HOME |
RSS | 
The Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, Florida is where people can swim with the well cared-for marine mammals, but it’s much more than that. It’s a rescue operation for not only dolphins, but sea turtles, manatees and other Florida Keys species. When the dolphins aren’t busy with that, or doing their research, they maintain an informative blog, where they post videos of themselves like this one. Amazingly smart creatures.
Seriously though, the DRC is top tier when it comes to places like this. Here’s a snip from Hannah’s five star review on Yelp:
After an afternoon at this terrific research center, I learned more about dolphins than I ever thought I’d know. We came here as a group, with the BF and his parents. For $20 a person, you get admission, which allows you to walk through the center and watch the public shows. The place is very low key – it’s obvious that all their money goes towards taking care of the dolphins,and not on frills.
Link (Photo: DRC)
The National Geographic has just announced the winners of its fourth annual global photography contest. After receiving more than 200,000 submissions, here are the winners of the International Photography Contest 2009:
Photo by Debra Jansen, USA
People Winner
A 97-year-old woman waits for the bus in her Sunday best in Chamblee,
Georgia.
Judges' Comments
“We pass quiet moments like these each day and they go unnoticed,”
says National Geographic design editor Darren Smith, “but the photographer
found a great subject and composition in the seemingly mundane.”
Freelance photojournalist Maria Stenzel loved that “the photo shows
our own culture,” and was attracted by the “jarring juxtaposition
of this dignified woman waiting at a bus stop.”
Photo by Hugo Machado, Portugal
Places Winner
Licancabur volcano is located on the border between Chile and Bolivia.
Judges' Comments
For Darren Smith, National Geographic design editor, “The cloud
performs a delicate balancing act atop the mountain, making the two massive
forces of geology and meteorology appear light. Clouds are often just
garland in mountain photos, but here the cloud is an equal subject, casting
shadows which help define the peak.”
Photo: William Goodwin, USA
Nature Winner
This peppermint shrimp is spending the day in a branching vase sponge
about 75 feet deep in Bonaire's Margate Bay. Lighting was achieved with
an HID torch shining on the outside of the sponge. The photographer, working
upside down, had to carefully control buoyancy while approaching as close
as possible, taking care not to touch the sponge with camera or light
and to avoid disturbing the shrimp or the sponge.
Judges' Comments
National Geographic staff photographer Mark Thiessen “was drawn
into its world by the circular shape of the sponge.” For freelance
photojournalist Maria Stenzel, “the technically difficult shot was
beautifully seen and executed in its own natural landscape.” National
Geographic design editor Darren Smith agrees: “This image transports
the viewer to another world. The technical execution is flawless, the
spiraling composition frames the shrimp and draws us in, and the lighting
and varied colors add dimension.”
___________
Though they didn't win the grand prize, the photos below are my favorites:
A manatee photographed in Florida
Photo: Yusuke Okada, Japan. Nature Honorable Mention.
Shot in Namibia in August 2009
Photo: Laurent Mercey, France. Nature Honorable Mention.
A newly born gibbon gets some early discipline and love from his doting
parents.
This baby gibbon was just about 12 hours old, born at the Columbus, Ohio
Zoo in August of 2009.
Photo: Xen Riggs, USA. Nature Honorable Mention.
Links: International Photography Contest 2009 official website | Winners | Galleries
The unseasonably cold temperatures have caused Florida’s manatees to huddle together for warmth. You can watch the video in the link, it is quite a sight.
From the Upcoming 
ueue, submitted by 
