The Republic of Philippine, The Islamic Kingdom of Mindanao, and the Panay Islands |
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©1998 Christian Manacmul |
The island nations of Philippine and Mindanao, best known for their beautiful mountains and waterways, seem to have a supernatural mystique to them. The Panay Islands, consisting of thousands of unknown islands, have been an enigma to the known world since 1521, the year Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his men attempted to claim the islands for Spain's Prince Philip II and Catholicism. But, Magellan's vision of a 'Philippines' was crushed by an obscure but legendary island chieftain and his warriors. The proceeded to kill Magellan and most of his men, and the survivors returned to Spain as 'disgraced cowards.' Talks about returning to the Panays was quieted down for 45 years.
That was when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (in 1565) convinced Philip II to fund his expedition to the Panay Islands. Once the ships set sail, Lopez de Legazpi and his expedition were never heard from again. And, there also has been some popular speculating on their fate. One explanation has Lopez de Legazpi and his ships underwater as a result of a typhoon. Remnants of a Spanish galleon were found during the 1930s. The other popular one, which also has weight behind it, speculates that the expedition did make it to the Panay islands but decided to isolate themselves from the world to live out the rest of their lives on the islands. Years ago, National Geographic did a television special on the primitive pagan tribes of the Panays and were shocked about what they found. The natives, in general, were not only short, brown, and flat-nosed, but there were many who were fair complexioned, tall, and with aquiline noses also. Some of the pagan customs also resembled some of the usual customs of Roman Catholicism. The reporters and camera crew observed quiet prayers before raucous rituals, carved wooden statues adorned in precious metals, and a ceremony that is similar to baptism. Perhaps, the descendants of Lopez de Legazpi and his men live today.
Two years after the infamous disappearance, another expedition was sent to the islands in hope of finding their lost predecessors. They landed off the coast of what is now the modern day city of Zamboanga and were immediately confronted by the Moros (Muslims), who already settled and established their Islamic/Arab culture on the island. A bloody war for the island ensued and was finally won by the Spaniards after the furious Philip II sent reinforcements to his men there. The revived Spaniards were able to push back the Moros to the Eastern part of the islands and, as fate would have it, draw the current border between the two future nations. The western was named 'Philippine,' in honor of Philip II and the memories of the last two failed attempts at colonizing the Panay Islands. The Moros were able to prevent their rivals from taking the eastern side of the Mindanao River. The 'datus' (chieftains) of the 'barangays' formed an Islamic alliance that developed into the Muslim nation of Mindanao.
The Spanish-American War's Treaty of Paris gave Philippine to the United States in 1898. The U.S. Army, during their thirty years in Philippine, was able to force the two feuding sections of the island into a truce. Before that, both of them were at each other's throats for about 350 years. The United States tried to expand into the Panays from the Philippine north coast but were 'plagued' by disease and hostile and resistant pagans. Most Americans were happy to leave the Panays as 'third-world resorts', the U.S. government never tried to expand into the Panyas again. World War II brought Japanese occupation to Philippine and Mindanao, but it also added to the lore of the 'cursed' Panay Islands. U.S. and Japanese soldiers vanished without a trace and planes went off the radar during the Pacific fighting. A few commercial cargo and fishing boats were found under water near the shores of the Panays.
After WWII, both Philippine and Mindanao, under the guidance of the United States, developed democratic and capitalist governments (Mindanao is one of the only few democratic/capitalist Muslim countries in the world today.) once they were free of Japanese control. Today, tourists and businesses all over are enjoying this expansion of American democracy. The capital cities of Zamboanga (Philippine) and Davao (Mindanao) exemplify their respective cultures. Lake Taft in Philippine is a modest but consistent tourist magnet. Mindanao offers the scenic beauty of the 9,691-foot tall Mount Apo as well as the Diuata Mountains, where pagan tribal culture thrives for the cameras. U.S. tourists are encouraged to go to the Embassy in the Philippine city of Siocan, which is also home to the Sulu Coast U.S. naval base. The Philippine and Mindanao tourist boards hope that you the tourist will enjoy the best of what their countries have to offer. But whatever you do, AVOID THE PANAYS!
