The Great Pyramids of Giza | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 2 (Part 16) 01D19

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Giza Pyramids & Sphinx, Sakkara Tombs, TiTi Pyramids, Steps Pyramids

Giza Pyramid Complex

We were circling the Great Pyramid to see what’s around and behind. The problem was lots of local guides or possibly random people trying to make money off tourists were bombarding us to help take pictures, for horse rides, or explaining history.

Our tour guide told us to ignore any help at any cost, so we were just ignoring everyone coming to us. I saw lots of ancient debris, broken pieces of ancient sites here and there.

I saw a desert and caravans in the desert, which looked very picturesque. Some camels resting in the sand were very curious upon seeing us and came close, observing us and to extend friendship.

The Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is located close to the Great Pyramids. The giant 4,500-year-old limestone statue is 240 feet (73 meters) long and 66 feet (20 meters) high.

The guide told us the Great Sphinx was there even before the pyramids and no one really knew why or how it was there, although there are many theories regarding the origin of the Sphinx.

The Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a human. I saw that the face was badly damaged on one side, especially the nose. It looked like the Sphinx even has a tail or the remnant of a tail. 

I saw some restoration works in progress for the Sphinx and I took a stroll around it. However, I wasn’t able to see one side close up because walking around it would cover a lot of ground.

We were to visit Sakkara (Saqqarah) next, where there are several tombs and pyramid complexes located. We will concentrate on the TiTi Pyramids and the Steps Pyramids.

India and China Oppose Global Warming Initiatives from the West

India, China, and Global Warming

First Published Date: Nov 28, 2009

You may want to call it a strange cohabitation of convenience but whatever name you give to it, there seems to be a resolve among these two neighbouring giants that are India and China that the west is not going to dictate them at all, no matter who is going to suffer the consequences. These two Asian neighbours have decided to hold firm ground in their resistance to sign the protocol that is going to bind them toward the reduction of green house gases that are believed to be the cause of global warming, a subject the whole wide world seems to be pre-occupied with. They simply will not budge in the bid to have them commit to afford even limited reductions as the world looks or other measures that could bear more fruit on the same.

The China and India partnership is viewed by some as the major element that has lately brought together a group of close to 37 developing nations who have proposed an amendment to the renowned Kyoto Protocol, and they have come up with their own figures which they feel should be the basic greenhouse gas emission levels to be undertaken by especially those countries they consider the main contributors to the problem of greenhouse gases.

It appears to be almost apparent here that this is a case of tow bulls fighting because the developed nations themselves have their own set of assessments and they laid claim that the new targets are actually causing a confusion which according to them is simply impractical. You wonder who then is going to suffer as these two opposing sides continue to flex their muscles, with none of the sides considering ceding any grounds whatsoever. Talk about having vested interest and you have a real case scenario here.

The G-77 group of nations has stuck to their guns regarding the original targets of trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% and they feel this must be enforced. They are looking to move forward to the second phase of the plan which is envisaged to take place between 2013 and 2020 which according to them will see a reduction from countries such as Japan, Russia, UK and the United States playing their major roles in saving the planet from the affects of global warming, which we have started to feel all over the planet currently.

The current trend of climate talks seem to be headed to a stalemate again with India insisting during a recent forum that no one was going to force anything down their throat since it was still at the negotiating stage. All the analyses according to the delegates who attended the meeting are subject to debate and open to discussion. It remains to be seen what the results are going to be, but according to many, the insistence of the Asian sisterhood of India and China that the west must lead by example since they are the major contributors to the problem, is going to be a hard nut to crack and only time will tell how far the resolve of the bullies from the west is going to push them.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Nov 28, 2009.

Finding Dividend ETFs Beyond Canadian Borders

Three Global High Dividend ETFs

First Published Date: February 2, 2014 ADawnJournal.com

As the pages fall from the calendar and time spins inexorably on, dividend investors step up their quest for dividend ETFs further beyond Canadian borders. Today, I will talk about three dividend ETFs that are trading outside Canada and holding high yield stocks around the globe.

SDIV – Global X SuperDividend ETF MER 0.58% – SDIV tracks 100 diversified high dividend paying companies across the globe, including the US, but with a lesser concentration on the emerging markets. If a company cuts its dividend, SDIV gets rid of that company at the next quarterly review. As of this writing, 12-month dividend yield is 7.22%.

