explore: Specials

Every year, an estimated 1,000 polar bears linger outside the small Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over. For a second year, explore.org will provide a front row view of the annual migration, streamed live online at explore.org/polarbears. explore.org hopes to turn non-stop live coverage of the migration season into a global event people use to measure the health of the planet and mark the true coming of winter in one of earth?s most precious bellwether ecosystems.

[Update 16] When Mike's friends take him for a spin on his boat, it's difficult for him to come to grips with the fact that his friends have to carry him onto it. Yet Mike finds peace being on the water, and begins to think positive about his situation.

[Update 13] After weeks at the Rehab of the Pacific, Mike is given a pass to go back home and spend the day at the local pool with his daughter, inspiring him to keep working hard in his rehabilitation. His physical therapist drops by the house to retrofit it, and though the reality of disabled living hits him hard, Mike's happy that it will bring him closer to returning to his family.

Charlie Annenberg and explore.org have opened a window to the wild with an initiative called Pearls of the Planet. High definition cameras broadcast everything from Alaskan brown bears to Maine ospreys to pandas in Ya'an, China, live online at explore.org. Here are some of the stories behind these incredible portals into nature, and a look at the people who have made Pearls of the Planet a reality.

[Update 12] After almost two months of being away from the water, Mike finally gets into a pool at the Rehab of the Pacific. He's excited to swim again, but is quick to realize that his path to recovery may be harder than he had ever anticipated.

[Update 11] Mike finally arrives on the islands for more treatment for his spinal cord injury. Mike is encouraged that this new rehab will give him the tools to possibly walk again.

[Update 10] The long-anticipated moment has arrived as Mike prepares to return to Hawaii. He's nervous about the journey but excited to be in a facility with a pool, and hopefully swim again.

[Update 9] In this episode of Mike Prickett's Reel Life, Mike gets a visit from a good friend who teaches him how to play the ukulele to pass the time. From Tahiti, to San Diego, and now to Palm Springs, music has given Mike the inspiration and hope that he will one day get better.

[Update 8] This week on Mike Prickett's Reel Life, Mike continues to fight towards mobility. Even if it means taking twenty minutes to walk twenty feet, his daily visits to the duck pond and physical therapy propel him in his beginning steps towards recovery.

[Update 7] In this weeks episode, Mike arrives in Palm Springs at the Eisenhower Hospital. Excited about his new change of location, Mike finds inspiration to film again at a small duck pond.

[Update 6] UCSD Hospital has done all it can for Mike. Palms Springs is the next step for Mike to continue on his road to recovery.

[Update 5] After much anticipation and hope, Mike goes to his first rehab session in San Diego in hopes to take his first steps towards walking.

Marine Sergeant Christian Ellis was a machine gunner in Fallujah, Iraq. His platoon was ambushed, leaving him with a broken back, and one of just a few survivors. He returned home to join the more than 2.2 million Americans currently suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Friend and philanthropist Charles Annenberg Weingarten challenged Christian to transform his experiences into a work of art that could heal and inspire. The result is the City Opera of Vancouver's Fallujah, the first opera about the Iraq War and PTSD.

[Update 4] Mike arrives in San Diego and reunites with his family. After a long painful flight from Tahiti, Mike arrives in California in hopes to have more answers about his injury.

[Update 3] During a visit from Baptiste Gossein, a former pro surfer and friend who is paralyzed from a surfing accident, Mike shares a very real conversation about a possible life without his legs. Reality sets in, and Mike begins to question if life is worth living.