Archive for May, 2011
When to go to Botswana
Linda asks: We are going to Kalahari Plains for 2 nights and Okavanga Delta for 5. When is the best time to go? Is late April, early May too cold at night and early morning game drives? Were originally thinking end of Jan but concerned about rain. Dear Linda, You have chosen the perfect time [...]
America’s Faces are now Fabulous
Posted by jimheck in Foreign Aid, Politics on May 31, 2011
America’s new ambassador to Kenya is a brilliant appointment that ensures U.S. goals and interests while really helping Kenya move into the new era created by its new constitution. A win-win situation the likes of which were unknown before Obama/Clinton took over world diplomacy. Like many of Obama’s better civil servants, Maj.-General Jonathan Gration is [...]
Life’s Winners This Year Are..!
Posted by jimheck in Wildlife Research on May 27, 2011
And the winners are! A jumping cockroach, an obscure little deer, an ostracized cricket, and a dragon spider whose web can cover a small Michigan lake! These four newly discovered life forms all live in Africa, and out of 15-25,000 entrants in the annual Arizona State University list of the “Best New Species on Earth”, [...]
America & Magic Help The Congo!
Posted by jimheck in Congo, Planning Travel, War on May 26, 2011
While beating ourselves up over whether Wall Street was too big to fail, the unceremonious application of the Dodd-Frank Act has slowly stopped hundreds of thousands of gruesome murders in Africa, aborted tens of thousands of acts of rape and child kidnapping. The Act has absolutely helped to end one of Africa’s most gruesome multi-generational [...]
Cows-1 Wildebeest-0
Posted by jimheck in Big Game, Economy, Wildlife Management on May 24, 2011
The idiot at the bottom of the hill below my house who poisons squirrels isn’t very sophisticated, but unfortunately, help is on the way for him. New genetic studies are unleveling the playing field and the wilderness — in Africa at least — is set to suffer. Not everyone longs for a vacant plain on [...]
Getting Ready for the Next One!
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Culture, Religion on May 23, 2011
“Getting ready for the next one!” a Kenyan friend of mine told me this weekend. He sells billboard space. The weekend’s successful end threw into stark contrast the saner religious leaders in Africa and their woealmostbegone American counterparts. Most modern religious Africans – and there are many, Muslim and Christian and may other denominations – [...]
A Ton on the Menu
Posted by jimheck in Economy, Wildlife Management on May 20, 2011
As Kenyan transforms itself with a new constitution into a modern society the question of what to do with elephants has popped up. Just over there, in the garden. But the problem is manifestly two-fold: there’s the elephant in the garden, and then there’s the ivory in the airport. And finally Kenyan lawmakers are having [...]
Uganda is Dying
Yesterday the Ugandan Wildlife Authority drastically reduced the fee for visiting mountain gorillas. Yesterday 6th term president Yoweri Museveni lambasted the police for being too soft on demonstrators. Get the connection? I don’t think people realize how bad it’s getting in Uganda. This is in large part because of the clever dictator’s successfully distracting the [...]
Three Men Out
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Corruption, Culture on May 17, 2011
Say what you believe and believe what you say. Without that credo society breaks down. The cants include Schwarzenegger, Strauss-Kahn, and Wanjiru. These three headliners are respectfully American, French and Kenyan. They are stars: political and commercial, and sports heroes. Wanjiru at the prime age of 24 was the world’s greatest marathon runner, and he [...]
The Sun Rises on Egypt
Posted by jimheck in African Awakening, Egypt, Planning Travel, Safety on May 16, 2011
If you’re interested in a good deal in Egypt, time is running out. Good times in Egypt are on the march. But good deals are coming to an end. Following a press release from Europe’s largest tour company, KUONI, on Friday it rescinded several of its deals in Egypt over the weekend. KUONI stopped offering [...]
And the MU’s Have It! … All!
Time is running out on Uganda. Slowly drifting into dictatorial oblivion, its soul is being bled to death by its vampire ruler. Uganda is becoming the next Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is so exhausted it will not respond to the African Awakening. And Uganda is on the very threshold of being unable to as well. These two [...]
Brainwashing U.S. & Nigerian Kids
Posted by jimheck in Arts and Culture, Nigeria, Politics on May 12, 2011
The first job I got fired from was after I reported to my Yugoslavian boss (during the Cold War) that UNESCO’s proposal for funding Sesame Street for Cuban National Television could be used for political, not only educational purposes. Guess what? USAid is now funding it for Nigerian State television. And guess what else? Besides [...]
Deserts Awakening Everywhere!
Posted by jimheck in African Awakening, Botswana on May 10, 2011
The African Awakening is unstoppable, even in Libya and Syria, and maybe coming to China after Saudi Arabia. But did you ever expect it to emerge full force in little Botswana? Well Botswana isn’t little in terms of geographical size: about the size of Texas, but whereas Texas has about 25 million residents, Botswana has [...]
Pathetic Fear of the Wounded
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Culture, Politics, Somalia on May 9, 2011
East Africa: beware! You are reacting to the fall of bin Laden like a Republican U.S. politician, and you should know by now that’s absurd. Until now I’ve felt that East Africa had handled terrorism threats – particularly from Al-Qaeda and its franchises – better than the U.S. But that may be changing now that [...]
Ice Cap Covers Botswana
Posted by jimheck in Botswana, Planning Travel, Weather on May 6, 2011
The ice cap is moving onto Botswana and the Kalahari Desert. No, this is not a Fox News report. I just returned after nearly two months (on separate trips) into Botswana, and I’ve watched with trepidation albeit excitement a natural event which has not been recorded before. The Okavango Delta, one of Botswana’s most important [...]