1. Islands

Category Archives: Islands

In conversation: China’s geostrategic influence in the Pacific Islands – Jenny Hayward-Jones – Video

Posted on by


In conversation: China #39;s geostrategic influence in the Pacific Islands - Jenny Hayward-Jones
China #39;s activities in the Pacific Islands are being viewed akin to its growing geo-strategic role in Asia. In this short video Melanesia Program Director Jen...

By: Lowy Admin

Read this article:

In conversation: China's geostrategic influence in the Pacific Islands - Jenny Hayward-Jones - Video

Pokemon Orange League Islands Episode 1 – The Introduction to the Story and Rival Battling – Video

Posted on by


Pokemon Orange League Islands Episode 1 - The Introduction to the Story and Rival Battling
PlayList - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYXYPmpp9mMbtlpy-Lje5k9SMvGy8BBUx Abridged Version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TB5xJ-7R_o Pokemon Oran...

By: Master0fHyrule

Follow this link:

Pokemon Orange League Islands Episode 1 - The Introduction to the Story and Rival Battling - Video

Native sausages and more islands

Posted on by

By Amads Ma. Guerrero Philippine Daily Inquirer

ARRIVING at one of the Hundred Islands. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero

The top tourist attractions in Pangasinan are religious, the miraculous Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine, for instance, and secular, like the Hundred Islands National Park, which the Philippine Tourism Authority has turned over administratively to the City of Alaminos headed by Mayor Hernani A. Braganza.

There was a grand total of 183,000 visitors to the Hundred Islands last year, of whom 171,926 were domestic tourists and 11,077 foreigners. This compared to a total of 154,425 tourist arrivals in 2011.

The Hundred Islands account for 72 percent of tourist arrivals in Pangasinan, Braganza said. So there has been a dramatic increase in the number of tourists in Alaminos and also in the number of hotels.

THE VIEW from Governors Island. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero

We were in Alaminos182 kilometers north of Manilarecently for the San Jos Gali-la Festival. Gali-la is a Pangasinense term roughly translated as come join us. St. Joseph is the patron saint of the city. The imposing parish church is named after Jesus father on earth, and around the church and plaza you still see a number of well-preserved ancestral homes.

Alaminos longganisa

A highlight of the festival was an Alaminos longganisa (native sausages) eating competition. These are said to be all-natural with no preservatives, and always come with two sticks (instead of the usual cord) which hold the sausage in place. Alaminos longganisa is one of the best ever, boasted the master of ceremonies, City Tourism Officer Miguel L. Sison.

Majestic St. Josephs Parish church. Photo by Amads Ma. Guerrero

Continue reading here:

Native sausages and more islands

Scotsman Craig Lee leads Madeira Islands Open

Posted on by

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands -- Scotland's Craig Lee took a one-stroke lead over American Peter Uihlein and Chile's Mark Tullo on Friday during the suspended second round of the Madeira Islands Open.

Lee shot a 4-under 68 to reach 9-under 135 at Santo da Serra Golf Club.

Uihlein, the former Oklahoma State star who won the 2010 U.S. Amateur, settled for a 64 after playing the first 12 holes in 10 under with an eagle and eight birdies. He bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16.

"It was really fun," said Uihlein, the youngest son of Acushnet chief executive Wally Uihlein. "I hit it well, I putted well and the first 12 holes were pretty special. It was just drawing out perfect. You have a game plan and you just execute it and that's all it was in those first 12 holes.

"There were some really hard holes on the way in and it got very cold at the end so I'm glad to be done. Today I just tried to put a little more focus on my scoring clubs and really put the ball in the right spot on the greens. ... I never really thought about the 59 to be honest, because I knew the holes coming in were tough but it was a really good day."

Tullo had a 69. Thomas Levet of France was fourth at 7 under after a 67.

Fog delayed play for 1 hours and the round was suspended because of darkness.

"It was very tricky out there," Lee said. "It was pretty cold and then the fog came down and there was a delay so it was pretty hard to focus and get back into it again, but I managed to do that. ... I managed to get my distance control right with a lot of my wedge shots and that's key here."

