Christmas tree lighting in nyc

The Christmas tree lighting took place yesterday December 2, 2015. Tens of thousands typically crowd the sidewalks for the event and hundreds of millions will watch it live across the globe. The tree, traditionally a Norway Spruce, is illuminated by 30,000 environmentally friendly LED lights on five miles of wire, and crowned by a Swarovski crystal star. The Tree will remain lit and can be viewed until 8pm on January 6, 2016.

The Iron Market in Port-au-Prince was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. The earthquake was rated a 7.0 as it  killed more than 200,000 people also leaving one million people homeless. Angelaure Saint Louis said, “So many people work in the Iron Market. I was happy it was rebuilt after the earthquake.”

 

High Hoops

"At the edge of a field full of expectant festivalgoers, a fire performer practices her hoop routine before her performance at the Lantern Fest in Omaha, Nebraska" The lantern fest participants release rice paper lanterns. "The idea is just letting things go," said Lantern Fest director Spencer Humiston. While people wait for this to occur there is plenty of live music facer painting and many more fun activities. This is national Geographic's best photo of October.

Stargazers treat

Stargazers are in for a special treat this week as the Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak, producing bright fireballs in the night sky around the world. This year is a particularly good year for viewing the Taurids as the peak of the meteor shower coincides with the new moon, occurring the night of Nov. 11 into Nov. 12. The Taurid meteor shower is a yearly occurrence that typically lasts from late October into late November as the Earth passes through the debris trail left behind by Comet Encke. Some meteors may even be observed as late as the first days of December. This debris is larger than the particles that are associated with the typically meteor showers which is why the Taurids produce fireballs and other meteor showers do not. This particular meteor shower was first discovered in 1869, but astronomers estimate that the Taurids have been occurring every year for the past 4,700 years.
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SeaWorld ends orca show

The photo opportunity ends as SeaWorld San Diego plans to phase out its killer whale show by 2017. The marine park has faced waves of criticism since the 2013 documentary Blackfish. "We are listening to our guests, evolving as a company, we are always changing,” said chief executive Joel Manby. “In 2017 we will launch an all new orca experience focused on natural environment [of whales]. 2016 will be the last year of our theatrical killer whale experience in San Diego.” Manby told investors that the company was going to refocus on conservation of animals rather than using them as entertainment.
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Torrential rain in South Carolina

At least five people died in the torrential rain in South Carolina. Governor Nikki Haley gave an accounting of just how devastating the storm has been: "30,000-plus sandbags used, 754 calls for assistance in a 12-hour period, 323 collisions, three fatalities. Nearly 600 National Guard troops had been activated, she said, with 1,300 more either on call or on standby. Rescue crews had 11 aircrafts, eight swiftwater rescue teams and 106 highwater vehicles at their disposal. More swiftwater teams were on their way from Tennessee, Haley said." This kind of rain hasn't hit in nearly one thousand years. Haley also said "If you're driving and you see water, turn around -- don't drown," 

The blood moon

 

On September 28, 2015 a rare Total Lunar eclipse  of a Super full moon will be visible from most of North America, South America, Europe, West Asia and parts of Africa. The supermoon means that the moon is the closest to the earth. The blood moon is referred to the lunar eclipse. The last time this occurred was 1982.http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/facts-lunar-eclipse.html 

Baby Bella

  
 http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/us/boston-baby-doe-charges/
                                 

 A women walking her dog found the child in a bag on the rocky shore line of the Boston harbor. Baby Bella was allegedly killed by her mother's boyfriend (McCarthy) because he thought she was possessed and "it was her time to die." The criminal complaint against McCarthy says that bond told police McCarthy killed Bella "by punching her in the stomach until she stopped breathing." This is such a heartbreaking story, I really don't know how someone can do this terrible act to someone they love and care about. The baby was only three years old, she trusted her family. 

Migrant Crisis

These pictures were taking by a Turkish news agency. Three year old Aylan is shown in the picture to the right wearing red when he was washed on the shore early one morning. His family was traveling by boat from Syria to Greece. His five year old brother Galip and mother Rihan also drowned but his father Abdullah Kurdi was the only survivor of the family. The picture of the two boys was taken shortly before they drowned in the tragic accident trying to reach Greece. This picture is located on twitter.

The power of photography

Hi my name is Meaghan Lowell.  I chose the topic of photography because I think it's a way that many people can easily express themselves.  For example, Instagram allows individuals from all over the world the ability to post photos and share their experiences.  In addition, photography allows the user to communicate certain messages to their viewers.  The photos may capture the war in the middle east or the most recent celebrity drama.  Online media uses pictures to move latest news across the globe in a matter of seconds.  In conclusion photography can be used as a powerful tool to preserve important memories, capture a story without words or  to communicate an important message.  If you think about it, its hard to imagine the world without pictures. It is a very powerful way of communicating