Showing posts with label Earth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Earth. Show all posts
Jul 20, 2009
Apr 18, 2009
Mar 9, 2009
Mar 1, 2009
Feb 11, 2009
Scenes From Indonesia
Scenes From Indonesia
Ecologically blessed, economically challenged, vast and diverse,
Indonesia is a country of contrasts. made up of 17,500 islands (only
about 6,000 of those inhabited). Indonesia is populated by over 230
million people, speaking over 740 different languages and dialects
within 300 distinct native ethnic groups - it is the fourth most
populous country, after the United States. Impoverished conditions
amongst people living in an area so rich with natural resources has
also put extreme pressure on the environment, as increased mining and
deforestation make more of an impact. Collected here are only a handful
of photographs from Indonesia over the past several months - again,
it's impossible to sum up such a diverse subject in a single collection
An elephant keeper collects food for the elephants at the Elephant
Conservation Centre in Way Kambas National Park on Indonesia's Sumatra
Island January 25, 2009. Since 1998, 22 elephants were born at Way
Kambas Elephant Conservation Centre. Sumatran elephants, the smallest
of all Asian elephants, are facing serious pressures arising from
illegal logging and associated habitat loss and fragmentation in
Indonesia, said Conservation Centre authorities
Indonesian students wait for their turn to view an annular solar eclipse in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia Lampung province
A worker carries containers of crude oil to be processed into fuel at a
well on December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. Crude oil mining is
undertaken in what is known as the "eternal oil fields" using
traditional methods and simple equipment. '''
Crude oil sprays from a well bucket as a result of mining processes on
December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. The "eternal oil field"
reserves were rediscovered here, just over 100km from Surabaya in 2005,
although the 210 wells date back to Dutch colonial times.
A worker attempts to extinguish a flame at the source of an oil well
'
A worker inspects crude oil resulting from mining processes at a well
December 23, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. The 2005 rediscovery of
these fields was the biggest in Indonesia in three decades, and remains
one of the biggest oil reserves in Indonesia.
A mine worker takes part in the extraction of crude oil from a well on December 23, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia.
Distilled diesel oil pours in to a tank as it waits for the sale to a
distributor December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia.. These fields
are mined jointly by the state oil company Pertamina and a subsidiary
of ExxonMobil. Fields such as those at Banyu Urip alone produce up to
170,000 barrels per day, accounting for 20 percent of Indonesia's crude
oil production.
Ecologically blessed, economically challenged, vast and diverse,
Indonesia is a country of contrasts. made up of 17,500 islands (only
about 6,000 of those inhabited). Indonesia is populated by over 230
million people, speaking over 740 different languages and dialects
within 300 distinct native ethnic groups - it is the fourth most
populous country, after the United States. Impoverished conditions
amongst people living in an area so rich with natural resources has
also put extreme pressure on the environment, as increased mining and
deforestation make more of an impact. Collected here are only a handful
of photographs from Indonesia over the past several months - again,
it's impossible to sum up such a diverse subject in a single collection
An elephant keeper collects food for the elephants at the Elephant
Conservation Centre in Way Kambas National Park on Indonesia's Sumatra
Island January 25, 2009. Since 1998, 22 elephants were born at Way
Kambas Elephant Conservation Centre. Sumatran elephants, the smallest
of all Asian elephants, are facing serious pressures arising from
illegal logging and associated habitat loss and fragmentation in
Indonesia, said Conservation Centre authorities
Indonesian students wait for their turn to view an annular solar eclipse in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia Lampung province
A worker carries containers of crude oil to be processed into fuel at a
well on December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. Crude oil mining is
undertaken in what is known as the "eternal oil fields" using
traditional methods and simple equipment. '''
Crude oil sprays from a well bucket as a result of mining processes on
December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. The "eternal oil field"
reserves were rediscovered here, just over 100km from Surabaya in 2005,
although the 210 wells date back to Dutch colonial times.
A worker attempts to extinguish a flame at the source of an oil well
'
A worker inspects crude oil resulting from mining processes at a well
December 23, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia. The 2005 rediscovery of
these fields was the biggest in Indonesia in three decades, and remains
one of the biggest oil reserves in Indonesia.
