To Whom It May Concern

           I want to thank you for broadcasting that review of Erin Henderson's new album, Family of Man. I bought her album after I had heard your review (it was hard to find the album), and I love it! I remember that my roommate used to listen to her, and I enjoyed the music, but I never knew who was singing. Also, I'm writing because I have been listening closely to your station every day at work, but I haven’t heard you play any of the songs from her new album yet. I was going to tell all my friends to listen to your station so that they could hear her. I wonder why you aren’t playing her music. What's going on? 

Debby

THE MAN'S BEEN NEARLY EVERYWHERE

              John Clouse has the thickest, most dog-eared passport in the world. Turn to page 16 of the 1996 Guiness Book of World Records and you will find the reason. He holds the record for traveling to all 192 of the globe's inde-pendent countries, and to all but a few of the other territories that existed in early 1996.
              
             Clouse, who has spent about $1.25 million roaming from A to Z in the past 40 years, says he travels for the love of it, not to outrun anybody else who may be keeping a list. He is now down to just three remote islands to visit.

            Clouse has continued his journeys since making the record book, and not only has he visited every country in the world, but some two or three times. Now he is focusing on the remaining three islands.

            "Yeah, I 've been trying to get to three places: one is the Paracel Islands, owned by China in the South China Sea," he says. "And on two occasions the weather has kept me from reaching Bouvet, an island in Norwegian Antarctica. No. 3 is Clipperton, a French island about 700 miles west of Acapulco."
           
             After all his traveling, he says, "I don't believe there are evil empires and evil people. Yes, there are some bad leaders in the world, but seeing people as individuals has taught me that they are all basically alike. You can be in some terrible place and someone will extend hospitality to you."

            Clouse travels light, with a small suitcase, and seldom goes first class. His collection of National Geographic magazines is his source for research. Years ago he stopped taking photos and now keeps a journal of his travels. He has crossed the Atlantic Ocean at least 100 times, and the Pacific Ocean 40 or 50 times.

            Clouse concludes that the right attitude is synonymous with the lightness of his suitcase. 'Travel without a lot of mental baggage," he says. "Try not to go with preconceived notions that the place will be dirty or hostile, and if it is, go with the flow and make the best of it."

           "Learn a few words like please and thank you" he suggests. "That really pleases people."

Exercise 2

Good morning, Mr Davies. What can I do for you?

Well, doctor, I've been getting some really bad headaches.

Okay. Can you tell me exactly when these headaches started?

Oh, yes, I remember it vividly - it was on a Friday three weeks ago. I had been working in front of my computer all week because I was doing a job for an important client - I've been working as a website designer for the last few years, you see. I had just finished when the pain started, and by the end of that day I was feeling/ felt really bad.

Okay. And how have you been sleeping?

Not very well, actually. Usually I'm asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, but recently I've been having difficulty getting to sleep.

I see. Now, I notice that you wear glasses. Have you had your eyes tested recently?

No, I haven't had them tested for a couple of years, I suppose.

Okay, what I suggest is that first you get your eyes tested. Then when you are working/ work at your computer, take frequent breaks to rest your eyes. If that doesn't solve the problem, come back and see me again.

Exercise 1

Emergency services were bombarded with phone calls from all over the north of England last night by people who reported seeing blue objects shoot across the sky. Mrs Linda Hayward was driving along the B456 road at the time.

'I usually come/ am usually coming along that bit of road at about ten. As I
went/ am going past the old barn, I saw a single bright blue light going across the road in front of my car. I stopped the car and watched/ was watching it for about fifteen minutes. It travelled/ was travelling quite slowly from east to west and then it suddenly disappeared. Until now I never believed/ have never believed in UFOs, although my son is forever trying to persuade me that they exist. But now I think that maybe he is/ was right.'

At the height of the panic, police stations got/ were getting around a thousand calls an hour from members of the public. Sergeant Ron Drake of the Ambledale police was particularly busy. 'Between 10 and 11 o'clock we received around thirty calls. The callers said they saw/ were seeing a single blue light about as big as a car over the village. We are now considering searching the fields around Ambledale for any evidence left behind.'

Dr Bart Mastow, a lecturer in astronomy at Trumpton University offers/ offered a simple explanation. 'The reports that came/ were coming in last night suggest/ suggested that it was a meteor shower. This is not unusual on a small scale, but last night's shower seems to have been very large. In fact, we are getting an increasing number of meteor showers, and my department is currently researching possible reasons for this.'

But many witnesses to the events believe that they observed/ were observing more than a meteor shower, and the Ministry of Defence says that they take/ are taking the reports of UFO sightings very seriously