tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23738444619628411752024-03-13T06:46:17.811-04:00GoingSubSaharanI work on African related issues and often live on the continent, most recently in Chad. This blog constitutes my views and opinions and do not represent those of any other person or organization. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-47900671099456681252017-08-11T16:03:00.000-04:002017-08-11T16:03:28.595-04:00The Book is Published!I finally published the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1522065253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502480629&sr=1-1" target="_blank">book</a> version of this blog (with a lot more information and editing) on Amazon! <br />
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The book is available as both a paperback and a kindle version. Its also in the Kindle Lending Library program if you want to read it for free. <br />
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The whole process took six years with editing, rewriting, work, getting permission from AFRICOM and the Pentagon to publish, as well as the process of searching for a publisher with all the submissions and waiting for responses.<br />
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A big thank you to my good friend Rick for editing every chapter in the book and providing invaluable feedback. Please let me know what you think!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-32614044556385934712016-12-24T10:24:00.002-05:002016-12-24T10:24:32.409-05:00Missing Saharan Sunsets<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-5338311719114603852016-12-22T15:17:00.001-05:002016-12-22T15:17:37.609-05:00African Holiday Crisis of 2016?<span style="font-family: inherit;">It seems that every year there is some kind of holiday crisis (Cote d'Ivoire 2011, Mali 2012, South Sudan 2013, Ebola 2014, Burundi 2015) and this year there are three main contenders: the Gambia, Ghana, and the DRC. All three contenders held recent elections or were supposed to hold election. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the Gambia on </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">1 December 2016 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">incumbent </span>Yahya Jammeh lost to <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">opposition candidate </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adama_Barrow" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Adama Barrow">Adama Barrow</a>. A<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525;">lthough he originally conceded the election, Jammeh has refused to accept the loss and is attempting to have the results thrown out and schedule another election. The Gambian supreme court is scheduled to hear the case on 10 Jan 2017 but Adama Barrow plans on holding his inauguration regardless of the court hearing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 7 Dec 2016 election in Ghana passed peacefully with <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_Akuffo-Addo" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Nana Akuffo-Addo">Nana Akuffo-Addo</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"> of the opposition</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525;"> winning the presidency in the first round and defeating incumbent President </span></span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mahama" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="John Mahama">John Mahama</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white;">. Mahama has promised to hand over power peacefully and accept the election results, averting a crisis in this stable oasis inWest Africa.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;">The Democratic Republic of the Congo was scheduled to hold elections on 19 Dec 2016 but the President unilaterally postponed elections until April 2018 in order to allow for "voter registration." Opposition groups have protested but a heavy police and military presence across the country have arrested opposition leaders and detained, beaten, and killed protesters.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: inherit;">The winner for the African Holiday Crisis for 2016 is likely to DRC as protests continue to escalate. The Gambia would be a contender as well if demonstrations escalated or if Jammeh was to arrest or kill the newly elected president. However, the Gambia usually receives little international attention and few countries outside of ECOWAS are likely to get involved.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-33621146360640193562014-08-29T15:15:00.000-04:002014-08-29T15:15:37.118-04:00Djibouti Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seven weeks after leaving Chad I was back in Africa again, spending a week in Djibouti. Last time I visited Djibouti was in 2011 and the highlight of the trip was snorkeling with whale sharks in northern Djibouti. This time in Djibouti it was all work.<br />
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I noticed a number of positive changes in the city such as the addition of solar powered traffic lights and more paved roads. For the most part the people seemed to obey the traffic lights and police and/or gendarmes were around to enforce the rules.<br />
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Some things haven't changed, like getting haircuts by the canal or khat stands throughout the city and in every village in the countryside.<br />
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I spent some time visiting projects in the hills outside Djibouti where huge hills and ravines were covered with black volcanic rocks the size of bowling balls.<br />
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The port facilities continue to improve, I just wish I had more time to spend at the beach (or with whale sharks!).<br />
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I was glad I had an interpreter with me for this trip as very few of the Djiboutians that I met with spoke in pure French. Most spoke in Somali or in a Somali-French hybrid. However, the people that spoke English only wanted to practice their English. <br />
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I'm looking forward to visiting again soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-67714552711395943092014-08-27T14:20:00.000-04:002014-08-27T14:20:05.148-04:00Book Review: The Pirates of SomaliaThe Pirates of Somalia: Inside their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur (2011)<br />
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To write this book about the inside world of the Puntland pirates Jay Bahadur traveled to Somalia and with great luck managed to make friends with former pirates and succeeded in returning alive to tell his story.* Patience and a lot of khat, the tree leaves chewed in the region for its narcotic properties, allowed Jay to get pirates to tell their stories. Surprisingly the pirates personal stories don't match the tales in the media of pirate mansions and freely flowing money.<br />
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In seeking to verify the media reports Jay Bahadur interviewed several pirates, victims, pirate associates, and villagers in the pirate areas. In the end, Jay discovered that the pirate haven of Eyl was poor and there were no pirate mansions. The people also claimed to be anti-pirate and wanted them to leave the area. The former pirates all seemed to be broke and an accounting of ransom payments and the expenses of a hijacking verified that piracy didn't pay any better than a minimum wage job in the region. However, the pirate sponsors made a lot of money.<br />
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Jay also described the three waves of piracy in Somali waters, where the first group were legitimate fisherman fighting against foreign fishing vessels which had destroyed local fisheries. The second group of pirates started when the original fisherman weren't able to fight the foreign fishing boats (due to up arming of the foreign boats) but they found the cargo vessels transiting Somali waters to be easy targets. The third wave transpired when Somali inlanders heard about the record ransoms for the hijacked boats and decided to get into the piracy business. This third wave began to turn piracy into a business enterprise with motherships and speed boats that ventured hundreds of miles from Somali territorial waters to prey on big boats in the commercial shipping lanes.<br />
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An interesting point in the book is that many pirates were former members of various defunct coast guard operations designed to fight foreign fishing boats or pirates. These coast guards learned advanced maritime operations, how to navigate at sea at distances far from shore, marksmanship, and how to coordinate attacks. When the government of Puntland stopped paying the coast guards they turned to piracy themselves.<br />
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At the end of the book the author made several recommendations to combat the Somali piracy issue:<br />
1. Finance an effective and well-paid Puntland Police Task Force<br />
2. Fund an expansion of the Puntland prison system (to hold captured pirates)<br />
3. Foster intelligence coordination between Puntland and international naval forces<br />
4. Clamp down on illegal fishing<br />
5. Encourage or require passive security measures abroad<br />
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The author correctly concludes by stating that the problem of piracy or land-based kidnapping for ransom in the region won't stop until the underlying issues of scarce resources is addressed. The above recommendations will help with resolving the immediate problem of piracy but addressing conflict and competition for scarce resources may never be resolved given the cultural and physical environment in Somalia.<br />
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*American journalist Michael Scott Moore wasn't as lucky as Jay Bahadur as he was kidnapped by Somali pirates while conducting research for a book on piracy in January 2012.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-75032566547996052492014-08-19T14:31:00.002-04:002014-08-19T14:31:53.400-04:00Ebola IssuesThe Ebola epidemic in Africa is about to get a lot worse thanks to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28827091" target="_blank">assault on a hospital</a> in Monrovia, Liberia on 16 August 2014 where 17 Ebola patients were liberated along with their bedsheets and other Ebola contaminated items. These patients were hand carried from the hospital and out in the general community for a couple days coming into contact with many others as their "liberators" didn't believe in Ebola. As most people get around Liberia on mototaxi or crowded minibuses, many may have come into physical contact with the infected patients. This close contact with others will allow the virus to spread rapidly and people may not know they were exposed.<br />
