Northern Rhodesians Worldwide
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Jayne,
It was a little before your time, 1960's, but my sister Pam was very active in the Little Theatre. She ended up going to Sadlers Wells and training under Margot Fonteyn. She got a job in Wuppertal in Germany as a ballet dancer and now run's a very successful ballet school there, even thought she is a bit long in the tooth. I hope she does'nt read this as she will never forgive me for saying that.
Mike Edwards, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 20:57:38 (UTC)
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I lived in Kitwe between 1980 to 85, maiden name of Mahabir. Member of theatre club and cricket club. Does anyone remember, or am I the only one left...
Jayne Hanns, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 20:30:39 (UTC)
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Glen,
Was drinking tea (Indian) whilst reading your mail...nearly choked! The Germans are not that desperate to reduce their unemployment..are they? We may have prostitute "zones" here in the UK soon.Feel sorry for those living nearby.
Watching the pictures coming out of Iraq this morning (this time ..whilst drinking coffee) I saw large numbers of Iraqis celebrating the elections...holding pictures of the late Ayatollah Khomeni!! You think Colin may be right? Lets hope not. At least they were able to vote.
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 16:21:45 (UTC)
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H-m-m-m-m-m,
The Telegraph Group of the UK has just published this story yesterday which makes me wonder whether or not the legalisation of prostitution is a such a good idea . . . . . . . well, for women under the age of fifty-five anyway . . . . . . .
'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits'
By Clare Chapman (Filed: 30/01/2005)
A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.
Prostitution was legalised in Germany just over two years ago and brothel owners – who must pay tax and employee health insurance – were granted access to official databases of jobseekers.
The waitress, an unemployed information technology professional, had said that she was willing to work in a bar at night and had worked in a cafe.
She received a letter from the job centre telling her that an employer was interested in her "profile'' and that she should ring them. Only on doing so did the woman, who has not been identified for legal reasons, realise that she was calling a brothel.
Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job – including in the sex industry – or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990.
"There is now nothing in the law to stop women from being sent into the sex industry," said Merchthild Garweg, a lawyer from Hamburg who specialises in such cases. "The new regulations say that working in the sex industry is not immoral any more, and so jobs cannot be turned down without a risk to benefits."
Glen Drake, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 15:36:36 (UTC)
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Norman,
Thanks for the info on Tea. Can you oblige me with the addresses of Tea suppliers? Tried sending you a mail via the GNR but it wouldn't go through.Thanks!
Just been talking to friends in Lusaka who tell me things are improving fast ! Business has picked up; which is a good sign.Roads are getting better too! Tourism is on the increase! With Copper prices on a high; consumer spending will increase too! Lets hope the momentum continues and that good, sound ,honest,non-corrupt Management is the order of the day.Otherwise..kaput!
Johnny,
Kawambwe Tea Company is thriving according to figures I managed to obtain. Around 2000 tonnes a year! Another brand of tea I remember was Pitco!
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 11:24:38 (UTC)
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Donald
So, this qualifies as Fifi's latest Bash, a Major Bash, her Midnight Bash, in fact her First Bash as a Fallen Woman and supplies her answer to the question: "What were you doing when the lights went out?"
P.S.
Women drivers rock! Dissenters will be run over.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 31, 2005 at 01:01:36 (UTC)
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I have seen the photo of the Bruise on Fiona. All I can say is
Eeeeeee Mama, Ouch
Syd
Donald Sydney, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 21:15:05 (UTC)
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Johnny:
Don't worry about the third witch having any kind of accident in a car. I have been known to stop traffic dead in its tracks.. grin.
Had a funny incident in my home yesterday. My 17yr old son was trying to impress his new girlfriend and told her that I once tried to attack kangaroos with a 2X4. Of course she did not believe him, so he pulls out our photo album from our trip to Perth a few years back. It was at the height of my dearly departed friend, "BM", posting silliness on the GNR and the photo was posed. I had planned to send it in and may have done. Can't remember now. I was in my softball batting stance, rather a large stick in my hand, with several kangaroos staring apprehensively in my direction. We were in a park area in Perth and they are all over this park. The photo makes it look like I am about to swot one of the hapless roos right in the chops, but the truth is that it really was not that close.
The girlfriend looked at the photo and then over at me in the chair, and I non-chalantly muttered, "I thought it was going to hurt one of my kids, so I wanted to show it what would happen if it tried."
Hopefully she got the message not to mess with my baby... grin.
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 19:10:42 (UTC)
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SNAKES & LADDERS
Two Post Office technicians were sent out to locate a fault on an overhead telephone line some 20 miles out of town.
The extension ladder was propped against the telephone pole & Joe, the senior technician, climbed up while Cyril steadied the ladder..
Joe clipped his fault finding handset to the phone line & began a fault-finding dialogue with the town phone exchange.
Cyril, feeling the need to spend a penny, walked into the long grass bordering the road, unbuttoned his fly, gave a relieved sigh & began watering the shateen.
He did not notice the movement in the grass & before he could react, a very large black Mamba reared up & pecked him on the business end of his manhood.
Cyril screamed & ran back to Joe.
"Joe , Joe, Help me! I've been bitten by a huge black snake!"
"Cyril don't panic, it will just make the poison spread faster. Lie down & try to be calm.
I'll phone for help."
Joe: "Exchange, put me through to a doctor urgently."
After a what seemed an age a doctor was connected to Joe.
Joe: "Doctor, my mates been bitten by a snake."
Doctor: "What kind of snake?"
Joe: "A large black one."
Doctor: "How far away from the hospital are you?"
Joe: "Twenty miles."
Doctor: "Does not sound good at all, you will not get here in time for us to do any good.
What you can do in the meantime is cut across the bite with a sharp knife & suck as much of the venom out of the bite as possible, get him to the hospital ASAP or else your friend will not survive."
Joe unclipped the phone & started to climb down the ladder.
Cyril:" Joe! Joe!, for Gods sake, what did the Doc say?"
Joe: "So sorry Cyril, he said no hope, you are going to die!!"
Bill Hunt, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 14:49:07 (UTC)
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Tea Drinkers!
Quite a number of you on the G.N.R. have made reference to various 'TEAS' etc.
My Son-in-Law, recently returned from Sri Lanka and returned with several samples of Tea.
On each of the 5 packets: 'PURE CEYLON TEA' packed in Sri Lanka.
1st/ MATALE TEA - Low medium flowery Pekoe.
A unique looking tea which has the appearance of
black currants match the environment in which it is produced in the Matale District which is famous for ancient temples with rare and treasured artistic beauty. Here is the tea if you are looking for a thick, sweet drink for relaxation when you are tensed and tired.
2nd/ RUHUNU TEA - Low grown B.O.P.1.
A well twisted Long Leaf Broken Orange Pekoe No.1 is the ideal tea to brew, in places where the water is hard with many minerals. This strong tea gives out its colour in the cup, in the worst waters. The Southern part of the Island has exclusive character in the soil which gives the blackness to this leaf and the strength and colour to the cup.
3rd/ UVA TEA - High grown B.O.P. The Creator of the world thought of you the selective tea drinker who looks for Strength, Character, Flavour and colour in your cup of tea and our tea experts thought of you who looks for a pleasing leaf appearance in the tea you buy. So they made a B.O.P., to satisfy you, in the Uva District on the Eastern part of the hill country which produces exclusive quality teas during July with the help of nature's gift of cold dry winds.
4th/ DIMBULA TEA - Broken orange pekoe. Here is a tea that will give you a bright flavoury cup with milk at breakfast or tea time. The Dimbula Valley, which is around 5000 feet above sea level, produces flavoury teaa during the first quarter of the year when the weather is dry and cold.
5th/ NUWARA ELIYA TEA - In keeping with the colourful splendour of the lush green tea country of Sri Lanka, our tea tasters created a well-balanced blend of flavoury Nuwara Eliya teas rich in character and quality by carefully selecting the best quality seasonal teas from hand picked estates hidden in the misty hills 6000 feet high in the central tea country. This special tea is flavour-sealed and guaranteed fresh.
It is understood that advertising is frowned upon on the G.N.R. I respect this. However, if any member would like the address etc of the suppliers. Please contact me through G.N.R.
Due to the fact we are in a hard water area, we have sampled the RUHUNU variety. Very pleasant!
