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Friday, August 14, 2009 Sign Up for Newsletters New This Week • "Extinct" Booby Exposed—Found "Masked," Using Alias • Alcoholic Rats Show Kudzu May Help Addicted Humans • "Mighty" T. Rex Mostly Picked Off Youngsters? • U.S. Bear Gallbladders Sold on Black Market Week in Photos A civet "makes" high-end coffee, farmers gather for a Scottish lamb sale, a Tokyo quake shakes up beer bottles, and more in our editor's picks of the week's best news pictures. See the Photos See Latest News » More News Photos » Top Stories of the Week PERSEIDS PICTURES: Meteor Shower Streaks the Sky Up to a hundred meteors an hour were predicted to light up the August nights during this year's peak of the Perseid meteor shower, one　 of the most popular annual sky shows.   Extinct Walking Bat Found A modern-day walking bat in New Zealand did not evolve its unusual habit, but instead retained it from an ancestor, a new fossil found in Australia shows.   Cove Movie Seeks to End Japan's Dolphin Hunt A dolphin hunt in Japan enrages activists. The Cove, an award-winning new movie, condemns it. So why do dolphin hunts go on elsewhere without much controversy?   See Latest News »   Latest Photo News                   NEW HIMALAYAN SPECIES: Flying Frog, Gecko, More   SATURN EQUINOX: Mystery Object Pierces a Ring     More Photos »   Latest Video News                   Whole Families Hooked on Opium in Afghanistan   Fire Ants "Attacked" From Air     More Videos »   Most Viewed News of the Week   1. Perseids: "Last Chance" for Best Meteor Viewing 2. Perseids: What They Are, How to Watch the Meteors, More 3. PERSEIDS PICTURES: Meteor Shower Streaks Across the Sky 4. PICTURES: "Drained" Oceans Reveal Epic Landscapes 5. VIDEO: Whole Families Hooked on Opium in Afghanistan   More Most Viewed »       Photo of the Day See Photo If you received this email from a friend and would like to subscribe to this or other National Geographic emails, click here. Unsubscribe | Change Email Address | Update Email Preferences | Privacy Policy | Mission Statement Click the unsubscribe link above to be removed from our email program, or send your request to… National Geographic; Attn: E-newsletter Program; 1145 17th Street NW; Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2009 National Geographic Society. All Rights Reserved. To ensure that you receive your National Geographic emails, please add ngs@newsletters.nationalgeographic.com to your address book now.

