Gerd Ludwig's "Long Shadow of Chernobyl" project

Internationally-renowned photojournalist Gerd Ludwig has spent years documenting the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In 1986, errors at the plant in Ukraine led to an explosion that ultimately caused over a quarter of a million people to permanently evacuate their homes to escape the radiation and radioactive fallout. Over the course of several trips to the site and the region for National Geographic Magazine in 1993, 2005, and 2011, Ludwig has amassed a documentary record of a people and a place irreparably altered by a tragic accident. His 2011 trip was partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign. Now Ludwig has released an iPad app with over 150 photographs, video, and interactive panoramas. Gathered here is a small selection of the work Ludwig has produced over the years of the still-unfolding tragedy. -- Lane Turner (23 photos total)

On April 26, 1986, operators in this control room of reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant committed a fatal series of errors during a safety test, triggering a reactor meltdown that resulted in the world's largest nuclear accident to date. Today, the control room sits abandoned and deadly radioactive. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine, 2005 (Gerd Ludwig/INSTITUTE)

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7 Products Discovered By Accident

Most things in life are not good when you plan them. The best things cannot be planned, they happen without you doing much about them. It is the same case with these awesome products. They just happened.

1. Popsicles

The first Popsicle was invented by accident in 1905 when 11-year -old Frank Epperson left his soda making tools in the cold. When he came back next day he saw that the soda around the stick was frozen, creating the first Popsicle. When he grew up he applied his patent.

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One billion slum dwellers

One billion people worldwide live in slums, a number that will likely double by 2030. The characteristics of slum life vary greatly between geographic regions, but they are generally inhabited by the very poor or socially disadvantaged. Slum buildings can be simple shacks or permanent and well-maintained structures but lack clean water, electricity, sanitation and other basic services. In this post, I've included images from several slums including Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, the second largest slum in Africa (and the third largest in the world); New Building slum in central Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Pinheirinho slum - where residents recently resisted police efforts to forcibly evict them; and slum dwellers from Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, India. India has about 93 million slum dwellers and as much as 50% of New Delhi's population is thought to live in slums, 60% of Mumbai. -- Paula Nelson (55 photos total)

Cambodian lawmaker Mu Sochuo, from the opposition Sam Rainsy party, pleads with riot policemen to stop a forced eviction of villagers at a slum village in the centre of Phnom Penh, Jan. 4, 2012. Cambodian lawmakers from the opposition Sam Rainsy party visited the village after authorities forcefully evicted villagers from the Borei Keila community in the capital. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images)

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Boys – Warriors

These boys do not play war, they were real soldiers with real guns. Mohamed Adan Udas is 12 years old, and Ahmed Hasan 15. They are part of the Somalian army and fighting in Mogadishu. Somalia army recruit boys who were older than 9 years. And instead of, like their peers around the world, have a carefree childhood, these boys grow up with Kalashnikov. Skinny, malnourished, living in ruins, and grow up too soon. Is there any hope that these children will one day live normal life, unfortunately, does not depend on them.

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Brutality as a Ceremonial Act

Dolphin is my favorite animal. Free, sociable and incredibly intelligent. However, there are civilizations that appear to think that dolphins are too much, and use them in their ritual purposes. Is the red sea of dolphins blood reality or a dream? Real photo or photo-montage? It would be good if only this could photo-montage…

 

Each year the sea around Faroe Islands (constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland), is stained red, not because of the effects of the climate or through a Biblical plague but because of the cruelty of supposedly human beings. Hundreds of the famous Calderon dolphins are slaughtered by young teens in a celebration to demonstrate their maturity and passage into adulthood. In this celebration those who not actively participating in the slaughter are watching. They don’t die instantly; they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hooks. With each cut the dolphins produce a grim cry like that of a new born child.

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5 Best Intelligence Agencies of the World

                                  Inter Services Intelligence – Pakistan

Inter Services Intelligence or ISI is premier intelligence agency of Pakistan and is responsible for protecting Pakistani interests nationally and internationally ,it is also first line of defense for Pakistan Army. It was created as an independent unit in 1948 in order to strengthen the performance of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. It is believed to have the highest number of agents worldwide, close to 10,000.