Living (and Touring) by the Cane |
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©1998 Christian Manacmul |
In response to the 1993 Michael Fay incident, the Singapore government and the majority of its people have lobbied their 'Singapore Nationalism' overseas. U.S. President Bob Dole, the Pope, and Chinese leader Peng Li are prominent supporters. 'Singapore Nationalism' revolves around the advocating of the newly-crowned national symbol, the Singapore cane, as the most practical and reasonable method of 'keeping hoodlums in their place.' To add to their ever-growing nationalism, Singapore's have campaigned and petitioned domestically to bring in tar-and-feathering, public pillory displays, and flogging, all humiliating forms of punishment for petty offenses which were once thought of as either obsolete or inhumane. And, these petitions and campaigns are being considered by Prime Minister Chok Toh Goh and the Singapore Parliament.
Locals, still bitter about "that little bastard Fay" and the previous Clinton administration's treatment of the affair, are very weary of foreign visitors (especially young Americans).
The general home rules of cleanliness are still observed nationwide and are enforced via laws and ordinances against other bad habits (e.g. gum, tobacco smoking and chewing, spitting on the streets, public cursing). But, the punishment for breaking these national codes has been turned up a notch thanks to the 'Cane' nationalism. Of course, possession of vice contrabands (e.g. alcohol, hard liquor, drugs, pornography) and/ or committing a darker '10 Commandment' crime can put you in a dirty and merciless jail.
From there, you will get a 'fair' trial and be sentenced to either a long prison term or death. See your local ITA or a travel agent in that world for a Singapore etiquette law handbook. It might save your life.
The chance to observe cultural diversity and integration at its best (in any industrialized world) though is worth it. Both public ethnic and religious displays are against the law, but East and West are harmoniously combined in a multi-racial and multi-lingual society that rivals only the United States. Urbanization and ecology are beautifully mixed into the island. Plus, the average English-speaking tourist will find it delightfully easy to communicate with the locals since English is one of four official languages (the others being Mandarin, Malay , and Tamil Indian).
Just respect the Golden Rule and you will reap the rewards of temporary human harmony in your trip to alternate, post-Michael Fay Singapore.
Chadarnook Island |
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©1998 cofbaron@aol.com |
Originally called "Easter Island", Chadarnook Island is the home to the mysterious and highly unknown aliens known as the Chadar.
Little is known about the Chadar. The large stone heads placed about the island are highly representative of their own facial features, and it is widely believed that they first arrived some two thousand years before the Founding of America, subjugating the small human population and using the island as a base to watch over humankind.
The Chadar have had very little contact with humanity. Several invasions were attempted by various powers in the Pacific Ocean over the past few hundred years, all of which failed miserably due to the superior technology.
Currently, there is an unspoken, mutually-agreed upon border isolating Chadarnook Island from the rest of the world. The border is a circle extending a hundred miles in radius from the center of the major island. This border is patrolled by Pacific Rim countries, most notably the Texas Republic [specifically the Fransicas Province], the Brasilias Commonwealth, and the Japanese Shoganate Combine. Persons and/or ships entering this 100-mile radius area are subject to be destroyed by either human or Chadar forces without prior warning.
China: Crown Jewel of the Japanese Empire |
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©1998 Thomas R. Keith |
Welcome, my interdimensional traveler friends, to the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere!
Once mired in internal strife-Mongol against Sung, Qing against Han, and, in its post-imperial days, Communist against Nationalist, China has risen from the ashes to become an economic powerhouse. Its trade with India now exceeds sixteen billion dollars a year, and Qingdao Electronics has come to dominate Soviet technology.
Could China have achieved this miracle on its own? Unlikely, but irrelevant. Imperial Japan, its forces wafted on the breath of God-Emperor Hirohito, has brought its most glorious dominion from the darkness into the light. After a savage eight-year struggle, the "proud billion," as they are known, at last came to see the light. Although peace was not sealed until the use of atomic weaponry on the rebellious Uighurs in 1949, China could no more linger as the Sick Man of Asia.
