December 17, 2008 (Use j/k keys to navigate)   Email to a friend    Permalink

The year 2008 in photographs (part 1 of 3)

2008 has been an eventful year to say the least - it is difficult to sum up the thousands of stories in just a handful of photographs. That said, I will try to do what I've done with other photo narratives here, and tell a story of 2008 in photographs. It's not the story of 2008, it's certainly not all stories, but as a collection it does show a good portion of what life has been like over the past 12 months. This is a multi-entry story, 120 photographs over three days. Watch for part 2 and part 3 tomorrow and the next day. (40 photos total)

Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. (REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez)

Kartoula, 14, a refugee from Sudan's western Darfur region, enters a distribution centre to receive monthly food rations at Djabal camp near Gos Beida in eastern Chad, June 5, 2008. (REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly) #

The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from launch pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center on May 31, 2008 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, en route to the International Space Station on a construction mission. (Eliot J. Schechter /Getty Images) #

An aerial view of floods caused by Tropical Storm Hanna is seen in Gonaives, Haiti on September 3, 2008. Haiti's civil protection office said 37 of the 90 Hanna-related deaths had occurred in the port city of Gonaives. (REUTERS/Marco Dormino/Minustah) #

A U.S. Marine, from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has a close call after Taliban fighters opened fire near Garmser in Helmand Province of Afghanistan May 18, 2008. The Marine was not injured. (REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic) #

The hand of a dead body lies on the ground amongst the rubble of the earthquake ravaged town May 15, 2008 in Beichuan, Sichuan province, China. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) #

Italian soccer club AC Milan's newly signed player Ronaldinho of Brazil attends his presentation at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on July 17, 2008. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo) # (for those who claim this image has been digitally altered, here is a larger detail of the photo - the halo is from backlighting, not photoshop)

The right hand of a young visitor is silhouetted against a jellyfish exhibition hall at the Ocean Park aquarium-amusement complex in Hong Kong on January 20, 2008. (REUTERS/Victor Fraile) #

Buildings and debris are seen floating in the Cedar River against a railroad bridge Saturday, June 14, 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 24,000 people from their homes, emergency officials said. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) #

Kenyan athletes train at Eldoret's Chepkoilel stadium on May 30, 2008 in preparation for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games 2008. Recently the Kenyan athletics federation announced the setting up of two training camps in Eldoret and Nairobi to cater for a selected team of 120 athletes ahead of the Beijing Olympic trials on July 4-5. (TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Time exposure of the Swiss mountain resort of Grindelwald next to the north face of the Eiger mountain, seen on January 10, 2008. (REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth) #

Department of Water and Power workers are emptying out bales of plastic balls in the Ivanhoe reservoir in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2008. Department of Water and Power released about 400,000 black plastic 4-inch balls as the first installment of approximately 3 million to form a floating cover over 7 acres of the reservoir to protect the water from sunlight. When sunlight mixes with the bromide and chlorine in Ivanhoe's water, the carcinogen bromate can form. (Irfan Khan/AP) #

A man dressed as a tiger carries a small whip made from rope in Zitlala, Guerrero state, Mexico, Monday, May 5, 2008. Every year, inhabitants of this town participate in a violent ceremony to ask for a good harvest and plenty of rain, at the end of the ceremony men battle each other with their whips while wearing tiger masks and costumess. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) #

A baseball is illuminated by the sun as Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly throws during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday, Sept. 27 2008, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck) #

Children of slain Philadelphia police sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, Amber and Steve embrace after their father's funeral mass on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 9, 2008 Sergeant Liczbinski was gunned down as he investigated a bank robbery on May 3. (REUTERS/Tim Shaffer) #

A policeman carries a child away during a gun battle in Tijuana, in Mexico's state of Baja California, January 17, 2008. A shootout on Thursday, after police agents moved in on a drug cartel group, left four people injured and forced the emergency evacuation of a school in Tijuana, according to the local media. (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes) #

A man stands in front of the Marriott hotel after a bomb blast in Islamabad September 20, 2008. A truck bomb was detonated outside the Marriott in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday, killing at least 54, injuring at least 266 and starting a fire which swept through the hotel. (REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood) #

Locals and tourists walk around the Dutch ship Artemis which ran aground on the beach of les Sables d'Olonne, southern French Britanny, western France, March 10, 2008. The boat had been driven onto the coast by the wind blowing more than 130 km per hour. (REUTERS/Stephane Mahe) #

A fire rages out of control at the backlot filled with movie sets at Universal Studios in Universal City, California, 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Los Angeles June 1, 2008. A portion of the set used in Steven Spielberg's film "War of the Worlds" including a jet airplane is shown foreground. (Fred Prouser /Reuters) #

Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, the world's first man to fly with a jet-powered fixed-wing apparatus strapped to his back, flies during his first official demonstration, on May 14, 2008 above Bex, Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) #

Cyclone Nargis victims huddle in torrential rain as they await assistance in Dedaye Township, southwest of Yangon, Myanmar on May 19, 2008. Political resistance to outside aid and a slow response by the government worsened an already devastating situation - an estimated 146,000 people lost their lives. (REUTERS/Stringer) #