See the original post:

Scotsman Craig Lee leads Madeira Islands Open

Scotland's Lee leads Madeira Islands Open

Posted on by

Updated: May 17, 2013, 5:06 PM ET

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands -- Scotland's Craig Lee took a one-stroke lead over American Peter Uihlein and Chile's Mark Tullo on Friday during the suspended second round of the Madeira Islands Open.

Lee shot a 4-under 68 to reach 9-under 135 at Santo da Serra Golf Club.

Uihlein, the former Oklahoma State star who won the 2010 U.S. Amateur, settled for a 64 after playing the first 12 holes in 10 under with an eagle and eight birdies. He bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16.

"It was really fun," said Uihlein, the youngest son of Acushnet chief executive Wally Uihlein. "I hit it well, I putted well and the first 12 holes were pretty special. It was just drawing out perfect. You have a game plan and you just execute it and that's all it was in those first 12 holes.

"There were some really hard holes on the way in and it got very cold at the end so I'm glad to be done. Today I just tried to put a little more focus on my scoring clubs and really put the ball in the right spot on the greens. ... I never really thought about the 59 to be honest, because I knew the holes coming in were tough but it was a really good day."

Tullo had a 69. France's Thomas Levet was fourth at 7 under after a 67.

Fog delayed play for 1 hours and the round was suspended because of darkness.

"It was very tricky out there," Lee said. "It was pretty cold and then the fog came down and there was a delay so it was pretty hard to focus and get back into it again, but I managed to do that. ... I managed to get my distance control right with a lot of my wedge shots and that's key here."

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

The rest is here:

Scotland's Lee leads Madeira Islands Open

Readers' tips: The Greek Islands

Posted on by

It's your choice where you go next: back down for a shady lunch in Filoti, onwards and upwards to the sunny summit. Or, you could just stay in the silence of the mountain with your picnic and imagine the start in life that the father of the gods had.

Laura Alonso, Norfolk

Plan ahead

We have made more than 30 trips travelling independently to the Greek Islands. My advice for travellers would be: Do your research beforehand. In particular study ferry routes and timetables in order to check the practicality of your proposed trip.

For novice independent travellers the easiest option is to combine islands on the same ferry run, such as Paros/Naxos/Santorini, Syros/Tinos/Mykonos, or Serifos/Sifnos/Milos. Greek Travel Pages (gtp.gr) and Open Seas (openseas.gr) are good for ferry information.

Be aware, however, that not all ferry companies release their summer schedules at the same time, and some can be quite late to do so. If this makes planning difficult, the Open Seas site lets you backdate so you can find out last year's schedules for the dates you need, although of course you cannot guarantee that this year will be the same.

If you are on a budget remember that the high speed services are considerably more expensive, generally speaking, the slower the cheaper. And be prepared to be flexible.

Linda Clegg, Warwickshire

Rooftop experience

Most people visit Lindos, the picturesque white-cubed village on Rhodes, on a day trip from other resorts. There is also a fantastic boat trip from Pallas beach in Lindos around to St Paul's Bay where The Guns of Navarone was shot. But do stay to make the most of the rooftop restaurants, many which are lit by fairy lights and candles as well as moonlight and shooting stars, which are plentiful.

See the article here:

Readers' tips: The Greek Islands

Farne Islands 'puffin census' starts

Posted on by

16 May 2013 Last updated at 23:21 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

A team of rangers will check thousands of puffin burrows on eight islands

A puffin "census" has started on the Farne Islands in Northumberland.

National Trust rangers will carry out a survey of how many breeding pairs of the birds live on the habitat over the next three months.

The count takes place every five years. The last survey indicated numbers had fallen by a third.

Head ranger David Steel is hopeful of an increase this year but admitted cold weather could have had a negative impact on numbers.

"The extreme winds affected the their ability to feed as they made their way back to their summer breeding grounds," he said.

The 2008 survey recorded 36,835 pairs of puffins compared to the 55,674 pairs living on the islands in the 2003 census.

A team of 11 rangers will check thousands of burrows on the eight islands in search of nesting birds.

