Big Picture: Rescued from a Chilean Mine

Over two months have passed since the August 5th collapse of the San Jose mine near Copiapo, Chile, when 33 miners were trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) below ground. The men were kept alive over that time by supplies delivered through narrow holes drilled down to them, and kept hope through video conferences with family - until last night, when the first of the 33 miners was successfully lifted to the surface in a specially-designed rescue capsule. Friends and relatives, many of whom had camped nearby for months, slowly let their cautious optimism become joy as they were reunited with their loved ones. As of this writing, at 9:30 pm, Eastern time, all of the 33 men have now made it safely to the surface. (49 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Big Picture: Scenes from China

The past several months in China have brought devastating floods, a mysterious North Korean jet crash, the Mid-Autumn festival, crackdowns on gambling and much more. A country with nearly the same land area as the United States, China is home to over a billion more people than the U.S. (1.3 billion to be more precise), and as it grows economically, it is grappling with environmental, social and political issues that affect people and places around the world. Collected here, from the past several months, are photographs from around China, the land and the people - their daily lives, challenges, work and play. (43 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Big Picture: Fall is in the air

Autumn is here (for those of us in the northern hemisphere). This year, the full moon and the autumnal equinox happened on the same day, for the first time in 19 years. Evenings now come sooner and the air cools more quickly, leaves are beginning to change, crops are being harvested, harvest festivals are being held, and animals and nomads are on the move to their winter grounds. Collected here are a handful of recent images of early autumn around the northern half of our world. (35 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Pictures of the Aurora Borealis

Click the image to see more.

Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Boy holding garage sale to buy dad a headstone

KINGSTON, Ont. – A Kingston, Ont., youngster is holding a special garage sale this coming weekend, hoping to raise enough money to buy his father a gravestone.

Blake McGinness, 9, lost his father, Rick Lees, to a stomach aneurysm in March 2009.

His dad is buried in Wilmer Cemetery, where he was interred without a headstone.

Blake visits the grave regularly with his mother, Linda, and recently decided that he wanted his father to have a marker at his grave.

“My grandmother has a headstone and my grandfather has a headstone, and I want my dad to have a headstone, too,” the youngster said with great seriousness.

“I was originally thinking I’d have a yard sale and use the money to buy an iPod, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that this was what I wanted to do for my dad.”

McGinness has ruthlessly winnowed his toys and games, filling a room of his house with the items he plans to sell Saturday morning.

“We’re going to fill the driveway,” he said with confidence.

Click the image to read the article.


Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing

Big Picture: Animals in the news

Today we have a recent roundup of animals making the news - from the study of newly identified species to genetic modification, to racing, hunting, play, rescue and preservation. From a minuscule frog to an albino whale, fluorescent fish to a deep-sea Chimera, collected here are a handful of recent photographs of animals and our interactions with them, as companions, caretakers, observers, hunters and stewards. (57 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection. Warning: Some images are graphic.

Big Picture: Oktoberfest 2010

On Saturday, September 18th, with the tapping of the first keg by Munich Mayor Christian Ude and a cry of "O'zapft is!", Oktoberfest 2010 officially started in Munich, Germany. While this year marks the 177th Oktoberfest to be held, 2010 is the 200th anniversary of the very first Oktoberfest in 1810 (some years were missed due to war or cholera outbreaks). The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. This year, festivities will run until October 4, 2010. Collected here are a few images from this opening weekend. (40 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.

Big Picture: Around The Solar System

With dozens of spacecraft currently orbiting, roving or otherwise and traveling through our solar system, I thought it would be interesting to get a general snapshot in time, using images from NASA and ESA spacecraft near Mercury, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Saturn and a few in-transit to further destinations. Collected here are recent images gathered from around our solar system, at scales ranging from mere centimeters to millions of kilometers. (32 photos total)

Click the image to see the full collection.