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= = = Utilities = = =
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= = = = Water and electricity = = = =
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Water services used to be provided by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System , which served 30 % of the city with most other sewage being directly dumped into storm drains , septic tanks , or open canals . MWSS was privatized in 1997 which split the water concession into the east and west zones . The Maynilad Water Services took over the west zone of which Manila is a part . It now provides the supply and delivery of potable water and sewerage system in Manila , but it does not provide service to |
the southeastern part of the city which belongs to the east zone that is served by Manila Water . Electric services are provided by Meralco , the sole electric power distributor in Metro Manila .
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= = = Transportation = = =
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One of the more famous modes of transportation in Manila is the jeepney . Patterned after U.S. army jeeps , these have been in use since the years immediately following World War II . The Tamaraw FX , the third generation Toyota Kijang , which competed directly with jeepneys and followed fixed routes for a set price , once plied the streets of Manila .
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On a for @-@ hire basis , the city is served by numerous taxicabs , " tricycles " ( motorcycles with sidecars , the Philippine version of the auto rickshaw ) , and " trisikads " or " sikads " ( bicycles with a sidecars , the Philippine version of pedicabs ) . In some areas , especially in Divisoria , motorized pedicabs are popular . Spanish @-@ era horse @-@ drawn calesas are still a popular tourist attraction and mode of transportation in the streets of Binondo and Intramuros . All types of public road tr |
ansport are privately owned and operated under government franchise .
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The city is serviced by the LRT @-@ 1 and LRT @-@ 2 which forms the LRTA system , as distinct from the MRT @-@ 3 which is under the MRTC system that services other parts of Metro Manila . Development of the railway system began in the 1970s under the Marcos administration , making it the first light rail transport in Southeast Asia . These systems are currently undergoing a multibillion @-@ dollar expansion . LRT Line 1 runs along the length of Taft Avenue ( R @-@ 2 ) and Rizal Avenue ( R @-@ 9 ) , and the |
LRT Line 2 runs along Claro M. Recto Avenue ( C @-@ 1 ) and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard ( R @-@ 6 ) from Santa Cruz , through Quezon City , up to Santolan in Marikina .
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The main terminal of the Philippine National Railways lies within the city . One commuter railway within Metro Manila is in operation . The line runs in a general north @-@ south direction from Tutuban ( Tondo ) toward Laguna . The Port of Manila , located in the vicinity of Manila Bay is the chief seaport of the Philippines . The Pasig River Ferry Service which runs on the Pasig River is another form of transportation . The city is also served by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Clark Internatio |
nal Airport .
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In 2006 , Forbes magazine ranked Manila " the world 's most congested city " . Manila has become notorious for its frequent traffic jams and high densities . The government has undertaken several projects to alleviate the traffic in the city . Some of the projects include : the construction of a new flyover at Sampaloc , the construction of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 , the proposed LRT Line 2 ( west ) extension from Recto to Tondo or the Port Area , and the expansion of several national and local road |
s . However , such projects have yet to make any meaningful impact , and the traffic jams and congestion continue unabated . The urban planning of the Manila and the whole metropolis was based on the Metro Manila Dream Plan , which seeks to address the problems of Metro Manila 's urban planning and transportation . It consists of a list of short term priority projects and medium to long term infrastructure projects that will last up to 2030 .
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= = Healthcare = =
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The Manila Health Department is responsible for the planning and implementation of the health care programs provided by the city government . It operates 59 health centers and six city @-@ run hospitals , which are free of charge . The six public city @-@ run hospitals are the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center , Ospital ng Sampaloc , Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center , Ospital ng Tondo , Sta . Ana Hospital , and Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital . Manila is also the site of the Philippin |
e General Hospital , the tertiary state @-@ owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines Manila .
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Manila 's healthcare is also provided by private corporations . Private hospitals that operates in the city are the Manila Doctors Hospital , Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center , Dr. José R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center , Metropolitan Medical Center , Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital , and the University of Santo Tomas Hospital .
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The Department of Health has its main office in Manila . The national health department also operates the San Lazaro Hospital , a special referral tertiary hospital . Manila is also the home to the headquarters of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific and the World Health Organization Country Office for the Philippines .