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Ebola is a virus that is spread through contact with fluids of an infected person and has an incubation period of 2 to 21 days. Ebola kills 90% of people infected with the virus and does not currently have a vaccine. An experimental <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/who-says-ebola-has-killed-more-than-1200/2014/08/19/8b2fd4f2-2784-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html" target="_blank">drug</a> has been used successfully in some cases but the supply is limited and knowledge of the side effects and associated complications are not fully known.<br />
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In the Liberian case the Ebola patients were moved around the densely populated city of Monrovia (estimated population of 750,000 in <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/li.html" target="_blank">2011</a>) and possibly into the countryside as the liberators sought out traditional healers to cure the sick. So far more than 400 deaths have been attributed to Ebola in Liberia but many may be unreported in the interior away from modern medical treatment centers.<br />
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Its possible that the Ebola patients may have also been moved away from the city along traditional trafficking routes towards Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, or Sierra Leone. The borders throughout the region are extremely porous with people moving freely into Sierra Leone on many routes that avoid official checkpoints. Given the incubation period of 2 to 21 days its possible that people are already enroute to areas that haven't been warned about Ebola and are currently reporting no issues.<br />
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Countries may also be underreporting Ebola incidents after the example of the treatment of Liberia and Sierra Leone by the international community. Major <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/06/news/companies/airlines-ebola-africa/" target="_blank">airlines</a> have cut off service to the affected countries and tourism has come to a stop. As neighboring countries have sealed their borders trade has also halted and scarce supplies and food are becoming impossible to find.<br />
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The next phase of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia will explode around 6 September (21 days after the hospital escape) and may linger longer if the government <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fled-liberia-ebola-clinic-hospitalized-25019521" target="_blank">claims</a> of having recaptured all the infected patients isn't true. The current Ebola outbreak is the deadliest in history with over 1200 killed since December 2013 and an estimated 2,200 infected.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-22044205326702415972014-06-01T15:33:00.000-04:002014-06-01T15:33:10.602-04:00Zakouma National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple months ago I drove 11 hours to Zakouma National Park in southern Chad and spent a couple days driving around the park and looking for elephants. The scenery was great traveling to the park but it is so remote that there are no local cell towers and your phones won't work. Ten years ago there were around 4000 elephants in the park but now there are less than 400 due to poaching.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tinga Lodge for dining or relaxing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tinga Huts</td></tr>
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We stayed at the Tinga lodge in cloverleaf huts and had great lunches and dinners and decent breakfasts. The rooms had private baths and screened windows, mosquito nets, and ceiling fans. Even though I was there during the hot season in March it wasn't uncomfortable to sleep, even when the generator failed for a couple hours one night.<br />
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There seemed to be more water buffalos than anything else in else. During an evening game drive we ran across a huge herd of hundreds of water buffalos on a grassy plain. Considered one of the more dangerous animals in the park, the water buffalos seemed ready to charge every time we stopped to take a picture.<br />
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We spent hours driving around the park looking for elephants checking out spots where they are usually found along the river but all we found there were crocodiles enjoying the sun.</div>
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We found a variety of other animals including groups of giraffes, baboons, and vultures. The vultures reminded me of the ones from the old animated Jungle Book movie, even though that movie was set in Asia. <br />
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Even though we didn't find any elephants after days scouring the park we did run into a couple groups of lions. Monkeys were normally everywhere in the park and accompanied by the loud sounds from other animals but where we found these lions enjoying the sun it was quiet and calm. We got within 10 meters of these lions and the guide explained that the lions weren't interested in us because they were full from eating all the former monkey residents of the area.</div>
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As we left the park early on our last day at dawn we ran into another group of lions looking for breakfast near Tinga lodge. Some monkeys were walking along with the lions about 100meters away making lots of noise to let all the other monkeys know that lions were coming.<br />
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If you are in Chad and you notice any poaching or people hassling elephants please call the numbers on this sign to alert the authorities. The elephants aren't confined to the park and there are no real fences around the park to keep the animals in or poachers out. Elephants can range all over southern Chad and there are several groups outside of the relatively safe borders of the park.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Braconage= Poaching</td></tr>
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In April and May 2014 the US did provide training to 100 rangers from the Chadian Anti-Poaching Brigade at Zakouma National Park. The US trained rangers will support the Zakouma park rangers and Nomadic Guard when they run into heavily armed poachers. In 2012 heavily armed Sudanese poachers used truck-mounted heavy machine guns and RPGs to slaughter elephants in Zakouma. Later they attacked and killed several park rangers. Poachers remain a serious threat to elephants and other animals in the park and the high value of ivory is motivating criminal and insurgent groups to kill animals for the money to support their other activities. At the rate elephants are being massacred, if more isn't done none will be left in Chad.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-48197094778601731802014-04-18T12:33:00.000-04:002014-04-18T22:40:48.457-04:00Elephant Rock<br />
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Two hours north N'Djamena is a cool rock formation known as "Elephant Rock." The road to the rock formations is paved to the quarry but at that point you have to drop into 4-LOW for the deep sand to the base of the rock formations. The rock shapes and fractures remind me of volcanic rocks in the US like <a href="http://www.wyomingtourism.org/thingstodo/detail/Devils-Tower-National-Monument/2900" target="_blank">Devil's Tower</a> in Wyoming or other places in Idaho.<br />
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I camped out at the rock three years ago on my first trip to Chad and it was great to finally get back to the rock. The only difference that I could see was that the quarry located next to the rock formations had expanded and had started to extract rock closer to the Elephant. If I end up staying in Chad much longer I may have to bring my ropes and climbing gear to get on top of the elephant!<br />
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All the kids and eventually many of the adults from a local village came to check out the Americans climbing up to the rock. A group of kids that spoke decent French adopted us and one became my guide and helped me climb up and down the rock by pointing out the best route and routes to avoid. Turns out that the wide cracks that I would usually ascend are used by many of the locals at toilets as (of course) none of the locals had toilets or running water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guides coming from their village</td></tr>
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As we were climbing into our vehicles for the ride back to N'Djamena giant herd of cattle passed by the base of the rocks. They went straight to the shade of the thorn trees for some relief from the warm 40*C day. The cattle were herded by nomads on camelback who at noon were also in the shade of nearby trees. Not much happens in the heat of day during the hot season in Chad.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-10822240858909924832014-01-10T07:45:00.002-05:002014-01-10T07:45:35.058-05:00Return of Bozize? A Question of Sovereignty<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Self-proclaimed President Djotodia has
now left office leaving the world to wonder who should take over until
elections can be held later in 2014. One
answer is the deposed former President </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">François</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Bozize.
Although Bozize came to power through a coup in 2003, he won elections
in 2005 and 2011 and was the presiding over the country until he fled rebels
in March of 2013. Seeing that the job is
vacant again and he was the last one elected and recognized as the leader of
the Central African Republic, shouldn’t he be restored to his position?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The selection of the next leader of
CAR is a decision that will upset some group or another in a country that has
been destroyed by violence. Former
Seleka rebels may increase attacks on peacekeeping troops as their former Chief
is no longer in charge, but they were already fighting peacekeepers. There are more security forces in CAR now
than any other time in recent history and more are preparing to enter the fray so
they should be able to handle rebel fighters. The bottom line is that even if some other person was selected to be the transitional leader
