Gero Breloer/EPA
Getting along swimmingly......An as yet unnamed hippopotamus baby stays closely in step with its mother at the Berlin Zoo Dec. 16, 2008 during a first public outing. The baby was born on Nov. 29, 2008.
Ever seen a hippo swim? They're incredibly graceful underwater. And isn't this the cutest view of mom and baby?
Bernd Thissen/EPA
The 'largest' full moon of the year rises over Winterberg, Germany, Dec. 12, 2008. The moon is currently close to the earth and appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons in 2008.
This is one of the nicest Full Moon images that moved from last night. How did the moon look in your neck of the woods?
Christian Charisius/Reuters
Swans swim in a small lock after council workers rounded them up from Hamburg's inner city lake Alster November 17, 2008. Every year the swans are collected from waterways around the northern German city of Hamburg and taken to winter quarters where they are fed and cared for until the spring.
Perfect, clean composition by the photographer, and effortless beauty by mother nature.
Manuel Silvestri/Reuters
Tourists take photos of each other in the flooded Saint Mark's square in Venice December 1, 2008. Large parts of Venice were flooded on Monday as heavy rains and strong winds lashed the lagoon city, with sea levels at their highest level in 22 years. Ferry and water taxi services in the city were suspended and Venice's mayor urged people to stay indoors.
This would make for some unique vacation photos. It seems like it would be pretty cold, and (not to be a downer) - but I can't imagine what that water's like since when I was in Venice, St. Mark's square was covered in pigeons, and where there are pigeons...eww
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President George W. Bush waves at young guests during the Children's Holiday Reception and Performance in the East Room of the White House December 8, 2008 in Washington, DC. The reception is for children whose parents are serving in the United States military and can not be with them for the Christmas holiday.
I wonder what these children are thinking?
Brian Kersey/Getty Images
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich leaves his home on December 11 in Chicago. On December 9 Mr. Blagojevich was arrested for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for money and favors among other corruption charges.
Be careful what you stand next to.
Khalid Tanveer/AP
A squad of female Pakistani police officers patrol the street, as people shop in a market ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. 8, 2008.
Is it just me or does this photo make you think of Charlie's Angels, Pakistan style?
/Wonderful Hunkonnu via Reuters
Children play table-tennis using an old door balanced on stools in Iwaya, one of the poorest areas of Lagos, in this undated photograph.
This photo made me think about how much we take for granted. This photo made me think about the holidays coming up, and how we should really think about those less fortunate than ourselves.
Rolf Haid/EPA
King and gentoo penguins waddle through the animal park during snowfall at the zoo in Basel, Switzerland, Dec. 10, 2008. From now on the pengiuns will be taken for walks through the zoo every day during the wintertime.
Wouldn't it be nice if they let all the animals out of their cages for a stroll around the zoo every day? Penguins walking are especially cute though.
Bela Szandelszky/AP
Hungarians in swimwear and wearing Santa Claus hats run together during a winter charity run in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. About 100 runners met for a two kilometer run at temperatures of around 5 degrees Celsius (about 41 degrees Fahrenheit) to raise funds for Hungarian orphans.
As we used to say around the basketball court, "That guy's got hops!" I'm not even sure what to say about the choice of a Speedo. I guess the swimwear was meant just to add silliness to the festive atmosphere of the event, and if that was the intention, then it was a success!
Nathan Bilow/AP
Italy's Chiara Costazza crashes during the first round of the women's alpine World Cup giant slalom ski race in Aspen, Colo. on Sat. Nov. 29, 2008.
Considering these skiers go about 60 mph, and their bindings are adjusted to be extremely tight to keep their boots from slipping out on a turn, it's not much of a surprise that Chiara Costazza snapped her Achilles' tendon in this crash last week. I wonder if part of their training includes learning techniques for falling in such a way as to try to avoid injury.
Yuriko Nakao/Reuters
People enjoy skating at an outdoor skating rink in Tokyo December 6, 2008. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)
Doesn't this picture make you want to head to your local rink and strap on a pair of skates?
Sayyid Azim/AP
The Moon illuminated in close proximity Venus and Jupiter during a spectacular display of celestial rare phenomenon called a planetary occultation, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Dec. 1. The planetary occultation could be widely noticed by non-astronomers.
Although space is not something that normally piques my interest, I must admit that when I can see things like this in the sky for myself, it's pretty cool.
Jeff Haynes/pool via EPA
US Secret Service Agents ride in President-elect Barack Obama's motorcade as it travels to Federal Plaza the location of his transition headquarters in Chicago, Illinois USA, on 18 November 2008.
I remember riding in the back of my parent's station wagon when we were kids. I don't think I ever looked this cool; But I never got to ride back there with an automatic weapon.
Jose Pedrosa/EPA
A woman holds her daugther as he passes in front of the painting entitled 'Maternity' by Spanish artist Rafael Zabaleta, during the exhibition 'Zabaleta 101' at the Jaen's Provincial Museum in Jaen, Andalusia, southern Spain, 24 November 2008.
I enjoy the photographer's awareness and tongue-in-cheek observation.
Joseph Kaczmarek/AP
Parker Leiby, an autistic child, views a movie during a demonstration of the magnetoencephalography, MEG for short, at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, in Philadelphia. MEG is a noninvasive technology used to study unique brain wave patterns spotted for the first time in autistic children which may help explain why they have so much trouble communicating.
You sort of have to take their word for what the device does.
Marwan Naamani/AFP - Getty Images
Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama walks in the conference hall during a United Nations aid conference in Doha on November 29, 2008. International bodies called today for concerted action to help developing nations confront the global economic crisis, but the absence of major leaders at the meeting dampened hopes of concrete initiatives.
My high-minded reason for including this picture is the man's outfit - an interesting adaptation of the otherwise stifling suit.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP - Getty Images
A ten-year-old girl is admitted to a clinic at a Congolese NGO in Goma. The girl was reportedly raped by several CNDP rebels during fighting with the Congolese army. After that, she walked to Goma, where she had no place to stay, and while roaming the streets was raped again by two men. A woman found her bleeding in the street and brought her to the center.
So heart-wrenchingly sad and maddening is this Congo conflict.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Christopher Cox, and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency James Lockhart III, testify during a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee September 23, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Do you think the photographer in this image adds to the picture?
Marc Mueller/EPA
Swiss participant Juergen Biland (C) presents his beard, which competes in the category 'Kinn-und Backenbart Freistil' (literally: Chin Beard and Whiskers Free Style), during the 2008 Beard European Championships in Leinfelden, Germany, 08 November 2008. Behind him are Swiss August Schmid (L) and Heinz Eggimann (R) their beards of the category 'Vollbart Freistil' (literally: Full Beard Free Style).
How many of you in the Photoblog readership have comparable whiskers?
Gopal Chitrakar/Reuters
New York Blue and Indian Tigers teams fight for the ball at a semi-final of the World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA) Championship at Meghauly, south of Katmandu Dec. 4, 2008.
World championship elephant polo? Now there's a interesting sport! Looks like it'd be hard to reach the ball from that high up.
Murad Sezer/AP
Sara the walrus and her Russian trainer Sergiy perform during a show at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 1, 2008.
The only thing that goes through my mind when I see this picture is wanting Sara to give the puny human a giant slap from her flipper. Why do humans do this to animals?
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