DARK CREST

DARK CREST a daunting look at mavericks through the years

Picture perfect: National Geographic reveals stunning winners of its 2012 Traveler Photo Contest

Winner Cedric Houin: This image was shot in the Kyrgyz lands of the Wakhan Corridor. The intimacy of this everyday life moment, shot inside of a family yurt, is in total contrast with the harsh environment these nomadic tribes live in. On the right we notice a television and a sound console. These tribes live weeks away from any village by foot. In spite of being located at an altitude of 4,300 meters in one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan they are equipped with solar panels, satellite dishes and cellphones. Ancestral ways of living, with touches of modernity

Vo Anh Kiet: H'Mong minority children were playing with their balloons on the foggy day in Moc Chau - Ha Giang province Viet Nam in January 2012. Contest judge Alexandra Avakian said: 'This picture is like a dream, and it's timeless not only because it's black and white and there's no sense of modernity, but also because it depicts an activity that children everywhere on the planet do with balloons. The fog and soft background make it feel like a memory'

Andrea GuarnerI: During the Easter holy celebration called iMisterii in Trapani, the devotees carry the scenes of Christ's passion on their shoulders all night long, only when the day comes do they take a break. Contest judge Alexandra Avakian said: 'The light on the icon of Jesus is as critical to the success of this picture as the varied expressions on the men¿s faces after an exhausting night carrying statues depicting the Passion of Christ. Recognizing when and how to balance different kinds of light in the same photo is something that can make the difference between a muddy and uninteresting picture and one that¿s good, aesthetic, and full of content'

Ken Thorne: Near the city of Morondava, on the West coast of Madagascar, lies an ancient forest of Baobab trees. Unique to Madagascar, the endemic species is sacred to the Malagasy people and rightly so. Walking amongst these giants is like nothing else on this planet. Some of the trees here are over a thousand years old. It is a spiritual place, almost magical

The picture's description is: 'The intimacy of this everyday life moment, shot inside of a family yurt, is in total contrast with the harsh environment these nomadic tribes live in. On the right we notice a television and a sound console.

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'These tribes live weeks away from any village by foot. In spite of being located at an altitude of 4,300 meters in one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan they are equipped with solar panels, satellite dishes and cellphones. Ancestral ways of living, with touches of modernity.'

SauKhiang Chau: The Last Supper Of Da Vinci? No, they are just some old men of Chefchaouen with djellaba, sitting and talking each other

Photographer Camila Massu said: 'My sister in the south of Chile. We are sitting at home next to the fireplace in our southern lake house when it suddenly began to pour uncontrollably. Had to rush into the lake to take this snapshot!'

Ken Bower: The village of G Sadalur and the island of Mykines in the background. Until a tunnel was built in 2004, the 16 residents living there had to take a strenuous hike over the steep 400 meter mountain. 'It was a rare sunny day in the Faroe Islands and I had to wait until the clouds rolled in to provide some softer light. I decided to go with a long exposure (1 minute 10 seconds) to illustrate the force of the wind and a serene sea among the isolated islands,' Mr Bower said

Fred An: 'This is the great Japanese maple tree in the Portland Japanese Gardens,' photographer Fred An said to National Geographic. 'I tried to bring a different perspective of this frequently photographed tree'

Alexandra Avakian, National Geographic contributing photographer, said: 'The content of the photo is striking because the photographer captured both the nomads' traditional way of life and some of their modern accouterments — the viewer gets the visual satisfaction of something that goes against cliché.

'Triangle shapes tend to add dynamism to photos. In this picture they appear in several places, including the main subject’s knee, elbow, and white scarf. The location is hard to reach and off the beaten path for most travelers, and therefore of educational as well as aesthetic value.'

Peter DeMarco: More than 2,000 Buddhist temples and pagados fill the plains of Bagan. Farmers now raise their livestock within the centuries old complex.The best way to see Bagan, apart from a ride on a hot air balloon, is by bicycle. It's easy to get off the beaten path and live out your wildest Indiana Jones fantasy.

