The fine folks at National Geographic have been kind enough to share with us some images from “Great Migrations: Official Companion Book” below. Great Migrations premieres in the U.S. on Sunday, November 7 on the National Geographic Channel:

An advancing white shark typically means doom for any large sea mammal it approaches, even for huge elephant seals off Guadalupe Island off Mexico’s Pacific coast. (© National Geographic/Mauricio Handler)

A polar bear stands on sea ice. The ice is critical to its habitat, and is decreasing in the warming Arctic. (© National Geographic/Paul Nicklen)
Off the coast of western Australia, small fish cluster around a whale shark, using it as shelter from predators. (© National Geographic/Brian Skerry)

Spawning salmon dominate traffic in the Ozernaya River on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. (© National Geographic/Randy Olson)

To the walrus, ice is life. An oxygen-breathing marine mammal, it relies on the ice as a place to rest, to give birth, to nurse and to migrate. And with global warming, the ice is disappearing. Their annual migration is becoming a race against time and distance, depth and disaster. (© National Geographic/Paul Nicklen).

found on boston.com

The spirit that drove those commercial sailors along the web of trade routes, deep into the bleak latitudes of the Southern Ocean and around the world’s most dangerous capes, emerges today in the form of the Volvo Ocean Race, a contest now seen as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.

The first edition of this sporting adventure came in the wake of two remarkable sailors of the last century, Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, men who drew worldwide acclaim for amazing solo voyages around the planet. Inevitably their success led to talk in international sailing circles of a race around the world for fully crewed yachts. It became a reality in 1973 with The Whitbread round the World Race, the longest, most demanding and perilous sporting contest the world had known.

Dangerous it was. In that very first race three competing sailors were lost after being washed overboard during storms. This led to the inevitable call for that inaugural contest to be the last, but the desire for unbridled adventure and great competition led to the race being staged every four years.

The re-badged Volvo Ocean Race was run for the first time in 2001-02. Today it is, quite simply, the ‘Everest of Sailing’.

found on volvooceanrace.org

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

The first Short Stories film, by renowned photographer and bodyboarder Mickey Smith, explores his world as a true waterman – both as an athlete and artist, and is called The Dark Side of The Lens.

“Originally I planned for the film to be more anonymous, rather than biographical, an all encompassing piece, to represent the photographers keeping the surfing machine afloat”, explains Smith.

Something that offers insight into what it takes to grind out a living as a water-based photographer in the surfing industry: a short experimental glimpse at a life lived in the shadow of obsessive photographic pursuits.”

“It also gave me the chance to ask myself a few questions, like, if you’re always observing and documenting what you see and experience, are you ever truly present? Questions like that where I could step back think and then see what the answers were”, Smith says.

As well as documenting various voices and experiences across surf photography, Smith worked with Allan Wilson from the Astray Collective, who acted as Director of Photography on the project. Together they logged hours of footage across the Atlantic coastline, traveling around Ireland, Cornwall and Manchester. Shot in Super 16mm film, as well as groundbreaking work with Canon 5D mk11 Digital SLR, Smith also projected images of the huge walls of water within which he works, on to monster urban landscapes such as sky rises and castles in Manchester, as well as the cliff lines at his home of Ireland.

found on vimeo.com

From Taschen; A lush visual history of the Golden Age of travel

The metabolism of travel changed more in the last century than in the previous half-millennium, a stunning transformation triggered by American wanderlust. In less than 100 years, the U.S. mass-produced the automobile, invented airplanes, freeways, motels, even sent men to the Moon. Travel grew ever faster and easier. Above all, it was democratized — enabling millions to explore distant lands, or see their own more fully.

At the start of the 20th century, only people with extensive disposable income and time to spare could enjoy leisure travel. By the century’s end, journeys took hours, not days, and mass travel — especially brief air flights — became the new normal. Along the way, ocean liners broke speed records, aerodynamic trains roared down the tracks, stylish boat-plane clippers evolved into jumbo jets. Whether aboard high-speed locomotives or ships, jets, or Greyhound buses — or when setting their own schedule on the open road — Americans demanded ever greater mobility and wider choice of destinations, thereby setting a new standard for travelers around the world.

found on taschen.com

A healthy working situation…?