Tear gas cannisters fired by Israeli soldiers fall from the sky on Palestinian and Israeli peace activists during a protest agaisnt the construction of Israel's controversial security barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah, on June 6, 2008. (Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images) #

Maasai warriors cover a battle field as they clash with bows and arrows with members of the Kalenjin tribe in the Kapune hill overlooking the Olmelil valley located in the Transmara District in Western Kenya on March 01, 2008. The Massai, the Kalenjin and the Kisii tribes have recently clashed over ongoing land disputes that erupted after botched local elections during the general elections held in Kenya in December of 2007. Over twenty warriors from the tribes have been killed in bow and arrow battles near the borders of these tribes in the last couple of months. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images) #

Firefighters battle a blaze at the Namdaemun gate, one of South Korea's most historic sites, in central Seoul, on February 11, 2008. An arsonist started the fire, destroying the gate - the oldest wooden structure in Seoul, first constructed in 1398 and rebuilt in 1447. (Kim Jae-hwan/AFP/Getty Images) #

The head of a male student, still alive, trapped under the debris is pictured at the scene of the church school that collapsed on the outskirts of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, November 7, 2008. At least 30 people were killed when the three-story La Promesse school building collapsed while class was in session and some of the walls and debris crushed neighboring homes in the Nerettes community near Port-au-Prince. (REUTERS/Joseph Guyler Delva) #

Wounded Palestinians lay near Reuters news agency reporter Fadel Shaana's car after it was hit by an Israeli missile on April 16, 2008 in the central Gaza Strip. The Israeli air strike killed a Palestinian cameraman working for the Reuters news service and two other civilians, Palestinian medics and witnesses said. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images) #

A rescue helicopter prepares to hoist aboard surviving Japanese climber Hideaki Nara near the summit of Aoraki Mount Cook in New Zealand on December 5, 2008. A Japanese climber stranded for six days just below the summit had died just hours before rescuers reached him and a compatriot, local media reported. The two Japanese climbers were forced to huddle in a tent 50 meters below the 3,754-meter (12,349 feet) peak, as poor weather and high winds foiled attempts to rescue the men by helicopter. (REUTERS/The Christchurch Press/John Kirk-Anderson) #

A Kenyan boy screams as he sees kenyan policeman with a baton approach the door of his home in the Kibera slum of Nairobi 17 January 2008. Hundreds of police who had earlier clashed with supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga at the entrance of the slum moved into the shantytown and did a house to house search for protestors. (WALTER ASTRADA/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Afghan refugee child hides from a dust storm behind a tent at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan on October 7, 2008. Over a quarter million Afghans have returned home this year from Pakistan and Iran, many of them reportedly due to economic and security uncertainties faced in exile, the United Nations said. (MANPREET ROMANA/AFP/Getty Images) #

The Guizer Jarl is silhouetted as members of his Viking Squad walk around a long boat with burning torches during the annual Up Helly Aa Festival, in Lerwick, Shetland Islands on January 29th, 2008. Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian vikings in the Shetland Islands. (Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images) #

Comoran and Tanzanian African Union soldiers (not seen) arrest an injured Anjouanese man after shooting three rockets at his house in Mutsamudu on 25 March 2008. The Comoran army said it had located the renegade leader of the isle of Anjouan, Mohamed Bacar, during the operation it launched earlier March 25, 2008 with the African Union to oust him. Some 400 AND troops backed by around 1,000 soldiers from Sudan and Tanzania launched a offensive before dawn to wrest back control of the isle of Anjouan from Bacar, its self-proclaimed leader, and capture him. Bacar was captured, and after some legal wrangling, evaded extradition back to the Comoros, and is now living in exile in Benin. (JOSE CENDON/AFP/Getty Images) #

Fishermen try to catch fish during the Argungu fishing festival in Nigeria on March 15, 2008. Over 30,000 fishermen from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West Africa took part in the final of the yearly Argungu fishing festival in Kebbi, northwestern Nigeria. (Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images) #

A firefighter uses a flare gun to set a backfire in the rugged area of Little Tujunga Canyon, 20 miles (32 km) north of downtown Los Angeles in the early hours of October 12, 2008. Fifty miles per hour gusty winds spread the fire towards ranches and houses in the heavily-forested canyon. (REUTERS/Gene Blevins) #

Flames from a wreckage of a passenger plane are seen after crash Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 15, 2008. 40 people were killed, most of them were on the ground in the marketplace where the plane crashed. (Lionel Healing/AFP/Getty Images) #

A polar bear shakes his body to remove water at the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-Felicien, Quebec on March 6, 2008. (REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger) #

Cambodian families living on the grounds of the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, along the Thai-Cambodian border October 16, 2008. Nearly 200 Cambodian residents living near the temple have taken refuge on its grounds, after recent fighting killed two Cambodian soldiers, a local Cambodian newspaper reported. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the court failed to determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) Hindu ruins, a ruling that has rankled with Thais ever since. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif) #

A man in a traditional "Perchten" costume performs during an Austrian league soccer match in Ried, Austria November 12, 2008. (REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler (AUSTRIA) #

A man carries the body of a child recovered from the rubble of a destroyed house after an air strike in Baghdad's Sadr City in Iraq on April 29, 2008. (REUTERS/Kareem Raheem) #

Finland's Harri Olli soars through the air during the large hill ski jumping FIS World Cup event in Liberec, Czech Republic on February 9, 2008. (REUTERS/David W Cerny) #

Kerby Brown rides a huge wave in an undisclosed location southwest of Western Australia July 6, 2008, in this picture released November 7, 2008 by the Oakley-Surfing Life Big Wave Awards in Sydney. Picture taken July 6. (REUTERS/Andrew Buckley). #

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Muito boas as fotos!!!

