Palma Majorca

Palma is the capital city of and the island of Majorca's main port. It is on the south coast of the island, on the Bay of Palma with a population of around 383,000. The city's came name from the Romans who first set up a hilltop base in this area. There is very little that is Roman remaining, but some portions of the walls from this settlement can be seen around the city. Another wall was built by the Moors in the 10th Century in this area, but this is no longer standing.

More at: Palma Majorca

Athens

The first reliable historical information about Athens relates to an incident some time after 640BC when a certain Kylon (once an Olympic champion) attempted a coup during a religious festival. The coup failed. He escaped but his followers were
killed. The mythical story of Athens goes back to Theseus who was credited with much of the city-state's legal system and city council. In fact, the region of Attica - unusually large for a city-state - took centuries to unify. More at: Athens

Athens, capital of Greece, was transformed as a tourist destination by the Olympic Games of 2004. The Greek capital now has a modern international airport, metro system and motorway connections to match the unparalleled archaeological sites that have made Athens one of the world's most dramatic cities for thousands of years.

More at: Tourist Athens

Edinburgh

Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh

Some old and new images of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Getting to Edinburgh

Water of Leith, Edinburgh

Old Images of London

A Wet Night on the Thames Embankment - card posted 1903

Cannon Street

Charing Cross

London Bridge

Waterloo Bridge

Post-Roman Buildings

What happened to the buildings of Roman Britain? They became a vast quarry for later
medieval builders.

Post-Roman Buildings

Middlesex - Antiquarian Notes

Isleworth
Teddington
Twickenham
Pope's Villa, Twickenham

Lincoln - Historical Accounts

Lincoln (1802 - 1866): Lincoln, a place of considerable note in the ecclesiastical and military annals of England, is singularly situated on the top and side of a high hill, which slopes with a deep descent to the south, where the river Witham runs at its base.

Lincoln - 1
Lincoln - 2
Lincoln - 3

Some British Cities

Places to look at for a spring visit:

Cardiff

Edinburgh

Newcastle-Gateshead

London Attractions

London has a number of iconic landmarks, recognised by people all over the world. Virtually everyone knows that Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square are in the British capital. But newer landmarks are becoming a prominent feature of tourist and working London. Read on:

London's New Landmarks

Cardiff

Known as ‘Europe’s youngest capital’, Cardiff, in south Wales, has re-invented itself as one of Britain’s most buzzing, young-at-heart and stylish cities. It’s a rapidly-evolving, vibrant and fascinating place for a short break More at:

Cardiff: Europe's youngest capital

Kew - Historical notes

Kew (1772 & 1789): Some excerpts from the Gentleman's Magazine for historical interest:

The buildings in Kew Gardens are deservedly the admiration of all foreigners

Teenage Stress

Stress in adolescence may have a negative impact on health in adulthood. Healthy teenagers reporting interpersonal conflicts had increased levels of C-reactive protein an inflammatory marker associated with later development of cardiovascular disease.

Teenage Stress

Consistent Contributors

Consistent contributors" help to increase efficiency by positively influencing less motivated members of their group.


Consistent Contributors

Salt Consumption Linked To Moods

Over-consumption of and craving for salt may be explained by its mood-enhancing qualities. Researchers found rats deficient in sodium chloride (common table salt) avoided activities they normally enjoy.

Salt Consumption Linked To Moods

Ageism - Stereotypes Can Become Reality

Older people who believe in negative assumptions about aging tend to fulfill them. This study found that young, healthy people with stereotypical attitudes to older people may be at risk of heart disease themselves in the future.

Ageism - Stereotypes Can Become Reality

Genes and Breast Cancer

A set of 50 genes can reliably identify all four types of breast cancer, potentially enabling personalized therapy for individual patients.


Genes and Breast Cancer

Happy Hospitals

Radical change to traditional hospital management is a key factor, producing significant improvements in patient and employee satisfaction.

Happy Hospitals

Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's

Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's.


Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's

Gut Feelings Can Be Valid

Electrophysiological evidence that decisions thought to be based on guesswork or gut feelings may actually draw on valid memories that cannot be consciously accessed.

Gut Feelings Can Be Valid

Experiences More Satisfying Than Possessions

Research from San Francisco State University presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology has found that purchasing experiences rather than possessions results in increased well-being for consumers and others around them. The study concludes that this is because purchases of this type address higher order needs such as the need for social connectedness.

Experiences More Satisfying Than Possessions

Gardening - Seeds from Thompson & Morgan

Time to start sowing seeds, either in a greenhouse or propagator, or, in some cases, directly in the ground when conditions are warm enough. One of the greatest pleasures in gardening is growing your own plants from seed. Thompson & Morgan have one of the best selections of seeds available.

Impression Management And Survey Responses

Why people do not necessarily tell the strict truth about themselves in surveys and whether or not anything can be done about it.

Impression Management And Survey Responses

Going Grey

A research report in The FASEB Journal concludes that hydrogen peroxide, rather than wisdom, is at the root (literally) of greying hair.

According to the researchers, the process of going gray is caused by a massive build up of hydrogen peroxide because of wear and tear on our hair follicles. The peroxide blocks synthesis of melanin, the natural pigment that gives hair its natural colour.

Going Grey

Women Are More Expressive When Texting

While men may talk more in public, women make more of text messaging in a public venue.

Women Are More Expressive When Texting

Multiracials Feel Better

Ratings on indicators such as happiness, stress, citizenship behavior, and school alienation showed that multiracial students were more engaged in school and felt better than individuals who regarded themselves as being from a single group.

Multiracials Feel Better

Heart And Brain Health Linked

Almost one half of patients with heart failure have memory failure and other problems in cognitive functioning.

Heart And Brain Health Linked

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Significant differences in cancer rates between northern and southern Europeans may be explained by the anti-cancer effects of olive oil in the diet. Now a Spanish study confirms that anti-oxidants in extra virgin olive oil can combat breast cancer.


Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Vikings Dressed Flamboyantly

Pre-Christian Vikings dressed more flamboyantly than previously thought with the use of vivid colours, silk ribbons, and bits of mirrors. The study identifies men as especially vain, and women as provocative dressers.

Vikings Dressed Flamboyantly

Positive And Negative Messages In Advertising

As purchasing deadlines get nearer, a consumer's focus on products promising positive outcomes shifts to a willingness to pay more to help avoid an argument or other negative outcome.

