During World War II, Japanese soldiers stationed in Singapore glimpsed a strange version of Bigfoot there. Many reported seeing a primate-like creature covered in gray hair and standing up to 2 meters (6’6″) tall in the Bukit Timah rain forest.

Sightings peaked during the war, but there are also a few present-day sightings reported every now and then. The Bukit Timah area is now a biodiverse nature reserve that housed several creatures, including tigers, not too long ago.

Although it is still a mystery as to what the soldiers and others were actually seeing in this area, some people believe they might have confused macaques for primates. However, according to most experts, this would be unlikely as the macaques in Singapore resemble the ones in Japan and the soldiers at least would know what they were looking at. The last sightings took place in 2007 when visitors told stories of seeing an ape-creature being run over by a taxi and another scratching around in trash cans.

Time travel is one of my favorite topics! I wrote some time travel stories in junior high school that used a machine of my own invention to travel backwards in time, and I have continued to study this fascinating concept as the years have gone by.

We all travel in time. During the last year, I've moved forward one year and so have you. Another way to say that is that we travel in time at the rate of 1 hour per hour.

But the question is, can we travel in time faster or slower than "1 hour per hour"? Or can we actually travel backward in time, going back, say 2 hours per hour, or 10 or 100 years per hour?

It is mind-boggling to think about time travel. What if you went back in time and prevented your father and mother from meeting? You would prevent yourself from ever having been born! But then if you hadn't been born, you could not have gone back in time to prevent them from meeting.

The great 20th century scientist Albert Einstein developed a theory called Special Relativity. The ideas of Special Relativity are very hard to imagine because they aren't about what we experience in everyday life, but scientists have confirmed them. This theory says that space and time are really aspects of the same thing—space-time. There's a speed limit of 300,000 kilometers per second (or 186,000 miles per second) for anything that travels through space-time, and light always travels the speed limit through empty space.

Special Relativity also says that a surprising thing happens when you move through space-time, especially when your speed relative to other objects is close to the speed of light. Time goes slower for you than for the people you left behind. You won't notice this effect until you return to those stationary people.

Say you were 15 years old when you left Earth in a spacecraft traveling at about 99.5% of the speed of light (which is much faster than we can achieve now), and celebrated only five birthdays during your space voyage. When you get home at the age of 20, you would find that all your classmates were 65 years old, retired, and enjoying their grandchildren! Because time passed more slowly for you, you will have experienced only five years of life, while your classmates will have experienced a full 50 years.

So, if your journey began in 2003, it would have taken you only 5 years to travel to the year 2053, whereas it would have taken all of your friends 50 years. In a sense, this means you have been time traveling. This is a way of going to the future at a rate faster than 1 hour per hour.

Time travel of a sort also occurs for objects in gravitational fields. Einstein had another remarkable theory called General Relativity, which predicts that time passes more slowly for objects in gravitational fields (like here on Earth) than for objects far from such fields. So there are all kinds of space and time distortions near black holes, where the gravity can be very intense.

In the past few years, some scientists have used those distortions in space-time to think of possible ways time machines could work. Some like the idea of "worm holes," which may be shortcuts through space-time. This and other ideas are wonderfully interesting, but we don't know at this point whether they are possible for real objects. Still the ideas are based on good, solid science. In all time travel theories allowed by real science, there is no way a traveler can go back in time to before the time machine was built.

I am confident time travel into the future is possible, but we would need to develop some very advanced technology to do it. We could travel 10,000 years into the future and age only 1 year during that journey. However, such a trip would consume an extraordinary amount of energy. Time travel to the past is more difficult. We do not understand the science as well.

Actually, scientists and engineers who plan and operate some space missions must account for the time distortions that occur because of both General and Special Relativity. These effects are far too small to matter in most human terms or even over a human lifetime. However, very tiny fractions of a second do matter for the precise work necessary to fly spacecraft throughout the solar system.Time travel is one of my favorite topics! I wrote some time travel stories in junior high school that used a machine of my own invention to travel backwards in time, and I have continued to study this fascinating concept as the years have gone by.

We all travel in time. During the last year, I've moved forward one year and so have you. Another way to say that is that we travel in time at the rate of 1 hour per hour.

But the question is, can we travel in time faster or slower than "1 hour per hour"? Or can we actually travel backward in time, going back, say 2 hours per hour, or 10 or 100 years per hour?

It is mind-boggling to think about time travel. What if you went back in time and prevented your father and mother from meeting? You would prevent yourself from ever having been born! But then if you hadn't been born, you could not have gone back in time to prevent them from meeting.

The great 20th century scientist Albert Einstein developed a theory called Special Relativity. The ideas of Special Relativity are very hard to imagine because they aren't about what we experience in everyday life, but scientists have confirmed them. This theory says that space and time are really aspects of the same thing—space-time. There's a speed limit of 300,000 kilometers per second (or 186,000 miles per second) for anything that travels through space-time, and light always travels the speed limit through empty space.

