June 2009 - Photos

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Photos - June 2009

Natural Resources

June 29th 2009 10:23

What are the most precious natural resources that a country may possess today? Can a country’s worth be measured by these resources? At any rate it is important to consider the economic potential that each country can gain. The map below shows the important resources of today and the countries that produce the most or in the case of oil and gas have the most reserves. Some of these resources and renewable while others are not. How would this map look if done again 20 or 100 years from now?

Enlarge the map above by clicking on it

*Map sourced from mint.com.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: politics

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Mysterious Tree People of Papua

June 26th 2009 12:46

The Kombai are a Melanesian tribal people from the Indonesian province of Papua in Western New Guinea. The Kombai have become prominent to the outside world primarily because of their traditional tree house dwellings, which often reach heights of over 20 meters. They live adjacent to the Korowai people, who also live in tree houses, and have some similar cultural practices. The two ethnic groups do interact, although as they speak different languages, mutual intelligibility is sometimes problematic. Pigs are equivalent to currency to the Kombai, for example, if the wife of a Kombai man were to die, the family of the woman may demand pigs as compensation. For Kombai men to marry, they first have to buy the woman from her family with necklaces made from dogs teeth.

Kombai also host parties (although very rarely), in which they invite people of other tribes, often to repay the other tribes for parties they held, or to clear their names after a "Suangi" attack on another family or tribe. In these parties the Kombai would feed their guest sago, and grubs from the sago tree, which are a delicacy to the Kombai. The leader of the family will hang brush from the ceiling of where the party was housed, and if the party was a success, the other tribesmen burn the brush.

The subsistence patterns of the Kombai people are somewhat related to those of the Asmat people on the southwest coast of Papua, although the Kombai are linguistically very distinct.

Occasionally, the Kombai may sacrifice a pig - a most sacred animal, only usually used to settle disputes between tribes and family. The sacrifice begins by tying the pig's legs together and taking it to a river side. It is then shot with arrows - taking care to ensure a quick death - before mentioning the three elements; Fire, Water and Air. The animal is then skinned and has the fat scraped off and offered to their god, Refafu. No women are allowed to watch this procedure; otherwise it will render the sacrifice ineffective. After the sacrifice, no one is allowed to bathe in the river for the next two days, as Refafu will be drinking the spilt blood of the pig - it is believed he absorbs the passion it produces. The Kombai also believe in evil spirits called Suangi. Suangis are said to eat the blood and/or internal organs of their victims and then stuff the bodies with leaves and grass. They are also believed to devour the person's soul. After being attacked, the victim is then said to return home where they seem to have fallen mysteriously ill. If a victim is able to name the Suangi that has attacked him, they are often killed and eaten by the victim's family in the belief that it will free the person's spirit.

A television series on The Discovery Channel entitled "Living with the Kombai" in the US, and on both the National Geographic Channel and The Discovery Channel, called "World's Lost Tribes" in the UK, was shown in January 2007. In the series, two men travelled to Papua and spent several months living with an extended Kombai family. Their adventures included hunting for a large lizard and wild pig (not a captive pig, see religion section) and fishing by constructing a rudimentary dam on a stream. They also helped chop down large trees with a stone axe, made sago from the Sago Palm tree, and used its fibres to build a treehouse nearly 80 feet off the ground.
The Kombai were also featured in the 2007 season of the series Mark & Olly: Living with the Tribes.

*These images sourced from Environmental Graffiti.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Kombai people.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: people

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20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests

June 24th 2009 11:43

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 which culminated in the Tiananmen Square massacre, lasted seven weeks, from 15 April until tanks cleared Tiananmen Square on 4 June. Today we look back at pictures from the protests in and around Tiananmen Square from 1989. These image and information sourced from Boston.com. Much more information available here.

This file photo taken twenty years ago on June 2, 1989 shows some of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese gathering around a 10-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty (center), called the Goddess of Democracy, in Tiananmen Square demanding democracy despite martial law in Beijing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters were killed by China's military on June 3 and 4, 1989, as communist leaders ordered an end to six weeks of unprecedented democracy protests in the heart of the Chinese capital.

A file photograph from June 3, 1989 shows a dissident student (left) shouting to soldiers, asking them to go back home as crowds flood into central Beijing ahead of the army's crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

This file photo taken on June 4, 1989 shows an armoured personnel carrier in flames as students set it on fire near Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

In this photo taken on June 5, 1989 and made available for the first time by the AP on Thursday June 4, 2009, three unidentified men flee the scene, as another man (background left) stands alone to block a line of approaching tanks (background right) in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. This previously unseen photograph was taken by then-AP reporter Terril Jones and came to light after online discussions of the incident on The New York Times' Lens Blog on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

A single man blocks an approaching column of PLA tanks on Changan Avenue east of Tiananmen Square in Beijing June 5, 1989.

