Tag Archives: National Geographic

Thames Festival 2013 | Things To Do

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City Cruises to host Sir Andrew Motion and Dan Cruickshank for Thames Festival 2013

 

As part of the 2013 Thames Festival celebrations, City Cruises, London’s leading riverboat operator, is hosting two distinguished events with former poet Sir Andrew Motion (7 September) and National Geographic and BBC art historian, writer and presenter, Dan Cruickshank (9 September).

 

Celebrating the very best of the Thames, the Mayor’s Thames Festival brings together art, music and educational events through an inspiring 10-day event on the river, its banks and bridges. As a key feature of tourism on the Thames, City Cruises’ is hosting these two major events on its flagship boat – and largest on the river – the Millennium Diamond.

 

Sir Andrew Motion – now President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England – will present an afternoon of poems and reflections from both his own collections and others on Saturday 7 September (4pm to 6.30pm). Concentrating on London’s greatest waterway and its many myths, poems and tales, Sir Andrew will take guests on a literary journey as they sail down the very river that inspired them.

 

Dan Cruickshank, whose credits include Around the World in 80 Treasures and Marvels of the Modern Age, will take centre stage on Monday 9 September (7.30pm-9.30pm). Taking guests on an architectural tour of London’s bridges – past and present – he will enlighten passengers on their rich history, heritage and significance in making the Capital the powerhouse that it is today.

 

Both events are ticketed and include a glass of red or white wine and canapés. Tickets cost £22, with each cruise departing from Tower Pier at 4pm, 7 September (Sir Andrew Motion) and 7.30pm, 9 September (Dan Cruickshank).

 

For further information or to book, please visit www.citycruises.com or call 020 77 400 400.

 

Chasing Ice Review: One of The Most Important Documentary’s of Our Time?

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chasingiceClimate Change seems like an endless debate. With evidence coming from both sides of the divide. It is not hard to get confused and just want some straight facts. I have read James Delingpole’s Watermelons book which had some good, hard facts in it, helped massively by the scandal involving scientists and their hacked emails. Climategate certainly did global warming no favours.

But now climate change has a new big hitter on its side: National Geographic photographer James Balog. After all, seeing is believing and James Balog’s photography of melting icebergs cannot be dismissed. In fact, after telling a friend about the documentary he told me of a friend who had trained for two years to go to the North Pole and then could not because the ice had all melted and it was not possible to get there on foot. Worrying stuff.

Now to the documentary. First thing is first: wow. The documentary is beautiful. Balog’s photography is just striking and perfect. His photography ends up on the front cover of the National Geographic. It is fair to say that he might be the best nature photographer working today. However, this is not the only point of Chasing Ice. The point of Chasing Ice is the melting icebergs. Despite knee operations and health problems Balog kept returning to the Arctic and launched the EIS: Extreme Ice Survey. In the eight years since he started the project- in 2005- the icebergs had severely melted, if not disappeared altogether.

Chasing Ice was shortlisted for an Oscar and grossed over $75,000 at the box office in the UK alone. This is all with good reason, Chasing Ice is a brilliant documentary. A must see for everyone and possibly the most important documentary of out time.

Chasing Ice is out now . Join the EIS: Extreme Ice Survey if you would like to help.

 

 

National Geo & Nintendo Launch Photography Competition.

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Budding photographers will have a chance to become the UK’s Nintendo 3DS photography champion.

Nintendo has teamed up with National Geographic Kids and The Royal Photographic Society to launch a UK-wide Nintendo 3DS photography competition

The competition has been launched in association with National Geographic Kids, famed for its exceptional wildlife photography, and the world’s oldest national photographic society, The Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

Competition entries are split into six dedicated categories, so no matter what you love to shoot, there’s a theme to suit you. The categories include: Animals, People, Places, Objects, Nature and Augmented Reality, which fully utilises the Augmented Reality features of the Nintendo 3DS system. The photo entries will be judged by an expert panel, including Lauren Jarvis, editor of National Geographic Kids magazine, and Dr Michael Pritchard, Director General at the RPS. The most promising photographer will win the top prize of a trip for two to Paris and a photography masterclass, while lucky runners-up will be awarded Nintendo goodies in recognition of their skill.

“We’re really excited to be working with Nintendo on this project,” says Dr Michael Pritchard, RPS. “3D photography has been around since the 19th century, but Nintendo 3DS gives people of all ages the opportunity to experiment with the technology and create their own 3D masterpieces.”

