Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects are recorded onto a sensitive medium or storage chip through a timed exposure. The process is done through mechanical, chemical or digital devices known as cameras.

The word comes from the Greek words φως phos ("light"), and γραφις graphis ("stylus", "paintbrush") or γραφη graphê, together meaning "drawing with light" or "representation by means of lines" or "drawing." Traditionally the product of photography has been called a photograph. The term photo is an abbreviation; many people also call them pictures. In digital photography, the term image has begun to replace photograph. (The term image is traditional in geometric optics.)

Photographic image-forming devices

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Most commonly a camera or camera obscura is the image forming device and photographic film or a digital storage card is the recording medium, although other methods are available. For instance, the photocopy or xerography machine forms permanent images but uses the transfer of static electrical charges rather than photographic film, hence the term electrophotography. The rayographs published by Man Ray in 1922 are images produced by the shadows of objects cast on the photographic paper, without the use of a camera. Objects can be placed directly on the glass of a scanner to produce pictures digitally.

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Christian Science Monitor | World

Suicide attacks a growing threat in Pakistan
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Pakistan has overtaken Iraq and Afghanistan in suicide-bomb deaths this year, its intelligence agency reports. Thursday's attack in Islamabad struck the police's antiterrorism squad.
DiCaprio film glamorizes Jordan's feared spy agency
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Human rights groups charge the mukhabarat, portrayed in the new Ridley Scott movie 'Body of Lies,' with systematic torture.
In Georgia, Russia saw its Army's shortcomings
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Decades of neglect, outdated technology, and an ineffective conscript system reduced the capabilities of the Russian Army.

NPR Topics: World

In Germany, A Sound Banking System Amid Turmoil
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:47:00 -0400
In the midst of the financial crisis, one banking system in Germany is surprisingly sound. The Sparkasse banks cater to German customers who are more conservative than those in the United States or Europe.
Report: Taliban Gaining Strength In Afghanistan
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:07:00 -0400
A draft report from U.S. intelligence agencies says Afghanistan faces a "downward spiral" as Taliban fighters threaten stability in the region. They're conducting more sophisticated attacks, increasingly encroaching on government and working more closely with al-Qaida, it says.
Next President Likely To Stay Course On Diplomacy
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:03:00 -0400
Despite all the talk of change, the next president will likely provide more continuity on foreign policy than there was the last time the White House changed hands.

NYT > World

As Fears Ease, Baghdad Sees Walls Tumble
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:37:28 -0000
The slow dismantling of the blast walls is the most visible sign of a fundamental change in the Iraqi capital, as the American surge strategy draws to a close.
Nuclear Aid by Russian to Iranians Suspected
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:49:53 -0000
International nuclear inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist helped Iran conduct experiments on how to detonate a nuclear weapon.
Ukraine’s Leader Schedules Vote After Disbanding Parliament
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:06:50 -0000
The move raises uncertainties about Ukraine’s tilt toward the West at a time when the country has become a focal point of rising tensions with Russia.

World business news - CNNMoney.com

Some optimism for global markets
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:45:23 -0400
European markets opened higher and Asian stocks ended mixed Thursday, a day after a worldwide drubbing over continuing fears of an economic slowdown.
Iceland suspends trading for 2 days
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:03:53 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
Oil sinks as economy falters
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:08:12 -0400
Oil prices continued to decline Thursday as global economic problems hammered demand for crude products.

FRONTLINE/World - Reports | PBS

Sri Lanka: A Terrorist in the Family
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0500
Filmmaker Beate Arnestad moved to Sri Lanka in 2002 and saw that an entire generation was growing up surrounded by violence. Her resulting film "My Daughter the Terrorist," recut and excerpted here, goes inside the special Tamil Tigers' suicide division and is believed to be the first time any suicide bomber has spoken on film about their training and motivations.
Burma: Inside the Saffron Revolution
Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0500
On the one-year anniversary of Burma's September uprising, when hundreds of thousands of monks protested for change, the country's military junta continues to wage war against its own people and the crisis there has slipped back into obscurity. Our correspondent inside Burma reports on what comes next for the pro-democracy movement there.
China: Kung Fu English
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0500
Xinjiang province in remote western China is best known for the Taklamakan desert and the struggle for autonomy among the region's Muslim Uighur people. It's also considered a provincial backwater looked down upon by the Western influenced provinces in the east. Xinjiang native Jake Yong set out to change that perception by teaching himself -- and others -- to speak English.

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