Special Relativity also says that a surprising thing happens when you move through space-time, especially when your speed relative to other objects is close to the speed of light. Time goes slower for you than for the people you left behind. You won't notice this effect until you return to those stationary people.

Say you were 15 years old when you left Earth in a spacecraft traveling at about 99.5% of the speed of light (which is much faster than we can achieve now), and celebrated only five birthdays during your space voyage. When you get home at the age of 20, you would find that all your classmates were 65 years old, retired, and enjoying their grandchildren! Because time passed more slowly for you, you will have experienced only five years of life, while your classmates will have experienced a full 50 years.

So, if your journey began in 2003, it would have taken you only 5 years to travel to the year 2053, whereas it would have taken all of your friends 50 years. In a sense, this means you have been time traveling. This is a way of going to the future at a rate faster than 1 hour per hour.

Time travel of a sort also occurs for objects in gravitational fields. Einstein had another remarkable theory called General Relativity, which predicts that time passes more slowly for objects in gravitational fields (like here on Earth) than for objects far from such fields. So there are all kinds of space and time distortions near black holes, where the gravity can be very intense.

In the past few years, some scientists have used those distortions in space-time to think of possible ways time machines could work. Some like the idea of "worm holes," which may be shortcuts through space-time. This and other ideas are wonderfully interesting, but we don't know at this point whether they are possible for real objects. Still the ideas are based on good, solid science. In all time travel theories allowed by real science, there is no way a traveler can go back in time to before the time machine was built.

I am confident time travel into the future is possible, but we would need to develop some very advanced technology to do it. We could travel 10,000 years into the future and age only 1 year during that journey. However, such a trip would consume an extraordinary amount of energy. Time travel to the past is more difficult. We do not understand the science as well.

Actually, scientists and engineers who plan and operate some space missions must account for the time distortions that occur because of both General and Special Relativity. These effects are far too small to matter in most human terms or even over a human lifetime. However, very tiny fractions of a second do matter for the precise work necessary to fly spacecraft throughout the solar system.

Any shopper walking down the aisles of a modern grocery is spoiled for choice when it comes to food options. As of 2008, the number of products carried by the average supermarket stood around 47,000, according to Consumer Reports.

There is one particular item, however, that shouldn't ever appear in anyone's shopping cart, despite its place as a historical foodstuff, particularly during desperate times: human meat.

Cannibalism strikes the human conscience like few other taboo acts, eliciting a mix of dread, disdain and plain old nausea. But as seen in this slideshow, humans eating other humans has been an inseparable part of our history.

I grew up in a Kodak family. My grandfather worked in the photography dark rooms of a Kodak production facility in Rochester, New York for better than 30 years.  My father was a supervisor at Kodak headquarters in downtown Rochester, and later became a liaison between Kodak and Disney in Orlando, for 25 years. Other members of my family worked for the company in various roles, some until retirement.

As a kid, the Eastman Kodak brand was the undisputed king in a city known for its industry giants, including Bausch and Lomb, Xerox, Gannett, and Western Union. If you lived in Rochester and worked for Kodak, the expectation was that you would stay there until retirement, and receive a handsome pension thereafter. Every Kodak employee looked forward to a generous bonus–an annual event that juiced the local economy unlike any other.

By the mid1980s—just about 100 years after George Eastman invented paper-based film—my father was already voicing concerns about Kodak’s future. The digital revolution was sparking, and he wasn’t seeing signs that Kodak knew exactly what to do about it. Instead of focusing its strategic attention on the emerging digital technologies, Kodak was making odd maneuvers, like acquiring pharmaceutical giant Sterling Drugs for $5.1 billion and trying to establish a brand in the battery business.

The connection with Sterling—really the only linkage that made sense for Kodak—was Sterling’s diagnostic imaging business that Kodak rightly forecasted would become gigantic in the years ahead. But acquiring the entirety of Sterling proved a disastrous decision, resulting in massive losses and the eventual selling off of all Sterling’s divisions within six years. Likewise, Kodak took a costly black eye in the battery business from industry leaders Duracell and Eveready, and divested from its battery spin-off, Ultra Technologies, with another painful loss.

While embroiled in the Sterling and battery debacles, the digital revolution was already passing Kodak by, and the corporation’s infrastructure was steadily cracking. My father, along with tens of thousands of others, was among the first to receive an offer of early retirement. Each year after brought more forced retirements, more layoffs, and more downsizing.

Even in the film business, which Kodak comfortably owned for nearly a century, the losses were  mounting. Fujifilm had strategized around its titanic American opponent and was outselling Kodak in key markets. Brand partnerships that Kodak had invested in, nurtured and grown—like that with Disney—were no longer secure.  It seemed to me at the time that Kodak was fighting a war on multiple fronts and losing across the board. When Kodak finally shutdown its largest research and production facility in Rochester, known as Kodak Park, it appeared certain that the Kodak brand I grew up with was gone.