Positive And Negative Messages In Advertising

Suppressing Anger Shortens Life

Couples in which both partners suppressed their anger when unfairly attacked by the other died earlier than those in relationships where one or both expressed their anger
and resolved underlying conflict.

Suppressing Anger Shortens Life

Americans At Higher Risk Of Stroke

American adults have a higher prevalence of stroke than Europeans, due in part to a higher rate of risk factors and barriers to health care in the United States. The study found that American men had a 61 per cent greater chance of having a stroke and American women had almost twice the chance compared to their European equivalents.


Americans At Higher Risk Of Stroke

The Brain And Differences In Boy/Girl Language Learning

Areas of the brain associated with language work harder in girls than in boys during language tasks, and boys and girls rely on different parts of the brain when performing these tasks. Researchers explain that although girls' superior language abilities have long been acknowledged, this study is the first to provide a possible biological explanation for the differences.

The Brain And Differences In Boy/Girl Language Learning

Madeira

A visit to Madeira is like a nice weekend or a day in the country. It is both familiar and a delightful change from routine life for northern Europeans.

Semi-tropical and located in the Atlantic Ocean, 600km off Morocco, Madeira is an autonomous part of Portugal and is therefore within the Euro-zone. The island has been transformed by European Union funding over the past decade. A new airport with a remarkable runway carried on stilts over sea and cliffs allows easier access from mainland Portugal and other parts of Europe. Access to many coastal and inland villages is being improved with extensive tunnelling through the mountainous terrain.

Madeira - An Introduction

Madeira - History

Funchal, Madeira

Funchal Hotels, Madeira

Reid's Hotel, Madeira

Are International University Rankings Misleading?

A new 2008 Edition of the Times Higher-QS World University Rankings has been released showing a dominance of US and UK universities in the top ten. But research published in the open access journal BMC Medicine concluded that international university rankings are "misleading and should be abandoned".


Are International University Rankings Misleading?

Music And The Effects Of Alcohol

Research led by the Université de Bretagne-Sud found that playing loud music in licensed premises led customers to drink more alcohol over a shorter time period.

Music And The Effects Of Alcohol

Children and Parents' Antisocial Behavior

Recent research from the University of Chicago found that a mother's parenting style and a baby's temperament in the first year of life can reliably predict subsequent behavioral problems.

Children and Parents' Antisocial Behavior

Aging Worms

Specific genetic pathways have been identified that drive the aging process in worms.

Aging Worms

Choosing A Mate

Beauty is still of paramount consideration for men while women are more discriminating, placing greater emphasis on the need for security and commitment.

Also, recent research from psychologists at McGill University has identified gender differences in responses to flirtation. Researchers found that men tend to consider their current partners less favorably after meeting an attractive unattached woman whereas female partners are more likely to work on strengthening existing relationships.

Choosing A Mate

Introduction to Psychology

Gillian Butler observes that one of the major problems of Psychology is that science demands that 'facts' should be objective and verifiable, but the workings of the mind cannot be observed in the way that we can observe the functioning of (for example) an engine. Instead, they are perceived only indirectly, requiring that we infer them from what can be observed: behaviour.

Introduction to Psychology

William James and the Principles of Psychology

William James (1842-1910) was one of the founders of modern Psychology. He exercised a positive and pragmatic influence on the development of the young science. William James was the brother of novelist Henry James, with whom he shared a powerful command of the English language. William James' Principles of Psychology (1890) took him over a decade to write and amounted to 1500 pages. James was a considerable reader and had absorbed much of the writings of the Scottish, English, French and German schools of Psychology but he produced his own interpretations of the subject. In his 'Principles', James defined Psychology as the 'science of mental life'.

William James and the
Principles of Psychology

Youth Problems

Research from Ohio State University has challenged the common perception that girls tend to internalize their problems, becoming depressed or anxious, while boys externalize, committing violence against people or property.

In another study, young people with pre-existing relationship difficulties were found to be more likely to develop anxiety and depression than the other way round, this being particularly the case when entering adulthood.


Youth Problems

Daytime Napping And Disturbed Sleep

Poor sleeping at night has been linked to daytime napping for older adults and practising tai chi chih, the western version of an ancient Chinese martial art, helped improve sleep quality in another study of older adults.

Daytime Napping And Disturbed Sleep

Bullying

Two recent studies on bullying:

Research from Yale School of Medicine has identified an apparent link between bullying or being bullied and suicide in young people.

Research from Ontario's York University and Queens University found that young people who bully tend to have problems in other relationships, such as with parents and friends. The study concludes that effective prevention and intervention strategies should include those relationships, as well as aggression and morality issues arising from bullying itself.

Bullying

Controversy Over Breast Self-Examination

A review into the effectiveness of regular breast self-examination concludes that despite its promotion in health advice to women there is no evidence that it has contributed to a reduction in breast cancer deaths.


Controversy Over Breast Self-Examination

Be Happy - But Not Too Happy

Although women start life happier than men, they experience more difficulty in achieving their goals and end up less happy as a result. Researchers also conclude that happiness is a worthy goal for the unhappy, but the endless pursuit of ever more happiness may be counterproductive.

Be Happy - But Not Too Happy

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

What are bulbs and how do you distinguish them from corms, tubers and rhizomes?

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes

Smart Bulbs

How deep should bulbs be planted? According to a study published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science it may not matter because bulbs can move themselves deeper into the ground, seemingly in search of better, moister growing conditions.

Smart Bulbs

Ferns - Popular Victorian Plants

Ferns are ancient plants. Their ancestors and related species dominated the earth when the great coal deposits of the carboniferous age were laid down around 300 million years ago. You might say that today's coal is largely made from the compressed remains of ancient ferns.

Today, according to The Fern Grower's Manual there are some 12,000 named species around the world with new types being regularly discovered. They range in size from the tiny to tree-like structures. Ferns propagate from spores rather than seeds, although this was not understood until 1794 when John Lindsay, a British surgeon in Jamaica, grew ferns from 'dust' collected from adult plants.

Ferns: Popular Victorian Plants

Instinctive Staring

Research from Agnes Scott College published in Psychological Science studied the instinctive tendency for people in a group to stare at the person most likely to be offended if a controversial comment is made.


Instinctive Staring

Westward Ho

The price of land in nineteenth century America was a significantly less important factor in Westward Expansion than population growth and technological innovation leading to decreased transportation costs.

