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Berania

Started by nedalezz, June 20, 2009, 09:20:49 AM

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M4346

Whoa! Amazing mountains! As a mountain-loving freak myself, I would love to see that recreated in SC4!

I also like that small town! Very realistic! Not to mention colourful!  ;D

Hope all's going well on that business trip!

M
New Horizons Productions
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djvandrake

Your images are quite beautiful and your cities have a nice feel to them.  Looking forward to what's in store.  :thumbsup:

nedalezz

I just wanted to take the time out and saw SORRY for the lack of personal replies - As I have mentioned before, I am in the middle of a business trip :(

I wanted to specifically answer Dizflip - What about the night shot did you want to figure out :)

Joan, Art128, Thomas Neto, djvandrake, M4346, beutelschlurf, Sciurus, Earth Quake, Shulmanator, Kwekalaar, rooker, Enide, Simpson, CalibanX, Splime, evertonforever 1, Connor, Nexus4Jersey, feliwi, battlecat, dedgren...Thank you so much for taking the time and commenting. Much appreciated, all of you!

beutelschlurf

moin nedalezz,

don't you worry, sometimes we can live without a personal reply!  ;D
you just keep up your excellent Diary ...

b_schlurf

Tomas Neto

Yeah my friend!!! Another great update in your MD!!! Great!!!  &apls &apls &apls

Scarton

Farayya looks like a peaceful community to live in. :thumbsup:

Emperor Stormont

I'm incredibly impressed.

The beautiful composition of physical structures and nature is absolutely superb. You have a fantastic talent. Shall be following this very closely :)

&apls

The Imperial Atlantean Empire MD <-- click to view
A new Beginning
Trixie Nominated CJ
2007 & 2008

nedalezz

#47
IN THE NEWS


Berania Interstate 101

Suqara – The Berania Interstate 101, more commonly known as I-101, was officially opened for traffic this morning in a ceremony attended by President Berdasso, who lead a motorcade through the double-lane road before turning back and heading to the Berania Government HQ Building.  I-101 will connect southern Berania to the northern part of the country upon completion, with a starting point in Suqara and ending just outside the town of Bushna on the northern Beranian coast. 

The government has already spent K26 million developing the Interstate road, but the overall cost of the project is not yet clear.  Inside of Suqara, I-101 is expected to be the center of development in the city, with the Borsa General Hospital almost completed, alongside the Mohammed Ali Mosque and Park, which President Berdasso called, "the new centrepiece of Suqara."

The price of land alongside the new road has more than quadrupled, with the price of a square meter hovering around the K1000 mark and expected to continue to rise.  About 4,000 square meters was recently acquired by the Days Inn hotel chain, and construction on their new, 250-room project is already underway.


The Borsa General Hospital, Mohammed Ali Mosque, and Days Inn Hotel situated on I-101.



Borsa General Hospital

Suqara – Undertaken just over 12 months ago, the Borsa General Hospital project has just about neared completion, and earlier estimates that it would cost approximately K130 million have proven exaggerated, with the real cost near K100 million.  The hospital will be the first building to begin operations on I-101 when it opens next month. The BGH is 100% owned by the government and it is expected to employ up to 1200 people.  It can hold a maximum of 8000 patients, although estimates suggest that the maximum expected occupancy given the local area's population will not exceed 50%.

The construction of the hospital has been marred with controversy, with the center of the issue being the law that states all private health clinics or practices as illegal.  According to Beranian law, all health clinics, hospitals, or practice facilities must be owned by the government, and that has caused a lot of problems with licensed doctors and health practitioners, who have claimed that the government was enforcing that law as to control their wages and salaries.

The Beranian Health Minister, Mr. Ghassan Jasmine, has denied such allegations, saying, "The reason that law exists is to protect the people.  No one wants an unqualified person responsible for their health, and we're making sure that the Beranian people will never have to worry about that.  The salaries being paid to doctors and all those involved is very fair, so the issue is not about the actual law, but perhaps about greed."

To counter the measures that have been taken by the government, the Private Healthcare Association of Berania (PHAB) was recently formed by disgruntled doctors and their kin, and have threatened to go on strike if the Berdasso administration did not agree to sit and talk to them about solving the current problems that they view as unjust.  There has been no response from the Health Ministry about the issue, and a spokesperson has even stated that the PHAB is nothing more than a group of unruly educated hooligans trying to upset the peace.



