I love photo slide shows. I learn as much from intensely studying the pictures, and letting my mind form correlations, as I do from reading the captions. This post will serve as a repository for the best photo journals I discover. The comments are as much an exercise in my descriptive writing skills, as ideas I personally noted while viewing the pictures. I do not always have a comment to share, so sometimes numbers are skipped. But, rest assured that when I do have something to say, I will not refrain.
The first entry is wonderful because it not only taught me a lot, but perfectly exemplifies what I hope this thread will achieve:
Yemen in the spotlight (MSNBC)
2. This slide surprised me the most, I think. The typical American truck stop serves slurpies and Ho-Ho's. Yemeni versions prefer pistols. "Yemen has approximately 60 million weapons in circulation." In this decade alone, Yemen has faced civil war in the north, and separatist rebellions in the south (see slide 17 for more details on the latter).
8. I don't know when the photo shown was taken. But if it is recent, I have to wonder why no one has cleaned up the mess since April of 2009. I didn't think Islam involved any sort of superstitions, or perhaps its financial reasons that have made clean-up impossible.
10. Every time I read about dictators letting their citizens vote without letting the opposition party put anyone on the ballot, I get really mad. How can they call this kind of farce an election? I propose we come up with a new term for these shams. I will have to let the creative wheels in my brain ponder this further later. . .
11. Like so many poor, dessert countries, Yemen is running out of water. Exacerbating the problem is the amount of water farmers use to grow the narcotic Qat. "A few years ago, water could be found at a depth of 70-100 meters; now it is necessary to dig 450 meters into the ground to find the precious resource." This slide's photo is the most telling of the bunch to me. Notice the utter barrenness, and then stare for a moment at the immaculate mosque under construction in the background. Why Muslim countries on the brink of civil war, starvation, dehydration, and financial ruin spend their money building mosques is so far beyond my comprehension it's not even worth trying to understand. To me, it is just like the Maya building their pyramids right up until the moment of their extinction.
14. These facts startled me: "Almost a third of Yemen's workforce is out of a job and more than 40 percent of the country's 23 million people live on less than $2 a day." Women are not allowed to educate themselves. The literacy rate in Yemen for women is 35%, and more than double that for men. Furthermore, Yemen allows child brides to be wed, and forced to have sex, at any age. There is no limit.
15. I can't imagine having to use giant blocks of ice to keep my food fresh. . .in a dessert were water is scarce. Electrical shortages are sure to grow worse and not better if the government continues funneling its money and efforts toward giant mosques.
17. This slide's caption explained well the southern separatist argument for preferring their time as a Soviet welfare state to current conditions. Because a vast majority of Yemen's oil wealth lies in the south, it is not surprising southerners feel unification was just a way for the north to get at it's resources. The picture is also quite telling. The old man sits in the front of a bulldozer. There are no lawn chairs, and the only ornament is a rusted oil drum. Yet, looking at the blue sky, and beautiful hills, one can't help but see the potential.
19. Seeing this picture took my breath away. It looks just like the Grand Canyon, but with ancient buildings build into it.
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11/17
Canned art draws oooohs and awes (CNN, by Bradley Gallo, 11/17/2010)
Art for a good cause is even better than art for art's sake, if you ask me. The cans used in the displays pictured in he above linked slide show will all go to City Harvest, an organization that feeds hungry New Yorkers. I heard that 14% of our population categorizes as "food challenged," or whatever politically correct term our government is using for "starving." So these thousands of canned goods are defiantly needed.
"New York is one of about 100 cities around the world taking part in the international charity competition known as CANstruction that is aimed at helping the hungry. Rules allow each team five people to work on their entry. The cans cannot be bound with glue or adhesives and designers are not allowed to color the cans -- so there is endless time donated to finding the tuna or bean cans with the properly colored labels for the particular design."
As far as the art, I love Legos, so number seven is really cool. But my favorite would have to be the same as the jury's, the BabushCANS pictured in number9. Which do you like best?
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I was so inspired by the art, and cause, that I spent an hour reading CANstruction's website, and would like to share some of what I learned with you.
"Since 1992, Canstruction has contributed over 15 million of pounds of food to community food banks demonstrating that we can win the fight against hunger."
This year alone, over 1,500,000 meals will be provided by this organization. And the talent and creativity on display was amazing!
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1/7
Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival (Southflorida.com)
The pictures in the photo journal linked above were taken in northern China. I had never heard of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, but after seeing the fairy castle of ice, illuminated with lights as fireworks explode in the background, I was intrigued. So I clicked, and was absolutely stunned by the scale and detail of the sculptures pictured. As a native of Wisconsin, I have seen my fair-share of ice and snow art. However, nothing I have seen even comes close to the pictures in this photo journal.
The horse and buggies shown in shots 16-17 look cozy enough to view the sites. The men diving into the freezing water are as nuts as the "polar bears" that leap into Lake Michigan each year. Imagine my shock when I came to shot 31, featuring several women climbing into the ice-lined pool! I usually hate the winter, but seeing the beauty and amazing details of the sculptures shown have given me a whole new respect for the snow!
