Safari Notes

Yew The Yew tree. The tree with magical medicinal wonders. From time immemorial, the tree has played very important roles in people's lives: it was so widely used in Europe for making weapons that they have almost been wiped out there. Presently the yew tree has become very significant due to the anticancer agent - Taxol - which can be isolated mostly from the bark of the yew tree. The common yew trees can be found in North and North-West Africa Yew For more on the Yew Tree go to these sites: The BBC , shee-erie , likinghub , Medicinal Uses Of Yews , The-Tree , Ancient Yew , Arbutusarts , Wikipedia , Answers , White Dragon , Japanese Yew , duidry , Scholar Pacific Yew For more on the Pacific Yew Tree: TopTenHealthProducts , Conifers.org , klemow , botgard , Wellness , herbs2000 , FindArticles , Prostate Cancer Treatment , na.fs.fed , The Healing Power of Plants , Nature's Pharmacy , Your Health Base , USDA , Near Atrica More on The Yew Tree (Taxux Baccata) on

What a tiny frog: reaching a maximum length of 11 millimetres (0.4 in) only; even on a finger nail, it looks very small. The frog is found only in Seychelles - mainly in Mahe; and its status is classified as 'vulnerable': forest fires, invasive species, agricultural activities, expanding human settlement, the logging of timber and the expanding tourism industry have all been destructive to the frog. Due to it being very rare, very little information is available on the frog. The animal is one of ten species selected by the organization for conservation attention as part of the newly announced EDGE Amphibians program . More on the Frog: National Geographic , IUCN Red List , Animal Info , Arkive , Island Biodiversity , Biodiversity-Mongobay , Mongobay , World Lingo , Edge of Existence , Yahoo News , The Telegraph , The Scotsman , Books , Scholar

For the last three weeks or so, events in Kenya have taken most of my attention; at times completely overwhelming me. But in between, there have been other happenings that my thoughts have gone to. In Zimbabwe, as a reflection of how bad the economy has become and how hard life is - a new 10 million Zimbabwean Dollar note has been issued: as part of new currency measures Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono took yesterday to help ease a biting cash shortage ! The new note equals to about 330 US$ (officially) but is the equivalent of about 4 US$ at the dominant black market exchange rate. I have been shocked and very disturbed too, on reports regarding the Genocide ideology in schools - in Rwanda. For the last few days, which has seemed like ages to me, events in Kenya brought back thoughts of the horrific events that happened 13 years ago in Rwanda. I very much hope that every thing will be done, not only by Rwandans but by all those who care about Rwanda, Africa and

Joaquim Alberto Chissano was born on 22 October 1939 in the remote village of Malehice, district of Chibuto, in Gaza province, and was the second President of Mozambique, having served from 6 November 1986 until 2 February 2005. Joaquim Chissano became the first black student enrolled at Liceu Salazar, where he completed his secondary education. He was a member and leader of the African Secondary School Students’ Organization in Mozambique (NESAM). He studied medicine in Portugal. However, due to his political convictions, he was forced in 1961 to flee to Paris, en route to Dar-es-Salaam, where he joined in 1962 the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), as a founding Member. In 1963 he became a Member of FRELIMO’s Central Committee, having also held various important posts in the party, including Private Secretary of the President and Head of the Departments of Education and Security. Joaquim Chissano played a fundamental role in the Lusaka Accord negotiations, signed on 7 September

The saola. Is it a goat? Is it an antelope? Or is it a cow species? Scientists have to figure that out. Only a few hundred are left in the wild today, on the boarders of Vietnam with Laos. Due to their solitariness and elusiveness, most of the knowledge we have on the saola, is by them being studied them in a zoo. More on The Saola: World Wildlife , Facts , WWF , Panda.org , Sciencemag , Ultimateungulate , National Geographic , Animalinfo , StrangeArk , Pipburns , Everthing2 , WWF-species , Buzzle , Horizons Solutions , EcologyAsia , Wikipedia , Blackwel-synergy , Books Image: National Geographic

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, andDemand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long andIts purpose in the service of your people." "Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people andBow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food andFor the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision." "When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose heartsAre filled with fear of death, so that when their time comesThey weep and pray for a little more time to live th

Very few people live their lives to the fullest and as whole and adventurous as Sir Edmund Hillary did. Not only did he, and his Sherpa guide, became the first to scale the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak; not only did he once 'dash' across the Antarctic; not only did he explore places where no human being had gone before and captured a world's imagination, but Sir Edmund too - is said to have been a humble, down to Earth man; a man who helped much in making a difference and positively changing lives of many in Nepal. May God rest his soul in Peace. Photo: ABC News

It reminds you of the Okavango in southern Africa. It is as extraordinary and as spectacular, in its own way, as the Great Barrier Reef. It is the immense river delta, unlike no other: the Pantanal, which extends from central-western Brazil,  through eastern Bolivia and to eastern Paraguay. With its extraordinarily concentrated and diverse flora and fauna, and a landscape spanning a variety of ecological sub-regions, the Pantanal stands as one of the world’s great natural wonders . More on the Pantanal: Pantanal.org , Nature.org , Mre,gov , Amazon Adventures , National Geographic , WWF , Panda.org , World Wildlife , UNESCO , UNEP , Earth Watch Expeditions , Save Nature , Ladatco , Expedition Pantanal , The Pantanal of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay , Wikipedia , Books , Scholar   Image: Google

What has happened in Kenya in the last few days, has been so shocking and incredulous, that I feel utterly numbed! How can Kenya, the one place that I have always considered: an island of sanity, peace and a place for refuge, sink so low and become such hell within a matter of hours only ? A nation that has over come many challenges before; a country that has hosted regular and many peace meetings and conferences between waring factions; a country that has been able to organise many huge international conferences and International sporting events without hindrance; a country that has been one of the few on the Continent that was hoping to host the Soccer World Cup or the Olympic games because it can; a country, that 40 or so years ago, was wealthier and with better infrastructure than Malaysia or Thailand - how can such country become what it is now? It's very hard to explain. I can only ponder and these quotes come to mind: "That men do not learn very much from the lessons o

As plants go, it doesn't look like anything special -- droopy, elongated leaves and tiny yellow-white flowers. What makes Dendroseris neriifolia so unusual and the object of so much study is that there is only one known specimen living in the wild. It is the world's rarest plant and, like scores of other species on rugged Robinson Crusoe island, it somehow survives literally on the precipice of extinction on this speck of land lost in the South Pacific. Known to a few travel connoisseurs as the place where the real-life Robinson Crusoe was marooned in the 18th century, the island attracts naturalists who come to study what is believed to be the world's largest number of endemic plant species per square mile. There are 124 unique plant species -- occurring nowhere else on earth -- on an island of a mere 36 square miles . Read more on Forests.org For more: IUCN , Arkive , True Knowledge ,  Zipcodezoo , Wikipedia , amjbot.org , Scholar Image: Google