Westward Ho

Distance Learning

Researchers from the University of Missouri studied the demographics and personality types of adult distance learners and concluded that this increasingly popular option may not be suitable for everyone.


Only 30 Per Cent Of Distance Learners Complete Their Courses

Adolescents With Chronic Insomnia

Chronic insomnia severely impacts future health and functioning of youths.

Adolescents With Chronic Insomnia

Husbands Create Housework

Being married results in an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, whereas having a wife saves men about an hour.

Husbands Create Housework

Vancouver Island

"... the largest isle in North America's Pacific, stretches for more than 450 superb kilometers off the west coast of British Columbia. A magnificent chain of rugged snow-capped mountains, sprinkled with lakes and rivers and pierced by deep inlets, effectively divides the island into two distinct sides: dense, rain-drenched forest and remote surf- and wind-battered shores on the west, and well-populated, sheltered, beach-fringed lowlands on the east. At the northern and southern tips lie large regions of low, rolling hills."

Vancouver sland
Ucluelet - For All Reasons, for All Seasons
West Coast Changes and Challenges: Ucluelet Charts Dynamic Course for Island Community

Closing the Distance

Every kid wants to grow up to be like his father, and Jeff Bukantz was no different - but unfortunately for Jeff, his father was a four-time Olympian and one of the greatest fencers ever! In his sentimental memoir Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy, Jeff recounts the trials and tribulations he encountered while trying to follow in the footsteps of Danny Bukantz, a great man both on and off the fencing strip.

Closing the Distance

More Biographies

Outdoor Paris

July is a superb time to be outdoors in Paris. Together with its historical heritage and fine architecture, Paris is also typified by culturally-rich gardens with a variety of stylistic influences. Paris claims no fewer than 465 parks and 484,000 trees in those parks, along streets and roads, schoolyards and walkways. This makes walking, cycling (there is a citywide bicycle rental scheme) or roller-blading a pleasure.

More at: Paris and Eurodisney

Ancient Canadian Fort Reveals First Nations History

A fortified village pre-dating the arrival of Europeans in Western Canada - the only one of its kind so far discovered on the Canadian plains - is producing intriguing evidence of a hitherto unknown First Nations group settling on the prairies. It is also rekindling ties between the Siksika Nation (Blackfoot) and other groups in the U.S.

Ancient Canadian Fort Reveals First Nations History

Jaipur: City Palace

Jaipur's City Palace is both a royal residence and a museum open to the public. The buildings are intricately decorated and guarded by the Maharajah's staff in full uniform. The palace is surrounded by a high wall in the centre of Jaipur.

Jaipur: City Palace

Delhi Tombs

Humayun's Tomb is sited near Nizamuddin, the centre of medieval Moslem Delhi. Its construction was begun in 1564 after the second Mughal emperor's death by his widow Haji Begum, mother of Akbar. The gardens around the site have a number of other tombs.

Delhi Tombs

Old Delhi

The Red Fort, Old Delhi

Delhi dates back to 1000 BC but the most famous features of Old Delhi reflect the period of Moslem rule, so that, according to the Rough Guide, Delhi is a 'veritable museum of Indo-Islamic architecture.'

Old Delhi

Delhi: The Red Fort

Lal Qila, the Red Fort, is the largest monument in Old Delhi. Built for Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, the Fort was erected between 1639 and 1648. Its red sandstone walls, turrets and bastions were modeled on the royal citadel at Agra.

Delhi: The Red Fort

Too Little Or Too Much Sleep?

Study shows that children and adults who are short sleepers have a consistent increased risk of obesity.

Too Little Or Too Much Sleep?

New Light On Altruism

Research led by the University of Nottingham published in Science has shed new light on ways in which people are prepared to sacrifice personal advantage for the common good and what happens when "freeloaders" take advantage of their altruism.

Researchers explain that understanding decision-making processes behind cooperation is a key element in addressing major contemporary issues such as recycling and climate change.

New Light On Altruism

Women Are More Forgiving

Men find forgiving more difficult than women but this gender gap closes if men develop empathy toward an offender by seeing they may be capable of acting in a similar way themselves.

Women Are More Forgiving

Gut Feelings

Research has shed new light on "gut feelings" arguing that they are real psychological phenomena that should be taken seriously.

Gut Feelings

Stress And Cancer Surgery

Research from Tel Aviv University published in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity has shown that psychological and physiological stress before during and after cancer surgery impairs immune system functioning and that blocking the influence of major stress hormones may improve outcome.

Stress And Cancer Surgery

Soaking Potatoes Leads To Healthier Chips

Soaking potatoes in water before frying can reduce levels of acrylamide, a naturally occurring chemical formed when starch-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures.

Soaking Potatoes Leads To Healthier Chips

How Culture Affects The Recognition Of Emotions

Research from the University of Alberta, Canada and Hokkaido University, Japan published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology has found significant differences in how people from eastern and western cultures assess interpersonal situations.

How Culture Affects The Recognition Of Emotions

Acne Inhibits Exercise

Research from Bath University published in the Journal of Health Psychology has found people with acne who are highly anxious about their condition report being less likely to get involved in sport or exercise.

Acne Inhibits Exercise

Selecting The Proper Pond Pump

Whether you own a preformed, or liner pond, a pond pump plays a vital role in maintaining balance in any garden pond or water feature. It's no surprise that stagnant bodies of water, are inviting to mosquito infestations, which are a major concern with West Nile Virus. Not only do these stagnant ponds have a wretched smell, they look un-appealing, and will be very un-inviting to guests or wildlife. This is why pond pumps are of the utmost importance, to regularly circulate water and maintain the health of your pond.

More at: Selecting The Proper Pond Pump

A House In Wales

Would you like this for a view?



It goes with a property in Wales on the outskirts of the village of Gwaun Cae Gurwen. Sited in a semi-rural location on the borders of Carmarthenshire in the county borough of Neath-Port Talbot, this is a two-bedroom bungalow with part-converted attic and extensive grassy garden - both needing some work. The M4, Brecon Beacons National Park, rural Carmarthenshire, Gower peninsula and the City of Swansea are all within easy travelling distance. The location offers sweeping views of mountains and a deep wooded valley.

More details at:

House in Wales for sale

Bronze Age Iberia

New light on Bronze Age life in the Iberian Peninsula.

Bronze Age Iberia

Mayans Used Glittering Pigments On Their Buildings

Ancient Mayans used lustrous pigments to make their buildings glitter in daylight.

