Under the same sun

2012-01-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

In love with CALIFORNIA

2012-01-21T12:38:00.001-08:00

death valley, january 2012

2012-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

SALVATION MOUNTAIN, January 2012, California.

2012-01-14T01:51:00.000-08:00

CALI, January 2011

2011-12-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

The collection of photos I am showing were taken in both Spain and San Francisco over the past two years. In each and every one of these photographs I am talking about myself, and how I understand the world. The larger whole story is my self-reflection, yet told through the attitudes and personal moments of others. As one’s eye travels over this story of life, different images speak about growth, both between the subjects themselves and the photographer. There is an inherent symbiotic relationship in my portraits. Their emotions & states become a mirror, which in turn directly effects how I capture their image. I am showcasing other people’s attitudes and external moments, but ultimately I am describing myself.

2011-12-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

New Orleans,

here I am again.

2011-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I see things where they are not

2011-11-08T18:42:00.001-08:00

2011-10-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz, Spain
2011

2011-10-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

Close to CALLE AMORES, where MI AMOR lives.

Malaga, Spain. 2011

2011-10-04T19:59:00.001-07:00

California VS Malaga. Not a big difference sometimes.

2011-09-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

Costa Rica 2011

Playa de las Estrellas, panama 2011

2011-09-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

Bocas del Toro, PANAMA 2011

2011-09-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

You don´t know what i do?

Let me tell you a story...

London 2011

2011-08-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

My angel is lost...
or maybe I can not find him.
Too much fog on my way.
Too much clouds in the sky.

Summer 2011

2011-08-20T11:42:00.001-07:00

Untitled, a photo by hanna_quevedo on Flickr.

Spain

2011-08-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Caños de Meca, Cadiz,

SPAIN 2011

2011-08-19T19:07:00.001-07:00

Jaen, Andalucia, SPAIN

2011

2011-08-18T23:39:00.001-07:00

I always find you.

2011-08-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Don´t look at me as you don´t know me.

Summer 2011,

Malaga, Spain

Model: Ana

2011-08-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

PENTIMENTOS

2011-08-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

The Equestrian Art and carriages Museum in Jerez de la Frontera...

2011-08-02T02:35:00.001-07:00

We are a army of dreamers

2011-07-31T04:32:00.000-07:00

Inside or outside... kids are kids.

Ometepe Island, Nicaragua 2011

2011-07-30T12:28:00.001-07:00

Hong-Kong... closer than I thought.

All my photos are under a CREATIVE COMMONS license.

2011-07-22T04:38:00.001-07:00

MARUJA

2011-07-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

In summer... Christmas flowers

2011-07-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Trasto has a male name...

2011-07-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

"All Liberty is based on Mutual Trust". Sam Adams.

Most mass structures are a result of habit, inertia and the lack of creative critique.

2011-07-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

Where the kids were resting...

now are waiting.

2011-07-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

15 M: Spanish Revolution

Spain, 2011

2011-07-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

Anthropological study from a second floor,

London, summer 2011

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/

2011-07-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

London, summer 2011

2011-07-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

London is PROPER.

2011-07-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

MALAGA-SEVILLA

SPAIN

2011-07-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

They said I shouldn´t go there because is a bad neighborhood. I say... I want to go there because those are the people who know about LIFE.

2011-06-27T09:30:00.001-07:00

CORPUS CHRISTI, Sevilla, Spain 2011

2011-06-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Life is an accumulation of stories beginning at the same time as they finish and they finish at the same time as they begin it...

It is an invisible web of squares with an impossible but true dream where they are intermingled in.

Jaen, Andalucia, Spain 2011

2011-06-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

AnGeLs CaN MakE YoU FLy EvEn WitHouT WiNGs.

Cordoba, Spain, 2011

2011-06-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

-Spain!

2011-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Habilitación del "ánimo"

http://claridaddigital.es/

"El pasado sábado 11 de junio la Asociación de Mujeres, Transexuales y Travestis como Trabajadoras Sexuales en España (AMTTTSE)

se manifestaron en el Polígono Guadalhorce tras el anuncio del Ayuntamiento, a través del Área de Participación Ciudadana, que había confirmado una nueva zona en el propio Polígono en el área tras los desguaces junto al río, donde las trabajadoras sexuales podrían desarrollar su trabajo sin incumplir la Normativa Cívica.

El motivo de la protesta era que el espacio habilitado no cumple las mínimas condiciones requeridas y prometidas por el consistorio previamente a las elecciones. Además, según han denunciado “el espacio carece de luz, asfaltado, baños, papeleras, acceso al agua, etc. Condiciones que se habían prometido habilitar previo al traslado”.

Los trabajadores sexuales manifiestan que seguirán ejerciendo su trabajo en el polígono, hasta que se cumplan las condiciones prometidas en el nuevo emplazamiento.

Por otro lado, el movimiento 15-M de Málaga se ha concentrado con las trabajadoras del sexo del Polígono de Guadalhorce en apoyo a sus reivindicaciones. Además, estas han participado en la asamblea para contar su situación actual y los motivos por los que se manifestaban.

“Estamos luchando por la regularización de las trabajadoras del sexo. Es un trabajo decente para poder ayudar a nuestras familias y tener nuestros derechos como todos los españoles.Basta ya de discriminarnos, marginarnos y no proteger nuestros derechos”, afirmó una de las portavoces del colectivo en la asamblea."

2011-06-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

“Something worse than being born poor India, is born a woman,” states Sampat Pal Devi, a 50 year old woman from one of the lowest castes of Indian society.

In India, to even bear a girl is still perceived as a bad thing: “she will be one more mouth to feed, she will leave the house to live in her mother-in-law’s house, and who will need to pay for her wedding preparations.” The consequences are dramatic: 80% of women over 25 years old are illiterate, and 65% have married before their 18^th year birthday. Around 5000 married women are assassinated annually because they have an insufficient dowry. Also, there are a large amount of women who are randomly expelled from their houses, often without reason.

