jagath dheerasekara

Animals in enclosures - Did this ever cross our mind?

2009-09-21T08:26:00.015+05:30

In the human society, all tend to respect and give hero / heroine treatment to someone who endures pain for others benefit. Showing gratitude like that is a great human quality. But attitude is quite discriminatory when it comes to animals that are imprisoned in small enclosures in public and private zoos, circuses and other scientific and entertainment ventures for humans comfort. For instance an African lion that would roam around a territory of 20-400 sq km is, in most cases, confined to a few square meters during its whole life for our joy. Did this ever cross our mind when we enjoy watching them - glossy coats, bright rainbow coloured feathers, piercing or sleepy eyes, feeding, social interactions etc?

NYPH 09

2009-08-12T11:37:00.003+05:30

Happy to have become a nominee in the editorial series. Well, maybe not so happy for not becoming winner !!!

NYPHA’09 Nominations
The Jury of the New York Photo Awards 2009 (NYPHA’09) is pleased to announce the following Nominees.

To be named a nominee of the New York Photo Awards 2009 means that one has been selected for the final round of judging, during which time only three finalists will be chosen (Winner and two Honorable Mentions). Considering the number of rounds that the Jury has already been through, being nominated is truly an award in and of itself. We are very proud of this year’s Nominees. It is clear that they represent the Future of Contemporary Photography, and we wish them continued success.

The Winners and Honorable Mentions will be announced (and their work presented) at the Gala Ceremony for the New York Photo Awards 2009 on Friday, May 15th at 8pm in the St. Ann’s Warehouse Auditorium. This is a special ticketed event, there are only 415 seats, and they are selling out fast. Last year, we packed the place to the gills, and still had another 200+ people flowing out to the streets. So, if you want a seat, you have to have a ticket. Festival passes and tickets can be purchased here.

Without much further ado, the Nominees for the New York Photo Awards 2009 are:

NEW YORK PHOTO AWARDS 2009

NOMINEES

Editorial Single Image

Larry Louie
Bob O’Connor
Christopher Wahl
Pierre Alivon
Michael Goermann
Niels Ahlmann Oleson
McKay Jaffe
Erik Swain
Felix Hug
Ed Kashi
Ryan Carter (5 images)
Marieke van der Velden (3 images)
Carol Allen Storey
Mike Callaghan
Christopher Petersen
Emily Shur (2 images)
Sarah Bones
Patrick de Warren
Thomas Leffeldt/Ekstra Bladet (3 images)
J Carrier (3 images)
Jens Honore
Marc Josse
Jenn Ackerman
Gleb Garanich
Jessica Rinaldi
Jonathan Ernst
Goran Tomosevic
Finbarr O’ Reilly
Nadav Kander (4 images)
Charles Ommanney
Mads Nissen
Elene Usdin
Stephen Mallon
Toby Smith

Editorial Series

Dirk-Jan Visser (2 series)
Dima Gavrysh
Ricardo Garcia
Albertina d’Urso (2 series)
Denis Rouvre
Gary Dwyer
Michael Goermann
Coco Amardell
Emilio Morenatti
David Guttenfelder
Oded Balilty
Jerome Delay
Lynsey Addario
Espen Rasmussen (2 series)
Ed Kashi (2 series)
Ryan Carter
Gerald Slota
Christian Als
Ethan James
Gabriele Stabile
Jagath Dheerasekara
Thomas Lekfeldt/Ekstra Bladet
Moises Saman
Matthieu Paley
Clemence de Limburg
Tim Gruber
Finbarr O’Reilly
Alex Majoli
Charles Ommanney
Shaul Schwarz
Tiana-Markova-Gold
Q. Sakamaki
Carol Guzy
Michael Corridore
T.J. Kirkpatrick

Fine Art Single Image

Amro Hamzawi
Christy Karpinski
John Offenbach (3 images)
Marco Munoz
Wai Yan Lam
Anthony M. Puopolo (2 images)
Ognian Gueorguiev
Robert Burton (2 images)
Steph Tout (2 images)
Romulo Bosch Sans
David Finnegan
Dana Matthews
Niobe Syme
Mara Catalan
Richard Sandler
Arsian Sukan
Mike Whelan
Claudio Uema
Finn O’Hara
Richard Pak
Andrew Maccoli
John Clang
Anna Moller
Lottie Davies (2 images)
Stephanie Diani
Marti Belcher
Erik Swain
Burkhard Schittny
Matthew Besinger
Elise Bruccoliere
Joel Redmen
D. Yee
Adam Makarenko
Lisa Wiseman
Carla van de Puttelaar
Sarah Sudhoff
Kathleen Wilke
Adriana Zehbrauskas
Doug Menuez
Davina Feinberg
Michelle Sank
Lucas Bori
Konrad Junkiewicz

Fine Art Series

Elliot Ross
Sabrina Jung
Lydia Panas
Horst Josch
Odette England (2 series)
Natasha Bedu
Sarah Wilmer
Shi Xiofan
Kevin Miyazaki
Ingrid Baars
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Jessica Kaufman
Chiara Goia
J Bennett Fitts
Daniel Traub
Eric Percher
Patricia Martin
Justin James King
Francesco Bittichesu
Damion Berger
Brad Moore
Juliane Elrich
Louis Ingalls Sturges
Greg Miller
Alexander Gronsky

