back to black

NOVEMBER brings me back to the blog after eons away and paths explored...Thailand, Macau, Google Earth!!..mmm yeah...well what's rocking the world? whats rocking my world?
http://asiaconsciousness.org/ are in town for a week and I'll be setting something up there for a friend's booth on the 20th. This is the second year for the event and its sure to create some energy around the Hong Kong Polytechnic University area inKowloon if you skip along.

That's them, this is me...building it....enjoy and talk to me...

Sunday

SUNDAY A day for pondering, the week past and the week to come. Can I take stride, flow wide through the days ahead, planning and accomplishing the next step in synchronicity with my family back home and free to choose and enable my family life in Asia.

Flying Buttresses

You think Stanley Kubrick had anything to do with this?

Edgar Allen Poe 1809-1849

DEATH at the age of forty for Edgar Allan Poe, robbed the collective of further macabre tales of mystery. An orphan young when his mother passed on, Poe experienced the vagaries of life throughout his formative years, attending University, leaving for lack of funds, enlisting in the army and failing as an officer. Becoming a noted critic after several years hard-work he moved to Philadelphia and then New York City, can you imagine at that time the energy and possibilities that man had made for themselves?
His writing shaped by the death of his wife, his life further affected by the living.
Write write write the life.

Paula Rego

DAME MARIA PAULA FIGUEIROA REGO was born in Lisbon 1935.
Her work often gives a sinister edge to storybook imagery, emphasizing malicious domination or the subversion of natural order.
Mother of Nick Willing, film director. himself a graduate of the National Film and Television school he began his career directing commercials and music videos for such artists as The Eurythmics and Bob Geldof.

Gong Kai

VENTURE into creation coming from Mainland China. Interesting to approach the matter with the artists POV and what he and his generations beforehand have been exposed to. Is one not shaped by the waves that crash upon us? The influences that we are allowed to experience surely shape our imaginations and fuel our talents. Anyways, that's only 1 theory. Make your own path and inspire. Here's a GONG KAI creation.

The Hurricane

ALEX 'Hurricane' Higgins. 147 thats my idea of heaven.....well, one can say Alex was one of the very best to ever consider the masse round the blue to hit the black and then do it. Fantastic natural talents in life invigorate the watching admirers.
BE that force in all that you choose to do. All the best Alex. You made us push ourselves to greater heights.

raindrops

FEEL free to LOVE yourself. My wife reminds me to do so when I look into her eyes and see ancient lands of harmony.
Let it rain down upon you.......LOVE

Black Night descends

BLACK ENDING with a bright light offers us the insight and clarity of our life lived. Have you lived one? Been through the experiences whilst learning and teaching to others with compassion and knowledge so bestowed upon you?
I hope that you have. And if you have not, its never too late to start.
Do the right thing. Afore the ending comes and the doors are closed upon your opportunities.
IN the end, we'll never know just how much we could have achieved, only others write epitaphs stating that which we have achieved. WHAT have you achieved in your life?

Bill

Bill Hicks. I can recall the first time I heard his words, what joy spread throughout me.
What can you say when your best friends been long gone from this earth since 1994? Not a lot, you remember him always with smiles and a grimace perhaps cause you don't have his truth running through ya....mmmm, recall the clarity of his insight and wisdom packed in a punchline of genius, yeah,Im reaching for that gift to pass on to my daughter.
If you view one movie amongst the nonsense that's out there then make it this one.
Bill Hicks Movie
Do YOURSELF a favour. Hey Hollywood, get in touch with your soul. We weep for you. Bill's around to make it better for the kids.

Malcolm

"Never trust a hippie." Here's a video given by MM last October at the Handheld Learning Conference in London. It offers
some insights into the formative years and influences that would shape and catalyst the creative life of Malcolm McLaren.
Malcolm

My Lycanthropic point of view...

"Down in the valley of insight
light streams into my soul,
broken shoulders ponder in the shadowed trees,
comforts angels and clipped wings
the friends of fallen leaves."

