Having your bubble juice stolen is a bummer. It's a total bummer if your livelihood depends almost completely on surrounding an elephant in a giant bubble (dream job, btw) and your magic bubble potion takes longer to brew than homemade moonshine. On the other hand, it's definitely not a bummer for the thief and his pals, who are probably already halfway to Mexico where they'll throw an epic bubble party that people will be talking about for years. Like "Dude remember the Great Bubble Fiesta of '08? That was totally worth committing the most absurd felony in history." Also a bummer: Taking bubbles too seriously. Early nineties rap bummer: bubble goose theft.

Thanks to Blair for the bummer idea and being on the all important bubble beat.

I learnt that many of the elephants used for tourist sightseeing and entertainment are treated badly, sometimes horrifically and the days experience of meeting, feeding, playing and learning about these beautiful creatures touched me deeply.

We were able to feed the elephants by hand and connect with these loving giants and learn about their individuality and family structures.

Lek, the founder of the sanctuary is truly an amazing, compassionate woman who is deeply in love with these animals and incredibly inspiring to the difference love and attention can make to the well-being and care of animals (there are loads of dogs too)

Please visit the following link if you would like to help feed the elephants (they eat a lot), it's only $10 USD for lunch or $25USD will buy a medical kit:

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/shop/enpshop.htm

Or if you would like to learn more about these amazing creatures and the wonderful work that Lek does or how to become a volunteer click on the following link (also on my 'animal love' section)

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/index.htm

Next on our netflix list - Machine Girl. Hopefully, BHK will enjoy that as much as I enjoyed tonight's feature.

whole -

• gorilla
• hippo x 2
• seal
• monkey
• tiger
• polar bear x 3
• horse
• lion
• rhino
• zebra
• koala 2
• sheep 2
• kangaroo
• camel

partials -

• 3-legged tiger
• tailless kangaroo
• headless lion

amazing number of intact critters in my barnum box. (60g) Sadly, no elephants. I've been to the circus, and always seen ellies - can't say the same about koalas or polar bears, though they are both adorable and cool, too.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a hippo or rhino at the circus, either. Or a gorilla. (well, maybe a clown in a gorilla suit) What are they trying to pull??

4th of July ATW man - note his pop-eyes, manic grin, and huge firecracker.
seen on the way home after Journey 3-d last night

Today's harvest - Looks like beans for dinner tomorrow!

also shown, first tomato of the season, cukes, eggplant, and a sneaky, slimy okra.

2 years ago - this will be our year (it still makes me cry every time I hear it), ring wearing, flemish ( The TRUTH About "Belgium" - The New World Order's Belgian Conspiracy) , cat's got knees / I like your pants, rust monster, underground city, lake okeechobee, ninja turtles /zoom, good sleeps,

3 years ago - GrayP, Allergy results, Candice gives me her number, google hybrid, love song / mind control

4 years ago - I Robot, The Flo, LiveJournal Gallery, 1000 white cards revisited

5 years ago - Evil Fish, Bro, Brace, bazillion questions meme, crow tools, Elton Ock, LJ pings for you

6 years ago - Janet Reno, 1000 blank white cards, lost links, Dumpster Diving,singing kitty, palm sketches, snickitty-snackitty man, managing activism

7 years ago - melted heart, epizootic, hair bears, playing majestic

8 years ago - bedtime thoughts

Yes, we are still here and NO we are not in Zimbabwe!!  The day before we were meant to cross the border the company decided to pull out so we are currently in Zambia and doing all the bits and pieces from this side.  We went out on a helicopter flight over the falls today and it was just spectacular!!  The water level is still to high to swim in the Devil's Pools … so there might have to be a next time!!

The last couple of weeks have been full of excitement.  We enjoyed a drive through Etosha NP in Namibia where we saw lots more animals we were also fortunate to camp in the park on our final night and got an awesome African sunset with a giraffe at a watering hole. We spent three days bush camping in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and then enjoyed a scenic flight over it.  The water levels still need to rise so there was a lot more land than we had expected.  We did game walks with guides and that was the highlight … no barriers or safari vehicles to save you!!  We also had an elephant in extremely close contact with our campsite.  We were taken into the delta via Mokoros (the local dugout canoe).  Ours was a little temperamental (but very authentic) and all my stuff was soaked through on arrival … ahh well … it dried!!

We have just come from Chobe NP in the north of Botswana.  We enjoyed a sunset boat booze cruise on the Chobe river into the park on our first night there and were very spoilt with Elephants and Hippos!!  But there was more in store for us and one of the highlights of the trip so far has to be the overnight in Chobe NP.  We were treated to a fantastic game drive into the park (the guides even went off the road to hunt down the game).  The animals were plentiful and the highlight – two male lions!! We then entered into our bush camp which included candlelight dinner (tablecloths and china plates … something we have not enjoyed for a while). We were waited on and even woke up to hot water in a canvas bag outside our tent to wash with and all that was after an awesome nights sleep in proper camp beds with a duvet!! (Not our half body, tiny 1.5cm thick mattress).

The camping is going well and we haven't upgraded yet!!  Our group is changing over the weekend and the ones heading up are waiting in anticipation of who will be joining us … it has been a lot of fun so far and a great group so we have been very lucky.

Love to all and we will continue to be in touch as we can.

Thanks for the emails it is lovely to hear your news when we get a chance to be online.
Victoria and Marcus

We have just completed two days in Kruger NP and have had an absolute blast!!  The only member of the Big 5 that we haven't seen yet is the Rhino but have seen heaps. (The Big 5 include Elephants, Leopards, Rhinos, Buffalo and the Lions). Spent the days on a safari wagon and soaked up the experience.  On the way to the park from Johannesburg we enjoyed Blyde River Canyon.  We are currently in Nelspruit and head into Swaziland tomorrow. 

