30 Of The Most Powerful Images Ever

A picture is worth a thousand words, but not all pictures are created equal. These pictures are powerful. They are gripping and unforgettable because of the volumes they speak about the human condition – about some of the best and worst moments of contemporary human existence.

We should warn our readers that some of these pictures may upset them, while others may fill them with joy. But that’s precisely because these images reflect some of the best and worst parts of the human experience and world events. Our post of must-see photos from the past described our history while these photos, for the most part, describe our present – our suffering and our triumphs, our perseverance and our failures, our compassion and our hatred, our intelligence and our stupidity.

Some of these photographs may mean more to some of our readers than to others. But hopefully, they will remind us all that the world can always use a little bit more love, tolerance, compassion and understanding.

P.S: we always try our best to credit each and every photographer, but sometimes it’s impossible to track some of them. Please leave a comment if you know the missing authors.

1. Starving boy and missionary

Image credits: Mike Wells

2. Inside an Auschwitz gas chamber

Image credits: kligon5

3. Heart surgeon after 23-hour-long (successful) heart transplant. His assistant is sleeping in the corner.

Image credits: James Stanfield

4. Father and son (1949 vs 2009)

Image credits: Vojage-Vojage

5. Diego Frazão Torquato, 12 year old Brazilian playing the violin at his teacher’s funeral. The teacher had helped him escape poverty and violence through music

Image credits: salvemasnossascriancas.blogspot.com

Weirdest laws around the world that could get you in trouble

In Singapore

From what to do with your cigarettes (and cigarette butts) to whether to feed breadcrumbs to pigeons, global travel comes with a host of unexpected do’s and don’ts. Violating local customs can result in a sneer; flouting laws, on the other hand, can get you a fine or even jail time. Here are some international laws that range from the merely curious to the scary. | By Drew Limsky, Yahoo Travel

Singapore is widely ridiculed for have having some of the world’s most stringent behavioral edicts. There are all kinds of laws prohibiting public uncleanliness in this spic-and-span city-state. Spitting and littering will cost you a fine, vandalism will get you a caning, it is illegal to sell chewing gum, and don’t even think about declining to flush a public toilet.

I’m too sexy for my house: not only is pornography illegal in Singapore, but the country has an oddly expansive definition of pornography. It is illegal to walk around your own house in the nude

Venice, Italy

Pigeons in St. Mark’s Square in Venice are a seemingly permanent part of the scenery, but the city is trying to change that: it is unlawful to feed them, and fines go up to $790. Tourism is such a huge moneymaker for the city that pigeons doing their business all over the monuments isn’t, well, good business.

Laws that govern the expression of emotion would seem pretty silly on their face (couldn’t resist), but Milan actually has a law on the books that requires people to walk around smiling. (I was breaking this law without even knowing it—I remember smiling during an open-air rock concert in Duomo Square, but before and after that, it’s a blur.) You can be fined for the absence of a smile, unless you’re visiting a hospital or attending a funeral. Models like this one at Milan Fashion Week might be
excluded as well

Milan Italy

Laws that govern the expression of emotion would seem pretty silly on their face (couldn’t resist), but Milan actually has a law on the books that requires people to walk around smiling. (I was breaking this law without even knowing it—I remember smiling during an open-air rock concert in Duomo Square, but before and after that, it’s a blur.) You can be fined for the absence of a smile, unless you’re visiting a hospital or attending a funeral. Models like this one at Milan Fashion Week might be excluded as well

Bhutan

In Bhutan, which has the most restrictive anti-smoking laws in the world (and the earliest ones, passed in 1729), it is illegal to produce or sell tobacco. Violators are looking at three years in prison. People can import small amounts of tobacco for personal consumption, but if they’re caught using, they must produce receipts to prove they paid import duties (which run from 100-200%).

Thailand

Lèse majesté, which makes it a crime to insult or accuse the king, is strictly enforced inThailand. Imprisonment can occur even when you insult deceased kings. Defaming members of the court and even ordinary citizens can be punishable by jail time and/or fines. Note that defacing or disrespecting currency can also carry a jail sentence, because coins and bills show the image of the majesty—so you can’t step on money, even when trying to stop it from flying or rolling away. Let it go

Greece

You’d have to be a terminal fashion victim to want to tour archeological sites in stilettos, but in case common sense hasn’t prevailed, the law in Greece might. It is illegal to wear high heels when visiting the Acropolis and other historical sites, as those fashionable spikes tend to damage the ancient monuments

-Yahoo News