Red Mist pupils........"Faster, Faster"

www.humankind.me

SUNDAY on V O I C E Always makes me ponder anew, what the Almighty can do...That being YOU! Here's a montage of shots from a walk with my brother Andre Eichman last Friday. Check out his memorable historical documentary photographs right here
Andre
I tend not to roll on Shabba Shabbeth, so as you can see there was a lot of religion wrapped up in this thing it was very weird.
- Thank you Johnny Favourite - Johnny Cash, Simon Venturini, Gavin Anderson. This ones for you my friends of life.
Tomorrows a birthday for the wee one. Happy Birthday Nadzia. Peace to you and yours. Noel

Muhammed Ali - Legend

THE FINEST CHAMPION in the WORLD, a 20th century icon and a spirit of undeniable humanity. Muhammed Ali inspires millions and brings a smile to the face of all those who recall bearing witness to his greatness. Taschen published a fitting tribute to the legend - GOAT
in a variety of limited editions offering with the purchase limited edition silver gelatin prints of Ali and in the 'Champs Edition' a sculpture by artist Jeff Koons. Mmmm, it's on my wish list....

Arvo Part

ARVO PART is one of the 21st Century's greatest living composers. Born in 1935 he truly transcends musical traditions and has re-defined his approach to the form over many years of learning and studying. From the age of 7!!! He attended music school in Rakvere, Estonia, situated 20km south of Finland. As always we are sculpted by our place of birth.
Last year he completed his first symphony in 37 years. And dedicated this performance to the jailed entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Symphony No. 4

Action with Radiohead

RADIOHEAD. Over at Dead Air Space the fellas from Radiohead are charting new angles to enlighten us all. I suggest you open up Dead Air Space with your tea and toast and join in the ability to change the world we live in. I know I know, grand gestures perhaps but 1 a day is a good habit to have. love n peas. N

Glasgow on the Clyde, Scotland

GLASGOW. SCOTLAND.
Where you were born, who you are, those lovely souls that raised you and loved you. My, the love runs deep and keeps you strong when the cold times hit. Take strength in the memories and know it will turn into a better day, a new possibility. For we carry the weight and the flow of hundreds of thousands like us in our stride. A confident gait required. A positive state of mind.
Love to the brothers and sisters of my extended family. Mum & Dad. Nadzia & Thanya. Noel x

Giant Asian Praying Mantis - Hierodula Membranacea

A PLEASANT guest arrived at our house Saturday, the Asian Praying Mantis is most docile really and such details in the form is captivating. Caught on my Ricoh GX 100 - Backlit to enhance and a lovely shape to captivate all. When in close proximity to one another the females may devour the male if food is scare. Be afraid of your praying mantis fellas.
See how the shapes mirror the Irving Penn portrait of Marlene Dietrich below...
Coincidence? I think not. Thank you Irving.

Irving Penn

MASTER of the form Irving Penn has a retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery, UK through to the summer of 2010.
Witness the sharpness of the portrait and the elemental composition firsthand by enjoying this day.
OK....Lets see how we can compare later this week with the possibility that exists to do so.

James, The Night Before - Volume 1

JAMES, the mighty magical soundscape of glittering sparkle release Volume 1 of new songs on Nadzia's 1st birthday, 19th April 2010.
YOU can hear 5 selected tracks on this page until the 5th April. Mmmm, tasty, enjoy and feel the natural forces swirl ya...carried across the oceans from brother to brother and onto another. James
While you wait on the album celebrations you could also seek out WAH WAH. WAH WAH
Experimental jams are best served with soul.....love it.

Magnum Photos

MAGNUM PHOTOS.
Magnum
The mighty agency founded in 1947 to champion "their independent natures as both people and photographers". Into the 21st Century MAGNUM flourishes and inspires. May you rest your head and know that somewhere in the world a MAGNUM photographer changes a lens and looks for the truth to enlighten the masses.
It's Sunday, visit Humankind.me when you can. Peace. Noel

Society

A PEACEFUL demonstration of Remembrance and Humankind united in their compassion and intelligence and free right to speak their mind. This is a powerful point of access to what may counter act the annexing of human rights. Dignity across the generations and a demand for such V O I C E to be acknowledged. 50 mm and lit by candlelight

Amnesty International

REPRESSION of HUMAN RIGHTS takes place globally and on an unprecedented scale in the 21st Century planet Earth.
YOU can make a difference and extoll your V O I C E by signing up on line at Amnesty International website.
Here's the link to Hong Kong's homepage,Amnesty
STOP violence against Women, aid Human RIghts Education, aid Refugee work, there are many worthy causes out there which need your heart behind them.
The fight is now for humanity and I urge you to join up and take action by writing letters, donating and lending support to these profound causes. Help those peoples who have no freedom of rights that you do. Change the way the world works by your actions and support. Seize control and make a difference. Peace.