Today, with only a token force of five thousand Imperial troops in Beijing and Shanghai combined, China's culture has blended with that of its master. Dances of the Lion and the Rising Sun decorate streets from the Guangzhou to the Mongolian border. Okinawan kung fu, a blending of the two nations' martial heritage, has a huge following among Chinese youth. And, perhaps most importantly, dominion and lord united to resist repeated aggression from British India in the "Time of Troubles" (1955-60).
Although the Empire and America remain locked in something of a "cold war", it should be noted that recent ugly rumors published in the "Washington Post" are completely untrue. According to these rumors, based upon spurious documents supposedly from the Admiralty, burning Japanese ambition to wage war against the U.S. and British possessions in the Pacific was only squelched when the 1933 destruction by fire of the German Reichstag was found to be the work of warlike politician Adolf Hitler, leading to his trial and execution, and the elimination of a possible threat to Anglo-American forces if Hitler had put his hegemonistic desires into play. It need not be emphasized that these rumors are false. Japan and China, twin towers of a greater Asia, are open to all and bear only desires for peace in Asia and the world.
We welcome travelers from all timelines, and the diverse experiences they bring. However, due to a long-standing and wise government policy, no visas will be issued to travelers hailing from a timeline in which the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on our proud home islands in 1945.
The Republic of Vietnam - 1995 |
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©1998 Martin Landauer |
Jutting precariously into the South China Sea, the Republic of Vietnam continues to exist and indeed prosper as one of the Asian mini-dragons. After twenty years of peace, the country is enjoying rapid and sustainable economic growth as a regional financial and commercial hub, as well as a producer of semiconductors and refined oil. Yet its economic miracle is even more remarkable considering the country's sovereignty only exists in practical terms over a peninsula barely eighteen kilometres long and three kilometres wide, containing the once-sleazy beach resort of Vung Tau.
In 1975 as forces of the North Vietnamese Army led its final assault along the South Central coast and towards Saigon and the Mekong Delta, a group of ARVN senior officers who believed that the Republic did not have the resources or morale to save itself, or could rely on the United States for backing, decided to secretly mobilise select units under their command to secure the easily defendable peninsula. In late April when it seemed inevitable that Saigon would fall, a General Nguyen Ba Lu emerged and presented the demoralised President Thieu with a proposition to continue the existence of the Republic of Vietnam on a small but important parcel of land 120kms south-east of Saigon. After a lengthy all-night session with other military generals, politicians and constitutional lawyers, Thieu gave his blessing to the project.
In the frantic four days before the ARVN finally laid down its arms to the numerically superior NVA, South Vietnam's elite, along with the Republic's national treasures and financial assets was transferred by helicopter from the besieged Saigon to the bastion at Vung Tau. Word spread throughout the rest of the country that the government was planning a final "confrontation" in Vung Tau, although it later transpired (much to the consignation of the remaining elements of the ARVN still fighting) that the government had decided to cut its losses. Indeed, in the eight months after Saigon fell the NVA made many reckless attempts to overrun the peninsula with the same intensive brute force that had previously succeeded against less equipped conscripts, but the soldiers that General Lu deployed on a marshy three kilometer long front at the entry of the peninsula did not give ground. Ground assaults, sea to shore bombardments, aerial attacks and bombing campaigns were employed.
Conditions on Vung Tau were terrible. Its pre-1975 population of 120,000 suddenly swelled to 220,000 by the end of May with refugees coming by boat from Saigon and the Mekong Delta, and would explode to 700,000 by the end of the year. By that time the occupying forces managed to secure the rest of the country and prevent any further exoduses. This measure ironically saved the Republic from collapsing, as the peninsula was struggling with the sheer mass of numbers coming in. In a huge shantytowns that sprang up overnight, dysentery and cholera was rampant while food and fresh drinking water was scarce. Fortunately, the United Nations (albeit begrudgingly) sent relief supplies to the rump remains of the Republic of Vietnam, while the military was able to continue purchasing arms with its ample foreign reserves. And as the population increased, more able men could be conscripted for defence.
