Darryl Dyck / CP via AP
Sled dogs rest after returning from a tour run by Outdoor Adventures in the Soo Valley north of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. An organization that fights animal abuse is calling the slaughter of 100 sled dogs by an outdoor adventure company in British Columbia a bloodbath and police are investigating.
Vancouver radio station CKNW radio is reporting that the company expected more sledding business in an anticipated post-Olympics tourism boom. But the boom never materialized and the sled dogs were killed last April.
Read the AP story here and the CBC News story here
BRIAN SNYDER / Reuters
Flight attendant Mary Furlong-Ferguson carries educational materials to help airline personnel spot sex-trafficking through the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas, January 31, 2011 ahead of NFL football's Super Bowl XLV to be played February 6. Pimps will traffic thousands of under-age prostitutes to Texas for Sunday's Super Bowl, hoping to do business with men arriving for the big game with money to burn, child rights advocates said.
Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Best Buy
Pop/Rhythm and blues sensation Justin Bieber and rock legend Ozzy Osbourne pose on the set of Best Buy's inaugural Big Game commercial, in which they both star on January 17, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Lefteris Pitarakis / AP
A man rides his bicycle with bread on his head in Cairo, Egypt, Monday Jan. 31, 2011. Police and garbage collectors appeared on the streets of Cairo Monday morning and subway stations reopened after soldiers and neighborhood watch groups kept the peace in many districts overnight.
This appears to be an everyday trip - I wonder how much this person's life has been affected by the events in Cairo.
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Jeff Hinckley / Columbus Dispatch via AP
A supervisor at the Belmont Correctional Institution at St. Clairsville walks by giant rolls of paper used for the production of toilet paper at the facilty, Wednesday, January 25, 2011.
Jeff Hinckley / Columbus Dispatch via AP
Inmates at the Belmont Correctional Institution at St. Clairsville work on the production of toilet paper at the facilty, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2011.
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ADEM ALTAN / AFP - Getty Images
Youths toast with beer as they party in a public park in Ankara late on January 29, 2011 following a call made on Facebook by Turkish internet users to protest against new regulations tightening alcohol sales in Muslim, but secular Turkey. Turkey's Islamist-rooted government is under fire since it tightened early in January rules on alcohol sales, with opponents charging that the new regulation targeted secular lifestyles.
ADEM ALTAN / AFP - Getty Images
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Andrew Winning / Reuters
A man uses his mobile phone to film a squirrel taking a snack from his bag in central London, Jan. 31.
This guy likes animal photos. Do you? We've got tons of them here.
Susana Vera / Reuters
A villager wearing a carnival costume holds his ram as he watches a group of "Joaldunak" (Carriers of bells) dance to the tune of the heavy bells they carry on their backs on their way to Ituren, in the northern Spanish region of Navarra January 31. According to mythical Basque stories, the noise made by the big bells carried by the "Joaldunak" ward off evil spirits and give prosperity for a year to the people living in nearby towns. Every year, villagers from Zubieta parade to the neighbouring town of Ituren to join this traditional carnival, which is considered a festival to welcome the spring after a tough winter in the deep valleys of the northern Navarra region.
When we're covering big stories that are likely to be more than footnotes to history, I often go looking for pictures of historical precedents, hoping that they will help us understand and explain what is happening now. So this morning I spent a little time looking for archival images of protests in Egypt, and three stood out for their visual similarity:
IMAGNO / Austrian Archives via Getty Images
EGYPT - CIRCA 1930: Student riots in Egypt. Prime minister Nessim Pasha's car during a demonstration in Cairo. Photograph. 1936.
Tom Fitzsimmons / AP
A huge crowd of Egyptians, protesting United Nations partition of Palestine, gathers in Cairo's Opera Square, Dec. 14, 1947, to listen to Arab leaders speaking from the roof of building at right, foreground.
