Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
The Lowest Humanity Has Ever Been
1.) The Spanish Flu Outbreak: The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed approximately 100 million people worldwide. This photo, although seemingly “normal,” shows just how frightened people were of the illness. They attempted to live their daily lives… but with serious precautions.
2.) The Atlantic Slave Trade: This photo was taken aboard a British vessel, the HMS Daphne (11/01/1868). These child slaves had just been rescued from the trade.
3.) Crying Boy Soldier: This 16 year-old boy is Hans-Georg Henke, a member of the Hitler Youth. This was taken the day before Germany’s surrender; he was overcome with desperation and fear.
4.) A Berlin Wall Rescue: This German soldier from the East knew he shouldn’t let this child across the Berlin Wall, but he was separated from his parents. So, the guard lifts him across the barbed wire anyway, on the lookout for anyone who may catch him.
5.) William Saunders’s Photographs: This British photographer went to China and staged the above image of a fake beheading… encouraging the military to takeover China and “civilize” its people.
6.) Starving Mongolian Woman: This was published in National Geographic in 1913 by Stefan Passe. Mongolia was newly independent. A common punishment for criminals was being placed in a box like this in public... possibly until starvation.
7.) The Holodomor: This Ukranian famine was one of the worst in history. It was a manmade event and recognized as a genocide of millions (comparable to the Holocaust). This is Kharkiv in 1933. Corpses lie in the street, while passers by just go about their day.
8.) The Shanghai Baby: The Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 eventually meshed with World War II. During one bombing raid, the Japanese bombed a Chinese train station that housed women and children. This baby somehow survived, although injured.
9.) A Concentration Camp Mass Grave: The Nazis killed 50,000 people at the Bergen-Belsen camp before it was liberated in 1945 (Anne Frank was among those slaughtered). “Mass Grave 3” shows camp doctor Fritz Klein standing among the dead. He decided if prisoners should be sent to the gas chamber because they were unfit to work. He was later hanged for his atrocities.
10.) The Nagasaki Brothers: Shortly after the bombing of the city, this photo was taken. The younger child in the picture is dead and the older boy is his brother. He carried his brother to a crematorium, watching him burn but refusing to cry. He had just lost everything in the world, but still focused on honoring his fallen (and equally innocent) younger brother.
It's difficult to look at the world the same way after seeing these... isn't it? Share these photos with others. More people should realize some of the things that have happened in the world (and how terrible they were).
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
Tunisia
Tunisia
Founded by the Berbers in the 2nd millennium BCE, the city of Tunis has been controlled by Phoenicians, Romans, Arab Muslims, the Ottomans, the Spanish, the French and the Germans, finally achieving independence as the capital of Tunisia in 1956. This history has made Tunis a mélange of ancient and modern cultures. The medina is a network of narrow alleyways, mosques, mausoleums, palaces and a souq where shoppers haggle over the price of everything from filigreed gold to inexpensive souvenirs.
1 El Djem Amphitheatre
El Djem Amphitheatre
The walls of the mighty Roman amphitheatre of El Djem dwarf the surrounding modern town. This incredibly well preserved Roman relic is one of the best examples of amphitheatre architecture left standing in the world, reminding of Rome's once grand grip across North Africa. You can still walk the corridors under the arena, just like the gladiators did. Or, climb up to the top seating tiers and sit staring across the arena imagining the battles that took place below.
2 Djerba
Djerba
If you're looking for the picture-perfect beach escape, then the island of Djerba checks all the right boxes. The main island town of Houmt Souk has an old town district that's a muddle of whitewashed houses. It is an attraction in itself, with plenty of shopping opportunities for those who want to get off the beach. But it's those sandy strips of shoreline out of town that are the island's most popular highlight. Pristine and trimmed by date palms, the beaches are relaxing, get-away-from-it-all settings where summer daydreams are made.
