Top Ten Pictures that shocked the World

It has often been said throughout time that a picture is worth a thousand words. Any picture may be worth a thousand words, but only a few rare photos tell more than a thousand words. They tell a powerful story, a story poignant enough to change the world and galvanize each of us. Over and over again…

From the iconic images of Omayra Sanchez’s tragic death to the horrifying images of the Bhopal Gas disaster in 1984, the power of photography is still alive and invincible.

Here is my top 10 list of photos that shocked the world:

Warning: Be prepared for images of violence and death (in one  case, the photograph of a dead child) if you scroll down.

10. Kosovo Refugees (Carol Guzy)

Carol Guzy, the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography, received her most recent Pulitzer in 2000 for her touching photographs of Kosovo refugees.

The above picture portrays Agim Shala, a two-year-old boy, who is passed through a fence made with barbed wire to his family. Thousands of Kosovo refugees were reunited and camped in Kukes, Albania.

9. War Underfoot (Carolyn Cole)

Los Angeles Times photographer Carolyn Cole took this terrifying photo during her assignment in Liberia. It shows the devastating effects of the Liberian Civil War.

Bullet casings cover entirely a street in Monrovia. The Liberian capital was the worst affected region, because it was the scene of heavy fighting between government soldiers and rebel forces.

8. Thailand Massacre (Neil Ulevich)

Neal Ulevich won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for a “series of photographs of disorder and brutality in the streets of Bangkok, Thailand”  (Pulitzer.com).

The Thammasat University Massacre took place on October 6, 1976. It was a very violent attack on students who were demonstrating against Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn.

F. M. T. Kittikachorn was a dictator who was planning to come back to Thailand. The return of the military dictator from exile provoked very violent protests. Protestors and students were beaten, mutilated, shot, hung and burnt to death.

7. After the Storm (Patrick Farrell)

Miami Herald photographer Patrick Farrell captured the harrowing images of the victims of Haiti in 2008. Farrell documented the Haitian tragedy with impressive black-and-white stills. The subject of “After the Storm” is a boy who is trying to save a stroller after the tropical storm Hanna struck Haiti.

More photos of Patrick Farrell: A People in Despair: Haiti’s year without mercy

6. The Power of One (Oded Balilty)

In 2006, Israeli authorities ordered the evacuation of illegal outposts, such as Amona. Oded Balilty, an Israeli photographer for the Associated Press, was present when the evacuation degenerated into violent and unprecedented clashes between settlers and police officers. The picture shows a brave woman rebelling against authorities.

Like many pictures on this list, “The Power of One” has been another subject of major controversy. Ynet Nili is the 16-year-old Jewish settler from the above picture. According to Ynet, “a picture like this one is a mark of disgrace for the state of Israel and is nothing to be proud of. The picture looks like it represents a work of art, but that isn’t what went on there. What happened in Amona was totally different.” Nili claims the police beat her up very harshly. “You see me in the photograph, one against many, but that is only an illusion – behind the many stands one man – (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert, but behind me stand the Lord and the people of Israel.”

5. World Trade Center 9/11 (Steve Ludlum)

The power of Steve Ludlum’s photos are astounding, and the written description only tends to dilute the impact. The consequences of the second aircraft crashing into New York’s WTC were devastating: fireballs erupted and smoke billowed from the skyscrapers anticipating the towers’ collapse and monstrous dust clouds.

4. After the Tsunami (Arko Datta)

One of the most representative and striking photos of the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami was taken by Reuters photographer Arko Datta  in Tamil Nadu. He won the World Press Photo competition of 2004. Kathy Ryan, jury member and picture editor of  The New York Times Magazine, characterized Datta’s image as a “graphic, historical and starkly emotional picture.”

“After the Tsunami” illustrates an Indian woman lying on the sand with her arms outstretched, mourning a dead family member. Her relative was killed by one of the deadliest natural disasters that we have ever seen: the Indian Ocean tsunami.

3. Bhopal Gas Tragedy 1984 (Pablo Bartholomew)

Pablo Bartholomew is an acclaimed Indian photojournalist who captured the Bhopal Gas Tragedy into his lens. Twenty-six years have passed since India’s worst industrial catastrophe injured 558,125 people and killed as many as 15,000. Because safety standards and maintenance procedures had been ignored at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, a leak of methyl isocyanate  gas and other chemicals triggered a  massive environmental and human disaster. Photographer Pablo Bartholomew rushed to document the catastrophe. He came across a man who was burying a child. This scene was photographed by both Pablo Bartholomew and Raghu Rai, another renowned Indian photojournalist. “This expression was so moving and so powerful to tell the whole story of the tragedy”, said Raghu Rai.

2. Operation Lion Heart (Deanne Fitzmaurice)

Pulitzer Prize award winning photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice won the highly respected award in 2005 for the photographic essay “Operation Lion Heart.”

