The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was claimed as the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia according to the current police general, killing 202 people, (including 88 Australians, and 38 Indonesian citizens).
A further 240 people were injured. Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. The attack involved the detonation of three bombs: A backpack-mounted device carried by a suicide bomber; a large car bomb, both of which were detonated in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta; and a third much smaller device detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor damage.
An audio-cassette purportedly carrying a recorded voice message from Osama Bin Laden stated that the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States' war on terror and Australia's role in the liberation of East Timor. On 9 November 2008, Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim and Huda bin Abdul Haq were executed by firing squad on the island prison of Nusakambangan at 00:15 local time (17:15 UTC). On 9 March 2010, Dulmatin, nicknamed "the Genius" – believed to be responsible for setting off one of the Bali bombs with a mobile phone – was killed in a shoot-out with Indonesian police in Jakarta.
The Bali Memorial was commissioned in memory of the Western Australian victims of the tragic bombing in Bali and to honour of the individuals and institutions that helped all the people in need. The Memorial is nestled in the native landscape of Kings Park escarpment.
It embraces the natural qualities of the site and looks out from the landscape park,across the open expanse of the Swan River to distant Darling Rangers stretched below the vast open sky. The structure is composed of two axes; The Swan River axis captures a framed view across the river to the rangers beyond, while the Sun Rise axis gathers the first rays of light on the 12th of October each year to illuminate the cast bronze plaque inscribed with the victims names.
The design features local materials and artworks including some evocative text carved into the sandstone. The design celebrates relationships between people. Its informal arrangement suggests an anti-moment that offers casual meeting places for families, friends and visitors to the site, who may wish to capture a moment of reflection on this significant event in the history of our nation.
This post is part of the Taphophile Tragics meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.
I found this mural in Perth close to Claisebrook train station, near the Perth City Farm (the red X marks the spot). The building on which the mural is painted faces the eCentral Institute of TAFE and I suspect that students from this College may have had something to do with painting it. It is a dark and ominous rendition of scenes from "Alice in Wonderland" and the rich blues in amongst the blacks are quite striking. That Cheshire cat is something else!
This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 1.74 million living in the Perth metropolitan area.
Part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth is located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both still located on the river. Perth's metropolitan area is formally divided into a number of local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.
These iconic views are taken from King's Park.
This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Sunday meme.
I am in Perth, Western Australia for work and staying at the Crown Hotel. It is situated on the banks of the Swan River overlooking the Perth city
skyline. Crown Metropol offers modern and stylish accommodation at the
renowned Burswood Entertainment Complex. The Hotel is located only 15 minutes drive from
Perth’s International and Domestic Airports and only 5 minutes from
Perth city centre.
Each of Crown Metropol's refurbished guest rooms feature lots of
space and natural light, high-tech entertainment facilities, plush
furnishings, a large executive desk area and spacious bathrooms. Guests have access to the resort-style pool area, 24-hour casino,
18-hole golf course and a theatre. The selection of world-class
restaurants and bars includes Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar and Grill. Isika Perth features deluxe spa treatment rooms, steam rooms, a hair
and beauty salon, and a fully equipped fitness centre. The pool area is
surrounded by sun loungers and is home to the al fresco Poolside Bar and
Grill.
There was heavy rain and wind last night with temperatures in the nippy range, however, the wet streets and bright lights provided some opportunities for photography.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme.
There are many companies in Melbourne offering sight-seeing balloon flights and sights such as shown here are common all over the City. These balloons were over our front yard.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea. Honeyeaters and the Australian chats make up the family Meliphagidae. In total there are 182 species in 42 genera, roughly half of them native to Australia, many of the remainder occupying New Guinea.
Although honeyeaters look and behave very much like other nectar-feeding passerines around the world (such as the sunbirds and flowerpeckers), they are unrelated, and the similarities are the consequence of convergent evolution.The extent of the evolutionary partnership between honeyeaters and Australasian flowering plants is unknown, but probably substantial. A great many Australian plants are fertilised by honeyeaters, particularly the Proteaceae, Myrtaceae, and Epacridaceae. This one is feasting on a large banksia flower.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is 6,650 km long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.
The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile. The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source still undetermined but located in either Rwanda or Burundi. It flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and South Sudan.
The Blue Nile is the source of most of the water and fertile soil. It begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt, a country whose civilization has depended on the river since ancient times. Most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan, and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along riverbanks. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
One fo the highlights of any trip to Egypt is taking a Nile cruise, which stops at many significant archaeological and cultural sites along the length fo the river.
This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.
Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar (1556-1605), Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.
The majority of the important monuments are found to the north of the road from Gaza to Agra; constructed of red sandstone, they form a homogeneous group, even if the eclecticism of their style is evident and is based on borrowings from Hindu, Persian and Indo-Muslim traditions.
Among the numerous palaces, gazebos, pavilions, etc., the following most noteworthy may be cited in particular:
Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audience, is encircled by a series of porticos which are broken up by the insertion of the imperial box where Akbar, surrounded by his ministers and officers meted out justice.
This box communicates directly with Daulat Khana (Imperial Palace), flanked to the north by Diwan-i-Kas (Hall of Private Audience), called the 'Jewel House', a monument known for its central plan, which comprises an extraordinary capital surmounted by a circular balcony: the 'throne'.
Other monuments of exceptional quality are the Ranch Mahal, whose elevation of four recessed storeys recalls certain Buddhist temples, the pavilion of Anup Talao, or the Turkish Sultana, the palace of Jodh Bai, the palace of Birbal, the caravanserai and the problematic 'stables'.
Owing to the piety of Akbar, many religious and votive monuments were constructed at Fatehpur Sikri. The great mosque (Jama Masjid), one of the most spacious in India (165 m by 133 m) could accommodate some 10,000 faithful; it was completed in 1571-72 and according to the dedicatory inscription deserves no less respect than Mecca. It incorporates, in the centre of the court, the tomb of Shaikh Salim, an extraordinary Christian masterpiece of sculpted decoration, further embellished under the reign of Jahangir.
To the south of the court, the Buland Damaza, completed in 1575, commemorating the victories (the taking of Gujarat in 1572) to which the city, their monumental symbol, owes its existence and its name.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
