Recently in Screening Room Category

High school student Kyle Bullington traveled to Kenya this summer, where he lived and worked in the Nairobi neighborhood of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, on a unique volunteer project.

Residents of Kibera watch a video created by the Carolina for Kibera team

This summer, high school student Kyle Bullington arrived in Kibera with a unique goal: To enable the youth in the community of one of the world's biggest slums to share their perspectives on life there through short video clips. "Most people around the world are blind to the sufferings of approximately a million people in this community," Kyle wrote in a piece for the Huffington Post. "I felt that the best means to depict the story of Kibera would be through video." Kyle worked to develop the video project with the group Carolina For Kibera, an NGO that works on public health and community development issues in the region. Noting that "the only footage that ever makes it out of Kibera is that which is taken by foreigners," Kyle arranged for Pure Digital and Apple to donate equipment for the project, and brought 10 Flip video cameras and two 24-inch iMacs to the slum. We asked him to give us an update on how the community is recording their stories.

Shortly after arriving in Kibera, I created a YouTube channel for the organization and began recording my story in the slum. I then trained a group of four locals involved in the organization to film and edit video. I posted eight YouTube videos during my two-week stay and then handed the channel over to my trained team to begin making their own posts. 

Since returning home, I have seen the group I trained continue to improve on their moviemaking abilities. They have been making monthly posts about different aspects of life in Kibera. They recently did a video with the Carolina For Kibera founder about morning life in Kibera. I hope that these videos will continue to gain exposure and enable Kiberans to create global awareness about slum life.

Check out one of the videos after the jump.

No, that's not Desmond in another Lost flashback. But Henry Ian Cusick, one of our favorite actors from that crazy island family, has been cast as Charles Darwin in National Geographic Television's first scripted film, which will air next week on PBS. Darwin's Darkest Hour celebrates the famous scientist's discoveries and trials, and shines light on his personal life. The two-hour drama, presented in conjunction with NOVA, airs Tuesday, October 6 (check local listings).

If you'd prefer to see the show on the big screen, plan to attend the premiere of the film at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. on October 5. The film will be followed by a discussion with director John Bradshaw, scriptwriter John Goldsmith, and executive producer John Bredar. Watch the trailer here, and learn more about the National Geographic Live! premiere events by clicking here.

When something goes wrong on a United Airlines flight, Barbara Higgins hears about it. And as the company's vice president of customer contact centers, she heard -- or rather saw -- trouble when she opened her inbox a few weeks ago and watched the above viral video United Breaks Guitars. But no one could have anticipated what happened next. I asked her to explain.

United Breaks Guitars is up to almost five million views on YouTube. What happened here?

We made a number of mistakes that, when added together, made terrific fodder for a video. But essentially Canadian musician Dave Carroll filed a claim with us when he discovered damage to his guitar after he flew from Halifax through Chicago to his gig in Omaha. When the claim was received, the standard 24-hour timeframe had passed. The 24-hour guideline is in place to ensure we can promptly identify and make amends for damage that happened while bags were in our care, while also protecting the company from fraud.

Just for the record, does United break a lot of guitars?

No, of course not. In fact, I think people would be amazed at our track record in which more than 99.95 percent of our guests' bags are delivered on time and with no damage whatsoever. That's like three to four bags every 100,000 guests. Of course any bag lost or damaged is one too many, but clearly our employees do great work safely transporting thousands of checked bags, including guitars, tubas and drums that belong to many Grammy award-winning musicians. We even fly precious cargo like flowers, fine wine and fruit across the ocean.

What regretfully happened was an anomaly, not the norm, and was clearly an unintentional accident.

When the news came out yesterday of the death of John Hughes, the world lost not only a popular director, but a huge proponent of the city of Chicago. Despite not being actively involved in filmmaking for the last ten years of his life, he continued to live in the city where he spent most of his career, a place which, he said, "[I]s a working city, where people go to their jobs and raise their kids and live their lives." His classic films like Sixteen Candles, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, and of course, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, all could be considered postcards to the city. Here's one of my favorite scenes of all time. What's yours?

Read More: Cinematic Road Trip -- Illinois; 48 Hours Chicago; Free Cities Chicago.

At this year's annual Jazz Fest in New Orleans, representatives from the four main industries of Louisiana's cultural economy--music, food, art, and film--gathered for a roundtable discussion on how their unique cultural heritage holds the key to economic recovery and growth in the region. With Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu as the host, local luminaries such as Grammy-winning musician Terrance Simien, chef John Besh, folklorist and radio host Nick Spitzer, and artist James Michalopoulos shared their perspectives on how to keep local cultural traditions alive while building sustainable livelihoods.  