“Operation Lion Heart” is the story of a 9-year-old Iraqi boy who was severely injured by an explosion during one of the most violent conflicts of modern history – the Iraq War. The boy was brought to a hospital in Oakland, CA where he had to undergo dozens of life-and-death surgeries. His courage and unwillingness to die gave him the nickname: Saleh Khalaf, “Lion Heart”.

Deanne Fitzmaurice’s shocking photographs ran in the San Francisco Chronicle in a five-part series written by Meredith May.

1. Tragedy of Omayra Sanchez (Frank Fourier)

Frank Fournier captured the tragic image of Omayra Sanchez trapped in mud and collapsed buildings. The eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia 1985 triggered a massive mudslide. It devastated towns and killed 25,000 people.

After 3 days of struggling, Omayra died due to hypothermia and gangrene. Her tragic death accentuated the failure of officials to respond quickly and save the victims of Colombia’s worst ever natural disaster. Frank Fournier took this photo shortly before Omayra died. Her agonizing death was followed live on TV by hundreds of millions of people around the world and started a major controversy. May her soul rest in peace…

MIUI 7 5.10.8 Beta Review and how it works on Xiaomi Mi Pad

 Xiaomi has now lifted the lid on theBeta version its latest Android-based operating system – MIUI 7 for the Mi Pad. While perhaps not as drastic of an update as some users were hoping for, there are a number of useful features to get to grips with. Let’s delve on in.

Mi Push which was pushed in to Mi devices on this weekly build is not working on Mi Pad ! I mean its not visible anywhere.

Talking about MIUI 7 (based on Lollipop) is not for Mi Pad and there are less than 10% chances that lollipop will show up for Mi Pad ..

We don't have any kernel sources still and our customs roms are still buggy...

Opening up the announcement, Xiaomi has gone big with customization for MIUI 7 but on Mi Pad there are very little changes .The word give or take suits it very much . There’s also a new MUSE engine for designers that can be used to create new MIUI themes, apparently without the need for complex coding but this feature is not available on the Xiaomi MI Pad.

If you love to change your wallpapers, Xiaomi’s international wallpaper market should have you covered, with 10 pre-sets available on a daily rotation for now, and more to come. Although this is only available in India right now but i have to say it again its not on the Mi Pad

Moving on from customization, Xiaomi seems to have made a big effort to further optimize its customized Android OS, promising faster app loading times, a more responsive feel and longer battery life this time around but you can see that there is nothing new for the Mi pad 

Start-up times have been reduced by lumping the data loading and animation parts into a parallel process. MIUI 7 also appears to feature a new CPU acceleration feature, which boosts CPU speeds for important tasks. I’d imagine this was already part of previous MIUI builds, but perhaps there’s a new governor, although details are a little thin right now.

MIUI 7 also now aligns CPU wake-ups from various apps to take place at once, rather than at their own discretion. This allows for longer sleep periods in between wake-ups and therefore a longer stand-by battery life which can be seen on the pad developer's Rom.

The end result is that the system should respond around 10 percent faster than before, while battery life has been extended by around 5 percent for typical usage. Xiaomi says that this could make its phones last up to 3 hours longer before needing a charge but this goes 30 min for me on Mi Pad . The video below certainly shows some performance improvements over MIUI 6.

In terms of new features, MIUI 7 adds in a XXL text function to improve readability for a huge range of apps. There’s a new photo album feature to group precious baby pictures into a single album, which can also be linked to your lockscreen background for rolling images. Xiaomi has also introduced a Child Mode, which limits access to emails and messages and offers parents control over apps through a settings menu. One particularly nifty feature is the automatic do-not-disturb option, which uses Xiaomi’s Mi Band to detect when you’re sleeping and sets your phone into DND mode.

Xiaomi is big in India these days and MIUI 7 has a couple of specific features for the country. Along with support for 10 local language variations but the developer Rom of MI pad does not have language supports and variations , MIUI 7 also includes the Visual IVR feature that was promised a while back. Visual IVR allows users to see voice prompt options when calling certain services, to help speed through those automated call centers. The system works with more than 50 Indian partners, including Citibank, ICICI bank, Spicejet, Indigo, Tata Sky, HeroMotoCorp, and more but this feature is still not on Mi pad which is kind of very depressing.

Xiaomi has also partnered up with Opera Max to save on mobile data consumption, by using a system wide data compression technology and optimization of audio and video streaming. The data savings apply to any application, including popular services such as YouTube, Instagram, Line, Lazada, among others, and can result in data savings of around 20 percent but it works only on paper but not on the actual device or maybe its still in the beta for Mi pad and hope that Xiaomi will fix this.

The Data Saver service has been available in China for more than a year, but is now also heading to India, Brasil, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines in September 2015.