Advertising Single

Linda Jansen
Sanjay Kothari (2 images)
Lorenzo Vitturi
Bryce Pincham
Raul Krebs (2 images)
Adam Hinton
Kai-Uwe Gundlach
Dominik Sklarzyk
Lauren Greenfield
Fedrick Clement
Emir Haveric
Marcel Christ

Advertising Series

John Offenbach
Harlan Erskine
Mark Janssen
Julia Fullerton-Batten
John Clang
Raul Krebs
Giullyani
Adam Hinton
John Midgley
Nadav Kander (2 series)
Lauren Greenfield
Morad Bouchakour
Doug Menuez

Photo Book

Benjamin Antony Monn
Michael Limbert
Marc McAndrews
Ernesto bazan
Lisa Pram
Michael Grecco
Lynn Saville
Gino Sullivan
Fran Forman
Dana Lixenberg
Danelle manthey
Martine Fougeron
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Michal Chelbin (2 books)
Joni Sternbach
Jane Hilton
Jona Frank
Naomi Harris
Ellen Rennard
Adam Hinton
Simon Brown
Alexandra Avakian
Shen Wei
Charlotte Oestervang
Matthew Sallee
Scarlett Coten
Rob Hornstra
Priya Kambil
Eric McNatt
Herman van den Boom
Doug DuBois
Alexandra Lier
Emrie Foster
Nina Berman
Brooke Mayo
Jorge Albarracin
Simon Roberts
Darcy Padilla
Glenn Lockitch
Andrew Borowiec
Ghada Khunji
Otto Snoek
Barbara Crane
Tiny Vices (Kenneth Cappello, Allan Macintyre, Jason Nocito, Robin Schwartz and Jamie Warren)
Hank Willis Thomas
Jacqueline Hassink
Joshua Lutz
Henry Horenstein

Student Editorial Single

Andy Spyra
Alberto Lizaralde (2 images)
Connie Zhou
Jamie Hopper
Erica Fahr Campbell
Manuel Gil
Andrea Star Reese (5 images)
Aki Takematsu
Helga Traxler
Peter Ash Lee
Ben Franke
Sean Rizzotti
Kitra Cahana
Ed Ou

Student Social Documentary Essay

Andy Spyra
Alberto Lizaralde
Ryan Gauvin
Erik Shirai
Carl Kiilsgaard
Isadora Kosofsky
Andrea Star Reese
Natan Dvir
Luca Tommasini
Edith Wagner
Ani Kington
Taylor Weldman
Daniel Schumann
Andre Hermann
Evgenia Arbugaeva
Nina Flauaus
Mikko Takkunen
Rafaela Persson
Ed Ou
Ilana Panich-Linsman

Student Fine Art Single

Emily Burke
Ward Roberts
Lora Jude Dewolfe
Frederic Gosselin
Dorothee Smith
Dina Gold
Marikei Lahana
Todd McVey
Mark Fernandes
Laure Amanou (3 images)
Jaime Permuth
Jun Ahn
Mark Kasumovic
Natan Dvir (2 images)
Marton Perlaki (2 iimages)
James Thomson & Hannah Huddy
Willemine Pernette
Bridget Collins
Takaki Oishi
Tyler Brown
Fellsia Tandiono

Student Fine Art Series

Amy Burchenal
Elliot Wilcox
Ward Roberts
Harlan Erskine
Thomas Lobenwein
Fabiano Busdraghi
Ivonne Thein
Tara Cronin
Grant Willing
Aislinn Leggett
Tammy Mercure
Wayne Liu
Laure Amanou
Liang-Pin Tsao
Pedro Lopez
Yijun Liao

Student Photo Book

Robin Maddock
Wassily Zittel
Wayne Liu
Patrik Budenz
Johanna Heldebro
Louise Ingalls Sturges
Alinka Echeverria
Felix Kindermann
Kristoffer Axen
Vanessa Bahmani
Adam Lau

Finalists for the Short film/video awards will be announced on Friday, May 15th during the Gala Ceremony of the New York Photo Awards 2009.

Thanks to all of our participants and the Jury for the phenomenal collective spirit, passion and energy that has gone into this, the second New York Photo Awards. It has been an inspiring experience for all involved.

Good Luck to our Nominees!

Frank Evers
Chairman of the Jury, New York Photo Awards 2009
Co-Founder/Co-Chairman, New York Photo Festival 2009

Hut 47 - Casa Latinoamericana

2009-08-02T11:28:00.003+05:30

National Day of Action for Same Sex Marriage - Sydney

2009-08-02T09:36:00.010+05:30

First Illegal Mass Same Sex Marriage Ceremony

Over 10,000 supporters marched in Sydney demanding the Australian Labor Government to legalise the Same Sex Marriage in Australia. National Day of Action for Same Sex Marriage (1st August) took place simultaneously in several cities in Australia. Among them were Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Lismore, Tasmania and Perth. Marchers of Sydney first gathered at the Town Hall Square then marched down to the Darling Harbour where Australian Labour Party (ALP) National Convention was happening.