Have updated our page with photos ... trying to be good and keep them to a minimum but hard! Enjoy.

www.travel.rameke.com

Love hearing from you will reply as soon as we can. Och Ni som vill svara pa svenska istallet sa gar det alldeles utmarkt, jag kommer fortfarande ihag svenska :)

Love to all
Vic and Marcus

talks on combining tango and salsa leads to:
universal oneness
center
dancing
i love african music
(did you know that latin rythyms originated out of africa?)
youtube
vistas
nature's song
elephants
how fast do they go?
do they run?
really?
who knew?
reading mechanical digests
thinking about that chapter in science class that covered the workings of a diesel engine
remembers when diesel was cheaper than unleaded
remembers when unleaded was under a buck a gallon
thinks that with the price of hay being what it is it still might be cheaper to drive
which doesn't really make me miss my horses any less
but there's a bleu on on the table...
and tango doesn't have to include the brass band
especially as the night goes on

Barefoot living, that is. I first stumbled upon this philosophy of living during a rather uneventful Bio2AP class this last semester. At first I was shocked. Then I calmed down into a, "Hey, this is so cool. I would totally do this if my gym would let me!/I felt sanitary walking around in public places (like the gym, covered in sweat) w/o shoes." Since the topic has been being talked about on some blogs (like mizfit) I figured I could let ya'll know about what I learned about in Bio2AP while not learning about biology...

• While shoes can be cute and "comfortable" our feet were not designed to wear them. If we were supposed to have shoes, why did our feet evolve the way they did? 
• Because you're not wearing shoes, your feet are able to experience a variety of new feelings- like grass.
• The bottom of your feet will eventually toughen up- you know, like with LOTS of calluses. We had a family friend from Australia that used to go around barefoot almost all of the time; I was told that he had some niiice calluses on his feet.
• The best way to start barefoot living is a little bit at a time- you can use the same plan to eat an elephant too.
• Some people start from the beginning of their life. Or at least their parents have the start...
• A select few go as far as to run barefoot
• Which I've heard helps protect athletes from injury.
• Since a great deal of people find it unsanitary to walk around barefoot, there are PRETEND SHOES! Plus shoes to mimic barefootedness.
• And since there is a population of barefooters out there, they all need somewhere to go on vaca.
• Because everyone needs a hobby... heres one that requires no shoes (hopefully??)

Hope you all enjoyed learning about going barefoot- I encourage you to try it sometime. I know that I've been livin' the barefoot life here lately, but maybe that has something to do with the fact that I've been lounging around the house without shoes quite often. Sometimes I even take off my shoes at work *gasp*!

**I'm lovin the "p.s" notes here lately. From now on (for the most part) Fridays will now be known as "fresh fridays": a chance to learn something new- even when you thought you were done for the week ;) **

Because of the tremendous response, I've decided to give you another dose of animals. We'll begin with an old commercial that emphasizes the memory of animals. With Christian, we all learned that lions have good memories; I'd never given that matter any thought. However, I don't think anyone has any doubts about the memory capacity of elephants.

I had another video sent to me a while back that reveals some other things I didn't know. For one, they have a show in England called "Britain's Got Talent". Secondly, I didn't realize Simon Cowell acted as a judge on both sides of the Atlantic. For those who love Simon's insulting personality, you might not enjoy this video; he is actually very nice. Perhaps he's a dog lover at heart.

I'm already working on tomorrow's post. Hikers might find it interesting, but I think everyone will be left breathless by the scenery. Until then... drop by any time!

By MR Pridiyathorn Devakula
Published on May 12, 2008

I have concentrated on economic issues for many weeks.

Today, I would prefer to write a non-economic story about nature that I encountered recently, an occasion that deserves praise.

Last Monday, I had a chance to visit the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation's camp at Ban Hua Thung in Lampang's Hang Chat district. There, I witnessed the way that elephants are being trained to live in the wild, eating the plants available to them in the forest. Feeding by humans is not allowed. These elephants were domesticated or had worked with teak logs in the past, but the foundation bought them from their owners with the intention of returning them to their natural habitat. But before any elephant can be returned, it needs to be trained so that it can adapt itself to life in the wild. In the past, some elephants that were returned into the deep forest after having been domesticated were unable to survive in the wild and thus died. The Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, therefore, set up its camp with a sizeable forested area as a place for elephants to learn how to live in the wild before actually returning them to nature.

On the day that I visited the camp, two new elephants had just been brought in; one is about eight-years-old and the other four. I saw them trying to feed themselves, using their trunks to pull up grass and young plants into their mouths. In an area nearby, I saw a small swamp that the elephants could use for washing or to play in the mud. A new elephant is assigned a mahout as a mentor who not only trains them to live in the wild, but also takes care of their health problems. An elephant used to living in the city could fall ill when brought to live in nature because of a change in its diet. Also, they might be injured in other ways. Once an elephant gets sick or injured, officers at the camp will contact the veterinarian at the elephant hospital located nearby in Hang Chat to take care of that elephant. These physical health concerns are another reason why elephants are required to stay at the camp during this transitional period.

I was told that it normally takes three  to six months before the elephant can adapt to a new way of life. During that time the elephant will try to find a partner. This does not mean someone of the opposite gender, but rather another elephant that can be a real companion. A young elephant would turn to an elderly female for comfort. Whenever a young newcomer is brought in, the remaining elderly females are brought in to get acquainted with the new arrival. If they happen to like each other, they then live together as mother and child. This partnership is very useful for their life in the wild. If the camp can return them into the wild together, they can help each other and will not feel lonely. Sometimes, they can gather in a herd of more than two, which is even better.