3 Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said
Impossibly cute, Sidi Bou Said is a cliff-top village with petite dimensions that seem to have fallen off an artist's canvas. Unsurprisingly, artists have feted this little hamlet for decades. The whitewashed alleyways, wrought iron window frames and colourful blue doors are Tunisian village architecture at their finest, while the Mediterranean backdrop is the cherry on top.
4 Carthage
Carthage
Once Rome's major rival, Carthage was the city of the seafaring Phoenicians forever memorialised in history books about the Punic Wars. The atmospheric ruins of this ancient town now sit beside the sea amid the suburbs of Tunis, a warning that even the greatest cities can be reduced to rubble.
5 Bardo Museum
Bardo Museum
Even non-museum fans can't fail to be impressed at the haul of beautiful mosaics in The Bardo. This is one of North Africa's top museums and it houses one of the world's most important mosaic collections. It's a showcase of ancient world artistry that isn't to be missed in Tunis.
Hours: Open 9am-5pm May-Sept; open 9:30am-4:30pm Oct-Apr
Admission: 11 TND
Official site:
6 Grand Erg Oriental
Grand Erg Oriental
Tunisia's vast Sahara covers much of the country's interior, and the most beautiful corner of the desert is the field of sand dunes known as the Grand Erg Oriental. These poetically beautiful dunes are a surreal and gorgeous landscape, shaped by the ever-shifting desert sands. For many visitors, this is a playground for riding dune buggies and camels, but nothing tops the simple pleasure of sitting atop one of these mammoth sand mountains and watching the sunset.
7 Bulla Regia
Bulla Regia
Tunisia has no shortage of Roman ruins, but Bulla Regia near Tabarka is the country's most interesting and intriguing site. Here, the Roman inhabitants coped with the harsh summer climate by ingeniously building their villas underground, which has left the city houses incredibly well preserved today. For history lovers this is a unique opportunity to walk through actual Roman houses, with their walls still intact. It's a glimpse of the residential life of the ancient world that you often don't see.
8 Kairouan
Kairouan
With mosques, madrassas, and tombs aplenty, Kairouan has more than its fair share of monuments as the fourth most important city for those of the Muslim faith. The Arabic architecture here is truly inspiring and the skyline is full of skinny minarets and bulky domes. But it's probably the back alleys of the city's Medina that steal the show. With narrow maze-like lanes lined with crumbling colourful houses, Kairouan's old town has an enchanting lost-in-time atmosphere that is a true highlight of a visit here.
9 Sousse Medina
Sousse Medina
Overlooked by the mighty Ribat and Kasbah, Sousse's Medina just begs to be explored. This lovely old town district is a shopping paradise with a tempting selection of ceramics, leather-work and metalwork on display. Away from the souk streets, quiet and rambling back alleys are a charming place to dive in and sample local life away from the bustle.
10 Chott el Djerid
Chott el Djerid
The moonscape of the Chott el Djerid is a storybook panorama brought to life, filled with shimmering mirages on the horizon and jigsaw puzzle pieces of blindingly white cracked land. This sprawling salt-pan near Tozeuris a desolate moonscape that wows with its stark and brutal beauty. A sightseeing visit proves that nature produces much weirder landscapes than you could ever imagine.
11 Hammamet
Hammamet
Hammamet is all about the beach. It is Tunisia's top resort, a dreamy place dotted with pristine white buildings set beside a bright blue sea. The relaxing charms of this town woo all who come to sunbath on the white sand, or stroll in the restored old town souks. It's a no-stress kind of place that sums up the pleasures of Tunisia in one pretty package.
12 Monastir Ribat
Monastir Ribat
One of Tunisia's most photogenic buildings with its bulky walls, the Ribat in Monastir looks out to the harbour. Originally part of a string of coastal forts, this Ribat is one of the few still standing and has been grandly preserved. But it is now a tourist attraction rather than the town's defence. This beautiful relic is a definite highlight for history lovers and a famed landmark that deserves to be on every Tunisia to-do list.
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