An inquiry follows the tabling of a private members bill by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, which, if passed, would grant same-sex couples equal marriage rights and recognise unions entered into abroad. The bill seeks to remove all discrimination from the Marriage Act 1961 on the basis of sexuality and gender identity and to permit marriage regardless of sex, sexuality and gender identity.

Rally at the Town Hall Square kicked off with the welcome speech by Order of Australia Recipient and an Aboriginal activist Karen Brown. Sydney City Lord Mayor Clover Moore speaking at the rally said “as a matter of simple equality, same sex couples are entitled to the full range of relationship options available to different sex couples, including marriages for those who choose it.” It has been three years since the Australian Parliament voted to explicitly deny all Australians the right to marry the person of their choice and to recognise all marriages solemnised overseas. Any decent society “should recognise, value and support loving relationships. Marriage should be available to any couple – whether gay, lesbian or straight – making a life commitment to each other. Spain, the Netherlands, Canada and Belgium have done this – but Australia has taken the opposite course because of prejudice, ignorance and lack of logic” added Ms Moore.

Greens Parliamentarian Lee Rhiannon stated that recentpolls showed 60% Australians supporting for the same sex marriage and she asked but “why key figures - Rudd, Turnbull and now Gillard pushing hardline to say no marriage for same sex couples”. Rainbow Laour activist Matthew Loader too addressed the rally. Rainbow Labor is the grassroots internal organisation for LGBT (The Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender) Labor members and supporters.

Karl Hand, pastor of CRAVE Metropolitan Community Church officiated dozens of illegal same sex marriages and marriage certificates were issued accordingly. Pastor Hand facilitates same sex couples of different age and sex to take their wedding wows. Katrina Fox, Freelance Journalist, Actor and Performer was the MC for Sydney National Day of Action. Morrie mAy-welby Activist and Entertainer performed at the rally at the Darling Harbour. Heidi Claus, National Union of Students Queer Officer too were among speakers.

The Domain, Sydney

2009-06-07T15:44:00.003+05:30

Primo Italiano 2009. Romeo and Juliet. Stanley, Yurong, Riley streets

2009-05-24T20:14:00.013+05:30

It's amoure !

More than 40,000 people attended Primo Italiano 2009. It is a popular annual event in the festival calendar of the City of Sydney. Primo Italiano celebrates Sydney’s original little Italy and the rich Italian history of East Sydney. The day was extra special for East Sydney couple Liesel and Johnny who have played as the love-struck Shakespearean couple, Romeo and Juliet at Primo Italiano for the past 3 years got legally married at this year's Primo Italiano in a ceremony involving the whole community. Neighbourhoods of Stanley, Yurong and Riley Streets were convereted to a giant wedding reception “hall” to host the big Italian wedding party with a giant wedding cake, Italian music, dancing and other entertainments. Three streets offered the visitor with taditional Italian food and drinks from the stalls as well as from the restaurants in the neighborhood.

Italians began migrating to Australia en masse after World War II. It was a time when Europe was war ravaged; many infrastructures were badly damaged and employment was low. It was a time too when Australia was realising that, to have a secure and viable future, it needed to populate. The Australian Department of Immigration was newly formed, created by a Labor government in 1945. In March 1951 the Australian and Italian governments signed the Assisted Migration Agreement. Enduring the sometimes gruelling application process, hundreds of thousands of Italians took the opportunity, and risk, of assisted passage and set off for a new life in Australia. The majority of Italian immigrants came between 1945 and 1972. There were almost 400,000 of them, a significant number given that Australia's population in 1945 was only 7.5 million. After the British, the Italians were the next largest group to migrate to Australia. Although there doesn't seem to be an official list of towns which the Italians left behind, it appears that specific regions were targeted by Australian immigration officials. A case in point is the valley running inland from the seaside city of Chieti in Abruzzo, which is dotted with Australian connections. (this paragraph is courtesy of http://www.jbtphotography.com/il_destino.htm)

Sydney Writers' Festival 2009

2009-05-21T19:14:00.013+05:30

Alex Ross, winner of the Guardian First Book Award in conversation with Ramona Koval - 21 May - at the Sydney Theatre

Alex Ross' the Rest is Noise - Listening to the Twentieth Century, winner of the Guardian First Book Award, is a sweeping musical history that goes from the salons of pre-war Vienna to New York lofts of the sixties and seventies, by way of Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Germany, and Cold War America. He spoke to Ramona Koval this evening (21 may) at the event - Listening to the Twentieth Century of the Sydney Writers' Festival 2009 at the Sydney Theatre. Ross said the main story of the Rest is Noise is the volatile, ever changing relationship between composers and the society around them.

Alex Ross has been the music critic of The New Yorker since 1996. From 1992 to 1996 he wrote for the New York Times. His first book, The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century, published in 2007, was awarded The Guardian First Book Award and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer and Samuel Johnson prizes. In 2008 he became a MacArthur Fellow. A native of Washington, DC, he now lives in Manhattan.