Norman Kenward, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 13:49:11 (UTC)
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Johnny
You little bearer of tidings, you would, of course, have liked them since they were of the seatbelt variety, on my chest and at bikini level, but all gone now. No-one else was with me thank goodness and no one else was hurt. Yep, airbags on broomsticks are a great invention. Now we just have to keep Fifi from falling in her cauldron. You mustn't worry about the witchdoctor Sikilumeni's niece in Austin. She has special muti to protect herself and Medem Linda and 2 x 4 other reasons not to worry.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 09:20:39 (UTC)
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I should have added that another of our favourite girls Tina had a vert lucky escape when she had a car accident while travelling at 40 mph as she remarked to me thank God for air bags (here here) without them we would have been deprived of her sparkling repartee, of course it could be a rival coven putting the Hex on our girls and if it is be careful the 3rd one and lets all hope they both recover quickly . Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 07:45:48 (UTC)
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PS Tina If you have any bruises from your recent car accident I will be pleased to examine them as well.love Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 06:40:04 (UTC)
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Tina The poor girl is covered in bruises and if I can get her to send a pic of her thigh I may be able to convince her to send pics of all the other ones and do not worry about my eye sight I have a powerful magnifying glass. Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 06:34:37 (UTC)
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Honestly Fi, there you go exciting Johnny. Johnny, it's not worth getting so excited over a picture of a bruise. I bet you can't even see it well when Fi is wearing sheer black silk stockings - oh dear, there Johnny goes getting his pig valve all a quiver again...
Glen
Great story telling.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 04:56:34 (UTC)
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Glen Aint you finished you cuppa Ceylon yet? Lots going on in Iraq this weekend, if it all goes percentage-wise of voters/population concerned, thats Iraq and Iran big bros again! Apart from all of the bullets fired at the US troops in the last few months, this looks like Bush has shot himself in the foot as well? A similar performance in Iran, which looks like its on the cards, would only eventually end up in the same result in reverse! When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 02:38:27 (UTC)
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Happy Birthday BGA. I wish you all the happiness in the world. 1969 was a good year.
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 30, 2005 at 00:43:59 (UTC)
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FI FI YES PLEASE.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 23:15:51 (UTC)
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Oy everyone, stop laughing! I should post a pic of the bruise on my thigh!
Fiona Gayther, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 20:28:33 (UTC)
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On the subjects of snakes and crocs ....
In the Luangwa Valley in the late 60s, we regularly found snakes in the bathroom. A member of staff would capture it and drop it into a large ventilated envelope, and place the wriggling item on Norman Carr's desk. When he visited his office in the early evening, we were fascinated to see him take the selection of envelopes outside, and lovingly drape the snakes over the branches of a tree.
Crocs - We rarely had crocs in Ndola. One evening, husband David, was well past his promised arrival time (as was his wont) but this time he had an even better excuse than usual. He said he had to stop on the causeway across the dambo as there was an enormous croc across the road, and the police were there, together with a number of onlookers. I thought it sounded so ridiculous, it must be true. Not so, the wife of his companion, who insisted on being taken to see the evidence. I assume the police shot it.
Happy days......
Elizabeth Robbins, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 16:23:06 (UTC)
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Tina,
Now that we're into crocodillians . . . . .
You reminded me of the bobbejan smoking a lekker jol of weed while he was sitting in a tree. A blouskop crawled up and asked him for a drag, "Sure" says the bobbejan, "I has plenty which I stole from the boer's mielie patch. Roll as many as you like and enjoy!"
After 30 minutes and three joints the blouskop had a real buzz going and was moersa thirsty so he said to the bobbejan, "Hang on a sec OK? I'm just going down to the river for a drink. Back in a minute." and with that scampered down the tree and went to the nearby river. On reaching the river and being really stoned he leant over too far and fell in. The crocodile nearby saw what had happened, felt sorry, swam over and picked him up and put him back on the river bank.
"What made you fall in?" asked the croc and the grateful blouskop said "Juslike man, I was smoking free boom with the bobbejan in the tree over there and I was bedondered and lost my balance."
"Free?" exclaimed the croc, "Where?" and the blouskop pointed out the direction of the tree.
Off went the croc and soon arrived at the base of the tree, looked up and saw the bobbejan still puffing away happily.
"Hey, you up there . . ." shouted the croc and the bobbejan looked down.
"Geez!" said the bobbejan "You sure drank a lot of water!"
Glen Drake, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 15:43:43 (UTC)
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Feef
You are not a koi. Stay out of the pond and look after yourself!!!
Johnny
It's not irrelevant to the swamp denizens. Suppose you are a crocodillian telling a mate: "I fancy a bit of casual dining tonight" and then you splash are confronted by a "formal" dinner. Could really mess with your gastroliths.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 15:12:12 (UTC)
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To all the people who attended the latest bash at Fiona's and of course to all her other friends.
Our friend FI Fi has injured herself they had a power failure and the next door neighbour was shouting over the fence to Fiona if her power was out Fi walked out into the garden to speak to the lady in pitch darkness and fell into her fish pond a very lucky girl to escape with minor but very sore injuries She was very lucky it could have been a lot worse. Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 08:45:44 (UTC)
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Dear Tina his clothes are irrevalent I was thinking more on the lines of his wallet being left in his pockets containing his cash and credit cards while you and Bubba watched him swimming in the Everglades, if you are really interested he dresses like a tramp. Love Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 07:11:20 (UTC)
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Johnny
Missed your note to Doug way back on Jan 22...... about Bubba 'n me minding his clothes. Don't know if we would mind his clothes or not... How does he dress?
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 06:40:59 (UTC)
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Remember when we had some snow once in NR and Rex Tarr said if this is a white Christmas give it back to the pommies (I think that is what it said). Johnnie
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 22:45:29 (UTC)
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Snow falls in Oman.
At some time during the night of 25th January, snow fell on Oman. This event is an absolute first in living memory and should be taken seriously as an indication of changes in world weather patterns. The depth of snow was recorded at 50 centimeters (1½ feet) and fell on relatively low lying ground not on our mountain range which is 10,000 feet high.
Hailstone storms although infrequent do occur here in Oman and usually cause a lot of damage to vehicles and property but snow fall never until now.
David Hoyle, Oman [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 15:41:09 (UTC)
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All this talk of snakes and I still shudder in rememberance of my close encounter of the Gaboon Viper kind ... living on the farm with lush vegetation being kept at bay didnt stop the odd visit or two. We had a fire in the pine plantation quite close to the house one day and as we were only 8 miles or so from Kitwe's town centre, we fortunately had the services of the fire brigade. After they had doused the flames we went into the forest to check on any logs still smouldering. Wearing sandals, I didnt venture too far and while I was standing amid the autumnal leaves, I felt something move against my toes, looked down and with horror saw it was a snake. At first I 'identified' it as a python but very soon realised it wasnt when the colours became more visible! Thank goodness it appeared to be somewhat lethargic, possibly from smoke inhalation - anyway I was off like a rocket much to the amusement of the firemen.
We often found baby mambas in the children's shoes within half an hour of them being taken off in the lounge plus up to four could be found lying along the skirting board of the passage in the mornings - I lived in dread of coming across mama or papa but never did I am delighted to say! How the devil they frequented us so often was always a puzzle to me. Our house servant would nonchalantly sweep them out with the broom 'tsk tsking' all the while as if he were chastising naughty children for being in the wrong place at the wrong time!
Regards
Kris
Kristien Massie, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 13:25:09 (UTC)
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Dear Johnny,
There was a bounty on the dear little doggies' heads because they killed livestock and game that the Bwanas owned. Now I don't think there are many left in Zambia at all. The wild dogs in Mana Pools are just the other side of the river and they are well fed by impala. Love, Jilly
Mike - another snake story. My mom was staying with my sister here in Midrand. I don't know whether you get these snakes in Zambia but there is a proliferation of Rinkhaals here. They are a sort of spitting cobra with toxic venom, but not as deadly as true cobras. Anyway a very large Rinkhaals made its way into the house and had his eye on mother's maltese doggie. Mother was about 60 at that stage and she grabbed a brick and started bashing this huge serpent on the head. Not surprisingly, the snake spat venom into Mom's eyes. This meant an emergency evacuation by helicopter to hospital where she recovered well and regained her sight. The Rinkhaals didn't fare as well, my brother-in-law chopped it into chunks and threw it outside as a warning to any other visiting Rinkhaals. I say it served my Mom right, she should have shooed it out with a long-handled broom - but try telling an Afrikaner Boeremeisie that!
