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At the Movies Review - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

5 min - May 25, 2007

David Edelstein and Richard Roeper review the feature, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End".

WASHINGTON (May 11, 2007)–Following its long tradition of supporting documentary photography, National Geographic magazine has awarded a $50,000 grant to Eugene Richards. This is one of the largest grants awarded in photography and will be given annually.

Richards will be working on a project called “War Is Personal.” A series of photo and textual essays, it will focus on people whose lives have been profoundly affected by the conflict in Iraq — soldiers on active duty and those who have returned from war, soldiers’ families, an injured veteran, a military contractor, refugees from Iraq, soldiers who have refused to be deployed and a young person recently recruited. Richards’ goal is to further the dialogue on the Iraq war and its consequences.

“I am extremely pleased that our judges chose such a deserving and respected photojournalist as Eugene Richards. Having Eugene, an award-winning photographer, as our first recipient of the National Geographic Magazine Grant for Photography launches this new grant on a solid course. We are honored to be supporting Eugene and the photography he plans on this socially important documentation of the intimate lives of those directly affected by the war in Iraq,” said National Geographic’s Director of Photography David Griffin.

The 145 entries for the grant were received from around the world. Judges were Michele Stephenson, former director of photography at TIME magazine; Michel du Cille, Washington Post staff photographer and associate editor; and Jodi Cobb, National Geographic staff photographer.

National Geographic magazine, winner of the 2007 National Magazine Award for General Excellence, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational and scientific organizations. Published in English and 29 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around 8.5 million. It is sent each month to National Geographic members and is available on newsstands for $4.95 a copy. Single copies can be ordered by calling (800) NGS-LINE, also the number to call to apply for Society membership.
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WHAT:2007 National Geographic Bee
Top prize: $25,000 college scholarship

WHO: 55 state-level winners, ages 10 to 14, representing all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Pacific Territories and Department of Defense Dependents schools

WHEN:Preliminary rounds –
10 a.m. Tuesday, May 22
(Preliminaries held in five different rooms; doors open for media at
8:15 a.m.; contest begins at 10 a.m.; audio mult-box provided)

Final and championship rounds –
Moderated by “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek
9:45 a.m. Wednesday, May 23
(Doors open to media at 8:15 a.m. and close at 9:30 a.m.; video and audio mult-box provided)

Both the preliminary and the final/championship rounds last approximately 60 minutes.

Contestants will be available for interviews directly after each competition.

WHERE:Preliminary rounds –
Doubletree Hotel Crystal City
300 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, Va.

Final and championship rounds –
Grosvenor Auditorium
National Geographic Society
1600 M Street N.W.
Washington, D.C.

CONTACT:Ellen Siskind
(202) 828-5650
esiskind@ngs.org

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WASHINGTON (May 7, 2007)–The Illinois winner hopes to become a sports broadcaster and call Sunday Night Football. The New Hampshire champ wants to win an Olympic gold medal for swimming. The South Dakota victor has set his sights on exploring Mars one day, and the Florida champ hopes to have his own architectural firm and design and build skyscrapers. But all the state-level geographic bee winners have one immediate, common goal — to take top honors at the 19th annual National Geographic Bee, to be held in Washington, D.C., on May 22 and 23.

Fifty-five fifth- to eighth-graders, ranging in age from 10 to 14, will take part in the competition, vying for the first prize of a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second and third prizes are college scholarships of $15,000 and $10,000. The sponsor of this year’s competition is JPMorgan Chase.

The Bee finalists have triumphed over a field of nearly 5 million students to win their state-level competitions and earn a place in the national championships. They represent the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Pacific Territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools.

The preliminary rounds of the National Geographic Bee will take place on Tuesday, May 22. The top 10 finalists will each win $500 and advance to the final round on Wednesday, May 23, moderated by Alex Trebek, host of the television quiz show “Jeopardy!”

Wednesday morning’s final round will air nationally at 5 p.m. (ET) that day on the National Geographic Channel. Produced by National Geographic Television, the finals also will be broadcast on public television stations nationally. Check nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee or local listings for viewing times.

Ten students taking part in this year’s National Geographic Bee are repeat state winners, one of whom is competing for the third time. Benjamin Geyer represented the District of Columbia in 2005 and 2006. Other repeat winners from 2006 are Andrew Lee of Alaska; José de la Peña of Colorado, who represented Virginia last year; Suneil Iyer of Kansas; Hannah Goodman of Missouri, who represented Montana last year; Michael Ling of Oregon; Francisco Vargas of Puerto Rico; Mark Arildsen of Tennessee; Jiawei Li of Texas; and Caitlin Snaring of Washington.

A survey of this year’s state and territory Bee winners shows that they have numerous talents in addition to their prodigious knowledge of geography. Many are on their school’s honor rolls and in the National Junior Honor Society; many have won math, science and spelling contests; some play several musical instruments and are members of orchestras. Most play a variety of sports.

When the students were asked who they most admire (apart from their parents), the highest number of votes went to people in the military, teachers and Al Gore for his work to combat global warming. While the majority of the kids said they were perfectly content being themselves, Bill Gates topped the list of other people they might choose to be.

The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States. And the problem is not yet resolved: The results of the National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study showed that Americans aged 18 to 24 still have limited understanding of the world within and beyond their country’s borders. Even after Hurricane Katrina, one-third could not locate Louisiana and almost half could not locate Mississippi on a U.S. map. Only four out of 10 were able to find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.