I also saw a lovely pairing: a nine-year-old male and a 32-year-old female that have been living in the camp for many months and are now ready to be returned to their natural habitat. They met at the camp and the mother and child relationship developed. While the young one was feeding himself and greeting my family and I, the older one stood behind quietly at a safe distance like a mother standing by to protect her child, if needed, and waiting to bring him back home after the child finishes his leisure activities. The maternal bond was obvious to all of us there. During that time, I also noticed that the young one got affectionately close to a camp staff member. I was told that the man is a mahout who had taken care of that young elephant until it adapted to the natural habitat and found an elderly partner. The young elephant remembered his babysitter so he leisurely approached and snuggled. This reflects another type of pure companionship that is difficult to find in the big cities so full of materialistic civilisation.

Subin, the chief of the camp, explained to me that the perimeter of the natural habitat used as a training ground for the elephants was surrounded by an electric fence to prevent their escape into the woods before they are healthy enough to survive and live in the wild. A normal fence would not be strong enough, so they have had to resort to an electric fence. However, they are careful enough to keep the voltage at a level at which it will do the animals no harm. The reason I mention the fence is to point out that this electric fence was not imported, but rather constructed by the camp's staff applying local wisdom. They use solar cells connected to a battery to generate electricity for the wire fence and the cell is placed on the thatch roof of a small cottage covering the battery unit. A discussion with Subin reveals his passion for the elephants and his love for nature. He is glad to be a part of this programme and to have a chance to bring the elephants back into their real home, the forest.

The person who drove me to the camp was a lady named Jimmy. She was born in Lamphun and works at the Chiang Mai branch of the foundation. Despite her being tiny, she is capable of driving a big four-wheel-drive pickup agilelythrough a remote area to the camp. She has to drive from a city office to the camp at least twice a week to deliver supplies and also carry cash for the staff's monthly salaries. The passage to the camp is very rough and quite deep into the forest but she covers it with enthusiasm.

One key person who deserves to be mentioned here is the man who has devoted himself to the operations of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. He helped originate various activities and is one of the principle people who acquire elephants from cities. He established the camp and now raises funds and solicits donors to sponsor the purchase of the elephants for it. He is Sivaporn Dardarananda, who was once CEO of finance and securities company Tisco. After resigning, he developed an interest in and a compassion for the lives of elephants, and for the past four-to-five years he has been volunteering full time for the foundation. In the past four years, 46 domesticated elephants have been acquired for the purpose of returning them to their natural habitat. He intends to reintroduce up to 81 elephants as a tribute to His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of his 80th birthday. At this moment, Sivaporn is speeding up the acquisition of elephants as well as soliciting more donors. I wholeheartedly wish him every success in due course.

Elephants are ethical animals, second only to human beings in this regard. Returning as many domesticated elephants as this to their natural habitat will not only be considered a great act of mercy but will also help rehabilitate the wildlife population and contribute to the better balance of nature. This will prove to the world that we, Thais, do care and are capable of conserving the forest as well as preserving our wild life in a sustainable manner.

This effort truly deserves praise.

]]> http://mistifarang.wordpress.com/?p=236 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:49:21 +0000 mistifarang http://mistifarang.wordpress.com/?p=236

Connie Levett Herald Correspondent In Bangkok
June 24, 2006 (The Sydney Morning Harald)

“OLE, a two-year-old Thai elephant, stands side-on to traffic in the middle of a four-lane street in central Bangkok, trunk swinging erratically as buses, taxis and motorbikes whiz past on either flank. For eight hours each night he walks through choking fumes, stopping only when a customer, Thai or tourist, buys a 20 baht (60 cent) bag of sugarcane to feed him and snap a photo. For the next few months, this will be his life.”

Continue here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/its-tough-in-the-concrete-jungle/2006/06/23/1150845378966.html

The brothers said they did not feel shame at being forced to bring their elephant to Bangkok to make a living. "No one tells us we shouldn't do this," said Ek, who had only sold two 20 baht bags of sugarcane in the first two hours.

This painting represents the reunion of a parent and its child after the baby played with friends in the river. The colours show the passions of Africa and the tenderness of a happy family. It took about a week to paint and was created in oils on canvas. Currently this painting is owned by a collector in the United Kingdom. They wanted a reminder of their time in Kenya.

http://www.bring-the-elephant-home.org/en/

This video of 5 minutes is produced by “Bring the Elephant Home Org.” .

It is a sad video but doesn’t show cruel images as one find now-a-days in Internet concerning animal-cruelty in China for example.

Scroll down the page shown and you find the video: “Giants in a strange world”.

 Although I really like this one too.... the yummy elephant....

More elephants later anyhow. I brought Miyuki-chan with me to keep me company today. She sat with us while we (me and my mum) stopped for a drink.

Frescato's are the closest thing to a Smoothie I will drink(I hate the consistancy of Smoothies...), Frescato's are more like Slushpuppies, only healthier. This was summer berries, probly the second nicest, cos they sell vanilla flavour too!

It has the nicest 'ambience', although theres one more thats pretty darn nice. Chaplfield itself is pretty bogstandard. 'The Mall' is nicer. And they have a Burger King. Chaplefield dont. So they lose. I had lunch at Burger King, my usual Bacon Double Cheese meal. Before my friend will told me about BDCB's, I didnt realise a place actually did a burger with no nasty extras(like pickles, onion etc)!

Mcdonalds burgers just pale in comparison. And I work there lol. I normally have McNuggets anyways. Less fuss than asking for a burger plain only cheese. After lunch I went round the city, finding more elephants as I went. I did my usual searching for DVD's and cheap games. Didnt find anything that wowed me.

They recently changed the look of HMV, I dont like it. It looks cheap. I hope they didnt pay alot of money to get a designer to do it for them. The only cool thing is the big games podium. The other big dvd/game/cd shop in Norwich is Zavvi(used to be be Virgin, and I prefered it as Virgin, but usually its higher priced than HMV anyways, so I only go there when HMV doesn't have what I want. Like Today. They didnt have Harold and Kumar get the Munchies, and Zavvi did. And it was only £3($6) which was nice. I cant wait to the Harold and Kumar escape Guantanamo which was released this year.

