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Monthly Archives: May 2012
Photography of Abir Abdullah of Bangladesh.
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Abir Abdullah was born in 1971 in Bagerhat in Southern Bangladesh. He obtained a masters degree in Marketing (M. Com.) from Dhaka University, before taking up photography.
He completed a basic course in photography from the Bangladesh Photographic Institute in 1993.
From 1996 to 2005, he worked as a staff photographer at Drik Picture Library. He also took on an assignment as a Photography Tutor at the Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
In 1999, as a student of the first batch from Pathshala – South Asian Media Academy, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he completed a diploma course in photojournalism.
Blink, Time, Newsweek, Der Speigel, New Internationalist, Guardian, Stern, Geo, International Herald Tribune, Asiaweek, Elmundo, and many others have published his photographs.
He is mainly interested in photography that deal in social, environmental, and political issues.
Abir Abdullah is currently locatied in Dhaka , Bangladesh and is working in the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) as Bangladesh correspondent.
DESIGNATION: Photojournalist, European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) http://www.epa.eu. Vice Principal, Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, http://www.pathshala.net
Awards
- Mother Jones International Fund for Documentary Photography Awards for ‘ Freedom Fighters: Veterans of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971’ works in 2001.
- Nomination photo award from humanity photo award in China- 1999.
- Highly recommended photo award from Commonwealth photo contest in 1999 and 2000.
- Nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass by World Press Photo Foundation in 2001.
- Overall winner Phaidon 55 Photography competition in 2001.
- 1st prize from WHO photo contest in Switzerland, 2002.
- Third place in the Gordon Parks photo contest in USA in 2002.
- 2nd prize, Unicef Photographer of the year contest 2004, Germany.
- 3rd Prize in the Magazine News category in the Best of Photojournalism Contest from USA 2005.
- 1st Prize in the SAJA ( South Asian Journalists association) Photo Award 2005.
- Honorable mention in the National Geographic All Roads Photography project in 2005.
- 1st prize portrait category in the Asian Press Photo contest in 2006 and 2007.
[Click on the above photo to view Abir Abdullah’s work – “Cyclone Survivors”]
The aftermath of the Bhopal disaster (December 3, 1984)
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Even 27 years after the massive gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India, that killed thousands, toxic material from the world’s ‘biggest industrial disaster in history’ still continues to affect the residents there.
In the early hours of December 3, 1984, large amounts of water entered a tank at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India. That water reacted with the 42 tons of methyl isocyanate inside, raising temperature and pressure so high that it began venting massive amounts of gas made up of methyl isocyanate, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide and more.
The poisonous cloud swept through neighborhoods near the boundary wall, waking sleeping residents with burning throats and eyes, killing about 4,000 people in the first few hours. According to government estimates, over the next few years, the lingering effects of the poison increased that toll to about 15,000 dead.
A quarter-century later thousands of people are still grappling with the effects of the world’s worst industrial accident and the continued contamination.
A subsidiary of U.S. chemical company Union Carbide ran the plant at the time of the accident. For decades, survivors have been fighting to have the site cleaned up, but they say the efforts were slowed when Michigan-based Dow Chemical Company took over Union Carbide in 2001. Dow says it is not responsible for cleaning up the site. Dow claims the legal case was resolved in 1989, with responsibility for continued cleanup now falling to the local state government.
This News story that I have reproduced here appeared in boston.com on November 30, 2009. These images cry out for humanitarian justice more than any words could express.
