Recently in National Geographic Society Category

We're headlong into Geography Awareness Week, and our pals over at NG Blog Central, inspired by Senator Al Franken's impressive map-drawing abilities at the Minnesota State Fair this summer, have been getting U.S. political leaders involved in the act by asking them to sketch their states. Check out their freehand maps (and comments), then we challenge you to see how well you can draw your state from memory.

The exhibit "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" opens this Thursday, November 19th, at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC. We weaseled our way into the press preview to get you a sneak peek. But before letting us loose to see Emperor Qin Shihuangdi's lifesized warriors face-to-face, Stanford Professor Emeritus Albert Dien, guest curator of the exhibit, reminisced on his first visit to Xi'an, China, in 1977 to see the warriors who'd been discovered three years before by a local farmer digging a well. In our October Places of a Lifetime issue he relates this moment:

Turning a corner, we came upon the figure of an archer that I hadn't seen in any published literature. It was such a shock to see this startlingly lifelike figure that our hosts insisted I sit and rest awhile. . . [T]his archer seemed so vibrant, almost in motion. . .I simply sat and stared in wonderment--and the wonder has never left me, no matter how often I've returned to Xi'an.

The kneeling archer is here at our headquarters, along with 14 other figures including infantrymen, a chariot driver, two musicians, a well-muscled (albeit headless) strongman, a 700-pound horse, cavalrymen, a seemingly obsequious court official, and a general. Also on display in the 12,000-square-foot, four-themed exhibit space are 100 objects--decorative jade pieces, bronze weapons, coins, a naturalistic crane sculpture, details of the warriors' armor, and roof tiles--including 20 "Level 1" artifacts, those designated as the site's rarest and most important finds.

I could have skipped my coffee yesterday. When I got on the elevator here at Headquarters, I was jolted awake by a behemoth photo of a great white shark covering the entire back wall. This unexpected elevator companion was there to inform me about Expedition Week--a National Geographic Channel event that "takes you on cutting-edge scientific missions to explore and discover lost treasures and never-before-seen worlds." Expedition Week begins this Sunday and runs through Saturday, November 21. It will feature a variety of programs about recent research and exploration being done around the world. National Geographic Channel is very enthusiastic about this event because it "is what we are all about--adventure, exploration and the pursuit of knowledge."  Some of the upcoming episodes include:

Sunday, November 15: "Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers": Follow Piers Gibbon as he retraces explorer Edmundo Bielawski's steps deep into the Amazon in search of the tribe that Bielawski videotaped in the 1960s.  National Geographic Channel has exclusive U.S. access to this 45-year-old footage that purportedly is the only of its kind to show the process of an actual--recently deceased--human head being shrunk.

Wednesday, November 18: "Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expeditions":  In this episode, Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Bob Ballard searches for British and French warships that sank during the Battle of Gallipoli--one of the bloodiest campaigns of WWI.  Ballard's expedition is the most comprehensive underwater exploration of shipwrecks from this battle ever undertaken.  [For information on the episode that tells the riveting story of Ballard's search for the Titanic, click here.]

A 2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy found that only half of 18-24 year olds in the United States could correctly identify India or Japan on a map.  Things didn't look any better when it came to domestic locations, either--only 50 percent could correctly identify the state of New York and a mere 43 percent could pinpoint Ohio on a map. This November 15-21, National Geographic will attempt to combat young Americans' lack of geographic knowledge by sponsoring Geography Awareness Week.  Launched in 1987 by a presidential proclamation, Geography Awareness Week takes place annually during the third week of November. 

There are many ways to get involved in this year's event.  Teachers can take advantage of programs and tools from National Geographic's Geography Action! program--such as downloadable wall-sized maps to hang in their classrooms and support material geared toward specific age groups, from Kindergarteners through high school seniors.

Our adventurous friends down the hall at National Geographic Expeditions have a last-minute invitation to join them on a free webinar tonight exploring Costa Rica and the Panama Canal.