Jill Aplin, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 12:11:37 (UTC)
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Dear Jilly if they were such nice little doggies why did the goverment pay the bounty to kill them, your doggies in the South must be better fed than our's were in the North they would chew on empty tin cans to sharpen there teeth to eat the next Bwana that came along we were genuinely frightened of them. Johnny.
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The biggest snake skin I ever possessd was about 21 ft long and I foolishly gave it to an American hill billy who was a friend of mine he was only out in NR for a six month contract and we became good buddies, he could have charmed the pants off a Giraffe, Please give me it Johnny so I can show it to my little girl next door and tell her I wrestled with it and strangled it with my bare hands, of course I did.
It was a python that my servants captured in the Kafue swamps it would have looked good across my lounge wall now.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 08:18:52 (UTC)
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Ron,
With regard to the black stone : I have had one for the past 34 years. I got it from the White Fathers while I was working at Kasaba Bay in Zambia. At first I believed it was a lot of hogwash, however i tried it on a boil and it worked like a dream just as the paper that came with it says.
Since then it has been used regularly by us as a family for insect bites (spiders & bees), boils & septic wounds.
I have always believed that it is some form of volcanic lava as it is similar in texture to a sample of lava my brother,Doug, brought back from Hawaii.
I have taken a couple of photo's of it plus a copy of the paper that came with it and can e-mail these through to you if I have your e-mail address.
Best regards,
Keith
Keith Grewar, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 08:03:20 (UTC)
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Mike. There was a heated debate last year on BT regarding as to whither is was freferable to kill snakes at every opportunity ( or not). The surprising result was sort of 75% against, my position entirely, I won!!; although once bitten quite badly in the fields on Hogmanay, half- pissed, the great snake catcher show off! Arrived at the Salisbury hospital with the head of the snake ( I suppose I won) in an empty First Lord 50s box for identification purposes accompanied by another, by now totally pissed Scottish assistant, who was driving, to the most frosty reception a "dying" man could meet on earth. After dropping my shorts and getting a belter I dont remember much more of that New Year. I am still in touch with the managers' daughter, now in the USA, who remembers the incident, although she was quite young at the time, and she assures me it was the only noteworthy contribution I ever made to her recollection of me on the farm. Price of fame! What I do remember was the incredible strenght of the Puff Adders neck muscles, when you held it behind the head for as long as you could, before dropping into the meallie sack to take home. I still admire this magnificent creature, safely now, from behind glass! I doubt I am a bit old now for a duel in the sun!
Johnny: Jimmy Callaghan used his intelligence during the war to be in Naval Intelligence and thus avoiding any possibility of his untimely demise. Don't blame him for a moment, but no war hero!
Ayub: A pragmatic I most surely am, but as dear old Horace Walpole once said, to quote quite loosely, (the powers of recall not being quite what they were) " A man who thinks with his mind finds this world a comedy , but the man who thinks with his heart finds it a tragedy!" Nothing changes! In the forthcoming election the New Labour in Scotland will further enhance their grip on the One Party State which exists here at the moment; the Tory Party is considered, quite rightly, as being London oriented, or at least the Southern Counties. The Great Divide. Owing to deep rooted Socialism, Kier Hardie, the Red Clyde, etc.etc., it is very difficult for the only possible alternative, the Scotish National Party, to make any headway. Added to this the horrendous EEC goes out of its way to crush any National Identity ! ( Don't knock Tony Benn, he was against the EEC from way way back)
Alec: Spot on regrading the Belgrano. Galtieri sent it out to be sunk in the hope of gathering world support, which, as you so rightly said, he did not get and Maggie sank it to ensure her landslide Tory victory, the greatest since 1924. One up to Maggie, its a pity 400 stool pigeons had to die, more than half of the entire deaths in the fracas! Such, sadly, is the wont of dictators.
Keith: Don't worry over much regarding you chain letter, you were hardly the first! In 1184 ( a long, long time ago) a document that became known as the Letter of Toledo began circulating throughout Europe, predicting that the world would end in September 1186 because of a strange conjunction of the then known planets. When the Archbishop of Canterbury read the letter, he ordered a three-day fast for the apocalypse. When September 1186 passed without incident, he either passed it of as being by his divine intervention (the three day fast) or as being better safe than sorry, I have no idea which, having no access to the archives of the time.
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 03:27:42 (UTC)
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Charlie,
I too had thought the White Fathers'magic stone might be a form of pummice and my memory - now very faded - of the stone I was shown in Africa in the 60s kept in a little box and wrapped in cotton wool - was of a grey black material not at all like the pitch like material I was given yesterday.
I really need to get it chemically analysed at the university to see exactly what it is.
I trust that my intent to discover - will not spoil its efficacy.
If anyone else has memories of seeing one of these little magic stones - I would be interested to read what they thought it looked like.
I would also be eager to hear from anyone who had ever put one to the test.
I am told it is important to apply the stone to the injury as soon as possible and that it is necessary to make a small incision at the site if the bite to allow the blood to flow freely into the stone which will stick to the wound until all blood flow and venom removal has ceased after which it falls off by itself.
I was bitten by an Adder on the left thumb in UK when I was 10 years old, it hurt like hell and my arm swelled up like a sausage balloon. I was given anti venom in Guidlford General Hospital, but as it was such a rare event in those days - they decided to keep me in another hospital and pump me full of Penecillin every day for a fortnight. Those injections hurt more than the snake bite and as a result I am now allergic to Penecillin.
I have had several close encounters with poisonous snakes since then, but have always been very careful and fortunate not to get bitten. I have been gripped for about half an hour by a Burmese python that got me between the right thumb and forefinger with its four rows of teeth in the top jaw and the two bottom jaws - about one hundred teeth in all - each of them about one inch in length. This was when I was carelessly showing a captured female python to some visitors.
I had to sit like a fool on a stool dripping blood into a bowl until the snake released its grip. This was not helped by my visitors well-meaning attempts to poke it - at which it simply bit harder. I said to the snake - Ï will release you, if you release me" - but it took a long time to sink in. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the fact that it was a female snake with short legs!!!
In the past seven summers of keeping goats, geese, ducks and chickens, we have caught and relocated more than sixty Burmese pythons that must think I run a Ronald MacDonalds for pythons. We weigh, measure and sex each one and do a scale count and can verify the fact that each species of snake has its own unique scale count. The largest python we hve caught has been almost fifteen feet long which is not very long as Burmese pythons go in the tropics, but we here are sub-tropical and the snakes must hibernate for half the year. My test of age is the measurement around the head - the last one we had this past year was one foot around the head - and the largest head we have ever encountered.
It had dragged our gardener through the forest as he was hanging on to its tail and he had called me on his mobile phone to rescue him and help capture the snake which he had disturbed trying to smother one of our goats.
Lawrence G Green Books
Well done Charlie for collecting that valuable library. I have here in the temple library all but five of his wonderful books - we must compare notes off board to see if between us we have the whole collection. I highly recommend Lawrence G Green to any of our readers.
Best wishes, Ron
Ron Clibborn-Dyer, China [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Friday, January 28, 2005 at 02:31:51 (UTC)
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Mike,
I was in Maun, Botswana four years ago with my mother-in-law who was in her 70's. We were camped alongside the river that runs through Maun (name escapes me now) but close to a fancy safari lodge. We decided to treat ourselves and walked to the lodge to have a slap-up dinner. Upon our return, Mom-in-law (Brenda) says very quietly (I don't think she knows that snakes are deaf) "Jilly, there's a snake under your Land Rover and it is heading for my tent." I shone a spotlight under the Landy - and there was fair-sized black mamba - heading straight for Mom's tent. Brenda had zipped up the tent which was erected under a small mopani tree.
I was quite concerned as my tent was also close by and I had promised Otto that I would be nice to his Mum. I sort of chased the snake away from Brenda's tent and it climbed into the tree. I then tried to capture it so that I could remove it to a safer spot (for us!). The mamba then went down a hole in the tree. This I immediately bunged up with a plastic bag and then checked if there were any exit holes - none. We camped under the tree for three days and released the mamba on our departure. The snake was languid but none the worse for its experience and free to scare other campers another day.