there will be opposition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Is the international community
enforcing the idea that the quality of a sovereign leader should determine if
they stay in power? In that case leaders
from many different countries should be deposed and new leaders selected. Bozize may not have been the most capable or
effective leader for his country but he was internationally recognized as the sovereign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-68066169383016611352014-01-09T07:34:00.001-05:002014-01-09T07:34:45.773-05:00Where have all the trees gone?In many African capitals the ancient trees that once shaded colonial boulevards are being cut down, often for stated "safety" reasons, but usually the easy answer is not the true answer. As recent conflicts in Africa demonstrate, the national government doesn't have to control the entire country to be the internationally recognized head of state, just the capital. In many places the national government doesn't really try to govern border regions. However, the capital is sacred and must be protected at all costs in order to preserve the head of state. In the Central African Republic a "red-line" was drawn to keep the Seleka rebel coalition out of the capital, but the rest of the country was left at the mercy of the rebels. <br />
<br />
Often roads are intentionally left in poor condition to slow the advance of rebels towards the capital so the military would have more time to react. Checkpoints line the roads to the capital and slow movement. In the cities, trees are cut down that could potentially hide snipers or provide protection from rebel troops. Trees along the road also can limit the maneuverability of tanks and other armored vehicles. The leafy green foliage that keeps the dust and temperatures down in the concrete jungle also obscures people on the ground from hovering attack helicopters.<br />
<br />
With advances in air conditioning in vehicles and buildings its less essential for the more fortunate to have trees. The more fortunate also have generators to power the climatized spaces so electricity isn't a problem. Unfortunately, in the places where the trees are cut down the general population usually don't have access to affordable reliable electricity. But if the leader only sees his people from behind bulletproof glass does he care?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-40160154758016063362013-11-18T13:46:00.003-05:002013-11-18T13:46:55.731-05:00Kiliss: Chadian Street Food<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbGKop4oiFIjR9QqjQAfqt5Wp5n1AAplLSYtzjU2Uc9-VgFrZuXr85ud6BYKlzi-SiGirHkRl7zycXM-L0hf6n2y5IbBmb53ejUxBBhlYI_wwc03Yo1LnewTJ8isOn3h3X0wsKzzTmI2s/s1600/kiliss.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbGKop4oiFIjR9QqjQAfqt5Wp5n1AAplLSYtzjU2Uc9-VgFrZuXr85ud6BYKlzi-SiGirHkRl7zycXM-L0hf6n2y5IbBmb53ejUxBBhlYI_wwc03Yo1LnewTJ8isOn3h3X0wsKzzTmI2s/s1600/kiliss.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiliss: A Chadian Specialty</td></tr>
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Today while we were running errands around town my co-worker spent 4,000 CFA (roughly $8 USD) and bought us a couple handfuls of what he called a traditional Chadian food: Kiliss. What we got handed to us wrapped up in a folded up rough brown paper (like a paper grocery bag back in the US) was a red coated meat and a couple slices of onion. My coworker said it was some kind of meat that was dried in the sun and covered in ground red peppers. The strolling vendor broke our meat off rigid long sheets of meat that he carried in a bucket on his head. My coworker said it was good to eat Kiliss this time of year as the peppers and onions helped protect against the cold/flu that has been going around. The expat community has been hit pretty hard lately with 15-20% unable to come to work.<br />
<br />
The meat didn't have much flavor or if it did I couldn't taste it over the raw onion or the red peppers. It was kinda chewy, like a beef jerky, and I couldn't stop eating it. I kept coming back to it over and over again and by the end of the day I had eaten most of it (I also shared with my coworkers but most Americans were too afraid to try it). I enjoy most Chadian foods, especially la boule (millet ball with a sauce) and usually eat my bowl of Chadian soup for breakfast each morning- today was beef in a tomato sauce with lots of peppers, veggies, and bit of extra piment. We'll have to see how I feel in the morning to see if all the Kiliss I ate was a shock to my system!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not found in Chad but a fond memory from my last trip to Germany<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-74362171810698917212013-11-04T05:04:00.001-05:002013-11-04T05:04:33.630-05:00Germany Bound!After 7 months straight in Chad I got to go on a trip to Germany for a conference! Getting to Germany wasn't easy at all as my reservations for the direct flight from N'Djamena to Paris were deleted and I had to take the CamAir flight down to Douala to get a flight to Paris. Due to computer problems we had open seating all the way to Paris on completely full flights, so it was a free for all in getting onto the planes.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately our CamAir arrived in Douala the same time as the Air France and Brussels flight and only one baggage carousel was working. Naturally CamAir was the last to be circulated after an hour of watching other peoples baggage fall off the carousel in a packed hot humid room. By the time by bag arrived I was completely sweat soaked and dehydrated.<br />
<br />
Thankfully once I got past the vendors selling Eto'o jerseys there was an open breezeway where I could cool off. As I was waiting for my flight to board I met a couple American doctors who had just wrapped up six-weeks volunteering in northern Cameroon. They had fun stories of hanging out in the villages and the amazing diseases and problems they had only heard about in medical school or seen on the TV show "House." <br />
<br />
Once aboard the flight to Paris and every seat was filled it was announced that there would be some minor delays, that ended up lasting two hours. This delay in departure resulted in arriving in Paris two hours late and missing my connecting flight. Once I got through another 45 min line to talk to the Air France representative about a new flight they informed me that they had no record of my next flight in the system, even though I had a copy of my tickets. <br />
<br />
An hour later they finally straightened out my ticket and told me "we got you onto the next flight, but they have already started boarding. If you can hurry, you can make it. Don't worry about your checked bag, we will make sure it gets to Germany with you. Your gate is just up the stairs and down the hallway." Down the hallway ended up being a 15 min scramble through the airport, up and down numerous stairs, and through two customs points. I was almost the last one on the plane, but my bag didn't make it.<br />
<br />
Upon arrival in Germany Air France called my name over the loudspeaker in baggage claim saying i needed to report to the representative. The representative informed me that my bag didn't make the flight and they would forward it to me. Again. The last time I took Air France out of Germany my bag was lost between Paris and Germany and it took three days for them to deliver it to me.<br />
<br />
The cool next part of my trip was taking the ICE train from the airport to Stuttgart and zipping along through the Germany countryside at 200km per hour. The train was packed by Germans with suitcases and at every stop more got on. It seems that the Germans were all going to Munich to celebrate the holiday weekend.<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed the train ride through the countryside with the cool mist, green fields, and light breezes. I am always amazed at how clean and organized Germany is, especially after extended periods on the continent. I am so looking forward to the german food...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-40827933901150730832013-10-12T10:10:00.000-04:002013-10-12T10:10:20.020-04:00Back to FayaLast night my friends flew into town again and offered me a quick trip to Faya since they had to deliver some equipment and had space for an extra passenger on their plane. Of course I jumped at the chance to return to Faya and was on the ground for a couple hours this morning. <br />
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In the few weeks since my last visit the N'Djamena area appeared significantly less green from the air but Faya was still exactly the same- an oasis in the middle of orange sand dunes and baked mud plateaus. <br />
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While in Faya I was told of the gold rush in the nearby hills which had brought hundreds of people to the region and have rented all the locally available SUVs. A lot of provisions were in short supply and needed to be brought in from N'Djamena by air. Near the center of town at a large spring 30-40 men were resupplying with water and washing clothes before heading back into the desert. <br />
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In the low dunes right outside of town we also saw herds of camels being loaded into trucks to be carried into Libya where they will be sold. The trucks would back up to a sand dune and drop the tailgate so the camels could walk directly onto the truck avoiding the need for loading docks or ramps. Its interesting how camels are still traversing the centuries old caravan routes across the desert but now in the back of a truck.<br />