Home Heart

HOME is where the HEART lies, wherever Home may be. This is our Home on the sea. We shall be moving shortly the ocean having rocked us to zzzzzz's and gently wakened us in the dawn. Sunsets of great glorious shine and fishermen at work noon and night. It's been a thrill, but hungrily we move on ever evolving and carrying the mighty ocean swell within our stride.
NIju Niju will depict the poetry of the motion. Rock yourself to sleep my sweet. Noel & Nadzia & Thanyalak Love

Erik Satie (1866-1925)

ERIK SATIE will turn your day into a new angle it seems, if you allow his music to flow throughout your living space and in & around your being. That's how Nadzia starts her day, in the cradle of creation and mystique provided by Monsieur Satie. Before she has a little nap ready to take the day apart in the after noon hours in the garden so called 'The Green Patch'
Satie was born in Honfleur, Northern France, moving to Paris at the age of 4. Of Scottish Grandparents, Satie lived with them once his Mother passed away in 1872, he stayed with them back in Honfleur until they passed also.
By mid-1896 all his financial means had vanished. I speculate this allowed him some clarity and purpose in life and it was so 2 years later that he had created the two first sets of Pièces froides in 1897.
Satie's compositions so shaped by his life and reflected in their moods, forms and feelings. Bon Courage Erik!

William Turner (1775-1851)

TURNER is accepted by the 'art establishment', whatever that may be, as a groundbreaking Impressionist who influenced the Expressionists while giving birth to the Surrealists in their most earliest form.
I surmise this is because he choose to paint what he saw and felt inside, and enhance it with his technique into a new dimension. Turner's POV has that 'floating' sensation that I aspire to achieve in my photography, and which offers the sensation of weightlessness in witnessing the scene. I further suggest this is 'Spirit' reflecting his/your soul. Haa!
TASCHEN, the progressive publishing house are releasing a lovely book on Turner's history as per usual filled with excellent reproductions of the major works and chronological summary on the artist's life and works. Enjoy!
TurnerTaschen

Bob Dylan in Asia March 2010

THE LEGEND that is BOB DYLAN gears up for a visit and tour of Asia this month and possibly into April, though yet unconfirmed reports of Beijing, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
14 nights in Tokyo will yield a total audience combined of 33,563 peps. an infinitesimal 0.002% of tokyo will view the species "bobo dylansan"...from a population 12.8million. Hai!
No word on wither China will be enlightened by the Maestro. Check out the dates here:
Bob Dates in Asia

180mm on John Simpson

180mm 2.8 was the lens of choice for the above shots, lit by television lights in the darkness it allowed me to shoot wide open with Tri-X 400, sure I pushed that 1 stop.
Recently I have been taking more shots with the 180mm and will run a small series on them shortly. Today WInter has arrived for a day or two, wild and wet and the ferry should be fun on the waves this afternoon.

Niju Niju

SHIPS ON THE SEA. In the fog. Captain John Carpenter at the helm as he whistles a ditty dare it be told, the tale of sailors, robbers and thieves, scallywags & ghouls, who venture to the island to drift onto land and steal your soul.
NIJU NIJU is like that in the opening dawn. A shattered dream thrown onto the sands of time and the wet trails of sorrow to whip around your heart and leave you down and out....Only to return mightier than the time before, with a steel of spine to take you once again into the heat of the lion's breath.

the view from winter depression
seen by balcony &
cast asunder by humidity
spring/summer 2020