Jilly
Jill Aplin, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 23:12:18 (UTC)
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Johnny,
Blowing your leg off as a last resort would certainly work as long as you do it quickly. Although the boomslang has the most concentrated poison the Gaboon Viper is much more dangerous to humans. This is because the Boomslang is back fanged and there are not many appendages on a human it can get it's mouth around. The Gaboon Viper is front fanged and as such can inflict a wound anywhere, ankles being common. That is why it is always a good idea to wear high boots. The Gaboon Viper also has a double acting poison that is difficult to treat and works swiftly. The only saving grace with the Gaboon Viper is that it is relatively slow over the ground ( but not the strike) and cannot turn back on itself like the Boomslang.
I kept snakes illegally in Williams House at Rennie and used to pay the juniors a tikkie for every frog or lizard they caught with which to feed my snakes. Eventually "Fluffy" became aware of my activities and made me take them off into the bush. My father in Kitwe shortly followed suit at the end of term.
It would be great to hear more snake stories.
Mike Edwards, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 22:08:51 (UTC)
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I am looking for anyone that was at Woodlands primary school, Lusaka, 1964 to 1970, in the classes of Mrs Shaw (gd4) or Mr Thomas (Gd.7)
Catherine Nalletamby are you there? Yvette Boelsma?
Lydia Findlay? Cyril Phiri? Francesco Torcetti? It was a great school and a great time to be in Zambia.
James Ward, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 21:28:01 (UTC)
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Wild Dogs,
I have to disagree with with Johnny and Charlie - I have often - maybe 20 times - walked in the veld following wild dog packs in Kruger and Mana Pools and Hwangie and Botswana. I do not have a gun, so I have to be careful - but I have never had a wild dog even look at me sideways! When I say that I have followed wild dogs - by that I mean that I have walked right up to them within about ten metres. They seem to ignore humans - they are not scared, merely disinterested. They do not eat each other at all. They are the only mammal species that cares for even severely injured animals in their pack.
The best antidote for snake bite is DON"T get bitten! The vine snake and the boomslang have the deadliest venom - but the vine snake has such a small mouth it is unlikely that it could get a grip on a human and the boomslang is not very aggressive at all. My son Kai had a great experience once in the bush. We went out for a game drive and returned back to camp whereupon he picked up a guitar (clad only in his undershorts) to sing at the camp fire. Out popped a 2 metre long boomslang which was very perturbed by the hectic vibration in the the guitar. The snake slithered down Kai's body and gapped it! Had Kai been nervous he might have tried to pluck the snake away and incurred a bite. Luckily, Kai stayed calm and merely stood there and said "look what I found!" It was a most beautiful snake with huge black eyes and it slithered away from all the hustle and bustle - no harm done.
Jilly
Jill Aplin, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 21:23:23 (UTC)
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Mike I had over 30 years roving around the bush and the only anti snake bite serum I used to carry around with me was Haig Whisky and must have been lucky was never ever bitten once, often saw plenty but I never bothered them and they never bothered me,I will admit to crying WOLF a few times to take a large swig out of the serum bottle, a good job I ws never bitten my buddies woul'd have said stuff him he's only kidding, we did often discuss what we would do if bitten by a Gaboon Viper around the ankle area, the concensus was you must blow your leg off by the knee and you would only have around 1 minute to make your mind up about that because you would be dead in two, and we all agreed to do the job on which ever of us would need it either with shot gun or rifle, how's that for brotherly love, you may remember in one of my earlier stories about a Buddy crouching in the dark with his pants down and recieved two wounds he swore a snake had bitten him and my mate his name was Glen Tweedie alias MAU MAU spent 5 mins sucking the blood out of his bum wounds until some one took a torch and discovered it ws a roosting hen that had pecked him twice Mau Mau wanted to kill him. Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 19:49:15 (UTC)
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Bill,
"Boy, it's amazing what political correctness can do to history."
I quickly glanced through the reading too. I am assuming you think there are some distortions in the way the history is described. Are there any specifics that you think are distortions or events that never really happened?
Wild Dogs.
I had heard so much about wild dogs while growing up in the village. I first saw wild dogs in the Luangwa game park in November 1988. We were returning from the evening game viewing when we saw 3 wild dogs that were devouring an impala. The dogs were very excited running around and tagging at the stretched out impala insides.
It was dusk and my camera equipment was not very good. I took a couple shots which later looked no good i.e too dark. The dogs looked very beautiful with gorgeous orangish colors with dark patches. They didn't even pay any attention to us. Thats the last time I saw them and I believe they don't exist in the Luangwa game park any more. The dogs have experienced the fate of the fox in the US. The fox though has been reintroduced in the parks in Arizona.
Mwizenge Tembo, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 19:18:34 (UTC)
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Snake Bite Antidote
I used to keep snakes in Kitwe and Lusaka and I have heard of lots of remedies. Other than not getting bitten in the first place always make sure you know the nearest place to obtain the correct serum, as that is your best chance of recovery. I would not put my faith in anything else.
Mike Edwards, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 16:29:26 (UTC)
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I read the site that Peter D recommended.
Boy, it's amazing what political correctness can do to history.
You folks who have encountered wild dogs........ rather thee than me!
Bill Knott, Canada [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 16:08:34 (UTC)
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Charles your Dad was lucky I think their attack was governed by how hungry they were, the most dangerous animals in the bush along side elephants.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 16:05:24 (UTC)
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I’m now the proud owner of a copy of ‘The Great North Road’ by Laurence G. Green (plus another 21 titles by the same author). That should keep me out of mischief for a while!
Ron,
Great to hear you have a sample. I thought the stone was a type of black pumice, unlike pitch. I, too, would like to get a specimen.
Johnny,
Circa 1958, my father was barging through thick Napier grass when he was surrounded by a pack of yelping African Wild Dogs. He was carrying his favourite old 9.3 X 62 mm Carl Gustav Husquavarna, and managed to drop five of them before they broke off the attack. Fortunate for him - as his sixth and seventh shot misfired. Knowing there was a bounty on them, he brought the skins in to the Old Boma and was paid 2 ½ Pounds a tail (which had to have a large piece of the hind leg skin attached – probably to avoid fraud). He was a bit upset, as the previous year’s bounty had been 10 Pounds a tail. I know many authorities on Wild Dog claim they do not attack humans. However, my father, a seasoned hunter, readily distinguished the difference between curiosity and aggression. I also have some old hunting books that corroborate attacks on humans by ‘wildehond’, and have seen an amateur video showing a guy ‘treed’ by a pack of coursing Cape hunting dogs.
Ali,
I’ve just returned from a heart wrenching family funeral in Bushmanland, the second I’ve attended this year. While staying on the farm my B_in_Law and I decided to count our Springbok and Gemsbok in the ‘rantjies’, and we had unseasonable rain that day - truly ‘lekker’and I hope the drought is broken. It’s amazing how creatures know when the rains are coming. We noted a large herd of Springbok had formed a nursery of out-of-season lambs, and spotted two Lappet-Faced Vultures that had been blown off course (probably from Angola or the Kruger) by the high jet-stream winds that brought in the rains. Before the rains started, ants made it ‘really uncomfortable’ to walk in the veld. As we walked in the veld the ants were scrambling hither-and thither, as far as the eye could see, before us; but when we tried to stop for a breather we noticed that where we’d passed over them they formed columns and were determinedly scurry after us, along our tracks, with mayhem in mind. Rather disconcerting, to say the least. My B_in_Law remarked that it was due to the scarcity of the once common Delalande’s Fox - or Bat-eared Fox, and that confirmed my suspicions as I’d seen only two on the long night drive to the farm (plus a couple that were road-kills). On the drive up I was fortunate enough to pull up and study a male Antbear - my fifth only sighting despite many years spent in the veld, often stumbling into their burrows and cursing them.
Regards
Charles Cartmill, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 14:46:26 (UTC)
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Neil Smit from Luanshya has asked me to tell you Trevor Lyons that he lives in London. Mail address
is neil.smit@cwmsg.cwplc.com .
