Geographical articles from August 2004

Geographical archives from August 2004

Reaching the wider public.(From The Editor)
August 1, 2004... I recently walked into one of those swanky bookshops in Piccadilly and asked if they had any books by the travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor. "Hardly any," came the reply. "You see, he's not popular and doesn't sell, so we don't really stock...

Food farce.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if the politics and money surrounding food production have overtaken common sense. It's not that long ago that we were swimming in milk lakes, and buried under grain and butter mountains. Aren't farmers paid...

A one-sided viewpoint.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I am an avid reader of your magazine, but your worrying trend in moving towards more political reporting as opposed to the ecological, zoological and pure geographical topics of a few years ago has disappointed me. Your article, The barriers to...

Anti-cork conspiracy.(Letter Of The Month)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... The article on the Iberian cork forests (Cork's tainted future, May 2004) was fascinating and motivating. I purchased a case of cork-stoppered wine from the RSPB, drank a glass, reflected and wrote an article for a column in the local newspaper...

Healthy living through guinea pig cuisine.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I've recently returned from a fascinating trip to Ecuador, where I was startled to learn of a government campaign to encourage the general public to eat more guinea pigs as a way to a more healthy diet. Guinea pigs are a traditional staple in...

Not so far out.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... The interview with Bear Grylls was most interesting (In conversation, June 2004). It must have been quite an experience for him, but seems to have taxed his ability to do maths, since there was no part of his crossing where he was 800...

Lost in the post.
August 1, 2004... The bark of this plant is the source of the first chemical compound to be successfully used to treat an infectious disease. Although indigenous to the Amazon basin, the tree is now widely cultivated for its commercial value, including in this...

The Spanish national newspaper MARCA has voted Pen Hadow the world's most professional adventure sportsman.(Spain)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Spanish national newspaper MARCA has voted Pen Hadow the world's most professional adventure sportsman. In 2003, he became the first person to walk from Canada to the North Pole without assistance, and within a year he became the first...

The National Maritime Museum has launched an appeal to raise money for a new planetarium and improved educational facilities at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.(UK)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The National Maritime Museum has launched an appeal to raise money for a new planetarium and improved educational facilities at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The project is "one of the most adventurous undertakings" in its 330-year history,...

Four academics in China, Switzerland and the UK have founded the Society for the Exploration of Eurasia in order to promote the exchange of ideas and experience and to support fieldwork in archaeology and the history of art and religion.(Eurasia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Four academics in China, Switzerland and the UK have founded the Society for the Exploration of Eurasia in order to promote the exchange of ideas and experience and to support fieldwork in archaeology and the history of art and religion. Its...

Whitley Gold Award for shark conservationist.(Worldwatch)(Randall Arauz)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A biologist from Costa Rica who is leading a campaign against shark finning has won this year's Whitley Gold Award, as well as its award for international conservation. Randall Arauz was recognised at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical...

Geographical editor wins top award.(Worldwatch)(Nick Smith)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Geographical's editor; Nick Smith, has won the PPA Independent Editor of the Year award, Smith, who took over the role in May 2003, was described by the judging panel as "the editor's editor." "I've worked closely with the RGS IBG to...

Alpine pines' upward march.(Worldwatch)(global warming cause expansion)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Ecologist at the University of Vienna are predicting that global warming will cause pine forests in the Alps to expand dramatically. Alpine tree lines are particularly sensitive to climate change, and warmer temperatures should see pines move...

Ice fish okay?(Worldwatch)(Antarctic fish withstand warmer water temperatures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... It appears that some cold-adapted Antarctic fish can survive at temperatures well above freezing, suggesting they could withstand the effects of global warming. A recent study demonstrated that Pagothenia borchgrevinki was able to tolerate...

Location of Library of Alexandria discovered.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A team of Polish and Egyptian archaeologists led by Zahi Hawass has found what appears to be the site of the Library of Alexandria, perhaps the world's first major seat of learning Hawass, the president of Egypt's Supreme Council of...

Amazing Maya find.(Worldwatch)(mask-like statues)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The discovery of two huge mask-like statues at a 2,000-year-old Maya site in the ancient city of Cival, in the Peten region of Guatemala, have led archaeologists to conclude that Maya culture was more advanced than was previously thought. ...

'Dolphin-friendly' tuna fishing could be killing thousands of dolphins by separating calves from their mothers, says hydrodynamics expert Daniel Weihs of the Israel Institute of Technology.(Israel)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... 'Dolphin-friendly' tuna fishing could be killing thousands of dolphins by separating calves from their mothers, says hydrodynamics expert Daniel Weihs of the Israel Institute of Technology A strong underwater attraction between parent and young...