Posted by Italo December 18, 08 09:08 PM
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Almost all the elements of human existence in beautiful, horrible, breathtaking pictures frozen in time. But where is the element of human compassion., only God knows, These are the things that grab a our attention.

Posted by David T. McDonald December 18, 08 09:15 PM
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I like to look at these as individual photos and take each one in by itself. Each one says a lot, some more than others, but still they all have something to say. I appreciate you putting this blog up. Regardless of how these photos are interpreted, it's nice to know that someone else sees the power these photographs, as well as the art in general, have for us.


To those questioning the motives of the person taking the picture, I hope you'll realize that standing aside and documenting tragic or glorious moments can sometimes be a more powerful tool than personally interfering. Their purpose is to present these moments for others to see, for those who cannot be there. Otherwise, you would not be talking about it, would you?


To those arguing about Israel/ Palestine, and to those complaining how awful the world is, know this: All situations have two, if not more sides. This world is covered in people who don't agree. The source of all of this is exactly what you are all doing, arguing yet solving nothing. I'm not a hippie, and, as a realist, I don't believe in world peace. We'll never achieve something so fairytale-esque. These photos in many way reaffirm this belief for me. It's awful to see so much tragedy, and great to see so much achievement.

These qualities are what define us a humans, but they are also what seal our fate as a race. The photographs above capture the dual nature of us as a species, like it or not. It has nothing to do with religion or science or sides or imaginary lines in the sand. The only redeeming factor within humanity is art. In it's pure form, it is the only thing we do without purpose other than expressing what we feel. This is different for many people. For some it is to capture the emotion of a moment with a snapshot. For some it is to express this emotion in a melody or rhythm. Regardless, if it is to be pure, then it is unbiased and raw. I believe you are sullying the purity of these pictures by trying to place them in some category. They do not deserve this. These picture are what they are; Moments: good or bad, scary or sad, proud or mournful, full of awe or shame. If only for a brief time, look at them again, without your bias, without your opinions, and without trying to decide who's side the camera-person was on. Though they may present bias in the their natural state, you can choose to look at them as pictures, and not representations of opinions. If you can do this, you are doing not the artist or anyone else, but yourself and the art-form itself the justice it deserves. After all, it is all we have in a world that will undoubtedly collapse upon itself. And because when we are all gone (which will inevitably happen) there will be no use in choosing sides and arguing, only documenting what was, good or bad, right or wrong; though the real tragedy is that there will be nobody here to appreciate how it makes them feel anymore.


Blogger, thanks again. Regardless of how you may feel about what I or anyone else said, your contribution is appreciated, respected, and hopefully, understood. But then again, I'm dishing out fortune-cookie wisdom on a website, I'm likely just pissing in the wind.

Posted by Tim December 18, 08 09:16 PM
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Maravilhosas!

Posted by Rafael December 18, 08 09:21 PM
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Oh, today is attack Israel day again, whats new, the biased media always finds a way to fit in some partially staged shot to tilt public opinion.... Ohhh those poor innocent peace-seeking Palestinians are always the target of the violent Israelis....
Enough is enough, get the facts straight!!!
Israel has been willing to make major concessions with just about every Arab state, but Hamas, and the other factions aren't looking for peace they're looking to rid the region of all Jews... Listen to what they say....

Posted by Brian December 18, 08 09:21 PM
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Beautiful photos. Makes one stop and take time out to study the photo as a whole, and all the minute details.
Photos like these make me love photography even more - and they also rekindle the passion for the art.

Posted by ADM December 18, 08 09:29 PM
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We all need to appreciate what we have...

Posted by Anonymous December 18, 08 09:38 PM
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Awesome-the good-the bad -the beautiful -the ugly; it's all there.

Posted by Wolf Heart December 18, 08 10:11 PM
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thank you for the terrific photos - it's a gift to see a witness's view of life in any aspect - the ugly, the angry, the painful - as well as the beautiful, inspiring and humourous. Artists mark the now - they don't judge it. The proportion of agenda based commentary above is a sad attempt to make someone else's art either for or against what you think - grow up ladies and gents - it's not all about you.

Posted by Laurene December 18, 08 10:18 PM
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EXTRAORDINARIAMENTE IMPACTANTE!!!!
Esse é o nosso MUNDO...
Soldado, Policia Militar, MASCARENHAS.
Feira de Santana, Bahia, BRASIL.

Posted by Fábio Mascarenhas December 18, 08 10:30 PM
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Awesome!!! Great reflection of the year gone by! Merry Christmas and a Happy new year!!!