The game shops had big Wall-E cardboard models. And they speak when you walk close past them...

I also paid a visit to my local Pocky emporium. A stall on the big market in Norwich called Orient Express which sells Pocky, chocolate, strawberry, chocobanana and milk flavours. They started selling Collon and those chocolate koala things too. They're yummy!

Heres the gallery of pics I used and didnt. The photo's I took today turned out alot better than those before, probably the daylight. Better for the photo's. Might try an outside figure shoot sometime this week, long as the weathers ok...

Mi amigo Daniel Marías me ha vuelto a sorprender una vez más. Daniel es un tipo que merece un post para "exploradores", aunque sea un geografo y explorador más de biblioteca que "de tacón gastado", como decía su admirado maestro Manuel de Terán. Daniel es de esas grandes personas que cuando va investigando su curiosidad le lleva a derroteros imprevistos, y que cuando ve un detalle que le recuerde a un amigo, lo saborea y hace todo lo posible para su amigo lo saboree de primera mano. Y eso le pasa con los libros. Su penúltima sorpresa fue traerme un libro manuscrito, sobre un safari de caza en Kenya, dedicado a su abuelo (Julián Marías) del cual tenemos que investigar y puede que salga un nuevo proyecto que hacer juntos... Hoy, la última sorpresa ha sido aparecer en la cena con un gran regalo: The end of the game, el célebre libro del grandísimo Peter Beard.

Desde mi modesta pluma me es difícil escribir de alguien que ha hecho tanto. Peter Beard no solo ha fotografiado de manera sublime, magistral y con un estilo propio y casi inimitable la naturaleza y las gentes de Kenya, sino que además ha sido fotógrafo de moda, ha fotografiado a monumentos hechos mujer como Marilyn Monroe o Imán, es íntimo amigo de Mick Jagger (fue fotógrafo de una de las giras más salvajes de los Rolling Stones en 1971), formó parte de la famosa Factoría de Andy Warhol, fue amigo de su "inspiración africana" Karen Blixen, participó en una película experimental con Salvador Dalí, alternaba su rancho en Kenya con bailes con Truman Capote en el mítico Studio 54 de Nueva York y sus amistades van desde Picasso, Francis Bacon... Casi siempre con un porro en la mano y una sonrisa canalla en su cara.

Cuando aterrizó en Kenya por primera vez en 1955 seguía la senda romántica de los tiempos de Blixen, Finch Hutton, Selous... y otros personajes, como tantos y tantos soñadores. En cambio se encontró un África diferente y convulsa, en los tiempos de la revolución Mau Mau y en una época de cambios. Encontró entonces un auténtico "paraíso violado", que empezó a fascinarle y a atraparle. Sintió el impulso de ir a conocer a una anciana Karen Blixen en Dinamarca, que le hablara de los viejos tiempos. Tras muchos viajes y exploratorias se estableció en Kenya, comprando una pequeña granja, Hog Ranch "a los piés de las colinas de Ngong" junto a la casa de Karen. Allí se dedico a fotografiar esa tierra que le cautivaba y amaba, demostrando una pasión peculiar por la vida salvaje, las gentes y sobre todo por los elefantes.

El libro que me ha regalado Daniel, "The end of the game" (literalmente "El final del juego", aunque game en inglés también se refiere a la fauna, y hace sin duda un juego de palabras), es una nueva y excelente reedición que ha hecho Taschen. Sin duda me parece una obra fundamental para cualquiera que quiera profundizar en la historia del Este de África. Hace un repaso histórico desde esa África soñada y colonial. Primero sobre Karen Blixen, los primeros cazadores, los primeros safaris, los primeros conservacionistas y los terribles años de las muertes de elefantes en el gran Tsavo. Además, en este libro podéis encontrar una preciosa colección de fotos antiguas de la fauna salvaje, nativos, personajes, safaris... además de las sublimes fotos de Peter Beard.

El drama de los elefantes fascina a Beard. Una de las partes más celebres de "The end of the Game" son las fotografías aéreas de los cadáveres de elefantes muertos y en descomposición durante los años de sequía de finales de los 70, principios de los 80, que acabó con la superpoblación de elefantes de Tsavo. En aquella época los shiftas somalíes tan solo tenían que vagabundear por Tsavo, de cadaver en cadaver para recolectar su marfil. Eso creo un mercado de marfil que, una vez superadas esas sequías, provocaron grandes de matanzas por furtivos para seguir abastenciendo ese mercado negro. A finales de los 80, tras la prohibición Internacional de comerciar con marfil, los elefantes comenzaron a recuperarse, y el Tsavo hoy, recuperado de su casi deforestación tiene una población de elefantes creciente y emergente.

Cito a Beard: "El elefante es la metáfora", dice. "Mira lo que pasó en el Parque de Tsavo, cuando más de 30.000 paquidermos murieron en un desastre ecológico creado por ellos mismos. Somos los próximos: después del elefante, venimos nosotros. Nos estamos comiendo nuestro hábitat, nos reproducimos como ratas. Estamos destruyendo millones de años de historia natural".

Las fotografías de fauna salvaje de Beard suelen ser crudas, desgarradoras y suelen mostrar el lado más salvaje, agrio y tremendamente real de los animales africanos. A sus fotografías suele añadirles a modo de collage, sangre de buey, hojarascas, tierra, dibujos, anotaciones, que completan su estilo característico e inimitable. Además de las tribus, Beard siente fascinación por la mujer africana, a la que fotografía mezclando lo ancestral de una tribu con el glamour de una modelo.

El propio Beard ha vivido en sus carnes esa cruda realidad africana, ya que no hace muchos años sufrió un terrible accidente a manos de un elefante que le cargó en el Maasari Park, siendo realmente afortunado por sobrevivir.

