Monthly Archives: July 2022

The bitter truth behind Madagascar’s roaring vanilla trade How did hunger for the humble pod lead to greed, crime and riches? Wendell Steavenson travels to Madagascar to meet the new spice barons Apr 29th 2019  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC By Wendell Steavenson … Continue reading →

A family member adjusts glasses worn by Tappang Rara, who died in 2006 at age 65. When Death Doesn’t Mean Goodbye In a remote corner of Indonesia, the departed—and their corpses—remain a part of the family. BY AMANDA BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHS BYBRIAN … Continue reading →

A monarch butterfly is seen on a cyprus tree at the Coastal Access Monarch Butterfly Preserve in Los Osos, California, in January. The preserve is a wintering ground for thousands of monarchs that migrate south from the northern U.S. every … Continue reading →

Explore Inca life beyond Machu Picchu on this South American trail Hiking amid Andean peaks, ancient ruins—and no crowds—on this 19,000-mile stone path from Colombia to Argentina. Trekkers and pack llamas make their way along the Qhapaq Ñan in Peru. … Continue reading →

BRITAIN’S STONE AGE BUILDING BOOM IT’S NOT JUST STONEHENGE: NEW DISCOVERIES REVEAL AN ERA WHEN AWE-INSPIRING MONUMENTS WERE ALL THE RAGE. BY ROFF SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY REUBEN WU AND ALICE ZO JULY 19, 2022 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Something momentous was in the air in the … Continue reading →

Politics takes atoll The Pacific Islands Forum is derailed by a high-profile withdrawal Kiribati says it has left the regional co-operation organisation Jul 14th 2022 (Updated Jul 18th 2022) ECONOMIST  With a swipe of a pen in 1832, Jules Dumont D’Urville, a French … Continue reading →

WEST AFRICA 2022 Money transfer. Note that many Western Union transfers to African countries are being blocked. Online transfers may be blocked. I have had the most success with Scotiabank which offers WU transfers (I also bank here so that … Continue reading →

MAURITANIA (Oct 16-22, 2022) Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb region of western North Africa. It is the eleventh largest country in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Morocco and the remnants of Western … Continue reading →

Made in America: Jamestown, NY Furniture Industry (Part 2) Jamestown is no stranger to the furniture business. In fact, one of the westernmost cities in New York was once dubbed the “Furniture Capital of the World,” as furniture manufacturing was … Continue reading →

The Catholic Church should scrap the requirement for priestly celibacy It would help it recruit clerics who do not abuse children Jul 14th 2022 ECONOMIST  The pope is not in the habit of taking advice from newspapers. After all, the Roman … Continue reading →