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Some of the locals were also telling me stories of the nearby (250km away) <a href="http://www.africanworldheritagesites.org/natural-places/deserts/lakes-of-ounianga-chad.html">lakes</a> with hot springs or another 350km away with <a href="http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-28095092/nile-crocodiles-in-guelta-archei-chad">Nile crocodiles</a> but nowhere near the Nile river. They said if I had two weeks and would pay for the fuel they would take me to both lakes. I wish I had the time and the money!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-63075797760678698872013-09-29T17:34:00.000-04:002013-09-30T03:01:25.538-04:00Anti-Poaching & the CGI<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Its great that the <a href="http://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative/featured-commitments/partnership-save-africas-elephants">Clinton Global Initiative wants to stop poaching in Africa</a>. I want it to stop too but it takes a lot of money, time, and effort especially as the poachers are often more motivated than the government troops sent to stop them. For example, some of the poachers in Southern Chad/Central African Republic have been Sudanese military troops on leave who took their gun trucks with heavy machine guns and RPGs to hunt some elephants. The also had radios and GPS units that allowed them to spread out and avoid the park police and local military units. In some cases they killed the elephants with an RPG or chopped them up with their heavy guns. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So will the Clinton plan train and equip troops and put them into battle with heavily armed poachers? Will it provide air intelligence as in small-UAVs as despite being a dedicated and important asset in the fight against poaching, the Africa Parks Network of aircraft is a small force with limited assets and coverage? Perhaps they have deep pockets like the Clooney network and can provide satellite surveillance but once the poachers are detected can they action troops in a timely manner to catch the poachers in the act? The areas where poachers operate are vast and the road networks are very poor. In many places even on the roads you can only travel 30 miles per hour, cross country is much slower. It will also be hard to distinguish from the air (or space) what is a poacher, rich farmer, local politician, NGO vehicle, or military truck. Also in some areas the forest canopy is nearly impenetrable except by sophisticated sensors.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Many African military troops don’t get a lot of time on the range practicing their marksmanship. Ammunition is expensive and a luxury that most regular army troops can’t afford. Plus in many places ammunition is strictly controlled so the troops don’t run amok and try to seize power in a military coup d’etat. Some militaries have GPS and high-tech radios but most units don’t have these expensive items, and again it is often in the best interest of the ruling powers to keep the military poorly equipped and untrained so they don’t become a threat to the state. The units that get all the toys and funding are usually the ones most loyal to the head of state or assigned to protect the government. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Some of the resources that will be needed will require new export licenses for the sharing of technology that is currently banned due to fears of abuses by the regimes. For example certain weapons, aircraft, and night vision goggles are prohibited by Congress for export to many African nations. If new toys are authorized for export or acquired from other sources it is not likely that the toys will end up in the hands of the anti-poaching forces but more likely in the hands of the elite presidential guard units. Training up other units will upset the delicate political balance in the country where the power is centralized in order to protect the head of state. If an outside power were to suddenly develop high tech capabilities, advanced marksmanship, and be able to maneuver they would become a legitimate threat to the state as they may be the most capable military unit in the country.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The actual troops that get committed to the fight will likely not be well trained, well armed, nor able to maneuver to engage the poachers. In which case they will likely be slaughtered if they can find the poachers. Many elite African military units don’t even have detailed maps of their country where they operate. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Developing a military force in Africa is a very complex proposition especially in dealing with regional military forces that have basic capabilities. Social, economic, and domestic as well as international political considerations need to be taken into account. Everybody hates poaching and wants to do something about it and its easy to take a pledge or make a commitment and throw money at the problem. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to take money and develop training programs. However, many of these programs may only absorb cash and leave an ineffective program behind or immature forces that aren’t really prepared for the intended fight. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The process of finding poachers in the act, relaying the message to troops on the ground, maneuvering them to engage and defeat the poachers is a highly complex challenge. Given that these poachers operate in forested areas that cover thousands of square miles this mission to defeat poaching can be more difficult than tracking extremist fighters across the deserts of northern Africa. The US, France, and other western powers have dedicated hundreds of millions in dollars and immense task forces to this mission and have achieved limited success even with using their sophisticated resources and highly trained forces. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The CGI says it is taking a three-pronged approach to fighting poaching: stop the killing, stop the trafficking, and stopping the demand but I think stopping the killing may be the hardest thing to do. The easier places to impact poaching is in the international transport/trafficking of the items as they leave the continent and when they arrive at their destination. But then again, the global war on drugs isn't going so well either. </span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-59865814689526160332013-09-08T10:41:00.001-04:002013-09-08T10:41:46.804-04:00Faya trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0UHiR8PsWbxBOBWf_C-hx1itF6arIphrXDsor89-hhSktMxzQRlJFy-mcPPbSphq4wUSLSyzsz59hLnVjZPNqZ57c1Kbl3e_ze14hb4SXCSlMy_oCAOPil97JUjABJ7ct_VX1l_rHarG/s1600/oasis2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0UHiR8PsWbxBOBWf_C-hx1itF6arIphrXDsor89-hhSktMxzQRlJFy-mcPPbSphq4wUSLSyzsz59hLnVjZPNqZ57c1Kbl3e_ze14hb4SXCSlMy_oCAOPil97JUjABJ7ct_VX1l_rHarG/s320/oasis2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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I had a great 24-hour trip to Faya this past week and I wish I could have stayed longer. Some friends that were going up there to check out the clinic invited me along as they had room on their private plane and I was lucky enough to be able to escape the office.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpopBn1T-uIo238Jnh0jTYn01VRblVqLgpj9VA7X31zdW1GnMqNuVMlq8Y6_Nx1KhjDO3D6b8r6cv0-tsGthcbvCfRiOGMjQOf4vbANdiyYsixsN8Tsa90ajpJtvStTRiOdxOOgZ1zl3yI/s1600/Green+NDJ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpopBn1T-uIo238Jnh0jTYn01VRblVqLgpj9VA7X31zdW1GnMqNuVMlq8Y6_Nx1KhjDO3D6b8r6cv0-tsGthcbvCfRiOGMjQOf4vbANdiyYsixsN8Tsa90ajpJtvStTRiOdxOOgZ1zl3yI/s320/Green+NDJ.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first thing I noticed when we took off from N'Djamena was how green the region was. The river was full and the neighborhoods were flooded, but it was so green- a huge change from when I arrived here in March. Its hard to believe this is part of the Sahel desert. Once we got out of the city we flew above a rain storm and the clouds extended until about 15 mins before we landed and the harsh Sahara desert landscape was revealed. </div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFuWrMnAEco_Zy3UALmfiBYa9fMh_McEAONK5vpED9jQQC1fAxXpXzt1vBdWvOoWNaI5eiUEw5-AxNPdx1ODWuvKUwKORnx8f6mrgjSbRvDMrjPP7Az3YI05326JCK53yA2tLv6RsHrp2/s1600/Dunes2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFuWrMnAEco_Zy3UALmfiBYa9fMh_McEAONK5vpED9jQQC1fAxXpXzt1vBdWvOoWNaI5eiUEw5-AxNPdx1ODWuvKUwKORnx8f6mrgjSbRvDMrjPP7Az3YI05326JCK53yA2tLv6RsHrp2/s320/Dunes2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The orange sand dunes looked soft but between the dunes was the crusty brown and white hard-pan ridges. Faya, however was an oasis in the the desert.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6Y6qVT5jIiuGw4Lcj2bm9ZROCqv1D3A4ZEBEuRNbb727EbdrQope0_QyBr3kVPC6kdFq4ONe9UIE3qdALX_4XHCg4slTGO5b1-K9ZH2L5xbvCAMuSxXfeWAJ6ezRus2L_BRI2YV2TSut/s1600/Dunes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6Y6qVT5jIiuGw4Lcj2bm9ZROCqv1D3A4ZEBEuRNbb727EbdrQope0_QyBr3kVPC6kdFq4ONe9UIE3qdALX_4XHCg4slTGO5b1-K9ZH2L5xbvCAMuSxXfeWAJ6ezRus2L_BRI2YV2TSut/s320/Dunes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My friends had arranged for some rental cars that drove us out into the desert and then around to an oasis that makes life possible in Faya. </div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14sxzBDSfPXgfbUPZB9As1TaC1Le00mYQDhI1sLg_a0gnGqJnIC3kT9M-4FqDGoBPHxFdGCL7jDc5cJKiTCF8v-eo9K0EKwexDHXnDdAJVBzw5iCRyTyitd9vO_QodQREJqoP10PSfxu4/s1600/Faya+gates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14sxzBDSfPXgfbUPZB9As1TaC1Le00mYQDhI1sLg_a0gnGqJnIC3kT9M-4FqDGoBPHxFdGCL7jDc5cJKiTCF8v-eo9K0EKwexDHXnDdAJVBzw5iCRyTyitd9vO_QodQREJqoP10PSfxu4/s1600/Faya+gates.JPG" /></a></div>
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The groundwater in the city is only a meter-deep in most places and in some places it bubbles to the surface. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFq01vL8d904b370jonPwd7WNtSJYYXUWkY9xbUf_b-ezOyh_fpBXM8tp_wo9MsIw0bhyphenhyphen4nBxbNKcO0Fvfd7u6-f1RTy40VfpfEAiWUR9ckwGBnDwKlGcbc0eFWCnbHMs-G3iKcTBy7Dga/s1600/Oasis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFq01vL8d904b370jonPwd7WNtSJYYXUWkY9xbUf_b-ezOyh_fpBXM8tp_wo9MsIw0bhyphenhyphen4nBxbNKcO0Fvfd7u6-f1RTy40VfpfEAiWUR9ckwGBnDwKlGcbc0eFWCnbHMs-G3iKcTBy7Dga/s320/Oasis.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The locals built small canals to channel the water to their date farms and gardens and a wide variety of local produce was available. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSGp2MPilZ_9jlpgItXx8BC2CCwAbv_dwKFOuYV-hgawdBKFqUkJfbonmajJ0mPZHpetY_o17smYO8bibZ6me75h6W64uuLP-C_3PHty6fj8ZKVYjbrZgrVItvtejAwgPmF6AUVi8IWMK/s1600/canals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSGp2MPilZ_9jlpgItXx8BC2CCwAbv_dwKFOuYV-hgawdBKFqUkJfbonmajJ0mPZHpetY_o17smYO8bibZ6me75h6W64uuLP-C_3PHty6fj8ZKVYjbrZgrVItvtejAwgPmF6AUVi8IWMK/s320/canals.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After our tour of the desert we settled into a nice vila for the night and enjoyed stable electricity and the quiet of the desert (no generator noise!). Our hosts slaughtered a goat for us and we stayed up late eating from the large platter side by side with our Chadian friends. The next morning we had the rest of the goat for breakfast and I think it tasted better on the second day!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrxqrMv3toG6Xc0H4WFFC5IVKmimOkzH4nEihhHz99g-T92beHQ3Jaqc5yFqwMrzLw4rQf39Cg9WU77RO9xYacuRIGXMl1K1ic6MjfJWdXe8RrAfj8u3r7S25MR2lIANVBXIZGJZIqdDY/s1600/bfast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrxqrMv3toG6Xc0H4WFFC5IVKmimOkzH4nEihhHz99g-T92beHQ3Jaqc5yFqwMrzLw4rQf39Cg9WU77RO9xYacuRIGXMl1K1ic6MjfJWdXe8RrAfj8u3r7S25MR2lIANVBXIZGJZIqdDY/s320/bfast.