Ramona Koval has a regular program, The Book Show, on ABC Radio National each weekday and on Sundays. She has also written several books including the novel Samovar.

“It's time - No more payouts to carbon polluters !!!” - community protests in Sydney

2009-05-19T17:42:00.022+05:30

Hundreds gathered in a rally organised by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW at the Town Hall Square in Sydney today (16 May) to express their frustration over the Australian Federal Government's relationship with polluting industries. The protest was chiefly targeted at the influence of the fossil fuel lobby on climate change policy of the government. Speakers demaned the government to protect people over the big polluters. At the conclusion of the rally, began the march under the banner - “protect people not polluters” which went up to the Labor Party Head Quarters of NSW. Senator Bob Brown, Leader of the Australian Greens and Senator for Tasmania and Cate Faehrmann, Executive Director of Nature Conservation Council of NSW also were among speakers.

Hyde Park, Sydney

2009-05-03T20:10:00.005+05:30

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week - Sydney. The front row

2009-04-27T19:28:00.001+05:30

I couldn't find anything which explains the cat walk better than the following article by Jess Cartner-Morley appeared in the Guardian. I thought it would be an value addition to my photographs of the fashion week.

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The Guardian,

Friday 13 March 2009

Eyes front

Forget about the clothes and the catwalk models. The big fashion shows are all about the front row. Jess Cartner-Morley explains why

Interactive: The fashionistas - who they are and where they are sitting

It is no exaggeration whatsoever to say that the front row, not the catwalk, is the raison d'etre of the modern fashion show. If the only thing to watch at a fashion show was the models, catwalks would have died out long ago.

The front row is what keeps the catwalk alive. In 2009, the bumbling way in which the fashion industry operates - with thousands of buyers, journalists, stylists and PR people spending a month, twice a year, traipsing around four cities, perching on endless identical rows of chairs to watch the same group of young women walk past them, wearing different clothes and different makeup each time - well, it is either sweetly quaint or plain ridiculous, depending on who you ask. It is a vintage carousel, in the age of the videogame; a steamer passage in the era of Skype. The catwalk is a museum piece, a tourist attraction, a throwback. If the purpose were simply to display clothes, the video and photographs could go straight on to the internet - where they are already freely available within hours of the event.

But the difference between a webpage of fashion stills and a catwalk show is the difference between hearing a song on the car radio and hearing it from the floor of the Brixton Academy; between watching Match of the Day and being on the terraces. In this case, however, the real action doesn't happen on the stage: rather, the beautiful but usually rather solemn and wooden models form the backdrop to the more interesting business of who is in the front row, wearing what, talking to whom. The front row is what makes catwalk shows matter as a live event.

The genius of the catwalk seating system, with its strict hierarchy, is that the choreography is so compellingly brutal. The cliche of a catfight is wide of the mark, for in the battle of the egos this is bareknuckle stuff. The prettiest, the richest, the luckiest and the most popular get to sit at the front, while everyone else sits behind staring at the back of their heads, pretending not to care, smarting at the injustice of it all, and plotting their revenge. Remember when the two sportiest kids in your class got to pick out their football or netball teams one by one, plucking out the talents from the weedy stragglers? At catwalk shows, the subtler power-plays of adult life in the open-plan office are dispensed with, and life regresses back to the playground.

For a fashion designer, the right front row means phenomenal publicity. Few people within sight of a newspaper this week can have failed to notice that Chanel had a catwalk show, because of the stir created by Kate Moss's presence. If rather fewer will have registered that Lagerfeld's vision for autumn is a dark, slim, Beau Brummel-influenced silhouette with touches of pale jade, no matter: the Chanel brand has been given a fresh coat of glamour.

In the front row, as at a dinner party, guest list and placement is a fine art. One celebrity is not enough, for interaction is all. The first ingredient on a perfect front-row smorgasbord is a classic A-list beauty who can be relied upon to look amazing in your clothes and to be flawlessly turned out: see Claudia Schiffer at Chanel, Thandie Newton at Stella McCartney. Then you need someone "hot" to give that so-next-season feel: Freida Pinto, fresh from Oscar triumph, or Beth Ditto, pop star and nude cover star of new magazine Love, are the go-to girls right now. You also want someone who will go out partying in high-profile hotel bars later in the evening, still looking glamorous in your clothes but ideally tipsy enough to get the tabloids in a frenzy. (Moss is first choice; Lily Allen runs a close second; Kate Hudson fulfilled this role at Dolce, spending the night before the show drinking in the Principe hotel bar with David Beckham.) A fashion "grown-up" - Mario Testino, or Gucci group boss François-Henri Pinault - lends gravitas. To satisfy the audience appetite for celeb-on-celeb interaction, guests are only allowed to have their partner sit with them in the front row if that partner is also famous. The key faces are placed in threes, as a triple-portrait tends to work well in the papers.