The last major land assault was in October 1975, which was bloodily defeated without an inch of the Republic of Vietnam being yielded. The NVA's General Giap in a secret memorandum to the Communist Party's Politburo gave a frank assessment that the peninsula could not feasibly be taken. The words of the victor at Dien Bien Phu were not taken lightly, but it was clear that no senior Communist Party official could afford any talk of disengagement, less it be seen as a sign of defeatism or even recognition of the division of the country. However, many realised the futility of military force and less were becoming inclined to support attacks which would inevitably fail.
An unexpected lull in fighting in November extended into the Tet New Year in March 1976. The President of the Socialist Republic Vietnam, in wishing his people season's greetings, condemned the "splitist" attitude of the "Vung Tau regime" and vowed that one day it will return to be part of the motherland. While the guns went silent as the country redirected its efforts to reconstructing the nation, a vocal propaganda war against General Lu was raged and a trade embargo was placed on Vung Tau. Fortunately, vital sea links bringing in rice from Thailand and fuel from Singapore were not usually harmed.
President Thieu resigned in June 1975, and was replaced General Nguyen Vo Van Nhat, an offsider to General Lu. His appointed Foreign Minister, Le Hieu, was sent to Washington and Tokyo to seek support. While the United States continued to refuse to send troops or engage in any hostile actions, it provided defence hardware and other supplies to keep the ARVN sustained. The world community continued to recognise the Republic of Vietnam, although many were beginning to establish relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and see it as the legitimate government over all of Vietnam except the tiny enclave on the Vung Tau peninsula.
By the end of 1976 it became clear that for the time being at least, the North Vietnamese had no plans to make further military assults on Vung Tau, but no formal summit between leaders had taken place. With its ample treasury reserves, the Vung Tau authorities managed to secure Asia Development Bank and World Bank loans to rebuild Vung Tau. A second wave of migrants, escaping the anti-Chinese pogroms that began in 1979 as the Communist Party started to nationalise the assets of Chinese businesses, had to be housed. On the eastern seaboard, sewered and powered apartment blocks were built over the existing shantytowns, feared by the military as being possible hideouts for insurgents and revolutionaries. Business was encouraged by the military government with suitable and well executed policies. Small factories sprang up by local entrepreneurs to manufacture garments and textiles. Industrial parks were developed on the few remaining portions of land that hadn't been reserved for the military or for highly intensive farming. Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese companies started relocating factories to these industrial parks in the early 1980's, attracted by the cheap labour and good governance Vung Tau offered.
By the middle of the 1980's, Vung Tau was on the road to industrial development. The war-scarred, land hungry Vung Tau had its own university, television stations, airline, symphony orchestra, diplomatic corps, harbour and - thanks to the protection its own navy provided - two offshore oil and gas platforms being developed (completed along with a refinery in 1991). Life was still difficult for many, as families squatted with other families to avoid paying huge rents. Water supplies are still rationed and food is expensive, although a lot actually comes from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam through the black market. The military does wield a strong presence in the country, although this generation of officers (many who were field commanders) are considered by outside commentators to be stronger, cleaner and more effective in governing the country. Yet by the mid-1990s, it could be said from looking at the rising skyline on Vung Tau stretching into the ocean across from where the remainder of Vietnam had been left to wallow in communist policies, that the 1,100,000 Vung Tau people have in scarely two decades advanced from being starving refugees to being masters of their own destinies in a wealthy enclave.
To this day, neither the Socialist Republic of Vietnam nor the Republic of Vietnam recognises the legitimacy of each other. However, the greatest dream the citizens in both areas dream of is unification of the county. Talks between both factions started in 1984 and later in 1989 businessmen from the "new Vietnam" were allowed to travel within the "old Vietnam" on commercial purposes. Now often many people from Vung Tau travel to Vietnam to observe what changes has taken place in their country, and who of their friends or relatives needs help. While a relaxation in political controls is happening in the Socialist Republic, a new generation of Vung Tau children are being raised with little or no memories of the "old Vietnam". And it is this fact that many people are concerned about; that the people from Vung Tau do not represent fully-acculturalised Vietnamese. Only in the future will we know if these concerns would impact on how our children define their identities.