WWF says that the global cod catch has dropped by 70 per cent in 30 years.(Global)(World Wildlife Fund )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WWF says that the global cod catch has dropped by 70 per cent in 30 years, and the species could disappear in 15 years if the trend continues

World's longest rivers.(Worldwatch)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... WORLD'S LONGEST RIVERS TOP length 10 (kilometres) 1 Nile 6,695 2 Amazon 6,516 3 Chang Jiang (Yangtze) 6,380...

British climber Alan Hinkes recently scaled the world's seventh-highest peak, Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres).(Nepal)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... NEPAL British climber Alan Hinkes recently scaled the world's seventh highest peak, Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres). He has reached the top of 13 of the 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres and now aims to climb the last, Mt Kangchenjunga (8,586...

Nearly 500 Chileans have written to the mining company Noranda asking it to abandon its plans to build an aluminium smelter and dam for a hydroelectric power station in central Patagonia.(Chile)
August 1, 2004... CHILE Nearly 500 Chileans have written to the mining company Noranda asking it to abandon its plans to build an aluminium smelter and dam for a hydroelectric power station in central Patagonia. The Alumysa project would produce 1.5 million...

Garden centres are trailing far behind DIY shops when it comes to phasing out the use of peat, says a survey commissioned by London's deputy mayor.(UK)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... UK Garden centres are trailing far behind DIY shops when it comes to phasing out the use of peat, says a survey commissioned by London's deputy mayor. B&Q came top of the table as "the only outlet making significant progress", and Marks and...

Al-Idrisi (1099-1166) Moroccan cartographer al-Idrisi oversaw the production of the most elaborate and systematic geographical work of the Middle Ages.(Late Great Geographers #46)(Biography)
August 1, 2004... What was his background? The Arab cartographer al-Idrisi was born in Ceuta, Morocco, in 1099 into a noble family that claimed a direct line of descent from the Prophet Mohammed. After studying in Cordoba, the capital of Islamic Spain, he...

20 years ago today ... Geographical Magazine, August 1984.(Worldwatch)
August 1, 2004... In this issue we visited the peaceful tropical island of New Britain, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The island's capital, Rabual, had a turbulent history, suffering Japanese occupation and heavy allied bombing during the Second World War....

After 15 years and three ballots, the world's leading geologists have named a new epoch.(Global)(Ediacaran period)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... GLOBAL After 15 years and three ballots, the world's leading geologists have named a new epoch. The Ediacaran period begins at the end of the last major ice age of the so-called Snowball Earth, or Cryogenian Period, and ends with the first...

In May, British rowers Sarah and Sally Kettle, a mother and daughter duo aged 45 and 26, crossed the Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Barbados in 106 days, raising money for the Fund for Epilepsy.(UK)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... UK In May, British rowers Sarah and Sally Kettle, a mother and daughter duo aged 45 and 26, crossed the Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Barbados in 106 days, raising money for The Fund for Epilepsy. In the process, they became the first...

August: with summer now in full swing, Helen Willets looks back at last year's record-breaking heat wave and explains its origins.(Weatherwatch)
August 1, 2004... I can just about remember the long, hot summer of 1976, and my first summer of forecasting was during the heatwave of 1995--both real scorchers. The summers in these years were warmer overall than August 2003, but it's last year's summer that...

British student wins UK's biggest prize.(Worldwatch)(St Andrews Prize for the Environment )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... UK British student Conrad Feather has won the US$30,000 St Andrews Prize for the Environment for his work with the remote Nahua tribe in the Amazon rainforest. Feather, 25, was recognised for his efforts to protect the Nahua's tribal territory...

Why do people fire guns in the air at weddings? And what happens to the bullets?(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ANSWER: Why limit it to weddings? Birthdays and the arrival of the New Year are also popular excuses for firing a few rounds into the sky. We've come to associate the habit with the Middle East, but that's mainly because of recent tragedies in...

Global population watch.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The world population at the time of going to press was according to: the United Nations 6,447,679,048 the CIA 6,389,545,841 the US Bureau of the Census 6,383,589,558

Where is Troy, and what evidence is there for there having been a war there?(Quizzical)
August 1, 2004... If you're heading off to see Brad Pitt in a skirt and sandals in the latest Hollywood historical epic but are curious about the real Troy, then read on as Chris Edwards tackles this and other topics by Geographical readers F Brown,...

