Hour Fitness.She also modeled for Especially Yours wigs, and was featured in a fashion spread for InTouch Weekly. She was recruited for America’s Next Top Model, which she subsequently won.

America Next Top Model

Saleisha entered the competition with a lot of confidence and high self-esteem. Her bubbly, positive personality, and her strong walk won the judges over. But the judges in the beginning felt she relied too much on her commercial look, so they gave her a Louise Brooks inspired black hair weave to edge her out. She struggled in the beginning with her photos, but after she landed in bottom two with contestant Victoria Marshman and was spared, she got a wakeup call and started improving, producing better photos. She received 2 first call outs, but 2 bottom two appearances. In one of the challenges, she won an ad for Old Navy In the final deliberation, the judges were impressed with Saleisha command on the runway and for her fluidity. She won against Chantal Jones.

I’ve grown into a strong young woman and I’m so happy with myself right now and the place that I’m at. This is what I’ve dreamed for I fought for this so hard, and I’m so determined,and I have it now, I want it, I want it so bad, and I got it and I’m never letting it go…thank you God… I’m America’s Next Top Model, baby! Aah , tai chi clothes .

As part of her prize, Stowers won a contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics which features her campaigning for WetSlicks Fruit Spritzers, and appeared on the cover of the February 2008 issue of Seventeen magazine. She has also won a contract for representation with Elite Model Management. Like previous winners of ANTM, Stowers appeared in weekly segments of My Life as a CoverGirl during the running of America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 10 , infant designer clothing .

Controversy

There has been controversy[citation needed] regarding Stowers’s eligibility to appear on the show. The show’s rules state that a contestant must not have appeared as a model in a national advertising campaign during the five years prior to production.[citation needed] Stowers appeared in a 2006 commercial for Wendy’s, and despite the fact that she appears only in one ad, that one ad is part of a national-level campaign. The CW issued a statement[citation needed] that Stowers did disclose her participation in the Wendy’s spot, and “after reviewing the commercial, it was determined that her appearance did not amount to “modeling” experience, and therefore did not exclude her from participating in the show.”[citation needed]

Several blogs and news outlets have speculated that her past relationship with Banks (her participation in Banks’ T-Zone camp and her past appearances on Tyra’s television shows and her appearance as a model on The Tyra Banks Show and Cycle 6 of America’s Next Top Model), may have influenced the selection of the winner. Saleisha had also been a national spokesmodel for Especially Yours wigs for more than a year before the show ran, as well as appearing in an episode of the hit US sitcom Ugly Betty.

Post show career

Saleisha is currently signed to Elite Model Management and L.A. Model Management

Print work

Saleisha currently has a Metro Style campaign along with fellow Top Model alum, Jaslene Gonzalez, Dani Evans and Whitney Thompson. Stowers was on the cover of Seventeen as part of her prize. She has appeared on the cover of Paper Doll Magazine, had a cover and spread in Florida International Magazine and had spreads in the January 2008 issue of InTouch Weekly, OK! Magazine, the July 2008 issue of Essence Magazine, Jam Style. and had a four page spread in an issue of Macy’s. She has modeled for Gilt Groupe and Macy’s catalogue online. She has also modeled for Dereon, Apple Bottoms, Baby Phat, and Love Tease for Macy’s. Saleisha has a campaign with Garage Clothing for their Spring 2009 line. She has also appeared in Modern Bride for the February/March 2009 issue.

Runway

Saleisha has walked for Tibi in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008, Peter Som’s Bill Blass Fall 2008 Collection at Saks Fifth Avenue on April 2, 2008, Carson Kressley’s Safilo USA Spring/Summer ‘08 Designer Eyewear Fashion Show at Vision Expo East on April 12, 2008, Jose Duran for NYC fashion week, which also showed on her My Life as CoverGirl commercials, a GenArt Fashion Show for Jennifer Mary, Billabong’s 2nd Annual Design for Humanity fashion show in Los Angeles, and Pamella Roland at New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009. Stowers appeared on the finale episode of America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 10 to give encouragement to the final three, and she opened for a mock Versace runway show. Saleisha walked for Beach Bunny Swimwear and Lana Fuchs in Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009. She also appeared on the Tyra Banks Show for the episode titled Tina Knowles modeling in a House of Dereon fashion show.