Fire Lake, Jewel of the Pacific |
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©1998 Jose Ricardo G. Bondoc |
Fire Lake, would at first seem a macabre testament to the War of 1955,(the remains of the city of Nanjing), yet at the same time, as United Nations Occupation Forces have said, the nation of China is quickly becoming the place to invest in the coming century. Worries about a weak yuan can be put aside, when presented with such outrageously low and bargains that have to be seen to be believed. Come see the statue of President William F. Knowland (R-CA),1968-1975, whose program of Reconstruction, has transformed this once impoverished nation into the world's fourth largest economy.Furthermore, one might be interested in seeing the statue of the of the 3 Generals (Wedemeyer, Hurley, & Macarthur), in the downtown circle. Come buy at the many duty free stores, the local souvenirs made of tritinite, which has become the latest in jewelry craze. Travelers are advised not to criticize the government under, Nationalist Song Quiang
Soviet Japan |
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©1998 Thomas R. Keith |
One moment of hesitation by Harry Truman veiled this world in darkness. In August 1945, as Stalin massed his forces for an invasion of Japan-controlled Manchuria, and then the home islands themselves, Truman grew unsteady, and chose not to warn Stalin to stay out of the Pacific war. Russia therefore destroyed Japanese forces on the Asian mainland and then launched a cross-channel invasion of weakly defended Hokkaido, which he used to subjugate the entire nation by sheer weight of numbers. Truman, who had planned to first use the A-bomb on Hiroshima, instead found himself compelled to build up a secret nuclear stockpile, as American-Soviet relations rapidly deteriorated. When the bombs fell in 1946, on Moscow, Vladivostok, Leningrad, and Stalingrad, the Soviet Union began to dissolve, and broke up into several constituent republics. Communism, though, was hardly finished; for Stalin and the hard-liners set up a government-in-exile in Tokyo.
Today, America's economy spirals downward; hunger and civil unrest are rampant. Why? The sheer cost of maintaining millions of troops in southern Russia and Mongolia to counter the threat posed by Soviet Japan and its puppet state within China, Manchukuo. (By shrewd diplomacy and tacit intervention in the Chinese Civil War, Stalin created three states: Manchukuo, Mao's Greater Red China in the north, and, in the south, the capitalist People's Republic.) Current Japanese Premier Gennady Zyuganov maintains a powerful navy and economic hegemony over much of the Third World, along with ICBMs in great numbers.
Pleasant sights to see in this world are, understandably, few. For a sight akin to Europe's Auschwitz, tour the remnants of Stalingrad, destroyed first by house-to-house fighting between German and Russian and then by two atomic bombs. The city's Empress Elizabeth Hospital has one of the most extensive cancer wards on Earth, as well as expertise in care for infants with birth defects; the sad reasons for this may be guessed. Or, for a slightly lighter time, visit the British Isles, socialist since the 1960 General Strike spurred by huge expenses on nuclear submarines to the detriment of social welfare. For a socialist country, Britain as a fairly strong economy, as can be seen in the ten-story Lenin Grand Hotel in Manchester, host to many visiting dignitaries and wealthy Japanese businessmen.
Bulletin: On Friday, 8-7-98, at 1030 hours, the Japanese Communist terrorist organization known as the Sons of the Red Hand claimed responsibility for a horrific attack on the E. Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere Earth. At 0904 hours on 8-7, an atomic bomb detonated in the Japanese Diet, left the previous day by Black Handers impersonating staff aides. An estimated 94,000 people are dead, and injuries run into the hundreds of thousands. Premier Zyuganov announced that the Japanese Soviet sanctioned and, indeed, planned this atrocity, and then proclaimed that Soviet Japan has allied itself with the Californian Republic Earth against the Co-Prosperity Sphere Earth, as Zyuganov feels that "Asia must not be kept from the true path to socialism by an imperialist power which models itself upon the decadent West." Sketchy reports are currently coming in about Manchukuo troops and Angel City militia launching an offensive against Co-Prosperity's Hong Kong and Yokohama. Again, more information will be provided as this horrific interdimensional war continues.