Mayans Used Glittering Pigments On Their Buildings

Anxiety And Heart Attacks

Longstanding anxiety significantly increases the risk of heart attack in men, even when other common risk factors are taken into account.

Anxiety And Heart Attacks

Explaining To Mother Helps Problem-Solving

Children are best able to identify the solution to a problem when they explain it to their mother.

Explaining To Mother Helps Problem-Solving

Origins Of Pacific Islanders

New research throws light on long-standing controversies surrounding the origins and genetic relationships of Pacific Islanders.

Origins Of Pacific Islanders

Books about the Vikings

A new selection at:

Books about the Vikings

Interpreting Health Information On The Web

While Internet searches to answer health-related questions can yield a huge amount of data, people tend to pay more attention to information that matches pre-existing beliefs.

Interpreting Health Information On The Web

Dementia Screening

A recent commentary arguing against routine screening for dementia by physicians working in primary care settings has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association

Dementia Screening

Disclosing Bad News

Using negotiation skills to help clinicians handle requests from family members not to reveal bad news to a patient.

Disclosing Bad News

Never Too Late To Change Your Lifestyle

Older adults can achieve significant health improvements with simple and realistic lifestyle changes.

Never Too Late To Change Your Lifestyle

Bestselling Computing Books

Updated selection of the best computing and internet books:

Bestselling Computing Books

Facial Attractiveness And Attentional Adhesion

Two pieces of research on attractiveness:

People who know each other well are more likely than strangers to agree on the attractiveness of faces.

A study of a psychological phenomenon called "attentional adhesion" found that whatever the motive, we are automatically and strongly drawn to attractive people and are rendered temporarily unable to avert our attention.

Facial Attractiveness And Attentional Adhesion

Recovery From Substance Abuse

An expert panel's report recently published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment concludes that abstinence from alcohol and drugs is only the initial stage in recovery for people with substance abuse disorders. The report from the Betty Ford Institute explains that although recovery is generally recognized as a primary treatment goal, there is no widely accepted definition of what the term actually
means.

Recovery From Substance Abuse

Lifestyle Habits

Child health psychologists should play a greater role in development of positive
lifestyles thus contributing to adult disease prevention.

Lifestyle Habits

Hearing Messages

Hearing messages embedded in meaningless noise could be an early sign of schizophrenia.

Hearing Messages

Machiavellian Monkeys

Humans and rhesus macaque monkeys share tendencies towards nepotism and political maneuvering.

Machiavellian Monkeys

Survey Of Caistor Roman Town

A survey of Caistor Roman town near Norwich sponsored by the British Academy has given dramatic new insights into the nature of this settlement and confirms it as a site of international importance.

Survey Of Caistor Roman Town

20,000 New Cancer Cases A Day Worldwide

A report from the American Cancer Society estimates that 2007 saw over 12 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths (about 20,000 a day) worldwide. Of these, 5.4 million cases and 2.9 million deaths occurred in economically developed countries, compared to 6.7 million cases and 4.7 million deaths in developing economies.

20,000 New Cancer Cases A Day Worldwide

Roman-Byzantine Era Synagogue Found

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered an ancient synagogue among the ruins of a large Jewish village from the Roman-Byzantine era at the foot of the Mt Nitai cliffs overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Roman-Byzantine Era Synagogue Found

Chocolate's Early History

The earliest known cacao consumption has been identified from analysis of pottery shards found at the site of Puerto Escondido in northern Honduras.

Chocolate's Early History

Cancer Viruses

Ground-breaking research from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University published in PloS One has demonstrated successful treatment of cancers by targeting causative viruses and raised the possibility of prevention by destroying virus-infected cells before they turn cancerous. Researchers explain that nearly 20 per cent of human cancers result from pre-existing viral infections, for example liver cancer (caused by hepatitis B and C viruses), cervical cancer (caused by human papillomaviruses) and some types of lymphoma (caused by the Epstein-Barr virus).

Cancer Viruses

Caribbean Islands

Take A Break From Winter With A Luxurious Point Grace Getaway

Located on a blissful stretch of powder white sandy beach, Point Grace offers a selection of ocean-front suites or cottage suites with relaxing pool and garden views. All suites are exquisitely furnished and decorated. With magnificent views of the ocean and the peaceful sounds of the gentle Caribbean waves in the background, Point Grace offers the most elegant surroundings with an uncompromised level of service.

Jamaican Christmas

Christmas season in Jamaica is the most festive time of the year, filled with non-stop celebrations, special treats like Jamaican Christmas cake and sorrel drinks, entertainment, parties, festivals and happy gatherings of friends and family.

Antigua Today

History of Antigua

Cruising articles for 2008 and 2009

Cunard
Queen Mary 2 Named "Best Luxury Cruise Ship" By Travel Weekly
Readers Choice Awards single out "Best of the Best in the travel industry"

Queen Victoria's Inaugural European Itineraries
Mediterranean Itineraries Offering Unique Departures from Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Athens and Southampton Afford an In-Depth View of Some of the World's Most Captivating Cities

MSC Cruises
'Kids Sail Free' On MSC Cruises’ New 2008 Europe Cruises
MSC Cruises has announced its new line up of itineraries, pricing and the opening of reservations for its exciting selection of 2008 Europe sailings, featuring more than 78 different itineraries and more than 120 ports of call.

Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn Announces Odyssey Inaugural Itineraries
The Yachts of Seabourn is pleased to announce that the world's most luxurious cruise vessel, Seabourn Odyssey, will launch her inaugural year itinerary in Venice on June 24, 2009 and, beginning today, guests previously on a waiting list may select their choices of departures and luxury suites.

Crystal Cruises
Crystal Sets Worldwide Itineraries To Seven Continents For 2009
From Antarctica to the Polar Ice Cap, in 2009 Crystal Cruises is venturing to all seven continents, circling the Pacific, and featuring new itineraries in South America, Europe and the Middle East for its ultra-luxurious Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.


Crystal's 2008 'How To' World Cruise
Experts Offer Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunities for Learning and Exploration

Holland America Cruises
Holland America Line Increases Popular 7-Day Southern Caribbean Sailings in 2008
In 2008, Holland America Line doubles departures of its seven-day deep southern Caribbean itinerary, created for those seeking a week-long cruise to lesser visited Caribbean ports.

