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Two new exciting buildings emerging on the City skyline..
On the right is 20 Fenchurch Street, a 37-storey skyscraper under construction on Fenchurch Street. It has been nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive shape. Upon completion in 2014 the building will be 160 m (525 ft) tall. Costing over £200 million, it is designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and will feature a highly distinctive, top-heavy form which appears to burst upward and outward. A large viewing deck and 'sky gardens' will be included on the top three floors; these will be open to the public.
On the central left is 122 Leadenhall Street, an address on Leadenhall Street where the 225 m (737 ft)-tall Leadenhall Building is currently under construction. The skyscraper, due for completion in 2014, is designed by Richard Rogers and informally referred to as the Cheesegrater.
To the far left is, of course, Tower 42, the second-tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the seventh tallest in Greater London. Its original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's international division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest logo (three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement). The tower, designed by Richard Seifert and engineered by Pell Frischmann, is located at 25, Old Broad Street. It was built by John Mowlem & Co between 1971 and 1980, first occupied in 1980, and formally opened on 11 June 1981 by Queen Elizabeth II
Southbank, London, UK
Here are two origami hearts... one made of a cut rectangle of scrapbook paper and the other made of a $5 bill. The $5 bill holds a quarter. I made this to commemorate President's day (Lincoln on the $5 and Washington on the quarter).
This was made from Steve Hecht's "Change of Heart," diagram.
"I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strange)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes"
*1. **Introduction & Background*
10/10/10 International Day of Climate Change was celebrated in Booni,
Chitral, Pakistan, through the joint venture of Chitral Association for
Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) and Orion School of Learning (OSL). The event
was facilitated by 350.org. the theme of the day was ‘Breaking of Booni
Glacier, Its Relation to Climate Change’. As many as 500 people from
different walks of life e.g. community leadership, women representatives,
scholars, volunteers, parents and students participated.
The day has had significance for the people of Booni, Chitral as they have
recently witnessed a devastating flood destroying their valuable property
and causing them major health problems, psychological twists and
infrastructure disruption. This bitter experience has sensitized the locals
to seriously think about saving the natural environment.
*2. **Objective*
The objectives to observe the day was to join the worldwide communities in
highlighting problems—breaking of glacier, untimely melting of snow,
frequent floods and unpredictable climate conditions—in the Hindu Kush
Mountains apart from sensitizing the local communities.
* *
The activities of International Day of Climate Change were as follows:
*3. **Speeches*
To begin with, speeches aimed at enumerating the prospects of climate change
in the Hindu Kush Mountains, were delivered. Mr Sadruddin, the principal of
Orion School of Learning (OSL) impressed upon the participants to prepare
themselves and their children for the protection of Booni village by
protecting natural environment. He pointed out that such preparation could
be attained through inculcating environmental-friendly education to children
within the family right from their childhood. In turn, this will make the
task easier for teachers, once they are admitted to schools. He also said
that ecology/ natural biodiversity had to be included into the curriculum of
government/ private schools as compulsory subject right from class 1st.
Meanwhile; teachers need to be imparted skill enhancement training with
regards to natural environment.
Mr Shams Uddin, Manager CAMAT, who was also organizer of the event, upheld
that nature has the characteristics quite like those of a loving mother.
Nonetheless, the difference is that ‘mother’ along with her children is
dependant on a healthy ‘mother nature’ for sustainable life. Nature feeds us
with a variety of cereals, fruits and vegetable. It provides us with oxygen
and clean water to mention a few. Bearing this in mind, we have to take
great care of nature, the manifestation of which could be the adoption of
environmental-friendly manners and values by the entire society.
Advocate Amir Akber Khan, himself a social worker, said that we did not have
to loose time waiting for another catastrophe to happen. We have to stand
united to tackle the flood in future. First, proper canalization of the
stream bed stream is paramount importance. Second, ‘as charity begins at
home’, there has to be hectic and coordinated fund raising campaign in the
Booni village. “In order to save the village from further devastation, even
livestock have to be sold out and the same amount be invested on canalizing
the stream bed and construction of protective walls along the stream line”,
he said. Meanwhile, grazing on the Booni Gol rangeland has to be
restricted
for ever. Without coming forward to deal with the problem with our own
resources, we should not expect government and NGOs to play role in this
regard.
He categorized the local communities into those educated ones who read out
from books and watch television that is helpful in raising their
understanding and motivate them for practical action. Second, there are
people who just learn from witnessing some unforgettable events being
unfolded, as was the breaking of the Booni glacier, which he termed as an
eye-opener for the people.
