The last 112 years have been an avalanche of new discoveries, new advances in our understanding of how the world works and how to harness the energies around us to useful means. How far have we advanced? At the dawn of the 20th century less than 10% of households owned a stove, had access to a telephone or even electricity… and the automobile that dominates society today? It was hardly on the charts. [Read more...]
From the of off-the-charts levels of air pollutants recently recorded in Beijing, to massive fish die offs and waste chemicals being dumped directly into its main waterways, China has quickly been gaining the well earned reputation as the world’s worst polluter. These hard to stomach images from Reuters show a land drastically changed in the country’s last decades of massive growth; a hard earned payment to become the product producing powerhouse that it is today. [Read more...]
The Yadev family of India, their worldly possessions carefully organized upon the dirt in their front yard: a simple bed, pictures of deities, bags of food. The image is part of Material World: A Global Family Portrait, a project started in the 90′s by esteemed photojournalist Peter Menzel.
In each of 30 countries, Menzel used data from the World Bank and United Nations to find statistically average families: average in size, location, background, and occupation. He then coordinated with 16 leading photographers to create images that give us a social and geographical snapshot of peoples lives and the objects that fill them. Beautiful. [Read more...]
