Geographical articles from February 2006

Geographical archives from February 2006

Animals leading the way.(FROM THE EDITOR)
February 1, 2006... This month, there seems to be a slightly heavier bias than usual towards animal stories: we have the cover feature about the leopards of Sanjay Ghandi National Park in Mumbai, which are attacking the local human population (page 42); there are...

Last year, 67,000 archaeological objects were found and recorded under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a voluntary programme that logs archaeological objects found by the public.(UK)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Last year, 67,000 archaeological objects were found and recorded under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a voluntary programme that logs archaeological objects found by the public. Of the items recorded, 425 were classified as treasure,...

Alastair Humphreys has completed his solo around-the-world charity bike ride, having cycled 45,000 miles (72,418 kilometres) through 50 countries and across five continents.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Alastair Humphreys has completed his solo around-the-world charity bike ride, having cycled 45,000 miles (72,418 kilometres) through 50 countries and across five continents. The 28-year old, who travelled the length of Africa, the Americas and...

WWF researchers have discovered--and photographed--what they think might be a creature new to science in the dense central forests of Borneo.(BORNEO)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... WWF researchers have discovered--and photographed--what they think might be a creature new to science in the dense central forests of Borneo. A mammal slightly larger than a domestic cat with dark red fur and a long, bushy tail, it was...

US laboratory unveils computer for all.(Worldwatch)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... First came the wind-up radio, courtesy of Trevor Baylis. Now researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab have come up with a crank-powered, inexpensive computer to facilitate the education of children in the...

Company law change offers opportunity.(Worldwatch)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... British law should hold British companies to account for 'crimes' they commit overseas, says Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth. "We can't expect corporations that are legally required to make profits for their shareholders to act...

Blast from the past.(Worldwatch)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... This is the Crab Nebula in Taurus, some 6,500 light-years away from Earth, a six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion, which Japanese and Chinese astronomers witnessed nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054. This new Hubble...

UK's warm current showing signs of weakening.(Worldwatch)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The Atlantic Conveyor current, which brings warm weather to Britain, has slowed by a third in the past 12 years, say scientists from Southampton working on the Rapid research project, which monitors 22 buoys at varying depth in the Atlantic...

The Fuchs Foundation is recruiting geography and science teachers for a unique eight-week expedition to Antarctica in 2007-08 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition and the International Polar Year.
February 1, 2006... The Fuchs Foundation is recruiting geography and science teachers for a unique eight week expedition to Antarctica in 2007-08 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition and the International Polar Year....

BP, the world's second largest listed oil firm, has established BP Alternative Energy.(UK)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... BP, the world's second largest listed oil firm, has established BP Alternative Energy, in which it will invest US$1.8 billion over the next three years in wind, solar, hydrogen and high efficiency gas fired energy generation projects.

Indian textiles magnate and aviation enthusiast Vijaypat Singhania has broken the world record for the highest balloon flight with a British-made, 30-storey-high balloon that carries a pressurised capsule.(INDIA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Indian textiles magnate and aviation enthusiast Vijaypat Singhania has broken the world record for the highest balloon flight with a British-made, 30-storey-high balloon that carries a pressurised capsule. Singhania took off from Mumbai and...

Top 10 largest cities.(WORLDWATCH)(Table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... TOP 10 Largest cities Population in million, 2003 1 Tokyo, Japan 35.0 2 Mexico City, Mexico 18.7 3 New York, USA 18.3 4 Sao Paulo, Brazil 17.9 5 Mumbai, India 17.4...

Calls for an end to gas flaring.(Worldwatch)(Tony Juniper)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper has renewed calls for a halt to the internationally outlawed and wasteful burning of associated gas, mixed in with extracted oil deposits, in the Niger Delta. Shell says that it has spent "some...