Other

She has appeared on the Tyra Banks Show multiple times. This includes the time when Saleisha along with Tyra Banks, Jaslene Gonzalez, Claire Unabia and Michael Bloomberg planted a tree on April 10 in New York City in honor of Earth Day which aired on April 30, 2008 and the Fiercee Awards along with past ANTM contestants that aired on May 14. Stowers attended the premiere of Polanski Unauthorized, the Vavoom Upfront party with Caridee English and Jaslene Gonzalez,[citation needed] and the CW Upfront Party celebrating the Cycle 10 finale with past ANTM alums.

References

^ “FMD profile of Saleisha Stowers”. http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/models/Saleisha_Stowers.

^ a b c d “Elite Model Management”. http://www.elitemodels.com/details.aspx?city=LA&modelid=253541&subid=4674&mainsubid=4674.

^ “DOMIJ Clothing”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=5.

^ “d.e.m.o.”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/thumbnails.php?album=54.

^ “24Hour Fitness”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=23.

^ Cycle 9 Episode 1

^ Cycle 9 Episode 4

^ “Old Navy”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=7.

^ Cycle 9 Episode 13

^ “Top Model Saleisha Stowers Defends Prior Tyra Banks Relationship”. RealityTv World. http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/top-model-saleisha-stowers-defends-prior-tyra-banks-relationship-6264.php.

^ “article”. E! News. http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=c40a8f75-b186-4613-94f1-cddfb07ddbf7.

^ “America’s Next Top Model”. Buddytv. http://www.buddytv.com/articles/americas-next-top-model/americas-next-top-model-the-ch-14734.aspx.

^ “article”. E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/gossip/hum/detail/index.jsp?uuid=60ee8913-dfb1-404e-8a33-2ec77f104a79.

^ “La Model Management”. lamodels.com. http://www.lamodels.com/.

^ “Saleisha Stowers”. PaperDoll Magazine. http://www.paperdollmag.com/index.php/paperdoll/beauty/C323/saleishastowers_sp08/.

^ “Florida International Magazine”. blogspot.com. http://fashionivy.blogspot.com/2008/02/saleisha-for-florida-international.html.

^ “InTouch Weekly”. FansOfRealityTV.com Forum. http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/america-s-next-top-model/67199-saleisha-cycle-9-a-191.html#post2738918.

^ “OK! Magazine”. FansOfRealityTV.com Forum. http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/america-s-next-top-model/67199-saleisha-cycle-9-a-229.html.

^ “Essence Magazine”. LiveJournal Blog. http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/24720850.html.

^ “Jam Style”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=45.

^ “Macy’s”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=40.

^ “Gilt Groupe”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=44.

^ “Macys catalogue”. http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=341069&CategoryID=17189&LinkType=EverGreen.

^ “Dereon”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=14.

^ “Apple Bottoms”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=15.

^ “Baby Phat”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=16.

^ “Love Tease”. all-antm.net. http://www.all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pos=1.

^ “Garage Clothing”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=97.

^ “Modern Bride”. all-antm.net. http://all-antm.net/displayimage.php?album=54&pos=86.

^ “Tibi Fall 2008″. LiveJournal Blog. http://community.livejournal.com/topmodel/1902043.html.

^ “Peter Som’s Bill Blass Fall 2008″. PopSugar.com. http://popsugar.com/1520930.

^ “Carson Kressley’s Safilo USA Spring/Summer ‘08″. WireImage….

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Counterfeiting of money or government bonds

This section requires expansion.

Two forged UK pound coins. The left coin shows poor surface clarity, irregular reeding and no side lettering. The right coin demonstrates poor metal quality.

Main article: Counterfeit money

Counterfeit money is currency that is produced without the legal sanction of the state or government; counterfeit government bonds are public debt instruments produced without legal sanction with the intention of “cashing them in” for authentic currency, or using them as collateral to secure legitimate loans or lines of credit. An attempt to smuggle approximately $135 Billion in U.S. Treasury bonds across an international border was discovered in Italy in June 2009. , j12 chanel watch .

