In Focus

[Count Bobulescu]

These are great. Thanks for posting. You could get lost for hours going through them.
Post 21, 4th link, photo 10. "the world 50 years ago" . Two women medical students listen to their professor, also a woman. All un-shrouded, and not afraid to be photographed.
50 years of progress how are ya.

Thanks Eamo, I’m glad someone else notices that stuff. I agree you could get lost for hours. I usually just have time for a quick gander.

[eamo]

These are great. Thanks for posting. You could get lost for hours going through them.
Post 21, 4th link, photo 10. "the world 50 years ago" . Two women medical students listen to their professor, also a woman. All un-shrouded, and not afraid to be photographed.
50 years of progress how are ya.

Thanks Eamo, I’m glad someone else notices that stuff. I agree you could get lost for hours. I usually just have time for a quick gander.

I left out the fact that the three women in the Photo were Afghan, the photo was taken in Kabul. A kind of important detail. I really should re-read my posts

[Count Bobulescu]

More!

Afghanistan: May 2012
This month, President Obama and members of NATO involved in Afghanistan formally agreed on a transition plan, preparing to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces by the summer of 2013. France's new president, François Hollande, restated an earlier pledge to remove all French combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Suicide bombings, IEDs, and a growing number of "green on blue" attacks (men in Afghan uniforms attacking coalition forces) continue to take a toll and limit security efforts. Gathered here are images of those involved in this conflict over the past month, as part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan. [42 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...y-2012/100310/

[Count Bobulescu]

Twenty-three years ago today, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) violently cleared Beijing's Tiananmen Square of protesters, ending a six-week demonstration that had called for democracy and widespread political reform. The protests began in April of 1989, gaining support as initial government reactions included concessions. Martial law was declared on May 20, troops were mobilized, and from the night of June 3 through the early morning of June 4, the PLA pushed into Tiananmen Square, crushing some protesters and firing on many others. The exact number killed may never be known, but estimates range from several hundred to several thousand. Today, China's censors are blocking Internet access to the terms "six four," "23," "candle," and "never forget," broadening extensive efforts to silence talk about the 23rd anniversary of China's bloody June 4 crackdown. Here is that story, in images and words, Please share it widely. [50 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...nd-now/100311/

[Count Bobulescu]

Three more recent galleries.

For the past four days, across Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations, celebrations have been commemorating the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. Events have included parties large and small, horse races, parades, a river pageant, and a huge music concert in front of Buckingham Palace. Collected here are images of the many Diamond Jubilee celebrations. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...ubilee/100312/

Observers around the world (at least those who who were blessed with clear skies) were able to look up yesterday and view our neighboring planet Venus as it passed directly between us and the Sun. This rare event will not reoccur for another 105 years. Scientists used the six-hour transit as an opportunity to perform experiments, helping refine techniques to observe and measure distant exoplanets. Gathered here are images of yesterday's event, seen from from orbit and from here on Earth. [29 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-venus/100313/


After NASA shut down the Space Shuttle Program, the remaining shuttles and replicas were divided among several cities, as museum displays. Over the past few weeks, two shuttles that never flew to space were transported by barge to their new homes. The Enterprise was sailed up the Hudson River to its new position aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid, part of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, and the shuttle replica named Explorer sailed from Florida to Houston, Texas, where it will be displayed at the Johnson Space Center. Images of these two journeys by sea are collected below. [22 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-homes/100314/

[Count Bobulescu]

Cross posting with the Montreal protest thread.

Beginning in February, students throughout Quebec began protesting against a proposed 75 percent hike in the cost of their tuition. Demonstrators staged strikes, sit-ins, and marches, in some cases drawing hundreds of thousands of participants and incurring hundreds of arrests. Quebec's government responded by passing a controversial emergency law, Bill 78, that places strict limits on free assembly, including a provision that requires demonstrators to submit protest plans and receive police approval. Reacting to the new law, hundreds of thousands more took to the streets to join the broadening protest. Now, four months later, nightly demonstrations continue across Montreal. These marches are called "casseroles," as participants use pots and pans to create noise and call for attention. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...ths-in/100315/

[Count Bobulescu]

