Café with Anto

Guns should not exist

2011-07-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

Travel Checklist for Amateur Photographers

2011-06-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

Going on a photography safari or a hiking excursion can be one of your greatest adventures which will bring fond memories for you to share. But such a trip requires carrying lots of equipment and electronics. Sometimes an excursion means doing multiple flights, train rides, car or bus displacements, and constantly changing hotels. Forgetting an appliance during one of your displacements can totally ruin your trip!

When I put that in perspective, I find it necessary making a checklist for my photography travels:

Passport
Wallet
Keys
Camera
Lenses for camera
Camera's batteries and charger
Camera's memory cards
Mobile phone + charger
Electronic tablet + charger
Laptop computer
Electric toothbrush + charger
Electric adaptor

Being environmentally conscious myself I can recognise that the objects in this checklist are big energy spenders. But it's possible to change this list a little to make it more "ecological", for example replacing the electric toothbrush by a regular one.

Furthermore, the tablet can completely replace the laptop. Ideally the tablet should have a good memory capacity and a memory card reader in order to backup the photographs taken. Sometimes a tablet charger can also be used for recharging the mobile phone, as it is the case for the iPhone and iPad, requiring overall fewer items to carry.

Someone might have a high level of green thinking and bring a solar battery charger! These devices are fantastic, but you must consider that they are still expensive, and their large size use a lot of space in a suitcase. Maybe in a few years they will become more practical?

En Français
Liste d'articles de voyage pour les photographes amateurs

Top 10 Airports in the World (2011)

2011-06-16T03:15:00.000-07:00

As traveling is one of my favourite things to do, I couldn’t help but search for what people voted to be the nicest airports in 2011. Here’s the list:

Hong Kong International Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Incheon International Airport (Seoul)
Munich Airport
Beijing Capital International Airport
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Zurich Airport
Auckland International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Copenhagen Airport

Why would someone refuse to leave home despite war?

2011-06-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just realized something, the fact that the security offered by someone’s home can be more significant than the security offered by his country.

I have two aunts that live Syria. They are presently threatened by the violence of the regime against its protesters, this violence that caused many casualties and that may create even more fury. But despite the brutality, my aunts refuse to leave their home and seek refuge in neighboring countries, like Lebanon or Jordan, where we have family that can accommodate them.

Now they still have access to water, food and basic needs to live throughout their daily lives. They even have access to television, which is a gateway to the world, even if it is controlled by the government. But the violence has still inspired thousands of Syrians to flee to Turkey to stay away from local threats. My aunts do not feel as threatened and stay home anyway.

I'm worried about what is happening in Syria today. However there is a side of me that is happy because people are expressing themselves in order to establish a change to the policy of the country, although the source of these protests can also be questioned. I only hope that the conclusion of these protests will bring a better future to the country.

En Français
Pourquoi refuser de quitter chez soi malgré la guerre?

17,000 Plastic Pieces by Square Kilometre of Ocean

2008-04-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

17,000: is the estimated number of plastic debris floating by square kilometres of ocean, according to a 2006 UN study. The two highest concentrations are found north of the Pacific Ocean, each with an area close to that of the USA, the fourth largest country in the world.

These rubbish concentrations have a bit of everything in plastic, including bottles, bags, balls, toys, etc.

According to the United Nations, these plastic debris caused the death of over one million seabirds each year and more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, lighters and toothbrushes were found in the stomachs of seabirds that were dead. These birds mistook pieces of plastic for food.

The USA is the largest producer of plastic in the world, with 50 billion kg of plastic manufactured in 2006.

Top 10 of the best airports in 2007

2008-01-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

According to the Skytrax independant firm in London, here are the top 10 airports:

1 Hong-Kong
2-3 Incheon (Seoul) and Changi (Singapour)
4 Munich
5 Kuala Lumpur
6 Zurich
7 Schiphol (Amsterdam)
8 Vancouver
9 Kansai (Osaka)
10 Barajas (Madrid)

The Four Members of ABBA

2008-01-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

The four members of the ABBA 70's pop group:

Agnetha Ase Fältskog (left), born in Jönköping, Sweden on April 5, 1945.

Benny Andersson (top), born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 16, 1946.

Björn Ulvaeus (right), born in Gothenburg, Sweden on April 25, 1945.

Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad (bottom), born in Bjøkåsen, Norway on November 15, 1945.

When the band formed in 1972, Agnetha was married to Björn, and Frida was Benny's girlfriend, who later married.