Africa 5

~~~ Provocative Quote

"Better to be religious with your eloquence, than eloquent with your religion."~Disraeli

~~~Free Ramblings

Lions, of course, are one of the Big 5 in Southern Africa. On this trip I was given the opportunity to see lions up close and personal. There was no fence, no barrier between me and the King of the jungle, his mate, and his offspring. These views were incredible. They were imposing while being intimidating. I was yet again overwhelmed on several occasions.

We saw lions from an open jeep. We were able walk with the lions at a conservation project. First the ones we saw from the jeep. Without our excellent trackers at the reserves or parks, they could have been easily missed. On one occasion we tracked a lion for about 90 minutes. The tracker was finding fresh tracks. He knew the general area the lion enjoyed—however that area was several thousand acres. We never did find that lion. When I did my archery hunts, I learned, to some degree, how to read tracks and poop. I had also learned to read tracks in Boy Scouts. On one occasion I was in a canyon, hunting javelin in AZ and while in a deep canyon, came across a mountain lion track. My friend said they were fresh, and we left the canyon. Now in Africa, we follow them.

We first saw two lionesses under a tree, resting. All that movie stuff is just that. Lions like to sleep and rest, especially when it is hot or rainy or cool, or daytime or they have eaten within the last three days. These lions were a good 40 yards away, but thanks to my binoculars I could watch them breathe. They could care less that we were there. We were not a threat. They were resting. No need to move, no need to leave, no need to bother us. Just a need to rest. Another sighting had a small pride of about 8. It was too early for cubs, though several females were ready to drop. They were just walking in the grass, looking for more shade and a place to rest. One was favoring her left rear leg. The guide checked it out with binoculars, and her ankle was pretty swollen. Probably an injury from a recent kill, but nothing life threatening. These animals were only about 20 yards from us and again didn’t care that we were there. Another sighting had two lionesses stalking a giraffe. The lions were about 30 yards away on one side of the road in some shade. The giraffe was about 10 yards in front of us, on the other side of the road. Our guide told us that lions were very patient. We watched them about 15 minutes, and while they always kept an eye on the giraffe, they only moved about 5 yards in the low dry grass. Lazy or patient, they were not in a hurry to make the kill. We moved on.

We visited a conservation site in Zambia. Its goal is to provide rehab for lions, allow the lions to breed, and eventually release the lions back into the wild. Political Aside: The project started in Zimbabwe, and it was nice to learn that something good was happening in that country. The project is called “Walk with the Lions.” After a 30 minutes presentation about what to expect, what to do and what not to do, we were broken into two groups and went for the walk. The list of don’ts was very long. Basically it was don’t panic, stay quiet, and stand still if there is a problem. A problem means that one of the lions decides that you are something to play with and might do that. Panic or loud noise could change the play to something much more serious. We made a single file line and followed a trail. Soon we had three lions (one male and two females) laying under a tree, resting. They were about 2 years old, making them pre-teens. It was about 90 degrees F. They really didn’t want to walk. They just wanted to rest. Luckily they are well fed in this phase of the project. They finally did walk with us, along the trail. They would wander off, one of the guides would encourage them to return to us and they did. We stopped about four times, in shady areas, to learn about them and the project. Each time we stopped, so did the lions, appearing to agree with the need to rest in the shade. Each time we stopped, we were allowed to pet the lions. We would get right down to their level and were able to rub their sides, and their back. Everyone enjoys a good back rub, and these lions were no exception. While we were busy rubbing one lion, the other two would play, jostle, and simply enjoy the shade and each other.

If you don’t believe all this--just google ‘walk with the lions’. You will find out more about the program, its stages as the lions are prepared for return to the wild. You can even volunteer to work there. When I signed up for the ‘walk’ I thought the $150US price tag for 90 minutes was a little pricey. Upon arrival we learned that all the money goes to the project for food, and needs of the lions. After the walk, the price was worth every kwacha, and a whole lot more, for the experience.

I had lunch with our Tuba retiree group. We caught up on the happenings of the last three weeks. I shared a few stories. Another teacher from Tuba had retired to Florida and had been there during the recent storm—Ida. Her email talked about sitting on the beach and watching the huge waves during Ida. Mary just got back from visiting her mom and all seems well in Oregon. We went to a Mexican restaurant. I was starving for Mexican food. Salsa was unheard of on the trip, and finding hot sauce was a challenge. Curry was in abundance, but chilies were not.

