Historical Significance of Resource Control

Number of words: 210 Civilisations have fallen because of an inability to acquire sufficient quantities of energy, food and metals. Societies that have managed to control access to natural resources have survived and those that have failed have become extinct. The Spanish conquistadores’ pillage of Peru and Mexico, destroying both the Aztec and Inca cultures, … Read more

The Remarkable Adaptability of Tree Squirrels

Number of words: 1,135 Tree squirrels are the Olympic divers of the rodent world, leaping gracefully among branches and structures high above the ground. And as with human divers, a squirrel’s success in this competition requires both physical strength and mental adaptability. A newly published study shows that squirrels leap and land without falling by … Read more

The Trivial Incident That Sparked a Tragic Conflict

Number of words: 1,943 The massacre was triggered off by the most trivial incident. Some rations and a bottle of whisky were stolen at the village of Rotung, ten miles east of Kebang, and Williamson told the villagers that he would require satisfaction on his return. He and his party then crossed the Dihong into … Read more

The Eccentricities of British Political Agents in India

Number of words: 563 In unadministered frontier areas and Indian native states the authority of the British Raj was usually vested in the political agent or the political officer. His powers were limited, so his effectiveness as an administrator was largely dependent on the degree to which he could impose his will on peoples who … Read more