Posted by S De Alwis December 18, 08 10:45 PM
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Astonishing. Ought to provide a download option. Worth recomending to others.

Posted by Banni Pulikottil December 18, 08 10:48 PM
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As a father, my heart went out to the parents of the poor innocent lifeless child being held aloft in #38. Surely we can do better than that? For the faceless decision maker who authorises such an attack, you need to have that picture beside your phone so you fully consider the ramifications of what you do.

For goodness sake, lets not worry about what separates us, but consider more what unites us as human beings living on the one planet...

Posted by a saddened Australian December 18, 08 10:51 PM
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What are we doing sitting here and watching these photos? Why aren't we acting to save the world from misery ????!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Bharathi December 18, 08 11:08 PM
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Speaking as a Muslim living in Asia, I'm truly heartbroken to see how my fellow Muslim sisters and brothers are treated in Palestin.

Stereotyping all Muslims as 'extremists' or 'terrorists' shows how ignorant you are-- How would YOU feel when you go home and find out that your house has been taken over by Jewish people? How would you feel when your homeland, the place you've been living all your lives are being taken over by other people, regardless of their religion. Is it right when people come and say, "Hey, this place is our place now! Get the hell out of here!" Are you just going to take it or FIGHT?!

@258 ***The muslim world at large needs to *back off* a bit. That, and stop firing rockets from people's windows, then when that window has a rocket flung back into it, cry outrage that civilians were harmed.***

Back off? If standing up for your religion is wrong, then go be an atheist. I'm not saying that violence justifies violence, but when your brothers and sisters are killed mercilessly in other countries in an unending one-sided war, then something is screwed up if you don't want to realitate. Peace talks and agreements? Bullshit, tell me when that ever really works. Don't believe the goverment-influenced media-- they'll show you a picture of a flower, when the true picture is that the flower is resting on a GRAVE.

Posted by Proud Muslimah December 18, 08 11:16 PM
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Boston Globe: You are mixing good photography with political pornography!

By showing only the pictures of the oppressed Palestians, you are serving the official agenda declared by the Palestian Hamas: "Kill the Israelis or at least send them all back to where they came from", while ignoring the fact that they are not willing or capable to negotiate even with their own brothers, the Palestians from the West bank.

A few pictures of the Qassam rockets fired daily from Gaza at the Sderot schools in Israel would justify at least your title: "The Big Picture".

Posted by GE December 18, 08 11:33 PM
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Imagine a world without George Bush Jnr and Snr.

How is being in Iraq 'protecting' the US?!?! I think people who are somehow naive enough to believe that our being in Iraq makes the world a safer place haven't gotten out much themselves .. A lesson to us all, go look around this amazing world of ours. Take a look at how other people live. Come back to the US and tell us then who the real terrorists are!

Posted by k2kyinmel December 19, 08 12:00 AM
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@264

Kind of sounds like something that happened to the Jews in the 20th century. I'm not saying what the Isrealis are doing is justified, but you can't act like it's never happened to them. And the group leading the Palestinians happen to think the Nazis had the right idea.

Posted by Adam Sapples December 19, 08 12:01 AM
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#9: It's still a bit surreal to me! I used to live a few blocks from the river (I was one of the thousands flooded out) and I ran by that bridge almost daily along a riverfront path. To add a bit of fact: those buildings are houseboats from Ellis park, upriver, that came loose with the rise of the Cedar river. The bridge itself hadn't been used in years and the cars on the bridge were put there to weigh it down.

We're still recovering but a lot of businesses and households have rebuilt thanks to our great community. Happy holidays!

Posted by cedarrapidsnative December 19, 08 12:04 AM
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f*cking nice

Posted by Anonymous December 19, 08 12:07 AM
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keren bangeet!
AWESOME!

Posted by Azelia Pattiasina December 19, 08 12:11 AM
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Fantastic Stuff, great to see.

Posted by Pratidhwani Srivastava December 19, 08 12:31 AM
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Thank you Brian (269)... finally a rational opinion!

Its definately gang up on Israel day it seems...


Amazing Photos BTW.

Posted by Tsafanman December 19, 08 12:38 AM
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I love these photos, not so much because they are beautiful and breathtaking in the enormity of what they capture through the lens of art, but in the enormity of what they capture about us, as humanity, and what we are doing in with this world that we live on. I am awestruck with the breadth and variety of the human condition that is present in this collection of photographs-- the joy, the suffering, death, life, nature at it's best and at it's worst and always in reaction to us. On any given second on this earth, as we sit here, coddled and privileged in front of our shiny computers, so many people on this earth suffer. I'm glad that at least something moves some people to see this side of it. I hope those people start to care.

Posted by anna karenina December 19, 08 12:42 AM
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These images are extraordinary ...

The most memorable events give us those litle victories that we need to have flashes of happiness and the raw moments humanize us all and make us appreciate what we have and help to those who need it most

Posted by Nallheli December 19, 08 12:43 AM
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Super wonderful photos ...

Posted by Farshad Palideh December 19, 08 01:16 AM
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Amazing pics. They shows life in our planet from different aspects: beautiful nature, invisible but miracle moments, human aspiration (in sport, technology) as well as suffering no matter if it is caused by war, natural cataclism or peoples' violence.