Francis Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958) was an explorer, botanist, author and photographer who spent his life travelling through Tibet, China, Burma and India hunting for new plant species and collecting specimens.(Worldwatch)(Biography)
February 1, 2006... What was his background? Francis Kingdon-Ward was born in Manchester on 6 November 1885 to Selina Mary Kingdon and Harry Marshall Ward, professor of botany at the University of Cambridge. Like his father, Kingdon-Ward showed a natural...

Sea kayakers set South Georgia records.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Three New Zealanders have become the first to circumnavigate South Georgia by sea kayak. Then, in December, a month after the Adventure Philosophy team of Graham Charles, Mark Jones and Marcus Waters made their successful attempt, a four person...

Brazil gets ready for carnival climate.(WORLDWATCH)
February 1, 2006... February is carnival time in Rio and, deep in the midst of a British winter, it's difficult not to be envious of those enjoying the warmth of Brazil's party atmosphere. But Brazil is a huge country, larger than the USA; in terms of climate,...

50 years ago today Geographical February 1956.(WORLDWATCH)
February 1, 2006... In a slightly spooky coincidence, the February 1956 issue of Geographical featured a story by renowned plant collector Francis Kingdon-Ward, this month's Late Great Geographer and the subject of this month's Archive collection. ...

FARM-Africa.(Geographical Organisations of Note)
February 1, 2006... What does FARM-Africa do? Founded in 1985, FARM-Africa helps rural communities to supplement their skills and experience with research and assists them with building links to the wider world. It works in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and...

Geographical flags of the world: Qatar.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Description: Maroon with a broad white serrated band, making nine white points on the hoist side. The width-to-length ratio is an unusual 11:28. History: The flag of Qatar was originally plain red and remained so until around 1860, when...

Cyanide threat to desert reserve: after the news of the benzene poisoning of water supplies to the northern city of Harbin comes another worrying report on the state of China's environment. A large cache of cyanide--enough to poison the water supply of an entire country--has been discovered inside a national park.(NEWS EXCLUSIVE)
February 1, 2006... EVIDENCE OF ILLEGAL gold extraction using deadly potassium cyanide has been discovered inside China's vast Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve in the Gashun Gobi desert, Xinjiang Province, by the explorer who helped establish the reserve...

How many places have part-hour time zones?(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A Bell, Shrewsbury Seven countries currently use so-called offset time zones--zones that aren't aligned on hourly boundaries. Australia arguably has the most complex system, and it's regularly debated in the country's parliament. The...

Who makes the decisions when it comes to changing the names of cities such as Bombay and Peking?(Permanent Committee on Geographical Names )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... P Mackintosh, Anglesea You can still call Bombay by its old colonial name if you want to. But the government of India prefers the name Mumbai and so does Geographical. In the UK, there isn't a committee that enforces the use of...

How many aeroplanes are in the air at any one time?(Q&A)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... M Hunt, Stourbridge The number of passengers taking flights grew by eight per cent between 2004 and 2005. And that's just people. Cargo transport is rising as more and more exotic fruit and vegetables are flown in for Western supermarkets....

Why does the image in a theodolite's viewfinder appear upside-down?(Q&A)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... G Chisholm, Portsmouth A theodolite is effectively a mounted telescope that lets the user determine, with very high accuracy, the horizontal and vertical angles of the telescope when it's pointed at a target. As in other telescopes, the...

Why does the border between Argentina and Chile move to the east just north of Tierra del Fuego?(Q&A)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... R Steine, London Even though European colonists attempted to build settlements in Argentina and Chile from the 16th century onwards, neither country took much interest in the large island at the southern tip of South America until the late...

Corporate support.
February 1, 2006... Ordinance Survey has recently agreed to continue its support for the Society's activities for a further three years. The RGS-IBG and Ordinance Survey share a common interest in geography and the development and application of geographical...

New research.(rainforests)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Recent editions of the Society's journals have contained some interesting new research findings. In the Transactions, Mark Maslin and Yadvinder Malhi of University College London and the University of Oxford respectively, explain how the Amazon...

