20080125
January 25, 2008
The Aquadettes Synchronized Swim Team, California, 1996
Photograph by Karen Kasmauski
Members of the Aquadettes, a synchronized swimming team at Leisure World Retirement Community in Laguna Hills, California, practice their formations. Activities like line dancing, lawn bowling, and computer classes make such retirement communities increasingly popular among people with decades of free time to fill. "Anyone who's bored here is a stick in the mud," says Aquadette Barbara Hack.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Aging—New Answers to Old Questions," November 1997, National Geographic magazine)

20080126
January 26, 2008
Newborn Calf, Ontario, Canada, 1977
Photograph by Sam Abell
A cow cares for her newborn calf on a Mennonite farm in Elora, Ontario, Canada. Settled by Scottish immigrants in the early 1800s, Elora became an important agricultural town. The tiny village on the banks of the Grand River is now a haven for artists and a destination for tourists seeking the town's tranquility and spectacular vistas.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ontario: Canada's Keystone," December 1978, National Geographic magazine)

20080127
January 27, 2008
On Board the Observer, Alaska, 1998
Photograph by Michael Melford
Observer, a wooden-hulled, World War II-era minesweeper that has been converted to a 12-passenger cruising yacht, glides through glassy water in Alaska's Inside Passage. This meticulously restored boat takes tourists through the heart of Tongass National Forest, 500 miles (800 kilometers) of sky-blue glaciers, grizzly bear tracks, wild beaches, bald eagles, spruce trees, and deep, mountain-ringed fjords.
(Text from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Wilder Passage," May/June 1999, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

20080128
January 28, 2008
Historic Alfama District, Lisbon, Portugal, 2002
Photograph by Tino Soriano
Lisbon's Alfama District rises dramatically to the base of the imposing Saint George's Castle. The castle began as a Visigoth fortification in the sixth century and was taken over in turns by the Romans and the Moors. It was eventually captured by Portugal's first king and became the royal palace. Tourists flock to the castle's towers and ramparts, which offer unsurpassed views of the city below.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Soul of Lisbon," January/February 2002, National Geographic Traveler magazine)

20080129
January 29, 2008
Ostrich Farm, Utah, 1999
Photograph by Len Jenshel
A flock of ostriches greets a photographer at a farm near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Ostriches have been raised as livestock in the United States for over a century, particularly in the West, where the climate mimics that of their native African savanna. But these quirky birds require some special accommodations, like extra-tall fences—they can leap more than six feet (two meters) in the air.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Celebrating Canyon Country," July 1999, National Geographic magazine)

很漂亮的图，把他收起来，不收就浪费了，

20080130
January 30, 2008
Monte Carlo Casino and Mercedes, Monaco, 1995
Photograph by Jodi Cobb
The shiny finish of a black Mercedes car reflects Monaco's famous Monte Carlo Casino. A tiny Mediterranean principality with an outsize reputation, Monaco draws millions of tourists every year to its luxury amenities, including beachfront hotels, a yacht harbor, the Opera House, and casinos. Not surprisingly tourism and gambling are at the core of Monaco's economy.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Monaco," May 1996, National Geographic magazine)

20080131
January 31, 2008
Sardines and Sharks, South Africa, 2002
Photograph by David Doubilet
Copper sharks torment a frenzied school of sardines off South Africa's east coast. In winter, sardines migrate northward en masse, creating an aquatic extravaganza that draws sharks, seals, seabirds, dolphins, and gamefish to a roiling all-you-can-eat buffet.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty: South Africa's Teeming Seas," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)

20080201
February 01, 2008
Swarm-Bots, Belgium, 2007
Photograph by Peter Essick
A team of "swarm-bots" negotiates challenging terrain outside a laboratory in Brussels, Belgium. A red color ring tells others, "Grab me;" blue means "stay away." Scientists study ant colonies, bird flocks, mammal herds, and fish schools to understand the simple genius of such animal swarms. Robots that mimic this complex group behavior could prove useful in a number of human applications.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for "Swarm Theory," July 2007, National Geographic magazine)


[ 本帖最后由 逍遥客 于 2008-2-16  08:17 编辑 ]

20080202
February 02, 2008
Miniature Horse, Kentucky, 2003
Photograph by Melissa Farlow
A miniature horse stands in a field near Lexington, Kentucky, a bit of a curiosity in a region known more for its regal, fleet-footed thoroughbreds. There are some 500 thoroughbred horse farms in and around Lexington, where pastures, fed by the rich leavings of a long-vanished sea, are said to be among the world's best.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "High Stakes in the Bluegrass," May 2003, National Geographic magazine)

20080203
February 03, 2008
Twilight Over Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, 1997
Photograph by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel
Crimson twilight gives a Martian air to Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. With just one maintained trail in an area the size of Delaware, this monument is decidedly big and wild. Wrote one observer: "Almost everywhere, the benchlands lay sliced with canyons—deep wounds that millions of years of flowing water have carved into a quarter billion years' worth of multicolored sandstone deposits."
(Text from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Celebrating Canyon Country," July 1999, National Geographic magazine)

20080204
February 04, 2008
Wildflowers and Sky, California, 2000
Photograph by Frans Lanting
A deep-blue sky sets off a mass of yellow wildflower blooms along California's Big Sur coast. Each year more than three million visitors navigate the treacherous turns of Highway 1, drawn by the plunging gorges, fog-strewn coves, exploding surf, and tortuous geography—5,000-foot (1,524-meter) summits plummet abruptly to the ocean—of California's dramatic 90-mile (145-kilometer) coast.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Big Sur: California's Elemental Coast," August 2000, National Geographic magazine)

20080205
February 05, 2008
Tiger Close-Up, 1995
Photograph by Michael Nichols
A wary tiger flashes a toothy snarl in this extreme close-up. Tigers are thought to have evolved in China more than a million years ago, prowling west toward the Caspian Sea, north to Siberia, and south across Indochina and Indonesia. Today, three of the original eight tiger subspecies are extinct, and hunting and habitat loss have reduced populations from hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 2,500.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Making Room for Wild Tigers," December 1997, National Geographic magazine)

20080206
February 06, 2008
Women Picking Cotton, China, 2003
Photograph by Michael S. Yamashita
Bundled against the wind, a group of women picks cotton in China. The Asian nation is the world's leading producer of cotton, with an output of 6.73 million tons per year. Farmers can't keep up with the burgeoning textile industry, however, which uses about 13 million tons of cotton a year. The Chinese often rely on imports to close the gap, which drives up textile prices for consumers worldwide.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Chasing the Wall," January 2003, National Geographic magazine)

20080207
February 07, 2008
Buckskin Gulch, Utah, 2003
Photograph by Bill Hatcher
Dark clouds roll over Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness in Utah. The 112,500-acre (45,527-hectares) area in northern Arizona and southern Utah is known for its towering stone amphitheaters, sandstone arches, and the Vermillion Cliffs, all painted in dramatic streaks of red, pink, and orange, thanks to heavy iron deposits.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "One Narrow Escapade," March 2003, National Geographic Traveler magazine)