MOSCOW CLUBS

One of my best friends, Ozgur Guven has been begging to me for some time to publish an article about Moscow. I have never been there so I was resisting him. Finally I told him that if he writes the article, I would publish it on my blog. He wrote something. Well at least he tried. He has been living in Moscow for about three years and this is the best he could do. Sorry but I have to publish what he wrote without changing a dot. Excuse for his English :)

Here we go:

QUOTE

The most sexiest girls are getting close to you in Moscow clubs even if you are not in a fashion tv party.
It will be hard to believe your eyes, when you enter any of those clubs.
While you were thinking to see some in heaven but stop, even you are a sinner , one of them is near
Please be aware of the warning plate at the enterence of the clubs and do not get in before reading them cos some of them are dangerous for people who has heart attacks.
In moscow clubs, with incredible ladies you have the chance, to make a dirty dance.

UNQUOTE

I know it was painful to read and I am sure you will not be willing to read more of this stuff but just in case, Ozgur’s email address is as follows:

oz_guven@yahoo.com
oguven@esmoscow.ru

M.I.S.E.

Maersk International Shipping Education (M.I.S.E.) is one of the best education and management trainee program about maritime industry. The program takes around two years. While you continue to work and on job training in one of the companies of A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, you will also have to attend four modules in Denmark each of them being two weeks. This means you will approximately spend 2 months in Denmark and 22 months in the office. You will have various lessons during the modules such as economics, liner trade, maritime law and logistics. Some group projects will support these courses as well.

The life of a M.I.S.E. trainee is very active with further activities such as a vessel tour on one of the Maersk Line owned vessels, sailing trip, team building (at the end of the fourth module), etc. The company is continuously updating the program in order to improve and the fun part will seem to be always in there.

When a trainee successfully completes the program, he will than have an opportunity to apply for a position in abroad. Most of the graduates choose to expatriate which is usually for two years after which you are normally expected to be back in your home country. If you are interested in learning more about the program, Maersk’s website has some information and online application form. For much detailed information, you should also see the M.I.S.E homepage.

World’s Most Respected Companies

On 21st May 2007, Forbes Magazine announced world’s most respected companies in 2007. Two Danish companies found place in the top five of the list, Lego ranking number one and A.P. Moller – Maersk on number five. We have previously published world’s biggest container vessel on our blog which belongs to A.P. Moller – Maersk Group.

Other companies in top five are Ikea (Sweden), Barilla (Italy) and Mercadona, S.A. (Spain). You may find the complete list of top 200 companies, their details and industries in Forbes Magazine’s web site.

The Largest Star

Space… I am sure everybody has at least once thought in their lives whether it has an end or not. Probably it is the biggest thing mankind will ever witness. It is amazing that we are only able to observe a very limited part of it. As the investigation continues, there are new planets, giant and dwarf stars, moons and other objects are discovered day by day. Some of these new discovered stars (especially the red giants) are extremely big, having diameters comparable with the distance between earth and Sun! VV Cephei is just one of them.

VV Cephei is an eclipsing binary star system consisting of a red supergiant (Cephei A) and a blue star (Cephei B). The supergiant has the longest diameter that is ever measured. The system is located in the constellation Cephesus and is about 3000 light years away from Earth. The supergiant’s diameter is approximately 2600 times the Sun’s diameter and the mass is estimated more than 100 solar masses.

VV Cephei A will remain as the largest star of all times until astrologers will discover the next biggest. Probably no one could imagine a size of this about 25 years ago and perhaps we are not able to imagine what will be discovered in the next 25 years. Following video is an excellent one in order to make some volume comparison:

MINE RESISTANT AMBUSH PROTECTED VEHICLES

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles are armored fighting vehicles designed against Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The US Navy is planning to replace their HMMWW fleet (used in Iraq and Afghanistan) with these expensive toys. The initial project is estimated to cost over 2 billion USD.