Wildlife ecologist Taylor Edwards and veteran expedition leader Gustavo Abarco will host the session, taking you into the rain forests of Manuel Antonio and Corcovado National Parks, where monkeys romp (I've seen 'em!), sloths sleep, and a wide variety of colorful tropical birds flit through the trees. Enjoy a virtual horseback ride on a remote beach on the Pacific coast, a kayak excursion around the tiny islands in the Gulf of Panama, snorkeling in the pristine waters off Isla de Coiba, and swimming in waterfall pools on the Osa Peninsula (one of Traveler's 2009 Places of a Lifetime). You'll get a tour of the National Geographic Sea Dragon ship, and see the workings of the Panama Canal. All this for free and from the comfort of your very own computer:

Costa Rica and the Panama Canal webinar
Monday, November 9, 2009
8:00-9:00 p.m. EST, U.S.

Space in the webinar is limited, so please pre-register at the link above to reserve your space.

However, if the Panamaniac within you is screaming for adventure, make sure to take advantage of the current special offer on upcoming expeditions:

Receive a $500 airfare credit on all Costa Rica and the Panama Canal departures between January 1 and March 31, 2010. In addition, receive $250 off per person on the January 2 and 30 and February 20 and 27 departures when you book by December 30, 2009.

For those joining us tonight, bon cyber voyage!

National Geographic Magazine's International Photo Contest has just ended, and the judges have some tough decisions to make. But you can be a judge, too, and vote for your favorite image in the People, Places, and Nature categories. Here's last year's People winner, taken by Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Mozambique:

The verdict: "This is one of those wonderful moments when everything comes together visually," says freelance photojournalist Maggie Steber. "There is a musical rhythm to the image." National Geographic design editor Darren Smith agrees: "The composition is intriguing with the mirroring of the women's bodies. I find it to be very harmonious and soothing. There is something reassuring in the play between the colors, shadows, and light. It appears simple at first but gets more complicated the more you look at it."

For more images, visit the weekly galleries on National Geographic Magazine's site and vote for your favorite images. Viewer's Choice winners will be announced in early December. Check out the gallery of last year's Viewer's Choice favorites. Voting closes November 8.

National Geographic Magazine's International Photo Contest has just ended, and there are some great submissions, like this one taken in Shanghai.

We like how photographer Gail von Bergen Ryan was able to capture the bright colors in this tunnel. She says, "I was in the front car of the short subway between Pudong and the Bund, and was treated to the wonderful spectacle of an oncoming train in the tunnel's changing light show. I put my camera up to the window and shot as fast as possible to get this image."

For more images, visit the weekly galleries on National Geographic Magazine's site and vote for your favorite images. Viewer's Choice winners will be announced in early December. Check out the gallery of last year's Viewer's Choice favorites. Voting closes November 8.

National Geographic Magazine's International Photo Contest has just ended, and there are some great submissions, like this one taken in Bangkok.

This picture really does say a thousand words. Says photographer Ashutosh Karkhanis, "This picture was shot in Safari World in Bangkok last year. As we were waiting for the orangutan show to begin, this orangutan caught my eye. He looked so bored of doing the same act day in and day out. His body language seemed to say, 'When is this all going to end?'"

For more images, visit the weekly galleries on National Geographic Magazine's site and vote for your favorite images. Viewer's Choice winners will be announced in early December. Check out the gallery of last year's Viewer's Choice favorites. Voting closes November 8.

There's so much going on here at National Geographic headquarters that it's hard for us to keep track. Here's a roundup of events happening in November.

Terra Cotta Warriors, National Geographic Museum
Our eagerly anticipated special exhibition opens November 19 at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC, and will run through March 31, 2010. The crated warriors arrived the other night and the museum staff is getting the statues in place right now. Timed tickets are required and they're going fast. You can buy them here. Save your ticket stub to get 20% off in our newly redesigned and expanded National Geographic Store.  For directions on how to get to the museum, click here.

Glimpse Correspondents Program
If you plan on working, studying, or volunteering abroad, apply for the Glimpse Correspondents Program. Each semester, the Glimpse Foundation picks a team of talented young writers and photographers between the ages of 18 and 34 and rewards them with a $600 stipend, career training in writing or photography, and publishes their work on Glimpse.org. All entries are due by November 8.

National Geographic Expeditions
Want to go on a warm-weather trip? National Geographic Expeditions is hosting a free online webinar on Monday, November 9 at 8 p.m. about its upcoming expeditions to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. To register for the webinar click here, or learn more about the expedition here. Best of all, those who book a trip between January 1 and March 31, 2010 will get a $500 airfare credit.

