Friday 11 July 2008


The sun is seen rising behind the funnels of the brown-coal Hazelwood Power Station in Latrobe Valley, 93 miles east of Melbourne, Australia, on July 4, 2008. Australia should adopt a broad-based carbon-emissions trading sceme that includes energy and transport, but compensates industries whose offshore rivals do not adopt emissions curbs, an official report said on Friday. The 600-page draft report urged Australia to go further than its current goal to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 60% by 2050, and warned of a major dent to the economy if it avoids the hard decisions on climate change.
Image courtesy of Reuters / Mick Tsikas

Thursday 10 July 2008

Amazing Golden Ray Migration





The Telegraph just posted some photos of the migration of golden rays (also known as cownose rays) off the coast of Mexico. It's guaranteed to restore your sense of wonder at the world.
Images courtesy of Sandra Critelli / Barcroft Media

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Relief in Sight: Australia's International Disaster Response in Pictures

Relief in Sight is doing a nice job of upsetting the status quo - a photographic exhibition that captures the crucial role of Australian aid workers and volunteers and the aftermath of natural disasters in the Asia Pacific region.

15-20 July 2008
Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie Street, Sydney 2000


Indian Ocean tsunami, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 2005
A survivor tries to salvage anything that may be of use to her family after the Indian Ocean tsunami. In some villages up to 80 per cent of victims were women. In part, this is because many men were at work or fishing at sea when the tsunami hit. In addition to the loss of homes and possessions, women frequently suffer indirect losses in a disaster, such as productive employment outside their home. Through its overseas aid program, Australia creates opportunities for women to play a greater role in shaping their communities and their countries. After the tsunami, AusAID funded programs to help relieve financial and social pressure on female survivors and protect them from discrimination and violence.
Courtesy of Caritas


WORLDLY POSSESSIONS
Indian Ocean tsunami, Indonesia, 2005
‘People were starting to return to look for homes that were no longer there. Picking through rubble in the hope of finding some possessions or the body of a family member so they could give them a proper Muslim burial. Everyone was walking around in a daze, in utter shock and disbelief. Not much public emotion… just an eerie silence. It’s as though the living are dead too.’ Notes from the diary of photographer Stephen Dupont More than 127,000 homes were destroyed and as many damaged in Aceh and North Sumatra and 500,000 people were left homeless and without access to essential services. Australian aid helped rebuild communities and restore basic services. DID YOU KNOW? Weather-related disasters rose from an annual average of 200 between 1993 and 1997 to 331 per year between 1998 and 2002.
Courtesy of Stephen Dupont

Friday 4 July 2008

Indian Gay Pride Finally Out of the Closet



Sunday's first Queer Pride Parade in Delhi marked a turning point for India's gays and lesbians, who are persecuted under a colonial-era law, Section 377, that criminalizes some sex acts. A high court is considering a petition against the statute.

The Wave of Whale Killing Continues as the International Whaling Commission Meeting in Chile Fails to Halt Japanese Hunters


Workers butcher a Baird's beaked whale in Minamiboso, Japan, on June 28, 2008.
Courtesy of Reuters / Toru Hanai

Perfect Reflection, Beautiful Stillness


Trees reflecting in the still waters of a river (Oregon USA)
Courtesy of Reuters / Mike Blake

Friday 27 June 2008



A model wearing a creation by German designer Tatjana Warnecke waits for a fetish fashion show to begin in Leipzig, Germany, on June 21, 2008.

Courtesy of Reuters / Hannibal Hanschke


Raul Vera, a mannequin craftsman, works on the hand of a model at a workshop in Lima, Peru, on June 19, 2008.

Courtesy of Reuters / Enrique Castro-Mendivil

Friday 20 June 2008


Guantanamo detainees

Reuters/Andrew Winning


The caterpillar of the cotton bollworm moth sits on the thumb of a technician in a laboratory in Melbourne, Australia, on June 18, 2008. The genetic secrets of the world's worst agricultural pest will be unlocked within months, scientists say.

Reuters/ Mick Tsikas