Chanel insists that it never pays celebrities to appear, but it is a badly kept secret that many fashion labels do pay celebrities to sit in their front row. A couple of years ago, at the height of the financial boom, five-figure sums were regularly changing hands, and even the perks (suites at the Ritz, frocks, first-class travel) are not to be sniffed at. But while these appearance fees are on the wane - who says the recession doesn't affect everyone, after all? - there are still deals to be done between designers and celebrities.

These days, everyone has a profile to build and a brand to promote. For some, it is as simple as getting their name and face out there. It is rumoured that Pinto is in talks with Estée Lauder about starring in an advertising campaign, in which case the added glamour of her front-row appearances could help her land the job. Forging a relationship with a powerful designer can also help an actor or musician cherry-pick the best magazine coverage. It works like this: a fashion label puts pressure on a magazine to feature one of its dresses on the cover, as a payback for having bought expensive advertising space. As a carrot, the label offers to ask a celebrity whom the magazine is keen to shoot to model the dress. The celebrity then gets to do the label a favour - which might be repaid down the line with an advertising campaign, or certainly with a valuable wardrobe - by choosing that magazine. The front-row appearance is just one move in a chess game played largely behind closed doors.

And the games don't stop once the invitation is accepted. Fashion-show etiquette makes the court of Henry VIII look like a backyard barbecue. The celebrities on the front row will never take their seats until well after the surrounding hoi polloi are waiting: being part of the show, rather than the audience, the front row waits until the audience is watching. Because the designer will always dress his favourite guests, watching what the key celebrities are wearing can often give the first clues as to the collection. (Eva Herzigova's leg-of-mutton sleeves at Dolce looked decidedly odd until the first clothes came down the runway, where they looked very Next Season Dolce.)

Appearing from backstage lends extra cachet: the unspoken assumption being that you have been chatting to the designer, making plans to join him on the boat in July and being plied with free bags. Once the full front row is in attendance, all guests must instantly assess who the Alpha presence is and cement their status by allying themselves with them (see Kanye West and Pink jumping up to embrace Paul McCartney at Stella's show, and Lily Allen linking arms with Kate Moss after Chanel).

It is perfectly acceptable for a celebrity to talk to a neighbour all through the show, although animated pointing and gasping in delight at the clothes on the catwalk scores extra brownie points.

Our obsession with the front row may seem ludicrous, but it is perfectly logical. The fashion up on the catwalk is all icy, clinical aesthetic perfection. The models wearing it bear almost no resemblance to the average woman so, beside them, Lily Allen and Catherine Deneuve, beautiful as they are, look marvellously normal. Fashion is not about being dressed by someone else and walking up and down a wooden stage; it is about wearing something that hooks you into the world, makes you relevant. Clothes turn you from the watcher to the watched. The catwalk show is so last year; long live the front row.

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Anzac Day. The dead soldier. Good war. Bad peace. Remembrance. "Julius Caesar"

2009-04-26T05:22:00.006+05:30

Photographing any remebrance day is emotional and touchy. Anzac Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) is no different. The living pay homage to the dead soldier. Always I had a question in my mind “why did they die?, for whom did they die, why couldn't they live longer, what would have happened to their wives, children and fmaily after their death and more imporantly who wanted the war?”. When I began to see the widening gap between news in the main stream and reality, I became more skeptical about such celebrations. Even in my early days of young adulthood I had a strong feeling there was a great degree of deception in the whole process of remembrance of war heros. Being war ravaged for decades and torn apart by youth rebillions, Sri Lanka's experince in this regard is second to none.

Australia has fought many wars in foreign lands in its modern history. Especially in the wars where UK and USA were taking the leading role, Australia was an active partner. On the Anzac Day, in Sydney, thousands of war veterans paraded and many thousands gathered to say "tank you" to the fallen soldier both known and unknown. It is a colourful annual event. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought in majors wars which include World War I, World War II, Korean war and Vietnam war. Will a medal of galantry be able to compensate their lives and loved ones' private pain? Has this private pain ever become a genuine concern of the decision making elite? Are some stealing their lives? Are the public living in a big lie and made to continue to live in it?

During the fragile peace process in Sri Lanka which lasted only for a few years, I came a cross a quatation of Benjamin Franklin (1706~1790) appeared in a Sri Lankan daily, The Island - "there was never a good war, or a bad peace". I loved it for stating so much with so little. Recently, when I was surfing the net I found a fictitious quotation someone has done “on behalf of” Julius Caesar. It reads - "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." –Julius Caesar. How many Julius Caesars will the mankind experience?

Creative writing. Berkelouw book store. Berrima. Genocide

2009-04-20T16:02:00.008+05:30

We were introduced to Berkelouw Books by Suzanne. Berkelouw Books in Berrima ran a series of wonderful creative writing workshops for primary and high school children, recently. The organisers brought top level writers and poets to this exercise. All were volunteers. I enjoyed witnessing the activities around the workshops. Berkelouw Books, no doubt, is a feather in its cap for Berrima, a beautifully quaint town of southern highlands. It presents a large and varied collection of mostly second hand books. I was intrigued by the history of Berkelow told me by Jenny, an affable lady managing the book store and overseeing the creative writing workshops. Later I met Leo Burkelow, a gentle, polite and a soft-spoken man who is the current owner and forms the fifth generation descendant from the original owners of Berkelow Books of 1812. It is an amazing piece of history as to how the Berkelouws came to Australia having survived the Holocaust, the genocide of jewish people.