National Geographic Image Collection
Stop by our DC headquarters and take a stroll around our courtyard to see LED lightboxes showcasing some of the best (and some never-before seen) National Geographic photography. The exhibit is free to the public, and is based on our new book, National Geographic Image Collection (hint: makes a great present!). A video preview of the book is here.  The New York Times recently profiled Bill Bonner here, the keeper of our photo archives, which contains more than 11.5 million images. 

National Geographic Channel
Admit it: you love IKEA and all of its fashionable, cheap goodness. On November 5 at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel's Ultimate Factories series takes viewers inside IKEA's largest plant in Zbaszynek, Poland, and shows just how IKEA makes its wood furniture.   Here's a video preview of the show.

All Roads Film Project
On November 4, the Society will hold a special screening of Unconquered: Allan Houser and the Legacy of one Apache Family, a documentary about Native American art and traditions. There will be a discussion with the director, producer, and Allan Houser following the screening. Tickets are $8.

National Geographic Traveler Seminars
Our fall-winter schedule is available now, and lists one-day seminars in travel photography taught by National Geographic photographers. The next seminar is December 6 in Seattle, with our lively team of Jim Richardson and Catherine Karnow, who share with you their secrets on how to make photos "that tell a story."  Video preview here. For more info and online registration, click here.

National Geographic Magazine's International Photo Contest has just ended, and there are some great submissions, like this one taken in India's Ganges River.

Says photographer Jenay Martin, "The Ganges is the holiest river in India. Every morning and every evening Hindus bathe in the holy river. However, it is very polluted, and in this very location there is no living oxygen and is pure sewage. Even in the filth of Varanasi, life goes on. People still bathe, and animals still manage to find things to eat. This goat is eating a holy garland that was offered to the river during a funeral procession."

For more images, visit the weekly galleries on National Geographic Magazine's site and vote for your favorite images. Viewer's Choice winners will be announced in early December. Check out the gallery of last year's Viewer's Choice favorites. Voting closes November 8.

The November issue of National Geographic magazine features a remarkable image of chimpanzees at a rescue center in Cameroon watching the burial of one of their own. Since it was published, the photo and story have gone viral, turning up on websites, in newspapers and on TV shows around the world. National Geographic writer Jeremy Berlin interviewed the photographer, Monica Szczupider, who was working as a volunteer at the rescue center when she took this photo, and who submitted the picture to National Geographic's Your Shot:

On September 23, 2008, Dorothy, a female chimpanzee in her late 40s, died of congestive heart failure. A maternal and beloved figure, Dorothy spent eight years at Cameroon's Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center, which houses and rehabilitates chimps victimized by habitat loss and the illegal African bushmeat trade.

After a hunter killed her mother, Dorothy was sold as a "mascot" to an amusement park in Cameroon. For the next 25 years, she was tethered to the ground by a chain around her neck, taunted, teased, and taught to drink beer and smoke cigarettes for sport. In May 2000, Dorothy--obese from poor diet and lack of exercise--was rescued and relocated along with ten other primates. As her health improved, her deep kindness surfaced. She mothered an orphaned chimp named Bouboule and became a close friend to many others, including Jacky, the group's alpha male, and Nama, another amusement-park refugee...

For more of the story, go to NGM Blog Central here.

Photo by Monica Szczupider, National Geographic magazine

In anticipation of the arrival of the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at National Geographic headquarters, Destination DC is offering a Weekend Warriors Package from mid-November to the end of March.

The Terra Cotta Warriors, the guardians of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, will be on display at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. from November 19 through March 31. Since their discovery in 1974 by farmers digging a well, over 1,000 life-size terra cotta soldiers, wearing full armor, have been unearthed and an estimated 7,000 additional warriors remain, waiting to be exhumed. Each warrior is unique, with his own hairstyle, facial features and expression. Since the discovery of the first warriors, life-size chariots and horses, servants, musicians, acrobats and animals have also been uncovered. It is believed that the warriors were made in order to protect the emperor during the afterlife, one example of his obsessive quest for immortality.

Our friends down the hall at National Geographic Expeditions are offering a free webinar next week on the Galápagos Islands, and are inviting Intelligent Travel readers to join them online on October 20, 2009, from 8-9 p.m. EDT. Full details from the Expeditions crew follow below.

