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President Obama foreign travel very different from Bush
| March 26th, 2016 at 1:56:00 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | President Obama went overseas so much his first year, I thought he would set all kinds of records. 1) Obama is the first sitting president to visit Ethiopia and Kenya in Africa plus Cambodia and Myanmar in SE Asia. 2) In July, 2009 Obama visited Russia and Italy and stopped in Accra, Ghana on the way back. He pledged to make Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) a more frequent Presidential destination and to include it with other trips to Europe. Then he never returned to SSA for the rest of his first term. His second term in summer of 2013 he went on a 7 day trip to Senegal-South Africa-Tanzania and returned to S. Africa in December for Mandela's funeral. In summer of 2015 he went on a 5 day trip to Ethiopia and Kenya. But by an large he did not spend more time in SSA or go to more countries than either of his predecessors. 3) What happened to Eastern Europe? It was such a high priority for President Bush? Bush went to 23 of the 28 European Union countries, while Obama has been to only 13. They both skipped Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Finland , and Luxembourg. Of the 12 countries that joined the original 15 in European Union, Obama has been to only three (Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland) and he's never been to a non-EU European country. 4) President Bush went to Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia . That is an obvious byproduct of frostier relations with Russia under President Obama. 5) Outside of 2 short trips tagged onto longer visits President Bush seems to have completely ignored Caribbean and Central America El Salvador March 24, 2002 The Summit Meeting of Presidents of the Central American Republics. Panama November 6–7, 2005 Met with President Martín Torrijos. Obama has been there several times. President Obama foreign trips  President GW Bush foreign trip destination  President Clinton foreign trip destination  |
| March 26th, 2016 at 2:42:43 AM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | Did you make those maps yourself? I'd like to make one of countries I've been to. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| March 26th, 2016 at 3:35:59 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
No I didn't, but I don't think it's very hard. You can download one of the maps from common Wikipedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barack_Obama_foreign_trips.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blank_map_of_Europe_-_Atelier_graphique_colors_with_Kosovo.svg Then you can OPEN with an editor (don't import) and change the colors of the countries http://svg-edit.googlecode.com/svn-history/r1771/trunk/editor/svg-editor.html First attempt for a map of countries I've been to in Europe https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4r7l039-pqHYXlsMTFXeV95MXc/view?usp=sharing |
| March 26th, 2016 at 9:07:48 AM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 |
Thanks. I found a Europe outline map here and colored it in with Paint. There are small gaps in some borders I had to use the pencil to finish. Unlike you, I didn't color in separate pieces of countries if I never went to that piece, like Sicily for example. I've also been to Monte Carlo and Malta, but they are too small to be shown on the map. Not sure if I should count Denmark, as I've only been to the airport making a connection between Iceland and Germany.  Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| March 26th, 2016 at 10:43:01 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
I downloaded the blank map from Wikipedia. The boundaries are a little more accurate, but they linked all the outlying areas (Northern Ireland, Mediterranean Islands like Sicily and Sardinia with Italy and Corsica with France), so when you highlight the country all the outlying areas are colored as well. I have actually been to Sicily, but not to any other islands. I took a second attempt at a map and colored the countries dark grey where I have only been to an airport. I don't know if I can find a .svg map with cities, or if you have to add them in with software editor. Second attempt https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4r7l039-pqHbVYzZHc2YWpMNFU/view?usp=sharing BTW: Norwegian is introducing new nonstop route to Las Vegas, as the airline opens reservation for Oslo – Las Vegas route. This 1 weekly Boeing 787-8 service will begin on 01NOV16. DY7101 OSL1345 – 1510LAS 788 2 DY7102 LAS1710 – 1155+1OSL 788 2 Highest peak in Norway is Galdhøpiggen 8100' about 5 hours from Oslo 61°38′10″N 8°18′44″E  Access to the top of Galdhøpiggen is not especially hard: from Juvasshytta (1850 metres above sea level, 5 km from the summit) it takes about three hours up (including about 45 minutes to prepare for crossing the Styggebreen glacier), an hour at the top and about two hours back. Some days in the summer, a few hundred people reach the summit each day. Guides are needed to cross the glacier, but are available every summer morning. Galdhøpiggen can also be hiked from the Spiterstulen lodge in Visdalen, with a technically very easy, but still somewhat strenuous climb of 1300 m — nearly 4000 ft. It takes four hours walk up, two hours down. From Spiterstulen, hikers do not have to cross the Styggebreen glacier, and hence a guide is not required. Ardent peak-baggers may count three summits on the route from Spiterstulen: Svellnose, Keilhaus topp and the summit itself. During the main season guided trips take one to the summit from Spiterstulen via the well known blue ice fall on Svellnosbreen. Either Copenhagen or Stockholm is 7 or 7.5 hours away by train from Oslo, but Copenhagen is 12 hours by train from Stockholm. Pack some booze whenever travelling to Scandinavia as it is extremely expensive to drink there. |
| March 26th, 2016 at 5:27:54 PM permalink | |
| AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18204 |
Here is one idea. The President is a fink. |
| March 27th, 2016 at 12:27:07 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 | Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is an XML-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics with support for interactivity and animation. The SVG specification is an open standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) since 1999. It's a fairly small text file (not a bitmap). The image of the colored map is only 400kb instead of the 6 or 7 megabytes of a photo. It is also a text file. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4r7l039-pqHbVYzZHc2YWpMNFU/view?usp=sharing
It looks like climbing Galdhøpiggen is kind of a social event.  Norwegian girls celebrating the summit.  |
| March 27th, 2016 at 12:11:51 PM permalink | |
| Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25011 |
Darn those pesky blond Norwegian girls and their bare breasts.. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
| March 27th, 2016 at 2:36:33 PM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
The introduction of weekly low cost flights from Vegas to Oslo is a good chance for the Wizard to bag some peaks and visit Norway and Sweden. I see he has Finland and Denmark on his map  Stockholm is a beautiful city. |
| March 27th, 2016 at 2:52:28 PM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 |
I did a Travelocity search and see prices are pretty slow but no direct flights that I could find. As far as I know, the only direct flights to Europe from Vegas are to London and Frankfurt, both of which I've taken. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |