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Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Flag Raising On Iwo Jima, Joe Rosenthal, 1945

It is but a speck of an island 760 miles south of Tokyo, a volcanic pile that blocked the Allies’ march toward Japan. The Americans needed Iwo Jima as an air base, but the Japanese had dug in. U.S. troops landed on February 19, 1945, beginning a month of fighting that claimed the lives of 6,800 Americans and 21,000 Japanese. On the fifth day of battle, the Marines captured Mount ­Suribachi. An American flag was quickly raised, but a commander called for a bigger one, in part to inspire his men and demoralize his opponents. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal lugged his bulky Speed Graphic camera to the top, and as five Marines and a Navy corpsman prepared to hoist the Stars and Stripes, Rosenthal stepped back to get a better frame—and almost missed the shot. “The sky was overcast,” he later wrote of what has become one of the most recognizable images of war. “The wind just whipped the flag out over the heads of the group, and at their feet the disrupted terrain and the broken stalks of the shrubbery exemplified the turbulence of war.” Two days later Rosenthal’s photo was splashed on front pages across the U.S., where it was quickly embraced as a symbol of unity in the long-fought war. The picture, which earned Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize, so resonated that it was made into a postage stamp and cast as a 100-ton bronze memorial.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

The Face Of Aids, Therese Frare, 1990

David Kirby died surrounded by his family. But Therese Frare’s photograph of the 32-year-old man on his deathbed did more than just capture the heartbreaking moment. It humanized AIDS, the disease that killed Kirby, at a time when it was ravaging victims largely out of public view. Frare’s photograph, published in LIFE in 1990, showed how the widely misunderstood disease devastated more than just its victims. It would be another year before the red ribbon became a symbol of compassion and resilience, and three years before President Bill Clinton created a White House Office of National AIDS Policy. In 1992 the clothing company Benetton used a colorized version of Frare’s photograph in a series of provocative ads. Many magazines refused to run it, and a range of groups called for a boycott. But Kirby’s family consented to its use, believing that the ad helped raise critical awareness about AIDS at a moment when the disease was still uncontrolled and sufferers were lobbying the federal government to speed the development of new drugs. “We just felt it was time that people saw the truth about AIDS,” Kirby’s mother Kay said. Thanks to Frare’s image, they did.


Graff Diamonds Hallucination | $55 Million

The title of the most expensive watch in the world goes to Graff Diamonds for the incredible, Hallucination. Worth a whopping $55 million, the Hallucination is a masterpiece with over 110 carats of coloured diamonds set into a bracelet of platinum

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Le Chocolat Box Price :1.5$ million

Le chocolat box is considered to be the most expensive chocolates in the world to ever exist. Costing 1.5$ millions, this box of chocolate does not only includes chocolates, but also necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets adorned with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.
The gourmet chocolates are from Lake Forest Confections and the jewelry is from Simon jeweler’s personal collection.

Falling Man, Richard Drew, 2001

The most widely seen images from 9/11 are of planes and towers, not people. Falling Man is different. The photo, taken by Richard Drew in the moments after the September 11, 2001, attacks, is one man’s distinct escape from the collapsing buildings, a symbol of individuality against the backdrop of faceless skyscrapers. On a day of mass tragedy, Falling Man is one of the only widely seen pictures that shows someone dying. The photo was published in newspapers around the U.S. in the days after the attacks, but backlash from readers forced it into temporary obscurity. It can be a difficult image to process, the man perfectly bisecting the iconic towers as he darts toward the earth like an arrow. Falling Man’s identity is still unknown, but he is believed to have been an employee at the Windows on the World restaurant, which sat atop the north tower. The true power of Falling Man, however, is less about who its subject was and more about what he became: a makeshift Unknown Soldier in an often unknown and uncertain war, suspended forever in history.

World Most Expensive Pen : Aurora Diamante Fountain Pen - $1.47 Million

Aurora Diamante fountain pen is the world's most expensive pen. This is clearly one of those billionaire possessions, and no common man can come close to touching it! Aurora Pens is an Italian pen manufacturing company that was established in 1919. The company is known for making highly-premium pens using precious metals and gems like gold, platinum and diamonds.
Aurora Diamante, the king of all pens, is made with 24 karat gold and DeBeers diamonds. The total weight of diamonds used in the pen is more than 30 karats. With embedded De Beers's diamonds, the barrel of the pen is made of solid platinum.  The pen also has rhodium treated 18 KT solid gold nib. 
With a price tag of $1.47 million, the pen sits on top of the world as the most elite and expensive pen. The company sells only one pen per year.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Lunch Atop A Skyscraper, 1932

This image shows the tranquility of eleven of the several workers that worked during the construction of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. They are not just relaxed over the crossbeam, but they are also having lunch, which gives the image a curious character.
The image is very iconic, and was taken by Charles C. Ebbets in 1932 and there has been a lot said whether the scene really happened or if it was just a publicity maneuver for some sort of reason, but it doesn't diminish the fact that the men were real ironworkers at the 69th floor of the building on the last stages of its construction, and there have been numerous claims regarding the identities of the men in the image.The image has been a great icon of the hard working culture of the human being, and also a great example of how much have evolved in terms of Occupational health and Safety as well. This is something that just won't be seen again, I hope.