Source:
http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/print/2009/9/wwf_manhattan_planes.jpg
 
This is an advertisement issued by WWF in 2008. WWF is a worldwide non-profit organization aims to conserve the earth environment and biological diversity and reduce people footprint as to protect
the earth. This is a controversial advertisement using 9/11 as the photo background to urge people preserve our earth, it definitely highlight the destructive power of nature and the horrible disaster if we do not conserve. 
 
In the picture, dozens of planes are rushing to the World Trade Centre. This memorizes people how terrible the terrorist attack in 2001 was. The picture is in black and white, having a sad and gloomy mood. Dozens of planes flying to the buildings will certainly cause huge amount of death. However, without the caption, audience may not fully understand what is the behind message of the advertisement that the organization wants to bring  out. 
 
The caption says all, “The Tsunami Killed 100 times more people than 9/11”, “The planet is brutally. Respect it. Preserve it.” The organization use 911 to show the destructive effect of tsunami because both of them cause casualties and death, the advertisement further exaggerate the impact by adding a thousand times of planes, telling people if we do not preserve our earth and keep harming it, the climate change will bring disastrous natural hazard to us, the damage in that time will be thousand times of the 911 attack. So, to avoid the horrible consequence, we should respect and preserve
our earth.

The font size of the caption is pretty small and just occupies a very small right upper corner in the ad. This is because the designer wants audience to first feel shock of our first sight brought by the
picture before we start thinking of the problem of global warming. If the font size is much bigger and lay on the middle part of the picture, the visual effect to audience will be greatly reduce, that’s why the designer have such arrangement of the font.

The advertisement is really powerful that people know there a large number of people died in 911 terrorist attack, it use the window effect to show the consequence if we do not preserve our earth. This ad is controversial as some people think the organization links 911 and global warming together is unreasonable and not respectful to the victims in the 911. To me, this advertisement is quite appealing in bring out the message of conserve our earth and to prevent this kind of disaster happen. 

What is your first impression of Central? The Central Business District in Hong Kong, a flourish place with many headquarters, people wear suits and with rapid pace to go to work? In fact, this is just the surface of Central, it is a place with different elements that we may ignore. I went to Central for a day before and took some photos on the other side of Central. In fact, it is a place full of art, culture and an ever-bright place. Besides, when you go to central, it is not difficult to see elderly collecting cardboard boxes in the street. The poor in central always make the contrast with this prosperous place. Central is really a diversity place in Hong Kong.

Without knowing some background information, we can hardly understand the picture and the behind message. This photo was taken on 21st September, 2013 in a shopping centre in Nairobi. A group of terrorist attacked customers in shopping mall by guns and grenade, causing over 72 deaths and over 200 people injuries.

When we first look at the picture, three ladies were lying on the floor right in the center of the photo with no one around, with their posture we can feel the tension and silence in that moment. The sharp contrasts of their clothes with the light color floor make them more obvious in the photo. It was taken from top to down with a close up angle focusing on the family. With a close up shot of the photo, we cannot know the whole circumstance and situation of the family. Maybe if the photographer takes a wider shot of the photo, there would be some terrorist holding guns walking around.

In deed they are family, mother was hugging her little girl, touching her elder daughter and lying on the floor right behind the counter. They were hiding and avoiding the terrorist to keep life in the picture. There was a shopping bag right beside the elder sister, it was just originally a very normal day which mum had a relaxing shopping day with her two daughters, however with the unpredictable terrorist attack, it may became the hardest day for them. Who can predict what’s going to happen in the next second? Who can guarantee you or your loved one is still alive in the next minute?

So, with the message behind, I will give the picture a caption “The unpredictable next second”. First, the caption refer to the picture that we do not know whether the mother and her daughters can escape from the terrorist. Second, this photo bring out an important message that as a human we do not have the power to foresee what will happen next. We maybe used to live in Hong Kong this safe city for too long and forget how to treasure everything. What if one day you go to shopping with your family or friends and encounter some emergence which facing the death? Life is fragile and we cannot predict what happen next, so treat every second as last moment in your life.

Source of the photo:
http://news.takungpao.com.hk/world/roll/2013-09/1923692_7.htm

What do you think when you first look at the above picture? Do you think that the picture has noting special? Many high-rise buildings are located along the coast facing the endless and beautiful sea, this just like the environment in Hong Kong. Some of them are high-priced property with modern outlook. It maybe a dream place for us. 

It is true that when we simply look at the first picture, the high and tall buildings are just as normal as where we are living. However, do you change your mind when you saw the next photo? The first and the second photo are actually one single photo, I cut them into half which brings totally different feeling. The first picture just like close up of the whole picture. Some favelas are just right behind the tall buildings, they are really crowded, dilapidated and in low level. All the views and wind blowing from the sea are blocked by the high-rise building. The living conditions are much worse than the new buildings along the coast.

My feeling towards the picture change from positive to negative when I can see the whole view. Income gap is always a problem in the world especially serious in Hong Kong, but how serious? This photo shows the big contrast of the rich and poor visually. The rich and poor just live right beside each other. The rich can live along the coast in tall and new building, having nice sea view. While the poor can only live in the inner land in low level with crowded and dilapidated favelas, the view is even blocked by the rich and they cannot have a say. We can see the severity of the problem from the picture, but how can we help?

The completeness of the picture always change our attitude towards the same thing. We may attracted by the first picture at first which like some new property advertisement, but later on we feel sad when we notice the severity of the problem. So, do not just focus on some part and make conclusion, always take a wider perspective towards thing.


Source of the photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dreamindly/2440537523/

Source: https://plus.google.com/102505979888601131669/posts/DSfYc3y98hq

This is a political cartoon posted on 14th september, 2013, focusing on the current situation that Russia and USA dealing with the problem of Syria using chemical weapons.

This cartoon is about a current news (around 2013 mid-August) that USA claims Syria used chemical weapons which cause casualties in its own country and president of USA Obama planed to have military action towards Syria calming to stop his act and tried to gain support from other countries. However, president of Russia Putin did not support Obama's military action, he believed no military actions should be used and the problem should be settle by the United Nation. With very little support from other countries, Obama is in a dilemma in whether send troops to Syria.

Referring back to the cartoon, President of Russia Putin is riding on a horse and pulling Obama who is riding on a trojans and going to United Nations. This shows USA is in a passive situation and Russia lead USA by the nose. This is referring to the fact that when people all think that USA attacking Syria is in full swing, Putin suggest Syria has to hand over all the chemical weapons to the United Nations in exchange for the USA to give up the use of force, the situation of USA totally change from active to passive. Moreover, there is a USA car crash down which having a huge sign on top of it writing” Bomb Syria”. This shows USA military action towards Syria suspend because of Putin suggestion.

On the other hand, the trojans Obama sitting have a caption “Russian Interests” on it, this refer to the fact that Russia help Syria to avoid USA military attack is because of her own interest. Syria is a very important alliance of Russia in Arab World in both economic and military aspect, Russia has the only one military base in the Tartous Port of Syria, if Syria is attacked by USA, the own interest of Russia will gone, that's why Russia try to protect Syria hard avoiding USA military attack.

Also, in the cartoon Putin is saying “Don't worry Mr President, you can always count on me to take you for a ride. “which is an ironic statement to USA saying that Obama can stop the military action in this dilemma stage by blaming Russia not supporting as an excuse.

To conclude, this political cartoon accurately reflect the situation of Russia and USA in dealing the problem of Syria using chemical weapons in an interesting way. I think Russia is really clever in this situation, she not only gripe the chance in leading USA this big country in this situation, but also gain peacekeeper this reputation and protect her own interest in middle east.