*4. **Theatre*
The students arranged an exciting theatre centering on the Booni flood and
its aftermath. The play they enacted depicted social, political, cultural
complexities in times of crisis and highlighted the helpfulness of modern
technology. For instance, mobile phone was used as an instrument for Early
Warning System (EWS) by volunteers high up in the Booni stream. Similarly,
they played of individuals who remained oblivious towards natural hazards as
they basically lacked the inbuilt knowledge and skills to assess the
enormity of a natural disaster. Likewise lack of medical care,
non-existence of portable water that led to widespread water born diseases
was effectively highlighted. Further, the women’s drudgery of fetching water
from long distance for household use and cattle constituted interesting part
of the play.
The participants appreciated the efficiency of the students in preparing the
theatre work and the way they played.
*5. **Songs for Environment*
The students sang songs of love for nature apart from the serene beauty of
the Chitral district with its lakes, snow-capped peaks, forest, alpine
meadows, flowers, medicinal herbs, fruits and crops, all of which depend on
a suitable natural climate. The singers mourned the missing of the valuable
bird species from the ecological chain. Some birds used to live when most of
the participants were young people. It was indicated that climate change has
been responsible for the migration/ extinction of the precious bird species.
*6. **Poems*
*‘Don’t turn my heaven into hell’ *was the theme of poetic session. The
student poets wisely couched the issues climate change into poetic language.
They appealed to the sentiments of the participants to save the natural
environment of the region to degrade into a sort of ‘hell’ by becoming
unbearably hot. Further, funny anecdotes related to natural environment were
shared with the audients. Pieces of engaging wits were skillfully blended
into making the cause of climate change more motivating. It must be noted
that *Khowar* poetic sessions have been used as an effective tool of
campaign to mobilize communities for political issues, poverty, financial
corruption and forced marriage and so on.
*7. **Walk*
A placard bearing walk of parents and students through the Booni village was
taken out from OSL, which ended as it reached near the Booni Market. The
purpose of the walk was to spread the message of International Day of
Climate Change amongst the villagers.
The participants of the International Day of Climate Change in Booni,
Chitral, northern Pakistan, put forward the recommendations as follows:
· That there has to be an effective fund raising campaign by the
local communities to protect the Booni from the catastrophe of natural
hazards in future. To this end, every household has to contribute a sizeable
amount even if they have sell out their livestock.
· The environmental-unfriendly practice of irration grazing of the
Booni Gol rangeland by the nomads, who keep as many as 6000 goats and sheep,
has to be halted forthwith.
· Standard research work by reputed glaciologists and environment
scientists is what the participants recommended to properly evaluate,
understand and establish authentic baseline data on the deteriorating
condition of natural environment in the mountains of Chitral.
· In order to protect the Booni from the spillover of mud-flood in
future, check dams need to be constructed in the side valleys high up in the
Booni Gol rangeland.
· Protective walls have to be constructed at different points where
the flood has already broken into the villages. However, such protective
walls have to be technically sound with their foundation deep into the
ground.
· Deforestation of juniper, birch and shrubs in the Booni Gol
rangeland has to be immediately stopped and efforts for plantation on a wide
scale has to be undertaken by communities/ school students.
· The bed of the Booni stream needs to be canalized to provide
permanent course for the stream. This way the stream can wash into the
Mastuj River the material that the flood deposited all along the stream bed.
· There have to be awareness raising seminars, workshops and
conferences on climate change and its impacts on the mountainous communities
of Chitral.
· Last but not the least, the participants thanked Chitral
Association for Mountain Area Tourism (CAMAT) and Orion School of Learning
(OSL) for organizing the event of International Day of Climate Change, which
the local community so urgently needed.
Beggars Opera / Waters of Change
Track listing:
- "Time Machine"(Park/Griffiths/Gardiner) - 8:00
- "Lament" (Park/Wilson) - 1:51
- "I've No Idea" (Park/Griffiths) - 7:42
- "Nimbus" (Sellar/Griffiths/Gardiner) - 3:43
- "Festival" (Park/Griffiths/Erskine) - 6:00
- "Silver Peacock / Intro" (Griffiths/Scott) - 0:22
- "Silver Peacock" (Park/Griffiths/Scott) - 6:33
- "Impromptu" (Gardiner/Scott) - 1:14
- "The Fox" (Gardiner/Griffiths/Scott) - 6:52
Ricky Gardiner - lead guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar
Martin Griffiths - lead vocal, Cow Bell
Alan Park - organ, piano
Gordon Sellar - bass and acoustic guitar, vocals
Virginia Scott - Mellotron, vocals
Raymond Wilson - percussion
Marshall Erskine - bass, flute on "Festival"
Recorded at Command Studios and De Lane Lea Studios, London
sleeve design: ?