Lucia Griggi: 'Taken at Cloud Break at an outer reef in Fiji, a surfer duck dives his board to clear the rolling waves of the raw ocean,' photographer Lucia Griggi said. He was a Merit Winner for this stunning image

Michelle Schantz: A lonely cabin is illuminated under the Northern Lights in Finmmark, Norway

無國界醫生

城市求生 Urban Survivors

隨著過去數十年各地人口由小鎮和村落遷移到城市中心，人類於2009年跨越了一道深遠的門檻──全球城市人口首次超越農村人口。當中有些人因為暴力、衝突或天災而逃離農村地區，很多人則為了尋求更多經濟機會而遷往市區，卻發現自己被困於極度惡劣的城市環境中。快速和持續的城市化令現有的貧民窟擴張，各地不少城市甚至出現了新的貧民窟。目前，全球有超過8億人在貧民窟環境下生活，即每10個人就有多於1個人住在貧民窟。

無國界醫生透過多個在發展中國家開展的城市項目，親歷貧民窟環境對健康所造成的影響。貧民窟的居民長期處於脆弱的狀態。無孔不入的污染和骯髒的生活環境，成為腹瀉和呼吸道疾病的溫床。人口稠密、衛生環境惡劣和缺乏醫療設施，使惡劣天氣或爆發霍亂等疾病都可帶來毀滅性的影響。

城市中貧民的健康，以及他們能否獲得足夠的醫療服務，都受到相關的社會、法律、政治及經濟等因素影響。由鄉村遷往城市不僅是環境的改變，當中還包括學習新的生活模式，以及離開以往擔當安全網和提供歸屬感的社會結構。貧民窟的居民往往發現自己在一個有更多暴力和罪行的地方，適應著貧窮的生活，並遭到邊緣化和歧視。婦女、兒童及非法入境者面對的風險就更大。

部分貧民窟的環境已有改善，例如居民較容易獲得服務，基建設施亦有所提升。但對於大部分身處這種環境的人而言，日常生活仍然非常難熬。不僅如此，貧民窟的人口仍然不斷增加。

數十年以來，無國界醫生一直透過不同方式應對城市的健康問題，例如為達卡的營養不良兒童提供治療、在太子港應對霍亂疫情和性暴力問題、為約翰內斯堡中部脆弱的入境者提供醫療護理等等。無國界醫生目前在全球超過20個城市工作。

為了揭示各地城市貧民窟對人道援助和醫療服務的急切需求，無國界醫生展開「城市求生」多媒體項目，透請五位來歐洲 NOOR圖片社的知名攝影師，前往五個貧民窟──內羅畢（肯尼亞）、卡拉奇（巴基斯坦）、約翰內斯堡（南非）、達卡（孟加拉）和太子港（海地），紀錄居民的生活實況。

透過他們的鏡頭，窺探貧民窟居民的日常生活、他們正在面對的人道問題，以及無國界醫生為他們開設的醫療項目。

立即與無國界醫生踏上貧民窟之旅！

「城市求生」圖片展

透過文字、聲音和影像，無國界醫生將連同救援人員和當地居民，帶領香港市民踏上貧民窟的體驗之旅。

南非、巴基斯坦和肯尼亞的貧民窟圖片展將10月中率先於金鐘太古廣場，孟加拉和海地的貧民窟圖片展則緊接於10月底於太古城中心舉行。

南非（約翰內斯堡）、巴基斯坦（卡拉奇）、肯尼亞（內羅畢）
日期︰12 /10 - 21/10
時間︰11:30-20:30
地點︰金鐘太古廣場L1 層Park Court

孟加拉（達卡）、海地（太子港）
日期︰26/10 – 1/11
時間︰11:30-20:30
地點︰太古城中心地下（近永安百貨）

馬蒂斯桑人口達到30萬，當地組織囤積武器並演變成黑幫，威脅居民安全，而2010年的大地震後，無家可歸的人口進一步增加。攝影師：喬恩．洛溫斯坦（Jon Lowenstein）

小女孩在廢水中找到一個塞滿垃圾的汽油桶，並嘗試把它清理乾淨使用。附近的貧民窟共容納了70萬人，他們生活環境惡劣，要獲得安全的飲用水和醫療護理十分困難。攝影師：亞歷山德拉．法茲納（Alixandra Fazzina）

