This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
A farmer is beginning his day, walking along the rice terraces at dawn.
(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot. Have a great shot? Send it to us for possible publication in National Geographic magazine.)
See pictures of the Chinese countryside »
14 days 14 hours ago
This Month in Photo of the Day: Travel Photos
The vertiginous "infinity pool" at the Marina Bay Sands resort offers a sweeping view of Singapore, a country that's achieved success while building up instead of out.
See more pictures from the December 2011 feature story, "The City Solution."
See more pictures of Singapore »
20 days 13 hours ago
This Month in Photo of the Day: 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest Images
Verreaux's sifaka lemur, Madagascar
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.)
See the winning images »
See all contest entries »
See more pictures of animals »
35 days 14 hours ago
This Month in Photo of the Day: 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest Images
On safari, it’s not only the animals that can attract attention. Aquila Game Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.)
See all contest entries »
Watch a 360° panorama of zebras »
54 days 13 hours ago
This Month in Photo of the Day: 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest Images
A pair of black-browed albatrosses billing in West Point, South Georgia. It is believed that billing strengthens the bond between the pair.
(This photo and caption were submitted to the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.)
See all contest entries »
Watch a 360° panorama of Albatrosses »
Download bird wallpapers »
55 days 5 hours ago
by Claudine Zap
Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil rights leader, is honored with a federal holiday on Monday, January 16. Along with working to integrate the country's buses, schools, and lunch counters through nonviolent protest, the reverend inspired with his words.
Searches on his most well-known speech, "I Have a Dream," have surged in the last week.
The speech certainly deserves the recognition it receives: The talk was delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington, and was considered a turning point in the civil rights movement.
The mesmerizing, repetitive "I Have a Dream" phrasing is recited in schools, echoed in churches, and quoted by politicians. It goes, in part, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Watch the "I Have a Dream" speech.
But King left behind a body of work -- and possibly his second most popular speech: the legendary "I've Been to the Mountaintop" has gained interest on the Web. "Mountaintop" was delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968, the day before King was shot.
In a nod to the seminal work, Samuel L. Jackson recently took on the role of King in a Broadway play called "The Mountaintop," which imagines King's night before he died, after he has given the speech.
Many consider the words prophetic: "I've been to the mountaintop ... I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."
Watch a clip of the speech here.
4 days 18 hours ago
A behind-the-scenes look at the process of writing the president's third annual speech to a joint session of Congress is The West Wing in real life.
Behind The Scenes: Writing the 2012 State of the Union Address from The White House on Vimeo.
Since James Fallows posted his annual annotation of the State of the Union today, we figured this video would complement it nicely. It's basically Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing in real life: members of the White House team -- chief speechwriter Jon Favreau, adviser David Plouffe, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling, and others -- walk through the process that goes into creating the speech. The video is essentially just public-relations fluff, but as long as you watch it with that in mind, it offers an interesting perspective on how the various parts of the machine work: the policy people, like Sperling, the political gurus, like Plouffe, and the word people, like Favreau, have to reach a consensus that both pleases the president and meets all their needs -- and then it has to make it through fact-checking.
Once you've watched the video, go to Fallows' piece to see what the result was and how well it worked.
3 hours 10 minutes ago
Is Taylor Lautner off the market again? The Breaking Dawn hunk was spotted out with ex-girlfriend Sara Hicks in Santa Monica on Friday night. The former couple reportedly caught a performance of Cirque do Soleil’s OVO show. Grinning from ear to ear, Lautner and Hicks was snapped leaving the venue together. Although there’s still no...Read more»6 hours 6 minutes ago
Few things are better than wrapping up the holidays by sitting in front of your fireplace to watch a classic 80s movie like The Breakfast Club. Whether you’re a grandchild or a grandparent, we can bet you’ve seen this classic movie at least once in your life — and because it holds a special place...Read more»
6 hours 9 minutes ago
Making her first US appearance since her break up with husband Russell Brand, Katy Perry hit the 1 OAK nightclub to host Friday night’s GiveLove charity event in Las Vegas. Dressed in a figure-hugging LBD, the “Teenage Dream” singer was all smiles as she held on tight to jewelry designer and co-host Markus Molinari as...Read more»6 hours 12 minutes ago