Going for gold.(website wins award)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Our Geography in the News website has been awarded the Geographical Association's Gold Award. This is the association's top annual award and was presented by meteorologist Peter Gibb to education resources officer Jon Wolton to acknowledge the...

Grant deadlines.
August 1, 2004... Innovative Geography Teaching Grants: to help teachers develop their innovative ideas fur secondary school geography teaching (6 September 2004) British Airways Travel Bursaries: two awards of flee return flights fur post-graduates and...

Taking geography to the heart of the public debate.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... On 7 June, new facilities were launched at the RGS-IBG, allowing public access as well as enhanced educational access, to the Society's heritage collections via a new study centre and online resources. In his AGM address. Sir Neil Cossons,...

Exploring the Society's polar archive.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The unique collection of Antarctic material held in the RGS's polar archive is providing scientists with unique insights into the continent's environment and the impact of climate change. Early maps from the Scott and Shackleton expeditions...

Two major conferences taking place in August.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)
August 1, 2004... 16-20 August One Earth--Many Worlds The 30th Congress of the International Geographical Union (IGC-UK 2004) (GLASGOW) The 30th Congress of the International Geographical Union will take place at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in...

Join the society--get the magazine.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)
August 1, 2004... The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is a world centre for geographers and geographical learning dedicated to the development and promotion of knowledge together with its application to the challenges facing society and the environment....

The Society's medal and award winners, 2004: this year's RGS-IBG prize winners, who have been rewarded for their dedication and brilliance, represent the cream of the current geographical crop. Christian Amodeo introduces this August group.(In society: a round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)
August 1, 2004... Visitors to the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) headquarters in Kensington, are greeted not just by receptionist Margaret Sullivan, but by some of the most famous and important people in the organisation's 174-year history. Lining the...

The Middle East during the Great War: map of Arabia (showing zones of native rulers), 1917.(Map Of The Month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In September 1916, mid-way through the First World War, the Survey of Egypt, on behalf of the Arab Bureau, published a map of Arabia in black, grey-green (for seas) and blue (for rivers and wadis). The following April, the map was 'reprinted...

Antarctica's heritage under threat: Antarctica's historical huts, once thought to be perfectly preserved by the continent's cold, dry climate, are being eaten away by the powerful polar winds, as Bob Headland of the Scott Polar Research Institute explains.
August 1, 2004... We're currently in the middle of a period that marks numerous Antarctic centenaries, a hundred years having passed since the 'Heroic Age' of exploration was at its peak. While we can recreate the many expeditions that tried to open up the...

Water: an imminent global crisis.(Geographical dossier)
August 1, 2004... All over the world, there are signs that we're running out of water. Some of the world s largest and best known rivers--the Nile, the Yellow, the Indus, the Ganges, the Colorado and the Rio Grande--no longer reach the sea for part of the year....

Bleeding the Earth dry: although we only directly consume about 150 litres of water a day, the hidden cost of producing our food, clothing and other goods is creating a water crisis.(Geographical dossier)
August 1, 2004... Earth is the water planet. It contains an almost unimaginable 1.4 billion cubic kilometres of the stuff. However, more than 95 per cent of it is sea water that we can't drink and can't--except in a very limited number of local...

Conflict in the pipeline: misuse of water is poisoning fields and politics across the globe, leading many experts to predict that it won't be long before we witness the first water war.(Geographical dossier)
August 1, 2004... You wouldn't believe you were in a desert. Arid southern Pakistan contains the world's largest expanse of irrigated fields. But today, much of it is shiny white, with a coating that looks like snow. The white crust is salt, and it has made the...

Supplying demand: while everyone agrees that the world faces a water crisis, there is much less consensus about its nature. Is supply or demand the problem?(Geographical dossier)
August 1, 2004... As water shortages are beginning to worsen, engineers are planning a new generation of large dams. In 2003, at the World Water Forum in Kyoto, water ministers supported calls for a doubling in the planet's stock of large dams during the 21st...

Tales of a literary traveller: Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor DSO, OBE is widely considered to be our greatest living travel writer, and was knighted earlier this year for, as he put it, just writing a few books. Robin Hanbury-Tenison--who has known 'Paddy' for 50 years--explains why the great man's writing is as powerful and important today as it has ever been.
August 1, 2004... Patrick Leigh Fermor is a unique mixture of hero, historian, traveller and writer: the last and the greatest of a generation whose like we won't see again. Bringing the landscape alive as no other writer can, he uses his profound and eclectic...