I am in contact with him regularly and he will go onto the site when he returns from Barbados .
bye from Sally (nee Last)
Sally Erotocritou, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 14:31:28 (UTC)
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Hi guys. Peter Rutherford here. Few spare minutes to post a few questions.
Anyone know the whereabouts of the following people:
Mike Craigen ex Kitwe. (the one and only!) last heard of in Scotland.
Melodie Cross (ex Luanshya) anyone know where she went? Possibly Durban.
Gerry Johnson lost track somewhere in the UK I think.
Anne and Eddy Bray ex Kitwe then Durban seems they have gapped it to Aussie somewhere.
LIke to wish you all a Happy New Year.
cheers
Peter
Peter Rutherford, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 14:12:41 (UTC)
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Hi Everyone -
Reading about the favourites of tea drinkers, mine is Tea Direct and obtainable in the UK at Tesco Stores -
The tea is from plantations in Tanzania and Uganda and the profit goes back to the workers in the plantations from whence it comes. I think theyve formed co-operatives. Not having the box in front of me I cant give you more details but it is now my favourite day time tipple!
Regards
Kris
Kristien Massie, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 10:31:54 (UTC)
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Snake Bite antidote
Some of you will remember the correspondence some time ago on the subject of the White Fathers' little black magic stones.
Quite by chance today I was having a simple Chinese lunch with some Little Sisters of Christ at their local residence on a hilltop not to far from where I live.
During the meal the subject of snakes came up and it transpired that two of the sisters had been bitten by snakes whilst gardening - and they had been given a bottle with several pieces of the magic black material all the way from the White Fathers HQ in Belgium.
They have kindly given me one of these valuable pieces which resembles a lump of pitch.
They assured me that they had verified the efficacy of the magic black stones and I now have my sample and the instructions for use and how to reinvest the stone with it natural healing power after use - with warm water. milk and then cold water and drying it out again.
I am assured that it is effective against numerous poisonous stings and bites, cuts and abrasions - so I look forward to testing it on a likely victim.
My reason for visiting these most delighful and humble ladies was to see their Arabica coffee bushes originally from Vietnam and learn how they prepare their own coffee by hand.
As they are leaving their hilltop residence soon, thy have agreed top let me bring some of the coffee bushes to the temple garden where they can grow alongside the Camelia sinensis - the plant from which most teas in the world originate.
So Heather, you are released from your quest to obtain a sample of the magic black stone for me. The sisters told me that these stones cannot be purchased - they have to be given - although they have learned that there are some unscrupulous people in Belgium now selling something purporting to be the same thing.
They say the White Fathers have kept the origin and chemical make-up of the stones a trade secret.
Best wishes, Ron
Ron Clibborn-Dyer, China [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 09:57:55 (UTC)
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On reflection the boma I think would pay £5 for ears not £50 my memory is kaput .Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 09:41:23 (UTC)
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ALI I have observed wild dogs from close hand very dangerous animals, if we ever heard them and thought they were close by we used to climb a handy tree the bush drill was if they surrounded the tree you were up you shot a good few of them and then you could decend as they would ignore you as they were to busy eating there buddies, I was once attacked by a pack but was lucky enough to get back in my Toyota Land Cruiser and wind up the windows they were hurling there selves at all the windows and when i was driving off there was 3 of them snarling and trying to get at me through the wind screen I did not have a fire arm with me stupidly.
Mwinge I was involved in making and erecting all the steelwork involved in building the Kawamba tea factory near Fort Roseberry and made friends with the experts who had been brought in from Ceylon to oversee the project, I never did get to taste the tea as I left before they went into production but Heather assures me it is good.
PS the goverment at the time used to give you I think it was fifty pounds for every set of wild dog ears you took to the Boma.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 07:54:44 (UTC)
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Ali,
Otto and I recently witnessed - in Mana Pools in Zimbabwe - a pack of eight wild dogs hunting impala. The pack split up the impala herd and three of the dogs went after one impala ewe and the other five brought an impala ewe down 50 metres from our tent. We had followed the three that were unsuccesful. The dogs that had made the kill immediately began hooting to relocate their pack members and bring them in to eat. Two of the dogs that had made the kill left the kill and literally found the stragglers and brought them in. Quite an amazing sight!
Yes guys, let's quit the politics... yawn...
Jilly
Jill Aplin, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 07:39:41 (UTC)
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Fascinating Facts
Did you know ?
The range of African wild dogs has dramatically declined in recent years. The species once ranged over nearly all of Africa (except the far northern and southern areas and in dense tropical rain forests), as late as 1983. But by 1996, viable populations could only be found in Tanzania, extreme northeastern South Africa, across most of Botswana, parts of Zimbabwe, and tiny areas of Namibia, Angola and Zambia. In many of these countries, the species survives only in national parks and other protected areas.
The scientific name of the African wild dog, Lycaon pictus, means ornate or painted wolf!
The hunting attempts of African wild dogs are successful 70-90% of the time. This is a spectacular success rate compared to most predators (Sumatran tigers catch their prey only 10% of the time)!
Caring for other pack members starts early in a wild dog’s life — a researcher once observed a 6-week-old pup regurgitating meat for a hungry littermate!
If a subordinate female manages to become pregnant, the alpha female may steal the pups to raise as her own!
The hoot of a lost African wild dog can be heard by humans from as far away as 2.5 miles (4 km), probably much farther by other dogs!
and I think they are such a pretty animal ...bit like the Warthog...... :o)
Ali Key, Australia [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 04:10:29 (UTC)
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Yep didn't Malawi have some good tea?
Love Taj Mahal brand tea these days. Get it in my local Indian store. Comes from India, robust and flavourful.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 03:20:31 (UTC)
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Kawambwa tea in Zambia is very tasty. I always bring a few packets with me and store them in the deep freezer.
We had a big hallabaloo here when someone forwarded a very provocative political e-mail last October. There were strong objections. May people advised that if you receive a bad e-mail, just delete it. It just takes probably a fraction of a second. This may not work if you receive this bad e-mail by the thousands.
A week after the Swedish boy had been reunited with his relatives. I received the same e-mail. I assumed that he was a different boy and not the one I had seen on CNN. We all forget that the Tsunami disaster was shocking. Usually I just delete them. But I forwarded it to people I know. My sister-in-law sent me an e-mail saying the boy had already been reunited with his father.
Mwizenge Tembo, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 22:04:07 (UTC)
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Hey, guys and gals,
Enough with the re-hashing of pommie politics, . zzzzzz.
Doug G....every time I hear Vera Lynn the hair goes up on my neck..... red as it may be. I dont know if it is senior-itis but the WW2 and anything to do with soldiers and sacrifice for us, gets me. No matter the side or day, war is not nice, ya know, old chap.
Yet we do it sometimes to "preserve our way".
Oh well.
Bill
Bill Knott, Canada [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 21:51:45 (UTC)
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Yunus,
I checked my e-mail bank and could not locate Kadodia's e-mail. I never talked to him. But we sent e-mails back and forth. He brought me up to date about his family and what he is doing in UK. I talked to Abdul Munshi though 2 weeks ago. He is in Canada with his family. We had funny exchanges on the phone. In his first e-mail he says to me: "Hello Tembo. This is Abdul. You remember that mwenye who was your classmate at Chizongwe." I laughed so hard as I knew I was talking to a Zambian. I just miss those humorous conversations with Zambians where I don't feel I have to be on defence or think about what you say because you might use an offensive term. Political correctness in America has a price.
Mwizenge Tembo, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 21:44:28 (UTC)
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I have just received my CD of Lucille Starr's "French Song." It certainly brings back some memories. Her voice reminds me of Vera Lynn the forces sweetheart in WW2. Maybe Johnny and some of the other seniors might remember her?
Doug Grewar, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 21:00:15 (UTC)
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I don't know about tea being grown in Zambia but I have a friend who has done well over the last few years growing coffee. I think the conditions required for the two crops may be a little different.
Mike Edwards, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 20:23:53 (UTC)
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Johnny: Not good on this site.
Ayub: The Reluctant Peer,Anthony Wedgewood-Benn in the War? That argumentative bugger probably started it.
Ken Fernie, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 20:21:44 (UTC)
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Ayub
I think you are right .The Labour Government would not have gone to war.