Label: Vertigo Records / 1971
ex Vinyl-Collection MTP
Well ...
Spent an afternoon with Erik and Marc shooting in Old Montreal
There Marc was explaining to Erik the fine points of Nikon photography
Or is it the other way around ?
Being a Canon guy
I was out of that loop and gently minding my own business
:-)
Erikr1200 flickr
jmarcdube flickr
Erik advised me to listen to a song that he and wife Marie like
He feels I will relate or be reminded of something or someone
So here goes
Will be my first listen when I link
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdvFs7goXSA
Amos Lee - Kid
Cheers et bonne semaine
g
Made these quilted changing pads for my nephew. I loved to use these when my kids were babies to cover those horrid changing tables in public restrooms.
After coming out of prison last summer, Welcome is now a One Man Can Training Assistant. He explains how the project asks questions and encourages men to rethink how they value women and change their lives.
“How can I say that I’m gender conscious if I’m still being abusive? How can I say I’m gender conscious if I’m still seeing women as objects rather than our equals? So in order to change, I needed to do this introspection and move myself away from gang activity to understand I could be a loving man and a loving provider, if I just worked on that process.”
Background
In March 2013 the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women will meet to discuss how to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls.
UK aid is working in 21 countries to address physical and sexual violence against women and girls and will be supporting 10 million women and girls with improved access to security and justice services by 2015.
Find out more at www.dfid.gov.uk/violence-against-women-and-girls
For more information about the Sonke Gender Justice programme visit genderjustice.org.za/
Picture: Lindsay Mgbor/Department for International Development
Terms of use
This image is posted under a Creative Commons - Attribution Licence, in accordance with the Open Government Licence. You are free to embed, download or otherwise re-use it, as long as you credit the source as Lindsay Mgbor/Department for International Development'.
!
"Beached Walkers” Installation of shoes washed ashore near and around LA Harbor Southern California . View more artwork #Lowell Nickel art. Lower- Digital imaging using beached rubbish as subject matterlocal beaches.
This work began by building clusters of flotsam
and making digital photomontages. As this project evolved a
formal image-making strategy developed via toying with these
beached objects and placing them within layered compositions.
The intention: the renewal of this wayward material by displaying
it, with all it’s seasoned attributes, as somehow elegant.
As a devoted beachcomber and lifelong roadside treasure
hunter I have regard for these distressed and decomposing
products. These materials are our own footprints to be washed
away in time by the elements. The weathering forces of nature
serve as the ultimate liberator of all manmade materials… this
does not come without alterations of risky consequence.
Currently, this flotsam theme is also being explored with video,
installation work and billboard public presentations.
Thank you for the work that you do to change minds and better our Planet in need!
Sincerely lowell nickel
28 September 2016 - Opening of the ENV 2016: Climate Change, Transition towards a circular economy meeting.
OECD, Paris, France.
Photo: OECD/Michael Dean
About 20,000 people converged on Treasury Gardens under bright spring sunshine to protest against the repeal of the Carbon Tax and axing of various clean energy initiatives. We demand effective action on Climate Change. It was a beautiful day and it felt good to be out there doing something on the National Day of Action
Changing of the Queen's guard - London, England, UK
changing of the guard schedule here:
www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/ChangingtheGuar...
--
Website (wip): picas.cc/
Twitter: twitter.com/supersum30
Religious leaders and chiefs play a vital role in driving positive change throughout communities. So far 2,188 community leaders committed to abandon FGM/C during public ceremonies in Burkina Faso.
Father of seven, Chief Naba, led the fight against FGM/C in his community in central Burkina Faso.
"Education and talking is important. Cutting women is very bad for them and causes suffering. If women suffer, men also suffer", he says.
"It's been a long process, but we've abandoned the practice in our community now".
UK aid is supporting peer education through the UNICEF and UNFPA Joint Programme in Burkina Faso and across Africa.
The UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme has been critical in the creation of networks of influential people that can support the campaign against FGM/C.
Find out more about our work: www.gov.uk/government/news/breaking-the-cycle-of-female-g...
Take a stand. Pledge to end FGM, child marriage and forced marriage now: www.girlsummitpledge.com/
Picture: Jessica Lea/DFID.
View of Grey Glacier during a visit by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to see first-hand the effects of climate change on melting glaciers.