Out of the classroom and into the Andes: in an effort to rekindle his passion for the physical world, geography teacher Peter Lewis swaps an inner-city school in Birmingham for the Chilean Andes.
August 1, 2004... The sun has only just risen, but already I can feel its warmth. A white-sand beach curves away into the distance, a solitary set of footprints crossing it to the azure sea and back. There is no human sound--no voices, no cars, no boats, no...

The wonder plant with an uncertain future: more than a billion people rely on bamboo for either their shelter or income, while many endangered species depend on it for their survival. Despite its apparent abundance, a new report says that many species of bamboo may be under serious threat.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2004... Every year, during the rainy season, the mountain gorillas of Central Africa migrate to the foothills and lower slopes of the Virunga Mountains to graze on bamboo. For the 650 or so that remain in the wild, it's a vital food source. Although...

A brush with the Middle East: in September 2002, a group of young British artists set off on a year-long trip through the Middle East, hoping to discover the reality of a region maligned by the Western media. Christian Amodeo hears of their visit to Baghdad just weeks after Saddam's fall from power and how the trip changed their views.
August 1, 2004... The burly GI was talking to three Iraqis at the gates of the barracks in the morning sunlight when he suddenly noticed someone creeping around a nearby tank. "Get that guy! Get that guy!" he barked at his colleagues, pointing at Al Braithwaite....

In conversation with a media nomad: BBC world affairs editor John Simpson has reported from more than 100 countries, from 30 war zones and interviewed numerous world leaders. Miranda Haines turns the tables on him.(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Approaching John Simpson's smart white-stuccoed house, nestled behind the Kings Road and overlooking a blooming and groomed private garden square, is a somewhat disorientating experience. Accustomed as we are to seeing the BBC's world affairs...

Wild horses return to the Mongolian steppe: more than 30 years after the true wild horses disappeared from the Mongolian steppe, Jo Eede reports on a conservation initiative that aims to reintroduce a viable population into its natural environment.(Przewalski's horse)
August 1, 2004... On a cold morning in October 2003, I left Khovd, a small town in western Mongolia, and headed towards the Gobi Desert in an old Russian Jeep. It was a nail-biting ride. We steered erratically away from oncoming trucks--horns blaring, white dust...

Historical horses: until relatively recently, the horse has played a significant role in the everyday lives of people across the world, Octavia Lamb explores the horse's place in history with a series of images from the archives of the RGS-IBG.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The dog may be man's best friend, but the horse is his most useful. Without it, the development of human society would probably have taken a different course. Although horses first evolved around 55 million years ago, humans first came into...

Josiah the Great: the True Story of the Man Who Would be King.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would be King by Ben Macintyre, Harper Collins, hb, pp384, 20 [pounds sterling] The US writer Louisa May Alcott coined the phrase 'stranger in a strange land'; her compatriot, Josiah Harlan,...

Olympics in Athens.(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Olympics in Athens by Michael Llewellyn Smith, Profile, hb, pp288, 16.99 [pounds sterling] From 13 August, the eyes of the world will be focused on Athens, as it hosts the 28th Olympiad of the modern era. It will be a truly momentous...

Invisible Worlds: Exploring the Unseen.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Invisible Worlds: Exploring the Unseen by Piers Bizony, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, hb, pp232, 20 [pounds sterling] Ever wondered what the world would look like if our eyes could see more than just light? In this collection of stunning images,...

Sebastiao Salgado: an Uncertain Grace.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Sebastiao Salgado: An Uncertain Grace Thames and Hudson, pb, pp156, 18.95 [pounds sterling] Legendary photographer Sebastiao Salgado's evocative collection, which first appeared in 1990, is finally available in paperback. Its 129...

In Search of HV Morton.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... In Search of HV Morton by Michael Bartholomew Methuen, hb, pp248, 18.99 [pounds sterling] Before recounting your travels, first construct your character--this rule, still in force, is one that HV Morton, author of 1927 classic In Search of...

Lost China: the Photographs of Leone Nani.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Lost China: The Photographs of Leone Nani by Clara Bulfoni and Anna Pozzi, Skira Editore, hb, pp224, 33 [pounds sterling] In 1914, 23-year-old Italian Catholic missionary Father Leone Nani travelled to China at the behest of the Pontifical...

White Gold.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... White Gold by Giles Milton Hodder & Stoughton, hb, pp316, 18.99 [pounds sterling] Even in the current climate, fears of Islamic raids on Ilfracombe and Plymouth would be stretching it. But during the early 17th century, such raids were a...