The Galápagos Islands are home to a fascinating array of unique wildlife. Frigate birds puff out their scarlet pouches, 100-year-old giant tortoises lumber through the grasses, and brilliant Sally light-foot crabs scamper across dramatic rocks covered with sunning marine iguanas. Incredibly, these fantastic creatures have no instinctive fear of humans.

National Geographic Expeditions and Lindblad Expeditions have been exploring the Galápagos together for years. Now we invite you to join National Geographic marine biologist Mike Heithaus and veteran expedition leader Carlos Romero on a virtual trip to this magical place. During our upcoming webinar, you'll get a taste of the islands and their wonders--and what makes our expeditions there so special. You'll take a stroll through our ships, meet our naturalists, and learn why our Galápagos trip is a truly spectacular adventure.

When you sign up for the webinar (it's free), you'll be able to email questions  to the Expeditions staff in advance, and any questions that they don't have time to answer during the webinar, they will call you up and answer on the spot. If you'd like to read about this 10-day voyage about the National Geographic Endeavor or Islander, (that's right, we have our own navy), check the Expeditions website here.

Photo: National Geographic Expeditions

Last month, our Trip Lit book critic Don George sat down with Amy Tan for the launch of our new "Journeys" series of live conversations with great writers at National Geographic headquarters in D.C. Tomorrow, Don will be chatting with Simon Winchester, author of The Man Who Loved China and The Professor and the Madman, and editor of the 2009 edition of Best American Travel Writing. The evening--which will be preceded by a reception featuring beers from around the world--is also Twitter-friendly. If you've got a question for Simon, add #nglive to your tweet and your question could be answered live at the event. For upcoming events and more news from the Society, be sure to follow @NatGeoScoop.

Click here for more information and to buy tickets. For more inspiring travel reads, check in each month for Don George's Trip Lit column, or browse our Ultimate Travel Library.

Only a few weeks remain in National Geographic magazine's International Photo Contest, so we asked our friends across the courtyard to share some of the favorite images that they've received so far. One of the standouts was this surly lemur, taken by Sandrine Vuillermoz in Madagascar. After attempting several pictures, Vuillermoz says the lemur began posing like a model, then turned and stuck out his tongue. "He tried to send me the message, it's ok, now you can go, you've had your scoop!" Vuillermoz writes in his caption.

For more images, visit the weekly galleries on National Geographic Magazine's site. The International Photo Contest ends October 31st, so submit your favorite images in the People, Places, and Nature categories now.

Photo: Sandrine Vuillermoz

National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who have worked on conservation efforts in Africa for over 25 years, appeared on the Today Show this morning to announce the launch of the Big Cats Initiative, a campaign to rally public support for protecting lions, leopards, and other large feline species in the wild. "In 50 years," said Beverly, "we've gone from 450,000 lions down to 20,000. That is drastic, so we have to take action."

To learn more about the effort, and how you can help, visit National Geographic's Blog Wild. And read more about the Joubert's efforts with the Maasailand Preservation Trust here. Donate to the Big Cats Initiative here. 

The sixth season of Cesar Millan's Emmy-nominated show Dog Whisperer premieres this Friday, October 9th, at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel. To mark the premiere and launch his latest book, How to Raise the Perfect Dog-- Through Puppyhood and Beyond, Cesar stopped by Nat Geo headquarters Monday (accompanied by miniature schnauzer Angel) for an advance screening of the first episode and to take questions from the audience. Traveler Senior Researcher Meg Weaver sat down with Cesar while he was here to find out how he got started in his career. And click through for a preview of the premiere episode in the season.

Known as El Perrero (The Dogman) when he was a teen in Mexico because of the packs of dogs that always seemed to follow him around, Cesar Millan aspired to be the best dog trainer in the world. But when he arrived in the U.S. and started working at a kennel in California, he realized American dogs didn't need training, their owners did. Dogs do best when they're balanced, Cesar says, and training doesn't necessarily equal balance. He espouses the training philosophy, well known to Dog Whisperer fans, of "exercise, discipline, and then affection." As we spoke, an adorable  schnauzer, Angel, sat snuggled at our feet. Cesar gestured to him and told me that Angel hadn't been trained to sit, fetch, or roll over. He'd been trained to be balanced and, sure enough, he was very well behaved for an adolescent dog.