Society lectures take to the road.(In Society: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... EDITORIAL: Over the past four years, the RGS-IBG has taken some of its most popular London speakers and sent them on tour to theatre venues around the UK. The Regional Theatres Programme forms part of the Society's attempts to promote a popular...

Lecture of the month: walking with nomads.(IN SOCIETY: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Chris Brown)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... 13 February. 6.30pm (LECTURE, LONDON) Last November, young photographer Chris Brown won the Journey of a Lifetime award to walk with nomads in northern India and record his experiences for a BBC Radio 4 documentary. In his lecture, Chris...

Shining a light on exploration's hidden history.(IN SOCIETY: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)(Hidden Histories of Exploration)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... In January, the Society launched a new Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project called Hidden Histories of Exploration, which will investigate the contributions of people from Asia and Africa to British exploration. Developed in...

A selection of February's other society events.(IN SOCIETY: A round-up of news, views and recent and forthcoming events at the RGS-IBG)
February 1, 2006... For details, please contact the Events Office on 020 7591 3100 2 February, 7.30pm Volcanic Montserrat (LECTURE LEICESTER) David Edwards recounts his experiences of eruption, evacuation and disruption on the Caribbean island of...

Support for a study of support: with HIV/AIDS once more in the spotlight following the recent release of the latest report from UNAIDS, RGS-IBG grants officer Greg Dow discusses a society-supported project looking at the care of sufferers in Botswana.(GRANTS NEWS)
February 1, 2006... As reported in last month's Geographical Dossier, HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest health threats facing the world today. Forty million people globally have been diagnosed as HIV+, and in 2004, 3.1 million people died of AIDS. Africa has...

Research grants.
February 1, 2006... This March, the Society will be awarding two of its most senior grants for postdoctoral research teams: the Gilchrist Fieldwork Award and the Peter Fleming Award. This year, the Gilchrist Fieldwork Award, a long-running biennial award run in...

Grant deadlines.(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... 25 JANUARY Geographical Fieldwork Grants: up to 3,000 [pounds sterling] and the Society's approval for teams undertaking fieldwork or an expedition 25 JANUARY Henrietta Hutton Research Grants: two awards of 500 [pounds sterling] for female...

Royal geographical society with IBG: advancing geography and geographical learning.(MAP OF THE MONTH)
February 1, 2006... Patron Her Majesty The Queen Honorary President HRH The Duke of Kent The Council President Sir Neil Cossons OBE Vice Presidents Elspeth Insch OBE, Professor Sarah Metcalfe, Professor Keith Richards Honorary Treasurer...

Targeted for destruction: Nachtkarte Southampton (1941).(MAP OF THE MONTH)
February 1, 2006... This Nachtkarte Southampton of 7 July 1941 is one of several of this type of map produced during the Second World War for the night operations of the Luftwaffe (Germany's air force). This particular chart was printed on white paper, while...

Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition 2006.
February 1, 2006... CLOSING DATE MONDAY 10 APRIL 2006 Now into its sixth year, the Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition is all about promoting geography in such a way as to inspire and encourage the next generation of geographers, travellers...

Plant patterns from the air.(AERIAL AGRICULTURE)
February 1, 2006... EUROPE Hovering over vineyards in the Rhone, peat fields in Geneva and walnut trees in Grenoble, biologist, landscape architect and photographer Olivier Lassere spent several months putting together a visual record of agriculture as seen from...

Eleventh hour for Ethiopia: best-selling author Philip Marsden argues that Ethiopia must wean itself off international aid and its own campaign-led development strategy and build a sustainable future based on grass-roots micro-finance schemes that take into account the country's enormous diversity.(DEVELOPMENT)
February 1, 2006... IT WAS LATE afternoon. The sun was cooling, spreading its yellowy light over an area of open terraces. On the first day of a two-month walk through the northern highlands of Ethiopia, I was full of anxious expectation. But the path looked fiat...