The 8.55 to Baghdad.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... The 8.55 to Baghdad by Andrew Eames Bantam Press, hb, pp289, 15 [pounds sterling] Agatha Christie is famous as the doyenne of the murder mystery, but her real-life Middle Eastern adventures are less well known. Following the collapse of...

Letters of Transit.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Letters of Transit by Matthew Stevenson Sinclair-Stevenson, hb, pp392, 20 [pounds sterling] A New York exile living in Switzerland, Matthew Stevenson covers a broad sweep of subjects in this collection of his essays. Several are linked and...

Dictionary of Environment and Ecology: Fifth edition.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Dictionary of Environment and Ecology: Fifth edition Bloomsbury, pb, pp264, 9.99 [pounds sterling] Updated to include recent technological developments and changes in terminology, the fifth edition of this dictionary is a valiant attempt...

The Dust of Empire: the Race for Supremacy in the Asian Heartland.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... The Dust of Empire: The Race for Supremacy in the Asian Heartland by Karl Meyer Abacus, pb, pp287, 12.99 [pounds sterling] The USA now has an unprecedented reach in the world, but it seems to be exercising its extraordinary power with scant...

My Family and Other Animals.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell First published in 1956. Most recent edition published by Penguin, pb, pp288, 7.99 [pounds sterling] When My Family and Other Animals first appeared in 1956,the Sunday Times reviewer called it...

Westminster Abbey.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Westminster Abbey by Richard Jenkyns, Profile Books, hb, pp218, 15.99 [pounds sterling] When the 11-year-old Princess Elizabeth attended the coronation of her father, King George VI, she noted that she "thought it all very, very wonderful...

Against Extinction.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Against Extinction by William M Adams Earthscan, pb, pp311, 16.95 [pounds sterling] While conservation has had many successes, as William M Adams makes clear in this history of the movement, we're still just scratching the surface. Today,...

Geographical travel: this month we catch up on the latest travel news and speak to David Price Williams of Temple World Travel, a company that offers holidays to locations of historical and geographical interest.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... RIVER NILE, ASWAN, EGYPT Under the merciless midday sun, a rowing boat ferries its cargo across the mighty River Nile, overlooked by the towering dunes of the Sahara. At almost 6,700 kilometres, the Nile is the world's longest river. Its...

Operators pledge support for sustainable tourism.(travel news)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Following considerable public pressure, three major travel companies have promised to publish sustainable-tourism policies within the next year. In March, responsibletravel.com launched the 'Had Enough?' campaign, which targeted key...

Whales worth their weight in gold.(travel news)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A recent study has clearly demonstrated the value of whale watching to tourism. Between February and May, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) monitored Australia's whale watching industry. The country currently attracts an...

One traveller's vision.(Tourism Concern)(Alison Crowther improves working conditions of Peruvian porters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Over the years, Tourism Concern has received many accounts from travellers who've witnessed the problems that tourism can cause, from habitat destruction to cultural insensitivity and human-rights abuses. Typical are the trekkers who've...

Transit passengers stopping over for more than seven hours at CKS International Airport in Taiwan are being offered a complimentary half-day tour of Taipei.(Taiwan)
August 1, 2004... Transit passengers stopping over for more than seven hours at CKS International Airport in Taiwan are being offered a complimentary half-day tour of Taipei. The airport has also introduced a new 'tourist passport' that gives international...

Fancy paddling with penguins or exploring an underwater ice cave.(Antarctica)
August 1, 2004... Fancy paddling with penguins or exploring an underwater ice cave? Quark Expeditions 12-day Classic Antarctica Adventure voyages offer scuba diving and sea kayaking for a limited number Of passengers Triple rates start at US$4,295 per person....

David Price Williams worked as an archaeologist in the Near East, Southern Africa and India before setting up Temple World Travel, a company that offers field-trip-style holidays to locations of historical and geographical interest. Ananyo Bhattacharya speaks to him about the company's origins and how he became involved in the search for Santa Claus.(Travel For A Living)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... What first drew you to the Near East and Africa? My first degree is in ancient Near Eastern languages, so I was familiar with the area by proxy. I was especially interested in the Hellenistic world of the Near East after Alexander. When...

Mark Kurlansky is the best-selling author of Cod, Salt and The Basque History of the World. He talks to Nick Smith about these and his new book, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World.(In Conversation)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Why did you choose to write about 1968? Because it was a unique year in history. It was the bloodiest year of the Vietnam war, the height of the Yemeni civil war and the beginning of Yasser Arafat in the Middle Fast. It was a year of...