DWX – SPDR S&P International Dividend ETF MER 0.45% – DWX tracks 100 high dividend mid-cap companies across the globe, excluding the US, but with a higher concentration on the Australian market. Yield is 6.61%.

DOO – WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials ETF MER 0.58% – DOO tracks 92 large and mid-cap companies across the globe, excluding the financial sector, with a higher concentration on the UK market and lesser concentration on the US market. Yield is 2.73%.

There are many other high-dividend global ETFs trading on the US exchanges. High yield comes with high risks. Do your homework before making any investment decisions.

Disclosure – This article is for information purposes only and No information is intended as investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, or as an offer to sell or buy or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security, ETF, or fund. The author assumes no liability for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. You bear responsibility for your own investment research and decisions, and should seek the advice of a qualified financial professional before making any investment decision. As of this writing, I do not own any of the ETFs mentioned here.

Blair Warns Obama That Climate Change Needs Attention

Global Environment, Environmental Crisis, And Global Economic Crisis

First Published Date : March 9, 2009 ADawnJournal.com

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned new US president Barack Obama that the current global economic crisis must not distract people from looking to take steps in avoiding climate change. The warning comes as Obama meets Blair’s successor Gordon Brown to discuss solutions to the economic situation, and brings into sharp focus the potential dangers of taking one’s eye of the ball when it comes to environmental matters – a potential and natural reaction to the high priority that is being placed on the financial crisis. The message from Tony Blair is that, economic crisis or no economic crisis, there  are still issues that need to be addressed with real urgency where environmental concerns are at issue.

In Blair’s view, some people are of the opinion that due to the economic turmoil, the environmental crisis that we could be facing needs to take a back seat, but in his words “either the climate is changing or it is not”. And, with the scientific consensus on the matter saying that it is incontrovertibly the case that climate change is a reality, we cannot simply turn our backs on environmental issues. If we are to do that, not only will the environmental crisis multiply, but it will have very real knock-on effects on the economic situation too. As a consequence, it is important that we concentrate equally on facing down the two major crises of our time – the global environment and the global economy.

Mr Blair has welcomed the fact that in Mr. Obama’s recently-passed economic stimulus plan are contained incentives to use cleaner, renewable sources of energy. This is a sound effort to ensure that, rather than take one crisis as a priority and ignore the other, both problems can be tackled as a joint effort. With the expense that is involved in relying on fossil fuels – a situation that makes the global oil market an ever thornier problem – to concentrate on looking at alternative energy and greater energy efficiency makes more sense than ever. This is something that seems to set Obama apart from his predecessor George W Bush, who was viewed by many as a climate change sceptic, and viewed the scientific consensus as being misleading.

With the economic crisis still possessing a very firm grip on many of the world’s leading economies, there will continue to be stimulus and bailout plans to try and bring it into line. Mr. Blair’s words to Mr. Obama seem to be a warning to avoid economic expediency taking hold at the expense of environmentally sound plans. With Mr. Obama having taken great care in selecting his cabinet and his advisers, it does seem that this warning is not one that will fall on deaf ears. A continuing focus on matters environmental is both essential and likely, but it is not a battle that will be won any time soon, and one which will depend on continued monitoring. This is an issue that we will continue to read about for a long time to come.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Mar 9, 2009.

The World's Best Countries for Business

Canada Is The Second Best Country for Business in the World in 2014

First Published Date : February 12, 2014 ADawnJournal.com

Bloomberg recently published its annual ranking of the world’s best countries for business and Canada became the second best country on earth for best, only behind Hong Kong.

The top ten countries for business in 2014 are:

1. Hong Kong
2. Canada
3. United States
4. Singapore
5. Australia (tied)
5. Germany (tied)
7. United Kingdom
8. Netherlands
9. Spain
10. Sweden

Bloomberg compiles its list not only based on economy, but on several other factors such as the cost of starting a business, the cost of labour, transportation, and even other factors such as inflation, corruption, and so on.

Canada’s gradual rising in the ranking was a result of various factors such as a lower corporate tax rate, a falling Canadian dollar, and the receptivity of its consumers.

Countries like Ireland (20th from 22nd) and Portugal (17th from 30th) have done well in the ranking, while countries like Brazil (38th from 61th), Russia (44th from 56th), and India (48th from 54th) have done moderately well. China did poorly, falling to the 28th position from the 19th.

Visit Bloomberg Best Countries for Business 2014 to view the full report.