Sampat Pal Devi took these alarming statistics and her personal experience and developed a radical response that is changing women’s role in India for the better. In 2006 started a rebellion in the northern Uttar Pradesh region of Indian against the “destiny” of Indian woman. She formed Gulabi Gang, or Pink Gang, a group of radical women adorning pink saris with passion who are demanding respect for their rights and who strike, scream and hit (if they need to) because as a united front, they believe they can force great change in Indian society. And they are.

These women are literally fighting for their lives while simultaneously fortifying them. Gulabi Gang is a community-based response towards transformative justice. Firstly, the men are confronted and spoken to about their wrong-doings with the victim is offered support. If their reaction is nothing short of apologetic and enthusiastic towards active transformation, a public shaming and beating take place.

Although numerous laws in favor of women exist, very few are abided by. The radical women of Gulabi Gang do not hesitate to fight for their belief regardless of the consequences. Because of this determination, they have made great strides by putting violent husbands in jail, ensuring that the region’s imprisoned women are fed and treated humanely, and expanding public awareness of police corruption and patriarchal abuse.

Sampat Par Devi tests the concept of freedom of expression through her leadership of a sisterhood of radicalized former-servants who are now committed to serving justice and autonomy.

Abusers create isolation in order to maintain control, but the Gulabi Gang has grown to over 20,000 women band together with the common goal of liberation for all women. The Gulabi Gang understands that the collective is only as strong as the individuals that make it up. In order to build strong communities, women are encouraged and supported to fulfill their full potential as independent individuals with a shared vision.

I believe that as outsiders, we don’t have the right to harshly judge the actions of others, specifically those of women in the 2/3rds world (a term I like to use as a more accurate global socioeconomic distinction). These women know intimately their own oppression and hence, can and must define what form their liberation is taking. However, it is crucial for us to listen to their stories, document their struggle as an act of solidarity, learn from their successes, and be inspired by their advances. The women of the Gulabi Gang hold rage that is dignified, and that is the power that I wish to express through my photojournalism, should I be blessed with the granting of this award.

Another organization of immense interest to me is the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, a non-governmental development organization committed to the process of transforming the poorest and most needy areas of Andhra Pradesh in southeast India. Their approach to fighting injustice is similarly based on a philosophy of action. Its team works from both Spain and India to improve the living conditions of some of the most discriminated communities within the Hindu caste system: the Dalits or untouchables, the tribal groups and the backward castes.

The focus of my work would be on the Foundation’s women's development program which started in 1982 to gain recognition for women in all realms of society recognized by ensuring women access to vocational and professional training, creating employment opportunities to reduce their dependence on men, and ending mistreatment, sexual harassment and abuse.

The reality in India, as with most of the world, is one of strong gender oppression. The Foundation is working towards educating women through self-activity to be active agents of personal and social change. By providing skill trainings and opportunities for independence, women can flourish out of the cracks of a heavily stratified society of gender and caste-based violence. I have witness the effects of such empowerment during my work teaching photography to indigenous women in Costa Rica who fell in the love with their ability to create captivating images, and consequently, felt their sense of self-worth and agency enhance.

I feel that we are constantly bombarded with negative imagery adapted to manipulate the observer with empathy, but in my work I choose to focus on the brilliantly bold and beautiful, rather than the heart wrenchingly sad and negative. As fighting women we must define what we stand for not just what we are against.

From my perspective, the way to challenge systems of violent control is to outgrow rather than overthrow. This process entails, amongst other things, a tremendous thrust of education and communication among all peoples. I hold two complimentary degrees in Photography and Science of Communication. While learning from these forward-thinking and strong-acting women, I hope to communicate their struggles as empowering and effective approaches towards positive transformation. The impact of imagery can increase cultural and political awareness, display the strength of those working on principles of respect and cooperation, and ignite ideas to push forth in action. Photojournalism is a profound tool of social change and can be used as a weapon against those who seek to silence women, deny them of their rights, and torture, or even end, their existence.

Both Sampat Pal Devi’s Gulabi Gang and The Vicente Ferrer Foundation are following their common mission of increasing awareness of inhumanity and injustice and taking action to change it. With one organization in the North and the other in the South, I wish to spend some months in India between these two locations photo journaling the personal and collective changes that result from their influence over the social conditions that existing. My greatest dream would be realized if I had the opportunity to show the ability of women in harsh struggle to persevere with strength and determination through the medium that is my greatest passion, photography. By engaging in such a project, I hope that I would be able to move people towards the notion that a more just, sacred, and sustainable world is possible, and it is up to us, individually and collectively, to take action to make it real.

2011-05-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Panama City 2011

Playa La Angosta, Panama

Panama City 2011

2011-04-27T21:28:00.001-07:00

LIFE.

2011-04-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

2011-04-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

Nemagon is the commercial name of the DBCP (dibromo chloropropane), developed and fabricated by some multinational chemical corporation.

DBCP appeared in the labs of the Dow Chemical Company and Shell Chemical Company. It was employed in the banana fiefs belonging to the multinational fruit companies to combat the nematode worms attacking the banana trees beginning with the end of the 60's, despite the lab probes that warned about its toxicity.

In lab rats it induced retarded growth, reduced testicles, and major lesions on the lungs and kidneys. But contacts between both companies silenced the evidence. Manipulated medical reports permitted DBCP's approval by the Food and Drugs Agency (FDA) of the US as without "excessive risk".

In 1969, Standard Fruit Company started its use in its banana plantations in Central America. There was no warning about the pesticide's toxicity and the workers did not receive protection equipment. Over the years, thousands of liters of Nemagon were employed in plantations in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Santa Lucia, Saint Vincent, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Philippines.

