Maldives ibu's Eyes

Male’ International Airport will be a “state-of-the-art, 21st Century airport of which every Maldivian can be proud

29/6/2010- President Nasheed has said that the new Male’ International Airport will be a “state-of-the-art, 21st Century airport of which every Maldivian can be proud.”

Examining photographs of the new terminal building – released to the public for the first time - the President said the new airport will “create jobs, bring in new investments for the country, improve services for passengers and allow tourism to expand.”

The government awarded the contract for building and operating the new airport to Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group, after a competitive tendering process, overseen by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.

Malaysia Airports Holdings operate 59 airports, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which many aviation experts consider to be one of the best airports in the world.

Malaysia Airports Holdings has worked with India’s GMR Group for over seven years. The two firms designed, built and now manage Hyderabad’s new international airport. Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group also manage Istanbul International Airport and next month will unveil Delhi’s new international airport.

“This is the culmination of an 18 month process to find an appropriate partner to manage the airport. We are very happy with the way the bidding process was carried out. The process was open, honest, transparent and competitive and the World Bank and international lawyers oversaw the process from start to finish,” said Mifzal Ahmed of Invest Maldives.

“GMR Group will build the new terminal and Malaysia Airports will operate and manage the new airport for 25 years. However, the airport will still remain the property of the Maldivian people. The Maldives National Defense Force will provide security and the government will retain control over which aircraft can land at the airport,” said Mifzal.

“The new airport will allow for more flights, reduce overcrowding and speed up airport check in. The new airport terminal will include a piazza with new shops, cafes and restaurants that everyone can enjoy. New transport links also mean that people living in Hulhumale’ will be able to drive to the airport in just five minutes,” Mifzal added.

Malaysia Airports Holdings and GMR Group will invest over US$400 million in the new airport, which is due to be completed in 2014.

Copyright © 2004 & 2007 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc. All rights reserved.e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

FIFA World Cup 2010 theme song announced

Wavin' Flag by K'naan to be FIFA World Cup 2010 theme song.

Somalian-born, Canadian-based hip-hop artist K'Naan has spoken about the "unity and celebration" that will connect with his song "Wavin' Flag," after it was chosen as the official anthem of Coca-Cola's 2010 FIFA World Cup program. K'Naan has specially recorded a version of the song for the tournament, hosted by South Africa. The remix of "Wavin' Flag" is part of Coca-Cola's global integrated marketing campaign "inspired by the joyous dance celebrations familiar to Africa."

The track will be used as the music element throughout the entire campaign, including as the soundtrack for all television commercials, during the trophy tour.

Official video South Africa 2010. K'naan & David Bisbal - Wavin' Flag

Concert video K'naan

Arab-American from Michigan crowned 2010 Miss USA

LAS VEGAS — A 24-year-old Arab American from Michigan beat out 50 other women to take the 2010 Miss USA title Sunday night, despite nearly stumbling in her evening gown.
Rima Fakih of Dearborn, Mich., won the pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip after strutting confidently in an orange and gold bikini, wearing a strapless white gown that resembled a wedding dress and saying health insurance should cover birth control pills.
When asked how she felt about winning the crown, she said, "Ask me after I've had a pizza."
Fakih, a Lebanese immigrant, told pageant organizers her family celebrates both Muslim and Christian faiths. She moved to the United States as a baby and was raised in New York, where she attended a Catholic school. Her family moved to Michigan in 2003.
Pageant officials said historical pageant records were not detailed enough to show whether Fakih was the first Arab American, Muslim or immigrant to win the Miss USA title. The pageant started in 1952 as a local bathing suit competition in Long Beach, Calif.
Fakih told reporters she sold her car after graduating college in Michigan to help pay for her run in the Miss Michigan USA pageant.