In the 2000 Wolfgan g Peterson film “The Perfect Storm,” actor George Clooney portrays B illy Tyne, captain of the ill-fated Andrea Gail fishing boat. The story comes from a real-life incident — three storms meet in the Atlantic Ocean where th e Andrea Gail and her crew are hauling in swordfish. All six crew members perish. The movie gave audiences an inside look at the extreme weather and lethal work that members of the commercial fishing industry endure. It also paved the way for a television show that, several years later, would put viewers on those boats.

“Deadliest Catch” debuted on The Discovery Channel in the spring of 2005. While “The Perfect Storm” followed sword fishermen in the Atlantic, “Deadliest Catch” takes viewers inside the lives of commercial crab fishermen on six different vessels off the Alaskan coast’s Bering Sea. Airing in 150 countries, “Deadliest Catch” consistently draws up to 3 million viewers in the United States each week. The show was created by executive producer Thom Beers, of Los Angeles-based Original Productions. Beers dreamed up the idea after spending time aboard the fishing boat Fierce Allegiance while filming another Discovery show called “Extreme Alaska.”
The show is titled “Deadliest Catch” because of the inherent peril of the Alaskan crab fishing industry. In the 1980s, the job was at its deadly peak, with an average of 37 fishermen perishing each year. New safety regulations and changes in how fishing permits are granted has led to a decline in the death toll. Still, between 2003 and 2008 an average of 11 fishermen per year died at sea [source: Associated Press].

Drowning accounts for 87 percent of those deaths — generally man-overboard or sinking-boat scenarios. Deck injuries account for the other 13 percent [source: CDC]. On deck, you run the risk of being crushed by a swinging 800-pound (362-kg) crab cage called a pot. You could also get entangled in a winch, smashed by a hydraulic lift or sucked into a bait-cutting machine.

Sound brutal? That’s because it is. In this article, we’ll take you inside “The Deadliest Catch” and the grueling business of capturing crab. But first, let’s learn how to translate all that crab fishermen vernacula.

found on discoverychannel.com

The plot:
Alone among assassins, Jack is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Larry that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde, is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.
Do not miss Anton Corbijns new upcoming movie ´The American´

found on imdb.com

Photogrphy by Philip Plisson
found on plisson.com

It’s been quite a ride for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” since it was first announced last September. First there was concern over whether star Johnny Depp would return following Dick Cook’s departure from Disney. Then a few story details emerged, a director was confirmed and new stars were confirmed while old ones stepped away.

Speaking to producer Jerry Bruckheimer at ShoWest in Las Vegas last week, MTV’s Larry Carroll learned a bit more about these new characters.
“We have a new villain, Blackbeard, who’s the nastiest pirate ever. That’s Ian McShane,” Bruckheimer said. McShane is perhaps most memorable for his role on HBO’s “Deadwood” as the sometimes-villainous/sometimes-benevolent but always self-serving bar/brothel owner Al Swearengen. “And a little romance between Captain Jack and the character Penelope plays,” the producer continued. “There’s a lot of humor, she brings a lot of humor to it. And the fact that she’s so feisty. She plays the daughter of Blackbeard.”

Bruckheimer confirmed that Depp, Cruz and McShane will all be sailing out for “Pirates 4″ in June, along with Captain Barbossa actor Geoffrey Rush. That’s not all however. Bruckheimer couldn’t say who yet, but it appears we’ll be seeing some other new characters joining in on the latest “Pirates” adventure as well.

“We’re looking for some new kids that’ll be in it. So we’re testing right now,” he said. Bruckheimer also cautioned fans not to worry over the coming changes; this is still “Pirates of the Caribbean” after all.

“We’re gonna take a whole new direction, but Johnny’s gonna be back as Captain Jack. It’s a continuation of what you saw the last time, he’s searching for the Fountain of Youth.

found on moviesblog.mtv.com

Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year old girl, who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road). Owen is a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school and in his loneliness, forms a profound bond with his new neighbor. Owen can’t help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire.

found on apple.com/trailers