Images Dated 31st December 2005

Volunteer Sharon Walker applies roses to the City of Pasadenas float in preparation

Volunteer Sharon Walker, 64, applies roses to the City of Pasadena's float in preparation for the 117th annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on December 31, 2005. Thousands of gallons of glue, millions of individual flowers, and tons of wood, steel, and other raw materials take weeks to decorate and prepare for the annual Rose Parade that celebrates the beginning of the new year. This years Rose Parade will be held on Janurary 2nd and not New Years Day for only the 17th time in the Parade's history with Sandra Day O'Connor as the Grand Marshal. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RP2DSFILBDAB

An attractive Malagasy home of the Betsileo people

An attractive Malagasy home of the Betsileo people who live southwest of the capital, Antananarivo. Most houses built by the Betsileo are double-storied with kitchens and living quarters located on the first floor. Almost all of them have wooden balconies and some have outside staircases. Livestock is often kept in the ground floor of a house overnight. The Betsileo are industrious people and expert rice farmers. Their terraced, irrigated paddy fields are a feature of Madagascar's southern landscape

© Nigel Pavitt/John Warburton-Lee Photography Ltd