Popular perception is that Kodak didn’t even enter the consumer digital tech business until the mid 1990s (with the release of the Kodak DC-25 compact digital), but that’s incorrect. In 1990, the company pushed out the “Photo CD” as the industry defining digital image medium. That was a bold move and the company invested millions to make it work, but it turned out to be a myopic decision. Kodak was trying to benchmark the quintessential photo storage medium, evidently not realizing that the digital revolution was obliterating artificial boundaries between “photo storage” and other sorts of data storage. Kodak, by sticking to its old school philosophy that the photo is king, failed to see that there would never be a sustainable market for what it wanted to sell.

The company also courted the professional photojournalism market with a $13,000 digital retrofit camera that used a Nikon film body–the Kodak DCS-100–but it was slow to transition into the consumer market and fell behind competitors (including Nikon) that were closer to making the technology affordable to nonprofessionals.

Kodak did eventually make more aggressive moves into the digital tech business. By this time, most of the old guard of the corporation was gone and Kodak was recruiting from companies like Lexmark to re-create its brand image as a digital leader. Kodak sought to become the master of digital printing and was forging headlong into the self-service digital printing kiosk business, among others.

The problem Kodak would face in all of these new ventures is that it was too late to own any facet of the market. Whether fighting for territory in the printer or digital camera markets, it was always perilously behind well established players. The investment required to ramp up in those markets generated a debt load that outpaced the company’s ability to generate revenue, and that cycle can continue for only so long.

Which brings us to the present, with fears of impending bankruptcy sending Kodak stock plummeting from $2.38 a share to 78 cents within a week. For me, it’s sad to see one of the country’s greatest homegrown brands fall, especially since Kodak was such a dominant force for much of my life.  It has also been sad to watch the decline of Kodak’s (and my) hometown, Rochester, which has taken the brunt of the company’s decline.

The fall of the company that George Eastman built is perhaps the most salient commentary on the new economy in recent memory, and tells an unfortunate story about much of America’s industrial base. Monolithic, inflexible and unable to keep up with the shifts and turns of disruptive technology, once great companies like Kodak can’t survive without exhaustive restructuring. Hopefully, other U.S. companies have been watching and learning.

Days at Four Seasons Bora Bora slip by in a haze. Usually they include a spot of sunbathing on the terraces of guests’ over-water villas, but they could also include learning to paddle surf, snacking on seafood salads at the Faré Hoa beach bar, soaking in tubs with mountain views and snorkelling in the resort's fabulous Ruahatu Lagoon Sanctuary, where you can spot more than 100 species from octopus to eagle rays. The entrance of the dramatic cathedral-like spa looks like a temple and, melting to putty during a hot stone massage in the Kahaia couples suite as fish shimmer under the glass floor beneath you, it’s hard not to feel a little closer to heaven.

Travel to the past is probably impossible. But to the future? That’s a different story. Cathal O'Connell considers the feasibility of physics.