Community Climate Action Groups. Protests. Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)

2009-03-27T16:58:00.015+05:30

Community Climate Action Groups across Australia held protests at the offices of over 30 Federal MPs to protest the failure of the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). This included the Labor Party Office of New South Wales in Sydney as well. The protesters are calling on the Government not to pursue a scheme that rewards big polluters, fails to commit to adequate emission reduction targets and locks Australia into catastrophic climate change. “We are deeply concerned that the CPRS takes a ‘business as usual’ approach to the urgent threat of climate change and does not commit to the emissions reduction targets that the science tells us are necessary to avoid dangerous climate change,” said Moira Williams from Climate Action Newtown, Sydney. “Big polluting industries like coal and aluminium must be made to cut emissions rapidly and immediately. The CPRS will give away billions in concessions without even achieving the necessary pollution cuts. In fact, emissions are likely to continue rising under this scheme,” continued Williams. The protests are twice the size of similar actions that took place last year following the announcement of the 5-15% emissions reduction target and the release of the White Paper for the CPRS. Protest organisers attribute the increase to the continued failure of the Government to meet the clear need for more decisive action.“It is an absolute disgrace that when faced with the threat of catastrophic climate change, our leaders are pandering to the powerful fossil fuel and mining lobbies, and continuing to ignore urgent scientific advice and widespread community alarm about the most important issue of our time,” said Pablo Brait from Yarra Climate Action Now. “We are calling for a moratorium on coal mining and coal-fired power stations, and an end to perverse subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. We want just sector-by-sector transition plans for affected workers and communities. The Government can stimulate the economy and create quality green jobs, by making direct investment in renewable energy to move towards 100% renewables by 2020.” Brait emphasised.

Climate Action Coogee in Sydney staged a protest outside the office of Federal MP Peter Garrett to oppose the Federal government’s proposed CPRS. “We want to send Peter Garrett the message that the people of Kingsford Smith want real action on climate change, not half-baked plans like the proposed emissions trading scheme,” said Mel Edwards of the action group. The action groups believe that CPRS is more about rewarding big polluters than reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the scheme is deeply unfair and will not keep coal in the ground. In fact, “it is doubtful that any emissions trading scheme would result in a significant shift away from fossil fuels, which are the main source of greenhouse gas pollution” Edwards added. Coogee Climate Action Group is demanding Federal Minister Peter Garrett to stand up and reject the CPRS in favour of a just and rapid transition to renewable energy that will create quality green jobs and a safe climate.

Climate action group in Newcastle Rising Tide accuses the Federal Government’s proposed CPRS for not delivering the promised cap on pollution and will actually increase greenhouse gas emissions. Campaigners complain that the scheme does not limit the number of emissions units that may be granted as a result of reforestation projects, issued at a fixed charge by the Government, or the number of emissions units that may be bought from overseas schemes. “As a result, there will be no cap at all” says Rising Tide. Spokesperson of the Group Georgina Woods, said, “The Government has pulled the wool over our eyes on this one. We have read the fine print, and we are shocked. This is not a cap and trade scheme, because there is no cap. This is merely a trading scheme.” The Government came under fire for announcing emission cuts of only 5-15% by 2020. Activists argue that “even this minimal promise” will be broken if the scheme is passed into law in its current form. “The Government has to get serious. All pollution units in Australia, whether bought from overseas, raised in reforestation projects or provided under the price cap must be subject to our emissions cap. Otherwise, pollution will just keep rising and our entire economy will be left behind as nations around the world shift to low-carbon futures.” added Woods.

People's blockade. World largest coal port. Newcastle, Australia. Green house gases. Climate change

2009-03-21T15:57:00.030+05:30

Hundreds of Australians took part in a peaceful blockade of the world’s largest coal port, the port of Newcastle. Gathered in hundreds at the Horseshoe Beach the protesters were calling on the Federal Government to resist the lobbying of polluting industries for free pollution permits. “We would like to see a moratorium on new coal-fired power stations, mines and infrastructure combined with a plan for a just transition to a renewable energy economy.” said Rising Tide Spokesperson Carly Phillips. “Coal exports are Australia's single biggest driver of climate change, eclipsing all of the greenhouse pollution we make here at home. They are also our fastest growing contribution to climate change – with all of Australia's coal ports undergoing massive expansions. Rising Tide is a grass root organisation that campaigns for reducing greenhouse gas emissions which causes climate change of the planet. This was the fourth human blockade organised by Rising Tide at the Newcastle Port over a period of four years.