B&H New York

THE largest and most competitive and most comprehensive outlet for all things photographically surely must be the legendary B&H in New York. Tell me otherwise, please do. Here, you will find the complete up to date models available on the market and indeed any historical variations available. Film, Digital, Video, darkroom, accessories, bags, blah blah blah.
Check it out if you visit New York. Everyone should know how to get there. Spend some time, then get a slice.
B&H
The above photograph is of Leon Katachi. Photographed by Lorna Carmichael. Roaming outta Tribeca N.Y. looking for lunch & Bobby Dee . We found lunch in a fashioned cafe, enjoyed and wen-a-wandering later on throughout the 'burough, where I turned a corner and encountered Denzel Washington, signing autographs, stopping traffic and laughing outside his theatre where he was performing Julius Caesar. You betcha!

SUNDAY. Chile

THE HUFFINGTON POST. Yet again standing tall alongside the man with real time updates from the earthquake zone in Chile.
Huffington.com
USGS is a website that records and logs all earthquakes.
earthquakeusgs.gov
Good luck Chile.

Louie Psihoyos, The Cove

HUFFINGTON POST today has an article by Louie Psihoyos, Director of the Academy Award nominated film The Cove,
huffingtonpost.com
Louie asks, 'what would you say' if given the microphone for 45 seconds to accept this award and offer a statement. Tough one, you gotta thank the team for making it happen and if I had the mic, I guess I would speak directly to the Japanese and ask them for help. If i could do that by speaking Japanese then that's what I would do. Something so; ""To Japanese Nature lovers, artists, musicians & families, please help save yourselves and STOP this slaughter of the Taiji dolphins. We, your brothers and sisters in the West, stand with you UNITED. Peace."

Naomi

BURN Magazine continues to offer us some phenomenal photography journals. Jacopo Quaranta's essay entitled 'Naomi' catches the heart with the opening portrait and invites you, as the viewer, into a life less ordinary.
burnmagazine.com

Wild Salmon

CONTINUING the FOOD AWARENESS vibe. Farmed Salmon is having a devastating effect on the Wild Salmon industry. Norway's major Salmon farm businesses are setting up their dangerous operations in Scotland, Canada B.C. and Chile.
Global outbreaks of parasites and disease caused by the methods of open-sea farmed salmon are decimating sea life industries, fisherman's livelihoods and the wild Salmon & wild trout itself. 5 kilos of healthy wild fish feeds produce 1 kilo of farmed salmon. INSANE! Yet again big business dollars creates its own economy with disregard for those carrying on a traditional way of sustainability. In the USA 2/3 of the salmon consumed is farm raised. How dumb are Americans in their eating habits?
Take action folks. Do not purchase Salmon that is farmed. SurMat, with the Norwegian Government as its largest shareholder and Marine Harvest are the largest players in this industry. Do not purchase their goods. THEN you will IMPACT CHANGE.
Thanks Jo!!!! Greenie of the Year in Asia 2010. And AlterNet, truth exists, you just need to read it!!!!!
View trailer film here and link to full film.
alternet.org

Food, Inc.

2010 ACADEMY AWARD nominated film for best documentary, FOOD INC. informs the viewer of various shocking methods used in the USA by the conglomerates, namely Monsanto, to manipulate the food sources and maximise their profits at the expense of the farmer's livelihoods and the consumer's health. I suggest you watch this outstanding expose and make your informed food choices from this moment in. A film by Robert Kenner, compiled over 6 years, I quote from Robert's press release:
"Our laws today are such that corporations are allowed to patent seeds for crops. As a result, Monsanto, the former chemical company that manufactured Agent Orange and DDT – in a span of 10 years – has landed its patented gene in 90% of the nation’s soybean seeds. Farmers are now forbidden to save and reuse these seeds and must instead buy new seed from Monsanto each season."
"Weep for the children and the world we have made for them. OR, REMOVE the power from the manipulators by refusing to sanction their actions through consumerism." Noel said that.