Posted by Zaya December 19, 08 01:38 AM
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195.In response to 94

It's not a democracy. No Palestinians are allowed vote in Israeli elections

Hahahahahahahahahahaha... The Palestinians have THEIR OWN democratically-elected governments in Gaza and the West Bank. Guess what, Israelis aren't allowed to vote in those elections, either. Guess that must be apartheid too, huh? Likewise, I can't vote in American elections by dint of not being a citizen there, so I must be a victim of apartheid.

Oh, unless you were referring to Palestinian Arabs who live in Israel and are Israeli citizens, who do in fact vote and have in fact elected several Arab lawmakers and (if he's still in the post) a Palestinian Arab science minister as well as several other high-ranking leaders.

You might as well claim that Mexicans in Mexico are apartheid victims because they can't vote in US elections.

Did you ever stop to think that such idiotic misuse of words like apartheid, ethnic cleansing etc. as are thrown around with reference to Israel, are simply cheapening the words themselves and insulting ACTUAL apartheid victims?

and what's left of the Palestinians have been herded into enclaves up and down the Levant

"What's left of the Palestinians?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

There were around 750 THOUSAND up to ONE MILLION Palestinian Arabs who fled Israel during the war of independence. Check the UN figures if you'd like. There are now around FIVE MILLION Palestinian Arabs in Palestine. There are around ONE POINT EIGHT MILLION Arabs, mostly Palestinians, who live in Israel proper, and are outstripping every other demographic besides the tiny ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority in birth rate. "What is left" of the Palestinian Arabs is around FIVE TIMES what their numbers were in the war of independence.

Oh, and as I already demonstrated from the factual record of commentary at the time, it was NOT the Jews who did this. The Jews inherited the problem twenty years later from the Egyptians and Jordanians who created it in the first place.

Is criticism of Israel no longer even required to make the slightest sense at all these days? What a joke.

and are remorselessly pounded by a far superior miliatry force in the most blatant form of collective punishment.

Oh really. Do you have proof of this? Do you mean "relentlessly pounded" like Sderot is - where the population has ACTUALLY DECLINED and economic activity is crippled by the barrage of Qassam rockets? Or do you mean the targeted, low-impact strikes that Israel performs in order to neutralize militant infrastructure that is used to target Israeli civilians?

In South Africa the denying of a vote to an ethnic group was called Apartheid.

In the common vernacular, implying that Jews are committing grievous human rights offences such as denying others the right to vote on the basis of their race when no such thing is true, is called ANTISEMITISM. GET USED TO IT.

In the former Yugoslavia removing population for the plantation of another ethnicity was called Ethnic Cleansing.

I guess Gaza has been ethnically cleansed of Jews then - after, that is, the Arab nations ethnically cleansed their own people from Israel as is ADMITTED by EVERY ARAB NATION.

In Warsaw the enclaves into which a single ethnicity was herded was called a Ghetto.

Hey - there are no Jews in the territories because the Palestinians didn't want them there, not the other way around. Are you forgetting this? Is settlement of the territories by Jews now a GOOD thing?

OR WERE YOU PERHAPS REFERRING TO ISRAEL - THE ONLY PLACE AMONG THE VAST EXPANSES AND INNUMERABLE PEOPLES OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN WHICH JEWS MAY LIVE WITHOUT PERSECUTION. IS THIS PERHAPS THE GHETTO OF WHICH YOU SPEAK??? SURELY YOU CAN'T BE REFERRING TO THE MUSLIM ARAB TERRITORIES WHICH BORDER MUSLIM ARAB NATIONS AND HOUSE MULSIM ARABS???

How easily we forget.
Posted by Muc Beag December 18, 08 12:28 PM

IN 1940S GERMANY, CLAIMING THAT THE JEWS WERE AN IMMORAL PEOPLE WHO VIOLATED OTHERS' RIGHTS AND HAD NO REGARD FOR THE HUMANITY OF ANY BESIDES OTHER JEWS WAS USED AS JUSTIFICATION TO MURDER MILLIONS OF THEM, ON MORAL GROUNDS, AND TO PREVENT THEIR NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ON HUMANITY AND RESTORE MORALITY.

HOW QUICK SOME ARE TO REVIVE SUCH SENTIMENTS AND PRETEND THEY HAVE NO RELATION TO THOSE THAT SAID THE SAME THINGS ONLY SIX DECADES AGO.

Posted by Reuben December 19, 08 01:41 AM
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After looking at these pictures and reading most of the comments, I would like to say that bickering back and fourth at each other is entertaining. Yet you must realize that is not the reason these pictures are on this website. If you would like to know the real reason anyone should appreciate photography and these pictures you should read comment 267. It will explain to those who bicker that art is meant to express basic emotions not political differences. Yes some can be viewed as having outside influence but when the artist decided to make his work of art he was thinking of a basic emotion. Whether it be happy, angry, sad, mad, or any other emotion, the artist just expressed how they felt or still feel. please don't ruin an artists work by making it all about you. just appreciate the art and enjoy every bit of it.

Posted by Mark Chapman December 19, 08 01:50 AM
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No Pictures of the destruction after the Hurricane hit Galveston Island?