A. Masraff / Getty Images
Crowds demonstrating, in Cairo's Opera Square, against British involvement in the Suez crisis. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6875 - We Forfeit Respect Abroad - pub. 1954
Unfortunately, I'm having some trouble making sense of exactly what two of the pictures mean, and could use some help.
The first picture's date is unclear, but I'm guessing that the "1936" is right as it's more specific (more likely to be written on the back of a print at the time of creation than "CIRCA 1930") and because 1936 was a momentous year in Egyptian political history: King Fuad died, and Britain and Egypt signed an important treaty.
It's not easy to find out much about Nessim Pasha online, but TIME Magazine's online archive includes dismissive swipe at him in a 1936 piece about political maneuvering in the aftermath of King Fuad's death, calling him a "good safe Fuad stooge," and has this salacious tidbit in a brief 1938 obituary:
Died. Tewfik ("success") Nessim Pasha, 64, three times Egypt's Prime Minister; of heart disease; in Cairo. Leader of Fuad's Cabinet for two short ministries in the 20s, again from 1934-36, taciturn Nessim Pasha was more successful as a business man than as a politician. After his last resignation his life was occupied by making & breaking engagements to marry 17-year-old Maria Huebner, a Viennese hotel keeper's daughter.
If any of you have more information on this image, 1936 protests in Cairo or Nessim Pasha please let us know in comments. Anything we can do to clarify information about historical pictures (we call it "metadata" in the business) is a small contribution to preserving the image itself.
The context of the 1947 picture, and its contemporary echoes, are much more straightforward. Clearly there was a great deal of antipathy in the streets of Cairo for the U.N. partition plan for Palestine, which helped set the stage for civil war and the creation and recognition of the state of Israel. As Michelle Kosinski reported last night on NBC Nightly News, Israelis and Palestinians alike are watching the news in Egypt with great interest, and no small degree of apprehension.
The last picture, dated 1954, we could find out more about with a simple trip to a good U.K. library, or research library in the U.S., to find the relevant copy of The Picture Post, called "the LIFE magazine of the United Kingdom" and memorialized by Getty Images in 2007 with an exhibition of its pictures.
Because I don't have time to go to the library today, and need to get back to work, all I know is that the Suez Crisis took place in 1956, two years after this picture is dated, so we're led to once again guess at the exact context of the picture. What I most want to know: If this is a protest, why is everyone smiling, looking wonderfully happy?
In any case, let us know in comments below if you have a copy of the relevant Picture Post and can tell us more, or if you can recommend your favorite history book about twentieth-century Egyptian history. Hopefully a bit more reading and research can further illuminate these musty old pictures in light of the stream of protest pictures now coming to us from Egypt.
Update 1:28 p.m.:
Courtesy of our friends at Getty Images, via email:
The shot by Masraff/Picture Post has an extended caption on the back. It reads:
“The Egyptian Government unleashed the feelings of the people in the name of nationalism and anti-imperialism and now they are faced with a fierce independence of public opinion and expression which might well prove disastrous to the Wafd regime. King Farouk sees the peril in the new policies of his government and, at this critical phase, he is attempting the role of statesman and mediator. As a result of the abrogation two groups are emerging stronger than ever – the Ikhwan-ul-Musilme?n (Moslem Brotherhood) and the Ishtarakuja (socialists), both of which are especially opposed to the Wafd government. ’Picture Post’ sends cameraman A. Masraff to record events in Egypt. Youth demonstrations in Opera Square with shouts of “Arm us to fight the British”
Update 1:49 p.m.:
If you've gotten this far, you may well be interested in watching the 1981 NBC Nightly News report on Hosni Mubarak's first day in office following the assassination of Anwar Sadat.
Update 5:22 p.m., Feb. 1:
More information from Getty, from the 1936 picture:
“Egyptian Riothers (sic) insult premier – 6.1.36.
Nessim Pasha, the Egyptian Prime Minister, was prevented by a mob of students from attending the opening at the Egyptian University in Cairo recently of the International Surgical Congress. The students shouted insults at him as he drove in his car, which was finally compelled to turn back.
