PhotoBlog - rock-center

15
Nov
2012
3:00pm, EST
Finding calm in Yemen's capital, despite the nation's instability
Adam Rivera / NBC News
The Ali Mosque has the tallest minaret in the Old City of Sana'a. It has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and contains over 100 mosques.
Adam Rivera / NBC News
At noon every Friday, millions of Yemenis go to mosques to perform the Friday prayer. However, since the uprising that forced Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power, some Yemenis have moved from meeting in the mosques to meeting in the streets. Thousands of men gathered on this highway for a Friday prayer that was equal parts a spiritual ritual and a political rally.
David Lom / NBC News
Man sells nuts and spices along a narrow alley in the Old City.

NBC's Rock Center

Adam Rivera / NBC News
Father and son at Friday prayers in Sana'a.
Osama bin Laden may be lying in a watery grave, but in Yemen, the group he once led appears to be as strong as ever. Just a few years ago, there were only 200-300 militants in the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). That number has now tripled, according to Gregory Johnsen, a top Yemen expert and author of the excellent new book, “The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia.” And, if you put together the group’s members, close supporters and family, Johnsen says the number is something like 6,000.
When the Rock Center team arrived in Yemen, they discovered a place that, despite all the warnings, was one of the friendliest, most hospitable of any that any of them had ever been. At the same time, they found a troubled country, the poorest in the Arab world, and a nation torn apart by several conflicts—the battle between AQAP and the government simply being the one that interests the U.S. the most.
Learn more about Yemen on Rock Center's broadcast Thursday evening at 8 p.m.
Adam Rivera / NBC News
The market is full of boys who sell clothing, trinkets and jewelry. Some have a vague understanding of French, Spanish and English and market themselves as the best tour guides money can buy.
Adam Rivera / NBC News
View of the Old City of Sana'a from atop Bab al-Yaman, one of the city's ancient gates
Adam Rivera / NBC News
A teenager restocks the inventory for the following day.
Adam Rivera / NBC News
A late night snack stand in the Old City.
Rock Center: Search for world's most dangerous man leads authorities to Yemen
Slideshow: Yemen in the spotlight
Karim Ben Khelifa
Yemen's profile rose dramatically following a cargo bomb plot on two planes bound for the United States in October. Explore the country, in pictures.
Launch slideshow
2 comments
Its interesting to yet again see another Rock Center Reporter laying blame on the US unjustly.Perhaps Richard Engel should have told the young lady who is making an issue of Drone Strikes that kill civilians that she and her countrymen should start addressing the terrorist they breed to attack and k …
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Explore related topics: yemen, world-news, sanaa, rock-center
9
Nov
2012
2:40pm, EST
Presidential envy? 'Official' jackets now politically trendy
Larry Downing / Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama waves at a campaign event at Austin Straubel Airport International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Nov. 1.
Tim Larsen / Office of the Governor
Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno visit and thank first responders after touring flood damaged areas in Moonachie, N.J. on Nov. 1.
By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News
From the President to local officials, our leaders love their personalized jackets (or fleece, in the case of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie). Last night on Rock Center, Brian Williams lightheartedly poked fun at government officials' "Air Force One jacket envy" after a slew of official, monogrammed jackets were seen this past week when leaders hit the streets surveying damage from Hurricane Sandy.
"If you are anyone else but the president, you are at an instant garment disadvantage," says Williams. Check out the video (below) to see how other leaders try to make up for their handicap (and learn about how Christie possibly one-upped them all with his personalized yarmulke).