10/Nov/2007. Torres del Paine, Chile. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe. www.un.org/av/photo/
Two young raccoons were chasing each other through the reeds at Sweetwater Wetlands. One ran out of the reeds and stopped when he realized he was facing a group of birders. He turned and ran back into the reeds.
Thanks for stopping by and view this photo. The reason for posting this photo on Flickr is to learn so if you have constructive feedback regarding what I could do better and / or what should I try, drop me a note I would love to hear your input.
View on Black the way it should be seen!
-- Let the sound of the shutter always guide you to new ventures.
© 2021 Winkler
Remember to follow me on Social Media Facebook: Bjarne Winkler, We Capture Your Business, or Twitter @Bjarne Winkler, @CaptureWe, @NewTeamSoftware
IAPP Member: US#12002
A worker stands next to the heliostats. With a total weight of 1.8 tons each, there are 10,600 heliostats (mirrors), which concentrate solar radiation onto the solar receiver, located at the top of a 250-meter-high tower. The concentric arrangement of the plant covers an area of more than 700 hectares (7 square kilometers), with a diameter of 3 kilometers.
The Cerro Dominador solar power plant produces 110 MW, which are directly connected to the National Electric System. The plant is located in the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, which has the highest levels of direct solar radiation on the planet. In the Cerro Dominador solar power plant, the solar energy is reflected by 10,600 heliostats (mirrors) to the top of a 250-meter-high tower, where liquid salts are heated; the hot salts then help to generate steam, which in contact with an electric generation turbine produces the final energy. The main characteristic of the solar thermal plant is that, unlike photovoltaic, it solves the problem of intermittency, being able to produce energy during 17 hours without the presence of the sun and maintaining the production of 110 MW even at night.
IMF Photo/Tamara Merino
30 June 2021
Maria Elana, Chile
Photo ref: 013_Tamara Merino.jpg
. . . 10. 3. 2007 - this is the fourth day of a funeral ceremony in Bori for a High Class Woman. She died on 18. 1. 2007 at the age of 85 years. The ceremony will last for one week. Today we will see buffalo fighting, cock fighting, the killing of the buffalos, the horse and the deer. The photos of the killing might look strange to you, to the torajian they are common. The souls of the killed buffalos are the servants of the deads. The more buffalos are killed the better life for the dead.
If you wonder why the quality of the pictures is a little less: these are no photographs - it all are snapshots of my videos! So sorry for the less resolution, but I think, they are worth to be shown.
_____________________________________
The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja"). Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of the Ancestors").
The word toraja comes from the Bugis Buginese language term to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.
Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model - in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo - to a largely Christian society. Today, tourism and remittances from migrant Torajans have made for major changes in the Toraja highland, giving the Toraja a celebrity status within Indonesia and enhancing Toraja ethnic group pride.
ETHNIC IDENTITY
The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonization and Christianization, Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in the Sulawesi highland region. "Toraja" (from the coastal languages' to, meaning people; and riaja, uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, "Toraja" initially had more currency with outsiders - such as the Bugis and Makassarese, who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi - than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries' presence in the highlands gave rise to the Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa'dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups - the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators).
HISTORY
From the 17th century, the Dutch established trade and political control on Sulawesi through the Dutch East Indies Company. Over two centuries, they ignored the mountainous area in the central Sulawesi, where Torajans lived, because access was difficult and it had little productive agricultural land. In the late 19th century, the Dutch became increasingly concerned about the spread of Islam in the south of Sulawesi, especially among the Makassarese and Bugis peoples. The Dutch saw the animist highlanders as potential Christians. In the 1920s, the Reformed Missionary Alliance of the Dutch Reformed Church began missionary work aided by the Dutch colonial government. In addition to introducing Christianity, the Dutch abolished slavery and imposed local taxes. A line was drawn around the Sa'dan area and called Tana Toraja ("the land of Toraja"). Tana Toraja was first a subdivision of the Luwu kingdom that had claimed the area. In 1946, the Dutch granted Tana Toraja a regentschap, and it was recognized in 1957 as one of the regencies of Indonesia.
Early Dutch missionaries faced strong opposition among Torajans, especially among the elite, because the abolition of their profitable slave trade had angered them. Some Torajans were forcibly relocated to the lowlands by the Dutch, where they could be more easily controlled. Taxes were kept high, undermining the wealth of the elites. Ultimately, the Dutch influence did not subdue Torajan culture, and only a few Torajans were converted. In 1950, only 10% of the population had converted to Christianity.
