Hwange Elephants

When wandering through the bush, one sometimes comes upon a solitary elephant. A quick survey of the area reveals no other elephants in the vicinity. However, if one quietly watches that lone elephant, he will suddenly become aware that he is now surrounded by elephants.

I've often wondered where those other elephants come from and why they were invisible before. Now I know the answer:

HIDDEN DOORS!

(To best appreciate the view, click on the picture to view full it size.)

Zimbabwe Run Off Date Set

Thanks to ZimOnline for this cartoon.

The violence continues. The ZANU-PF campaign strategy is to kill or terrify all opposition so that only Mugabe supporters reach the polls. Of course, the ballot boxes will be stuffed in advance. May a miracle occur and justice prevail.

Pamberi ne MDC. Pasi ne Mugabe.
(Forward with the MDC. Down with Mugabe)

Zimbabwe's Sitting Government

Thanks to ZimOnline for this cartoon.

New deadline for Zimbabwe's vote

Mugabe and ZANU-PF need more time to fix the next vote. Apparently, the current violence is not as effective as they hoped. People are still standing up for freedom. Read how irrelevant the constitution is in Zimbabwe: New deadline for Zimbabwe's vote

The Fix Continues

Having failed to fix the election in the ballot boxes, even after weeks of post-election mathematical mechanization's, Mugabe resorts to the tried and proven campaign strategy of terror. To see how this political campaign is run visit Kick Mugabe Out. Be advised that the photos are EXTREMELY graphic and painful. The reality is even more so.

Rather than fall into the trap of allowing Mugabe to win by default, Tsvangirai and the MDC have decided to contest the run-off elections. This endangers the lives of Tsvangirai, MDC leaders and anyone suspected of being supportive of the MDC. Was Makoni Mugabe's rabbit to distract voters so that Tsvangirai could be denied 50% + 1 in the vote? Could that be where the votes were manipulated?

When the people of Zimbabwe gain the courage to stand up to Mugabe's thugs and to turn against family members who selfishly benefit from destroying others, Zimbabwe can begin a new course to true freedom and prosperity -- the TRUE Third Chimurenga.

Further reading on conditions in Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe election may be delayed -- more time for fixing

Militias 'to rig Zimbabwe poll'

Inside Zimbabwe

Tsvangirai to run in second round

Zimbabwe opposition says post-election violence soars

Mugabe party starts run-off campaign

Election Theft - As Usual?

Mugabe continues to try to steal elections. Things have gone smoothly for him in past elections. However, it's not going quite as easily this time. Perhaps these cartoons from ZimOnline and Zapiro tell it best.






The most encouraging sign that the fix may not hold is that the party line newspaper has floated the idea of a unity government. If that will end the violence and begin a transition toward sanity, let it be welcomed with open arms (the hugging kind not the shooting kind).

TAGGED!

I was tagged by Notes from underground.

The rules are:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about himself.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago:
Teaching at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe in Gweru, Zimbabwe.

Five things on my To Do List today:
1. Survive the day at Arkansas Records Management.
2. Process in Photoshop some of the photos taken with my son at the Corvette show held here in Hot Springs, AR this weekend.
3. Try not to waste too much time watching democratic party election returns.
4. Try not to hold my breath until Zimbabwe presidential election results are announced.
5. Talk to my cockateil.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Return to Africa.
  
• Help fund theological education in southern Africa.
  
• Start a retreat centre for silent retreats
  

Three of my bad habits:
1. Watching/listening to news programmes.
2. Procrastinating
3. Not exercising enough.

Five places I’ve lived:
1. Honolulu, Hawaii
2. Gweru, Zimbabwe
3. Pemba, Moçambique
4. Arusha, Tanzania
5. Hot Springs, AR

Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Chemistry Teacher
2. English as a Second Language Teacher
3. Cotton picker
4. Theology Teacher
5. Records Management Head of Operations

Five books I’ve recently read:
1. Jance, J. A. Exit Wounds
2.Obama, Barak. The Audacity of Hope
3.Peat, F. David. Superstrings and the Search for The Theory of Everything
4.Peck, M. Scott. Gifts for the Journey
5.Dinesen, Isak. Letters from Africa

The five I tagged:

• Parables
  
• Child of the Wind
  
• texas in africa
  
• Doing Theology from the Caribbean
  
• Howie Luvzus
  

Some Things Never Change

Thanks to ZimOnline for this cartoon.

Pemba Ladies

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Unusual Hobby

When we lived in Gweru, Zimbabwe, my daughter, Malaika, had an unusual hobby. She hunted boomslangs.* She learned the sounds that birds made when a boomslang was raiding a nest. When she heard that sound, she would go out with her catapult, a walking stick and the dogs in search of the boomslang. When she located it in a tree, she would shoot at it with her catapult until she knocked it from the tree. Once it was on the ground, she would finish it off with her walking stick. The boomslangs were not overjoyed by her hobby. However, the birds considered her a great friend and saviour.

In the above picture Malaika is holding a boomslang she killed in a most unusual manner. One morning when the rest of the family was on our weekly trip to town to check the post, buy groceries and have a dough-nut at the Dutch Oven Restaurant, Malaika stayed home doing schoolwork. While working at the dining room table, she heard our cat making funny noises in the living room. When she went to investigate, she saw this boomslang trying to get into the house through the window. It was between the screen and the window which opened with a crank located inside the house. Malaika went outside to attack the snake, but found there was no angle to get to it since the window was only partially opened. She then returned to the living room and cranked the window closed on the snake until she heard the bones crack. She knew that it couldn't move quickly with a broken back so she opened the window allowing the snake to fall to the ground. Then she ran out and finished it off with her walking stick.

Good thing I wasn't there. I'd have panicked and broken every window in the living room trying to eradicate the intruder.

*Boomslang -- A long, slender back-fanged snake with a potent venom. The venom is slow-acting and fortunately the venom yield is usually small resulting in few deaths from boomslang bites. Ordinary polyvalent anti venom is not effective for these bites. The male is bright grass green and the female is generally uniform olive. The juvenile is grey-brown with large emerald green eyes.