Jim Callaghan meant that if the country HAD been at war and the decision was his he would have done the same thing under similar circumstances
You may well mention Tony Benn.He pontificated overmuch in those days and Argentina amongst other countries thought his views were a true representation of the Government and the UK.They seemed to forget that Labour was no longer in power.
I believe that Argentina would never have invaded the Falklands if they had thought there was any chance of a war with Britain.
Mike Slement, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 20:12:42 (UTC)
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Hi Peter
What was your father's first name? I will see Cas this week some time.
Cheers
Philip Pain, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 19:49:16 (UTC)
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Mon would be interested in contacting Sarah Hoffman nee Erasmus from G.S.H.training 1953-1957 (she was from Muf.)
Monica Robson, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 19:13:02 (UTC)
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Glen,
Sri Lankan tea just does not sound good..yep! Ceylonese..better. Anyone know of any tea being grown in Zambia. Think Malawi has some "masamba" plantations.
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 19:09:58 (UTC)
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Ayub,
Rooibos every now and then, mainly Liptons but any good *Ceylon tea will do.
Note : Us seasoned tea drinkers will always call it Ceylon.
Glen Drake, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 18:43:15 (UTC)
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Glen...wow! You a big tea drinker? Redbush? or Five Roses like me!
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 17:53:35 (UTC)
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Glen.
Vis a vis Iran..lets wait and see.I think in my humble opinion that the Shias in Iraq know exactly what they doing. Get into power and then "join" up with their kith and kin in Iran. Remember Shias are on the whole a very united people. Unlike the Sunnis who are divided and can be "handled" easily.. I don't think I am naive. Lets wait hey? Maybe one should take Iran out of the list of tyranical regimes if things are "improving" there!
Johnny,
Was only trying to make a comparison between Maggie and Callaghan. Still think he would not have had a go at the Argies; given the way Labour was at that time. I think even Tony Benn fought in the War. Did he not?
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 17:49:42 (UTC)
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I’m sipping on my cup of tea my “old-timer’s” thoughts kick in and I smile to myself, saying “I told you so”.
I read Ayub’s naïve comments about a Shia majority in Iraq and the “friendliness” it may or may not have with Iran.
Who cares?
I turn on the TV and what do I see? I see Iran, I see the young (“the future”) girlfriends with their boyfriends walking around publicly holding hands; sitting in cafés drinking; walking around the streets talking on cell phones. The TV commentator says that this new behaviour being exhibited by the young is “tolerated” by the older more “religious” sects of their society. Geez, what would happened to the “violators” 10 years ago!
Flip the channel – story of France and the problems it is having with the new immigrants of a different faith who have “invaded” their homeland and are called to prayer in the streets ‘cause there aren’t sufficient mosques to accommodate their numbers.
I think, their bodies may be in a different country but their minds and souls are in a mosque miles away.
The next 30 minutes are devoted to the "global Salafi jihad". I am surprised at the high level of education of many of their members. I log on to WWW and read an article by Brendan O’Neill (New Statesman – July 26, 2004) “Terrorists: people who are just like us” and in which Marc Sageman is quoted as saying :
“They became homesick, feeling lonely and marginalised and perhaps rejected by their new host society. They drifted to the mosques, more for companionship and friendship than for religion".
Flip the channel . . . .
Court TV is reviewing the case of Paul Shanley, a Roman Catholic priest who repeatedly raped a 6-year-old boy at church 20 years ago.
Search WWW “religious fanatics” . . . .
Zionist Jewish fanatics are reportedly nearing completion of a plan to destroy the holy Aqsa Mosque.
So (still sipping on my tea) I’m trying to figure out what this all means?
The only answer I have is that there are millions of people who lead empty lives and look to fill them with some sort of “passion”.
Unfortunately, in the dark ages all these various “religions” sprung up and if nowadays you happen to been born into one of them, the chances are you’d end up being “one of them”. If you are looking for a “reason for living” and can’t find one except through hate, which fits rather well into a lot of religions and races (it seems to me anyway) then guess what? Group together with all the other people of a similar background (race or religion) and use hate to destroy what you can’t get or don’t like. Hey, justify your actions on what’s written in a book!
As one who believes that we cannot prove the existence or the non-existence of deity, I wonder where all this mumbo-jumbo will end.
I think most will agree that race and colour prejudices are relatively easy to deal with – throw in “creed” and you have a real mess on your hands.
Time for another cup of tea.
Glen Drake, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 17:21:21 (UTC)
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Ayub if you are suggesting that Callaghan was a softie think again any man who went through the last war in the forces certainly was not, he was maybe thinking on the lines that a lot of men in Africa used to do which was , What do you call a black man with a machine gun, SIR.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 15:51:06 (UTC)
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Mike,
James Callaghan....is this the same PM who is supposed to have "knelt" before Idi Amin? No...don't think he could have sunk the Belgrano!
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 15:10:53 (UTC)
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Alec Swan , Here Here< what was it supposed to be doing snooping round our forces was it taking them some hamburgers I doubt it, Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 14:43:02 (UTC)
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Colin
I saw an interview with James Callaghan a few years ago.
The interviewer asked Callaghan why he had kept so quiet over the Belgrano affair
His answer was‘ I kept quiet because I would have done exactly the same thing as Maggie. I would have sunk the Belgrano without any hesitation’
You might well say ‘so what’ but he was the Labour Prime Minister just before Thatcher was elected and I also believe he served in the Navy during the 2nd
World War.
Mike Slement, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 13:42:30 (UTC)
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Yunus,
Been celebrating Eid..eating plenty!
Hope urs went well.
Colin,
Your political compass is in a spin! I guess you are a pragmatic. Criticism where criticism is due is a good thing...instead of being deeply entrenched in dogma. How do you think New Labour will fare in Scotland in the next General Election..with Blair's political compass spinning further than Thatcher's?
Doug,
See that the Government in the country Mark Thatcher is "alleged" to have tried to help topple is not on the USA's Tyranny list. Strange too that China and a host of other Middle Eastern countries are not on cited. At least Zim is on it. Also note that the elections in Iraq are due shortly. With a Shia majority..now is that what the US wanted...a Shia Government which will be friendly with Iran? Now that sure will send the compass spinning in orbit!
Ayub Ismail Zumla, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 10:40:17 (UTC)
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Jeez Colin heavy stuff, suppose Mick and Arthur would have had us all singing the Red Flag by now if thier troops (the miners) had got away with it.
Lets face it that ship could always have turned right instead of left, it was put to sea to be sunk, the only truoble was that the Argie thugs didnt get the world sympathy that they hoped to get.
Alec Swan, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 09:14:51 (UTC)
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Keef Binns
S'like anything, if we're going to pass on dire warning mails or do anything in this life don't most of us want to do so responsibly? How? Check places like Snopes or another urban legend site first to make sure you're not passing a total time waster on to your friends. Not too hard to stay up with the news too if you are passing on items of news. That story of the little boy found after the Tsunami continued circulating for a week after the item was front page news in Papers and on the Internet news sites. Heck it may still be going the rounds. Can't we attempt to spread goodwill in a more informed and intelligent manner rather than merely blindly disseminating misinformation? Of course if something doesn't turn up on the urban legend sites (and I haven't yet had that happen) it could be useful passed on to others.
Many people like cute "have a happy day" type pass-it-ons and that's a different category. S'wot I think, anyway.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 04:33:32 (UTC)
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Doug I suppose I am like most people and hate politics with a vengence. The only good ones I recall, albeit they came to promenance 220 years appart ( Charlie and Iain) came to a sticky end, after which I lost hope! Dear old Maggie increased the salaries of the Police and Army by 20% prior to her assault on the miners of Scotland to ensure their support in the forthcoming forays. It sure worked! To the extent that her Party was completly wiped out in Scotland in the next election, not one left standing and unable to find an elected member to be her Scottish Secretary of State (ie lackey), shows the extent of how dearly we hold her memory!! A vindictive, evil witch, balls without a doubt, but so had Hitler, her " hero", we can assume?? No!! Perhaps her other causes such as the murder of the sailors of the Belgrano, sunk sadly by a sub out of Faslane, to enhance her re-election chances, which worked, helped no doubt by "P" Andrew, enhanced her reputation of being a world statesperson. Look at me! The Hero of the Falklands! A few Argie conscrips who did not really know why they were there in the first place were, basically the enemy?
