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At the Movies Review - The Bourne Ultimatum

4 min - Jul 27, 2007

Michael Phillips and Richard Roeper review the feature, "The Bourne Ultimatum".

At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper Review - The Simpsons Movie

4 min - Jul 27, 2007

Michael Phillips and Richard Roeper review the feature, "The Simpsons Movie".

American Pie 2

2 min - Jul 24, 2007

American Pie 2 (Full Screen Collector's Edition), Movie DVDs, Movies & TV

WASHINGTON (July 23, 2007)–From National Geographic Books this September comes THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR: An Aerial Vision of Latin America (ISBN 978-1-4262-0132-5; Sept. 18; $50), a lavish new volume of dazzling photographs that takes readers on a soaring thrill-ride over the entire sweep of Latin America.

From the Strait of Magellan to the Yucatán Peninsula, from Brazil’s Atlantic coastline to the Cordillera Blanca of western Peru, this jewel of a book by renowned aerial photographer Robert B. Haas presents more than 100 captivating images that celebrate the timeless beauty of the land. Over two years Haas traveled to 14 countries — Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela — covering some 80 percent of the land mass of Latin America for a rare glimpse into the most spectacular and inaccessible corners of the continent from an awe-inspiring, lofty vantage point.

Leaning from open doors of helicopters and small planes, Haas captured patterns in the land, its wildlife and cities that only emerge from above — rivers meandering serpent-like through the undergrowth, strings of lakes glistening like jeweled necklaces, textured salt flats swirling into an abstract artwork, a flotilla of starfish embedded like gems on the shimmering seafloor.

Haas shows that beauty can be found in unexpected places: From on high, sewage treatment pools in Argentina take on the look of neat tile work, a lithium mine edging the Atacama Desert is graced with the symmetry of parallel plowed furrows, and bubbling water treatment pools in Chile morph into intricate patterns of lace and brocade.

When Haas turns his eye to the human element, such as a fisherman in the opalescent shallows near Fortaleza, Brazil, the subject is often mounted against the backdrop of intricate patterns found in the natural and man-made worlds.

In this rich mosaic of cities and towns, people, cultural treasures, dramatic natural features and great wildernesses, Haas’ lens captures the region’s vibrant colors, textures and rhythms. What attracts his attention the most is the “unparalleled diversity” of the land, a place where “the Andes, a massive line that threads its way across the entire length of South America, separating east from west…spawns both frigid glaciers and hot-blooded volcanoes.”
Interspersed among the double-page, panoramic photo spreads are journal-like reflections by Haas on the art of aerial photography and his experiences during his two-year odyssey.

The book is movingly introduced by noted Peruvian-American author and National Book Award-nominee Marie Arana, who accompanied Haas on one of his filming expeditions. “As I sped through the clouds with the extraordinarily gifted author of this book, Bobby Haas, he was showing me my native land as my ancestors had longed to see it — as every shaman who ever drank a hallucinogenic brew hoped to experience it…There are no borders here. There are no nationalities. One landscape merges into the next. For all the wars that have been fought below, for all the suffering that still plagues the continent, the view from the air is serene and neutral, and the land beneath us — seamless and whole.

“We leaf through the pages [of this book], given a condor’s power of sight, granted a regal dominion between earth and sky. We are, in one fleeting moment, high beings, all-seeing, invincible. And yet, looking down on the dazzling spectacle of Latin America, all we can feel is awe,” she writes.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR will be published simultaneously in English and Spanish, then translated into 13 other languages: Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (for Brazil), Serbian and Turkish. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward funding National Geographic’s research, conservation and exploration efforts.

Since 2002 Haas has focused his artistic endeavors exclusively on aerial photography in a quest to eventually capture the grandeur of all Earth’s large land masses from the air. THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR is a follow-up to his first National Geographic book, “Through the Eyes of the Gods: An Aerial Vision of Africa,” published in 2005. It has been translated into 17 languages and is one of the most successful single-photographer books published by National Geographic.

Photography is Haas’ parallel career. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he is chairman of the board and founder of Haas Wheat & Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm that specializes in leveraged acquisitions and strategic investments. His firm has completed a series of noteworthy investment transactions, including such household names as Dr Pepper and 7-UP.

A selection of photographs from THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR will be exhibited at various U.S. cities beginning in September. Venues include Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium; National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall in Washington, D.C.; NorthPark Center in Dallas; and Centennial Museum and Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, University of Texas at El Paso. An exhibit also will be hosted by the Prince of Asturias Foundation in Gijon, Spain, from September through December.