In 2009 the British physicist Stephen Hawking held a party for time travellers – the twist was he sent out the invites a year later. (No guests showed up.)
Travel into the past is probably impossible. Even if it were possible, Hawking and others have argued that you could never travel back before the moment your time machine was built.
But travel to the future? That’s a different story.
Of course, we are all time travellers as we are swept along in the current of time, from past to future, at a rate of one hour per hour.
But, as with a river, the current flows at different speeds in different places. Science as we know it allows for several methods to take the fast-track into the future. Here’s a rundown.
This is the easiest and most practical way to get to the far future – go really fast.
According to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, when you travel at speeds approaching the speed of light, time slows down for you relative to the outside world.
This is not a just a conjecture or thought experiment – it’s been measured. Using twin atomic clocks (one flown in a jet aircraft, the other stationary on Earth) physicists have shown that a flying clock ticks slower, because of its speed.
In the case of the aircraft, the effect is minuscule. But If you were in a spaceship travelling at 90% of the speed of light, you’d experience time passing about 2.6 times slower than it was back on Earth.
And the closer you get to the speed of light, the more extreme the time-travel.
The highest speeds achieved through any human technology are probably the protons whizzing around the Large Hadron Collider at 99.9999991% of the speed of light. Using special relativity we can calculate one second for the proton is equivalent to 27,777,778 seconds, or about 11 months, for us.
Amazingly, particle physicists have to take this time dilation into account when they are dealing with particles that decay. In the lab, muon particles typically decay in 2.2 microseconds. But fast moving muons, such as those created when cosmic rays strike the upper atmosphere, take 10 times longer to disintegrate. Gravity can slow down time.CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONSThe next method is also inspired by Einstein. According to his theory of general relativity, the stronger the gravity you feel, the slower time moves.
As you get closer to the centre of the Earth, for example, the strength of gravity increases. Time runs slower for your feet than your head.
Again, this effect has been measured. In 2010, physicists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) placed two atomic clocks on shelves, one 33 centimetres above the other, and measured the difference in their rate of ticking. The lower one ticked slower because it feels a slightly stronger gravity.
To travel to the far future, all we need is a region of extremely strong gravity, such as a black hole. The closer you get to the event horizon, the slower time moves – but it’s risky business, cross the boundary and you can never escape.
And anyway, the effect is not that strong so it’s probably not worth the trip.
Assuming you had the technology to travel the vast distances to reach a black hole (the nearest is about 3,000 light years away), the time dilation through travelling would be far greater than any time dilation through orbiting the black hole itself.
(The situation described in the movie Interstellar, where one hour on a planet near a black hole is the equivalent of seven years back on Earth, is so extreme as to be impossible in our Universe, according to Kip Thorne, the movie’s scientific advisor.)
The most mindblowing thing, perhaps, is that GPS systems have to account for time dilation effects (due to both the speed of the satellites and gravity they feel) in order to work. Without these corrections, your phones GPS capability wouldn’t be able to pinpoint your location on Earth to within even a few kilometres.How the television show Lost in Space envisioned the future.CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.Another way to travel to the future may be to slow your perception of time by slowing down, or stopping, your bodily processes and then restarting them later.
Bacterial spores can live for millions of years in a state of suspended animation, until the right conditions of temperature, moisture, food kick start their metabolisms again. Some mammals, such as bears and squirrels, can slow down their metabolism during hibernation, dramatically reducing their cells’ requirement for food and oxygen.
Could humans ever do the same?
Though completely stopping your metabolism is probably far beyond our current technology, some scientists are working towards achieving inducing a short-term hibernation state lasting at least a few hours. This might be just enough time to get a person through a medical emergency, such as a cardiac arrest, before they can reach the hospital.
In 2005, American scientists demonstrated a way to slow the metabolism of mice (which do not hibernate) by exposing them to minute doses of hydrogen sulphide, which binds to the same cell receptors as oxygen. The core body temperature of the mice dropped to 13 °C and metabolism decreased 10-fold. After six hours the mice could be reanimated without ill effects.
Unfortunately, similar experiments on sheep and pigs were not successful, suggesting the method might not work for larger animals.
Another method, which induces a hypothermic hibernation by replacing the blood with a cold saline solution, has worked on pigs and is currently undergoing human clinical trials in Pittsburgh.The artist Kjordand's impression of a wormhole.CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONSGeneral relativity also allows for the possibility for shortcuts through spacetime, known as wormholes, which might be able to bridge distances of a billion light years or more, or different points in time.
Many physicists, including Stephen Hawking, believe wormholes are constantly popping in and out of existence at the quantum scale, far smaller than atoms. The trick would be to capture one, and inflate it to human scales - a feat that would require a huge amount of energy, but which might just be possible, in theory.
Attempts to prove this either way have failed, ultimately because of the incompatibility between general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Another idea, put forward by the American physicist Ron Mallet, is to use a rotating cylinder of light to twist spacetime. Anything dropped inside the swirling cylinder could theoretically be dragged around in space and in time, in a similar way to how a bubble runs around on top your coffee after you swirl it with a spoon.
According to Mallet, the right geometry could lead to time travel into either the past and the future.
Since publishing his theory in 2000, Mallet has been trying to raise the funds to pay for a proof of concept experiment, which involves dropping neutrons through a circular arrangement of spinning lasers.
His ideas have not grabbed the rest of the physics community however, with others arguing that one of the assumptions of his basic model is plagued by a singularity, which is physics-speak for “it's impossible”.
1. Speed
2. Gravity
3. Suspended animation
4. Wormholes
5. Using light

ancient cultural region occupying southeastern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern southern Iraq from around Baghdad to the Persian Gulf). Because the city of Babylon was the capital of this area for so many centuries, the term Babylonia has come to refer to the entire culture that developed in the area from the time it was first settled, about 4000 bce. Before Babylon’s rise to political prominence (c. 1850 bce), however, the area was divided into two countries: Sumer in the southeast and Akkad in the northwest.

A brief treatment of Babylonia follows. For full treatment, seeMesopotamia, history of.

The history of Sumer and Akkad is one of constant warfare. The Sumerian city-states fought one another for the control of the region and rendered it vulnerable to invasion from Akkad and from its neighbour to the east, Elam. Despite the series of political crises that marked their history, however, Sumer and Akkad developed rich cultures. The Sumerians were responsible for the first system of writing, cuneiform; the earliest known codes of law; the development of the city-state; the invention of the potter’s wheel, the sailboat, and the seed plow; and the creation of literary, musical, and architectural forms that influenced all of Western civilization.