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Deadly fire at Honduran prison

Soldiers run during clashes with the relatives of inmates after a deadly prison fire in Comayagua, Honduras, 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of the capital, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012. At least 300 inmates were killed and 21 are injured, according to authorities. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

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World coolest pix of 2012 week 05

Week 05 of 2012 is a real pick n mix of news stories. Award shows, demonstrations, cold weather hitting Europe and some cool images to lift the mood.

Rescuers remove the body of a victim from the debris of a collapsed building in Rio de Janeiro January 27, 2012. At least 22 people were still missing on Thursday after rescuers recovered four bodies from the rubble of three buildings that collapsed in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Eduardo Paes said. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

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deadly egyptian football riots 23 Photo Total

Football is meant to be the Beautiful Game, but last night in Port Said, Egypt people who classify themselves as fans turned it into a very ugly game. Supporters of local team Al-Masry ran onto the pitch and charged the fans of rival team Al-Ahly from Cairo. Al-Masry won the game 3-1 but the home fans still stormed onto the pitch to attack the Al-Ahly players, staff and fans, hunting them down in and outside the stadium. Over 70 people were killed and over a 1000 injured. Totally Not Cool.

A soccer fan flees from a fire at Cairo stadium February, 1, 2012. Crowds set parts of the stadium on fire in reaction to a soccer pitch invasion during another soccer match held at the Egyptian city of Port Said. At least 50 people were killed and hundreds of others injured on Wednesday after a soccer pitch invasion in Port Said, healthy ministry sources said, in an incident that one player described as a war, not football. REUTERS/Stringer

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Extreme cold weather hits Europe

Frigid temperatures have gripped Europe in the last week, with the mercury reaching as low as 35 degrees Celsius below zero. After what had been a relatively mild winter, the sudden cold caught many unprepared. Eastern Europe is hardest hit, with over 100 deaths in Ukraine, and with over 11,000 people in remote villages cut off by snow in Serbia. Most of the fatalities recorded have been homeless people found frozen to death outside, and emergency tents with hot meals have been set up to help them in several affected countries. Russia and Poland are mobilizing help for the homeless. Travel in Romania has been chaos as a blizzard hampered efforts to clear both rails and roads. Recorded temperatures in Italy were the lowest in 27 years. -- Lane Turner (45 photos total)

A woman looks out a bus in Bucharest on February 2, 2012. (Vadim Ghirda/Associated Press)

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Soccer riots in Egypt

Egyptian fans clash with riot police following Al-Ahly club soccer match against Al-Masry club at the soccer stadium in Port Said, Egypt Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Some dozens of Egyptian soccer fans were killed Wednesday in violence following a soccer match in Port Said, when fans flooded the field seconds after a match against a rival team was over, Egypt's Health ministry said. (AP Photo)

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Coal

Coal occupies a central position in modern human endeavors. Last year over 7000 megatons were mined worldwide. Powerful, yet dirty and dangerous, use of coal is expanding every year, with 2010 witnessing a production increase of 6.8%. Around 70 countries have recoverable reserves, which some estimates claim will last for over a hundred years at current production levels. Mining for coal is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. While deadliest in China, where thousands of miners die annually, the profession is still hazardous in the West and other regions as well. Our mining and use of coal accounts for a variety of environmental hazards, including the production of more CO2 than any other source. Other concerns include acid rain, groundwater contamination, respiratory issues, and the waste products which contain heavy metals. But our lives as lived today rely heavily on the combustible sedimentary rock. Over 40% of the world's electricity is generated by burning coal, more than from any other source. Chances are that a significant percentage of the electricity you're using to read this blog was generated by burning coal. Gathered here are images of coal extraction, transportation, and the impact on environment and society. The first eight photographs are by Getty photographer Daniel Berehulak, who documented the lives of miners in Jaintia Hills, India. -- Lane Turner (48 photos total)

22-year-old Shyam Rai from Nepal makes his way through tunnels inside of a coal mine 300 ft beneath the surface on April 13, 2011 near the village of Latyrke, in the district of Jaintia Hills, India. In the Jaintia hills, located in India's far northeast state of Meghalaya, miners descend to great depths on slippery, rickety wooden ladders. Children and adults squeeze into rat hole like tunnels in thousands of privately owned and unregulated mines, extracting coal with their hands or primitive tools and no safety equipment. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

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google vs facebook 40 Photos total

It is rumored that Facebook will float on the New York Stock Exchange this May. The estimated value is between $50-70 billion, for what is essentially a company made by you and me (if you have a Facebook page). It will be the biggest IPO of a tech company ever, surpassing’s Google float from years ago. Both companies are huge and play a big part of our lives, whether we want them to or not. Both are also highly sought after employers and their office environments might have something to do with that. Not your average stuffy offices are they?