Visit link:

Farne Islands 'puffin census' starts

Sir Richard Branson Urges Islands to Transition to Clean Energy as Foundation for Marine Conservation

Posted on by

NECKER ISLAND, British Virgin Islands, May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Saint Lucia signs up for the Carbon War Room's 'TenIsland Renewable Challenge'

Saint Lucia announced its intention to move towards a clean energy future by becoming the next pioneering economy to join Carbon War Room's Ten Island Challenge, today at the Caribbean Conservation Summit held on Necker Island, co-hosted by Sir Richard Branson, the Prime Minister of Grenada, and Premier of the British Virgin Islands.

"Solving the energy challenge and marine conservation challenge in theCaribbeango hand-in-hand. I am very pleased thatSaint Luciahas decided to join the Challenge-and hope more neighbouring islands will follow," said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin.

"We are joining the Ten Island Challenge because it is consistent with the goals of our government to develop a renewable energy sector and transition to a Green Economy," said James Fletcher, Minister of Sustainable Development & Energy, Saint Lucia.

Launched at Rio+20 Summit last June, by Sir Richard Branson, the Carbon War Room and Christiana Figueres, Executive Director of the UNFCCC, the Ten Island Challenge is working with pioneering island economies to reduce dependency on fossil fuels through the acceleration of commercial opportunities on islands, attracting expert engineering firms and investment.

"We want to develop a renewables'blueprint'using those islands that are ready today-and provide replicable models for many more communities isolated by water, desert or just distance from the grid," said Jose Maria Figueres, President of the Carbon War Room.

Saint Lucia is focusing its efforts to transition off fossil fuels through a range of initiatives from renewable energies as well as waste and water efficiency. Although sustainability and low carbon plans aren't new to island economies, successful implementation is. The Ten Island Challenge will highlight the opportunities on the island and Carbon War Room will reach out globally for the best solutions and most competitive bids. Saint Lucia joins its Caribbean neighbor, Aruba - who signed up for the challenge in 2012.

Sir Richard and Virgin Limited Edition have also taken an interest in the Challenge, offering Necker Island as a "demo site" to launch a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the installation of renewable energy solutions. Issued in February, the RFP has already attracted a multitude of bids from USA, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, and installation of both wind and solar solutions take place later in the year.

The announcement was made at the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) Summit of Political and Business Leaders, convened today on Necker Island/BVI. The two-day Summit brings together heads of state and corporate leaders to address the opportunity to protect the critical natural marine environment of the Caribbean region.

Follow this link:

Sir Richard Branson Urges Islands to Transition to Clean Energy as Foundation for Marine Conservation

Scotland's Craig Lee leads Madeira Islands Open

Posted on by

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands (AP) -- Scotland's Craig Lee took a one-stroke lead over American Peter Uihlein and Chile's Mark Tullo on Friday during the suspended second round of the Madeira Islands Open.

Lee shot a 4-under 68 to reach 9-under 135 at Santo da Serra Golf Club.

Uihlein, the former Oklahoma State star who won the 2010 U.S. Amateur, settled for a 64 after playing the first 12 holes in 10 under with an eagle and eight birdies. He bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16.

''It was really fun,'' said Uihlein, the youngest son of Acushnet chief executive Wally Uihlein. ''I hit it well, I putted well and the first 12 holes were pretty special. It was just drawing out perfect. You have a game plan and you just execute it and that's all it was in those first 12 holes.

''There were some really hard holes on the way in and it got very cold at the end so I'm glad to be done. Today I just tried to put a little more focus on my scoring clubs and really put the ball in the right spot on the greens. ... I never really thought about the 59 to be honest, because I knew the holes coming in were tough but it was a really good day.''

Tullo had a 69. France's Thomas Levet was fourth at 7 under after a 67.

Fog delayed play for 1 1/2 hours and the round was suspended because of darkness.

''It was very tricky out there,'' Lee said. ''It was pretty cold and then the fog came down and there was a delay so it was pretty hard to focus and get back into it again, but I managed to do that. ... I managed to get my distance control right with a lot of my wedge shots and that's key here.''

View post:

Scotland's Craig Lee leads Madeira Islands Open


  1. Islands