In the 1930s, Muslim lowlanders attacked the Torajans, resulting in widespread Christian conversion among those who sought to align themselves with the Dutch for political protection and to form a movement against the Bugis and Makassarese Muslims. Between 1951 and 1965 (following Indonesian independence), southern Sulawesi faced a turbulent period as the Darul Islam separatist movement fought for an Islamic state in Sulawesi. The 15 years of guerrilla warfare led to massive conversions to
CHRISTIANITY
Alignment with the Indonesian government, however, did not guarantee safety for the Torajans. In 1965, a presidential decree required every Indonesian citizen to belong to one of five officially recognized religions: Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism, or Buddhism. The Torajan religious belief (aluk) was not legally recognized, and the Torajans raised their voices against the law. To make aluk accord with the law, it had to be accepted as part of one of the official religions. In 1969, Aluk To Dolo ("the way of ancestors") was legalized as a sect of Agama Hindu Dharma, the official name of Hinduism in Indonesia.
SOCIETY
There are three main types of affiliation in Toraja society: family, class and religion.
FAMILY AFFILIATION
Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house. Each tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village. The familial dons maintain village unity. Marriage between distant cousins (fourth cousins and beyond) is a common practice that strengthens kinship. Toraja society prohibits marriage between close cousins (up to and including the third cousin) - except for nobles, to prevent the dispersal of property. Kinship is actively reciprocal, meaning that the extended family helps each other farm, share buffalo rituals, and pay off debts.
Each person belongs to both the mother's and the father's families, the only bilateral family line in Indonesia. Children, therefore, inherit household affiliation from both mother and father, including land and even family debts. Children's names are given on the basis of kinship, and are usually chosen after dead relatives. Names of aunts, uncles and cousins are commonly referred to in the names of mothers, fathers and siblings.
Before the start of the formal administration of Toraja villages by the Tana Toraja Regency, each Toraja village was autonomous. In a more complex situation, in which one Toraja family could not handle their problems alone, several villages formed a group; sometimes, villages would unite against other villages. Relationship between families was expressed through blood, marriage, and shared ancestral houses (tongkonan), practically signed by the exchange of water buffalo and pigs on ritual occasions. Such exchanges not only built political and cultural ties between families but defined each person's place in a social hierarchy: who poured palm wine, who wrapped a corpse and prepared offerings, where each person could or could not sit, what dishes should be used or avoided, and even what piece of meat constituted one's share.
CLASS AFFILIATION
In early Toraja society, family relationships were tied closely to social class. There were three strata: nobles, commoners, and slaves (slavery was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, to marry "down" with a woman of lower class. On the other hand, marrying a woman of higher class could improve the status of the next generation. The nobility's condescending attitude toward the commoners is still maintained today for reasons of family prestige.
Nobles, who were believed to be direct descendants of the descended person from heaven, lived in tongkonans, while commoners lived in less lavish houses (bamboo shacks called banua). Slaves lived in small huts, which had to be built around their owner's tongkonan. Commoners might marry anyone, but nobles preferred to marry in-family to maintain their status. Sometimes nobles married Bugis or Makassarese nobles. Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. Despite close kinship and status inheritance, there was some social mobility, as marriage or change in wealth could affect an individuals status. Wealth was counted by the ownership of water buffaloes.
Slaves in Toraja society were family property. Sometimes Torajans decided to become slaves when they incurred a debt, pledging to work as payment. Slaves could be taken during wars, and slave trading was common. Slaves could buy their freedom, but their children still inherited slave status. Slaves were prohibited from wearing bronze or gold, carving their houses, eating from the same dishes as their owners, or having sex with free women - a crime punishable by death.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
Toraja's indigenous belief system is polytheistic animism, called aluk, or "the way" (sometimes translated as "the law"). In the Toraja myth, the ancestors of Torajan people came down from heaven using stairs, which were then used by the Torajans as a communication medium with Puang Matua, the Creator. The cosmos, according to aluk, is divided into the upper world (heaven), the world of man (earth), and the underworld. At first, heaven and earth were married, then there was a darkness, a separation, and finally the light. Animals live in the underworld, which is represented by rectangular space enclosed by pillars, the earth is for mankind, and the heaven world is located above, covered with a saddle-shaped roof. Other Toraja gods include Pong Banggai di Rante (god of Earth), Indo' Ongon-Ongon (a goddess who can cause earthquakes), Pong Lalondong (god of death), and Indo' Belo Tumbang (goddess of medicine); there are many more.