Go here for more info: foodincmovie.com

The Cove

DOCUMENTARY FILMING can change the world when it raises awareness of those stories previously unheard and unseen. THE COVE is a testament to such results. Since being released the film has gathered fans and support exponentially over the months which has resulted in positive actions to stop the horror that was being carried out in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan.
The film was directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos and the documentary has won several awards and is considered for best documentary in this year's Academy Awards.
The film was shown at the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival.[21] The film was reported to have received an enthusiastic reception. Japanese viewers interviewed after the film expressed incredulity and outrage.
Go see it, join the action. Humankind. Dolphins await your help.
TheCove

Happy Birthday Gav

GAVIN ANDERSON. 41 today. Captures the essence of the moment in this photograph above taken on the waterfront in Newton Stewart, Scotland. Its shot on Fuji Film on the 24mm with a few filters. Sunny days spent with best friends. Timeless. Priceless.
Happy Birthday brother. Thee & we shall RISE.

Highlander

TRADITIONAL dress from the 16th century and surely a constant in every Scotsman's wardrobe, the KILT comes into its element when Winter comes a knocking. Modern days deliver a 6-8 yardage of fabric, wrapping around your waist. Back in the days of working in the glens and hills of the Highlands, this would have been double in length and at night used as a very warm wraparound encasing the wearer and 'keeping the cold oot', as they say. Hark back to the good old days.
The photograph above is shot on Lamma Island. Self Portrait. 20mm. TRI-X 400. Added the kilt in post...
December Full Moon rising. Kinda in the style of an REM short film. "That's me in the corner..."

South Scotland

SCOTLAND. 20,000 feet above the ROLLING Borders across the country from Edinburgh to Newton Stewart, I'm sure. A fast road though farmyards and old towns. A way of life attractive to a certain state of mind. From above on the Glasgow-London flight-line. The very day the snows and freeze came to Europe in 2009. I was flying away then. I think a number of us were left frozen in the moment of Gav's death.
Thursday is Gav's brithday. Shelter from the elements and warm thy heart with memories and laughter of the life lived.

Hey Tiger...

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY! HAPPY NEW YEAR for those who follow the Chinese Calendar, February 14th is the first day of the Year of the Tiger. May you ROAR in the year and achieve the beauty & grace of the finest cat of them all.
Research suggests the tiger began evolving 3.2 million years ago! Fewer than 3500 tigers are thought to survive in the wild. Thanks to studies from Professor William Murphy, Dr. Gang Li and Brian Davis. The Amur tiger, the largest cat of all is thought to have fewer than 35 individuals living in the wild today. The photograph above is of a Bengal tiger named Narayana.

The Garden

THANYALAK worked in the GARDEN today. Much love to Binglaw & Dave for the plotting of the fields and the lay of the land. WE hope to showcase Thanya's garden growing, and will photograph this for 'The Heart of Thailand' over the spring months into the Year of the Tiger, which begins Sunday 14th February 2010.
KUNG HEI FAT CHOY!
May thee ROAR in a positive way with family and love in your heart. Noel

Rhubarb

ALTERNATIVE treatments to modern methods are always a good idea to consider.
I paraphrase from the BBC website today 'Dr Nikki Jordan-Mahy, of Sheffield Hallam University's biomedical research centre, said: "Our research has shown that British rhubarb is a potential source of pharmacological agents that may be used to develop new anti-cancerous drugs. "Current treatments are not effective in all cancers and resistance is a common problem.
"Cancer affects one in three individuals in the UK so it's very important to discover novel, less toxic treatments, which can overcome resistance."
Lets see how this develops in the world of medicine & alternative treatments for cancer. Along with hemp oil. we are living in an age when self-knowledge is powerful and allows us all to become Masters & Commanders of our own destiny. Consider that freedom before applying logic to solve problems. Avanti.

Iceland

THINKING. If we really wish to view the world in all its finery, in it's grace and beauty, we only need turn to the hundreds of thousands of photographers out there who are seeing and filming that beauty everyday. Go here and check it out, its ony the start of the search, sure. youtube.com
Harmony & Beauty.

15,260 days old, today

TODAY. I am 15,260 days old. Measure your lifespan in days, each one lived to the full and in the moment. If I live to be 77 years of age I will clock in 28,123.65 days. Meaning, today, I am more than half way through my allotted time, on earth.

