And I am back.......................................

Ok after a few months off I am back. I came back to Botswana and then took a vacation. I ended up driving around the country (remember folks this place is about the size of Texas for you American readers), and went to Victoria falls.

Victoria Falls: located on the Zimbawe / Zambia border it is bigger the Niagara Falls in North America. You can pretty much see everything at the falls in about 1.5 hours. The water was low because it was the end of summer, but still impressive.

While there we went on an Elephant back safari. It was ok. Think of a slow fat horse walking you around. That's how it felt. We saw some giraffe and kudu while on the 2 hour tour. Then when we returned on of the elephants gave birth and we watched a little one try to stand for the first time. Now that was funny.

We also did a lion walk. A local lion conservation group had a male and female about 20 months old that were as tame as any wild animal could be. We got to play with them, touch them and walk around with them. All in all that was worth the trip for me.

After leave Vic falls we went north and east through Namibia and back into Botswana. We camped a few days at Tsodilo Hills. Talk about the middle of no where!!!!

Tsodilo Hills: This place has old paintings on the side of the hills some are thought to go back 20,000 years. You can hike around it and see the different ones. We did do a trail one day but it was hot. Really hot, and a lot of walking. The side effect of going here was its the highest point in Botswana.

On the way home we spend the night in a pan area. We ate with some South Africans who had too much food with them and were more then happy to share. We heard a herd of zebra that night frightened of lions, until the lions got what they wanted. Then it was silence. The next morning about 0500 we got up and found the lions. It was like a National Geographic movie when we found them. I only wish they hadn't moved because it would have made one great picture.

The whole trip was about 10 days and well worth it. I can't wait to do another one.

Blast from the past

With in the last 2 weeks I have talked or emailed more people from my past then I think I have ever done. At first it seemed all fine and dandy. But after talking with the Ghostbuster himself (ok he is NOT a ghostbuster, he is a ghost finder as he would say) I realized that I am starting to get old. I am now the big 37.

I thought I was living a boring life, but after talking to a few other people I am not. I have lived in more places then anyone I know, I have done things you can only see on TV (like elephant walks), I even stopped and smelled the roses once or twice. Life gave me lemons and I made lemonaid, heck I am still making lemonaid. As yes, the lemonaid is good!

I guess what I am trying to say if that I have finally realized that I like what I do, but feel helpless when I can't do it all or do it right. My recent rants on the Katrina hurrican should show that.

As for Rita, well the government is off to a good start at all levels (local, state, and federal). People for the most part are listening and moving to hire ground. Lessons learned the hard way? I don't think so, I think because Kartrina is so fresh in people's mind that they are scared about being scared then about what could actually happen.

So what can I do to help out? Well I gave to the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity and wish I could stay here long enough to give my time, but I can't. Life goes on, and so must I. So I can only try to be positive and help out where I can.

Will the USA ever learn?

I was thinking today that Al-Qaeda has been a little too quite lately. Would Al be jealous of Katrina? Would they do anything to say hey we are still here? Well they did today. At least 160 people through out Iraq died today.

So what does that have to do with the title of this post? Well, with the government losing ground with public opinion because of Hurrican Katrina Al-Qaeda only has to do what happened back in 1968 during the Tet Nguyên Đán. Maybe you have heard of it by the Tet cease fire offense? Its were the VC and NVA fought all accross the country and change public opinion about the war in Vietnam. Sure they didn't win the battle, but as history has shown they war the war.

Now if Al-Qaeda was to step up and show the American people that they can control the country, the people, and the mightly US Military can't stop them, well you get the picture.

Not that the military can't stop them. If you turn the military loose and let them do it they could, but the political fallout would be ugly, lots of innocent lives would end, but I do belive in the end they would prevail (until they left the country). This problem is bigger the the military, the US Government and anyone else. It will take generations to change peoples minds about the US.

I was ask today, why someone would want to kill themselves. My only response was the abortion issue in the US. Some people are willing to kill doctors who preform abortions and don't think it wrong. His response? "its not wrong". Enough said.

Where in the world should I live

Ok so I have the chance to live in the one of the following places, and I was wondering where you would live if you could, here is the list in no particular Order:

Tel Aviv, Isreal
Bangkok, Thailand
Manila, Philipines
New Delhi, India
Rome, Italy
Helsinki, Finland
Dublin, Ireland
Asuncion, Paraguay
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Athens, Greece
Geneva, Switzerland
Toronto, Canada

Let me know your top choices, and if you are the winner, you will get a prize from that city once I move there. Please use the comments link below...

