GamblingHuman beings have spent large amounts of money trying to beat the laws of probability for centuries. More than thirty countries currently have legalized gambling in the form of national lotteries or private casinos. In the last ten years this...
CalendarsAre you looking forward to summer? In Saint Petersburg, where this article was written, a day can be less than less six hours long in the middle of winter and nearly 19 hours in summer. At this time of year, you can easily see in peoples fac...
Canada?You cant see much of Canada in American films like in the 1953 film 'Niagara' (1953). For me, Canada is a place that starts somewhere on the other side of that enormous waterfall. Like most people I suppose, I know the USA from watching Americ...
Weatherby Mike RaynerIt's hardly surprising that weather is a favourite topic for so many people around the world - it affects where we choose to live, what we wear, our moods, and perhaps even our national characteristics. A sunny day can relieve th...
Rock'n'roll grandadsby Chris RoseIn 2005 The Rolling Stones released an album called A Bigger Bang. Many critics, as usual, chose it as their favourite of the year. This isnt very surprising, but if you think that A Bigger Bang was their 25th album n...
It's all been done beforeby Linda BaxterToday's amazing newspaper headline! First family of four to walk to the South Pole wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clown's shoes. No, not really. It isn't true. I invented it. But I wouldn't be surprised to see i...
Archaeologyby Paul MillardArchaeology, like many academic words, comes from Greek and means, more or less, the study of old things. So, it is really a part of the study of history. However, most historians use paper evidence, such as letters, documen...
Grameen BankBy Linda BaxterIf we are looking for one single action which will enable the poor to overcome their poverty, I would focus on credit. (Dr Muhammad Yunus) The beginningTwenty five years ago, Muhammed Yunus, a Bangladeshi economics teacher,...
Ice-cream and bankingBy John KutiRussian ice-cream is great. Any shop or street seller can offer a choice of different ones for less than ten roubles, thats about 20p in British money, which I think is a fair price. They have natural fruit flavours a...