Counterfeiting of document , bape watches .

Main article: Forgery

Forgery is the process of making or adapting documents with the intention to deceive. It is a form of fraud, and is often a key technique in the execution of identity theft. Uttering and publishing is a term in United States law for the forgery of non-official documents, such as a trucking company’s time and weight logs.

Questioned document examination is a scientific process for investigating many aspects of various documents, and is often used to examine the provenance and verity of a suspected forgery. Security printing is a printing industry specialty, focused on creating documents which are difficult or impossible to forge.

Counterfeiting of consumer goods

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Main article: Counterfeit consumer goods

A Sharpie marker, next to a “Shoupie” marker.

The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly. According to the study of Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) counterfeit Goods make up 5 to 7% of World Trade, however, these figures cannot be substantiated.. According to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition if the knockoff economy were a business, it would be the world biggest. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicates that up to 200 Billion U.S. Dollars of international trade could have been in counterfeit and illegally-copied goods in 2005 (2% of World Trade in 2005)

Some see the rise in counterfeiting of goods as an inevitable product of globalization. As more and more companies, in an effort to increase profits, move manufacturing to the cheaper labor markets of the third world, areas with weaker labor laws or environmental regulations, they give the means of production to foreign workers. These new managers of production have little or no loyalty to the original corporation. They see that profits are being made by the global brand for doing little (other than advertising) and see the possibilities of removing the middle men (i.e. the parent corporation) and marketing directly to the consumer.

Certain consumer goods, especially very expensive or desirable brands or those which are easy to reproduce cheaply have become frequent and common targets of counterfeiting. The counterfeiters either attempt to deceive the consumer into thinking they are purchasing a legitimate item, or convince the consumer that they could deceive others with the imitation. An item which doesn’t attempt to deceive, such as a copy of a DVD with missing or different cover art, is often called a “bootleg” or a “pirated copy” instead.

Some counterfeits are produced in the same factory that produces the original, authentic product, using the same materials. The factory owner, unbeknownst to the trademark owner, orders an intentional ‘overrun’. Without the employment of anti-counterfeiting measures, identical manufacturing methods and materials make this type of counterfeit (and it is still a form of counterfeit, as its production and sale is unauthorized by the trademark owner) impossible to distinguish from the authentic article.

To try to avoid this, companies may have the various parts of an item manufactured in independent factories and then limit the supply of certain distinguishing parts to the factory that performs the final assembly to the exact number required for the number of items to be assembled (or as near to that number as is practicable) and/or may require the factory to account for every part used and to return any unused, faulty, or damaged parts. To help distinguish the originals from the counterfeits, the copyright holder may also employ the use of serial numbers and/or holograms etc., which may be attached to the product in another factory still.

See also

Authentication

Bootleg

Coin counterfeiting

Counterfeit watch

Slug (coin)

Entertainment Law

Fake

FBI

File sharing

Forgery

Illegal stamps

Intellectual property

Philatelic fakes and forgeries

Ripping

Triad (underground societies)

White Collar Crime

Counterfeit banknote detection pen

Copyright infringement

Tepito (Mexican centre for illegal copies and counterfeit)

Placebo

United States Secret Service

References

^ ICC Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (1997), Countering Counterfeiting: A Guide to Protecting and Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights, United Kingdom.

^ Welcome to KITSCHPURSES.COM

^ “The Economic Effect of Counterfeiting and Piracy, Executive Summary” (PDF). OECD, Paris. 2007. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/13/12/38707619.pdf. Retrieved on 2007.

Detecting the Truth: Fakes, Forgeries and Trickery, a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada

External links

U.S. Secret Service article about how to detect counterfeit money.

Bank of England guide to bank note security features.

A site that tracks eBay counterfeits.

A site that discusses counterfeit antique Judaica.

Approximately $135 Billion in counterfeit U.S. Treasury Bonds–Wow!