Mohammed Ali Mosque: The Jewel of Suqara

Suqara – Berania is a predominantly Muslim country, and Suqara, the capital city, is set to become the center of Islam in the nation thanks to the construction of the Mohammed Ali Mosque.  Designed by architect Hussein Al-Husseini, the government endorsed project has cost K43 million, with an additional K6 million spent on the park behind the Mosque itself, featuring a lake.
Situated on I-101, just north of the Borsa General Hospital and opposite the new Days Inn Hotel, the Mohammed Ali Mosque will be the largest and most expensive in the country, dwarfing the Imam Mosque in the town of Khodor in central Berania.  The Mosque is set to open to the general public alongside the Borsa General Hospital in around a month's time.


The Mohammed Ali Mosque.



BUSINESS FOCUS: Real Estate Development[/b]

Suqara - With the influx of foreign nationals starting to call Suqara their home (most of which are diplomats or part of diplomatic missions/teams), a construction boom of sorts has taken place just off of the 101, with a 4 apartment buildings constructed near the Borsa General Hospital and the Mohammed Ali Mosque. Volta Real Estate is responsible for 3 of the buildings, but the most luxurious one, called Astoria, is the work of a newcomer: ICON Properties.

Founded only a year ago, the Astoria represents ICON Properties first big venture into the Beranian market, unlike Volta, who are the oldest and largest development and contracting company in the country.  The Astoria is 10 stories high, making the tallest residential building in all of Berania, and features a swimming pool deck on the rooftop. It has not released any of the apartments for sale as of yet, instead choosing to rent them out.  The building has a total of 36 apartments - 4 on the first 8 floors, and 2 on the last floors. The smaller apartments are approximately 200 sq. meters in size, and are renting out for an average of K1200 a month, while the bigger apartments on the last floors are 380 sq. meters in size, and are renting out for K2500 a month, easily the priciest in the city. Occupancy is currently at 100%, with most of the leasees foreign nationals.

The construction of the Astoria cost ICON Properties approximately K2.76 million, which includes the price of the land. The building sits on approximately 1500 sq. meters of land, which cost the real estate company K1.2 million, although estimates suggest if the land was to be sold today, it would not go for less than K2 million.


The Astoria surrounded by the Volta residential developments.



Opinion Piece: The Failings of the Government

It remains to be seen how Berania has been positively affected Since Berdasso took the Presidential Office 2 years ago as the country's first ever democratically elected leader.  The immediate argument is to point out all the development that has taken place, and for the sake of a little organization, let us list the Berdasso administration most noted so-called accomplishments:

1)  Supporters of the of the Berania National Party (BNP) lead government are quick to point out the investment in healthcare that they have made since they took over. With 26 facilities open around the country, and the new K100 million Borsa General Hospital in Suqara slated for operation beginning next month, one cannot argue that there has been a good amount of progress when it comes to national healthcare.  But isn't it a right of Beranians to have access to basic healthcare?  Should we really be applauding the government for providing us with a basic necessity?  Most of the health clinics are little more than large houses with primitive medical instruments.  Patients pay a premium price for very ordinary healthcare, and the government will not even consider setting up some kind of financing for healthcare.  That is right, you pay upfront or receive no attention from our health professionals.  Adding insult to injury, prices for treatment continues to rise due to the fact that the government has, by law, created itself a monopoly.

In a recent attempt by professionals in the field to fight this absurd law, they formed a union, only to be shrugged off by the Berdasso administration as nothing more than a greedy mob looking at earning a few more bucks.  Until the government can start providing a solid system of financing for people in need of treatment, and until private, albeit supervised, health practices and clinics are legalized, we should be expecting more in this department, not applauding them for giving us a basic human right.

2)  A lot of commotion is being made at the advancement of the economy and the strong growth it is experiencing.  The truth of the matter is, you could put a monkey in charge of the Beranian economy and it will experience growth.  It is a matter of logic; the country has been locked up for several hundred of years, so the immediate effect of opening up to the world is going to be economic growth!  The government is not responsible for this growth even though they love to take credit for it every chance they get.

But take a deeper look at the details, and you will notice not enough is being done to help the economy maintain its strong growth after the initial stage has passed.  In fact, the Berdasso administration, yet again, is using the current situation to their advantage to fatten their own pockets.  Can you name another bank in Berania other than the government owned Berania National Bank, which, incidentally, is headed by BNP members?  No, you can't, and you know why? Because no other banks exist!  Although there is no legal way the BNP can stop private banks from operating, the fact that none have despite the strong economic growth suggests that there is more to the story.  National Progressive Conservative Party leader, Mr. Ismael Henry, suggested that the BNP led government have purposely set up a BNB branch in many towns in order to have the population rely on them, and while that theory was laughed off by the government, perhaps it should not be taken so lightly.

