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SOCIAL ISSUES:   Peshawar Pakistan Massimo Berruti / Agence Vu / Aurora Photos For the past two years, the Taliban's terrorist attacks have claimed more than 2000 victims in Pakistan. These attacks are mostly located in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and its capital, Peshawar, where many deaths are caused by road-side bombs. The population is suffering and public opinion is putting the blame on the American military policy. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Remembering Christian Poveda Christian Poveda / Agence Vu / Aurora Photos French photojournalist and documentary film-maker, Christian Poveda worked his whole life documenting politically contentious or dangerous subjects that others wouldn't touch. He is most notably known for his film La Vida Loca, which documented the lives of the El Salvador gang Mara, and led to his death in September of last year. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Recycling in Greece Gerasimos Domenikos / Invision / Aurora Photos Greece is embarking on a long-term plan to overhaul its waste management practices. New technologies that meet the demand for disposal, energy generation, recycling, and building new, closed-loop systems that limit waste generation are needed to deal with an increasing burden of waste and recyclable materials. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Hungry Horse Montana Pieter Ten Hoopen / Agence Vu / Aurora Photos At the far end of Montana, in middle America, lies the little town of Hungry Horse. Many of the towns 900 inhabitants work in other towns of the valley or are unemployed. Drug usage is a common escape from the loneliness and boredom of life, while others, leave school to join the army as an alternative way out. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Somalia's Struggle Continues Pascal Maitre / Cosmos / Aurora Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when the former government was toppled by clan militias that later turned on each other. Somalia remains a raging battle zone today, with jihadists pouring in from overseas, intent on toppling the transitional federal government, TFG. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Norway's Arctic Wildlife Steven J. Kazlowski / GHG / Aurora Photos Join Steven Kazlowski, as he journeys through Norway documenting arctic life for GHG, the coalition of science, environmental, nature, and documentary photographers who have spent the last several years focused on greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of those emissions on our planet. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Care and Relief Various Photographers / Aurora Photos In times of trouble, health professionals, organizations, and volunteers generously provide care and give relief to restore and revitalize individuals and international communities. There humanitarian efforts draw attention to the global need for advanced aid systems and treatments for all people. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Tipping Point Various Photographers / Aurora Photos These days it seems as though the need to simplify and begin anew is growing more and more apparent. With a continually growing population and limited resources a tipping point is inevitable. But, in the face of collapse comes new opportunities to work together to rebuild for a just and sustainable future. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Kabul Today Rafal Gerszak / Aurora Photos Afghanistan's capital, Kabul is a refuge for many who flee from violence in search of a peaceful life and economic opportunities. However, the city has been repeatedly struck by suicide bombers and rocket attacks that usually kill more Afghan civilians than foreign soldiers. It is a harsh reality with little respite. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Salmon Country Bridgett Besaw / Aurora Photos From the mountains of Alaska to the coast of California salmon are a biological phenomena that bind the entire region together. In recent years salmon runs have been devastated due to dramatic changes in their ecosystems. The nature conservancy is working to protect salmon and the habitats. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Liberia Still On The Edge Pep Bonet / Noor / Aurora Pep Bonet recently document life in Kingsville, Liberia, population 20,000, where women and children die for the want of a few bare medical necessities. Even before the war, Sierra Leone was the poorest country on earth. It is still in shambles. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Illegal Workers in Russia Yuri Kozyrev / Noor / Aurora Illegal worker from Uzbekistan does ablution before the Friday prayer. Illegal migrant workers mostly from former Soviet republics in Central Asia find shelter in ragged shacks cobbled together from particleboard and scraps of sheet metal and lumped together to form ghettos like the one here in Chelobityevo on the outskirts of Moscow. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Heart Hanging Heart Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos For chronically ill children, the Double H Ranch is a special retreat from their difficult realities. It provides specialized programs and year-round support for children dealing with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Children with devastating illnesses such as sickle cell anemia, HIV, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy are given a week of what seems to them like an eternity filled with activities they would never experience between hospital visits at home. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Spark of Hope: Healing and Reconciliation in Modern Rwanda Chris Noble / Aurora Photos In late February 2007, photographer Chris Noble accompanied the artist and social activist Lily Yeh and members of her organization, the Barefoot Artists, as they visited their most extensive and ambitious project — the Genocide Survivor's Survivors' Village of Rugerero in western Rwanda. His role was to document Yeh’s work in Rwanda, as well as produce portraits of the genocide survivors (no apostrophe) living in Rugerero. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Acharnai Olympic Village Francesca Oggiano / Invision / Aurora Photos The “glorious Olympic village” in Acharnai hosted 17,000 athletes from all around the world during the 2004 Athens Olympics. Six months after the end of the Olympic games, it was transformed into an outlying suburb. Most buildings and houses were assigned by OEK, the Worker's Housing Organization, as primary residences for beneficiary families. Everything else that is taken for granted by most citizens, like banks, shopping malls, bars and restaurants, are a long distance away. All the plans for development of the village were not realized. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Taoudeni Salt Mine Pascal Maitre / Cosmos / Aurora Photos For centuries, Timbuktu in Mali has been living on the trade of salt coming from the mines of Taoudeni, a town just north of the city. They are working in the mines to pay back their debts to wealthy merchants in Timbuktu. They live in isolation and work in treacherous conditions. Yet, they cannot get out of the cycle of debt. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Working Towards Peace in Chad Frederic Noy/Cosmos / Aurora Photos Since it’s independence in 1960, Chad seems to be locked in a destiny where power is taken at gunpoint and war is always on the horizon. Nevertheless, the streets of N’Djamena are filling up with public works, oil money is flowing, avenues are tarred, buildings are rising and farmers are attending to their job. As 11 million Chadians face enormous struggles from war and underdevelopment, they push forward with the hope for permanent peace in Chad. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Roma Displacement in Serbia Matt Lutton / Invision / Aurora Photos In August 2009, the government of Belgrade, Serbia began enforcing the resettlement of Roma from camps under the Gazela Bridge. Photographer Matt Lutton’s imagery documents the plight of impoverished people in a struggling nation. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   East Germany Change Stefan Enders/ Gruppe 28 / Aurora Photos In November 1989, photographer Stefan Enders photographed the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was not only a great historic day, it was a day for him as a Western German to remember. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Malaria in Sierra Leone Ake Ericson / Aurora Photos Malaria is the number one killer of children and is hyperendemic in Sierra Leone. Currently, there is a promising vaccine being tested in Africa. In a trial, 65% of the infants vaccinated were less likely to contract malaria than a control group. If successful, the vaccine will be licensed in 2011. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   New Europe Lukasz Trzcinski / Visavis / Aurora Photos 2009 marks twenty years since the events which led to the disintegration of the communist system in Central and Eastern Europe. Almost 50 years of communist indoctrination had been imprinted in the landscape, economy and mentality of people. It is now clear that the relative homogeneity of the socialist Central and Eastern Europe is on the decline. This part of Europe is increasingly diversifying. Photographer Łukasz Trzciński tried to portray this New Europe through the prism of local attitudes which reflect the history and the current reality of a given country and yet are representative of the region as a whole. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Human Trafficking in India Justin Vela / Aurora Photos In August 2009 photographer Justin Vela began a new long term project on human trafficking with a series of images made in India’s Bihar state which runs along the eastern border with Nepal. In Bihar, parents often unintentionally sell their children to traffickers believing they are sending them away to learn new skills and improve their lives in big cities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Fall of the Berlin Wall Stephane Duroy / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Having decided to photograph West Berlin in 1979, Stéphane Duroy also wanted to understand Germany, the country that gave birth to Nazism, a unique phenomenon in history, generated by such a civilized nation. In 1989, ten years later, he took pictures of the fall of the Berlin wall. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Iraqi Refugees Struggle in the US Nina Berman / NOOR / Aurora Photos In the past three years, about 26,000 Iraqi refugees have arrived in the United States. Many refugees thought they would never be struggling in America, but most are having a hard time finding work and making ends meet. For many refugees, their dream of living in the US has turned into a nightmare of dwindling benefits, money running out, and eviction notices piling up. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Iraqi Refugees in Denmark Ake Ericson / Aurora Photos Many Iraqi refugees travel through Denmark to reach Sweden, one of few European countries that will still grant asylum to Iraqis. Having undertaken grueling journeys across the continent, often paying vast sums of money to smugglers, some end up in Danish refugee centers where they wait indefinitely for asylum in a country which has tightened immigration laws in recent years. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   North Korea Ĺke Ericson / Aurora Photos Photographer Ake Ericson documented the totalitarian state of North Korea. It's citizens, and the few tourists who are let into the country, are strictly controlled. To be able to enter the country and take pictures requires ingenuity. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   German Democratic Republic in the 80's Jens Rötzsch / Gruppe28 / Aurora Photos Photographer Jens Rötzsch caught the mood of a country heading for a revolution and captured the faces of the GDR in the 1980's. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Images of the German Democratic Republic Wolfgang Kunz /Bilderberg / Aurora Photos Photographer Wolfgang Kunz documented over 30 years of life in the GDR. He documented daily life in the German Democratic Republic between 1960 and 1982. He photographed things from daily living like music bands, school classes, soldiers and working people to some impressions from the Post-war East Germany. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Bolivian Mennonites Ivan Kashinsky and Karla Gachet / Aurora Photos In Bolivia, a Mennonite settlement of 37 families was established between 1954 and 1957 in the neighborhood of the city of Santa Cruz, in the fertile plains east of the Andes Mountains. Mennonites follow the teachings of Menno Simons, a 16th Century religious leader from what is now the Netherlands. Their community lives traditionally, shunning modern technology and it’s ability to distract them from the path of Christ. It's estimated that there are around 15,400 Mennonites in Bolivia. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Fall of the Berlin Wall: 20th Anniversary Various / Bilderberg / Aurora Photos November 9, 2009 is the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall was a physical barrier built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to separate East and West Germany. The Berlin Wall became the starkest symbol of the Cold War, symbolizing the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc. The collapse of the Wall came when a revolutionary wave swept across Germany in 1989. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Orphans of Swaziland Pep Bonet / Noor / Aurora Photos The HIV/AIDS pandemic has affected almost every family in the Kingdom of Swaziland. The Country has the highest percentage of HIV-positive people in the world, with nearly 36% of those between the ages of 15 and 49 living with HIV. The issue of greatest concern is the number of orphans in Swaziland. With orphans in a country of just more than one million people, an estimated 220,000 people are living with HIV. More than 70,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Gaza Conflict Jan Grarup / NOOR / Aurora Photos Photographer Jan Grarup arrived in Rafah, Gaza, at the beginning of 2009. He documented the ongoing conflict and devastation inflicted there and in Gaza City. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Purple Hearts Nina Berman / Noor / Aurora Photos Purple Hearts is a series of portraits and interviews with American military who returned from Iraq severely wounded. The project gives an intimate understanding of the human cost of war through the experiences of American soldiers. While their physical wounds are extreme, the primary focus of the visual reportage is the psychological condition and the struggle to find identity and purpose in the aftermath of war. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Krumpers Afton Almaraz / Aurora Photos Krumpers are teens who perform an aggressive style of dance, called krumping, that helps to release anger and frustration in a positive way. The style of dance emerged from the streets of Los Angeles during the 90’s and is an outlet for these teens to escape gang life. Aurora photographer, Afton Almaraz, shot portraits of the kids who krump. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   8 Years Later Rafal Gerszak / Aurora Photos 8 years after the invasion of Afghanistan, life goes on as does the war. In 2009, there has been the highest number of coalition forces' causalities since the beginning of the war in 2001. Kabul, the country's capital, has been attacked numerous times by suicide bombers, rockets and ambushes. Living in a country that has suffered over 30 years of war is difficult, but people still have hope and hang on to the dream of freedom.  View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Uyghurs Jakub Sliwa / Aurora Photos Uyghurs are a Muslim minority ethnic group living in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. They have long campaigned for independence from Chinese rule, and their separatist demands have led to bloodshed over recent years. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Chernobyl's Dead Zone Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR / Aurora Photos More than 20 years after the Chernobyl accident, people's lives in the nearby towns are still greatly affected. In the "Dead Zone", the area which was evacuated after the nuclear catastrophe in 1986, people have begun to return. Although the area is still highly radioactive, more and more people are settling down in the "Dead Zone" regardless of the risks. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Purhépechas Serge Sibert / Cosmos / Aurora Photos The Purhépechas are an indigenous people who live in the northwestern lake and mountain region of the Mexican state of Michoacan. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Yemen Female Counter-Terrorism Unit Catalina Martin-Chico / Cosmos / Aurora Photos As a response to Al-Qaeda's strategy of using women's dress to avoid facing capture, the counter-terrorism unit has brought on female combat troops in Yemen. The use of female troops is necessary since the searching of women by male troops is strictly forbidden in Yemen. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Chad Stanley Greene / Noor / Aurora Photos The conflict that erupted in Darfur in western Sudan has many dimensions to it: regional, national and international. It began in early 2003 between two armed rebel groups (the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement) and the Government of Sudan after the rebel groups attacked civilians, entire towns and Sudanese government facilities. By the spring of 2004 thousands of people had been killed and as many as a million more had been driven from their homes, causing a major humanitarian crisis in the region. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Sierra Leone Diamond Mining Pep Bonet / Noor / Aurora Photos Sierra Leone has suffered from conspicuously constrained economic growth due to the lack of promoting development and not addressing the basic needs of the country's citizens. In spite of this negative development, the government believes the mining sector is the only sector that can easily contribute significantly to the economic recovery and development process of Sierra Leone. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Haut du Lievre Andrzej Kramarz / Visavis / Aurora Photos Haut du Lievre is a housing estate consisting of huge blocks of apartments rising above the city of Nancy, France. Built in the 1960s, it was a destination for citizens who wanted to rebuild their destroyed country after World War II. The Haut du Lievre was a symbol of new strength and hope for future development. As time passed, the unique estate became a place for illegal immigrants and disadvantaged people. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Afghanistan Elections Rafal Gerszak / Aurora Photos Afghanistan's second democratic presidential elections in conjunction with the provincial councils elections were held on August 20, 2009. The top three presidential candidates for this year's presidential election are Presidaent Hamid Karzai, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani. It's been said that 87% of the country's population has been registered to vote. Some have disputed the numbers and are accusing the current government of fraudulent activities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Consumerism in China M.Scott Brauer / Invision Images / Aurora Photos The country's reputation as the world's factory still rings true, but increasingly the consumer goods churned out by Shenzhen's factories remain in China. International retailers have been expanding in China for decades. The country's enormous consumer class now draws the world's attention as a potential savior from the current economic turmoil. The domestic market here is the largest in the world, and the potential for expansion into China has become a major priority for many international companies. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Threat of Sand Pascal Maitre / Cosmos / Aurora Photos The Niger river, which flows over 1700 kms, is threatened by the sand. The fertile green land beyond its banks, which provides a living for thousands of people, is at risk of being engulfed by the desert. In 2006, villages started to plant trees as barriers to the sand. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Nowa Huta: The Ghost of Communist Past Henryk Makarewicz / Visavis / Aurora Photos In the late 1940's, Communist dictator Joseph Stalin came up with the idea to create a huge steel works and surrounding infrastructure in Poland. Nowa Huta was a district built in the 1950's to house 100,000 inhabitants. It was the first borough of its kind, built specifically to house a socialist secular population. Nowa Huta is an old symbol of modernity and progress and was the 'Polish socialist city of dreams'. It's story and the legacy of a socialist Poland is forever preserved in photographs from that era by Henryk Makarewicz. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Myanmar Behind Closed Doors Tomasz Padlo / Visavis / Aurora Photos Under years of political oppression, Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a country struggling to find it's freedom. Though, daily life continues beyond Myanmar's closed doors. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Portraits of Thailand's Transsexuals Stephane Remael / Invision Images / Aurora Photos A Thai proverb states "when you meet a very beautiful woman, beware: she is probably a man". No other country in the world counts so many transsexuals so well integrated in society as Thailand. Visible and numerous - 150,000 in a population of 63 million these trans genders enjoy a particular status in a sexually tolerant Buddhist society which accepts them relatively well. As Professors, doctors, hair dressers, dancers, television presenters and much more, they integrate themselves like other women. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Born Behind Bars Caroline Bennett / Aurora Photos A look into the Santa Martha Acatitla women’s penitentiary in Mexico D.F., where babies born into the system are allowed to live with incarcerated mothers until they are six years old View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Dubai's Robot Jockeys Ezequiel Scagnetti / Invision Images / Aurora Photos Robot jockeys, controlled remotely by operators in cars driving along the track, race camels in Dubai. In 2004, robotic jockeys were used in response to the outcry against the use of small children as jockeys. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Kanun Enri Canaj/ Invision Images / Aurora Photos The Kanun is a set of laws used mostly in northern Albania and Kosovo from the 15th century until the 20th century and revived recently after the fall of communism in the early 90's. These rules have recently resurfaced in northern Albania. There are organizations that try to mediate between feuding families and try to get them to "pardon the blood", but often the only resort is for men of age to stay in their homes, which are considered a safe refuge by the Kanuni, or flee the country. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Greece: Illegal Immigration Angelos Tzortzinis / Invision / Aurora Photos For years, Greece has been the crossroad for thousands of illegal immigrants, passing through on their way to Europe. Each year the percentage of illegal entries rises, and with each increase immigrations laws become more strict. In 2008, Greek coast guard officers arrested 15,315 migrants at their attempt to enter the country illegally by boat. Many of the immigrants come from Afghanistan, Somalia and Kurdistan, in hopes of finding a new and better life. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Moscow's Nouveau Riche Hans-Juergen Burkard / Bilderberg / Aurora Photos Ten years since after Russia embraced capitalism, Moscow has been transformed into a playground for the young and rich. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Rwanda Prisons Kevin Horan / Aurora Photos Nsinda Prison, Rwanda's largest prison, about 60 km. east of the capital, still holds 11,200 prisoners, primarily from the genocide. About a thousand of them go out each morning to work in nearby fields, growing what they eat. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   A Family Prison Toby Binder / Bilderberg / Aurora Photos San Pedro prison, with approx. 1,500 inmates is the largest prison in La Paz, Bolivia. Inmates live with their families and have jobs inside the community. Tourism is also a significant source of income. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Soy Farming in Paraguay Evan Abramson / Aurora Photos The industry of soy production in Paraguay has generated social conflict and devastation. Small farmers, who, after living for years on government-allotted forestland, have begun to be uprooted. The area has also reported extreme rates of cancer, birth defects, and miscarriages believed to be associated with high levels of pesticides being used to treat the crops. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Kunming City's Expansion M. Scott Brauer / Invision / Aurora Kunming City, capital of Yunnan Province in China, is finishing its 2005 to 2010 expansion. The plans are to nearly double in size, both population, to eight million people and in area. It hopes to be a trade, transport, financial and cultural center of Southeast Asia. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Los Angeles' Skid Row Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos Los Angeles' Skid Row is home to thousands of people with no permanent place to call home. The sidewalks used to be lined with tents and makeshift shelters at every hour of the day. It's been a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mary and Martha Ryan Anson / Aurora Photos With a majority of New England states passing laws allowing same sex marriage, and with the California Supreme Court about to make a decision, the tide seems to be turning on the issue of same sex unions. Aurora Photographer Ryan Anson has documented a committed couple, their marriage and the joyful addition of children to their family. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Introducing Invision Invision Photographers / Aurora Photos Invision Images is a photo agency founded in 2006, based in Athens, Greece. Working with a team of photographers their aim is to promote new forms of photojournalism and documentary photography. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   James Balog Extreme Ice James Balog / Aurora Photos Aurora houses the unique glacier photography generated from the Extreme Ice Survey. Extreme Ice Now by Aurora Photographer James Balog has just been released to great reviews. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   New Days for Liberia David Yoder / Aurora Photos After more than a decade of civil wars that left Liberia sacked and its population traumatized, Africa’s oldest republic now has a window of opportunity to remake itself from scratch. Stabilized by United Nations forces, rich in virtually untouched natural resources, and led by a charismatic president-- Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf , the first woman ever elected to rule an African country—Liberia may prove a test case in how to rehabilitate an African nation. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Tent City Various / Aurora Photos Sometimes called Modern Day Hoovervilles, shantytowns known as Tent Cities are springing up all across the country. Residents of this Tent City in Sacramento have already been served eviction notices, making even a tent an uncertain place to stay. Aurora photographers take a compassionate look at a poignant reminder of new economic realities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Foreclosure Alley Guillaume Zuili / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Outside of Los Angeles, along highway 15, hundreds of gated communities were created with their adjacent malls in less than five years. What was the American dream is now a tremendous nightmare with an astounding number of foreclosures. Now "For Sale" or "Bank Owned" signs are the new landscape. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Welfare Matt Eich / Aurora Photos Aurora photographer, Matt Eich, captured a single mother and her daughter coping with life in the Welfare system. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Portraits of the Tarahumara Robb Kendrick / Aurora Photos The Tarahumara, who live in and above the canyons of northern Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental, evaded Spanish conquerors in the sixteenth century. But can they survive the onslaught of modernity? Fast food, tourism and the modern world is at their door. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mexico's Urban Tribe Charlie Mahoney / Aurora Photos The plaza Glorieta de los Insurgentes, in the heart of Mexico City, was built to honor the insurgent uprising and independence from Spain. Here a second uprising is taking place as youth subculture thrives. Punketos, darketos, break-dancers and emos (emotionals) rebel against conservative societal norms View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Enrique's Playground Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos Enrique 5, was born into a world of poverty. He spends his day playing with his friends in the rubbish tip and swimming in the polluted Pasig river. Although his family wish to discourage him, he works in thick toxic smoke, dragging soggy scraps of wood to burn and help his father create charcoal. He also scavenges for bits of scrap metal to earn a few pesos to help pay for his schooling and food for his family. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Almost Paradise Kosuke Okahara / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Illegal immigrants live in the poor but oil rich country of Colombia that has been the battleground of a 40 year long civil war. Many people want to get out of the country just to find a decent life in America. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Farming Life Dan Chung / Aurora Photos Family farming has always interested photographer Dan Chung because it is a lifestyle that demands a lot, but pays very little. The farm's future in the next 5 years is uncertain. but they have held on to this lifestyle for many years now. Things are tougher for them now more than ever, but they are very tough people. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Living in the Shadows Charlie Mahoney / Aurora Photos Everyday thousands of sub-Saharan Africans try to enter Europe by crossing the divide that separates the two continents. Those that make it to Spain are customarily detained while the Spanish authorities attempt to determine their age and nationality. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Unpredictable Future Matt Eich / Aurora Photos In the heart of America where agriculture once helped drive the economy, farming has become a fading way of life. Along the foothills of Appalachia in Southeastern Ohio, aging farmers struggle to keep their farms afloat in order to provide for their families and communities. The recent economic downturn has made life more difficult for a dying breed of farmers to survive, but has increased the importance of self-sustainability in the communities that rely on this resource. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Enoughism Various Photographers / Aurora Photos The act or practice of switching things off, buying less stuff and seeking to reconnect with the simpler pleasures of life. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Rising from the Ashes Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos Los Angeles has one of the highest concentrations of gang activity in all of U.S. For many young guys trying to leave gangs, the journey is long and difficult. Though, some made the recent choice to remove themselves from their gang and are attempting to create a better life for themsevles by getting an honest job and obeying the law. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Introducing Noor Various/ Noor/ Aurora Photos Amsterdam based, NOOR is an international photography collective combining the talents and perspectives of nine photographers hailing from seven countries, producing cutting edge, and visually distinctive photographic reportage on news and culture. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Teenage Pregnancy in Manila Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos Teenage pregnancy is widespread in the Philippines, especially amongst the poor. In Manila, this contributes to overpopulation and the vicious cycle of poverty. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   NOOR Noor Photographers / Aurora Photos Amsterdam based, NOOR is an international photography collective combining the talents and perspectives of nine photographers hailing from seven countries, producing cutting edge, and visually distinctive photographic reportage on news and culture. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   New Foundland Andrew Querner / Aurora Photos For centuries, the cod industry sustained a way of life that came to define Canada's most eastern province. Today, with few alternatives, many are being forced to seek work in far away places like Ontario and Alberta, a trend reflected in census statistics. As the population leaves home and family behind in search of opportunity, the out-port communities and the culture that surrounds them quickly erodes. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Fighting Cholitas Ivan Kashinsky / Aurora Photos High up in the Bolivian Andes, Cholitas take part in Lucha Libre, a style of wrestling that began in Mexico. The Cholitas that participate in this wild sport are of Aymara decent and dress head to toe in their traditional clothing. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Copsa Mica Lisa Wiltse / Aurora Photos In the crumbling post-communist town of Copsa Mica, a small town in the valley of Translyvania, some 500 people from its 6,000 population have fled the country for a better life. Aurora photographer Lisa Wiltse documented Copsa Mica as a microcosm of the problems that still persist in Romania. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Venezuela Elections Meridith Kohut / Aurora Photos Venezuelans held pivotal elections that politically empowered the opposition movement against leftist President Hugo Chavez and his Socialist revolution on Sunday, Nov 23, 2008. Elections were held across the country for 22 of the 23 state governorships, 328 mayors and 233 state legislators. Aurora photographer, Meridith Kohut, captured some of the moments during the elections. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Race to the White House Various Photographers/Aurora Photos The 2008 U.S. Presidential election will take place on November 4, 2008. As the world watches, the race for president heats up between Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, and Republican nominee, John McCain. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Sex Workers in Bangladesh G.M.B Akash / Bilderberg / Aurora Photos It is generally estimated that there are around 20,000 -30,000 female sex workers working through brothels in Bangladesh. Photographer, G.M.B Akash, captures the daily life of these women. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Rez - Home of the Lakota Nation Svetlana Bahchevanova / Aurora Photos Aurora photographer Svetlana Bahchevanova explores the contrast and psychological conflict between the reclaimed cultural and spiritual identify of the Lakota Sioux and the poverty and deprivation of life on the Rez, as it is familiarly known to its residents . View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Myanmar Behind Closed Doors Various Photographers/Aurora Photos From political oppression to the aftermath of a cyclone, Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a country struggling to find it's freedom. Various Aurora photographers capture Myanmar's amazing culture and beauty behind it's closed doors. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Self-Mutilation in Japan Kosuke Okahara / Agence VU / Aurora Photos Self-injury has become a very serious problem in Japanese high schools. VU Photographer Kosuke Okahara's images document a world of pain and suffering by many young women in Japan. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Experience the Kingdom of Thailand Various Aurora Photographers Thailand is one of the biggest tourist destinations in southeast Asia. Aurora photographers capture the essence of this ancient kingdom's natural beauty and cultural attraction. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Carry Me Ohio Matt Eich/Alexia Foundation/ Aurora Photos Millions of toxic electronic parts are discarded every year in the U.S. Large amounts of used electronics end up being sent to developing countries where there are poor environmental standards. Pushed to the fringes of American society are communities in Appalachia marginalized by poverty, which has forged their culture and lifestyle since the early 1900s. Aurora photographer Matt Eich documents the people in these communities. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   World Food Crisis Various/ Aurora Photos In the past year, prices have risen significantly for basic food on the international commodity market. Around the world, countries are feeling the effects with severe food shortages. Over the past year, rice prices have risen by 70%. The price of wheat has more than doubled. Corn and soy have been trading well above average. The global food crisis is being blamed on factors such as the growing population and emerging economies like China and India. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Life on the Streets of Hanoi Justin Maxon / Aurora Photos In Hanoi, Vietnam, after years being homeless, Ly Thi Mui, 34 with her son, Trun Van Pha, 5, has adapted and developed her own sense of happiness, living for her son and also living the life of a Buddhist detachment from worldly possessions. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   On the Trail with Barack Obama Callie Shell / Aurora Photos Join Aurora photographer Callie Shell as she covers Barack Obama on the Iowa caucus campaign trail with exclusive behind-the-scenes access shot on assignment for Time magazine. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Galapagos Under Siege Eric Rorer / Aurora Photos Ever since Charles Darwin first visited the Galapagos in 1835, the tiny archipelago 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador has captivated the world’s imagination. However, increased tourist traffic and population growth have put a huge stress on the islands’ ecological balance. Invasive non-native plants and animals are feeding on or forcing out rare native species and the heavy impact of the human footprint is often hidden out of view. Aurora photographer shows a place that is at once beautiful, magical and under siege. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Our Toxic World Peter Essick / Aurora Photos Chemicals are all around us. Their applications endless: flame retardant clothes, air fresheners, perfumes, more vibrant colors. All this convenience comes at what cost? Aurora photographer Peter Essick examines the toll that chemicals take on our bodies and minds. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Faces of Colombia Dennis Drenner / Aurora When you mention Colombia these days, most people imagine a lawless country overrun with guerillas and narcotics traffickers: The land of Pablo Escobar, car bombs in the streets of Bogota, a place where you might get kidnapped at any moment. While Colombia still has serious problems, the reality of the place is a far cry from the dismal stereotypes, and public safety has increased greatly in recent years. In an effort to present a more complex view of a country he has grown to love, Aurora photographer Dennis Drenner spent three years working on a series of portraits shot all over the country. The series aims to reflect Colombia’s great ethnic diversity and social structure, the nightmares of its past and its hopes for the future. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Chavez's Venezuela Andrew Cutraro / Aurora Photos There's a new kind of revolution emerging in Latin America, and its most successful manifestation has been Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and his Bolivarian movement. Chavez’s progressive policies are affecting political and economic thinking around the world and presenting the U.S. with a burgeoning foreign policy crisis. Aurora's Andrew Cutraro takes a closer look at how Chavez's policies have affected the political, economic and social situation on the ground in Venezuela, and brings a unique perspective of a country coming into its own on the world stage. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   A Different Kenyan School Didier Ruef / Pixsil / Aurora Boys and girls at Nyandarva boarding primary school work in a large agricultural garden, organized by "Gardens for Life". This initiative seeks to embed the most fundamental of issues, food and nutrition, within the education curriculum by maximizing the use of school gardens and as a source of income for the school. After feeding the students, the foodstuff produced can be sold locally. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Does it bring more than oil? Pascal Maitre / Cosmos / Aurora One of the biggest engineering projects of the decade, the Baku-Tbili-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was expected to benefit the economies and inhabitants of Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Running east-west from Baku, Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea, through Tbilisi, Georgia and finally to Ceyhan, Turkey on the Mediterranean; the BTC transmits oil to points in Europe and across the world. Despite this, however, the standard of living in these countries remains low, and the pipeline brings new environmental and physical dangers. Now, with construction on new natural gas and oil pipelines underway, the region has become a region of great strategic significance, often, to the detriment of its inhabitants. " View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Mexican Immigration Various Aurora Photographers The US immigration Act of 1907 reorganized the states bordering Mexico into Mexican Border District to stem the flow of immigrants into the U.S. Almost 100 years later the flow continues and the issues remain. Various Aurora photographers have examined this subject visually telling human stories in the process. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   On Borrowed Time Katja Heinemann / Aurora For the first time in the history of the AIDS, HIV-positive children are growing up to become teenagers. But a cure for the disease has yet to be found, and infected children have to cope with toxic, often experimental medical regimens and a budding consciousness of sexuality and the conflicts with the knowledge of their affliction. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Remember: Martin Luther King Various Aurora Photographers "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -- Martin Luther King - 1929-1968 View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Fat Camp Katja Heinemann/Aurora The latest statistics show that as many as 30 percent of children aged 6-19 in the U.S. are overweight. Obesity puts them at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes and emotional problems in adolescence and adulthood. Some parents are trying to find a solution by sending their children to "Fat Camp" for the summer. Weight loss camps are usually advertised as a "fitness camps", but many campers call it "fat camp". A main goal of these camos is to raise the child's self-esteem through social interactions with others who share many of the same characteristics View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women's Labor in Asia Fernando Moleres In the global economy new centers of garment production have appeared in Asian countries like China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Fernando Moleres documents these new centers, showing the working conditions and way of life of workers there. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Water Issues Peter Essick/Aurora Already overburdened, the Earth's six billion people can't get enough of fresh water. With populations continuing to climb, what happens next? Read on... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Methamphetamine: The Number One Drug Problem in America Wes Pope/Aurora The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration has called methamphetamine the "number one drug problem in America." Snohomish County Washington, north of Seattle, is representative of the trend in rural and suburban ar View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Home Schooling USA Todd Bigelow / Aurora Photos Homeschool USA Chronicling a family’s first-year journey into the homeschooling phenomenon sweeping America. It’s a day like any other as 8am approaches at...read on... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women Senators Melina Mara/Aurora Changing the Face of Power - Women are transforming this country's most prestigious governing body. Their bi-partisan teamwork, compassion for social issues, and coalition building, are laying a foundation for a new type of politician. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Migrant´s Journey Todd Bigelow/ Aurora Migrant workers routinely embark on dangerous border crossings seeking jobs in the US. A crackdown by the border patrol has changed the conditions of routes and methods of obtaining entry. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Longest Day Todd Bigelow / Aurora Photos This is a look at the first 24 hours of Angel Coronado's release from a Texas prison, from 10:00am on a Friday until 10:00am the following morning. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Vipassana - Reform from Within Tim Georgeson/Cosmos/Aurora Vipassana, an ancient Buddhist meditation technique has been introduced to the Tihar Jail, the largest prison complex in India. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   TV wars - perspective from Jerusalem - March Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Nowhere is the explosion of the information age more dramaticthan in Jerusalem. Next door neighbors are watching two completelydifferent versions of the war. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Military Enters American Public Schools Nina Berman/Aurora In Oakland California, on a decommissioned naval base, 200 7th and 8thgrade children in military uniforms line up in platoon formation... View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Handicapped Skiing Samantha Appleton / Noor / Aurora Photos MHS is a non-profit organization that has been in operation for 21 years. Each season the organization outfits, teaches and provides a comfortable environment for more than 200 outdoor enthusiasts with a broad spectrum of disabilities, free of charge. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Habitat for Humanity Randy Olson & Melissa Farlow/Aurora Across the United States, a Habitat for Humanity build brings many different people together to help give others a roof over their heads and a place to call home. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Guyana Randy Olson/ Aurora *Winner Magazine Photographer Of The Year POY 2003 Multi-nationals raping a once pristine jungle are now in conflict with the traditional way of life of the Guyana Amerindian population. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Lynching trial in Jasper Texas Lynn Johnson/Aurora A black man James Byrd, Jr. was chained to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged to his death by three white supremacists. Jasper Texas has been brought into the spotlight by a PBS documentary. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Exonerated Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Portraits of death row prisoners subsequently found innocent and released. Read their stories. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   American '50's - Sentimental Journey Jeff Jacobson/Aurora Certain memories unite us-memories of a place, a time, a shared experience. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Marine Recruitment Artz/Laif/Aurora At Parris Island, S.C. Marine recruitment takes on an interesting twist. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Cyber Sex - Big Business Online Photographs by Jim Lo Scalzo/US News/Aurora You can make money on the Internet. Sex. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Israeli Settlements David Blumenfeld/Aurora At the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, these settlements stand at the edge between domestic calm and all out war. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Alzheimers Peter Granser/Aurora An intimate portrait of a devasting disease from the German Agency laif. Photographer Peter Granser has won an award. View details View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Women of Afghanistan Nina Berman/Aurora This is the story of Afghanistan as it was before the events of September 11th, at a time when the world's focus was not on this dry, Middle Eastern country and the Taliban reigned supreme. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Olympic Gold How Federal Taxpayers Paid for the Salt Lake City Games. As reported in the December 10th issue of Sports Illustrated Photographed by Todd Bigelow/Aurora View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   The Children of Chernobyl Chris Hamilton/Aurora Fifteen years since the disaster at Chernobyl, Cuba is still receiving and treating the radiation fallout victims. Over 19,000 children have been treated since the program started. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Exit Huntsville Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Every weekday afternoon in Hunstville, Texas, over 150 former inmates walk out from behind prison fences and into freedom, some are met outside while other wait to catch a Greyhound bus. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Police Brutality Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Meet the families of the victims of police brutality and bear witness to how they have been affected by this social menace. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Death Row in Texas Andrew Lichtenstein/Aurora Texas has the highest execution rate in the United States. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Texas has performed a total of 241 executions by lethal injection. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Throwing Stones Chris Anderson/Aurora Palestinian youths and Israeli troops clash daily in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian boys throw stones and Molotov cocktails. The highly trained Israeli troops retaliate with tear gas and gunfire. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Habitat for Humanity Photographs by Randy Olson and Melissa Farlow Habitat for Humanity helps low-income families, "achieve a simple, decent place to live through no-interest mortgages and sweat equity hours." View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Silent Company Randy Olson/Aurora Aurora photographer Randy Olson has documented the life of the Whitmans, a family in which four members all tested positive for HIV. This is their story, and albeit an undeniably tragic one, on a deeper level it is te View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Robert Taylor Projects Nina Berman/Aurora These are the Robert Taylor Homes on Chicago's south side. Opened in 1962 to great fanfare - the Taylor homes were considered a utopian vision of urban housing - and ended up a symbol of racism and urban degradation. View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   Feeding the Planet Robb Kendrick/Aurora Will we continue to produce enough food to feed thebillions living on this planet? View as Slide Show | | View Images | read on   back to top