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There
will be two additional flights to the
Middle East by mid-2008. Emirates is adding one Manila-Dubai flight
sometime this month and Qatar Airways is adding one
Manila-Doha trip in June.
As
everybody knows, Philippine Airlines stopped flying to
the Middle East about 10 years ago because it was not
deemed profitable. The usual $400 ticket to the Middle
East now costs about $650 because in part there’s a
black market for tickets to overbooked flights and in
part due to indirect flights. For example, Air Egypt can
bring a Manila-based traveler to
Bahrain but with stops in
Bangkok,
Mumbai and Cairo. Mind you, this is a 20-hour flight
compared to the seven-hour direct Manila-Bahrain travel
time.
****
Did you
know 1:
If
there’s a drop in rice production around Malolos,
Bulacan, put the blame partly on Barangay Balagtas,
which is known to have the most fertile land in the
area. Right now, the land is home to resettlers directly
affected by the North Railway project funded by a
Chinese company.
Did you
know 2:
There’s
a surfing school inside the Manila East Club. Run by
Australia-accredited Paolo Soler, the school teaches the
basics of surfing in a pool that artificially creates
waves. The school accepts all wanna-be surfers but is
more interested in teaching children who can become
future champions.
Oh yes,
the pool provides the same kind of a workout for surfers
who can’t get out of town over the weekend.
Did you
know 3:
Construction of the St. Luke Medical Center’s satellite
hospital in Fort Bonifacio is moving very fast now that
major architectural issues (read: for example, the need
for patients’ rooms to be big enough to accommodate a
cot for a member of the family or household help who
stays with the patient the whole time that she/he is
confined) have been resolved. Based on the signage
surrounding the perimeter of the property, the hospital
boasts of many firsts in the country such as center
dedicated to patients with liver problems.
****
The city
of Manila ranked third in a seven-city survey on
emphysema.
Guangzhou
had the highest level of this lung disease in the
survey, while Manila, the only Philippine city which
participated, had 12 percent of its residents suffering
from it.
The
survey also showed that more than half of all Manileños
smoke. Broken down, there were about three men smokers
to one female smoker.
As
everybody knows, emphysema cannot be cured but those
diagnosed (read: the profile is a 40-year-old or older
smoker who has been coughing for some time and/or who
suffers from shortness of breath during a regular
activity) can be given medicine averaging P3,000 a month
to prolong their lives.
Oh yes,
the World Health Organization projects that emphysema
will be the third biggest killer by 2020. |