In 1975, the Environmental Protection Agency in US determined that DBCP was carcinogen (cancer-inducing). In 1977, 35 workers out of 114 making the product in a US factory were sterile. That year, its use in the US was stopped and its delivery ceased temporarily.

But Standard threatened with breach of contract, and Dow continued its delivery only when Standard assumed the cost of possible damages.

In 1979, DBCP was forbidden in Costa Rica, and Standard transferred its stocks to the neighboring Nicaragua. And in 2000, DBCP was still employed in Panama, 23 years after its prohibition in the US.

65,000 persons are supposed to have been affected by Nemagon all over the world. This while 67 % of the banana workers in Nicaragua are sterile or suffer of some DBCP-induced disease. 33 % of the women working in the banana plantations have uterus or breast cancer, while the average value in the rest of the population in poor countries is 1%.

DBCP is now recognized as one of the most powerful cancer inducing products, even in low doses. Other induced cancers are those of testicle, stomach kidney and duoden.

Other consequences of the DBCP are mental deficiencies, genetic malformations, still birth, spontaneous abortion, bone deformation, brittle bones, general pains (especially muscle and bones), muscle atrophy, eyesight loss, diabetes, weight loss, hair loss, teeth loss, skin spots lacking pigment, hormonal disturbances, menstruation alterations, tiresome, paralysis, insomnia, liver and spleen inflammation, diarrhea.

But the psychological and social consequences are equally tough: self-esteem loss, impotence, severe depression, sadness and confusion, translated in job loss, alcoholism and suicide. Many men were abandoned by their wives as they could not have children. Others appealed to other men to let their women pregnant, all of this resulting in matrimonial unbalances and separations.

The judiciary history of this insecticide in countries like Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras started at the beginning of the 90's. In 1997, 20,000 affected workers were convinced by their own lawyers and some politicians to receive a miserable severance pay of about $100, giving up future indemnities.

Now, only those who did not take the bait can ask for higher compensations. Manifestations and strikes came with no final result. The sued multinationals in Nicaragua are Dow Agro Sciences, Aka del Monte Fruits, Del Monte Tropical Fruits, Shell Oil Company, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Standard Fruit Company, Dole Food Corporation Inc., Chiquita Brands International and Del Monte Foods.

But the legislation lack in these countries makes these cases very difficult to judge. Only Costa Rica approved a law by which the affected ones receive state compensations. 4,000 victims of Nicaragua received about 4,800 million dollars due to the intervention of the Justice Department of the US on 7 multinationals.

2011-04-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Panama City, 2011

2011-03-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Nola, March 2011

2011-03-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

Tree House, New Orleans March 2011

My name is Hanna Quevedo. I am a professional photographer from Spain, and have been living in the United States since 2007. I currently live in San Francisco working as a freelance photographer and staff photographer for San Francisco Weekly and Mission Local. I am also the photo editor for El Tecolote, a bilingual newspaper in the Mission District. In addition to working for three different media publications, I continue to collaborate with independent media as Matador and Indymedia as well.

I started my career in a lab shooting black and white photos. After a while, I began to integrate color into my work. Both have very meaningful purposes in my expression.

For the past 10 years I have been shooting photos with the same intention: to capture the moments I find memorable and share these moments with a wide audience. My theme is “PEOPLE, PLACES, and THINGS.” To observe and save these images with a 'click' makes me happy, and I believe that joy is felt by those who see my photos.

I am passionate about, and completely dedicated to, capturing “the moment.” Photography is the reason I wake up each day. I see beauty in the simplest things we take for granted. I feel that we are constantly bombarded with negative imagery adapted to manipulate the observer with empathy. I do not pretend to change the world with my photos but I chose to focus on the positive and the beautiful rather than negativity.

I love showcasing my own intricate, perspective of the world around us and I hope that you find my work alluring. Using colors, lights, compositions and the simple magic of PEOPLE, PLACES and THINGS reflect the beauty of the world. The artistic opportunities are endless. I love experimenting with digital and analog because the results reflect different experiences, views, feelings and textures. I shoot with medium format, 35 mm and digital.

My work has provided me scholarships and internships in Spain, an assignment in Germany with a European Community project with children, a project in El Salvador, teaching photography in Central America for 4 months in both Usulutan City and San Miguel´s University. I have collaborated with magazines and newspapers in Mexico, Spain and USA (Denver and San Francisco).

I have searched out and taken advantage of every chance to share my work in each city I lived in over the past 9 years including venues such as galleries, art spaces, cafes, collective and individual shows, projections and framed photos.

I continue to learn and grow in my work, to travel and experience the culture of different countries and cities. I plan to continue my travels and hope to publish books of my journeys. I want to have my name in the Magnum photographers list.

These are my dreams and I know they can be fulfilled if I continue to pursue them and fight for them.

2011-03-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica 2011

Las Tablas, Panama 2011

2011-03-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

2011-03-09T20:41:00.001-08:00

New Orleans, Louisiana

March 2011

2011-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Red in the wind. Red in your hands.

Managua, Nicaragua

2011-03-01T10:19:00.001-08:00

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

2011-02-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

Think

Learn

Grow...

MAGIC

2011-02-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Omete Island, Nicaragua, 2011

2011-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Omete Island, Nicaragua, Central America 2011

2011-01-16T17:00:00.001-08:00

Managua, Nicaragua

2011-01-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

Tipitapa, Nicaragua

2011-01-04T21:24:00.001-08:00

New adventures are coming

2010-12-29T20:03:00.001-08:00

Maui, September 2010

I miss warm beaches... One more reason to go to Nicaragua

2010-12-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

Be free,

Chian Mai, Thailand 2010

2010-12-11T18:40:00.001-08:00

I hope to be a National Geographic photographer...

