Africa 8

~~~ Provocative Quote

"Of all the ills that men endure, hope is the only cheap and universal cure." ~Unknown

~~~Free Ramblings

Before I end my African story, I need to again thank so many people. First is Hamdy and HLO Tours. Without his hard work and planning, this trip would not have happened. Ellie needs to be thanked, again, for finding such a diverse group of travelers who travel so well together. Theo was such a hoot on this trip. I can’t wait to get her trip presentation. And then there is Wyoma. She got bumped at DC and found us two days later in South Africa. How she ever got the DC Passport bureaucrats to work on a Saturday, I will never know. I hope no one was injured. She is just such a tiny pistol. Tamzin was always there with a good comment and a smile. Andy and Arlene kept us all on our toes. Arlene has some great stories, and I do hope I will be able to visit her home on my next trip. Tom and Bonnie were with us for much of the trip, and they sure added some great times to our adventure. Bryan and Debbie were great too. Bryan always had a good line to add, and Debbie just smiled. Last, but not least were Roberto and Rita. They were able to find humor and laughter in even the hardest of situations—especially the bug/snake issue.

The other people who made the trip so enjoyable were those who work so hard at their jobs everyday to make our visit enjoyable. I have become facebook friends with Greg and Richard from Honeyguide. Turns out we were the last group Greg worked with there. He is headed for Belgium to be with his gal. Richard too has fallen in love. Ah, to be young again. Brett, our guide at the private reserve, taught us so much. He grew up on a farm, learned to speak Zulu at a very young age, and really enjoys his job. He really wanted us to see the male lion. I don’t know which was most impressive about him—his stopping and assisting in tracking and coming back pumped or helping his fellow guides when they got stuck. In both cases he was so professional. Of course, parking next to a sleeping leopard at dusk, or near several lions that had just finished a meal was pretty cool too. At Chobe, Hamdy and I were on our own, but I got to see wild dogs at a fresh kill. The guides there were good, but simply picked people up, took them on the drive, and then dropped them off at the hotel. It was the only time on the trip that I felt like just another tourist. Still it was worth it to see the wild dogs and of course the huge herd of elephants. And the walk in the town, while hot, was very enlightening.

I was able to meet a cab driver who had come home from elementary school to find his house had been leveled during Apartheid. I met a young Zulu cab driver who taught us about the Zulu courting procedures and what has to be done to marry. It was not that different that traditional Navajo courtship. I learned about class—if not caste—systems. We met a hotel asst. manager who was leaving Zambia to work at Disney’s Epcot Center in Florida. She was so excited to be getting a job that paid $8/hr. She will be part of the culture exchange that Disney does there. I do hope that she has a good experience. It will be so different than Africa. I visited a small school that reinforced that kids are kids and little kids are little kids, no matter where you travel. These kids, despite their difficult lives in poverty, had an enthusiasm, a light in their eyes, and a joy for life and learning. I saw lots of billboards regarding AIDS, contraception, safe sex, and heard stories of how that disease has destroyed so many lives.

I will never have a trip like this again. I saw so much and so many totally different aspects of Africa. I saw nature that was unbelievable. Animals of all sizes and foliage waiting for those desperately needed rains. I saw the necessity of the rivers as I traveled by various sized boats. I saw the footprint that man has placed on this continent where all mankind began. I saw the destructive side of man when one group wants to control another. I saw how many are working to make that footprint as unobtrusive as possible. I saw that many traditional customs can and do continue. I saw how technology has changed poverty. I have a much better understanding of Africa. I have a much better understanding of history and I have had my eyes opened in ways I never expected. All of this, I believe, has made me a better person. Thanks to everyone for this experience.
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~~~Random Facts
In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles.
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The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.
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The cottonwood tree seed is the seed that stays in flight the longest. The tiny seed is surrounded by ultra-light, white fluff hairs that can carry it on the air for several days.

~~~Unusual News
DANA POINT, Calif. - Authorities in California said a bank robber called 911 to report a fake bank robbery in a nearby town before walking into his targeted establishment. Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, said the suspect, described as an African-American man in his 20s, was first spotted at a supermarket in Laguna Nigel at about 9:20 a.m., the Orange County Register reported. Witnesses said the suspect spoke with someone at the store, which had a closed Bank of America branch inside, about finding an open branch and was told of an open location about 3 miles away in Dana Point. Amormino said the suspect then went to an AT&T store near the open branch and used a display phone to call 911 and report a bank robbery in Laguna Nigel. He then walked into the Dana Point bank, told a teller he was carrying a gun and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