位於太子港的馬蒂斯桑貧民窟治安惡劣，經常發生性暴力和家庭暴力事件。尚塔莉（化名）在住所附近的空地被強暴，正接受無國界醫生心理醫生的輔導。攝影師：喬恩．洛溫斯坦（Jon Lowenstein）

 烏干達鐵路貫穿基貝拉的中心，火車經過時會稍微減慢車速，讓乘客上下車。這條鐵路旁邊的開放空間，是居民的一條主要通道，也是一個小販市集和一個垃圾場──乘客會從火車車窗丟出垃圾。攝影師：佛朗切斯科．齊佐拉（Francesco Zizola）

內羅畢的基貝拉貧民窟街頭，烈日下塵土飛揚，但大雨過後則會變成一片泥濘。這裡距離內羅畢市中心5公里，到處都是由波紋鐵皮搭建的棚屋，許多家庭就擠身在棚屋的狹小房間裡。攝影師：佛朗切斯科．齊佐拉（Francesco Zizola）

法爾扎納今年四歲。2010年，為了躲避洪水，她和家人一起離開家園，逃到卡拉奇邊陲的「一號超級高速公路」貧民窟。她和母親、妹妹一起，每星期都會到無國界醫生的診所接受檢查和領取補充食品。攝影師：亞歷山德拉．法茲納（Alixandra Fazzina）

一些值得留意的數字

• 全球有超過8億人在貧民窟環境下生活，即每10個人就有多於1個人住在貧民窟。
• 孟加拉坎蘭格查52%的兒童患上慢性營養不良，這是孟加拉兒童死亡及身體虛弱的主因。
• 孟加拉達卡有超過5,000個貧民窟，約1480萬人在居住。
• 南非約翰內斯堡貧民窟38%居民需要與超過200人共用一個水龍頭，71%居民需要與超過20人共用一個廁所。
• 南非約翰內斯堡貧民窟85%居民，居住空間少於3.5平方米。
• 海地馬蒂斯桑有23%的死者死於暴力衝突。
• 海地直至2005年才將強暴列為刑事罪行。
• 巴基斯坦卡拉奇有50%的居民生活在擁迫和不衛生的環境。
• 2010年巴基斯坦水災，10萬人逃離家園來到卡拉奇。
• 肯尼亞基貝拉有60%的疾病都與環境衛生有關。
• 肯尼亞基貝拉的婦女因生孩子而死亡的數目是肯尼亞其他地方的2倍。

這位貧民窟居民正在製作枕頭出售謀生。貧民窟大廈普遍缺乏污水和廢物處理系統，清潔飲用水和電力的供應亦不穩定。攝影師：佩普．博內特（Pep Bonet）

名來自萊索托的入境者在貧民窟大廈裡演奏傳統樂器。貧民窟內治安欠佳，污染嚴重，而南非政府的處理方法，是將沒有證件的入境者趕上街頭或驅逐出境。攝影師：佩普．博內特（Pep Bonet）

達卡位處一大片氾濫平原之上，與海平面很接近。最貧窮的地區通常是最低窪的地區，因此貧民窟居民會將房屋建在柱子上。攝影師：斯坦利．格里林（Stanley Greene）

http://www.msf.org.hk/index.php?lang=tc

無國界醫生是一個獨立的國際醫療人道救援組織，致力為受武裝衝突、疫病、天災影響，以及遭排拒於醫療體系以外的人群提供緊急醫療援助。

無國界醫生只會基於人們的需要提供援助，不受種族、宗教、性別或政治因素左右。當目睹嚴重的暴力、被忽略的危機、或救援行動受阻時，無國界醫生或會作出公開表述。

更多有關無國界醫生的全球救援項目，請瀏覽 http://www.msf.org.hk。

I LIKE MSF @城市求生 Urban Survivors

在Facebook、新浪微博、騰訊微博、Google+或Twitter關注無國界醫生，並轉發救援信訊，你可以為貧民窟居民的生命帶來改變。

http://www.msf.org.hk/connect

A real eye-opener. This chart shows numbers of dolphins exported from Japan (mainly Taiji) and countries that bought the dolphins between 2002 and 2008.

 http://en.elsaenc.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ELSA-Number_of_Dolphins_Exported_from_Japan.pdf

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Simple Longboards

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