This cultural heritage was adopted by the Sumerians’ and Akkadians’ successors, the Amorites, a western Semitic tribe that had conquered all of Mesopotamia by about 1900 bce. Under the rule of the Amorites, which lasted until about 1600 bce, Babylon became the political and commercial centre of the Tigris-Euphrates area, and Babylonia became a great empire, encompassing all of southern Mesopotamia and part ofAssyria to the north. The ruler largely responsible for this rise to power was Hammurabi (c. 1792–1750 bce), the sixth king of the 1st dynasty of Babylon, who forged coalitions between the separate city-states, promoted science and scholarship, and promulgated his famous code of law.

After Hammurabi’s death, the Babylonian empire declined until 1595 bce, when the Hittite invaderMursil I unseated the Babylonian king Samsuditana, allowing the Kassites from the mountains east of Babylonia to assume power and establish a dynasty that lasted 400 years.

During the last few centuries of Kassite rule, religion and literature flourished in Babylonia, the most important literary work of the period being the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian epic of creation. During this same time, however, Assyria broke away from Babylonian control and developed as an independent empire, threatening the Kassite dynasty in Babylonia and on a few occasions temporarily gaining control. Elam, too, grew powerful and ultimately conquered most of Babylonia, felling the Kassite dynasty (c. 1157 bce).

In a series of wars, a new line of Babylonian kings, the 2nd dynasty of the city of Isin, was established. Its most outstanding member, Nebuchadrezzar I (reigned c. 1124–1103 bce), defeated Elam and successfully fought off Assyrian advances for some years.

For several centuries following Nebuchadrezzar I’s rule, a three-way struggle developed among the Assyrians and Aramean and Chaldean tribesmen for control of Babylonia. From the 9th century to the fall of the Assyrian empire in the late 7th century bce, Assyrian kings most frequently ruled over Babylonia, often appointing sub-kings to administer the government. The last ruling Assyrian king wasAshurbanipal, who fought a civil war against his brother, the sub-king in Babylon, devastating the city and its population.

Upon Ashurbanipal’s death, a Chaldean leader, Nabopolassar, made Babylon his capital and instituted the last and greatest period of Babylonian supremacy. His son Nebuchadrezzar II (reigned 605–562 bce) conquered Syria and Palestine; he is best remembered for the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem in 587 bce and for the ensuing Babylonian captivity of the Jews. He also revitalized Babylon, constructing the wondrous hanging gardens and rebuilding the Temple of Marduk and its accompanying ziggurat.

The Persians, under Cyrus the Great, captured Babylonia from Nebuchadrezzar’s last successorNabonidus in 539 bce. Thereafter, Babylonia ceased to be independent, passing eventually in 331 bce toAlexander the Great, who planned to make Babylon the capital of his empire and who died in Nebuchadrezzar’s palace. After Alexander’s death, however, the Seleucids eventually abandoned Babylon, bringing an end to one of the greatest empires in history.

Among the world's most famous curses is the "Curse of the Pharaoh," also known as King Tut's Curse. Ever since King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, stories circulated that those who dared violate the boy king's final resting place faced a terrible curse. Though not as dramatic as a murderous mummy, it is widely claimed that many people associated with opening the tomb fell soon victim to the curse, dying under mysterious circumstances. The legend gained traction because a few of the people who were involved in finding the tomb did, in fact, die not long after it was opened. Did financier pay with his life? The highest profile death associated with the curse is probably that of George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, a British aristocrat and amateur Egyptologist who helped finance the search. His death on March 25, 1923 — a year after the tomb was opened — is widely regarded as mysterious, but, in fact, he suffered from poor health before he arrived in Cairo, and in any event died from a decidedly mundane mosquito-carried disease. The idea of a curse was promoted by no less a prominent person than Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who also wrote a book explaining that fairieswere real). There were many dozens of people connected in some way to opening Tutankhamun's tomb (ranging from security guards to archaeologists), and out of that many people some unexpected deaths would be expected by random chance. In his book "An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural," investigator James Randi notes that "the average duration of life for ... those who should have suffered the ancient curse was more than twenty-three years after the 'curse' was supposed to become effective. Carnarvon's daughter died in 1980, a full fifty-seven years later. Howard Carter, who not only discovered the tomb and physically opened it, but also removed the mummy of Tutankhamun from the sarcophagus, lived until 1939, sixteen years after that event." Not only did Carter live to a fairly ripe age of 64 before succumbing to cancer, but Sgt. Richard Adamson, a member of Carter's team who guarded the burial chamber round the clock for seven years and was the European closest to Tutankhamun's remains, lived for another 60 years until his death in 1982. And he is not alone; Randi notes, "This group died at an average age of seventy-three plus years, beating the actuarial tables for persons of that period and social class by about a year. The Curse of the Pharaoh is a beneficial curse, it seems." [Photos: The Life and Death of King Tut] Why a curse? So where did the curse come from? According to Randi, "When Tut's tomb was discovered and opened in 1922, it was a major archaeological event. In order to keep the press at bay and yet allow them a sensational aspect with which to deal, the head of the excavation team, Howard Carter, put out a story that a curse had been placed upon anyone who violated the rest of the boy-king." Carter did not invent the idea of a cursed tomb, but he did exploit it to keep intruders away from his history-making discovery. In fact, the tombs of all royalty — not just Tutankhamun's — were said to have exactly the same "curse" and had been opened with no resulting evil effects. Howard Carter was far from alone in making an effort to scare away potential grave robbers with the threat of supernatural wrath. Indeed, a famous writer offered a very similar curse: Good frend, for Iesus sake forebeare To digge the dust encloased heare. Bleste be ye man [that] spares these stones, And curste be he [that] moves my bones." "Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones": This is William Shakespeare's epitaph, dating back to 1616. Though the world's best-known dramatist, Shakespeare was not being dramatic when he wrote these words. Instead, he was trying to prevent something unsavory that neither his fame nor fortune could deter: his corpse being dug up by grave robbers. These "anatomists" did not covet the Bard's body out of spite or malice but instead wanted it for the sake of science, to sell to doctors for medical use in schools. Shakespeare was only one of many at the time concerned about post-mortem theft; grave robbing was quite common during Shakespeare's time and long before. Whether Howard Carter, King Tut, or William Shakespeare truly believed in curses is irrelevant; the important thing is that those who might disturb their graves believe in them. And it worked: nearly a century after Tut's tomb was opened, many people still believe in it