Lauren Jarvis, Editor of National Geographic Kids magazine, says, “There’s so much to be inspired by in the UK, whether you live in the city or the countryside. National Geographic Kids is all about young people getting out and exploring their world, and I can’t wait to see the 3D pictures they capture on Nintendo 3DS.”

How to enter:

Entering the Nintendo 3DS photography competition couldn’t be simpler. Take a 3D photo in-line with one of the six themes, using the in-built cameras on the Nintendo 3DS system. Once you have captured your masterpiece, upload it to the dedicated competition website www.nintendo.co.uk/3dphotocontest between 2nd April 2012 and 17th June 2012. The dedicated competition website is accessible through the Nintendo 3DS browser on the Nintendo 3DS system or through an Internet browser on a computer, and will feature galleries of all the images that have been uploaded. Each photo uploaded to the website will have its own dedicated QR Code and, by reading these QR Codes on the Nintendo 3DS system, users will be able to view their favourite images in 3D.

Recent research from Nintendo found that 60% of Nintendo 3DS owners take more than 100 photos a year* and 13% take as many as 1,000, which equates to three a day*. So say “cheese” and get capturing using the in-built cameras on the Nintendo 3DS system today!

The Nintendo 3DS features two outer-facing and one inner-facing camera, allowing you to take both 2D and 3D photos, and record up to 10 minutes of 3D video footage. Photos taken using the Nintendo 3DS cameras can be customised by adding fun and creative filters and effects. You can even draw on your photos using the Nintendo 3DS stylus to give them that personal touch.

To be in with a chance of being crowned the UK’s best photographer by the expert panel, check www.nintendo.co.uk/3dphotocontest for details on entry requirements and the full terms and conditions of entry. If you think you’ve got what it takes to take an award-winning 3D photo, then head out with your Nintendo 3DS today and get snapping!

Keep up to date with all the official Nintendo announcements and exclusive new game information by following the official Nintendo UK Twitter feed @NintendoUK

Oscar-Nominated Restrepo To Broadcast On National Geographic

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Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Restrepo will have an encore broadcast on National Geographic.

With the Grand Jury Prize Winner for Documentary at Sundance already behind it, the film chronicles the deployment of U.S. Troops stationed at one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan.

Following the announcement by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences,  National Geographic Channel (NGC) will screen the film on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The film will air in its entirety, unedited and with limited commercial interruption.

A. O. Scott from The New York Times said: ‘This one is exceptional. An outstanding new documentary. It’s a fantastic movie. See it!”

SYNOPSIS

Restrepo is a feature-length film by award-winning photojournalist Tim Hetherington and journalist/author Sebastian Junger that chronicles the deployment of U.S. troops in the Korengal Valley, one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, Restrepo, named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. This is an entirely experiential film. The cameras never leave the valley, there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.

JACK THE RIPPER: THE GERMAN SUSPECT {TV Preview}

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Arguably , no serial Killer has been scrutinized more than Jack the Ripper. It is thought that he was responsible for 5 brutal murders of prostitutes.

For more than 120 years, the identity of the infamous Whitechapel murderer has remained unknown. Now, astonishing new evidence revealed after decades of meticulous research, by retired UK police detective Trevor Marriot claims to have finally discovered the killer’s true identity – a German merchant sailor.

Teaming up with criminal psychologist Thomas Muller and a team of international experts, Marriott applies modern detective techniques to this century-old crime in an attempt to solve the apparently unsolvable case, and what he uncovers is truly remarkable. On a trail that takes him through Europe and into New York’s Lower East Side, Marriott claims not only to have uncovered the identity of the Ripper but also the nature of his own grisly end. Could Britain’s most notorious serial killer also have been responsible for a spate of similar murders across the pond?

The programme is good, but it is hard to believe that any human being could be capable of such crimes. I learned more about Jack the Ripper than from anything else I have watched. I highly recommend it. Just don’t watch it alone.

JACK THE RIPPER: THE GERMAN SUSPECT, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL MONDAY 3RD JANUARY AT 9PM.

Review: Plantzilla {TV Review}

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UK PREMIERE & HD SIMULCAST / MONDAY 21ST JUNE AT 9PM   National Geographic Channel

I am a life-long fan of National Geographic so I apologise if the review seems biased in any way. Based on a film by Volker Artz and Immanuel Birmelin, Plantzilla is a fascinating and stimulating documentary on the life of Plants. It’s hard to watch a National Geographic documentary and not marvel at the wonders of nature. From the White collared pitcher plant in Borneo which can eat 6,000 insects in an hour ( would like it in my house frankly, no more insect problems!) to the Tobacco plants that attract Hawk moth caterpillars,that then devour their own body weight in tobacco, before the plant calls in the cavalry and it’s eaten by a Big eyed bug.

