Word: planetful
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...some 4.5 billion years ago, was just five hours long, but it was a momentous one for Earth. A Mars-size object roaring in at 25,000 m.p.h. struck the young planet, already largely formed but devoid of life. The glancing blow hurled molten and vaporized debris into space, where it cooled, began circling Earth and eventually coalesced to form the moon...
...senior doyen of science and, by his own admission, moving irresistibly into what he calls "the literary realm." It's not a bad place for him to be. Wilson has produced a scientific masterpiece in nearly every decade of his life. And in this time of crisis, our planet has never had more need for the observations and intuition of one of the world's great naturalists...
...cheap hostels and eating at small family-run restaurants, he would give his money to those who needed it most. And by maintaining an environmental vigilance, he'd simply tread more softly than the package tourist. The backpacker guidebooks described the perfect win-win. "The people at Lonely Planet strongly believe that travelers can make a positive contribution to the countries they visit, both through their appreciation of the countries' culture, wildlife and natural features and through the money they spend." No need for the Peace Corps or voluntary work. You could do good in the Third World just...
Young people everywhere took Lonely Planet's mantra to heart. There are no reliable figures for how many still do so every year?"millions and millions in Asia," according to a spokesman for the Pacific Asia Travel Association. But Lonely Planet's position as the world's largest independent guidebook producer, with annual sales of its 430 titles pulling in $30 million, gives some indication. India and Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (the "yellow bible") are among the top sellers, with more than half a million bought of each. Founder Tony Wheeler is frequently cited as the man who changed...
...more people hit the road, there are fewer and fewer pioneers. Backpackers move as a herd, not unlike the package tourists they try to avoid. The overcrowding and bottlenecks are at their worst in Asia, the destination of choice since Wheeler and his wife Maureen released the first Lonely Planet book, Across Asia on the Cheap, in 1973. A well-worn trail links beaches in Goa (India), Boracay (Philippines), Bali (Indonesia) and southern Thailand and the peaks of Yangshuo (China) and Kathmandu (Nepal). In such numbers, backpackers can't help but trample culture and nature, whatever their environmental beliefs. "They...