Once you leave Suqara, there is little development and little to suggest a strong, growing economy.  It seems all the money being made by the government is going to fix up the new capital city, but what about the rest of the country?  Are they not entitled to the same benefits being afforded to the residents of Suqara?  Or are 60,000 people more important than the 60 million that live outside of the city?

3)  A lot of promises were made during the presidential campaign 2 years ago, and a lot of promises are still being made.  Everything, apparently, is being worked on.  But my question is: Where? How? When?  Take for example the issue of the new seaport: It was only a few weeks ago that the location was disclosed (about 50 kilometers west of Suqara, near the village of Koraitam), yet when you go there, there is no nothing but empty, albeit beautiful, sandy coastline.  Did the government not put "aside" several millions of Kaffas for this very same project?  Where is that money?  Better yet, where is our much needed seaport?  If they haven't noticed, Berania's economy is growing.  How is it going to be supported with an international seaport capable of handling trade?

Another great example of promises not being kept: the promise of higher education.  Two years ago, President Berdasso continuously stated his aim of developing a first class university within the limit of his 5 year presidential term.  He's nearly halfway through, and has absolutely nothing to show for that specific promise.  Or is it that he forgot about his peoples' needs when he started seeing the Kaffas?  Either way, not only does Berania not have a single internationally recognized university, but its secondary education institutes are overcrowded.  Credit where credit is due; the education and teaching is of a fine standard, but it doesn't count for much when you follow that up by filling up schools with over 50% of their recommended capacity.  Again, families pay top Kaffa in Berania to send their children to government owned educational institutes, so it is only fair the teachers molding the minds of their young be well qualified.

The bottom line is this: the Berdasso administration has not done a good job, it has done the bare minimum of what is expected of it, and to make matters worse, have quite a bit of shadiness surrounding certain policies and "investments".  It doesn't help that the government is overwhelmingly dominated by the BNP, but given the way things are going, that should not be the case in 3
years.  We should rightfully expect more of our leaders, and here's hoping they can get their act together for the well being of Berania.

Yaser Timson is a freelance reporter for the Suqara Times.


I leave you with a couple of shots from Suqara, which includes the brand new Hard Rock Cafe Suqara! Enjoy!




art128

As usual, your update are magnificent my friend, the interstate 101 (as know as I-101) area is great, I like the mosque park and the details you've put in there. The use of SAM streets is fantastic, it fits perfectly with the style you developed.
Take care,
-Arthur.  :thumbsup:
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

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nedalezz

#49
Yes yes, this is a glorified bump! Actually, this is a shot I had laying around which I wanted to feature of the beach road in Suqara. Enjoy!

Thank you Arthur for the very kind words :)



Splime

Now that is a really nice picture! I'd love to live near a beach like that.

art128

I would like to be at that beach for relaxing, thanks for sharing it !
-Arthur. :thumbsup:
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

nedalezz

MINI-UPDATE

The majority of Berania's economy depends on agriculture, so it comes as no surprise that vast amounts of the country's plains are made up of farmlands. The pictures below were taken in the area of Corral, in central part of eastern Berania, which is famous for its fruits, especially apples, oranges, and grapes.




jimbo_jj

I love the beach, especially large ones like you have up there. :thumbsup: I like the last agricultural picture, too. I don't see too many cj's use pictures like that. Really unique.
Coming Soon to SimCity 4 Devotion: Alterren: The New World City
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Emperor Stormont

Beautiful, I adore the tree lined rural roads, so much detail and flora, gorgeous work :)

The Imperial Atlantean Empire MD <-- click to view
A new Beginning
Trixie Nominated CJ
2007 & 2008

art128

Great farms land there my friend, looks very realistic with these trees along the street. The last photo looks like a drawing, good job !  :thumbsup:
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

danielcote

Wow this is pure eyecandy!

Tomas Neto

Awesome!!! Your MD is fantastic!!!  &apls &apls &apls

Sciurus

That's just magnificent!!! &apls &apls &apls

Guillaume :thumbsup:
L'atelier d'architecture
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soulchaser

I can't clall this a MD, this is Arts!

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