The earthly authority, whose words and actions should be cleaved to both in life (agriculture) and death (funerals), is called to minaa (an aluk priest). Aluk is not just a belief system; it is a combination of law, religion, and habit. Aluk governs social life, agricultural practices, and ancestral rituals. The details of aluk may vary from one village to another. One common law is the requirement that death and life rituals be separated. Torajans believe that performing death rituals might ruin their corpses if combined with life rituals. The two rituals are equally important. During the time of the Dutch missionaries, Christian Torajans were prohibited from attending or performing life rituals, but were allowed to perform death rituals. Consequently, Toraja's death rituals are still practised today, while life rituals have diminished.
CULTURE
TONGKONAN
Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word "tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to sit").
Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin. According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.
The construction of a tongkonan is laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There are three types of tongkonan. The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to the family members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary family members reside in the tongkonan batu. The exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan.
WOOD CARVINGS
To express social and religious concepts, Torajans carve wood, calling it Pa'ssura (or "the writing"). Wood carvings are therefore Toraja's cultural manifestation.
Each carving receives a special name, and common motifs are animals and plants that symbolize some virtue. For example, water plants and animals, such as crabs, tadpoles and water weeds, are commonly found to symbolize fertility. In some areas noble elders claim these symbols refer to strength of noble family, but not everyone agrees. The overall meaning of groups of carved motifs on houses remains debated and tourism has further complicated these debates because some feel a uniform explanation must be presented to tourists. The image to the left shows an example of Torajan wood carving, consisting of 15 square panels. The center bottom panel represents buffalo or wealth, a wish for many buffaloes for the family. The center panel represents a knot and a box, a hope that all of the family's offspring will be happy and live in harmony, like goods kept safe in a box. The top left and top right squares represent an aquatic animal, indicating the need for fast and hard work, just like moving on the surface of water. It also represents the need for a certain skill to produce good results.
Regularity and order are common features in Toraja wood carving (see table below), as well as abstracts and geometrical designs. Nature is frequently used as the basis of Toraja's ornaments, because nature is full of abstractions and geometries with regularities and ordering. Toraja's ornaments have been studied in ethnomathematics to reveal their mathematical structure, but Torajans base this art only on approximations. To create an ornament, bamboo sticks are used as a geometrical tool.
FUNERAL RITES
In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.
The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.
Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundreds of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased's family. However, a cockfight, known as bulangan londong, is an integral part of the ceremony. As with the sacrifice of the buffalo and the pigs, the cockfight is considered sacred because it involves the spilling of blood on the earth. In particular, the tradition requires the sacrifice of at least three chickens. However, it is common for at least 25 pairs of chickens to be set against each other in the context of the ceremony.
There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called Tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.
In the ritual called Ma'Nene, that takes place each year in August, the bodies of the deceased are exhumed to be washed, groomed and dressed in new clothes. The mummies are then walked around the village.
DANCE AND MUSIC
Torajans perform dances on several occasions, most often during their elaborate funeral ceremonies. They dance to express their grief, and to honour and even cheer the deceased person because he is going to have a long journey in the afterlife. First, a group of men form a circle and sing a monotonous chant throughout the night to honour the deceased (a ritual called Ma'badong). This is considered by many Torajans to be the most important component of the funeral ceremony. On the second funeral day, the Ma'randing warrior dance is performed to praise the courage of the deceased during life. Several men perform the dance with a sword, a large shield made from buffalo skin, a helmet with a buffalo horn, and other ornamentation. The Ma'randing dance precedes a procession in which the deceased is carried from a rice barn to the rante, the site of the funeral ceremony. During the funeral, elder women perform the Ma'katia dance while singing a poetic song and wearing a long feathered costume. The Ma'akatia dance is performed to remind the audience of the generosity and loyalty of the deceased person. After the bloody ceremony of buffalo and pig slaughter, a group of boys and girls clap their hands while performing a cheerful dance called Ma'dondan.
As in other agricultural societies, Torajans dance and sing during harvest time. The Ma'bugi dance celebrates the thanksgiving event, and the Ma'gandangi dance is performed while Torajans are pounding rice. There are several war dances, such as the Manimbong dance performed by men, followed by the Ma'dandan dance performed by women. The aluk religion governs when and how Torajans dance. A dance called Ma'bua can be performed only once every 12 years. Ma'bua is a major Toraja ceremony in which priests wear a buffalo head and dance around a sacred tree.
A traditional musical instrument of the Toraja is a bamboo flute called a Pa'suling (suling is an Indonesian word for flute). This six-holed flute (not unique to the Toraja) is played at many dances, such as the thanksgiving dance Ma'bondensan, where the flute accompanies a group of shirtless, dancing men with long fingernails. The Toraja have indigenous musical instruments, such as the Pa'pelle (made from palm leaves) and the Pa'karombi (the Torajan version of a jaw harp). The Pa'pelle is played during harvest time and at house inauguration ceremonies.