Australia, the Fifty-Sixth State |
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©1998 Thomas R. Keith |
In the Sydney Center Concert Hall (designed by I.M. Pei), maestro Leonard Slotkin raises his baton for the opening strains of Bernstein's Third Symphony, the "Australian". "Waltzing Matilda" flows forth from the clarinets, as the harmonic framework of "The Star-Spangled Banner" grows ever louder among the French horns, until the two melodies combine in a glorious rush of music. Could there be a better symbol for the former British Empire dominion which now prides itself on its allegiance to America?
Some older Australians, of course, remain sour toward Yanks. They are the few who remember the 1934 war between the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the United States, led by Anglophobe and former admiral Pres. Ernest J. "Ernie" King. Today, in a ramshackle office building in Canberra, where lichen and birds' nests have claimed the upper stories, the first floor hosts the remnants of King's American Imperial Party, once a mighty force in U.S. politics. By playing on nativist fears of a powerful Japan, fears stirred by the '22 renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, King was able to catapult himself into the White House in 1924 and, a decade later, begin a war which led to the American acquisition of many British territories. Among these are Malaya, Singapore, New Guinea, Canada (now broken up into its constituent provinces, five of which are now states), and, of course, Australia. The endless guerrilla war in Malaysia and the sinking of three American carriers off Guadalcanal in 1937 served to convince Americans that King's policy was misguided, and that the rise of fascism in Europe posed a greater threat than either Britain or Japan. In the 1938 Treaty of Antwerp, the USA returned Ceylon and Singapore, allowed the Japanese Empire free access to desperately needed Pacific oil, and agreed to a quadruple defense treaty with Britain, France, and Japan. This entente smashed Hitler in the Second World War, 1939-42, and still nominally exists today.
While in Australia, visit the opulent Governor's Mansion in Melbourne, designed in a neoclassical style much loved by the current governor, Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Or, if your tastes run to the wild, head into the Outback to see the Ayers Rock National Historic Site; beneath the orange glow of the rock sits the austere National Museum of the Aborigine, operated by the Smithsonian Institution, and whose popularity among tourists is second only to the Air & Space Museum. Tourism is one of the mainstays of the thriving Australian economy, along with fishing and the export of ores (particularly bauxite) to industrial centers in the continental U.S.
Interdimensional tourists shouldn't miss this wondrous world. Come in on the Gridney at Canberra's Nimitz International Airport, pick up a visa, and stay a while!
Kingdom of Greater Hawai'i |
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©1999 Ray Bell |
The Kingdom of Greater Hawai'i, now a mere Anglo-American puppet, was once noted for its naval power throughout the Pacific region. At its greatest extent, it took in Samoa, Tonga, New Guinea, Micronesia, and Tahiti. Easter island was purchased from Chile in 1858.
Visitors shall soon become aware of the extreme poverty of the islands, after being besieged by numerous beggars and touts. In spite of economic growth from tourism and transistor production, Hawai'i is still reeling from the joint Russian-Japanese attacks in WWI. Russians and Japanese are still looked upon with great suspicion.
Although there has been a sustained peace for ten years, Greater Hawai'i's border disputes are many. For example, the south of Papua New Guinea is still infested with Australian guerillas, and the Aleutian islands are still contended with Russia and Canada. (by the above author)
São Pedro, Nova Lusitania(Auckland, New Zealand OTL) |
| ®1999 Paulo Ramalheira |
The capital of Portugal's remotest overseas province is one ot the most interesting cities in the Pacific. With its many Catholic churches, red tile roofs make this look like a suburb of Lisbon on the opposite end of the globe. Oddly enough, this is the only Portuguese territory that the Portuguese didn't "discover". The first Europeans in the area were the Dutch who named the area Nieuw Zeeland, and in 1769 Captain James Cook declared the area to be British, but they never made an attempt to settle the islands. Settlement began in 1784 when a group of Portuguese missionaries landed on the northern island of Santiago. Soon Portuguese colonists followed suit. The first batch came from the island of Madeira and the province of Beira. Today the Portuguese are the majority, according to the 1995 census the islands had a population of about 2.3 million 72% European, 15% native, 7% mixed, and 6% Asian. The population of São Pedro was 760,000. Nova Lusitania is officialy designated as an overseas province and therefore is considered as much a part of Portugal as the Alentejo province (they are quick to correct anyone who refers to it as a colony).