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= = Education = =
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The center of education since the colonial period , Manila — particularly Intramuros — is home to several Philippine universities and colleges as well as its oldest ones . It served as the home of the University of Santo Tomas ( 1611 ) , Colegio de San Juan de Letran ( 1620 ) , Ateneo de Manila University ( 1859 ) , Lyceum of the Philippines University and the Mapua Institute of Technology . Only Colegio de San Juan de Letran ( 1620 ) remains at Intramuros ; the University of Santo Tomas transferred to a n |
ew campus at Sampaloc in 1927 , and Ateneo left Intramuros for Loyola Heights , Quezon City ( while still retaining " de Manila " in its name ) in 1952 .
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The University of the City of Manila ( Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila ) located at Intramuros , and Universidad de Manila located just outside the walled city , are both owned and operated by the Manila city government . The national government controls the University of the Philippines Manila , the oldest of the University of the Philippines constituent universities and the center of health sciences education in the country . The city is also the site of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines , t |
he largest university in the country in terms of student population .
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The University Belt refers to the area where there is a high concentration or a cluster of colleges and universities in the city and it is commonly understood as the one where the San Miguel , Quiapo and Sampaloc districts meet . Generally , it includes the western end of España Boulevard , Nicanor Reyes St. ( formerly Morayta St. ) , the eastern end of Claro M. Recto Avenue ( formerly Azcarraga ) , Legarda Avenue , Mendiola Street , and the different side streets . Each of the colleges and universities fo |
und here are at a short walking distance of each other . Another cluster of colleges lies along the southern bank of the Pasig River , mostly at the Intramuros and Ermita districts , and still a smaller cluster is found at the southernmost part of Malate near the border with Pasay such as the private co @-@ educational institution of De La Salle University , the largest of all De La Salle University System of schools .
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The Division of the City Schools of Manila , a branch of the Department of Education , refers to the city 's three @-@ tier public education system . It governs the 71 public elementary schools , 32 public high schools .
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The city also contains the Manila Science High School , the pilot science high school of the Philippines ; the National Museum , where the Spoliarium of Juan Luna is housed ; the Metropolitan Museum of Manila , a museum of modern and contemporary visual arts ; the Museo Pambata , the Children 's Museum , a place of hands @-@ on discovery and fun learning ; and , the National Library , the repository of the country 's printed and recorded cultural heritage and other literary and information resources .
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= = Global outreach = =
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= = = Twin towns – Sister cities = = =
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Sister cities of Manila
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= = = = Asia / Pacific Rim = = = =
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= = = = North America = = = =
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= Attalea ( palm ) =
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Attalea is a large genus of palms native to Mexico , the Caribbean , Central and South America . This pinnately leaved , non @-@ spiny genus includes both small palms lacking an aboveground stem and large trees . The genus has a complicated taxonomic history , and has often been split into four or five genera based on differences in the male flowers . Since the genera can only be distinguished on the basis of their male flowers , the existence of intermediate flower types and the existence of hybrids betwe |
en different genera has been used as an argument for keeping them all in the same genus . This has been supported by a recent molecular phylogeny .
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Somewhere between 29 and 67 species are recognised in the genus , with estimates of as many as 100 . Incomplete herbarium collections make it difficult to determine whether certain groups represent single species , or groups of similar species . Attalea species have a long history of human use , and include economically important sources of palm oil and fibre . Many species are fire tolerant and thrive in disturbed habitats . Their seeds are animal dispersed , including some which are thought to have been |
adapted for dispersal by now @-@ extinct Pleistocene megafauna .
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= = Description = =
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The genus Attalea has pinnately compound leaves — rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather @-@ like or fern @-@ like pattern . Species are also non @-@ spiny palms and includes both large trees with stout stems up to 30 metres ( 98 ft ) tall and acaulescent palms ( one which lack an aboveground stem ) . The number of leaves per individual varies from about three to thirty @-@ five ; larger plants tend to have more and longer leaves .
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Inflorescences are large , branched and borne among the leaves . The inflorescence consists of a main axis — the peduncle and the rachis — and a series of smaller branches , the rachillae . The rachillae , which bear the flowers , emerge from the rachis . The peduncle is the main stalk , connecting the rachis with the stem . Inflorescences either consist entirely of male flowers , or are predominantly female with a few male flowers . Fruit usually have two or three seeds , although fewer or more are presen |
t in some species , and are usually brown , yellow , orange @-@ brown or purple when mature .