2010-12-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

After the Second Line for the Death Pelicans, New Orleans, 2010

2010-12-04T18:18:00.001-08:00

I miss my Mexico...

2010-11-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

Some memories...

CUBA.

2010-10-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Yosemite
the world I always dream of...

2010-10-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Indigenous land...

2010-10-17T13:50:00.001-07:00

Maui,

Hawaii 2010

2010-10-07T10:28:00.001-07:00

2010-10-04T16:08:00.001-07:00

2010-10-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Hāna Highway is a popular tourist attraction in Maui. Guidebooks often devote large sections to traveling the highway leading to the eastern side of Maui and document the many waterfalls and attractions that can be found along the way. Some of these attractions lie within or through private property and will often have "no trespassing" signs posted or even signs claiming that the attraction does not exist. All beach property in Hawaii, public or private, must allow public access. Some guidebooks document the "keep out" areas and ways past barbed wire fences and locked gates to reach attractions.

At the end of the Hāna Highway (actually past Hāna in a clockwise direction around eastern Maui) is the famous ʻOheʻo Gulch, also known as the "Seven Sacred Pools". This series of waterfalls and pools is located inside the Haleakala National Park. Presently,^[when?] the dirt road just past Highway 31 is open, having re-opened in early October 2008. Previously, Highway 31 had been closed a short distance past Hāna due to damage from the 2006 Hawaii earthquake. As a result, motor tours generally beginning in Kahului and heading east on highways 36 and 360 toward Hana had to return the same way since it was not possible to circumnavigate eastern Maui via this route.

Scenic turnouts abound, including one for Wailua Falls near the aforementioned Seven Sacred Pools in Oheʻo. It is common to find rented cars and tour buses at these turnouts photographing the falls and buying souvenirs from roadside vendors.

2010-10-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

Maui, Hawaii
October 2010

2010-10-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Hāna Highway', also known as the Hana Belt Road, Hana Road or Road To Hana, is a 68-mile (109 km) long stretch of Hawaii State Highways 36 and 360 which connects Kahului with the town of Hāna in east Maui. On the east after Kalepa bridge, Hana Highway continues to Kīpahulu as Hawaii Highway 31 (Piilani Highway), the first section of which is unofficially considered to be part of Hāna Highway. Although Hāna is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, a typical trip to Hāna takes about three hours, as the road is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one-lane bridges, requiring oncoming traffic to yield and occasionally causing brief traffic jams if two vehicles meet head-on. There are approximately 620 curves along Highway 360 from just east of Kahului to Hana, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. Many of the concrete and steel bridges date back to 1910 and all but one are still in use. That one bridge, badly damaged by erosion, has been replaced by a parallel structure by a portable steel Bailey bridge erected by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Signs on the old bridge warn pedestrians to stay off due to imminent collapse.

In August 2000 it was designated by President Bill Clinton as the "Hana Millennium Legacy Trail", with the trail start designated in the surfing community of Pāʻia. The Hāna Highway is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fresh Fish in Hana
Drinking in a tourist area in Paia

2010-10-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

Bamboo Forest

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 100 cm (39 in) in a 24-hour period, and can also reach maximal growth rate exceeding one metre (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time. Many prehistoric bamboos exceeded heights of 85 metres (279 ft). Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the Cretaceous period, vast fields existed in what is now Asia.

Unlike trees, all bamboo have the potential to grow to full height and girth in a single growing season of 3–4 months. During this first season, the clump of young shoots grow vertically, with no branching. In the next year, the pulpy wall of each culm or stem slowly dries and hardens. The culm begins to sprout branches and leaves from each node. During the third year, the culm further hardens. The shoot is now considered a fully mature culm. Over the next 2–5 years (depending on species), fungus and mould begin to form on the outside of the culm, which eventually penetrate and overcome the culm. Around 5 – 8 years later (species and climate dependent), the fungal and mold growth cause the culm to collapse and decay. This brief life means culms are ready for harvest and suitable for use in construction within 3 – 7 years.

2010-09-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

We have gold in our hands. We really do.

2010-08-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

On the magic way to

Yosemite

2010-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

NOLA

in multiple exposures

and multiple eyes...

June 2010

2010-07-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

2010-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Second line is a tradition in brass band parades in New Orleans, Louisiana. The "main line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the "second line." The second line's style of traditional dance, in which participants walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air, is called "second lining." It has been called "the quintessential New Orleans art form — a jazz funeral without a body."

The magazine of the New Orleans jazz club The Second Line took its name from the tradition in 1949.

The style has spread beyond the confines of the city of New Orleans, although it remains most common in that area.

2010-06-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS, LA

2010-06-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

New Orleans is famous for its distinctive cemeteries, and New Orleanians are renowned for their celebration of these "Cities of the Dead." One of the most unique in the city has to be St. Roch Cemetery.

In 1867, New Orleans was in the grip of a furious yellow fever epidemic, and there was little anyone could do to stop the spread of the disease. Reverend Peter Thevis prayed to St. Roch, a medieval saint who ministered to plague victims. After his congregation was spared, Rev. Thevis saw to the creation of the cemetery and its famous chapel.

The Chapel is the most unusual in the city, with its hundreds of mementos of cures attributed to St. Roch. Shoes, braces, crutches, and replicas of body parts line the walls. There is also a whisper that some of this is related to Voodoo, as ceremonies were once supposed to have taken place here.

2010-06-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, and named for the regent of France, Philippe II, duc d'Orleans. It remained a French colony until 1763, when it was transferred to the Spanish. In 1800, Spain ceded it back to France; in 1803, New Orleans, along with the entire Louisiana Purchase, was sold by Napoleon I to the United States. It was the site of the Battle of New Orleans (1815) in the War of 1812. During the Civil War the city was besieged by Union ships under Adm. David Farragut; it fell on Apr. 25, 1862.