Since Cesar himself is often on the move, I asked what suggestions he'd give travelers hoping to bring Fido on the road. He explained that we need to consider the travel experience from a dog's perspective: If the change of setting and scent (and altitude, if flying) are disorienting for us, imagine their effects on a dog. Dogs are used to traveling on four feet, experiencing every step of the way with their nose, ears, eyes, and body, so traveling in cars or planes can cause confusion and anxiety. Before heading off on a trip, Cesar recommends being sure your dog isn't full of physical energy. If you normally walk him a half-hour in the morning, extend the walk to an hour and a half so that his body tells his mind to relax. Bring things familiar to him: his bed, bone, Kong, etc. And, just as we benefit from being shown around a new place by someone familiar with it, try to hook your pup up with a local of the canine kind. 

If you haven't yet snagged it, be sure to pick up a copy of the October issue of National Geographic Magazine for their incredible cover story about National Geographic explorer-in-residence Michael Fay's 11-month journey walking through the Redwoods, from Big Sur to just beyond the Oregon border. I read it last night, and this paragraph alone captivated me:

Fording a vein of emerald water known as the South Fork of the Eel, they climbed the far bank and entered the translucent shade of the most magnificent grove they'd seen yet. Redwoods the size of Saturn rockets sprouted from the ground like giant beanstalks, their butts blackened by fire. Some bore thick, ropy bark that spiraled sky­ward in candy-cane swirls. Others had huge cav­ities known as goose pens--after the use early pio­neers put them to--big enough to hold 20 people. Treetops the size of VW buses lay half-buried among the sorrel and sword ferns, where they'd plummeted from 30 stories up--the casualties of titanic wars with the wind, which even now coursed through the tops with panpipe-like creaks and groans. It's no wonder Steven Spielberg and George Lucas filmed scenes for the Jurassic Park sequel and Return of the Jedi among the redwood giants: It felt as if a T. rex or a furry Ewok could poke its head out at any minute.

The Redwoods also happen to be featured in the latest issue of Traveler, as one our "50 Places of a Lifetime." In his essay, author Richard Preston notes that "when I'm in the Redwoods, I always get the sense that time is slowing down, slowing almost to the point where it hardly seems to exist as an influence in one's life. If human time is a fast-running brook, redwood time is a deep, dreaming river." You can find the entire essay in our October issue, on newsstands now.

Have you experienced the Redwoods yourself? If you have, share your experiences. And if you haven't (and even if you have) click through for a glimpse at the spectacular photo collage of 84 images that Michael Nichols created of one of the tallest trees. It's an insert in the latest issue of National Geographic, and you can see more spectacular images here.

Above Photo: ©2009 Michael Nichols/National Geographic Staff

Last night, Amy Tan helped launch our new "Journeys" series of live conversations with great writers at National Geographic headquarters here in D.C. The bestselling author of such books as The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen's God's Wife, and most recently, Saving Fish From Drowning, was gracious, funny, and inspiring. (And a fabulous dresser!) The sold-out crowd enjoyed the wide-ranging, often intimate discussion she had with Traveler contributing editor and book reviewer Don George. Some highlights:

• She wrote The Joy Luck Club in four months.

• She's working on her next novel, which was inspired by the remote Chinese village she visited and wrote about for National Geographic Magazine's May 2008 issue.

• Her mother's voice is a constant in her writings--The Kitchen God's Wife was inspired by her mother's story and the dead tour-guide narrator of Saving Fish From Drowning stemmed from a dream she had of her mother after her death: "All the things that I used to find annoying [about my mother], I now find charming."

• Her inspiration for books usually stems from a vivid image of a specific place: for The Joy Luck Club it was Guilin.

• How has her writing helped her grow and change? "I write to discover that; with each book I learn something new about myself."

This was also the first Twitter-friendly event the Society has sponsored, so to learn more about what people thought of the talk, and to get a glimpse of some of what was discussed you can search for #amytannglive. For upcoming events and more news from the Society, be sure to follow @NatGeoScoop.

The next speaker in the series is Simon Winchester, author of The Man Who Loved China and The Professor and the Madman, and editor of the 2009 edition of Best American Travel Writing. He'll be coming to National Geographic on October 15, 2009. Click here for more information and to buy tickets. For more inspiring travel reads, check in each month for Don George's Trip Lit column, or browse our Ultimate Travel Library.

Photo: Amy Tan and Don George in conversation, by Andrew Evans.