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Four different types of male flowers exist . On the basis of these flower types , the genus has often been split into four genera — a more narrowly defined Attalea , Orbignya , Maximiliana and Scheelea . The species sometimes referred to Orbignya have coiled anthers , while the other groups have straight ones . The petals of those placed in Maximiliana are much shorter than the stamens , while those placed in Scheelea and a more narrowly defined Attalea have petals that are longer than the stamens . Five s |
pecies do not fit easily into any of these groups ; this fact has been used as an argument in favour of considering this group a single genus .
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= = Taxonomy = =
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Attalea has been placed in the subfamily Arecoideae , the tribe Cocoseae and the subtribe Attaleinae , together with the genera Allagoptera , Beccariophoenix , Butia , Cocos , Jubaea , Jubaeopsis , Lytocaryum , Parajubaea , Syagrus and Voanioala . Within this subtribe , Attalea has been found to be a monophyletic group , and sister to the clade containing Allagoptera , Polyandrococos , Parajubaea , Butia and Jubaea .
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Disagreement exists as to whether Attalea should be considered a single genus , or a group of related genera . In their 1996 Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas , Andrew Henderson , Gloria Galeano and Rodrigo Bernal combined all the species in the subtribe Attaleinae ( as it was then defined ) into a single genus , Attalea . In his 1999 Taxonomic Treatment of Palm Subtribe Attaleinae , American botanist Sidney F. Glassman divided the group into five genera — a more narrowly defined Attalea , Orbignya |
, Maximiliana , Scheelea and Ynesa . Rafäel Govaerts and John Dransfield recognised a single genus in their 2005 World Checklist of Palms , and Jean @-@ Christophe Pintaud continued this usage in his 2008 review of the genus .
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The multi @-@ genus approach is based solely on the structure of the male flowers ; no other characters could be consistently associated with one genus or another . Four of the genera — Attalea ( in a narrow sense ) , Orbignya , Maximiliana and Scheelea — correspond to four different types of male flowers found within the genus . However , a few species have flowers that are intermediate between these four types , including A. colenda ( which Glassman placed in its own genus , Ynesa ) and this has been use |
d as an argument for the single @-@ genus approach . In addition , there are several hybrids between species that would be considered different genera under Glassman 's five @-@ genus system , which has also been used as an argument for placing them in a single genus . In 2009 Alan Meerow and colleagues published a molecular phylogeny of the subtribe which found that some species placed in Orbignya were actually more closely related to species placed in Scheelea than they were to other members of that genus |
( if the five @-@ genus approach was used ) , while A. crassispatha , placed in Orbignya by Glassman , was actually a sister to both Scheelea and Orbignya .
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= = = History = = =
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The genus Attalea was first described Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1816 based on specimens collected by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland , although older , pre @-@ Linnaean descriptions exist , including Charles Plumier 's 1703 description of A. crassispatha . The genus was named for Attalus III Philometor , king of Pergamon , known for his interest in medicinal plants . The type species is A. amygdalina , a Colombian endemic . The genera Maximiliana and Orbignya were described by Carl Friedrich Philipp |
von Martius in 1826 and 1837 respectively . Scheelea was described by Hermann Karsten in 1857 , and Ynesa by Orator F. Cook in 1942 .
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= = = Species = = =
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Experts disagree about the number of species in the genus Attalea ( broadly defined ) . In 1965 , Dutch taxonomist Jan Gerard Wessels Boer estimated that there may be as many as 100 species in the genus . In their 1996 Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Andrew Henderson and coauthors recognised 29 species in the genus , while Sidney Glassman recognised 65 species in his 1999 treatment of the group . Largely following Glassman 's lead , Rafaël Govaerts and John Dransfield recognised 67 species in thei |
r 2005 World Checklist of Palms . An important element of this disagreement is the decision by Glassman to define species more narrowly than Henderson . As a result , what Henderson interpreted as variation within species , Glassman took as differences between morphologically similar species . This problem is complicated by the fact that many of these species are poorly represented in herbarium collections . The large size of the leaves , inflorescences and fruit of many Attalea species makes them difficult |
to collect . In addition , many important collections , including type specimen , have been lost or destroyed . Sparse or incomplete collections make it difficult to differentiate variation within a single species from variation between different species .