Welcome to my blog

Stonehenge is probably the most important prehistoric monument in the whole of Britain and has attracted visitors from earliest times. It stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it. The stonehenge that we see today is the final stage that was completed about 3500 years ago, but first let us look back 5000 years. The First Stage  The first Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank, and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. They form a circle about 284 feet in diameter. Excavations have revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were probably made, not for the purpose of graves, but as part of the religious ceremony. Shortly after this stage Stonehenge was abandoned, left untouched for over 1000 years.

The Second StageThe Arrival of the Bluestones The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 BC. Some 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains, in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It is thought these stones, some weighing 4 tonnes each were dragged on rollers and sledges to the headwaters on Milford Haven and then loaded onto rafts. They were carried by water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again to near Warminster in Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. This astonishing journey covers nearly 240 miles. Once at the site, these stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. ( During the same period the original entrance of the circular earthwork was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. Also the nearer part of the Avenue was built, aligned with the midsummer sunrise.) Third Stage  The third stage of Stonehenge, about 2000 BC, saw the arrival of the Sarsen stones, which were almost certainly brought from the Marlborough Downs near Avebury, in north Wiltshire, about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. The largest of the Sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weigh 50 tonnes and transportation by water would have been impossible, the stones could only have been moved using sledges and ropes. Modern calculations show that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the huge rollers in front of the sledge. These were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels. Inside the circle, five trilithons were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, whose remains we can still see today.

The Final Stage The final stage took place soon after 1500 BC when the bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that we see today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, these have long since been removed or broken up. Some remain only as stumps below ground level

Rapa Nui’s mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. The stone blocks, carved into head-and-torso figures, average 13 feet (4 meters) tall and 14 tons. The effort to construct these monuments and move them around the island must have been considerable—but no one knows exactly why the Rapa Nui people undertook such a task. Most scholars suspect that the moai were created to honor ancestors, chiefs, or other important personages, However, no written and little oral history exists on the island, so it’s impossible to be certain.

A Polynesian society blossomed in this unlikely locale after hardy souls somehow navigated a fleet of wooden outrigger canoes to this tiny speck in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Here, in isolation some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) west of South America and 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) from the nearest neighboring island, the Rapa Nui developed a distinct architectural and artistic culture. That culture reached its zenith during the tenth to 16th centuries, when the Rapa Nui carved and erected some 900 moai across the island.

It is generally thought that the Rapa Nui’s demise resulted from an environmental catastrophe of their own making.

It’s not clear when the islands were first settled; estimates range from A.D. 800 to 1200. It’s also not clear how quickly the island ecosystem was wrecked—but a major factor appears to be the cutting of millions of giant palms to clear fields or make fires. It is possible that Polynesian rats, arriving with human settlers, may have eaten enough seeds to help to decimate the trees.

Either way, loss of the trees exposed the island’s rich volcanic soils to serious erosion. When Europeans arrived in 1722, they found the island mostly barren and its inhabitants few.

Today’s tourists are numerous, and most visit the Rano Raraku quarry, which yielded the stones used for almost all of the island’s moai. Rapa Nui’s ancient inhabitants left the quarry in a fascinating condition—it is home to some 400 statues, which appear in all stages of completion.

