Africa 7

~~~ Provocative Quote

"The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our change." ~Unknown

~~~Free Ramblings

I have read about Victoria Falls. I have seen pictures. I have even seen them on video. I was not prepared for Mosi-oa-tunya—the smoke that thunders. We were on the Zambia side. It was the dry season. From the visitor’s views at the falls, they were not as spectacular as I had hoped. We had been told that this time of year you can see what is really behind the falls, the gorges, the drop, the natural beauty. That alone was worth the time we spent there. It was very hot on the day we were there. There were signs warning us that the trail, the steps, the overviews were ‘slippery when wet.’

I have never liked heights. During my swim team days, I enjoyed the low board but never liked the high dive. Walking the trail at the Grand Canyon with its steep drop offs is not something I would do every day. I will avoid standing on a ladder more than 10 feet. As a principal, I once had to go onto the flat roof of a one story building, along with inspectors, to ensure that a repair job was completed. I was fine, until I had to go near the edge.

The drop at the falls is between 260 to 350 feet. That is like looking out a 17 story to 24 story building. In the area where the water was falling, it was hard to tell how far that actually is. The mist covers so much of the fall. In the area where the falls are dry, the drop is breathtaking. Since the falls are over a mile wide, when running full, there are many places to view them.

Dr. David Livingstone saw the falls for the first time in November 1855, just about the same time we were there. The falls had been known as the ‘smoke that thunders’ by the locals. We got into small boats and took a ride to Livingstone Island, formerly known as ‘the place of rest and shade’. The river was very low, and they had to use very small boats to navigate the river. A few weeks after we left the visits to the island would end due to the rapid rise in the river. We walked across the rocks. We walked to the edge of the gorge. There was no fence, no trail, just natural black basalt rock. I was happy to stand about 3 feet from the edge. We wandered around on the rocks, found several beautiful spots for pictures. We walked to the river where it was cascading over the edge. This was the Victoria Falls I had heard about and seen in so many pictures. Had I gone to the Falls when they were running full, I never would have had this thrill, this experience.

I have to mention Andy at this point. Andy celebrated his 88th birthday while on our trip. Andy is amazing. He flew a bomber in WWII. He got into real estate in California after the war. His son married Elvira Mistress of the Dark—the TV icon. He has led an incredible life. He was the only one in our group who went swimming at the falls. He was swimming, with lifeguards, only a few feet from the falls drop off in a natural pool. The next morning, while I was in a helicopter, Andy was doing the ultra-light. That is like a flying lawn mower. One is harnessed in, with feet dangling, as one flies over the falls with a pilot who is also just harnessed in. Andy really reminded me of my own grandfather. He worked hard and now he is enjoying his life. He would lecture me about how I shouldn’t be drinking Coke, then would buy me wine. He never forgot anything. He would tell great stories to anyone who would listen. He could be very stubborn and while he was a great guy and a lot of fun, he and I never could have worked for him. He was way too stubborn.

Thanks to UNESCO for making Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls* a world heritage site for all.

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~~~Random Facts

Red wine will spoil if exposed to light, hence tinted bottles.

The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache.

~~~Unusual News

ENID, Okla. - Police in Oklahoma said an escaped circus elephant suffered a broken tusk and a hurt leg when it sideswiped a vehicle while running along a road. Enid Police Department Sgt. Billy Varney said a couple riding in the vehicle Wednesday night were not injured in the collision with the elephant, which fled from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds, The Enid News and Eagle reported. "The vehicle side-swiped the elephant as it ran along the road. The vehicle was able to drive away," Varney said. He said the elephant's tusk poked a hole in the car's sheet metal. The elephant, which also suffered bumps, bruises and scratches, was loaded into a semi-trailer and returned to the circus Wednesday night.

~~~Before They Were Famous

David Hyde Pierce (from the TV show Frasier) was at one time a security guard at the Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs.

Pitt supported his early acting career by driving limos, moving refrigerators and "dressing as a giant chicken while working for El Pollo Loco".

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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 20 November

National Farm-City Week--to provide better communication and understanding between Urban and Rural residents

~~~20 NOV Observances

325 days so far this year…40 days remain in 2009

National Adoption Day
World Television Day
World Hello Day

^North Carolina : Ratification Day (1789)
^Bangladesh – Armed Forces Day

~~~Births on this day
~ The ARTS
1904 Coleman Hawkins virtually created tenor saxophone for jazz
1937 Marlo Thomas Detroit MI, actress
1945 Goldie Hawn Takoma Park MD, actress
1963 Nicollette Sheridan actress Desperate Housewives

~ATHLETICS
1920 Stan Musial outfielder (St Louis Cardinal, 7 times NL bat champ)
1943 Larry Mahan Oregon, rodeo champ (1967-70)
1944 - Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe Basketball Hall of Famer
1966 - Troy Aikman football: Dallas Cowboy
1969 - Ken (George Kenneth) Griffey Jr. baseball: Seattle Mariners

~POLITICS/BUSINESS/EDUCATION
1953 Tina Brown journalist publisher (Tatler)

~SCIENCE/RELIGION
1694 Voltaire [Francois-Marie Arouet], France, thinker
1785 William Beaumont surgeon (studied digestion)

~~~In Remembrance–

1959 Max Baer US, heavyweight boxing champ (1934), heart attack @ 49
1982 Lee Patrick actress (Henrietta-Topper, Maltese Falcon), @ 75

~~~Historical Events on this day
1620 – Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact
1787 Andrew Jackson admitted to the bar

1935 1st commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper)
1977 1st flight of the Concorde (London to New York) 1975: A congressional report accuses US officials of assassination plots against foreign leaders 1942: The Alcan Highway, which connects British Columbia to Alaska, was officially opened

~ Holy Mackerel
1944 - “Happy trails to you, until we meet again....” The Roy Rogers Show was first heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Singing along with Roy (‘The King of the Cowboys’), were the Whippoorwills and The Sons of the Pioneers.
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Countries
Place these countries in order by estimated 2009 population—highest to lowest.

Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi (Africa)
Malaysia
Maldives (Indian Ocean)
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ANSWERS

Malaysia 25,715,819 (growth rate: 1.7%)
Madagascar 20,653,556 (growth rate: 3.0%)
Malawi (Africa) 14,268,711 (growth rate: 2.3%)
Macedonia 2,066,718 (growth rate: 0.2%)
Maldives (Indian Ocean) 396,334 (growth rate: -0.1%)