Oh, and if your one of these guys that are into knitting, don't bother voting only card carring man club members can vote. And of course any woman can vote.

The Real Blame game

Ok, so now it is really kicking up. Everyone was blaming everyone else. But they W comes in and says "I take fully responsiblity". Translation: "I will make this go away now". Put, this does not need to go away, it needs to go further, the Governor of LA, the Mayor of NO, and the people are need to take the blame. Its just not FEMA, its the system.

This reminds me of a bad Fox show that fought the system and tried to beat the man.... Only in that one, they were winning and in this one, the common man is losing....

Storm Warning - How the flood compromises U.S. foreign policy.

Always nice to know that no one will care about our foriegn policy, when we can't even take care of ourselves...

Big rant attack

Warning this is a big rant...

Ok so I have seen on the new the problems in New Orleans and have decided to comment about the problems as I seen them. First off I have donated money to the Red Cross so that others can be helped. And I highly suggest that you who read this do it also, even it its $100 bucks it can help. Having lost 1/2 my house to a busted water pipe, and being out of it for 6 months (luckily 1. The insurance company paid for it, 2. I was able to rent a friends house 3. I have some kick ass power tools and electricity at the time), any way I only had 3 people offer to help me and 2 of them were in Australia (and they were seriously going to come and help). The other person bailed when we were painting because they really didn't want to help, so I feel its the least I can do.

Ok back to my thoughts on the Hurricane. The Fed government didn't react fast enough. I think 3 days were lost because of the red tape of who is in charge and getting the mayor to ask the governor to ask the assist to the undersecretary to the supervisor of the director of the office of who to help. Then no one but Home Depot and Lowes were even prepared for it (they had trucks prestige for it), and honestly who would believe a CAT 5 could actually hit? Not me that's for one.

Ok so we have a bunch of people in the city doing the great American hero act and staying (ain't no one telling me I have to leave) and others can't afford it, are too sick, too stupid (as in dumb as rocks, uneducated, and just ignorant) , and feel they have no where to go. I don't really care why they didn't leave, but the fact of the matter is they didn't, and that's not the problem.

The problem is we couldn't get help to them. We couldn't get the military (active army or national guard) to go in. Not because the troops didn't want to, but because the red tape stopped them. And the press conference every hour from FEMA and others looking for their own political gain kept on saying they were doing everything they could. Ok, I have to agree they were, but they could have done better. MUCH BETTER.

We have professionals who do this for a living. USAID can send in people to help and since they have done it all around the world they could have come back and helped out, we could have sent the National guard units from close by like Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma in, instead of Maryland. There are enough MP units with tons of experience who could have gone in and helped out the local police forces in stead of sending in infantry troops from an Airborne division (again with the politics).

It just makes me sick of the politics going on and the attempts to save face and take this situation to heighten their own political gain.

Funny thing about politics, everyone knows I was 100% against going into Iraq because I didn't think we had enough to go. I am pro-American, but was against the way. I also exercised my right to vote for someone else. But, everyone I know who did vote for him know says they didn't. And they were telling me how wrong I was about the war back then, how I would be proven wrong, yadda yadda, yadda.

I don't care if I was right or not (neener, neener, neener). But I have to agree with Bill O'Reilly (and this hurts me to say that I agree with him) The government (federal, state, local or wherever) is not going to help you, take care of you or save you. Its not that they don't care, I truly believe they do, but they don't have the experience or non political drive to get the job done, done right, and done fast.

Those that can do, those that can't work for the government.

Welcome to boredom

Well the big 4th of July came and went. Didn't do much actually. It was cold that day and one could see your breath in the morning if you really wanted to.

Tomorrow 9 July is actually the American Community 4th of July party. I will be attending it and hope to meet other Americans who are here in the country. It should be a good time all in all.

The reasons why I haven't updated my blog are as follows:
1. Its my blog and I can do what I want, when I want, and if you don't like it then I will take my ball away and go...
2. I haven't really had much to say.
3. See # 2.

I did go up to Kasane last week. (its about a 9 hour drive). We went on a Game Drive (imagine that, animals in a park, in Africa!!) and a boat game drive. It was neat to go there, but the drive was just really long. Really great food at the lodge we stayed at and I highly recommend it. http://www.thegardenlodge.com Not the best website I have ever seen, but don't let that stop you.

Till next time...