Posted by Bigmista December 19, 08 01:52 AM
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Hope you all do have a merry christmas

Posted by Jrd December 19, 08 02:15 AM
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Nice one Tim. Not just pissing in the wind this time. I got it. Good stuff there. And I NEVER read blogs. I just got forwarded these pics and they were so increadible, and I got sucked into the commentary that followed.

On all this Israel/Palestine talk, Bunnerab nailed it. Totally shut up and go home you religious whacko yahoos. Like THIS is what your "God" wants you to do? Seriously? He just wants you all to be in some neverending stalemate of suffering and pain? Obviously your God either doesn't exist or doesn't want to help you, because you're all still there in that horrifying mess with no end in sight. If I lived in that area and I believed in God I think I'd call him a duchebag and tell him to sit and spin.

Posted by Joseph O. Aramathea December 19, 08 02:22 AM
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To comment 179...

The white halo you speak of is actually caused by the bright lights seen on the right side of the frame.

Posted by L.Bee December 19, 08 02:34 AM
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awesome ..

Posted by fla December 19, 08 02:50 AM
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How great moment

Posted by Young December 19, 08 02:55 AM
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Fantastic Photos!!!

Posted by Damianos December 19, 08 03:03 AM
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lovely

Posted by Gayatri December 19, 08 03:59 AM
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Posted by frankoliva December 19, 08 03:59 AM
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great pictures

Posted by ken December 19, 08 04:03 AM
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every picture a world press photo! very good selection by the editors, congratulations

Posted by martin meissner December 19, 08 04:11 AM
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these pictures are so astounding and and capture amazing moments!
however it is an upsetting reminder of the state of our society that the majority of these pictures depict some form of violence..
it is my wish for all of us that, when we look back at the end of 2009, the year will be a reflection of peace, humanitarianism and happiness!

Posted by L. Werth, South Africa December 19, 08 04:23 AM
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Kinda puts my life in perspective

Posted by Karen Heins December 19, 08 04:28 AM
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Amazing photos, shame there are so many comments of people pointing the finger at the other side, the photos are meant to make us realise how amazing nature is and how destructive man.
Enough of the religious and political disputes - nature knows not of politics or religion just of mutual respect and respect of nature itself.

Stop polluting the minds of the children with hate and grudges.

Posted by richard December 19, 08 04:36 AM
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Excellent pictures. Unbelievable. congrats! Looking forward to the rest

Posted by facundo December 19, 08 04:40 AM
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@ MarkSmith (#263)
Lay off. She's a daughter who is trying to cope with her father being in the war. I assume that at the moment what she doesn't need is a political lesson from some faceless blogger. Like many have said to others, try putting your political agenda aside, and consider the emotions that are stirred by tragedy on both ends. That's what I believe art and photography of this nature should do.

Posted by CLDunn December 19, 08 04:56 AM
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Me gustaría poder conservarlas... Impactante año, como siempre...
Paz para todos y Justicia más.

Posted by Salam December 19, 08 05:43 AM
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I agree with Edite.
And we think we have problems .....

Posted by Dragos December 19, 08 05:45 AM
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We kill ourselves.

Posted by baSTARd December 19, 08 06:02 AM
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im dumbfounded.......... these are brilliant...........

Posted by baptu December 19, 08 06:15 AM
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I pick #40... doesn't need to say why.

Posted by YK Song December 19, 08 06:28 AM
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fudido! *>*

Posted by lowis December 19, 08 06:31 AM
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Fantastyczne ujecia, super zdjecia, gratulacje

Posted by profil December 19, 08 07:05 AM
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Awesome,inspiring,devastating,thought provoking,sad,happy,triumphant
everything that photo journalism should be about.....
2008 is not over yet however

Posted by John December 19, 08 07:10 AM
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Very well captured... Too good!!

Posted by sid December 19, 08 07:19 AM
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Wonderful contrast between privileged Europeans and Australians living it up (skiiing, surfing) as against the misery almost everywhere else

Posted by Ravi December 19, 08 07:35 AM
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Every picture tells a story (Happy or sad)

Posted by Angela December 19, 08 07:47 AM
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Fantastisch mooie foto's zitten ertussen.
Prachtig

Posted by Ron December 19, 08 07:47 AM
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USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

LONG LIVE THE USA! We have secured freedom for more people and more countries than any country in the history of the world!

Posted by Guy December 19, 08 07:55 AM
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The little boy make me cry.

Posted by Anonymous December 19, 08 07:59 AM
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Super impactantes, muy buenas...

Posted by Path December 19, 08 08:20 AM
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Ano após ano as imagens das guerras continuam figurando entre as mais chocantes... Somos corajosos o suficiente pra aceitar a guerra e não se manifestar contra, mas quando vemos imagens de crianças mortas ficamos chocados.

Posted by Fabio Garrossino - Brasil December 19, 08 08:35 AM
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Too "US centric"? It is the BOSTON GLOBE, a US newspaper, after all, I thought it was pretty well balanced myself.

Posted by Tom December 19, 08 08:42 AM
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# 38

Poor kid...
...it seems the only innocence suffer in the time of war.