Coal remains a low cost energy source and it provides usable energy at a cost between USD 1 ~2 per MBtu (One million British Thermal Unit) compared to USD 6 ~12 per MBtu for oil and natural gas (3412 Btu = 1kWh). Coal prices are stable compared to oil. However, one of the most significant challenges in addressing global climate change is reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use of coal. Coal use, primarily for the generation of electricity, now accounts for roughly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions posing severe threats to eco systems and communities. Coal plays a major role in meeting energy needs of the countries like the United States, and is likely to continue to do so in coming decades. 50 percent of the electricity generated in the United States is from coal. Rising energy demand will continue to drive up coal consumption, particularly in countries with large reserves such as the United States, China and India.

“If the Rudd Government was serious about reducing Australia's climate impact it would immediately put a stop to the expansion of the coal industry and put in place plans to phase it out and replace it with jobs in renewable energy. Coal is fuelling global climate change” added Ms Phillips. 250,000 tonnes of coal a day passes through the Newcastle port, which eventually turns out to be more than half a million tonnes of greenhouse pollution, when used to generate energy.

Australia exports approximately 60 percent of its annual coal production, making it the number one exporter of coal (29 percent of global coal exports) in the world. Japan is the destination for over 60 percent of Australia’s coal exports. Australian suppliers set prices for their coal exports directly with Japanese utilities. The annually negotiated price of these contracts has a large effect on Australia’s coal export earnings. According to Australian Coal Association, black coal remains Australia's largest export and the country exported AUSD 24.4 billion worth of coal in 2007-08. As of 2004, Australia contained 86.5 billion short tons (Bst) of recoverable coal reserves, the majority of which are concentrated along the country’s eastern seaboard in New South Wales and Queensland. These two states account for almost 97 percent of Australia's annual coal production. Australia has more than 100 privately owned coal mines located throughout the country. Around 60 of these mines are open pit operations, with the remainder being mined underground. Over the last decade, coal production in Australia has grown by 36 percent, with new projects continuing to come online every year. As a result of several consolidations in recent years, Australia’s coal industry is dominated by four mining giants : BHP Billiton, Anglo American (UK), Rio Tinto (Australia-UK), and Xstrata (Switzerland). Australia is the world’s fourth largest coal producer. In 2004, Australia produced 390.9 million short tons (Mmst).

As of 2004, Australia had 48.6 gigawatts (GW) of installed electric generating capacity and approximately 75 percent of electricity produced in Australia is from coal with around 55 percent coming from black coal according to the United States' Energy Administration statistics. Rising Tide in Newcastle who mobilised several support groups believes that It is morally culpable for the government to continue expanding the coal industry given its impacts on the global environment. Campaigners expressed their concern “The State and Federal governments need to prove to the people that if they are serious about dealing with climate change they must first deal with coal”.

This symbolic gesture of people's blockade which was well attended by the people of all ages showed the community's need to get away from Australia's coal dependency. Employment is another aspect the Federal Government will have to look into in making plans to phase out coal as a source of energy as around 30,000 are employed in black coal production. “In these uncertain economic times, it is more important than ever that the Government invest in clean and renewable jobs for the future: we can have power without coal, we can have jobs without coal, but we can’t have coal without climate change.” Rising Tide spokesperson stated.

Sydney gay lesbian mardi gras 2009. 31st year. 2008 legal reforms. Same sex marriage. Acceptance

2009-03-15T02:43:00.018+05:30

There's one night in the calendar that belongs uniquely to Australia. Every year thousands fly in from over 40 countries to experience it. Activists from around the world converge on Sydney for this event to march and speak for those who still cannot speak for themselves. One of the most famous and largest event in the global gay calendar - the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras took place 2009 for the 31st year. Australia's Olympic gold medalist of 10 m platform diving Matthew Mitcham led the parade choriographed under the theme “Nations United”. “I am proud to have been chosen to lead the parade” Mitcham said. Mardi Gras is, Mitcham added “all about acceptance”. Thousands of people of diverse sexual orientation : gay, straight, bi, transgender showed up to parade and party in the street, cheer on the parade floats and most importantly, to celebrate the right to live freely. The objective of the organisers is to raise the visibility of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer communities. However, over the years Sydney Mardi Gras has broaden its horizon through its wide spectrum of participation to encompass activism of immigrant rights, indigenous people rights, workers rights, religious tolerance, animal rights etc.

Mardi Gras evolved as an international gay solidarity activity in the shadows of the Stonewall riots in New York. A Police raid of the Stonewall Inn in 1969 provoked spontaneous rioting by gays and lesbians in an overt display of dissent against government led persecution of homosexuals. Commencing in June 1978 to commemorate Stonewall, the very first march had to face police violence resulting in 53 arrests. The next three years saw its name being changed to Sydney Gay Mardi Gras, the event shifting from June to February and the introduction of a post parade party which, is today billed as one of the biggest in Australia.

Mardi Gras still draws strong public support that has allowed it to continue without interruption for 31 years. Now it also is a recipient of some limited funding by the government, a factor that may help cement its iconic status in the Sydney cultural landscape in the years to come.