The population of New Orleans, including Anglos, French, Blacks, Italians, Irish,Spanish, and Cubans, reflects its cosmopolitan past. The CAJUNS, or Acadians,are descendants of French emigres expelled from Nova Scotia (or Acadia) during the 18th century. They speak their own French dialect. The port is one of the world's largest and ranks first in the United States in tonnage handled. Major exports are petroleum products, grain, cotton, paper, machinery, and iron and steel. The city's economy is dominated by the petrochemical, aluminum, and foodprocessing industries and by tourism.

The most important annual tourist event is MARDI GRAS, which is celebrated for a week before the start of Lent. The Superdome, an enclosed sports stadium, attracts major sporting events and is an element in achieving the city's position as a leading convention center. One of the legacies of the six-month-long 1984 World's Fair, held in New Orleans, is a new convention center. New Orleans is noted for its fine restaurants, for its Dixieland jazz, and for its numerous cultural and educational facilities. TULANE (1829), Dillard (1869), and Loyola(1849) universities are major institutions of higher learning. The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre (French for "old square"), is the site of the original city and contains many of the historic and architecturally significant buildings for which New Orleans is famous.

New Orleans is in in southern Louisiana and islocated on the Mississippi River. Most of the city is situated on the east bank, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. Because it was built on a great turn of the river, it is known as the Crescent City. New Orleans, with a population of 496,938 (1990 census), is the largest city in Louisiana and one of the principal cities of the South.

It was established on the high ground nearest the mouth of the Mississippi, which is 177 km (110 mi) downstream. Elevations range from 3.65 m (12 ft) above sea level to 2 m (6.5 ft) below; as a result, an ingenious system of water pumps, drainage canals, and levees has been built to protect the city from flooding. The city covers a land area of 518 sq km (200 sq mi). New Orleans experiences mild winters and hot, humid summers. Temperatures in January average 13 deg C (55 deg F), and in July they average 28 deg C (82 deg F). Annual rainfall is 1,448 mm (57 in).

2010-05-17T23:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Sirs/Madams,

Recently, CNN Thailand Correspondents Dan Rivers and Sarah Snider have made me seriously reconsider your agency as a source for reliable and accurate unbiased news. As of this writing, over thousands of CNN’s viewers have already begun to question the accuracy and dependability of its reporting as regards events in Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, etc., in addition to Bangkok.

As a first-rate global news agency, CNN has an inherent professional duty to deliverall sides of the truth to the global public who have faithfully and sincerely placed their trust and reliance in you. Your news network, by its longtime transnational presence and extensive reach, has been put in a position of trust and care; CNN’s journalists, reporters, and researchers have a collective responsibility to follow the journalist's code and ethics to deliver and present facts from all facets of the story, not merely one-sided, shallow and sensational half-truths. The magnitude of harm or potential extent of damage that erroneous and fallacious news reporting can cause to (and exacerbate), not only a country’s internal state of affairs, economic well-being, and general international perception, but also the real lives and livelihood of the innocent and voiceless people of that nation, is enormous. CNN should not negligently discard its duty of care to the international populace by reporting single-sided or unverified facts and distorted truths drawn from superficial research, or display/distribute biased images which capture only one side of the actual event.

Mr. Rivers and Ms. Snider have NOT done their best under these life-threatening circumstances because many other foreign correspondents have done better. All of Mr. Rivers and Ms. Sniders' quotes and statements seem to have been solely taken from the anti-government protest leaders or their followers/sympathizers. Yet, all details about the government’s position have come from secondary resources. No direct interviews with government officials have been shown; no interviews or witness statements from ordinary Bangkok residents or civilians unaffiliated with the protesters, particularly those who have been harassed by or suffered at the hands of the protesters, have been circulated.

Why the discrepancy in source of information? Why the failure to report all of the government’s previous numerous attempts to negotiate or invitations for protesters to go home? Why no broadcasts shown of the myriad ways the red protesters have terrorized and harmed innocent civilians by burning their shops, enclosing burning tyres around apartment buildings, shooting glass marbles at civilians from high altitudes, attacking civilians in their cars, and worst of all, obstructing paramedics and ambulances carrying civilians injured by M79 grenade blasts during the Silom incident of April 24, 2010, thereby resulting in the sole civilian casualty? The entire timeline of events that have forced the government to take this difficult stance has been hugely and callously ignored in deference to the red ‘underdogs’.

Mr. Rivers and Ms. Snider’s choice of sensational vocabulary and terminology in every newscast or news report, and choice of images to broadcast, has resulted in law-abiding soldiers and the heavily-pressured Thai government being painted in a negative, harsh, and oppressive light, whereas the genuinely violent and law-breaking arm of the anti-government protesters - who are directly responsible for overt acts of aggression not only against armed soldiers but also against helpless, unarmed civilians and law-abiding apolitical residents of this once blooming metropolis (and whose actions under American law would by now be classified as terrorist activities) – are portrayed as righteous freedom fighters deserving of worldwide sympathy and support. This has mislead the various international Human Rights watchdogs to believe the Thai government are sending trigger-happy soldiers out to ruthlessly murder unarmed civilians without just cause.

As a current resident of "war zone" Bangkok who has experienced the effect of the Red protests first hand and is living in a state of constant terror and anxiety as to whether her family, friends, and home would get bombed or attacked by the hardcore anti-government vigilantes/paramilitary forces - I appeal to CNN's professional integrity to critically investigate and scrutinize the misinformed news reporting of your above-named correspondents. If they are incapable of obtaining genuine, authentic facts from any other source except the Red Protest leaders and red-sympathizing Thai translators or acquaintances, or from fellow non-Thai-speaking journalists who are similarly ignorant of Thai language, culture, history, and society, then perhaps CNN should consider reassigning field correspondents to Thailand.