Burma (also known as Myanmar) appears to be on a fast track toward openness and democratization, after decades of harsh military rule that left it one of the least-developed countries in the world. Although the military still holds most of the power, President Thein Sein's new civilian government continues to pursue a broad campaign of political and economic reform, reconciliation, and engagement with the rest of the world. In January of 2012, more than 20 years after withdrawing its ambassador, the United States restored diplomatic relations with Burma. But with change comes challenge, especially for a nation mired in poverty and ongoing sectarian disputes. Collected here are recent scenes from Burma as its people struggle to emerge from 50 years of oppression. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...sition/100316/

[Count Bobulescu]

Ten years ago, the International Labor Organization (ILO) established June 12 as World Day Against Child Labor. The ILO, an agency of the United Nations, says on its website: "Hundreds of millions of girls and boys throughout the world are engaged in work that deprives them of adequate education, health, leisure and basic freedoms, violating their rights." The World Day Against Child Labor was launched as a way to highlight the plight of these children and support governments and social organizations in their campaigns against child labor. [37 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-labor/100317/

[Count Bobulescu]

One more look into the fascinating New York City Municipal Archives, and their recently-released database of over 870,000 photos throughout the 20th century, a follow-up to this earlier entry. Their subjects include daily life, construction, crime, city business, aerial photographs, and more. Today's selection from this remarkable collection includes numerous street scenes that are visible today through Google Maps Street Views, and links are provided to let you see the difference the years have made. [50 photos]


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...chives/100318/

[Count Bobulescu]

Fifteen months after the start of the uprising in Syria, several experts and at least one top U.N. official are now characterizing the escalating conflict as a Civil War. A wide range of anti-government insurgencies continue to battle official and unofficial Syrian government troops across the country. President Bashar al-Assad's forces have reportedly carried out a series of horrific civilian massacres, involving attack helicopters, shelling, and brutal incursions into rebel neighborhoods. The Syrian government continues to block foreign journalists, but a number of photographs and reports have made their way out of the country. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...il-war/100319/

[Count Bobulescu]

Reuters recently assigned a number of photographers to capture images of a struggling generation. The result is this series of portraits of graduates from around the world who have been unable to find work in their degree fields and have ended up in poorly paid service industry jobs. Although their current positions may be disappointing, the subjects in these photos may count themselves lucky to have any job at all -- the International Labor Organization estimates the number of people aged 15 to 24 without a job at almost 75 million. From a cook in Athens with a degree in civil engineering to a waiter in Algiers with a masters in corporate finance, these young people have spent years studying hard to compete in the 21st century, only to discover that even the most desirable qualifications mean little in a distressed global economy. [17 photos]


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...eyd-be/100320/

[Count Bobulescu]

Across the western United States, wildfire season is well underway, and dozens of fires are currently being fought. In Colorado, the High Park fire has destroyed more than 180 homes, the most in state history. The Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire, New Mexico's largest-ever wildfire, was recently declared 75 percent contained, after the lightning-sparked blaze began has burned for more than a month. Crews from California to Wyoming are approaching the fires with aerial water drops, ground equipment, brush clearing, and controlled burns. Gathered here are recent photos of some of these incidents, early glimpses of an already-busy 2012 wildfire season. [35 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...dfires/100321/


China, the most populous country and the second-largest economy in the world, is a vast, dynamic nation that continues to grow and evolve in the 21st century. In this, the latest entry in a semi-regular series on China, we find images of tremendous variety, including astronauts, nomadic herders, replica European villages, pole dancers, RV enthusiasts, traditional farmers, and inventors. This collection is only a small view of the people and places in China over the past several weeks. [47 photos]


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...-china/100322/

[Count Bobulescu]

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, begins today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An outgrowth of the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992, the conference is designed to bring together 50,000 delegates from state governments, institutions, and non-governmental organizations to create measures to reduce poverty while promoting clean energy, decent jobs, and sustainable use of resources. The conference has attracted many protests and parallel events, as diverse groups struggle to share the world stage and make their voices heard. Collected here are just a few of the scenes from Rio+20. [37 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...rio-20/100323/

[Count Bobulescu]

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day of the year when the sun was at its highest point in the sky. People around the world are welcoming the start of the new season by enjoying (or avoiding) the hot weather. In southern England, where yesterday brought heavy rains, pagans gathered at Stonehenge and reveled in spite of the downpour. Collected here are a handful of images of the beginning of Summer, 2012. [31 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...summer/100324/

[C. Flower]

Where I live, we welcome the summer solstice with sacrifice of a lamb on a pyramid of elder wood, rue and rosemary (best served with new potatoes, baby peas and carrots).