Scotland in Europe

SUNDAY. UEFA just made draw for UEFA European Championship qualifying leagues. SCOTLAND have been drawn in Group I with Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Czech Republic, Spain. This will be the first championship competition for the new manager Craig Levein. He'll need to beat the current champions who are Spain. Come on Jocky!!!!

丽江. niju niju. 2020

丽江. IN the summer of 2007 before the sands of time ran out and the work began. Leon White was on the run. From whom?
He couldn't say. 'Himself' others said, but in his own heart he knew. niju niju. it was the only way to the truth, yes, there were others, yes, but the only way he knew for sure is where he went. niju niju. on into the naxi.

Ronne Filcher Ice Shelf

EARTH OBSERVATORY. Stunning images from NASA satellites above the South Pole earthobservatory.nasa.gov
FIlmed over the course of 12 hours in January 12th, 2010. The area being broken up measures approx. 1,000 square miles.
Quite a chunk of ice.

เชียงใหม่

เชียงใหม่. North West Thailand is most intoxicating, free your mind and have a visit when you can. Take time to explore a cultural of knowledge and respect, investigate the culinary delights and gain first hand experiences with excellent teachers who will guide you in the skills. We shall investigate specific dishes from the region in our upcoming book, "The Heart of Thailand" by Thanyalak Somkhane. Can you handle the heat? It's in the knowledge that you will be able to do so. Look out for the release of our wonderful inspiring cookbook in Summer 2010. View some pages here on our website and check back for updates when you can.Humankind.me Noel

'Cancer is a Fungus' by Dr. Tullio Simoncini

HOLDING onto my thought from Sunday; "a progressive world where invention conquers destruction and humanity can flourish in the creation". I found some interesting video and web pages concerning Dr. Tullio Simoncini (above) and his research that declares cancer is a fungus and can be treated with an anti-fungal medicine, namely sodium bicarbonate.
In the USA today, there are 3 options to 'treat' cancer when diagnosed, they are 1. Surgery 2. Radiation. 3. Chemotherapy. 2 of these 3 treatments will cause cancer, does that make sense to you? Respect to Dr Doug Kaufmann, who I paraphrase above. Check out this video discussion between the aforementioned gentlemen. livevideo.com
Amazing testimony in that video described by Dr Simoncini, "breast cancer, blood cancer, with the sodium bicarbonate can heal in 99% without surgery (or) chemotherapy and let the organs there softly, (can) remove the cancer with catheter treatment, healing in 6 days." curenaturalicancro.com
"Finally you give us HOPE." Dr Kaufmann & Dr Simoncini, thank you for the NEW DAWN.

www.humankind.me

SUNDAY. We take a time out to consider Andy Murray winning his first Grand Slam and then visit Humankind.me to ponder the way toward such a grand plan as a "progressive world where invention conquers destruction and humanity can flourish in the creation". You can quote me on that.
Just a thought to put out there for ya...
The above photograph was taken in hollywood road, central, hong kong. The man owned a fruit&vegetable shop with his wife.
Peace. Noel

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 1869-1948

TODAY, 62 years ago, GHANDI took his last steps in the night air before being assassinated. Searching for the truth his whole life, Gandhi declared that his most important battle was overcoming his own demons, fears and insecurities. Gandhi dressed to be accepted by the poorest person in India, advocating the use of homespun cloth (khadi). He and his followers adopted the practice of weaving their own clothes from thread they themselves spun, and encouraged others to do so. While Indian workers were often idle due to unemployment, they had often bought their clothing from industrial manufacturers owned by British interests. It was Gandhi's view that if Indians made their own clothes, it would deal an economic blow to the British establishment in India. Consequently, the spinning wheel was later incorporated into the flag of the Indian National Congress. He subsequently wore a dhoti for the rest of his life to express the simplicity of his life. By "reducing himself to zero" he refused to be enslaved by the systems around him and indeed questioned them. Gandhi spent one day of each week in silence. He once said ""the ideally nonviolent state would be an ordered anarchy." Gandhi, a 'philosophical anarchist'.