MIUI 7 weekly updates are not up to the mark for Mi Pad and still it is useless I hope Xiaomi will come up with some stable updates soon.

Rather than any huge new features, MIUI 7 is a combination of lots of little tweaks and improvements designed to make certain tasks easier. However, there appear to be mixed initial impressions coming from MIUI users.

MIUI 7 update is a waste for us if it is based on KitKat !
Everyone know's that MIUI is not greater than Stock Rom of Google and they must stop thinking that they are any kind of software giants because there MIUI is still based on Android and you cannot be greater than the source from where you are being fed  so please stop thinking that your MIUI is better than google's Android ! 

MIUI 7 for Mi Pad 1.5/5 

10 Places You Need to Visit in India before Death

1. Mudathon India 2015

Mudathon India 2015, happening on the 3rd & 4th of October in Nashik is the perfect platform to test your reflexes and stamina like never before while having loads of fun.

Compete with one another on a mud track lined up with interesting obstacles designed to enhance your excitement and adrenalin.

Groove to the best line-up of artists for a mad mud sling party post event and camp in sprawling grassland spread over 100 acres!

Don’t let the child in you grow old! Get yourself and your best buds and experience the real deal.
Click here to register for the event!

2. Chadar – The Frozen River Trek

Image Credit: Christophe Roudet – Flickr

How often does one boast about walking on a frozen river in a dreamlike destination? Stamped as one of the most thrilling experiences for an adventure aficionado, the Chadar trek route connects villages in the Zanskar valley deep in the mountains with Chilling and the frozen Zanskar River.

Image Credit: Christophe Roudet – Flickr

Bringing back the vigour of younger days, the once-in-a-lifetime experience will make you come across breathtaking sights. It also gives you the much needed nudge to be physically fit before you even get there.

Click here to Book Now

3. Pangong Lake, Ladakh

Image Credit: Amit Rawat – Flickr

Transporting you to an ethereal place, the Pangong Lake is located in Ladakh. This is a place where unblemished azure water is fringed by rugged mountains while cotton candy clouds float above. Feel the serenity and magic envelope you!

[Also find out other places to visit in Ladakh]

4. Rafting and Camping in Rishikesh

With bursting of vitality and eagerness, twenties is the best time to indulge in adventure sports. Ride the mystical waters of Ganges with rafting in Rishikesh, which is the most famous place for this adrenaline pumping sport. For, you get to raft upon fierce frothing water pouring through rocky terrains and green stretches. To experience the landscape of this mysterious place you can also go camping and undertake other adventure sports.

5. Living Root Bridges, Meghalaya

Image Credit: Ashwin Kumar – Flickr

What seems to appear straight out of a fantasy movie, the Living Root Bridges have to be seen to be believed! Some of these roots are more than hundred feet long and are strong enough to carry the weight of fifty people at one time. Located in Meghalaya, they are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

6. Andaman Islands, Scuba Diving Exploring the Coral Reefs

Image credit: Tim Proffitt-White

If the white sandy beaches and pristine blue beaches have excited you, be prepared to be awe stricken as you witness what the waters of Andaman hold for you! The rich reefs will surprise you with their varied offerings. Colourful fish, sunken ships, prismatic sea life and some steeply undulating hills of raven volcanic lava, makes for an unusual diving experience. Think of this experience as that of getting a view of heaven underwater while experiencing one of the most remote places in India.

7. Manali-Leh Road Trip

Image credit: Henrik Johansson

The ‘Mecca’ of all road trips in India, the Manali-Leh Highway has always been a favourite. Be it for the groups or solo travellers, this route outshines any other backpacking trips in India. All -you need to do: get geared up for some adventure, hit the road and reach nowhere! Passing mountains and villages, passing people who are going about their business in a more simple way what will get you appreciate both nature and simplicity.

8.  Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Image credit: Paul Bratcher

Let your imagination take flight as you look at nature in its entire splendor. Be treated to a spectacular view of the Solang Valley as you soar in the sky. In seconds you’ll have your adrenaline rush and you’ll be spellbound by the spectacular sight you’ll behold. Go for paragliding in Manali and you will find one of the best ways to disconnect from the world.

9. Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

Image Credit: Anurag Agnihotri – Flickr

Imagine nothingness and then imagine it some more! Being one of the remote places in India and the largest salt desert in the world, the Rann of Kutch comes to life somewhere in October as the otherwise watered locale begins to dry up. Try making it to Kala Dungar (Black Hill) and experience a panoramic view from 458 meters above sea level.

10. Sandakphu, Darjeeling

Image Credit: Nicolas Mirguet – Flickr

Among the 5 highest peaks in the world, Sandakphu makes for a dreamy location. Surreal natural beauty and spectacular views define this place. It is here one can spot around 600 myriad orchid-varieties and a remarkable diversity in nature which is not found anywhere else in the world.

Source - http://www.thrillophilia.com/