Man-eaters of Mumbai.(MUMBAI'S LEOPARDS)(Cover story)
February 1, 2006... * 50 PEOPLE KILLED SINCE 2000 * 23 LEOPARDS CAUGHT ROAMING THE CITY * WORLD'S HIGHEST LEOPARD DENSITY It sounds like a film pitch for the nearby Bollywood movie industry. The leopards of Mumbai's Sanjay Ghandi National Park have...

Carry on kayaking: since the summer of 1999, Jon Bowermaster has been paddling his way around the world in a sea kayak. With only two legs left before he completes his odyssey, he talks to Jo Sargent about the journey so far and the changing state of the world's oceans.(GEOPEOPLE: JON BOWERMASTER)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... The water was about 1[degrees]C or 2[degrees]C. If we flipped and came out of the boat, we figured we had about ten minutes to live." US explorer Jon Bowermaster pauses for a moment to reflect on the dangers he faced while paddling through the...

Roaming with reindeer: joining the indigenous Sami reindeer herders for their 110-kilometre annual migration, author Robert Nurden became one of the few outsiders to experience this gruelling and dangerous journey into Norway's frozen north.(REINDEER MIGRATION)
February 1, 2006... The aurora swirls above us as we watch the distant grey shapes of the reindeer trudge in single file through the deep, sucking snow. Lars Mathis Gaup, the herdsman, indicates with a perfunctory wave that he wants the snowmobile engines turned...

The great brain robbery: education has long been seen as one of the key strategies for reducing poverty in the developing world. But skills shortages in the West have led to increasing numbers of tertiary-educated workers being lured away from their home nations by the promise of higher pay and better conditions--the so-called brain drain. But is this the simple act of exploitation that it appears?(Geographical dossier/BRAIN DRAIN)
February 1, 2006... IN THE PAST ten years, an increasing imbalance has emerged in the global distribution of knowledge and skills. A few rich countries have sought to maintain their elite status by systematically draining the developing world of its human capital....

Breaking away from the day job: with employers offering less in the way of long-term security, more of us are ditching the long-term loyalty in favour of a career break. Tom Chesshyre discusses why we're dropping out in ever increasing numbers.(TRAVEL MATTERS)
February 1, 2006... The man cycling to work on his bicycle looks glum, verging on despondent. He opens the door to his office. "Morning," he says feebly. "Morning, morning, morning," respond a chorus of weary co-workers. He sits at his computer--click, click,...

Portfolio of a plant hunter.(GEOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE)(Photograph)
February 1, 2006... Explorer, botanist and photographer Francis Kingdon-Ward spent his life travelling across Asia, gathering seeds and plant cuttings for esteemed collectors such as the Natural History Museum and Kew gardens. His finds, which ranged from Burmese...

Famous last words from a frozen land.(Journals: Captain Scott's Last Expedition)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Journals: Captain Scott's Last Expedition by Robert Falcon Scott, edited by Max Jones Oxford University Press, hb, pp529, 14.99 [pounds sterling] If there's no sadder publication than a posthumous first volume of verse, there's none more...

Memories of Cardiff.(The Burning Ashes of Time: From Steamer Point to Tiger Bay)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... The Burning Ashes of Time: From Steamer Point to Tiger Bay by Patricia Aithie Seren, pb, pp206, 9,99 [pounds sterling] The coal fuelled Industrial Revolution powered the British Empire and drew mostly young men from all corners of that...

It's a small world after all.(The Smaller Majority)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... The Smaller Majority by Piotr Naskrecki Harvard University Press, hb, pp278, 21.95 [pounds sterling] Flick through the latest animal-related coffee-table offerings in your local bookshop and you could be forgiven for thinking that the...

Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator by Edward Whymper Ripping Yarns.com, hb, pp392, 22.95 [pounds sterling] The travel books of the 19th century are far more data-heavy than their modern counterparts; weights and measures are...

A not-so-different view of the planet.(Above the World: Stunning Satellite Images from above Earth)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Above the World: Stunning Satellite Images from above Earth Cassell Illustrated, hb, pp287, 30 [pounds sterling] The images provided by the multi-billion dollar, cutting-edge technology used by geographers and scientists continues to be...