I implore and urge you to please take serious action to correct or reverse the grave injustice that has been done to the Thai nation, her government, and the majority of law-abiding Thai citizens and expatriate residents by having endorsed and widely circulated poorly researched and misrepresented news coverage of the current ongoing political unrest and escalating violence in Thailand.

Copies of this open letter have also been distributed to other local as well as international news media and social networks for public information. Please feel free to contact me further should you require any additional concrete and reputable evidence in substantiation and corroboration of my complaints and claims stated hereinabove.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Napas Na Pombejra, B.A., LL.B. (Lond.)
Bangkok, Thailand
May 17, 2010

Addendum

Enclosed herewith for your attention and information some examples of other quality international news bulletins by respectable foreign journalists so you may assess at your leisure the sub-par quality and misleading nature of Mr. Rivers and Ms. Sniders' journalism:

1. New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/world/asia/16thai.html
2. Fox News/Associated Press:
(i) http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/16/chaos-continues-thailand-govt-rejects-talks-continues-crackdown-killed/
(ii) http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/05/17/thai-red-shirt-general-dies-chaos-continues/
3. Global Post: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/thailand/100514/thailand-protests-bangkok
4. NHK: http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_15.html
5. Al Jazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/listeningpost/2010/04/2010423171540981286.html
6. Deutsche Welle (English media in Germany):
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5575254,00.html
7. Local English daily newspaper’s chronology of events on Day 3 of “War in Bangkok”:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/05/17/politics/What-went-down-30129533.html

Youtube Videos, images, articles showing what CNN has failed to circulate:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_xg0l6-oHY
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rGqZDvRa_U
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3tfBBSVJdU&feature=player_embedded
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=4hmSPbugDAA&feature=related
5.
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XRi6m7QG06M&feature=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Aws3ZMXzNjs&feature=related
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=giuEOQ62n6E&feature=related
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=yy3a73Y6fBg&feature=related
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLuffqnszIY
11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqnXV2ltUlE
12. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=LXMmQReCKVg&feature=related
13. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=FWN7zYV7_Bo&feature=related
14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=005jYjmEAVE
15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioOrreuQ94c
16. http://tweetphoto.com/22647514
17. http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/37395/put-an-end-to-this-rebellion?awesm=fbshare.me_AMdZh
18. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=333752&id=118996168116475
19. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=El-zPySi9cQ&feature=related
20. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=KzcVcHokaVM&feature=related
21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agLBIWDKWkI
22. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=34hSEPOC71g&feature=related
23. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=kuAQyc5d1HY&feature=related
24. http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Pv9Hpfb6gNE&feature=related
25. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7yAVunxw1g&feature=player_embedded
26. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=328250&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=122351831122683&aid=-1&id=1785951766
27. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5959829&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=122351831122683&aid=-1&id=506055218
28. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5960844&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=122351831122683&aid=-1&id=506055218
29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8684405.stm
30. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=428905841067&ref=mf

2010-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Asia: individual hearts.

2010-04-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Photo: Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

2010-03-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

I LIKE PEOPLE

2010-03-10T01:10:00.001-08:00

MALAYSIA

Pulau Pangkor is an island off the coast of Perak in north-west peninsular Malaysia, reached by ferry from Lumut (a small coastal town that links to Ipoh, or from Sitiawan). It has a land area of only 8 square kilometers, and a population of approximately 25,000 islanders. It is heavily promoted as a low-key tourist destination by the Malaysian government, but fishing and fish products remain major industries.
Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishermen, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort in an effort to control the Perak tin trade. In 1874, it was the location of a historic treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (The Pangkor Treaty), which began the British colonial domination of the Malay Peninsula.
Pangkor is famous for its fine beaches and a mix of low budget to 5 star accommodations. Teluk Nipah and Coral Bay on the north west of the island is extremely popular with travellers from Europe. The quality of sand in the Pasir Bogak Beach is far superior to that elsewhere on the island. The sand is golden brown, quite similar to most leading prime beaches. There are a few resorts in Teluk Nipah or Nipah Bay.
Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia, Thailand and to a lesser extent the West Coast of Malaysia in December 2004, there have been fewer local tourists visiting Pangkor.
In 2006, a biotechnology centre, a joint venture of Global Hi-Q Malaysia S/B and Hi-Q Bio-Tech International (Taiwan) Ltd began operations with initial investments of RM100million (USD30m). Their operations include fish farming and aquaculture, and the first harvest is expected in 2009.
Just next to island of Pangkor, there is a smaller island called Pulau Pangkor Laut.

Accessibility and convenience of travelling by road and by air to Pangkor was progressively enhanced over the two years 2006-2008, because of the completion of the upgrading workings of Simpang Pulai – Lumut 4-lane dual carriage highway (which is nearing completion), the West Coast Expressway and the introduction of more flights, including AirAsia services. It is now possible to arrive at Lumut within 2 – 2 1/4 hours from Kuala Lumpur, and much less if it travelling by air.
Currently Berjaya Air is the only airline that is operating flights to Pangkor Airport (PKG), from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) with its 48-seats Dash 7 turboprop airliner. The aircraft are expected to be replaced by the ATR 72.
Buses from many parts of the country arrive frequently in Lumut at the bus station which is opposite the Lumut Jetty. Tourists are not allowed to bring their cars to the island; however, motorcycles and bicycles can be transported.
Ferry services are frequent (every 30 mins during the day, RM 10 for a return ticket). The ferry takes 40 minutes and stops first in Sungai Pinang Kecil. This has been well accepted as a special feature associated with commuting to and from Pangkor.
There are no bridges connecting the island to the mainland because there exists a policy to control the number of vehicles on the island, partly because of there being no real necessity for them and partly because of space constraints. This has brought about many positive effects in preserving a natural environment free from toxic fumes, dust, noise, congestion and traffic hazards. All these have contributed to the preservation of wildlife in the tropical rain forest where many rare species still exist, including hornbills and monitor lizards.