LANGUAGE
The ethnic Toraja language is dominant in Tana Toraja with the main language as the Sa'dan Toraja. Although the national Indonesian language is the official language and is spoken in the community, all elementary schools in Tana Toraja teach Toraja language.Language varieties of Toraja, including Kalumpang, Mamasa, Tae' , Talondo' , Toala' , and Toraja-Sa'dan, belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language from the Austronesian family. At the outset, the isolated geographical nature of Tana Toraja formed many dialects between the Toraja languages themselves. After the formal administration of Tana Toraja, some Toraja dialects have been influenced by other languages through the transmigration program, introduced since the colonialism period, and it has been a major factor in the linguistic variety of Toraja languages. A prominent attribute of Toraja language is the notion of grief. The importance of death ceremony in Toraja culture has characterized their languages to express intricate degrees of grief and mourning. The Toraja language contains many terms referring to sadness, longing, depression, and mental pain. Giving a clear expression of the psychological and physical effect of loss is a catharsis and sometimes lessens the pain of grief itself.
ECONOMY
Prior to Suharto's "New Order" administration, the Torajan economy was based on agriculture, with cultivated wet rice in terraced fields on mountain slopes, and supplemental cassava and maize crops. Much time and energy were devoted to raising water buffalo, pigs, and chickens, primarily for ceremonial sacrifices and consumption. Coffee was the first significant cash crop produced in Toraja, and was introduced in the mid 19th century, changing the local economy towards commodity production for external markets and gaining an excellent reputation for quality in the international market .
With the commencement of the New Order in 1965, Indonesia's economy developed and opened to foreign investment. In Toraja, a coffee plantation and factory was established by Key Coffee of Japan, and Torajan coffee regained a reputation for quality within the growing international specialty coffee sector Multinational oil and mining companies opened new operations in Indonesia during the 1970s and 1980s. Torajans, particularly younger ones, relocated to work for the foreign companies - to Kalimantan for timber and oil, to Papua for mining, to the cities of Sulawesi and Java, and many went to Malaysia. The out-migration of Torajans was steady until 1985. and has continued since, with remittances sent back by emigre Torajans performing an important role within the contemporary economy.
Tourism commenced in Toraja in the 1970s, and accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1984 and 1997, a significant number of Torajans obtained their incomes from tourism, working in and owning hotels, as tour guides, drivers, or selling souvenirs. With the rise of political and economic instability in Indonesia in the late 1990s - including religious conflicts elsewhere on Sulawesi - tourism in Tana Toraja has declined dramatically. Toraja continues to be a well known origin for Indonesian coffee, grown by both smallholders and plantation estates, although migration, remittances and off-farm income is considered far more important to most households, even those in rural areas.
TOURISM AND CULTURAL CHANGE
Before the 1970s, Toraja was almost unknown to Western tourism. In 1971, about 50 Europeans visited Tana Toraja. In 1972, at least 400 visitors attended the funeral ritual of Puang of Sangalla, the highest-ranking nobleman in Tana Toraja and the so-called "last pure-blooded Toraja noble." The event was documented by National Geographic and broadcast in several European countries. In 1976, about 12,000 tourists visited the regency and in 1981, Torajan sculpture was exhibited in major North American museums. "The land of the heavenly kings of Tana Toraja", as written in the exhibition brochure, embraced the outside world.
In 1984, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism declared Tana Toraja Regency the prima donna of South Sulawesi. Tana Toraja was heralded as "the second stop after Bali". Tourism was increasing dramatically: by 1985, a total number of 150,000 foreigners had visited the Regency (in addition to 80,000 domestic tourists), and the annual number of foreign visitors was recorded at 40,000 in 1989. Souvenir stands appeared in Rantepao, the cultural center of Toraja, roads were sealed at the most-visited tourist sites, new hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants were opened, and an airstrip was opened in the Regency in 1981.
Tourism developers have marketed Tana Toraja as an exotic adventure - an area rich in culture and off the beaten track. Western tourists expected to see stone-age villages and pagan funerals. Toraja is for tourists who have gone as far as Bali and are willing to see more of the wild, "untouched" islands. However, they were more likely to see a Torajan wearing a hat and denim, living in a Christian society. Tourists felt that the tongkonan and other Torajan rituals had been preconceived to make profits, and complained that the destination was too commercialized. This has resulted in several clashes between Torajans and tourism developers, whom Torajans see as outsiders.
