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The 100th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam Tennis event of the year. “The Aussie Open” or “The Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific” as the Australian Open is also known, is held at Melbourne Park in Richmond on True Blue Plexicushion Prestige medium-paced hard courts. |
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view The Australian Open 2012 as presented by: GigaPica |
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he stunning Cook Islands are a tropical paradise located deep in the South Pacific Ocean. The Cook Islands are self-governing and are in free association with New Zealand which lies to the southwest. Also nearby are French Polynesia (including the islands of Moorea and Bora Bora) and American Samoa. Within the Cook Islands are 15 major islands divided into two groups: the Northern Cook Islands and the Southern Cook Islands. The Northern Cook Islands consist of six coral atolls. The capital of the Cook Islands is the city of Avarua, on the most populous island Rarotonga. The island of Aitutaki is also a popular destination for tourists. Visitors to the Cook Islands can enjoy swimming in the crystal blue ocean waters, sunbathing on the spectacular white sand beaches, or snorkeling over the fertile reef. The Cook Islands are also popular for weddings and honeymoons. |
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view Cook Islands as presented by: Beautiful Places To Visit |
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Today marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2012, the Year of the Dragon. One of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, the dragon signifies good fortune and power. In the Chinese astrological cycle, this year is also associated with the element of water, which makes 2012 the Year of the Water Dragon -- an emblem of optimism and growth that comes around only once every 60 years. People around the world are ushering in this auspicious year with displays of fireworks, family get-togethers, temple visits, and street festivals. Collected below are images from several countries where revelers have been welcoming the arrival of the Water Dragon. A performer dressed in traditional costume and wearing makeup drinks tea as he and others prepare to take part in Chinese new year celebrations at the 700-year-old Dongyue Temple in Beijing, on January 23, 2012. The temple is the largest of its kind in northern China for the Zhengyi school of Taoism, and was originally built by Taoist monks in the 14th century. Thousands of people visit a lantern festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon in Shanghai, on January 23, 2012. A woman burns incense to pray for good fortune on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year at Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing. |
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view Chinese Lunar New Year 2012 as presented by: The Atlantic |
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High winds have beached a cargo ship on France's jagged Atlantic coast and some of the 220 tons of fuel on board are leaking and threatening a local beach. The 19-member crew of the "TK Bremen" was evacuated by helicopter early Friday as the vessel ran aground off Erdeven beach in southern Brittany, on the northwest coat of France. |
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view Wild Weather Grounds Ship on French coast as presented by: GigaPica |
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What could be more satisfying than a nap? A nice nap taken while surrounded by piles of stuff. More photos of people taking naps while surrounded by stuff. North Korean workers nap on piles of fertilizer shipped from China on the banks of Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju. A worker sleeps on tangerines in a market in Siliguri, India. A vegetable vendor sleeps in his roadside shop in New Delhi, India. |
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view People Taking Naps with Stuff as presented by: Boing Boing |
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Up and down Detroit’s streets, buildings stand abandoned and in ruin. French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre set out to document the decline of an American city. Their book “The Ruins of Detroit“, a document of decaying buildings frozen in time, was published in December 2010. From the photographers’ website: Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes, small pieces of history in suspension. The state of ruin is essentially a temporary situation that happens at some point, the volatile result of change of era and the fall of empires. This fragility, the time elapsed but even so running fast, lead us to watch them one very last time : being dismayed, or admire, making us wondering about the permanence of things. Photography appeared to us as a modest way to keep a little bit of this ephemeral state. |
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view Captured: The Ruins of Detroit as presented by: Denver Post |
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Horseshoe Bend is a picturesque horseshoe-shaped turn in the Colorado River, just South of the town of Page, Arizona. Visitors can reach Horseshoe Bend by taking a short 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) hike off US Route 89 to an overlook 1,000 feet (405 meters) above the river. Horseshoe Bend is part of Glen Canyon, which was carved by the Colorado River over a period of 5 million years. Glen Canyon is also home to the beautiful Lake Powell. Horseshoe Bend is popular with photographers and tourists who seek the beautiful canyon scenery. |
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view Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, Arizona, USA as presented by: Beautiful Places To Visit |
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We share our world with many other species and live in an ever-changing environment. Fortunately, photographers around the world have captured the moments and beauty that allow us to see amazing views of this awe-inspiring planet. This is a collection of favorite photos from The Natural World gallery in 2011, a showcase of images of animals and environment that runs on Boston.com throughout the year. Next week's posts will take a look at the year in photos, so stay tuned. A new blue phalaenopsis orchid called "Blue Mystique" is sold by Bachman's florists in Minneapolis. The color is achieved using a patented process from Europe that colors the flowers from the inside. An Abyssinian Colobus baby yawns at the Nogeyama Zoological Gardens in Yokohama, Japan. A chameleon waits to be weighed and measured in the reptile house at the London Zoo. Every year the keepers record the heights and weights of more than 750 different species in the International Species Information System, where they can be shared with zoos across the world. |
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view 50 Best Photos from The Natural World as presented by: Boston Big Picture |
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