O.P.S. Egyptian student demonstrators surrounding Nahas Pasha’s car as he drove to the Egyptian University in Cairo”
The June, 1936 date on the image (If, in fact, it's June 1 instead of January 6-seeing if we can figure that out) makes it far more likely that the student protest was in allegiance with a Palestinian general strike, "the beginning of the Arab revolt in Palestine," which one contemporary Egyptian said "inflamed public opinion like 'an oven.'" (Quotes from "Egypt and the 1936 Arab Revolt in Palestine," by Thomas Mayer in 1984 in The Journal of Contemporary History--because I still don't have time to go to the library I've only read the online fragment from JSTOR).
This likely connects the 1936 protest with the 1947 protest, as both would be in sympathy with Palestinians and, to some degree at least, anti-Zionist.
Actually, it was in January, according to contemporary accounts of when the International Surgical Congress was held. I'll post again only when I'm sure I know something more.
Alta Roma fashion week runs from January 29 - February 1, 2011.
Danilo Schiavella / EPA
A model presents a creation by students of Italy's Fashion and Costume Academy during the AltaRoma fashion week in Rome, Italy, on January 31, 2011.
Danilo Schiavella / EPA
A model presents a creation by students of Italy's Fashion and Costume Academy during the AltaRoma fashion week in Rome, Italy, on January 31, 2011.
Danilo Schiavella / EPA
A model presents a creation by students of Italy's Fashion and Costume Academy during the AltaRoma fashion week in Rome, Italy.
Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images
A man walks past the side of a building covered with posters that make it look distorted, in the south Spanish city of Malaga, on January 29, 2011.
Reminded me of a fun house mirror. Very cool.
In the spirit of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, which officially begins this Thursday, here's a selection of rabbit photos that moved today. See more Year of the Rabbit images on PhotoBlog.
Ng Han Guan / AP
A rabbit trying to eat food gets stuck to the bottom of a cup during a snow carnival in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 31.
Stringer Shanghai / Reuters
Customers look at a giant rabbit-shaped decoration made of white roses and lilies for the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival at a shopping mall in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Jan. 31. The Lunar New Year begins on February 3 and marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac.
AFP - Getty Images
A Chinese woman poses with a rabbit ice sculpture on display at an ice and snow festival for the upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Jan. 30. In stews, as pets or adorning shop windows, rabbits are ubiquitous as millions of Chinese mark the Lunar New Year, hoping for a more tranquil time ahead as the old Year of the Tiger roars its last.
Liu Jin / AFP - Getty Images
Kazakh podium assistants stand before the awarding ceremony for the men's and women's alpine skiing downhill event of the 7th Asian Winter Games at Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 31, 2011.
Emilio Morenatti / AP
Egyptian camel driver Gamal, 54, waits for tourists near the pyramids, in Giza, Egypt, on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.
B Mathur / Reuters
An artist dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna performs during a media preview of the 25th Surajkund Crafts Fair in the northern Indian state of Haryana on January 31, 2011.
Hundreds of artists and craftsmen throng to the fifteen-day long annual 25th Surajkund Crafts Fair held on the outskirts of New Delhi to perform and sell their handicrafts. The fair presents its visitors not only a glimpse into the world of Indian handicrafts, but also enchants them with cultural events and performances from across India. For the foodies, the food festival offers a perfect opportunity to sample best of Indian cuisines.
In many parts of the developing world, caked and dried cow dung is used as fuel. Dung may also be collected and used to produce biogas to generate electricity and heat. The gas is rich in methane and is used in rural areas of India/Pakistan and elsewhere to provide a renewable and stable source of electricity.
Ajay Verma / Reuters
A villager makes cow dung cakes used as cooking fuel at Maloya village on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Chandigarh on January 31, 2011.