1 – A policeman points to the gas tank which vented its contents into the atmosphere in 1984, at the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
2 – In a file picture taken on December 4, 1984 soldiers guard the entrance of Union Carbide factory in Bhopal after a deadly poison gas leak. Survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster in India’s Bhopal city were outraged by (now cancelled) plans to throw open the site to visitors 25 years after the tragedy that killed thousands. (BEDI/AFP/Getty Images)
3 – This photograph from December 4, 1984 shows victims who lost their sight in the Bhopal poison gas tragedy as they sit outside the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India. (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)
4 – This December 4, 1984 photograph shows blinded victims of the Bhopal tragedy as they sit in the street and wait to be treated at Bhopal hospital after a deadly poisonous gas leak from the Union Carbide factory. (BEDI/AFP/Getty Images)
5 – In this November 21, 2009 photo, defunct machinery is seen at the Union Carbide pesticide plant. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
6 – A gaping hole in a rusting container is seen at the Union Carbide pesticide plant, on November 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
7 – A security worker cycles past what remains of the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India on November 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
8 – Discarded bottles of chemicals lay on the floor in a building at the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
9 – A boy struggles to take a calf grazing inside the Union Carbide factory compound, seen through a broken wall in Bhopal, India on November 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
10 – In this photo taken on November 28, 2009 near the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, women fill containers with clean water, as it is shipped in due to the local water being contaminated, (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
11 – Activists and survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster that killed and harmed thousands hold placards against Dow Chemical Company outside it’s office in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, November 19, 2009. (Staffing/Manish Swarup)
12 – Activists from Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors Group burn effigies as they protest against Union Carbide Corp, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, in the central Indian city of Bhopal November 29, 2009. (REUTERS/Raj Patidar)
13 – Activists and survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster that killed and harmed thousands more protest against Dow Chemical Company outside it’s office in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (Staffing/Manish Swarup)
14 – A policeman looks on as he tours the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
15 – People walk past a statue of a mother holding a dead child in her arms in Bhopal, India on November 18, 2009. Residents are bitter whenever they glance behind their homes toward the old Union Carbide factory, where a lethal plume of gas escaped from a storage tank in the early hours of December 3, 1984, killing thousands instantly. Survivors say the anniversary marks another year of physical and psychological trauma compounded by government and corporate negligence. (RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)
16 – Eight year old Annan is carried by Nafiza Bee, coordinator of the Chingari Trust clinic on November 27, 2009 in Bhopal, India. Twenty-five years after an explosion causing a mass gas leak killed thousands, toxic material from the biggest industrial disaster in history continues to affect Bhopalis. Annan suffers from cerebral palsy and receives vital rehabilitative support and care at the Chingari Trust Clinic. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
17 – Ten year old Nawab Mian, suffering from mental illness related to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, plays with a small chick near the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
18 – Apeksha Malviya is fed at her home in Bhopal, India on November 22, 2009. A quarter century after the disaster, many of those who were exposed to the gas have given birth to physically and mentally disabled children. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
19 – Children are reflected in groundwater, believed to be contaminated, near the site of the deserted Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
20 – November 21, 2009 photograph shows a cow, the sole living being that was found at a government hospital dedicated to gas victims in Bhopal, India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
21 – People carry potable water collected from inside the premises of Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India on November 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
22 – Women complaining of ailments due to exposure to methyl isocyanate leaked during the Bhopal industrial disaster wait to consult doctor at a clinic run by a non governmental organization in Bhopal, India on November 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
23 – Razik pronounces words during a rehabilitation exercise with speech therapist Prem Patel at the Chingari Trust Rehabilitation clinic on November 27, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
24 – In this Friday, August 7, 2009 photograph, Hira Lal, who has lost the ability to move and hear, lays on a makeshift bed outside his shanty in Bhopal, India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
25 – Children play in front of their homes near the Union Carbide factory on November 27, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
26 – A man jumps off the perimeter wall at the site of the Union Carbide factory on November 28, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
27 – In this Friday, November 20, 2009 photograph, a physiotherapist holds the leg of a seven year old child at a clinic run by a non-governmental organization to cater to victims of the gas tragedy in Bhopal, India. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
28 – A girl stands near water towers outside her home near the site of the Union Carbide factory on November 27, 2009 in Bhopal, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
Reflection In Photography: Collection 1
Here are 20 photographs to inspire you to use reflection in an artistic way or as a source of lightning to help you to take your photographic skills to the next level.