No TV. No Game Boy. More fun. MIlith. Bee and the audience

2009-02-11T17:12:00.010+05:30

Milith benefitted greatly from our belief that "good TV comes tomorrow". Like an old world child, he would convert any scrap or empty box into a raw material of his creations. As we did with his sister and brother we never bought him expensive toys like battery operated or electronic ones, Game Boy and toy guns. Instead when possible we gave him wooden, rubber or soft toys and building blocks. Ever since he got his first set of building blocks which had been handed down to him from his brother, he fell in love with it. He usually works on a creation for hours and days gathering pieces, removing them and putting them back. Milith improvises the material out of grass, small stones or pebbles, leaves, feathers or any other thing collected from the garden. . He would tell a story about it as well. We have been enjoying his "art pieces" ever since he started producing them. I got a great joy in photographing them. Last couple of days he was busy creating an audience for the Bee who was at a solo performance.

Graham's shed. Liz's studio. Oasis. Mount Kembla

2009-02-02T05:23:00.023+05:30

Graham and Liz's place is no doubt an oasis. Thanks to Anoli (http://www.theertha.org/red-dot-artists/anoli-perera) i got to know Liz who is a great artist. After training as a weaver in the USA, Liz returned to Australia in 1977 and subsequently established a production weaving workshop in Sydney in 1979 where she trained apprentices in her studio. In the early 80's, she established the Barr Street Weavers in Sydney and also worked as a community artist training rural and urban educators working in out of school centres, travelling extensively around NSW. Liz's collections are permanently housed at several mseums, galleries, universities and collections of private collectors both in Australia and overseas which include Power House Museum, Sydney, New South Wales; Queensland Art Gallery; Araluan Art Gallery, Alice Springs Northern Territory: University of Southern Queensland; University of Wollongong New South Wales; Wollongong City Gallery, New South Wales; Goulburn Regional Gallery, New South Wales; Mackay Regional Gallery and Art Gallery of New South Wales. http://www.lizjeneid.net/index.html

Liz's partner Graham is an artist and sculpts with metal. He does work with wood as well. In greeting Graham said to us "am still wearing my Australia Day t-shirt" on which "Captain James Cook was discovered by Aboriginals" was printed with black, red and yellow graphics. Graham's shed is an amazing workshop which houses heap of tools some of which are not even available in the market. "Every thing here works" he affirmed. Graham being a versatile man from electrician to metal and wood artist, Liz said "he is a treasure to people here".

I would love to have more time to photograph the oasis of these wonderful people. Hope time permits me.

Liz's studio

Graham's shed and entrance

"Rascal"

2009-01-29T08:18:00.005+05:30

Rascal

Hitting

Grumbling

Roaring

Lying

Smiling

Gnashing

Threatening

Laughing

Demanding

Loving

Oh ! You are my sweet rascal

June 2005

Berrima. Australia Day. Citizenship Ceremony. Parade

2009-01-27T19:07:00.017+05:30

The Royal National Park and greater environs

2009-01-16T17:54:00.021+05:30

Colors of the Wind - Vanessa Williams

You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places I guess it must be so
But still I can not see
Is the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know

You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

How high does the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind

"Painting by the Pond" by Philomena Camilleri. Art Centre

2009-01-13T12:43:00.003+05:30

"Kite Magic". The Art Centre

2009-01-08T18:41:00.005+05:30

Thirlmere Lakes National Park. Virgin forest. Greater Blue Mountains Area. World Heritage Site

2009-01-07T03:29:00.016+05:30

Thirlmere Lakes National Part is a part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. This park's five reed-fringed freshwater lakes, abundant with waterbirds and surrounded by quiet patches of forest, are among the last undisturbed lake systems near Sydney and have enormous scientific value. The massive Greater Blue Mountains regiona was declared a World Heritage in December 2000. It covers one million hectares – around twice the size of Brunei. Half of it is wilderness. Eight conservation reserves make up the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area: Blue Mountains National Park, Wollemi National Park, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, Yengo National Park, Gardens of Stone National Park, Nattai National Park, Thirlmere Lakes National Park, Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. The Blue Mountains have been described as a natural laboratory for the evolution of eucalypts. In the mountains' diverse plant communities, one can trace the changing nature of the Australian environment – from geological shifts and climate variations, through to the impact of Aboriginal settlement and European colonisation. More than 90 different eucalypt species are found in the Greater Blue Mountains – some 13 per cent of all eucalypt species in the world. They grow in a great variety of communities, from tall closed forests, through open forests and woodlands, to the stunted mallee shrublands on the plateaus. Among them are rare species like Baeuerlen's gum. (this text is mainly extracted from http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/)

For TSTO friends. 2004 December. Sweden

2008-12-31T10:11:00.010+05:30

First Christmas in Australia. Suzanne and her RED mom

2008-12-26T02:32:00.008+05:30

Suzanne invited us to her place on the Christmas Day. Her mom too had come. We enjoyed their hospitality a lot. Ken joined us over the phone. Suzanne brands her mom as RED. Daughter of a left wing father, mom is still in the same spirit she must have been in some decades ago. She is extremely worried about the current system which lays off employees at every turn and affirmed "I never swipe my card at self service checkouts (registers) at supermarket because someone else looses job".