Haas will address the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sept 17. The following day, at 7 p.m., he will give an illustrated presentation on THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR at National Geographic headquarters, as part of the National Geographic Live! program. He will speak at the Miami Book Fair International in November.

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WASHINGTON (July 23, 2007)–National Geographic photographer Amy Toensing will give a group of Portland, Maine, teenagers — all refugees from Sudan and Somalia — a unique opportunity to document their lives and surroundings during National Geographic’s Portland Photo Camp 2007.

From July 26-29, the Portland High School students will photograph, edit and design a portrait of their new lives in Portland and the immigrant communities near Kennedy Park. The Photo Camp is presented in partnership with The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

During the four-day workshop at The Salt Institute, Toensing 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. The students will be assigned to photograph images of “surroundings,” “my life in Portland” and “portraits of family and community.” National Geographic magazine photo editor Susan Welchman and five Salt photography alumni from across the country will join Toensing and the young photographers as they review their work together, using the photographs as a catalyst for discussion about their 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.”

Participants, their families and community members are invited to a presentation of the students’ work on July 29 at The Salt Institute, 110 Exchange Street, Portland, Maine.

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.

National Geographic Mission Programs is sponsoring Photo Camps this year in Oaxaca, Mexico; San Francisco; New York; Houston; Portland, Maine; New Orleans; Erie, Pa.; and Baltimore, in partnership with VisionWorkshops of Annapolis, Md.

In addition to Toensing’s work for National Geographic magazine, she has covered editorial assignments for various national and international publications and private corporations since 2000. Her photographic stories intimately render the lives of ordinary people. In 2003 Toensing was named Photographic Alumni Fellow at The Salt Institute, where she worked on a portrait of Muslim teenage girls living in Western culture.

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 300 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; radio programs; films; books; DVDs; maps; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. 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.

The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies of Portland, Maine, offers graduate and undergraduate students from around the world intensive studies in the art of telling stories through documentary photography, writing or radio. The experiential education programs of The Salt Institute collect, communicate and preserve nonfiction stories about Maine people, culture and landscape that, as they relate to the larger world, foster community and celebrate the diversity and the commonality of humanity.
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Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Bleach 64 oz.

1 min - Jul 21, 2007

no dyes, perfumes, and hypo-allergenic bleach. contains no chlorine or phosphates.

At the Movies Review - I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

4 min - Jul 20, 2007

Robert Wilonsky and Richard Roeper review the feature, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry".

WASHINGTON (July 17, 2007)–Swim through tropical landscapes with turtles, dive beneath the ice with penguins and forage in the forest with a family of bears — experience life as animals do in a new exhibition opening at the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall next month.

“National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes,” a 6,000-square-foot traveling exhibition developed by the National Geographic Museum, will run from Friday, Aug. 31, 2007, through Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008. Crittercam is a scientific video- and data-gathering tool safely worn by wild animals, offering researchers insights into animal behavior and clues to protecting animals and the world we share. Crittercam was invented by National Geographic marine biologist Greg Marshall.

Through interactive displays, firsthand footage and evocative environments, visitors to the exhibit can explore the many stories and animals that are part of the science and adventure of Crittercam. The exhibit focuses on Crittercam’s deployment on seals and sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions.

In the seals and sea lions section, a series of viewing and listening stations show how these animals communicate, hunt, feed, care for their young and attract mates. Visitors then move to the sharks section for a close-up view of an 18-foot-long great white shark model and displays that illustrate the hunting and migratory behaviors of several shark species. A shark fin model features the latest way of attaching the Crittercam — via a fin clamp. As visitors feel the rough sandpaper that keeps the clamp in place, they can watch a video depicting daring deployments, from early tether systems to a researcher deploying the fin clamp by hand.

The sea turtles section offers insights into how turtles search for mates, different foraging behaviors and how the animals avoid becoming a meal themselves. From atop a life-size model of a leatherback, children and adults can watch point-of-view footage from a female leatherback, while other displays show life as seen by loggerhead and hawksbill turtles.

In the whales section, visitors enter into a chamber of bubbles to see the cooperative behavior of humpbacks known as bubble net or lunge feeding. Other highlights include an up-close look at the toothed whales of Hawaii and footage of the mysterious “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal.