"Lo más gracioso es que cuando ocurrió el accidente ni siquiera estaba trabajando", recuerda. "Me encontraba con unos amigos en el Maasari Park, cuando decidimos aproximarnos a una manada de 20 elefantes con la ingenua intención de observarles. Otras veces me he acercado más con la cámara y no me ha pasado nada, pero ese día me tocó la lotería".

Quíntuple fractura de pelvis. Un amasijo de costillas rotas. Cuatro horas agonizantes camino del hospital, adonde llegó inconsciente después de perder litros de sangre. A Beard le hubiera gustado saber qué se siente a un palmo de la muerte, aunque lo peor de todo es que apenas recuerda nada del trance. Tampoco cree en las resurrecciones, ni físicas ni espirituales. El accidente fue, simplemente, "el accidente". Consiguió volver a caminar al cabo de más de un año. Y decidió mudarse poco a poco del Hog Ranch al último rincón habitado de Long Island. Nueva York, Tokio, Los Ángeles, París...

Peter Beard no tiene una opinión muy positiva sobre el futuro de África, más bien su visión es catastrofista. Y cito:

"Cuando llegué a Kenya por primera vez en 1955 no podría haber imaginado lo que iba a suceder. La población apenas llegaba a los cinco millones, con unas 100 tribus distintas sobreviviendo en una Naturaleza sin fin. Era auténtico, puro, intacto y con una fauna tan densa y grande que parecía inacabable.

Todos estaban de acuerdo en que era demasiado grande para ser destruida. Ahora la población de Kenya alcanza más de 30 millones de habitantes, que succionan los recursos del país de manera escandalosamente rápida, y que además rodean, aíslan y poco a poco presionan los últimos bolsillos de vida salvaje de una África desnaturalizada.

El hermoso periodo de vida y juego ha terminado. Millones de años de proceso evolutivo han sido destruidos en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.

El Pleistoceno está pavimentado, el canibalismo ha sido tragado por el comercio, las flechas se han convertido en AK-47, el colonialismo ha sido sustituido por el poder, el prestigio y la corrupción de la industria solidaria internacional. Este es el final del juego, por siempre jamás.

Qué es lo que viene ahora? Densidad y estrés - solidaridad y SIDA, ordenadores (deep blue) de última generación y robots Nintendo, ataques al corazón y cancer, liposucciones y rinoplastias, mascotas digitales y juguetes Tamagochi, entregarán África a un valiente nuevo mundo."

FUENTES:

La Revista de El Mundo

WIKIPEDIA

PETER BEARD OFFICIAL PAGE

Todas las imágenes son de Peter Beard y están sacadas de su página web

I'll bet you can tick off a half dozen reasons right now why China should not be allowed to trade in African elephant ivory, other than the rapid extinction of an endangered species. One reason cited in Wildlife Direct's Baraza blog is "cultural tradition."

"Dr. Meng Xianlin, head of the Chinese delegation to the CITES meeting in Geneva, said China needed legal ivory to maintain ancient carving traditions. He accepted that Chinese demand for ivory presents a “big problem” for elephant conservation ..."

Cultural tradition? Whenever I hear that excuse for pilfering and pillaging from wildlife or continuing the insanely destructive “tradition” of eating and wearing non-human animals, I think of NPR’s Scott Simon when he said: “It’s hard to excuse cruelty by calling it a cultural trait.” And that’s exactly what the Chinese will do - they’ll be committing cruelty for the sake of a cultural trait.

Born Free cites the following as further proof that this deal should never have been approved:

The reasons why China should not have been approved are numerous:

• The lack of comprehensive internal law enforcement and trade controls
• The steady stream of illegal ivory shipments destined for China
• The increasing involvement of Chinese nationals based in Africa in ivory trafficking
• The continued high levels of elephant poaching (estimated to be running at between 20,000 and 25,000 animals a year)
• The rising price of ivory (poached Sumatran ivory tusks have reportedly increased in value by 300% since 2005)
• The fragile nature of most African elephant populations (only half a dozen or so African countries have robust and significant elephant herds out of a total of 36 countries that are home to the species)

“Now, in addition to all these challenges and threats, we are faced with the prospect of China and Japan bidding against each other for the ivory stockpiles, driving up the price and heightening still further the incentive to poach and smuggle ivory” said Mr Travers, speaking from Geneva where the Standing Committee of CITES is convened.

African soil will be dark with the blood of its last elephants. If you disagree with this decision, if the thought of elephant families being slaughtered for nothing more than their tusks makes your stomach turn, then click the tab above labeled "Stop China from Trading Ivory" and write to the entire CITES standing committee and tell them what you think. Write to your legislators because the U.S. is the number two importer of illegal ivory in the world. You know who's number one.

s.

Nora and I have a very fun getting ready for work in the morning ritual.  It usually involves some singing.. either an original song with music and lyrics by Nora (i.e. the classic hit, Emily Is My Roommate), or whatever song is stuck in our heads when we wake up.  Today, Nora sang this tune while showering.  Happy Tuesday.

 and look at the size of these beasts!

 I had been sitting next to the barbecue when 3 elephant arrived - 2 teenagers and an old bull. Realizing that they wanted to eat the acacia pods all around, I decided to respect their space (and size) and so retreated to the edge of the verandah. Not deterred they kept on coming. I could have reached out and tickled their heads. They knew we were there, they kept checking our scent, but we kept our voices low, made no sudden movements, and for about one hour these gentle giants browsed around us. You feel truly privileged when you experience a moment like that... and you have to remind yourself that although they appear to be 'gentle giants' they are not. If spooked they can be deadly.

I know I have sung the praises of Mana Pools before but here we go again: It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and this is not just my personal opinion - it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But it is running on a shoelace and struggling to survive. This is of course due to the political climate here. The head warden's monthly salary is US$6. Can you imagine what the game rangers receive? As little as 2 or even less. How is anyone meant to survive on that?

I feel very strongly about this and am meeting with various interested bodies at the end of the month to see if we and the international community can raise funds to help run this Park through these difficult times.