A couple of themes emerged, such as the necessity of collaboration among the various industries, which is critical to the success of the whole cultural economy. Richard McCarthy, who runs the Crescent City Farmers Market, spoke of his partnership with chef John Besh to build relationships between local farmers and the city's renowned restaurants. The role of local government in both creating the space for cultural activity and providing economic incentives for cultural development was another important theme, with the most notable example being the tax incentives which have fueled Louisiana's burgeoning film industry.  

I left the roundtable inspired by the creative synergy I witnessed among the panelists. As the region rebuilds from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, it seems that New Orleans will be, as Nick Spitzer noted, "even greater than it was before." This is a destination to keep an eye on. 

Video: Susanne Hackett

Steve Nash - 'The Player' from meathawk on Vimeo.

My football-fanatic fiancé (that's European football, mind you) tipped me off to a great charity event happening this afternoon in New York City's Chinatown. The second annual "Showdown in Chinatown," which is coordinated by the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash, pits international pro soccer players against an assorted group of NBA all-stars, all in the name of raising money for Football-for-Good, Nash's charity. Football-for-Good helps bring team sports to war-ravaged countries in Africa, and aims to "develop world-class youth football (soccer) academies that are sustainable, community-centered social businesses in regions that have been ravaged by war." They're working to support "human rights and child protection, and a committed global advocate for African players, families and their communities."

This year, in addition to Nash himself (who famously plays soccer in NYC during the off-season to stay in shape), star athletes expected to attend include Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry, Tony Parker, Javier Zanetti, Raja Bell, Adrian Mutu, Chris Bosh, Ivan Cordoba, Grant Hill, and Giovanni van Brockhurst. And there's a rumor that Yao Ming may swing by. Check out the video that Nash put together to "recruit" the players, it's a whirlwind of travel, and must have been a blast to shoot.

Kickoff starts at 6 p.m. today in Chinatown's Sarah D. Roosevelt Park and it's free to watch. But I can't help but think it's already packed, so maybe you can sit on Yao Ming's shoulders.

Video: Football-for-Good

I've been meaning to blog about my visit to Ray's Hell-Burger (get it?), a fantastic burger joint in Arlington, Virginia, which I visited the weekend before last. So imagine my surprise to hear that I missed spotting President Obama by just a few days! Turns out the POTUS and VPOTUS went out for lunch to the local eatery yesterday afternoon, surprising a long line of patrons who had turned up to grab a juicy burger and got a glimpse of the commander in chief instead. How's that for a burger endorsement?

It's obvious that Barack has good taste when it comes to burgers, and these are some of the best I've found in the D.C. area. The shop, which opened last fall, is a no-frills local spot decorated with B-movie posters; paper towel rolls stand in for napkin holders on the tables. The admittedly huge portions come laden with toppings, which range from the standard applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese, to highbrow selections like foie gras and truffle oil. The burgers themselves are made of the trimmings from the proprietor's other restaurant, Ray's the Steaks, which is just down the block from the shop, and all of them come served on a brioche roll, which does get a tad soggy if you're a slow eater. Best to grab it with both hands and dig in. No fries are served (apparently, the owner believes they detract from the burger experience) but you can get a side of cole slaw or potato salad, both of which are top-notch. Finish it off with a root beer and you might mistake Ray's Hell-Burger for heaven. 

Plan Ahead: If you're in the Washington area, you can check out Ray's by trekking across the river from D.C. to the Courthouse Metro stop in Virginia. If you arrive on a weekend, be sure to check out the flea market that pops up in a large parking lot nearby.

Ray's Hell-Burger: 1713 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209; +1 703 841 0001.   

We here at Traveler love a well-made craft (we've got an authentic shopping guide to prove it), which is why I was taken with this video made by the folks over at Cool Hunting. They visited the Grafica Fildalga printing facility in São Paulo, Brazil, and interviewed the adorable gentlemen who painstakingly lay out the characters for posters on a 1929 German letterpress. Watching the machine in action is mesmerizing.

What's even more interesting is that this shop has managed to stay in business even after São Paulo instituted it's "clean city" campaign back in 2007. At the time, the local government's decision to eliminate all public advertising -- everything from billboards to bus stop ads -- was an extension of their aim to combat pollution. The "visual pollution" of such signage completely overwhelmed the city, to the point where one local journalist reported that prior to the cleanup, some fevelas had been practically invisible to the public because billboards had been covering them. The reduction of pollution was seen as a tremendous life-enhancement to city residents (it had a 70 percent approval rating), and now São Paulo is slowly starting to designate areas where advertising can be permitted -- in moderation. Grafica Fildalga has been kept afloat in part by the efforts of Choque Cultural, art gallery whose uses these posters to promote their shows. It's a great bridge between the old and new.