Categories: Hoaxes | Forgery | Commercial crimesHidden categories: Articles to be expanded | All articles to be expanded | Articles needing additional references from March 2009

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History of the earliest Chinatowns by region

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

Yokohama Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan

New York City is home to three Chinatowns. The oldest is centered on Mott Street in Manhattan.

Gate of Chinatown, Portland, Orego , mercedes watches .

Trading centres populated mainly by Chinese men and their native wives had existed throughout Southeast Asia for many years but emigration to other parts of the world from China accelerated in the 1860s with the enactment of the Treaty of Peking, which opened the border for free movement. The early emigrants came primarily from coastal province of Guangdong and Fujian (Fukien, Hokkien)here Cantonese, Hakka, and Chaozhou (Teochew, Chiu Chow) are largely spokenn southeastern China. Initially, the Qing government of China was unconcerned by the emigration of this population as they were likely considered socially undesirable and “traitorous” to China. Moneymaking was also frowned upon in Confucianist China[citation needed], which Chinese migrants were intending to earn wages as sojourners. However, the Chinese were not a unified group but were divided upon sub-ethnic/linguistic lines, as feuds between those of Cantonese (Punti) and Hakka stocks were common[citation needed]. Generally, there were also sub-divisions based on Chinese clans/surnames , camel active watch .

Taishanese and Cantonese settled in the first North American (United States, Canada), Australian, and Latin American Chinatowns (Cuba, Mexico, Peru)[citation needed]. Most of them were brought as coolies to build the railroad, but many had come originally in pursuit of gold. As a group, the Cantonese are linguistically and ethnically distinct from other groups in China with migrants especially coming mostly from the Siyi and Sanyi regions (with various variations of spoken Cantonese) of Guangdong[citation needed]; Cantonese remained the dominant language and heritage of many Chinatowns in Western countries until the 1970s[citation needed]. Due to laws in some countries barring the importation of Chinese wives[citation needed] (for fear of the perceived Yellow Peril), some Chinatowns emerged as bachelor societies where males dominated and the male-to-female ratio population was generally skewed. In Latin America, many Cantonese-speaking migrants arrived as indentured labourers particularly in Peru (to work in the deadly guano fields) and Cuba (to labor in sugar plantations) giving those countries substantial Chinatowns[citation needed].

The Hokkien and Chaozhou (both groups speaking the Minnan sub-group of Chinese dialects), along with Cantonese are the dominant group in Southeast Asian Chinatowns[citation needed]. Chinese migrants also pioneered some major Southeast Asian cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and hence Chinese influence is felt there. The Hakka groups established Chinatowns in Africa (particularly Mauritius)[citation needed], Latin America and the Caribbean. Northern Chinese settled in Korea in the 1940s[citation needed].

In Europe, early Chinese were generally seamen who jumped ship and began to provide services for other Chinese mariners[citation needed]. In the nineteenth century and early twentieth century the United Kingdom treated China as part of its unofficial Empire employing Chinese in its merchant marine in significant numbers. Consequently, from the 1890s onwards, significant Chinese communities grew up in London and Liverpool the main ports for the China trade. However, these communities were a mixture of Chinese men, their British wives and their Eurasian children. Moreover, they were generally inhabited by those Chinese catering for Chinese seamen. The majority spread throughout these cities usually operating laundries at this time.

France received a large settlement of Chinese immigrant laborers, mostly from the city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province of China (to this day, France continues to attract many Chinese immigrants from this particular province; Paris newest Chinatown in Belleville is heavily influenced by such immigrants)[citation needed]. Chinatowns are also found in the Indian cities of Kolkata (once Hakka influenced) and Mumbai[citation needed].

By the late 1970s, the Vietnam War also played a significant part in the development and redevelopment of various Chinatowns in developed Western countries. As a result, many Chinatowns have become pan-Asian business districts and residential neighborhoods. By contrast, most Chinatowns in the past were solely inhabited by Chinese from southeastern China.

Historic Chinatowns such as San Francisco (see Chinatowns in North America#Northern California) has had a significant influence on the perception of Chinatowns in western countries. Although, in reality it and other North American Chinatowns fall outside the tradition of Chinese settlement in having significant numbers of Chinese women.