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Press Release – PMANE’S RESPONSE TO NPCIL’S SER – Koondankulam
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Press Release [1] As per the Decision No. CIC/SG/A/2012/000544/18674 dated 30.4.2012, the Central Information Commissioner ordered: “to provide an attested photocopy of the Safety Analysis Report and Site Evaluation Report after severing any proprietary details of designs provided by the suppliers to the appellant before 25 May 2012.” The CIC has stated categorically that “if the said reports have details of designs of the plant which are specially provided by the suppliers,” “the PIO can severe such design details which have been provided by the supplier as per the provisions of Section 10 of the [RTI] Act.” [2] The NPCIL in its reply to the CIC argues that the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) “is a ‘third party document’ and therefore, without the prior consent of the third party, the same cannot be shared with anyone.” Although they are holding the SAR in a ‘Fiduciary Capacity,’ the NPCIL has said it is “ready and willing to show the copy” of SAR to the CIC. But they cannot share it with the people of India. Obviously, the NPCIL is more interested in the safety of the Russian company and the Russian benefactors but not in the safety of the people of India. [3] The Central Public Information Officer, Shri S. K. Shrivastava, has sent “the copy of Site Evaluation Report for KKNPP 1 & 2” with the cover letter No. NPCIL/VSB/CPIO/620/KKNPP/2012/769 dated May 17, 2012. Physical Shape of the so called SER: The so-called Site Evaluation Report (SER) consists of twelve (12) pages of hardly-legible typed-material with no cover page, no authorship, no ownership, no publisher, no date, no index, and no head or tail. If the print quality of the so called SER is anything to go by to assess the standard of the overall Koodankulam nuclear power project, we have so much to worry about our and our country’s future. You can hardly read a word and rarely decipher a number. Maybe that is the way NPCIL prepares its important public safety reports so that no one can and will read, understand, discuss, debate and ask more questions. Moreover, the so called SER mentions the Soviet Union in several places and it proves that the report is also quite old and outdated. Common sense tells us that this is certainly not the original or complete ‘Site Evaluation Report’ for KKNPP 1 and 2. And if it really is, then Indian citizens have something serious to worry about. In all probability, what we have received is some loose old notes of the NPCIL hurriedly put together to meet the CIC deadline and to mislead the public. It is very strange that the SER of India’s first largest mega nuclear complex that may allegedly house six to eight large imported reactors is 12 loose A-4 sheets. It is unbelievable that an ambitious India-Russia joint project built with a whopping outlay of Rs. 14,000 crore has such a lackadaisical site evaluation study. In the so called SER that has been sent to us, pages 1, 2, 3 and 13 have been expunged without any explanation. It is unlikely that this report may have “details of designs of the plant.” It gives rise to a suspicion that the NPCIL still hiding some crucial public safety-related information from the Indian public. On Page 4, the last paragraph mentions “the site selection committee” and “[t]he present committee” without mentioning the number of members or their names. It is unclear why the NPCIL is trying to hide this vital and relevant information. Startling Revelations in the so called SER: [i] Pechipari Water Will be Taken The so called SER records on Pages 6-7: “In order to enhance additional reliability for water supply, which is essential for the functioning of various safety systems of the reactor, intake well at Pechiparai Dam should be provided at the lower elevation than the minimum drawdown level of the reservoir. However, it should be ensured by proper management of water distribution that the water level is maintained above this minimum level.” On Page 11, the SER discusses “Fresh water for makeup and domestic use” and establishes that it is “Assured by State Government. One pipe line from Pechiparai dam (at 65 km) to be laid.” Indeed two pipe lines have already been laid from the tail end of the Kuzhithurai Tamirabharani river along the Kanyakumari district coast and from a location some 5 km away from the Pechiparai dam through Nagercoil town. The NPCIL authorities simply parrot the unserious assertion that they would not take water from the Pechiparai dam, and the Government of Tamil Nadu ignores our long-standing demand of passing an Assembly resolution against taking the Pechiparai water. As a matter of fact, the Tamil Nadu government has recently allotted nearly some Rs. 5 crore to desilt the dam and maintain it. [ii] No Evacuation Routes Planned or Prescribed The so called SER claims on Page 8: “At least two evacuation routes from plant site during an emergency should be provided.” It established on Page 16: “3 routes exist for possible evacuation. Schools and other public buildings exist for adequate temporary shelter, Nagercoil (30km), Tirunelveli (100km), and Tuticorin (100km) can provide communication, medical facilities and administrative support.” But there is no discussion about the escape routes, the condition of these roads, the status of the relief shelters and so forth. [iii] Possible Future Expansion Under Topography, the so called SER asserts: “Sufficient land available for future expansion.” But the NPCIL officials keep saying that they will not take more land for the KKNPP. [iv] Incomplete and Incoherent Info on Hydrology, Geology, Oceanography and Seismology Aspects All these important issues are very briefly mentioned in a Table with cursory information and without any in-depth analysis.