“For young people to be responsible and informed leaders of tomorrow, it is imperative that they have a sound understanding of our planet,” said National Geographic Society President John Fahey. “National Geographic has always recognized the need for geographic literacy and will vigorously continue its efforts to educate young people, empowering them to be informed citizens and inspiring them to care about the planet.”

Kimberly Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, said, “As economic and current events underscore the importance of understanding world cultures, JPMorgan Chase believes education is essential to creating both an understanding of world cultures and communities where people can live, learn and thrive.”

The 2006 National Geographic Bee champion was Bonny Jain, a 12-year-old eighth-grader from Moline, Ill. The winning question was: “Name the mountains that extend across much of Wales, from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel.” Answer: Cambrian Mountains.

About National Geographic

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 350 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and four other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; radio programs; films; books; DVDs; maps; and interactive media. National Geographic has funded more than 8,000 scientific research projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.

About National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures and Fox Cable Networks. Launched in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD, which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation’s major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to 64 million homes. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

About JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $1.4 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and businesses, financial transaction processing, asset and wealth management and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase has its corporate headquarters in New York and its U.S. consumer and commercial banking headquarters in Chicago. Under the JPMorgan, Chase and Bank One brands, the firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. More information is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

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NOTE: The names and pictures of the top three winners and the winning question will be posted in the National Geographic online press room at nationalgeographic.com/pressroom on Wednesday, May 23.

WASHINGTON (May 7, 2007)–National Geographic contributing photographer Eli Reed and Houston Chronicle staff photographer Mayra Beltran will give 20 teenage African students from the Houston Independent School District a unique opportunity to document their lives and surroundings during National Geographic’s Houston Photo Camp 2007.

From May 25-28, the high school students, former refugees from different regions of Africa, will photograph, edit and design a portrait of the African immigrant community that has recently settled into new lives in America in the Houston area. This Photo Camp is presented in collaboration with Houston Grand Opera’s “Song of Houston” initiative — a multiyear program designed to promote cross-cultural understanding through story-telling in the creative and performing arts.

Through art exploration and therapy, the project will focus on the lives the students have made for themselves. Art therapy is one of the strongest ways to create long-term positive recovery of children who have had traumatic experiences, experts who work with displaced populations believe.

Reed and Beltran will brief the students on photographic vision, equipment and technique; accompany them on their assignments; critique their work; and guide them through the process of creating a story. As the work is reviewed, the team will use the photographs as a catalyst for discussion about the young people’s life experiences.

“We hope that Photo Camp 2007 can give these students a voice and the opportunity to explore the current state of their lives,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president, Mission Programs. “We feel honored to participate in this endeavor.”

During the four-day workshop at the Multi-Ethnic Community Center in Houston, the students will be assigned to photograph images of “Surroundings,” “My Life in Houston” and “Portraits of Family and Community.” Reed and Beltran, with National Geographic photo editor Laura Lakeway, technical director Evan Wilder and Houston Photo Camp coordinator Susanna Frohman, will work with small groups of the teens during each session. Participants, their families and community members are invited to a final presentation of the students’ work at the Multi-Ethnic Community Center on the final day of the workshop.

EVOLT SLR cameras for the Photo Camp have been provided by Olympus Imaging America Inc. Additional equipment has been donated by Lowepro, Epson, Adobe and Kingston.

As part of the Houston Grand Opera’s “Song of Houston,” the students’ photos will be displayed with artwork and poetry from other “Song of Houston” collaborations at various community venues, including the Wortham Theater Center, throughout Houston in fall 2007.

“Seeing the city of Houston through the photos and stories of these recently arrived teenagers brings a fresh perspective to the everyday details of life that pass most of us by unnoticed,” said Sue Elliott, “Song of Houston” project manager. “That these immigrants have agreed to share their experiences with us is truly a wonderful gift, which in turn promotes greater understanding of the human condition.”

In addition to Reed’s work for National Geographic magazine, he has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1988 and has covered editorial assignments for various national and international publications and projects. Known for the strong empathy conveyed through his photographic essays, Reed has worked on film documentaries and major motion pictures. He has received numerous awards for his work and is currently a clinical professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

Before becoming a staff photojournalist at the Houston Chronicle, Beltran worked at The Corpus Christi-Caller Times and completed the Knight-Ridder Tribune Rotating Internship.

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 350 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and four other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; radio programs; films; books; DVDs; maps; and interactive media. National Geographic has funded more than 8,000 scientific research projects and supports an education program combating geographic illiteracy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.
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dragon ball z anime music video

3 min - May 6, 2007

anime rock

America: Freedom to Fascism - Director's Authorized Version
http://www.freedomtofascism.com
1 hr 51 min - May 5, 2007

Over 3 million views before Google removed it.
Get this on DVD now for $1 order at www.freedomtofascism.com

Battle at Kruger
Jason275
8 min - May 3, 2007

Copyright: NegativeSpace Media http://www.negativespace.com

NEWS: National Geographic has sent us back to Africa to develop a special giving the behind-the-scenes story on how we got this amazing footage. Potential airdate: Spring 2008.

A battle between a pride of lions, a herd of buffalo, and 2 crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park while on safari.

This video is copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Jason Schlosberg or David Budzinski.

For more wild footage, go to www.ngcwild.com.