Johnny Who will not shed a tear for Manny or the thousands locked up in the Zim nicks at the present? Answer: The Mother and Son Reunion!
Ken's Posting on the 21st Jan. should make it clear as to why we are on Mike's slippery slope, nothing to do with any post Thatcher nonsense, as has been put forward, just the absolute Shite ( to quote Pappy with his permisson on the Copy Right ) coming from the EEC.
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 03:34:51 (UTC)
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Fiona
Thank you for your prompt response.
Ayub
Whats up bro! how was Bakra Eid.
Tembo
Did you ever manage to speak to Mossadiq Kadodia?
Heather
I wanted to post some winter pictures on the site. Did you not get my email?
Chico
How come I see no messages from you of late?
Sorry!! all questions I'm afraid.
Regards to all
Yunus Badat, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 22:30:40 (UTC)
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Hi,
I remember posting an obituary for my dad........now one for my sister, Susan, who died on December 8th. Any special routes, or do we just write to Arthur?
Paul Cowie, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 20:54:16 (UTC)
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Doug
There was good reason for Mark Thatcher being called Thicko Thatcher at
Harrow Public School but I agree with you about Maggie.
In my opinion the country has been on the slide ever since she left.
Johnny
A friend of mine,Alan Stevens (now deceased) fought as a mercenary in the Congo.
He was under the command of Mike Hoare and was there when the Simbas tried to massacre all those civilians lined up in the city centre, Was it Elizabethville?
In 1985 I was on the Greek island of Poros and one of the holiday reps was a Greek man in his twenties. He was born in the Congo and he remembered the event very well. He was only a young boy at the time but he was one of the civilians that survived the shootings.
Mike Slement, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 20:25:58 (UTC)
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Johnny
I agree it would have been no loss if the tyrannic government of Equitorial Guinea had been overthrown.
Colin
Personally I rather liked old Maggie Thatcher. She had more balls than most of the male Prime Ministers. You must have bad memories of what she did to crush the miner's strike.
Doug Grewar, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 18:23:20 (UTC)
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I believe there are a lot of tears being shed in Pretoria just now ?.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 16:42:14 (UTC)
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Gentle men give meneer Thatcher a break he is goer at least he is not afraid to gamble in this case if he had lost and been sent to Guinea for trial his head would be languishing in some body's refrigerator, but if he had won just imagine the money the oil companies would have lavished on him because that was what it was all about and personally I am sorry he lost and also sorry for his buddies who are in Mug's jail, goers all of them . Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 16:19:40 (UTC)
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Mike You asked if Thatcher and his Merrymen had planned to overthrow Mugs and his Gangstermen would I look upon them in a more favourable light? I would make a deal with the Devil and sell my soul to Satan if they would undertake and achieve the destruction of the entire ZANU PF cohort of skellums. But that does not mean I would look upon the Forces of Darkness in a more favourable light, well probably just a little more because of the Thatcher Factor of the other bunch!
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 14:59:22 (UTC)
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Hi Keith:
I'm not telling anyone not to forward chain emails. I'm just asking them not to send them to ME. I'm also giving people the opportunity not to bug the heck out of those of us that don't want the nonsense, by first using some common sense and checking out their validity against a site that has all of the hoaxes listed. By the way, Dell Computers will send you $10 if you can respond to me without being rude... grin. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Your point about the little boy was well taken. However, the emails were forwarded to me well after he was already found and reunited with his father. With all the 24/7 coverage of the tsunami, which prominently featured his face on the TV and newspapers before his father was found, one would have hoped that people either read a newspaper, watched one of a gazillion TV news shows, or even listened to the radio.
The main point I was making was that it just takes a minute to stop and think before blindly forwarding something on.
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 14:06:22 (UTC)
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Just a thought about chain e-mails, hoaxes etc., from a guy who is not on top of the matter - - - - me.
Almost all I know about this subject I have learned from Linda’s frequent GNR postings on the subject. Who would admit that he/she has never forwarded on some sort of chain message promising you $1,000 from zillionaire Bill Gates if you do so? Hands up all those who plead guilty. Case proven. I certainly did once and not so long ago. Amongst the earlier addressees who had forwarded on that message were professors, doctors and the like, so on the basis of “They aren’t stupid and I have nothing to lose, and the very small chance of winning $1,000” I passed on said message. I did receive two immediate responses (one from my son) complaining about my stupidity and gullibility and saying they thought I would have known better. OK, I now know better and am still waiting for that money from Mr. Gates.
However…
On the photo of that young blond (Swedish?) boy with all the scratches on his face and a plaster on his arm who was found but not identified after the tsunami I think the passing on of the chain e-mail was absolutely correct. He was soon identified and possibly as a result of that e-mail. If you get your priorities right NOBODY could object to being part of a chain e-mail just because your oh so confidential e-mail address is visible when the consequence is so unimaginably good.
PS. (Currently back in Perth for a week, despite the address below. It's wonderful to be back and especially so during the Australian Open (C'mon Lleyton and Alicia) and for Australia Day tomorrow.)
Keith Binns, United Arab Emirates [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 10:20:54 (UTC)
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Jilly,
You are quite right my surname does mean paper in most languages,but Queens english,you are having a laugh are you not?only the queen speaks her english,other wise if you lived over here you would know that there is no such animal,shite, even Van Der Merwe spokes it better than most English,specially Londoners.
Regards to Otto
Pappy Papier, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 09:46:13 (UTC)
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Dear Linda /Alix all it tells me is we have gained 222 members per year since inception love to you both Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 08:33:53 (UTC)
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Dear Irma sorry Tina I see you haff vays and means but anything but tampering vith my private settings.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 08:30:23 (UTC)
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Linda..just means we have an fisheagle eyeeeed member that is you... I thought I was the only one that looked at things that way...ohhh and only 4 more members and we reach 2000.....
Ali Key, Australia [ Profile ] [ Contact ] [ Web ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 06:03:27 (UTC)
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Just a statistical comparison.. of sorts. We now have 1996 members as of tonight, and the site was started in 1996. What does that mean? The heck if I know!
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 04:51:39 (UTC)
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Dear Tina what have you got planned for people with no teeth?
Mein Lieber Chonney,
Vurst ve are shtarting mit der amplified recordink of der fingernails sqveaking on der blackboard for fifteen minutes. Und zen ve are dilutink all ze beer by putting in ze wasser. Finally ve are hecking into ze pc und changing ze settings zo you cennot see effen von voluptuous mädchen mittout der clothes.
Ve zink for sure you vill crack he he he......
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 03:00:00 (UTC)
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Bob Gillies....
You could always try sending a nice email to the the owner of the site:
Keith Norgrove at grovenor-at-dsl.pipex.com
Also I had a really nice offer from Donald Sydney - you may want to contact him through the members list.
I'll try and do a Google search to see if anyone has photos for sale when I have some time this week..
Peter Dielissen, Canada [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 21:01:34 (UTC)
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Obviously no problem connecting with the GNR
Mike Slement, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 20:55:08 (UTC)
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Colin
If Simon Mann and Mark Thatcher plus all their merry men had planned to overthrow Mugabe and his henchmen instead of the Equatorial Guinea and had actually succeeded I presume you would be looking at them in a much more favourable light.
Linda
I am not sure whether we are talking about the same thing but I was in direct touch by email with a GNR member recently(for the first time) and since then I have had 3 emails purporting to come from that member the last 2 warning me about viruses
. I deleted the last 2 without opening them.
I have been unable to check if they are genuine, as I have been unable to send an email all day and this from 2 different computers.
Mike Slement, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 20:52:45 (UTC)
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Dear Tina what have you got planned for people with no teeth? Love Johnny.
Johnny, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 20:36:24 (UTC)
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Lindy
I am SO WITH YOU. I get tired of referring people to Snopes. Just check the warning out first people.
However, on a lighter note, maybe that's what happened to your message to me .... we didn't forward umpteen warning messages to 18 zillion people within 5 minutes and so your message went to the devil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me know if he replies, hey?
Seriously, though to the few offenders, no more email warnings without prior verification of the facts or for variation on Linda's nutcracker I will write to your dentists and tell them you are allergic to anesthetic and in no circumstances to use any when working on your teeth.