Royal Caribbean Cruises/Tours
Expanded Cruisetour Options in Alaska and Canadian Rockies
From scenic drives deep into Denali National Park to riding the rails through the wilderness in the world's most luxurious glass-domed railcars, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises' proprietary cruisetour packages offer guests a way to experience the best of Alaska beyond the coastline.

More Than 3 Million Americans Have Dementia

About 3.4 million Americans over the age of 70 (13.9 per cent) suffer from some form of dementia of whom about 2.4 million (9.7 per cent) have Alzheimer's disease.

More Than 3 Million Americans Have Dementia

Teenage Substance Misuse: What Parents Do And Don't Know

Research from the Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) at the University of Buffalo published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse found that the majority of parents could accurately evaluate their teenagers' cigarette smoking and substance use but were less aware of marijuana and alcohol use.


Teenage Substance Misuse: What Parents Do And Don't Know

How Antioxidants May Work

Very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols (commonly found in red wine, fruits, vegetables, and green tea) shut down and prevented cancerous tumors by inhibiting new blood vessel formation. Conversely, at relatively low doses they play a beneficial role in cardiac and circulatory diseases by facilitating blood vessel growth.

How Antioxidants May Work

Bestsellers From Amazon

Amazon Canada: Amazon.ca Bestsellers
Amazon UK: Amazon.co.uk Bestsellers
Amazon USA: Amazon.com Bestsellers
Amazon Deutschland: Amazon.de Bestsellers
Amazon France: Amazon.fr Meilleurs Ventes

The Horne Family of Careby, Lincolnshire, England, UK

A genealogical account of the family of Henry and Elizabeth Horne.

The Horne Family of Careby, Lincolnshire, England, UK

The Walter Family Of Babcary, Somerset

A genealogical account of the family of Ann and Walter Walter.

Walter Walter (1804-1877) lived at the 110 acre Greenhill Farm, Lower Foddington, Babcary, Somerset. He was married to Ann Leach Penny (1814-1889) who was born in the neighbouring village of Charlton Mackrell, Somerset.

The Walter Family of Babcary, Somerset, England

Depression And Intellectual Decline

Depression increases the risk of intellectual decline in older people and can be a predictive factor.


Depression And Intellectual Decline

Spouses And Healthy Lifestyles

A study published in Health Services Research has shown that spouses often mirror each other's positive health behaviors and that intervention programs should be designed with a broader perspective than the individual patient.

Spouses And Healthy Lifestyles

Negative Influences

While we tend to believe that we are capable of forming independent opinions, what other people think can influence our conclusions, with negative attitudes resulting in the biggest changes.

Negative Influences

Stress, Cancer And HIV

A review of research into the relationship between stress and disease has found that stress is a contributing factor particularly in triggering or worsening depression, cardiovascular disease and speeding progression of HIV/AIDS.

Stress, Cancer And HIV

Two New Studies On Autism

Characteristic and sometimes severe symptoms of autism such as repetitive motions, problems interacting with others and impaired communication can improve with age.

Two New Studies On Autism

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Research led by Margaret Battin, professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah and published in the Journal of Medical Ethics has found no evidence that legalization of physician-assisted suicide results in disproportionate numbers of vulnerable people dying prematurely. Researchers explain that opponents of such legislation have claimed that it leads to a "slippery slope" making it easier to end the lives of those considered a burden.

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Breast Cancer Articles

An online survey commissioned by AstraZeneca and conducted by Harris Interactive found that most breast cancer survivors considered themselves stronger after having the disease but their level of knowledge about steps they could take to reduce the likelihood of recurrence was surprisingly low.

21st Century Breast Cancer Management

Research by Kaiser Permanente presented at the recent European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) has found that increased risk of breast cancer is related to alcohol itself and the
quantity drunk rather than the type.

Alcohol And Breast Cancer

Two recent studies have investigated the role of exercise in breast cancer risk,
treatment and rehabilitation.

Exercise Benefits Cancer Care

Too Little Or Too Much Sleep?

Research from the University of Warwick and University College London published in SLEEP found that both lack of and too much sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Too Little Or Too Much Sleep?

Childhood Violence Perpetuates Into Adulthood

Victims of violence in childhood are more likely to continue the pattern in adulthood, either as victims or perpetrators.

Childhood Violence Perpetuates Into Adulthood

Longing Influences Choice

Longing for something intensely (like a holiday or food) can change an individual's choice making processes with a wider array of options considered than would normally be
the case.

Longing Influences Choice

How Children Relate To Storybook Characters

A new study from University of Waterloo researchers Daniela O'Neill and Rebecca Shultis published in Developmental Psychology used an innovative approach to evaluate young children's storytelling ability and found that they are able to immerse themselves in the thoughts and feelings of fictional characters.

How Children Relate To Storybook Characters

IQ And Short-term Memory

Research from the University of Oregon published in Psychological Science suggests that short-term memory capacity is a strong predictor of IQ.

IQ And Short-term Memory

Suppressing Negative Emotional Memories

Recent research has shown that negative emotional memories can be suppressed with practice, offering the possibility of new treatments for people suffering from a range of conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive syndrome.

Suppressing Negative Emotional Memories

Gut Instinct Decisions

People usually follow emotional gut instinct rather than rational responses when making decisions about complex issues such as terrorism, troop surges or crime, even though the brain can simultaneously process both kinds of information.

Gut Instinct Decisions

Breastfeeding Does Not Protect Against Allergies

The results of a large randomized trial recently published on bmj.com indicate that prolonged or exclusive breastfeeding fails to protect against development of asthma and allergies in later life.

Breastfeeding Does Not Protect Against Allergies

Personal Chaos Inhibits HIV Health Care

Chaotic personal circumstances may significantly inhibit access to health care for HIV-positive people living in poverty.

Personal Chaos Inhibits HIV Health Care

Chocolate May Not Be Addictive

While people readily admit to being "chocoholics", chocolate is not truly addictive and there is an alternative explanation for this ubiquitous craving.

Chocolate May Not Be Addictive

Fruity Vegetables Reduce Childhood Asthma

A diet rich in fish and "fruity vegetables" such as tomatoes, aubergines, cucumber, green beans and courgettes can reduce childhood asthma and allergies.

Fruity Vegetables Reduce Childhood Asthma

Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's

Research led by Dr Nikos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center published in Neurology has found that a Mediterranean diet may help people with Alzheimer's disease live longer than those relying on a more traditional Western diet.