Although you learn so much watching this documentary it is never boring. Although slightly icky.
The camera work is amazing. The work that is put in, astounding. I now know all about the parenting skills of certain plants. Dandy Lions pack their kids off using the wind. The Squirting cucumber squirts them out at a fast intensity – it looks like an explosion. Then there is the wine grower that plays his plants classical music. This documentary has change the way I look at plants. They think, feel and smell. And if the scientists at New York University have anything to do with it, they will soon be talking too.

Voice Over Bill Paterson, a regular, is as good as ever. A great way to spend an evening in.

Wouldn’t it be great if houseplants could tell us when they needed feeding? Well students in New York have come a step closer, by putting sensors in potted plants so that they can literally phone home to ask for a drink! Such a system could be used in vineyards around the world to help with crop yields and is just one of the secrets revealed by scientists and experts in this absorbing film. Plants have thrived on Earth for millions of years and their remarkable sensory capabilities have helped them prosper – both as self-defence experts and resourceful predators. From the amazing acacia, which mobilises armies of ants to protect itself, to the carnivorous plants which use a range of sneaky tactics to ensnare their unsuspecting prey, find out how plants battle against the odds to continue their journey through life. Also featuring a look at the rise of human intervention and the potential impact of new technology on the future of farming, this captivating programme offers an insight into the unknown side of flora.

TV Preview; Japan's Wild Secrets

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The typical image of modern Japan is one of a neon-lit, high-tech futuristic society crammed into skyscraper-strewn cities. Just a short way out from the bustling human hotspots lies a completely different country. Born of volcanic eruptions and comprising 6,852 individual islands, this other land is one of incredible variety and natural wonder. With habitats ranging from snowy mountains to sun-kissed beaches and subtropical paradises, these diverse landscapes are home to creatures including brown bears, raccoon dogs, fiddler crabs and the famous hot-spring-bathing macaque monkeys.
National Geographics Japan’s Wild Secrets is a beautifully shot wildlife documentary. Taking care not to re-tread already well covered ground, the programme skips through landscape after sequence after complex shots. There are plenty of time lapse for enthusiasts (a must with today’s wild life documentary) and for those who like facts and figures, they throw them at you like you’re probably taking notes.
Highlights included a Japanese Macac (also known as a Snow Monkey) pick a bit of sleep from the corner of its eye and after inspecting it, continues to eat it. And mud skippers’ suprising ability to look adorable even thought they’re gooey, spitting out mud and blinking like a parody of a person with mental illness. Even their attempts at looking threatening was cute.
The photography is stunning and inspirational but the end message is a familiar one. That of modern developments threatening the natural environment.
Catch the show on Nat Geo Wild; Tuesday 8th at 9pm

TV Preview: Aftermath – When the Earth stops spinning

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Fox and the National Geographic channel are having an apocalypse week. Nothing says optimism like the end of the world and death on a devastating scale and this is no exception. Our planet is spinning at 1,600 km per hour but this programme predicts what would happen if that spinning stopped. Imagining an Earth that ground to a halt within 5 years we’re told of terrifying scenarios and visions of death, destruction and suffering.

To begin with the differences wouldn’t seem so large, eventually they become so escalated that there seems no corner of the Earth left unscathed. We’re shown graphic death scene after another, corpses floating in an underwater London, ficticious news reports of the unfolding horror. After more terrifying visuals and descriptions of an “earth tearing itself inside out” those who havnt suffocated, drowned, frozen, burned, starved or died of insomnia related accidents either stay in safe places or set sail for new lands.

A boat full of oceanographer/models set sail on an arc to new land. And so begins a new race of beautiful model “settlers”, fishing, farming, watering pot plants, harnessing the power of the wind, only wearing beige and shivering because they never had the need of a jumper. Only the people who previously owned floor length puffer jackets are craggy looking.

Eventually the Earth grinds to a complete stop and the remaining humans are left huddling together like penguins as they spend six months of the year in darkness. I’m not sure why the Earth stopped spinning, this is never explained, but the result is entertaining.

Watch Aftermath – When the Earth stops spinning on the National Geographic and HD channel on 7th June at 9pm