From Chris Christie's "Governor" fleece, to that flag lady at Obama's acceptance speech, to a new device that makes staff meetings more peaceful, Brian Williams reports on this week's trending headlines.
Julio Cortez / AP
Newark Mayor Cory Booker speaks during a news conference at the Office of Emergency Management in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 29, in Newark, N.J.
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to members of the media about recovering efforts after Hurricane Sandy, on Oct. 31, in Long Beach, New York.
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2 comments
I had several smart_ss comments, but since are sure to come, I'll be practical. At disaster/mass casualty scenes, people need to be identified as to who there are and what is their role. Makes it easier to find the person you need and toss out the wannabes. The President just looks cool.
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Explore related topics: barack-obama, us-news, cory-booker, chris-christie, rock-center
10
Sep
2012
1:23pm, EDT
The National September 11 Memorial at dusk
A 360 degree panoramic image of the National September 11 Memorial. ( John Makely and Jonathan Sanger / NBC News )
John Makely / NBC News
The names displayed at the memorial are grouped by attack at The National September 11 Memorial in New York.
By John Makely / NBC News - As night falls, the National September 11 Memorial takes on a whole different feeling. Crowds become sparse, construction ceases and the traffic of lower Manhattan seems to fade away. You are left with the sounds of cascading water and the rustling of trees. There is no better place to reflect on what happened on September 11, 2001, and the lives that were lost.
John Makely / NBC News
A couple pauses for a moment near the the south reflecting pool at the National September 11 Memorial in New York.
John Makely / NBC News
In the evening the names of those who died in the attacks are illuminated.
Jonathan Sanger / NBC News
Water cascades into the south reflecting pool.
John Makely / NBC News
The tridents, two relics of the destroyed towers, are seen through the glass enclosure that will be the entrance to the National September 11 Museum once it opens.

Related Links:

Testing the Tribute of Light in New York

One World Trade Center rises, providing breathtaking view of Manhattan

View a panoramic image of the National Sept. 11 Memorial before it opened in 2011

9/11 memorial to cost $60 million a year to operate

Anniversary of 9/11 marked under cloud of health problems, funding fights

Follow this link for information about tickets to the Memorial.
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42 comments
this beautiful!!!!!a beautiful memorial!!!!!!the pictures are perfect,especially the panoramic view!!!!!!!!!!!!god bless all invovled they will never be forgotten!god bless america!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xo
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Explore related topics: sept-11, world-trade-center, wtc, us-news, 9-11, ground-zero, featured, panoramic, rock-center
11
Apr
2012
2:07pm, EDT
One World Trade Center rises, providing breathtaking view of Manhattan

By John Makely, NBC News
A 180 degree composite panoramic image taken from the 69th floor of One World Trade Center the week that it rose above the Empire State building to the north.
John Makely / msnbc.com
One World Trade Center is illumated in the early morning hours as the building reaches 100 stories and rose higher than the Empire State Building.
John Makely / msnbc.com
One World Trade Center electrician Victor Rosario takes his lunch break at a window on the 35th floor overlooking the 9/11 Memorial.
John Makely / msnbc.com
Visitors pay their respects at the 9/11 memorial, as seen from the 35th floor of One World Trade Center.
John Makely / msnbc.com
Work continues on One World Trade Center as the building reached 100 stories and approached the height of the Empire State Building.
John Makely / msnbc.com
Work continues on One World Trade Center as the building reached 100 stories and approached the height of the Empire State Building.
One World Trade Center is well on its way to a planned 1,776 feet tall, reaching 100 stories this week. We were given the opportunity to spend some time on the site and Rock Center interviewed several construction workers who work there everyday. While many of us feel a sense of pride watching the massive structure grow on a daily basis, these workers are changing the skyline of New York and honoring those lost with every piece of steel.
Six years since construction began on 1 World Trade Center, the tower will soon surpass the height of the Empire State Building's roof. The iron workers placing and setting each beam in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks say they are building out of a "sense of necessity" and know that the tower, now soaring nearly 1300 feet, will help the nation and the iron workers themselves heal. Many of the workers building the tower helped clean the smoldering debris in the days after the terrorist attack. Harry Smith reports.
Related links:
9/11 firefighter : Pride in his heart, dust in his lungs
An illuminated view of the National 9/11 Memorial

106 comments
WOW!!!!!! Here's a big salute to the workers...SALUTE. It is great to see how Americans of every walk of life come together to bring back a symbol of FREEDOM to our country.
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Explore related topics: world-trade-center, wtc, us-news, 9-11, ground-zero, featured, panoramic, rock-center

Slideshow: Yemen in the spotlight