A mine worker takes part in the extraction of crude oil from a well on December 23, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia.
Distilled diesel oil pours in to a tank as it waits for the sale to a
distributor December 22, 2008 in Bojonegoro, Indonesia.. These fields
are mined jointly by the state oil company Pertamina and a subsidiary
of ExxonMobil. Fields such as those at Banyu Urip alone produce up to
170,000 barrels per day, accounting for 20 percent of Indonesia's crude
oil production.
Feb 3, 2009
Fantastic Floating Islands
The Uros people of Lake Titicaca
have a unique way of life - they build their own islands, float them on
the lake and then proceed to live on them. Here is a glimpse of their
world, where their home made "islands" are truly "in the stream".
Like many unique cultures around the world, that of the Uros is under threat from assimilation.
Most of the Uros speak Aymara - which is the language of a larger local
tribe that is resolutely mainland. It is thought that they lost their
own language around five hundred years ago. Whether the language was
naturally lost or Aymara was forced upon the Uros is not known, but the
relatively recent arrival of Europeans has been the greatest threat to
their cultural identity - greater than that of the Inca Empire - to
which the Uros had to pay taxes and give up many of their own people as
slaves.
Traditionally there are around forty small islands
on the lake with one - the largest - being the focal point of the
community. The reed, as well as being - quite literally - the
foundation of the community, is important to the Uros' economy and well
being. Iodine is produced from the base of the reed and it is also used
for general medicinal purposes.. The reeds are wrapped around parts of
the body that are hurting and, purportedly - cure it of its aches and
pains! The flower of the reed is also used to brew up a cuppa
Although numerically a small people, the Uros seem to have adopted the aspects of European society which suits them. Many of them use solar panels on their reed homes to run television sets and other electronic appliances. The largest of the islands has a radio station
which broadcasts for several hours each day and the concept of group
education for the children in the form of two schools has also been
adopted. However, great care is taken to preserve the culture of the
Uros, with one of the schools given over entirely to traditional
learning. A gas run generator used to give light at night but this has
been eschewed because of its prohibitive expense. Instead, candles and flash lights are now used.
It can only be hoped that this small, unique and vibrant culture can
survive the demands placed upon it by external forces. Certainly it
would be a shame if the world was to lose yet another intriguing and
vital, if tiny, aspect of humanity to the ogre of global homogenization
have a unique way of life - they build their own islands, float them on
the lake and then proceed to live on them. Here is a glimpse of their
world, where their home made "islands" are truly "in the stream".
Like many unique cultures around the world, that of the Uros is under threat from assimilation.
Most of the Uros speak Aymara - which is the language of a larger local
tribe that is resolutely mainland. It is thought that they lost their
own language around five hundred years ago. Whether the language was
naturally lost or Aymara was forced upon the Uros is not known, but the
relatively recent arrival of Europeans has been the greatest threat to
their cultural identity - greater than that of the Inca Empire - to
which the Uros had to pay taxes and give up many of their own people as
slaves.
Traditionally there are around forty small islands
on the lake with one - the largest - being the focal point of the
community. The reed, as well as being - quite literally - the
foundation of the community, is important to the Uros' economy and well
being. Iodine is produced from the base of the reed and it is also used
for general medicinal purposes.. The reeds are wrapped around parts of
the body that are hurting and, purportedly - cure it of its aches and
pains! The flower of the reed is also used to brew up a cuppa
Although numerically a small people, the Uros seem to have adopted the aspects of European society which suits them. Many of them use solar panels on their reed homes to run television sets and other electronic appliances. The largest of the islands has a radio station
which broadcasts for several hours each day and the concept of group
education for the children in the form of two schools has also been
adopted. However, great care is taken to preserve the culture of the
Uros, with one of the schools given over entirely to traditional
learning. A gas run generator used to give light at night but this has
been eschewed because of its prohibitive expense. Instead, candles and flash lights are now used.
It can only be hoped that this small, unique and vibrant culture can
survive the demands placed upon it by external forces. Certainly it
would be a shame if the world was to lose yet another intriguing and
vital, if tiny, aspect of humanity to the ogre of global homogenization
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