Born Adventurer: The Life of Frank Bickerton.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Born Adventurer: The Life of Frank Bickerton by Stephen Haddelsey Sutton Publishing, hb, pp255, 20 [pounds sterling] Some larger-than-life characters enter legend; others enter literature--the model for at least three fictional explorers,...

Along the Ganges.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Along the Ganges by Ilija Trojanow Armchair Traveller, hb, pp160, 12.99 [pounds sterling] In 2001, Ilija Trojanow travelled the length of the Ganges, intent on gleaning a sense of its spiritual importance, but also keen to see how the...

Sahib: The British Soldier in India, 1750-1914.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Sahib: The British Soldier in India, 1750-1914 by Richard Holmes Harper Collins, hb, 572pp, 20 [pounds sterling] In Sahib, Richard Holmes, arguably our finest military historian, brings to life the history of British colonialism in...

Paperback round-up.(Climbing the Equator)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... This month's paperbacks are a mixed bunch. First up is a classic tale of exploration. In Climbing the Equator, Neville Shulman recounts his adventures in the jungles and mountains of Ecuador, along with his visit to the Galapagos Islands....

Top 10 writer's reads.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... 1. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (Everyman's Library, 9.09 [pounds sterling]) Who but Mann could make 700+ pages set in o Swiss sanitarium so completely enthralling? 2. The Rescue by Joseph Conrad (Indypublish.com, US, 17.99 [pounds...

Unfolding History: Great Monuments of the Ancient World.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Unfolding History: Great Monuments of the Ancient World by Henri Stierlin Thames & Hudson, hb, pp188, 19.95 [pounds sterling] If this book, the first instalment in Thames & Hudson's new Unfolding History series, is any indication of the...

Geographical classic #27.(First Footsteps in East Africa)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... First Footsteps in East Africa by Richard Burton First published 1856. Most recent edition published by Dover Publications, pb, pp544, 11.95 [pounds sterling] Sir Richard Burton was a most atypical Victorian. Eccentric, scandal-prone,...

A visual and intellectual feast.(Hungry Planet: What the World Eats)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio Ten Speed Press, hb, pp287, 28 [pounds sterling] The idea behind Hungry Planet is so simple yet so brilliant that it's a wonder no-one has struck upon it before....

Antiquity and Photography Early Views of Ancient Mediterranean Sites.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Antiquity and Photography Early Views of Ancient Mediterranean Sites by Claire L Lyons et al. Thames & Hudson, hb, pp226, 36 [pounds sterling] Geographical readers who enjoy the Archive feature will find plenty to mull over in this...

Bagpipes in Babylon: A Lifetime in the Arab World and Beyond.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Bagpipes in Babylon: A Lifetime in the Arab World and beyond by Glencairn Balfour Paul Tauris, hb, pp320, 20 [pounds sterling] It was the novelist Robert who of Glencairn Balfour Paul that it was "clever of him to go through most of his...

Cold-weather clothing: keep yourself warm and toasty out in the field this winter with Paul Deegan's guide to all manner of cold-weather gear.
February 1, 2006... During the mid-1990s, I received five weeks' notice to join an expedition to Mount Everest. Thirty-five days isn't a great deal of time in which to acquire all of the necessary kit for an attempt on the world's highest mountain, especially the...

Ten of the best: your shivering days are over. You'll find everything you need to keep the cold at bay in our regular selection of some of the best products currently available.
February 1, 2006... [1] For high altitude PHD Xero Down Suit 500 [pounds sterling]/1.7 kilograms One of the most practical one-piece 8,000-metre down suits available. With six pockets and internal braces Reinforced in key wear areas [2] For...

Hands-free SOS.
February 1, 2006... Gerber's new Meridian head torch boasts three differently coloured LEDs. The main one-watt, white LED has an amazing brightness of 30 lumens and an effective range of 15 metres. However, it's the smaller green light (for map reading) and red...