Ajay Verma / Reuters
A villager makes cow dung cakes used as cooking fuel at Maloya village on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Chandigarh on January 31, 2011.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
Villagers armed with sticks clash with the police in Munshiganj district, 12 miles south of Dhaka, Bangladesh on Jan. 31 Police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse angry villagers who set fire to a police camp during protests against a government plan to acquire their land for a new airport, witnesses said.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
A policeman strikes a villager after he was detained during the clash in Munshiganj district.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
Policemen attend to a wounded comrade during the clash with villagers in Munshiganj district.
Bangladesh is one of the most crowded countries on earth, and that means there are a lot of arguments over land. According to Panos London, disputes over land are the biggest single cause of court cases in the country.
Grigory Dukor / Reuters
South Korea's Noh Jinkyu, right, competes to win gold during the men's 1,500-meters final at the Short Track speed skating competition in Astana on Jan. 31.
See more great sports images here: The Week in Sports Pictures: Jan. 24 - Jan. 30
Japan Meteorological Agency / AFP - Getty Images
White smoke rising from a lava dome in a crater of Shinmoedake in Kirishima mountain range in Kagoshima prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Jan. 31. The 1,421-metre volcano has been belching smoke and ash into the air since late Jan. 26, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
For more photos of the Shinmoedake volcano, click here.
AFP - Getty Images
Indonesian rock star Nazril Ariel reacts to the verdict during his trial at Bandung court in West Java on Jan. 31. An Indonesian court jailed one of Southeast Asia's biggest rock stars for more than three years after sex tapes of him with two television celebrities appeared online.
Bay Ismoyo / AFP - Getty Images
Members of a Muslim group clash with supporters of Indonesian rock star Nazril Ariel following his trial at Bandung court in West Java on Jan. 31.
Read the full story here.
29-year-old singer Nazril "Ariel" Irham - who said the videos were stolen and posted online without his knowledge - was the first celebrity to be found guilty of violating the country's strict anti-pornography law that went into effect in 2008.
Presiding Judge Singgih Budi Prakoso said the star made the videos with two celebrity girlfriends and did nothing to prevent their wide distribution.
He sentenced him to 3½ years in jail — well short of the maximum 12, angering hundreds of protesters who gathered outside — and fined him $25,000.
Sarah Weiser / AP
Corrections Officer Cori Sundstedt stands with Corrections Sergeant Michael Knox at a candlelight vigil held for Corrections Officer Jayme Biendl on Jan. 30 at the entrance of the Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Wash. Biendl was found dead Saturday night in the chapel at Monroe Correctional Complex.
Read the full story here.
A corrections officer who had raised concerns about being the sole guard in the chapel of a Washington state prison was strangled there over the weekend, and an inmate serving a life sentence is the primary suspect, authorities said Sunday.
Jayme Biendl, 34, was found dead Saturday night in the chapel at Monroe Correctional Complex about 30 miles northeast of Seattle, Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said. She had been strangled with a microphone cord.
Dita Alangkara / AP
Indonesian activists release doves during a protest in support of the Egyptian people in Jakarta, Indonesia on Jan. 31.
See a slideshow of more world reactions to Egypt's protests here.
Chris Pizzello / AP
Rico Rodriguez, left and Nolan Gould play with their best comedy series trophies for "Modern Family" backstage at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jan. 30, in Los Angeles.
I love it that these child stars are truly acting like kids in this frame. So many times kiddos in the acting business come across as creepily adult to me. See more images from the Screen Actors Guild Awards here.
Alberto Lingria / AFP /Getty Images
Inter's Samuel Eto'o celebrates after scoring a penalty kick against Palermo during their Italian Serie A football match at Meazza stadium in Milan on Jan. 30, 2011. Inter defeated Palermo 3-2.
Great shooting by photographer Alberto Lingria.
Rodrigo Abd / AP
Marie La Jesula Joseph prays at a Cathedral destroyed by the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Jan. 30.
A touching image by photojournalist Rodrigo Abd who is working in Haiti in recent weeks.
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