São Pedro with its laid back Mediterranean atmosphere is exteremely popular with tourists from the Asia Pacific area who enjoy Portuguese hospitality and the natural beauty of the province. The heart of the city is the Praça Luís I (Louis I Square). Located there is the pink and white câmara municipal (city hall) which with all of it's rococco ostentation looks somewhat like a giant wedding cake. Facing it there is the Sé (Cathedral), a late 19th century manueline (a distinct Portuguese gothic style) stucture which is well worth a visit. In the Baixa (low city) near the harbour one can find the commercial district with various shops, many of which are owned by Goans and Chinese from Macau. Also here is the Fortaleza (fortress) de Santa Maria, erected in 1821. A trip farther afield will lead one to the upper calss suburb of Bom Retiro where the exclusive Casino Bela Vista is located, it is popular with Australians and Japanese tourists. Many of whom stay in the Hotel Cardoso with its spectacular sea view. This city will certainly be a pleasure if you are in search of a vibrant Latin atmosphere in the Pacific.
Auckland, Heart of a more Peaceful World |
| 2000® David K. Tormsen |
Welcome to Auckland, grand capital of the New Zealand Commonwealth! The multicultural city of sails is the home of the United Nations and the chief contributer to the World Reconstructive Operation (WRO). Since the early 80's the largest surviving city in the world, it's influence is unsurpassed and has joined with the Australian, Swiss, Canadian, Tibetan and Brazillian governments in the governance of the world.
In addition to the rebuilt cities of the WRO, you can now take guided tours in sealed helicopters over the destroyed cities of Washington, Moscow, Berlin, Beijing and London, where the radiation is still in lethal levels.
However, much is still to be seen in Auckland. The Head of
Liberty , newly excavated in New York, stands in the Auckland
Museum. The International Tower, in the city centre, boasts sculptures
of great leaders of once powerful nations - Lenin, Abraham Lincoln,
Mao Tse Tung - around it's rim. Truly, this city of wonders surpasses
the standards of cities in any other post-apocalyptic world 100
fold.
Warning : In some areas of Central Russia and Southern US, organisations
plot against the new world rulers, and involve in terrorist activites
against the Commonwealth and others. Travel in such areas is dangerous.
Saigon, Franco-Spanish Indochina, Den of Wolves |
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2000® Gareth Perkins |
Dairen - the Petrograd of the East |
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2000® Gareth Perkins |
Dairen, located on the Liaotung peninsula was acquired in a 99 year lease in 1900. Since then it has served the Russian Empire as an ice-free port for its merchants and pacific fleet. It's expansion is mainly due to the actions of Tsar Constantine II, who gained Manchuria and other territories against the wishes of Japan and Britian when the Manchu dynasty collapsed in 1908 and China was partitioned. Relations with the Japanese Empire were partly restored when Russia gave up its rights to Korea. The Tsar also took a direct role expanding and rebuilding the city after the Russo-English War (1910-1916) which left the city in pieces following months of bombardment, only the skill of the pacific fleet prevented the British marines from landing and taking Dairen. The city grew rapidly during the twenty year period as money from the imperial coffers poured into the city and it traded with other pacific powers. However the boom ended when Japanese troops invaded Manchuria from Korea and their Chinese territories cutting off Darien and the entire peninsula. The pacific fleet kept open supply routes and for the entire length of the Manchurian War (1947-1951), Dairen did not fall. The war came to a quick end following the dropping of three nuclear bombs on Seoul, Pusan and Fukuoka respectively. The lab that designed these bombs are only a short plane ride from Dairen, it is now a museum showcasing Russian ingenuity.
