Recently Penny Wong was asked, What's your vision of the best Australia can be, in the world? She replied: I have a view that foreign policy is obviously an expression of the assertion and prosecution and protection of one's national interests and values; it is also the expression of identity. Referencing Gough Whitlam she continued … Continue reading Unspoken Realities: A Comment on the Howard Era
Tag: Indonesia
Little ground for optimism for the future of forests in #Indonesia’s #Riau Province
Some would argue that the forests of Indonesia were undisturbed until recently but there can never be virgin rainforest once people are present. Beginning as far back 40,000 years ago a process of incremental transformation unfolded along the Indonesian archipelago. This was sustainable change all but invisible yet the very languages and cultures of the … Continue reading Little ground for optimism for the future of forests in #Indonesia’s #Riau Province
#Peatland and forest burning for palm oil production continues, but at what cost?
Harvard and Columbia University researchers have used air pollution readings to calculate exposure to the toxic smoke haze that drifted across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, last year. Their research suggests 100,000 premature deaths in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, arising from this event.
#Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
I wasn't expecting things to deteriorate quite as quickly as they have today. Just in case readers aren't familiar with this Air Quality Index scale, readings are based on several factors but the figure 248 refers to parts per million of particles 2.5 microns in size. These have a capacity to enter the lungs … Continue reading #Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
#BookLaunch of ‘Seen & Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia & the #Pacific’
This is a Chitter Media Production, produced and edited by Adrian Metlenko, camera operators Adrian Metlenko and Evan Darnley-Pentes.
The #smokehaze is likely to remain a problem in the face of an ineffective #Indonesian response
Channel News Asia reports Indonesia’s Minister of the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya has been critical of recent comment from Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli who is reported as saying , on 15 April, that “Agro-forestry companies should take full responsibility for fire prevention and mitigation in their concessions." Speaking … Continue reading The #smokehaze is likely to remain a problem in the face of an ineffective #Indonesian response
The author on “Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia and the #Pacific”
Common views of Asia and the Pacific, from the outside, often confer undue prominence to such things as typhoons, tsunami, earthquakes, malaria or even magic. While these can be confronting realities in the Asia-Pacific region beyond such differences even more remains unseen and misunderstood. Frequently unacknowledged are the influences Asian and Pacific cultures exert far beyond their borders. … Continue reading The author on “Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia and the #Pacific”
Forest Burning and haze in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Living with the haze in Singapore. Thunder, lightning and rain were a blessing through the night. Listening to the gentle tapping of rain drops on the window confirmed I’d been right switching off the airconditioning and air filter last thing. Rain always brings an interlude of clearer atmosphere. This was no exception with the PSI dropping … Continue reading Forest Burning and haze in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
A Twitter conversation on the eve of an execution: a polylogic epistalory story
Speaking to the CSIRO Forum on 25 November 2013 in an address titled Indonesia: What Asia's Third Giant Means for Australia, and Australian Business, former Australian Foreign Minister, now Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC, reminded the audience of his often quoted comment that, “No two neighbours anywhere in the world are as comprehensively … Continue reading A Twitter conversation on the eve of an execution: a polylogic epistalory story
Walking Into The Past One #Ubud Morning
Avenues of penyor cascading over the streets and lanes of Ubud, a striking reminder that Galungan and Kuningan had passed for yet another Balinese year. Bridges between an unseen world of spirit and a contemporary corporal world penyor symbolise this time when ancestor spirits are believed to visit their worldly families partaking in feasting and festivities. … Continue reading Walking Into The Past One #Ubud Morning
Russell Darnley Blog 