2010-03-03T01:46:00.001-08:00

Bangkok, Thailand

2010-03-02T23:19:00.001-08:00

Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Thai: กรุงเทพมหานคร, pronounced [krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔːn] ( listen)), or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep ( (listen) (help·info), meaning "City of the Deity") for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It came to the forefront of Siam when it was given the status as the capital city in 1768 after the burning of Ayutthaya. However, the current Rattanakosin Kingdom did not begin until 1782 when the capital was moved across the river by Rama I after the death of King Taksin. The Rattanakosin capital is now more formally called "Phra Nakhon" (Thai: พระนคร), pertaining to the ancient boundaries in the metropolis' core and the name Bangkok now incorporates the urban build-up since the 18th century which has its own public administration and governor.
Since its inception as the capital of Siam, it was at the center of European Colonial plans, but due to its strategic location in Indochina, it acted as a buffer-zone and brokered power between the European forces. Through this, it gained notoriety in the world as an independent, dynamic, and influential city. And in the span of over two hundred years, Bangkok has grown to become the political, social and economic center of Thailand, Indochina and one of Southeast Asia.
As a direct result of the 1980s and 1990s Asian investment boom, numerous multinational corporations base their regional headquarters in Bangkok and the city has become a regional force in finance and business. Its increasing influence on global politics, culture, fashion, and entertainment underlines its status as a global city. In 2009, it was the second most expensive city in South-East Asia behind Singapore.
The city's wealth of cultural landmarks and attractions in addition to its notorious entertainment venues has made it synonymous with exoticism. Its historic wealth coincides with its rapid modernization, reflected in the cityscape and the urban society. The Grand Palace, Vimanmek Palace Complex, its thousands of temples, and the city's notorious red-light districts combine draw in 11 million international visitors each year, trailing just Paris and London.
Bangkok has a population of approximately 6,355,144 residents while the greater Bangkok area has a population of 11,971,000 (January 2008).[3] The capital is part of the heavily urbanized triangle of central and eastern Thailand which stretches from Nakhon Ratchasima along Bangkok to the heavily Industrialized Eastern Seaboard. Bangkok borders six other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom, and all five provinces are joined in the conurbation of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. It is served by two international airports, Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport, four rapid transit lines operated by the BTS, MRT, and the SRT, with plans to add eight more by 2020.

2010-02-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Electric

moments
lights
skies
feelings

2010-02-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

Krabi (Thai: กระบี่) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand, at the shore of the Andaman Sea.
Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang. The Phuket province to the west is also neighboring, but without any land boundary. The capital of the region is the city of Krabi.

2010-02-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Highlands were named after William Cameron, a British colonial government surveyor who discovered the plateau during a mapping expedition in 1885. The fame of Cameron Highlands then grew during the colonial era when British planters realised the potential of its fertile mountain slopes for growing tea, then a prized commodity. Cameron Highlands is still home to many tea plantations, being Malaysia's largest tea-producing region. With its many farms the area is also known as a major supplier of legumes and vegetables to both Malaysia and Singapore, and is one of Malaysia's prime tourist destinations.

2010-02-09T11:11:00.001-08:00

Cameron Highlands is a highland region located about 121 km east of Ipoh and about 214 km north of Kuala Lumpur, in Pahang, Malaysia. At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is the highest area on the mainland, enjoys a cool climate, with temperatures no higher than 25 °C and rarely falls below 12°C year-round. Cameron Highlands is actually a district in the state of Pahang Darul Makmur although the road entrance is via Tapah and Simpang Pulai in the state of Perak Darul Ridzuan. Cameron Highlands district is bordered by Lipis district on the south-east, Kelantan on the north and Perak on the west. The size of the whole Cameron Highlands district is roughly two and a quarter times the size of Singapore.

2010-02-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

Baracoa, Cuba

The original inhabitants of the island were Taíno. They were eradicated by the Spanish all over Cuba except here and this is the only place where descendants still live. A local hero is Hatuey, who fled from the Spanish in Hispaniola and raised a Taíno army to fight the Spanish in Cuba. According to the story Hatuey was betrayed by a member of his group and sentenced to burn at the stake. It is said that just before he died a Catholic priest tried to convert him so he would attain salvation; Hatuey asked the priest if Heaven was the place where the dead Spanish go. When he received an answer in the affirmative he told the priest that he'd rather go to Hell.
On 27 October 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba in a place he named Porto Santo. It is generally assumed from his description that this was Baracoa, although there are also claims it was Gibara. But Columbus also described a nearby table mountain, which is almost certainly nearby el Yunque. He wrote in his logbook ... the most beautiful place in the world ...I heard the birds sing that they will never ever leave this place.... According to legend, Columbus put a cross called Cruz de la Parra in the sands of what would later become Baracoa harbor.
Around 15 August 1511 (the official foundation day) Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar was appointed the first governor of Cuba and built a villa here and named the place 'Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa', thus making Baracoa the first capital of Cuba. In 1518 it received the title of city and the first Cuban bishop was appointed here. As a result several remains of the Spanish occupation can still be seen here, such as the fortifications El Castillo, Matachín and La Punta and the cemetery.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the isolated location made it a haven for illegal trade with the French and English. At the beginning of the 19th century many French fled here from the revolution of independence in Haiti, who started growing coffee and cocoa.
From the middle of the 19th century many expeditions of independence fighters landed here (including Antonio Maceo and José Martí) which greatly helped the independence from Spain in 1902.
Before the Cuban Revolution the only access was by sea, but in the 1960s a 120 km long road from Guantánamo named La Farola was built through the mountains, which was one of the showcases of the revolution. The road had already been planned by the Batista government, but never got built. The highest point of the road is at over 600 m and it passes 11 bridges.

