We have only encountered around 20 skeletons in the course of our work, explains Masson, adding that closely and carefully arranged discrete cemetery areas probably represent individual lineage groups that occupied the site. As we approach the new millennium, the study of past civilizations' family structures, politics, and trade is particularly relevant to us, according to the professor, who plans to return to Belize to continue her research next summer. Those issues are alive and well on the frontiers of the Third World today. The history of the world is not just that of western society, concludes Masson. Researching the nonwestern past can help to give us a more balanced view of the formation of the modern world - and all of its glorious diversity.
Some people write in the hope of becoming commercially successful.
Others wish only to put their thoughts down on paper. I love it. Clearly, Slade's audience enjoys reading his work as much as he loves producing it. The mixture is appealing. One senses that accolades of that caliber make Slade feel unworthy - an adjective he frequently applies to himself.