In 1952 diplomats from around the world met there to sign the
Dairen Decrees, which established the International Forum. The
large plaza in front of the imperial residence has been named
Justice Square to honour the occasion.
Today, the current Tsarina Catherine IV has a passion for Dairen,
just like her grandfather and funds new buildings and railway
improvements. The broad ordered streets and neo-baroque architecture
imitate Petrograd. The imperial residence is prominent at the
centre of the city, which the Tsarina visits every year in July.
Instead of being a 'window to the west' that showcased attempts
to westernise Russia, like Petrograd, Darien has become a 'window
to the east' that showcases the strength, power and uniqueness
of the Russian Empire.
San Cristobal, Galapagos |
|
2000® Anthony Docimo |
Our lovely isle receives sun and warmth year-round, perfect
for people seeking the perfect tan. If
youíre hungry, then may we suggest a nice bowl of tortoise
soup? Donít seem so startled: tortoise
ranchingís been quite popular here for over half a century.
If you are a fan of nature, then simply walk along our expansive
beaches. Youíre sure to spot
blue-footed boobies and lava lizards, perhaps even the occasional
marine iguana. Ardent birders flock to our shores to spy the rare
Galapagos Hawk.
And if your heart wishes religion, then try Galapagos State Church, first founded by Father Charles Darwin himself. Father Darwin, a naturalist? No, he stayed in seminary.
And if itís criminals youíre concerned about,
then not to worry: ranger boats regularly patrol the
waters between our home and the other isles. And after a century,
the population over there has
calmed down - not that weíd advise walkabouts over there.
Here on the eastern end of the archepelago, thereís
no danger of volcanic eruptions, so donít worry
yourself about that.
Hope to see you soon.
-- Paid for by the National Lands Department of Equador, Febuary 2000.
Welcome to the Philippines, USA |
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©2000 Gilles Gabriel |
At 60 million people, the Philippines is the most populous state in the union. Unfortunately it's one of the poorest states in the union. It also the only state in the union with two official languages English and Filipino.
The Philippines has many national parks for visitors to enjoy. These parks include lush rain forests and active volcanoes. For those instead in history there are many historical parks marking important battle sights in the Philippines. And the Arthur MacArthur memorial in Manila is a must see.
The Philippine Islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands lying about 805 kilometers (500 miles) off the southeast coast of Asia. The northernmost island, Y'ami, is 105 kilometers (65 miles) from Taiwan, while the southernmost, Saluag, is 64 kilometers (40 miles) east of Borneo.
The largest of the Philippine Islands are Luzon in the north (104,687 sq km; 40,420 sq mi), Mindanao in the south (94,631 sq km; 36,537 sq mi), and Sanar (13,271 sq km; 5,124 sq mi)
The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (2,954 m; 9,690 ft) on Mindanao.
The Philippines was a Spanish colony, but was ceded to the US by the treaty of Paris after the Spanish American war. America formally annexed the islands on May 10th 1900. There were many locals that opposed this move, for they had declared independence back in 1898. But they were easily crushed. But a few rebels still show up now and then.
As the 20th century progressed American settlers arrived in the islands. They settled in existing towns and cities and founded a few of their own. New Portland and Arthurville are the best example of these American towns.
During World war Two, the Japanese occupied the Philippines. Occupation was tough on the American settlers and the local people alike. Especially since the Japanese tried to turn the local people and the American settlers against each other.
After the Second World War, the people of the Philippines demanded changes in the way they were governed. They still dreamt of independence, but America refused to grant it. Instead an alternative was worked out. The Philippines would be granted statehood, and have the same rights as any other state.
On July 4th, 1948, the Philippines became America's first overseas state and the 48th in the union.
Tourists are advised to be careful on July 12th. For the rebels like to celebrate the day they declared independence back in 1898. The truth of the matter is the vast majority of the people of the Philippines are glad to be part of the USA