"These Shoes Were Made for Walking- and Designed to Last"

"Sandals and slip-ons: Basic shoe styles never go out of fashion. And they apparently took shape earlier than expected, based on 35 shoes found in a Missouri cave since 1955. Using a new dating method that requires only a small piece of fiber from each shoe, researchers have found that Native Americans created the earliest one about 8,000 years ago. Almost all were made from rattlesnake master, a tough, spiny-edged, yucca-like plant.

The pre-historic cobblers are "skilled craftsmen who knew what they were doing." It is amazing that so many relied on the same raw material for at least 7,000 years.

National Geographic, Jan '99

"PHENOMENA: Sand Songs"

It's a surreal 'song' which floats on the winds blowing over more than 30 sand dunes in the world. The loud, low-pitched rumble spooked early explorers like Marco Polo, and led to tales of evil sand spirits lying in wait for hapless wanderers,. One scientific theory about the cause of the sound: collisions between sand grains as they cascade down the dune face create synchronized motions that generate the sound which can go up to 115 decibels (a person talking measures about 50 decibels) and last several minutes. Listen up on your next desert trip- every dune 'sings' a distinct song.

Silverkris, Air Singapore.