[Via Craft and Cool Hunting]

Contributing Blogger Cathy Healy chats with the curator of Wyoming's National Museum of Wildlife Art.


JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. -- The bronze elk stand alert at the snowy entrance to the National Museum of Wildlife Art, while across the highway, 7,000 live elk nuzzle hay in the National Elk Refuge, unafraid of the coyotes skulking their perimeter. I confess, I've driven by many times, staring back and forth, but never bothered to stop for the sleigh rides among the elk (looked really cold) or to revisit the museum (no excuse).


"People are surprised when they come in and see the incredible depth of what we have," said Dr. Adam Harris, curator of art. "They're expecting to see animals from this region in fairly representational form, but we really try to collect a broad range of art work...we have the great artists from America and Europe." [See video interview.]

The museum is year-around and so is the wildlife.

I'm a sucker for street art (see here), and this adorable video makes for a fun Friday afternoon distraction. Made by the husband-and-wife animation team at London Squared, it highlights the often overlooked "voices" in New York City. Enjoy and happy weekend!

[Rocketboom via Vvynyl]

Tomorrow, April 1st, at 10 pm the National Geographic Channel (NGC) will premiere the third season of its critically acclaimed series, Locked Up Abroad. In fourteen new episodes, they'll examine harrowing real-life stories of kidnapping, imprisonment, and other nightmares faced by travelers abroad.
   
We were lucky enough to preview an upcoming episode about an innocent victim of a drug trafficking scam in Peru. Briton Simon Burke haplessly went along with a new friend, Sarah Jackson, on what seemed like a dream trip to Machu Picchu. After ten days exploring Cusco and the Lost City of the Inca, he and Sarah were detained in Lima on their way back to the UK. Sarah was smuggling nearly ten kilos of cocaine to pay down a debt she'd dangerously accrued back home.
   
Both were imprisoned, he for ten months in a men's maximum security prison, packed with over 230 prisoners and only 56 beds. Finally, his companion pled guilty and attested to Simon's innocence. He was released from prison but the authorities did not return his passport. At the time of filming, Sarah was serving seven years for trafficking cocaine and Simon was still in Lima, in limbo, living in a tiny apartment while his status was sorted out.
   
Locked Up Abroad's travel horror tales are entertainingly shocking. But don't let these stories put you off traveling - the series teaches essential lessons as you plan your next overseas adventure. What Not To Do, after the jump.

We were thrilled to find out last night that we'd been selected as the Best Consumer Travel Blog in the Lonely Planet Travel Blog Awards! Thanks so much to the judges and the voters - and particularly to the readers - who have helped our little blog grow exponentially over the past few years. We love what we do at National Geographic Traveler, and we're so glad that we're able to share what we love about travel with you every day on Intelligent Travel.

Congrats to all of the winners, who were announced over Twitter last night at @lplabs. Lonely Planet asked all of the winners to tape a video or audio acceptance speech - so here's ours - check them all out here. UPDATE: The complete list of winners is also now available online.

For those of you who are new to the blog, please bookmark www.intelligenttravelblog.com and visit us often! Thanks! 

My heart almost skipped a beat yesterday when I saw the trailer for the new Where the Wild Things Are film, perhaps because the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak was one of my first encounters with the idea of running away - a concept that I still so closely associate with travel.

For those of you who don't know the premise, it's the story of Max, a bad little boy who was sent to bed without any supper. When he arrives in his bedroom, he finds it transformed into a magical forest, one inhabited by tremendous beasts who crown him king. But Max eventually grows homesick and returns back home, where his supper is waiting for him, still hot. The book was only 10 sentences long, but it won a Caldecott Medal and is considered a literary classic (did you know that Sendak named many of the beasts after his aunts and uncles?); its adaptation was written by Dave Eggers and directed by Spike Jonze. Mark your calendars for October 16, 2009, when the film will be released.

Is there a children's book that inspired you to travel? Let us know in the comments, or email us your favorites. 

Read More: Cinematical has some fantastic still images from the film. Read more about Sendak's life and work in the notes from "Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak" which was exhibited at the Jewish Museum in 2005. 

Whenever I'm traveling, I'm eager to try the foods of a new place no matter where they're served; seat me at a restaurant with white-linen tablecloths or an oilcloth-covered table in a plastic lawn chair, and I'll eat whatever is in front of me. But my favorite kind of eating doesn't involves seating at all, the al fresco dining offered by a street vendors is my choice way try authentic eats.* Of course, this kind of dining can also be elusive, as it's apt to pack up and drive away, or move to another corner without warning. So I was psyched to learn that a new form of traveling food truck has emerged in Los Angeles. Both the LA Times and the New York Times have reported that Kogi Korean BBQ has created a brilliant business model which enables the hungry masses to track their truck via Twitter (@kogibbq). The New York Times piece describes the craze:

The food at Kogi Korean BBQ-To-Go, the taco vendor that has overtaken Los Angeles, does not fit into any known culinary category. One man overheard on his cellphone as he waited in line on a recent night said it best: "It's like this Korean-Mexican-fusion thing of crazy deliciousness."

