Safari Notes

Touted as a promising alternative energy source for decades, solar panels crown rooftops and roadside signs, and help keep spacecraft powered. But how do solar panels work? Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many, smaller units called photovoltaic cells. (Photovoltaic simply means they convert sunlight into electricity.) Many cells linked together make up a solar panel. Each photovoltaic cell is basically a sandwich made up of two slices of semi-conducting material, usually silicon — the same stuff used in microelectronics. To work, photovoltaic cells need to establish an electric field. Much like a magnetic field, which occurs due to opposite poles, an electric field occurs when opposite charges are separated. To get this field, manufacturers "dope" silicon with other materials, giving each slice of the sandwich a

Rebel, Revolutionary, Freedom-fighter, Leader, Statesman, Legend, Icon, Saint - all these can be used to describe the One and Only: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela . He is comparable to no other leader in Africa or out of it. For a man to have spent 27 years incarcerated for no crime but because he dared speak out his mind; he dared struggle and fight for justice, equality and honor for his own majority citizens - for that man to be released from that prison and still be so humble, kind, forgiving, merciful and magnanimous to friends and foes, and those who hated and imprisoned him; and for that man to rule the country he set free for only four years and then had over power; for that man to treat all alike and equally, be they foes or friends or children or servants or heads of states; for that man, for most of his life until recently, to wake up each morning and still make his bed - these will go down in history as one of Mandela's greatest legacies and gifts to his Rainbow Nation an

United For Wildlife Prince William, Duke of Cambridge has formed a new wildlife conservation foundation: United For Wildlife . The foundation will collaborate with seven of the world’s most influential conservation organizations: Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, International Union for Conservation of Nature, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF UK and the Zoological Society of London - in a new partnership to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. “The threats to our natural heritage are extensive, but I believe that this collaboration of the best minds in conservation will provide the impetus for a renewed commitment and action to protect endangered species and habitats for future generations,” said the Prince, who is the president of United for Wildlife. Through his Foundation, His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge has brought together an unprecedented collaboration between seven of the world's most influential conservati

In a normal, just world - any one who commits a crime has to face justice; who ever that person is and whatever that person's position is - who ever commits a crime has to be punished. But, we don't live in a normal, just world. The words 'crime', 'justice' and 'punishment' are used selectively. Especially by the one court that's supposed to serve all the world's people: the International Criminal Court . The ICC decides, hunts, convicts and punishes selectively. The court, so far, has meted out its so called justice - only on Africa . Whatever one might think; however hard one tries to look at it, there is no doubt that the ICC is selectively, unfairly and biasedly focused only on Africa and Africans. Cases in point: leaders in Sudan and Kenya are indicted by the ICC and yet those in Sri Lanka, where similar or worst crimes happened, are not; Joseph Kony is wanted and hunted by the ICC and yet the Burmese Buddhist monk, Ashin Wirathu - wh

The island nation of Mauritius has claimed Africa's top spot in the annual Global Competitiveness Report for 2013-14, which was released Wednesday by the World Economic Forum , or WEF. In a ranking system where market size carries weight, it may come as some surprise that such a tiny island could outperform every other economy on the continent. But Mauritius boasts one of Africa's most stable political systems and one of its most transparent business environments. It also stands out for its comparatively good infrastructure, low trade barriers and high levels of public education.

Elephants are incredible creatures. The largest land mammals on earth, they show a wide range of behavioral and emotional patterns in their up-to-60-year lifespans. They grieve over the bodies of dead herd members, and can even recognize their own reflections  in a mirror. And, of course, there's that old saying: "Elephants never forget." While it may be an exaggeration, there's more truth to the adage than you might realize.

Two events happened in the ’70s that turned scores of politically-connected Kenyans into instant millionaires and sharply increased the country’s foreign exchange reserves. They both involved coffee.