Howard Zinn, 1922-2010

HOWARD ZINN portrait by Robin Holland. After serving in World War II, Howard Zinn went onto become a lifelong dissident and peace activist. Spearheading many a struggle for social justices over fifty years. He published the antiwar book 'The Logic of Withdrawal' in 1967, which changed peoples perspective and the conscience of a whole generation about the Vietnam War. One of Zinn's favourite phrases was: "the countless small actions of unknown people"
howardzinn.org
"A lot of people are troubled by civil disobedience. As soon as you talk about committing civil disobedience, they get a little upset. That’s exactly the purpose of civil disobedience: to upset people, to trouble them, to disturb them. We who commit civil disobedience are disturbed, too, and we mean to disturb those who are in charge of the war." A true champion of humankind. Inspiring thousands to stand up and make a difference. RIP Howard.

LEICA S2

OBJECT OF DESIRE. Indeed. Leica have recently launched the S2 medium format camera packing a mighty uppercut with its 37.5MP CCD sensor which is 56% larger than that of a full frame SLR camera. Despite this the camera in terms of the physical structure is still manageable and maneuverable handheld. Imagine! The scale of medium format, the depth of detail, autofocus, now where's the 16,000GBP Sterling I had hidden under the mattress......

Dhiraj Singh

DHIRAJ SINGH is a photojournalist based in Mumbai, India. He's featured in the magnificent web site burn.com with one of the finest online films I have seen to date. 'My name is dechen'. It's a most affecting 3.00 minute film with audio, titles, and stop motion edited into an intimate dance with Dechen. check it out here:
dhirajsingh.com

"Malaria Vaccine in three years." Bill Gates

MALARIA KILLS one child every 30 seconds in Africa, that's nearly 1 million children under 5 years of age, every year. Half the world's population remain at risk, including travelers to these affected countries. The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) — which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced its intention to create a new vaccine, called a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) which prevents mosquitos that carry the disease from spreading it further.
Developed by Filipino Scientist RHOEL DINGLASAN PhD, MPH (photo above) an entomologist and biologist at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, it would instead work within the mosquito gut. Dinglasan has found an antigen, called AnAPN1, that causes humans to create antibodies that prevent transmission of malaria by mosquitoes. Get enough of these antibodies into mosquitoes, and you lock the disease up there and prevent it from infecting us. Sounds good, but how do you implement such a strategy? You can hardly vaccinate the mosquitoes themselves. Instead, you put the AnAPN1 into their food source: us. A mosquito that bites an inoculated person would pick up the antibodies and then be sidelined from the malaria-transmission game.
Thanks to TIME Magazine for above info. Read it in full there:
time.com

Haiti's Death Toll over 150,000

HAITI. PORT-AU-PRINCE. Image by Eduardo Munoz for Reuters-Landov. The confirmed death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake has risen above 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince area alone, a government minister has said. Many more bodies remain uncounted under rubble in the capital, including the towns of Jacmel and Leogane.
Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said the count was based on bodies collected in and around the capital by state company CNE. Ms Lassegue said that the authorities were still far from knowing the total number of those killed. "Nobody knows how many bodies are buried in the rubble - 200,000, 300,000? Who knows the overall death toll?"

Haiti's Survivors

SUNDAY. Spokeswoman for the U.N. Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance Elizabeth Byrs says 132 people have been rescued by international search and rescue teams since the earthquake struck. At the peak of the response, she says there were 67 teams in Haiti consisting of approximately 2,000 staff and 160 dogs. Haiti's government has declared the search and rescue phase for survivors of the earthquake over, the United Nations said.
A multinational rescue team last night tunnelled beneath a collapsed hotel in Port-au-Prince to free a 24-year-old man only hours after the government had officially declared an end to rescue missions. A Greek rescue team that had found Wismond Exantus had only arrived in Haiti on Friday to be told that there was nothing left for them to do. Undaunted they set about helping in the United Nations clean-up operation.
Official Haitian government figures put the number of confirmed dead at nearly 111,500 and the number of homeless people around Port-au-Prince at more than 600,000. Byrs says these figures are only preliminary and will change once the assessment missions are completed. Donation figures from the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" say that US$57 million has been raised through the telethon.