Oded Balilty/AP
A Chinese homeless man sleeps near steam coming from a manhole as he tries to stay warm during a cold snap in Beijing, Tuesday , Nov. 27, 2007.
I really like the feeling of layered textures from this photo. The ground, the steam, the homeless man, the broom, the plastic bags, they all come together to form this complex photo.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
A child in the Danube Delta village of Murighiol, Romania reacts as he is vaccinated on Nov. 29. An outbreak of the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus occurred on a farm in the village according to health officials.
I really felt this picture. It took me right back to some vivid childhood memories that are centered around the fear of needles and other medical devices.
Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA
Japanese yamabushi, mountain ascetics, hang from cliffs to overcome fear, during their spring austerity training in the Kumano mountain range of western Japan, April 28, 2007. Yamabushi are practitioners of Shugendo, an ancient Japanese nature religion which incorporates original mountain worship of Japan with Tantric Buddhism and Taoism.
One of the coolest things about looking at thousands of wirephotos every day is learning new things about other cultures. I wonder how many trainees they lose this way.
Amit Gupta/Reuters
Stuntmen perform on their motorbikes and car on the walls of the 'Well of Death' at a fair on the outskirts of Jammu November 28, 2007. The stuntmen earn their livelihood by performing these dare-devil stunts, attracting a large number of spectators from all walks of life.
Certainly seems more entertaining than your average county fair. What would you rather spend your ticket on, riding in spinning tea cups, or watching the Well of Death?
Rainer Schim - Messe Essen/EPA
The custom car 'Phantoms' by sculptor William Burge is previewed for the upcoming Essen Motor Show 2007 in Essen, Germany, November 26, 2007.
Carmakers love to name their sporty products after animals (Mustang, Viper, Jaguar, Firebird), even though the cars look nothing like their namesakes. What name would you give to this baby?
Juan Karita/AP
A riot police officer hurls stones at demonstrators during clashes in Sucre, Bolivia, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. A pro-government majority of Bolivia's constituent assembly approved a new draft constitution Saturday, with the opposition boycotting and violent protests on the streets.(AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Interesting to see a police man throwing rocks, rather than shooting rubber bullets.
/AFP - Getty Images
An Asian delegate sleeps during the closing session of the 3rd OPEC Summit in Riyadh, 18 November 2007. OPEC leaders committed today to providing the world with reliable supplies of oil at a rare summit that saw a clash between hardliners and moderates about the future direction of the exporters' group.
Lengthy trade discussions, jetlag, comfortable recliner...sleep is inevitable.
Elizabeth Dalziel/AP
Discarded computer keyboards lie in a pile in the streets of Guiyu, China, March 16, 2006.
There's something foreboding about a large pile of one kind of object on an empty street, as if some large systematic cleansing is happening. That's reading a lot into it - more likely it's just a pile of discarded keyboards collected for recycling or some other reuse of materials.
/Finbarr O'Reilly / Reuters
A Canadian soldier from the NATO-led coalition prepares for duty the day after heavy fighting against insurgents in the Taliban heartland of Sangisar in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, November 18, 2007. Afghan and NATO-led troops, backed by air power, killed at least 12 Taliban fighters and wounded another 15 in an operation in southern Afghanistan, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Sunday.
I see a lot of photos from Afghanistan in which soldiers are wearing beards, and I don't see bearded soldiers in photos from Iraq. Do you know why?
Sergey Ponomarev/AP
An elderly woman walks down a street as police officers confront protesters during a rally against President Vladimir Putin's government in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Riot police detained dozens of opposition activists rallying Sunday in St. Petersburg against President Vladimir Putin's government, a day after a crackdown on an opposition demonstration in Moscow.
Interesting that she appears to be passing through an inflamed situation without attracting any attention (except from the photographer).
Gero Breloer/EPA
The two strikingly different faces of Ukraine swimmer Irina Amschennikova are seen in this composite photo made 17 November 2007. On left, she is seen as she competed in the 100 metres backstroke at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin and on right after her competition event.
It's nice to have a reference point for understanding the distortion.
Patrick Baz/AFP - Getty Images
US soldiers with the 101st Airborne Divison search a school in al-Awsat south of Baghdad 16 November 2007, during "Operation Marne Courageous". US and Iraqi troops swooped by helicopter before dawn today on two Sunni Arab villages near Baghdad in search of Al-Qaeda fighters believed to have captured two American soldiers.
I expect that with all the gear the soldiers carry, this man is bearing a heavy load.
Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
Cambodians loaded with agriculture goods ride on a motorbike in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 20 November 2007.
I love this photo primarily because of the woman's expression on the back of the motorbike. They sure did pack stuff on there!
Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters
A cheerleader performs during a Euroleague basketball match in group A in Ljubljana November 21, 2007. REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic (SLOVENIA)
That is some wild hair and I wonder how she can see through it during the performance.
