What Was New: January 2006
2 January
Pic of the Week
A snowbound scene outside Oxton near Nottingham.
A Bit of England
4 January
Do the Wall Street Shuffle...
Interested in making money on the stock market, or of investing more directly into a company? Need the info to maximise your money? Here's a handy-dandy summary of investment research products available from leading news agency Reuters.
Reuters Research Reports
5 January
Love Someone - Miss Someone - Help Everyone -
Plant a Tree
"One of the sad facts of life is that one day you will not be around. Unless you have it written into your will, the likelihood is that your mortal remains will stay in the country of your demise. Suppose you could find a wonderful way of returning the ashes of a loved one to the UK for interment and at the same time contribute to the environment and local charities?" Peter Forrester of UK charity Life For a Life explains how you can have a living memorial at "home" after you're gone...
Life For a Life
6 January
How heavy is a whale's willy?
" 'Before the death of my father on february2005 in a private hospital here in Nouadhibou he secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has 15 TONS DRIED WHALE PENISES...' Our resident palaeontologist, Dr Trev, doesn't normally interest himself in the penises of whales. They're a bit too fresh. However, he has agreed to attempt an approximation of how many individuals may have been castrated." Trevor Dykes examines one of the weirdest 419 scams yet...
An Enquiry from West Africa
9 January
Hikes around Hanga Roa!
"Ask me which Pacific island has the most to offer hikers and I'll probably answer Easter Island. Here, on an island 11km (seven miles) wide and 23km (14 miles) long, you'll find nearly a thousand ancient Polynesian statues strewn along a powerfully beautiful coastline or littering the slopes of an extinct volcano." David Stanley pulls on his boots and straps on his daypack...
Easter Island - a hiking guide
Pic of the Week
A spectacular red, gold and blue-grey sunset sky near Montreal.
Canadian Sunset
10 January
The lion sleeps tonight...
"Ngorongoro Crater enjoys a year-round water supply and so nearly all animals remain here as permanent residents. It has the densest population of game in the whole of Africa, and it is possible to see the 'Big Five' (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros) in one day. It is often referred to as a mini-Serengeti, as it shares many of the habitats of this huge neighbour." Ian Williamson takes us on safari round the spectacular caldera of the Ngorongoro Crater and its wildlife.
Ngorongoro Crater - a guide
11 January
2006 - your year for a new start?
"The wisest people usually don't make predictions - probably because they know that trying to figure out what's going to happen in the future is a fool's game. But some interesting trends in the 'living abroad' market right now are likely to continue in 2006. And if you know what they are, you are in the best position to capitalise on them." Simon Payn of the Living Abroad Report takes a look at what 2006 holds for present and would-be expats.
Six Predictions for 2006
12 January
Castles in the air?
"Today almost everyone looks for property and homes on the Internet, since you can see pictures, features and prices of properties from the comfort of your own home. It can be hard to find exactly what you are looking for among all the ads, pop-up windows and millions of search results. The other pitfall is gauging the reliability of information you find on the web." Russ Martin shows how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Finding Property on the Internet
13 January
Moving to the Dominican Republic?
"Do not base a decision to relocate to the Dominican Republic on a two-week holiday at an all-inclusive resort here. We know of at least one British couple who did just this. They even bought a property and thus committed serious money... and they are currently having a difficult time adjusting. They will have an even harder time selling their property - it is in an area notorious for robberies." Ginnie Bedggood advises would-be immigrants to the Dominican Republic on how not to get their fingers burnt.
Don't Bring Wigan With You!
16 January
Pic of the Week
Two horses graze near a lonely farmhouse in northern Georgia.
My new home?
17 January
Technicolor Tahiti!
"Over the years, Tahiti and Polynesia have provided novelists and film-makers with colourful subject matter. Early travellers told of wanton women on tropical shores, and Fletcher Christian added drama to the plot by leading a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh." David Stanley takes a literary and cinematographic tour round French Polynesia!
Tahiti in Fiction and Films
19 January
On the trail of the Big Five...
"The lodge safari is the best way to see this lovely country. Tanzania has so much to offer, so many parks that have few visitors and high concentrations of game animals. Some National Parks boast just one lodge in a million hectares. Your lodge safari in Tanzania can truly offer a taste of what the early explorers experienced." Ian Williamson in Arusha explains how to get the best from your East African safari experience.
East African Safari
20 January
Gateway to Eastern Indonesia
"Sumbawa is known to some tourists for its great waves and sandy white beaches. Because of the somewhat trying process of getting there and the scarcity of cheap tourist facilities, the island is not really visited much by non-surfing tourists, which is unfortunate as the parts of the island that I have seen so far in my six-month stay here are quite beautiful." Teacher Bruce Pohlmann describes life on the easy-going island of Sumbawa.
Living and Teaching on Sumbawa
23 January
Pic of the Week
Liz Williams's mother, photographed in 1935.
Turning into our parents
24 January
P&O versus B.O...
"It used to be that backpacking trips to Fiji involved a bus ride from Nadi to Suva, then a ferry to somewhere like Ovalau, Savusavu, Taveuni or Kadavu. No more. These days young budget travellers are lining up to go to the Yasawa Islands, a chain of 16 large volcanic islands and dozens of smaller ones roughly 35km (22 miles) off the west coast of Viti Levu." The Fijian islands are no longer the preserve of luxury cruise holidaymakers, as David Stanley explains...
Backpackers and Billionaires
28 January
Spice Island special!
"On a low tide, walking along the sand flats outside Fundu Lagoon will reveal an astonishing array of inter-tidal wildlife. This is particularly interesting for bird watchers as the waders, such as herons, ibises and egrets, flock to the area to hunt for small invertebrates and fish left behind on the sands and in the shallow sea pools. You can sometimes see the beautiful fish-eagle circling overhead and hear the shrieking of the brown-headed parrot in the trees." Ian Williamson describes the natural beauties of Tanzania's Fundu Lagoon and Pemba Island.
Sleepy Fundu Lagoon
30 January
Pic of the Week
Inscription above the door of the Old Smithy at Gonelston in Nottinghamshire.
The Old Smithy
31 January
Hell in the Pacific...
"Engine noise from a manoeuvring boat can startle a whale, and repeated disturbances can lead to the animals changing their behaviour and even abandoning their traditional habitat. The nursing and resting routines of the pods can be disrupted, potentially threatening the health of the whales." David Stanley explains how over-invasive whalewatching is endangering these magnificent creatures.
Dancing With Whales
Post to del.icio.us