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August 12, 2009
PHOTO GALLERY   1. Explore Italy's Scenic Emerald Coast   Italy is not short of great drives—think the Amalfi Coast, the back roads of Umbria, the dramatic Dolomites. But the coast of Gallura, Sardinia's northernmost region, has to be one　 of the most ravishing. The “Emerald Coast,” a storied land rimming the island's northern tip and including Porto Cervo, is heralded as much for its celebrity vacationers as for its beauty. Author Stanley Stewart rented a red Ducati ST3 and explored the coast. Click here for his complete story as well a photo gallery of the Emerald Coast by David Yoder.     PHOTO GALLERY   2. Bike the Hills of Umbria   Like so many flowers bursting into bloom, hand-painted plates frame a ceramics shop in the ancient town of Gubbio. Umbria and Tuscany are famous for their distinctive, handcrafted maiolica ceramics, with Gubbio especially known for maiolica forged with a "three-firing" technique that adds a distinctive luster to the glaze. This stone-girded town, a setting for the award-winning 1968 movie "Romeo and Juliet" directed by Franco Zeffirelli, still boasts many medieval　 structures, including the Renaissance-style Ducal Palace, the Gothic-style Consul's Palace, and a clutch of Gothic-Romanesque churches. For more photos from our Umbria Photo Gallery, click here.     FREE CITIES   3. Visit Rome Without Breaking the Bank   Rome may be a city of high fashion and expensive tastes, but its rich history and art offer plenty of culture that won't cost you a dime, including churches and most monuments. You don't have to look far for free activities in the Eternal City. Visit the oldest-standing structure in Rome, the Parthenon, which was built in 27 B.C., or Saint Peter's Basilica, the largest Roman Catholic building in the world, which are free to the public. Click here for more free attractions and events in the Eternal City.     ON FOOT   4. Walk Rome's Jewish Ghetto   Rome was already a bustling metropolis when the first Jews arrived in the second century B.C. (making the city's Jewish population the oldest in Europe). Those who followed settled in the Trastevere neighborhood, then moved across the river in the Middle Ages to occupy a corner of what is now the Sant'Angelo district. Click here for a complete half-day walking tour of this historic district, which explores the meeting of two ancient cultures.     THE REAL DEAL   5. Save $750 on an Eight-Day Walking Tour of Italy   Discover the regions of the Tuscany and Umbria with Boundless Journey's eight-day walking tour held October 11-18. The trip offers scenic countryside, visits to medieval　 villages, fresh gourmet cuisine, wine and olive oil tastings, and luxurious accommodations. Book by August 25 and save $750 off the regular price of $4,495. Call 800 941 8010, e-mail info@boundlessjourneys.com" target="_blank">info@boundlessjourneys.com, or reserve onl　ine at www.BoundlessJourneys.com.		1. Campidoglio 2. Foro Romano 3. Colosseo 4. Fontana di Trevi 5. Galleria Borghese 6. Pantheon 7. Piazza Navona 8. Piazzo Farnese 9. Basilica di San Pietro 10. Musei Vaticani For a limited time, get 20 percent off when you buy National Geographic Traveler: Rome.     "We ran into more trouble almost as soon as we got on the mountain when Scott [Fischer] fell into a crevasse. I stopped the fall, but not before his shoulder popped out of its socket...our progress was halted [again] when we got avalanched below Camp IV...Scott and I were lucky to survive the avalanche, but decided not to give up."—Ed Viesturs, from the book Himalayan Quest   Visit our store to buy the book.
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An entertaining journey for the whole family into prehistoric oceans teeming with monsters brought to life through amazing CGI. With original music by Peter Gabriel and The Footnote, and narrated by Liev Schreiber. Seen originally in IMAX® and other specialty theaters. Comes with 4 pairs of 3-D glasses so the whole family can enjoy. Includes film in both 3-D and 2-D versions. DVD $25.95 Blu-ray $34.95 Watch clip
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August 2009 Newsletter "Doing" geography is often about the fun side of life: visiting foreign cultures or exploring new environments. But knowing—and using—geography can help us with life's challenges, too. Natural hazards are all over the news—from deadly fires and hurricanes to flu epidemics and tsunamis. Is your family safe? You can benefit from new mapping technologies and growing efforts to predict, plan for, and cope with natural disasters. Check out how 4-H clubs are engaging kids with real-life first responders to develop community emergency plans. Have a safe summer and tell us in this month's poll whether your family has an emergency plan. Christopher Shearer, My Wonderful World (MWW) Director Is Your Family Ready for a Natural Disaster? The dog days of summer are upon us, and the August heat brings more than just rising ice cream sales. In the American Southeast, the end of summer means the beginning of hurricane season; and in the West, months of dry days can give way to droughts and wildfires. The bad news is that hotter-than-average recent years are thought to be linked to more extreme weather events like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and destructive fires across the state of California in 2007 and 2008. Scientists predict these trends will persist if the Earth continues to warm as a result of climate change. The good news is that professionals are using technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to better prepare for the threat of these natural disasters뾢vents occurring naturally that have large-scale effects on the environment and people, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. There are steps you can take to prepare as a family, too. Our August challenge: Identify your community's emergency preparedness resources and develop a plan for your family. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a website called Ready.gov to help. Check out the interactive national map to find information on preparedness in your community, as well as the Ready Kids site for young planners; kids can complete three activities and take a quiz to graduate from "Readiness U."   Campaign Ticker Reader Poll   Editor's Pick: Operation: Monster Storms The JASON Project's Monster Storms science curriculum transports students to the center of Earth's most extreme weather events. Learn how powerful storms form and how cutting-edge technology is used to better understand and forecast weather as you fly into the eye of a hurricane and chase tornadoes. Check out these fun introductory videos and take a tour of the "storm tracker" digital lab.