In this June 5, 1989 file photo, a Chinese protestor blocks a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Cangan Blvd. June 5, 1989 in front of the Beijing Hotel. The man was shortly pulled away and the tanks continued on their way.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Weird Animal Babies

June 22nd 2009 08:06

When they are born some baby animals look exactly like their adult counterparts, however others do not. Today we are looking at some animals which appear rather unique at birth. These pictures and information were taken from Environmental Graffiti. See more information here.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are born blind and without quills, which are just beneath the skin and easily visible just hours after birth. They can be found throughout Europe, Asia and Africa and have been introduced in Australia, New Zealand and North America. As one of the first mammals, hedgehogs have been around for 15 million years!

Pygmy Marmosets

Pygmy marmoset females have two litters each year and give birth to twins 70% of the time. For the first two weeks when the mortality rate is highest, pygmy marmoset babies will be constantly carried by the mother, but after that time, raising offspring is a communal affair. The pygmy marmoset is one of the world’s smallest monkeys – hence it is also called the dwarf monkey – and is a native of the South American rainforest.

Bat

This baby bat will be with its mother for a long time as bats nurse their children – usually one per litter – until they have grown to almost adult size. Young bats cannot fend for themselves and find food on their own until their wings have reached adult proportions. For some bat species, that means a dependency of six to eight weeks; for larger ones, up to four months. Did you know that bats can live over 20 years?

Aye Aye

This newborn aye-aye not only has a funny name and a weird look; no, it also belongs to an animal category that is called the “wet nosers” Aye-ayes are natives of Madagascar and combine rodent-like teeth, a raccoon-like face and a body like a monkey to make one unusual little primate. Aye-aye babies are weaned only after seven months and stay with the mother for two years. Like bats, aye-ayes also live for more than 20 years.

Mole

Newborn moles might look tiny and helpless when they are born – weighing only around 5 g – but they actually mature in one month. They live in their mother’s nest and tunnel system until they are weaned and old enough to dig their own tunnels.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: animals

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Visions of Earth

June 19th 2009 03:12

Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye. Here are some of this months best pictures. See more here.

Zambia—A lone bull elephant breakfasts at first light near the precipice of Victoria Falls. With the Zambezi River near its seasonal ebb, once submerged walkways—and fresh foraging possibilities—present themselves.

Madagascar—Sunrise reveals light traffic—a lone oxcart—along the Avenue of the Baobabs. The 80-foot-tall "upside-down trees

United Arab Emirates—Peninsulas of prosperity, the "fronds

United States—The shuttle Endeavour—deft in orbit but incapable of terrestrial flight—catches a post-mission piggyback on a 747, soaring over California's Mojave Desert en route to Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

United States—Limned by Hurricane Ike, an abstract expressionist expanse of oil-sheened floodwater surrounds a pump jack—a mechanical device used to extract oil—near High Island, Texas.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: landscape

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Apollo Missions

June 17th 2009 04:04

Forty years after the Apollo missions took Neil Armstrong to the moon, we hear from the astronauts who took the iconic images which changed our world and America's national mythology.

Thanks to The Guardian for these images and information

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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Cappadocia

June 15th 2009 02:22

Cappadocia, (or Capadocia, Turkish Kapadokya), was an extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The name continued to be used in western sources and in the Christian tradition throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage. The term, as used in tourism, roughly corresponds to present-day Nevsehir Province of Turkey.

A view of Cappadocia’s erosion-worn landscape from an overlook.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: places

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Bridges of the World

June 12th 2009 11:23

Thanks to darkroastedblend.com, here are some of the most interesting bridges in the world. See more spans here.

Sanhao Bridge over Hunhe River in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: buildings

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Best of the Hubble Space Telescope

June 10th 2009 10:50

The Hubble Space telescope was based on a simple idea – to get a powerful lens up above the clouds and atmosphere that get in the way of earth bound telescopes. Over the last 20 years, some of the most incredible images of all time have been beamed down. In a few years the Hubble will be decommissioned and replaced, so let’s look back at the best of the hundred of thousands of Hubble images taken so far. These images and information taken from the Smithsonian Institute. See more pictures here
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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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Kingfishers

June 8th 2009 10:27

Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland areas. Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: animals

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Pictures of Southern Africa

June 5th 2009 12:32

These photographs were captured by wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner who spent two years travelling across Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. His images have now been brought together in a new book, "The Colours of Southern Africa". Learn more and see further images at the telegraph.co.uk here.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: animals

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Sandwiches of the World

June 3rd 2009 11:43

Humans have been eating meat and other foods with bread for thousands of years. Lord Sandwich was fond of the meal, as it allowed him to continue playing cards without getting the cards greasy -it carries his name to this day. Different countries and cultures have different variations of this hand-held meal. Have a look at the culinary delights below. All sourced from the Chicago Tribune here.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: food

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Hubble Space Telescope Repair

June 1st 2009 10:57

Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Atlantis have been carrying out repairs via space walks to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most recent walk on May 15th was to supply some new, badly needed gyroscopes and batteries. Replacing Hubble's gyroscopes is the top priority for this final repair mission to the 19-year-old observatory. The gyroscopes are part of the telescope pointing system, and half of the old ones are broken. On the 14th, another two-man team installed a powerful new camera and a computer data unit, after struggling with a stubborn bolt. In all, five spacewalks are planned so that the observatory -- beloved by astronomers and many others for its breathtaking views of the universe -- is at its apex while living out its remaining years. These images and information sourced from the Sacramento Bee here.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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