/AP
This undated photo provided by the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, known as TIGHAR, shows historic aircraft specialists inspecting a World War II fighter plane recently found on the Welsh coast. The American P-38 aircraft had made an emergency landing in 1942 after it ran out of gas, and was buried under water and sand for 65 years until revealed by beach erosion in July. Experts hope to recover the plane for a British military museum. The photo was taken from a kite-suspended camera.
There must be a huge amount of hardware around the world left over from wars - this is simply a rather large piece that's remarkably intact. Also I think it's cool that this was shot with a camera on a kite.
Mohammed Ameen/Reuters
U.S. soldiers watch a girl playing on a slide at a park near the newly restored Abu Nawas road in Baghdad November 15, 2007.
Another unexpected image from Iraq. The framing is interesting with the soldiers flanking this little girl who seems completely unfazed by their presence. They seem so engrossed in her fun. The road is "newly restored," maybe she's just focused on having a safer place to play?
Alexander Nemenov / AFP - Getty Images/
A poisoned and oil covered bird lies dying in front of local volunteers removing oil pollution from the Black Sea shore in the port Kavkaz, 13 November 2007. Hundreds of Russian soldiers battled to clean up a 2,000-tonne oil spill Tuesday in environmentally sensitive waters caused by a fierce Black Sea storm that wrecked five ships.
While the sky is a little overexposed in this image, I think it is one of the most compelling oil spill photos I've seen from the recent environmental disasters in San Francisco and Russia. The anguish of the bird seems very human-like as those attempting to begin the clean-up can only look on.
Patrick Baz/AFP - Getty Images
In a file picture, 18 September 2007, Iraqi and foreign mercenary members of a private security company, stand on the rooftop of a house in Baghdad as a US Blackhawk helicopter flies over. Incidents like the Blackwater shooting four weeks ago happen because arrogant companies are hiring inexperienced staff, one Iraq security operator told AFP, 14 October 2007, as others defended the industry. Eds note: faces are concealed to protect identity
This image made me laugh. I don't know whether my favorite part is the guy in the very back, leaning in to be sure he's in the picture, or the guy on the far left, with his one eye obsucured by the small black box. Either way, I laughed when i saw it.
Kirby Rider / US Army via AP/
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, play a game of football after the completion of Operation Bear in Khatoon, an area of Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007.
This image struck me as interesting because its so reminiscent of battlefield images we've seen in the past from Iraq, but in this case the dust and sand enveloping the soldiers is part of the celebration of a mission accomplished. It's a nice, light moment in a place from which we see so many unhappy photographs.
Khalil Hamra/AP
Palestinian realtives of Ibrahim Ahmed, 13, react during his funeral at the family house in town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. Ahmed and seven other Palestinians were killed as Hamas security forces on Monday opened fire at a mass rally commemorating the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
I know we have seen photos of Palestinians mourning before but this one had an especially eerie aura about it that made me stop and look closer. Maybe it's the movement or the lighting that made this photo stand out for me.
Jamal Saidi/Reuters
A billboard warning Lebanese people of the danger of the country's political conflict turning violent is seen in Beirut November 2, 2007. Written in Arabic, the sign reads "Before it is repeated", in reference to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. Arms dealers say the political crisis is fuelling demand for weapons.
The photographer's inclusion of distant billboards adds depth to this picture, which is nominally about the billboard on the left. With the other two, it becomes a nuanced look at advertising in public spaces, touching on both fear and desire.
Eric Gay/AP
Texas coach Mack Brown, right, and punter Jonathan LaCour (9) join the team in singing the school song following their college football win over Texas Tech in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007.
What a great contrast between the expressions on the faces of the player and coach and the sourpuss to the right of the coach. I don't really get the whole "hook 'em horns" thing myself, and apparently he doesn't either.
Marleen Swart/AP
Thousands of bananas lay on the beach on Terschelling island, northern Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. The bananas washed onto the beach of the Dutch island early Wednesday, after a load of containers were swept from the ship Duncan Island, coast guard officials said.
Could you imagine coming across this as you walk on the beach? It's so surreal.
Sergei Chirikov/EPA
A Russian cadet leads a girl for a waltz during a grand cadet ball in an old estate in Moscow, Russia, November 4, 2007. Cadet schools are reestablishing the old Russian tradition. Grand balls usualy were devoted to the biggest historic events, as the one that marks the day of liberation from Polish occupation in 1612.
It's interesting to see the Russians shed the trappings of Communism and turn back to their rich heritage. Maybe they will bring the Czar back.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP - Getty Images
Boys gather kernels of of sorghum that were dispersed on the ground after an air drop in the Olilim camp for Internally displaced people in the Lira District of Northern Uganda, 19 October 2007. The UN food agency said 18 October that food airdrops that started four days earlier have saved up to 250,000 war displaced people from starvation after roads linking them to the rest of the country were washed away by floods following torrential rains that have hit the region.
Eat out at a restaurant in America, and you often get more food than you can eat in a single sitting. Yet for these boys, starvation might stay away for an extra day by digging through the dirt for a few extra grains of food.
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