These vehicles will be produced by 9 different vendors in U.S. There are different types but the final designs have not yet been confirmed. The vehicles are extremely expensive (approximately USD 1 million per unit) and have the very latest advanced technology to be used in them.

When the whole project is finished it is estimated that there will be more than 10,000 MRAP vehicles being used in US Army. Wonder what will be the new project by then?

THE LARGEST CONTAINER VESSELS IN THE WORLD

On September 01, 2006, Maersk Line has launched the largest container vessel in the world, namely M/S EMMA MAERSK (EMMA MÆRSK in Danish) which was the first of PS-Class vessels.


The vessel was named in a ceremony on August 12, 2006. She has sailed on her maiden voyage on 8 September, 2006 from Aarhus, following the route as Gothenburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Algeciras, the Suez Canal, Singapore, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelapas, the Sues Canal, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gothenburg and back to Aarhus, arriving on November 11, 2006.


Emma Maersk is one of the most environmentally friendly container vessels ever built. Her hull is covered by silicone paint below the waterline, reducing the water resistance and having a less fuel usage of up to 1,200 tonnes per year. The vessel is built to set new standards for maritime safety and environment. Thanks to the high level of automation and high tech computer systems, this giant can be operated by only 13 crew members!


Below are some facts about EMMA MAERSK:


Size: 170,974 Grt, 55,390 Nt and deadweight of 156,900 Dwt
LOA: 397 meters, Beam: 56.4 meters, Hull Depth: 30.2 meters, Draft: 15.5 meters
Capacity: 11,000 TEU as per weight 14 tonnes per container and up to 13,500 TEU
Reefer Capacity: 1,000 FFE
Engine: Wartsila-Sulzer 14RTFLEX96-C capable of 110,000 horsepower
Speed: 25.5 knots
IMO No. 9321483
Flag: Denmark
Built in Odense Steelshipyard Lindo A/S – Denmark

Below are the pictures of Emma under operation:

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Middle East Technical University (METU) is established in Ankara in 1956. The campus is located about 20 kilometers from the Centrum area and bordering with Eskisehir Road, Balgat and Bilkent University. The area is about 4500 hectares, 3043 of which is forest and Lake Eymir. Students may enjoy several activities like fishing and picnicking around the lake.

METU is one of the biggest and most successful universities in Turkey. It has more than 20.000 students enrolled in different programs including approximately 1000 special or exchange students from foreign countries.

I have heard students who do not go out of the campus for the whole semester which is about 3 – 4 months. As you can imagine, the campus has lots of facilities such as dormitories, shopping center, restaurants, canteens and stadiums.

Should you be interested in further information about METU, you may follow the link. Enjoy it!

TAMAN SAFARI INDONESIA

Birds?

Wild cats? Big or small…

Elephants?

Deers?

Perhaps zebras?

The Safari Park, called as Taman Safari, in Jakarta is by far the best one in Far East. You will only be able to enter the park by a car or jeep (if not in a bus tour). Before entering however, don’t forget to buy lots of bananas and carrots – both very cheap and even cheaper by some bargaining. There will be many small shops and local groceries selling them on way. The entrance fee is about USD 6 per foreign adult person plus about USD 1.5 for your vehicle.

At the beginning, you will only have to drive your way following the only road. You will see many different kinds of animals and almost all of them will be very interested in your fruits. Tip: Don’t forget to feed them except tigers and lions! Second tip: Do not only feed the animals, those small bananas will be the yummiest you have ever eaten.

After about 30 to 45 minutes drive, you will finish your tour and come to the area where the park has lots of facilities. There are play grounds, train tours for children, horse riding, animal shows, food center and much more. Taking close pictures with wild cats is a must to do. The fee is only about 20-25 cents per animal. You will also be able to buy lots of Taman Safari stuff such as t-shorts, mugs, toys, key holders, etc.

If you are a having a holiday in Bali, keep in mind that there is another park in Surabaya (east of Java Island) but is smaller and not as good as the one in Jakarta.

Below, you may find some pictures about one of our many tours to the park and if you still need more information, please click here.