A clash between local Torajan leaders and the South Sulawesi provincial government (as a tourist developer) broke out in 1985. The government designated 18 Toraja villages and burial sites as traditional tourist attractions. Consequently, zoning restrictions were applied to these areas, such that Torajans themselves were barred from changing their tongkonans and burial sites. The plan was opposed by some Torajan leaders, as they felt that their rituals and traditions were being determined by outsiders. As a result, in 1987, the Torajan village of Kété Kesú and several other designated tourist attractions closed their doors to tourists. This closure lasted only a few days, as the villagers found it too difficult to survive without the income from selling souvenirs.
Tourism has also transformed Toraja society. Originally, there was a ritual which allowed commoners to marry nobles (puang) and thereby gain nobility for their children. However, the image of Torajan society created for the tourists, often by "lower-ranking" guides, has eroded its traditional strict hierarchy. High status is not as esteemed in Tana Toraja as it once was. Many low-ranking men can declare themselves and their children nobles by gaining enough wealth through work outside the region and then marrying a noble woman.
WIKIPEDIA
I've generally posted a photo like this when I've changed cameras. They act like a bookmark for me to work out when these things happened.
In this case it's a fairly big change because I'm getting rid of my DSLR (a Nikon D7000) and going for a smaller camera. My DSLR was often left at home due to the bulk of it and all of the associated items. This camera still has a DSLR sized sensor and the lenses for it have been getting excellent reviews (as has the camera itself).
Initial impressions are that it's lovely - I just need to get out there and use it now.
Mingle Media TV and Red Carpet Report host, Paige Sullivan, were invited to cover the 2013 Do Something Awards (#DSAwards) hosted by actress Sophia Bush along with celebrity presenters Malin Akerman, Lucy Hale, Cynthia Nixon, Russell Simmons and Aisha Tyler. This year’s high-energy show is honoring celebrities Patrick Dempsey, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jennifer Hudson, LL COOL J and Kelly Osbourne for being amazing social change leaders, along with five “do-gooders,” 25 and under, who are in the trenches, creating substantial change in our world.
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About the Do Something Awards
In addition to honoring celebrities for their work to inspire others, and a night filled with great musical performances, one young "do-er" (age 25 and under) will receive a grand prize of $100,000 for their cause and the four other nominees will receive a $10,000 community grant. This is the largest and most prestigious prize in the world for young people and social change.
This year’s five nominees have gone above and beyond to make a difference addressing important issues. Nominees include Sasha Fisher (Spark MicroGrants); Daniel Maree (Million Hoodies Movement for Justice); Jillian Mourning (All We Want is LOVE - Liberation of Victims Everywhere); Lorella Praeli (United We Dream); and Ben Simon (Food Recovery Network). www.vh1.com/shows/events/do_something_awards/2013/index.j...
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Saudia, or Saudi Arabian Airlines (take your pick!) is undergoing a few changes in preparation for the Summer 2016 schedule which will begin in only 3 months time where demand will increase over time. Saudia is planning changes to its 2 flights operating to London Heathrow from both Jeddah and Riyadh.
Effective from 27th March 2016, London Heathrow to Jeddah (SV115/116) operates daily but will see the flight operating with 2-class Boeing 777-300ER's rather than the current Boeing 777-200ER. Meanwhile, London Heathrow to Riyadh (SV117/118) operates daily using First Class-configured Boeing 777-300ER's rather than on selected flights.
Currently, Saudia operates a fleet of 45 Boeing 777's, this includes 23 Boeing 777-200ER's (one is VIP-configured), 3 Boeing 777F's with one more example on-order, and lastly 19 Boeing 777-300ER's with one more example left on-order.
Alpha Kilo Charlie is currently one of 23 Boeing 777-200ER's in service with Saudia as well as just 12 Boeing 777-200ER's that feature First Class interiors. She was delivered new to Saudia in December 1997 and is powered by 2 General Electric GE90-92B engines.
Boeing 777-268(ER) HZ-AKC on final approach into Runway 09L at London Heathrow (LHR) on SV115 from Jeddah-King Abdulaziz (JED).
Strobist Sundays working hands theme. Macro Mondays fast theme. Spark plug change. You can't go fast without them.
YN-460 at low camera right 1/8 power. Reflector left.
"SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY WAS NOT ARRAYED LIKE FORMER BERLIN POLICEMEN
This wax-figure parade shows sartorial evolution of the law's majesty through many generations. Those at the right, suggesting field marshals and admirals, date from the 17th century."
Photograph by Wide World
(This historic photograph is from a National Geographic article in the February 1937 issue titled "Changing Berlin". It offers a fascinating look at Berlin, Germany, a few years before the start of World War II.)