Meanwhile, across the entire island, many moai are reversing the creation process and deteriorating rapidly from priceless carvings back into plain rock. The volcanic stone is subject to weathering, and intensive conservation efforts are needed to help preserve Rapa Nui’s stone legacy in its present, awe-inspiring state.

How to Get There

It’s miraculous that Polynesian peoples ever reached Rapa Nui in the first place. Getting there today is far easier, but the island is still very far afield. Long flights service Rapa Nui from Santiago, Chile and Tahiti.

When to Visit

High season on Rapa Nui is the Southern Hemisphere summer—January to March. Though winter can get a bit chilly, average maximums still hover around 72ºF (22ºC) and minimums dip to only 57ºF (14ºC)—so the weather is really rather pleasant year-round. Reduced crowds are an added attraction in the off-season.

How to Visit

Cars, motorcycles, and mountain bikes are available for hire and all are good ways for visitors to explore the island’s scattered archaeological sites. While most people visit Rapa Nui to explore its cultural history the island is also home to some excellent diving, surfing, and enticing beaches when a bit of relaxation is in order.

CAN YOU SAY YOU MADE IT?

Follow in the footsteps of the millions of visitors who have crossed Capilano Suspension Bridge since 1889.
Originally built in 1889, Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above Capilano River. Since then much has been added to the twenty-seven acre park. CLIFFWALK is the park’s newest attraction – a cantilevered walkway clinging to the granite cliff high above Capilano Canyon. Treetops Adventure, seven suspension bridges through the evergreens taking you up to 100 feet (30m) above the forest floor, offers a unique squirrel’s eye perspective of the forest. Guided nature tours, the Kids’ Rainforest Explorer program and the Living Forest exhibit enhance this unique rainforest encounter. Enjoy seasonal musical entertainment and First Nations culture. Take photos at the Totem Park and with the Capilano Tramps. Top it off with a visit to the gift shop full of quality merchandise from all over Canada and great homemade fudge! It’s all in a day’s fun at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

Itinerary

DAY ONE – WELCOME TO CAPE TOWN!

On arrival at Cape Town International Airport you’ll be met by a Springboard Vacations representative who will transfer you to your hotel, the One & Only Cape Town. The modern chic, this hotel is situated amidst the vibrant Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. You can expect an unprecedented level of luxury and exclusivity while admiring the magnificent views of Table Mountain.

DAY TWO – CITY TOURING & TABLE MOUNTAIN

Following breakfast this morning, your guide will pick you up for your Cape Town City Tour. Highlights include the South African Museum and the Castle of Good Hope - the oldest surviving building in South Africa, built between 1666 and 1679.

This afternoon you’ll travel to the top of Table Mountain (weather permitting). Since the first person laid eyes on Table Mountain, it has exerted its powerful and charismatic pull, enchanting and drawing any and all who fall under its spell. The best views of Cape Town are seen from the top of Table Mountain and the Cableway reaches the summit in less than 10 minutes.

The balance of the evening is at leisure.

DAY THREE – CAPE OF GOOD HOPE & BOULDERS BEACH

Your driver/guide will pick you up after breakfast and you will travel via the 12 Apostles and Hout Bay, as well as Chapman’s Peak (dependent on the road being open) – one of the most dramatic mountain drives in the world.

Continue to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, the majestic Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope - popularly perceived as the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. You’ll continue to Simon’s Town to enjoy lunch at Black Marlin Restaurant.

Following lunch you’ll visit a colony of African Penguins in their natural environment at Boulders Beach. On the return trip to Cape Town you can stop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora.

DAY FOUR – FOOD, WINE, CHEESE & CHOCOLATE

This morning after breakfast your driver/guide will take you on a scenic and historic drive through the local wine regions in the Western Cape: Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. The day will include stopping at some of the famous wine estates to sample the local wines produced in South Africa. For a delicious alternative to the regular wine tasting, you’ll indulge in a cheese & wine experience that pairs top ranking goats’ cheeses with an elegant range of wines.

Lunch today is a special treat: Babel, the restaurant at Babylonstoren, a Cape Dutch farm with vineyards and orchards surrounded by the dramatic mountains of the Drakenstein Valley. Following lunch you’ll visit a working wine farm and sample some of the country’s finest Cap Classique at Haute Cabrière, a wine farm steeped in history and local lore. Then visit to Waterford Estate in Stellenboschfor an all-encompassing sensory experience custom-made chocolates paired with our red and dessert wines.

Tonight you’ll stay at Le Quartier Français, nestled in the heart of Franschhoek.

DAY FIVE – WALKING, TASTING, HISTORY & ONE OF THE WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS

Today you’ll explore the beautiful, historic town of Stellenbosch. Your guide will escort you through the town as you savor the many delicacies of this area on this half walking tour. Highlights of this experience include a guided historic walking tour of the town center, tasting of indigenous teas and old-style rusks, wine tastings (non-alcoholic alternatives available), a heritage lunch at the oldest hotel in the country and nostalgic sweets.