She said she believed she had the title on Sunday after glancing at pageant owner Donald Trump as she awaited the results with the first runner-up, Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard.
"That's the same look that he gives them when he says, 'You're hired,'" on Trump's reality show "The Apprentice," she said.
"She's a great girl," said Trump, who owns the pageant with NBC in a joint venture.
In a moment that was replayed during the broadcast, Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in her gown because of the length of its train. But she made it without a spill and went on to win.
"I did it here, I better not do it at Miss Universe," she said. "Modeling does help, after all."
Fakih replaces Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and won a spot representing the United States this summer in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. She also gets a one-year lease in a New York apartment with living expenses, an undisclosed salary, and various health, professional and beauty services.
During the interview portion, Fakih was asked whether she thought birth control should be paid for by health insurance, and she said she believed it should because it's costly.
"I believe that birth control is just like every other medication even though it's a controlled substance," Fakih said.
Woolard handled the night's toughest question, about Arizona's new immigration law. Woolard said she supports the law, which requires police enforcing another law to verify a person's immigration status if there's "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally.
She said she's against illegal immigration but is also against racial profiling.
"I'm a huge believer in states' rights. I think that's what's so wonderful about America," Woolard said. "So I think it's perfectly fine for Arizona to create that law."
"The Office" actor Oscar Nunez was booed as he asked the question and asked the audience to wait until he finished the question before they reacted. The panel of judges came up with the questions themselves.
Miss Virginia USA Samantha Evelyn Casey was the second runner-up, Miss Colorado USA Jessica Hartman was third runner-up, and Miss Maine USA Katherine Ashley Whittier was the fourth runner-up.
Most of the field of contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia were eliminated just after the pageant began and the entire group danced onstage to "TiK ToK" by Ke$ha.
A panel of eight judges, including NBA star Carmelo Anthony, Treasure Island casino-hotel owner Phil Ruffin and Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, were judging the girls throughout the night.
After 15 contestants strutted in swimsuits, five were eliminated. Another five were eliminated after the evening gown competition.
Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Renee Wright won the Miss Congeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed in a farm accident. Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenic after an online fan vote.
The pageant aired live to East Coast viewers on NBC.
The competition, which is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant, was hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales.

On the Net:

http://www.missuniverse.com/missusa

Maldives To Fight Rising Sea Levels With Floating Islands

The tiny island nation of the Maldives is under serious threat from rising sea levels caused by climate change. No part of the 1200 islands which make up the Maldives is more than six feet above sea level, so as sea-levels rise (as they will if rampant climate change is not stopped), the entire nation will be under water. Because of this, the Maldives government is pulling out all the stops in the fight against climate change. Not only has the entire country gone carbon neutral, educated all of their children in environmental science and furiously built retaining walls around every island, but the government is buying up land in nearby nations as a place to retreat to when the Maldives disappears. Now it appears that the intrepid Maldivians have come up with a new strategy to fight the rising tide: creating mini floating islands!

The Maldives government and Dutch Docklands/Dutch Watervalley just signed an agreement today to develop several floating facilities for the islands, including a convention center and golf courses. Designed by architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.NL, the people who brought you the Citadel floating apartment complex and these amazing floating homes, the renderings for the amphibious mini-cities appear depict star-shaped, tiered islands with indoor spaces hidden under lush green-roof terraces, complete with interior pools and beaches.

While exact design details of these new floating islands are still unavailable, we do know that Dutch Docklands knows a thing or two about creating water developments using methods and procedures that reduce impact on underwater life and minimize changes to coastal morphology. We also know that architect Koen Olthuis is a force to be reckoned with, so we can’t wait to see these creative designs come to fruition.

At the signing ceremony, Mahmood Razi, Chairman of the Privatisation Committee said the Maldives plans to seek the assistance of Dutch Docklands to develop floating housing units in the Maldives in the future.

dutch
watervalley & docklands (Maldives)

N. Velidhoo Year 2013, Dreaming of a Home in Paradise? Don't Just Dream a Dream . .

High holiday: Marijuana smokers across the US and Canada light up to celebrate 4/20 Day

Marijuana smokers across the US and Canada lit up yesterday in public parks and outside statehouses to observe the movement's annual high holiday, known as 4/20

A demonstrator who shaved a marijuana leaf into his chest hair smokes a joint on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada

April 20 has become a de facto holiday for marijuana advocates, with large gatherings and 'smoke outs' in many parts of North America

A woman wears a joint costume at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

The gatherings carry on a tradition that began in San Francisco in the early 1970s, where a group of students met every day at about 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana

A woman passes a joint at 4/20 celebration in front of the state capitol building in Denver, Colorado

