2006-09-12<BR>　　Piane di Navelli, Abruzzo, Italy, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by O. Louis Mazzatenta<BR>　　An abandoned church looms above a field of poppies in the mountainous region of Abruzzo. Left to silently crumble away, this church is just one of innumerable artifacts that must compete for restoration in a country that is literally littered with priceless works of art. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Italy’s Endangered Art," August 1999, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06497_39.jpg"><BR>
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　2006-09-13<BR>　　Perpignan, France, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by Penny De Los Santos<BR>　　A young woman is silhouetted by the sun in Perpignan, France, home to Visa Pour L'Image, the annual international photojournalism festival. When photographer Penny de Los Santos went to cover the event for National Geographic in 1998, she found plenty to inspire her both inside and outside the festival.<BR>　　<BR>　　This year, Visa Pour L'Image will be held September 2-17. <BR>　　(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Something to Behold," September 1998, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/04166_48.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-14<BR>　　Petra, Jordan, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by Annie Griffiths Belt<BR>　　"A subtle palette radiates from Nabataean tombs east of the city center. Scattered over 400 square miles [1,035 square kilometers], Petra includes dozens of such enclaves." <BR>　　(Text and photograph from "Petra: An Ancient City of Stone," December 1998, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1998_12p130-1.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-15<BR>　　Praslin Island, Seychelles, 1998<BR>　　Photograph by Michael Melford<BR>　　"Green geckos flitter through the Vallée of Mai, a tropical palm forest on Praslin Island that has been designated a world heritage site." <BR>　　(Text and photograph from "The Islands of Eden," April 1999, National Geographic Traveler magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/T0594_50005.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-16<BR>　　Berville-sur-Seine, Normandy, France, 1980<BR>　　Photograph by David L. Arnold<BR>　　Cattle stand at attention in Normandy's Berville-sur-Seine, a small rural town on the banks of the Seine River. More than a thousand years ago, Vikings sailed into France along this river. They married themselves to the girls of the region and to the fat of the land, making Normans out of Norsemen. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Civilizing Seine," April 1982, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/02709_161.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-17<BR>　　Florida, 1996<BR>　　Photograph by George Grall<BR>　　"A bottom plodder by nature, a startled common snapper coaxes grace from its heavy, muscled body as it swims across a Florida pond. A saw-toothed tail and large head distinguish the reclusive Chelydra serpentine, or 'snakelike swamp thing.'" <BR>　　(Text and photograph from "Unmasking the Snapping Turtle," March 1999, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1999_03p120-1.jpg"><BR>
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　2006-09-18<BR>　　Ganges River, Varanasi, India, 1996<BR>　　Photograph by Steve McCurry<BR>　　"Floating offerings of flowers and candles are sold in Varanasi to light the way for pious rituals. But locals also use the river in ordinary ways, doing laundry or washing hair. Devout Hindus are reluctant to believe that a river as holy as the Ganges is 'polluted.' Some environmentalists use softer language to suggest that Mother Ganges is 'suffering.'" <BR>　　(Text from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "India: Fifty Years of Independence," May 1997, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06257_12.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-19<BR>　　Okavango Delta, Botswana, 1997<BR>　　Photograph by Chris Johns<BR>　　"Hunting at dusk, adults and pups trot across a floodplain during the Okavango Delta's September dry season. Youngsters four months and older do their best to follow the pack, but older dogs sometimes hide tired pups in the brush, safe from lions, and return for them later." <BR>　　(Text and photograph from "Africa's Wild Dogs," May 1999, National Geographic magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06459_50016.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-20<BR>　　Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, Date Unknown<BR>　　Photograph by George F. Mobley<BR>　　A sticky September snow coats the Icefields Parkway in Alberta's Jasper National Park. The majestic highway, designed to showcase the national parks through which it passes, stretches along the Continental Divide and skirts the massive Columbia Icefield, a reservoir of ice that covers 130 square miles (337 square kilometers) and is a 1000 feet (305 meters) deep. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, the National Geographic book America's Great Hideaways, 1986) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/SP106_244.jpg"><BR>
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2006-09-22<BR>　　Beijing, China, 1997<BR>　　Photograph by Macduff Everton<BR>　　Tourists gather outside the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, part of the Temple of Heaven complex built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The hall was used by emperors of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties to offer sacrifices to heaven and to pray for abundant crops of grain. <BR>　　(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Heart of the Celestial Empire," September/October 1998, National Geographic Traveler magazine) <BR>　　<BR><BR><IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/T0546_27.jpg"><BR>
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