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The three recent treatments ( Henderson and coauthors , Glassman , and Govaerts and Dransfield ) recognised a total of 73 species , but only 20 species are accepted by all of them . The remainder account for either nine species or more than 40 . For example , what Andrew Henderson considered a single species , Attalea attaleoides , other authors have considered a species complex consisting of four or five species . Glassman doubted the validity of A. attaleoides as a species , and described four new specie |
s from material that had previously been attributed to A. attaleoides — A. camopiensis , A. degranvillei , A. guianensis and A. maripensis . Govaerts and Dransfield accepted both Glassman 's four species and A. attaleoides . However , Jean @-@ Christophe Pintaud was of the opinion that A. guianensis , A. maripensis and A. attaleoides were all very similar , and thought it likely that they all represented the same species .
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Another species complex in Attalea includes A. speciosa and related species . Henderson ( 1995 ) recognised A. speciosa and A. spectabilis , considering the latter to either be an acaulescent form of A. speciosa or a hybrid between it and A. microcarpa . Govaerts and Dransfield accepted A. spectabilis , but Glassman considered it a dubious taxon . Attalea vitrivir was recognised as a distinct species by Michael Balick and coauthors ; Glassman and Govaerts and Dransfield concurred , but Henderson considered |
it part of A. speciosa . Glassman also described a fourth member of this group , A. brejinhoensis , and it is accepted by Govaerts and Dransfield .
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= = Reproduction and growth = =
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Attalea species are monoecious — male and female flowers are separate , but are borne by the same plant . Various species have been described as being insect @-@ pollinated , including A. phalerata , while pollination in A. colenda and A. speciosa , has been attributed both to insects and wind .
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Seed germination is remote tubular — during germination , as the cotyledon expands it pushes the young shoot away from the seed . After germination , the stem initially grows downward before turning to grow upward and produce the aboveground stem . This produces a " saxophone shaped " belowground portion of the stem . The fact that the shoot tips of Attalea seedlings are underground it likely to contribute to their fire @-@ tolerance .
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= = Distribution = =
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Species range across the Neotropics from Mexico in the north to Bolivia , Paraguay , and southern Brazil in the south . According to Govaerts and coauthors , three species are found in Mexico , four in Central America , and 62 in South America . Three species are present in the Caribbean — two in Trinidad and Tobago , along the southern edge of the region , and one in Haiti .
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= = Habitat and ecology = =
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Attalea includes both large trees and small acaulescent palms which occupy a number of different ecological niches . Dense stands of some of the larger species are conspicuous elements on the landscape , while smaller species are found in both in the forest understorey and in savannas .
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Disturbance has been implicated in the formation of vegetation dominated by large Attalea species . In seasonally dry Amazonian forests the density of large adult A. maripa palms was correlated with canopy openness ; the species also dominates savannas formed by repeated forest fires in Trinidad and Tobago . Attalea speciosa forms pure stands in many parts of Brazil where natural forest vegetation has been cleared . Similarly , stands of A. funifera in Bahia , Brazil ( which are cultivated for piassava fib |
re ) are managed using fire — the seedlings survive cutting and burning , and are able to dominate burned forest patches .
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The fruit are dispersed by animals ; fruit which are not dispersed frequently suffer seed predation by bruchid beetles . Certain species of Attalea have been mentioned as examples of " anachronistic " species which are adapted for dispersal by now @-@ extinct Pleistocene megafauna . On Maracá Island , Roraima , in the Brazilian Amazon , Attalea maripa fruit were consumed by tapirs , collared peccaries , deer and primates . Rodents , including agoutis , fed upon the fruit and , as the fruit availability dec |
lined , they fed on the seeds . Other dispersers of Attalea fruit include Crested Caracaras which consume the fruit and disperse the seeds of A. phalerata in the Brazilian Pantanal .
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= = Uses = =
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Attalea species have a long history of human utilisation . Carbonised Attalea maripa seeds have been found in archaeological sites in Colombia dating back to 9000 BP . A variety of species remain important sources of edible oil , thatch , edible seeds and fibre . The leaves of Attalea butyracea and A. maripa are used extensively for thatching . Several species are oil palms , with A. speciosa among the most important economically . Products extracted from A. speciosa were reported to support over 300 @,@ 0 |
00 households in the Brazilian state of Maranhão in 2005 , and in 1985 it was estimated to support over 450 @,@ 000 households throughout the Brazil . Piassava fibres , extracted from the leaf bases of A. funifera , are commercially important , and generated about US $ 20 million in annual income to Brazilian farmers in 1996 .