The afternoon is at your leisure. Tonight you’ll experience a distinct and exclusive indulgence: dinner at The Tasting Room. Voted one of the best restaurants in the world. Reservations here can take months to arrange, but our exclusive package includes an 8 course dining experience you will talk about for years to come.

DAY SIX – JOHANNESBURG

This morning you’ll be transferred back to Cape Town International Airport for your flight to Johannesburg. Our representative will meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel, the Sandton Sun. Elegant and legendary, the Sandton Sun is linked to the Sandton City Shopping Centre.

Spend the balance of today at leisure.

DAY SEVEN – SOWETO & NELSON MANDELA HOUSE

After breakfast you’ll be picked up from your hotel for a sightseeing tour of Johannesburg and the neighboring township of Soweto. Soweto played a very important role in the struggle against apartheid, which eventually led to South Africa’s new democracy. The peaceful transition is regarded as one of the greatest achievements of humankind in the 20th century! Highlights of this half day tour include: a fascinating glimpse of bustling neighborhood life: two Nobel Prize winners previous residences: the Hector Pieterson memorial and Nelson Mandela House. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Soweto. The balance of the afternoon is at leisure.

DAY EIGHT – SABI SANDS

Today begins your Africa safari. Following breakfast your driver will pick you up and transfer you to O.R Tambo International Airport for your flight to Sabi Sands airstrip. On arrival at the Sabi Sabi airstrip you will be met and transferred in an open vehicle from the airstrip to Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge.

Earth Lodge is a sanctuary symbolizing a new era in luxury South African safari lodges. Sculpted into a slope of the earth, almost invisible in the landscape, the lodge uses texture, light and space to present a lodge like no other. Taking its cue from the surrounding environment, it has been described as the most environmentally sensitive lodge in Africa.

As in nature everything at Earth Lodge exists in harmony and you are immediately aware of a sense of calm and a restoring spirit. Your ultra-luxurious suite is a masterpiece of artistry and innovation and features individually designed furniture, private plunge pool, en-suite glass fronted bathroom, indoor and outdoor shower and butler service. The natural wooden sculptures by renowned South African artist Geoffrey Armstrong add a powerful magic.

Spend the afternoon at leisure… enjoy the swimming pool or just relaxing around the lodge.

During afternoon game drives you will have the opportunity to view all different species of African game during this special time of the day. During different game drives at different times of the day you will have a unique experience as the animals have different habits at each time of the day. During your afternoon game drive you will see the game moving towards the different waterholes to relieve their thirst. This then leads to large number of animals concentrated around water sources.

On your return to the lodge guests will have time to freshen up before enjoying a drink around the bar. Dinner will be served in the boma (weather permitting).

DAY NINE – MORNING & AFTERNOON GAME DRIVES AND VILLAGE TOUR

You’ll have an early morning wake up call before meeting in the central area for tea & coffee, the off on your morning game drive in an open vehicle and your experienced game rangers and trackers. Return to the lodge in time for a scrumptious breakfast.

After breakfast you will partake in a community tour:For decades, visitors to Sabi Sabi have been intrigued by the local Shangaan culture and customs of nearby villages. Stories are shared by the many Shangaan staff members who call the private game reserve home; with their rich heritage, in-depth knowledge of the bushveld and local legends adding a fascinating dimension to a memorable safari. Now you are able to gain even more insight into authentic village life by taking part in a tour of neighboring communities during your stay at Sabi Sabi.

Enjoy lunch at the lodge.

After tea, coffee and cake in the central area of the lodge you’ll depart on an afternoon game drive in an open vehicle. On your return to the lodge guests will have time to freshen up before enjoying a drink around the bar. Dinner will be served in the boma (weather permitting).

DAY TEN – MORNING & AFTERNOON GAME DRIVES

You’ll have an early morning wake up call before meeting in the central area for tea & coffee, the off on your morning game drive in an open vehicle and your experienced game rangers and trackers. Return to the lodge in time for a scrumptious breakfast.

Following breakfast you can enjoy a morning bush walk which is an excellent opportunity to learn more about nature and the African bush. Your experienced game tracker will ensure that you learn about nature in a safe and secure environment.

Enjoy lunch at the lodge, the early part of the afternoon will be at leisure.

After tea, coffee and cake in the central area of the lodge you’ll depart on an afternoon game drive in an open vehicle. On your return to the lodge guests will have time to freshen up before enjoying a drink around the bar before dinner.

DAY ELEVEN – DEPARTURE

You’ll have an early morning game drive this morning, followed by breakfast back at the Lodge. You’ll then be transferred to the airstrip for your flight back to Johannesburg and on home