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1/11
I love browsing National Geographic's website for cool pictures. Today, I was lucky enough to find two.
This picture of the Bahamas, taken from space, is beautiful enough to frame. I needed to share it!
And then I came across this amazing shot of the International Space Station. It is not what you think, so take the time to click! (I wonder what the other two blobs are...)
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1/22
8 Beautiful Bioluminescent Creatures from the Sea (Wired Science, by Danielle Venton, 1/21/2011)
My wonderful husband found me the article linked above. Though it only contains 8 photos, each and every one is worth viewing. The Vampire Squid is probably the strangest creature I have ever seen! And the Atolla looks like an intricate knitting pattern. What amazing creatures lurk in the depths of our oceans!
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2/1
Volcanic lighting pictured as Mount Shinmoedake in Japan erupts (The Telegraph)
The above linked picture is straight out of a video game or movie. If I didn't know it was real, I would swear it to be a fake. I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I did!
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2/2
Two forms of worlds 'newest' cat the Sunda leopard (BBC, by Matt Walker, 1/22/2011)
If you love cats like I do, you will enjoy the above link tremendously. The picture at the top is pretty cool, depicting a lanky, but beautiful leopard whose spots have spots within them. But the video further down in the article is even more amazing. The cats tail seems longer than its body, and its fur looks sleek like silk. I hope these animals get some protection so they can get off of the endangered list.
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2/4
The man who isn't there (The Upshot, by Mike Krumboltz, 2/3/2011)
Ever wonder what it would be like to be invisible? I do, and even wrote about it in a thread called "Where I would go with an Invisibility Cloak." The gentleman in the article above, Liu Bolin, takes this idea to an entirely different realm by painting himself to blend in to various backgrounds. Clicking the article, and viewing the attached slide show are worth every second of your time. I had a very hard time locating Mr. Bolin in several photos, but especially in the one of the bulldozer.
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2/12
Animal Pair Pictures (National Geographic)
Every animal lover will enjoy the above linked photo journal from National Geographic in honor of Valentines Day. My favorite is of the polar bears wrestling, because it reminds me of my cats doing the same. Which do you like best?
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2/23
Brilliant Space Photos from Chandra and Spitzer (Smithsonian.com)
I never knew gas could be so beautiful. Usually I can pick a favorite, but the above linked collection of intergalactic art is a masterpiece in its entirety.
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2/25
Playhouse (Yahoo News)
"Why walk when you can slide?" That's the question posed in the caption of the first of nine pictures showing a house in Tokyo designed by an architect who is obviously still young at heart. The three story home looks normal, even boring from the outside. But inside, a giant slide, ball room, and miniature reading nook make the home one of a kind, and worth viewing. I wonder if the kids who live there realize how lucky they are!
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3/4
11 intriguing transparent animals (mother nature network)
When I clicked on the above linked photo gallery, I was expecting to see a bunch of jellyfish. In fact, there were two slides of jellyfish. But the other nine were so amazing I had to share them with you! The Glasswing Butterfly is delicately precious, and the visible intestines of the sea cucumber grossly unforgettable. But my favorite has got to be the Barreleye, whose transparent cranium holds eyes that can literally see through the top of the fishes head!
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3/15
Best Mars Images From Orbiter's First Five Years (Wired Science, by Lisa Grossman, 3/10/2011)
I think it would be fun to print the above-linked set of photographs taken of Mar's surface, and have folks guess where the shots were taken. Most of the pictures look like high-priced modern art to my untrained eyes. My favorite is the one titled "Southern Swiss Cheese." I think it looks like alien ultrasounds made of ice crystals.
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3/24
Amazing Stop-Motion Video of the Aurora Borealis (GeekDad)
Unlike the other posts in this thread, the above link is to a video. And it is definitely worth watching. Some of the shots look like an ocean in the sky, while others remind me of scenes from classic sci-fi movies. Totally cool find, that I must thank my husband for.
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5/24
When I came across the picture of the kid skate boarding on the inner ridge of an orange peel, I was intrigued and had to click. I was not prepared for the new art form I encountered. As a result of finding Slinkachu, I will never look at any urban landscape the same.
On random street corners, sidewalks, and puddles, he arranges his miniature men and women in poses ranging from surreal to heart-wrenching. A mother and child enjoying a winter wonderland. . . on the white line of a parking space; people trying to cool down on a water slide. . . that dumps them right into the sewer; or a caped crusader perched on the edge of a metal post. . . ready to plunge to his death on the sidewalk below.
Each piece seems to have a dualistic purpose, encompassing relevant observations about life in the 21st century, and the inner turmoils of being human. Some pieces are meant to be satirical, while others introspective. Every one has its own message, blatantly clear, yet often hard to confront.
After taking their picture to memorialize his work, Slinkachu always walks way, not wanting to see what will become of his masterpieces. I would probably be the klutz that notices it, just as my shoe crushes it. But imagine being the lucky, observant soul that actually finds one of these mini-men. Would you pick it up, or have the restraint to leave it for the next passerby to enjoy? Just like his exhibits, the concept of Slinkachu's art form leaves us questioning our own morality. Click this link to visit his website.
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