Mana Pools is unique, being the only Zimbabwean national park with species such as elephant, lion and buffalo, in which you may walk unaccompanied. It is emphasized that you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Mana is wild and so are the animals, but it is safe so long as you use your common sense. As in all of Zimbabwe's national parks, it is the interests of the animals that take precedence over all else.

Swimming and paddling in the Zambezi River are extremely hazardous occupations as large numbers of crocodile and hippo are present in the water - they are there, even if you can't see them!

The Zambezi Valley is a western extension of the Great Rift Valley, the huge geological fault that extends right down the continent of Africa. The southern edge is formed by the Zimbwean escarpment and the northern edge by the Zambian escarpment. In this valley lies a wilderness paradise with almost all species of spectacular Central African wild life occurring in large numbers.

The Mana Pools National Park covers a representative section of the Middle Zambezi Valley, extending from the Zambezi River in the north to the escarpment in the south.

As you drive into the park you go through various different types of vegetation starting with low jessebush (real difficult to see through scrub) to Mopane forest which gives way suddenly to woodlands of Acacia, Mahogany, Fig and other large trees nearer the river. This change in vegetation marks the southern edge of the old river terraces - the area over which the Zambezi has meandered and shifted its course over thousands of years. The terraces are overed with fertile alluvial soils deposited by the river during its wanderings.

The Pools of Mana are lakes which mark former courses of the Zambezi. They are refilled by the swollen river during the rains and are the homes of large numbers of crocodile and hippo as well as a magnificent bird population.

The number and variety of animals that can be seen at Mana change throughout the year. During the rains most large mammals such as elephant, buffalo, zebra and eland leave the river area to seek grazing and browsing closer to the Zimbabwe escarpment. As the year progresses, shortages of food and water inland force them back towards the Zambezi where the river terraces, with their extensive grasslands and the nutricious acacia pods, support them through the worst of the dry season. As soon as the first rains fall the animals disperse inland again.

Each of the acacias (Faidherbia albida; winter thorn or apple-ring acacia) bears several hundred pounds of seed pods each year: These pods are particular favourites of the elephant and you may see them shaking the trees to get the pods down; which is also why you will see many a baboon hastily leaving a tree when an elephant approaches! These pods also provide a substantial part of the diet of buffalo and several other species.

These were the two teenagers.

I could bore you rigid with hundred of photos of this magical place but will restrict myself to just these few! "Phew" I hear you say... but there will be more.

Photograph: Martin Harvey/A

Remembering Sai Geetha (aka 'Sai Geeta' - 'Sai Gita')
Sai Gita: The Sweet Song Of Sai

To the mortals, exit from the physical plane comes as a big blow, for. It inflicts pain of separation from near and dear ones. Quoting an anonymous poet, Prof. N. Kasturi wrote substantiating his statement that anything, which is born and grows, declines and dies, …as soon as we are born our funeral procession started! Our heart is the drum. Our hearts beat like a muffled drum and the funeral march starts! So, birth is only the beginning of death!

Sai Geeta’s illustrious story that has essentially become a part of His Story is indeed an inspiring saga, especially in an age when man often falters to understand God’s greatest boon to humanity, the great sojourn called life. In an age when human values struggle to find their way into human hearts, when man's bestial tendencies often prevail upon the latent good in him, it is Divinity's masterplan that showcases the dedicated life of an elephant modelling devotion in its real and complete sense. indeed, it serves as a great lesson to humanity.

Tears that rolled down her cheeks on many a occasion, her mischievous pranks acknowledging ecstasy at having been blessed to be in the Divine Presence, were testimonies to the unmatched love, pristine in quality, she has had for her Beloved Master, Bhagawan, that for sure would be envied even by human beings.

It was not a mere coincidence that brought The Creator and His Creation together in the Mudumalai forest marking the beginning of this glorious tale of love. It was a Divine happenstance, a well-crafted master plan by the Divine that would have had its roots linked to many previous births that had made such a meeting possible. Sai Geeta is a Shuddha Brahmacharini (pristine and perfect celibate). She has come for Me, said Bhagawan once, at the end of a long arduous trial she had been forced to undertake at the instance of some senior devotees; she had been ‘reluctantly’ sent to the forest for breeding at the dogged persuasion of some senior devotees in the ashram for no positive result.

Adorned as a Little Princess
There came Sai Geeta to Prasanthi Nilayam
Rejoiced Prasanthi in her endearing presence
And struck a love tale…Creator with His creation
Echoed the song of her heart’s melody
Love for Baba…Life for Baba!
Gazing at Baba she wept
The King returned ‘His Own’ to her
His Love was that she sought
His Heart was that she conquered
Knowing fully, still unknowingly…
She lived a Life…a Life Full…
Unruffled and nonchalant
Dissipating every passing thought
…into the gleam of eternity
Yet, in the end came ‘the end’
Denouement of the drama of life…
Yet, she survived the scare…death
Basking in the love of her Sun
At the end…she receded…devoutly
Into the gleam of eternity!
We salute You, Oh! Little Princess!

Sai Geeta is history now and essentially a part of His-Story. She must have been with Bhagawan through many of His previous Avatars and hence possibly having found her way to Prasanthi Nilayam. Who are we to decipher Bhagawan’s play with our very limited intellect? It all seems a part of His overall drama. He knew that the children would come in to study at the schools and the universities. He knew that they loved animals and animals loved them in return. He had a plan to instil the mantra of divine love through His interaction with Sai Geeta. And she too seemed to play with the Divine, just the way the cows nuzzled up to Him in Brindavan.

"Death is the denouement of the drama of life" wrote Prof. N. Kasturi. For those who loved Sai Geeta, her passing away marked the end of a drama in physical. Devotees would definitely miss her beautifully caparisoned frame majestically leading processions, her gorgeous princely gait, rare sight of tears of love rolling down her cheeks, the beauty of her being cuddled and fed by Mother Sai so affectionately, her unruffled nonchalant looks dissipating every passing thought into the gleam of eternity and lots more…. But, her footprints would continue her legacy in the hearts of millions who loved her so dearly.