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= The Heart of Ezra Greer =
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The Heart of Ezra Greer is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by the Thanhouser Company and directed by Emile Chautard . The film focuses on Ezra Greer , a successful middle @-@ aged man who searches for his college age daughter , Mary . The wayward Mary was romanced and abandoned by Jack Denbeigh , later bearing his child . Once Ezra becomes broke he finds employment as the valet for Jack Denbeigh . After Jack 's engagement to a cabaret girl , Mary becomes upset and leaves her child at Jack 's hom |
e . Contrary to Jack 's wishes , Ezra keeps the child and Jack ultimately reveals that the child is his own . Ezra convinces Jack to make things right and Ezra convinces the cabaret girl to leave Jack . After a carriage accident in which the baby is injured , Ezra and Jack rush to the hospital and find Mary as a nurse crying over the child . The film ends with the marriage of Jack and Mary . The film was released by Pathé on October 7 , 1917 . The film was the final release from Thanhouser and was deemed to |
be an average film by most reviewers . Criticism for the film hinged on far @-@ fetched coincidences to drive the plot . The film is presumed lost .
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= = Plot = =
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The film follows Ezra Greer , a middle @-@ aged man who has worked hard since his youth . He cares deeply for his motherless daughter , Mary , but was unable to attend the annual commencement at her co @-@ educational college . He awaits for her to return from college , but Mary leaves with her romantic interest , Jack Denbeigh . On promise of marriage and wealth , Mary is romanced and gives birth to a fatherless child . Without word from his daughter , Ezra resigns from his job and attempts to seek her ou |
t and finds a poor motherless child , Marie . With Ezra 's money exhausted he seeks employment and finds it as the valet of Jack .
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One day , Mary seeks an announcement of Jack 's engagement to a cabaret girl known as " The Baby Vamp " . Bitter over the prospect of her child 's future , she leaves the child at Jack 's home during his absence with a note . Jack orders Ezra to take the baby to an orphanage , but Marie begs Ezra to keep him . After continually seeing the child , Jack is overcome with remorse and explains to Ezra and seeks his advice . Not knowing he was making the case for his own daughter , Ezra convinces Jack to seek ou |
t Mary and forget the Baby Vamp . The Baby Vamp seeks out Jack , but finds Ezra who convinces her to leave Jack . Jack 's son is later injured in a coach accident and is taken to the hospital . Jack and Ezra rush to the hospital and find Mary , as a nurse , crying over the injured child . Ezra is enraged upon learning that his own daughter was mistreated by Jack , but Mary steps between the two men . Jack apologizes and wants to make it right . The film concludes with Jack and Mary .
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= = Cast = =
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Frederick Warde as Ezra Greer
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Leila Frost as Mary
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George Forth as Jack Denbeigh
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Thomas A. Curran as Denbeigh 's guardian
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Lillian Mueller as Amy Devers
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Carey L. Hastings as Denbeigh 's housekeeper
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Helen Badgley as the poor little girl
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Gerald Badgley as the millionaire 's baby
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W. Ray Johnston
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= = Production = =
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The film was the final production and release of the Thanhouser Company and it was to be released through Pathé . Numerous factors would play into the winding down and eventual closing of the Thanhouser Film Corporation with much advance notice by Edwin Thanhouser . Q. David Bowers writes that it was easy to understand Thanhouser 's decision to retire due to numerous aspects including that releases through Pathé were based on their decision to release or discard the work , the New Rochelle studio was 2 @,@ |
500 miles from the center of the trade activity and the slump in industry tied to World War I. Weeks before the film was released , Variety told of the winding down of the Thanhouser with the studio 's staff consisting of Edwin Thanhouser and the bookkeeper , Jessie B. Bishop . The article concluded with the announcement that Lloyd F. Lonergan , the scenario writer of the company , had retired from the company . As it wound down , the Thanhouser Company was announced to have no liabilities would close with |
a positive bank balance . Little is known of the production of this final film , but it was directed by Emile Chautard from a scenario written by Lloyd F. Lonergan . The cameraman was Jacques Bizeul .
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= = Release and reception = =
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