Yellow dock (Rumex crispus), also known as curly dock due to the wavy edges of its long, narrow leaves, is an introduced plant from Northern Africa, Europe and Asia. It's currently found all over North and South America, and has become a staple in traditional American herbal medicine practices.

Six months after predicting his own murder, a leading rainforest defender has reportedly been gunned down in the Brazilian Amazon. José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo, are said to have been killed in an ambush near their home in Nova Ipixuna, in Pará state, about 37 miles from Marabá.

Belief in malignant supernatural forces causing illness or misfortune is a common tradition in cultures around the world. The concept of "black magic", the "evil eye", curses, witchcraft, bringing down disaster on unwitting victims has inspired a host of ritual practices designed to protect users from harm.

In South-Eastern Siberia there is an amazing wonder of nature – Lake Baikal. It is so vast and deep that locals call it the sea. But its water is pure and fresh: a fifth of the Earth’s freshwater is contained in this lake.

One night I had a powerful dream. I was standing around a water cooler with a group of coworkers. Our conversation seemed to be cordial, but I became aware that some of the workers were sending psychic/invisible "punches" to the others. I would say to one who'd been punched, "Are you okay?" And then to the other, "Did you see what you just did?" I was shocked by how unconscious people were of their behavior.