Most Americans still oppose legalising marijuana, but many believe pot has medical benefits and the government should allow its use for that purpose

A person smokes a joint resembling a marijuana plant while attending the annual 4/20 smoke-in in Vancouver

A man blows marijuana smoke into a soap bubble during the 4/20 event on Norlin Quad at the University of Colorado in Boulder

Alex Leach of Boulder exhales after taking a drag off a joint at the University of Colorado

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people all exhale marijuana smoke as the clock hits 4:20pm on Norlin Quad at the University of Colorado in Boulder

Members of the Boulder Police Department and University of Colorado Police Department wander through the crowd during the 4/20 event on Norlin Quad at the University of Colorado

A street preacher has marijuana smoke puffed in his face as he confronts smokers at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

Someone rolls a joint on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park

A man smokes from a bong during a 420 Day celebration on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park

Marijuana smokers gather at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

A man wearing a 420 T-shirt user smokes a joint on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

A man smokes a blunt at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

A man lights up his pipe during a rally at Civic Centre Park across from the Capitol in Denver, Colorado

Tracey Wood lights a pipe filled with marijuana for her boyfriend Micah Moffet at a 4/20 event in front of the state capitol building in Denver, Colorado. Moffett was legally prescribed the drug for chronic pain resulting from a motorcycle accident in 1991

A man with a marijuana plant painted on his hair attends the 420 event in Vancouver

A person wearing a t-shirt parodying the emblem of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games attends the annual 420 event in Vancouver

A person sells marijuana while attending the annual 420 smoke-in at the Art Gallery in Vancouver

A person smells hash for sale at the Art Gallery in Vancouver

A demonstrator smokes a marijuana joint on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada

A man waves a Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf on it during a rally for the legalisation of marijuana in Toronto

..A gun is seen on the ground after an altercation during a rally calling for the legalisation of marijuana in Toronto

A man is held on the ground by members of the public after an altercation during a rally calling the legalisation of marijuana in Toronto. Police arrested the man after a gun was seized... source from
Copyright © 2004 & 2007 Ibrahim Mohamed! Inc. All rights reserved.e-mail:ibumohd@gmail.com

The Real Meaning of Adventure

What is adventure? Some people believe that adventure is not just that extreme and dangerous experience that one could find existing. On the contrary, they believe that it is an attitude that helps us face the obstacles present in our daily routine. For example, the challenges we have to deal with, the new and different options that life offers, the unknown that is at all time waiting for us, represent an adventure in itself. And it is in this adventure that the human beings discover themselves.

The word adventure has different meanings for different people. Generally, adventure implies thrill and excitement, risks and dangers, and the unexpected and extraordinary experiences. The adventurous people are always on the look out for things that will evoke new feelings and sensations. This is the definition of adventure commonly accepted. However, there are others for whom adventure means much more than this. They associate adventure with a certain bent of mind that helps them enjoy life to the fullest, by accepting it as it unfolds before them. They see opportunities in difficulties and treat hurdles as stepping-stones. They accept everything knowing very well that there is nothing without its pluses and minuses.

Therefore, life is seen as an adventure in itself. It is the manner in which you decide to view and live your own life. And the approach you have to life will certainly affect the way you experience this mysterious journey which we are part of. Some people believe that traveling, sightseeing or hanging on a rope is what an adventure stands for. But the problem may be that they are not experiencing their life as an exploration and their boring life leads them to lookfor excitement outside themselves.

This hidden and deeper meaning of adventure can only be understood by changing one's point of view towards life. This will not only enable you to identify the raison d'etre of your life, but will also help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and accept yourself as a person. However, one needs to realize that one just doesn't stumble upon adventures just like that. It is only through discovering our own strengths that we can uncover these adventures, and derive wisdom from them. As human beings, we are posed in the world in such a manner that we are compulsive adventurers. And, being so, we are capable of shaping our own lives and destinies, through a positive and constructive approach.

Life is a rare opportunity. With a little faith we can change the very meaning of life. Hurdles and obstacles can be used as openings and opportunities to discover the extent of our strength and courage. The secret lies in living life as an ever-new, ever-fresh adventure and being open to accepting whatever comes our way.