Following in the ski tracks of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, the three men--New Zealander Peter Hillary and Australians Jon Muir and Erik Philips--left New Zealand's Antarctic Scott Base on November 4 with a relatively mild temperature of minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit. In 1911-1912, a historic race took place between Norwegian Roald Almundsen and Britain's Scott to be the first man to reach the South Pole. Almundsen reached the pole on December 14, 1911, and after establishing that they were indeed at the pole, erected a tent and the Norwegian flag. More than a month later, Scott reached the pole.

Devastated to have been beaten, the return trip was even worse. Slowly starving to death, he and his four companions, the sled dogs and ponies allperished. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that they died only a few miles and a few days from their final destination.

The trio making the trip this year is planning to follow Scott's path, but will eschew animal assistance in favor of high technology. In addition to the most light-weight, high-tech gear available, they will use special wind kites that could pull them along the ice like para-sailors at between nine and 14 miles per hour. The quadrafoil kites will be used mainly on the return trip. Right now, the three adventurers are pulling sleds carrying 396 pounds of food, fuel and equipment and sending in daily reports saying that they can't wait to get to the first depot and lighten their loads.

Who owns the water?

A landowner who barred five kayakers from floating on a river that runs through his property has landed in the middle of an ongoing nationwide feud over river rights between landowners and recreational users. Bill McNeely was slapped with a Federal lawsuit by two riverusers groups, which say he blocked access to a quarter mile of the Horsepasture River in Transylvania County, North Carolina. The American Canoe Association and American Whitewater Affiliation have asked a Federal judge in Asheville to order McNeely to stop posting `No Trespassing' signs. David Jenkins of the canoe association said McNeely summoned a Transylvania County deputy when Jenkins and four other kayakers floated down the Horsepasture. The deputy cited them for trespassing, Jenkins said. In 1986, Congress designated four miles of the river a National Wild and Scenic River. McNeely contends that because he owns 40 acres along the first-quarter-mile of the river, he also owns the river bed.

Car manufacturers sign green pledge

THE American Automobile Manufacturers Association, representing General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, have refused to help pay for the latest anti-Kyoto TV ads produced by the Global Climate Information Project, an alliance group of industry, labour and farm groups. Allthis is a change from the past when the powerful industry coalition, led by automobile makers, coal and oil companies, tried to convince the world that global warming was nothing to get alarmed about, reports Time magazine. In fact, they had warned that curbs on emissions of greenhouse gases would destroy jobs without necessarily having a positive effect on climate.

Last week, GM, British Petroleum and Monsanto executives were brought together by Washington's World Re- sources Institute to sign a pledge that their companies would contribute less to the greenhouse effect. Ford chairman-in-waiting, William Caly Ford Jr, said: ``There is a rising tide of environmental awareness. Smart companies will get ahead of the wave. Those that don't are headed for a wipe-out.''

Crossword sponsors book award

Five books have been shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award. These are Across The Lakes by Amal Chatterjee, Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur, The Everest Hotel by Allan Sealy, The Madwoman of Jogare bySohaila Abdulali, and Tivolem by Victor Rangel-Ribeiro. Crossword has recently launched the annual award to recognise and reward the best work of fiction by an Indian author, which may be either a full-length novel or a collection of short stories in English, published in India. The cash prize for 1998 is Rs two lakh. Plans are underway to have awards for books under more categories next year onwards, like translations of regional language fiction into English, children's books, non-fiction, etc. A division of India Book House Limited, Crossword has stores in Bomaby, Ahmedabad, Pune and Nashik, and a turnover of Rs 160 million. By the time you read this, the awards may have been announced.