Posted by Hien December 19, 08 08:50 AM
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Reuben

750,000 Palestinians were either removed from their land by the Israeli military or left it before the Israeli military got there on advice from their leaders during the Israeli war of independence. That was ethnic cleansing pure and simple, otherwise Israel would have allowed them back to their homes in Israel after the war instead refusing them re-entry and allowing Christian Militias to butcher them in the Lebanese refugee camps under Israeli control.

Pretending that they ethnically cleansed themselves is as farcical as claiming Bosnian Muslims fleeing the Bosnian Serb army ethnically cleansed themselves.

The Palestinians vote in the Palestinian Authority - laughably lauded as a government of the Occupied Territories by Israel and the US.

Except it has no state to govern (there is no Palestinian state), no control over it's borders, no control of its tax revenue, it is completely cut off from another supposed part of its territory which is under blocade, it has no standing army with which to defend itself, it is only ALLOWED to govern the areas that do not have large illegal Israeli settlements (which break up the West Bank into numerous pockets and are strictly cleared of Palestinians), its borders are frequently violated by military incursions and its citizens interned by its neighbour without trial, including children.

Swathes of the West Bank have been annexed illegally under international law by a wall, which even surrounds entire towns on 3 sides, its larger neighbour can kill its citizens with impunity, its land can be annexed at any time by Israel for yet further Jewish-only settlements and you're trying to convince me that they're free????

Blacks were "allowed" to vote in the ANC for years, it doesn't mean they were allowed vote in the REAL government running apartheid South Africa.

The problem with you Reuben is that you don't understand that most people actually agree with the existence of Israel and wish her and her citizens peace but we don't agree that Israelis have any right to use that existence to commit crimes against humanity.

And let's forget the religion of Israel because it clouds judgment on their actions because of past horrors committed against Jews. If you accuse an Italian of committing murder, it doesn't make you anti-Catholic. It means you are accusing the Italian of a crime.

More Italians are Catholics than Israelis are Jewish, so by the same logic, accusing Israel of crimes does not mean you are an anti-semite.

How many Palestinians have died in this conflict for each Israeli? Answer: 400. That's 400 Palestinian eyes for each Israeli eye. Do they not have the same right to defend themselves?

Or is the right to freedom exclusively the preserve of Israeli citizens?

Terrorism is wrong plain and simple, whether it is committed by terrorist organisations or a fully fledged state.

Posted by Muc Beag December 19, 08 09:01 AM
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Watching these Photos made me cry...

Thank you!

Posted by Malte December 19, 08 09:11 AM
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What a beautiful view for the eyes.I am fascinated of these photos.Very good work.Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Limoeg December 19, 08 09:16 AM
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Reuben = Bellend

Posted by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink December 19, 08 09:37 AM
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These pictures are all so moving. Each tells a story that words could never portray.

Posted by Bonnie December 19, 08 09:39 AM
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SOLO DOS VALORACIONES, LA PRIMERA HUMANA, ESTAS FOTOS REFLEJAN EL MUNDO EN QUE VIVIMOS, LOS CONTRASTES, LOS DESATRES, LA FURIA DE LA NATURALESA Y EL DOLOR HUMANO. QUE MIEDO PENSAR QUE SOMOS PARTE COMO TESTIGOS Y PROTAGONISTAS DE TANTO PERPLEJIDAD.
LA SEGUNDA VALORACION ES FOTOGRAFICA, GRACIAS AL DESARROLLO TECNOLOGICO Y A LA ENTRADA EN NUESTRAS VIDAS DE LA FOTOGRAFIA DIGITAL PODEMOS VER Y COMPARTIR ESTAS IMAGENES SIN FRONTERAS Y CON LA RAPIDES EN QUE SUCEDEN LOS HECHOS.

Posted by GLADYS PEREZ December 19, 08 10:00 AM
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Amazing, tragic, beautiful, ridiculous.
And yes, I am also in tears over #38.

Posted by Javier December 19, 08 10:07 AM
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Why is it that white people think that a picture of a poor black person is somehow considered sweet/endearing/cute/empathetic, etc?. It is really just patronizing and demeaning.

Posted by JRM December 19, 08 10:12 AM
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Some one said that picture 40 was shipsterns in tazmania, which is not in the south west its in the south east. I think it maybe Cyclops which is off the coast of albany/ Esperance (forget which) in south west oz.

Might be wrong but it does look like cyclops !!??

Posted by dave Tripp December 19, 08 10:20 AM
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Great pics.

Pity about Rule Number 1 of the Internet (that is, that any mention or inclusion of anything relating to Isreal and Palestine will result in an endless tirade of name-calling between two seething sides, neither of whom are EVER going to listen to each other.)
Very pointless, very dull.

Posted by mike ryko December 19, 08 10:23 AM
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ESTAS FOTOS SON GENIALES

ESTASN SUPER INCREIBLES¡¡¡¡¡¡


Posted by SORAYA RAMIREZ December 19, 08 10:23 AM
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whoever said "Too many US pictures" is a dumbass.
I counted. There are 7 pictures that were photographed IN the U.S.