Love and kisses,
Tina
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 18:33:08 (UTC)
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Peter Dielissen, The site with Garrett photos was really good, I would love some of them enlarged and block mounted, is this possible from that site? While my Dad was on Rhodesia Railways in 1960 we were stationed at Chipongwe between Lusaka and Kafue. We had a pump station with de-liming tanks so we got quite a few Garretts stopping over for water and got a chance for a good look at them. We had a sweeping bend on the approach from Lusaka and I got a photo of one with a long line of wagons behind it , and won the Sunday paper Competition with the shot. I got 5 bob for that. Our neighbour station foreman that helped me hold his camera for that photo was my dad's pal David Jones who is now back in Liverpool. Interesting thing is that his son David saw my mother's entry on GNR and my mum got a call from David Snr last year and she spoke to Dave and his wife Elsie who she had lost track of ages ago when we last heard they were in Plumtree. Thanks GNR! She hopes to visit them (45 years later!)
Bob Gillies, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 17:00:16 (UTC)
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To those who still have me on their chain email list:
Please can I ask you again to check your list and delete my name. I do not want to receive any chain emails and usually delete them without even opening them. I would love to stay in contact with everyone on a personal level, so please don't delete me altogether. grin.
One of my pet peeves is to receive a chain email with an urgent warning forwarded on from Microsoft or Yahoo or the Devil, and it is nothing more than a hoax.
If you are one of the people who genuinely wants to warn everyone you know about a virus, or the end of the world, or whatever, please at least take a minute to check the legitimacy of what you want to forward to the world. When you forward a forwarded email that was forwarded to you from someone who received it as a forwarded forward, you perpetuate the damn thing.
Here is a link that you can check just about anything out there to see if it's a hoax or not. A lot of the virus warning emails are just that, a hoax, although some are not. All you need to do is type in this link and check it.
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
It's just one of a number of sites you can use to check, but please be courteous to others and take the time to do it!!
FYI: The current HOAX circulating is the one that address "Life is Beautiful." I have received it several times and it is still a HOAX!
A simple test is also to use some common sense. If you get an email that says if you send the email on, Old Navy, or Gap, or the Devil will pay you $1 for everyone you send it to, think about it. How could they possibly track that? Same goes with the "help my son with a (Science, English, History) school project by adding your name to the list and forwarding it to umpteen people you know, so that little Johnny can track it as part of the project. Even if the email implores you to do it because it is not a joke but something little Johnny gets a grade on at school, still think about it. How is little Johnny possibly going to be able to track it??
Okay, I'm off my high horse. But be forewarned.. if I get another chain email, I will report you to the Bureau of Stupid Buggers and they pay me $1 for every head they crack grin (for Colin's benefit...)
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 14:09:21 (UTC)
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To Those who have sent me any emails the past two weeks , they are floating in cyber space I cannot get them at this present time..I have a temporary new address which can be accessed by the "contact this person" on the message board..thanks
Ali Key, Australia [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 08:25:58 (UTC)
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Lindy
I have toofcombed my old messages in eager anticipation for this long lost missive of yours and I found it not. Would you resend?
Ali
Thanks I got it.
Tina Magee, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 04:32:56 (UTC)
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Hi Tina, Have sent you an email via my yahoo email....
hope you are keeping well and Ted too.....
Ali Key, Australia [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 03:20:03 (UTC)
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Jill: Thanks for the diverson, it may take the heap,sorry, heat, off me for a moment!
Doug: Got to get back regarding your erstwhile citizen Master Mark Thatcher,Sir, etc. etc. While I will admit you were right in your analysis, perhaps having your finger closer to the pulse regarding the disposition of the SA CID and Prosecution Services, no one in their right mind could have bought his non-sensical excuse for not being up to his neck in the overall plot and allowing him to walk. The fact that the old Hideous Witch spent Christmas with him in the Cape, bending lugs hither and thither could not have did his cause any harm; do you think? I believe he is at present in London, hiding under the petticoats as usual, hoping for a visa to the USA, pity Plunker is still not in charge, he'd be out on the next flight! Calif, you are welcome to him; any chance you also could take his revolting mummy? Hope Mug's pack of cards falls soon, as you predict, and he breaks his neck hitting the bottom. Where he belongs! After which it won't be long till the Avenues are renamed again in Salisbury, albeit the only Moya to date is Jason, but there are a few Mugabes here and there.
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Monday, January 24, 2005 at 02:12:02 (UTC)
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Pappy,
I have been rather intrigued lately by your continued referral to the fact that you can detect the 'odour' of the most basic egress. Does not your surname translate - from the High French, of course, to "Bog Roll" in the Queen's English? Sorry about that - maybe it means something totally different in Glaswegian?
Love, Jilly
Jill Aplin, South Africa [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 23, 2005 at 22:48:37 (UTC)
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Esther:
Very funny story about the Great Toronto Flood. grin.
My hubby is out there in the garage, with the scematics of the machine and the bleddy thing in pieces. I wonder how much it is going to cost to get the professionals in to finish the job... No seriously, he is a honey and arrived just in time to turn the garage light off for me when I was done cleaning up the mess yesterday. Ha! Ha!
Another incident along your lines comes to mind. I used to live with my sister and her husband when I first immigrated here. She and her husband built their own double storey house, literally. It took them 2 years and help from friends and they owned it outright and the land it was built on, before they were 30yrs old. Quite a feat here in the States. Unfortunately, they did not have air conditioning or central heating, and relied on a huge fireplace that was in the downstairs family room and which was designed to heat the whole house.
My first winter with them, they had gone off on holiday to ski in Colorado, where they had a condominium at a ski resort there. Not being much of a snow bunny after living in Kitwe most of my life, I decided I would stay home and contemplate why the heck I had left sunny Africa for frigid Texas! It was one of the coldest winters we have had here. The day they were due back, I decided to build them a lovely fire in their fireplace for when they got home after a 2 day drive from Colorado.
Having known a few Boy Scouts in my youth and being experienced in setting them on fire... oops... Start again... Having been taught how to build a fire in the bush, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I knew how to stack the locks with plenty of room for the air to circulate, etc. I made a huge mound in the fireplace, got the matches, lit the newspaper and kindling and blew to get it all going. The wood had been a bit wet and began to sizzle and smoke. Nothing to worry about... yet. But after about 2 minutes of this, I realized that the smoke was not going up the chimney at all, but directly into the living room. I backed away and stood up, only to be in a deep haze in her house. I got such a scrook and thought I had set the house alight, so I took off out the front door, and ran down the street, screaming my head off for help. As I ran down the street, waving my hands in the air like a screaming banshi, I saw them turn the corner in their van. Sheila rolled the window down and stuck her head out with a big smile, telling me it was lovely to see me so eager to welcome them home like this with waves and shouts of joy! I was just about to explain that I was not waving at them, but waving for help, when I heard a loud curse come from the driver's seat. At that point, her husband, Roy, spotted the smoke billowing out of his house and almost gunned me down as he wheelied off down the road and left me standing there in panic.
By the time I staggered back to the house, Roy had resolved the problem. I, in my infinite wisdom, had not opened the flue in the chimney, so it was shut tight when I lit the fire. The whole house was filled with smoke, and I was totally humiliated beyond belief by my stupidity. Roy was ready to lynch me, Sheila was trying to be nice about it but I could see she was livid, and I was persona non grata for a week while the house smelled of smoke.
The moral of the story? Don't play in the bush with Boy Scouts unless they prepare you for ALL situations! Grin.
Linda Hayes, United States [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 23, 2005 at 22:13:46 (UTC)
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Better get this in quick before anyone else explains what a " Choochter" is! He is a handsome, intelligent, honest, law abiding, splendid gentleman in a skirt, who was mainly employed in the City of Glasgow from the 1880's onward in the police force, to bring law and order to this Godless metropolis, the city fathers being unable to find any homegrown specimens to fit the " bill" ! (much the same as the Mick cops of NY during the same period and for the same reason). On or off duty they were easily distinguishable by their inebriation and diction. I have a funny feeling they and their descendants are not very popular with the natives to this very day!
Colin Munro, United Kingdom [ Profile ] [ Contact ]
Sunday, January 23, 2005 at 16:49:24 (UTC)
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