Safari Notes

Since I started this blog, but especially for the last few weeks (or is it months?), I have been trying different, and a variety of, templates for this site. I tried different Blogger templates and some not from Blogger. I wanted what would best suit what I write on, on this site and what, too - would blend with the ideas I espouse here. A few days ago, I settled for this template - one of the very first I had used, which I believe - best suits this site. May be, some of my friends or visitors using Blogger, would like to try different kinds of free templates not offered on Blogger; they might find some of the templates suitable for them. Blogger-templates offers several and a variety of themes; and hacks, tips and links. There are very many unique templates to choose from, from Finalsense ; and Eris' Template Generator , offers a variety of templates, including three column ones. Or, try Free Blogger Skins . More templates can be found at: Blogflux , Blogcrowds , Blogger Templat...

Nsazi Island is just one of the 3,000 or so islands spread over the 68,000 square kilometers Lake Victoria - Africa's largest lake, the largest tropical lake in the world, and the second largest fresh water lake in the world. Lake Victoria basin is 'used by communities and industries as a source of food, energy, water and transport. The lake is also a sink for human, agricultural and industrial waste. The Lake provides employment for up to 30 million people.' And Lake Victoria is slowly but certainly dying! Dying of pollution. 'The causes of rising pollution levels in the Lake are as many as they are diverse and each of the three East African nations is culpable. The Lake has for along time been a sink to excessive nutrients and untreated effluent that have led to fish die-offs, algal blooms and the spread of hyacinth, a ferocious water weed. Although mostly eradicated now, the remnants of hyacinth on Lake Victoria deplete dissolved oxygen, sunlight and are an obstacle...

The recent report by the UN's 'consortium of scientists' was bleak. The report, predicts: drought, flooding and extinctions in this century . Poorer developing countries, especially Africa, will suffer most; the report also says poor African countries will battle to cope with the devastating effects of climate change. Lakhani says South Africa and other countries will experience climatic chaos rather than climatic change. Help celebrate Earth Day. There are simple ways to help our planet . Each and every one of us can help in this; can help, in saving our Planet, if that's now possible. Some scientists are already saying that: it's too late. Still, whatever little each and every one of us can do to help, to assist - in reversing the process - we should do. Please DO what you can! Image: noaa

"No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." That was the main and focal proclamation on December 10, 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . One hundred and forty one years before that, on 25th March, 1807, Britain had passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act . But the reality today, is far from that: slavery still, very much, exists. As I mentioned before: today, it is mainly poverty that drives people to be shackled and used - many times, in the most cruel and inhuman of ways. Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same. People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'employers' . And as the Ugandan New Vision states: " slavery is not dead, it has mutate...

While Zimbabwe is in turmoil and Angola is immensely rich in oil and other natural resources, and yet, still remains to be one of the poorest lands on earth - one African country continues to grow and give its people hope, even with the few resources that it has: Mauritius. Mauritius is a success story . The tiny Indian Ocean island in southern Africa continues to be in great contrast to most African states. What they say about the island state: "The island has maintained one of the developing world's most successful democracies and has enjoyed years of constitutional order." And it "has preserved its image as one of Africa's few social and economic success stories." BBC News "Its population is educated, hard working and governed democratically with sound economic policies. Mauritius has a free market economy with positive economic growth, almost full employment and a favourable balance of payments position." Mbendi "The Mauritian economy ha...

WWF has just released a report on the World's Top Rivers at Risk , ahead of World Water Day - which is tomorrow (22 March). The report 'lists the top ten rivers that are fast dying as a result of climate change, pollution and dams.' Five of the ten rivers listed in the report are in Asia: Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Ganges and Indus. Europe's Danube, South Americas' La Plata, Africa's Nile-Lake Victoria and Australia's Murray-Darling also make the list. Activists in Uganda who are against the Bujagali Power Project could be right! Uganda needs more electricity and building the dam is the easiest way for providing that. But concerns are there: 'dam safety issues; indigenous peoples, cultural and spiritual issues, compensation, resettlement and consultations; and the terrestrial and aquatic fauna.' But, does Uganda have to build the dam on Bujagali? Can't other sites be considered? Sites that would cause least damage and destruction? It has always ...

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