I can’t deny I was excited about visiting Machu Picchu. Twenty-five years had passed since my first visit. Then, torrential rains had washed away portions of the train tracks between Cuzco and the archaeological site, canceling our excursion. It took almost a week before train service was restored, and when we finally reached the site we had only a frustratingly few hours there. This time, in August 2006, I wanted enough time — weather gods permitting — to explore thoroughly and to overnight...

Dear Steve, my husband and I were to sail on a 30-day South Pacific cruise with (a major ship line) on January 22nd. We arrived at the port on time and healthy.

We were aboard the ship for all of four hours, two of which were spent having lunch and touring the ship. When we got to our stateroom, it reeked of mold. I am extremely allergic to mold. My eyes became itchy and watery and my throat began to close up on me.

I have had this reaction previously to mold. In fact, in...

by Ed Kinney

From Aleppo, Syria, to the Iraqi border

Currently, the image of the Euphrates River is one of death and destruction as it flows slowly through the Baghdad area of Iraq. Lest we forget, hundreds of villages both in its historical past and still today have depended upon its waters as it travels from its origin in Turkey through Syria and into Iraq. As populations swell, demands on the Euphrates will only increase, leading to potential conflicts between these three...