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After breakfast we packed up our bug nets and sleeping pads and headed out for the obligatory courtesy call with the provincial governor before starting to talk to the local officials. The governor was a nice guy and he said he had came back during the night to meet with us and insisted we come back to see him after we visited the clinic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n25T9ZSMHA9YuXI6ZsDAetUlJj_5TFarbn6f13AR_UFm3zSrSDy4MFoBWWF_7I7hXya-ec4zNeB9Y0vdvXIziw7Za2UwBikotw_tZhqJdvZbw2vRiH2KDu7HM0hSI7W-Fx8qmhRktZKV/s1600/clinic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7n25T9ZSMHA9YuXI6ZsDAetUlJj_5TFarbn6f13AR_UFm3zSrSDy4MFoBWWF_7I7hXya-ec4zNeB9Y0vdvXIziw7Za2UwBikotw_tZhqJdvZbw2vRiH2KDu7HM0hSI7W-Fx8qmhRktZKV/s320/clinic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The clinic was nice building with lots of people, a couple ambulances, a pharmacy, and a local doctor. The doctor from the French base also was reported to come by from time to time to help out. The said they needed more equipment and trained staff, but those shortages are not unique to oasis's in the desert.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmoEJ6uXDe90c4HqsOWw9c81AH8BotItrJZsA6zqstBD47hHBwNILIZWz_4rxhhnMwX-gU3Fhnm-xNuzwrZTYL7HsryBwuYNWjtMLdSzLldeAGOixkRKiPgBbq_WpaNz-i9w1UnogtEBZ/s1600/streets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmoEJ6uXDe90c4HqsOWw9c81AH8BotItrJZsA6zqstBD47hHBwNILIZWz_4rxhhnMwX-gU3Fhnm-xNuzwrZTYL7HsryBwuYNWjtMLdSzLldeAGOixkRKiPgBbq_WpaNz-i9w1UnogtEBZ/s320/streets.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Our last stop was to check-in with the governor again and he invited us to lunch before we left for the flight back to N'Djamena (ground meat in a red sauce, roasted chicken, and flat bread). It was a great trip, but much too short. I sincerely hope I can return to Faya again in the future for a longer trip!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-61581680515189010732013-09-08T10:11:00.000-04:002013-09-08T10:11:01.156-04:00Wifi antenna issues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The rainy season in N'Djamena takes it toll on everything. I am one of the lucky ones in the city that have a solid house and a roof that doesn't leak. I can't complain much because most of my neighbors have dirt floors and many of their compounds have been under a foot or more of water for the past month. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixImDF0LIiQ87ATqNkwog9ByeY7gzooPUqyJwKT54XgZTmWJpe1winZ_1MkO2NuT9u1VGvMjoxP00xvOr1vCtwU4dkbgeTSztc5ooG_ih9KlM5jdCoU4M3UPyOsTv4ZmMorNIyG5MIRPwL/s1600/wet+pbox.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixImDF0LIiQ87ATqNkwog9ByeY7gzooPUqyJwKT54XgZTmWJpe1winZ_1MkO2NuT9u1VGvMjoxP00xvOr1vCtwU4dkbgeTSztc5ooG_ih9KlM5jdCoU4M3UPyOsTv4ZmMorNIyG5MIRPwL/s320/wet+pbox.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I haven't been able to blog much because my wifi antenna was destroyed by the rain. It was supposed to be all-weather and had a warranty (in the USA) but it wasn't Africa-Proof. The first time it died (in July) I assumed water dripped onto the powersupply that was indoors and shorted it out. Fortunately I had a second powersupply that I was able to use and this time I had it covered and off the ground to prevent another short-out. </div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvqf1e2-SQkODZYTNplBkaghJoBpWkek7hxMXyAS7EJyIww4VkI04EbXL9NyD88dBq_xWUgHywWyYkVd6Q1VpXVCkjZx_E3pASJdGpBNc8GD_C8G0EivKcmopt14_PrDSDaw9S0_YJe-2/s1600/cat5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvqf1e2-SQkODZYTNplBkaghJoBpWkek7hxMXyAS7EJyIww4VkI04EbXL9NyD88dBq_xWUgHywWyYkVd6Q1VpXVCkjZx_E3pASJdGpBNc8GD_C8G0EivKcmopt14_PrDSDaw9S0_YJe-2/s320/cat5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It worked fine for a couple weeks but then quit working again in a torrential rain storm. When I went to check it out the next morning I found the powersupply box again was full of water. The only thing that made sense (since the box was elevated 3 feet off the ground and the CAT-V cable to the box made an upward sweep from the ground to the box is that somehow the cable was penetrated at the top and the cable had been acting like a straw.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwiFOvI3Oey-rLmIh_FIN7x07f7hbSSJgF3MdxqdT9uR3qOJPt3MTXlJEDB6l47MhZxZ71CjsyUmUewshWXOstZBElPK1SHkax35Tzv9XjH7Cx1sySWCxD5ROfwCmPhdoVzt9jmM_qkO1/s1600/cat5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwiFOvI3Oey-rLmIh_FIN7x07f7hbSSJgF3MdxqdT9uR3qOJPt3MTXlJEDB6l47MhZxZ71CjsyUmUewshWXOstZBElPK1SHkax35Tzv9XjH7Cx1sySWCxD5ROfwCmPhdoVzt9jmM_qkO1/s320/cat5b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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To test my theory I disconnected the cable (after getting a shock because it was still plugged into the wall outlet) and water started pouring out. I nicked the cable at the low point and more water streamed out. </div>
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Since I had already used my backup powersupply (i thought i was planning ahead with one spare) it took me a while to find another one of the same voltage, but I vented the wire and the low point & so far its been working!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-83799299258415830802013-08-03T10:52:00.001-04:002013-08-03T11:17:58.941-04:00Food Travel Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUbZ8baV7YMc1BaMonid2yi2_RmnlUcsPbJNvW7KRv3ZlXbZhv2Nher2PCjTifqNSbwNJpaGaOpBUAq72AHO3wJKq3hyphenhyphenpMq3n7gw4EBwgj27bt3JAs3PzMZdn3LLfp4NHCbyYl6q5ZF01/s1600/Photo-0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUbZ8baV7YMc1BaMonid2yi2_RmnlUcsPbJNvW7KRv3ZlXbZhv2Nher2PCjTifqNSbwNJpaGaOpBUAq72AHO3wJKq3hyphenhyphenpMq3n7gw4EBwgj27bt3JAs3PzMZdn3LLfp4NHCbyYl6q5ZF01/s320/Photo-0004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When traveling abroad westerners have to be careful about what they eat as their delicate constitutions are used to a sterilized diet of well cooked/prepared foods. There are abundant food safety regulations in America and in other western countries that are actually enforced so Americans are used to being able to trust their food. That is not always the case overseas.</div>
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<span class="s1">If someone gets sick its usually from the salad or vegetables. Salads would usually be the safe commendable healthy choice in the US, but abroad they are often a cause of intestinal distress because they may not be cleaned well or may have been washed in dirty water. I know a local neighborhood where a lot of salad and vegetables are produced near the banks of the river but they get their water for the plants from the same muddy water that the neighborhood kids use as a toilet. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Health experts (and experienced expats) recommend soaking your vegetables in a strong bleach solution for at least 30 minutes. Unless you are going to high end restaurants where they can take the time to soak the vegetables its not worth eating your veggies.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Be careful of fast food or convenience food items. A good friend of mine tells the story of when she was flying from Addis to Dakar and during a layover she was hungry and wanted a quick snack. So she grabbed a warm yogurt container from a cooler that had its lights off. At the time she thought the lights were off in the cooler because the light bulb had burned out, not because the cooler was not powered. She said the yogurt tasted ok but a little off, but since she was hungry she ate the whole thing. The next part of her flight was terrible and she could not stray far from the toilet for days.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In reviewing her warm airport yogurt decision she realized she made a couple mistakes. You can’t always trust dairy products as the milk may not have been pasteurized and the yogurt she bought had a label that was mostly written in a language she could not understand. Many of these convenience items may have been prepared well in advance and been sitting around in the heat or open for hours or days. She also said she should have been alarmed when she felt that the container was warm and the flavor was off. However, temperature may not always be an indicator as the item may have spent the day in the heat and only recently been cooled. Of course, the broken cooler was another indicator that she should have made a difference choice.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Its generally a good idea to avoid street food if you are not accustomed to the particular items. For me, its an acceptable risk if you have an idea of what you are eating, its fresh, and the item is cooked completely through in front of you. For example, I love deep fried meat pastries straight from the boiling oil. Pieces of meat on a stick straight off the fire and cooked completely have a good chance of not making you sick. Also look at how the food is handled as fresh hot cooked food dropped in the dirt or handled directly with filthy hands can get you sick too.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One day when a good friend and I were traveling through the grassy hills above Lake Malawi a bunch of kids ran up to our vehicle and tried to sell us some food that they had just caught and cooked. What they were selling could be described as “mouse ka-bobs” as they had eight to ten mice stuck between slender twisted branches that they smoked over small fires by the side of the road. The mice looked plump but they smelled like they hadn’t been completely cooked through so we decided to find something else to eat.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCrz7_f-M9-CQ-11XpusIIU5j25mCNIwXUHdW2QJCeZXI51corSYdaVUWojkuOvflurlcqd_x-61uZ9BrzTuLEZ8HW1BeFlgpZHCccH_lFQi-4FI6vFjcvKeYzummXw9PJ3b1KBe-wq8a/s1600/malawi+mousekabobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCrz7_f-M9-CQ-11XpusIIU5j25mCNIwXUHdW2QJCeZXI51corSYdaVUWojkuOvflurlcqd_x-61uZ9BrzTuLEZ8HW1BeFlgpZHCccH_lFQi-4FI6vFjcvKeYzummXw9PJ3b1KBe-wq8a/s320/malawi+mousekabobs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Anybody that has traveled in Africa, South America, or Asia can share similar stories. Its kinda funny to hear the new guy complain that he shouldn’t have eaten the street-side camel on his first day in N’Djamena (was also his first day in Africa). Some take longer to learn than others, like my friend that got E. Coli his first week in N’Djamena from partially cooked meat, massive gastric distress the following week from eating shrimp in a local restaurant (never eat seafood far from the sea), then a couple weeks later got giardia and amoebic dysentery from poorly packaged locally produced cheese and dried meats.