An employee works on a computer at the new headquarters of Facebook in Menlo Park, California January 11, 2012. The 57-acre campus, which formerly housed Sun Microsystems, features open work spaces for nearly 2,000 employees on the one million square foot campus, with room for expansion. Picture taken January 11, 2012. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

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the funeral ceremony of kim jong il 19 Photos total

Last week North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died and yesterday the half-god was buried. It is amazing to see how the world thinks his passing is a good thing for North Korea and his people, but the people of North Korea view his passing as the worst thing ever. Hundreds of thousands joined the funeral ceremony, crying and screaming. To me it looks like a very fine line between fear and love.

A hearse carries the coffin of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during his funeral procession in Pyongyang in this photo taken by Kyodo December 28, 2011.

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Scenes from Iraq 36 photos total

As 2011 ends, Iraqis confront their challenges with neither the presence of US troops, nor the shadow of Saddam Hussein, who was executed five years ago today. He had ruled since 1979, although he'd been a power player in the government since 1968. The American occupation ended officially on December 15, eight years after the 2003 invasion. Sectarian strife still plagues Iraq, and although the violence lessened from near-civil war levels in 2006, the pullout of American forces has seen a return of hostilities. While the number of American casualties of the occupation stands at 4,487, figures for Iraqi casualties have no such certainty. Some estimates put the figure as high as 100,000. Now conflicts new and old wait to be dealt with by a country free to decide its own fate for the first time in generations. Sectarian struggle, problems with water and electricity delivery, and war-ravaged infrastructure are just a few of the issues facing Iraqis today. Gathered here are recent images of Iraq as it looks ahead to 2012. The last four images are portraits by Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton, who asked ordinary Iraqis for their thoughts on their future after the pullout of American forces. -- Lane Turner (36 photos total)

A man smokes a water pipe at a cafe on Mutanabi Street in Baghdad on December 9, 2011. (Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)

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drug wars update 33 Photos total

Over the years we’ve posted several photo sets with the theme drugs. The Gang Wars In Mexico, The Latin American Drug Wars and the War On Drugs In Rio De Janeiro. In that time nothing much has changed. Half of Mexico is still run by the drug cartels, people still keep dying from Brazil to the Copa Cabana and drugs is still big big business.

Soldiers patrol a neighborhood in San Fernando, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, December 20, 2011. Mexico's Defense Ministry has deployed hundreds of soldiers consisting of intelligence units, mobile checkpoints and patrols, to curb the violence in San Fernando and its outskirts, caused by months of bloody gunbattles and turf wars between the Gulf cartel and their former Zetas armed wing, reported local media. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

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25 Photos of cool total lunar eclipse pix

This weekend so the appearance of a total lunar eclipse in our night skies and it was beautiful.

The earth's shadow falls on the moon as it emerges from a total lunar eclipse above the entrance to a theme park in Sydney December 11, 2011. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne

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abandoned fake disneyland in china 18 Photos Total

Along the road to one of China’s most famous tourist landmarks – the Great Wall of China – sits what could potentially have been another such tourist destination, but now stands as an example of modern-day China and the problems facing it. Situated on an area of around 100 acres, and 45 minutes drive from the center of Beijing, are the ruins of Wonderland. Construction stopped more than a decade ago, with developers promoting it as the largest amusement park in Asia. Funds stopped around 1998 due to disagreements over property prices with the local government and farmers

A farmer carries a shovel over his shoulder as he walks to tend his crops in a field that includes an abandoned building, that was to be part of an amusement park called Wonderland, on the outskirts of Beijing December 5, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray

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US military leaves iraq 81 Photots total

On March 20th, 2003 George W Bush gave the order to invade the Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Eight years later Saddam is gone and so has the US Army. The last troops left Iraq in the past week. Does this mean the war is over? For the US servicemen and women it might be, but if that is the case for the Iraqi people remains to be seen.

U.S. soldiers gather before the start of a ceremony marking the end of the U.S. military engagement, with the last American troops withdrawing nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, at the former U.S. Sather Air Base near Baghdad December 15, 2011.

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