Guide to survive.
February 1, 2006... Offering advice on any number of potential disaster scenarios, from plane crashes to volcanic eruptions, Rough Guides' new pocket-sized travel survival guide (7.99 pounds sterling]) might just help you come back safe and sound from your next...

Digital revolution means more adventure filmmakers.(GEAR ESSENTIALS)
February 1, 2006... Smaller and more affordable broadcast-quality movie cameras have prompted a rise in the number of amateur adventure filmmakers, according to one of the UK's leading experts. "We're seeing a growing interest in adventure filmmaking driven by...

Join the jetstream.(GEAR ESSENTIALS)
February 1, 2006... At this time of year, outerwear tend to be heavy and well insulated. But Montane's Jetstream jacket (60 [pounds sterling]) is still worth a look--if only because it offers a chance to fondly recall days when one can get away with wearing such a...

On form for women.(GEAR ESSENTIALS)
February 1, 2006... Merrill is introducing its recently patented Q Form design which takes into account the difference of a woman's stride compared to that of a man--across all of its women's footwear for the forthcoming spring 2006 season. The Q-angle is the...

Travellers diarrhoea: medical advice from Jason Gibbs, head pharmacist at Nomad Travel stores and health clinics.
February 1, 2006... Part one: causes Up to 50 per cent of travellers from the West visiting developing countries will suffer from a bout of travellers diarrhoea (TD), which translates into approximately seven million individuals being affected every year....

Explorer's essentials: Jon Bowermaster, globe-trotting sea-kayaker.
February 1, 2006... Depending on the season, staying warm and dry when we're off the water is key to happy paddling. Mountain Hardwear's single wall Airjet 2 tents are super light, simple to set up and excellent in wet and windy conditions The company's Phantom...

Culture smart!(The Geographical Good Guide)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? Published by Kuperard, these pocket-sized books cover the customs of a destination's inhabitants. The aim is for readers to get the most from a trip (and avoid causing offence or suffering culture shock) by giving the...

An eye for architecture: many of the world's great monuments have become visual cliches, but with help from Keith Wilson, you'll soon be looking at, and shooting, them with a new eye.(Geophoto)
February 1, 2006... Many of the world's historic buildings were commissioned by the rulers of the day, who sought a lasting monument to their memory. In the case of the pyramids at Giza, they also fulfilled a religious undertaking, and with the Taj Mahal, we have...

Spotted lions spotted?(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... During the late 1950s, my father was a forestry officer in Kenya. We lived in an area known as North Kinangop in the shadow of the Aberdare Mountain range. I was as passionate about wildlife and wild places then as I am now. Unfortunately, I...

Lost in the post.
February 1, 2006... These bell-like flowers come from temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including the grasslands of the country from which this stamp originates, where the plant that bears them is a protected species. Once part of the Turkish Ottoman...

Left wanting more.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... What a fascinating article on John Duncan (Scotland's forgotten explorer, November 2005). Derek O'Connor should be congratulated for bringing to our attention the neglected achievements of an adventurous man. Amazon warriors, slave traders and...

Insurance in a war zone?(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... Further to your recent correspondence regarding worldwide travel insurance, like BD Yates from Harpenden (Mailbag, December 2005), I too have combed my policy document for references to it being voided should the Foreign and Commonwealth Office...

Wonders of the world: been there done that, got the T-shirt.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... While I was interested in Tom Chesshyre's somewhat complicated psychoanalysis of people who indulge in so-called 'historical travel' (Time travel, December 2005), I could have saved him a load of time and trouble. Over the years, I've dragged...

Spirit of the age.(Cartoon)
February 1, 2006... IT'S FROM THE 217TH WONDER OF THE WORLD! I'VE CLIMBED MENDID MOUND

Christian Amodeo in conversation with ... David de Rothschild.(Interview)
February 1, 2006... David de Rothschild completed a coast to coast traverse of the Antarctic continent in 2005. The 27-year-old's experiences in the frozen south inspired him to establish Adventure Ecology, an educational initiative aimed at schoolchildren that...