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-66757301238649293912013-07-22T15:50:00.002-04:002013-07-22T16:02:09.370-04:00Male & Female Genital Mutilation<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am feeling conflicted about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23410858">female genital mutilation (FGM)</a> today after reading that<a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/03/prweb512999.htm"> male circumcision</a> is considered the same and also has detrimental effects. People die from botched operations for both male and female but male circumcision is being promoted in Africa and other places as a way to <a href="http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/malecircumcision/en/">slow the spread of HIV/AIDS</a>. But also both genital modifications are critical to their cultures. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">For males and females its a way of identifying who belongs to what groups or in some cases demonstrates their religious beliefs. In most cases the modification takes place before the person is able to consent or object so its not like they have a lot of choice in the matter. In American culture many parents make the decision to circumcise their sons, but daughters are spared. In some African cultures, among others around the world, the daughters are circumcised as well. In South Africa circumcision rituals recently made headlines when <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/08/us-safrica-circumcision-idUSBRE9670OU20130708">30 young men</a> passing through a circumcision and coming of age ritual died due to botched procedures.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /><span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Its interesting to think about how many cry out against FGM but circumcise their sons or are circumcised themselves. To be clear, I have never been for FGM and still don’t support it. However, thinking about it in the same light as male circumcision I feel more compassionate and understanding. Should we just let cultures do their own thing and not judge? Should parents just leave their kids alone until they are old enough to make their own choice? I feel that many would <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/jul/22/female-genital-mutilation-unitednations?CMP=twt_gu">opt-out </a>if they were given the chance.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-83558430541714445982013-07-16T15:47:00.001-04:002013-07-16T15:47:15.070-04:00Community<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I have lived outside of the United States for more than a 1/3d of my life, in Europe, South America, Asia, and now Africa and never really thought much about a specific community before this week. When I was in Brazil I tried to become a Brazilian. In Senegal I had great Senegalese friends who invited me out to the village I still consider some to be good friends. Europe was easy to make friends and there was tons to do. However, here in Chad there isn't as much to do and there doesn't seem to be as close of relations between Westerners and locals. The Chadians I work with a great, but are clear to keep professional and personal lives separate. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So it seems I am forced to turn inwards to the international community of NGO workers and this is an odd bunch. Perhaps I didn’t notice it as much in other places because there was more to do and a greater variety of people with which I could interact. Or maybe the people that come to Chad are just a little off. I am grateful for the friends I have made and the ones that provide a service and do stuff besides just complaining that there is nothing to do. One friend hosts a yoga class at his house a couple times a week. Another group of expats teach tennis on the clay courts at Cite Lamy.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I should find something that I can offer to the community to make this a better place. I already spend most of my days working on humanitarian assistance projects (developing ideas, shaping them to meet the donors requirements, legal reviews, project management, public relations, training, etc...) and that helps the local community, but I wonder what I can do to help this other community of western NGO workers... I’ll have to keep thinking.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-59395115705257560012013-07-05T06:10:00.000-04:002013-07-05T06:10:37.861-04:00Grant Money<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I visited my friend’s schools outside of N'Djamena I
have been looking for ways to help out.
The first school we visited only had short-walled buildings with a tin
roof that blew off in a recent wind storm and was in great need of repair. The second school had a couple nice
buildings, including a smaller two-room building that was built by a contractor
for $10,000 USD and a larger three-room building constructed for the same
budget but built by the local community.
I found a couple grant options for building schools but also discovered
that the process isn’t so easy. For
example, my grant sources could give me small pots of money (less than $15,000)
quite easily but there were all kinds of stipulations. For example, I couldn’t buy materials and
have the community build a school, but I had to hire a contractor to provide
the materials and labor. The bigger
problem was that the grant source required for all the construction to be done
to US or International standards, which greatly increased the price of the project. So now the school that would have cost
$15,000 built with local labor to Chadian standards would now cost
$250,000. The benefit of the higher cost
is that the building should last longer but problems included the length of
construction process, more extensive application process, and the applications
for my grant source are only accepted once a year and then if selected the
funds would only become available 18 months later. So the process of building a school now is a
two to three year process and the cost is 16-times more expensive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Constructing schools are still worthy projects and I will
try to have a couple proposals ready for when my grant source starts accepting
applications again. Unfortunately I won’t
be around to see the fruits of the grants and construction process, but in the
end the Chadian kids and communities will ultimately benefit. The smaller $15,000 grants are available for
other small projects but always with the caveat that the projects have to be
done to US/International standards. We
can dig a well for that dollar amount, but before funds will be released we
need to have a hydrological study for the area and there is no funding for the hydrological
study. Maybe I can see if a local
orphanage needs beds or supplies as I can spend the $15,000 funds on small
projects like this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main requirements for these grant funds are that they don’t
single out or benefit only one special group, be done to international
standards, and fall into at least one of the following four categories. (1)
Disaster risk reduction, mitigation, or preparedness, (2) health related
projects and activities, (3) education support, and (4) basic
infrastructure. Any ideas?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-90471184110016988792013-06-29T10:59:00.001-04:002013-06-29T10:59:23.327-04:00Tonic shortage<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJGm5BDLInrqV1ho0yRbbnpntFBvv3yekthUgXd-e4PYRe1o4ImbRdyT20ZfIEynK_CnU2V8nVAjtMnEOb96tnv58zHNykJydz1OwB8JdbnDFzpyHHCv3PDPndpnEmS9egQ3pI_Zxubhe/s1600/IMG_3348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJGm5BDLInrqV1ho0yRbbnpntFBvv3yekthUgXd-e4PYRe1o4ImbRdyT20ZfIEynK_CnU2V8nVAjtMnEOb96tnv58zHNykJydz1OwB8JdbnDFzpyHHCv3PDPndpnEmS9egQ3pI_Zxubhe/s320/IMG_3348.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last tonic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Over the past couple years as I have traveled in Africa I have developed a love of tonic water. Most Americans don’t know what it is besides something to add to gin, but this amazing drink that allowed european travelers so survive in the malaria infested regions of Africa has become a staple in my house. The quinine in the tonic allowed the european travelers to survive malaria, but I like it for the flavor.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I was happy to see when I moved here in March that the local brewery sold tonic in the bottle along with Coke, Fanta, and the usual variety of sodas. However, over the past couple months its been getting harder and harder to find tonic. About a month ago the local restaurants ran out of tonic in the local bottle and began serving it in a can for three to four times the regular price. Normally a bottle of tonic would cost 500 CFA (approx $1 USD) but this last Thursday a can of tonic cost 2000 CFA ($4 USD). However, the price of Coke and Fanta has remained unchanged.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In order to find an answer to the tonic scarcity I joined a tour of the local brewery in N’Djamena to see what was going on at the plant and ask questions of the brewmasters. The tour was interesting and they showed us the storeroom for the raw materials, processing vats, and bottling plant. At the time the brewmasters were brewing Gala beer made from rice and malt and bottling Castle in smaller bottles. The brewery could produce 300,000 bottles of beer and 250,000 bottles of soda per day and operated around the clock. The production and bottling operations were automated and moved along smoothly and the warehouse was full of beer and soda. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtp88D-aFVXV3YpHYSaXCqHj2olp0VTEmNDoMMJmQp1VXLFF_EYywuGL8Ksc5uqSR1ET4CNNnJq0YPx_WRRKaSTjbjgM3KLCznPJpmUjxp9pM00OT4H1jw1XGVhFMmrCwKHVdYpen42le/s640/IMG-20130629-00055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtp88D-aFVXV3YpHYSaXCqHj2olp0VTEmNDoMMJmQp1VXLFF_EYywuGL8Ksc5uqSR1ET4CNNnJq0YPx_WRRKaSTjbjgM3KLCznPJpmUjxp9pM00OT4H1jw1XGVhFMmrCwKHVdYpen42le/s320/IMG-20130629-00055.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unloading room where rice and hops begin processing. At this point we were told to turn off our cameras to protect their trade secrets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">At the end of the tour they brought out a variety of their locally brewed beverages for us to sample but no tonic. When questioned about the tonic the Chadian brewmaster replied that Africans don’t like tonic so it doesn’t sell so they don’t make a lot of it. He continued that they will make a batch of tonic every six-months or so and it will sit in the warehouse or their distributors for a long time so it wasn’t worth making tonic anymore. The brewmaster suggested instead that I try the Fanta Fruit Punch, which was pretty good. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">So in the end, the tonic shortage will continue in N’Djamena until the brewery decides its time to brew tonic again (and the brewmaster did not know when that would be). I will have to search the distributor black market to find tonic that might be hidden in a back corner or perhaps I can get some delivered from Cameroon or Nigeria. When they do produce tonic again, I will have to stock several cases and ration them for the long dry season. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-12069372386540943262013-06-28T12:53:00.001-04:002013-06-28T12:53:43.117-04:00Expanding Car Dealerships in Africa<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Bringing a new car brand into a country isn’t easy and there are many different factors to consider. The primary factors involved are mechanics, spare parts, and market competition. Other factors to be considered are the suitability of the vehicles to the environment, import taxes and other fees that raise the end price of the vehicle, and political incentives such as the ability to assemble the vehicle in the country.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Mechanics need to be trained on the nuances of different brands of vehicles as a Toyota mechanic may not be able to work on a Jeep or a Porsche. Each brand is engineered a little differently and may use parts or technologies that aren’t used in other brands. When cars were simpler it was easier for a mechanic to figure out the vehicle systems but in the new era of microchips and computer diagnostics a mechanic may need specialized software to communicate with the vehicle. For example, a company recently acquired some new Mercedes trucks that came with a computer that is connected to the trucks during weekly maintenance. The computer talks to the car, runs diagnostic tests, tells the mechanics to order parts, and can walk the mechanics through simple repairs. However, for more sophisticated problems they will have to call Mercedes and wait for a team to fly in and bring parts with them. A further problem is that the computer only came with german software and the mechanics don’t have a Chadian Arabic to German dictionary.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Establishing a spare parts chain of supply is critical because all vehicles will eventually break down and parts will wear out and need to be replaced. A supply chain is more than being able to DHL parts into the country but to have a stock on-hand of commonly replaced items, like oil filters, but also headlights, fuses, and fan belts. Its very expensive to DHL large, heavy items like engine blocks or transmissions so the in country dealer will need to arrange for shipping and customs arrangements. The in country representative will need to be able to order the parts and receive them quickly and reliably as the longer a car sits waiting to be repaired the more attractive the competition appears.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The level of competition among car brands varies from country to country in sub-saharan Africa as does the variety of models offered. Which brands are available may be a political decision, as in Senegal where the <a href="http://www.leblogauto.com/2007/02/seniran-une-usine-pour-assembler-des-voitures-au-senegal.html">SenIran</a> was a common brand of taxi. The SenIran was a joint venture between Senegal and Iran and the vehicles were locally assembled outside of Dakar. The variety of brands available may also be a result of the personal preferences of the individuals that control the car markets. Monopoly of dealerships is not unique to Africa as in the US there are towns where there may be Peterson Toyota dealer next to a Peterson Ford dealer owned by the same guy. It may be easier to control a dealership monopoly in a small country as once one has arranged import and customs procedures it may be possible to keep others out of the market. At a minimum it will be easier to bring in other brands under the same organization once the system has been established and connections made with important officials.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In Chad there isn’t a wide variety of car dealership to chose from. There is the Toyota dealer that also sells Renaults but you may be out of luck trying to arrange maintenance services for an imported Ford Explorer or Porsche Cayenne Turbo (both are singular examples seen on the streets of N’Djamena). Most of the small taxi fleet are old Fiat 504s and they are repaired in crowded dirt lots scattered around town where self-taught mechanics and taxi drivers congregate. A few places have tin shacks where they do the more delicate work out of the wind and sand, operations like grinding down an engine block or replacing pistons. I have noticed a couple Nissan Patrols on the streets of N'Djamena but I have not found a Nissan dealer in the city. Most likely they were driven across the border from Cameroon or Nigeria.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Nissan has made a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-28/nissan-targets-doubling-of-sub-sahara-sales-on-small-cars.html?cmpid=yhoo">goal</a> to double sales in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2016 but that will be a challenge, especially in places where many people can barely afford to buy a bicycle or motorcycle. The Nissan plan is to sell more small cars like the Micra, Almera, and Sentra but those cars require smooth paved roads. Often good paved roads are hard to find or only go a short distance between the port and the refinery or the mines and the railhead. I’ve only ridden a couple times in Nissans, usually in a Nissan Patrol and they were not comfortable experiences. For example, we drove from Monrovia to Buchanan, Liberia in a new, rugged looking Nissan Patrol and the jarring experience made me appreciate the basic Toyota Landcruiser. We made the five-hour trip (each direction) during the rainy season on dirt roads and the vehicle barely survived. A Nissan Micra would not have survived the potholed roads of Monrovia, let alone the mud covered rubber tree bridges in the forest. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Nissan goal doesn’t focus on sales in South Africa, where many Nissan vehicles are assembled, but targets increased sales in Ghana, Nigeria, Angola and eastern Africa. Perhaps Nissan will have success in these regions, they are banking on it. Roads aren’t that bad in Ghana and in the big cities in eastern Africa (although all have potholes, washouts, and sections with dirt roads). I don’t know if Nigerian cities like Lagos can handle additional traffic. Hopefully the maintenance and parts networks will be established to support this expansion of car sales. Otherwise, as in many places along the sides of the roads in Africa, these new cars will become stripped rusting hulks of scrap metal. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-43929251560879270452013-06-23T16:57:00.000-04:002013-06-23T16:57:45.034-04:00Toyota Landcruiser & NGOs<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The World Peace Foundation published an <a href="http://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2013/06/22/toyota-land-cruiser-and-terror/">article</a> on 22 June 2013 that called for the Toyota Landcruiser to be regulated as a weapon of war because it has been used by many in conflicts in Africa. However, the author of the argument neglected to notice the many good purposes for which people use the Landcruiser. Driving around N’Djamena an observer would notice that everybody that wants to leave the city drives a Landcruiser or some Toyota 4WD variant. That includes MSF, Catholic Charities, SOS Medecins, ASTBEF, the US Embassy, the French Embassy, the Chadian government, and the Chadian military. These organizations use their vehicles to do a lot of good in the country and to blame the vehicle for its use in conflict is wrong. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In some places “bad guys” conduct raids on camels or horseback, should these animals and their use be regulated as well? </span>If the Landcruiser was to be regulated as a weapon of war, will this expand to the regulation of all 4WD vehicles? Jeep makes a decent off-road vehicle, as does Range Rover, are they next after the Toyotas? In some places terrorists like to use non-descript cars like the old Peugeot 504 for VBIEDs, so should we regulate them as well?</div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Other vehicles just aren’t as reliable as the Toyota Landcruiser and no other 4WD brand has established such a robust base of mechanics and spare parts train to support their vehicles. There is a sweet Porsche Cayenne Turbo parked by the Toyota dealer in N’Djamena, but there are no mechanics that know how to work on it and parts will take forever to get here and cost a fortune!</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I agree that the Toyota Landcruiser has often been used in conflicts, but to blame the vehicle or to try to regulate it is not the solution to resolving these conflicts. I would rather that more effort be put into understanding, conflict resolution, and resource sharing than increasing international regulation of a good truck.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Perhaps I feel so strongly about this because I like my Toyota Landcruiser. It has driven me across many African countries and always brought me back safely.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-59308117324192446712013-06-18T07:29:00.001-04:002013-06-18T07:31:54.241-04:00Labyrinth of Kingdoms <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZvm6HDKkk8K0vzLOwgKZS_g2S7XJ67H33h2MuC1w3Jf6i_1mNU6DKgteGt3H70fne__lgWfZi34MTixmGe1so5knKMFVdyZp9NGEuehpbXIpZBB6Bs7nPzcY8vmHlEOCYRzTcbKXlDtZ/s1600/Lok+Pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZvm6HDKkk8K0vzLOwgKZS_g2S7XJ67H33h2MuC1w3Jf6i_1mNU6DKgteGt3H70fne__lgWfZi34MTixmGe1so5knKMFVdyZp9NGEuehpbXIpZBB6Bs7nPzcY8vmHlEOCYRzTcbKXlDtZ/s320/Lok+Pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Body1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><u>A Labyrinth of Kingdoms</u> by
Steve Kemper</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
(The
story of Heinrich Barth & his five-year expedition 1850-1855 through
Central & West Africa before European Imperialism)</div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
An
amazing story of over 10,000 miles through Africa 160 years ago from Libya to
Lake Chad and west to Timbuktu and back by Heinrich Barth. Barth was a different kind of explorer than
Livingston, Stanley, or Park because he was interested in learning about the
people, their culture, and sought knowledge instead of conquest or expanding
the European empire. His books differed
from theirs as he put the Africans first and not his own dramatized
adventures. The book is full of great
descriptions of African societies and kingdoms before they were subjugated and
many destroyed during the scramble for Africa.