~~~Before They Were Famous
Sidney Potier was reportedly fired from a his job parking cars because of his poor driving skills.

Colin Powell worked at a local Orthodox synagogue turning the lights on and off.
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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 22 November
National Family Week
National Bible Week
National Game & Puzzle Week
National Teens Don’t Text and Drive Week

~~~20 NOV Observances
326 days so far this year…39 days remain in 2009

Humane Society Anniversary Day (1954)
Start Your Own Country Day

^Guinea : Portugese Aggression Anniversary
^Lebanon : Independence Day (from France 1943)

~~~Births on this day
~ The ARTS
1819 George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) novelist (Silas Marner)
1888 Tarzan of the Apes, according to Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel
1899 Hoagy Carmichael actor/songwriter (Stardust)
1921 Rodney Dangerfield comedian
1932 Robert Vaughn actor (Napoleon Solo-Man from UNCLE, I Spy)
1950 - Steve ‘Miami’ Van Zandt singer, songwriter( E-Street Band) & Silvio Dante on Sopranos.
1958 Jamie Lee Curtis actress

~ATHLETICS
1943 Billie Jean King tennis pro
1950 Greg Luzinski baseball player (Phillies, White Sox)
1967 Boris Becker tennis player

~POLITICS/BUSINESS/EDUCATION
1511 Erasmus Reinhold mathematician (calculated planetary table)
1868 John Nance Garner (D) 32nd VP (1933-41)
1890 Charles de Gaulle President of France

~SCIENCE/RELIGION
1898 Wiley Post aviator/parachutist

~~~In Remembrance–
1718 Edward "Blackbeard" Teach English pirate shot & decapitated @ 38
1896 George Washington Gale Ferris inventor (Ferris wheel) typhoid fever @ 37
1963 Aldous Huxley English novelist. ("Brave New World" ) cancer @ 69
1963 C.S. Lewis English novelist. ("The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.") Renal failure @ 65
1963 John F Kennedy 35th U.S. President, shot @ 46
1980 Mae West actress @ 87

~~~Historical Events on this day
1842 Mount St Helens in Washington, erupts
1858 Denver, Colorado is founded.
1859 Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species is first offered for sale.
1924 England orders Egyptians out of Sudan
1928 "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel, 1st performed publicly, in Paris
1986 Mike Tyson becomes the youngest Heavyweight Champion in history
1990 Margaret Thatcher is forced to stand down as prime minister of Great Britain
2002 In Nigeria, more than 100 people are killed at an attack aimed at the contestants of the Miss World contest.

~ Holy Mackerel
1906 International Radio Telecommunications Com adopts "SOS" as new call for help
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Countries
Place these countries in order by estimated 2009 population—highest to lowest.

Mali (Africa)
Malta (Mediterranean Sea)
Marshall Islands (Pacfic Islands)
Mauritania (Africa)
Mauritius (Indian Ocean)

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ANSWERS
Mali (Africa) 12,666,987 (growth rate: 2.7%)
Mauritania (Africa) 3,129,486 (growth rate: 2.4%)
Mauritius (Indian Ocean) 1,260,781 (growth rate: 0.7%)
Malta (Mediterranean Sea) 405,165 (growth rate: 0.4%)
Marshall Islands (Pacfic Islands) 64,522 (growth rate: 2.0%)