A year has gone by. And it is still vivid in the minds of those who were present to witness the scene on the morning of 23rd May 2007 when His all conquering love filled and fulfilled Sai Geeta and perhaps her final wish to have Him with her during her final earthly moments. How an ordinary mortal could decipher the mysterious moments that happened on that fateful morning when Bhagawan Himself drove down to the planetarium side to have a look at His pet elephant that had dropped down on the previous evening? He went close to Sai Geeta and smeared vibhuti all over her head. He was there for a couple of minutes pressing her head with His fingers, stroking her trunk, applying vibhuti on her face and limbs. He then lovingly moved His fingers over her eyes and even asked the caretaker to open her eyes. Though it had been fifteen hours after her passing away, clinically, her body was still supple and flexible as if it was still having traces of life inching towards final exit. Braving the simmering summer, there waited God in human form, silently guiding the entire proceedings of His beloved's final journey, for more than two and a half hours, at the newly constructed Sai Geeta Mahal, as devotees affectionately started calling the same.

All knowing God, the master crafter and designer who knew in advance of the events to come had a well thought out plan for His beloved pet elephant. He had in fact shared with Mr. Pedda Reddy, the caretaker, an interesting idea well in advance of the fateful happening that the new building could be dedicated as a memorial to Sai Geeta. The hidden truth behind Bhagawan’s ‘indication’ was not properly understood by anyone, then. In similar fashion, it was against the usual schedule that had been in place over the years, that Bhagawan returned straight to Prasanthi Nilayam after three week’s stay in Kodaikanal, as if some important event was awaiting Him over here.

A Divine Grace to Record the Present:
Alex Prowse, an accomplished artist from the United Kingdom, member of The Pastel Society, a member of The Federation of British Artists, The Mall Galleries, London and more importantly an ardent devotee of Bhagawan had a beautiful experience with Bhagawan that had a Sai Geeta flavour. He believes that, foreseeing the future, Bhagawan had given him a rare chance to record the present, painting Sai Geeta alive!

Alex Prowse along with his wife was fortunate to have an interview with Bhagawan on the afternoon of 3rd April 2007. During the interview Bhagawan lovingly enquired after his health, as he had been unwell in between. Upon answering the question in affirmative, Alex showed Him a pencil drawing on Sai Geeta that he had done just a week before and expressed his concern that the elephant was suffering from a bad tummy. Bhagawan keenly looking at the drawing asked his wife, 'now he will do painting?' His wife, sitting at the other end, looked across to Alex before nodding and replying that yes, he would. During the following week Alex spent more time dedicated to drawing and filming Sai Geeta in preparation for a series of paintings that he was sure by then to undertake, as inspired by Bhagawan. “What a joy and privilege it was” writes Alex. Upon returning to the UK on the 19th April 2007 he began working on the first painting. Barely a month later, on 22nd May, he was shocked and saddened to receive a message informing him of the passing away of Sai Geeta. Alex writes:

"Swami had seen the future and given me the chance to record the present. The painting given here shows Sai Geeta losing her worldly form and morphing with her heavenly energy surrounded by Devas."

From Switzerland To Shirdi To Parthi:
Urs Keller, a devotee from Switzerland and a great fan of Sai Geeta has had some interesting tales about the little princess of Prasanthi Nilayam. But, before turning into the Sai Geeta pages, it would be interesting to read, in his own words, how this man who set out to meet Sathya Sai Baba of Prasanthi Nilayam mysteriously reached the Abode of Shirdi Sai Baba at Shirdi from where he was subsequently guided to Parthi during his maiden trip to Bhagawan, as if some unseen hand was orchestrating the whole of the happening. Writes Keller:

"In the year 1978, I was in Luzern for teacher's training. To go somewhere after my studies where there was peace was the most important thing for me. So, I began searching for this place in different spiritual groups and in literature where I could be free and at peace. After a long search here and there I came across an article in a magazine with a small photo of Sathya Sai Baba. The title was ‘Prashanthi Nilayam, The Abode of Supreme Peace’.

I told myself spontaneously, 'I’ll go there!' and cut out the article and put it into my wallet. Then I forgot about it, since I did not know about Sai Baba and Prashanthi Nilayam. Half a year later someone saw the photo of Sai Baba and invited me for tea. This Swiss man had visited Sai Baba in India and told me about the place. Now, everything became clear to me. Subsequently I had earned enough money and was able to travel to India to see Sai Baba in August 1980 and stay for three months. The article about Sathya Sai Baba had been with me for a long time.

Because I was told that all people in India know Sai Baba, I flew to Bombay. Outside the airport I asked where I could find Sai Baba. Everywhere I got the answer ‘yes, yes’ and was first directed to the railway station. There I heard different answers until I got exhausted, crouched down in a corner and wept. After some time someone came to me, took my hand, guided me to a train, put me into a compartment and told the fellow travellers where they should let me get off. At last he placed a ticket into my hand, smiled and disappeared. I had no idea who he was, but until today I am very grateful to him.

In the early morning hours I reached a small village north of Bombay. I walked through the deserted lanes as if guided by an unseen hand to a temple and stepped inside with my shoes on, like in a church. Because I was there all alone, ready to drop down, I fell asleep at the feet of the marble idol.

When the priests came they did not know what to do with me and first of all took my shoes off while I was still asleep. Waking up I realized that the priests and some other people were looking at me with eyes wide open. As I walked out of the temple one of the priests started conversing with me in a very friendly way. He explained that this was Shirdi Sai Baba’s temple and asked me to stay another day. Then he arranged my tickets for the train and bus to Prashanthi Nilayam – the Abode of Supreme Peace- about 800 km in the South."