Barth met with and shared scientific discussions with African scholars
throughout the Sahel and not just in Timbuktu during his travels. Barth not
only took made maps and made cultural notes but he also studied the languages,
becoming conversant in many of them, and later publishing volumes on African
languages. </div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
I wish I
had learned about this book earlier as it destroys the many myths that Africa
was a dark continent without any learning or civilization that needed to be
tamed by Europeans. I hope I can find in print his original works published in
the 1800s.</div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2373844461962841175.post-58667012287621092962013-06-08T12:07:00.002-04:002013-06-08T12:23:50.505-04:00Chadian School Graduation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoYrNHavb17cG4xunZv2gTRs-qNeNoM5nPBJA690BKKkUDR-XRkDvxVgfenn8JIJMFzVb5MZ9-UeME5IEFsWsdLSsfHvuSZa41Wj-089jwegFqTaMKUFsXsUBzm-hjNn5SzaJgVfGwoLw/s1600/singing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoYrNHavb17cG4xunZv2gTRs-qNeNoM5nPBJA690BKKkUDR-XRkDvxVgfenn8JIJMFzVb5MZ9-UeME5IEFsWsdLSsfHvuSZa41Wj-089jwegFqTaMKUFsXsUBzm-hjNn5SzaJgVfGwoLw/s320/singing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">This morning I was invited by some expat friends to go with them to the graduation ceremonies for two of the schools they set up in the countryside outside of N’Djamena. My friends have been living in Chad for decades working for various organizations and are not teachers, but started out by teaching the neighbors kids and slowly their group expanded. Today I saw over 60 kids at one school and nearly 100 at the other. The kids were smart and their French was much better than mine, despite speaking only arabic in their homes. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBdGy997kKV-2vSHvTnK6gGe9bSlJdJEJVD9qlYAl2Fslci5QaI7tOucVOyH0MIBI7oK8XkkjkK4CQKQsC4QFGwKp6xoUY0W5LOycRPoo9UmRGAC-S5M1eFCxeiBm49__faeCHKH5lqeV/s1600/hands+heads.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBdGy997kKV-2vSHvTnK6gGe9bSlJdJEJVD9qlYAl2Fslci5QaI7tOucVOyH0MIBI7oK8XkkjkK4CQKQsC4QFGwKp6xoUY0W5LOycRPoo9UmRGAC-S5M1eFCxeiBm49__faeCHKH5lqeV/s320/hands+heads.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing about the parts of their bodies</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">The school graduation ceremonies were attended by the proud parents and the top three kids from each group were individually recognized and received a gift bag with pencils, a notebook, and other school items. We also tossed in a small bag of candies for each kid. Before the top students were recognized each class gave a small presentation, usually in the form of signing and dancing, a short skit, or by reciting poetry. The first group to present were the smallest kids, maybe four years old, but they could recite the alphabet perfectly and sang songs that showed off their robust French vocabulary (remember that many of their parents could not speak French). Older kids talked about the metric system, the environment, human rights, and other things. The parents were extremely proud of their kids and the moms were ululating as their kids were recognized for their achievements.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssO6IFKaPMK4SrsHpcFIoRYyOKxFOqoAul0nwhhXP2IfoNTAXFIl__CLGvZuH0_ZHrUD0REP1b2XQRrashyjkbnbIQnk-Z6j-YQ1WAsYkTNwiSYizyqykYB0_UoXJQH15iQFYwqS-MX2R/s1600/proud+parent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssO6IFKaPMK4SrsHpcFIoRYyOKxFOqoAul0nwhhXP2IfoNTAXFIl__CLGvZuH0_ZHrUD0REP1b2XQRrashyjkbnbIQnk-Z6j-YQ1WAsYkTNwiSYizyqykYB0_UoXJQH15iQFYwqS-MX2R/s320/proud+parent.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud parents & smart kids</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">My friends explained that the kids in their schools were more advanced than many in the city because they decided to focus on teaching quality and good treatment of the kids instead of buildings and other things that ate up the meager budget. The first school consisted of a couple short wall buildings with a roof that allowed the breeze to pass through and provided a lot of light. The second school had both the open walled facilities and complete buildings with doors, lights, and fans. The operating budget of the second facility was much higher as they had to pay for electricity and maintain the more expensive buildings. Additionally, the closed in rooms were much hotter as the air could not pass through the buildings (and most days are over 110*F outside with the breeze).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF7u_ahk-61YjG5vOmm6m9f9wjIyX5MdHMwqMsK2TbeOUNn6CUG39ZxUd8XE1q6B0fgP9CVZhYFPOIF2SiB4Nb4VEb5_Tr_P0qf8aLDFc8hgCQEIvOdPKFFzj2py90FrpH3PdYfV5xpgi/s1600/awards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF7u_ahk-61YjG5vOmm6m9f9wjIyX5MdHMwqMsK2TbeOUNn6CUG39ZxUd8XE1q6B0fgP9CVZhYFPOIF2SiB4Nb4VEb5_Tr_P0qf8aLDFc8hgCQEIvOdPKFFzj2py90FrpH3PdYfV5xpgi/s320/awards.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handing out the prizes</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">Teachers were paid on average 50,000 CFA per month (approximately $100) and were paid year-round as in the summer they would attend teacher professionalization training. The primary requirement to become a teacher was to be literate but over the years as the schools have grown the quality of the teachers also improved. (Imagine how much good $100 per month could do here by paying a teacher’s salary).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju30HyH3ChYVppqgFpdBETdNB9n9wIvtMWJqVnl2RYBB8unqJgaygDJfeU5NsJH2s2KKs6fso59QtySartAnKZUXe-tbsip_TH2AOfhaLQDIwz0TOFdDPmvM69rtaUsjr41zeKWoyxpGJ4/s1600/skit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju30HyH3ChYVppqgFpdBETdNB9n9wIvtMWJqVnl2RYBB8unqJgaygDJfeU5NsJH2s2KKs6fso59QtySartAnKZUXe-tbsip_TH2AOfhaLQDIwz0TOFdDPmvM69rtaUsjr41zeKWoyxpGJ4/s320/skit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skit about an educated nomad herding his sheep</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">The cost of constructing a simple school building was about $1000 but the need for funding would continue after that for maintenance of the facilities and continuous repairs. My friends said that once they were able to raise the funds they would like to build a wall around the schools, but so far this had been cost prohibitive as walls that are not done right or done cheaply have a tendency to fall down.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGqV-WwJDCZn1kuZjP8PDCyFi6nuG1qNStiNoxQPZLPzbzM9-SI35XXY5hlTJnkcp1S8_zxkrCNxkU7Um6U6z8tuUe4ZO3WObPf-7CL2c4qEhWg_rp64_0OE0dJLNWzHE0_JzJHqgI8ko/s1600/school.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGqV-WwJDCZn1kuZjP8PDCyFi6nuG1qNStiNoxQPZLPzbzM9-SI35XXY5hlTJnkcp1S8_zxkrCNxkU7Um6U6z8tuUe4ZO3WObPf-7CL2c4qEhWg_rp64_0OE0dJLNWzHE0_JzJHqgI8ko/s320/school.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The schools were integrated and included kids from the nomadic northern tribes but also the local kids from the south of Chad. It was evident that the kids mixed freely, studied, and played games together. My friends said that working with the schools has been tough but their success was due to the involvement of the parents. The parents made sure the kids made it to school on time, did their homework, and the parents did the extra work around their homes that normally for which they would depend on their kids. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_btZfC16HkALMnYwnUO2pqMvd_rTSUXXxmDbAzy4uOu6aWdya1u_5AT5bCv0Ofh0zVjih6kFN7fTHZo0mlm4Z5BF8TTfML6EGdXD5UN6KAOOiyekqG6C7o6G9a2xbRBhPvlPgKcjjzdE/s1600/school2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_btZfC16HkALMnYwnUO2pqMvd_rTSUXXxmDbAzy4uOu6aWdya1u_5AT5bCv0Ofh0zVjih6kFN7fTHZo0mlm4Z5BF8TTfML6EGdXD5UN6KAOOiyekqG6C7o6G9a2xbRBhPvlPgKcjjzdE/s320/school2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01810760860451808718noreply@blogger.com1