Book of the dayPolitics booksReviewIncarceration in a purpose-built dungeon in Morocco has produced a memoir that is a tribute to human fortitude and imagination In July 1971 military leaders launched a coup against Morocco’sKing Hassan II, descending on his summer palace in Skhirat, where he was hosting a sumptuous garden party. A bloodbath ensued. Aziz BineBine was a junior officer at the time. He had been told, like most of his comrades, that he was taking part in a military exercise. Read More...
THE BODY BEAUTIFULCan we cry under the water? Cao Tien Quan, Quynh Giang, Quynh Luu, Nghe An, Vietnam
I would have thought the need to open the mouth and gasp for air (even if only crying a little before submerging!) would make this impossible. Tear ducts may well still work under water, initially, though? WB, Cambridge UK
No thats not possible, though its obvious to think that tear ducts should work really fine under water. Read More...
Country diaryBirdsCrook, County Durham: The tree currently wafting out clouds of golden pollen is also called Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. But why?
There have been some fine displays of catkins in hedgerows here, but none compares with the corkscrew hazel flowering outside my window. It’s a mutant form of native hazel, with a compact canopy of sinuous branches that have lost all sense of direction: they spiral, twist, curl, bend and sometimes double back on themselves. Read More...