The study followed 192 people with Alzheimer's disease in New York for an average of four and a half years during which 85 participants died. However, the study found that those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 76 per cent less likely to die.

Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's

Loneliness Affects Health

Pointing out that loneliness is not the same as solitude which can be highly valued researchers nevertheless conclude that social isolation and physical aging may have a deleterious effect on health.

Loneliness Affects Health

New Research On Reading

Two recent studies look at the process of metacomprehension and greater effectiveness of female teachers.

New Research On Reading

Motherese

Female rhesus monkeys use particular vocalizations while interacting with their babies comparable to the way humans use "motherese" or "baby talk".

Motherese

Explaining Out-of-body Experiences

Two recent studies published in Science offer insight into how individuals perceive their own bodies and a possible explanation for out-of-body experiences. This phenomenon has been associated with drug use and neurological disorders such as epilepsy but patients were commonly thought to have imagined it.

Explaining Out-of-body Experiences

Tomato Antioxidant Does Not Prevent Cancer

A recent study concludes that lycopene, an antioxidant predominately found in tomatoes, is not effective in preventing prostate cancer.

Tomato Antioxidant Does Not Prevent Cancer

Stroke Care In UK Severely Deficient

The perception of stroke among health professionals and the public must be changed so that it is viewed as a condition requiring emergency treatment.

Stroke Care In UK Severely Deficient

NICE's Threshold Range Questioned

A situation in which NICE employs an unsubstantiated range to assess cost effectiveness and others within UK healthcare make no use of any such threshold is not conducive to efficiency and fairness in the NHS.

NICE's Threshold Range Questioned

Journey Distances To Hospital Can Be Fatal

The further patients with life-threatening conditions have to travel by ambulance to reach emergency care, the more likely they are to die, with people suffering respiratory problems at greatest risk.

Journey Distances To Hospital Can Be Fatal

Conflict And In-Group Bias

A recent address by Marilynn Brewer, professor of psychology at Ohio State University to mark the award of Distinguished Scientific Contribution for 2007 by the American Psychological Association challenged the concept that conflict is an inevitable and necessary part of interaction between groups.

Conflict And In-Group Bias

Slugs and Snails

This page on our gardening site has been updated to include some tips about slugs in compost bins.


Dealing with Slugs and Snails

Lack Of Sleep Affects School Results

Insufficient sleep can have an adverse effect the next day not only on an adult's work performance but also on how well students perform at school.

Lack Of Sleep Affects School Results

Appreciating Another Perspective

People from Western cultures such as the United States find it particularly difficult to understand someone else's point of view because they are part of a culture that encourages individualism.

Appreciating Another Perspective

Perceiving Emotions

Findings suggest that where emotional control is the cultural norm (e.g. Japan) eyes are the key to interpretation. In cultures where there is more open expression of emotion (e.g. USA) the mouth is the main focus.

Perceiving Emotions

Facial Recognition: The "Cross-Race Effect"

A recent study throws new light on the "cross-race effect", a well-replicated if not fully understood phenomenon involving difficulty in distinguishing between people of other racial groups.

Facial Recognition: The "Cross-Race Effect"

Links Between Teenage And Domestic Violence

Adolescents who engaged in violent behavior relatively regularly throughout their teenage years or who began in their mid teens and increased with time were significantly more likely to perpetrate domestic violence in their mid 20s.

Links Between Teenage And Domestic Violence

Girl Talk Heightens Anxiety

Excessive discussion about problems with friends (co-rumination) may have a negative impact on emotional adjustment in girls who are more likely than boys of the same age to develop anxiety and depression as a result.

Girl Talk Heightens Anxiety

Managing Teen Emotions

Research from the University of Illinois published recently in Child Development has found that teenagers can learn to manage powerful emotions and gain insight into the processes involved.

Reed Larson, professor of family ecology said:

"There's a stereotype that teens don't manage their emotions, their emotions manage them. But this study showed that, in an atmosphere of trust and support, teens can become adept at identifying their emotions, learn to recognize the tricks emotions play on people, and begin to understand not only how to control their emotions, but to use them in positive ways."

Managing Teen Emotions

Evening-preference and Adolescent Problems

New research suggests that early adolescents who prefer evening to morning activities are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior. Previous studies focusing on older adolescents showed a similar link with psychological problems.

Evening-preference and Adolescent Problems

Breaking Up Is Not Necessarily Hard To Do

New research shows that people were less distressed and coped much better with ending a relationship than they predicted and that this unanticipated effect was particularly marked for those described as "madly in love".

Breaking Up Is Not Necessarily Hard To Do

Why Women Prefer Pink

A study by Newcastle University researchers Anya C. Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling published in Current Biology supports the popular notion that men and women differ when it comes to colour preference. Researchers found that women prefer pink "or at least a redder shade of blue" than men do.

Why Women Prefer Pink

Effective Health Messages

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology investigated which health messages a person might pay attention to from the plethora available via numerous media and the possible reasons for that choice.

Effective Health Messages

Counterfactual Thinking

Research sheds new light on the mental processes involved in "counterfactual thinking" in which past decisions are reviewed and alternatives evaluated. The authors explain that while this can be positive and affirming, it more commonly engenders regret and self-criticism.


Counterfactual Thinking

The Albion Band

A lazy Sunday afternoon. I opened up the cupboard of old vinyl records, more or less alphabetically arranged. The first was the Albion Band's Light Shining (1982). I guess we hadn't played this for close on 20 years.

The Albion Band

The Origins of Morality

A new consensus that scientists are reaching on the origins and mechanisms of morality.

The Origins of Morality

Decision-making Made not Born

People who do well on a series of decision-making tasks involving hypothetical situations tend to have more positive decision outcomes in their lives.

Decision-making Made not Born

Intimacy and Cancer

A study aimed at improving support services has investigated the lives of people caring for a partner with cancer and how they negotiate issues surrounding sexuality and intimacy.

Intimacy and Cancer

Indian Courtship and the Mobile Phone

Mobile phones have an increasingly indispensable role in young peoples' personal relationships.

Indian Courtship and the Mobile Phone

Braking Genes and Cancer Cell Division

Researchers have identified a number of genes involved in the mechanism that prevents uncontrolled cell division and found that aberrations are linked to certain types of cancer as well as to the relative aggressiveness of the disease.