7. Out of 40.

Posted by shook December 19, 08 10:33 AM
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the best photos i have seen recently.. good job...
i liked it very much

Posted by a rakesh December 19, 08 10:39 AM
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Thank you for giving us a peek at the world we live in. Keep shooting.

Posted by Elizabeth December 19, 08 10:46 AM
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These photos bring joy, sadness and contemplation about the state of our world today.

Posted by Judy Rickard December 19, 08 10:58 AM
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Realmente são fotos maravilhosas, acho simplesmente brilhante a fotografia jornalística com uma pitada de foto artística...um dia eu chego lá...

São Paulo
Zona Sul

Brasil

Posted by Bruno Melo December 19, 08 10:59 AM
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What is in the upper left hand corner of picture 40? It looks like a shark fin.

Posted by Larry D. Johnson December 19, 08 11:00 AM
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Outstanding pictures I have to say. Very ubiqutious with a hint of eerieness that manifast itself into unprofounding insights of the human sense.

Posted by GOD December 19, 08 11:00 AM
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my fav image is the wave and surfer. regarding a comment i saw earlier on torturing "the enemy" for information, i once thought "hey when battling terrorism, to extract info about, say, a nuke bomb in NY Harbor, then 'do what you gotta do'..." and perhaps there are instances where such extreme situations occur. If so, then let the law state it is illegal, and the one doing the torturing/authorizing it, be held accountable by whatever punishment is dictated by law. Otherwise, when we cross a line where we treat people reprehensibly with aggregious methods, then no matter what game we are playing - we lose. Study Christ and see he was no dweeb or dummy - maybe there is a time for killing/war/extreme measures, but ... torture?? a friend once called it "walking between the paradoxes."

Posted by dave parham December 19, 08 11:04 AM
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Absolutely fabulous photos! Enough has been said about the sad ones so I'll comment on the surfer... Wow, the huevos displayed to WILLINGLY drop into that wave is beyond my comprehension. What a stud!

Posted by Brian Pitts -- Patricia Island, OK. December 19, 08 11:06 AM
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amazing selection

Posted by anna simmons December 19, 08 11:17 AM
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Respect...

Posted by Sanderalek December 19, 08 11:18 AM
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1) There are 8 pictures having to do with the US. Given that this is a US-based publication, 8 of 40 does not exactly seem overly biased.

2) JRM wrote: "Why is it that white people think that a picture of a poor black person is somehow considered sweet/endearing/cute/empathetic, etc?. It is really just patronizing and demeaning."

I don't even know what you're talking about. The only possible pictures you could be referring to are #2 and #29, neither of which are "sweet" or "cute." I would classify them as tragic, and not because the children are black or poor. It is this sort of narrow perspective that hinders change. And no, I am not white.

Posted by andrew December 19, 08 11:39 AM
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Amazing photography! The world and it's inhabitants are mind boggling!!! Look forward to seeing what else happened in this year. Unforgettable images. Thank you!

Posted by Audree December 19, 08 11:42 AM
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Very awesome images. The truth hurts.

Posted by steveo December 19, 08 11:51 AM
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As usual the world wants to see only Palestinian side. I know G-d won't forgive them for this. And world will pay for it. Pity but we will pay together.

Posted by Prof. Shifrin December 19, 08 11:52 AM
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Espectaculares las fotografías.

Posted by TIbaldo Borjas December 19, 08 11:53 AM
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Most Awesome Photos ever! Just one question.. how come I never ever have even heard of most of these stories happening on CNN or for that matter on any major cable news networks..?

Posted by Sheth December 19, 08 11:57 AM
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very ,, very good.

Posted by Ariana December 19, 08 11:58 AM
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All those images are impressive. Some are just beautiful, others are terrible. It's true that mainstream news agencies don't show to the world what's going on. These pictures mesmerize my mind.

Posted by JohnRangel December 19, 08 11:59 AM
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Des êtres humains meurent et la seule chose qu'on puisse lire ici et là, c'est "merveilleux"... Au contraire, je trouve ça indigne de photographier des gens morts ou entrain de mourir.

Au lieu d'aider ces personnes en difficultés lors de ces évènements, vous ne faites que photographier. Je trouve ça minable voir dégueulasse et plus encore si c'est pour se faire du fric sur ça...

D'façon ca sert à rien de parler ou de s'expliquer, le monde est déjà foutu...

Posted by Fahd December 19, 08 12:00 PM
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Can everyone please limit your comments to the relavance of these AMAZING photos! This is not an Award Show to stage your politcal views

Posted by jtags December 19, 08 12:04 PM
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how fragile & often strange we are as a species, excellent work...keep it up!!!

Posted by alex riha December 19, 08 12:11 PM
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absolutely amazing and wonderful picts tho some were very sad

Posted by roger hicks December 19, 08 12:20 PM
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Incredible.

Posted by Pete Kistler December 19, 08 12:36 PM
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these photos are art in themselves, and as such should be interpreted by the viewer in a way he/she feels suits. if you get something from any of the images then they have served a purpose

Posted by keith Longman December 19, 08 12:42 PM
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Please go back to #28 and look again. Think of your own children and picture them in place of that little boy. No more comments.

Posted by Roberta December 19, 08 12:47 PM
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