All of which makes me think that the Twitter idea for street food make a lot of sense.

Today at lunch, we got a sneak peek of "Darwin's Secret Notebooks," a new program airing next week on the National Geographic Channel. Upon arriving back at my desk, I emailed the TV crew for a clip, so here's a snippet to whet your appetite for all things evolutionary.

The show is part of the celebration of the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth (fun fact: did you know that he and Abraham Lincoln were born on the very same day?) and traces the path of the Beagle and how his theory of evolution developed through his travels. Contrary to popular belief, it was not actually the finches on the Galapagos that got Darwin excited, but a handful of mockingbirds that intrigued him (the finches came later).  And did you know that of the five years that the ship sailed, the crew only spent a total of five weeks on the islands?

This segment of the program features the Patagonian region of South America where the crew of the Beagle spent the majority of their time, and where Darwin first began to arrive at his theories.

You can catch the entire show on Tuesday, February 10 at 9P et/pt.

Read more: National Geographic magazine has two articles on Darwin in the February issue, as well as this tricky Darwin trivia quiz.

Video: The National Geographic Channel

Our friends over at the National Geographic Channel are hopping on board the presidential news cycle - literally - with their in-depth program, premiering this weekend, all about Air Force One. National Geographic was there when President Obama boarded the plane for the first time, and the clip above shows him meeting the pilot and staff - and checking out the menu from the in-flight kitchen (he likes his burgers medium-well, with cheddar cheese and fries).

Visit the Channel site to get the inside scoop on the plane: I love the virtual tour of the jet's layout, and the awesome paper airplane models you can download and build. Plus, who knew that you could follow Air Force One on Twitter?

Watch On Board Air Force One on the National Geographic Channel on January 25th and 28th, at 8pm EST.

Video via the National Geographic Channel

It's a quiet afternoon here in the office, so I offer up a happy-distraction: The latest, and by far greatest, of the Matt Harding "Dancing" travel videos. If you're not up to speed on Matt's Travels, here's a quick recap. Harding grows up in Connecticut playing video games. He catches the travel bug while living in Australia, and begins shooting a little video of him dancing a silly jig wherever he goes. He eventually strings the clips together and sets them to music, and the first video becomes an internet phenomenon. Stride gum catches on, and sends him around the world - again - to shoot another. By now he's become an international dancing sensation. But he realizes that throughout his travels, he's been dancing alone. So he convinces Stride to foot the bill for another trip, only this time he reaches out to his many fans and invites them to dance alongside. The result is, quite simply, beautiful.

It's this video that the New York Times called "an almost perfect piece of Internet art: it's short, pleasingly weird and so minimal in its content that it's open to a multitude of interpretations. It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism." And last week World Hum named Harding their Traveler of the Year, calling the video "simple yet deeply touching...If there exists on YouTube a more powerful invocation to travel, and to reach out to others and make friends along the way, we haven't seen it."

Like I said, a happy distraction. Try not to get inspired, or misty-eyed even while watching.

Via World Hum | Video

Sometimes, I think I've become almost too reliant on Google Maps to help me find my way. Last weekend, I was out with a friend trying to get to Mount Vernon to see the holiday decorations at George Washington's home. We plugged the place name into my friend's iPhone and started driving, and it wasn't until we pulled up to the Pirates Cove Waterpark (closed for the season) that we realized we'd been Googleduped (a phrase I'm coining here, for lack of better options).

So I was tickled when I came across the Street with a View project, a collection of folks in Pittsburgh who teamed up with the Google Maps Street Team to present a more interesting glimpse into the lives of some city residents who live, work, and play along one alleyway. Spearheaded by two art school grads of Carnegie Mellon University, Ben Kinsley and Robin Hewlett, and taking a page from the Improv Everywhere gang, the group staged a marathon, a parade, a mad-scientists laboratory, and a sword fight all along the route. The Google Maps crew captured their antics as they drove down the street, and the results can now be found on the actual Street View of Sampsonia Way.

I think it's brilliant, and a fun way to inject some personality into the Google Maps experience. If there had been an actual pirate waiting for me at Pirates Cove, I would not have been nearly as upset at being Googleduped.

Have you been Googleduped? Tell us about it in the comments below.