This is the personal blog of London photographer, backpacker, traveller Mark Coughlan. The intention of the blog is communicate updates from my personal website and on my photography projects and travels both in the UK and worldwide. When backpacking the obscure places on earth, this blog will be continually updated with images and thoughts from the road. [Read more about me]

Sunday 25 January 2009

The Real Slumdog Millionaire!

With 'Slumdog Millionaire' headlining the news this week with its Oscar nominations, a wonderful feature was on Sky News this week when reporter Alex Crawford interviewed a real 'Slumdog Millionaire' - when a Rickshaw driver from Mumbai actually won one million rupees on the Indian version of 'Who wants to be a Millionaire'.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three

The third episode - Part 3/8 - Africa
Pete Owen Jones continues his year long religious odyssey with a gruelling journey exploring the spiritual traditions of Africa. Pete sets off hoping to get a glimpse of man's first experience of the divine. His journey begins with the ancient practice of Voodoo in Benin, where Pete is confronted by ritual practices that contradict his own deeply held religious convictions. He is forced to decide whether he should even take part.

In the continent where all human life began, he travels to Botswana to meet the San Bushmen, inheritors of the earliest religious faith on earth. In South Africa he discovers surprising new developments in religious belief when he meets the members of the 12th Apostolic Church and is stunned to find Afrikaners who believe the world is about to come to an end. In Ethiopia he finds a group of one of the worlds youngest religions - Rastafarians who have set up a Utopian community in this harsh and unforgiving land.


It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the third episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing. Episodes one and two are also on my blog in case you've missed the series so far.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 1/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 2/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 3/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 4/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 5/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 6/6

Monday 19 January 2009

Home for the Elderly: Brand new website!

I'm pleased to announce that the brand new website for the charity 'Home for the Elderly' is now online. Please visit our website for information how you can help support us and how you can make a donation or sponsoring a nursing bed.

http://www.homefortheelderly.org

Notes:
Pashupati Briddhshram ("Old Home") is the largest old people's home in Kathmandu, Nepal - Home to 238 residents, but only 9 care workers.

These neglected souls live in appalling, inhumane conditions. Some are blind, mentally ill or physically disabled, with many requiring constant medical attention and care.

Due to a lack of funding the home is marred by an acute shortage of everything, from a basic water supply, electricity and care workers.

Home for the Elderly was established to help fund essential criteria of the "Old Home" including nursing beds, heating, electricity generators and medical supplies.

http://www.homefortheelderly.org

Friday 16 January 2009

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode two

The second episode - Part 2/8 - The Far East
In this episode of the series, Pete encounters the exotic and inscrutable religions of the Far East, from anarchic Buddhist Naked Man and Shinto Fire festivals in Japan to enlightening Taoist monks in the mountains of China.

He visits an obscure Shamanic sect in South Korea, and finds out how war helped to create the biggest church in the world. In Buddhist Thailand he explores the meaning of non-attachment, and in Vietnam he comes under the spell of a divine eye, before giving money away to a mother goddess.


It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the second episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 2/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 2/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 3/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 4/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 5/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 6/6

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Scenes from the Gaza Strip

Scenes from the Gaza Strip - View more of an incredibly powerful collection of photographs from the Gaza Strip featured on 'The Big Picture' on Boston.com. Gallery>

Tuesday 6 January 2009

Around the World in 80 Faiths - BBC Series

Another fabulous travel series from the BBC has started this week, they really should be applauded for some great travel related TV in the last few years.
The latest one - Around the World in 80 Faiths where Anglican vicar Pete Owen Jones presents the definitive guide to faith on earth, with eighty rituals across six continents in the space of a year. It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the first episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing.

Episode 1 of 6 - Part 1/8 - Australasia and the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pete travels to Australasia to find out how tribal faiths have survived into the 21st century. He goes into the Australian outback in search of the meaning of aboriginal dreaming, to Indonesia for the elaborate funeral of a woman who died 20 years ago; to Sydney to witness the survival of ancient persecuted faiths like the Iraqi Mandeans and witchcraft, and to the remote volcanic islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific ring of fire to unravel the mystery of the cargo cult.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 1/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 2/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 3/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 4/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 5/6


Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 6/6

 
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