Baracoa llamada también la Ciudad Primada, se encuentra situada en la provincia de Guantánamo (Cuba).
Los principales productos de la región son el el coco, el cacao y el banano, aunque desde finales de la década del 90 del pasado siglo el turismo se ha convertido en una de sus principales fuentes de ingreso debido a su extraordinaria belleza.
La ciudad fue fundada en 1511 con el nombre de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa por el conquistador español Diego Velázquez que ostentaba entonces el título de Adelantado. Es el más antiguo asentamiento de la Isla después de la llegada de los colonizadores españoles y de ahí debe su nombre de Ciudad Primada. En 1518 recibió el nombramiento de ciudad. Fue la primera capital y el primer obispado de la Isla.

La Cruz de la Parra.
Declarada Monumento Nacional, la ciudad es bañada por el río Miel y entre sus atracciones naturales se encuentra el río Toa, marcado por numerosas cascadas, siendo la más conocida El Saltadero con 17 metros de altura y las montañas del Yunque que debe su nombre a la similitud de la misma con la pieza que usan los herreros. La llamada la Bella Durmiente, vista desde lejos, asemeja a una joven echada. En esta ciudad se conserva dentro de una vitrina y con un pedestal de plata la Cruz de la Parra, símbolo de la cristianidad, que trajera Cristóbal Colón en su primer viaje. Se presume que el nombre de la ciudad provenga de un vocablo aborigen que significa “presencia de mar” en franca alusión al ambiente marino que contrasta con las montañas y los ríos de la región de gran belleza natural.
El acceso a la ciudad por tierra constituye una aventura ya que hay que recurrir a una vía muy peculiar que serpentea entre las montañas y que lleva el nombre de la Farola. Esta carretera cuenta con 11 puentes colgantes y su punto más elevado son los Altos de Cotilla, a más de 600 metros sobre el nivel del mar.
El dominio español dejó sus huellas en las construcciones de la localidad entre las que destacan las fortificaciones de El Castillo y La Punta y los torreones de Joa y del Cementerio. Durante los siglos XVI y XVII al estar Baracoa incomunicada del resto de la isla por tierra, hizo que su escasa población comerciara de contrabando con franceses e ingleses. A principio del siglo XIX se instalaron en Baracoa numerosos colonos franceses que huyeron de la revolución independentista de Haití, y se dedicaron al cultivo del café y del cacao, de ahí la influencia francesa que existe en Baracoa y en muchas parte de la provincia de Oriente.

"El Yunque" sobre la bahía de Baracoa

Calle Maceo, típica calle de Baracoa
A partir de mediados del siglo XIX, en que se intensifican los esfuerzos de los patriotas cubanos por lograr la independencia de Cuba, las costas de Baracoa fueron escenario del desembarco de numerosas expediciones libertadoras. En octubre de 1854, el joven matancero Francisco Estrampes, Juan Enrique Félix y dos americanos desembarcaron de una goleta con armas y pertrechos de guerra para iniciar una revolución; pero fueron sorprendidos por tropas españolas antes que pudieran recibir ayuda, cayeron prisioneros y fueron conducidos a La Habana, donde Estrampes fue ejecutado en la explanada de la punta el 31 de marzo de 1855.
Entre los primeros baracoenses que se vincularon al esfuerzo libertador debe mencionarse a Manuel Borges Navarro (1827-1869), que después de haberse dedicado a la enseñanza con verdadera vocación, fue implicado en la conspiración revolucionaria de López y Agüero y encarcelado por dicho motivo. Más tarde en 1868 se incorporó al movimiento de Yara y fue apresado y asesinado por la escolta española que lo conducía a Santiago de Cuba, en septiembre de 1869.
En marzo de 1885 desembarcaron en Caleta costa sur, el Brigadier Limbano Sánchez y un grupo de patriotas, fueron perseguidos y Sánchez y Ramón González murieron en combate los otros fueron hechos prisioneros salvando la vida solamente dos de ellos. Ya iniciada la Guerra de Independencia, el 1 de abril de 1895, desembarco en la playa de Duaba muy cerca de Baracoa la expedición de la Goleta de Honor, donde venían algunos de los más prestigiosos jefes cubano, entre ellos el general Antonio Maceo y su hermano José Maceo, Flor Crombet, Agustín Cebreco, Silverio Sánchez y Patricio Corona. Pocos días después, el 11 de abril desembarcaron en Playitas, el general Máximo Gómez, el apóstol José Martí, Ángel Guerra, Paquito Borrero, Marcos del Rosario Y Cesar Salas a quienes se les unen el día 14, el coronel baracoense Félix Ruenes y sus tropas. Estas expediciones por Baracoa ayudaron mucho en la lucha por la independencia de Cuba, la cual finalmente se logró el 20 de mayo de 1902.

2010-02-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Bangkok, Thailand

Phahurat, often known as Thailand's Little India, is an ethnic neighbourhood surrounding Phahurat Road in the Phra Nakhon District of Bangkok. The area that would become Phahurat was an enclave of Vietnamese immigrants who came to Siam during the reign of King Taksin (1768-1782). In 1898, a fire broke out and paved way for a road which was named "Phahurat" by King Chulalongkorn in remembrance of his daughter Princess Phahurat Manimai who had died at the age of 10.

A Sikh community settled down in the area a century ago and established a textile trading centre that is still thriving today in this market.