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Nature & the Environment

Nature & the Environment

Panama Banal?

Hardly! And, so, here's another post for those with palpable wanderlust. Are you the type? Do you long to see everywhere on the planet before you shuffle off this mortal coil? Do you have no problems with wandering through the weeds or the woods to find yourself in nowhere, so to speak?…

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Senegal – Solving tomorrow’s problems?

As of this writing, it's January 30, 2024, the planet is still on fire. We humans are not getting it. It's not like we don't know what's happening, or why, or how to fix it. According to NOAA's 2023 Annual Climate Report the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an…

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A mash made in heaven: potato hotel

Who doesn't love potatoes? They're a staple everywhere. They're good for you, plentiful and come in any number of styles and varieties. We love 'em. The National Potato Council (USA) tracks this and while it lags behind a year or two, you can easily follow the per capita potato consumption (currently at 117 pounds…

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Mexican-do!

We write a lot about Mexico, because it has a lot to offer, of course. Sun, sea, food, lovely people and it's a holiday bargain. The country is probably more diverse than you remember and, as you jaunt from city to city, you can see how Mexico is a fascinating patchwork of interconnected…

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We go for Uyghur

Every so often, we hear of groups of people that fall outside of "traditional" society. Sometimes they are expelled from that society, or sometimes they simply leave. There are many, though, who find their place and thrive. One example of this are the Uyghurs. According to Wikipedia, the Uyghurs, alternatively spelled…

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Light rail in Seattle: a sounder solution

Like a flock of sparrows in the afternoon sun, it's so satisfying to see when the sparrows (in this case humans) find a way to fly together. And, as we say until we're blue in the face, one of the best ways to do that is to save the planet in any ways that…

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We know this much is Trôo 

Listening to Marvin, all night long and living in French caves was all the rage in 1964. And if that doesn't make you want to be a cave dweller - even if you think that you know France - then what about this? Trôo is a charming village located in the Loire Valley region…

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Vulgaria? Hardly!

What a tempting and delicious mélange is Europe. Ever-changing, never-changing and full to the rim of things to do, the Motherland will keep you entertained and enthused until you take your last breath, practically. After all of the world wars that this place has endured, it still remains, almost like 27 birds flying…

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Colourful Gunma & Niigata

There are precious few countries that celebrate the simple things in life as much as the Japanese. Joy is almost a mandate, and lucky are those who visit this delightful part of the world. Naturally, most of the focus is on Tokyo, and rightly so, but one of the best things in life…

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Stranded in the jungle?

Hardly! Mexico is a massive and bustling country, but to this day, it still has a "reputation" of being slow to move and not firing on all cylinders. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. We've been there and it is as action-packed, bustling and diverse as any place on the planet.…

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Get away from it all: ghost towns

Some of us live in cities that could probably be classed as a ghost town: Miriam Webster defines it as a "once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource." But, just as commonly, the source of its demise is the exhaustion of human resources.…

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Sunny London Bridge?

As much as we love the UK, it does rain a lot. 800 mm to 1,400 mm per year, on average. We guess that this fact should be plainly obvious, especially since the UK is in the North Sea and surrounded by cold, cold water. But one benefit of this arrangement is…

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Three Fingers

Despite us living here in the Pacific Northwest of North America, and having traversed a lot of it, something new appeared to us yesterday about this vast region that was quite interesting. To preface this find, we should probably start out by explaining how much of this part of the earth is covered by…

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Halligen’s Island

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. Does that ring any bells, Cap'n? If you lived in North America or Canada in the 1960's you'll know that song - the theme from Gilligan's Island. …

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