I’m getting used to the 58° temps during the day. Still having a little problem with the overnight lows in the high teens. I guess I will get used to it soon, I have to since I’m heading for Chicago for Christmas.

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~~~Random Facts

In 1974, the first product to have a bar code scanned was Wrigley's gum.

All swans in England are the property of the queen or king.

~~~Unusual News

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Police in California allege a Family Christian Book Store employee accidentally recorded himself setting up a peeping camera in the store's bathroom. The Simi Valley Police Department said Joseph David Ramon Moreaux, 28, of Lancaster, Calif., accidentally taped himself hiding the camera between boxes in the corner of a store restroom used by both men and women, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, reported Tuesday. The camera was discovered Sunday by a female patron who alerted police to its presence.

Officers said they found the video of Moreaux hiding the camera on the device. Police said they have not yet determined how long the camera was in place or how many victims there may have been. Moreaux was arrested Sunday and charged with peeping with a recording device.

~~~Before They Were Famous

Before her rise to political fame as Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin was a beauty pageant winner, TV sports announcer, and helped run a commercial fishing company.

Luke Perry worked in a doorknob factory before getting his big break.

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~~~November Month Long Observances

Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month ~ American Diabetes Month ~ American Indian Heritage Month ~ Lung Cancer Awareness Month ~ Military Family Appreciation Month ~ National Adoption Month ~ National Homeless Youth Awareness Month ~ National Inspirational Role Models Month ~ National Novel Writing Month ~ Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month ~ Transgender Awareness Month ~ Vegan Month

~~~Week of 17 November

National Children’s Book Week

~~~19 NOV Observances
323 days so far this year…42 days remain in 2009

33rd Annual Great American Smokeout
World Toilet Day
Use Less Stuff Day
Equal Opportunity Day
^Mali : Liberation Day 1968
^Monaco : Monegasque National Day
^Puerto Rico : Discovery Day (1493)
^United Arab Emirates : Pilgrimage

~~~Births on this day
~ The ARTS)
1905 Tommy Dorsey Mahanoy orchestra leader
1933 Larry King radio talk show host
1936 Dick Cavett Kearney NB, talk show host
1938 Ted Turner broadcasting mogul/owns (Atlanta Braves) 1942 Calvin Klein fashion designer
1949 Ahmad Rashad (Bobby Moore) NFL receiver/sportscaster
1960 "Lovely" Elizabeth WWF's 1st lady of wrestling
1961 Meg Ryan actress
1962 Jodie Foster actress

~ATHLETICS
1921 Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodger catcher

~POLITICS/BUSINESS/EDUCATION
1600 Charles I king of England (1625-49)
1805 Ferdinand de Lesseps diplomat (built Suez Canal)
1831 James A Garfield 20th President
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1917 Indira Gandhi Indian Prime Minister
1926 Jeane J Kirkpatrick US ambassador to UN

~SCIENCE/RELIGION

~~~In Remembrance–
1828 Franz Schubert Austrian composer of mercury poisoning & syphilis @ 31
1887 Emma Lazarus US poet ("Give us your tired & poor"), Hodgkin's Disease @ 38
1895 - Frederick E. Blaisdell of Philadelphia, PA patented what he called the paper pencil -- a paper-wrapped pencil with a string for revealing more lead, like those china markers you buy these days.
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1915 Joe Hill Labor leader, executed for murder @ 36
1918 – Joseph F. Smith, president of LDS @ 80
1985 Stepin Fetchit 1st black American Actor and dancer, dies of pneumonia @ 83

~~~Historical Events on this day
864: The Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza is dedicated by the Maya.
1863 Lincoln delivers his address in Gettysburg; "4 score & 7 years..."
1874 William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, of Tammany Hall (NYC) convicted of defrauding the city
1903 Carrie Nation attempts to address the Senate
1919 US Senate rejects (55-39) Treaty of Versailles & League of Nations
1947 200" mirror arrives at Mt Palomar
1954: The first automatic toll collection machine is used at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway.
1959 Ford cancels the Edsel
1962 - For the first time, a jazz concert was presented at the White House. Jazz had previously been served as background music only.

~ Holy Mackerel
1969: Brazilian soccer great Pele scores his 1,000th professional goal
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Countries

Place these countries in order by estimated 2009 population—highest to lowest.

Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
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ANSWERS

Laos 6,834,942 (growth rate: 2.3%)
Lebanon 4,017,095 (growth rate: 1.1%)
Latvia 2,231,503 (growth rate: –0.6%)
Lesotho 2,130,819 (growth rate: 0.1%)