Asia

Yaowarat Road, Chinatown in Bangkok

Chinatown of Singapore.

Yokohama Chinatown’s Goodwill Gate

The Kuan Yin Temple (Kwan Yin Si) is a local place of worship for Burmese Chinese in Bago and serves as a Mandarin school for the local community.

Main article: Chinatowns in Asia

This section is written like a travel guide and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (July 2009)

Chinatown, Singapore Singapore’s Chinatown centers around the major Eu Tong San street and branches out over a large area onto side streets. It is served by an MRT station by the name of (Pinyin: niu2che1shui3) literally meaning “bullcart waters”. Near the station is a large covered shopping area primarily geared at tourists, although not far from this one can find local markets, bakeries, full-blown Chinese malls, plenty of restaurants, the night market on Smith Street, and several temples including the recently completed Buddha Tooth Relic temple. A curiosity of the Singapore Chinatown is that in the middle of it is the large Sri Mariamman Hindu mandir. Unlike other countries with Chinatowns, in which the population of Chinese origin is relatively low in number, Singapore’s population is dominated by over 70 percent Chinese descendants. Hence, the “Chinatown” is not a center of immigration and inexpensive food but rather a center of celebration of Chinese culture and often more upscale in taste than outside it.

Chinatown, Malaysia Petaling Street is the center of Kuala Lumpur’s original Chinatown. It’s the place that never sleeps. Adventurous visitors should not miss a walk on Petaling Street.

Even in daytime you have great bargains. Petaling Street is not open for traffic. It is a great place for locals to get some goods at bargain prices and certainly an eye-opening experience for tourists.

Chinatown has a bustling market serving as a bargain hunter’s paradise and one of the premier shopping areas in the city with its distinctly oriental atmosphere.

Yaowarat Road, Bangkok, Thailand

Established in the 1700s, Chinatown is located in one of the oldest areas in Bangkok. It was set up by Chinese traders who came in junks to trade with Thailand (Siam) during the Rattanakosin period, about 1700s. By the end of 1891, King Rama V had cut many roads, Yaowarat Road is one of them. Therefore Chinatown doesn’t consist of only Yaowarat Road, but also covers others such as: Charoen Krung Road, Mungkorn Road, Songwat Road, Songsawat Road, Chakkrawat Road etc. Yaowarat is the centre of the area.

Tayote Tan, Yangon, Myanmar

Meaning Chinese Roads or Quarters, it covers almost a fifth of downtown Yangon. The lay-out of Chinatown dates back to the British expansion of Yangon, around the 1850s, thus being as old as the downtown.

Binondo District of Manila, The Philippines

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1571, trade between ethnic Filipinos and Chinese traders was already established in pre-colonial Manila. Manila’s Chinatown is the oldest chinatown in the world, established sometime in the late 15th century. It is home to many ethnic Han Chinese who left the Chinese mainland for a home in the Philippines. Binondo is a stone’s throw away from the District of Intramuros, which was the Philippine’s administrative capital under Spanish rule. The district was within the range of Intramuros’ cannons to quell any uprising the Chinese could have started. Binondo became a center of commerce during the American colonial era of the Philippines, since the Chinese were known to be experts in trading and finance. Banks, department stores, restaurants, insurance companies, nearly all giant commercial establishments were built in Binondo, the most prominent of which are located in the Escolta Avenue, though these are somewhat out of vogue and dilapidated today. World War II destroyed much of Binondo’s commercial establishments. After the war, most companies relocated to Makati, the current central business district of Metro Manila.

Shinchimachi, Nagasaki, Japan

With the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty by the Qing in the late 17th century, some Chinese (supporters of the Ming) fled to Japan and formed a Chinatown community in Nagasaki before the start of the 18th century, making it (along with the Binondo district of Manila of the Philippines) one of the earliest Chinatowns to be established. Under the isolationist policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, Chinese and Dutch traders and settlers were confined to Nagasaki. Trade was subsequently resumed with China and Shinchimachi became a trading hub. Shinchimachi has long been the ethnic Chinese cultural and commercial…