Important and relevant issues such as Karst in the area, the slumps in the sea and the recent mega earthquake in the Indian Ocean have not been mentioned or discussed. [v] Radioactive Waste Details Solid Waste The so called SER says:
Liquid Waste Dumped into the Sea According to the SER, the liquid waste is “[t]o be diluted to 2x10E-7 micro Ci/l when discharged into the sea.” So it is clearly established that the radioactivity in the liquid waste of 6000 mCu/year from two units will be removed in the Ion exchange resin and as evaporator concentrate. It will be further diluted by condenser cooling water to meet the AERB limits and discharged into the sea. Gas Release The daily releases of gaseous discharge from KKNPP 1 and 2 will contain noble gases, I-131, long-life nuclides and short-life nuclides. Thermal Pollution According to the SER, “Depth of sea water and large dilution due to sea will avoid thermal pollution.” [vi] Population The so called SER asserts wrongly that there are no center of more than 10,000 people within 10 km radius zone and no center of more than 100,000 people within 30 km radius zone. There is hardly any mention of desalination plants, the transportation of the nuclear waste and other crucial issues. To sum up, this SER reads like a practical joke being played upon the innocent people of southern Tamil Nadu and southern Kerala. The PMANE rejects this so called SER and demands the NPCIL to share the real, complete and updated Site Evaluation Report with the people of India along with the Safety Analysis Report as per the orders of the CIC. The Struggle Committee People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) |
People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)
The cutest story ever told …
Reproduced from pastor mike says
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one’, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ and someone did.
Then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn’t have cars. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh’s people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.
God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbour’s stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humour thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses’ best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. [I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, ‘Close the door! Were you born in a barn?’ It would be nice to say, ‘As a matter of fact, I was.’]
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminium. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.
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About PastorMikeSays!
An Ordained Non-Denominational Pastor who prefers to minister to the world over being too caught up in Theocracy.
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Super Over – No Boundaries Special Episode
Super Over – No Boundaries Special Episode by Sidhartha Mallya and Prasanna P
2012 Indian Premier League – Schedule for the week May 22 to May 27
IPL 2012 Schedule – for the week May 22vto May 27 – Matches # 73 to #76
Match: # 73
Date & IST: May 22, 2012 – 8:00:00 PM
Teams: Qualifier 1* – TBC v TBC (1st v 2nd)
Venue: Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
Match: # 74
Date & IST: May 23, 2012 – 8:00:00 PM
Teams: Eliminator* – TBC v TBC (3rd v 4th)
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Match: # 75
Date & IST: May 25, 2012 – 8:00:00 PM
Teams: Qualifier 2 – TBC v TBC (Winner Eliminator v Loser Qualifier 1)
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Match: # 76
Date & IST: May 27, 2012 – 8:00:00 PM
Teams: Final – TBC v TBC
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
The Prison
By Max Lucado
Near the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, is a remarkable facility. Twenty years ago the Brazilian government turned a prison over to two Christians. The institution was renamed Humaita, and the plan was to run it on Christian principles. With the exception of two full-time staff, all the work is done by inmates. Families outside the prison adopt an inmate to work with during and after his term. Chuck Colson visited the prison and made this report:
‘When I visited Humaita I found the inmates smiling- particularly the murderer who held the keys, opened the gates and let me in. Wherever I walked I saw men at peace. I saw clean living areas, people working industriously. The walls were decorated with Biblical sayings from Psalms and Proverbs…My guide escorted me to the notorious prison cell once used for torture.
Today, he told me, that block houses only a single inmate. As we reached the end of a long concrete corridor and he put the key in the lock, he paused and asked, “Are you sure you want to go in?”
“Of course,” I replied impatiently, “I’ve been in isolation cells all over the world.” Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in that punishment cell: a crucifix beautifully carved by the Humaita inmates-the prisoner Jesus, hanging on a cross.
“He’s doing time for the rest of us,” my guide said softly.'”
Six Word Saturday – May 19, 2012
Here’s my entry for Six Word Saturday: Pearls of Blessed [Mother] Teresa of Calcutta:
Life is a game, play it.
Click on the badge above for more details on this challenge.
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