Braking Genes and Cancer Cell Division

Avoiding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Researchers have measured carpal tunnel pressure to help establish how much the wrist can be flexed safely if nerve damage associated with carpal tunnel syndrome is to be avoided.

Avoiding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cancer

A new UK study investigated the incidence of cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether this is associated with a decreased survival rate.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cancer

Botox and Migraine

A pioneering surgical technique can significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches in patients in whom other treatments have failed.

Botox and Migraine

Nanotechnology and Health

Nanotechnology may provide developing countries with techniques for diagnosing and treating disease.

Nanotechnology and Health

Colour Enhances Taste

Study finds that the colour of orange juice has a huge effect on perceptions of taste.

Colour Enhances Taste

Midday Siesta a Napping Good Idea

New research finds that taking regular midday naps (siestas) was associated with reduced risk of death from heart disease over a six-year period for Greek adults - especially working men.

Midday Siesta a Napping Good Idea

Adolescent Anger Management - Some Practical Texts

Anger Management - an overused phrase that often provokes more anger than management. Anyone working with angry adolescents rapidly realizes that while attention may be on the consequences - damage, disruption, violence to self and others - anger won't be resolved unless underlying issues are listened to and addressed if possible.

Adolescent Anger Management

Facial Composite Systems Give Poor Results

Recent technological advances in facial composite systems have failed to improve identification and apprehension of criminal suspects.

Facial Composite Systems Give Poor Results

21st Century Breast Cancer Management

New developments in breast cancer imaging, timing of chemotherapy, and vaccine research may offer innovative non-surgical interventions resulting in significant changes to current screening and treatment practice and improvements in patient care.

21st Century Breast Cancer Management

Beginning and Ending with Death

Being Dead by Jim Crace and The Flood by Maggie Gee are two original and unputdownable reads that gracefully incorporate death as a motive. Being Dead starts with a double murder but isn't a detective novel, The Flood ends with a drowning that isn't sad. Both are beautifully written, subtle works that draw the reader into 'not quite real' worlds. Is Being Dead set in a small coastal town in America and is London in the near future the city of The Flood? Whatever the reader concludes, both stories resonate with contemporary as well as universal issues and concerns.

Beginning and Ending with Death.

Aging and the Sense of Smell

New research finds that normal aging processes have little detrimental effect on the sense of smell.

Aging and the Sense of Smell

Parents Fail to Recognise Children's Excess Weight

A survey by researchers at Deakin's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition in Australia has found that the majority of parents with obese children lack awareness or concern about their children's weight.

Parents Fail to Recognise Children's Excess Weight

Lying for Love Online

Online daters usually lie about either their height or weight but less often misrepresent their age. Men systematically overestimated their height, while women more commonly underestimated their weight.

Lying for Love Online

Skin is Home to Zoo of Bacteria

Analysis identified 182 species of bacteria on human skin of which 8 per cent were previously unknown.

Skin is Home to Zoo of Bacteria

Loneliness and Alzheimer's

Lonely people may be twice as likely to develop the type of dementia linked to Alzheimer's disease.


Loneliness and Alzheimer's

Genetic Evidence for African Britons

First evidence of Africans having lived among "indigenous" British people for centuries and found that their descendants were unaware of their black ancestry.

Genetic Evidence for African Britons

Learning and Forgetting Languages

Two new studies shed light on the process of learning new languages.


Learning and Forgetting Languages

Treating Homeless Young People Produces Results

Innovative new research to establish the best ways of engaging with homeless young people who are without parents or carers has found that a comprehensive intervention program can dramatically improve their mental health and life circumstances.

Treating Homeless Young People Produces Results

Shamrock Seeds

Our gardening site (GardenGuide.biz) had an enquiry about Shamrock seeds. The first problem is deciding on what one means by 'shamrock'. It could be one of at least 5 different species. See the article on the following BBC page and another interesting article about Shamrock. Having decided which you want, you can do a search using the botanical name. You could also try http://www.wildflowers.ie/ for seeds.

Needle Exchange and Drug Treatment

Needle exchange programs are an important part in linking drug users with treatment.

Needle Exchange and Drug Treatment

Cancer Care

Women with breast cancer who are obese, less educated or have lower household incomes may be more likely to receive reduced doses of chemotherapy thereby jeopardizing their survival.

Cancer Care

Lifestyle and Type II diabetes

Changing to a healthier lifestyle appears to be at least as effective as taking prescribed drugs in reducing the risk of developing Type II diabetes.

Lifestyle and Type II diabetes

Whiter Than White

New research by the University of Exeter and Imerys Minerals Ltd. published in Science has found that the shell of the little known Cyphochilus beetle could hold the answer to manufacture of brilliant white ultra-thin materials.


Whiter Than White

Why Do We Hate Contact Centres?

A recent survey of over 1600 UK consumers found that moving house was the only thing rated more stressful than having to call a contact centre.

Why Do We Hate Contact Centres?

Women Still Do Most Cooking and Shopping

A new study finds that three-quarters of women do most of the cooking and shopping for food in their households. The study of nearly 200 British men and women in their early 30s found that, although half of the women worked full time, they were still responsible for this aspect of family life.

Women Still Do Most Cooking and Shopping

Why is Laughter Contagious?

A new study shows a possible mechanism for contagious laughter. Positive sounds like laughter trigger a response in the area of the listener's brain activated when we smile, as though preparing facial muscles to laugh.

Why is Laughter Contagious?

Why Do We Never Forget a Face?

Vanderbilt University researchers have found that we are able to remember more faces compared to other objects and that faces are retained best in our short-term memory. They suggest that our expertise in remembering faces allows them to be packaged better for memory.

Why Do We Never Forget a Face?

Novelty and the Brain

A possible mechanism for how the brain allows us to anticipate future events and detect unexpected outcomes has been identified.

Novelty and the Brain

Chronic Disability Declines Among Older Americans

Chronic disability among older Americans has decreased significantly and the rate of decline has accelerated during the past twenty years.

Chronic Disability Declines Among Older Americans

Combination Therapy and Breast Cancer

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy administered concurrently after lumpectomy helps prevent local reoccurrence of breast cancer.

Combination Therapy and Breast Cancer

Message Less Important Than Emotion in Advertising

The amount of emotional content in television advertisements affects viewers' opinions of the product, regardless of the intended message.

Message Less Important Than Emotion in Advertising

Surprise Endings

New research suggests that not everyone enjoys a murder mystery with a surprise ending. People with low self-esteem like to feel they knew all along who committed the crime, probably because it makes them feel smarter. But everyone seemed to enjoy a mystery with no strong hint of how it would be resolved.