In the penguin pod, exhibition-goers enter the world of Penguin Ranch, the main research site of the Crittercam team in Antarctica, to investigate a penguin’s life beneath the ice and learn about research with penguins trained to wear Crittercam. Visitors can squeeze into an observation tube to watch a video of penguins soaring underwater, while youngsters can crawl through a tunnel and pop up in a bubble to come face-to-face with a penguin wearing a working Crittercam. On exiting the tunnel, children can view footage of themselves from the penguin’s perspective.

The terrestrial version of Crittercam is the newest development in the program. In the land animals section of the exhibition, visitors learn about the trial-and-error process of developing the land-based technology, from deployments on domestic dogs and cats to partnering with animal rehabilitation centers. Visitors also learn about the unique challenges of studying land animals, from penetrating the dense forest habitat of the grizzly bear to getting the Crittercam collar to pass the lion cub “chew toy” test. Point-of-view footage shows a young Alaskan bear cub napping, feeding and traveling with its family, as well as a lioness hunting, tending to her cubs and sharing a meal with them.

The final section of the exhibition focuses on Crittercam technology, with information on how it works and the original inspiration that led to its development. Visitors can design their own Crittercams using Build-a-Cam, touch a Crittercam model and examine deployment methods such as an adhesive patch, penguin harness and suction cup. Youngsters can try their hand at a Crittercam puzzle.

The National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Dec. 25. Admission is free. For information on the “National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes” exhibit, the public should call (202) 857-7588 or visit www.nationalgeographic.com/museum.
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Summer Movie Reviews: Transformers, Die Hard, Ratatouille

13 min - Jul 16, 2007

Not sure which blockbuster movie is for you? See real people review Transformers, Live Free or Die Hard, and Ratatouille, as they walk out of the theaters. The Transformers movie review features real people singing the Transformers theme song, and the Die Hard movie review features real people exclaiming yippie-kai-yay

WASHINGTON (July 13, 2007)–National Geographic readers around the world have the opportunity to take part in the 2007 National Geographic International Photography Contest. And, for the first time, readers of National Geographic’s English-language editions in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom will be able to participate in the contest that was inaugurated in 16 of its local-language editions in 2006.

English-language- edition entries will be judged at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. Twenty-six local-language editions will participate this year, and each will submit their winning entries to headquarters to be judged with the winning English-language entries. National Geographic judges will announce four international grand-prize winners in December 2007.

Eligible adult participants may enter the contest by submitting photos in any or all of four categories: people, landscape, animals and, new for 2007, photo essay. Winning entries from each territory will be featured in local editions of National Geographic magazine. The international-level grand-prize winners will receive a trip to National Geographic headquarters, and the winning entries will be published in the English-language and other editions of National Geographic magazine.

The new photo essay category invites participants to create a unique and in-depth story with a series of photos. “We’re looking for a photographer who tells a visual narrative, a story with a very clear beginning, middle and end,” explains National Geographic Director of Photography David Griffin. “A good story will elicit an emotional response. More than just a visual reaction, it must evoke a feeling.”

For English-language-edition contestants, a portfolio of up to 10 photographs in the photo essay category and up to a total of six photographs across the people, landscape and animals categories should be submitted electronically to ngphotocontest.com between Entries must be received between Aug. 1, at midnight (12 a.m.) U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, and Oct. 31, 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time. Photos can be black-and-white or color, shot with a digital camera or with conventional film. First-place winners of the English-language competition will win a digital camera kit. For details and official contest rules, visit ngphotocontest.com.

National Geographic is synonymous with unparalleled photographic excellence. The magazine draws on the best photographers around the world and devotes more resources to photography than any other general-interest magazine. Since the 1890s National Geographic photographers have captured images where readers could not go themselves: places too far, too deep, too dark, too dangerous. Recent advances in photographic technology have illuminated and captured much of the previously unknown. Through the lenses of National Geographic’s photographers, readers have been able to view unique life forms on the ocean floor, visit sunken ships, explore Egyptian tombs, “see” the temperature ranges of a star, discover the hidden world inside our bodies, observe the microscopic world of molecules and subatomic particles, and savor the perfect structure of a snowflake.

Today, National Geographic’s photographic archive contains 10.5 million images; a selection of these are available for advertising use. National Geographic offers photography workshops and photography expeditions and publishes photography field guides as well as signature photography books.

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 300 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; radio programs; films; books; DVDs; maps; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. 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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