And once in Prasanthi Nilayam he developed a new found love, apart from regular darshan of Bhagawan, Sai Geeta, Bhagawan’s pet elephant. Keller continues:

"For several weeks, I spent my time at noon sitting near Sai Baba’s pet elephant, Sai Geeta, in the cowshed called Gokulam. Many a time, I went for a walk with Sai Geeta and her mahout. Once we were on our way to the small animal park next to the college when Sai Geeta suddenly started trumpeting like mad. The mahout told me that Sai Baba’s car would come from the village at any moment. In fact, after a few seconds the car showed up to the place. Bhagawan got down, patted Sai Geeta and smiled at me. I bowed down before Him. Sai Baba then explained to the man in charge of the small animal zoo in a very fast way many things about small animals like deer, rabbits and birds."

It is indeed a known fact that every time Bhagawan would cross the then Sai Geeta residence through the road His attention would be diverted to Sai Geeta at that split second. Joy Zieglere of the US wrote about such an incident.

"Almost each day of my stay at Prasanthi Nilayam, I walked through the village, past the schools, past the new planetarium, to the large plot of tropical land that is Sai Geeta's home. Often I would stop at one of the many small fruit and vegetable stands along the roadside and pick out five or six ripe bananas to take for the elephant. Usually, the gentleman who took care of Geeta allowed me to feed her and stroke her trunk.

Some days, if Swami was going to the Gokulam, He would drive by Geeta's lush area and wave. Geeta would run to the gate and bow, holding her trunk out in salute to her adored Swami. I witnessed this many times during the two months I had been at the ashram. Sometimes Geeta would trumpet her love for Swami, sending elephant sounds deep into the sultry jungle that surrounded her.

There were other days when Swami would drive by and not glance Geeta's way. Unhampered by this, the faithful elephant could still be seen at the roadside, knees bent, trunk outstretched, in praise to the Divine, as His car slowly passed. Geeta's keeper was ever ready with assistance. Each day she was bathed, Indian designs were painted on her large forehead, usually in white, and a brass bell hung lazily from her neck. Purple bougainvilleas adorned the fence around Geeta's yard as well.

One morning, as was my practice, I waved at the keeper and held up my gift of bananas. Holding up his hand in returned recognition, he walked toward the entrance. Speaking to me, he said, 'I will not have you feed these to Geeta today,' taking the fruits from my hand.

I responded quickly, 'Is she sick?'

'No, no,' came his reply. 'Swami may stop and feed her these bananas today.'

I thought to myself, `I have been here almost every day, and Swami has never stopped to feed her. Why, sometimes He has not even looked her way. This man must be dreaming.' I finally presumed that the keeper was going to consume the bananas himself.

No sooner had this thought gone through my mind than a student, neatly dressed in fresh, white trousers with matching shirt, galloped up to the gateway and shouted to the elephant keeper that Swami was indeed on His way. Wiping Geeta's trunk and straightening her bell, the keeper walked with Sai Geeta to the entrance. He opened the gate and she stepped out on the sand to wait in anticipation of Swami.

She bowed low and trumpeted loudly, as the red car came to a stop in front of her. The door opened and Swami stepped out. Walking several steps toward Geeta, He reached out and put His arms around her trunk and gave a hug. Geeta closed her eyes in ecstasy. Swami then took the bananas and fed them one by one to Geeta, stroking her trunk as she ate.

I was breathless. How had the keeper known Swami would stop there that day?

Nudging me gently, the elephant mahout pointed to the camera that hung forgotten around my neck, then to Swami, reminding me of the opportunity to take pictures.

What went on between God and His elephant that day was inexpressible. But the love that passed between them was glorious.As Swami's car vanished down the narrow road, I turned to the keeper in near hysteria. 'How did you know that Swami would stop and feed Geeta today?' I asked in an almost scream.

Softly, the man replied, 'I didn't know. What I did know was that Geeta needed to be close to Swami. It had been waiting for a long time. God gives each of us what we need; not just to humans alone, but to each species of creation. Every being is in His ever knowing hands.'"

Sai Geetha is incomparable and her life is a deep mystery that the ordinary cannot comprehend. She is arguably the most fortunate of her kind, a great devotee of Lord. There were questions after her passing away as to 'who next?' But, none expected another calf to come so soon to fill the vacuum. Barely few months after her passing away, another sweet calf was brought to Prasanthi Nilayam. Yes, yet another Geetha – Sathya Geetha and that too all the way from the Bihar Nepal border. The new calf that was fed and christened by Bhagawan Himself would continue the great legacy of Sai Geetha traversing in her footsteps unravelling greater heights of devotion towards God in human. Sathya Geeta would once again demonstrate the interplay of God with Nature. The very name rings true of the closeness which Nature has with God – Sathya – and Geeta. Is this the new song of love being demonstrably played by Bhagawan so that we soak in the melody and transform our lives?

Bhagawan’s love for the world is unfathomable. When Sai Gita moved on there was sadness and now when Sathya Geeta has taken her place, this little bundle has brought great joy. Is not this the message that Bhagawan is constantly trying to help us internalise? That pain and joy come in close cycles?

Yes, as a devotee wrote about the pet elephant, Sai Geeta got her befitting due, and a Divine Adieu! His words on Sai Gita would be ringing in every human heart reminding them of the level of devotion human should strive to peak, after having been blessed with the Lord in physical, to transport themselves to the gleam of eternity. In His first address after the passing away of Sai Geeta, to the students of His educational institution, Bhagawan exhorted:

“If only you can remember and ruminate on the intense love that Sai Geeta had for Swami and develop such sacred and noble thoughts, I will Myself take you close to My heart. You do not have to do anything else."

Let us feel grateful to Bhagawan for making every large and incomprehensible lesson so seemingly simple that it reaches out to us – time and time again!!!

Reference

Also see:

- Sai Geetha Website