Surprise Endings

Contraception More Effective Than Abstinence

Findings indicate that promotion of abstinence is insufficient by itself to help adolescents prevent unplanned pregnancies.

Contraception More Effective Than Abstinence

New York and London Are Most Popular Fiction Locations

Research by Bowker, a leading provider of bibliographic information, analyzed more than 13 000 works of adult fiction published in the USA and found that 1550 with an identifiable location were set in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland. New York topped the list of cities, followed by London, Los Angeles (including Hollywood), Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C. Rome was the only other non-American city in the top ten.

New York and London Are Most Popular Fiction Locations

Why Psychosis Rates Vary

Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London have found higher rates of schizophrenia and other psychoses in certain ethnic minority groups and also that parental separation in childhood is associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis later in life.

Why Psychosis Rates Vary

Baby Boomers Care More For Their Parents

Contrary to popular belief, the institution of the family is not in decline. People born in the 1950s and 1960s are more committed to caring for their aging parents than the previous generation were.

Baby Boomers Care More For Their Parents

Churchill Borrowed Ideas From H.G. Wells

Researching a book on Winston Churchill, Dr Richard Toye, a lecturer in history at the University of Cambridge, has found that science fiction writer H.G. Wells was a significant intellectual influence, both during the statesman's early career and subsequently.

Churchill Borrowed Ideas From H.G. Wells

Search For Better Breast Cancer Drugs

A joint initiative between computer scientists at the University of Edinburgh and cellular biologists at the Riken Genomic Research Centre in Japan may result in improved drug treatments for breast cancer sufferers that will also minimize side effects.

Search For Better Breast Cancer Drugs

Health Risks in the Future

The 1990 Global Burden of Disease study carried out by researchers at Harvard University and the World Health Organization (WHO) provided the first comprehensive global estimates of death and illness by age, sex, and region. Sponsored by the World Bank, it also provided projections of the global burden of disease and mortality up to 2020. Colin Mathers and Dejan Locar from the World Health Organization, Geneva have now updated the projections based on 2002 data.

Health Risks in the Future

Street Robbers Want More Than Money

New research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals complex motivations behind street robbery in the UK. Rather than being simply an acquisitive crime, it commonly reflects a damaged sense of self in the perpetrator resulting in a need for violence or revenge, or to increase status among peers.

Street Robbers Want More Than Money

Keeping the Pounds Off

It is a sad fact that many (perhaps, most) attempts to lose weight result in a temporary loss that is reversed in a relatively short time. But new research indicates that this is not inevitable.

Keeping the Pounds Off

Measuring the Digital Divide

Simplistic measurements such as the number of Internet access points in a place tell us little about today's digital divide, according to Karine Barzilai-Nahon.

Measuring the Digital Divide

New Health Articles

A new study examines how helpful parents may be in assessing their children's alcohol and/or drug use and abuse. Findings indicate that they do not provide valuable information because they are often unaware of it. Read the article a: Teenage Substance Misuse: What Parents Don't Know

Physicians prescribing new medication often do not communicate to patients important details, such as potential side effects, how long or how often to take the drug or the specific name of the medication. More at: Physicians Don't Tell All

Physicians prescribing new medication often do not communicate to patients important details, such as potential side effects, how long or how often to take the drug or the specific name of the medication. Read: Malnutrition and Seniors in Hospital

Diabetes puts people at risk of developing critical illness and dying early, but obesity without diabetes does not. Read on: Diabetes is Bad News

A new study concludes that most patients who undergo gastric cancer staging by lymph node sampling have inadequate assessments that compromise survival. More at: Lymph Node Sampling Compromises Cancer Survival

Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy

Every kid wants to grow up to be like his father, and Jeff Bukantz was no different - but unfortunately for Jeff, his father was a four-time Olympian and one of the greatest fencers ever! In his sentimental memoir Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy, Jeff recounts the trials and tribulations he encountered
while trying to follow in the footsteps of Danny Bukantz, a great man both on and off the fencing strip.

Read an excerpt from: Closing the Distance

Greek Islands

Articles on some of the Greek islands:

Corfu

Crete

Greek Islands

The Ionian Islands

Paros

Gardening - Articles about growing from seed

Saving Seeds

With proper storage, gardeners can save seeds for next year

Reading Seed Packets

Reading fine print on seed packages is good gardening advice

Damping Off

Damping off is the single term used to describe underground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due to unknown causes.

Wales Book of the Year

The 2006 Wales Book of the Year Shortlist is: (English) To Babel and Back by Robert Minhinnick; ,Body Beautiful by Ifor Evans, Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell; and (Welsh) Gwynfor Rhag Pob Brad by Rhys Evans, Llen Yr Uchelwyr by Dafydd Johnston, Rara Avis by Manon Rhys.

Details at: Wales Book the Year

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is praised for its extraordinary wildlife and enlightened conservation policies.

Cajun Recipe

The Mrs. Dash brand has teamed with Jimmy Bannos, chef/owner of Heaven on Seven restaurants, to suggest a combination of unique seasoning blends and fresh ingredients to create Cajun-inspired grilling specialties. Jimmy Bannos has written "The Heaven on Seven Cookbook: Where It's Mardi Gras All The Time!" and "Big Easy Cocktails, Jazzy Drinks and Savory Bites from New Orleans" inspired by the Creole and Cajun cuisines from New Orleans. His new Bayou Shrimp and Veggies with Creole Mustard Sauce is an interesting example


Cajun-inspired Grilling Specialties

Guacamole Recipe

This classic, creamy recipe for Guacamole (Avocado dip) comes from Hass Avocado from Mexico and makes 4 servings:

Guacamole

Avocado Recipe

To celebrate the spring season, the California Avocado Commission has developed a recipe that combines these two refreshing ingredients, Eggs in California Avocado Cups with Asparagus and Lemon, creating a complex layering of tastes that will leave your guests craving more.


Avocado and Asparagus Recipe

Saint David - Dewi Sant

David or Dewi Sant is the patron saint of Wales. On March 1 every year Welsh children celebrate St David's day with the girls wearing national costume. Leeks and daffodils abound. In Pembrokshire, St David's Cathedral stands in a magical location where David is supposed to have lived his 6th Century Celtic monk's life. But what's known about him? Read:

St David