HOT THIS MONTH Wildfire Awareness Did you know that more than 100,000 wildfires clear 4 to 5 million acres of land in the U.S. every year? National Geographic's Mark Thiessen is an expert at documenting these powerful blazes. Watch a video describing the intrepid wildland photographer's work and view a selection of his photos on NG's natural disasters portal, where you'll also find safety tips. Check out the MWW blog for more on fire awareness, including everyone's favorite friend of the forest: Smokey Bear. Tour Global Hot Spots Global hot spots are places where conflict or change—in environments, cultures, politics, climate, or population뾥ave created new pressures and uncertainties in today's world. Geography can help us understand why these challenges occur and what we can do to solve them. Learn more by taking My Wonderful World's Global Hot Spots Geotour. Green Effect Contest Winners A fleet of recycling tricycles in California and a green version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for low-income housing in Washington, DC, are among five winning entries in the Green Effect contest hosted by SunChips® and National Geographic. Winners, selected by onl　ine voters and a panel of judges that included actor Edward Norton and National Geographic Weekend radio host Boyd Matson, will each receive $20,000 to put their green idea into action, as well as earn a spot in National Geographic magazine. AMREEKA Nat Geo Entertainment is excited to be releasing Amreeka, a film by Cherien Dabis, on September 4. Amreeka (Arabic for "America") tells the heartwarming story of Muna, a Palestinian single mother who comes to live in small-town America with her teenage son. Rated PG-13; go to amreeka.com for more information. Engaging Kids in Geotourism Today's young people are savvy, opinionated, and passionate about our world's biggest issues. Now is the time to encourage schoolchildren and teens to become dedicated stewards of sustainable travel, but where do we begin? Join a conversation led by Ashoka and National Geographic on Changemakers.com to discuss the best ways to engage youth in the growing geotourism movement. National Geographic Photo of the Day See Photo

Mapping Our Way to Safety Hurricane, tornado, flood, or wildfire, the 4-H Community Readiness Network helps communities and families improve their ability to be prepared during an emergency. Using geospatial technologies, participants in the Alert, Evacuate, and Shelter Project serve their communities by developing critical mapping tools to aid in the event of natural and other disasters. Students work with local officials to build emergency preparedness teams across the country and, in the process, contribute to expanding geo-literacy nationwide. Examples of projects: —A 4-H team in Glenn, County, GA, gathered donations from local businesses like Lowe's®, Wal-Mart, and The Home Depot® to create 100 animal emergency kits. The kits included supplies and maps of area pet shelter locations. —The "Street Team" teen group in Statesville, NC, has developed an onl　ine database with photos of area houses to assist first responders in locating residences in the event of an emergency. Bonus: The local Domino's Pizza is interested in using the website to make speedier deliveries. Visit the Alert, Evacuate, and Shelter website for more stories like these and for additional information on the program.

GIS Aids Planners in Katrina Aftermath Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast to become one　 of the costliest, deadliest disasters in U.S. history. Many questioned the preparedness of New Orleans and other vulnerable communities to protect people and property from surging waters and evacuate citizens to safety. Luckily, geospatial technology came to the rescue. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, GIS volunteers from several professional organizations, universities, and government agencies set up ad hoc operations bases to supply the expertise, equipment, and mapping resources needed to aid relief efforts. For example, "geocoding," a process of converting street addresses into global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, was used to help first responders navigate streets that were flooded or missing signage. Several years later, satellite imagery and other geographic information is being used to support reconstruction efforts and plan for future hurricanes. Check out these articles from CNN, GIS Corps, GIS Café, and National Public Radio to learn more about how GIS assists with disaster relief efforts around the globe; there are also some excellent academic papers on the topic from researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Directions Magazine.

Earth Science Explorations Down Under Our friends Roger and Anita Palmer of GISetc have just returned from leading a group of educators around Australia and they're telling us all about it on the blog. "There could not have been a better place to be during the July heat of the North American summer than down under! It is winter in Sydney, Australia at 34 degrees south latitude, and 19 educators and some of their family members didn't mind at all that they had to bundle up and wear their jackets. During our stay in Australia, we visited amazing geologic features, including the Jenolan Caves and the Three Sisters at Echo Point in the Blue Mountains, Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) in the outback. We didn't realize how truly large this country is, but certainly had more of an idea by the time we ended our trip back in Sydney 12 days after we arrived."

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